For an author, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting a good review or an acceptance letter for a new work. Kate Fellowes, author of ‘A Currency of Wishes’ in Moonlight & Misadventure, takes that good feeling one step further, celebrating every publication credit with a reward: a new charm for her (now third) charm bracelet. I’ll share the beginning of her story at the end of this post, but first, here’s Kate:

Thanks, Judy, for letting me drop by the blog today to talk about writing.  If there is one thing I love more than reading and writing, it’s talking about them.

My entry in Moonlight and Misadventure is called ‘A Currency of Wishes.’  It’s my take on a crime-in-plain-sight story. I have always loved that sort of thing, like in the movie Charade or the famous short story by Edgar Allan Poe, ‘The Purloined Letter.’ The answer to the riddle is hidden in an obvious place, where an astute observer could have easily seen it—but does not, at first.

For quite a while now, I have celebrated each of my new publications, be it a short story or an essay or a novel, by adding a charm to my bracelet. I pick something specifically related to the piece and, I must say, the idea of finding new charms has become an inspiration to write. I’ve just begun Bracelet #3, adding a coin to mark this story. It’s British, sterling, featuring King George V and dated 1935. That’s the year my mom was born. Since she was always my biggest fan and most enthusiastic cheerleader, recognizing I was a writer even before I did, it’s fitting to honor her on my bracelet once again. (Earlier bracelets have charms commemorating my essays about her which have appeared in several Chicken Soup books and a few periodicals, too.)

The next charm I intend to add to each of my bracelets will be an engraved one. It will say merely “Reward!” and list my contact information. These jangling, dazzling bits of jewelry are precious to me, as you can imagine, and if the clasp ever broke on one, I hope I would notice that my arm was suddenly noticeably lighter (all these charms get heavy!) and I hope I would miss the dancing sound they make, too. But, you never know.

Just as Mallory Vogel, my character in Moonlight and Misadventure, never knows, as she tosses coins into a fountain every day, if or when her wish will come true. Watching her coin fall into the water, she pays for the price of her dream with “the currency of wishes.”

Kate Fellowes is the author of six mysteries, most recently A Menacing Brew. Her short stories and essays have appeared in several anthologies, as well as Victoria, Woman’s World, Brides, Romantic Homes, and other periodicals. In 2020, she won the San Diego Public Library’s Matchbook Short Story contest. A founding member of the Wisconsin Chapter of Sisters in Crime, her working life has revolved around words—editor of the student newspaper, reporter for the local press, cataloger in her hometown library. A graduate of Alverno College in Milwaukee, she shares her home with a variety of companion animals. Find her at http://katefellowes.wordpress.com.

And now, the opening to ‘A Currency of Wishes’:

Josh O’Leary shook his head.

“I don’t want to hear this, Uncle Kenny,” he said, scrubbing one hand over his face.

The older man, sitting across the booth from him, leaned forward. “Just hear me out,” he said, his voice low. “I’ve got a foolproof plan.”

“But your last foolproof plan got you ten years, didn’t it?” Josh sat back, distancing himself from the ex-con. “I’m not going to jail. Ever.”

“Hey, I was betrayed that time. My partner let me down. That won’t happen this time. We’re family.”

Moonlight & Misadventure is now available for pre-order in e-book and trade paperback. Release date is June 18th.

Click here to find it at your favorite retailer.