My first ten novels were first published by a boutique mystery press. The terms of the contracts for those books revert the rights to me ten years after publication. When I got the rights to Lowcountry Boil back in September 2022, I had to decide how to keep this first book in the Liz Talbot Series available to new readers and be prepared to repeat the process as each book reverted. Though we live in a glorious time for authors, where we have unprecedented direct access to readers, I hadn’t yet tried my hand at independent publishing. But this seemed the best path, so Stella Maris Books, LLC was born.

To make sure I had the process refined, I first published a collection of short stories I’d written over the years. Postcards From Stella Maris gives fans of the series a bit of background on some of the main characters. I have to say this was much more fun than I’d anticipated. I found that I enjoyed being involved in all the aspects of bringing a book to readers.

The reader experience is of the utmost importance to me. My main focus will always be telling stories that my readers enjoy. There are so many other pieces to this business, and some of them I know nothing about. More alarmingly, I know a little bit about other parts of the business—enough to be dangerous. To ensure a quality end product, I’ve carefully selected professionals to handle things like editing and covers. I so hope you enjoy the books we’ll be bringing to readers through Stella Maris Books, LLC.

Warmly,