Category Archives: Uncategorized

Melinda Di Lorenzo says “Never ask a suspense writer for (good) advice…”

September 9, 2024 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Once upon a time, I worked in an elementary school, grades K to 7. It was nearing the end of the year, and a group of kids (12/13 years old) had gathered together in the corner of the
schoolyard. They were all huddled together, frequently and furtively glancing over their
shoulders in search of approaching authority figures. That they were plotting was more than obvious. Using their powers for evil, as kids tend to do when left to their own device. Slowly, sneakily, I approached the kids. It wasn’t until I was right on them–practically in their no-good circle–that one of them noticed me.

“Oh, sh*t!” she exclaimed, only to groan when she realized she’d just cursed in front of me and about me.

I leaned back and crossed my arms. I waited for them all to turn, muttering to themselves when they spotted me. A particularly nervous fellow took off around the corner, but the rest stayed put, shuffling from one foot to the other.

“Do you know why I’m here?” I asked.

There were a few responses. Denials, mostly. One brave soul commented that I’d caught them, and he started to tell me what bad choice they’d been about to make. I cut him off.

“Don’t,” I said. “Don’t tell me. I’m just here to give you some advice.”

This piqued their curiosity. The shuffling slowed down.

“You’re all about to go to high school,” I told them, “so you need to learn how not to attract
unwanted attention. Do you know why you caught my eye?”

“Because we were standing together?” a girl replied.

“Exactly!” I told her. “And not just that, but you were standing together in a circle, whispering. It’s very suspicious behaviour. What do you think you should do instead?”

One boy put up his hand, then pointed to the building. “Stand there, not in a circle.”

“Exactly,” I repeated. “Spread out. Take a casual pose. Come on, gang. Show me your casual pose.”

They all complied, arranging themselves in various states of repose. Leaning. Crouching.
Folding arms. One even sat down.

“Perfect,” I said. “Now, when you’re talking about whatever you’re planning, use your normal voices. Quiet, but not a whisper. If anyone approaches–especially a grown-up–don’t stop talking. Don’t jump. But don’t ignore them, either. Greet them like you’re happy to see them.”

“Why are you helping us?” a boy asked.

And I just smiled.

Never ask a suspense writer for advice (unless you need a place to bury a body…)

Congratulations on your release! The Choice is available today!

About the Author

Melinda is an Amazon bestselling author, whose additional work includes titles for The Wild Rose Press, Amazon Encore, and Harlequin. She writes in a range of romance genres, from heart pounding heat, to nail biting suspense, to gutsy adventure.

Melinda lives on the beautiful coast of British Columbia, Canada, with her amazing and quirky daughters and her handsome hero of a husband. When she’s not writing, she can be found curled up with (someone else’s) good book, on the running trail, or at the soccer pitch.

Author Raemi A. Ray Stops by The Tule Mystery Blog to Chat With Us About Author Life, Real Life, and Mysteries!

August 22, 2024 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Welcome to the Tule Blog. How have you been? What have you been up to?

Thank you for having me. Since A Chain of Pearls released in April, I’ve been kept very busy
working on marketing, and the release of book two, The Wraith’s Return and book three later this year. It’s been a rollercoaster in the best way.

That’s right, Book Two in your first series the Martha’s Vineyard Murders is releasing today, August 22! What’s this one about?

It’s another whodunnit. Kyra returns to the island from London and has to solve two mysteries: what happened to a centuries old lost pirate treasure ship, and the suspicious deaths of the people trying to find the treasure.

Oh, so the same characters are featured in Book Two, The Wraith’s Return. Do you have a favorite one you like to write? Why?

Yes, the same main characters all make appearances: Kyra Gibson our protagonist, her detective Tarek Collins and of course the cat, Cronkite return. The series is really about them – a sort of modern-day Nick and Nora Charles. Side characters you may recognize pop in and out, as well as some new faces. My favorite to write? Honestly, it’s probably Cronkite. He’s a quintessential cat. He’s not bound by morality or social mores. He’s hardly even bound by the laws of physics (as people who live with cats know). He can be an unrepentant little terror and still be lovable. Originally, he was intended as a plot device so Kyra wouldn’t have long internal monologues weighing down the narrative, but along the way he developed a devious personality and now he’s an integral part of the story.
It’s a bit of a spoiler, but I love how his primary human isn’t Kyra. She’s been relegated to spare and it irritates her to no end, as I’m sure anyone in similar shoes could relate.

But you didn’t write a book about fictional cats. You wrote a mystery series. There must be a reason you find the genre compelling?

I do. I like that mysteries in many cases invite the reader to participate. Often in books, and all consumptive media really, the audience is a spectator. Their role is one of passive observer. But in mysteries, the reader can be asked to solve the mystery alongside the main character. I try to craft my narratives, so the main characters learn with the reader. In some cases, the reader might be able to figure out the killer even before Kyra. The clues are all there. The reader can play the game as well.

That’s interesting. Do you have some past experience that makes you good at solving
mysteries? Are you able to incorporate that previous experience in your jobs/education in your writing?

Oh no. I’ve zero qualifications that would make me suited for actual detective or crime fighting work. I do occasionally use my own experiences as a quick and lazy fix. I gave Kyra my day job so I wouldn’t have to research a profession for her. Cronkite is a cat because I’ve always had cats and know their behaviors. The characters all drive cars that me or my family have owned over the years, so I didn’t need to research those either. My real life plays a very dull role in my books.

But you do research?

Oh yes, extensively. Especially because so much of my plots derive from real life events. In The Wraith’s Return the pirate ship Keres is based on the real-life shipwreck discovered off the coast of Wellfleet, MA, the Whydah Gally and its captain Black Sam Bellamy. I’ve also had to research lots of creative and complex ways to kill people and how one would cover it up. My Google search history is terrifying. I’m positive I’m on an FBI watch list at this point.

Really? What’s the strangest thing you’ve had to research for the Martha’s Vineyard Murders?

Strangest? When you deal in death, it’s all a little strange, I suppose. But the most obscure? Probably the deep dive I did on the Welsh whisky trade. It’s not particularly interesting, and there are few distilleries in Wales, less than ten, but I now know a lot about all of them. It was for a two-sentence anecdote in Book Three. It’s possible I went overboard there.

It sounds like it. Is that what you enjoy doing when you’re not writing, or do you have other pastimes?

I have a bad rabbit hole habit, but it’s not an intentional hobby. I don’t consider working my other job a ‘pastime’ and I suspect they wouldn’t either, but that does take up a fair amount of each week. I read a lot, too. But if I’m taking time off, I’m getting on a plane. I want to see the world. I’m always preparing or planning my next trip. I’ve been to some amazing and wild places, but there’s so much more to see.

Are you heading anywhere spectacular soon? Does it influence your stories?

I’ve a few trips planned in the near future and if you follow me on social media you’ll probably see photos. Traveling influences my stories in subtle ways. It gives me perspective, mostly.

That’s exciting and thank you for stopping by. It’s been nice chatting with you. We have one more bonus question. What is the one book that you consider to be your comfort read that you will always reach for?

Oh. It’s hard to pick just one since I’m a serial re-reader, but perhaps Jane Eyre. I read it every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas and have since I was a kid.

Thank you for having me Tule Mystery.

Congrats on your release of The Wraith’s Return, Raemi!

About the Author

Raemi A. Ray is the author of the Martha’s Vineyard Murders series. Her travels to the island and around the world inspire her stories. She lives with her family in Boston.

A Fictional Place Close to Author Dani Collins’ Heart: MARRYING THE NANNY RELEASE DAY

March 5, 2024 · Posted by Tule Publishing

My real-life connection to fictional Raven’s Cove began when my Auntie Honey, my mom’s sister, showed me photos from her visit to the tiny village called Shearwater on remote Denny Island. It’s situated in the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia’s central coast and her son, my cousin Lorne, worked there for over twenty years.

There was something very nostalgic for me in Auntie Honey’s photos. My father and both grandfathers had been commercial salmon fishermen who had stopped there as they sailed north to fish. I immediately smelled the salty breeze and the evergreens and the specific earthy-damp that permeates the air from constant rain. I was hooked (pun intended). I had to set a book there.

My husband and I decided to visit. Getting there involved flying to nearby Bella Bella, taking a shuttle to the wharf, then climbing on a water taxi to cross the strait to Denny Island. After that, you rattled your luggage up the ramp, across the graveled frontage road, and into the beautiful, rustic lodge.

The village itself had everything you need, but only one of everything: a grocery store that doubles as liquor store and post office, a pub/restaurant, a hardware store, a laundromat and a gift shop that sold housewares. There was even a mill and an airstrip, but the dominant feature was the full-service marina, since there was nowhere else to get your boat repaired within a day’s sail.

It was perfect.

I had been noodling a Three Men and a Baby take-off, one with three half-brothers who are estranged and must collectively take custody of their infant half-sister. This fly-in location where the brothers must rely on each other while they rescue the resort was a great way to add pressure.

I called it Raven’s Cove and started working on their back stories, which included a complicated relationship with their profligate father and his recent making of yet another baby with yet another woman. Reid, the eldest, had a particularly sticky relationship with his father and swore to never go back to Raven’s Cove again. Good luck with that, Reid!

When it came to his heroine, I reached for another memory from my youth, when our neighbor hired a nanny from New Zealand. Back then, I didn’t know much about the country except that they called gumboots ‘wellies,’ (but I became intrigued enough that I’ve since visited NZ twice.)

I made Emma a Kiwi. She’s escaping her painful divorce and takes the first job she can get—nanny to a May-December couple in Raven’s Cove. She’s caring for their baby, Storm, when the couple’s small plane goes down.

Enter the three bears—Reid, Logan and Trystan. They’re willing to work together on repairing Raven’s Cove so it can be sold and provide Storm an inheritance, but they treat their baby sister like a hot potato. Emma loves Storm and wishes she could keep her, but how?

Practical-minded Reid sees the ideal solution in Marrying the Nanny, but Emma promised herself she would only marry for love next time. Is her love for Storm enough? Or could they turn a marriage of convenience into something more?

Book your trip to Raven’s Cove today with Marrying the Nanny. Then look for:

Book Two: Forgiving Her First Love, July 16, 2024

Book Three: Wanting a Family Man, Oct 1, 2024 (Coming to the Tule site soon!)

About the Author.

Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with laughter and heat thrown in, just like real life. While she is best known for writing contemporary romance for Harlequin Presents and Tule Publishing, she also writes historical and erotic romance. When she’s not writing—just kidding, she’s always writing. Dani lives in Southern BC, Canada with her high school sweetheart husband.

THE COWBOY’S WORD – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Sinclair Jayne! (Plus a Giveaway!)

July 11, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

I can’t even tell all of you how happy I am to be back in Marietta, Montana writing cowboy stories for Tule. This series—The Coyote Cowboys of Montana—has, in my opinion, it ALL. My favorite hooks—cowboys, ex-military, jilted bride/substitute groom, prodigal son, barrel racer, doctor. My top tropes—reunion romance, secret baby, marriage of convenience, secret illegitimate son and the themes I adore exploring—redemption, re-invention, forgiveness. I have a rodeo cowboy, a jilted, expecting bride, A secret son finding his family, a Christmas homecoming and even a romance with a hint of mystery and long buried secrets (literally).

I’ve been thinking about this series, Coyote Cowboys of Montana, for a few years. I was playing with the idea of leaving home at eighteen, reinventing your life and building a successful career and then returning home again as a mature adult to fulfill a childhood dream/wish/fantasy. I wanted to explore the challenges my characters would face after stepping far outside their box and then trying to step back in. Would they fit? Do they want to? How can they bust out? And while I definitely wanted my heroes to be cowboys, I also wanted them to have been forced to leave the land they loved, become something else before returning to their ranch roots.

As my premise, I made all five heroes teammates in Special Forces. Over the course of a year, each of them travels to Marietta, Montana as part of a vow they made to their fallen team leader, Jace McBride and to each other. Each of them has a task or an “amend’ that they will carry out in Jace’s honor.

While I love cowboys, the military piece was important to honor. I’ve had several family members serve in the armed forces—both Navy and Army, and while I have had one ex-soldier as a hero (Seducing the Bachelor), I never had a series centered around former soldiers. I wanted to explore these two iconic romance hero archetypes and I hope that you fall in love them as much as I did.

First up Remy Cross in The Cowboy’s Word. I created Remy especially for Shane Knight, a character I wrote in two early books that were part of a multi-author series featuring the Graff Hotel through the Holidays. Shane Knight is one of five sisters (three of them have their own love stories) and a bartender at the Graff Hotel (and former army psychologist with a painful secret). I have been wanting to write a love story for years, but the timing never felt right. Enter tall, dark, and determined Remy reluctantly back home in Marietta. He’s her perfect match. Remy’s task is to be a god father to the child of Jace’s best friend from high school. It seems easy enough, but of course his plan skews immediately into the late summer weeds. While Shane wants to remain emotionally safe, she’s sucked into riding rescue.

Photo of giveaway items that include three books, a "giddy up" throw pillow, a hat, and some bandanas. I have been collecting some fun western themed swag, and would love to share a signed print copy of one of my Marietta Books and a few western items—bandana, jewelry, socks to a random reader who comments below to answer to this question: Is there a secondary character in any of the Marietta books you have read that you think deserves their own love story—who and what intrigues you about them?

–Happy Reading, Sinclair Jayne

About the author.

Sinclair Sawhney is a former journalist and middle school teacher who holds a BA in Political Science and K-8 teaching certificate from the University of California, Irvine and a MS in Education with an emphasis in teaching writing from the University of Washington. She has worked as Senior Editor with Tule Publishing for over seven years. Writing as Sinclair Jayne, she’s published over 20 short contemporary romances with Tule Publishing. Married for over twenty-four years, she has two children, and when she isn’t writing or editing, she and her husband, Deepak, are hosting wine tastings of their pinot noir and pinot noir rose at their vineyard Roshni, which is a Hindi word for light-filled, located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Shaandaar!

Tule Publishing May 2023 Releases (and Giveaway!)

May 19, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Read more about our new releases for May!

GIVEAWAY: We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the May releases. Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month.

Love Me Beneath the Irish Moon by Karen Foley (Holiday)

Release Date: May 2, 2023

Love Always, Ireland, Book 2

They’re from two different worlds…

After being passed over for a coveted job in favor of her so-called boyfriend, Lori Woods desperately needs time to reflect. She packs up her Chicago life and catches a flight to Ballylahane, Ireland, but with a popular Beltane festival drawing crowds of tourists to the picturesque town, there’s nowhere for Lori to stay—until hunky Flynn O’Rourke offers her a cottage on his sprawling sheep farm.

No woman has ever aggravated—or aroused—Flynn the way Lori does. He’s had it bad for her since her last visit, but she made it clear it would never work between them. Now she’s back and Flynn has one last chance to show her they’re perfect together, even if it means risking everything—his farm, his future, and his heart.

Lori has no intention of falling for the passionate, protective, practically perfect farmer, no matter how ridiculously hot he is. In fact, she’s decidedly not going to fall for him. Unless the Beltane moon has other ideas…

Have You Seen Sarah Baker? by T.A. Cruz (Tule Mystery)

Release Date: May 4, 2023

The search is on, but what exactly are the folks of Fulton County hiding?

For five years, high school English teacher Sarah Baker has helplessly watched her marriage become emptier than the bed she crawls into alone each night. But a divorce would leave her in financial ruin, so she stays shackled to the husband who left his vows at the altar.

Then Sarah discovers an escape and takes the ultimate risk, only to find herself chained again—this time in the basement of a remote cabin.

When a grisly teen murder rocks his quiet northwestern town, rough-around-the-edges Sheriff Jeffrey Mills has his hands full identifying the body while facing the mounting pressure of tracking down the missing high school teacher the community is determined to find. In the blink of an eye, a heart attack sidelines him during the search, and Mills faces an impossible choice: skirt the law and lose his one chance for redemption or leave Sarah Baker to her fate.

But one thing is clear: they’re both running out of time.

Four Secrets Kept by H L Marsay (Holiday)

Release Date: May 11, 2023

The Secrets of Hartwell, Book 2

Welcome to Hartwell, an English village full of cobbled streets, ancient curses, and buried secrets.

Although the village may have laid Lord Hanley to rest, his death creates almost as many problems as did his life.

While Lady Lucy Hanley hides in her manor home recovering from her miserable marriage and dodging a stalker, she’s determined to focus on raising her young son and finding ways to make the manor financially viable. Rachel Foxton, who’s long imagined a life away from Hartwell, has her dreams of escape thwarted by a family drama. Dr. Meera Kumar’s budding relationship with the village vet bathes her in a golden glow…until her ex arrives delivering troubling news that threatens everything she’s built. Jo Ormond is convinced she knows what she wants—her detective job back in London—but as she investigates several local crimes that seem linked, including Lord Hanley’s murder, Jo begins to contemplate putting down roots in Hartwell.

Can friends Lucy, Rachel, Meera, and Jo bury the secrets of their own pasts while danger follows them?

The Rachel Experiment by Lisa Lin (American Heart)

Release Date: May 16, 2023

From Sunset Park, With Love, Book 2

Who knew that one night out would change everything?

As a financial analyst, Rachel Bai is more comfortable with numbers than people. When her boss promotes her to head a team in San Francisco, his message is clear—she has one year to build a successful team and become an effective leader. Rachel sets out to discover how to be more comfortable interacting with people, but a drunken night meant for research results in a mechanical bull ride and a one-night stand with a sexy stranger—definitely not part of her plan.

Attorney Luke Trudeau is intrigued by the mysterious woman who’s determined to put their night together firmly in her rearview mirror. So when Luke sees Rachel again, he proposes a deal: he’ll smooth out her rough social edges and teach her to charm clients if she’ll help him devise a financial plan to open his own practice.

It seems like a win-win, but Luke breaks the rules by falling in love. Can he convince Rachel that what they have is real and, when it comes to love, there are no set rules?

The Summer Wedding Hoax by Jami Rogers (American Heart)

Release Date: May 18, 2023

The Evergreen Brothers, Book 2

There’s nothing fake about this relationship, but that’s news to both of them.

Everything is falling into place for Will Evergreen. In a few short months, he’ll be moving out of his Wyoming hometown to launch his own business and finally step out of his brothers’ shadows. Will’s more than a cute, former whiz kid and will prove it by growing the family enterprise. Then Ava Robertson, the woman he failed to forget, comes crashing back to town. Suddenly, packing up is the last thing on his agenda.

Moving home isn’t the future Ava planned for herself, but when the job market forces her to do just that, she turns to the childhood buddy she left behind. Will isn’t the same boy she remembers. He’s all man now, so when her mother’s idea of moving forward means matchmaking, Ava begs Will to play the role of doting boyfriend.

Will agrees, but he’s keeping a secret. They’ll spend the summer attending weddings and family events as a couple, but he won’t let the one get away again—even if it costs him his future.

The Texas Cowboy’s Rescue by Debra Holt (Texas Born)

Release Date: May 22, 2023

Texas Heritage, Book 3

This charge nurse and helicopter pilot bring a new twist to flight risk…

Single mom Kenzie Calhoun has returned to Burkitt, Texas, and the Aces High Ranch determined to build a loving home. She has a new position as a nurse on an air medical evac team, a house to remodel, and a whip-smart six-year-old daughter to raise. After a disastrous marriage, the walls around her heart are high. There’s no room for another mistake in the romance department.

Major Deke Hayes takes pride in his air evac helicopter service that assists area ranches, including the Aces High, during roundups and predator removal. In his spare time, he flies emergency calls for the local hospital. But his call sign, Lone Wolf, says it all: his trust issues mean he flies through life solo, too.

That is, until precocious Brooke Calhoun, with a penchant for climbing trees and a fondness for sprinkles on cupcakes, can’t help but bring the two adults together with her antics. Will Kenzie and Deke see that sometimes walls have a way of crumbling in the face of second chances?

Spring Break Slaying by Jody Holford (Tule Mystery)

Release Date: May 23, 2023

The Wannabe Sleuth, Book 3

What happens on spring break stays on spring break…except murder.

It’s spring break in Rainbow Falls and true crime aficionado Annie Abbott is hoping to cater to the hoards of college kids descending on her coastal town by hosting a Gatsby-themed murder mystery party. She’s hoping her twenties era whodunnit at a local historic mansion will increase tourist revenue and build her business’s brand.

The party is the talk of the town when a despised social media influencer is attacked and left for dead on the estate’s grounds. With the help of her online friends, Annie searches for clues. The list of suspects reads like the town’s social directory—but who benefits most from the victim’s silence?

Annie’s parents are due home from their year-long adventure, so her time in Rainbow Falls is winding down. With a growing suspect list and tension among her friends, Annie worries about her own future. Should she settle in Rainbow Falls? Do she and Ben, her boyfriend and the town vet, have a future? Will she live long enough to find out?

Cowboy Meets Cowgirl by Jeannie Watt (Montana Born)

Release Date: May 25, 2023

Return to Keller Ranch, Book 3

This cowgirl has finally met her cowboy match.

Adventurous Em Keller gave her parents more than a few gray hairs before leaving for college. Temporarily back in Marietta, Montana, after ending a disastrous romance, she’s hoping to make the family ranch her home base. She doesn’t have much time to renovate the crumbling, old homestead house, and when Em meets with the only available local contractor, she hits a brick wall. Trace Montero never liked her. Years ago, he even fired her.

Trace grew up scrambling for whatever crumbs he could find for himself and his two younger sisters. But now he’s built a successful contracting business dedicated to helping locals. The last thing he wants is to take a job from a privileged cowgirl who never appreciated what she had, but Trace reluctantly agrees to work on Em’s project. He plans to keep his distance, but Em’s more beautiful and disarming than he remembered.

Plus, Em knows how to work—and she knows how to kiss, too. As their walls come crashing down, can they envision a future with each other?

Stealing Mr. Right by Sinclair Jayne Sawhney (American Heart)

Release Date: May 30, 2023

Misguided Masala Matchmaker, Book 4

She’s found the perfect man…except not for her client.

Budding matchmaker and relationship “expert” Rani Kapoor should be walking on air. She helped find love matches for her cousin and sisters, her dissertation passed, and she’s inked her first book deal. But what if her success comes crashing down? Desperate to prove herself, Rani makes a bet. Using her new scientific method, she’ll find her first official client—her best friend—Mr. Right in time for her cousin’s wedding.

Tech tycoon Jasminder “Jas” Singh just sold his second start-up and is looking for his next challenge—breaking into the lucrative Indian tech market. But Jas lacks family connections and cultural knowledge, so all doors have been slammed in his face. Taking a new approach, Jas reaches out to the “Misguided Masala Matchmaker.” He has no interest in a bride, but he’s not above pretending he does so he can score an invitation to—and make business connections at—the Indian wedding of the season.

The minute Rani meets Jas, she realizes science has failed her again. Yes, the potential groom is perfect—for her.

Tule’s 2023 Mother’s Day Recommended Reads

May 12, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

In honor of Mother’s Day, the Tule team has picked out some titles we know you, or a very special mother, will love. Whether you’re looking for sexy or sweet, you’ll be sure to find a Mother’s Day treat!

Four Secrets Kept by H L Marsay

The Secrets of Hartwell, Book 2

Welcome to Hartwell, an English village full of cobbled streets, ancient curses, and buried secrets.

Although the village may have laid Lord Hanley to rest, his death creates almost as many problems as did his life.

Can friends Lucy, Rachel, Meera, and Jo bury the secrets of their own pasts while danger follows them?