Friday, July 31, 2015

Blog Tour- Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate

Pru Park stopped by today with her latest book Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate. Welcome Marty and Pru, so thrilled you can join us.





Print Length: 276 pages
Publisher: Alibi (August 4, 2015)
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Sold by: Random House LLC







Perfect for fans of Laura Childs, Ellery Adams, and Jenn McKinlay, Marty Wingate’s enchanting Potting Shed Mystery series heads to Scotland as Pru Parke plans her wedding . . . all while a vengeful murderer is poised to strike again.


After her romantic idyll with the debonair Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse culminates in a marriage proposal, Pru Parke sets about arranging their nuptials while diving into a short-term gig at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. At hand is the authentication of a journal purportedly penned by eighteenth-century botanist and explorer Archibald Menzies. Compared to the chaos of wedding planning, studying the journal is an agreeable task . . . that is, until a search for a missing cat leads to the discovery of a dead body: One of Pru’s colleagues has been conked on the head with a rock and dumped from a bridge into the Water of Leith.


Pru can’t help wondering if the murder has something to do with the Menzies diary. Is the killer covering up a forgery? Among the police’s many suspects are a fallen aristocrat turned furniture maker, Pru’s overly solicitous assistant, even Pru herself. Now, in the midst of sheer torture by the likes of flamboyant wedding dress designers and eccentric church organists, Pru must also uncover the work of a sly murderer—unless this bride wants to walk down the aisle in handcuffs.


You will be pulled in to the story right from the start. Pru is busy getting ready for her wedding and wants everything to be perfect from the flowers, the music and the caterers she has worked hard for everything to run smoothly. So when a body is found while she is looking for the cat she gets more than she hoped for on her big day.She now has to deal with all the wedding plans and find the killer to clear her name before she walks down the isle.

With a cast of characters so fun and well developed, The story will keep you captivated and intrigued right to the last page. I am a fan of Pru's and look forward to the next book and what she will find herself tangled up in next. Charming, witty and fun.




About the Author



Marty Wingate is the author of two previous Potting Shed mysteries, The Garden Plot and The Red Book of Primrose House. Her new Birds of a Feather Mystery series debuted with The Rhyme of the Magpie. Wingate is a regular contributor toCountry Gardens and other magazines. She also leads gardening tours throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, France, and North America. More Potting Shed and Birds of a Feather mysteries are planned.

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What's New?

What's New? A Gilded Grave (Newport Gilded Age Mystery Series)by Shelley Freydont.




Print Length: 405 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0425275841
Publisher: Berkley (August 4, 2015)
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC



First in a new series from the author of the Celebration Bay mysteries


In 1895, the height of the Gilded Age, the social elite spend their summers in Newport, Rhode Island. Within the walls of their fabulous “cottages,” competition for superiority is ruthless … and so are the players.


During her first Newport season, Deanna Randolph attends a ball given in honor of Lord David Manchester, a Barbadian sugar magnate, and his sister, Madeline. The Manchesters are an immediate success—along with their exotic manservant and his fortune-telling talents.


But on the nearby cliffs, a young maid lies dead—and suspicion falls on Joseph Ballard, a member of one of the town’s most prestigious families.


Joe humiliated Deanna when he rebuffed an engagement to her, but while he may be a cad, she knows he isn’t a killer. Now the reluctant allies must navigate a world of parties, tennis matches, and séances to find the real murderer. But a misstep among the glittering upper classes could leave them exposed to something far more dangerous than malicious gossip…



Shelley Freydont is the author of the Liv Montgomery, Celebration Bay Festival Mysteries (Berkeley Prime Crime). She also writes the Katie McDonald Sudoku murder series and Lindy Haggerty Dance Company mystery series. She has written several romance novels under the pseudonym Gemma Bruce. Her books have been translated into seven languages.

Her first women's fiction novel, Beach Colors, written as Shelley Noble, was published by William Morrow June 2012. Stargazey Point will be available July 2013.

A former professional dancer and choreographer, she most recently worked on the films, Mona Lisa Smile and The Game Plan. Shelley is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and Liberty States Fiction Writers.

For more about Shelley, please visit her website www.shelleyfreydont.com.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Guest Post- Terrie Moran

Guest Post with Terrie Moran. Terrie is the author of the Read Em and Eat Mystery Series. We are talking about great books, yummy foods and summertime.




One of the great joys of having a new book released is that instead of sitting all alone in my writer’s cave, I get to roam around the blogosphere and visit. So I am pleased as punch to be here at Shelley’s Book Case. Caught Read-Handed is the second book in the Read ’Em and Eat series following Well Read, Then Dead, which recently won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel.

Mary Sassafras (Sassy) Cabot and her BFF and business partner Bridgy Mayfair are the owner-operators of the Read ’Em and Eat Café and Bookstore, where you can have breakfast (try the Agatha Christie soft boiled eggs with Catcher in the Rye toast) and then browse the book shelves for something to read while you lounge on the beach.

You see, the Read ’Em and Eat is located in the town of Fort Myers Beach on the Gulf coast of southwest Florida, where the sun shines most days and folks smile hello even if they’ve never seen you before. Sugar white sand covers the seven-to-eight mile coastline so there is plenty of room for everyone.

If it sounds like paradise, well I can tell you that it is, except when there is murder afoot. In Caught Read-Handed Sassy is on the charitable errand of donating books to the library for a fund raising sale when she sees a man who looks familiar. While Sassy is struggling to get the box of books through the front door, a library volunteer begins yelling at the man and chases him out of the library. When the volunteer, an obnoxious woman who some call “Tanya Trouble”, is found bludgeoned in her own hot tub, the man becomes the primary suspect. But Sassy discovers he is a PTSD veteran named Alan and the brother of an old friend >br />
While Sassy is trying to help Alan’s family sort things out, Café chef extraordinaire Miguel Guerra, is rallying support to rid Estero Bay of a huge Anaconda snake that wandered north from the Everglades. Miguel is afraid that his beloved Maine Coon, a furry ball of cute named Bow, will be in danger if the snake slithers ashore. Most of the pet owners on the island agree with him, but there are plenty of folks who want to save the Anaconda and there is a battle in the making.

Well there you have an idea of what you will find in Caught Read-Handed, great food and great books. Did I tell you that a number of book clubs meet at the Café? I love listening to the different points of view when the clubbies talk about books like Fictitious Dishes by Dinah Fried or The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart. I tell you, sometimes the book club meetings can get a bit rowdy.


The last thing I want to mention is Miss Marple’s Orange Iced Scones They’ve always been a treat for the Read ’Em and Eat patrons and now they can be a treat for you as well.



Karen Owen, who blogs over at A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery http://acupofteaandacozymystery.blogspot.com/ developed a fabulous recipe for the scones and you will find it in the back pages of Caught Read-Handed. Please do try it—the scones are so mouthwateringly delicious. Served with a cup of tea or a glass of sweet tea they are the perfect beachside snack. Enjoy!







Bio


Agatha Award recipient Terrie Farley Moran is the author of the beachside Read 'Em and Eat cozy mystery series including Well Read, Then Dead and Caught Read-Handed. Her short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and numerous anthologies. Her website is www.terriefarleymoran.com

Giveaway:Leave a comment by August 3rd for the chance to win a Tee- Shirt . Winner will be notified within 48 hours after giveaway closes and you will have three days to respond after being contacted or another winner will be selected.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Book Trivia- Joyce and Jim Lavene

Happy Wednesday! Today's host are Joyce and Jim Lavene. Joyce and Jim are the authors of Give Em Pumpkin to Talk About (and many other great reads)


Since we are soon approaching fall and their new book is about pumpkin, Today's trivia is a bit different.




Pumpkins! I love them! Not just because they taste good in pies, breads, and cookies, but because you can do so many things with them. They are decorative as jack-o-lanterns, lighting our Halloween festivities and wonderful tureens that hold soups and stews.​


What else do you know about pumpkins? Here's a few trivia questions to find out.

True or False

1. One of the largest producers of pumpkins in the US is California.

2. Pumpkins are native to Germany

3. Pumpkins were first used as the crust for pie, not the filling

3. Pumpkins have been used to cure snakebites

5. Pumpkins only grow up to 1,000 pounds

6. Growing pumpkins is difficult because it takes so much salt.

7. Turnips were first used as jack-o-lanterns.

8. Little Boo is a variety of pumpkin.

9. A cucumber is in the same family as a pumpkin.

10.The flowers of a pumpkin are poisonous and can't be eaten



Giveaway: The person with the most correct answers will receive a print copy of Give 'Em Pumpkin to Talk About. Winner will be notified on August 1st and will have three days to respond. Good Luck.



Give 'Em Pumpkin to Talk About
A Pumpkin Patch Mystery
By Joyce and Jim Lavene
First in a New Series

Richmond attorney Sarah Tucker returns to sell her family’s abandoned farm in Misty River, Virginia despite unanswered questions about her grandparents’ disappearance sixteen years earlier. Sarah was only twelve when she went to visit and found her grandparents had vanished. No amount of searching has brought answers. Now Sarah is faced with other issues when a man is killed who claimed to have information about what happened to her grandparents. She learns of a Confederate chest of gold that is said to be buried on the property, and treasure hunters who are willing to do anything to get their hands on it. Were her grandparents murdered for the gold? Sarah can’t sell the land and go back to her life until she has answers. But the cost of the answers may be her life. Includes farm-fresh recipes!

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Author Spotlight- Tonya Kappes

Cozy Mystery author Tonya Kappes is author of the Ghostly Southern Mystery Series, Magical Cures Mystery Series, and a Laurel London Mystery Series. Her newest book A Charming Fatality was released on July 10th.





For years, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been self-publishing her numerous mystery and romance titles with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plotlines and quirky characters, but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans. HarperCollins and Witness Impulse is thrilled to be publishing this insanely talented and wildly successful author for the first in her hilarious and spooky Ghostly Southern series.



To sign up for Tonya's newsletter at Tonyakappes.com and receive a free ebook download and monthly book giveaways!


You can find Tonya here:

https://www.facebook.com/tonyakappes?fref=ts

Monday, July 27, 2015

Blog Tour- Drape Expectations by Karen Rose Smith

Caprice De Luca is visiting today talking about her latest book Drape Expectations by Karen Rose Smith. Welcome Caprice and Karen so glad you stopped by.





Print Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington (July 28, 2015)
Publication Date: July 28, 2015
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.






Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery Series, Book 4 These days, home stager Caprice De Luca's calendar is a full house. Her grandmother's health is failing, her wayward uncle is stirring the pot, and she's torn between two equally eligible suitors. With so much drama in her personal life, Caprice is grateful to have Ace Richland, a former 80s rock star, ask her to stage his girlfriend's house. But Alanna Goodwin is a tough customer who balks at Caprice's ideas and all but commandeers the staging. Caprice almost isn't surprised when the snappish Southern belle is strangled to death with a tieback from her tacky velvet drapes. But just as she draws back the curtains on the truth, Caprice realizes she may be next on a murderer's set list...





Caprice has surely gotten herself into a fine mess with Ace. Ace asked if she could help Alanna out by doing what she does best and that is staging Alanna's house for sale. She gets more than she wanted when she finds Alanna murdered and has to do what she can to save herself from becoming the next victim and clear Ace as suspect. This book will bring out the southern charm in you as you help Caprice find out what is going on and who killed Alanna. You will be tied in from the start and wanting more when it is over. This is my favorite so far in the series and the characters and strong story make it a fascinating read. You won't want to miss it. I'm am eagerly waiting to see what Caprice will get herself in to next. Charming, witty and fun complete this story.






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.



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First in Series- A Ghostly Undertaking by Tonya Kappes

Happy Monday! It's time for another great first. A Ghostly Undertaking (A Ghostly Southern Mystery Series) by Tonya Kappes.




Print Length: 309 pages
Publisher: Witness; Reissue edition (February 24, 2015)
Publication Date: February 24, 2015
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers





A funeral, a ghost, a murder . . . It's all in a day's work for emma lee raines . . .

Bopped on the head from a falling plastic Santa, local undertaker Emma Lee Raines is told she's suffering from “funeral trauma.” It's trauma all right, because the not-so-dearly departed keep talking to her. Take Ruthie Sue Payne—innkeeper, gossip queen, and arch-nemesis of Emma Lee's granny—she's adamant that she didn't just fall down those stairs. She was pushed.

Ruthie has no idea who wanted her pushing up daisies. All she knows is that she can't cross over until the matter is laid to eternal rest. In the land of the living, Emma Lee's high-school crush, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, isn't ready to rule out foul play. Granny Raines, the widow of Ruthie's ex-husband and co-owner of the Sleepy Hollow Inn, is the prime suspect. Now Emma Lee is stuck playing detective or risk being haunted forever.


Giveaway: Leave a comment by July 30th for the chance to win a copy of A Ghostly Undertaking. Winner will be notified within 48 hours after giveaway closes and you will have three days to respond after being contacted or another winner will be selected.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Weekly Wrap Up # 81

Happy Sunday! Here is what happened this week:


July 20th- First in A Series- Death of a Crabby Cook by Penny Pike
July 21st-Author Spotlight- Penny Pike
July 22nd- Book Trivia-Lea Wait
July 23rd-Guest Post - Linda Reilly
July 24th-What's New? Better Homes and Corpses by Kathleen Bridge
July 25th- Shelley's Review

Book's I've read:

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate
Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

Coming this week:

July 27th- First in A Series- A Ghostly Undertaking by Tonya Kappes
July 28th- Author Spotlight- Tonya Kappes
July 29th- Book Trivia- Joyce and Jim Lavene
July 30th- Guest Post- Terrie Moran
July 31st- Blog Tour- Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Shelley's Reviews

A Fatal Chapter by Lorna Barrett



Series: A Booktown Mystery (Book 9)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (June 2, 2015)
Language: English



New York Times bestselling author Lorna Barrett presents another page-turning chapter in her Booktown Mystery series. This time mystery bookshop owner Tricia Miles is about to find out murder is no walk in the park



While out walking Sarge, her sister’s bichon frise, Tricia is led by the agitated dog to a man lying in a gazebo. She’s startled when she recognizes Pete Renquist, the president of the Stoneham Historical Society, who appears to be suffering from cardiac arrest. When Pete later dies in the hospital, the discovery of a suspicious bruise and a puncture mark on his arm suggests he may have been murdered.



Haunted by Pete’s enigmatic last words to her, Tricia begins to consider who had a motive to kill her friend. Did Pete take his flirting too far, only to have a jealous husband teach him a lesson? Or did he discover something in the town’s historical records that his killer wanted kept secret? Tricia is determined to get to the bottom of things before someone else becomes history…


INCLUDES RECIPES




I have been a fan of this series from the start and this one was my favorite. Very enjoyable and and a great visit back with friends. Tricia Miles and her sister Angela are back on the case when Sarge, Angelica's dog finds another body, Tricia's day became way more than she wanted to deal with. Tricia has to find out who would kill Pete and why before the murderer strikes again.Secrets will be uncovered and true will be shared in this fast-paced story that will keep you guessing until the very end. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what Tricia and Angelica will get themselves into next.


Friday, July 24, 2015

What's New?

What's New? Better Homes and Corpses (A Hamptons Home and Garden Mystery) by Kathleen Bridge.




Print Length: 293 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0425276589
Publisher: Berkley (August 4, 2015)
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC





After Meg Barrett found her fiancé still had designs on his ex-wife, she decided it was time to refurbish her life. Leaving her glamorous job at a top home and garden magazine, she fled Manhattan for Montauk, only to find decorating can sometimes lead to detecting…

In between scouring estate sales for her new interior design business, Cottages by the Sea, Meg visits the swanky East Hampton home of her old college roommate, Jillian Spenser. But instead of seeing how the other half lives—she learns how the other half dies. Jillian’s mother, known as the Queen Mother of the Hamptons, has been murdered. Someone has staged a coup.


When she helps a friend inventory the Spensers’ estate for the insurance company, Meg finds herself right in the thick of things. Cataloging valuable antiques and art loses its charm when Meg discovers that the Spenser family has been hiding dangerous secrets, which may have furnished a murderer with a motive. As Meg gets closer to the truth, the killer will do anything to paint her out of the picture…

FIRST IN A NEW SERIES


About the Author


Kathleen Bridge started her writing career working at the Michigan State University News in East Lansing, Michigan. She is the author and photographer of an antique reference guide, Lithographed Paper Toys, Books, and Games, and the author of Revenge of the Sports Widows—How to Cope with a Sports Fanatic. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and has taught creative writing classes at the William Cullen Bryant Library in Roslyn, New York. Kathleen is also an antiques dealer in Long Island, New York, and has contributed to Country Living magazine.


You can find Kathleen here:
https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.b.greenstein



Giveaway: Leave a comment by July 27th for the chance to win a copy of Better Homes and Corpses.. Winner will be notified within 48 hours after giveaway closes and you will have three days to respond after being contacted or another winner will be selected.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Guest Post - Linda Reilly

Guest Post with Linda Reilly. We are talking about Summertime. Linda is the author of Fillet of Murder.Welcome Linda, so glad you can be with us today.



Thank you, Shelley, for inviting me as a guest today. I am very excited to be here!

When I began writing Fillet of Murder, which features a fish and chips eatery in the Berkshires, I wanted readers to like my people . . . maybe even find a few of them quirky. Isn’t that one of the things we love about cozy characters? Since I grew up in the region where the series takes place, I scrolled my mind backward (okay . . . way, way backward) to my younger days, to some of the wonderful “characters” I was lucky enough to know.


I was seventeen when I first got a summer job at an old-style restaurant called The Willows (long gone, I’m afraid). The owner was a generous soul and one of the best cooks I’ve ever known. Throughout that entire summer I flipped burgers, made sub sandwiches, and washed a never-ending stream of dirty dishes and pans. I even scrubbed clam shells for the soon-to-be steamed clams, never realizing they were still alive until one of them snapped shut and sent my heart into overdrive!


That summer left me with so many treasured memories. I can still recall how appreciated the owner made me feel after working long hours in a kitchen cooled only by a table fan. She overpaid me and over-praised me—she was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. Those are the days I thought back to when I first began writing the Deep Fried series. I wanted Talia Marby, my main character, to have those same warm recollections of her first summer job. So I created Bea Lambert.

As characters go, Bea is one of my favorites. Picture a petite, sixtyish woman with springy black curls, leaf green eyes, and a darling British accent. Originally from the UK, her speech is populated with words like “luvvy” and “bloke” and “wanker.” Bea is the co-owner, with her hubby, of Lambert’s Fish & Chips—an eatery located in a cobblestoned shopping plaza designed to resemble an old English village.


Talia was a teenager when she got her first job at Lambert’s. Troubled by a rift between her mom and dad, she bonded with the childless Bea, and Lambert’s became her refuge. Even when she wasn’t working, Talia could often be found mulling over homework at one of the tables at the back of the restaurant. Bea couldn’t have loved Talia more if she’d been her own daughter.


Talia learned the fish and chips biz that summer, never dreaming she’d return there more than fifteen years later to help out Bea in a pinch. What she also never imagined was murder, right there in that charming plaza. When Bea is accused of murdering a fellow shopkeeper, Talia dives right in to rescue her friend from a certain stint in the pokey.


So tell me, do you have a story you’d like to share about your first summer job?


About the Author

Armed with a degree in Criminal Justice, Linda Reilly once contemplated a career in law enforcement. But life took a twist, and instead she found her niche in real estate closings and title examinations, where the dusty tomes in the Registry of Deeds enticed her into solving mysteries of a different sort. Linda now lives in New Hampshire with her husband, who affectionately calls her "Nose-in-a-Book." She loves solving mysteries of the cozy type. When she's not pounding away at her keyboard, she can usually be found prowling the shelves of a local bookstore or library.


Giveaway:Leave a comment talking about your first summer job. Leave an comment and email for a chance to win a copy of Fillet of Murder and a Deep Fried Mysteries tote bag Winner will be chosen on July 25th and will have three days to respond.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Book Trivia- Lea Wait

Happy Wednesday!Today's trivia host is Lea Wait Lea is the author of A Mainly Needlepoint Mystery Series. Her first book is Twisted Threads






Lea Wait’s latest mystery is TWISTED THREADS, the first in her new Mainely Needlepoint series, with protagonist Angie Curtis. Angie grew up in Haven Harbor, Maine. After her mother (a single parent some called the town slut) disappeared when Angie was ten, Angie was brought up by her grandmother. In the ten years since Angie left Maine she’s worked for a private investigator in Arizona, and her Gram has organized a group of Mainers into a small custom needlepoint company she calls Mainely Needlepoint. Now Angie’s mother’s body has been found, and it’s time to Angie to go home … and uncover what happened to her mother. Have you read TWISTED THREADS? If so, can you answer these questions? Two winners will receive signed advanced copies of THREADS OF EVIDENCE … the second in the Mainely Needlepoint series ... which won’t be published until August 26!


Here goes:

1) What is hidden under a stack of woolen gloves in the hall sideboard at Gram’s house?

2) What does Mainely Needlepointer Dave Percy grow in his garden?

3) Who is Chastity Falls?

4) What unusual hobby does Rev. Tom McCully have?

5) Where does Sarah Byrne come from?

6) What was Angie’s job in high school?

7) Who is Juno?

8) What does Angie find in her mother’s bedroom?

9) What does Angie wear for luck?

10) Who or what are the Three Sisters?





Lea Wait lives on the coast of Maine with her artist husband, Bob Thomas, and a black cat named Shadow. In addition to the Mainely Needlepoint series. Lea writes the Shadows Antique Print Mystery series, and historical novels set in nineteenth century Maine. She invites readers to friend her on Facebook and Goodreads.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Author Spotlight- Penny Pike

Cozy Mystery author Penny Pike a.k.a.Penny Warner is the author of The Food Festival Mystery Series. Penny's latest book is called Death of a Chocolate Cheater









I've been writing since I read my first Nancy Drew in 6th grade. Since then I've had over 50 books published, fiction and non-fiction, for adults and children. I've been lucky -- my books have won national awards, garnered excellent reviews, and have been printed in 14 countries, including Russia, France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, India, Israel, Poland, Japan, and China. My best-sellers include Healthy Snacks for Kids, Kids’ Party Games and Activities, Best Party Book, Games People Play, Kids’ Holiday Fun, Learn to Sign the Fun Way, Baby Play and Learn, Kids Pick-A-Party, and Kids’ Party Cookbook.


I have a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and a Master's degree in Special Education, and I've been teaching child development at the local college for over 20 years. I also teach writing tips at conferences across the country, including Pikes Peak, Whidbey Island, San Francisco, Jack London, and dozens of others. I belong to Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, SCBWI, Women Writing the West, and California Writers Club.

And I've appeared on television featuring ideas from my books, including the national Dr. Spock PBS series, “Parent Sense,” the “Later Today” show, “HGTV,” “Channel 7 News,” “People Are Talking,” “Mornings on 2,” and dozens of others. In my spare time, I write a weekly newspaper column on family life (avaliable at ContraCostaTimes.com), and I contribute to popular websites including NancyDrewForever.com, BalloonTime.com, OrientalTradingCompany.com, ToysRUs.com, BirthdaysRUs.com, Evenflo.com, DrSpock.com, Fisher-Price.com, ParentalWisdom.com, iParty.com, and Party411.com. My husband Tom and I write interactive mysteries as fundraisers for libraries across the country.

I live in Danville, California, have two grown children, and four adorable grandchildren.


Monday, July 20, 2015

First in a Series- Death of a Crabby Cook- Penny Pike

First in Series- Death of a Crabby Cook(A Food Festival Mystery) by Penny Pike

 
  • File Size: 1423 KB
  • Print Length: 336 pages
  • Publisher: NAL (August 5, 2014)
  • Publication Date: August 5, 2014
  • Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
  • Language: English


First in a new series!

At the San Francisco Seafood Festival, someone is steamed enough to kill a cook.... 

When restaurant reviewer Darcy Burnett gets served a pink slip from the San Francisco Chronicle, she needs to come up with an alternative recipe for success quickly. Her feisty aunt Abby owns a tricked-out school bus, which she’s converted into a hip and happening food truck, and Darcy comes aboard as a part-timer while she develops a cookbook project based on recipes from food fests in the Bay Area.

But she soon finds someone’s been trafficking in character assassination—literally—when a local chef turns up dead and her aunt is framed for the murder. The restaurant chef was an outspoken enemy of food trucks, and now Darcy wonders if one of the other vendors did him in. With her aunt’s business—and freedom—on the line, it’s up to Darcy to steer the murder investigation in the right direction and put the brakes on an out-of-control killer….

RECIPES INCLUDED!

Giveaway: Leave a comment and email  by July  23rd for a chance to win a copy of this book. Winner will be notified and will have three days to respond.

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...