Signed Historical Romance & A Sneak Peek at My Latest Mystery

 

‘Tis the Season for Romance, Mystery, and Adventure!”

The holidays are here, and I’m thrilled to share some exciting news with you! Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift for the historical fiction lover in your life or treating yourself to some cozy winter reading, I’ve got you covered.

Still Available: Signed Copies of Pinevale Intrigue!

Autographed paperback copies of my historical romance, Pinevale Intrigue, are still available at Jolene’s Online Bookstore!

There’s something special about giving (or receiving!) a signed book during the holidays. Imagine curling up by the fire with Ruth and Bobby’s story—set in the beautiful North Carolina mountains of 1911, where automotive innovation, espionage, and romance collide in the most unexpected ways.

What readers are saying:

“A perfect blend of historical detail and heart-pounding romance!”

“I couldn’t put it down—automotive history has never been this exciting!”

“Ruth and Bobby’s partnership-to-love story is everything I wanted and more.”

Each signed copy makes a wonderful gift for:

• Historical romance enthusiasts

• Automotive history buffs

• Fans of early 20th-century fiction

• Anyone who loves a good espionage thriller with heart

• Readers who enjoy strong, intelligent heroines and innovative heroes

• Order your signed copy today and make someone’s holiday extra special!

Exciting Update: The Schiller Building Conspiracy

And now for the update many of you have been asking about!

Remember Dastardly Deeds at the Dearborn Theater? Well, she’s gotten a makeover and a new name! I’m thrilled to announce that The Schiller Building Conspiracy has completed its initial editing phase and is moving steadily toward publication.

What’s Changed?

When I first conceived this story, it leaned heavily into steampunk elements. But as the characters came to life and the historical research deepened, the story evolved into something even more exciting—a historical adventure mystery set against the backdrop of early 1900s Chicago, with authentic period details and a touch of romance woven through the secondary characters.

What You Can Expect:

The Mystery: When strange occurrences plague Chicago’s iconic Schiller Building, our intrepid protagonists find themselves unraveling a conspiracy that reaches into the highest levels of society. Think secret societies, architectural intrigue, and the dangerous intersection of art, commerce, and power in Gilded Age Chicago.

The History: I’ve poured myself into researching early 1900s Chicago—the architecture, the social dynamics, the Theater District, and the fascinating world of German-American cultural institutions during this transformative period.

The Romance: While mystery and adventure drive the plot, there’s a beautiful slow-burn romance developing between secondary characters that adds warmth and heart to the darker elements of the conspiracy.

The Adventure: Expect rooftop chases through the Chicago skyline, secret passages in historic buildings, coded messages hidden in theatrical programs, and plenty of close calls that will keep you turning pages late into the night!

Current Status:

The manuscript has completed its initial editing phase, and I’m currently working through revisions and refinements. The story is tighter, the historical details are richer, and the mystery is more compelling than ever. While I don’t have a firm publication date yet, I’m hoping to have this in your hands sometime in 2026.

A Sneak Peek at the Opening:

Chicago, 1901. The Schiller Building stands as a monument to German-American cultural pride—until the night the theater’s lead actress discovers something that shouldn’t exist in the building’s labyrinthine basement. What begins as curiosity soon spirals into a dangerous game where art, politics, and power collide, and where trusting the wrong person could cost everything...

Why These Stories Matter to Me

Both Pinevale Intrigue and The Schiller Building Conspiracy explore something I’m passionate about: women finding their power and purpose during transformative periods in history.

Ruth Reeves in Pinevale Intrigue rebuilds her life after financial ruin and creates an innovative business at a time when women weren’t supposed to do such things. The characters in The Schiller Building Conspiracy navigate a world where appearances matter, secrets are currency, and courage means standing up for truth even when it’s dangerous.

These aren’t stories about waiting to be rescued—they’re about women (and the men who respect them) taking action, using their intelligence, and refusing to accept limitations placed on them by society.

Holiday Reading Recommendations

If you’re building your holiday reading list (or shopping for book lovers), here are some perfect pairings with Pinevale Intrigue:

For fans of automotive history:

Pair with books about early automobile pioneers and the transformation of American transportation

For historical romance lovers:

Perfect alongside other early 1900s romances featuring strong, entrepreneurial heroines

For espionage enthusiasts:

Complements WWI-era spy fiction and stories about pre-war international intrigue

For those who love North Carolina:

Wonderful companion to other Appalachian historical fiction and the Pinevale Valley Shared World Series

Stay Connected for Updates

Want to be the first to know when The Schiller Building Conspiracy is available?

Follow me on social media for behind-the-scenes glimpses of the editing process:

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/authorljgreen.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.LJGreen/

Threads: https://threads.net/@authorljgreen

TikToK: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorljgreen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorljgreen/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/LJGreensEmporium/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AuthorLJGreen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23094591.L_J_Green

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/l-j-green

Amazon Author Profile Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/ljgreen

I’ll be sharing:

• Historical research tidbits about 1901 Chicago

• Character insights and development

• Cover reveal (coming soon!)

• Excerpt previews

• Publication timeline updates

• Special Holiday Offer

• Order a signed copy of Pinevale Intrigue during the holiday season and receive:

• A personalized inscription

• An exclusive bookmark featuring Ruth and Bobby

• A sneak peek excerpt from The Schiller Building Conspiracy

• Entry into a drawing for a special “Historical Mystery Reader” gift basket!

Order Your Signed Copy Now!

A Thank You to My Readers

As 2025 comes to a close, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported my writing journey. Whether you’ve purchased my books, left reviews, shared posts, or simply sent encouraging messages—you’ve made this dream possible.

Writing historical fiction is a labor of love. It requires countless hours of research, multiple drafts, patient editors, and the courage to keep going when the story gets difficult. But knowing that readers connect with these characters and their stories makes every moment worthwhile.

This holiday season, I’m especially grateful for the reading community that has embraced Pinevale Intrigue and for your patience as I work to bring The Schiller Building Conspiracy to completion. Your enthusiasm fuels my creativity and reminds me why I do this work.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re shopping for gifts or treating yourself to some winter reading, I hope you’ll consider adding Pinevale Intrigue to your collection. And keep an eye out for The Schiller Building Conspiracy—I think you’re going to love unraveling this mystery with me!

From my writing desk to your reading nook, wishing you a season filled with great books, cozy moments, and the magic of storytelling.

Happy Holidays!

~ L.J. Green

P.S. Have you read Pinevale Intrigue yet? I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads, or tag me in your social media posts. Your thoughts mean the world to this author!

[Order Signed Copies] | [Follow on Social Media] | [Visit Author Website]

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L.J. Green writes historical romance, mystery, and adventure from sunny North Florida. When she’s not researching early 20th-century history, she’s probably enjoying the warm weather or finding inspiration in quiet corners of her home, always ready to share the next twist in her captivating series.

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Jolenes Birthday Message for 2025

 

Take care of yourselves and be what and who you want to be #YouOnlyGetOneLife 

Belated post I thought I would share with you today. It's good advice no matter what time of the year it is. Share your thoughts in the comments!

North Florida Writers Tour and Webs and Blogs for Writers Online Magazines

Photo by J W on Unsplash

One of the hardest things an author has to do is put themselves out there for marketing our stories. This is true whether you are indie, hybrid or traditionally published. All you really can do is keep trying. And with a little help from your friends you just might start to see some changes in the number of likes, follows, subscribes and purchases of your books. Being true to yourself is important but also being relatable is as well. But the most important thing I keep hearing is being consistent in your posting, your message, and what you share with potential readers.

Help a Fellow Author Out

Here I am on a Friday evening writing a post so that I might reach other authors and readers out there to engage with me and my writing. Most authors, I have learned, would much rather be sitting at their computers creating their worlds, moving their characters along their upcoming paths and then vegging out thinking about what other kinds of troubles we can put out leading characters through next. But I am taking time out creating graphics, writing articles, trying to include relevant hashtags and all the things it takes to connect. 

The other is you have to take some time to visit other writer’s places on the web. Do not forget to like, share, leave a comment and subscribe to other authors on this platform and any of the others that you determine will work for you. As a fiction writer I want to hang out in places that fiction readers like to visit such as TikTok, Facebook (depending on their age), Instagram and a few other places that are developing a reader/writer community. I do not make enough right now to buy all the books that I see and want to try but I can like, comment, watch the entire video and subscribe.

What Weekends Are For

 We all need to take some downtime to refresh our brains and our bodies. Even though it seems that we are rushing towards the decline of the human race to chaos; it is a good time to grab your favorite beverage, scroll through some of your social media feeds (of fellow authors and readers - skip the doom scrolling), and connect with others who like your genre from around the world. Once you have liked and viewed the videos, make sure to share them on your feed and give a comment. IF you follow each other when you make the comment do not forget to do the little ampersand and their name so that you are connected now in the posts as well. So, what you share may come back to you with their followers checking out your posts. 

Future Places to Visit to Get Noticed

Finally I would like to recommend you put yourself out there and get a blog article posted about you, find a podcast to join or agree to host a “LIVE” session on one of your social media platforms with a fellow author or two. These suggestions are free for the most part. If you are a local north Florida writer - please visit the North Florida Writers Tour online magazine. For everyone else why not check out the Webs and Blogs for Writers online magazine. Then there is Jolene’s Book and Writers Talk podcast (although I believe her schedule is full till the end of the year) and check out the “LIVE” sessions you can do from your YouTube Channel, TikTok, and Instagram profiles. 

Just a few tips for my fiction writer friends out there. Till next time!

New Pinevale Valley Shared World Book Is Finally Being Published

You may have been wondering what I have been doing lately. Well, besides working on trying to get my Misadventures of Janie and Diane historical mystery book series up and running (I have been writing and re-writing that series three of four time so far) I also agreed to publish another short story for the First Coast Romance Writers in another of their anthologies. This one is in the Pinevale Valley Shared World series. 

The group is always experimenting with creative ways to help their members get published. Besides Holiday and other types of themed romance short-stories they came up with a "Shared World" series where this one contain novellas set in the same place, using some of the same people, businesses, etc. but allowing for different types of realities and time periods as well. The group aimed to published one story a month for 12 months but was dragged out over 16 months and sadly, my story which is book 11 will be the last.

As with most long-term projects spread out among 20 to 30 different possible participants that have to commit to creating a story, paying to it professionally edited, ensuring that at least 1 other member read and reported positively on the story, and then giving up the rights for 12 months is really quite a commitment of time energy and  emotions. You do get a professionally created cover and published in eBook and paperback. It seems the first 60 days are automatically enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program so no WIDE publication until after then. I, as the author, and my alter-ego, Jolene, as the Social Media Coordinator for the group will be coming up with clever ways to promote the book. 

Here is the front cover of the book that is on Pre-order right now until October 14, 2025. The paperback book is also on preorder for the same day however it has not been populated onto Amazon quite yet. I have ordered my author copies to aid in promoting however according to KDP it will not be printed and mailed until sometime towards the end of the month. (More of that later). But here is a conundrum that the contributors of these stories may not want to consider once they do get their rights back to the stories. The book covers and the shared world belongs to the First Coast Romance Writers in their current published state that can continue to keep their published in paperback. They have agreed to pull the eBook versions so that the authors can publish the stories with new book covers and different titles on Amazon after their year is over.  

Now you can also re-write the entire story and publish it again under a new title and book cover with a reference to the shared world in the copyright. Or you can just use the short-story as a "Giveaway" on your website. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. 

1. Enchanted Encounter at the Matchmaker Inn by Leah Miles

2. Scooter's Heart by Sara J. Walker

3. Haunt Me Still by Vanessa Victoria Kilmer

4. Aura of Destiny by Leah Miles

5. Love from Above by Merrie Angel

6. Winter Wonder Tale by Vanessa Victoria Kilmer

7. The Proposal Problem by Erika Kilmer Freidly

8. A Rose by Any Other Name  by Vanessa Victoria Kilmer

9. A Twist of Fate at the Matchmaker Inn by Marie Morton

10. Brewing Up Romance by Gloria Zahler Ferguson

11. Pinevale Intrigue by L.J. Green - Paperback link coming soon.

Who is Your Favorite Mystery Character and Why

What is more fun than spending your spring break off reading or in my case re-reading a couple of your favorite mystery stories. I have always loved the Miss Marple mysteries created by Dame Agatha Christie. She was a marvel in her day and continues to entertain millions of fans every year who enjoy reading her stories, seeing her stories come to life on the screen (TV or Movies) and the adaptations by other writers out there. Although Ms. Christie’s life and career was widely publicized we can only guess at the struggles she went through to get her stories published and then her compensation was always less than her contemporary, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 

Doing some research over the last few days I have learned that the very first story she published in the Miss Marple series was called the “Tuesday Night Club” in 1927 and republished under the name “The Solving Six”;  then again included within the 1932  short stories novel called “The Thirteen Problems”; There is a very nice review of the first six short stories - CLICK HERE

The first meeting of the newly formed Tuesday Night Club, they turn to Sir Henry Clithering's tale of three people poisoned at dinner with only one later dying. The story first appeared in the UK in The Royal Magazine, and was Miss Marple's debut in print in 1927.

Agatha Christie - 1890 to 1976 - Miss Marple - Check out the “OFFICIAL HOME OF AGATHA CHRISTIE” website: https://www.agathachristie.com/en/stories/the-tuesday-night-club

• The Tuesday Night Club (1927) - aka The Solving Six
• The Murder at the Vicarage (1930)
• Death By Drowning (1932)
• The Body in the Library (1942)
• The Moving Finger (1942)
• Sleeping Murder (1976)
• A Murder Is Announced (1950)
• They Do It with Mirrors (1952) - aka Murder with Mirrors
• A Pocket Full of Rye (1953)
• 4.50 from Paddington (1957) - aka What Mrs McGillicuddy Saw
• The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1961)
• A Caribbean Mystery (1964)
• At Bertram's Hotel (1965)
• The Bloodstained Pavement (1966)
• Nemesis (1971)

I really enjoyed pursing the official website and came across the following: https://www.agathachristie.com/stories/detection-club

“Formed in 1930, The Detection Club was a group of British mystery writers which included Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, John Rhode, Jessie Rickard, Baroness Emma Orczy, R. Austin Freeman, G.D.H. Cole, Margaret Cole, E.C. Bentley, Henry Wade, and H.C. Bailey. Anthony Berkeley played a big role in setting up the club.

The Detection Club would not only help each other with technical aspects in their individual writings, but they also wrote a number of works together, with members of the club contributing one or more chapters in turn. Agatha Christie was the president of the Detection Club between 1957-1976.”

And this sent me down another rabbit hole of researching through the Newspaper archives to learn that the club is still active, and still publishing stories by it members to help fund the club’s activities. And according to the current president, Martin Edwards (https://martinedwardsbooks.com/home/about-martin/martins-writing/the-detection-club/), the members are still voted in and must take the following oath, “Do you promise that your detectives shall well and truly detect the crimes presented to them, using those wits which it may please you to bestow upon them, and not placing reliance on, nor making use of, Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, Coincidence, or Act of God?”

“The Floating Admiral” was the first one published story by the group and included chapters created by the founding members without knowing the outcome of the plot. 

Taken from a 1937 Article in the Daily Herald:

Eric The Skull Lakes Them Members

GRAND and solemn ceremonial." 

Months of eternal secrecy—and membership by invitation only are integral parts of the most mysterious and exclusive club in London, the Detection Club.

According to the famous writer of detective stories, Miss L. Savers, the club is described as "just an after-dinner club". At a recent initiation of a new member, a skull called "Eric," preceded by arch bearers, was carried on a velvet cushion. Part of the oath included the observation by the initiate of "seemly moderation in the use of gangs, death-rays, trapdoors, Chinamen and homicidal lunatics".

Miss Sayers mentioned that a new oath is being prepared, which "is not quite ready yet". The club meets every two months after dinner in their premises in Gerrard-street. She stated, "We give each other such assistance as we can concerning the writing of detective stories" and emphasized that they are under oath not to divulge any plots explained to them.

Membership is by invitation only, and all members must have written two stories of outstanding merit, which must not be thrillers. There are several honorary members, including Sir Norman Kendal, Assistant-Commissioner at Scotland Yard. Miss Sayers also noted, "We once took action against book reviewers of our books because some of them were giving away plots in their reviews".

When members join, they have to swear that they will write good English and no thrillers, ensuring that their detective stories will be as well written as other books.

There is so much her to research and it really gives you ideas for stories about the early days of the group and what they got up to every two months. Is your current writer’s group helping you get your stories written?