OBJECT-ified!

from Lexi Eddings...

I was flipping channels the other day and ran across an ad for a show called OBJECTified. I haven't watched it, but the premise seems to be that the things we treasure reveal something about us.

Makes sense.

So, I thought I'd share one of my favorite pieces of furniture and let you decide what it tells you about me.  When most people think about a cozy reading place, they picture a window seat laden with pillows or an overstuffed recliner. 

I think about my old oak rocker.

I know, I know, it doesn’t look very comfortable. But let me assure you the memories attached to that straight-backed piece make it heavenly. You see, I rocked my two babies in that chair. When I close my eyes and listen to the homely creaking, I can almost feel their dear little heads resting on my shoulder. I smell their sweet newness, their little bodies totally limp in innocent slumber.

Then when my girls grew older, we’d read aloud together in the chair. How we laughed over Frog and Toad or the silly adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Then later, when they were too big for both of them to fit on my lap, I’d still be reading from the chair while they sprawled on the floor, chins resting on their palms. We wept together through Where the Red Fern Grows and fell in love with the world of Anne of Green Gables.

So it went through their growing up. We dove into the world of “kiddie lit” together and came out with a wealth of shared experience. We developed a private lexicon based on our readings, a way of speaking in code using favorite quotes. 

And all of it centered around that old rocker.

Now they’re grown with their own busy lives. But when I sit down to read by myself, I never feel lonely. The memory of those sweet, simple pleasures keeps me company and I know when they read by themselves, they still feel the connection we forged in those early days.

When you read, you’re never really alone.

So now, it's YOUR turn. What's your favorite piece of furniture and why? 

Countdown to Release Day!

Only 15 days till my baby, my firstborn Coldwater Cove novel, is released upon the world to sink or swim. It feels a little like when my oldest daughter headed off to kindergarten. She was so excited to go, but I kept worrying about whether she was ready, whether she'd make friends, whether she'd be safe out in the big, bad world of elementary school.

I know. I'm a compulsive worry-wart.

I did everything I could to make sure my daughter had what she needed. We shopped for school supplies and clothes. She got a new haircut. Then on the first day, she climbed on the bus without even a glance back.

I boo-hooed for the next ten minutes.

My firstborn's world expanded far beyond the neat little circle of our family and friends. I prayed that world would be kind to her.

Likewise, I'm fretting over the reception of The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club once it hits the bookstore shelves on September 27th. It helps that it has garnered some wonderful early reviews:

“The heart-tugging scenes, stellar characters, captivating secondary storylines, and small-town charisma will whet readers’ appetites for a return visit to Coldwater.” - Publishers Weekly

"This story will tug at your heart as a maligned heroine comes back under a cloud of suspicion and a damaged war hero helps her find a new happy ending." - RTBOOKReviews 

"The quirky characters, a minor mystery, and the down-home feel in the first installment in Eddings’ Coldwater series will delight readers looking for a sweet small-town romance." — C. L. Quillen, Booklist

These reviews give me hope, but ultimately, it's up to YOU, dear reader. So, I'll have to wait for the next 15 days to find out how the world will treat my little book. 

Here's hoping that, like my daughter's excited foray into kindergarten, my book's launch will turn out just fine... 

A Cover is Worth a Thousand Words!

I'm so excited!

My editor sent me a jpeg of the cover for THE COLDWATER WARM HEARTS CLUB. I couldn't be more thrilled. (Neither could she! She confessed that she had framed the cover and it's on her desk!) Here it is:

The art department at Kensington has outdone themselves. They perfectly captured the feeling of Coldwater Cove, my favorite imaginary hometown. It's a wonderful little place nestled by green hills and bordered on the east by Lake Jewel, whose bracing, spring fed depths gives the town its name. There's a charming Victorian courthouse in the middle of the Town Square. Folks take pride in their homes and lawns and flags fly each Fourth of July. 

As far as the people who live there goes, Coldwater Cove is a cross between Mayberry and Lake Woebegone. My heroine's father fights a never ending battle with the squirrels in his yard. Even though most folks have internet access, the nosy, but well-meaning, Methodist Prayer Chain is still the best means of spreading information. And you never know when the raucous Bugtussle clan will rattle into town in their decades old truck. 

The book won't be out until April 2016, but I've posted the first chapter for you already. Click here to follow Lacy Evans as she learns what it means to go home again...

Enjoy!

***

How about you? Have you ever moved back to a place you've lived before? (I've done that twice!) Or have you pretty much stayed put?

A long goodbye...

Years ago, I lost my dear little grandma to Alzheimers. She slipped away from us by inches, losing bits of herself each day. She sort of folded in--losing interest in those she loved and forgetting how much we loved her. It broke my mother's heart when she didn't know her at the last.

Our family is not unique. The Alzheimer's Association reports 5.3 MILLION Americans suffer from this disease--and over 200,000 of them are under age 65. It's the 6th leading cause of death. It has no cure. A lot of people know the pain of this long goodbye.

That's why I'm glad to announce I'll be part of a boxed set of stories to benefit Alzheimer's research. One of the great things about going to RWA Nationals was catching up with some of my writer buddies. Like the amazing Tammy Falkner. She writes the wildly popular young adult series based on the Reed brothers, who are tattoo artists. When she asked me to join her in this project, I jumped at the chance to contribute a short novella.

Here's the premise: My story is about Michael Evans, a character from the Coldwater Cove series, who finds himself in NYC getting a tattoo at a parlor where they're doing a reality TV show. He's Lacy's blacksheep brother. (You'll find Lacy's story in THE COLDWATER WARM HEARTS CLUB.) Michael will be the unlikely hero of MY BIG FAT COLDWATER WEDDING. Writing this short gives me a chance to explore a little of his backstory and learn why he left town. . He got into trouble--at home, in school, & with the law--almost constantly, but his grandmother was the only person who believed he'd amount to anything. Getting the tat is Michael's way to remember Gran and to mark a change in him.

The anthology, titled FORGET ME NOT, will be available in November and ALL proceeds will be donated to Alzheimer's research. I hope you'll enjoy these stories of remembrance and help us raise money to fight this horrible disease. Be sure to sign up for The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club newsletter to be notified when the set is available. 

All Done But The Shoutin'

The ink hasn't hit the contract yet, but I'm thrilled to share that Kensington Publishing has offered a sweet two book deal for my Coldwater Cove series! I've instructed my agent to accept so we can proceed with the formalities.

Excuse me while I do a little happy dance.

It's pure joy to conceive of a whole town full of characters whose lives intersect in funny, poignant and unexpected ways. It's even better to know I'll have a chance to share that little town with the reading world.

I don't know when The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club will come out. Or when the second book will follow, but I can share that they will be offered in beautiful trade paperback. This is the perfect format for this type of story. Hopefully, the adventures of the residents of Coldwater will attract book clubs and libraries. Since my hero is a wounded warrior, I'd love to see the book in PX's. And with the Methodist Prayer Chain figuring prominently in several plot points, there may be potential for a little CBA cross over. (If you wonder why I pick on Methodists, the answer is simple. I are one!)

Anyway, I couldn't keep the news any longer. Over the next few months, I'll be sharing more about the special world of Coldwater Cove, including some of Jake's favorite recipes from the Green Apple Grill. My dear husband has pointed out to me that Green Apple Grill's initials spell "gag" but I assured him the fare offered there is Ozark cooking at its finest! And no, there is no section in the menu for road kill!

If you haven't done so already, I invite you to sign up to receive my posts by email. It's easy. Just type your address into the little box in the right hand column. Next post: Jake Tyler's Lazy Man's Chili!

See you then!

Anticipation...all it's cracked down to be

I hate to wait.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this. We are a culture of right now--instant coffee, fast food, friendships with one click via social networks, Whatever it is we want, we want it NOW!

But sometimes I wonder if slower isn't better.

In the case of coffee, food and friendships, I'm certain it is. We moved recently from a city of about a million souls to a small town of about 11,000. Things are definitely slower. There are times when we feel like the only hares in a tortoise race.

I'm starting to like it. If the grocery store clerk wants to visit while she checks out my purchases, who does it hurt? The person behind me in line is likely to join in on the conversation and we all pass a pleasant time.

Measuring the passage of time is a pretty artificial construct, after all. I haven't worn a wristwatch since I started carrying a cellphone years ago. (Of course, that may be because something in my body chemistry drains the batteries of a watch in about a month unless I put a moleskin patch between me and the metal, but that oddity is another blog post entirely!) Even though the town around me is on a different schedule, I still have issues with punctuality. Not mine, you understand. Being a railroader's daughter, I'm rather OCD about being where I'm supposed to be when I'm supposed to be there. But having to wait for others who are not so inclined is a trial to my hyper-punctual soul.

However, into each life some waiting must fall. I'm in that situation now. My proposal for The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club is under consideration by a NY publisher and, while the editor is very excited about the project, the acquisition board still has the final say.

So, I'm drumming my fingers on my laptop wondering what will come...If it's something wonderful, trust me, you'll be the first to know.

The Pleasures of Backstory

It's done. I've finished the first three chapters of The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club. I've introduced my characters, set up the conflicts, and generally given my readers the nickle tour of Coldwater, Oklahoma. The town has a personality all its own.

Wanna know how I know so much about this fictitious place?

My friend and I took an afternoon and drew the whole thing out on my dining room table. (Yes, I have a real life friend who doesn't mind playing with imaginary people and places. And yes, I guess you could say we're both a little weird that way.)

But now I know that Lake Jewel forms the eastern boundary of the town. Tiny, well-endowed Bates College, where students graduate in disciplines about as useful as Underwater Basket Weaving, graces its southwestern shore. The Marina is on the north end of the lake and a public park with a gazebo where the town band plays on sultry summer nights occupies the rest of the western lakefront. The other side of the water is home to summer cabin in the hills of the Winding Stair range.

A gem of a Victorian courthouse occupies the center of the town square. It's ringed with thriving businesses, including Gewgaws & Gizzwickies (my heroine's mother's favorite junk shop!) and the Green Apple Grill, Jake Tyler's place. There's an old Opera House circa 1890. The town fathers like to claim that Jenny Lind, the Swedish nightingale, sang there when she was traveling with PT Barnum.

Since that tour took place in 1850-1852, I have my doubts. Guess some folks think there's still one born every minute.

The well-heeled part of town is on the northwest side. Lacy's parents live there in their elegant colonial that's jammed to the rafters with her mom's collectibles and enough furniture to fill two houses of similar size. Lacy's dad is a retired lawyer. He made his career doing taxes for the local businesses and civil litigation over water rights and land contracts. But he secretly wanted to be a trial lawyer and is fascinated with organized crime in the same way some men obsess over football.

Jake's family arrived in Coldwater by accident. His grandparents thought they were retiring to the little town they had honeymooned in some fifty years previously. His grandmother had been big on architecture and fell in love with the ultra modern (at the time!) art deco court house. After they bought their new home, she wanted to take a stroll to the square and bask in the clean lines and geometric embellishments of the government building. Instead she was met by a frilly Victorian in gray limestone.

"Where the h*** are we?" she demanded.

It was the only time she ever swore in her whole life. Turns out, they had honeymooned in Colson, a little town about 80 miles closer to the Texas border, but since the art deco courthouse there had been destroyed in a tornado that very year, Jake's grandmother decided it was fate that had lead them to Coldwater instead.

All these little tidbits are what's known as backstory. Will they all make it into the final book? Probably not. But I need to know them because these details make the town of Coldwater and people in it breathe for me.

Have you ever read about a fictional place that seems so real you almost want to book a trip there? That's what I'm trying to do with Coldwater. If you have a minute, check out the first chapter and let me know if you think I'm succeeding. Thanks!