Free stuff from nice people

This is a short post today, to let you know of two things:

1. My pals Jenny Hilborne and Terry Ambrose have released new books at the same time and are doing a big giveaway shebang with it all. To get a copy, visit Jenny's blog for details: (http://jfhilborne.wordpress.com/2014/05/04/news-to-share-and-giveaways/)

I love Jen's books because, even when the characters are not likeable, she makes me worry about them. I may not want them as friends, but I want them to live, to figure out the mystery, to ultimately be happy. Fortunately, I do like Inspector Mac Jackson, and am looking forward to reading THE BLACKEST NIGHT, the next book in the series.

Terry has two different series, one light and one dark. Naturally, I began with the lighter approach, and thoroughly enjoyed PHOTO FINISH. Set in Hawaii, it captures the mood and the people of the islands with perfection, and I'm sure KAUAI TEMPTATIONS does the same. I'm looking forward to reading his other series, LICENSE TO LIE and the newest, CON GAME. Terry used to be a skip tracer and has a blog about scams and cons, so not only does he know his stuff, I know he's a terrific writer.

2. THE HOT MESS is available as an audio book, and I have free copies! Although this is the third book in the series, it's the second one to be put on Audible.com (also available through Amazon and iTunes). HIT OR MISSUS should be ready by the end of this month.

I have 25 free copies to give away to 25 lucky folks. Just email me, gaylecarline(at)sbcglobal(dot)net, and I'll reply with the secret code.

Have a great day getting free stuff!

A big fat month of fun!

Wow, it's October already! I did not see that coming.

My October is going to be quite busy, with a capital BEE, It starts with the Duarte Festival of Authors, a fundraiser for the Friends of the Duarte Library, held in the lovely Westminster Gardens Memorial Park. I'll be there on Saturday, October 5th, from early to late. I believe the official hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. but it doesn't matter, I'll be arriving early and staying til the last dog is dead, as they say. (I'm not sure who "they" are, but they're a macabre bunch.)

My mystery buddies will be there, too. Terry Ambrose, Pam Carter Ripling (writing as Anne Carter), Jenny Hilborne, Teresa Burrell, and who knows who else. We call ourselves Murder, We Wrote, and we have a Facebook page, if you're interested. There will be books and authors and food and more. We're supposed to be on a panel together. I'll give you the details when I get them.

Then on the following weekend, I'm in a parade!

Placentia Heritage Day is always the second Saturday in October. There is always a pancake breakfast, a parade, then a day-long lovefest in Tri-City Park. As a trustee for the Placentia Library District, I get to ride in the parade. This will be my second year. I haven't decided whether to wear the tiara again, but I have started to get my waving arm in shape. I never knew how taxing it was to continually wave along the route!

After the parade, I will have a booth in the park where you can buy my books and I'll autograph them. I'll even just stand around and chat with you, because I love meeting people.

I'd love to come home and rest after that, but on Sunday, Oct. 13th, I'll be selling and signing at the Big Orange Book Festival (aka, BOB), held at Chapman University in Orange. I've never been to this event before, so we'll see how it all shakes out. Of course, you'll be getting a de-brief.

Because I will be so insanely busy, I've decided to ramp up the action by posting blogs every day, not just here, but on Snoopy's blog, too! We'll be doing some giveaways, and giving you some surprises.

Stop in every day and see what you could win!

The Next Big Thing (is somewhere else)

I'm a sucker for my friends, truly. When the delightful and engaging author Terry Ambrose offered me a seat on his Next Big Thing Blog Tour, my first thought was "Why of course I'll do that."

Then I thought about it. My next big thing is already here. The Hot Mess is out and about, available in ebook and paperback for your enjoyment. Not only that, but I already did a Next Big Thing blog about it back in November. You can read about it here.

So I declined.

Then, last week, Pam Ripling (aka Anne Carter) sent me an email. "Want to be tagged in my Next Big Thing Blog Tour?" Once again, I explained my predicament. I can always trust Pam to think outside the box.

"It's all optional," she said. "Just tweak the answers to do it on The Hot Mess."

So I was planning to do that, but when I read my last NBT post, I had already answered all the questions about The Hot Mess and I wouldn't change a thing, except to say that it was already released.

Snoopy dressed for Christmas.

Then I had an idea. I will point you to my horse's blog. I may not have a Next Big Thing, but he does. I'll let him answer the questions. So, go visit Snoopy's blog to learn about his Next Big Thing.

And do check out my friends' books.