Readers, the weather is hot and we are wishing for the cooler weather of….CHRISTMAS! So we are helping to fulfill that wish with a HUGE giveaway!

Don’t miss your chance to enter to win a $350 Amazon gift card or 45+ books (see list below) in our Celebrate Lit Multi-Author Giveaway. 

Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/fc18/2nd-annual-christmas-in-july

The event and giveaway is going on now through July 26! Open to US residents only.

The 48 books included in the books giveaway are as follows:

1. On a Coastal Breeze by Suzanne Woods Fisher
2. A Christmas to Remember by Linda Brooks Davis
3. Love, Laughter, and Luminarias by Jaycee Weaver
4. A Christmas Without Bells by Jan Lis
5. Strike Force by Mary Alford
6. The Rescue by Tanya Eavenson
7. All I Want for Christian is Johnny Rocker…Dead by Lillian Duncan
8. A Very Austen Christmas by Robin Helm
9. A Caffeine Conundrum by Angela Ruth Strong
10. Maui Christmas by Courtney Lyman
11. Northern Hearts by Laurie Wood
12. Dreamwalker by Carrie Cotten
13.  Like a Winter Snow by Lindsay Harrel
14. Refresh Your Faith by Lori Hatcher
15. Living a Life of Obedience by Cheri Swalwell
16. Solve by Christmas by Amber Schamel
17. King Here by Trish Porter Topmiller
18. July’s Jubilant Christmas Jumble by Danni Roan
19. Christmas with the Enemy by Mary Vee
20. Amber Alert by Linda K. Rodante
21. The Mystery of Christmas Inn, Colorado by Donna Schlachter
22. Missing You for Christmas by Dionne Grace
23. The Portal by Cynthia Hickey
24. The Christmas Table by Marilyn Turk
25. Sleeping Through Christmas by Sherri Stewart
26. Love at Christmas by Anne Grenne
27. Falling for the Petticoat Physician by Clari Dees
28. Weighed Down by Laurie Boulden
29. Pigtails and a Toolbelt by Janetta Fudge-Messmer
30. Yorkshire Lass by J. Carol Nemeth
31. Impossible Fate by Diane Yates
32. Ready to Trust by Tina Radcliffe
33. Cupcakes and Valor by Linda Siebold
34. No Room in His Heart by Bonita Y. McCoy
35. Rocky Mountain Revenge by Rhonda Starnes
36. The Revisionary by Kristen Hogrefe
37. Untraceable Evidence by Sharee Stover
38. Justice Undercover by Connie Queen
39. When I Meet You by Olivia Newport
40. Escaping Reality by Rachel Skatvold
41. Wish Upon a Star by Tabitha Bouldin
42. Winter in Wonderland by Kari Trumbo
43. A Christmas Wedding by Melissa Wardwell
44. Winning Miss Winthrop by Carolyn Miller
45. Once Upon a Christmas by Toni Shiloh
46. A Flute in the Willows by Carole Brown
47. Seeking Life by Brianna Holifield
48. Christmas on Breakers Point By Chautona Havig

In my opinion, one of the best things about being a writer is the friends you make along the way. I first met Jackie in 2016 at the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference. It was the night of the Gala, and everyone was standing around in the large hall waiting for the doors to open. Jackie and I had interacted on occasion on various blogs and other social media outlets. When I saw her I felt like I already knew her, so I just kind of barged right up to her and said hello. I’m not quite sure what she thought of me at the time. My personality can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. (Did I mention that I was wearing shiny silver Converse with my knee length cocktail dress? No? Well, I was.🤣)

Over the course of the next year, Jackie and I got to know each other and now she is one of my very dear friends. We’ve also been critique partners off and on for the past two years. I feel very blessed to have her in my life. She is such a positive person with the sweetest personality. She’s also a very talented cozy mystery writer.

Jackie’s Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series features heroine Andi Grace Scott. Dog-Gone Dead, book 2 of the series, was released in June.

Jackie had this to say about Andi Grace’s character: “Andi Grace Scott and I have a few things in common, but she’s spunkier than I am. We both love our families and would do just about anything we can for them. Sacrificial love. We both love dogs, and we love to read. I have a Westie. Our daughter-in-law, Bill’s wife, teamed up with our youngest son, Scott, in 2006 and found Westies available for adoption. I have so many allergies, and Westies are hypoallergenic. Amanda and Bill adopted Chloe, and we adopted Heinz.

Andi Grace doesn’t have allergy issues which is good since she’s a dog walker. She never met a dog she didn’t like.

I’ve never had to defend a family member who was accused of murder. The closest thing I’ve done was get my passport when Scott did. He was heading to Spain for a semester, and I wanted a passport in case he was kidnapped or hurt. If something had happened to him, I would’ve done everything possible to get him back. Thank goodness he had a great semester, and I didn’t have to go to Europe and cause a ruckus.

In Dog-Gone Dead, Andi Grace’s brother is a suspect in the latest murder. She dives into solving another murder to prove her brother is innocent.”

Back Cover Blurb:

Who’d have thought mulch could cause such a stink?

Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott is happy to score some free mulch from one of her brother’s landscaping jobs—until she discovers the dead body buried beneath the bark.

Worse, her brother’s landscaping tools were used to commit the murder. Once the police arrest her brother and seem happy to have “caught their man,” Andi Grace has no choice but to track down the real killer. She’ll risk everything to prove her brother’s innocence. Even if it means turning over every rock in town.

If you love small-town coastal life, dogs, and strong heroines, you’ll love Dog-Gone Dead.

Available for purchase online at these fine retailers:

Former Kentucky pharmacist Jackie Layton loves her new life in the Low Country. When she’s not writing, Jackie enjoys walks on the beach, bike rides and collecting shells. The first two books in Jackie’s Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series are Bite the Dust and Dog-Gone Dead. Jackie always enjoys hearing from readers. 

Jackie loves time on the beach despite one trip that ended with cracked ribs from riding her boogie board with the kids and another trip that ended up with a trip to the emergency room. There’s nothing like time at the beach, although she tends to be a bit more cautious these days.

Social media links:
https://jackielaytoncozyauthor.com/
http://jackiesbackporch.blogspot.com
Twitter: @Joyfulje
https://www.facebook.com/JackieLaytonAuthor
https://www.facebook.com/Joyfuljel
https://www.pinterest.com/jackielaytonauthor/
https://www.instagram.com/jackielaytonauthor
https://amzn.to/2Z8VsMp

Also, be sure to look for Low Country Dog Walker Mystery book 1, Bite the Dust

When I first started my writing journey seven years ago, I was completely lost and had absolutely no clue what I was doing. I joined an online writer’s group and fumbled along for about six months. Then one day I received a message from Connie Queen asking if I’d like to be critique partners. She would read my manuscript and offer advice and tips, and I’d read hers and do the same. I had attempted critiquing as part of a small group with three other writers, but it hadn’t really worked out very well. I was hesitant to try again, but I needed someone to look at my writing who could be objective and honest. So, I agreed to give it a go, and boy am I glad I did.

Connie and I just seemed to click. We discovered that we had a lot in common, and neither one of us minded if the other was a bit…how shall I say…um…blunt when there was something about the other’s manuscript that we weren’t one-hundred percent sold on. I’ve never been a fan of “tiptoeing around” and neither was Connie. This suited me just fine. The number one goal reason to have a critique partner is to have someone help you figure out how to polish your manuscript so it will sell. I wanted someone who wouldn’t just put smiley faces on the cute parts of a story but would be honest with me, even if they didn’t think I’d like what they had to say. Connie was the perfect fit. I had found my first real, honest to goodness, wanted-to-help-me-get-published critique partner. Fortunately for me, Connie wasn’t my last “good-fit-for-me” critique partner, but she was my first.

Over the next five years we both had ups and downs in our publishing pursuits. Revision requests and rejections became the norm. I’ll admit it, two years ago I hit a slump and wasn’t sure if could keep writing just to receive rejections, but Connie stayed strong and kept saying “If they [editors] don’t like this story, I’ll just write another one.” Her example taught me not to take rejections so personally.

Fast forward to 2019. Our dream publisher (Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense) was doing another author search. We’d entered the last three, so of course we had to enter this time, too. When I told Mountain Man that we were entering the contest, he said he was praying Connie and I would both sell this time. He said it only seemed fitting since we’d worked so hard through the years critiquing for each other.

I couldn’t have agreed more. And I was beyond thrilled when, at the end of the contest, Connie and I had both sold our manuscripts!

Let me introduce you to Connie’s debut novel, Justice Undercover, which released this month!

Keeping her true identity a secret is the only way to stay alive.

Going undercover as a nanny brings presumed-dead ex-US Marshal Kylie Stone closer to catching the man who murdered the witness in her protection—and also killed Texas Ranger Luke Dryden’s sister. When someone tries to kidnap the twins in her care, Kylie must tell their uncle the truth…and convince Luke to help her. But will revealing her identity put all their lives at stake?

Don’t you just love that cover!?! And let me tell you, if you want to read a book full of suspense and romance, you really need to read Justice Undercover. I mean, you can’t go wrong when there’s a handsome Texas Ranger and two adorable twins…right?

Connie Queen spent her life in Texas where she met and married her high-school sweetheart. Married for 34 years, they’ve raised eight children and are enjoying their grandchildren. As a child, Connie remembers her mom and sisters reading, but she preferred to be outside. It wasn’t until later, she found the joy of being whisked away into another world. Today she resides in Nebraska with her husband, and Nash, her Great Dane, where she’s working on her next suspense.

Rocky Mountain Revenge Launch Team

Welcome! I’m looking to add an additional ten to fifteen members to my debut novel launch team. I need people who will read my novel and help me promote it prior to its release July 1, 2020.

The main role of the launch team will be:

1. Read Rocky Mountain Revenge in a timely fashion (you’ll have approximately 3 weeks to do so)
2. Share about the book on your social media accounts
3. (Most importantly!) Post a review on Amazon, BookBub, Goodreads and other outlets on or before the release date (July 1, 2020).

Those selected for the team will get:

1. An advanced reading copy of Rocky Mountain Revenge (Launch team members who reside outside the contiguous United States will receive an e-book copy. All other launch team members will receive a paperback copy.)
2. Access to a private Facebook Group with behind-the-scenes fun with me
3. Exclusive launch team giveaways

Launch Team Application

Deadline to apply is 10:00 P.M. EDT, Sunday, May 24, 2020.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED! Thank you to all who submitted an application. I will be sending invitations to join the private Facebook launch team group page, soon.

Are you a person who judges a book by its cover? If you are, it’s fine by me. Go ahead…judge my book by its cover…

Didn’t the Harlequin art department do an amazing job creating the cover!?!

Only four more months until my debut novel’s book birthday. I can’t wait for you to meet Grace Porter and Evan Bradshaw. For now, you’ll have to settle for the back cover blurb:

To survive her deadly homecoming

she’ll need to trust a man from her past…

Temporarily home to help at her family’s vet clinic, Grace Porter has no intentions of staying—but someone’s determined she won’t live long enough to leave. With both Grace and her sister in the crosshairs, her ex-boyfriend, Police Chief Evan Bradshaw, must protect them. But can the single dad lawman uncover the truth about why a killer’s out for vengeance before time runs out?