June Excitement

Thanks for joining in

Author

Saralyn Richard
June 01, 2025

Whew! May was a whirlwind with big book events for Mrs. Oliver’s Twist, an author takeover for A Palette for Love and Murder, and an extraordinary book club discussion (and reenactment of John E’s birthday party) for Murder in the One Percent. Thank you so much to everyone who participated—with your presence, your reviews, your social media posts, or your constant encouragement. Because of you, this author journey is nothing short of spectacular!

June, despite ushering in the dreaded hurricane season, brings even more opportunities for good things, and here’s the first—

Just in time for beach reading, enter to Win the Stiletto Gang’s Summer Book Bonanza Giveaway! The Stiletto Gang is a group of noteworthy mystery authors, who blog once a month about interesting topics. I haven’t read all these books, but I’ve read some, and from the blogs, I know the authors have books worth reading. Maybe one of us will be your next favorite author.

WHEN: June 1 - 30, 2025 WINNERS ANNOUNCED: July 

HOW TO ENTER: Sign up for the Stiletto Gang newsletter and be entered to receive a Book Bonanza!

Grand Prize Winner receives... 8 E-BOOKS

  • Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun

  • Night of the Living Bread

  • With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying

  • An Unseen Current

  • The Hanged Man's Noose

  • Murder in the One Percent

  • Black Pearl: A Cold Case Suspense

  • Bind

Runners up will receive 3 e-books and may select from the list above.

S U R V E Y T I M E: A U D I O B O O K S

I’m often asked if any of my books have been made into audiobooks, and while the answer is no, I’ve begun researching the audiobook industry and gathering information. I trust you in giving me the information I need to go forward, so, if you are willing, please copy this survey and paste it into a return email with your answers. I appreciate your input so much.

1. Do you listen to audiobooks? 

· Yes

· No

2. Do you ever listen to an audiobook of a book you've already read? 

· Yes

· No

3. Where do you purchase your audiobooks? 

· Audible

· Chirp

· Other (please specify)

4. Which of the following would motivate you MOST to purchase an audiobook? 

· An author I love

· A narrator I love

· A genre I enjoy

· A book I loved reading and now want to experience a different way

5. What would you consider a fair price for an audiobook? ______________

6. Would it matter to you whether the audiobook was made available long after the book was published? 

· Yes

· No

7. Which series would you prefer to hear in audiobook format, Detective Parrott or Quinn McFarland? ________________________________________________

8. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me about audiobooks? _________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

On another topic, your response to Mrs. Oliver’s Twist has been so gratifying. Thank you, thank you for purchasing, reading, and recommending it to your friends. If you haven’t yet rated and reviewed it, please consider doing so, using one or more of the following links:

Once a book receives 50 and then 100 reviews on Amazon, magical things happen with the algorithm, so the reviews are critical in achieving visibility. This helps authors, but also other readers who might be shopping for this kind of book.

This week the Palisades Palms Book Club hosted a reenactment of John E.’s birthday party from Murder in the One Percent, and they invited me to speak. I can’t adequately describe how much fun it was to walk into my book and celebrate it with enthusiastic readers. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea.

 

In the coming week I’ll meet with the Evia Book Club to discuss Mrs. Oliver’s Twist. I can’t wait to hear their thoughts, as well.

If your book club chooses to read one of my books, invite me to the discussion. Whether in-person or by Zoom or FaceTime, I can promise you an interesting and fun exchange.

I’ve been on a keto diet for the past nine months, and I’ve discovered some recipes that are low-carb, high nutrition, and easy-to-prepare. Here’s one of my favorites, summer squash lasagna.

Summer squash lasagna, looks and tastes similar to traditional lasagna, but much healthier! Make with either zucchini or yellow squash that is thinly sliced lengthwise with either a mandoline slicer or a knife. I use the slicer in my food processor to get even thin slices.

Ingredients

  • 2 large zucchini or yellow squash

  • 1 lb ground turkey, chicken or beef (16 oz)

  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (1 oz)

  • 15 oz container ricotta cheese

  • 1 cup tomato sauce (8 oz)

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F (200 C)

2. Cook ground turkey, chicken or beef in a large pan on the stove over medium heat, until no longer pink (approximately 5-7 minutes).

3. While the turkey is cooking, prepare the squash.

4. Place one layer of squash on the bottom of a baking dish.

5. In a bowl, mix ricotta cheese with 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and the garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt. The sauce will help to make the ricotta a bit more liquid, so it can be more easily spread out on top of the zucchini.

6. Add approximately 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the zucchini in the dish. Using a spoon, spread out mixture evenly.

7. Add approximately 1/4 of the remaining tomato sauce, 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the cooked meat.

8. Repeat process to form three layers.

9. On top of the third layer, add remaining ingredients and top with Parmesan cheese.

10. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until you can easily slide a fork into the zucchini without much resistance.

11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for several minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Meanwhile, happy Flag Day, Father’s Day, Juneteenth, and summer! Thank you for all your support!

Much love,

Saralyn