Time for a new winner and new book review--A Taste of Murder by Virginia Smith

My fabulous hubby who does most of my book drawings has selected Karin as the winner of Rhapsody in Red, so the book will be in the mail as soon as she sends me her mailing info.

Anyone who posts this month will be eligible for a drawing on Jan. 1st for an autographed copy of A Taste of Murder by Virginia Smith. (see picture of Virginia and post on Nov. 2)

This is one of the five books I read this past month and I really enjoyed it. It is set in Owensboro, Ky which is just a couple hours' drive from where I live. Jasmine Delaney is a member of a musical ensemble which has been hired to play at a wedding in Owensboro during the Kentucky Bar-B-Q festival. Ginny Smith combines murder, a budding romance and lots of local color into an entertaining read which will keep you reading and turning pages. I was happy to read in her newsletter today that this book will be the first of a series of three, one highlighting each ensemble member. Check it out at www.VirginiaSmith.org and order some of her other books. Just remember to leave a post here this month if you wish to be entered in the drawing. The two rules are you must have a US mailing addy and I have to have some means of contacting you if you win. Happy reading!

Contest Winner, New contest and Excuses, excuses...

The winner of Ann Gabhart's The Outsider is Diana. I know she will enjoy it muchly. I saw Ann a couple of weeks ago at her booksigning in Lexington, KY, and she said a sequel is in the works, so I am eagerly awaiting it! Ann is on the left in the red jacket and Virginia Smith who also signed books that evening is in the red jacket on the right. I'll post more about Virginia later on this month, so check back to read about her and one of her new books. The other two ladies are members of our Unity Christian Church book club, Ellen Whitaker and Thelma Taylor, who also attended the signing at Joseph-Beth with me.

This month's book contest is for Rhapsody in Red by Donn Taylor. Don is another ACFW member whom I have met at conferences, along with his lovely wife, Mildred. Although I am only about 1/4 way thru this book (see excuses below!), I can already tell you that I am very impressed. Not only has Donn hatched a plot that has me wanting to stay up past my bedtime to see what happens, he has also done it with the cadence and lyrical writing one would expect from the poet that he is! Here's a blurb from the back cover copy to whet your appetite and make you want to leave a post so you have a chance to win this book:

"Preston Barclay is a self-made recluse (and he likes it that way). Teaching college history allows him time to grieve the loss of his pianist wife and find relief from the musical hallucinations that have been playing in his head since her death. But when he and a headstrong colleague, Mara Thorn, discover the body of another instructor on campus, Press's monotonous solitude is destroyed. When the preliminary evidence singles out Press and Mara, they must take some chances (including trusting each other) to build their own defense--by bending the rules just a bit...Otherwise they both might end up unemployed, behind bars, or worse..." Sound exciting? Leave a post!

Now for the excuses part. I really hate to make excuses for not finishing this book sooner and for not blogging more this past month, but...I was taking two online classes, plus working on getting my final rewrites done before sending my two requested proposals off, plus had friends visit for nine days... So, although November looks to be a busy month also, I pledge to write at least one more time this month--once I get said proposals sent off and read Virginia's book so I can post a review of it. Hope you will check back and keep me accountable!