by Dorothy McFalls

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Ms. Starr’s Most Inconvenient Change of Heart by Dorothy, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling stressed. The uncertainty of the quarantine, worrying about doing a good job homeschooling my daughter who is in first grade, and wondering how I should dress to buy food has put me in such a tizzy that it’s become nearly impossible for me to write. And writing is not only my full-time job, it’s my vocation.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve suffered times of writing inactivity before, so I do know that I’ll overcome it…eventually. The last time I stopped writing was when my daughter was born. She’s my only child and adjusting to first-time motherhood and feeding schedules for a newborn was quite a change from my free-wheeling-write-when-the-muse-struck lifestyle. For a while there, I thought my writing career was finished. Kaput. Gone forever.

But the stories never really leave a writer. Not forever. The book that sprang up from the period during my pregnancy, and shortly after, is something quite different from my cozy mysteries. It’s still a mystery, but there are also elements of romance and adventure. Looking back, it’s exactly the story that needed to be told at that time of my life—a time of change, upheaval, and uncertainty. Those are all things we all seem to be experiencing today.

Before I started writing Ms. Starr’s Most Inconvenient Change of Heart, there were several books becoming popular where sick children and young adults died at the end of their books. As a new mother of a daughter who was born nearly a month early and had a few health issues of her own to deal with, these books upset me.

Dorothy and her daughter

As I struggled with this tiny baby, I desperately needed certainty. I needed a happy ending. Samantha Starr’s story was written as an antidote to those books. It’s a story about two sick kids (Samantha Starr suffers from heart disease and Logan Dalton is battling leukemia) who grow up, go on a wild adventure, and fall in love.

And there’s a mystery to be solved.

Oh, plus, there’s a bit of saving of the world involved, too. (Who wouldn’t want their child to grow up and save the world?)

When I finished writing this book, I felt confident I could balance raising my daughter while continuing my writing career. Every time I read this story (especially lately), it makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile, too. We can all use a break from the stresses of the day.

Ms. Starr’s Most Inconvenient Change of Heart
Barking Dog Press
March 2020

Divorce with a Deadly Weapon…

A Perfect Wedding
Samantha Starr is planning the perfect wedding. But there’s a hitch. Before the fashion-loving librarian can get married, she needs to divorce her childhood sweetheart, Logan Dalton, a man she had thought dead.

A High-Stakes Mission
Security expert and ex-spy, Logan, is working undercover to stop hackers from using a computer virus from attacking the world’s computers. Someone has been undermining his mission every step of the way. He’s determined to find out who on the inside is helping the criminals. The last thing he needs is a diversion in the form of his long-ago sweetheart, Sam.

A Deadly Combination
Logan has built a life devoid of personal relationships. He likes it that way. Or does he? Having Samantha stumble into the middle of an important mission gives him a glimpse of the life he could have if he’d let his heart lead the way.

Finding Logan thrusts Samantha into a world of danger and adventure. Can she walk away from the only man she’s ever truly loved and get the divorce she seeks? And will they be able to solve the mystery of who is working against them and stop a computer virus in time to save the world and themselves?

“A fast-paced and action-packed light drama that immediately grabbed my attention.” —Dru’s Book Musing

The ebook is on sale for a limited time for $0.99.

To enter to win a copy of Ms. Starr’s Most Inconvenient Change of Heart, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “heart,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 2, 2020. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Dorothy St. James is the author of the White House Gardener mysteries and the Southern Chocolate Shop Mysteries. For the past twenty years she made her home on Folly Beach, an artsy island community in South Carolina with her sculptor husband. Dorothy is a member of Mystery Writers of America (MWA) and the International Thriller Writers (ITW).
Follow Dorothy Online:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dorothy.stjames
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dorothywrites
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dorothymcfalls
Website: www.dorothystjames.com

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.