Category: Gabriel Hawke Series

Yikes! Has it been that long?

I’m sorry I’ve left you hanging without commenting on here.

May turned out to be filled with book events and June started with a trip to South Dakota for another book event.

After my trip to the Oregon Coast, I hurried home to get Captured Hummingbird published. It is now available in eBook, print, and audiobook. The Sumpter Flea Market, which I always attend during Memorial Day weekend, was a week earlier this year. I followed that up the weekend after helping with the NIWA (Northwest Independent Writers Association) book booth at the Beavercon in Redmond, OR.

Me at Beavercon

I was at home for a week, but in that time I also made a trip to Pendleton to take in Free 1st Friday at the Tamastslikt Museum. I enjoyed the new exhibit of cradleboards and wandered through the rest of the museum even though I’ve been there many times. The cradleboards are beautiful creations that serve as a clever way to keep the babies with their mother and siblings without them getting hurt.

June 9th, a friend and I headed to Deadwood, South Dakota. I can’t do long hours of driving anymore, so we cut the trip up into 2 1/2 days on the way over. We didn’t have to get up early and were in our motel early enough in the evening to have time to look around.

We stopped at the Craters of the Moon National Park. It has acres and acres of various types of lava from a multitude of volcanic eruptions. The area was used for 50 years by NASA to train astronauts.

The first night we stayed in Idaho Falls, ID. We had a view of the manmade falls on the Snake River.

The next day we went to Jackson Hole, WY. My friend had never been there and I wanted to show her what it was like. It was full of people! We finally found a place to park, took in some stores, took our photo with the archway of antlers, and had lunch before heading on to our stop for the night, Casper, WY.

We only had 4 hours from Casper to get to Deadwood on Thursday. That afternoon at the event, I gave a presentation on Crime Ficton/Mystery Research. That night at the Meet and Greet, we met author Calista Rains, her daughter, and her friend, as well as author Shalana Battles. We laughed and had a good time. In fact, they had to kick us out of the meet and greet room.

The next day, I had a presentation with author Lynn Cahoon. We talked about the woes of when a story does go the direction we’d anticipated or a character turns out to be the opposite of what we had planned. That night I read from Captured Hummingbird.

Saturday, I hosted a table at the breakfast and then spent the day selling books at the Book Fair. I was able to talk to a large number of people and sell some books.

On the way back to Oregon, we stopped at Big Piney, WY, spending 2 nights and a day with my high school friend and matron of honor at my wedding. We enjoyed our time with her and her husband and then drove the long 9 hours back home. We were both ready to be home, even if it meant a long drive with lots of stops along the way to stretch our legs.

A lake we saw while at Big Piney

I was home from that for 3 days and I headed to La Pine, OR, a five hour drive to help with another NIWA booth during the Rhubarb Festival.

I’m glad to be home for a while, even though I’ll have a couple more events in July. They are, luckily, local. The 4th of July in Sumpter and Miner’s Jubilee in Baker City.

If you don’t see a new post from me for a while, it’s because I’m trying to do all these events, write, and we are remodeling the house. So life at the moment is hectic.

I hope you are all having a great summer so far!

Running Behind

I would have to agree with my granddaughter, who I recently went to the Oregon coast with. She said, she needed a vacation to recover from her vacation. I was laughing at her when she said it, but after trying to play catch up for the last day and a half and discovering I forgot to write this blog yesterday, I might have to agree with her.

Last week my granddaughter and I house sat for my brother at Rockaway Beach. It was fun. We went thrift store shopping, met her brother and his wife for dinner one night, and walked the beach every day with our dogs. I didn’t get nearly enough writing done, but it was a fun week to hang out with her before she heads off to beauty school and starts her adult life.

The good news, Captured Hummingbird is available for pre-order in ebook at the usual places. My goal today is to get the print book formatted and off to the printer and get the ebook up on my website for you to purchase hopefully tomorrow at a reduced price.

Fish and Wildlife State Trooper Hawke has tracked killers through the wild—but this time the clock is his deadliest enemy.

When Hawke’s partner, Dani, calls with a desperate plea to find her newly married cousin and young daughter who have vanished without a trace, he can’t say no.

The trail quickly leads to the violent first husband—a drunk who knows the Idaho wilderness better than most men know their own homes.

Hawke finds the man’s remote hunting shack and makes a chilling discovery: the ex-husband is already dead.

Dani and Hawke uncover disturbing evidence. Corruption in the casino, exploitation in the sheriff’s office, and something more sinister that caused the mother and child’s sudden disappearance.

If he has to confront every ruthless person in a human trafficking ring, Hawke will find the mother and daughter before it’s too late.  

UBL- https://books2read.com/u/4Xy8P9

The ebook page on my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/gabrial-hawke-ebook/page/2/

I’m working my way back into the schedule I had before I went to the coast. So it’s off to yoga, and then back here to work on the business side of writing so I can get back to the next Cuddle Farm Mystery book, Very Very Deadly.

Don’t forget to come over to my Author Paty Jager Facebook page to leave a comment and win prizes through the month of May. I’m celebrating 20 years of being a published author. Click here to follow and join the fun! https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPatyJager

Enjoy your day!

April is here with a smile.

I don’t know about where you live, but here in NE Oregon, the days have been mostly sunny and warm. A change from the normal for this time of year here. I’m not complaining. It made the final stages of our move easier.

I am now living full-time in our new home. Hubby is part-time since he is helping the person taking over his field manager job learn the ropes through this summer. I’m still trying to fit things from our nearly 2000 sq ft home into our barely 1100 sq ft home. Some furniture was given to family, and some to thrift stores, along with clothing and household items.

The photo is of flowers alongside the river walk that Nia and I do a couple of times a week. I love that I can go for a walk with my little chiweenie and not have to worry about coyotes, bobcats, or eagles making a snack of her. I also don’t have to watch for rattlesnakes! It is a learning curve living in town. The only time I lived in town was the 18 months I lived with a friend in a duplex in Bend after high school.

This move has put me behind on my deadline for the next Gabriel Hawke book, Captured Hummingbird. I do have the cover and blurb, just no pre-order or buy links.

Fish and Wildlife State Trooper Hawke has tracked killers through the wild—but this time the clock is his deadliest enemy.

When Hawke’s partner, Dani, calls with a desperate plea to find her newly married cousin and young daughter who have vanished without a trace, he can’t say no.

The trail quickly leads to the violent first husband—a drunk who knows the Idaho wilderness better than most men know their own homes.

Hawke finds the man’s remote hunting shack and makes a chilling discovery: the ex-husband is already dead.

Dani and Hawke uncover disturbing evidence. Corruption in the casino, exploitation in the sheriff’s office, and something more sinister that caused the mother and child’s sudden disappearance.

If he has to confront every ruthless person in a human trafficking ring, Hawke will find the mother and daughter before it’s too late.  

My goal is to have this up on my website to purchase by May 15th and out in other places by the 20th. But it all depends on my editor.

Don’t forget that I will be giving away lots of prizes next month, during my 20th Anniversary Celebration! Follow my Author Paty Jager Facebook page to see what the prize is each day and leave your comment to be in the running for the prize. I will also have a Bingo game for my newsletter peeps to play to win prizes. Use this link to join my newsletter. https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm

Sales!

This is my first of the month post about sales.

In April, you can purchase the first 4 Gabriel Hawke audiobooks at a reduced price on my website and on Kobo.

Murder of Ravens $0.99, Mouse Trail Ends $1.99, Rattlesnake Brother $2.99. Chattering Blue Jay $3.99.

Buy Direct: https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/gabriel-hawke-audiobook/

Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/murder-of-ravens-2

If you prefer to read the ebooks, they are on sale at my website for $1.99 each. https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/gabrial-hawke-ebook/

Next month is MMIW Awareness month. I’ll have my book Stolen Butterfly on sale in all formats.

Do follow my Facebook Page or sign up for my newsletter to be able to win prizes as I celebrate my 20 years as a published author next month!

A Fast and Furious Two Days

Last week, I set off to do research in the area of my current WIP (Work In Progress). It is book 15 in the Gabriel Hawke Mystery series.

I was at the halfway point and had used Google Earth, maps, and the internet to navigate Hawke in an area he wasn’t familiar with, and neither was I. After seeing some discrepancies in information, I decided to go there myself.

So I dropped Nia, my chiweenie, off at my daughter’s house and took off for Nez Perce County in Idaho. This county encompasses Lewiston, Idaho, as well as the lands the Nez Perce were forced to live on after the treaty of 1855. It is in north-central Idaho.

Front of the courthouse

The first place I needed to go was the Nez Perce County Courthouse and find the County Prosecutor’s office. I have Hawke visit there and wanted to make sure, since I was using a real place, that I had how it looked correct. Walking in, my first sight was a man in his late twenties or early thirties trying to get through the detector at the front entrance.

The man seemed to be with two women who were behind him. He had taken everything but his clothes off when one of them told him to check his back pocket, which was sagging his pants down. He pulled out a pair of vice grips! Which the guard handed back to him when he’d made it through the detector with it beeping.

I walked through with no problem. Then I walked to the elevator, saw it went to the third floor, where the county prosecutor’s offices were, but I wanted to see if there was an elevator at the back of the building, where I had Hawke enter on a Sunday. So I walked down the long wide hallway. Oh, they were still putting the siding on the outside of this newly constructed building which was one of the reasons I wanted to see it in person. All I could find online were photos of the outside and them working on it.

After going down the hallway, finding the back door, I wrote Hawke would enter, I realized there wasn’t an elevator, only stairs, which as I stood typing on my phone the vise grip guy came down the hall, opened the door and went up the stairs. I backtracked to the front, took the elevator up and then scoped out the hallway and where the prosecutors office was along with what it looked like walking into the office. Then I walked to the end of the hall, saw it was the same stair case to the side of the windows as I’d seen the vise grrip guy to through. So I opened the fire stair door and walked down, noting the sounds and new building smell. At the first floor, I crossed my fingers and hoped the door opened and I wouldn’t be locked in until someone used the stairs. The door opened!

I sat down on a bench, typed in what I’d discovered, and then I left the courthouse, headed to the Clearwater River Casino and hotel. That was where I needed to do some looking around next and spend the night.

At the hotel, I checked in and immediately realized what I hadn’t seen online. The hotel had a small hallway that connected it to the casino. I had my characters going outside the casino and back into the hotel. Now I knew the real layout. I also discovered that the cafe in the casino that I had them meeting at wouldn’t work and changed it to the sports bar.

In the hallway between the hotel and the casino.

Using Google Earth, I’d had Hawke parked in the casino parking lot instead of the hotel, and that changed where he let Dog out to relieve himself. I was glad I’d made the trip to make sure things were correct. I wasn’t happy that all night long the blasted TV kept coming on without me doing anything. It woke me up and upset me so much, I didn’t get very much sleep. When I checked out and told the receptionist about it, she made it sound like it was my fault for not calling the desk to have someone come fix it. In the middle of the night, all I wanted to do was pull it off the wall. I wasn’t thinking straight. She did tell me about places in Lapwai, my next stop that had breakfast.

In Lapwai, I stopped at Donald’s Diner and had a tasty breakfast of ham and egg while I listened to the locals visiting. An uncle and nephew were talking about a fishing trip and a man about my age was reading a paper at the counter and talking to the waitress about people he knew that were in the paper.

From there, I scoped out the tribal police station to see how my character would access the building. I had that wrong and fixed it.

Then I drove to where the victim’s house sat in my story and saw how to make the abduction work. Then my sister-in-law told me about a road from Lapwai to Lewiston. I didn’t have GPS or a map, and I couldn’t figure out what road to take, so I went to the Chamber of Commerce. A nice woman there gave me directions, but asked if I’d seen the heritage museum. I told her it was closed when I drove by earlier. She said it was open now, so I backtracked through the museum, then went back to Lapwai and passed it to find the road that led me to the top of the hill with residences and down to the main roads.

After typing in more information, I headed back home, enjoying the drive down Rattlesnake grade between Anatone, WA, and Enterprise, OR.

I’m closing in on the ending of Captured Hummingbird.

I wasn’t focused on taking photos as much as writing down what I saw.

A new book, a sale, an audiobook, and “friends” I’ll miss.

I know after the last post I promised more pics of my trip to Southern Utah. Those will come on my normal end of the month, travel post.

Today I want to let you know that my latest book, Full House, book 8 in the Spotted Pony Casino Mystery series, is now available in ebook and print.

When the past knocks on their door, the future they planned begins to unravel.

On the brink of their wedding, Dela Alvaro and Heath Seaver’s plans shatter when a ten-year-old boy appears, claiming to be Heath’s son. The truth is even darker: the boy’s mother—the woman Heath thought died years ago at Pine Ridge—was an FBI informant hidden under a new identity, left to raise his child alone before dying of addiction.

As Heath wrestles with awe for the son he never knew and fury at the FBI’s deception, the past turns deadly. When the agent who lied to him is found murdered in Pendleton, the FBI shows up on Dela’s doorstep, bringing danger straight to their home.

With their future on the line, Dela and Heath must confront a web of secrets before it destroys the family they’re just beginning to build.

Unversal link: https://books2read.com/u/3LzAxJ or Direct from my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/full-house-ebook/

By purchasing directly from the author, they receive more per book than when you purchase from an ebook vendor. Cutting out the middleman entices authors to keep writing because they can pay their expenses.

I have 2 audiobook sales going on right now.

You can purchase the audio box set of the first three Gabriel Hawke Novels for $4.99 at specific audiobook vendors by using this link: https://indieaudiobookdeals.com/ You will see other Indie author audiobooks for sale there. Or you can download it directly from my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/gabriel-hawke-novels-box-set-1-3/ This sale only lasts until the 18th.

Join Oregon State Trooper Gabriel Hawke as he performs his duties with the Fish and Wildlife Division while finding a body with a wolf collar, tracking a lost child, and hunting down a poacher in the wilderness of Wallowa County. He not only upholds the law but also protects the land of his ancestors.

Starting today, you can download the audiobook, Poker Face, book 1 in the Spotted Pony Casino Mysteries for $0.99! This is only at Chirp and my website.

A contemporary Native American amateur sleuth murder mystery series

As interim head of security at the Spotted Pony Casino, disabled veteran, Dela Alvaro, needs to find out who killed a casino accountant or lose her job.

Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/poker-face-by-paty-jager

Direct: https://www.patyjager.net/product/poker-face-audiobook/

And the new audiobook!

Merry Merry Merry Murder is now in audiobook! You can find it for a reduced price on my website.

Where comfort and cheer meet scandalous secrets—A holiday mystery set in a small town.

In the close-knit town of Auburn, Oregon, Andi Clark’s therapy animals bring comfort to the community, especially during the holiday season. When a young girl seeks solace from Athena, Andi’s therapy dog, after witnessing an unsettling scene behind the sleigh, it marks the beginning of a much darker holiday.

As the town gathers for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, a scream shatters the festive atmosphere. Cocoa, Andi’s loyal Border Collie, pulls her toward a chilling sight: a woman standing over the lifeless body of the girl’s mother, strangled with Christmas lights.

Determined to help the grieving girl and her town recover from the shock, Andi, her therapy animals, and her niece, a county deputy, take it upon themselves to investigate. As they uncover secrets and untangle clues, they stay one step ahead of the new sheriff and worry that the killer lurking in their midst could be someone they know.

Direct buy link: https://www.patyjager.net/product/merry-merry-merry-murder-audiobook/

My Friends

As I’ve mentioned, we are moving from our farm in SE Oregon to a house in a small town in NE Oregon. While I’m excited for this new change in my life, I will miss this property more than any place I’ve lived. My hubby always laughs and tells people that when we were looking for property here, this was the only place I got out of the car, and then I took off hiking up the hill.

I have loved this land for the vastness of heights, geology, animals, and birds. But I named rock formations and talk to some of them every day on my walks.

The first is Seal Rock. It looks like a seal to me. And while I don’t talk to it, I have watched over the years as the gap between the “seal” and the cliff has become wider.

Then there is Spirit Rock. I talk to this rock every time I go by. We discuss the weather, the creatures that may be sitting on him, and life. I even put my hands on him and give him a pat now and then. I believe it was ripped out of the cliff when there was a lake in this area. Because, beside it, there is an indentation in the cliff that resembles Spirit Rock’s form.

Then there is the “Woman in the Cave.” It is a pile of rocks under a rock and when looking at it, there seems to be a woman leaning over a rock or table working. I talk to her every time I go by as well. There are days when it’s gloomy and overcast when you can barely see the “woman” and others when the sun shines so bright it looks like she is smiling.

And the other rock I speak to each time I go by is “Head Rock.” It is a rock that sits alone on top of the cliff and looks like a head looking north. I had a signing with a Paiute man several years after we’d moved here. He had written a book all about the “head rocks.” They were put in places to show directions for Indigenous people.

These “friends” and the animals we’ve watched are what make moving a little harder than usual.

Looking Ahead

A week ago, I was panicking that I was behind on getting out Christmas cards, getting presents purchased, and feeling like Christmas was coming too fast.

Fast forward to this week- my cards are mailed, all but three presents are purchased and sent, and other than not having an oven to start baking, I’m feeling pretty good about where I’m at in terms of being ready for Christmas.

I’m headed to Eugene tomorrow to sell books at an Authors and Artists event that is in conjunction with a large Holiday Market at the Lane County Fairgrounds. The event is Saturday from 10 – 5. I only have 4ft of space on a table so I had to be creative with the books I am taking and how to set up.

I’m thinking about downsizing when I do events where I’m not using my book trailer. It is a lot of work hauling so many (65) print books into and out of buildings, not to mention the boxing up and putting in the vehicle. I have half a dozen western romance books that are rarely purchased. I’m thinking they will start staying home when I’m having to pack so many books into a venue.

Fireplace in our new house.

Also, looking ahead, I’m hoping to stay focused on writing my usual four books in 2026, even though we are moving to another town by the end of March. The first quarter will be a struggle, but I need to get the next Gabriel Hawke book written then. I don’t know the title yet, and I’m still trying to determine how much of an event that is happening that draws Hawke into the middle of a missing woman and child will be in the book, or be the prologue, and then the book jumps forward in time. In other words, I’m still stewing and brewing the book as I listen to Merry Merry Merry Murder being narrated by Ann M. Thompson, and I prepare for Christmas.

If you missed out on the specials I told you about last month, they are still going on until the end of the month.

I have Christmas specials going on for the month of December. You can download an ebook or audiobook bundle of Double Duplicity, Murder of Ravens, and Poker Face for FREE! Here are the bookfunnel links to get all three:

Mystery audiobook bundle https://books.bookfunnel.com/Holidayaudiobundle​

Mystery ebook bundle https://books.bookfunnel.com/holidayebookbundle​

I also have FREE first in series ebooks for these, only at my author website:

Mayan Moon holiday sale – https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/isabella-mumphrey-adventure-ebook/​

Spirit of the Mountain sale – https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/native-american-spirit-trilogy-ebook/​

Marshal in Petticoats – https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/halsey-brothers-series-ebook/​

I’m giving/gifting these books to readers with the hope you find using my website easy and will purchase books in the future from my website as it takes out the middle man. And usually my books are available in ebook and audiobook here before they are available at other vendors.

Do you have your tree up? Do you have outside lights? And are your cards all sent? Let me know if you are moving along with your holiday celebrations.

Always Moving Forward

This is the last week of October. Only two more months left in 2025. This year has whooshed by like a freight train. Fast and hauling all kinds of things.

I have been busy with book events, family events, and life events. All of those things have whisked the days by in a blur. And the rest of the year will be almost as fast and furious!

I have an event in Bruneau, Idaho, November 7th-9th. I’ll be selling my books in a booth with my daughter who will be selling fudge. It’s called Bruneau Cowboy Christmas. I love their tagline: Best shopping and day drinking in the West! Which is what we’re hoping will give us lots of sales. 🙂

My daughter and I taped out the size of the booth on my living room floor and we set up the booth so we will know what we need to do when we get there. I also have all my books in totes, marked “put out”, “under table” and “in vehicle.” I hope to sell so much that I’ll need more books that will be in my vehicle. 😉

After that, we’ll have a lovely family Thanksgiving, and then I have two events back-to-back in December. A 4-H Christmas Bazaar, December 5th & 6th in Baker City, Oregon, and then the 2025 Authors and Artists Fair in Eugene, Oregon, December 15th.

When those two weekends are over, then it’s hanging out with family through the holidays and gearing up to start a new year of writing.

We will also be moving to Baker City in the coming year. We have slowly been taking things to the house we purchased there. So there will always be something to do, whether it is writing, editing, publishing, marketing, or boxing things up.

At the moment, I have two Gabriel Hawke novels, one Spotted Pony Casino mystery, and one Cuddle Farm Mystery book scheduled to write and release in 2026. I’ve been thinking about the next three books I’ll be writing and doing some research. I always have a couple of books brewing in my head while I’m writing one.

So stay tuned to this blog to find out what the next book will be and what I might have learned to write it.

Today and tomorrow are the last two days you can get the first book in the Shandra Higheagle Mystery series, Double Duplicity for FREE as an audiobook. You can download it from my website. https://www.patyjager.net/product/double-duplicity-audiobook/

Check out my website while you’re there and see that the prices for the audiobooks on my website are more reasonable than those of other vendors, and once you download the free audiobook, it will make any audiobook you order later the same process you go through at other audiobook vendors. Same with the ebook sales on my website. And if you want a print book with an autograph, you can purchase it from my website. Check it all out here: https://www.patyjager.net/

October!

Three-quarters of 2025 is over! Where did the time go? I swear, as I get older, the days, weeks, and months go by faster and faster. I never have enough time in a day to do everything that I want to do.

I have been busy packing in events to attend through the rest of the year. I missed out on a few but I’m excited for the ones I have signed up to do.

  • October 6th – Harvest of Books – Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, Baker City, OR – 9 AM – 3 PM
  • Nov. 8th & 9th – Bruneau Cowboy Christmas – Bruneau, ID 10-5 & 10-4
  • Dec. 5th & 6th – 4-H Christmas Bazaar – Baker City, OR – 12- 5 PM & 9 AM -5 PM
  • Dec. 13th – 2025 Authors & Artists Fair – Atrium at Lane Events Center Eugene, OR – 10 AM – 5 PM

The 4-H Christmas Bazaar, I still have to sign up for. They aren’t taking applications until October 6th. But I plan to be at their door to sign up that day. These are all new events that I’ve not attended before. The Bruneau Cowboy Christmas is HUGE! My daughter is sharing the booth with me and selling her fudge, lip balm, and pork gift packs. We are also taking her oldest daughter and my oldest daughter to help with stocking and selling. They say they get 20,000 people to the event.

Then the other big event will be the Authors & Artists Fair. It’s in conjunction with a big Christmas Bazaar at the Lane County Fair. I was invited to this because of being at the State Fair book event. Happy! Happy!

Other good news on the writing front, Wolf Moon has been released, and so far, the reviews are good and people are purchasing the book! In case you are interested:

In the remote, snowbound wilderness of Oregon’s Eagle Cap Mountains, a sled dog race turns deadly.

State Trooper Gabriel Hawke is teaching winter survival to Search and Rescue recruits when he’s called in to find a missing musher. Arriving at the race camp, he discovers the musher isn’t just a name on a list—she’s someone his friend Justine cares about deeply.

As Hawke searches rugged trails and icy backcountry, the case quickly shifts from a rescue to a murder investigation. Then a second body turns up, and it’s clear the killer is hiding among the racers, handlers, or volunteers. The deeper Hawke digs, the more he uncovers buried secrets and dangerous rivalries.

Now, with a killer on the loose and Justine possibly in the crosshairs, Hawke must navigate blizzards, betrayal, and bloodshed—before the race ends in even more tragedy.

Available in ebook and print. My narrator, Larry Gorman, is working on the audiobook.

Ebook from my website for $1 less https://www.patyjager.net/product/wolf-moon-ebook/ or the Universal buy link: https://books2read.com/u/bWO1dD

Print from my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/wolf-moon/

And releasing on October 10th is my new cozy Cuddle Farm Mystery series, book 1, Merry Merry Merry Murder:

This book is doing a Blog Tour from Oct. 10th – 23rd. You can find out all about the tour here:

Merry Merry Merry Murder (Cuddle Farm Mysteries) by Paty Jager – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Great Escapes Book Tours

If you would like to be one of the first to get an ebook copy of Merry Merry Merry Murder, you can purchase it now at my website. https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/cuddle-farm-mystery-ebook/

Where comfort and cheer meet scandalous secrets—A holiday mystery set in a small town.

In the close-knit town of Auburn, Oregon, Andi Clark’s therapy animals bring comfort to the community, especially during the holiday season. When a young girl seeks solace from Athena, Andi’s therapy dog, after witnessing an unsettling scene behind the sleigh, it marks the beginning of a much darker holiday.

As the town gathers for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, a scream shatters the festive atmosphere. Cocoa, Andi’s loyal Border Collie, pulls her toward a chilling sight: a woman standing over the lifeless body of the girl’s mother, strangled with Christmas lights.

Determined to help the grieving girl and her town recover from the shock, Andi, her therapy animals, and her niece, a county deputy, take it upon themselves to investigate. As they uncover secrets and untangle clues, they stay one step ahead of the new sheriff and worry that the killer lurking in their midst could be someone they know.

Preorder here: https://books2read.com/u/mZ6qpJ

Two reads to keep you indoors as the weather turns colder. I am currently working on the next Spotted Pony Casino Mystery. Full House is turning out to be harder to write than I thought. When I came up with the plot, I knew it would complicate Dela and Heath’s wedding. What I didn’t realize was that by making Heath the suspect of a murder in a town an hour and a half away, it would make it difficult for Dela, Heath, and Quinn to investigate. Especially since Quinn was pulled from the investigation because of his past with Heath and Dela.

And that, my friends, is what I’m doing these days. Attending book-selling events and writing. Enjoy Fall!

September and a New Book!

I think I say this every month, but where has 2025 gone! We are headed into the fall months with holidays around the corner. This year has flown by for me. With so much going on with my writing and family life, I feel like some of the months are a blur.

Good news with my writing. Book 14 in the Gabriel Hawke Novels is releasing on September 19th. You can pre-order it from here: https://books2read.com/u/bWO1dD

In the remote, snowbound wilderness of Oregon’s Eagle Cap Mountains, a sled dog race turns deadly.

State Trooper Gabriel Hawke is teaching winter survival to Search and Rescue recruits when he’s called in to find a missing musher. Arriving at the race camp, he discovers the musher isn’t just a name on a list—she’s someone his friend Justine cares about deeply.

As Hawke searches rugged trails and icy backcountry, the case quickly shifts from a rescue to a murder investigation. Then a second body turns up, and it’s clear the killer is hiding among the racers, handlers, or volunteers. The deeper Hawke digs, the more he uncovers buried secrets and dangerous rivalries.

Now, with a killer on the loose and Justine possibly in the crosshairs, Hawke must navigate blizzards, betrayal, and bloodshed—before the race ends in even more tragedy.

I’m proud of this book. I did a lot of research and interviewed people involved in the Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race to make this book come alive for my readers.

Next month, you’ll be able to purchase the first book in my Cuddle Farm Mystery series. I’ll tell you all about it and have a link to purchase the book when I post on October 1st. This book had to be pushed out to October because when my beta readers say there is something off about the book, I listen and rework it. Now my beta readers like it.

I believe the reason they didn’t like my main character the first time was because I hadn’t had enough time with her in my head to get to know her before I started writing the book. All my other mystery series, I’ve thought about the main characters for over a year or more before I began their books. I’d only had Andi in my head about four months when I started writing Merry Merry Merry Murder.

When I started writing the book, I didn’t know her well enough to make her come alive. After writing the book, getting feedback, and thinking about the story, and Andi, I now know so much more about her and was able to show her on the page with more clarity.

Here’s a teaser from the book, Merry Merry Merry Murder:

“Good, you two made it,” Mom said, linking her arm through mine. It had been twenty-five years since I’d witnessed this event. I was excited and happy to be with my family.

“Wouldn’t miss the tree lighting,” I said, gazing up at the dark tree highlighted by the streetlamps behind it.

“I’m going to find Monica,” Rudy said and disappeared.

“When is he going to ask that woman to marry him?” Mom asked.

“Are you ready to get rid of your roommate?” I asked.

“He might as well get married. He’s not sleeping in his bed that much anyway.” Mom huffed and I giggled.

“I’d know that giggle anywhere,” said a voice behind me.

I spun around and stared into the unseeing eyes of my childhood friend. “Betty!” I shouted and pulled the slender, dark-skinned woman into a hug. There was no mistaking the short-cropped curls with a touch of gray, underneath a wide-brimmed hat with Christmas decorations around the crown. Even as a girl, she’d worn outlandish hats. Her mom would give her the hats, and Betty would decorate them.

Betty whispered in my ear, “I’ve missed you.”

Leaning back, I peered under the brim of the hat. Tears glistened in her eyes. “I’ve missed you, too. Tell me how to get a hold of you, and we’ll catch up.” I looped an arm in hers as Cocoa pressed against her legs.

“Who is this?” Betty asked, her hand touching the top of Cocoa’s head.

“One of my therapy dogs. Her name is Cocoa.”

Betty moved her hand down Cocoa’s forehead between her eyes and down her snout. “You are a beautiful creature. I can tell by how calm you are and the aura about you.”

I said quietly. “You see an aura? Have you had surgery on your eyes?”

Betty smiled. “No. But I have a lot to tell you.”

“Let’s meet tomorrow at Bow Wow Brew, say one?” I said, wanting to find out what was up with Betty and seeing auras. “It’s a date.” Betty stood beside me as the mayor appeared on the pavilion

Yes, there is a bit of a paranormal element in this series. It didn’t start out that way, but Betty showed up in Andi’s backstory, and I liked her. So I gave her the ability to see auras even though she is blind. Something unique to her and makes her a bit of a help when Andi is talking to people.

If you aren’t already signed up for my newsletter, you might want to do that. Not only do I give away a mug with my mystery logos on it to one person a month, but author friends give away free books and short stories in my newsletter each month. When they don’t have something, I have free short stories you can get. Go here to sign up: https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm

Sweet Deal Coming

How can it be August already? That means summer is almost over. This has been a whirling, fast paced summer for me.

This weekend is the second wedding of the summer. Both were for grandchildren. I can’t be that old that I have grandchildren getting married, can I? This makes three married.

I’m looking forward to my upcoming book events. They are:

August 24th & 25th – Oregon State Fair, Salem, OR from 10 am-8 pm

September 6th – Quail Ridge Arts Festival, Baker City, OR 2-9 pm

November 8th & 9th – Bruneau Cowboy Christmas, Bruneau, ID 10 am- 5pm and 10 am – 4 pm

These are all new to me as venues to sell my books. Two of them are large and I purchased books in anticipation of selling a lot.

Next month I’ll have links to both the newest Gabriel Hawke book, Wolf Moon, and the new Merry Merry Merry Murder, Christmas mystery. The links will be for pre-orders. The Hawke book is being read by beta readers and the Christmas Mystery needs some tweaking done to it. But it will be out in October and Wolf Moon will be out the end of September.

Starting August 13th, you can get the first three audiobooks in a bundle from Chirp for $2.99. IF you are a Chirp listener, watch for the promo they send out in the middle of the month. If you aren’t a Chirp listener and would like to purchase the box set at this low price, you can find it here: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/gabriel-hawke-box-set-1-3-by-paty-jager Just remember the low price doesn’t start until Aug, 13th. All the other audiobooks in the Hawke series will be priced lower at Chirp as well.

Because I am limited on time to write this and haven’t a whole lot to say, here are some photos.

This is my new folding bookcase, I will be using at the Cowboy Christmas in Bruneau, Idaho. I like how it displays the books in a more inviting way than the wooden racks I’ve been using.

These books are what I’ll have at the Oregon State Fair. I can get them all in two stands like on the right. When book bundles for the first 3 books in a series. I’m only allowed 4 ft of a table to set up on and told to bring as many titles as I could.

Enjoy the August weather and get out and enjoy the great outdoors. I hope to get more outdoor time here soon.