Trebled Waters Playlist!🎶

Less than two months 'til release day!

Who wants a book playlist?!

Trebled Waters releases in less than two months¹, and the playlist is here!

Leigh Notrap², the amateur sleuth and main character in this cozy mystery series, is an aspiring songwriter in a fictional version of Nashville, TN. The book playlist reflects her spirit and the spirit of the story, which I think is fun and fiesty.

It’s got songs that tie to plot points³ and some that capture the general feel of the mystery. It’s got songs that inspired my love of country music⁴ and songs that aren’t country at all. It’s also got a couple general bangers.⁵

I’ve been listening pretty much non-stop, and I can tell you that this playlist holds up. It hasn’t failed to put me in a good mood (and put me in the mood to write the next book in the series, which is always a good sign!).

Enjoy the TREBLED WATERS playlist!

• Jolene by Dolly Parton

• The Heart of the Matter by Don Henley

• Like We Never Loved At All by Tim McGraw + Faith Hill

• A Place in this World by Taylor Swift

• Bar Back by Lauren Alaina

• Stilettos by Kelsea Ballerini

• right where you left me by Taylor Swift

• Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran

• Fancy Like by Walker Hayes

• Circles Around This Town by Maren Morris

• Ghost Story by Carrie Underwood

• Crazy Town by Jason Aldean

• You're So Vain by Carly Simon

• Somethin' Bad by Miranda Lambert (feat. Carrie Underwood)

• Heart Like a Truck by Lainey Wilson

• That Don't Impress Me Much by Shania Twain

• Man! I Feel Like A Woman by Shania Twain

• Any Man of Mine by Shania Twain

• Water by Brad Paisley

• Austin by Blake Shelton

• These Days by Rascal Flatts

• Save Me by Jelly Roll (feat. Laney Wilson)

• Backup Plan by Bailey Zimmerman (feat. Luke Combs)

If you lose this email and want the list for reference, it’s on a hidden page of my website now, just for newsletter subscribers! You can access it here, along with the embedded Amazon Music playlist. Happy listening!

Works in Progress: #amresting, #ambrainstorming

I finished drafting the first River Foxes Football book at the end of May⁶, and since then, I have taken this month completely off from writing. I should have taken bets to see who thought I’d actually stick to my self-imposed break! Truthfully, it’s been a really nice breather and has allowed me to be present to my family as we get our summer legs under us.

Trebled Waters is with my editor, and while I wait to get that returned to me, I’ve been letting myself daydream about the next book in the Songwriter Sleuth Mystery series. The plot is slowly clicking into place, and I’m excited about Leigh’s upcoming adventure. I realize you haven’t even read her first adventure, but I’m already plotting how we’re going to get to know her even more in the second book!

I also scribbled out a decently-comprehensive outline for the next book in my River Foxes Football series. My cover designer finished the design for book #1⁷, and as soon as I saw the cover, I couldn’t help but scheme up the next book! I can’t wait to share more about this series too!

Now the question becomes: which story do I write first? Songwriter Sleuth book #2 or River Foxes book #2. Cast your vote by replying to this email and letting me know, or leave a comment below if you’re reading on the Substack app!

If you haven’t read Exes Don’t, do it! You’ll meet the River Foxes in that one! Anton and Rose (and Cashmere Cove!) make a lot of cameos in my most recent draft!

What I’m Reading:

But He’s a Carter Brother Series by Annah Conwell: I blew through this entire four book series this month. I’ve said it before, but Annah does such a great job building out her characters that you feel like you really know them as you’re reading their stories. You can’t help but root for them because they feel real! These are cozy, sweet romances. Read if: you love a romance series that follows a close-knit family.

Make Mine Sweet by Genny Carrick: Every time I pick up a Genny Carrick book I walk away thoroughly satisfied. Her stories are so well written and so well developed on top of being a ton of fun. This one was no different. The perfect summertime read featuring a reclusive grump and his sunshine-y next door neighbor. I have a thing for duplex romances⁸ and I adored this one. I can’t wait for Wren’s book! Read if: you want a charming, strangers to friends to more summer story.

Superior Hearts: Summer by Olivia Hope McCarthy: You guys, this book was so darling! It has a purity and an innocence about it that had me grinning. The story takes place at a Christian summer camp for pre-teens, and the romance is between the camp manager and the camp nurse/counselor…cue the forced proximity and pining! I appreciated that I could comfortably hand this book to my preteen to read, as well. Read if: you want a sweet summery love story that kicks off a series set in the Midwest!

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry: Alright, I loved this one. Like I think it’s in my top three Emily Henry books…maybe top two?! I’ve got to do some re-reads. I’ve seen mixed reviews, as it’s a bit of a departure from the traditional EH book, but I absolutely ate up the historical storyline. I loved every single character. I was invested in them all. I felt like I knew them all. This book is very, very open door, so keep that in mind. I actually went in with a list of chapters that had spicy scenes and then was able to skip over them as I wanted to. It didn’t affect my comprehension or enjoyment of the story, and I actually think I was able to stay hooked on the plot itself without all the extra stuff. Read if: you want Taylor Swift’s The Last Great American Dynasty in book form.

Monthly Favorites:

To follow up the two major⁹ items of importance from last month:

Our chickens survived the heat wave we’ve seen in Wisconsin, not without some touch-and-go moments. There was some panting and mouth breathing and my daughter was convinced the whole flock was going to die. My husband was away on a fishing trip, and it was touch-and-go there for a bit, but we managed. Nick’s home now and has taken over his chicken responsibilities, thank goodness. Who would have thought I’d be so invested in these hens?

I’m baking sourdough bread like it’s going out of a style. Pearl is *thriving* in the heat, and my loafs aren’t the prettiest but they are delicious. Shout out to my cousin, who diagnosed my initial issues with a non-rising starter, and to my friend, who gave me her recipe which works like a charm. We’re also enjoying lots of discard recipes, like this blueberry muffin recipe and this chocolate chip bread recipe.

Save the Date: The Local Author Fair at the Appleton Farm Market is happening again this year, and I’ll be there along with over 20 other authors! Come say hi on August 23rd in Houdini Plaza!

The plot chickens… :)

In case you skimmed:

• Get the Trebled Waters playlist here.

• Preorder a Trebled Waters ebook and you’ll make my day.

• Hope to see you at the Local Author Fair in Appleton on August 23rd!

Thanks as always for reading and for your support. I’ll see you in your inbox again next month.

With love,

Leah

Heads up: this post includes some affiliate links. I only link to products and books I love. If you take action (i.e. make a purchase using one of the Amazon links above), I’ll earn some coffee money! :) I promise to drink it while crafting more stories for you and/or while wrangling my children! You do not pay a higher price for any of the products I’ve linked.

1. Have you preordered an ebook? It would mean so much if you did! The link is above. :)

2. Pronounced No-trap.

3. I’m not telling you which ones, though ;)

4. “Austin” by Blake Shelton and “These Days” by Rascal Flatts, in case anyone was wondering!

5. 10/10 would recommend blasting “Your So Vain” if you need a pick-me-up.

6. I’ll share the title soon, I promise. Shout out to my family for helping me name all three books in this series!

7. You. Guys. I can’t even. It might be one of my favorite covers yet. And the mock up for the whole series is just… *chef’s kiss*. You’ll see the cover first here in the next couple of months, so stay tuned!

8. Cough, Friends Don’t, Cough.

9. lol