(We don't generally post new blogs on weekends, but we just couldn't turn down a request for a spot by the author of a fellow crafting sleuth, and the weekend was all we had available.)
National bestselling author Joanna Campbell Slan has had five stories in
the New York Times’ Bestselling
Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She’s also won the Daphne du Maurier Award of
Excellence for Literary Fiction. The author of nearly 40 books, Joanna lives on
Jupiter Island in Florida. Learn more about her and her books at her website.
A Season of Creativity
(and a Beach Escape for Only 99
Cents)
The four female characters in my Second Chance Series hope for a second
chance at love and life. MJ Austin, Skye Blue, and Honora McAfee all work for
Cara Mia Delgatto in a store called The Treasure Chest, a décor shop that
features upcycled, recycled, and repurposed goods. Because Cara Mia has a very
tight budget, she and her employees are always looking for ways to turn simple
items into desirable, one-of-a- kind pieces of merchandise. For me as an author
that adds a fun challenge to each of my books, since I have to come up with
cool trash-to-treasure ideas as well.
For example, later this week I’ll be decorating a Christmas tree made
from pieces of driftwood I found on the beach. A friend drilled a hole through
the pieces and threaded them onto a dowel, putting the large pieces of wood at
the bottom and the smaller ones at the top. I plan to hang empty quail’s
eggshells from the limbs, along with garlands of paper beads and ornaments of
seashells. These are all items that Cara Mia might sell in her store.
My biggest creative project this year has been a dollhouse for the
annual Creatin’ Contest run by Miniatures.com. I’ve been working on my entry
for nearly a year. Not surprisingly, Honora is also a miniaturist. Like me, she
creates one-of-a-kind dollhouses. Both of us make all the pieces for our house s
by hand, including any dolls we use.
Here’s a picture of Amelia T. Byrd, the owner of the dollhouse I’ve
made. She’s only five inches tall. I sculpted her from clay. Her hair came from
a lock of my dog’s tail. (No animals were hurt while making this project. I
promise!) Can you see the tiny bird perched on her finger?
If you like reading about women’s friendships, if you like a sweet
romance along with your mysteries, and if you like crafts, I think you’ll enjoy
my Second Chance Series. Right now I’ve put Book #1—Second Chance at Love—on sale for only 99 cents. Since the series is set in Florida, it might just be
the perfect mental escape you’ll need this holiday season.
Happy Holidays!
Second Chance at Love
(Previously published as Tear Down
and Die, Book #1 in the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series)
At sixteen while on vacation in Florida, Cara Mia Delgatto lost her
heart to Cooper Rivers. But her interfering parents didn’t approve. They moved
Cara away from the Sunshine State and cut off all communication between the two
young lovers.
In an act of rebellion, Cara makes a nearly fatal mistake—and almost
destroys both her family and their business. To make up for her rash behavior,
Cara spends the next twenty years of her life being “a good girl,” working in
her family restaurant.
When her parents die within six months of each other, Cara decides to
take a road trip and visit her son at University of Miami. On a whim, she buys
a vacant building in Florida and opens a trash-to-treasure décor store. She
believes with all her heart in second chances…but then Cooper Rivers walks back
into her life. Can Cara and Cooper rekindle the love they felt that magic
summer so long ago?
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