I’m so glad I have a few minutes to catch up with you before I head off to meet A.J. for lunch at Lake Crystal this afternoon. The trees around the lake will be full of spectacular fall color, and the forecast calls for blue skies and temperatures to hover in the high fifties. Perfect sweater weather! I love autumn in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where you can always find a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, or a farm festival to celebrate the season with family and friends.
Halloween is just five days away, and I’m excited about Apple Station’s fall festival on Friday. Every year the town square is transformed into a trick-or-treating trail where pint-sized ghouls and goblins parade around gathering loads of sweet treats while their parents watch from hay bales on the sidelines, chatting with neighbors and sipping apple cider.
This is not the life I imagined six months ago. I thought I’d be living in New York, settling in my new life. I had everything planned and ready. I had sold my condo in Georgetown, boxed up what I could fit in my Expedition, and stored the rest of my stuff until I could return later to transfer it. Then I came home at the end of May to visit with my dad for a week, and everything changed. After what happened to my friends Paige and A.J., I reevaluated my life and realized my heart was never in New York. I was simply doubling down in the wrong direction, and what I really needed was to be here in Apple Station for the time being.
Long-term wise, I’m not sure what my plans are, but I know I feel more like myself than I have for some time. I’m fortunate as a syndicated advice columnist, I can work remotely. I used to work in D.C., but now I write in my mother’s old office in the backyard at my dad’s house. She’s been gone for some time now, so it’s just been the two of us. The mini-New England style cottage looks much the same as she left it. All her writings are still stored there on the bookcases. I’ve spent many late nights reading the journals she wrote for me, recalling her memories from when I was a child. Now, this is where I spend my workday. I typically batch columns for my editor, and that’s what I’ll be doing later this afternoon.
A.J. and I have been meeting regularly for lunch on Mondays since I moved back. We grew up next door to each other, and he’s always been like a big brother to me. The kind woman who was our neighbor for many years had adopted him when he was just a baby. When the truth came out last spring about his birth family, everyone was shocked. All of what happened in May with Grove Manor . . . I still can’t believe it. But that’s in the past, and we’ve all moved on and continue to heal. A.J. and I are tighter than ever, and I’m so happy about how things have turned out for him.
I think I’ll take Buddy, my dad’s beagle puppy, with me to Lake Crystal. He’s mischievous, but he loves to frolic around the park. It looks like it’ll be a perfect day! Lunch at beautiful Lake Crystal with my forever friend amidst the beauty of the fall foliage. What possibly could go wrong? I’ve got to go, but we’ll catch up again sometime soon! Wishing you cozy fall vibes and a Happy Halloween!
Silence Says the Most, An Olivia Penn Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: October 2022
Purchase Link
A heartwarming cozy mystery that celebrates the connections of friends and family with a Gilmore Girls vibe.
Five days before Halloween, fall turns frightful in Apple Station when a child’s drawing entangles Olivia in a murder at a park lake.
Olivia’s hometown is gearing up for its annual Halloween festival, and pumpkins, corn mazes, and autumn vibes are everywhere. All is cozy in the crisp fall air as excitement builds for the costume parade on Friday. A casual Monday lakeside picnic lunch with her forever friend, though, sets off a chain of events that catches Olivia in the wrong place at the wrong time.
When a body is discovered amid an algae bloom under mysterious circumstances, everyone points fingers, but one among them is not telling the truth. The only apparent witness to the crime is a child who doesn’t speak. Motives abound, suspects are plenty, and it’s up to Olivia to discover why the child has implicated her as the key to solving the murder.
Can Olivia unmask the killer before the endangered evidence vanishes, and she becomes the next victim?
If you like small town, cozy mysteries with heart and humor, a charming cast of characters, and a twisty plot that celebrates the connections of friends and family, you’ll love Silence Says the Most, the second book in The Olivia Penn Mystery Series.
Meet the author
Kathleen Bailey is the author of The Olivia Penn Mystery Series. She writes mysteries with heart and humor that keep to the traditional and cozy sides of crime. Kathleen has degrees in English, psychology, and physical therapy. She previously worked as a pediatric physical therapist for over twenty years with children who have special needs. She now spends her days obsessively plotting and sleuthing in Virginia where she lives with her husband and adorable feline fur baby. When she is not incognito, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and the James River Writers. Visit online at kathleenbaileyauthor.com.
All comments are welcomed.
GIVEAWAY: Kathleen has generously offered to give away one copy of Silence Says the Most. To enter, please leave a comment below. One entry per person and the giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only for print and digital is open to everyone. Giveaway ends November 28, 2022. Good luck everyone!
WOW…..what an absolutely gorgeous cover on this new book 📕! This is a new author to me, and this really sounds like an awesome, exciting cozy! Thank you so much for the chance to win Dru and Kathleen! 📚😊
Thanks so much for your kind words, Beverly! My cover designer did a fantastic job at capturing the spirit of the season and the mood of the mystery.
Beautiful cover! Sounds like a great read, looking forward to reading the book.
Deep appreciation for your enthusiasm, Dianne! Kudos goes to my wonderful cover designer for capturing the beauty of fall in Virginia.
I’m not familiar with this series but the story sounds intriguing.
I’m so glad the story piques your interest, Sharon! Thanks for checking it out!
I love books about the fall. Not familiar with this series. Sounds exciting. I love mysteries. Love the cover.
Thanks for the kind words, Linda! The series follows the story of advice columnist Olivia Penn as she goes through a transitional period in her life, partially due to a succession of murder mysteries she gets wrapped up in. The series is set in her hometown of Apple Station, Virginia (which is in the Shenandoah Valley) and is 100% cozy.
Sounds like the perfect cozy mystery for this time of year. I really love the pretty cover.
Thanks so much, Anita! I love cozies set in fall, and I had loads of fun incorporating the sights, smells, and sounds of the season in this story!
I love books about fall and Halloween, throw in a dead body and it sounds perfect.
Patricia, you’re speaking my language! Let’s team up some October and visit a haunted house!
This novel sounds captivating and interests me greatly. A real treasure to enjoy.
Thanks so much, Ellie! That makes my heart smile!
Love the cover and the story sounds really interesting! I have to find your first book to read and add this to my list!
Thanks, Lori! That’s music to my heart, and you just made my day!
This mystery is perfect and the setting so appealing.
The cover is beautiful, and the book sounds good. I’m adding it to my TBR list.
Yippee! Thanks so much, Christi! Three cheers for you!
Sending you a virtual high five, Sharon! We are simpatico!
Looking forward to reading both books in the series. I enjoy cozies in small towns. Love that lifestyle.
Thank you so much, Barbara! You’re making me smile! I love reading and writing stories about small towns with cozy vibes.
It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much Diana for checking out my book and for supporting Dru’s book musings!
I would love to read this.
You’re awesome, Karen! I would love for you to read it and then let me know what you think!
Gilmore Girl vibe? Awesome!!
So glad it sounds appealing to you, Linda! I have a feeling that are TBRs are similar!
New author and series for me, sounds good!
Thanks so much for checking out my work, Teresa! I hope we get a chance to share some time through my stories!
I love the cover of the book. I spent an amazing vacation on the banks oh the Shanendo about 5 Yeats back. I don’t know your books but will now look for them at the library.
That sounds like a wonderful vacation! I love libraries! Please do ask your library to include my books in their collection. Thanks so much for checking out my series!
This book sounds very interesting, and I love the cover!
Huzzah! Thanks so much for your kind words, Jennifer!
**** WINNER ****
Silence Says the Most is Patricia Allen
Congratulations!