WORD GETS AROUND - Julie B Cosgrove - One Free Book

As an author, I know it takes a lot of people to birth each book. Who were the people involved in the birthing of this book, and what were their contributions? Of course, Marji Lane, Editor in Chief of Write Integrity Press leads the pack. Not only did she design the cover but also helped in edits, as did Sherry Crowder.

In the Wordplay Mysteries, I began naming some of the characters in town after people who have supported my writing. It is my small way to thank them for their prayers and kudos over the years.

If you teach or speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?

Due to COVID, I have not been speaking at all. Perhaps God is closing that door. Events scheduled then canceled. I mostly speak at church women’s groups and writer groups and public gatherings continue to be discouraged, so it is not feasible, especially with a spike again due to the delta strain.

COVID has really affected my speaking, but I’ve started doing ZOOM speaking and have a larger field available. If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why? I had to completely start over so many times when my husband was alive due to his career in structural steel, and it tore my heart each time to say goodbye to new friends. I am so thankful God has allowed me to set down deep roots into Fort Worth. I don’t want to move, unless of course God tells me it’s time. One thing I do know, I am always with family in church so that is where I always headed, sometime before I even found a grocery store!

If I had the funds though, I would love to spend six months in England letting (that is what they call renting) a holiday cottage in a small village. I was blessed to spend two weeks there embedded with a family while on a mission trip.

If you could only tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be? Any craft has to be perfected, so toughen your skin, learn from seasoned authors, and never let your pride thwart your talent.

You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (As in what program, singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related]) I have absolutely no desire to go on a cruise. I get motion sickness too easily. However, if I only had to plan the thing, I’d have for entertainment worship bands such as Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, and Third Day―if they’d come out of retirement. Oh, and Michael Card. He is a true minstrel. For speakers, I’d book Max Lucado and Priscilla Shirer because they speak to me personally, not only because they are fellow Texans.

I might risk constant nausea for that cruise!

I’d be the first to sign up for that cruise. I love all of those. And they have some amazing anti-motion sickness things now. You could be there with me. Tell us about the featured book. Word Gets Around is the second of six contracted books in the Wordplay Mysteries set in fictitious Scrub Oak, Texas. In the series, widowed Wanda Warner has lived there most of her life and possesses a deep sense of community. When crime begins to creep in, she organizes a neighborhood watch program. Now her nephew, Todd, is on the police force and Wanda wants his badge to shine, so she uses her community position, keen mind, and natural curiosity to help solve crimes. Each book reflects her love for word games.

In Word Gets Around, someone leaves one-word notes on the windshields of cars around town at the same time a rising star reporter goes missing. Wanda is convinced the two events are related, but can she decipher the message in time to help locate this reporter? And does she seriously want to get involved after words on Scrabble board games led her to the discovery of several murders in Book 1, Word Has It.

Please give us the first page of the book.

It had been three months since Wanda Lee Warner had dared to open the box. She’d stuffed it into the top shelf of her bedroom closet. Didn’t matter. She knew it lurked there.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she’d roll over in bed, stare at the closed door, and envision it, beckoning her to lift the lid and begin the mystery.

“You’re overreacting, Aunt Wanda.” Todd Martin peered at her over his mug of coffee. He sat at her kitchen table the way he always did on Thursday mornings, his day off as a patrol officer for the Scrub Oak Police Department. “It’s been weeks, no months, since the Scrabble board held clues to solving the murders at the Ferguson Mansion.”

“I know. And I used to love playing the word game with you.”

“You used to love playing it with anyone who walked through the door.” He reached for the creamer. “This stuff is awful. Another one of Priscilla’s latest and greatest blends?”

“It is. Ugandan Supreme. I think that’s what she calls it.”

“Thought so. I could smell it before I opened the door.”

“That bad, huh?” She plopped down across from him and took a sip of the new flavor featured at the Coffee Bean. She had hated to disappoint Priscilla Tucker, who ran the bistro inside the Grocery Mart. So, she’d bought a bag. Like most of the selections, it tasted too strong, too bitter, and too pungent.

The java roast assaulted her taste buds, sending a shiver through her torso. “Ugh. You’re right. This wins the prize for the nastiest one yet.”

Wanda grabbed his mug. She dumped its contents into the sink along with hers. She rinsed out the dispenser and waved goodbye to the grounds swirling down the disposal drain. Then she plopped some good old-fashioned, lighter-blend American coffee pods in the brewer. Within a few seconds she returned the mugs to the table. “There. Less of a hassle anyway.”

Todd kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Aunt Wanda. Now where is the box?”

Where can we find you on the Internet?

My website is www.juliebcosgrove.com. I have also had an inspirational blog for the past 11 years. It is www.wheredidyoufindgod.com   

I am on Facebook in three places. My personal Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/juliebcosgrove.tx. My author page is https://www.facebook.com/juliebcosgrove.  Then I have a new one strictly for my cozy mysteries  https://www.facebook.com/mysterieswithmessage where I hope other faith-based mystery writes will start to contribute as well so Christian fictions fans who love mysteries will know where to find clean, safe, and appropriate ones.

Thank you, Julie, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I love word puzzles.

Readers, here are links to the book.

http://ow.ly/TLuM50FGrKO

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