I love to read & mysteries are among my favorite stories to immerse myself in. (I'm on
Goodreads, are you?) Also, being a Texan, I am always happy to discover talented Texas-based writers. That's why I was so happy to learn about author
Ann Everett. Creator of
White-Trash-Face-Lift and Halter tops, Ann is a native Texan & an award-winning short story author. For many years, Ann enjoyed doing stand-up comedy for businesses, corporations, & non-profit organizations.
Her first novel,
Laid Out and Candle Lit, is a humorous, romance mystery that has been released by
Briona Glen Publishing under their Raven’s Wing imprint. Ann’s writing style of over-the-top humor & zany characters has been compared to Janet Evanovich and her Southern voice to Charlaine Harris. Those are mighty talented writers and Ann deserves every bit of the praise. This fast paced story will have you rooting for love & justice the entire time! It's very enjoyable & keeps you guessing to the end.
QUESTION: What do Sweet Thangs, Org@sm Pie, & murder in Brownsboro, TX have in common?
ANSWER: Tizzy Donovan
Small town girl, Tizzy, is a widow, single mother, sister to the county sheriff & known as the local girl who talks to the dead. After almost five years without a man, she’s pent up & hot-to-trot. And in small town Brownsboro, the roster of available men is just plain lousy. When Tizzy discovers a dead body in the cemetery, she quickly becomes a suspect. With each lead placing her credibility on the line, she knows there will be no talking her way out of this one with saucy come-backs and a helping of Better Than Sex Cupcakes. Texas Ranger Ridge Cooper arrives in town to cut his teeth on his first murder case, and becomes torn between duty & desire. His job gets a whole lot harder as he works to find a viable suspect other than the sexy woman with a sassy mouth.
Jory Sherman, Pulitzer Prize nominee & author of
The Ballad of Pinewood Lake, gave the following endorsement of Ann's book. “
Laid Out and Candle Lit is an enchanting tale of murder & deception teeming with endearing Texas characters. Tizzy Donovan is a captivating character & her relationship with Texas Ranger Ridge Cooper, investigating the murder that occurs in the first chapter, will keep the reader enthralled throughout. The novel takes you into a story that fairly crackles with originality & verve. Lest you think this is just another run-of-the-mill grim murder mystery, this tale of rural Texas is laced with an undercurrent of rollicking humor that will lay you out & light your candle.”
Ann’s second novel,
You're Busting My Nuptials, will be released this summer. Currently, she’s busy adding to her line of White-Trash beauty, fashion, & decorating tips, as well as working on a cookbook titled
Sweet Thangs.
Laid Out and Candle Lit is available in
paperback and
e-book format at Amazon.com and
Barnes & Noble,
Smashwords, and ibooks. Ann is also on Twitter
@TalkinTwang.
*** GIVEAWAY - Closed - Congrats Julie McCall! ***
TO ENTER: Subscribe to
Ann Everett's blog & leave a comment on this post noting you have done so.
ADDITIONAL ENTRY: Leave a comment on this post noting which book(s) you have most enjoyed recently or are looking forward to reading this summer.
ENDS: 9pm CST, Saturday, June 16th.
Please note that this giveaway is open only to residents of the Continental United States.
This Spring, the Fort Worth Opera sponsored both Funky Finds Spring Fling events by donating the swag bags we gave out in conjunction with the charitable raffle. The bags were large red reusable shopping totes featuring the Fort Worth Opera logo on one side & Funky Finds on the other side. They were a big hit with attendees & perfect for carrying lots of funky finds! Earlier this month, my Mom and I attended FW Opera's production of Lysistrata, Mark Adamo’s contemporary opera buffa production of the ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes. It was wonderful!!! 
While there, we had the pleasure of meeting Holland Sanders, the Marketing Communications Manager that facilitated our partnership. She gave me a lovely gift, a hand-crafted notebook (pictured - click photo for larger view) created by Fort Worth based artisan Lauren Essl of Blue Eye Brown Eye. The FW Opera is now partnering with local artisans to create unique hand-crafted gifts for subscribers. It's so exciting to have organizations such as the FW Opera working closely with independent artisans! I asked Lauren what this opportunity has meant to her. 
"The Fort Worth Opera opportunity has been a great experience. It's been my experience in the past the quantities of this magnitude can be very tedious (I'm actually still working to complete 2,000, I'm at about 1,200 now) - but are worth it. I value anyone that has the appreciation for handmade, one of a kind items, and the Fort Worth Opera has been an amazing champion for local artisans. This new initiative for the gift is a great opportunity for local artists to share their work with a demographic and group of people that otherwise would never know about your work." (pictured: Grey and Yellow Vintage Inspired Typography Letterpress Suite)
Lauren is a letterpress printer, calligrapher, designer, and vintage collector. Her letterpress invitations & calligraphy work are amazing! In addition to offering letterpress and hand-stitched cards, Lauren also teaches letterpress classes. For updates & more info, follow Blue Eye Brown Eye on Facebook. SPECIAL OFFER: Receive a 15% discount on any order from Blue Eye Brown Eye with coupon code FUNKYDEAL.
