THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY...

The launching of a new book never gets old. Recently, the 11^th anthology in which I’ve been involved was released, Virginia is for Mysteries, Volume III. My first collaboration was Virginia is for Mysteries, the original. That came out eight years ago (where does the time go!) But our core group of authors had been working together for almost two years prior to that. That adds up to an entire decade. Longer than some marriages I know of. That’s something worth celebrating!

Many of the original authors are included in Volume III but we’ve also added some great new talent. It’s no exaggeration when I say it offers something for everyone. I’m humbled to be in such great company.

My contribution is titled “Sorry, Wrong Number” wherein a peaceful paddle between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands turns into a disturbing adventure when Margaret Gunderson and Carolyn Prewitt discover a dead man floating in the channel.

There is a story behind this story...

WARM HANDS, COLD HEART, a Short Romance by Jayne

<<In the beginning of my writing career, I put all my creative energy into writing romance. I soon realized keeping two desperately in love people at odds for 300-plus pages lacked the conflict of, say, stumbling over a dead body. Hence, I turned my talents to penning cozies. But I did enjoy a modicum of success with short romances. So in anticipation of Valentine's Day on Monday, here is one of my favorites. I hope it warms your heart!>>

Caitlyn wrapped her hands around a mug of steamy coffee, inhaling the fragrant aroma of roasted Arabica beans. She absolutely loved the smell of fresh brewed coffee, but detested the taste. The only reason she’d brewed a cup was to have something on which to warm her hands. She had never been so cold in her entire life.

Having been born and raised in sunny southern California, she was suffering her first winter on the desolate prairies of Nebraska. The job offer had been too good to pass up, and being two-thousand miles away from Derek, that cheating skunk of an ex-fiancé, was an added bonus. But she hadn’t realized how brutal winter could be until the first blizzard of the season hit and the furnace conked out.