Consigned to Death was named a “core title” in an April 8, 2010, Library Journal article on building a contemporary cozy mystery collection.

“I’m beyond delighted,” Jane says. “I love libraries and librarians, and to be honored in this way thrills me to my toenails!”

The Library Journal article explained that members of The Reading List—the RUSA/CODES committee that selects the year's best genre fiction—selected 22 classic and contemporary cozies for a core collection.”

About Consigned to Death, they wrote: “Cleland's Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series stars an appraiser who uses her knowledge of antiques to solve crimes. Packed with antiques lore, complex characters, and intricate plots, this traditional, now five-book series has been referred to as an Antiques Roadshow for mystery fans. In the first entry, Josie moves from New York City to a small town on the rugged New Hampshire coast after she blows the whistle on a price-fixing scandal at the auction house where she worked. Setting up her own business, Josie gets mixed up in a murder investigation and uses her specialized knowledge to clear her name.”

You can read the entire article at www.libraryjournal.com.

Silent Auction , the fifth installment in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series, is available tomorrow. Publishers Weekly called it “Delightful.”

In Silent Auction, Josie has been hired to appraise a New York City financier’s priceless maritime art collection. She visits his renovated Rocky Point lighthouse and finds her dear friend’s nephew dead—bludgeoned to death.

When she discovers a scrimshaw tooth missing, an intricate conspiracy begins to unravel. Using her knowledge of antiques, Josie is able to solve the crime and help her friend cope with her unimaginable loss.

Read an excerpt and Order your copy now!

A vintage Chanel bag with certificate and dustbag, in excellent condition, will sell for several thousand dollars. Here’s a six-step checklist to help you determine if the purse is genuine: (1) The logo should be comprised of two interlocking “Cs” facing away from one another, with the right “C” overlapping the left “C” at the top, and the left “C” overlapping the bottom “C” on the right; (2) The number on the embossed authenticity card should match the serial number in the bag; (3) The zipper pull, if your vintage purse has one, should feature engraving; the word “Chanel” should be engraved on one side and the logo on the other; (4) In patterned purses, the logo pattern should align from top to bottom and from side to side; (5) The country of origin mark (France or Italy) should be stamped on the inside of the bag, and it should be of the correct color. In authentic Chanel bags, gold stamps match gold hardware; if the hardware is silver, the stamp should be silver as well; and (6) If the purse dates from before the 1990s, the dustbag should be white. Only contemporary bags are sold with black dustbags.

Want to pit your antiques appraisal skills against those of the professionals? Visit the archives of the free, fun challenge we ran for years called What’s It Worth? You Be the Judge.

A: Finding time to write is one of the most difficult challenges I face. When it comes to time management, I think I have two factors in my favor. First, I'm fortunate to have a lot of energy, and second, I seem to be able to write "on demand."

I don’t know where the energy comes from; perhaps it’s genetic, or maybe it’s fueled by ambition. I can’t explain it; I just know that I don’t seem to need a lot of sleep and I rarely crave time off. I work seven days a week. As to my ability to write “on demand,” if I have ten minutes, I can write a few sentences or a paragraph, and boy oh boy, do small accomplishments add up!

I think that every author has to develop his or her own approach. That said, here are two tips that I’ve found helpful, and that may work for other authors as well. First, before I stop writing, I add a few quick notes to remind me what I want to write next. These notes might be plot points, but often they refer to smaller details, like reminding myself that it was about to rain or that Josie is wearing khakis. Having these notes to refer to allows me to jump right back into the story. Second, I type “xxx” at the point I leave off. When I’m ready to write again, I search for “xxx” and the computer brings me back to that exact place, and I’m ready to go.

Jane's Going on the Road

P.S.  Please add "Jane_K._Cleland@mail.vresp.com" to your address book!