🐾 Dot's Wander & Wonder Weekly
Traveling from one mystery to the next... with Margo and Dot.
🐾 Dot's Detective Notes
Happy Wednesday, Detectives!
We have officially made it halfway through the week.
I feel this deserves recognition.
Possibly a treat.
D.A. says humans usually celebrate making it halfway through the week with coffee.
I don't understand why we have to choose.
Anyway, I have a rather full bookshelf for you today.
We have a trip to the Texas Hill Country for our featured mystery, six more books for you to investigate, AND several group promos filled with even more books.
In other words, if you came here hoping I would help you control your TBR...
You've come to the wrong dog. 🐾
Let's investigate.
🧵🔎 This Week’s Cozy Mystery
Stitching Up Trouble
A Texas Hill Country Cozy Mystery
by Susana Sage
A needlepoint retreat in the Texas Hill Country.
Eager participants. Celebrated instructors. Carefully stitched reputations.
What could possibly go wrong?
Tilly Martin arrives at the Great Hill Country Stitch-In expecting a weekend of teaching her first retreat class, catching up with old friends, and trying not to spend her entire budget in the vendor room.
Instead, renowned instructor Judith Harrow is found dead beside the resort pool.
At first, it appears to be a tragic accident.
But this retreat is filled with rival instructors, long-standing grudges, carefully guarded reputations—and plenty of people hiding things beneath the surface.
Soon, Tilly finds herself trying to untangle a mystery where questions of credit, betrayal, jealousy, and old resentments have become knotted together.
And apparently, at the Great Hill Country Stitch-In...
Not every masterpiece is original.
And some projects may just be worth killing for.
If you enjoy crafting cozies, woman sleuths, Texas settings, suspicious characters, and mysteries with plenty of tangled secrets, this one may need a spot on your bookshelf.
Dot’s assessment: I don't know how to needlepoint, but I am excellent at unraveling things. D.A. says that is not the same skill. 🐾
📚🐾 Around the Cozy Bookshelf
You didn't think I was going to give you one book and send you on your way, did you?
We have SIX more books from fellow authors waiting for you today.
Six.
D.A. apparently continues to believe we're helping you manage your TBR.
I have stopped correcting her.
Take a look through today's selections and see which covers, mysteries, characters, and settings catch your attention.
How many did you add?
One?
Three?
All six?
Hit Reply and confess. Your secret is safe with me.
Probably.
— Dot 🐾
🎁 More Cozy Mysteries to Explore
And we're not finished.
Today's group book promotions bring together even more books from authors for you to browse all in one place.
This is one of my favorite ways to discover a new author because you never quite know what you're going to find.
Maybe your next favorite sleuth.
A new small town you'd like to visit.
An animal sidekick who thinks they're a better detective than I am.
Highly unlikely, but possible.
Or simply the book that ends up occupying your entire weekend.
Go explore and see what catches your eye!
🌸 From D.A. Sweeten
Okay, I know what some of you are wondering...
What's happening with Murder at Bellwether Gardens?
First things first:
Have you signed up for the ARC Team yet?
I've already seen some of your names come through, and I am so excited to have you joining us!
If you've been meaning to sign up but haven't gotten around to it yet, ARC signup is still OPEN.
And since I've been talking about this book getting closer, I thought I'd give you a little peek at exactly where we are in the publishing process.
Right now, Murder at Bellwether Gardens is with my beta reader.
A beta reader reads the manuscript before the final production stages and gives me feedback on the story itself—things like characters, pacing, continuity, places that may need clarification, and anything that might need a little more attention.
Once I receive that feedback, I'll go through the manuscript again and make any changes I feel are needed.
Then we're off to the final stages:
Beta Reader
⬇️
My Final Revisions
⬇️
Editing & Formatting
⬇️
ARC Copies Go Out
⬇️
Preorder Goes LIVE
⬇️
🌸 RELEASE DAY!
I don't have an official publication date yet, and that's intentional.
I want to get the beta feedback back, make whatever changes the story needs, and get the book through editing and formatting before I give you a date.
Once those pieces are complete, I'll know exactly where we stand.
And that's when two exciting things will happen:
📚 My ARC Team will receive their advance copies.
AND...
🎉 Murder at Bellwether Gardens will go up for PREORDER!
So if you've joined the ARC Team, we're not quite at the “check your ereader!” stage yet—but we're getting there.
And you'll hear from me when we are. 💜
🌸 A Quick ARC Reminder
If you haven't joined yet but are considering it, remember that being an ARC reader means you're volunteering to read an advance copy and leave an honest review once you're able to do so.
It isn't about promising me five stars.
Your review should always be your honest opinion.
What I'm asking for is the commitment to actually read the book and follow through with a review rather than signing up simply to receive a free copy.
Those early reviews can make such a difference for an indie author's new release, and I truly appreciate the readers willing to give their time to help.
☕ Coffee with D.A.
Since we're talking about all the behind-the-scenes steps that happen before you ever see the finished book...
📚 Have you ever wondered what happens to a book between “The End” and release day?
A. Yes! I had no idea there were this many steps.
B. I knew a little about it.
C. I've been an ARC/beta reader, so I've seen some of it firsthand.
D. Nope—I just want someone to tell me when the book is ready! 😂
Hit Reply and tell me!
And if you're already on the ARC list, you can simply reply:
🌸 I'M GOING TO BELLWETHER!
I'd love to see how many of you are coming along for the early trip.
Happy Wednesday, everyone. We've made it halfway through the week!
Happy travels,
Author & Chief TBR Expansion Officer
P.S. from Dot: Apparently “helping with formatting” does NOT mean lying across D.A.'s keyboard. Another publishing rule I strongly disagree with.
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