LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD

Hey, Y'all! After a busy summer and a hectic, crazy year, I'm taking a little time off from road-trippin and setting up at Vintage Markets  and Antique Shows. However, being the enthusiastic JUNKER I am, I never seem to take a 

break from "pickin'." So my booth at Hermann Antique Mall will be getting a whole lotta love and attention in the coming weeks. I have totes

and totes of all things rusty, cowgirl, garden, lacy, vintage, 
primitive,  dainty, and industrial that 

will be making its way to Brenham for the autumn junkin' season. 

I'm also very excited to be a part of the Rusted Gingham Barn Sale in Gonzales the first 

weekend of November. I'll be setting up a truckload of FRESH "Victorian Cowgirl" themed treasures!

Until then, I'll be presenting, "Flea Markets, Funky Old Stuff and Murder, Oh My!" to 

the Heart of Texas Sisters in Crime Mystery Writers group in Austin September 8. 

They've asked me to present how old stuff could possibly become incorporated into a mystery novel...I'm beyond thrilled to be asked to explain how that can and does happen (at least to me!) Which leads me to 

mention what is happening with VINTAGE MURDER, the second book in the Jimmie Rae Flea Market Mystery series. To be honest, I'm still working on the manuscript--I know, I know...I said I'd be done already and have it available by the end of the year. I'm still learning a lot about publishing and although the book will technically be "finished" well before then, there's a lot of pre-release marketing and reviewing that needs to happen. I'm working to do just that to the best of my abilities, but it puts VINTAGE MURDER at a LAUNCH date of March 2014...just in time for the SPRING TEXAS ANTIQUES WEEK! In the meantime, look for some fun contests AND GIVEAWAYS, a-hot-off-the-press-Jimmie Rae Junkin' newsletter, the VINTAGE MURDER cover release, and lots of vintage wedding info...hopefully you'll understand and it will be worth the wait. 

Until then, here's the "blurb" for VINTAGE MURDER. 

Love is in the air for everyone but Jimmie Rae. Maxine Huntington and Steve Devine are engaged and the wedding planning is in full swing. Even her Grandmother Star has found romance. All is going as well as can be expected until something blue is wrapped around the wedding planner's throat and she is found murdered near Blessings Antique Mall. 
What's a girl to do when all the clues point back to her best friend as the primary suspect? It's a whole lot easier to host a pin-up girl bachelorette party than to investigate a case with more twists than a funky macrame plant hanger. 
Jimmie Rae goes beyond her duties as maid of honor to hurry and solve the murder so Maxine can be taken off the suspect list and the wedding can go on as scheduled. 
What she discovers leads her to believe she may not know her best friend as well as she thought she did. Only the admission of a strange secret past can free Maxine. But will her revelation leave her broken-hearted at the altar and directly into the trap of the killer? Can Jimmie Rae save not only their friendship, but her best friend before it's too late?
Stay tuned....

My last happy thought for this post...six weeks until FALL TEXAS ANTIQUES WEEK!! 

Until next time,

Peace, love, and all the good stuff, sweet friends!

THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP

Hey, Y'all! Usually I'm on the road looking for great junk. However, today I'm at that other place I spend a lot of quality time...at my desk writing. I've been tagged by a fellow mystery writer,     Diane Vallere, to answer ten questions in a Blog Hop called The Next Big Thing. Diane has several new exciting books available and one novella coming out next month. Her book Pillow Stalk A Mad for Mod Mystery has a great vintage vibe with all things mid-century modern and a fun Doris Day twist. Please check her out!

So here goes...ten questions on my "next big thing."

Q. What is the working title for your next book?

A. VINTAGE MURDER A Jimmie Rae Flea Market Mystery.

Q. Where did the idea come from for the book? 
A. It is the second book in the Jimmie Rae Flea Market Mystery series. It's a continuation of the adventures of JR and her best friend, Maxine Bea Humphries.

Q. What genre does your book fall under? 
A. Cozy mystery.

Q. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 
A. Sandra Bullock, as Jimmie Rae Murphy, Toby Keith, as Billy Jack Mitchell, Drew Barrymore as Maxine Humphries, and Matthew McConaughey as Thomas Williams.

Q. What is the one sentence synopsis of the book? 

A. With the wedding planner found dead in their vintage market booth, Jimmie Rae and Maxine must solve the murder so Max can put her past behind her and begin a new life with the man of her dreams.

Q. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 
A. Self-published.

Q. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 
A. The initial VERY rough draft was composed during Nation Novel Writing Month (NaNo--November) a few years ago.

Q. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 
A. Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews.

Q. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A.  It is the follow-up to First Monday Murder A Jimmie Rae Flea Market Mystery released earlier this year. 

As an antique dealer I’m seeing a lot of interest in vintage weddings these days. It seemed a natural direction for Maxine to be planning one too. Only hers comes with murder and a dark secret.

Q. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? 
A. Anyone interested in vintage markets, vintage travel trailers, regional wineries, vintage weddings, or who enjoys a good mystery with romantic overtones may enjoy VINTAGE MURDER A Jimmie Rae Flea Market Mystery due out early 2013. 

Thanks again to Diane Vallere for tagging me. 

Until next time, 

PEACE, LOVE, and ALL THE GOOD STUFF, Y'ALL!