Thanks for having me over on SOS Aloha!
If the Shoe Kills is centered around the holidays in South Cove. Like any good tourist town, South Cove goes all out during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The street lamps are wrapped in evergreens, the store fronts decorated to match the annual theme, and the people who live there are stressed to the max.
Sound like your little town? Especially the stressed out bit?
I’ve been a slave to the “shoulds” for years. I should volunteer more during the holidays. I should put the tree up Thanksgiving weekend. I should buy a new ornaments for each member of my family for every year. I should bake treats for everyone I know and share them with neighbors I don’t ever talk to. I should have my Christmas shopping done and hand craft most of my gifts for people I love. I should send picture Christmas cards…
Well, you get the point. Making yourself crazy during the holidays is not a requirement for celebrating. This year, take a step back and ask yourself what do you want to do to celebrate. I found my husband and I really enjoy hosting Thanksgiving dinner. We love having family and friends around the table, eating great food and talking about nothing.
I love spending time reading. Not just listening to an audio book, or sneaking in a chapter before I fall asleep, but taking a book and reading straight through to the end. Or when my eyes tire. Last year I read Doctor Sleep as my holiday present to myself. This year, its going to be The Book of Life. Giving yourself a chill present like reading for a day or watching a marathon of Supernatural allows your mind to rest.
I also know I adore Christmas cards. Getting and sending. You mail me one? I’ll keep you on my mailing list until I get the card back ‘return to sender.’ There’s just something about opening those envelopes and knowing its not a bill that makes me smile.
Pull out a calendar, mark all your must attend events on the page, then figure out how much time you have for holiday projects. You may find you really don’t have time to even drive to the mall to shop because of other commitments. One more reason I adore on-line shopping. Most places will even ship your item to your intended recipient at no charge. Which saves you time in wrapping, boxing and standing in line at the post office.
So what one thing are you giving up for the holidays to save your sanity?
If THE SHOE KILLS
The tourist town of South Cove, California, is a lovely place to spend the holidays. But this year, shop owner Jill Gardner discovers there’s no place like home for homicide. . .
As owner of Coffee, Books, and More, Jill Gardner looks forward to the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers. But when the mayor ropes her into being liaison for a new work program, 'tis the season to be wary. Local businesses are afraid the interns will be delinquents, punks, or worse. For Jill, nothing’s worse than Ted Hendricks--the jerk who runs the program. After a few run-ins, Jill’s ready to kill the guy. That, however, turns out to be unnecessary when she finds Ted in his car--dead as a doornail. Officer Greg assumes it’s a suicide. Jill thinks it’s murder. And if the holidays weren’t stressful enough, a spoiled blonde wants to sue the city for breaking her heel. Jill has to act fast to solve this mess--before the other shoe drops. . .
"Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover’s dream come true." --Susan McBride, author of The Debutante Dropout Mysteries
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USA Today and New York Times, best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and four fur babies.
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Lynn is giving away a signed copy of GUIDEBOOK TO MURDER, Book 1 in The Tourist Trap Mystery series. To enter the giveaway,
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Goodreads link
Lynn is giving away a signed copy of GUIDEBOOK TO MURDER, Book 1 in The Tourist Trap Mystery series. To enter the giveaway,
1. Answer Lynn's question, So what one thing are you giving up for the holidays to save your sanity?
I give away gift cards!
I give away gift cards!
2. Comments are open through Saturday, November 15, 10 pm in Baltimore.
3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 16.
Mahalo,
Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City
