Bee-ware! Swarm!

June News

Greetings!

It’s June! How can that be? As June deepens and we reach the summer equinox, sunrise here at the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula will be around 5: 10 am Pacific Daylight Time, and sunset will be around 9:15 pm. This is roughly sixteen hours of daylight, a good seven hours and forty-five minutes longer than our daylight hours in December.

Why does this matter? I think it’s because it never fails to astonish me how long the days feel during the summer as opposed to daylight hours in Colorado, where I spent most of my life. Here in the north, we have almost a full hour of sunlight longer in a day during the summer; but in the winter, days are almost a full hour shorter than in Colorado. This greater shift from winter to summer surprises my biological clock every year. I think I feel it most during the summer, while my husband, Charlie, feels the dark days of winter most. I don’t think either of us would do well living in Alaska.

As the days lengthen, beehives become more active, and Charlie did catch a swarm again this year. This swarm landed in the tree just beyond our fence, and Charlie lured it into this trap by spraying a lemongrass scented bee attractant into the box. The queen of the swarm moves in first and then the rest march in to join her. Hundreds of workers stop at the opening at the bottom of the box and fan her scent outward to let the rest of the colony know that she’s inside. From there, Charlie transferred them into a hive where they’ve settled down to do their bee business for the summer.

I’m continuing to write the twelfth book in the Timber Creek K-9 series and have almost reached the halfway point. My deadline is October 1, so I’m staying close to the keyboard this summer.

BOOK NEWS

I’m thrilled to tell you that DYING CRY won gold at the IBPA book awards. Charlie and I were able to attend the ceremony in Portland, OR, and we had so much fun. The “care card” that was inserted into the box that came with this award said to treat it like a work of art. And I will! Huge thanks to my publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and my agent, Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management, for making this award possible.

The GATHERING MIST ebook is an Amazon Kindle Monthly Deal and priced at $2.99 during the month of June! Ebooks can also be give as gifts.

EVENTS

I’m thrilled that Bookmasters, a Toastmasters book club, selected DYING CRY to read, and they’ve invited me to join their discussion via Zoom on June 28 at 4:30 pm Central Time. Guests are welcome, so if you’re interested in joining us, please contact Joyce Trimble at D25Bookmasters@gmail.com for a link.

I’m excited to participate in the launch of fabulous K-9 author Kathleen Donnelly’s next book, titled DEADLY REVENGE, the fifth episode in her National Forest K-9 series. Please join us in Fort Collins on July 28 for this fun event.

Planning events for the book launch of FIGHTING EDGE is underway, and they will be added to the event page on my website as they are scheduled. More to come later.

GIVEAWAY

Last month’s books in the giveaway went to Donna S., Susan B., and Lynda P. Thank you to everyone participating in this random drawing. This month, let’s celebrate the IBPA book award by giving away two signed, hardcover copies of DYING CRY. To enter, click on Reply and send me an email that says: Enter Giveaway.

SinC COLORADO HIGH CRIMES CHAPTER BOOK CLUB

If you love reading crime fiction books and then discussing them with their authors, this book club is for you! Fellow mystery author Rita A Popp and I coordinate this book club that meets the third Wednesday each month via Zoom at 10:00 MT. Everyone is welcome! You don’t have to be a chapter member to join in the fun. Read the book, request a link by filling out the form on the chapter website here, and come join us!

BOOK CLUB APPEARANCES

I would be happy to visit your book club or library via Zoom to discuss the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. (No speaker fee, of course!) If you’re interested, please contact me at hello@margaretmizushima.com.

DOGGIE GALLERY

Here’s a picture of a dog in front of a dogwood. That’s our Bertie by the flowering dogwood tree in our front yard.

Here is my granddog Sunny and his brother from another mother Jackson. Jackson got to stay over for the weekend while his family was out of town. What fun!

That’s all the the news for now, although I’ll be sending a couple other announcements about book discounts later in the month. I’ll also circle back in July with more book news and photos. Until then, have a great June!

All the best,

Margaret