Where I’m from in Eastern North Carolina, the barbecue sauce runs sour and vinegary, complimenting the sweet fat of spiced, smoky pork.

For the longest time, my life seemed sweet, too. I even married my college sweetheart, Allan Swinson, who also became my business partner. The two of us made a killing in Raleigh developing property into high-end apartments and townhomes.

But after 20 years of marriage, things turned totally sour. Allan left me for a woman close to half his age. It shouldn’t have been a surprise given the way he’d grown distant over the years, but it still hurt.

Though Allan was the one who cheated, our daughter blamed me. Stephanie may be in college now, but she’s still a Daddy’s Girl. What’s worse, she has become besties with The Other Woman, KayLeigh Rider, an up-and-coming real-estate agent who isn’t even that much older than her. Now she and this little witch actually trade beauty tips.

So is it any wonder that I drink too much wine? It has felt all too easy just to sleep late, throw something in the slow cooker, crawl back into bed. . .

. . .until a couple of weeks ago, when I got a knock on my door from Lydia Schmidt, my crabby neighbor from the Midwest, asking for a ride to her quilting club. Little did I know that the Qrazy Qwilters meet in a recycling center for artists called Needless Necessities, home to enough quirky characters and critters to make your head spin.

The founder of the center, Sally “Not the Actress” Field, muscled me into volunteering in the paints section—even though I made it quite clear that I’m not interested in taking up my old pastime. I’m not confident I could do it after all these years—and I certainly don’t feel inspired.

And who can even think about old hobbies at all after someone stabs your neighbor in the back . . . on her porch . . . in broad daylight . . . on Halloween?

Lydia’s son, Darryl Schmidt, happens to be a homicide detective for the Raleigh Police Department, but he left this neighborhood a while ago and doesn’t know everyone who lives here now. Even more important, he’s not privy to what happened a few weeks ago to rile up the deceased and put almost everyone on the block on her shit list.

I was never close to Wanda Hightower, but I certainly didn’t hate her. I suppose someone did. If not that, maybe they feared her, for what she might tell. . .

I don’t feel much good for anyone these days, but if I could help Darryl identify Wanda’s killer, I might feel a little better about myself. Maybe I’d even drum up the courage to face KayLeigh at the company anniversary party Allan and Stephanie are pressuring me to attend.

My bathroom mirror says: Courage wasn’t made for frumpy, forty-something women like you.

The mirror can suck it.

I’m Rett Swinson, and I’m ready to show my spice!

Soft Hearts, A Rett Swinson Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: 2021
Purchase Link

A Halloween Murder, a Dragon Suspect-and a Neighborhood Secret.

Harriett “Rett” Swinson is trying to rebuild her life after a failed marriage when a group of Halloween trick-or-treaters discovers her neighbor, retired English professor and poet Wanda Hightower, dead on her porch, stabbed in the back and through the heart. Was her killer a random psychopath in search of blood on All Hallow’s Eve-or one of the neighbors who helped with her lawn’s makeover gone wrong? Wanda claimed to have dirt on nearly everyone in their Downtown Raleigh neighborhood, so the list of suspects is long.

Finding the killer will require Rett to reconstruct Wanda’s turbulent past while weighing her growing attraction for Homicide Detective Darryl Schmidt against a desperate need for independence-and a growing feeling that an innocent man is being singled out by the police for the murder.

The first installment in the Rett Swinson Mystery Series, Soft Hearts explores how the fragile vulnerability of human beings can become their greatest strength.

Meet the Author
Eric Lodin is the author of Soft Hearts: A Rett Swinson Mystery, which will be released on May 22, 2021. Lodin lives in North Carolina where he enjoys hikes in the woods, backyard football, and spending time with family. You can follow Eric Lodin Mystery Author on Facebook.

All comments are welcomed.