Board to Death Book Deal

My debut cozy mystery Board to Death was acquired by Kensington in a two-book deal! Full of joy, family in all its forms, puns, and queer Salt Lake City culture!

This newsletter is a great place for updates, along with my Twitter and Instagram. You can also add it on Goodreads.

I keep having to pinch myself that this is actually happening, and with a project that I’ve put so much of my heart into. It makes me beyond happy, and I’m grateful for my agent Jessica Faust and editor Elizabeth Trout for believing in Ben’s story.

I’m also thrilled to have announced my debut the same month as my agent sibling Michelle Cruz, whose mystery All The Lies We Cannot Tell is forthcoming from Crooked Lane Books.

Recommended Reads and TBR

March was a slow reading month for me. Not for any unpleasant reasons, thankfully! I’m an Author Mentor Match R9 mentor, and line edits with my mentee have kept me busy. Between that and starting Board to Death edits, I only had time to finish three books:

• The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd — Had to be careful where I read this one, as it would suck me for hours at a time. Highly recommended if you’re in the mood for an innovative literary mystery.
   
• A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette — A queer cozy series debut. My favorite cozy mysteries are the ones that immerse you in an interesting subculture. A Killing in Costumes accomplishes that well for Hollywood antiques. It compelled me to keep reading not only because I wanted to know who the killer was—which was a very satisfying reveal—but because I wanted to learn more about that world.
   
• The Autobiography of Mr. Spock by Uma McCormack — Enough said. Man, I love Spock. I keep telling my husband that this is shaping up to be my “Star Trek Summer” and I stand by that.

And a few songs I’ve been listening to lately—because it’s newsletter and I can:

• I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance) — Glass Animals
• Move Me — half.alive
• Train Enthusiast Enthusiast — Tom Rosenthal

Until Next Time!

My husband and I end every day by listing at least one or two things that we’re grateful for. Doesn’t have to be from that day, can be anything going on in our lives. I thought I’d do the same here:

• It’s finally warm enough for my dog Yoda to bask outside. Days like that are the happiest I’ve ever seen her.
   
• I’ve been biking and lap swimming again with the change in weather. It’s lifted my mood and helped with my OCD considerably. I love being able to forget about everything I need to do or am worried about and just focus on swimming for an hour.

Until next month!

—CJ