Greetings! I’m excited to join the Sisterhood of the Traveling Book and share where my books have been spotted.

In choosing one particular book, it occurred to me that all of my books have traveled. Many across the U.S. some internationally. In fact, I’m rather jealous. They are far better traveled than…well, me!

So, for purposes of my first Traveling Book post, I decided to talk about New Mexico, the state where I currently live, and the places my books have appeared within the Land of Enchantment.

Taos: One such place was Taos, New Mexico. A Santa Fe bookstore owner invited me to talk about Until Dead: A Cold Case Suspense with a Taos book club. Not only did this wonderful group buy my lunch; they were well prepared with their questions and perceptions about the book and the series.

About Taos: I’d been to Taos as a young girl. Later, my family and I hiked, held family reunions and attended a balloon festival in the northeastern part of the state. There is so much outdoor activity to do in this area.

Taos is a historian’s dream. Located in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, the city has a history that dates back to the 16^th Century when Spanish Conquistadors flooded the area in search of gold. Later, in the 1800s, Kit Carson settled here. He is perhaps the most renowned, but only one of the legends that make this area famous.

The Taos Pueblo has a strong Native American population and is something to behold. Rich in tribal tradition, you will find Southwestern art and jewelry, witness tribal dances and enjoy authentic Southwestern cuisine (my personal favorite Indian fry bread!)

Nevertheless, if you visit Taos, pack your patience in your suitcase. It is an incredibly popular tourist destination. Its population isn’t quite 7,000, and I visited off season. Downtown has limited ingress and egress and is comprised of restaurants, hotels, bed and breakfasts, parks and museums. Trust me, though, the food, scenery, history, skiing, and additional things to do while you’re there will make it worth the effort.

Farmington: Another place my books have taken me is to my hometown of Farmington, New Mexico. When Black Pearl: A Cold Case Suspense was published, I was interviewed on a local radio station. Sometime afterward, I participated in a joint author signing at the Farmington Public Library.

The new library is an impressive architectural feat of glass and steel and is well organized and managed. However, I was sad not to enter the library I remembered from my childhood. The old building, long torn down, had a museum attached. Inside, I could view mannequins behind roped-off sections operating antique sewing machines, opening ice boxes, or read about the farming community for which the city is named. The honest truth is though, back in those days, I went to the museum mostly to see the two-headed calf!

About Farmington: Farmington is located in the Four Corners area, because the tip of New Mexico borders Arizona, Colorado and Utah. If you’re interested in Native American studies and artifacts, you will find the Aztec Ruins National Monument and Salmon Ruins close by.

Southwest of Farmington, you’ll encounter Shiprock, New Mexico, which in Navajo is Tse.Bit’a’i, for “rock with wings.”

To the east of Farmington is Navajo Lake State Park, while if you travel fifty miles northwest, you’ll reach Durango, Colorado. Farmington’s climate has four seasons and outdoor enthusiasts love this area. So, whether you ski on a mountain or in the water, you can plan accordingly.

Las Cruces: I only had to drive fifteen minutes to the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library for this event. With help from the Friends of the Library, here I am pictured with my good friend, Author Bailey Herrington who interviewed me about my cold case suspense Black Pearl.

About Las Cruces: In addition to having an outstanding library, I have enjoyed living in Las Cruces. The city comes with a small-town ambiance. Further, I love the culture. It’s home to New Mexico State University, which offers cultural and educational programs as well as sporting events. Surrounded by Mesilla Valley, the Organ Mountains, White Sands National Park, we live thirty minutes from El Paso. I grant it’s hot during the summer, but the climate is generally mild in the remaining months. I’m outdoors more than I’ve ever been in my life. Everywhere I turn, I see bicyclists and runners. I walk, and my husband and I are active in the pickleball community. As for him, he’s in his element, hiking, hunting and running.

I know this blog sounds like a Travelogue. However, isn’t that what it is–to talk about the places my books have traveled? I’m still trying to alert people that New Mexico is in the United States. Ideally, this blog has mentioned some great New Mexico cities you may want to consider visiting in the future. And, of course, I hope you’ll check out my books!

Donnell Ann Bell is an award-winning author who began her nonfiction career in newspapers. After she turned to fiction, her romantic suspense novels became Amazon bestsellers, including The Past Came Hunting, Deadly Recall, Betrayed, and Buried Agendas. In 2019, Donnell released her first mainstream suspense, Black Pearl, A Cold Case Suspense, which was a 2020 Colorado Book Award finalist. In 2022, book two of the series was released. Until Dead, A Cold Case Suspense won Best Thriller in 2023 at the Imaginarium Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Currently, she’s working on book three of the series. Readers can follow Donnell on her blog or sign up for her newsletter at www.donnellannbell.net.