A New Short Story Contract

I'm very happy to announce that I recently signed a contract with Sniplits for them to produce an audio version of my comedic mystery short story, "Flamingo Fatality," that first appeared in the Manhattan Mysteries anthology in 2005.

In "Flamingo Fatality," Diane, a vegetarian farm market worker in beef-eating Manhattan, Kansas, discovers the body of a dead flamingo, a former resident of nearby Sunset Zoo, while taking a hike. She uses the phone of a nosy retired police dispatcher to call the police, then becomes embroiled in solving the crime and dealing with a growing attraction for the handsome cop assigned to the case.

Sniplits professionally produces MP3 audio short stories by known and new authors, read by professional actors and voice talent. They have hundreds of short stories available for purchase on the site, in all genres, from mystery to romance, western to speculative, and more.

"Flamingo Fatality" should appear on the Sniplits website sometime in June. In the meantime, if you'd like to hear another audio short story of mine, go HERE. Sniplits has already produced two of my mainstream fiction short stories, "Biscuit Connection" and "Covered Dish Casseroles." I've been very pleased with the quality of the voice talent for both of those stories and am looking forward to listening to their production of "Flamingo Fatality."

Three New Book Contracts!!!

I am so excited I could burst! I just signed three new book contracts with Midnight Ink which will result in moving my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series from Five Star Publishing over to Midnight Ink. I FINALLY have an answer for the readers of that series who have been asking me for paperback, electronic, and audio formats of the books. Paperback and electronic are coming, and I'll set my literary agent to work on selling the audio rights next!

The first two contracts are for the first two books in the series, which Five Star has already published in hardcover, and in the case of A Real Basket Case, in large-print. Midnight Ink will bring A Real Basket Case out in trade paperback and electronic formats in Fall, 2011, and To Hell in a Handbasket in Fall, 2012. The third contract is for a brand-new third book in the series, to be published in Fall, 2013.

Both I and Terri Bischoff, the acquisition editor at Midnight Ink, hope the whole schedule can be moved up if I can finish the third book in a timely manner. The ultimate plan is for me to write one Rocky Mountain adventure mystery per year for MI and a gift basket designer mystery every other year for MI, putting me on a book every eight months schedule. I have never written a book in less than a year before, so this is a scary proposition for me, which is why I didn't commit yet to a more ambitious schedule.

I plan to finish the second Rocky Mountain adventure mystery, due in November, at least five months early, so I can start on the third gift basket designer book this summer. I'm really looking forward to visiting with Claire Hanover again after a long absence. If I can finish the rough draft, at least, before I need to start writing the third Rocky Mountain adventure mystery, then I'll agree to a faster release schedule. Wish me luck, because I'll need it!

I owe profuse thanks to my literary agent, Sandra Bond, for her diligent work in reviewing these three contracts and requesting modifications. Midnight Ink changed their contract boilerplate right before we started this process, and Sandra had to renegotiate many clauses that had already been decided in the previous contract for my Rocky Mountain adventure series. Her hard work and sharp eye underscored for me how important it is for an author to be represented by a knowledgeable literary agent in the publishing arena.

I also owe profuse thanks to Terri Bischoff for being willing to take a risk on me and and break new ground for Midnight Ink by acquiring a mystery series that had already been started with another publisher. Terri, I will work like a DOG to promote the series and prove you right in this decision!

Lastly, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of the staff at Tekno Books and Five Star Publishing, especially my Tekno editor, Denise Dietz, and the acquistions editor at Five Star, Tiffany Schofield, for giving a brand-new mystery author a chance and educating me about this wonderful, yet screwy, business.

I started this wild ride wondering if I could write a mystery, then if I could publish it, and now I have contracts for five books in two series in various formats. I couldn't be happier, and I'm looking forward to what future adventures lie in wait for me. Who knows? Maybe river ranger Mandy Tanner will have to rescue klutzy Claire Hanover when she falls into the Arkansas River on her first whitewater rafting trip. ;-)