Welcome 2026!

And the Cozy Mystery Toolkit is here!

But first, a 2025 Wrap-up

I confess, 2025 was not as productive as I would have liked it to be.

I only published four books, and two of them were novellas.

My excuse is wedding shenanigans.

But in case you missed them, two of the books were from my Tea and Tarot series. First came Matcha Murder, where Abigail has to battle her way through a deadly storm and a murder. Next was Seance and Sensibility (the title should give you a clue as to the theme of that novella).

I also published Whispers of the Witch, book 3 in my Mystery School series, featuring technomancy on a barrier island.

Finally, there was the prequel novella Rune, from my Doyle Witch series, starring fledgling shamanic witch Lenore.

Hopefully my Susan-Witsend-sized new planner will keep me on track during 2026, because I have a LOT planned.

What’s Coming in 2026…

My theme for the new year is “fun,” because if I’m having fun writing, odds are you’ll have fun reading. (Also, I tend to get more done when I’m enjoying the work).

Here’s my rough publication schedule:

• February: A Deathly Display, book 11 in my Paranormal Museum cozy mystery series.

• April/May: Big Deal, book 4 in my Big Murder Mystery series, featuring ex-bodyguard, Alice Sommerland.

• July: Refuge of the Witch, book 4 in my Mystery School mystery series. As part of the “fun” theme for the year and “experimental” edge with these novels, I’m planning to include a downloadable shamanic-style journey in this book and will be hiring a voice actress for the project.

• September: A Halloween short story or novella in September. I remember feeling very urgent about this when I wrote it into my planner, but

• October: A new Tea and Tarot novel.

Other big projects include getting all my books up on my own online store, and of course, the Cozy Mystery Toolkit, which is available NOW.

And… I’m going to finally write a Tea and Tarot spin-off for Razzzor, but that won’t come out until 2027.

Cozy Mystery Toolkit

I cannot “pants” a cozy mystery.

The clues, the red herrings, the murder itself… It’s too complicated.

Over the years, I created charts and checklists for myself so I don’t write a story that’s too easy for readers to solve or impossible because the clues are missing.

But cozy mysteries are about more than the puzzle.

They’re also about the community, the characters, even the location itself.

All of these elements need focused attention in order to write an engaging novel.

The cozy mystery toolkit includes:

• 7 fillable PDFs to build your world, construct the crime, and create your characters.

• A 30-chapter cozy mystery “beat sheet” for plotting your novel.

• A prose-stylings cheat sheet which I use during editing to punch up my prose.

It’s $18.

My writer friends who’ve used it tell me it’s worth it in time saving and stress reduction alone.

You can buy it HERE.