Goodbye Sweet Blog: The Ending of an Era

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been a regular blogger on this site for four fast-flying years. I’ve shared details about my new releases, tips for writing, experiences at conferences and adventures in parenting. I’ve been through a lot, but while I was always quite busy in my world beyond your computer screen, I was never alone. Thanks to you.

My journey here began in 2013, after Carina Press offered me my very first mystery contract. My then-editor pointed me in this blog’s direction, and that, they say, is where it all began. In the four years that have followed, I published 4 young adult titles with Lyrical Press, and SIX mysteries with Carina Press, completing two three-book miniseries: The Patience Price Mysteries and The Geek Girl Mysteries. I like to think that my time both here, on this blog, learning about my fellow bloggers' trials and triumphs, and also at Carina Press where my editors made me a cozy-writing machine, sculpted, cultivated and ultimately supercharged my baby writing career.  

In short, my life has become immeasurably busier.

This once-aspiring YA author fell wholly in love with mysteries and suspense. I found my writing stride and turned my focus 100% to the genre. Before my last Geek Girl Mystery released, I had a three-book contract with Crooked Lane Books for a new Kitty Couture Mysteries series set in my favorite place on earth, New Orleans. The Kitty Couture books are written as Julie Chase, simply to separate the Crooked Lane adventure from my not Crooked Lane adventures. The third installment in that series, Cat Got Your Secrets, releases this fall (September). And in October, my debut Christmas cozy mystery arrives. Twelve Slays of Christmas, written as Jacqueline Frost (a pen name chosen by Crooked Lane to align with the subject and audience), is nearly as cute as its cover.

Remember how I said I was busy? Well, while I diligently wrote, edited and published the titles above, I’ve also joined forces with Harlequin Books. Yep, I am officially a Harlequin Intrigue author! Harlequin Intrigues are mass market paperback, romantic suspense novels, and I love them. So far, I’ve written three of the six under contract, completing one new series of four and beginning a second within the line. Those books won’t see the racks of day for a while, but they are written as myself, Julie Anne Lindsey, and they are coming. Tentatively in April, May & December of 2018, and January, May & June of 2019. I hope there will be plenty more of those to come. Harlequin is home to many of my favorite suspense authors, so while I’m still waiting for my debut, I’m very proud to have become a Harlequin author and to be part of a writing community I have long respected.

But wait! There’s more!  Busy? Remember? Well, while all that has been coming to fruition, my personal friend and Yoda (*read as dream agent / beautiful magician) Jill Marsal has also found my new cozy mystery series-idea a home with Sourcebooks.

Add three delightful, but non-driving kids to the mix, (and it’s summer break), plus a house, husband and community commitments…The bottom line is that I can no longer do this blog justice. I don’t want to risk missing my dates. I don’t want to rush through my posts.

I’m woman enough to say, “My day is full. My cup overfloweth. And I must step down.”

I don’t do it lightly, and I will miss you every day.

With all my best

All my love,

Every possible best wish to each of you

Julie