What a start to the new year, friends.

I’ll lead with book news first: Collar Cases #4: Case of the Stolen Scarab comes out Sunday, February 5, 2023!

As always, it will be available in audio, print, and ebook formats. The ebook is available for preorder, if you’re into ebooks for your kids and grandkids.

Otherwise, the print and audio formats will be available on February 5th.

Visit the book’s detail page (which includes the themed Bowwow Barker junior detective assignments) here.

Now, the family news.

On January 1, 2023, Mom Trumpower reached the end of her years-long battle with a rare lung cancer. At about 10:30 pm, she was taken home to start eternity with God–cancer free–in heaven.

Our family had the tremendous honor of ushering her into her new home, praying for her around her hospital bed and celebrating all the way until she was there.

Josiah’s sister had called us late in the evening on Dec. 30 to warn us Mom was being taken to the hospital with medical complications. We rang my parents for emergency babysitting services, packed our bags, and drove down to Columbus.

I am so glad we went.

For the next two days, we took turns keeping Mom company in her hospital room. We talked about her memories of raising Josiah and his siblings. We talked lots about her fun times with her grandkids and all the photos we took.

On New Year’s Eve, she was adamant Dad watch the OSU football game with her. Never mind the unfinished preparations at home so that she could return on hospice support!

It ended up being her final night, and I don’t think she had any objections to how she spent it.

On January 1st, she had a wonderful procession of family and friends rotate through her room. The bulk of us entirely took over and filled to capacity the family lounge on the hospital’s cancer floor.

(If there had been any more visitors, I would have been forced to start selling tickets in the lobby!)

It was a beautiful final day, filled with laughter, love, and a visual testament of how many lives Mom Trumpower touched during her time here.

By evening, she passed peacefully and started a new chapter of perfect living that those of us left behind can only imagine.

Josiah and I spent the rest of the week with his siblings and dad in the family home. We don’t have the opportunity to be together in that way often, so it was a special time.

And now it’s January 19th! Already!

Josiah and I have spent the last couple weeks trying to reconstruct our routine: wash the laundry so everyone has clean underwear; get back into a schedule with our kids; buy groceries and actually cook food.

I have the laundry under control (for now) and the meals organized. I’m also several days in on a nice consistency streak with the kids’ school work in the morning.

Book stuff is also falling into place.

  • Today I’m announcing the release date for Collar Cases #4
  • I’ll announce the release date for Power Pup #1 imminently
  • Power Pup #2 will be close on its heels after I pick up the late-stage production balls I dropped when all of this family stuff went down

If you’re not on the Collar Cases newsletter yet, you want to be. In a few days, I’m sending an email re: what you can expect from Collar Cases in 2023.

(Barring any more family emergencies!)

And that’s about it! We’re going into the year, sad at losing Mom but so incredibly happy she is healed and happy in heaven.

We’re also excited to see what this year brings our book business as we launch the Power Pup books while continuing to produce new Collar Cases mysteries.

We can’t wait to share it all with you!