BROWN and THE GOODALL MARAUDERS. Sounds like a movie, or a book title. And you’re right, but it’s two book titles! Against my better judgement, I’m writing two books at the same time.

Going all out in the month of March to write and finish writing THE GOODALL MARAUDERS, which is book three in my series. And in my spare time, continuing the adventures of BROWN, which was meant to be my first thriller, but is really a straight murder mystery with a bit of offbeat humor.

I’m on Chapter Three of THE GOODALL MARAUDERS (and this chapter’s giving me fits) and on Chapter Twelve of BROWN. I’m not worried about any unintended crossovers between the two. They are very different stories. The one set in San Antonio, Texas, and the other in deep space. (Just finished Chapter Twelve of BROWN. What fun! Really. It’s fun writing).

It will be interesting to see if I can work on the two at once. You can find my books here https://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

here http://barnesandnoble.com/c/gretchen-rix   

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Crosstalk by Connie Willis.

The tree above is one of the great illustrations for my last book ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT courtesy of Streetlight Graphics. You can see it here https://amzn.com/B01N3YU7R5

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK (actually, several week’s worth): Stuck by Steven L. Hawk. A Hidden Magic by Vivian Vande Velde. End Game: The Fallen Empire Book 8 by Lindsay Buroker. The Crypt Thief by Mark Pryor. Blackout by Connie Willis.

I’m paraphrasing Dickens with God Bless You Every One. Of course.

This is referencing my last week’s free giveaway of my latest book ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT. 

I truly appreciate all the readers who took advantage and downloaded my little tale. And I love the one reader who bought a copy of THE GOODALL MUTINY http://amzn.com/B01CIQD61S during the same time-span. (Or as Tober-Maurice would say, Love you, Love you, Love youuuu!). 

We gave away ninety-one copies. Some of you might think that’s pipsqueak numbers. It’s not. Eighty-one readers in the United States now have ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT https://amzn.com/B01N3YU7R5 available to read when they’re ready for it. Four readers in the United Kingdom, one in Germany, one in Japan, one in India, one in Canada, and two in Australia as well. Not pipsqueaky at all. Thank you each and every one.

For those of you who enjoyed ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT, my short story collection TWISTED RIXTER http://amzn.com/B00HQ0PH1O has similarly dark humored tales, though they’re not about the dangerous walking macadamia trees of Hawaii (except one that’s already in ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT.) 

And the more family-friendly tales in BABY SINGS THE BOOS http://amzn.com/B00SBJNRKC rounds out my short story offerings. It’s a tie in between the mystery novels and the light romantic comedy novels I’ve written. Very funny. Again, thank you. Hope you enjoy my stories. Really hope you come back for more.

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Drive safe.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK: The Falls by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. 

The Kindle version of my comic horror stories ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT is free from 2 am Central Time Thursday December 15 until 2 am Sunday December 18, 2016. That’s this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Please take advantage.  https://amzn.com/B01N3YU7R5

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Sob Sisters by Kris Nelscott. Star Rebels by Lindsay Buroker and others. The Mosque Hill Fortune by Vivienne Mathews.

ILLUSTRATIONS FOR ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT ARE BY STREETLIGHT GRAPHICS. YOU CAN FIND THIS BOOK AT AMAZON https://amzn.com/B01N3YU7R5, AND LOCALLY IN LOCKHART, TEXAS.  

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Hill Country Siren by Patrick Kelly.  Ride of My Life: An Accidental Mystery by Jami Kay Owens. Then He Showed Up by Chris Campillo. The North Country Confessional by Craig C. Charles.

All covers are by Streetlight Graphics with guidance and suggestions by Gretchen Rix and Roxanne Rix. Link to my books https://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

Here it is. Ill Met By Moonlight.   

Walking death, they’re called.

And those horrible macadamia trees.

But their real names are Whig, Mary Jane, and Quetzalcoatl, just to name three of them.

Trees don’t walk. But here they do. In ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT they walk, they kill, they eat people, and then they—

Nope.

Telling you more would spoil the fun.

Welcome to this horror collection about the walking macadamia nut trees of Hawaii.

Believe it or not, you’re going to laugh.

A new addition to the humorous horror genre.

Enjoy.

For a while it will be exclusive to Amazon. If you’re in the KU program, you can get it FREE. Otherwise it’s $3.99. https://amzn.com/B01N3YU7R5

Al my books are $3.99 right now except for THE COWBOY’S BABY which is $2.99.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins.  Inferno by Dan Brown. Perilous Hunt (Fallen Empire) by Lindsay Buroker.

HALLOWEEN’S COMING.

This week we raided Walmart.

And Buc-ees.

And Walgreen’s.

Got Milk Duds. Whoppers. Junior Mints. Reece’s Pumpkin- shaped Peanut Butter Cups.

Lifesavers. Sugar Daddies and Lemonheads. Goobers. Giant Hershey Bars. Tiny Hershey Bars. Popcorn Balls. Bit-O-Honey. Tootsie Pops.

Got Gummies’ Earthworms. Root Beer Barrels. Hot Tamales.

Wax bottles of various mysterious flavors (Boy, do I remember those!)

Bubble gum. Tiny Tootsie Rolls. Kit Kats. Candy Corn.

Got to have Candy Corn.

Milky Ways. Butterfingers. Three Musketeers.

Mr. Goodbars. Jaw Busters. Rainbow Pops. Smarties. Jolly Ranchers.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Ghosts. Snickers. Krackles.

And then there’s the toys.

Smiling-sharks. Beach balls. Wind-up mummies.

Long-armed hanging Draculas, Frankensteins, and Mummies.

Other stuff I don’t remember anymore.

Oriental Trading loves us.

Walmart loves us. Ditto the others.

The twenty or so kids we expect for Trick-or-Treat this upcoming Monday are going to make out like bandits.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK (actually, what I’ve read recently):  Virus: 72 Hours To Live by Ray Jay Perreault. The Bookseller by Mark Pryor. Odd Adventures With Your Other Father by Norman Prentiss. Flaming London by Joe R. Lansdale.

FIND MY BOOKS AT http://barnesandnoble.com/c/gretchen-rix AT http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix AT http://smashwords.com/books/view/79235 and AT BOOKPEOPLE  (AUSTIN), LOGOS, BUFFALO CLOVER, PRINTING SOLUTIONS (LOCKHART).

BORDERLANDS 6

An anthology edited by Olivia F. Monteleone and Thomas F. Monteleone which definitely delivers on its promises of no zombies, no serial killers, no vampires, and no ghosts. Aims for the disturbingly original.

Ten years in the making, but highly recommended despite the delay between #5 and #6.

Not a single cheerful or uplifting story in the bunch (unless it was one of the three I didn’t understand), so I’ll call this a horror anthology. Includes tales by David Morrell, Steve Rasnic Tem, and Jack Ketchum. Twenty-two in all.

I won’t give away any of the plots, but there are some seriously good stories here.

Buy this book.

And on another topic:

I wasted a sales opportunity this Sunday.

Never gave real-time events the world was going through a thought, just went right into sale mode and didn’t get a single taker.

Half-price. Can’t get much better than that.

But there were lots and lots of football games on TV. People were still caught up in the Hurricane Matthew mess. And then there was the Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton debate.

No one had the time or inclination to buy a little science fiction e-book from someone they’d never heard of.

I’m not whining. Not really. Just trying to fix this in my memory so that next time I check what’s going on in the world before trying to sell books.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Cleon Moon by Lindsay Buroker. Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough. Arkadian Skies by Lindsay Buroker. Borderlands 6 edited by Olivia F. Monteleone and Thomas F. Monteleone.

See my books here  http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix and here http://smashwords.com/books/view/79235 and http://barnesandnoble.com/c/gretchen-rix

Photos by Roxanne Rix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Relic  of Sorrows by Lindsay Buroker.