The Seeds You Sow by Judy L Murray

As we see the first real signs of spring – Hallelujah! – I’m struck again how helpful loyal readers can be such an asset. One of our Writers Who Kill authors Lisa Malice posted a blog about clubs a few weeks ago. I’m going to piggyback on it with my latest example.

My fourth book in the Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series, Villain in the Vineyard, promises to have a special kind of celebration. One I certainly didn’t plan all on my own.

In mid-January, Girls Under Cover, a book club in my area, contacted me. This is a club of over thirty participants just a few miles outside my Chesapeake Bay village of North East, Maryland. Since the release of my first book in the series, Murder in the Master, they’ve supported my efforts with amazing enthusiasm. Each year, they invite me to attend one of their meetings as their book pick of the month. We always have a delightful evening in one of their homes.

This year, when they heard that my book was entitled Villain in the Vineyard, they suggested a launch party at a local vineyard here on the Elk River. The Elk River feeds into the Chesapeake at the very top of the bay. The Chesapeake is mammoth, a remarkable natural wonder and the largest estuary in the United States. Located in the Mid-Atlantic region, it begins where I live at the very top of Maryland and its eastern shore, extending south to Virginia. More than a hundred fifty rivers flow into the bay’s over sixty-four thousand miles and it covers parts of six states. Two hundred miles long, our bay eventually spills into the Atlantic Ocean. The word Chesapeake is derived from an Algonquian word referring to a village ‘at a big river’. Explorers in 1585 applied the name.

Longtime sailors, my husband and I moved to North East in 2007. I fell in love with its history and its native beauties. American Bald Eagles perch on the trees in front of our views of the water. Blue Heron and Tundra Swans arrive in the spring. To watch an eagle dip into the water and pluck fish for dinner fascinates me. It’s also one reason why I decided the Chesapeake was a perfect setting for a hometown sleuth-Realtor to tell her stories.

I digress. Girls Under Cover and I met at Blue Elk Vineyard in early March to plan my book talk. As we chatted with the owner of this gorgeous and historic location (I’ll post a link below if you are curious) they decided they would cover the room rental charge by selling tickets to club members and anyone else who wanted to attend. We liked the idea of using any ticket sales net proceeds towards a local charity. That’s when I suggested we support the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Program in our county. Dolly’s program coordinates the administration, the data base of children, and a Blue Ribbon Committee choosing the appropriate books and arranging whole-sale pricing. Communities cover the books and shipping. Any child between ages one and five who chooses to enroll receives high-quality, age-appropriate books mailed each month to their home free of charge. As an author it’s been a favorite charity of mine. For those children not fortunate enough to own their own books, this program has proven to be a huge influence in their development as lovers of reading. Tying in book fundraising to my book signing seemed a perfect alliance. The club loved the idea.

Our event is the evening of May 8th and so far we are approaching sixty tickets sold. Between appetizers provided by the club and flowers and dessert from me, we hope to clear about $10 per ticket toward our county Imagination Library Program.

Now a little message about my latest book, Villain in the Vineyard. Below I’ve included a phenomenal review from our very own Connie Berry. Thank you Connie for fitting this in around your already too busy schedule.

If you also have a story of how readers affected your life as an author, I’d love to here them in your comments. Judy L Murray

Here is Connie’s review: “When two of her clients are murdered, another lies in a coma, and properties she’s listed for sale are vandalized, real estate agent-turned-amateur sleuth Helen Morrisey faces the loss of the business she’s worked so hard to establish. This is personal, and to make matters worse, Tammi, Helen’s long-time Assistant Extraordinaire is moving out of town and Emma, the gorgeous FBI agent and ex-fiancée of Helen’s love, Detective Joe McAllister, shows up, looking to reignite the flame. Can Helen and her fictional detectives—Nancy Drew, Jessica Fletcher, Jane Marple, Agatha Raisin and Nora Charles—stop the perpetrators before her agency collapses or worse yet, another client is injured or killed? I’ve loved all Judy L. Murray’s Chesapeake Bay Mysteries, but I think this one may be my favorite. With a richly layered plot, a brilliant cast of characters, and an authentic feel for both policing and sleuthing, Villain in the Vineyard is a gem.” Connie Berry, USA Bestselling Author – The Kate Hamilton Mysteries

https://amzn.to/42yejBo

https://imaginationlibrary.com/about-us/

https://blueelkvineyard.com/