Excitement is...

Launching this blog... preparing to release a first book in a new series... all the fun things about the fall...

The blog "Christa Reads and Writes" is all about activities I enjoy and have always enjoyed - reading and writing. Most of the time, I suspect the blog will be featuring books and authors that I read.  I hope to be able to participate in some blog tours like Great Escapes... I tend to read mystery and romance, and a combination.  In past years, I also read a lot of fantasy, but not so much any more.  What genre show up here will just reflect what I read - mostly on kindle these days!  Some of my favorite authors (and hence ones you might see here) include Janet Evanovitch, Harold Coban, Maggie Sefton, Ellen Crosby, Christi Craig, Stephanie Bond, Lisa Gardner, Denise Swanson, Tori Scott, Diane Kelly, Barbara Freethy...   well, the list just goes on and on.  And the "to be read" pile keeps growing with so many new authors including Rosalee Richland (cozy mystery), LG Castillo (paranormal romance), and Bart Gilbertson (mystery) to name a few!  Which brings me to the writing part...

Yes, I am one of those new writers!  And writers are always told to write about what they know, so with a background of writing non-fiction in an academic setting, the setting and backdrop for the series is a small town, private college.  Whether small town or small business or small college, drama and mystery easily unfolds.  The exciting part is that the first in the series "Murder at Cold Creek College" is scheduled for release in October!  It is set in Virginia, a cozy mystery, with a strong female character at the lead. Here's a quick teaser:

Sheridan Hendley is a professor and psychologist, not a sleuth.  When her colleague at Cold Creek College, Adam Millberg, is murdered, she is charged with helping the Detective assigned to the case.  Immediately, her good friend becomes the prime suspect and Sheridan is motivated to help solve the case and prove Kim isn’t guilty. It also becomes apparent that Sheridan is attracted to the handsome Detective.  As Sheridan tries to connect all the people in Adam’s life, she finds out that many women have a motive for Adam’s murder. Slashed tires are the first indication that Sheridan’s involvement is obviously making someone nervous.

I will keep you posted on the release date!  In the meantime, if you have a book you'd like reviewed, or if you are interested in reviewing Murder at Cold Creek College (ARC), just leave a comment!