The Dead -- Going Live!

Last entry I commented on two new books that are "coming attractions." One of them, MAGGIE RISING, is about to go live--which is a pretty funny joke when I think about it, since one of the main characters is a ghost.  The book begins like this:

On the last day of the year, I sat in my Great-Aunt Betty’s reading parlor staring at the framed story cloth on the wall. The embroidered figures showed the cycle of planting, harvest, and New Year in a Southeast Asian village. One figure, the “doctor” or shaman, told a different story. If I had never seen him, maybe I never would have been arrested for murder, spent time in jail, or befriended a ghost. Or I might have, anyway. It’s possible I was already on that path.

The story is about Maggie, a 17-year-old Chico (California) girl who does not believe in ghosts; ghosts, however, seem to believe in her. When the Chico High School homecoming queen goes missing, the police are certain she's just another run-away, but Maggie knows differently. Here's a bit of the scene that helps Maggie know. It occurs while she is sleeping:

I stood in the Children’s Playground next to Bidwell Presbyterian. I looked around, wondering how I’d gotten here and why I’d come. That’s when I noticed a pretty blonde girl watching me. She was leaning on the uprights for the swings, but as I looked her way she walked toward me. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her. I looked behind me to see if maybe her focus was actually directed elsewhere, but we were alone. As she came toward me, she gave a half-smile and asked, “Remember me?"



“You look familiar,” I answered, searching my memory.

“Lauren Hall,” she said. “I was in the same class as you, but at Chico High instead of Pleasant Valley.”

“Lauren Hall?” I didn’t yet remember her from high school, but I certainly remembered the name. “The missing Homecoming Queen?”

“The murdered Homecoming Queen,” she answered. “I met my murderer right here in Children’s Park during lunch last Wednesday.”

I swallowed, unsure how to speak to a murdered girl, let alone a murdered Homecoming Queen. “So…you’re dead?”

She rolled her eyes. “And everybody said you were smart.” She plunked down on the bench a little way from me.

The challenge is simple enough: How do two 17-year-old girls solve a murder when one of them is dead and the other is in jail, charged with her murder? I had great fun writing this one. You'll have great fun reading it, too! Watch for it to go live sometime later this week or early next. Thanks!

Susan Aylworth is a multi-published novelist who has worked with three major publishers: Harlequin/Silhouette, Avalon and Covenant Communications.  MAGGIE RISING, her 11th finished novel, is the first to be released as a digital-first publication. Find it soon on any popular digital book platform (Amazon, B&N.com, Kobo, Smashwords, etc.) In the meantime, you can read any of her first eight books in digital format or order the paper copies. She loves to hear from readers at susan.aylworth.author@gmail.com or @SusanAylworth.

Previews of Coming Attractions

Two new books out at once? When has that ever happened to me before? Umm... never? But it's happening now and I could hardly be more excited.  The final cover designs are still pending, but I have a mock-up for one of them. Here's the general look for my new YA paranormal detective/ghost story/murder mystery novel, MAGGIE RISING:

Pretty, huh? (I'm thrilled!) Below is the mock-up for the new Rainbow Rock book, Book #7, RETURN TO RAINBOW ROCK:

The painting is called "Rolling Clouds" and was painted by the same artist (Ken Spencer @ www.jkenspencer.com) who did the other Rainbow Rock covers. My lovely daughter-in-law, Stephanie Aylworth, did the cover design. The process is happening, the covers are looking good, and I couldn't be more thrilled!

Susan Aylworth is the author of 12 novels, the last two shown above. Most of them are currently available for digital download. She is delighted to hear from readers @ susan.aylworth.author@gmail.com or @SusanAylworth. Visit her web site at www.susanaylworth.com.

Big News This Week!

Wednesday night I finished the seventh Rainbow Rock book. Thursday morning I had a call from my agent. Two new books will be going live in August. Woo-hoo!

RETURN TO RAINBOW ROCK features Marcie Carmody, who was a teenager when we met her in Book 4: A LITTLE NIGHT RAINBOW. She's older--and wiser--now, crawling home to Rainbow Rock after a broken relationship has left her devastated. Here's the opening to her story:

CHAPTER ONE

Late February

The sun was setting behind her, lighting the clouds ahead in delicate pastels that would have been beautiful on any other day. It was the kind of winter sunset tourists came to the desert to find, but Marcie Carmody only found it worrisome. “Damn,” she muttered, slamming her hand against the steering wheel and pushing hard on the accelerator. It was bad enough to be crawling home broken and defeated. She didn’t want to have to call for rescue just because the lights on her old clunker had shorted out somewhere this side of San Bernardino.

She passed Joseph City on her way to Holbrook, grateful for light traffic on I-40. “Can’t you make it twenty more minutes?” she grumbled aloud. With luck, the miles would run out before the last of the light.

That was when she spotted the Highway Patrol car sitting under a billboard for the Sagebrush Trading Post: “See our Jackelope! Cold Cherry Cider!” As she passed, going some fifteen miles per hour above the limit, she wasn’t at all surprised to see the trooper pull in behind her and light her up. She ran a hand through her mop of unruly auburn curls.

            “Dammit twice!” She slowed and pulled to the shoulder. “This is not my day. Or my week, month or year, for that matter.”

❤        ❤        ❤        ❤        ❤

MAGGIE RISING is my first YA novel (first detective/ghost/paranormal story, too) which will also be "going live" in August. You may already have met Maggie. Here's the beginning of her story:

CHAPTER ONE

 

On the last day of the year, I sat in my Great-Aunt Betty’s reading parlor staring at the framed story cloth on the wall. The embroidered figures showed the cycle of planting, harvest, and New Year in a Southeast Asian village. One figure, the “doctor” or shaman, told a different story. If I had never seen him, maybe I never would have been arrested for murder, spent time in jail, or befriended a ghost. Or I might have, anyway. It’s possible I was already on that path.

*          *          *

Early October

            “So, are you really a psychic?”

The girl at the counter looked like so many others I’d seen since hanging my shingle next to Aunt Betty’s last summer. I wanted to answer, Hey, look: You came here because the sign says Psychic Readings. What do you expect? Instead, I gave her my wisest, most knowing smile while sizing her up.

Look like fun? Stick around. There's much more fun to come. 

Susan Aylworth is the author of nine published novels, all currently available in digital form for various e-readers. Her newest book, ZUCCHINI PIE: GRANNY'S RECIPE FOR LIFE, was printed in June by Covenant Communications. Her tenth novel, RETURN TO RAINBOW ROCK, will soon be available as an original e-book, the seventh in the Rainbow Rock series, and MAGGIE RISING will be #11.  Find Susan at www.susanaylworth.com or follow her @SusanAylworth.

Fun Summer Reading

Summer is a GREAT time for some lazy reading--and maybe some yummy ZUCCHINI PIE. If you've been following this blog, you will recognize the reference to my newest (and 9th) traditionally published novel, ZUCCHINI PIE: GRANNY'S RECIPE FOR LIFE. (NOTE: You can read the whole first chapter FREE by clicking on the link at right.)

You can find ZUCCHINI PIE at the publisher's web site, www.covenant-lds.com. Covenant has also made my book part of an email blast you can see here. The blast includes a FREE book by Anita Stanfield and various new works by popular Covenant authors, including Marlene Bateman. You can see the covers of all these new books and read (free) the first chapter of each when you click here.

My publisher describes ZUCCHINI PIE like this:

When Karen Burnett receives word that 100-year-old Granny Adelaide is fading fast, she and her husband rush to the hospital to say their good-byes. As the end draws near, Granny reveals her dying wish: she wants each member of her fragmented family present at her funeral, as well as at a dinner featuring nostalgic family foods. In her last breaths, she calls upon Kare, to carry out this seemingly insurmountable task. With cherished recipes in hand and a determination to follow through with her promise, Karen sets Granny’s plan in motion. Karen’s husband, Tom, however, is less than enthusiastic about his grandmother’s meddling. He hasn’t seen his father—the man who abandoned Tom–his mother, and younger siblings in decades, and the years have done nothing to diminish his bitterness. As the day of the funeral approaches, Tom must decide: will he allow himself to be consumed by his anger, or will he embrace the potential for peace? Zucchini Pie is a heartfelt novel of connection: of a struggling family and the food that one wise old woman trusts will bring them back together.

The artists at Covenant gave me a cute cover. I include it below, side by side with the more intense cover of Marlene Bateman's book MOTIVE FOR MURDER, also new in June.

  

Here's the publisher's description of MOTIVE:

Meet Erica Coleman: a gifted and quirky private investigator with a penchant for sleuthing and a passion for chocolate. Erica imagined that her trip to Florida would be a slice of heaven—a chance to get away from it all and catch up with her best friend, Wendy. But a mere day into her idyllic vacation, all hope of fun in the sun is dashed      with a shocking discovery: the body of an unknown man on the driveway. A failed second homicide attempt hits even closer to home when Wendy’s fiancé barely survives poisoning. There’s no way to sugarcoat it—a murderer is on the prowl, and no one is above suspicion. 

Unsettled by the proximity of foul play, Wendy asks Erica to investigate. Erica is convinced that the near double-murder was no coincidence, so she accepts her friend’s request—with her skill, solving the mystery should be a piece of cake. But as she sifts through mounting evidence, one thing becomes clear: everyone had a reason for wanting both men dead. And as the plot thickens, it appears that Erica may have bitten off more than she can chew . . .

If you like mysteries, you're likely to love Erica and the mess in which she finds herself. The tension begins immediately, as shown by these first lines:

The atmosphere was tense as the audience collectively held its breath,
waiting, waiting, waiting. Although the water was still, everyone knew big
things were going on below the surface. Something riveting was about to
happen. The wait seemed to last forever. Then the water suddenly split,
and a huge, shining, black and white creature exploded into the air. 

Shamu.  

Hundreds of cameras clicked, and applause erupted throughout the
stadium. 

As gravity asserted itself, the whale fell back into the water.
For Erica Coleman, it was one of the high points of the show at
SeaWorld. 

I invite you to read the first chapters of both my book and Marlene's. Find mine in the link at right or find them both here. Then when your order arrives, sit back and enjoy some lazy summer reading, our treat!

Susan Aylworth is the author of nine published novels, all currently available in digital form for various e-readers. Her newest book, ZUCCHINI PIE: GRANNY'S RECIPE FOR LIFE, is out this month from Covenant Communications. Her tenth novel, RETURN TO RAINBOW ROCK, will soon be available as an original e-book, the seventh in the Rainbow Rock series. Find Susan at www.susanaylworth.com or follow her @SusanAylworth.

Reviews for ZUCCHINI PIE

New Info! Would you like to read the opening chapter of ZUCCHINI PIE? Click on the top link on the right. It's all there in black and white. Enjoy!

   *                          *                          *                         *                            *                               *

ZUCCHINI PIE: GRANNY'S RECIPE FOR LIFE is new this month and it's already getting some positive attention. "Shauna" wrote this 5* Goodreads review:

Families, Funerals, and Food...
Can it get any better than that?

Granny Adelaide is dying...
Her last, final wish?
To have a family reunion as part of her funeral, including not only the family that was split apart decades earlier, but to also include nostalgic family foods. ...

As Karen and her family put this unusual funeral together hearts will be healed, family secrets will be put to rest and new life will be revealed.

A tender book of feelings, grieving, forgiving, and accepting.
And of course the power of food....
Recipes included at the end of each chapter!
A WONDERFUL read!

Thanks so much, Shauna! You saw it just as I hoped and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Another rave review came from Kathy Gordon, the Managing Editor at Covenant, in the letter she sent with my publishing contract: 

"I love this book! I can only imagine what fun you had with your imaginary family romping about in your head as you were conceptualizing and writing this book. I'm confident it will 'speak' to many--too many of us labor under the misconception that everyone but us has a perfect family, and we are somehow the misfits in society. ... I'm sure it will be a healing read that will bring balance and comfort to many."

I love Kathy and I'm grateful for her praise, but it wasn't always fun to have the Burnetts "romping about" in my mind. Some of the issues are tough, and some of my characters don't deal with them well. Then again, real families are like that, aren't they?

You can find ZUCCHINI PIE at the publisher's web site. Covenant has also made my book part of an email blast you can see here. The blast includes a FREE book by Anita Stanfield and new work by Sarah Eden, M.R. Durbin, and others. I recommend Marlene Bateman's MOTIVE FOR MURDER with its quirky investigator and interesting premise. You can see the covers of all these new books and read (free) the first chapter of each when you click here, or read the first chapter of my new book on the additional page marked "Chapter 1" on the right.

Summer is a GREAT time for some lazy reading--and maybe some yummy ZUCCHINI PIE. Enjoy!

Susan Aylworth is the author of nine published novels, all currently available in digital form for various e-readers. Her newest book, ZUCCHINI PIE: GRANNY'S RECIPE FOR LIFE, is out this month from Covenant Communications. Her tenth novel, RETURN TO RAINBOW ROCK, will soon be available as an original e-book, the seventh in the Rainbow Rock series. Find Susan at www.susanaylworth.com or follow her @SusanAylworth.