Dear Friends and Readers,
Some 48 years ago I was living in Toney, Alabama in a yellow brick house with Deborah (Edwards) Barnhardt as a housemate. We had horses and fields to ride and life to live. Deb worked at the Space and Rocket Center, and I was working at the Huntsville Times. It was one of the golden years of my life.
I learned this week that Deb passed away. She had a form of cancer. This news has stunned me. After we both left Huntsville, I didn’t see a lot of her, but she was always with me. She was the most amazing, can-do human being I’ve ever known. She joined the Navy, moved up the ranks, married, had two sons, retired from the Navy and went back to Huntsville to run the Space and Rocket Center. She lived life at full tilt boogie with everything she did.
It is peculiar how I feel her absence in my life, even though we seldom talked. She was just “out there” doing her thing and I knew if I ever needed her, I could call and she would be there for me. Now there is a void.
I do not understand a system deliberately constructed on loss and the principle that love is always punished with suffering. Not a fan of this reality. Deb gave me—and a ton of other people—courage. Because she had it in abundance. I realize it is up to me alone to be courageous, but having a friend with you in moments of distress is all we can ask for. I’ve asked Deb to visit me in my dreams. She may just show up at the door. If anyone can defy the laws of physics it is her.
This month I did the developmental edits on JOY TO THE BONES, the last Sarah Booth book, set for release Oct. 27. There will be copy edits and more work, but this series is wrapping up with amazing speed and ease. Writing the last book was emotionally hard, but I think it is a good one. And the reviews on ODE TO THE BONES are really good. Always exciting. I hope I served my characters well and gave them a send-off with a bang. You will be the judge of that.
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Spring is roaring into lower Alabama. The redbuds have come out, the Amaryllis (we call it the red Easter lily because it always blooms at Easter) is up, up, up almost overnight. It’s been too warm and humid for me, but now we’re back at a cold snap. I like a little chill but not cold enough to blanket the horses.
I’m excited about the book Daryl and I are writing. It just keeps getting better and better as we hatch more plot points and crazy ideas. It’s a Supernatural Thriller, and if we get far enough along maybe I’ll put a chapter in the upcoming newsletters to see what you think. I’m dying to find out if people know what is happening in the beginning of the book. I’m hoping for dark chills and anticipation!
Speaking of which, I’ve re-released DECEPTION! Some of you might remember I originally published the book under a different title back in 1993. But now that I have the rights to publish it on my own, I’ve added it as an e-book on Amazon. Hope you’ll give it a try.
I also went to the Monroeville Literary Festival the last weekend in February. It was a wonderful event. Ace Atkins, my old friend, won the Harper Lee Award and I was so pleased for him. As a former recipient of the award (2010) I was asked to talk about To Kill a Mockingbird. I got to see some old friends I haven’t seen in a while. That is always such a pleasure for me because the animals restrict me from attending events I’d really like to attend.
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 Tom Mason took this snapshot of me after I told an inappropriate joke. |
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And on March 7, I had a blast at the Mobile Literary Festival. It is a one-day event–all volunteer and free. Jodie Cain Smith (who has a new book out, by the way) does a terrific job lining up speakers and panels and workshops. Put it on your calendar for next year.
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It’s time to medicate the cats, so I’ll turn this over to Priya.
For now, I’ll play one of my favorite songs for my friend Deb. Click on this song: Hallelujah
Adieu,
From Carolyn and the Critters!
Hi guys! I’m stoked to announce the re-release of DECEPTION by Carolyn Haines. The rights to this novel have finally been reverted to Carolyn, so of course we wanted to distribute it right away to all of you readers, old and new. I’m going to share a sneak peek of the book right now in the form of a “Letter to the Reader” straight from the desk of Carolyn Haines. Here it is:
This story combines my love of animals with a bit of gothic chill and what I hope is a good mystery and a lot of suspense. DECEPTION is a book that combines so many things that I love: horses (always horses), a beautiful place with sinister undertones, gothic elements, and characters you can’t trust. I’ve always been horse crazy. Always. When I finished college, I backpacked across Northern Europe with my friend, Pattie Pierce. As soon as we got home, I bought a Nikon camera so I could continue my career as a photojournalist, a ten-speed bicycle, and a horse. I knew nothing about horses, but I was lucky enough to stumble across Gloria Howard, an amazing rider and horse trainer. With her guidance, I began to learn how smart, delicate, courageous, and sometimes dangerous horses can be. I continue to live my life with horses to this day–rescue horses who will live here until we die. I hope you enjoy this tale of a woman thrust into a situation where danger seems to lurk on every side.
So that was a little introduction from Carolyn Haines I grabbed to inspire you to download the novel and get lost in a mysterious story set on an Alabama farm. It’s available in the Kindle store on Amazon for $2.99. However, if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, the book is free. Either way, I hope you enjoy reading it! Here’s a link to the book: DECEPTION.
Sadly, I’m off to wash a sink full of dishes.
But first, coffee.
Warmly,
Priya
