Welcome

Receive a free download of La Paloma, the prequelto Tequila Midnight.

I'm an author, book coach, and world traveler. I write about intriguing women in captivating places who become their own heroes.

I grew up writing and riding horses in far West Texas. I graduated from SMU in English/Creative Writing and went on to get an MBA from Thunderbird and a PhD from Clemson.

Originally from Texas, I've had the good fortune to live in Spain, Mexico, Tanzania, and several U.S. states, and the good sense to end up in Carlsbad, California. She loves travel, fiery food, hanging out with the neighbors in the front yard on Friday evenings, and reading.

Get it while it’s free! Kindle ebook deal! Deal ends Sunday, December 15. Link in bio.

“For fans of gritty mysteries and heart-pounding suspense, El Diablo is a pulse-pounding thrill ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. And if you enjoyed books like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train, you won’t want to miss this compelling mystery.”

#freemystery
#freeonkindle

My gift to myself for writing 50,000 words this month!

Today only! $0.99 Kindle deal in the US and Canada.

#mysterysale
#kindledeal
#kindlebooksale

Having fun at author nation!

#authornation
#authornation2024
#20books

Exciting stories coming your way! Check out these free mysteries from women crime writers. Link in bio

#freemysteries
#womencrimewriters
#sistersincrime

Today’s office. It should be a good writing day (if I can take my eyes off the view). I’m drafting the next Jessica Watts novel, Matador.
#amwriting

Ends on Halloween!!! Win a thriller for the holiday! Link in bio.
#goodreadsgiveaway
#mysterybooks
#winamystery

Iceland is gorgeous - but it also has some spots that could make for seriously creepy Halloween backdrops.

I recently read two intriguing books about how to deal, mentally, with the reality of climate change in our future. While one of these novels was more upbeat than the other, they both inspired me and gave me new ways to grapple with something that often feels overwhelming.
I Want a Better Catastrophe by Andrew Boyd - @bettercatastrophe
What if We Get It Right by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson - @ayanaeliza

#bookrecs
#climatebooks

No words, only feelings.

#onelinewednesday
#tequilalove
#mysteryandromance

Slovenia - gorgeous hikes, beautiful views, wonderful people. It was just the rest and inspiration I needed.
#writinginspiration
#slovenia
#julianalps

The Podcast Chronicles is a year old! For this book birthday, you get the gifts! Saturday and Sunday only, The Podcast Chronicles ebook is free. Link in bio.

Friendship - family - and fighting for home... When a developer threatens her idyllic Colorado mountain town, a former businesswoman turned stay-at-home mom risks her strained marriage and rekindles her inner executive to lead a scrappy grassroots effort to preserve the natural beauty and charm of the place she calls home.

#bookbirthday
#freebook
#womensfiction

Fun things I did this year - went truffle hunting with these two dogs.
@karlictartufi
#truffledog
#funthingstodo

This memoir by @yasminramirezwrites is a fresh look at love and family that is seasoned with the El Paso sun. Ramirez had me right beside her and wrapped in comfort as she fell asleep on a bar top as a child, struggled with her job as she searched for her vocation, and recovered from the grief of losing someone close. This is a book about home you won’t want to miss.
@5puntosbooks
#elpasobooks
#bookrecs
#bookstagram

I absolutely loved Ljubljana, Slovenia. It has a peaceful river, hilltop castle, lively farmer’s market, wonderful public spaces, and a view of the Julian Alps in the background.

#sLOVEnia
#travelandwrite

I went to a fantastic author interview with @lauradaveauthor @warwicksbooks in La Jolla last night. I loved her books Eight Hundred Grapes and The Last Thing He Told Me, and I can’t wait to read this next one!

#authorinterview
#newfiction

This story will pull at your heartstrings. What happens when three women each want to raise the same two children? As with real mothers, their own doubts, desires, and beliefs often get in the way as much as they help. Not knowing whether the girls will end up with their mother, their grandmother, or their foster mother bring suspense, and there are times when you’ll root for each of these women. You don’t want to miss this compelling novel.

#bookclubfiction
#newrelease
#womensfiction

Something wicked this way comes book promo. Perfect for cozy nights in. Link in bio.

📚 Which book will you choose? #FallIntoABook #MysteryThriller #Paranormal

Grab your choice of reads from our limited bookfunnel promotion

#bookstagram #book #booklover #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #read #bookish #booknerd #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #instabooks

Free friendship fiction for three days only! Get it at Amazon (link in bio).

#freewomensfiction
#freefriendshipfiction

Five Tries to Get It Right will be free for three days only - September 20-22 (ebook only). Visit http://www.Amazon.com or the link in my bio.

#freewomensfiction
#freefriendshipfiction

Back to writing today, but still thinking about Venice.
#writinginspiration
#amwriting

There are so many ways to fill the tank with ideas and inspiration for writing. One of my favorite ways is hiking.

#writinginspiration
#writingandhiking

Thank you to everyone who leaves reviews for novels. It makes a big difference. Link in bio.

#bookreivew
#newreleasereveiw

I love to write on airplanes and take my laptop with me wherever I go. But sometimes a vacation calls for leaving technology behind so you can stay in the moment. For my next adventure, I’m leaving the laptop at home and I found a lightweight notebook to take just in case inspiration strikes (and no, I’m not a gamer).

I was fortunate to read an early copy of this novel by @jocelynlindsay.author - this book has everything – a badass heroine, ‘80s references, and villains galore! When Meg returns to the hometown she hasn’t visited since she left high school twenty years ago, all hell literally starts to break loose, and she’s the only one who can stop it. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know whom to trust, even among her closest friends from the past, and the bad guys could be ghosts, shapeshifters, or something else entirely. This is a wild ride and you’ll enjoy every page. Preorder it today for only $0.99.

#bookrecommendation
#bookstagram
#urbanfantasy

Travel has always been a big part of my life, and today I was thinking back to where I finished my first novel. In 2016, I volunteered with an international organization to assist the Zanzibar Chamber of Commerce. I spent six weeks many thousands of miles away from my family and got a lot of writing done at night and on weekends. It was a beautiful and inspirational island.

#writinginspiration
#amwriting

Enter to win a free signed copy of Five Tries to Get it Right. Link in bio.
What would you do for your best friend? . . . When her best friend hits rock bottom, a lonely widow convinces her to join a worldwide voyage retracing their wild youth in a last-ditch effort to heal heartache and reclaim meaning. The longtime friends travel to the exotic locales of their youth, trying to find meaning amidst heartache and loss. In Spain, Amsterdam, the Caribbean, Australia, and finally Costa Rica, they reignite passions for life and love that time had extinguished. But Kate still plans to end it all, and a surfer from the past offers Lydia another chance at love, forcing her to choose between saving her friend or herself.

#freewomensfiction
#goodreadsgiveaway

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Welcome

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