Here's a copy of my spring newsletter. If anyone would like to be put on my mailing list, please let me know.

Spring is coming folks, no matter that it's snowing outside my window just now. The tulips are a couple inches high, a few bright yellow crocus are blooming, and the nurseries say they'll have seed spuds in next week. Yay! I'm a little later than planned with this newsletter because in late January I had to buy a new computer. Between Best Buy and my husband, I was persuaded to go Mac, this time. Oh, yeah. It's got some very nice features. Got some weird ones, too. For instance, I have a terrible time updating my website, and I can no longer connect to my AOL chat groups. Oh, woe is me. I have been so fortunate as to acquire three books in the last week. 1) Pecos Valley Revival, by Alice Duncan. 2) Strong at the Break, by Jon Land 3) Got No Friend Anyhow, by Peggy Ehrhart All three look great and I can't wait to get to them. I've got a batch to review for Roundup Magazine first. We've recently learned my husband has diabetes, type 2. Getting that man out to walk is impossible, and the diet thing is hard,too. Anybody have good ideas on how to manage that? Meanwhile, I have low blood sugar. Hmm. And never the twain shall meet. Santa Gary did bring me a Kindle for Christmas and I'm loving it. When I'm having a low vision day, I can touch a little button and hey, presto! the font increases in size. Consequently, I bundled three of my out of print western short stories into one file and published it as a Kindle book. Only 99 cents, if anyone would like to give it a try. If you type in my name on Amazon.com, my books come up. In a few days, since they're still processing the file, you'll find it there under the title, THREE STORIES OF THE NORTHWEST. Bad news, for anyone who knows me. My little writing buddy, Lily, had to be put to sleep on February 7th. Our house is lonely without her, even with the three dogs, but she just couldn't overcome the hyper-thyroidism and wasted away. She lived 16 years, 7 months, and 9 days, bless her heart. Sometimes it's hard to type, I'm so used to bowing my arms around her as we sat at the keyboard. My friend B.J. Campbell and I are taking the plunge yet again and corroborating on a booth at the Central Valley H.S. Spring Craft show taking place this weekend. Here's the scoop: CK & BJ's Story Shop, presented at Central Valley Spring Craft Sale, features FREE RESOURCES FOR WRITERS of Fiction & Non-fiction. CK Crigger brings her western suspense novel, One Foot on the Edge, for signing. BJ Campbell signs her Non-fiction, North Idaho outdoorsman adventure,CLOSE CALLS: The True Tales of Cougar Bob. In the Story Shop, both authors offer Free Critique of 1-page double-spaced manuscript. Writers, come in and Talk Shop. March 12 (9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.); March 13 (9:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M.), 821 S Sullivan Rd, Spokane Valley, WA. I hope some of you might come visit our booth (#66) and find some bargains at the other craft booths as well. It should be fun. Meanwhile, I do have a little more writing news. One of my short stories will be in Dark City Books 2011 anthology titled, SPOKANE IS STILL DEADER THAN DEAD. Due out in April, my story is "The Whereabout of Miss Nellie Thistlewaite." Also, TWO FEET BELOW, the second book in my China Bohannon series, has gone to print. I'm not just sure when it'll be released, but should be soon. Here's the back cover blurb. This one features a character from my first western, Liar's Trail. Sawyer and Gincy Kennett, long married now, have need of a good detective or three and the Doyle & Howe agency answers the call. And of course, Nimble, the Bedlington terrier, makes an appearance. Smart and sassy 1890s bookkeeper turned sleuth China Bohannon is a magnet for danger. Assigned to office duties in the Doyle & Howe detective agency, she lands smack in the middle of the detective’s latest murder case when a suspicious character tries to bribe her—and she takes the bribe! In an adventure that is destined to go downhill from there, China is thrown overboard from a steamboat into Coeur d’Alene Lake to drown. Escaping that, she’s arrested on charges of prostitution in the wild mining town of Wallace, Idaho. Worse, her handsome boss, Gratton Doyle, doesn’t see eye-to-eye with her when it comes to determining the leading suspect. Proving her point takes getting shot when, bloodied though unbowed, China wins a fight more suited to skid road loggers than a proper Victorian lady. Cover picture is below. Guess that's it for now. Hope to see some of you at the craft show this weekend. Carol www.ckcrigger.com