Hello!

For the past few months, I've been working on a brand-new historical mystery series—fun and interesting for me, and I hope for you, too!

The first book (coming in July 2010) is called The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree. It is set in 1930. In cities across America, times are tough, jobs are scarce, and people are getting worried about what lies ahead.

But the ladies of the fictional town of Darling, Alabama, are determined to keep their spirits up, their families fed, and their town beautiful. They belong to a garden club called "The Dahlias," which (next to Beulah's Beauty Bower, the Darling Diner, and the party line) is the most important of the town's social centers. The Dahlias have a clubhouse, a flag, an overgrown garden, and a weekly column in The Darling Dispatch, written by Miss Elizabeth Lacy. And like many other women of that era, they are experts in gardening, cooking, sewing, saving money, and making do, cheerfully.

The Dahlias are also experts in solving mysteries, which is a very good thing, because their first book is chock-a-block full of them. I don't want to spill the beans, but there's enough excitement to keep the Darling Dahlias in full bloom all summer long. And even though there are a few Bad Apples in Darling (wouldn't be a mystery without them, would it?), the harvest all comes right in the end.

Over the next few months, I'll be inviting you to join in some of the fun of this new series launch. So stay tuned, and stay in touch.

Happy days!
Susan