Novel #4 and other things to read

A Midsummer Night's Scream by Jill Churchill is one of those quickly read cozy mysteries that are more like a puzzle than a story. While the plot was good and I had fun trying to solved the puzzle, her characters could have used a little more life. Her protag is Jane Jeffry, a single mom in the Chicago suburbs who happens to date a detective (always helpful for the amateur sleuth). Mostly, I love the titles of her books. They're all twists on Shakespeare plays and other famous dramas (Silence of the Hams is my favorite). Once again, though, Churchill's heroine is a mom with children at home, yet her boyfriend/cop and her often spend the night at each other's homes. It never actually happens in the story, but it's insinuated. Over all, it's a fun read, and fast, lots of humor, too, which I find important.

I just picked up Putting Your Passion Into Print by Arielle Eckstut & David Sterry. Terry Whalin recommended it. It's basically what the title says. If you're going to write anything, you must understand how the publishing industry works and how you can market your product. So far, it's quite inspirational and full of sidebars of what others have done to sell their books. I can already see that the publishing world is no place for the meek. I'll keep you posted as I read through it (I tend to read several books at the same time, so I move a little slow).