Adios Summer … Hello Fall!
It’s fall and you know what that means, right? If so, you should tell me, because I just know it means that my kids get a week off for Fall Break and we get to go on another road trip. This year, we decided to drive around the Colorado Plateau for five days.
Even if you’re not into red rocks and high deserts, this vast region of plateaus, mesas, and deep canyons have walls of rock ranging in age from billions to just a few hundred years old. It’s an incredible region full of geologic wonderlands, ancient civilization mysteries, and plenty of old West lore.
(Clockwise from upper left corner) Hite Overlook/Glen Canyon Nat. Rec. Area; Capitol Reef N.P.; Arches N.P.; and Bryce Canyon N.P.
No, I’m not working as a marketing agent for the Colorado Plateau tourist board. I just spent a few days there earlier this month with my family and darling mother-in-law and wanted to tell you about something other than books, contests, and sales.
The Colorado Plateau roughly encompasses the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States: western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico, southern and eastern Utah, and northern Arizona. To roughly quote Wikipedia, “The Colorado Plateau has the greatest concentration of U.S. National Parks in the country, including the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Mesa Verde, and the Petrified Forest. Among its 17 National Monuments are Dinosaur, Hovenweep, Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Natural Bridges, Canyons of the Ancients, Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the Colorado National Monument.”
In short, if you take a week and explore even a third of these incredible wonders, you’ll come away with an awe for the destructive power of water and the determination of early Native Americans and pioneer settlers in the area. And, if you drive through Hanksville, Utah, be sure to stop at Dukes Slick Rock Grill. It has John Wayne memorabilia all over the walls and serves some of the most delicious homemade apple tarts and tomato soup for miles around. (For more amazing photos and facts, search online about the “Colorado Plateau.”)
Contests
New Library Contest
Starting the beginning of November (aka the Season of Giving), I’ll be giving away 100 printed books with your help to your favorite library. Check out this link and submit your contest entry per the instructions. (I’m giving newsletter subscribers the first chance at winning books for their favorite library.) http://bit.ly/LovinMyLibrarywithAnnCharles
Newsletter Contest
Our weekly newsletter contest is still going on with a new winner being drawn each week. The only thing you need to do is sign up for my newsletter, which you already have if you’re receiving this via email. Each week, one lucky winner gets a free ebook. http://bit.ly/AnnCharlesNewsletterContest
Travel with Ann Charles Contest
The popular Travel with Ann Charles Contest is still rolling along. We have received some fun entries and enjoyed traveling with many fans to places all over the world. If you’re interested in submitting an entry in this contest, check out the following webpage for instructions. I love seeing all of the pictures readers are sending! http://bit.ly/TravelwithAnnCharles
Book sales
I have several exciting offers for you this fall season on the book sales front!
- My short story The Old Man’s Back in Town (which some of you may have already read) is part of a new 8-author/8-ebook Christmas anthology called CRIMINAL CHRISTMAS available for pre-order for just 99 cents now on Amazon (release date is November 9th) www.bit.ly/CrChr
- Tombstones and Tiaras is still available if you haven’t grabbed it up yet. For only 99 cents, you get 4 full-length novels from 4 bestselling and award-winning authors. The first book in my Deadwood series is my contribution, which some of you have read, but for only 99 cents you get 3 other full-length ebooks. It’s a great deal! http://bit.ly/TombstonesAndTiaras
- For those of you who might speak Spanish, know someone who likes to read in Spanish, or rule over a Spanish speaking nation, the Spanish ebook version of DANCE OF THE WINNEBAGOS is FREE from October 29th – November 2nd on Amazon. The ebook is titled: EL BAILE DE LOS WINNEBAGOS. http://bit.ly/ElBaileDeLosWinnebagos
- The third book in my Deadwood Mystery series, DEAD CASE IN DEADWOOD, will be on sale for 99 cents October 28th through November 10th. If you know anyone who hasn’t grabbed this third book in the series and could use some laughs from Violet and her friends, let them know. http://bit.ly/DeadCaseinDeadwood
What’s New?
New Covers for My Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series
Besides planning sales and running contests, I’ve been busy working with my cover artist (C.S. Kunkle) and graphic artist (Sharon Benton) to come up with some fresh new fun covers for the Jackrabbit Junction Mystery series. I decided to re-brand this series with a cigar-smoking skeleton because it worked more with the sense of humor and rowdy fun that goes on inside the pages of these books. The cover of the fourth book in this series will have a similar look. So, if you have a printed copy with the old book covers, they are limited editions and will not be available for purchase after my stock runs out.
Audio Versions Available Soon
The audio versions of LOOK WHAT THE WIND BLEW IN and AN EX TO GRIND IN DEADWOOD will be available soon. I’ll have more information on my website on where to purchase them as soon as they are available. Lisa Larsen and Caroline Shaffer have both done a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life.
What’s Next?
What? You think I’m actually working and not spending my days and nights drinking Coronas on some tropical beach? You’re right, I’m working. That beach idea is just another work of fiction in my head, it stars me and my family and doesn’t include any murders or mysteries beyond where we’re eating each evening and what the weather will be like each day.
In Ann’s other land of fiction, it’s time to head back down to the Arizona desert for some more wild times with Claire, Kate, and Ronnie Morgan and all of their crazy cohorts. The 4th book in the Jackrabbit Junction Mystery series is called THE ROWDY COYOTE RUMBLE and will be available in late January as long as El Niño doesn’t make all of the dry washes fill up here in Arizona and flood us out of house and home.
Thank you for all of your support, generosity, and kindness!
♥ Ann