One of the members of my IAG family just sold her book to a mainstream publisher with the possible rights to an indy movie! They found her book on Amazon. I bought "High Spirits" and found it to be a very engaging story based on the real life Fox sisters of New York.

I keep hoping that someday I will be that lucky. Every now and then when my cell rings with an out of state number I get so excited that it's that publishing company I have so waited for calling. But it always ends up being a wrong number. Now I let them go to voicemail. If they REALLY want me, they'll leave a message!

Sometimes I lament at the fact that I will never have the reading audience that some famous writers do, but then it's a two fold regret. If I did ever get to that point of fame all the publisher would want would be for me to crank out those books, good, bad or indiferent. I don't know if I would want to be in the position of HAVING to write all the time. You must lose creativity and good plot ideas at some point in time - Right?

So I am happy to have book two grace the virtual shelves and work at getting my story out there. Not only to genealogists, historians but mystery fans as well. Because no matter how the murder is solved, it is a mystery after all!

I read all sorts of mystery authors - and all the different occupations of all the cozy sleuths, and mine is no different. I've seen the protagonist in florist shops, wedding planning jobs, psychics, postmistresses, little old ladies with nothing better to do...you get the idea. They aren't all P.I.'s with the bad guys chasing them down with weapons of mass destruction. Many of them are simple people who sometimes (or if the author is prolific - all the time) get into trouble.

So as the ABBA song says "Take a Chance on Me!" and Lydia Proctor. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Well it's in process. I should have a proof in 6-8 weeks for review. I even have a couple people lined up to do the final read/corrections check too. I just wish the real world didn't always get in the way. I still need to send out fliers for the first installment and now I can start preparing the third book: A Case Study in Murder.

It's funny how each person has their favorite book in a series, sort of like movies. I really like the second book best, maybe because I did a better job with it error wise and I had already done the trial by fire the first time through. I knew what to look for, what to correct and so on. My husband who has been subjected to reading all three decided he likes the third one best.

So what I want my readers to do, is after the second book hits Amazon, Borders, etc. (online stores of course - self-pubbed don't get shelf space at the brick and mortar unless they're ordered and never picked up!), is to tell me of the two which you like best.

Hopefully it won't take 3 years for me to get the third book out. And maybe by then I'll actually get past page 75 in the fourth installment!

I got the official e-mail this morning that the book has been received and is in preparation! So sometime by the end of March I should have the first proof to rip apart!

It is raining and cold here. Weather to stay home in, but not happening today!

Yes, you read it right here. A Commitment to Murder is in the mail as of yesterday. I finally set a deadline/goal and stuck to it! In 4-6 weeks I will have a proof copy, which then needs to be read (again) just to make sure nothing was missed and that there were no formatting errors. Then if none, it goes out to the public. If there are any then I have 50 free corrections. I can pay for an additional 50 if the need arises, but hopefully it will not.

So for those of you who have been asking... it is finally coming soon!

I have all the files burned to two CD's and the contract is filled out and ready to mail. I am planning on doing that Monday, which will be our 8th anniversary in our home, and the day before my parents anniversary and 6 days after our 24th anniversary. I guess that's a good omen and I should take advantage. A Commitment to Murder is on it's way.

Now...the coincidence I aluded to above. Last night on SciFi we watch the Worlds Scariest Places and guess what was the first place they went to? Athens Asylum in Athens Ohio. Now what does that have to do with me? Well my second story is somewhat based on that asylum and my ancestor's time there. He was committed to Athen's Asylum in July of 1899 and died there in December of the same year. He was committed because of insanity - well duhh. According to his death entries in both Athens and Noble Counties he died of insanity. Now how that is possible I'm not sure.

Depression plagued both his and his wife's family as well as alcoholism. William Kennedy, the man who was sent away's father drowned mysteriously in the Ohio, along with his grandfather (two separate incidents by the way...). His wife Eliza's father committed suicide in the family barn. He was the father of 10 surviving children (5 sets of twins - naturally I might add!). Their son - William and Eliza's committed suicide in 1897 and finally their daughter was born deaf. They tried to commit her too (same neighbor who brought it to court), but hers was dismissed. She died tragically from TB along with her husband. Their children - 2 daughters - went to live with Eliza.

I've been to the family home in Ohio and it was beautiful. My cousin Dorothy's brother lived there (he was deaf also - it turned out to be a gene) and had restored it to it's beauty when it was built in the 1880's.

Now why did William go crackers? Well we're not too sure. One of the theories was that he was in the Civil War with the South. He was born and raised in Ohio, but at the start of the war he picked his family up and moved them to Missouri. Supposidly he enlisted with the 116th OVI as a cavalryman (the Irish horseman coming out) and was an assistant surgeon (a glorfied limb cutter). I can only imagine what he saw and experienced. After the war he picked his family back up and moved them back to Ohio.

So was that experience a contributor to his mental illness? No one knows for sure - and to be honest I can't even prove he served...

Ironic isn't it when you chanel surf and your past comes into your present.