When a tree lands on my house…

March 16, 2016

In this newsletter:
— Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug…

— LOVE NEVER DIES Contest winner!

— Home page highlights of the new website

— Visit me on Instagram!

Dear Ones,

Remember when I whined about all my appliances quitting? Sit down while I pour you some whine…er, wine, and I’ll tell you my newest story.

My husband and I were in Seattle, and the night before we came home (we live north by the Canadian border) there was a terrific windstorm.

What we saw when we drove up the driveway:

What we saw out the dining room window as we climbed the stairs:

Here’s a couple of other highlights:

The good news:
1. The back of the porch was installed for seismic control (remember the earthquake in VIRTUE FALLS???) and that’s where the tree landed, almost directly onto the steel column. If that hadn’t been there, the tree would have sliced open the kitchen and possibly opened the living room, too.
2. We were gone so we missed what would have been a terrifying experience.
3. We have insurance (State Farm & they are being terrific!) and we can afford to pay the deductible—there have been times in our lives when this would have financially devastated us.

The bad news:
1. Our back porch is compromised and must be completely rebuilt.
2. Damage includes broken trusses and cracked sheetrock in the kitchen, pantry and bathroom.
3. The next day, guys show up to remove tree and “helped“ Husband move a rock. You know the saying, “Between a rock and a hard place“? Yeah. We made a swift trip to the ER. No break, 5 stitches in his right hand. Very lucky! However, he is, of course, right-handed and you’ve seen what he does for fun. I expect he’ll be unable to build anything for a month and he will Not Be Happy. I think I’ll go on a trip…

 

Contest Winner!

 

But I’ve kept you on tenterhooks long enough! The winner of the LOVE NEVER DIES $50 Amazon Books gift certificate is … MarciaA! Congratulations, Marcia! Make sure you claim your prize! Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered LOVE NEVER DIES. Here’s a brief excerpt:

eBook


Areila looked meaningfully at Kateri. “I came to ask a question. A weird question.”
“Must be a woo-woo question.” Rainbow sounded as serious as a funeral.
The women in the quilting circle tittered.
Kateri bent a stern look at all of them. “It is. Areila is researching the ghost in the park.”
Rainbow paused, her quilting needle held high above the fabric. “I thought she was a geology intern?”
Following Kateri’s lead, Areila improvised, “I am, but at this time of the year, there’s a limited amount of field work available and a lot of keyboard input. I have to do something to keep my mind entertained.“ Areila pulled up a chair. “Does the ghost ever do anyone harm?”
Her question startled Kateri, and she looked more closely at Areila.
Areila’s cheeks were flushed, her gray eyes were wide and she looked as if she’d run all the way from the park.
Maybe she had.
Kateri was concerned. “Areila, why would you ask that?”
“In my research, I came across a story that he . . . warns people to leave the park in a rather forceful manner. Like with howling and bugged out eyes.“ Areila clasped her hands in her lap and looked down at them. “I was wondering if the ghost has crazy episodes and does poltergeist-type stuff.”
“I’ve never heard that.” Emma continued to stitch as she talked. “I know when people start having sightings, that’s an omen.”
“What kind of omen?” Areila asked.
Rainbow leaned back and folded her arms. “Bad things are happening around town.”

Order LOVE NEVER DIES for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Apple Books. Out Now!

 

Website Highlights

 

As you know, my website is completely redesigned. Here’s a few HOME PAGE website highlights to help you get around:

✓ At the bottom of all pages we’ve posted the book slider. There you can choose the book you want, click on it, and go read the description and excerpt.

Visit me on Instagram!

— Finally, I joined Instagram because it’s such a great place to share the thousands of photos and videos I’ve taken of books, writer friends, views from my office, our stone circle, autographings and did I mention books? It’s like an endless vacation slide show. 😉 Please join me!

May your own March Madness be a little less “mad“ than mine, and your spring be filled with bright flowers, cheerful friends, and good reads in a warm sun.

Warmly,
Christina Dodd
New York Times bestselling author of
The Virtue Falls series includes:
#1 THE LISTENER: A Virtue Falls short story
#2 VIRTUE FALLS: The First Virtue Falls Full-Length Thriller
#3 OBSESSION FALLS: A Virtue Falls Full-Length Thriller
#4 LOVE NEVER DIES: A Virtue Falls short story
#5 BECAUSE I’M WATCHING: A Virtue Falls Full-Length Thriller
#6 THE WATCHER: A short story
#7 THE WOMAN WHO COULDN’T SCREAM:A Virtue Falls Full-Length Thriller
A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT: A Compilation of the three Virtue Falls Short Stories+Virtue Falls Never-before Published Extras

My wife Mary and I have been married for forty-seven years and not once have we had an argument serious enough to consider divorce; murder, yes, but divorce, never. — Jack Benny