Veronica's Writer's Diary: Book Cover Reveal, Introducing Family Skeletons: The Secrets of Castlewood Manor!

'Family: the bonds that connect us, and the secrets that send us reeling.'

Gemma Lancaster Williams, Marchioness of Kentshire

Well, hello, April! I'm super excited this month to do a book cover reveal for book 10 in My American Almost Royal Cousin cozy mystery series. My I introduce Family Skeletons: The Secrets of Castlewood Manor!

Once again, I'd like to give a special shoutout to my stepdaughter, Danielle Gregorio for another super cover design. I think it captures the roots of family (and the hidden skeletons in the closet)--love stories, scandals, and of course in a cozy mystery, mur-dah most foul! What's in this family tree saga you might ask? Let's take a sneak peek... 👀

In this new tale, we're fast forwarding a few years from where Behind the Scenes: The Exhibition of Castlewood Manor left off. The story of Charlotte Lancaster, the illegitimate daughter of Gemma's ancestral Grandfather Patrick (also father to our favorite ghosty, Aunt Pippa) has inspired her to write a book on what happens when dark, unsavory family secrets from the past are revealed.

It turns out, the Lancaster family isn't the only family in town with hidden secrets...

Six additional family tales (Surnames beginning with the letters M-U-R-D-E-R) filled with scandalous happenings and misbehaving oddballs find their way onto the pages of Gemma's hit, bestseller. You'll meet the characters and read all about their family conundra. Some may make you giggle. Some may raise your eyebrows. And a few you just know are going to have a 'killer' ending... Oh, just wait 'til you meet the agent and the publisher. Nothing can stop what's coming. 💀

I can't wait for this new tale to be ready for prime time. It's always fun to be back Cherrywood Hall. We're early on, but I'm looking at a September release if things go to plan. Stay tuned, more will be revealed! This story is developing... 💖👑

Wishing you a wonderful April, filled with the joys and beauty of spring. Have a good one!

It's Wednesday, time for Dear Diary:

Book marketing fun with Grok!

I've been re-working my series and book taglines of late and thought I'd give the X AI guru, Grok, a challenge for its massive, electronic gray cells. I've asked the-all magnificent to re-write my taglines to get an AI perspective. Here's a few examples:

My American Almost Royal Cousin Series

👈🏻 Mine

And Grok's 👇🏻

Here's Double Trouble :

👈🏻Mine

And Grok's 👇🏻

Here's Mistletoe and Mayhem:

👈🏻 Mine

And Grok's 👇🏻

On the plus side, I was rather pleased my taglines seemed to hold their own. Grok's re-writes didn't make any major changes, just a bit of wordsmithing. (Whew! I'm not so dumb after all!) Never hurts to have a sanity check... and have backup!

I also asked Grok to tell me about My American Almost Royal Cousin Series. here's what it came back with:

Now, I thought this write-up was quite inciteful both for the series summary and the author profile of me! Some of the dates/info are not quite correct (I'm currently writing book 10 and Family Skeletons is just having a cover reveal in April, not a release). I'm going to use some of this to re-do my author profile and series summaries.

Grok has offered to do a detailed dive into my books. I haven't taken it up on that offer to date, but I will when I have more time. I've also done a bit with Grok imaging for my MC, Gemma. Some are OK, and some not so much, but I have a feeling big improvements are coming so I'll keep trying. Have you experimented with Grok for your books/promos? I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences! Happy marketing!

V's Reads and Reviews

Chilling tales, delightful escapes, mystery and suspense this month from the writers on X...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Branchard family is harboring a chilling secret that makes Friday night dinners a dreaded occasion. At the end of the meal, fear fills the three children with dread, as their mother asks, "Who's going to feed Johnny?' Tonight is younger brother Andy's turn, and we're about to learn how horrific the hidden secret in the attic is.

Author Stark weaves a masterful, chilling short story. The suspense skyrockets with each creak of the stair boards as Andy climbs up to the attic. The fear and dread are intense---are you ready to learn the Branchard family's secret? A brilliant tale of horror that will curl your toes, highly recommended!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Laurette and her partner, Sylvain depart their city apartment in Toulouse and head to their new home in a charming hamlet in the Cathar countryside. As they adjust to the changes of the move, readers are treated to a unique perspective of history, philosophy, artistic, and architectural elements that end up influencing the couple's renovations, and particularly the design of their beloved garden on the rolling hillside.

As the weeks turn into months gone by, Author Long treats us to the ebbs and flows of joys and disappointments of taking on such a project. Life intervenes, schedules are slipped, but the earth and the wings of time have a way of getting things done when needed. I truly enjoyed reading about this ambitious endeavor. Sit back and ponder, what will your garden grow? An inspiring read that will leave you with a new appreciation of the beauty that surrounds us!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The demons haunting NYPD Detective Declan Shaw are temporarily put aside when he receives an urgent call to go to a bloody crime scene in the ritzy Beresford building in Central Park West. A gory scene awaits as he sees a woman covered in blood next to the body of a dead man. He soon finds out the woman is acclaimed true crime writer, Denise Morrow, and the murdered man--her surgeon husband. As he assesses the crime scene, he now needs to figure out why she's asked for him exclusively to be called to the scene.

Clues and motives are aplenty but soon unravel at an alarming speed, turning Declan and his partner's investigation upside down. Author Patterson takes readers on a breathtaking, suspense-filled journey with twists and turns you will not expect! This is a thrilling tale that will have you guessing 'til the end. A great read for fans of mystery and suspense!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this entertaining tale, we journey with husband-and-wife team, Jack and Beth and their delightful dogs, Sam and Biff, as they travel through France's beautiful Provence to find their dream domaine. The list of possibilities has been compiled, complete with estate agents who are primed to make a sale. Everything should run smoothly, but around every corner is an unexpected surprise.

Author Haslam weaves an endearing tale filled with ups and downs that will keep readers giggling as the events of the house hunt adventure unfold. I can't wait to read the next installment to see what happens next. A witty read sure to entertain!

First vacay of the year comin' up!

Sometimes you just gotta get away and boy are we there. The OH and I are planning a road trip for May, traveling around the beautiful states of Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and northern California. We'll be stopping at old favorites and new and looking forward to spending lots of time exploring the beautiful sites of Yellowstone National Park. This trip, we'll be staying at the Old Faithful Inn, and I cannot wait to see the geyser I've heard about all my life. Let's just hope the super volcano rumored to be underground doesn't decide to go out for a rumble! 😬 Pics coming up, stay tuned!

Welcome to my world. Wishing you and yours a delightful April!

Crowns and Kisses,

Veronica

P.S. Have a joyful Easter Sunday this month--don't forget to eat the jellybeans! Gemma and Rikkhe approve 💖👑