Today’s Southernism is a quick excerpt from book 2, Felony Melanie and the Big Smashup:

The sheriff stepped back to frown at the side of her [demolition derby] car. Melanie pulled forward.

“Hang on now,” the sheriff said.

“Hey there, you old fool!” someone hollered behind him.

The sheriff spun. Zadie leaned on the railing at the corner of the stands.

“Not you,” the sheriff groaned. “What do you want?”

“I want a sheriff with some smarts. If brains were leather, you wouldn’t have enough to saddle a June bug.”

Sheriff Ogden sputtered. “Why I – you – Lady, I’ll put you so deep in jail you’ll have to be fed beans with a slingshot!”

“Try it, I’ll cream your corn! Oh, go on and get out of here. Don’t let the screen door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!” Zadie made a shooing motion, as if waving the sheriff away, but Melanie took it as her cue to slip past while the sheriff was distracted.

See a Video of Demolition Derby Hardest Hits!

Howdy, and a special welcome to our new readers! If you haven't yet grabbed your free preview of the new series, Get it here. Felony Melanie and the Moonshiner’s Cabin stands alone as a short story.

If you’ve read the Felony Melanie books, please leave a review on Amazon or another site, or recommend them to your friends. Reviews help readers find great books, and they help authors keep writing. Review book 1, Pageant Pandemonium, on Amazon here. Review book 2, the Big Smashup, here.

If you don’t have the books yet, they're free for people willing to review. Get book 1 via Story Origin here. Get Book 2 free for review via Story Origin here. Or Visit the Amazon series page for Felony Melanie: Sweet Home Alabama romantic comedy novels to buy them.

Southern Treat of the Week: Black Bottom Pie: "Originating in the early 1940s in the American South, black bottom pie is a sweet dessert consisting of a chocolate pastry cream that is flavored with rum and vanilla, and a crust made with butter, sugar, and crumbled cookies. The pie is typically topped with stiff meringue peaks or whipped cream, then garnished with chocolate shavings."

Who’s drooling? Here’s a recipe from Southern Kitchen.

Doug’s Rom Com Faves: Amelie (2001), written by Guillaume Laurant and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

This is a French movie, so if you don’t speak French, you’ll have to read subtitles. It’s totally worth it. Audrey Tautou plays Amelie and is about as adorable as a person can be. The movie is infused with magical realism, not to mention charm and great characters. Jeunet wanted it to be a love letter to Paris, and it’s hard to imagine the city looking any more beautiful, just like it’s hard to imagine a movie more romantic than this.

Find New Authors and Books

The Mercurian Endeavor: A Slab Steele Prequel, by Ron Starke: Try this author with a free sci-fi comedy preview when you sign up for his newsletter. "It was supposed to be a simple job, a quick stink and dink before the playoff match then back to work. Unfortunately, a certain Robotic Bathroom Attendant may have hit the mark a little too hard."

The Raven Witch of Corfu: A Greek paranormal romance, by Effrosyni Moschoudi, box set $2.99 or free in KU: Lizzie visits the idyllic Greek island of Corfu with a daunting task: to claim back her twin brother who was kidnapped twenty years earlier on her previous visit. In a cave. By an evil witch.

Camp Piquaqua, by Ashleigh Stevens: Free with newsletter signup: Seventeen-year-old Ana cannot wait for summer, when she gets to co-lead the overnight hikes at her uncle's family camp, even if it means working with TJ, whom she cannot stand. When tragedy strikes, Ana and TJ must work together to help restore the camp in time for summer.

Time for us to get back to work on book 3. Thanks for reading!

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