Help Me Choose?

In the South, we ask for advice the way we pour sweet tea – slowly, sincerely, and with room for someone else’s flavor. (M. Carter, The Courteous Heart, 2020).

I thought I’d try something different for this month’s newsletter, because I need some advice. The fabulous Debra Sanders of AUTHOR BRAND STUDIO has designed a bookmark and two different postcards for me to advertise my upcoming debut novel, Manners or Mayhem. I need to choose which postcard to print to hand out to interested readers, and I would appreciate your input.

Postcard 1 Front

Postcard 1 Back

Postcard 2 Front

Postcard 2 Back

My questions are: Which design do you prefer? Why? Does the QR code on the first postcard make you more likely to go to the website? Which postcard seems most appropriate for my very proper, etiquette-teacher sleuth?

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment on Substack, or you can drop me a private note on my contact page, Contact - Lucinda Gerlitz. I appreciate your input!

QUESTION: You’re in a group text with friends. One person keeps sending rapid‑fire messages late at night, waking you with notifications. What’s the most etiquette‑appropriate response?

A. Mute the thread and say nothing.

B. Reply at 2 a.m. asking them to stop.

C. Send a daytime message saying, “Could we keep late‑night texts to emergencies?”

D. Leave the group without explanation.

ANSWER: C

Although I would find option B sorely tempting, modern etiquette emphasizes “clear, kind communication” over seething frustration. Addressing issues directly but politely is preferred over passive or abrupt actions (Emily Post Institute, Digital Manners & Communication Guidelines, 2023).

I received some good news this month. I will be attending the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference, which is described as the premier conference for genres incorporating Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Action, or Romance. The conference is being held in late August, and I’m looking forward to the chance to meet with and learn from other authors and publishing-industry insiders.

Killer Nashville also has a yearly contest for unpublished manuscripts, and I entered the book I’m working on – book three in my series with the working title The Doll’s House. I’m pleased to say that it has been chosen as one of six finalists for the Claymore Award in the category of Best Cozy Mystery.

The winners will be announced at the annual awards dinner on August 22nd.

On a personal note, Killer Nashville seems to coincide with my husband’s birthday every year, and I want to thank him for being so understanding about me always missing his special day. We will of course celebrate before the conference, but it’s not the same as being there for him. Ken has been the best supporter of my writing career since the very beginning, and I’d like to wish him a Happy Birthday!

For my monthly cat picture, here is the face I wake up to most mornings. Izzie loves to let me know when she gets hungry.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful summer!