Behind the Scenes: Awards, Hollywood Sleuths, and a Renovating Marathon

Life has been an absolute whirlwind lately and I guess I've been feeling a little like the Tasmanian Devil as I rip through the house to prepare it for moving and rip through my latest manuscript to get it finished! LOL

It's been a challenge walking the tightrope between these two very different, equally intense worlds. In one world, I’m deep in 1928 Hollywood, unspooling a brand-new cozy mystery series. In the other, I’ve been neck deep in heavy labor as I prepare our house for selling and moving (one day...hopefully SOON!)

But before I dive into all that, I have some incredible news to celebrate: Killer Cache, the second book in my Hazardous Hoarding Mystery series, took home 2nd Runner-Up for Best Cozy in the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards! I couldn't be more honored to see Henny’s chaotic antics recognized, and I am so grateful to every reader who supported the book. One of these days I hope to take home the #1 spot!

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In my last post I mentioned how I had just finished writing the third and final book in the Hazardous Hoarding series. While it was good to finally have that done, the release date isn't until next December! That's just too long to sit around waiting on a book so I've started a new series in the meantime--a brand-new 1928 Hollywood cozy mystery!

I mentioned it in the last post, but I wanted to dive a little deeper into why I chose this series and the protagonist: Clara Bow.

This new series takes us back to the Roaring Twenties when silent film is at its absolute peak, the scary new world of "talkies" is looming over the studios, and the legendary Clara Bow reigns supreme as the ultimate "It Girl."

When I read her biography Runnin' Wild by David Stenn, I just knew she'd make an excellent cozy mystery protragonist.

Solving crimes alongside Clara is her real-life, fierce, and fluffy companion, Ginger—her loyal Chow Chow. In real life, Clara had SEVEN Chows and would drive around town with them all packed in her red convertible Kissel. I couldn't even try to keep up with seven dogs, a sleuth, and a mystery so Ginger is the amalgamation of all seven dogs rolled into one sweet and spicy sidekick. Together, this dynamic duo navigates grand Hollywood estates, hidden motives, and Jazz Age intrigue.

From the movie Wings.

While many remember Clara for her iconic bob, killer style, and magnetic screen presence, I chose her as my protagonist because of her incredible strength. Clara survived an extraordinarily painful childhood long before she ever landed a camera contract. Growing up in severe poverty in the Brooklyn slums, her family struggled just to secure basic meals. She grew up in the streets, a consummate tomboy, working odd jobs for money, and living a rough and tumble life. Tragedy struck her early when her friend Johnny died in a house fire. Clara had rushed in to the burning home, threw a rug over Johnny to put out the fire, but he couldn't be saved. He died in her arms. In later life, she had the ability to cry on cue and she admitted she recalled this moment with Johnny to bring forth the tears.

But things were worse at home. Her father was an absentee, abusive alcoholic, her two sisters died in infancy, and her mother suffered from severe mental illness following a head injury and as a result was also abusive. As a form of escape, whenever Clara could scrape together a nickel, she would go to the nickelodeon theater to watch movies. She studied every move the actors made, practiced in a mirror at home, and put on plays for her friends.

At the age of 16, after she won a talent and beauty contest that offered her a part in a film, her mother, who believed actresses were synonymous with prostitutes, had a psychotic break and attack Clara. While Clara slept, her mother appeared at her bedside with a butcher knife, holding it to Clara's throat. Clara woke up and fought off her mother, but it gave her a lifetime of chronic insomnia.

Yet, for all the tragedy in her life she seemed to maintain a sunny disposition, a vibrancy that couldn't be dulled. This was a woman with street smarts, grit, and incomprehensible resilience. She was a fighter and a survivor. And these are qualities that will come in handy when bodies start dropping in Hollywoodland!

The best part is that the manuscript is now complete and in the hands of my editor! God willing and the creek don't rise, I hope to release the book Feathers, Fringe & Foul Play on November 3rd to kick off the series. Then I have to get back to Caraway Island to work on the Rolling Scones series I started back in May.

When I’m not hanging out with Clara and Ginger in 1928, my real life is far less glamorous and far more exhausting. I’ve been working around the clock to get my house prepared to sell, which has turned out to be a monumental job. Lately, my days have been spent painting, power washing, cleaning, packing, and organizing. The worst part has been digging weeds out of the cracks in the driveway and trying to patch those cracks in the blistering summer heat. My Scots-Irish DNA wasn't made for intense summer sun and heat but I'm cooking up one heckuva farmer's tan! LOL....And I'm covered in blisters, cuts, calluses, and bruises I collect while working.

Between patching, washing, painting, and packing, some days I honestly think untangling a 1920s murder plot with a loyal Chow Chow would be easier than getting this house market-ready! But step by step, the projects are getting crossed off, the boxes are filling up, and an exciting new chapter is right around the corner.

And just a little update on Miss Maple: She is feeling much better! We've been able to manage her eating schedule and get her belly healed so that the vomitting issue is resolved! And then with trying to manage me, it's been a tough summer for her--bless her sweet little heart!

Thank you all for celebrating the Killer Cache Silver Falchion honor with me and for your patience while I juggle paint cans and manuscript drafts! Have you ever tackled a massive home renovation while working on a big project? Or do you have a favorite Clara Bow movie? Drop a comment below—I’d love to read your thoughts while taking a break from power washing!