The Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles, Book 3, is on pre-order right now!
The Great Peanut Butter Conspiracy by Cindy Davis goes live on June 20th. You’ll meet Bliss; Tommy, the police chief; Olivia, the pizza shop owner; and a whole lot more folks who make Magnolia Bluff, Texas home. Reserve your copy today! On Amazon!
More Good Folk
Caleb Pirtle III, author of Eulogy in Black and White, the 2nd book in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles, is running a series on the good (and bad) folk of Magnolia Bluff.
With his kind permission, I reproduce one of his posts. You can see the original on his blog.
Impossible Love:
The Characters of Magnolia Bluff
Harry Thurgood, handsome man with a checkered past, meets Ember Cole, a lovely young Methodist Minister in Magnolia Bluff, and sparks fly.
Who is Harry Thurgood?
He is the dashing man of mystery in Death Wears A Crimson Hat, Book 1 of the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles by CW Hawes.
He owns the Really Good Wood-Fired Coffee Shop.
It’s first-class.
It’s high-class.
It has few customers.
How does it survive?
Where does Harry get his money?
Who is Ember Cole?
She’s the new minister of the Methodist Church.
She’s lovely.
She immediately catches Harry’s eye.
He’s looking for love.
She’s interested.
But she’s afraid of the gossip in town if he finds love with her.
They want each other.
They need each other.
Both are outsiders.
The candle of love flickers between them.
But will Ember ever let it burn?
A Snippet from the Book
Harry Thurgood got out of bed, showered, shaved, dressed in his custom made Tom Jones suit, and quickly descended the stairs to the Really Good Wood-Fired Coffee Shop, which he owned, operated, and lived above.
Harry paused a moment in the doorway and let his eyes roam the coffee shop. He was pleased with what he saw.
“What a contrast to the dump this place was three years ago,” he murmured.
The tables and chairs he’d brought in from T.A. Tandy in Chicago. Henri Vernier of New York had supplied the flooring and lighting. He was especially pleased with the commissioned paintings by California artists Jane Dillon and Lawrence Pruett that hung on the walls.
A smile formed on his lips. This was a coffee shop worthy of any that could be found in New York, Chicago, or San Francisco.
The smell of high-end brewed coffee filled the air…
*
Harry crossed the street to the green, took his phone out of his suit coat pocket, and told it to call “Em.”
After four rings, he heard, “Hello, Harry. I think it best if I say no.”
“Say no to what? I haven’t said anything yet.”
“Good. I don’t want you to say anything I might say yes to.”
“What’s the matter? Did I say or do something you don’t like?”
“No, you didn’t. It’s not you. It’s us.”
“We’re an us?”
“Well, no, we aren’t and I want it to stay that way.”
“I have no idea what’s going on, Em, but maybe we should talk.”
“We are talking.”
“In person.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Harry. If people see us, they’ll talk, and right now I don’t need that.”
“Okay. I get it. This has something to do with the Queen of Dirt and her minions, doesn’t it?”
“That’s a good one. Did you make that up?”
“I did. Just now. Look, how about you drive out to some place and I’ll meet you there and then we’ll go to Austin. We can have supper and you can tell me all about it.”
“Not a good idea, Harry.”
“Didn’t I learn in Sunday school that Bible verse, ‘Greater is he that is within you, than he that’s within Mary Lou?’”
Ember burst out laughing.
“Glad I can make you laugh, Em.”
Her laughter subsided. “Thank you. I needed that.”
“So why don’t I meet you in the college parking lot. Will that work? Or do you have a better place?”
“I don’t know why I’m letting you talk me into this.” There was a pause, and then she said, “Yes, I have a better idea. Pick me up at the cemetery.”
“Huh. That’s novel. You don’t think Mary Lou communes with the dead?”
“Being a bloodsucking vampire, she probably does. But she definitely prefers the living.”
“Wow. I think you’re going to have to go to confession.”
“I’m Methodist. I talk directly with God.”
“Hope he’s talking back.”
“Ha, ha. Meet me at the cemetery at eight. And I still don’t know why I’m letting you talk me into this. It really isn’t a good idea.”
“If it isn’t a good idea, then why are you giving in?”
“Because, right now, you’re the only person I trust, and I’d really like to talk to someone who comprehends the definition of the word discretion.”
Hope you enjoyed the guest post. You can get the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon.
Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!
CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes
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