My latest Chloe Ellefson mystery, The Light Keeper’s Legacy, has received the 2013 LOVEY Award for Best Traditional Mystery! This honor was bestowed by a vote of the readers, writers, agents, and publishers attending the Love Is Murder mystery writers’ conference in Chicago, the Midwest’s premier mystery/romantic suspense/thriller gathering.
To celebrate, I’m giving away three special-edition Chloe Ellefson Mysteries totebags. The bags feature the Chloe series tagline—Living History Can Be Deadly—and an original painting of one of Old World Wisconsin’s restored buildings. A very talented artist, Tom Redman, created the delightfully atmospheric scene.
Interested? Just leave a comment below, and your name will go into the drawing. I’ll pull three names on Monday evening, February 11th.
I’m truly grateful for all the support I’ve received from readers. I love what I do, and you make it possible!
UPDATE: Congratulations to Carolyn C., Cheryl P., and Dixie B., winners in the totebag giveaway. All three winners entered via my Facebook page. Thanks to everyone who shared such lovely comments. This was so much fun we’ll definitely do it again some time!
Tags: Chloe Ellefson, Love Is Murder, LOVEY Award
Sites and Stories 
February 7, 2013 at 8:51 pm |
Congratulations!! I am so happy for you and I absolutely loved the first two in the Chloe Ellefson series. Yay!
February 8, 2013 at 7:54 pm |
Thanks, Kelley!
February 7, 2013 at 8:51 pm |
Congratulations!
February 10, 2013 at 10:43 pm |
Thanks, Sue!
February 8, 2013 at 12:10 am |
What a beautiful bag… goes so well with your beautiful — and well-deserved– award! 🙂 So glad your Chloe Ellefson series is getting the attention it deserves!
February 8, 2013 at 7:54 pm |
The bag is beautiful, isn’t it? Thanks for the kind wishes!
February 8, 2013 at 1:39 am |
Kathleen,
Your Chloe books are so delightful and beautifully written that it can not be a surprise that awards and accolades are making their way to you. I’m very happy for you!
February 8, 2013 at 7:55 pm |
Arletta, you’re very kind. Thanks!
February 8, 2013 at 8:37 am |
Conratulations on the LOVEY award! As an ex-Wisconsinite I have learned more about my home state, its people and history through the fun of your mysteries than I’d ever known before. Great job!
Yeah for Chloe!
February 8, 2013 at 7:56 pm |
Pamela, what a lovely compliment! Nothing makes me happier than hearing such thoughts from a reader. I hope the books continue to entertain and, perhaps, enlighten!
February 8, 2013 at 3:53 pm |
Congratulations on your new book and honors. I’m very happy for your sucess and look foward to reading more of your books
February 8, 2013 at 7:57 pm |
Thanks, Beth!
February 8, 2013 at 6:23 pm |
Congratulations! As a great fan of Old World Wisconsin I became aware of your books and have become a great fan of Kathleen Ernst as well! Looking forward to the next Chloe Ellefson story and I hope there are many more to follow!
February 8, 2013 at 7:58 pm |
Kathleen, so glad to connect with a fellow OWW fan. It’s a very special place, isn’t it? I plan to keep Chloe busy indefinitely! She may travel from time to time, but she’ll stay rooted at OWW.
February 8, 2013 at 9:18 pm |
HI Kathleen! I am a retired Library Media Center teacher. Several of my students read your American Girls books and loved them. Recently my daughter found your latest Chloe Ellefson book and bought it as a gift for me. She saw the lighthouse on the cover and saw that it took place in Door County. I was so surprised to see that it was wriiten by an author I was familer with. I have purchased the other two books in the series. Thank you for bringing history alive. I loved reading about Old World Wisconsin, which I have visited and will visit again. Door County is a wonderful place also. PLEASE keep writing for children and encouraging girls, and please keep writing for us “older girls” too. By the way…the daughter I mentioned, She was part of the 20 person wildfire team from Illinois that helped fight fires in California last summer. She was the only female on the team. She wasn’t a smoke jumper, like Ethan, but she was on the line with the rest of her team. Thanks again!
Sue Fitzsimons
February 10, 2013 at 3:45 pm |
Hi Sue – I’m delighted to know that you enjoy my books for all readers. It’s a privilege to write for young readers–it’s wonderful to visit a library or school and see kids excited about history and reading, and often writing as well. I love sharing stories about smart and strong girls, like Caroline Abbott, and would love to think that in some small way they might help encourage young readers today. Writing the Chloe Ellefson series lets me shine a bit of lantern light on women’s stories in much the same way. I can’t imagine giving either project up! And please give your daughter a high-five from me. I took a fire management course in college, but never got out in the field. Good for her!
February 9, 2013 at 10:57 am |
Congrats to you Kathleen! In all of your mysteries, I feel a connection to Chloe as she uses her excellent knowledge of the past and her “female intuition” to figure things out. I love the way your mysteries weave the stories from the past with Chloe’s research/historical curator skills. In your books, I learn new things, appreciate the past and enjoy a good mystery! I love Old World Wisconsin and hope to travel to Door County soon to see this lighthouse in person!
February 10, 2013 at 3:39 pm |
Susan, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the mysteries! I love exploring the themes you mention in each story, especially women’s stories and experiences. I’ve got lots of ideas, and so have lots of adventures still in mind for Chloe.
February 10, 2013 at 3:23 pm |
Hi Kathleen, I’m midway through Old World Murder and really enjoying it. What a coincidence that Chloe moved back to the Madison area after 5 years with her guy in Switzerland. I just moved back to the Madison area after 5 years with my guy in Istanbul. 🙂
I love cozy mysteries, and having one that takes place at a location I’ve visited on several occasions is a great bonus. I found your blog when searching for pictures online of an ale bowl with cow heads–and then discovered it was your own custom made ale bowl. I’ve been poking around your blog and love all the history and photos. I have no idea how you manage to write books AND maintain this blog. You must put in 100+ hour weeks. 🙂
I look forward to continuing with the series when OWM is done.
February 10, 2013 at 3:37 pm |
Hi Sharon – Thanks so much for connecting! And–wow, Instanbul. I hope you’re enjoying Madison now. I’m so glad the mystery is resonating for you. I always enjoy books set in a place I’m familiar with. And thanks for you kind words about the blog. I truly love doing it…and writing for kids… and writing the Chloe books too, so every time I try to figure out to cut back, I come up empty-handed. :>)