Dying to Decorate
Page 21
Marina swats at the air. “Stop it.” Red spots bloom on her cheeks.
“This will be so fun!” I exclaim. “I know several women’s groups who might be willing to adopt a room to renovate.”
“Just think,” says Mary Alice, “an opportunity to design an entire house just for women.”
“Maybe a pink bathroom . . . ?” Lucy suggests.
“All the videos will be chick flicks,” adds Marina.
“No limit on cookbooks,” says Jess.
“And cute sayings on the wall like . . .” Kelly pauses in thought.
I finish my friend’s thought. “When life gets sticky, dip it in chocolate!”
“Perfect, Lizzie!” exclaims Lucy as we all explode in laughter.
“Which reminds me,” I add, pulling out my bag of chocolate bars, “of another FAC motto: ‘Friends don’t let friends eat dessert alone.’ Dig in, ladies!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cyndy Salzmann is a wife and mother who does much of her writing on the back of fast-food wrappers—usually while waiting to pick up her kids. Desperate for an excuse to avoid laundry, Cyndy has written three Christian nonfiction books on home management for the domestically challenged, launched a national speaking career, worked as a Christian radio personality, and taught her children how to sort colors. Dying to Decorate is her first novel and the first title in the Friday Afternoon Club mystery series.
Cyndy has been married for twenty-four years to John Salzmann, her college sweetheart and the most patient man in the world. They are blessed with three children: Freddy (19), Liz (17), and Anna (13). And, yes, the family also has a precocious Westie named Daisy, who loves to scavenge in the trash.
In her spare time, Cyndy loves to cook, read, and work on family scrapbooks. This last pursuit allows her to permanently destroy any photos of herself she doesn’t consider flattering.
Finally, but most importantly, Cyndy loves God with all her heart and has committed her life to following His lead, even if it means airing all her dirty laundry. Literally.
Nonfiction Titles by Cyndy Salzmann
Making Your Home a Haven: Strategies for the Domestically Challenged
The Occasional Cook: Culinary Strategies for Overcommitted Families
Beyond Groundhogs and Gobblers: Putting Meaning into Your Holiday Celebrations
Want to Contact Cyndy?
You may write her via e-mail at cyndy@familyhavenministries.com, through her Web site: www.familyhavenministries.com, or to:
Family Haven Ministries
15905 Jones Cr.
Omaha, NE 68118
A free subscription to her newsletter is available by sending a blank e-mail to subscribe@familyhavenministries.com.
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Published by Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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Dying to Decorate © 2005 by Cyndy Salzmann
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Howard Subsidiary Rights Department, Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Salzmann, Cynthia S.
Dying to decorate / Cyndy Salzmann.
p. cm.
1. Women detectives—Fiction. 2. Female friendship—Fiction. 3. Housewives—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3619.A446D95 2005
813'.6—dc22
2005046099
ISBN-13: 978-X-1-58229-455-1
ISBN-10: 1-58229-455-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-4516-0546-4(eBook)
HOWARD and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Edited by Ramona Cramer Tucker
Interior design by Tennille Paden
Cover design by Terry Dugan Design
Proverbs 27:17 is taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Jeremiah 29:11 is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. All Scripture quotations in the 1800s time period scenes are taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. All other Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or publisher.
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