I got this bright idea the other day. I’m Cat Latimer, owner/operator of The Warm Springs Writer’s Retreat. I also write a young adult series focusing on a teenage witch out of water (Tori’s a newcomer to the world of magic and high school.)

I do have to add in blame for this great idea to Shauna and Seth as they encouraged me on. Shauna’s my BFF, and Seth, well, he’s my boyfriend. He was my high school sweetheart, so boyfriend is appropriate, even if it feels like I’m a teenager again.

But anyway, back to my bright idea. . .

Our second monthly writer’s retreat started today and we invited our guests to a day of skiing at the Little Ski Hill just outside of Aspen Hills. Shauna’s new boyfriend, Kevin, actually owns the place, but it didn’t get us any discounts on the lift tickets. He’s a bit of a penny pincher.

I loved skiing as a kid. Seth and I and all of our friends spent the winter weekends on the slopes. Colorado has great snow and there’s no better use for the white stuff is to strap two sticks on your feet, get hauled up to the top of the mountain and then maneuver your way down. The snow sparkles so brightly, you have to wear shades. It’s a great way to open the retreat with some physical activity which we all know, writers don’t get a lot of that.

The Victorian I inherited from my ex-husband, Michael, is almost finished being remodeled. We’ve almost got the attic changed over to a writer’s haven. As soon as we get the heating and cooling system installed, the remodel will be done. Mostly. I still have to clean out Michael’s study, but there’s some questions about his death that have been bothering me. I wish I’d never opened his journal. But apparently, there are some discrepancies in the manner of his death that are bothering my Uncle Pete too. You remember, Uncle Pete, right? He’s the town chief of police for Aspen Hills.

Anyway, that’s old worries that won’t be getting in my way for this retreat. Today, we’re taking most of the writer’s up to the ski resort for a day of skiing and fun. Then we’ll start the official writing retreat part with a visit with Miss Applebome at the Covington College Library on Monday.

Here’s to hoping the second retreat goes smoother than the first. I’d hate to have the retreat be known as Murder Central for a little mountain town like Aspen Hills. Besides, I’ve got a book on deadline and I need to spend some quality time in my office this week.

Let’s hope for a surprise free retreat week. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

Cat

You can read more about Cat in Fatality By Firelight, the second book in the “Cat Latimer” mystery series.

Cat Latimer’s Colorado bed-and-breakfast plays host to writers from all over. But murder is distinctly unwelcome . . .

To kick off a winter writing retreat, Cat and her handyman boyfriend, Seth, escort the aspiring authors to a nearby ski resort, hoping some fresh cold air will wake up their creative muses. But instead of hitting the slopes, they hit the bar—and before long, a tipsy romance novelist named Christina is keeping herself warm with a local ski bum who might have neglected to tell her about his upcoming wedding.

Next thing Cat knows, her uncle, the town sheriff, informs her that the young man’s been found dead in a hot tub—and Christina shows up crying and covered in blood. Now, between a murder mystery, the theft of a rare Hemingway edition, and the arrival of a black-clad stranger in snowy Aspen Hills, Cat’s afraid everything’s going downhill . . .

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About the author
Lynn Cahoon is the author of the NYT and USA Today best-selling Tourist Trap cozy mystery series. Guidebook to Murder, book 1 of the series won the Reader’s Crown for Mystery Fiction in 2015. She’s also pens the recently released, Cat Latimer series. A Story To Kill, book 1, came out in mass market paperback September 2016.She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies. Sign up for her newsletter at www.lynncahoon.com.

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All comments are welcomed.

Fatality By Firelight is available at retail and online booksellers.