What’cha Reading?

I’m off to the bookstore tomorrow to find something new to read. I think I already know what I’m going to buy, but I’m still open to suggestions.

So, what are you reading at the moment? Would you recommend it?

~Elizabeth

Postcards From The Road (Part 2)

One of my favorite parts of traveling for book events is trying some of the native food to that area.

This time, it was eastern North Carolina barbecue for the Lethal Ladies (Kate Carlisle, Hannah Dennison and me). My favorite part was the hushpuppies.

The waitress was awesome at this place. And the hushpuppies were de-licious! Yum!

If we go back again one day, this will be a must-stop restaurant for us.

Here we are in front of the sign outside the restaurant. We took this because I had a very hard time saying the name of this place.

~Elizabeth

A Real Page-Turner

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that I had started reading a book called, Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo, and that it had me in its grip. Well, I managed to finish it the other day despite a page-long to-do list that really left no time for reading. 

Anyway, if you haven’t read this book, you need to give it a shot. It is really, really, really good. It’s a bit dark at times (I don’t usually read dark), but the writing is so good and the characters so well drawn that you can’t help but be sucked in from the very first page.

Here’s a book blurb:

In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish.

Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as Chief of Police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She’s certain she’s come to terms with her past—until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past—and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.

Next up for me? My friend’s labor of love.

What are you reading right now?

~Elizabeth

**A side note: A good friend (and book seller) turned me onto SWORN TO SILENCE as an example of a thriller set in the Amish world. It was interesting to read since I will be penning an Amish cozy mystery series that will debut with Berkley/Penguin in June 2012!

All I Want To Do Is Read…

Remember that goal I mentioned a few weeks back? The one about finding more time to read because it’s something I enjoy?

Well, I’m not doing so well.

I have the book next to my bed. And I’ve really enjoyed the few chapters I’ve read so far. But finding the time to pick it up and actually read it?

Um, no.

Which means I need some help figuring a way to squeeze it in around all of the things that seem to push it to the side each day (like writing and life). So tell me, when do you read? Is it something you do naturally or do you push yourself to make the time?

~Elizabeth

Plucked From The TBR Pile

So what are you reading right now?

I just started SWORN TO SILENCE by Linda Castillo. I’m only about four chapters in but, Wow. Very unsettling so far.

I’m also about to start reading a dear friend’s manuscript. Can’t wait!

~Elizabeth

Back To Books

As I was flying home from L.A. on Saturday, I realized just how much I was enjoying the opportunity a six hour flight gave for reading. I couldn’t return phone calls. I couldn’t check my email. I couldn’t post updates on Facebook. And I couldn’t do laundry, dishes or any of the other stuff that takes so much time at home. I could essentially write (which I opted not to do), sleep (which I did for about an hour), watch the in-flight movie the airline was showing (wasn’t interested) or read.

And read, I did.

Reading has always been a wonderful escape for me. I love that I can be transported somewhere else without ever leaving my couch/bed. I love that for that hour or so I’m reading, I can be someone else, experience something new. In fact, I’ve been an avid escape-from-the-real-world reader since I was fourteen. And I miss that. A lot. 

Don’t get me wrong. I read. I’m just more of a binge reader–going nuts when a window presents itself and then going cold turkey the rest of the time. But it’s that “rest of the time” that leaves me feeling like I’m missing something. Feast or famine, you know? 

So, starting now, that’s going to change. Sure, I still need to write, and clean, and keep up with the kids’ schedules…but I can read more regularly, too. In fact, it’s on my “personal goals” page of my new notebook: READ MORE.

How many hours a day do you read? Or, if you can’t quantify it that way, how often do you start a new book? And, last but not least, do you keep a written log of the books you’ve read?

~Elizabeth

Launch Day!

It’s here! It’s here!

DEADLY NOTIONS–the 4th book in the Southern Sewing Circle series–hits shelves in bookstores across the country today!!! Woo-Hoo!

Aside from a great cover, I think my readers are in for a treat (though, book # 5–due out in November is my absolute favorite so far)!!!

Want a tease?

Ever since she joined the circle, librarian Tori Sinclair has known she’d do anything for her new friends–including throw a birthday bash for a fellow sewer’s daughter. While the party is a hit, self-important pageant mom Ashley Lawson and her rude attitude leave the ladies wanting to permanently shut her high-maintenance mouth. But when Ashley turns up dead, the sewing circle is shocked–because as much as they wanted to strangle her, none of them actually would.

With the town aware that the entire club made threats against Mrs. Lawson, Tori and the girls need to band together to figure out who really murdered the monster mom, before the finger-pointing and gossip cause their friendship to unravel…

As the basis of this series is friendship, I felt it appropriate to tie that into my dedication. Because, really, when you find true friends–the kind that love you no matter what and never, ever keep score–they’re worthy of a dedication and a million times more. Joe and Lynn, whom I mention in the dedication, are those friends for me.

I hope you decide to pick up a copy (and maybe a second for a friend)!

Have a great day!

~Elizabeth

Books, Books, and More Books

Okay, all you book lovers out there, here’s some questions for you…

1) What one character did you wish you could be when you were a kid?

2) What one (or two) picture storybooks stand out from your childhood?

3) Is there a book that has stayed with you years after you’ve read it? What was it and why?

4) What are you reading now and what’s the next book on your TBR pile?

~Elizabeth

P.S. DEADLY NOTIONS comes out three weeks from today!

My Latest “Read”

As I tend to enjoy mixing up my genres, I reached for a romance novel in the hopes of finding an enjoyable escape last week and my selection didn’t disappoint.

Remember Me by Laura Moore grabbed my attention on the first page and held it, firmly, until the last. The story itself was well told, the characters believable and well drawn. And the plot/conflict, aces in my book.

For those of you interested in giving the book a try, here’s a portion of the back jacket copy…

A rising star in the modeling world, Margot Radcliffe hasn’t forgotten the hurt that sent her running from Rosewood, the beautiful Virginia horse farm where she was raised. Travis Maher, a ruggedly handsome rebel and gifted horse trainer with a hard-knock past, had once captured Margot’s heart–only to break it.

But when tragedy strikes her famly, Margot is forced to set aside her skyrocketing career and return to a place she never expected to see again, where the legs that everyone admires belong to Thoroughbreds, not supermodels. Now Rosewood Farm’s success depends on Margot, and the only person she can count on for help is the very man who so ruthlessly rejected her love all those years ago.

If you’re looking for a good romantic tale, I highly recommend, Remember Me.

Now it’s your turn. Tell us what you’re reading.

~Elizabeth

Long Live the Bookstores

Just before I went on vacation last week, I learned about the multiple store closings as a result of Borders’ decision to declare chapter 11. To say I was sad would be an understatement. 

I love books. I have since I was a little girl. And to hear of bookstores closing upsets me. Toss in the fact that one of the stores picked to close was one I worked in just a few years ago and, well, I was more than a little blue for a few days.

I read something in conjuction with the official news story on the company’s decision that likened what’s happening to today’s bookstores to what happened to the music stores of ten years ago. You remember those, right? They were every where in the mid nineties. Yet now…you’d be hard pressed to find a music-only store anywhere.

I get that people are reading e-books and that’s great. While on vacation and sitting by the pool one afternoon, I counted ten people reading. Two of those folks were using an e-reader of some kind. The rest, traditional books.

Yes, I get that the tide may be turning but, I have to tell you, that if the comment about bookstores/music stores becomes reality one day, we will miss out.

I mean, have you ever spent a few hours wandering around a bookstore? Exploring covers and reading bookjackets looking for your next great read?

I know I have.

Have you ever made a bee-line for a bookstore on the day your favorite author’s book releases, the excitement bubbling up inside your chest making the whole experience even more fun?

I know I have.

Have you ever stumbled across a small independent bookstore and yearned to curl up on a chair with the rain pitter pattering on the roof above you and simply read for hours?

I know I have.

I’m glad there are alternative reading venues out there these days. Anything that gets people reading is A-Okay in my book. But I have to tell you, there is so much wonder and joy and memories tied to books and bookstores that I hope  they never go away.

So tell me, what are some of your all-time favorite bookstores? Mine are easy–Borders in St. Peters, MO (a casualty of the company’s filing last week) thanks to the amazing folks I worked with…many of whom became dear friends, and Main Street Books in St. Charles, MO  because it’s exactly what a traditional bookstore should be.

Lose yourself in a bookstore this weekend. You won’t regret it.

~Elizabeth