With Gram’s Country Cooking School on spring break, Betts and Gram are taking part in this year’s cowboy poetry convention, offering lessons on frying catfish over an open campfire. But when a staged gunfight ends in real death and her brother Teddy becomes a prime suspect, Betts may be the one to jump from the frying pan into the fire.
After her ghostly guardian Jerome appears to watch her back and a spectral Pony Express rider gallops into town with some unfinished business, Broken Rope starts to seem more like a cowboy ghost convention. With trouble on both sides of this mortal coil, it’s up to Betts to clear her brother, put the spirits to rest, and make sure the true killer doesn’t become the one who got away.
by Paige Shelton
When people ask me about the books I'm working on I'm happy to share, but by about the second book I mention, eyes begin to glaze and head nodding becomes more adamant, and then people step back a little as though they might catch something deadly from me. They ask - how are you writing so many series?
The simple answer is "one word at a time." But there really is a little more to it than that.
IF CATFISH HAD NINE LIVES, the fourth book in my Country Cooking School Mystery Series, publishes August 5th, and it was a joy to write. I'm so excited about this book. I'm thrilled to have had the chance to do whatever I can do to make all my ideas come alive. To make the process work, however, I know I have to do two things: 1. Write my word count on each project, every day, Monday through Friday. 2. Take detailed notes. If I stick by these rules, the books come together, little bit by little bit. Oh, there are days when the word count seems insurmountable, but what keeps me typing is the fact that I know that the next day's word count will double if I don't get it done today. Or, I might have to work on the weekends. I used to always write every weekend, but I've now found that if I take Saturday and Sunday off, by Sunday night I'm itching to get back to writing Monday morning. When I worked outside my home office, in jobs that weren't always awful, I dreaded Sunday nights because i would wallow in the fact that I had to get up and get back to work on Monday. Now, my Sunday nights are anxious with anticipation to hit the keyboard as soon as I can. It gives e a great push on momentum.
Writing books is my job. Some days, the words come easy and I get to take a half day off, maybe get a pedicure or go out to lunch with a friend. And some days require some overtime, but that's okay. I'm really pleased with the way things seem to be working out. My boss, my conscience, can be kind of annoying sometimes, but I've had worse bosses.
So, when someone asks what I'm working on, instead of listing each and every book, I should probably just say something like, "lots of projects, because I have the best readers ever and I don't ever want to let them go." Yea, I like that idea.
Happy Reading.
If Catfish Had Nine Lives is a unique cozy mystery that sheds light on the Old West and the Pony Express in a very creative way... through ghosts! In the little town of Broken Rope, Missouri, anything goes when it comes to Gram and Betts and the mysteries they solve. With their unbelievable cooking (yum!), the help of their spiritual visitors, and a little luck, Gram and Betts take you on a wild ride that will have you hanging on to the edge of your seat.
The characters are fun, the pace of the story is exciting, and the food... oh the food. If you're looking for a funny, entertaining cozy that you'll have a hard time putting down, pick up If Catfish Had Nine Lives. You'll be so glad that you did!
Rating: 5 stars
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All conclusions reached are my own.
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