Four authors. Four stories. One Town. And a whole lot of trouble . . .

How did the Trouble in Tumbleweed collaboration come to be? From a desire to connect and create. A writer’s work is solitary, even lonely at times. The pandemic exacerbated this sense of isolation, just as it did for many others who found themselves working from home without a water cooler to gather around and chat. To feel connected and enjoy some camaraderie, many authors join writers’ organizations. During the peak of the pandemic, Diane and Lawrence (“Larry”) served together on the board of a crime writers’ group. Larry invited a colleague to speak to the group on the subject of collaborations. After hearing the presentation, Diane was fascinated by the concept. In the meantime, Melissa came across some information about other fun writer collaborations and shared it with Diane. A seed was planted and began to grow . . . This could be a cool opportunity to create something fun together! And, of course, fun meant our friend Christie Craig had to be involved. She’s not just fun, she’s funny too!

The group met via Zoom to hash things out. Some initial ideas were considered and thrown out, such as beginning and ending each story with the same sentences. After much pondering and discussion, the group decided to center the stories around a small town in the remote desert of West Texas, and to name that town Tumbleweed, a fitting moniker for a place where things would go topsy-turvy.

The Tumbleweed authors hope you’ll enjoy spending time in this wild West Texas town.

A Trouble In Tumbleweed Mystery Novellas
Genre: Cozy
Release: August 2022

This small west Texas town might sit in the remote desert, but it can’t hide from trouble. Someone’s always trying to kill someone else for one darn reason or another, and things get as tangled and twisted as a tumbleweed. The Trouble in Tumbleweed series is an entertaining and interrelated collection of mystery novellas from authors Melissa Bourbon, Christie Craig, Diane Kelly, and Lawrence Kelter.

The Trouble in Tumbleweed series includes the following novellas, which can be read in any order:

The Trouble With Hope And Glory by Melissa Bourbon
Hope and Glory McIntyre are as different as sisters can be. Glory is the quintessential Texas beauty queen, while Hope wants nothing more than to dismantle Tumbleweed’s beauty queen scene with the mighty stroke of her journalist pen. Glory’s dreams of becoming Mrs. Tumbleweed might be over when her rival is found dead, and while they might be as different as water and Texas oil, Hope won’t rest until she clears sister of wrongdoing and gets to the truth.  Purchase Link

The Trouble With Exes by Christie Craig
Everything happens for a reason, but sometimes that reason is that you’re daft and make dumb decisions. When it comes to men, Cassie McGee is a champion at picking losers. Hence, Cassie is in Tumbleweed, Texas, hiding from an abusive ex-husband. Life gets hairy when an ex-boyfriend, now a private detective, learns Cassie is in danger. He and his flatulent, dishonorably-discharged K-9 show up to play knight in shining armor. Ahh, but Cassie’s done being a damsel in distress.

On the scumbag Richter scale, Pierce Jacobs doesn’t compare to Cassie’s ex-husband, but his mistake sure managed to hurt her. When it becomes clear someone in Tumbleweed is conspiring with her scoundrel ex-husband, Pierce is determined to smoke out the culprit. Between setting smoke bombs, dodging bullets, and investigating wacky Tumbleweeders, can he keep them alive long enough to convince Cassie he deserves a second chance?  Purchase Link

The Trouble With Digging Too Deep by Diane Kelly
CPA Debra Ott finds herself suddenly single after catching her dentist husband “drilling” a patient. Good thing she’s too busy with her audit of Tumbleweed Pawn & Pistols to dwell on her heartbreak. When an elusive gun supplier fails to confirm his account, Deb has to dig for information and answers. But the more she digs, the more danger comes her way. Could digging too deep mean she’s digging her own grave?  Purchase Link

The Trouble With The Tumbleweed Twister by Lawrence Kelter
Tough times have put the squeeze on auto mechanic Smoky Rolle. Forced with losing his home, Smoky accepts an easy money side job from his cousin Travis. What should’ve been a quick fix goes sideways when Travis is abducted at gunpoint leaving Smoky to wonder if Tumbleweed is the sleepy little West Texas town he believed it to be or if something nefarious is bubbling beneath the surface. Secrets lead to lies and lies to larceny in this pulse-pounding smalltown mystery. Purchase Link

About the featured authors
Melissa Bourbon is the author of the Book Magic Mysteries, a traditional mystery series, the Lola Cruz Mysteries, which are PI capers, and two cozy series: A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series and the Bread Shop Mystery Series, written as Winnie Archer. She lives in North Carolina with her educator husband. Her dogs, Bean, Dobby, and Pippin keep her company while she writes.

Christie Craig, A.K.A. C.C. Hunter, a New York Times Bestseller, is an Alabama native, a multi-published writer, motivational speaker, and writing teacher. She currently hangs her hat in Texas and, when she’s not writing her romantic suspense novels or her humorous romantic suspense novels, she’s working on her heart-tugging young adult novels. A lover of good wine, good books and long walks with her dog, Lady, she considers herself extremely lucky to make a living doing what she loves.

Diane Kelly is the award-winning author of the Death & Taxes white-collar crime series, the Paw Enforcement K-9 series, the House Flipper cozy mystery series, the Busted female motorcycle cop series, the Southern Homebrew moonshine series, and the Mountain Lodge Mysteries. She shares her home in North Carolina with three dogs, four cats, and a very patient husband.

Lawrence Kelter is originally from New York but now calls North Carolina home. He’s the bestselling author of more than thirty mystery and thriller novels, including the Stephanie Chalice Mystery Series that topped bestseller lists worldwide. In 2017, he penned Back to Brooklyn, the authorized sequel to the cult comedy classic “My Cousin Vinny.” Early in his career, Lawrence received direction from literary icon Nelson DeMille, who said “Lawrence Kelter is an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum.”

To learn more about the Trouble in Tumbleweed books, visit the author websites at:
melissabourbon.com   christie-craig.com   dianekelly.com   lawrencekelter.com   

All comments are welcomed.