Cassie releases today, more writing news, a Gladwynn sneak peek, and a giveaway.

Aug 15, 2024

Cassie Mason’s view of the living room from her slumped position on the couch reminded her that the previous day had not gone according to plan.

Three empty Chinese food containers, a pile of Kit-Kat wrappers, and four empty bottles of strawberry-flavored Clearly Canadian water were scattered across the white carpet of her condo.

She stared at it all for several groggy minutes before she sat up slowly, two empty Pringles cans rolling off her lap as she wiped the back of her hand across her damp cheek.

Had she really fallen asleep while watching her way-too-overplayed videotape of The Princess Bride? She made a face as she pulled a Twizzler off her cheek.

Yes, indeed, she had.

Today is the day! Cassie is out in the world and becomes the eighth book in the Apron Strings book series.

If you’d like to know what the book is all about, here is a description:

This is a series that does not need to be read in order so if you haven’t picked up the other books yet you can still read Cassie.

Cassie is available in ebook and paperback on Amazon and is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited with the rest of the series.

This book was not the easiest for me to write, I will admit that. I was really itching to get back to my Gladwynn books but had agreed to this project months before so I pushed forward. As I wrote, I fell in love with Cassie and her family. Each author had the same word limit so, for me, the story ended too soon and I would love to go back one day and expound on the story more.

I’ll let you know if I do.

I would also like to thank fellow author Dawn Klinge for interviewing me today for her substack newsletter which you can find HERE.

Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree sneak peek

I am excited to offer a bit of a sneak peek of the third book in the Gladwynn Grant Mysteries today for my newsletter subscribers.

I haven’t released much about the plot of the book anywhere but today I’m sharing that the book will introduce readers to more of Gladwynn’s family. In this book, Gladwynn’s sister visits Gladwynn and their grandmother Lucinda. The big question is why she is visiting. Gladwynn and her older sister aren’t exactly close but aren’t exactly enemies either. Sheena Grant has been living in London where she works as a cellist with the London Philharmonic.

While wondering why Sheena is visiting, since she isn’t interested in telling her why, a man Gladwynn met for the first time a couple of days earlier is found dead.... by Gladwynn herself.

Excerpt:

The man who stepped out of the driver side of the black vehicle wore gray dress pants, a white dress shirt, a dark blue tie, shined black shoes and his dark brown hair was cut close to his head in the style of most Pennsylvania State Police Troopers. Even with the dark sunglasses he was wearing, Gladwynn knew the precise moment his gaze fell on her.

The head stopped moving, the eyebrows dipped into a furrow, the lips pressed into a thin line, the jaw tightened, and a small muscle in the corner of that clean-shaven jawline jumped.

She took a deep breath and lowered her voice so only Ed could hear her. “Here we go.”

“Is that Kinney? I thought you two were friends now.”

“I don’t know if I would say we are friends. He tolerates me but he might not tolerate the fact that I –”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Trooper Tanner Kinney had slid his suit coat on and was now tightening the buttons on the sleeves as he walked. He stopped a few feet from her, his expression serious and stern. “When dispatch told me you called this in, I couldn’t even believe it. Do you go anywhere where someone doesn’t die?”

I’ll be releasing the first chapter of the book in September to paid subscribers so if you want the opportunity to read the first chapter before anyone else you can support my writing for just $2 a month, a discount that is in place when you click on “upgrade to paid subscription".

What do you receive through a paid subscription?

Sneak peeks to all upcoming novels (free first chapters, etc.)
Book recommendations from me and others
Author interviews
Free digital downloads
Membership to the A Good Book and A Cup of Tea Discord Book Club (where we will discuss various books and eventually do some joint reads together).
Access to all archived content

Ew.

That sales pitch made me feel like a car salesman on TV back in the 80s.

So moving on. . .

Our House on Sycamore Street Series

A couple of my fellow authors in the Apron String Book Series -- Amy Walsh and Donna Stone -- have books coming out in another multi-author series this September.

The Our House on Sycamore Street Series. Books in the series are releasing from August to October.

I already had a chance to read Donna’s book, The Key Collector’s Promise, and really enjoyed it. It will be out in September.

I interviewed Donna on my regular blog a few months ago about her Apron Strings Book Joann if you’d like to learn a little bit more about her.

Amy’s book, The Maestro’s Missing Melody, will release September 13. You can find out more in Amy’s Facebook group.

A giveaway

No newsletter would be complete without a giveaway and this month I am giving away one paperback copy and one ebook copy of Cassie.

How do you enter? Comment here on which copy you are interested in, share my substack with your followers on Facebook or Instagram and tell me you did that, and ... well, that’s it!

Share A Good Book and A Cup of Tea

I appreciate all of your support in whatever way you give it. My readers truly mean a lot to me. I know that could sound cliché or fake, but it’s actually true. After years of dealing with loneliness and depression, receiving encouragement from my readers has been a literal lifeline for me.

What’s Coming Up

I’ll be back later this month with some fun posts for free and paid subscribers. Over the next few months, I hope to have regular posts about book, movie, and TV show recommendations but also a podcast I plan to start in the fall.

The podcast will focus on books, faith, parenting, classic movies, and whatever else comes to mind with a strong emphasis on books and reading. I hope you’ll join me on this journey as I figure it all out.

On Boondock Ramblings (the main blog)

I just wanted to share, in closing, that I have been writing about summer movies on my main blog.

So far I have written about

Gidget (1959)

Beach Party Bingo (1963)

and today Mr. Hobbs Goes on Vacation (1962)

You can find a link to all of my various movie impressions here: https://lisahoweler.com/movie-reviews-impressions/

I also share about books, my life, and other various posts on my main blog.

So that is it for me this month. I hope you have a wonderful remainder of August and I’ll see you for another writing update in September!

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