Mrs. Jeffries November 2011 On Sale: November 1, 2011 Featuring: Inspector Witherspoon; Mrs. Jeffries 272 pages ISBN: 0425243575 EAN: 9780425243572 Kindle: B0052RHDS8 Hardcover $23.95  Add to Wish List Mystery Cozy, Holiday Buy at Amazon.com A Victorian mystery for the holiday Mrs. Jeffries And The Mistletoe Mix-Up by Emily Brightwell Ring in the season with another Mrs. Jeffries tale of holiday homicide. Under a bundle of mistletoe, art collector Daniel McCourt lies with his throat slit, a bloody sword next to his body. Inspector Witherspoon is determined to solve the case-preferably before the eggnog is ladled out on Christmas Eve-but of course he will require assistance from the always sharp-witted housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, who has a few of her own theories on why McCourt had to die by the sword. Previous Picks

I sat down to write an article, and I thought…what’s more fun, a serious article about writing or an acrostic that can tell the story all on its own? Well, we’re going for the (extended) acrostic. What does every author strive to do? Hook the readers! And what does it take to hook the readers? Here’s your answer: Always remembering that you write to excite the reader Gladly giving up your “me time” for writing time Read as much as you write, to keep your authoring skills honed Evaluating every word that hits the published page for its merit Actively seeking out new plots and subplots so your readers don’t get bored Talking with readers (hopefully often), to keep abreast of what they want in a story Pushing your creativity beyond the limits as you see them Leaving no plot unturned Opening new worlds for your readers, pushing them past their comfort levels Treating each new manuscript as if it is not worthy of your readers’ eyes until it is refined, polished, and perfect   * * * Melissa Foster is the award-winning author of three International bestselling novels, MEGAN’S WAY, CHASING AMANDA, and COME BACK TO ME. She has…