I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
Captain's Log, Stardate 02.19.2008
Bayou Corruption by Robin Caroll
From the back cover:
"Don't let them get away with it, Jacks—"
Those were the sheriff's last words. Left for dead in the middle of the road, Jackson Devereaux's good buddy had slipped into a coma. Well, Jackson wouldn't let them get away with it, once the ace newspaper reporter uncovered who they were.
He'd start with the lovely Alyssa LeBlanc, the only eyewitness to the crime. Problem was, she hated Jackson—why?—as much as she hated being back in the Louisiana bayou.
Unfortunately, the truth lay deep in the bayou's belly. And whether they liked it or not, Alyssa had to lead the way.
Camy here:
I like this book even better than the first in the series, Bayou Justice! I’m not sure why, but I like the heroine, Alyssa, better than CoCo from the first book. I don’t really relate to Alyssa’s job as a newspaper reporter, or her hatred of her home, or her personality, which is elegant and no-nonsense. But something about her is appealing to me as a reader, and I was immediately sucked into the story.
Like her sister CoCo, Alyssa is a strong character who doesn’t take guff from anyone. She’s a perfect foil for Jackson, the hero, who is also a reporter and more than a match for Alyssa’s sass.
The story has hairpin turns that kept surprising me. The pacing of the story was excellent, too—I felt like the action started with a bang and never let up.
As with the first book, the culture of the bayou pervades every character, every scene, and I felt like I was on vacation in Louisiana with a close friend to both expose me to the culture and explain it at the same time. The setting itself is a character, and I loved the town, the food, the atmosphere of Lagniappe.
This is a fabulous novel for readers of all ages. The junior high girls in my church youth group will love this story, because the heroine is feisty and the hero is dashing, and the mystery and suspense kicks the romance up a notch.

From the back cover:
"Don't let them get away with it, Jacks—"
Those were the sheriff's last words. Left for dead in the middle of the road, Jackson Devereaux's good buddy had slipped into a coma. Well, Jackson wouldn't let them get away with it, once the ace newspaper reporter uncovered who they were.
He'd start with the lovely Alyssa LeBlanc, the only eyewitness to the crime. Problem was, she hated Jackson—why?—as much as she hated being back in the Louisiana bayou.
Unfortunately, the truth lay deep in the bayou's belly. And whether they liked it or not, Alyssa had to lead the way.
Camy here:
I like this book even better than the first in the series, Bayou Justice! I’m not sure why, but I like the heroine, Alyssa, better than CoCo from the first book. I don’t really relate to Alyssa’s job as a newspaper reporter, or her hatred of her home, or her personality, which is elegant and no-nonsense. But something about her is appealing to me as a reader, and I was immediately sucked into the story.
Like her sister CoCo, Alyssa is a strong character who doesn’t take guff from anyone. She’s a perfect foil for Jackson, the hero, who is also a reporter and more than a match for Alyssa’s sass.
The story has hairpin turns that kept surprising me. The pacing of the story was excellent, too—I felt like the action started with a bang and never let up.
As with the first book, the culture of the bayou pervades every character, every scene, and I felt like I was on vacation in Louisiana with a close friend to both expose me to the culture and explain it at the same time. The setting itself is a character, and I loved the town, the food, the atmosphere of Lagniappe.
This is a fabulous novel for readers of all ages. The junior high girls in my church youth group will love this story, because the heroine is feisty and the hero is dashing, and the mystery and suspense kicks the romance up a notch.
Comments
You like Alyssa better than CoCo? Hmmm....interesting. I related more to CoCo, but more of Alyssa's spiritual lessons were more personal to me than CoCo's. Interesting.