Has nothing to do with The Wayward Pines books.

Sometimes I write book reviews here.

THE LAST TOWN by Blake Crouch.  Book three in the Wayward Pines series.

Brutal. Riveting. Fast. Damned fast. I almost read it in a day.

The Last Town.  And there’s a reason it’s called The Last Town. You figure it out.

Series started out like an old Twilight Zone episode. Then came the M. Night Shyamalan twist. The patented Blake Crouch ninety-degree turn. Remember the best of The Outer Limits? Remember Mr Shyamalan’s movies? Now you’re in The Outer Limits territory.

And for a really neat trick, M. Night Shyamalan got hold of The Wayward Pines trilogy and it’s now an upcoming TV series starring Matt Dillon.

Books are usually better than their TV shows/films. Read it first.  The link is below.

Kindle

Photo by Roxanne Rix

Find my books at http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  The Moon-Spinners by Mary Stewart.  The Last Town by Blake Crouch.

Interview with the author of  TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS continued:

A sequel will be out this year. Tea With A Dead Gal.

WHAT GENRE IS YOUR NEW BOOK?   The Safari Bride is a romantic adventure novel.  Frankly, I think  the movie Romancing The Stone defines it best, though Michael Douglas isn’t in it. I used to really enjoy watching Michael Douglas. Not so much any more. Now it’s Tom Cruise, God help me.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT AGAIN?  A safari trip through Western Africa at the end of the 19th century. It’s been making me laugh while I’m writing it, so I assume it’s sort of humorous.

WHEN WILL IT COME OUT?  Before the end of the year. Probably in October or November. Maybe earlier if it doesn’t need a lot of editing.

WHAT DOES EDITING ENTAIL?  Well, for one thing it entails going back in and changing words like entail to mean or some other easy to understand word. It also means going through all the passive sentences where I use the word “was” and trying to rewrite them. Lots of fun.

I NOTICE YOU’RE REFERENCING YOUR MYSTERY NOVEL IN THE HEADING. WHEN WILL YOU HAVE ANOTHER MYSTERY FOR US?   Tea With A Dead Gal is my second project for 2014. If  The Safari Bride publishes in October, then you’ll probably see Tea With A Dead Gal in November.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?  It’s another Boo- one-It mystery featuring our real life dog Boo Radley. It takes up the story where Talking To The Dead Guys left off.

WAS TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS ABOUT A REAL MURDER? HOW ABOUT TEA WITH A DEAD GAL?  No and No.  I made it all up.  And to all the people in Lockhart who think one of my characters is fashioned after a real Lockhart resident, that’s not the case. Only the dog Boo Radley is real. I do, however, try to feature Lockhart’s streets and neighborhoods and businesses and things as accurately as I can. If I captured anyone’s true personality in my book…naah, didn’t happen.

WHERE CAN I BUY ONE OF YOUR BOOKS?  God bless you for asking. Any bookstore can order them. If you’re visiting Lockhart for its famous barbecue restaurants, several stores near and around the courthouse square sell my books including Logo’s, The Rocking Horse, Texana Lane, The Lockhart Shoppes on Main, Buffalo Clover, and the Ranch Style Store. In Austin, go to BookPeople. You’ll have lots of fun there. And when all else fails, go to Amazon.com.  Here’s the link

http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix.

The friendliest BBQ place in town. Good BBQ, too.

Photos by Roxanne Rix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  The Walk by Lee Goldberg.  Cherry Bomb by J. A. Konrath.

An interview with the author of  The Cowboy’s Baby.

You don’t have to read The Cowboy’s Baby first to enjoy The Cowboy’s Baby Goes To Heaven, but it might help.

And of Arroyo, Talking To The Dead Guys, The Cowboy’s Baby Goes To Heaven, and Twisted Rixter.

QUESTION NO. 1: What’s the difference between an author and a writer?  Basically, it’s the word of. Gretchen Lee Rix is the author of The Cowboy’s Baby. Gretchen Lee Rix is a writer. Some writers think the title author is pretentious. Writers who think of themselves as writers just keep on writing.  Next question.

QUESTION NO. 2:  What are you writing now?  Right now, this very moment, I’m writing this blog post, but I know what you mean. I’ve planned three books for 2014. I wrote the first draft of my steamy safari romance novel THE SAFARI BRIDE in January. Now that I’ve finished the first drafts of the other two projects, I’m back revising, editing, and proofreading THE SAFARI BRIDE. Next question.

QUESTION NO. 3: What’s The Safari Bride about?  You’ll have to buy it and read it to find out. Next.

QUESTION NO. 4:  Why won’t you tell us what The Safari Bride is about?   Because it’s not finished, is why. One of the best ways to lose interest in what you’re writing is to start telling everyone what it’s all about. A writer needs to first finish the book without outside intervention. Hint. It’s about a safari trip in Africa that involves steamy sex scenes, That is to say sex scenes  as steamy as the author of the clean romance The Cowboy’s Baby can handle. Next question.

QUESTION NO. 5:  Who’s your favorite writer?  Anthony Price, maybe. Or Dick Francis. Also Stephen King, though there are more than several of his books I don’t like.

The author of The Cowboy’s Baby, Gretchen Lee Rix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King.  The Green Eyes of Bast by Sax Rohmer.

You can find Gretchen’s books at http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

The Chisholm Trail Roundup parade

Parading our fire equipment

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Texas Hold ‘Em by Patrick Kampman.  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.  Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller.

Photos by Roxanne Rix

You can see my books at  http://smashwords.com/books/view/105559  and

http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix  and  http://barnesandnoble.com/c/gretchen-rix

Managed to work our dog Darwin into my last short story.

Today I wrote THE END to the sixth of six short stories scheduled for my next little collection, and it marks the end of the rough draft stage of my three writing projects for 2014. On an unrelated note, I just finished watching last night’s Master Chef and now I want a gourmet donut.

Now comes the fun stuff: editing and/or revising if they need it. I’ve got a steamy adventure romance. I’ve got the second in the Boo-Done-It murder mystery series. And I’ve got the small collection that will tie together my two series (Boo-Done-It and The Cowboy’s Baby).

If  the editing and publication goes well on these three, then I’ll start what will be my major project for 2015, a horror novel.

Until then, check out ARROYO, a weird western. See if you like romantic comedy with a fairy tale base: THE COWBOY’S BABY and THE COWBOY’S BABY GOES TO HEAVEN. The first Lockhart mystery about our dog Boo Radley and her fictious ability to drag her owners onto murder scenes–TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS. And if you like quirky, then you’ll like TWISTED RIXTER, some of my recent short stories.

You can find all of them here at the Amazon.com Kindle store.

http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

Here’s the inspiration for my mystery novels.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Brood of Bones by A. E. Marling.  Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris.  Raney by Clyde Edgerton.

Still a few copies available

Two copies available.

Join us this Friday from 5 pm to 8 pm at the Lockhart Shoppes on Main (101 South Main) for my first book signing of THE COWBOY’S BABY GOES TO HEAVEN.

This is part of the First Friday event many of the merchants around the courthouse square have been participating in, staying open late for shoppers and tourists. Should be fun. Food, drink, antiques, collectibles, the beautiful view of our courthouse, and Black’s BBQ just around the corner.

WHAT I JUST FINISHED READING: Eleven Days by Donald Harstad. The New Orleans Zombie Riot of 1866 by Craig Gabrysch.

My e-books can be found at

http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix and http://smashwords.com/books/view/105559

Have a good weekend.

THE COWBOY’S BABY GOES TO HEAVEN is free today, Friday, May 30, 2014 for the Kindle and the Kindle app. Hope you take advantage. Hope you enjoy the book. This is a romantic comedy. http://amzn.com/B00G99P8WG  WHAT I READ THIS WEEK :   Rising Tides by Nora Roberts.

SATURDAY MORNING. Thank you, readers from Japan, India, Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. I appreciate your support.

FREE today for Kindle readers

Finally got the photos from Aggiecon. We sold thirty-one books that weekend. ARROYO, TWISTED RIXTER, TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS, and even one THE COWBOY’S BABY.

Here we are (minus the people):

Grumpy Cat toy

Another Grumpy Cat angle

Rix Cafe Texican banner

My other books

Aggiecon dealer’s room

Photos by Roxanne Rix

You can find my books at     http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin. Dead Money by Dean Wesley Smith. Tarzan the Untamed by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Balanced on the Blade’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker. Claiming the Duchess by Sherry Thomas. Enemy Within by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

FREE this Wednesday April 30, 2014, my quirky short story collection TWISTED RIXTER. If you’ve got a Kindle or a Kindle app and you’ve ever wondered what I write, here’s your (free) chance http://amzn.com/B00HQ0PH1O  .

I didn’t get to go to Aggiecon, but my sister Roxanne and our friend Janet Christian went in my place.