Mark Your Calendars for These Special Events!

I did not have three thousand shoes. I had one thousand and sixty. -- Imelda Marcos

She was onto something. We all know that Monica loves hats, but (buckle your seatbelts), time for a confession: I love shoes. Yep. And in advance of Valentine's Day I bought a pair tonight that I've been lusting after for a long time: red, patent-leather heels.

I plan to wear them on Valentine's Day when we celebrate our 5th birthday of the Killer Hobbies blog.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OUR PARTY!

Oh, and did I mention there will be CHOCOLATE? Yes, all the KH Blog Sisters are going out and buying chocolate so we can give it away as prizes. Personally, I plan to drink some champagne while we party. The party will be held from 9 p.m. EST to midnight EST on February 14 on my Facebook page http://www.Facebook.com/JoannaCampbellSlan

CHANGES? HAVE YOU NOTICED?

We've been busily making changes to our blog in prep and as sort of a KH spruce up. Have you noticed? We've added Author Pages so you can learn a bit more about each of us. We've also added a sign up for a newsletter (that's a project for the future). We had an old sign up but it had reached its limit and it was a hassle, so please if you would...re-sign up for our newsletter. We'll be using it to announce new releases and give-aways.

SHORT STORIES

At the start of this year, I pledged to write one Kiki Lowenstein short story every month at least until April when the new book--Ready, Scrap, Shoot--is released. This month the title is "Kiki Lowenstein and the Empty Heart." It's a story I've been thinking about for a long time because it's based in a true happening. Kiki agrees to help her rabbi with a good deed. They discover a congregant's secret, the way she coped with an empty heart, and it changes everything!

All of my short story covers feature Zentangle designs,

and more tangles are included inside. This one that I just love is an example...

There are also two cool recipes included in that short story.

TANGLE PATTERNS GUEST HOST

Next Monday my special guest will be Linda Farmer, creator of the Tangle Patterns blog. In honor of her visit, I'll be giving away a copy of AlphaTangle: A Totally Tangled Alphabet by Sandy Steen Bartholomew. If you've been curious about Zentangle, you won't want to miss Linda'a visit or the chance to get this wonderful "how to" book.

YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO US

Last month I was at the mid-winter ALA meeting in Dallas where I was privileged to sign books. A woman stood in line for quite a while. When it was her turn, she said, "I just LOVE Kiki Lowenstein!" and she threw her arms around me.

You know what? I'm the luckiest girl on the planet. Every day I look for new ways to tell each of you how special you are to me! Happy Valentine's Day in advance!

Ink, Red, Dead--You Asked for It!

Coming this Halloween will be Kiki Lowenstein's latest adventure--Ink, Red, Dead--a novella that finds Kiki and her friends drawn into the world of a cat hoarder. The book will be available on Kindle.

Why did I decide to write a new adventure for Kiki? The next traditional Kiki mystery--Ready, Scrap, Shoot--won't be out until April, 2012. Fans have clamored for more Kiki, and I had an idea that wouldn't go away. The plot fit neatly between Make, Take, Murder and Ready, Scrap, Shoot.

The Kindle book will include a wonderful recipe for pumpkin cookies and a free gift, A Crafty Kind of Murder, the progressive story that my blog sisters and I wrote.

To help celebrate the new release, I'll be hosting a Halloween party on October 31 from 9 p.m. EST to midnight EST on my new Facebook page.  There will be prizes and special guest appearances and surprises galore. Just go to that new page and hit "like," and then visit during the party on October 31. We'll select lucky commenters (I hope my guests and my status updates will inspire comments!) as winners.

You know, Kiki is like an old friend of mine. I always enjoy spending time with her. You, my fans, have told me you want more Kiki. I'm lucky to be able to respond to your request!

Now, I'm curious. You know that each of my Kiki books hits on a social problem or concern. What would you like to see me tackle in an upcoming book?

The Tipping Point for Kiki Lowenstein

When I started my mystery series, an other author told me, "You won't know if it's a hit until book number five." That seemed odd to me, but she went on to explain that #5 is a sort of tipping point, to use Malcolm Gladwell's term. By #5, you have enough critical mass to really make a difference in the marketplace. Newcomers to your series can buy five books, not just one.

I understand that. While browsing in a bookstore, my eyes go to mystery series. I knew that if I liked one book in the series, I could settle in and enjoy a long reading experience of following characters.
My editor, Connie Hill, recently sent me the galleys of Ready, Scrap, Shoot. She also complimented me on the dramatic tensions. She told me that she had taken the manuscript home over the weekend--rather than leave it on her desk to work on it on a Monday--because she had to see how it ended.

I passed the galley to two beta readers, readers whose opinion I value. The first reported back and she loved it. She had a few questions that I hope to resolve with an edit or two. The second hasn't contacted me yet.

Meanwhile, my husband enjoyed a quick and informal reunion this weekend with his high school friends in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. After a long day of golf on Saturday, one of them turned to David and asked, "Is your wife Joanna Slan? The mystery writer? We have three of her books at our house."

Wow. Maybe I have reached a tipping point. I sure hope so!

Here's the scoop on Ready, Scrap, Shoot--

You can pre-order it at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Scrap-Lowenstein-Scrap-N-Craft-Mystery/dp/0738727474/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317832835&sr=8-1