Dear ,

I am shocked that it's April and I'm making a batch of sun tea already. We often have snow here until May. Yesterday, it was 88 degrees! Today looks to follow suit, so I'm going to take advantage of this early summer heat.

A friend gifted me a box of 24 family-sized Lipton Ice Tea bags. They're supposed to brew heavenly out in the sun, so we're going to give it a try. I use extra-large pickle jars for my sun tea, so, according to their directions, I used six of the bags with 12 cups of warm water.

As it turns out, that was entirely too many bags! Do not believe the Lipton box. Within an hour, the water was black. I think you can use half of what they suggest. I split this batch into two large jars and topped them off with cold water.

There's been a lot of talk online about the dangers of sun tea recently. I've never heard of anyone getting food poisoning from it, but it is technically a possibility. While it's traditional here to put it out in the sun all day, best safety practices recommend steeping in the sun for no more than 3 1/2 hours.

After brewing, I mixed a cup of cane sugar with a cup of hot water to make a simple syrup, and then stirred it into the mix. Add a few lemon slices, maybe some mint, and it's perfect. 🌞

Have you been getting unseasonably warm weather? If so, what have you been doing to celebrate? I have admit, I'm a little worried. I'm not the biggest fan of the heat. If this keeps up, there's a good chance I'll be over summer weather before we're done with spring.

Speaking of spring, it's a popular time for savings. From now until April 27, take advantage of the following sales on my books:

Apparition in the Kitchen - FREE

Phantom in the Family Room - 99 cents!

Or are you looking for a seaside-inspired read? If so, check out this refreshing series...

Murder Takes a Selfie

by Shannon Symonds

Oceanside High students Esther and Sophie prefer life between the covers of their favorite books, but they open an entirely new adventure and begin an exciting new chapter when the Stuart twins, Parker and Paisley, move from Great Britain to an old mansion in Esther and Sophie's small beach town. The girls score invitations to a celebrity author's book-launch party at the twins' mansion, but after the selfies are snapped, someone goes missing, and everyone is a suspect. 

Used to hiding behind her glasses and cardigans, Esther has secrets that only her cat and Sophie know. But when someone's life is at stake, what will Esther risk to solve the mystery and save her friends?

Also, please keep an eye out April 27 for a special email featuring dozens of free books from writers you'll love.

Until next time,

Katie O'Keene ☆