Library Journal Weighs In With a Great Review for A Basket of Trouble!

A Basket of Trouble, the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer series, officially debuts on November 8th, though many retailers already have the book in stock and are shipping copies.

A Basket of Trouble will be publishing a review for A Basket of Trouble in their November issue today that ends with the following pull quote:

"Groundwater’s third series entry (after To Hell in a Handbasket) is an action-packed cozy that successfully weaves in her small business and disability awareness."
  -- Library Journal

That means this book has hit ALL FOUR of the big 4 review publications (Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly)!! Only one other release of mine has hit all four, and that was the first in my other series (RM Outdoor Adventures), Deadly Currents. Needless to say, I'm very pleased with the reception that A Basket of Trouble is receiving from reviewers so far.

And, please check out my interview that was published today in The Big Thrill on-line magazine put out by the International Thriller Writers! The interviewer has some very interesting questions for me to answer. Go HERE.

Great Reviews for A BASKET OF TROUBLE!

The third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, A Basket of Trouble, will be  released on November 8th. The reviews have already started rolling in, and I'm very pleased so far! Below are some quotes from reviews to date that I know about, along with links to where you can read the full text on-line (sometimes only available to subscribers).

“Groundwater combines a satisfying mystery with aspects of riding life and a look at the illegal immigration issue. A good choice for fans of small-town amateur sleuths.”
   -- Booklist, Oct 1, 2013

“Groundwater’s well-crafted cozy comes complete with numerous red herrings and a picturesque setting.”
   -- Publishers Weekly, Sep 30, 2013

“This book had everything I want in a cozy mystery. It featured multidimensional characters, a twisting plot, and a location I want to visit.”
   -- Mystery Books Examiner, July 15, 2013

“The latest starring Claire (To Hell in a Handbasket, 2012, etc.) packs in more action than a typical cozy.”
   -- Kirkus Reviews, August 11, 2013

“Horse lovers and mystery fans will enjoy A BASKET OF TROUBLE.”
   -- Clare O'Beara, Fresh Fiction, October 9, 2013

“This one is not easy to figure out! Throughout the story the themes of self-esteem, personal perception and sibling rivalry are explored. Ms. Groundwater brings the social issue of immigration reform to the table through the Mexican farm hands in her story. She also introduces us to and enlightens us about the benefits of Hippotherapy and the tragedy of Alzheimer's. All of these issues and themes are seamlessly blended together in a gripping cozy mystery that you do not want to miss. Check out A BASKET OF TROUBLE!”
   -- Viki Ferrell, Fresh Fiction, October 9, 2013

“This is a very entertaining mystery with likable and engaging characters.”
   -- a 4-star review by Lis C, a Goodreads reader

Fans of the series have had a long wait for the third book to appear, four years after the second installment in Claire's adventures, To Hell in a Handbasket, came out in hardcover in 2009. The reason is because I changed publishers between the two books, and Midnight Ink wanted to republish the first two in trade paperback and ebook before bringing out the third. The long wait is almost over, and I hope everyone who reads A Basket of Trouble agrees that the wait was worth it!

Editing a Galley Proof

I'm over at Inkspot today, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, talking about editing the galley proof for my November book release, A Basket of Trouble, the long-awaited third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer series. My main concern is that A Basket of Trouble be a fun and exciting read. Hopefully no readers will be pulled out of the story by stumbling across a typo, spelling or punctuation error in the final book. Have you been pulled out of a story recently by such an error? Tell me about it in a comment there!

Cover Art for A Basket of Trouble

Drumroll!

I am very pleased to show off the cover art for A Basket of Trouble, the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series. This book will be released on November 8th, just in time for holiday gift shopping. And notice the bright red and green colors on the cover! Wouldn't it make an excellent addition to a Christmas gift basket for a mystery lover? What do YOU think of the cover?

Release News for TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET

Yesterday was the official release date for the trade paperback and ebook editions of To Hell in a Handbasket, the second book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer series. The active link takes you to my website, where you can read the book's blurb, reviews, and excerpts and get a list of discussion questions you can use if your book club decides to read and discuss the book.

In honor of the release, the New York Journal of Books posted a positive review yesterday that includes the statement, "This book will keep the reader turning pages until the very satisfying end." Follow the link to read the whole review. I'm very excited about it!

Also in honor of the release, an interview with me appeared yesterday on the Shimmerfall blog. Go read it and enter the contest! My interview there is one of many mystery author interviews that are being done to celebrate the Mystery Most Cozy group’s 10th anniversary.

Lastly, I am a guest today at Cozy Mystery Book Reviews with an article about "Mothers and the Daughters Who Leave Them," an important subplot in To Hell in a Handbasket. The review site is also posted their review of the book today. I hope you'll stop by and read both my article and the review!

To Hell in a Handbasket is widely available in bookstores (If it's not on the shelf, order it!), libraries, and from on-line retailers, including: Indie Bound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and direct from the publisher, Midnight Ink. Do you have any mystery readers on your holiday gift list? This book, and the first in the series, A Real Basket Case, might be perfect for them. If you'd like signed bookplates or bookmarks to go with your gifts, contact me at my website, and I'll arrange to send them to you.

A Breakthrough on a Final Climax

I had a breakthrough on my Work-in-Progress the day before yesterday. My Work-in-Progress is the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series. The manuscript has been drafted, and I've been submitting chapters to my critique group, performing edits before and after each submittal.

I am due to submit the chapter containing the final climax tonight. I had been dissatisfied with it, however, and knew it needed fixing. The stakes needed to be raised, and I needed to "make things worse" for my heroine. I had to give her a bigger test that she could pass and prove that she is worthy of the title "heroine."

As the time approached for that climax scene to be shared with my critique group, ideas on how to fix it stewed in my brain. First came the idea on how to spin the situation more out of control and put a life in danger. Then I had to figure out how Claire was going to save the day!

That idea came a couple of days before the rewrite. Finally, I had a free day with no appointments, and I sat down to edit that scene, vowing to stay off the Internet until it was done. Eight hours and eight new pages of text (plus many rewritten pages) later, I was done.

The scene now has a lot more tension and conflict. I'm pretty pleased with the result. I hope my critique group will be, too!

Finishing a Rough Draft

I just finished writing the final chapter of the rough draft of the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, and I'm celebrating! My goal was to finish it before the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year holiday season and all the traveling I'll be doing during that time. I just made it!

Signing up to participate in Pikes Peak Writers' NaNoTryMo program (a variation on NaNoWriMo, where the goal doesn't have to be 50,000 words) helped a lot. Being on the hook to report my progress to others kept me working toward that goal of finishing the rough draft. Staying focused on writing scenes was tough when I was also working with my publicist on planning promotion for Deadly Currents, keeping these blog posts going, going to events, and all the other activities that a published author engages in.

Am I happy with the rough draft? Heck no! I'm never happy with my first drafts, which is why no one sees them, not even my critique group. I'm always convinced when I start writing a rough draft that I don't have another book in me and I won't be able to do it. Then when I finish it, I'm always convinced that it's the worst book I've ever written and no one will ever want to read it. This is the sixth novel-length manuscript that I've finished, and I still feel that way. But, I've learned to trust the process, to trust that between my own editing and my critique group's feedback, the manuscript will get better. And, when I reread sections while editing them, I often find gems and think to myself, "Wow, woman, you really can write."

So, the next step is to let the rough draft sit for awhile, say 3-4 weeks, and get some distance from it. Then I'll plunge back in and start editing. Usually I spend about 3 months editing a manuscript to whip it into shape. In the process, I convert what usually starts out as a lean 60-65,000 words to 70-75,000 words. This one will be at the high end of that range, since I have over 65,000 words now.

How about you? Finished any projects lately you'd like to crow about? I'd love to crow with you!