I had a book signing at our local bookstore, Putnam Six, yesterday to launch the second in the Keystone Lake series, Blooming Greed. Chloe Fuksa and her bookstore are a great asset to our community. She opened her store a few years ago and runs it by herself. She kept things going during the height of the Pandemic by creating a website and selling books to her neighbors who were stuck inside. It is a place for community involvement and several book clubs meet there. Like I said, she is an asset.
The weather is finally warming up and the ice has melted. The sun shone and people ventured out again and who doesn’t need an enjoyable book now and then? A steady flow of book-buyers came and went. I bought one for a neighbor with an upcoming birthday and sold a few of my own.
Blooming Greed is set on Keystone Lake in eastern Oklahoma. It is the second mystery set in that location with the same main character, Erin, who is solving mysteries while growing up. In the first book, Blooming Justice, Erin was in college and helped bring a rapist to justice with the aid of her aunt, a lawyer in Tulsa.
In Blooming Greed, she has become a lawyer herself and is working in her aunt’s firm. This time in her hometown of Mannford, Oklahoma, her neighbors are dying and disappearing, and their properties are underwater. Was it because of the spring rains or was the dam not working as it should? Erin thought there was something preventing the dam from letting out enough water and Tulsa and surrounding communities might be in danger.
Pick up a copy of Blooming Greed and stop by Putnam Six when you’re in Enid. Chloe would love to see you.
What are you reading this week?
I thought we’d talk a little bit about setting today in our discussion about writing. All stories have a setting – it is important enough that it can be another character. When you begin your story think about where it takes place. See it in your mind.
I had a release party for Blooming Greed last night at a local watering hole. That might not describe this very successful local restaurant and bar. Callahan’s Pub is a place you want to be on St. Patrick’s Day if you want loud music, beer, and crowds. They have more beers on tap than I have ever seen and don’t recognize most of them. But on a regular Saturday night I had reserved a table for 15 (come and go) and bought appetizers. It was a fun time. They have great food and service. I got to see old friends, even though we still had snow on the ground and a pandemic in the air.
I’m so ready for spring. I live in the mid-west, and it doesn’t get as cold here as in some parts of the world, but I’m ready for warmer weather.
It happens this week! Blooming Greed, the second in the Keystone Lake Series, releases for sale on Wednesday, January 26, 2022. I love this story and I love the setting. It takes place once more on Keystone Lake in eastern Oklahoma.
It snowed yesterday in Oklahoma. Only the second one of the season. We might have gotten an inch if you stretched it some, and it was bitterly cold. In years gone by, I would have put on my Yaktrax and gone to work, my lunch packed, in dress pants and a heavy coat, prepared to come out and clear a windshield when the day was done. Then I would drive the treacherous roads back home to a warm house. At least I hoped it was warm.
In 2020 I published my first children’s book, Ian’s Magic. It released in the middle of the pandemic (yes, the same one we’re still dealing with). But I was unable to have a book signing or release party. It was a soft opening. But the little book has done well. I promoted it through social media and today I am still working on getting it into schools, libraries, etc.
Merry Christmas! I hope yours was great—mine was. It was smaller than usual, but the food and company were wonderful. 
