Black Crow Cabin: Creating a Crime Thriller, Part 2 by Peggy Webb
Black Crow Cabin: Creating a Crime Thriller, Part 2 by Peggy Webb Black Crow Cabin, the first book of my new Logan Sisters Thriller series, debuts April 30, 2024. It caught the eye of Bookouture, my publisher, because it is different, but in a very good way! The protagonists are three sisters, Rachel, Jen, and Annie, ordinary women caught up in extraordinary events. The sisters each take a star turn in the three books coming out this year, but all of them work together, as families do. Each sister has a gift of seeing, passed along by their mystical mother, a jazz singer who grew up in the bayous, steeped in the culture of her Creole parents and the magic of nearby New Orleans, known as the City of Romance. In Black Crow Cabin Rachel, a single mom and schoolteacher, receives warnings from unexpected scents—magnolias that are not in bloom, honeysuckle that isn’t there, apricots that are not in the house. My fans love the magical realism I wove into The Tender Mercy of Roses, The Oleander Sisters, and The Language of Silence, all literary suspense novels that received critical acclaim as well as accolades from fans. I’ve woven that same tiny thread of magical realism throughout Black Crow Cabin and the two other Logan Sisters Crime thrillers that will be published this year. I can’t wait to hear what you think! You can preorder Black Crow Cabin now, and it will automatically be delivered to your Kindle. The paperback and audio versions will be available on pub day, April 30. Get your copy here: https://tinyurl.com/2m36z7n6 Enjoy the chilling journey! Peggy
Guest Post By Vicki Hinze
Vicki Hinze Guest Post NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE First, thank you, Peggy, for the invitation to guest blog on your gorgeous new website. Well done, Tx Web Designers! You asked about my new release, NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE… Imagine… You have been happily married for nearly 20 years to a homicide detective. The two of you are parents to a daughter, Lisa. Your family is everything to you and you devote yourself to them. Then, when Lisa is nearly 18, some maniac kills your husband and for a time it appears the authorities will never find his murderer. You’re devastated, Lisa is devastated, and you’re in a world of hurt on every front. You’re determined to find his killer—and you do. Then comes the financial shock. Yes, you went to college, and you did work as an assistant in your dear friend’s art gallery. He’s an expert on historical documents and artifacts, as well. But you’ve not worked since Lisa’s birth. How are you going to pay your bills and put Lisa through college? Lisa’s best friend, Lucas, is like a son to you and has been since he was 5 years old and she was born. When his mother, your friend, was passing, you promised to be there for Lucas, and you have been. Now he is engaged to a lovely young woman and you’ve been helping with the wedding arrangements and engagement party. So, with the experience of solving your husband’s murder under your belt and being schooled by your ex-FBI agent father all your life, you got your license to be a private investigator. Keeping up with work is a challenge with your other commitments, but you’re doing your best. Missing your husband, you don’t sleep much these days anyway, and you often wonder if there is life for you after his death. You’re working with a grief counselor on that. You’re also Swim Team Mom for Lisa and Lucas and his fiancé. Preparing for an international swim meet, Lucas charms the media. News of his romance spreads to social media and explodes. Now the couple are receiving marital advice from all over the world and the press is eager for as many interviews as they can get—which is good publicity for the swim team and the international meet, even if it increases commitments. Then the unthinkable happens. After the long-awaited engagement party, Lucas’s fiancé is kidnapped! And for Penny, Lisa, Lucas and his fiancé, the world spins out of control and will never again be the same. This is the position Penny Crown finds herself in at the opening of NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE. I wish I could say, she juggles everything and finds Lucas’s fiancé, and all works out well. But that rarely happens in life, and it sure didn’t happen in Penny’s case. No, far from it. People she knows and loves are endangered. Attempts are made on their lives that terrify Penny, and she must not only discover who is trying to kill them and why, she must discover who her long-time friends really are! No one close to her is who she believed them to be. Yet even in her wildest dreams, she couldn’t have expected them to be who they are! I hope you’ll read NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE and that you enjoy it. I do believe Penny Crown is one of my most favorite characters. It’s available in digital and paperback at Amazon. Thanks for your interest, and for your invitation. Blessings, Vicki Hinze Note from Peggy: Vicki Hinze is one of my go-to friends when I need to brainstorm a book or talk about writing or celebrate good news or lessen a burden by crying on a shoulder. She’s a highly acclaimed USA Today bestselling author, and I’ve had the pleasure of writing three multi-author thriller series with her. You’ll find her work fascinating and complex as well as just plain good reading. Thank you, Vicki, for sharing your book news, and thank you, dear reader, for stopping by. You can learn more about Vicki at her website: https://vickihinze.com/
NEW SUSPENSE!
I’m excited to announce that my brand new suspense novella, THE ALLY, will be available to you Saturday, November 26. If you have preordered, it will automatically download to your Kindle. If you are ordering now, here is the link. THE ALLY is book four of the multi-author suspense series, but there are no cliffhangers. Each book is connected by having a philanthropist in the story, but each one stands alone and can be read separately. CONTEST I’ll be giving away purple Ally tee shirts starting this Saturday and for the next few weeks! Don’t miss these giveaways. Your name will go into the hat for a drawing every time you hit the Share button on my Facebook posts about THE ALLY. These tee shirts were made especially for the contest in limited quantity and will not be available anywhere else. There is nothing to buy. Just help me spread the word about THE ALLY. REVIEWS After you read THE ALLY, please do leave a review at Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter and other social media. Reviews provide feedback for an author and also help other readers find the book. I so appreciate your loyalty and the unfailing support you have given me through the years! You are the best! CHRISTIANS READ I am now on the team of authors at ChristiansRead.com. I will be posting every other Tuesday on a regular basis. You can read my first blog post today, WORDS MATTER, on www.ChristiansRead.com, which is part of Vicki Hinze’s website. All the posts on this site are either devotional in nature with references to scripture, inspirational, motivational, or simply good, clean fun. You might find us discussing vacations, holidays, or the simple pleasures we enjoy every day. On Saturdays, our thoughts turn to books, of course! We will discuss our latest work or talk about other books we are reading. Always good, clean fun. My dear friend, Vicki Hinze, founded the blog and assembled a group of authors who write either Christian books (with a clear intent) and/or clean books (without bad language). I have intentionally kept my later book free of offensive language, and I think they are better for it. ENJOY this holiday season, and as always, thank you for reading and for being such loyal fans! Peggy
Guest Post by C. J. Bennett
Last October another author, Teresa Keefer, and I (Tina Susedik) were discussing what we could do about human trafficking. We went back and forth and came up with the idea of doing an anthology with the proceeds to go to Operation Underground Railroad. I contacted Teresa Russ at Poised Pen Productions, who agreed to help. She contacted an editor and formatter, while I talked with the person who does the covers of my books. All agreed to donate their time and resources to this project. Hope Harbor began. Six authors, some award-winning and some debut authors were given three things that their stories had to have – a lighthouse, a ring, and a pirate (or a descendent of the pirate). They could write in any time period and any genre. A history of Hope Harbor was created: In 1699, Samuel Hopewell arrived with his wife, Faith, and three young children, Jonathan, Temperance, and Charlotte. On this spot, he built a house and barn. He began farming and fishing, taking his goods to small towns further inland. In 1701, he was joined by his brother, Thomas and his family who opened a store and tavern. Hearing of the rich land and abundance of whales, others joined them until in 1716, the population grew to sixty-five souls. Samuel’s homestead, located here on this village green, is long gone, but his and his family’s legacy lives on. Over the years, when whaling grew, sloops ventured further into the Atlantic Ocean. Heading back to southern towns, more and more ships crashed and sank on the Hopewell Shoals. Residents of Hopewell, tired of trying to rescue crews during treacherous storms, requested government funds to erect a lighthouse to warn ships of the massive rocks hidden in the water. In 1716, the lighthouse northeast of the green was completed, with Samuel as the first lighthouse keeper, or wickie (named for having to keep the lantern wicks trimmed.) Samuel moved his wife and eight children to a house near the lighthouse. His sons, and even daughters, learned the art of being a wickie. In 1774, with the threat of colonists going against the King George III, the English created a harbor for their ships to dock. At that time, the town’s name was changed to Hope Harbor. As with small villages everywhere, legends abound, the most prominent being a pirate who landed in 1719, bringing with him a ring said to bring riches to the bearer. Married to Samuel’s eldest daughter, the legend lives on as the ring was passed from generation to generation. Today, through the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, Samuel and Faith’s children stayed, married, and kept up the tradition of Hopewell’s Lighthouse. Information on Operation Underground Railroad: Children do not just disappear. Across the world, approximately eight million children go missing each year. Per a report from the United States Department of Justice, an estimated 800,000 children will come up missing each year in the United States alone. In some underdeveloped countries—third world countries—missing children are not even counted. Missing children has become a major global issue and has been brought to the forefront in recent years. The trafficking of humans, especially children, has become a multi-billion-dollar business with some of the most rich and famous being exposed for their participation in modern day slavery and exploitation of young children. Several organizations have joined the fight against child abduction and exploitation, one of them being Operation Underground Railroad which was founded in December 2013 by a group of highly trained CIA, law enforcement and skilled operatives to comprehensively tackle the problem worldwide. Not only do they find and extract the victims, but they also provide justice for them against their perpetrators as well as rehabilitative services to help them once they are rescued. After considerable research, we found that Operation Underground Railroad provided the most comprehensive programs from investigation to rescue to rehabilitation. Therefore, we will be donating all profits from the sale of Hope Harbor to O.U.R. as our contribution to fighting trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, we hope that by sharing this information, others will follow suit. We can fight this battle together so that these children do not have to suffer alone. God bless you for purchasing the Hope Harbor anthology and a huge thank you from all the contributing authors.
Book News and Huge Book Sale
PERSONAL UPDATE I battled Covid in December and am so thankful that I survived. Then along came eye surgery, and I’m dong well with that, too. One eye down and one to go. I am blessed to have the love, loyalty and support of so many people—family, friends, and fans both new and long-term. A big hug to all of you! BOOK NEWS—SAR TRILOGY I have an exciting Search and Rescue suspense trilogy in the works. The series is a spin-off from SNOW BRIDES, which was a huge hit with fans. You particularly loved the character, Kate, who was compared to a female McGyver. All three books in my new series will star SAR dogs descended from Jefferson (SNOW BRIDES), now retired and living the good life with Maggie, Joe and Kate, who is now a veterinarian and placing Jefferson’s pups in the hands of topnotch SAR handlers. WHAT WE KEEP (SAR TRILOGY, BOOK 1) is the tentative title of the first SAR suspense novel, coming this fall. Alice, a divorcee with a painful past, keeps books in the seclusion of her home, only venturing out when her SAR dog Thunder is needed for a search and rescue mission. When an explosion at the campsite of her ex-husband and his new family leaves Zeke in the hospital, severely burned, and puts his five-year-old daughter in the hands of a killer, Alice’s life is upended. She and her SAR dog are their only hope. But it’s not only a race against time to find Zeke’s child before a madman does, it’s a painful journey through her past. Who will survive? I’m truly excited about bringing this three-book suspense series to you! More details TBA. MORE BOOK NEWS—FAME “Is your fifteen minutes of fame worth dying for?” I’m once more teaming with long-time friends Debra Webb, Vicki Hinze and Regan Black in a new romantic suspense series we’re calling FAME. If you enjoyed our three previous bestselling series–BREAKDOWN, STORM WATCH, and BEHIND CLOSED DOORS—you’re going to love FAME. It will be coming your way next spring. I just LOVE my cover. Here’s a sneak peek. More details will be coming your way soon. 13TH ANNUAL SMASHWORDS BOOK SALE From July 1 – 31 I’ll be teaming with other authors and SMASHWORDS to bring you a gigantic blowout book sale! Titles will be either FREE or discounted at 25, 50 and 75% for the entire month. For the first time EVER, all my Elvis titles will on sale at 50% off. This includes the latest Southern Cousins Mystery, ELVIS AND THE HEARTBREAK HOTEL. Don’t miss this! Many of my books will be FREE, including MAGNOLIA WILD VANISHES (mystery), DRIVING ME CRAZY (Pulitzer nominated women’s fiction), RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (a trilogy of romantic comedies), STARS TO LEAD ME HOME (fan-fav women’s fiction), and JACK LOVES CALLIE TENDER (prequel to the Southern Cousins Mystery series). Additionally, the box sets FOREVER FRIENDS/FINALLY BRIDES and WHEN I FOUND YOU will be on sale for 50% off. Throughout the month I will be adding additional titles to the sale. DON’T MISS IT! Until next time, be safe, be kind and keep on reading! Peggy Webb
Year End Book Sale, Giveaways, and More Scoop on BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
This has been a hard year for all of us. I hope you’re safe, and I hope you’ve been able to escape with a good book. Thank you for your wonderful support, even during these crazy times. To make your life a bit easier and more pleasant, I’m giving away books, gift cards and other great prizes during this holiday season and beyond. SAVE MORE THAN $60.00 I’ve enrolled sixteen of my titles in Smashwords Year End Book Sale. Starting December 18 and going through January 1, 2021, you can get twelve of my titles FREE and four more at 50 percent off. Many of these titles include boxed sets of three to five books. I write in multiple genres, so these books include mystery, romantic comedy, women’s fiction and romantic suspense. Sale titles include: Mystery Magnolia Wild Vanishes Elvis and the Pink Cadillac Corpse (from the popular comedic mystery series) Romantic Suspense From A Distance Women’s Fiction Driving Me Crazy (fan fav, nominated for a Pulitzer) Stars to Lead Me Home (reader favorite) Her Secret Hero The Rules of Engagement- trio of books When I Found You (box set of 3) Romance and Romantic Comedy The Dixie Virgin Chronicles, books 1, 2 and 3 Donovan’s Angel Donovan’s of the Delta, complete set of 5 books (called the ultimate family saga) The Edge of Paradise Christmas in Time Touched by Angels (reader favorite) Here’s a peek at some of the books in this sale. Throughout the sale I will be adding more books. This is the perfect opportunity to increase your library and select books to give as gifts! This is one of my holiday gifts to you! INTERVIEW WITH BOOKS GO SOCIAL Learn more about SAVAGE BEAUTY as well as my other work and my career in general at Books Go Social. I did with interview with the amazing folks there. Read it here: MORE GIVEAWAYS I teamed with four other best friends/bestselling authors to write the romantic suspense series, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: FAMILY SECRETS which came out December 2 and will continue with a new book every Wednesday through the end of this month. Each Wednesday we give away fabulous prizes, including Amazon gift cards and other treasures that reflect the theme of each book. These FB Share contests and giveaways will continue through the end of December. Additionally, I had tee shirts made especially for my novel, SAVAGE BEAUTY, book 3 in the series. I will continue to give those away during the month of January. Watch my FB page for these Share Contests. There is nothing to buy. Winners will be chosen in random drawings. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS SERIES SCOOP Two years ago. three of my best friends and I decided to pool our many years of writing experience in a project we could all do together. Combined, that’s nearly a hundred years of experience and almost three hundred books! Those friends are Debra Webb, Vicki Hinze and Regan Black, all of us USA Today bestselling authors, and Deb also an Amazon Charts bestseller. The result of our collaboration in 2018 was BREAKDOWN, a suspense series our readers called “the ultimate whodunit.” They clamored for more. (Whew! Thank goodness!) Last year we added buddies, bestseller Rita Herron and NY Times bestselling author Cindy Gerard, to the mix and came up with STORM WATCH. Another reader fav! Juggling that many authors’ schedules and deadlines is not easy, so it’s not always possible to get everybody back on board. Our original four were able to get Cindy once more for the 2020 series, BREAKDOWN. We are extremely pleased to bring you set of books readers call “amazing.” Plans are already in the works for our 2021 series. We can’t predict what the future will hold for any of us, but with God’s grace we hope to all collaborate again next year on a series that will knock your socks off! I wish you a safe and happy holiday season, lots of love from your friends and family, and lots of hot chocolate with marshmallows. Happy Reading! Peggy Webb