The danger is clearly indicated with graphics. Are the words even necessary?
​At the car wash.

Encircle is excited to share with you the cover for Catherine Dilts’ second Rose Creek Mystery, The Body in the Cornfield! 

Staging the musical Oklahoma! in the historic Rose Creek amphitheater seems like a brilliant move until a feral cat leads Makenzie to a body. The tragedy threatens to halt the Hollywood production and derails Callie’s plan to evict her husband’s worthless cousin, who has no memory of his night at a cowboy bar, partying with the actors. Callie can’t get rid of him until she proves his innocence. Or guilt. Makenzie suspects half the county of murder. Shanice attempts to eliminate suspects using a mathematical formula, while lawyer Drew wonders if her new client, an understudy with a strong motivation to kill, is telling her the truth. The Rose Creek Reads Book Club tackles a new mystery with too many suspects and not enough clues. 

Praise for Book 1, THE BODY IN THE CATTAILS:
​“Dilts puts a unique spin on the cozy novel, when four savvy book club members combine [their] smarts to solve the case of The Body in the Cattails. An entertaining mystery from start to finish, I enjoyed the Oklahoma setting, great characters, and Catherine’s indelible style.”
—Donnell Ann Bell, bestselling author of Black Pearl: A Cold Case Suspense

“I was hooked early… a page-turner. The Body in the Cattails was utterly charming. I’m already looking forward to visiting these women again in the next book in the series. Five Stars.”
—Mark Baker, Carstairs Considers

The Body in the Cornfield by Catherine Dilts (@diltscathy) will be published by @encirclepublications on November 15, 2023—stay tuned for more details!

Cover design by @deirdre.wait

#CoverReveal #NewMystery #CozyMystery #MysterySeries #RoseCreekMystery #CoverDesign #CozyMysteryCover #EncirclePublications 

Pre-order links:

• Amazon / Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Cornfield-Rose-Creek-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CL2QH85X/ 
• Amazon / Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Cornfield-Rose-Creek-Mystery/dp/1645994988/ 
  
• ​Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144221596?ean=9781645994985 
• Encircle / Paperback: https://encirclepub.com/product/the-body-in-the-cornfield/
  

The Body in the Cornfield will be released November 15, 2023. Here is a sneak peek of the beautiful cover for Book Two in the Rose Creek Mystery series.

Ultra events are increasing in popularity. Humans like to push the boundaries of physical endurance. 24 Hours of Palmer Lake can be a low pressure event. Walkers and runners circle the 0.82 mile loop around Palmer Lake for as many times as they can.

Four runners this year achieved 100 miles. That takes mental and physical toughness of a high level. Others ran marathons, 50 miles, 75, and other impressive distances.

The most frequent response my family received when we said we'd signed up for the event was variations on, "that sounds crazy." It makes perfect sense to me. I went as far as I could, considering the limited training I had done. I managed 15.58 miles. More than a half marathon.

In typical ultra events, runners may spend many miles between aid stations. If you don't make it to a station within a certain time limit, you receive a DNF - Did Not Finish. At 24 Hours of Palmer Lake, you were never more than 0.82 miles from the aid station, the porta-potty, or your own comfy camp chair. 

With various ailments plaguing the three of us, we bailed at 8 hours. But we ended the event with smiles. Race Director Lance congratulated us. We felt no shame in being among the low mileage participants. We had a blast. ​

At this time of year, some folks drive to the mountains to see the aspens turning gold. A couple weeks ago, we drove to Pueblo, Colorado, to buy fresh roasted chilies. Both are traditions in this region.

Who needs a dozen pounds of chili peppers? We do! They are a staple in Colorado cooking. My husband's cousin Dave took us to his favorite chili stands.

We picked the heat we wanted, the quantity, and watched them being roasted.

That's important. Chili peppers must have their skins burnt before they achieve proper chili-ness. You peel off the skin, remove the seeds, and they're ready to use. Or freeze. We have an entire year's worth of chilis in our freezer. Next fall, we'll make the trip again to chili-land.

The produce stands are quite impressive. You can purchase all manner of local fruits and vegetables. The Pueblo area is farming country.

​My husband and I enjoy spicy food. His father grew up east of Pueblo, and was a fan of pinto beans with jalapenos. We will use all our chilies before it's time to replenish them next year around this time.