September 2014, Newsletter

Greetings all: Summer is nearly over and kids are going back to school. I'm trying to catch up. But that's not too unusual. I have had a crazy summer. It started with major surgery at the end of June. Happy to report I'm almost back to normal, at least in the health department. And do I have some great news. News on the Helen Bradley Front As many of you know, I recently wrote and published the prequel to my Helen Bradley Mysteries because I didn't have access to book one, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.  Well... I am thrilled to report that I now have the rights back and have revised and updated the book and released it on Kindle as an e-book. I am more than delighted to now have the complete series on Amazon. To buy a copy simply click here.  Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep takes place in Portland and in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. Helen Bradley, ex-cop, grandmother and travel writer, learns that a prominent gerontologist has been murdered. When the doctor's widow also dies, Helen checks herself into a convalescent home to discover the truth surrounding the mysterious deaths. Edgewood Manor is the perfect place for Helen to recover from a gunshot wound and do a little detective work. Good plan, as long as she doesn't die in her sleep. The prequel, Death of Arrival,  is still available for $.99 and the other books in the series are only $3.99 each. More Exciting News! A number of years ago, I wrote the popular mystery series for kids, The Jennie McGrady Mysteries. The series sold recently to Blackstone, who is bringing out the entire series as audio books and e-books. To Learn more, click here. I'm especially excited about this because today these award winning books are reaching a whole new audience of young people. Three of the books are already out and available online. The series is being revised and updated for today's teens and pre-teens. Silent Witness was selected as a finalist in Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allen Poe Award and was named Winner of the Silver Angel for Excellence in Media. Pursued takes place in Portland, OR and is about a rose Festival princess who is being stalked. Jennie, of course, is hot on the trail.   I'm thrilled with the covers and quality of the audio books. I'm already getting fan letters and rave reviews. Check them out on Amazon or your favorite online stores. Family News... I'll be traveling to the frigid mid-west again this winter. My grandson Jonathan and his fiance A.J. will be getting married on Dec. 20. It's only one day before my wedding anniversary. On Dec. 21st, my husband and I will be celebrating 51 years. I'm hoping for a cruise.   On a Sad Note My daughter, Caryl and her husband, Ben Lester, run Stable Days Youth Ranch where they rescue horses and Mentor kids. Sadly, Merida, one of their rescued horses died this summer. While she received excellent love and care once she was at the ranch, she couldn't recover from the abuse she suffered prior to the rescue.   The Big Move My granddaughter Kyrstin will be moving to Chile in about a week. She and James plan to work and live there and they are thrilled. Me? I have mixed feelings, but I remind myself that they are young and carefree and adventurous. And, it gives us reason to visit there. As for my adventures, now that I am back to being my creative self, I hope to return to work on my newest mystery novel,Deadly Deception. As always thanks for your prayers and support. Blessings to all. Pat  www.patriciarushfordbooks.com

Silent But Not All That Quiet

Reappearing...

My last post was about turning seventy.  Then I sort of disappeared.  I didn't go quietly into that long goodnight called winter. Nor did I lament my age. Instead, after spending Christmas in the frigid Red River Valley with my daughter and her family, I went into production mode. I made a number of quilts, knitted several shawls, and most importantly, I wrote a novella--a short 85 page mystery.  And it is now up and available on Kindle.

Death on Arrival ...

is the new number one Helen Bradley Mystery.  As many of you know, I have not been able to obtain the rights to my first book in this series (Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep) and thus cannot offer it as an e-book. It's been a frustration, because the first book introduces the series. Consequently, I decided to write a prequel. The new Helen book takes place prior to Red Sky in Mourning, A Haunting Refrain and When Shadows Fall, which are available on Kindle.


Helen returns to her beach home on the Oregon coast after a month-long honeymoon in Europe to find her door ajar, her house ransacked, and the body of her house-sitter in the back yard. Hardly a proper homecoming, but semi-retired cop, Helen Bradley, is determined to put her house in order and find the killer at all costs.

I had fun revisiting Helen and all of her haunts and hope you will too.  I enjoyed reacquainting myself with Helen's best friend Rosie, owner of  Pastimes, my favorite coffee shop/book store, and Joe Adams, the handsome young sheriff who actually respects Helen's investigative skills and isn't afraid to ask her for assistance.

Of course, while writing I wished I could have been living in Helen's lovely Cape Cod home at the beach near Lincoln City.  One of the perks of being a writer is living vicariously through your characters. 

I hope you pick up a copy of Helen's new book. As for me, I need to finish my newsletter and blog and get back to my next book, Deadly Deception. Wish me luck.

Blessings, Pat