New books, blogs, awards, and more… it would take more than a pandemic to slow down our authors! Enjoy these highlights from July and August… and be sure to send your news by September 20th for next month’s column: pugetsound.sinc@gmail.com. You may also post your news directly to our Facebook page.
Peggy Ann Barnett has finished Bitter Fruit, her first novel, which weighs in at 105,000 words. Set in Narbonne, France in 1152, it focuses historical events including murder, heresy, and deception. She is now querying agents and welcomes suggestions!
Alice K. Boatwright’s short story “Risky Business” was published by fresh.ink on July 14. It’s available online.
Jeffrey D. Briggs’ second Waterfront Mystery, Within A Shadowed Forest, is now available in paperback and ebook editions. Martha Whitaker is back, but this adventure takes her to the frigid waters of Lake Superior. Jeff is busy promoting it in bookstores and through book clubs.
Leslie Budewitz’s first stand-alone, Bitterroot Lake, will be published by Crooked Lane Books in spring 2021. Leslie was interviewed on Kill Zone, a blog offering insider perspectives from top thriller and mystery writers. In “Parsley Poop – The Cozy Writer and the Conundrum of Keeping It Clean,” she shares her experience as the author of two cozy mystery series.
Beth Camp’s first mystery, The Seventh Tapestry, was published on Aug 21. It is set in the Museum of Medieval Art in Edinburgh.
Roxanne Dunn’s first mystery, Murder Unrehearsed, was published by Wild Rose Press on Aug 31. It features Heather Shelton, an aspiring young actress who witnesses a savage killing.
Robert Herold’s The Eidola Project was selected as a “Recommended Read” by the 2020 Author Shout Reader Ready Awards.
Erica Miner’s screenplay, Not In The Stars, has advanced to the semifinals of the 2020 Script Lab Screenplay Contest. Her third Operatic Mystery is scheduled for publication on Nov 15.
Susan McCormick revealed the cover of The Fog Ladies: Family Matters, the second in her San Francisco Cozy Murder Mystery series. It will be published by Wild Rose Press on Oct. 7. Her first book, The Fog Ladies, continues to do well—it’s currently a finalist for the Silver Falchion, the Killer Nashville’s best cozy award.
Michael Munro’s book Bitter Lake has been shortlisted for the 2020 Debut Dagger Award given by the UK’s Crime Writers Association. It is a competition open to anyone who has not had a full-length novel published by a traditional publisher and who is not under contract to either a publisher or a literary agent. Winners will be announced in October 2020.
Candace Robb held a virtual book launch for A Choir of Crows, the latest Owen Archer mystery, on August 13. Third Place Books–LFP hosted the Zoom event, which was attended by people from across the US, UK, and Australia! Special guests Molly Seibert and Michelle Urberg joined in to discuss the medieval music woven into this mystery.
Charlotte Stuart’s first Vashon Island Mystery, Bogged Down, was published by Taylor and Seale Publishing on August 5. It introduces her new sleuth, Lavender Lewis, and a “day in her life” was the subject of a recent blog post on Dru’s Book Musing.
Marty Wingate’s The Bodies in the Library was released in paperback in August. The publication of second book in her First Edition Library Series, Murder Is a Must, has been re-rescheduled from October to December 1. It’s available for pre-order now and was recently reviewed in Kirkus.
Joyce Yarrow has revealed the cover of her next book Zahara and the Lost Books of Light, which will be published in December 2020 by Adelaide Books. Advance copies of Russian Reckoning are available through Booksprout.