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In this newsletter ...
Happy New Year and welcome to all new subscribers!
This month's newsletter features an interview with Shawn Reilly Simmons, author of the Red Carpet Catering Mystery Series and co-owner/publisher/editor at Level Best Books. Learn more about Shawn, and my own publishing journey in this edition.
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IT'S HERE!
NEVER LET GO, a psychological thriller, released in December from Level Best Books in paperback and ebook and from Dreamscape in audio, is now available! Order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
or from your favorite bookseller.
Here is what reviewers are saying:
"Never Let Go will appeal to readers who enjoy some
psychological depth to their thrillers and suspense tales. Just be
prepared to lose a night’s sleep as Lori Duffy Foster’s plan is to make
sure you can’t stop turning the pages until the very end." – Kristopher Zgorski, BOLO Books
“Once I started reading, I could not put this well-written and
fast-paced drama down. … There were so many plot twists that kept me in
the game and when I thought I was on firm grounds with where the
narrative was going, the author changed the direction all to keep me
emotionally invested as the drama unfolded to its conclusion.” – Dru Ann Love of Dru’s Book Musing, Raven Award winner and two-time Anthony Award Nominee.
“Packed with fast-moving action, Never Let Go delivers a powerful message of how far a mother will go to protect her child, especially one who has been taken from her.” – Amy, Novels Alive
More about NEVER LET GO:
Most people have nightmares while they sleep. Carla Murphy awakens to find herself living one. Carla is excited when her best friend asks her to lunch and tells her to bring the baby. Rachel dislikes children and had been distant throughout Carla’s pregnancy. But Carla should have known that people don’t change that quickly. Lunch was a ruse. Carla emerges from a drug-induced slumber sealed in a room in Rachel’s basement with her son gone. Her best friend is no friend. She is obsessed with Carla’s husband and will kill them both if she doesn’t get what she wants. Carla has no choice. She must help Rachel, her confidant since childhood, seduce her husband or they all die, and her baby will be lost to her forever.
(Reviewers, click here to download ARCs from NetGalley.)
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Meet Shawn Reilly Simmons
Shawn Reilly Simmons is an Agatha and Anthony Award-winning author and editor. She’s written seven novels in her Red Carpet Catering mystery series and over twenty of her short stories have appeared in various crime fiction anthologies. Shawn hosts a podcast, Five Compelling Questions with Shawn, where she chats with authors about the writing life and creative pursuits. She’s a member of RVA City Writers, a group based in Richmond, Virginia, who host Noir at the Bar Events at different venues throughout the year. Shawn serves on the Board of Malice Domestic, is Managing Editor at Level Best Books, and is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, the Crime Writers’ Association, and International Thriller Writers. She lives in historic downtown Frederick, Maryland.
About Music of the Night, an anthology from The Crime Writers' Association, featuring "A Death in Four Parts" by Shawn Reilly Simmons
Music of the Night is a new anthology of original short stories contributed by Crime Writers' Association (CWA) members and edited by Martin Edwards, with music as the connecting theme. The aim, as always, is to produce a book which is representative both of the genre and the membership of the world’s premier crime writing association.
The CWA has published anthologies of members’ stories in most years since 1956, with Martin Edwards as editor for over 25 years, during which time the anthologies have yielded many award-winning and nominated stories by writers such as Ian Rankin, Reginald Hill, Lawrence Block, and Edward D. Hoch. Stories by long-standing authors and stellar names sit alongside contributions from relative newcomers, authors from overseas, and members whose work haven’t appeared in a CWA anthology before.
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Q: You have worn so many different hats in your lifetime. What inspired you to finally write that first novel and why did you choose the cozy genre?
Shawn: My goal was always to be a writer from the time I was very young, so I always had that as the ultimate career goal for myself. I wrote my first novel after my son was born, and I’d left my job to stay home with him, thinking I’d have all this time to do it (ha)! I was able to write my first three books while he was still pretty little and was lucky enough to get an agent and a publishing deal pretty quickly. I’d already been involved with Malice for many years at that point and am a big fan of the cozy/traditional genre, so it felt like home for my first eight novels to fall into the traditional subgenre.
Q: How is the novel-writing experience different from writing short stories?
Shawn: They are different disciplines as far as the writing goes, I think, but the experience is similar in that I work on a piece every day until I feel that first draft is done, then I put it aside for a little while and return to it after I’ve started working on a new project. I like to let it “rest” like I would a steak in the kitchen, give my brain a palate cleanser by writing something new. When I go back to the first project I’m working on in this cycle, I always see things I missed or want to add. I love writing both short stories and novels at the same time for this reason.
Q: Has your career as a publisher/editor impacted your approach to writing?
Shawn: I think it has. One of my favorite things to do is work with authors on their manuscripts—reading and giving advice/edits helps me in my own writing. When you edit as much as I do, you can see trends, things that people do really well, areas where we all can use some help…I do think with every exercise you undertake, you end up stronger on the other side, and I really believe editing on a daily basis has strengthened my writing skills.
Q: You have dealt with some serious health issues this past year. Has that experience changed your writing or your career goals in any way? Has it changed you as a writer?
Shawn: 2022 was a tough one! I was diagnosed in January with a rare, aggressive form of cancer (leiomyosarcoma or LMS) and ended up having to do chemo and radiation for most of the year, only finishing right before the holidays began, so I’m only newly on the other side of all of that. I wasn’t able to write much during all of that—some days, I had no choice but to stay in bed. On the days I felt good enough to do anything, I usually had a mountain of editing/publishing-related work and emails to catch up on, with limited energy to accomplish everything. Luckily I’m getting stronger (and mentally sharper) every day post-cancer treatments, so I’m really looking forward to 2023, when I won’t have to deal with all of that and can write without exhaustion or sickness or severe pain.
Q: You are an author, the co-owner/managing editor of a publishing house, a member of the annual Malice Domestic board and mother to a pre-teen. How do you balance it all?
Shawn: I’m a list maker and I do organize my days so that I make time for everything—as long as nothing goes wrong, it works! I do think my work history helps me maintain a busy schedule. I worked as a chef in many different capacities, so whipping together healthy, quick dinners for my family isn’t a challenge. I worked in sales and marketing for most of my career, where I was expected to structure my days and make my numbers without a lot of oversight, which helps me keep all the plates spinning, and the kid picked up on time. I was expected to be organized and maintain hundreds of clients/accounts at a time, which I feel helps me keep my roles at Malice under control…I feel like every position we hold helps us in ways we might not appreciate at the time, but they shape our working habits and productivity going forward.
Q: What are you working on now?
Shawn: Staying healthy! But you’re probably asking about writing…I have a new series I’m working on, and a couple of standalone ideas that I’ve started writing. I have a new agent, and I’m really excited to start the year off on a great foot with her. She’s been waiting for me to get better so we can get some of these projects out on sub.
Q: What advice would you give aspiring writers?
Shawn: The best advice I can give is to pursue things you love to do, keep consistent and realistic writing habits and hold yourself accountable to them, and be kind to yourself. All writers, no matter what stage of career they are in, are working to get better with each book and/or story. Success is hard work with a bit of luck folded in, but the main part of that recipe is getting the writing and revising done and being happy with what you create.
Thanks for having me!
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MY BOOKS
NEVER LET GO is now available in paperback ebook and audio from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org or favorite bookseller!
For more about A DEAD MAN'S EYES, a SHAMUS AWARD finalist for Best First PI Novel, an AGATHA AWARD nominee for Best First Novel and book 1 in the Lisa Jamison Mystery Series, click here!
Click here for more about NEVER BROKEN, book 2 in the series, which released in April.
Contact me at lori@loriduffyfoster.com for signed copies of any of my novels.
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December Launch events for NEVER LET GO!
January and February events are in the planning stages. More to come!
(For the always-updated website version, click here.)
News and Events
Jan. 19, Reading and signing, The MacFadden Coffee Company, 211 Main Street, Dansville, NY. Time TBA.
I will have more details about this event soon, but I am really excited
for this. The MacFadden Coffee Company is a huge supporter of the arts
and regularly strives to bring people together over art and coffee. The
reading is part of the Finger Lakes Arts Series, which is made possible
with grants from Poets &Writers, Inc.
April 15, Book signing, Barnes & Noble, 2443 Vestal Pkwy E, Vestal, NY, noon to 4 p.m.
Just on time for the launch of NO TIME TO BREATHE, book 3 in the Lisa
Jamison Mystery Series! I am excited to return to the area where I spent
so much time while earning my master’s degree in creative writing from
Binghamton University. All four of my novels will be available.
April 28 – 30, Malice Domestic, Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Malice
Domestic is an annual fan convention that takes place each year in
Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Malice celebrates traditional
mysteries, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. I met
so many awesome readers and writers last year. I can’t wait to return!
July 16, Read Between the Vines, Vineyard View Winery, 2971 Williams Hill Road, Keuka Park, NY, 1 to 4 p.m. Come join me and more than a dozen other members of F.L.A.R.E.,
Finger Lakes Authors and Readers Experience,on the gorgeous grounds of
this winery overlooking Keuka Lake, where we will be signing and selling
books. There is nothing like good wine and a good book!
Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, Bouchercon World Mystery Convention 2023: Murder at the Marina, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, San Diego, CA. More details to come!
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Like much of the country, we experienced some wild winter weather around Christmas. We didn't get much snow, but we got lots of rain followed by flash freezing. Our driveway was thick with ice for several days, which kept us at home. I was okay with that as long as the whole family was safe and sound. Most of it has melted now and we are no worse for it. My heart goes out to our neighbors three hours west in Buffalo, where so many lost their lives.
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What's up with my books
I am halfway through the audio book of my thriller NEVER LET GO and I am loving the narrator, Cynthia Farrell. She is amazing! Each character has a distinct voice and her inflection is perfect. It is so cool to hear my novel read by a professional. I can't even imagine what it must be like for authors to see their work translated into film.
NEVER LET GO is out in the world now and NO TIME TO BREATHE, book three in the Lisa Jamison Mystery Series, is on its way. I should have cover art and ARCs for NO TIME TO BREATHE very soon, and then comes red line edits. The release date is April 11. I am planning winter and spring events for NEVER LET GO and the release of NO TIME TO BREATHE, and will have more information soon. Let me know if you would like me to schedule an event in your area. It just all seems like it's happening so fast that I am having trouble keep up!
I don't have a contract for book four in the series yet. I would like to be halfway finished with the novel before discussing it with my publisher, but the plot is really taking shape and I am itching to write. I am also anxious to do revisions on my remaining standalones, the first of which is due to my publisher in June. This year will be just as busy as 2022 with novels releasing in April and December, but things will ease up in 2024 with only one release.
After that, who knows? I am enjoying the uncertainty and embracing it.
Life is good.
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What's up at home?
What a wonderfully, crazy-busy month!
One twin is on the indoor track team for a neighboring school district, which means we have to drive him there after school each day. The other is playing basketball for our district with practice times that alternate from after school one week to evenings the next. Their high school was destroyed by floods in August of 2021 and restoration has not yet begun. We live out of district (out of state, actually), so we have to drive our boys to the borrowed school building every day, 20 minutes each way.
So there is that.
Add to all the driving a part-time job, a book release, a daughter's return from Japan and our older son moving back home for a semester and, oh yeah, the holidays, and things were a bit insane.
But it was a good insane.
My husband took some much-needed vacation time for the last half of the month, which made everything easier. We love attending the games and meets and we're thrilled that the twins enjoy sports. We can breathe again with our daughter back in the country and we are happy she had such a great experience. (Only more more semester to go! ) We are impressed with the maturity of our oldest son, who decided to take classes part-time near home and transfer in his job for a few months while he addresses some health issues. He will return to Penn State in the fall for one more semester, and then graduate.
Things won't slow down much for a while, but that is okay. We are treasuring the here and now. So bring it on. I am excited for 2023 and I hope you are, too. Happy New Year!
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If you read and enjoyed my books, please
consider clicking on a rating or leaving a review on your favorite
website, such as Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Book Bub.
Reviews are important to newbies like me, who are also published by
small presses. We greatly appreciate them.
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The Lastest: Interviews, reviews, articles and podcasts |
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Here are the most recent interviews, reviews, articles and podcasts. For a complete list, click here.
The Big Thrill, NEVER LET GO, interview
HannahBernadettebook.com, review, NEVER LET GO
MJB Reviewers, NEVER LET GO, review
Novels Alive, NEVER LET GO, review
The Book Review Crew, NEVER LET GO, review
Bolo Books, NEVER LET GO, review
Dru’s Book Musing, NEVER LET GO, review
Book Notions, interview
Fictionophile, NEVER BROKEN review
My Favorite Detective Stories, Podcast
Celtic Lady’s Reviews, NEVER BROKEN
Uncaged Book Reviews, Magazine article
The Strand Magazine, NEVER BROKEN review
Celtic Lady’s Reviews, review A DEAD MAN’S EYES
Novels Alive, NEVER BROKEN review
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Sending the best of all wishes for love and happiness in the New Year! |
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