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I’m writing three different series–the Myrtle Clover mysteries, the Memphis Barbeque mysteries (as Riley Adams), and the Southern Quilting mysteries.
What I’m working on now:
I’ve just finished writing a new Myrtle Clover mystery–Death at a Drop-In– that will be released in June. Now I’m writing another Myrtle Clover story–A Body at Book Club– that has an anticipated release in October 2013.
News: The Myrtle Clover Mysteries Progressive Dinner Deadly, Dyeing Shame, and A Body in the Backyard are now available in trade paperback.
Coming soon: The Myrtle Clover Mysteries will be available as audiobooks in Summer 2013.
Read Chapter One of the upcoming Myrtle Clover mystery Death at a Drop-In, Free, By Clicking Here .
Just released:
Knot What it Seams–the second of the Southern Quilting mysteries. The description:
Dwindling membership has the Village Quilters hanging by a thread, and group leader Meadow Downey is desperate to recruit some new folks. With Beatrice’s blessing, she attempts to weave frequent quilt show judge Jo Paxton into their fold. As the town’s irascible mail carrier, Jo delivers trouble wherever she goes. And with all that mail at her fingertips, she knows everyone’s business. Soon Beatrice wonders if they’ve made the right choice.
After a car accident sends Jo to meet her maker, it’s discovered someone tampered with her brakes. Meadow believes someone’s out to eradicate the Village Quilters, but Beatrice isn’t so sure. Now she and her fellow quilters will have to piece together the clues or a deadly killer might strike again…
Coming soon:
July 2, 2013, Penguin will release the fourth Memphis Barbeque book: Rubbed Out. 
Here’s the cover copy:
Reuben Shaw rubs a lot of people the wrong way—including Lulu’s best friend, Cherry, who has the misfortune of being in the booth next to his at the festival. The pigheaded pit master thinks he’s a shoo-in to win the barbeque competition, but he spends more time stirring up trouble than seasoning his spare ribs. Hours after she gets into a quarrel with him, Cherry finds Shaw dead with a butcher knife in his chest. Now it’s her turn to get grilled—by the police. Lulu sets out to clear her friend’s name and finds Shaw had more secrets than his BBQ recipe. She’ll need to act fast, because the real killer will spare no one…including Lulu.
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Quilt Trip, the third of the Southern Quilting Mysteries, releases December 3, 2013. Here’s the cover copy:
As a quilter, retired folk art curator Beatrice Coleman likes to have all the seams stitched together—but her plans keep getting tangled up in unexpected
ways…
Beatrice has never crashed a party but now her fellow quilt
guild member, Meadow Downey, is driving them to a Victorian mansion in the mountains beyond Dappled Hills, North Carolina. Muriel Starnes, an elderly
eccentric, has organized a meeting of quilters to pick someone to administer a quilting scholarship. The fact that the Village Quilters weren’t invited isn’t
enough to keep Meadow from speaking her piece.
But once the quilters arrive at the mansion, it seems they may never leave. An ice storm sends an old tree crashing across the driveway, leaving them stranded for the night. And by the next morning, they are one fewer—for Muriel has been sent to meet her maker.
With everyone in the house a suspect, it’s up to Beatrice and the Village Quilters to figure out who has a guilty conscience before someone else gets tied
up in knots.
Other recent releases:
October 28, 2012: A Body in the Backyard, a Myrtle Clover mystery (see bottom of page and the “books” page of this site for more information.)
June 5, 2012: launch of the first book in the Southern Quilting mysteries–Quilt or Innocence:
As the newest member of the Village Quilters Guild, Beatrice has a lot of gossip to catch up on—especially with the Patchwork Cottage quilt shop about to close. It seems that Judith, the landlord everyone loves to hate, wants to raise the rent, despite being a quilter herself…
But when Judith is found dead, the harmless gossip becomes an intricate patchwork of mischievous motives. And it’s up to Beatrice’s expert eye to decipher the pattern and catch the killer, before her life gets sewn up for good.
Here’s what Dru’s Book Musings had to say about Quilt or Innocence:
“I adore this book….with an intriguing storyline, likeable characters and entertaining dialogue, this is a great beginning to a wonderfully crafted series and I can’t wait for the next book. A bonus of quilting tips, one of which I didn’t know about, and recipes are also included.”
And a review from Socrates’ Book Reviews:
“This is a cozy mystery at its best. I loved getting to know all the wonderful and zany citizens of Dappled Hills. And, yes, there’s even a hint of romance in the air. It’s a one-sitting read that sucks you in from page one. It’s the first of a new series and I’m so glad to get in on the ground floor. It’s a must read for all fans of the genre. This is what cozies are all about!”
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Nov. 2011 release (Memphis Barbeque): Hickory Smoked Homicide.
Reviews: “Pick up HICKORY SMOKED HOMICIDE and step into the fascinating world of suspense, murder and intrigue topped with a big dollop of Southern virtues, lip-smacking recipes, and good wholesome fun.” Mason Canyon–Thoughts in Progress blog.
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For the Myrtle Clover Mysteries, Myrtle is at it again in a brand-new ebook adventure, Progressive Dinner Deadly (August 2011) available on Kindle and Nook for only $2.99.
Newly released Myrtle Clover title: A Dyeing Shame (December 2011) available for only $2.99.
My next Myrtle Clover mystery is expected to launch in June 2013–Death at a Drop-In.
Released October 28, 2012: a new Myrtle Clover mystery. A Body in the Backyard. Available on e-readers everywhere.
It’s just an ordinary day for octogenarian sleuth Myrtle Clover—until her yardman discovers a dead body planted in her backyard. This death isn’t cut and dried—the victim was bashed in the head with one 
of Myrtle’s garden gnomes.
Myrtle’s friend Miles recognizes the body and identifies him as Charles Clayborne… reluctantly admitting he’s a cousin. Charles wasn’t the sort of relative you bragged about—he was a garden variety sleaze, which is very likely why he ended up murdered. As Myrtle starts digging up dirt to nip the killings in the bud, someone’s focused on scaring her off the case. Myrtle vows to find the murderer…before she’s pushing up daisies, herself.
