Little did I realize when I wrote a blog post in April 2019 that it would be a whole year before I wrote another one. There is a certain amount of defeat in that realization, since I’d been pretty regular about checking in, sharing books I’d written or read by other authors whose work I had read and really enjoyed. Two things happened that stalled me out. The first one came when Goodreads stopped tracking the number of views per post, which made me feel like I was suddenly all alone, babbling on without a clue if anyone was still out there reading what I and other writers had to say. The second punch came from an upheaval in my living situation, which put my daily routine and any writing-related activities in limbo.

So, here I am, a year later, having just handed the fifth book in the Madeline Dawkins Mystery Series off to my editor. I’ve got a two-week hiatus before the manuscript comes back to me, so I’m trying to reestablish contact with my reader friends on social media and figure out how to take my career to the next level. Once I figure out what that next level looks like, I’m going to make a run for it!

But in the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to Madeline and Mike’s latest adventures. In “The Patience of Karma” the MDPI team is tasked with unraveling three cases, all of them with dire consequences if Madeline, Mike and Samir can’t resolve the mysteries. Below is the cover blurb:

A Florida man desperate to save his niece’s life seeks out MDPI’s help in locating a nephew he hasn’t seen in five years, a drifter who was presumed dead after a tragic boating accident took the lives of his two friends. A photo Web Burnhart found online proves Daniel is alive and well, and was in Santa Barbara after his friends succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning off the coast of San Diego. As Web’s niece slips closer to death each day, Daniel has become her last hope for receiving a compatible kidney.

Award-winning composer Evan Picard is referred to MDPI when he suspects his much-younger wife may be seeking attention elsewhere whenever work takes him down to Los Angeles. Madeline is able to put his suspicions to rest after she witnesses a “communication” between Bella and her deceased sister, only to have the case take off in a completely different and disturbing direction.

Daphne Pillsbury tracks Mike down, hoping he will be the key to solving a mystery that could give her the peace of mind she needs, while quite possibly blowing his blissful marriage to smithereens.

I will keep you posted on the release date for “The Patience of Karma”. I will also be sharing some of my recent favorite reads and their authors’ inspirations. In the meantime, I look forward to reconnecting with my Goodreads friends and seeing what books everyone is enjoying now. It feels good to be back!

Until next time—and definitely not a year from now—I wish you all happy reading!

Cynthia