Gilt By Association
by Karen Rose Smith
Gilt by Association is an engaging read. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
~Booklady’s Booknotes
~Booklady’s Booknotes
Great cozy mystery!
~MysteriesEtc.
~MysteriesEtc.
This book had everything you could hope, mystery, secrets hidden, all sorts of possible suspects.
~Community Bookstop
~Community Bookstop
This is a charming story.
~readalot
~readalot
Ms. Smith is a wonderful story teller. Her likable characters, obvious love for animals (they always have a big part in her stories), and talent for creating a whodunit that will keep you turning the pages,…
~Lisa K’s Book Reviews
~Lisa K’s Book Reviews
Gilt by Association(A Caprice DeLuca Mystery)
• Series: A Caprice DeLuca Mystery
• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (January 27, 2015)
• ISBN-13: 978-0758284884
Synopsis
Between training her new puppy, helping her sister with her baby, and searching for the perfect vintage dress for Kismet’s Valentine’s Day dance, home-stager Caprice De Luca has a lot on her to-do list. But she’s never too busy to do a little staging, and she’s looking forward to thawing February’s frozen real estate market with her Hearts and Flowers Open House. Her client Louise Downing’s romantically decorated home practically staged itself. But when Louise is found murdered, Caprice is forced to turn her attention from sweethearts to suspects. And as the truth comes out in stages, she discovers that Louise had more secrets than a box of chocolate truffles…
my review:
This is book three in the Caprice De Luca Mystery series and it keeps getting better. Caprice is a great character and by now friend to all who have read it. With Valentines day approaching things are getting busier for Caprice, with staging houses and getting things ready for the Valentines day dance, she has more on her plate then she can handle. So when her mother's friend Louise is found murdered she has to juggle everything to solve this case before the killer strikes again. I love this series and the town and the characters have become more than a book. It is great to visit with book friends and this one is so good you won't want to stop reading it. I' looking forward to where and what Caprice will find herself into next.
my review:
This is book three in the Caprice De Luca Mystery series and it keeps getting better. Caprice is a great character and by now friend to all who have read it. With Valentines day approaching things are getting busier for Caprice, with staging houses and getting things ready for the Valentines day dance, she has more on her plate then she can handle. So when her mother's friend Louise is found murdered she has to juggle everything to solve this case before the killer strikes again. I love this series and the town and the characters have become more than a book. It is great to visit with book friends and this one is so good you won't want to stop reading it. I' looking forward to where and what Caprice will find herself into next.
Guest Post:
How Music Affects My Writing
by
Karen Rose Smith
Ever since I was a young girl, music has made a difference in my life. Until I was five, my parents and I lived with my grandfather and aunt. After that, they lived next door and I was back and forth continuously. I come from an Italian heritage and my grandfather was an immigrant. He played the mandolin beautifully. On weekends, friends would stop by with guitars and accordions as he and his friends made music. That music brought into the house fellowship, fun, and a sense of well-being.
Also in my grandfather's house was a player piano. We inserted what was called a roll and a melody magically played while my mother and I would sing along. It even listed the words. She played the piano herself and I would accompany her too. It was natural for me to learn to play the piano. Although my dad didn't feel he was musically inclined, he taught himself how to play both the organ and the guitar when he was in his fifties. I didn't know it then, but my dad was a role model for me in later years. He sent a message without saying a word, that no one was ever too old to try something new.
I watched my parents enjoy making music just for the joy of it. Throughout both my childhood and adult years I learned to express emotions in playing and I found joy and inspiration in it too. When I was a teenager, I enjoyed story music like It's My Party, My Girl, The Last Kiss, Love Potion Number Nine, She Loves You, The Leader of the Pack, Patches, and A Town Without Pity. Listening to these songs, I could imagine scenes coming to life. Conversations between the characters ran in my head. If I was bored in class, I could hear the song in my mind, and I'd create a scenario complete with cool outfits for the heroine to
accompany it.
I believe music fueled my first creative endeavors, from beginning a novel to co-writing a script with my cousin for the Monkees TV show. Music was inspiration then and it's inspiration now.
With this history, I never just listen to a song. I feel it. I like all kinds of music from the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Chad and Jeremy, Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Frankie Avalon, and Bobby Rydell to Josh Grobin, Il Divo, Charice, Brad Paisley, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, Jason Castro, and Blake Shelton. I listen for artists and music who can stir that deep creative part of me, whether it does that by bringing back memories, lifting me to a mountain top, soothing pain and stress away, or urging me to write a particularly emotional scene. Music lifts me over the writing bumps … as well as life's bumps.
It just made sense that somewhere in my Caprice De Luca mystery series, music would play a part for her too. In the second book of the series, Deadly Décor, I introduced Ace Richards, a rock star legend who moves to Kismet and buys a house that Caprice stages. Ace and Caprice become friends and readers will see more of Ace in future books in the series. A retro-girl, Caprice enjoys most of the music of the sixties and seventies. After all, I saw the Beatles in concert in Dodger Stadium. I attended the Monkees concert in Philadelphia. The sixties and seventies were my most formative years, and the music from that time was too.
I believe in the power of music to lift us above pain and reinvigorate our spirits. I hope you are touched by its power in your life too.
About This Author
Award winning and best-selling author, Karen Rose Smith’s plots are all about emotion. She began writing in her early teens when she listened to music and created stories to accompany the songs. An only child, she spent a lot of time in her imagination and with books–Nancy Drew, Zane Gray, The Black Stallion and Anne of Green Gables. She dreamed of brothers and sisters and a big family like her mother and father came from. This is the root of her plotlines that include small communities and family relationships as part of everyday living. Residing in Pennsylvania with her husband and four rescued cats, she welcomes interaction with readers on social media.
Author Links:
Webpage: http://karenrosesmithmysteries.com/
Webpage: http://karenrosesmithmysteries.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenrosesmith
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/karosm/
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Caprice De Luca Mystery series sounds like an awesome read! I will have to check out the books. Thank you for the review.
ReplyDeleteLove this series!
ReplyDeleterjprazak6@gmail.com
I love this series, Caprice De Luca and Karen Rose Smith! Thanks for the post on music. I can't imagine life without music.
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