A Death in Texas, the second annual mystery anthology from The Final Twist and L&L Dreamspell will launch on  Friday, October 10th, 5 - 8pm at Katy Budget Books. The anthology launch party will include a short panel discussion, treats and give-aways for guests, and autographs from the authors.  All are welcome at this free event.

The Final Twist is a group of authors,aspiring writers, readers, librarians, reviewers, publicists, editors and publishers from the Houston Area. We meet the first Saturday of every month except July and December. Our aims are to promote reading, support our authors, mentor aspiring authors and have a great time. Anyone is welcome to join the chapter. More information available at www.thefinaltwist.com.

I joined this group last November. I'm much more of a loner than a joiner, so wasn't sure this was a good idea. My trepidation was quickly by the warm welcome of The Final Twist members. Since then, the group's support, encouragement, and energy continue to be a source of inspiration.

At my first meeting, one member shared her experience at a recent conference, another educated the group on marketing, and an L&L Dreamspell editor spoke about the upcoming anthology --- and fast approaching deadline for submissions. I didn't believe I could write a story in the allotted time, but decided this would be a very nice holiday challenge. In the end, I fell back on old friends - the characters from the Eva Baum mystery series that I co-write with Mark Phillips. As the deadline approached and my story refushed to please me, I asked Mark to take a look. He did more than that, as he always does. We managed to put the finishing touches on just in time to submit and were quite surprised and pleased to learn the story had been accepted for inclusion in A Death in Texas.

This is the first time our work will be included in an anthology and the experience has been incredible. The publisher, L&L Dreamspell, works to help authors succeed and provides a forum for authors to aid each other - creating a wonderful on-line community. 

Stories and authors featured in this years anthology include Dead-End Job by Cornelia Amiri, The Best Man by Cash Anthony, Die Mahnung by Diana L Driver, Searching for Rachel by Laura Elvebak, Connor Creek Fog by Cherri Galbiati, Anna Rose by Betty Gordon, Pushing up Bluebonnets by Linda Houle, Men in Jeans by Pauline Baird Jones, Rumors on Rat Shack Row by Alexis Glynn Latner, Death on the Bayou by Mark and Charlotte Phillips, Guilty by Lisa Rene’ Smith, Growing up Dead by Sylvia Dickey Smith, Secret of Canyon Lake by Autumn Storm, Feels Like Home by Shirley Wetzel, Dark Pleasures by Loretta Wheeler.

I'm looking forward to meeting the other authors at the release party. I can't wait to see our final product and read all the stories.