Hey y'all,

After last month's newsletter, many of you reached out to offer your support for both our current family situation and my decision to postpone the release of Trouble's Turn to Lose (forthcoming). I am so touched and grateful for your kind words, well wishes, and prayers for my son, Brandon, and our entire family. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. 

I am thrilled to have much happier and exciting things to share this month, including the official cover of Trouble's Turn to Lose (forthcoming), which I sincerely hope you love as much as I do. When I say I am positively giddy to get this book into your hands later this year, I mean it! And I hope after you've taken a good look at the cover, you'll be just as excited as I am.

In addition to finalizing this cover design and working as diligently as I can on the manuscript, I'm also preparing to relaunch Lowcountry Boneyard in its second edition. You may recall from my last relaunch, Lowcountry Bombshell, that each book gets a new cover and a few light edits before it goes back on sale through Stella Maris Books, LLC, and I'm deep in the throes of that work now too. 

Next week in The Lowcountry Book Club, the Two Southern Susans are chatting with friend and fellow author Karin Gillespie about February's Book of the Month, The Pitch Queen. I cannot wait to discuss this book with y'all in the comments, so be sure to join us or stop by as soon as you can to watch and join in the fun. The video will be posted in the group and on YouTube Thursday, February 27 at 10:00 a.m.  There's no set time for the discussion--it's at your convenience, anytime after the video goes live.

Finally, for my foodie friends, I have a new recipe for you to try!

Y'all... I had somewhat of an emergency over the holidays. On Christmas Eve, we always have chicken and dumplings. Even before my mother got sick, she had ceded the dumpling-making to me, so I've been doing it for a while.

My dad has been on a salt-restricted diet for many years, but Mom's policy on that was we didn't worry too much about holiday meals. She and his doctors had a system, and it was working. Who was I to question it?

My baby sister (by ten years) is now in charge of all of us, and if you don't believe that, just ask her. HER policy is that we don't add salt to anything Dad will eat, ever. And she watches me in the kitchen like a hawk. Deep heartfelt sigh.

This created a Christmas crisis because I previously used Costco rotisserie chicken in my chicken and dumplings to save time on Christmas Eve, and store-bought rotisserie chicken is notoriously high in sodium and apparently contains nitrates and other things you might think twice about giving your 82-year-old father who has all manner of health issues.

I said to my sister, "I don't know what to do. I've never cooked an old hen from scratch like Mom and Momma used to do. (And I was NOT eager to give that a go on Christmas Eve.)"

She got a pouty face when she thought I might not make dumplings, and seemed to imply I was being lazy and should just pluck a hen and get busy. So I had to think quick. I came up with the idea of poaching the chicken, something which, for some reason, I had never done before. Y'all--this was a revelation. I now poach chicken for any recipe I need cooked chicken for. And it tastes way better than any cooked chicken I've ever made before in my life.

Now... when you read this recipe, you may say to yourself, that has an awful lot of salt.

Please use the salt--it's important if you don't want dry, bland chicken. The chicken does not absorb all that salt, I promise. And yes, I did cut back on it when I made it for my dad, but I have made it several times now, and unless someone in your household has a sodium issue, you'll want to use all the salt. It really does make a difference. 

If you test it out in your own kitchen, please let me know what you think!

Trouble's Turn to Lose (forthcoming)
Illustration: Marina Kaya, Qamber Designs 
Cover Design: Elizabeth Mackey

Join South Carolina sleuth Hadley Cooper on a thrilling Lowcountry adventure as
she tackles her next case with her quirky brand of wit, a whole lot of gumption,
and a little help from her girlfriends.

Don't forget that signed print copies, plus digital formats are available when you shop the Stella Maris Books, LLC store!
 

For my South Carolinian friends (and anyone near the upstate, really), please join us at As The Page Turns bookshop in Travelers Rest for an interactive cozy mystery experience on Cozy Mystery Day, Saturday, March 22, 2025!
 

The latest news from The Lowcountry Book Club!

Ileen Carter and Cathy Oswalt were January's Door Prize Winners in The Lowcountry Book!

Door prize winners receive their choice of any one of The Lowcountry Book Club's 2025 Books of the Month! 

How does one enter this fabulous contest, you ask?

1. Be a member of the Lowcountry Book Club on Facebook.

2. Be a subscriber to my newsletter. If you're reading this, you're subscribed!

3. Join in the discussion by:

• posting your review, or informal thoughts, or questions for the author (if there's an interview scheduled) in the group during the month - OR -

• commenting on someone else's post or the author interview post (if one is scheduled) during the month.

The door prize drawing will take place on the last day of the month. Prizes must be claimed within one week.

Susan's Poached Chicken

Laurie Herlich is January's Newsletter Giveaway winner!

As always, thank you all for reading my newsletters, hanging out with me on social media, reading and sharing my books, and tagging me in all your lovely photos and reviews! I hope you know how much joy you all bring to my life.

To order your copy of any of my books, click the button below to see  a selection of retailers on my website. All books are available in print, eBook, and audio formats. 

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