Hey First name / y'all,

 

What a joy these past couple of months have been! Trouble's Turn to Lose is out in the world, and the very best part of a launch is getting to hug as many of your necks as possible in person. 

 

It started before the book even released, with a pre-launch party at As the Page Turns in Travelers Rest, and a Lunch & Lit luncheon at Soby's in Greenville with my friends from M. Judson Booksellers. What fabulous events they both were! This was my first luncheon event with M. Judson, so I was a bit nervous. What if we didn't sell many tickets?

 

But it was amazing—we filled nearly every seat, the food was divine, and my husband Jim (AKA Sugar) and my granddarling Ciera came out to cheer me on. One sweet reader drove hours to be there, detouring to scoop up her mother-in-law on the way and arriving with a bag of boiled peanuts for me. The official snack of South Carolina, handed over with a hug. I'm still smiling about that. 

 

From there it was a happy blur of libraries, bookstores, and book clubs, each one its own kind of treasure. The Moveable Feast down at Pawleys Island never disappoints. The Florence County Library turned out a wonderful crowd. And just a few days ago, I wrapped the whole thing up at the World Famous Blue Crab Festival in Little River—sunshine, salt air, and so many of you stopping by to say hello. 

 

To everyone who came out, who brought a friend, who drove farther than was reasonable: thank you. You are the whole reason I get to do this.

I also hope you enjoyed the discussion between Susan Zurenda and me about Trouble's Turn to Lose. If you missed it, the link to the video is below. 

If Trouble's Turn to Lose found a place in your heart, there's a small thing you can do that makes such a big difference: tell another reader. Mention it to the other book lovers in your life, or jot down a few words on Goodreads, Amazon, or wherever you talk books. Reviews are how new readers stumble onto Hadley and the gang and decide to give the series a try—and every single one means more to me than I can say.

 

If you haven't had a chance to get your copy yet, there's a handy button below.

 

In between all that gallivanting, I made sure to steal one perfect evening right here at home in Greenville—a night that had nothing to do with book tour at all.

 

Some of you have met my granddarling Ciera—she sometimes holds down the fort at the World Wide Headquarters of Stella Maris Books, handling shipping, inventory, errands, and whatever else I throw at her on any given day. She is nineteen, precious, a talented hairstylist, and one of my favorite people on the planet.

 

Ciera and I have both loved the movie Steel Magnolias for as long as either of us can remember, but neither of us had ever seen the play—the original, the one that started it all. So when the Greenville Theatre put it on, we made a real night of it. Dinner first at O-ku, because Ciera loves sushi, where she had her very first mocktail and felt impossibly grownup. Then on to the theatre, where we laughed and cried in all the places you’d expect.

 

This evening is a memory I’ll keep tucked away for a long, long time.

I can hardly believe we’re quickly headed into summer. I’m back at my desk, finishing up HARD CANDY CHRISTMAS. I positively adore the cover—and many of y’all let me know you did too—thank you SO much for all the kind words! And now it’s time for me to finish the story, because it arrives October 27, and there's SO much to do. I’m so, so excited to be working on a brand new Liz & Nate story! (Can you tell?)

 

Have you preordered your copy yet? All versions are available for preorder through the Stella Maris Bookstore—signed hardcovers, paperbacks, and large print paperbacks, and eBook and audiobook. Ebook preorders are live on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Google Play. Audiobook and print preorders are coming soon to the other retailers.

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If you’ve read Trouble’s Turn to Lose, you’ve sat at Carolyn Talbot’s Easter buffet—a full-tilt production of baked ham, fried chicken, and every side dish imaginable. This red rice holds its own right in the middle of all of it. The grains drink up a deep, smoky-sweet tomato stock built on bacon and shrimp shells, then turn out plump and tender with sausage and sweet shrimp folded through. Mamma would tell you it’s nothing fancy. Mamma is not to be believed.

 

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