Margaret Mizushima

Margaret Mizushima is the author of the award-winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. The latest title in the series is Tracking Game. Active within the writing community, Mizushima serves on the board for the Rocky Mountain chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected the 2019-2020 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She lives in Colorado on a small ranch with her veterinarian husband where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals.

Recently I asked Mizushima about what she was reading. Here’s her reply:

I’m fortunate to have been asked to read an Advance Reader Copy of The Spoilt Quilt and Other Frontier Stories: Pioneering Women of the West, a collection that will be released by Five Star Publishing on November 20, 2019. This fine anthology includes stories written by two of my favorite historical fiction authors: New York Times bestselling author, Sandra Dallas, and two-time Colorado Book Awards finalist, Pat Stoltey.

The opening story that shares its name with the anthology title is written by Sandra Dallas and features a sheriff and his wife who arrive at an outlying farm to investigate the farmer’s death by pitchfork. The storyteller captivated me as the tale outlined the events leading up to this man’s murder—fine writing at its best.

Pat Stoltey’s contribution, "Good Work for a Girl," captures the hardships a family endures as they head west to seek a new life. Gradually, members of the family succumb to illness and accident until only one is left, young Cecilia who tries to find adequate work. Met with the prejudices of the day, she’s turned down wherever she goes, but this spunky girl rises to the challenge until she finds good work for a girl. I loved watching Cecilia grow and succeed despite the odds being stacked against her.

Every story in this collection shines. In addition to Dallas and Stoltey, other authors who’ve contributed are Deborah Morgan, Charlotte Hinger, Larry D. Sweazy, Sharon Frame Gay, Matthew P. Mayo, Randi Samuelson-Brown, C. K. Crigger, W. Michael Farmer, Candace Simar, Patricia Grady Cox, Marcia Gaye, John D. Nesbitt, Paul Colt, and Preston Lewis. They all deserve a mention because each individual story is a winner.

I loved this anthology, and I highly recommend it.

Visit Margaret Mizushima's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Margaret Mizushima & Hannah, Bertie, Lily and Tess.

--Marshal Zeringue