Is it Real or Just in My Head?

Living a real life while living an imaginary life…

There have been books, plays, and movies about doing just that—The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Hello, My Name is Doris to name two.

Writers have a secret life. We live it in our heads before ever setting it to paper. I’m often inspired by real-life which in turn is the basis for my fiction. Luckily, my life won’t be blasted across the silver screen so you can see how nutty I am. The discussions I have with my characters, the circumstances I
plop myself into, and people who populate my head shall remain my secret.

The Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery books are a prime example of real life becoming fiction. My sister and I toast our birthdays twice a year with a chocolate martini in the historic Peacock Room in Prescott, Arizona. Our alter egos, Em and Nic, also toast their birthdays twice a year in the Azul Saloon in Wyatt, Arizona...only their celebrations always include a murder mystery to solve.

We could do it, you know. At least in my head. 

Candy, Cigarettes, and Murder, Book 1

It’s a birthday weekend with the gift of murder. 

Recently widowed, Emma Banefield looks forward to a getaway birthday weekend with her free-wheeling sister, Nicole Earp, sipping chocolate martinis at the peaceful, historic Dulce Inn. When a rude stranger, a nasty food critic, and a madhouse of temperamental artists greet them, all hope for a tranquil weekend evaporates faster than dew on a hot desert morning. 

Overlooking the riotous atmosphere is doubly hard after Em discovers the body of a hotel guest, and a second murder affects Nic personally. Now, entrenched in a caper that pits them against a surly detective, they cozy up to a hotel staff hiding dangerous secrets to uncover clues to the killer. 

Using their smarts and love of all-things mystery, will the Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime ahead of the obstinate Chief Detective or find themselves trapped in the middle of a third murder? 

AMAZON BUY LINK (ALSO AVAILABLE KU)

And now I’m super happy to reveal the next adventure of the Chocolate Martini Sisters: 

Reading, Writing, and Murder, Book 2 

At the writers’ conference, murder tops the program. 

Aspiring mystery author Emma Banefield and travel writer Nicole Earp are excited to attend a writers’ conference during their latest sisters’ getaway. Nic’s birthday should be all about relaxation, writing, and a chocolate martini to toast another trip around the sun, but the climate at the gathering rumbles like a sudden desert thunderstorm. 

When sparks fly between the keynote speaker and her timid assistant over a handsome mystery author, the subtitle on this anticipated tranquil weekend spells drama. If a heated love triangle, bruised egos, and betrayal aren’t enough to upset the atmosphere, the conference banquet erupts into a drunken brawl and sends the place spinning. After a body is discovered, Nic and Em do what they do best—snoop—and become embroiled in a mystery that jumps off the pages of a true-crime bestseller. 

With more than enough suspects and little time, the amateur sleuths have their hands full finding the killer. But can the competitive Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime before the prickly chief detective does, or will a murderer outwit them all?

PREORDER LINK ON AMAZON