Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Author Spotlight- Rose Pressey

Happy New Years Eve! Today's spotlight is the lovely author Rose Pressey! I have enjoyed her books and know you will too!

Rose Pressey

Rose Pressey is a USA TODAY bestselling author. She enjoys writing quirky and fun novels with a paranormal twist. The paranormal has always captured her interest. The thought of finding answers to the unexplained fascinates her.

When she's not writing about werewolves, vampires and every other supernatural creature, she loves eating cupcakes with sprinkles, reading, spending time with family, and listening to oldies from the fifties.

Rose lives in the beautiful commonwealth of Kentucky with her husband, son and three sassy Chihuahuas.

Rose loves to hear from readers. If you're interested in receiving information when a new Rose Pressey book is released, you can sign up for her newsletter at http://oi.vresp.com/?fid=cf78558c2a. Join her on Facebook for lots of fun and prizes. https://www.facebook.com/authorrosepressey

More books from Rose Pressey:

Hadley Wilds Series:
Dead Girl's Guide to Style

Maggie, P.I. Series:

Book 1: Crime Wave 
Book 2: Murder is a Beach

Halloween LaVeau Series:

Book 1: Forever Charmed
Book 2 : Charmed Again 
Book 3: Third Time's a Charm

Rylie Cruz Series:
Book 1: How to Date a Werewolf
Book 2: How to Date a Vampire
Book 3: How to Date a Demon 

Larue Donavan Series:
Book 1: Me and My Ghoulfriends
Book 2: Ghouls Night Out
Book 3: The Ghoul Next Door

Mystic Cafe Series: 
Book 1: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells
Book 2: Pies and Potions

The Haunted Renovation Mystery Series: 
Book 1: Flip That Haunted House
Book 2: The Haunted Fixer-Upper

Trash-to-Treasure Crafting Mystery Series:
Book 1: Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel
Book 2: Honeysuckle Homicide (Coming 2014)

Veronica Mason Series:
Book 1: Rock 'n' Roll is Undead

You can connect with her and her books here:

Monday, December 29, 2014

Guest Post - Dru Ann Love

I am so thrilled to have Dru Ann Love here with us today! She is an amazing friend and taught me so much about blogging and introduced me to so many wonderful author! For that I am forever grateful and thankful to have her as a friend.

I’m here to talk about holidays.  Since we recently celebrated Christmas, holidays are on my mind.

Did you there are hundreds of holidays that are celebrated and observed in the United States?  We have Federal Holidays which is an authorized holiday that has been recognized by the U.S. government; then there are celebrations and observations; religious observations; state and local municipalities observations; the list can go on and on.

How did these holidays come into existence?  What do they all mean?  Well, I’m going to tell you.

Federal Holidays
New Year's Day is January 1. The celebration of this holiday begins the night before, when Americans gather to wish each other a happy and prosperous coming year.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American clergyman who is recognized for his tireless efforts to win civil rights for all people through nonviolent means.

Washington's Birthday is observed the third Monday of February in honor George Washington, the first President of the United States. This date is commonly called Presidents' Day.

Memorial Day is observed the last Monday of May. It originally honored the people killed in the American Civil War, but has become a day on which the American dead of all wars are remembered.

Independence Day is July 4. This holiday honors the nation's birthday - the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.




Labor Day is the first Monday of September. This holiday honors the nation's working people. For most Americans it marks the end of the summer vacation season and the start of the school year.

Columbus Day is a celebrated on the second Monday in October. The day commemorates October 12, 1492, when Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. The holiday was first proclaimed in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11. This holiday was originally called Armistice Day and established to honor Americans who had served in World War I. It now honors veterans of all wars in which the U.S. has fought.



Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Many regard this event as the nation's first Thanksgiving.



Christmas Day is a celebrated on December 25. Christmas is a Christian holiday marking the birth of the Christ Child.



Other Celebrations and Observances
Groundhog Day is February 2 and has been celebrated since 1887. On Groundhog Day, crowds gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see if groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow after emerging from his burrow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter weather.

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. The day was named after an early Christian martyr. The first mass-produced valentine cards were sold in the 1840s.



Earth Day is observed on April 22. First celebrated in 1970 in the United States, it inspired national legislation such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Earth Day is designed to promote ecology, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water.

National Arbor Day was proclaimed as the last Friday in April by President Richard Nixon in 1970. The observance began in 1872, when Nebraska settlers and homesteaders were urged to plant trees on the largely treeless plains.

Mother's Day is the second Sunday of May. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in 1914 that started the holiday. He asked Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers on this day. Carnations have come to represent Mother's Day, following President William McKinley's habit of always wearing a white carnation, his mother's favorite flower.

Flag Day, celebrated June 14, has been a presidentially proclaimed observance since 1916. Although Flag Day is not a federal holiday, Americans are encouraged to display the flag outside their homes and businesses on this day to honor the history and heritage the American flag represents.

Father's Day celebrates fathers every third Sunday of June. Father's Day began in 1909 in Spokane, Washington, when a daughter requested a special day to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised his children after his wife died. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson.

September 11, 2001, was a defining moment in American history. On that day, terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners to strike targets in the United States. Nearly 3,000 people died as a consequence of the attacks. Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance are observed on September 11 in honor of the victims of these attacks.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31 where American children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating" by knocking on doors in their neighborhood.  Adults might celebrate Halloween with costume parties.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is December 7. In 1994, Congress designated this national observance to honor the more than 2,400 military service personnel who died on this date in 1941, during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by Japanese forces.


There are many religious and ethnic celebrations in the United States; even though they are not national holidays. For example, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter, Jews observe their high holy days in September, and Muslims celebrate Ramadan.

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving where families gather together to enjoy a good meal and good company.

What’s your favorite holiday to celebrate?



Sunday, December 28, 2014

Weekly Wrap Up #51

Happy Holidays to you! Hope yours was a great one! Here is what  happened this week:

Dec.23rd- Coming Soon
Dec.26th- Friday 56

It was a slow reading week so none to post .

Appearing on my blog this week:

Dec. 29th- Guest Post - Dru Ann Love
Dec.30th- Book Release Day
Dec. 31st- Author Spotlight- Rose Pressey
Jan. 1,2015- First in a New Series- Murder She Barked by Krista Davis
Jan.2nd- Friday 56
Jan.3rd- Book Trivia- Laura Bradford

Hope to see you! 

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Book Trivia- Isabella Alan

It's time for trivia and today's lovely host is Isabella Alan!! I am so thrilled to have her doing trivia today! I got to meet her this past year at Malice and she is super sweet and a lot of fun! One Lucky person will receive a copy of her first book Maid of Murder. Leave the answers here and your email as well. 



Here we go and good luck!



1) What's the name of Angie's canine sidekick?


2) In Murder, Served Simply, should she choose her ex-fiance from Texas or Sheriff James Mitchell of the Holmes County Sheriff's Department?


3) Who are the members of Angie's quilt circle?


4) What article of clothing can't Angie live without?


5) In Murder, Simply Stitched, what's the name of the goat that steals the show?


6) Have you ever been to Amish Country?


7) If you went on a trip to Ohio's Amish Country, what would you like to see or do most?


8) What do you think about Angie's relationship with the Amish characters in the series?


9) Murder, Served Simply takes place during an Amish-themed play. Have you ever been to one?


10) If you could hang out with one character from the Amish Quilt Shop Mystery Series for one day, who would it be?

National Bestselling Author Isabella Alan is the pseudonym for Amanda Flower. Amanda Flower, a two time Agatha-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Amanda is an academic librarian for a small college near Cleveland.
Follow Isabella on Facebook Twitter Pinterest


Thanks so much!!




A PLAIN MALICE, Now Available! ANDI UNDER PRESSURE, Now Available!
THE FINAL REVEILLE, May 2015.
Writing as Isabella Alan, MURDER, SIMPLY STITCHED, Now Available!
MURDER, SERVED SIMPLY, Dec2014

Friday, December 26, 2014

The Friday 56

Happy Friday! Hope you had a great  holiday!






"I gave myself a mental kick in the head and slid into one of the two chairs at the table. I was letting the post traumatic stress of finding a dead body rule my thoughts. Ryan was the biggest reason to leave Dallas, not to stay"



Thursday, December 25, 2014

First in a New Series- Portrait of a Dead Guy

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you! Today's First in a new series is Portrait of a Dead Guy by Larissa Reinhart!
Product Details

Book Description

 August 23, 2012

HIGH-OCTANE ACTION WITH QUIRKY, DOWN-HOME CHARACTERS...

"An entertaining mystery full of quirky characters and solid plotting...Highly recommended for anyone who likes their mysteries strong and their mint juleps stronger!” - Jennie Bentley, New York Times Bestselling Author of Flipped Out

“Reinhart is a truly talented author and this book was one of the best cozy mysteries we reviewed this year…We highly recommend this book to all lovers of mystery books. Our Rating: 4.5 Stars.” – Mystery Tribune
In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge -- but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival. As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Between ex-boyfriends, her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.

* Winner of the Dixie Kane Memorial Award * Nominated for the Daphne du Maurier Award and the Emily Award *

Praise for PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY:

“The tone of this marvelously cracked book is not unlike Sophie Littlefield’s brilliant A Bad Day for Sorry, as author Reinhart dishes out shovelfuls of ribald humor and mayhem. It takes a rare talent to successfully portray a beer-and-hormone-addled artist as a sympathetic and worthy heroine, but Reinhart pulls it off with tongue-in-cheek panache.” – Betty Webb, Mystery Scene Magazine
"Pure enjoyment, a laugh out loud mystery with some Southern romance thrown in. FIVE STARS OUT OF FIVE.” - Lynn Farris, National Mystery Review Examiner at Examiner.com
“Laugh-out-loud funny and as Southern as sweet tea and cheese grit, Larissa Reinhart’s masterfully crafted whodunit, Portrait of a Dead Guy, provides high-octane action with quirky, down-home characters and a trouble-magnet heroine who’ll steal readers’ hearts and have them begging for the next Cherry Tucker Mystery.” - Debby Giusti, author of The Captain's Mission and The Colonel's Daughter
“Larissa Reinhart's debut sparkles with wit. A fun, fast-paced read and a rollicking start to her Cherry Tucker Mystery Series. If you like your stories Southern-fried with a side of romance, this book's for you!” - Leslie Tentler, author of Midnight Caller
“I could not put down this fast-paced, action-filled and fun romp in this debut novel that had me laughing out-loud from beginning to end... Boasting Southern charm and engagingly amusing banter, this was very enjoyable and a great start to what I hope is a long-running series.” - Dru Ann Love, Dru’s Book Musings and The Cozy Chicks Blog


You can get it here: 

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Author Spotlight- Toni LoTempio

Happy Holidays to you and yours! Today's Spotlight goes to T. C. LoTempio!  T.C. is the author of a new cozy mystery series that will win you over in a minute! Meow if it's Murder! Isn't the cover a great one?

Toni LoTempio

While Toni (aka T. C. ) Lotempio does not commit - or solve - murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 - The Secret in the Old Attic. She lists among her favorite mystery/suspense writers Erle Stanley Gardner, Mary Higgins Clark and James Patterson, as well as EJ Copperman, Steve Hockensmith, Victoria Laurie, Ali Brandon, Rita Mae Brown, Miranda James and Sofie Kelly to name only a few! Toni is also passionate about her love for animals, as demonstrated with her four cats: Trixie, Princess, Maxx and, of course, ROCCO, who not only provided the inspiration for the character of Nick the cat in the Nick and Nora mystery series, but who also writes his own blog and does charity work for Nathan Fillion's charity, Kids Need to Read! Toni's also devoted to miniseries like The Thorn Birds, Dancing with the Stars, reruns of Murder She Wrote and Castle (of course!). She (and ROCCO, albeit he's uncredited) pen the Nick and Nora mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime - the first volume, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, debuts Dec. 2, 2014. She, Rocco and company make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple - New York.

You can get this great read right here:

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Coming Dec 30,2014

Diane Kelly's second book in the Paw Enforcement series is coming on Dec. 30th!! Do you have it pre-ordered? Are you a fan of this series?

Paw and Order (Paw Enforcement Series #2)

Book Description

 December 30, 2014
Police officer Megan Luz and her loyal K-9 partner Brigit are back on the beat—and under the gun—when the local rodeo show goes to the dogs…

OUT OF THE DOGHOUSEAfter capturing the notorious Fort Worth "Tunabomber," Megan and Brigit are practically celebrities. Which is why the police chief lassoed them into doing rodeo duty —mostly as a public relations stunt for the department. Megan’s not a fan of calf roping, bull riding, or goat milking contests. But when a  thief appears to be working the circuit, her trusty K-9 partner starts sniffing for clues…

INTO THE FIRE HYDRANTThe culprit is "Robin Hood," a young Texas golddigger who steals from the rich to give to the poor—namely, herself. With Brigit hot on the trail, Megan has to juggle her on-again off-again reputation in the FWPD with her on-again off-again relationship with sexy bomb-squader Seth Rutledge. This time, Megan is determined to rope in her suspect and her man…before chaos, and/or her trusted furry partner, is unleashed.

"Readers should be prepared for a laugh fest. Diane Kelly is first class."
Night Owl Romance


This is a great series! Don't miss out. You can get the book right here:

Monday, December 22, 2014

Guest Post and Recipe - Helen Smith

I am so delighted to have the Charming Helen Smith with us today! There is also a yummy recipe that you can make for the Holidays!

Welcome Helen, so glad you can be here with us today! It was a pleasure meeting you at Malice and I love reading your books.
Helen Smith


Thanks for inviting me here to talk about my books, Shelley. It was great to meet you at Malice Domestic earlier this year. I know that I’m fortunate making my living writing books. It’s like being paid to daydream, and then, on top of that, I get the opportunity to travel to crime writing conventions like Bouchercon and Malice.
I have a lot of fun writing my Emily Castles mystery series. It’s a traditional mystery series featuring a twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth. The books are set in the present day, but they have an old-fashioned sensibility that will appeal to readers who enjoy books by Dorothy L Sayers or Agatha Christie. There is some slightly surreal humor in it, too, that will appeal to fans of Alexander McCall Smith or M. C. Beaton.
In Real Elves, my Christmas story, Emily and Dr. Muriel have to solve a puzzle involving a lost child in a department store. This is the first time I have written a holiday-themed story. I have had such a great response from readers that I’m planning another Christmas story for next year, too. But I’m not going to worry about that until after the holidays.
It’s only a few days before Christmas. How are you doing? Are all your preparations complete? Pretty much all that’s left for me to do is bake a cheesecake. It’s popular at family parties and it’s an easy recipe, taken from a book called Cheesecakes by Maggie Black, so I thought I would share it with you.
In England, we would call the base for this cheesecake a biscuit base. I buy the hard-baked, shop-bought plain kind like Rich Tea or Plain Digestive and smash them up in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, or put them in the food processor until they turn into crumbs. American friends tell me they would usually use Graham Crackers, so I have listed those in the ingredients. But if you can get hold of Rich Tea or Digestive biscuits, please give them a try.
We don’t use cup measurements for baking, we use ounces (oz) and fluid ounces (fl oz) so I have left those measurements in but converted them to cups.
Maryland Party Cheesecake (serves 10-12)
Base:
1/3 cup (3 ½ oz) butter (a stick of butter)
1/3 cup (2 oz) light soft brown sugar
1 ½ cups (8 oz) Graham cracker crumbs from 24 crackers
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Filling:
4 eggs, separated
1 cup (8 fl oz) soured cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup (8 oz) castor sugar
1/3 cup (2 oz) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1lb full-fat soft cheese e.g. Philadelphia cream cheese.
Line the base of a 9 inch loose-based cake tin. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Sieve the soft brown sugar into a bowl then add the crumbs, cinnamon and nutmeg, mix, then work the butter into it. Press the crumb mixture all over the base and about an inch up the sides of the cake tin. Chill the base while making the filling.
Beat the egg yolks until thick, and then beat in the soured cream and the vanilla essence. Mix 2/3 cup (6 oz) of the caster sugar with the flour and salt, and beat in the soft cheese a little at a time. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until fairly stiff, adding the remaining 1/3 cup (2 oz) caster sugar while doing so. Fold the beaten egg whites into the cheese mixture. Turn gently into the chilled base in the cake tin and bake at 325F, Gas Mark 3, for one hour. Cool in the turned-off oven with the door ajar. Remove from the tin and chill for at least one hour before serving.
I hope you enjoy it if you decide to follow the recipe.
Happy holidays,
Helen
Helen Smith’s blog: http://www.emperorsclothes.co.uk
Helen Smith’s website: http://helensmithbooks.com
Helen Smith on Twitter: http://twitter.com/emperorsclothes
Helen Smith’s books on Amazon: http://smarturl.it/helensmithbooks
There is some bonus material, including fantasy casting and locations for my books and interviews with other authors over at Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/emperorsclothes
About Helen Smith:
Helen Smith is a British novelist who lives in London. She is the author of two cult novels about a woman who joins an all-female detective agency in London (Alison Wonderland and Being Light) as well as a dystopian novel, The Miracle Inspector, and the Emily Castles Mysteries, which can be read in any order. Her books have reached number one on Amazon in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany. Her work has been optioned by the BBC.



First in Series- Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Ross

Happy Monday! This week's First in Series is Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Ross Released on August 22, 2000. Seri...