Blog Tour- Flora Lively and a Date with Death by Joanne Phillips

Flora Lively is visiting today and she has a Date with Death.

Publisher: Mirrorball Books (April 15, 2015)
Print Length: 183 pages
ASIN: B00W7GUVQI

Synopsis
Amateur sleuth Flora Lively is back to investigate another mystery, and this time the body count is rising …

When Flora’s best friend returns to England with a Spanish film crew in tow, Flora is thrilled to land a job on set at a glamorous country house. But when a member of the crew is brutally murdered, and the priceless Infanta Tiara stolen, suspicion falls on everyone at Hanley Manor – including someone far too close to home.

When an arrest is made, Flora is plunged deep into a puzzling mystery, with no idea who she can and cannot trust. Surrounded by suspicion and bitter rivalries, she must keep one eye over her shoulder at all times. Because the murderer is about to strike again …

A Date With Death is a cozy English village mystery, ideal for readers who love cozy reads with romance and humor, and British mysteries on Kindle.

(Book #2 in the Flora Lively British cosy mysteries series)

Guest Post

Why I Write’

Writing a cozy mystery series means you need to be in it for the long haul - if readers love your characters they are going to want more, and you’d better be committed to producing! But sometimes even writers get tired and a little despondant, and at times like this I often come back to the reason why I write in the first place.

Some time ago, I sat down and wrote myself a kind of author mission statement. I’d like to share it with you now: “I write stories to entertain, and to offer (the reader, and myself) a temporary escape into another life. I create interesting and engaging characters who may linger with you even after you’ve finished reading their stories. I write about characters who learn to examine their lives – their motivations, hopes and fears – and who find the courage to change. I write about the important stuff: life, love, loss and lies – including the lies we tell ourselves. And yes, I want my stories to change the world. A little tiny bit of it, anyway.”

The thing with affirmations (a mission statement is a bit like an affirmation, after all) is that they should be worded as though what you’re aiming for is already fact. These are my aims when I write - this is why I write. To touch people in the way I’ve been touched by wonderful books, to make people think about an aspect of their life they are struggling with. If I could have my entire career over again I would probably train as some type of counsellor – I have a kind of compulsion to help people sort themselves out. (Some might say: whether they want to be sorted out or not!)

I write all kinds of fiction, but cozy mysteries hold a special place in my heart because they speak to the child in me who used to love Nancy Drew, and who played at pretending to solve mysteries - I even had my own set of disguises! So whenever I get discouraged, I always come back to the fact that I write because I love writing and creating. Some people write just for money or success or for their platform, but for me it’s a labor of love. Since the moment I could scrawl my letters on the page, stories have been essential – writing has been something I just do, something I couldn’t not do. I write because I have to, and if even one reader is touched by something in one of my books, then I’ve succeeded in what I set out to do.

review:

This whodunit was a fun read with great characters and a story line that will make you want to read more. Flora Lively is witty and on the case to find out who the killer is and bring them down before she becomes the next victim. I enjoyed this one and look forward to what Flora will find herself into next time.

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