There's a new detective agency in town...
... and I can't wait to read about it!
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Motive
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or maybe a gin and tonic.
Emily Hildebrandt has run into a bit of a rough patch. She's lost her job, her fiancé and her apartment. Still, she never expected to be desperate enough to accept an invitation to live with her eccentric Aunt Tilde in Redemption, Wisconsin.
But, beggars can't be choosers. Even if part of the deal is she has to pretend to work at her aunt's latest hair-brained scheme, The Redemption Detective Agency.
Seriously, the woman is a retired nurse. Why does she think she's remotely qualified to run a detective agency, especially in a creepy little town like Redemption?
But, when a strange phone call suddenly thrusts them into an actual case, Emily finds herself hoping her aunt really does know what she's doing ... or an innocent person may be the one to suffer the consequences.
But wait… there’s more!
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Dog Walker
Emily Hildebrandt is not having a good week.
First off, she’s tasked with looking for, of all things, a missing dog. And not just any missing dog, but one owned by the aunt of Nick Stewart’s girlfriend, Trisha.
Like she wants anything to do Nick. Ever. She’s dating someone new and ready to take her life back.
Except…that missing dog case takes a strange turn when the owner tells her she never had a dog.
Why would Trisha lie about a missing dog? Or is Trisha’s aunt the one is lying?
As Emily digs deeper into the case, she uncovers far more than she bargained for.
The sorta “whatsit”…
Last newsletter I shared this image of a lovely stained glass artwork in the meditation room at the hospital in Galveston, Texas. The three circles of this art are made from “Depression-era” plates. I found the description so evocative: “Three depression era glass plates […] Whose cupboard did they live in? Did they once serve collard greens or cannelloni, a snack or a feast?”
Debb had the correct answer and she’ll get a free paid subscription access trial.
The journey we are on… the one we didn’t expect…
I told you all that I was in the hospital with my sweet mom a few weeks ago. I am so eternally grateful for all of the prayers I received. I felt your warm thoughts wrapped around me and my family. The journey we are on is one we didn’t expect.
Last week, a biopsy revealed that a mass on my mom’s brain is a very aggressive cancer. It is in a spot that means surgery isn't recommended, so we expect treatment will be radiation and chemotherapy. This week I’ve been with Mom again, taking her to doctor appointments as we try to pin down her treatment. She’s in a skilled nursing center getting PT for the weakness caused by the tumor. I am blown away by her resilience! My mom is a rock star!
All of this is to say that we still need your prayers. Also, my writing schedule is taking a hit as I’m doing a lot of traveling to take care of her. I still hope to release a Vangie Guillory holiday story later this year in an anthology with some other authors and I’m also outlining the next J.D. Pierson. I hope to get new work to you soon and I’m so grateful for your grace and patience as we work through this journey.
Yours, C.H.
Free prayer…
Do you have a special intention for which you need prayers? I’m always praying for YOU, my friend, but if you have any special prayer requests, please hit reply or email me to share them with me. I will write your name in my journal and pray over you. And I'd humbly ask you to keep me in your prayers too.
Note from C.H.
I LOVE to write. It has been my passion since I was just thirteen years old. And I’d love to be able to write more; but for now, I still work full-time out in the real world (wouldn’t it be super snazzy to live even part of the year in a dream world?)
If I’m going to write more, I need sustainable income outside of the regular workplace. That’s why I’m changing some things and asking for your help.
If you love my work and want to support me you can do that in a few different ways:
The first is obvious… you can buy my books! You can buy them at ALL the major retailers, but the best way is to snag them from my online store (you can get discounts for sharing!)
The brand-new way to support me is by becoming a paid subscriber on Substack. You’ll get access to lots of extras including:
Weekly news and updates (including exclusive access to snippets of brand-new stories)
The Birthday Club
Yearly Christmas Card
Monthly Discount code for the Sessums Shop
Your choice of one eARC a year
Click the button and choose a paid subscription if you want to support my work AND get all of those extras! PAID SUBSCRIBERS ARE READING MY UPCOMING J.D. PIERSON BOOK AS ITS WRITTEN!
Finally, you can also tell others about me and my books. There are SO MANY ways to do that:
you can share my books on social media
you can leave reviews for my books
you can also share this Substack (and you can get referral benefits too!)
It is so exciting to be on this fun writing journey with you. I appreciate you more than you know.