Guess Who's a Derringer Finalist?

It's me! My novella “Trouble Like A Freight Train Coming” is a finalist for a Derringer Award for Best Novelette (which the Short Mystery Fiction Society describes as a work between 8001 and 20,000 words). 

“Trouble” is one of four stories in the anthology Lowcountry Crime: Four Novellas published by Wolf’s Echo Press. "Trouble" is a prequel to my Tai Randolph Mysteries (the sixth of which, Necessary Ends, is out now from Poisoned Pen Press). 

Tai is accustomed to murder and mayhem . . . of the fictional variety. As a tour guide in Savannah, Georgia, she’s learned the tips are better when she seasons her stories with a little blood here, a little depravity there. She’s less experienced in real life criminality, however, preferring to spend her days sleeping late and her nights hitting the bars. But when she gets the news that her trouble-making cousin has keeled over while running a marathon, Tai finds herself in a hot mess of treachery and dirty dealings. Worst of all, the clues lead her straight into the moonshine-soaked territory of the most infamous smuggler in Chatham County—her Uncle Boone. 

The novella is set in Savannah several years prior to the inheritance of her Atlanta gun shop and her first encounter with security agent Trey Seaver, who ultimately becomes her partner in both romance and crime solving. For readers familiar with the rest of Tai’s adventures, this story is a chance to watch her develop her sleuthing chops. For those meeting Tai for the first time...welcome to her slightly reckless, somewhat hungover, not-quite-respectable world. 

"Trouble Like a Freight Train Coming" is available on all the usual platforms, including Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, Kobo, iBooks, and Scribd; you can find all the links at the Wolf's Echo Press website.

Talking Mayhem and Mystery at The Book Lady

Please join me at The Book Lady Bookstore for a mystery Q&A with crime fiction writer J.J. Hensley on Friday, April 27th at 7:00 PM.

There will be wine and noshes and good conversation as we discuss writing and publishing and mystery fiction. Bring your curiosity and your questions - there's sure to be some marvelous mayhem.

J.J. will be signing copies of Bolt Action Remedy, the first in his Trevor Galloway series published by Down & Out Books. A fast-paced, action-packed, hauntingly atmospheric thriller, this novel and its author have earned high praise from James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor: "J.J. Hensley is a crime writer who deserves readers’ attention and trust, because beyond his ever-stronger prose, he brings his ex-badge carrier’s street smart eyes to this hard world we live in. Hensley goes beyond clichés to the heart of his fictions and his characters, and delivers stories worth your time. Put him on your READ list.”

To learn more about Bolt Action Remedy, visit the Books section of J.J.'s website.

I'll be signing copies of Necessary Ends, the sixth in my Tai Randolph/Trey Seaver series from Poisoned Pen Press. Described as "skillfully plotted" by Publisher's Weekly, Necessary Ends has also earned praise from reviewer Cynthia Chow: "This continues to be an extraordinarily original, witty, and exceptionally written mystery series, and hopefully it will continue for years to come."

To learn more about Necessary Ends, visit the Books section of my website.

And for more information about the event, please contact Joni or Chris at The Book Lady Bookstore, located at 6 E. Liberty Street in lovely Downtown Savannah.

Hope to see you there!

A Southern Gothic Love Story & NECESSARY ENDS

Thank you, Cora Lockheart, for the fantastic review (and for interviewing me too - it was a pleasure to spend time on your virtual porch -- I rarely get to talk about Tai & Trey, "A Rose for Emily," #2 pencils, and cemeteries in one discussion).

Raising a glass of bourbon to you, lady!