Book Tour and Giveaway- Murder, Mayhem and Bliss by Loulou Harrington

I am so delighted to have the Charming Loulou Harrington here with us today. She has a great new book out Murder, Mayhem and Bliss. It was a really great read. Leave a comment and email for a chance to win a copy.

Murder, Mayhem & Bliss
by Loulou Harrington

The ‘reveal’ scene of this whodunit is very slick, and it was enjoyable to see the people who thought they would get away with greed and murder brought to justice.
~Back Porchervations

The mystery is well written and takes plenty of twists and turns.
~Queen of All She Reads

Murder, Mayhem and Bliss (Myrtle Grove Garden Club Mystery Book 1)
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Deadly Niche Press (November 26, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1620161418
E-Book File Size: 461 KB
ASIN: B00PFAP65E

Synopsis:

Nothing much happens in Myrtle Grove, Oklahoma. So when prominent businessman Harry Kerr is discovered face down in his pool shortly after dawn, the breakfast crowd in Jesse Camden’s tea room is buzzing. Recognizing the name, Jesse hurries to her friend Vivian Windsor, Myrtle Grove’s resident oil heiress and great-aunt to Bliss Kerr, widow of the deceased and soon-to-be prime suspect in his suspicious death.

Clearing Bliss and finding the real murderer isn’t what Jesse meant when she offered her assistance. And wrangling an eager band of helpers while chasing a tangle of leads across the countryside, tripping over deputies and evidence along the way, isn’t her first choice for her weekend. But here she is, and here she will be, hearing secrets no one should know, and discovering betrayals no one could live with, until Jesse finds her way through the maze of deceit to uncover the real killer.

My Review:

I love books that make you laugh out loud and this humorous whodunit does just that. The characters are so well developed and the story line will have you reading late into the night.  Jessie and her friends are on the mission to find out who killed Harry and clear their names before the killer strikes again.  You will be hooked from the very start. 

Guest Post:

I’m so happy to be here at Shelley’s Book Case today. Thank you, Shelley for having me and thanks to all the readers who’re sharing part of your day with me. Don’t forget to sign up for the weeklong Gift Box Giveaway featuring a delish chocolate-cherry cake recipe, accompanying chocolates, an autographed copy of my book MURDER, MAYHEM AND BLISS, stemmed crystal wineglasses and a vintage Fostoria Baroque Meadow Rose cake plate.

Since Jesse Camden, the main character in my Myrtle Grove Garden Club mystery series, is co-owner of an antique shop and a tea room featuring lots of baked goods from old family recipes, I thought the gift items above were especially appropriate. And since Jesse makes a living doing the things I do for pleasure, I really enjoyed shopping for just the right things to go into the gift box. In fact, I’m pretty sure there will be more gift bag giveaways in my future.

And speaking of the convenience of incorporating personal passions into what you’re writing about, I think that’s an especially good idea when you are writing a series that hopefully will continue for a long time. I also think that’s a good idea when you’re writing a cozy mystery, where the aim is to balance the “feel good” part of the book with the “murder solving” part of the book.

Sort of like, “Yes, there is a dead body over there, but—look—have you ever seen so many roses on one bush?” Or, maybe, “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to keep you out of jail and, here, have a pineapple-upside-down muffin.” And, I must confess, that I have found myself craving a piece of tea bread or a cup of hot spiced tea after reading certain sections in my books. Luckily, I usually have these things around.

When I was still in high school and just learning what writing is all about, I read a quote from Hemingway where he said that a writer needed to write what he knew. That quote terrified me just before it reduced me to despair. It was easy for him to say. He started his career as a journalist, writing for a major newspaper, where he learned the sparse, clean style that I so admired. He lived the life of an adventurer, so when he wrote what he knew, he had bullfights, African safaris, war stories, and old Cuban fishermen in his books.

I was still in high school, and while I wanted to someday win the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes for literature, which Hemingway had, I didn’t really want to go to war or run with the bulls, and Cuban was completely out of the question. I spent several years seriously wondering if I could ever be a writer, because I had no life. If I was going to write anything, it had to be from my imagination, and apparently that wasn’t acceptable.

Eventually, I got a little older, stopped taking it all so seriously, got involved with some writing groups and some fantastic critique groups, spent a few years writing romances (which I enjoyed immensely), and I lived. Life, hobbies, interests, experience, succeeding, failing, accepting and then one day, I found myself writing what I knew. Not the murder part—that’s why writers have to have imaginations—but the rest of it is what I know and love and really enjoy making a part of my cozy series.

So, thank you, Mr. Hemingway. I get it now. Write what you know, even if it’s how to get a good crop of lettuce in the spring. Write what you enjoy and hope somebody else enjoys it, too. Do research on the things you don’t know, like exactly how DNA actually works. Use your imagination to pull it all together, then put the seat of your pants in a chair, grab a keyboard, and go to work.

Next thing you know, you’re on a blog tour saying, “Hi, there, I wrote a book, and I’d like you to read it.” So, Hi, there!

About This Author:

A lifelong fan of mysteries and the cozy genre, in particular, Loulou Harrington began her published career in romances and is now happy to be writing what she has always loved to read—a good, old-fashioned mystery. Even better, she has the chance to incorporate her personal love of gardening, cooking, exploring quaint villages and wandering through the great outdoors in her new Myrtle Grove Garden Club mystery series. She sincerely hopes you will enjoy sharing this special world with her.

Loulou Harrington, Author
Myrtle Grove Garden Club mysteries
MURDER, MAYHEM AND BLISS, Book 1
http://www.loulouharrington.com/

Author Links

Blog: http://myrtlegrovemornings.wordpress.com/

or: http://loulouwritescozy.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loulou.harrington

Twitter: https://twitter.com/loulouwrites1

Purchase Links:
Amazon B&N Book Depository