November 14th, I celebrated another birthday. Well, celebrated may be exaggerating a bit…okay, a lot. Long ago I decided to take a vacation day on my birthday. This is a day when I don’t want to be politically correct or nice to people that I may not necessarily like. Of course, I made that decision back when I didn’t always love my boss or my coworkers, which isn’t the case now (truly). Nevertheless, this was a decision made long ago and it’s become a habit, so I continue it to this day. Normally, I spend the day doing things I love: reading, shopping (I bought a car on my 30th birthday), eating decadent desserts or just chillin’ at home with my poodles. This year, I had a deadline and spent the day editing. It’s vitally important, but it’s also my least favorite part of the writing process. However, with age comes wisdom (or so they say). As I prepare for the release of my 10th book (yes, I said 10), Bookmarked for Murder, I’ve been thinking a lot about my writing, life, etc. So, I thought I’d take this time to figure out what pearls of wisdom I’ve acquired during this past year.
First, I’ve learned that you will never be able to please everyone. Yeah, that’s not original, but it’s still true. When I started writing, I knew everyone wouldn’t like my books and I’m okay with that. I don’t like tomatoes (stick with me, I’m getting to a point, I promise). There are plenty of people who love tomatoes and will eat them fried, raw, roasted, stuffed, in salads, you name it. I don’t like them at all, but that’s okay. There are plenty of other foods that I do like (like chocolate). I’ve not met anyone who judges me because I don’t like tomatoes and I don’t judge other people who do like them. In fact, I love having a meal with a tomato lover because as I slide them off my salad, its nice to know there’s someone who might like to add them to theirs. Yet, when it comes to books, it’s different. If someone doesn’t like a book, they feel a need to send an email, write a blog, tweet and share on five types of social media. Don’t like cozy mysteries? British historic mysteries? Culinary cozies? It’s all good. There’s probably a thriller, romantic suspense or a horror novel that will make your toes curl up in your shoes. In fact, if you tell me the type of books you like, I’ll probably refer a few of my friends’ toe-curling novels for you to try. Just because you don’t like cozy mysteries doesn’t mean they aren’t real literature or are in any way, inferior.
Second, I’ve also learned that life is too short not to follow your dreams. This is a theme that readers may notice in all of my books. In my Mystery Bookshop series, Samantha Washington and her husband, Leon, dreamed of quitting their jobs and opening a mystery bookshop. When he dies, she decides to stop waiting for her ship to come in and for the planets to align perfectly. She quits her job as a high school English teacher, sells her house and uses the insurance money to buy a building and open a mystery bookshop. Samantha also dreamed of writing British historic cozy mysteries and so she does. When Albert, Lilly Ann Echosby’s husband in my Dog Club Series decides he wants a divorce after more than twenty-five years of marriage, Lilly Ann is devastated (initially). However, she meets someone who helps her realize that she hasn’t been happy for a long time. That’s when she decides to move to Tennessee in search of her “happy place.” When I first started to write, I used to dream of hitting the lottery so I could afford to quit my job and write full-time. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Thankfully, I didn’t let that keep me from achieving my dream of becoming a writer. Unlike Samantha Washington, I didn’t quit my job (I’ve grown accustomed to eating and the poodles have expectations of dog treats). However, there are twenty-four hours in every day. So, despite the eight hours I spend bringing home the bacon, there are quite a few hours left in my day for writing.
Despite the trials, it’s been an exciting year. I’m excited for my upcoming release of book #5 in my Mystery Bookshop Series, Bookmarked for Murder, on November 26th. This release is two days before Thanksgiving and I have a lot of things to be thankful for. I’m thankful to be a year older. I’m thankful for my poodles and for all of the people who love cozy mysteries (especially mine), and I’m even thankful for tomatoes.
Bookmarked for Murder is available for preorder ==buy link