Friday, October 28, 2016

Blog tour- - The Good, The Bad and the Guacamole by Rebecca Adler

Happy Friday! today's blog tour is The Good, the Bad and the Guacamole (A Taste of Texas Mystery series) by Rebecca Adler.








Series: A Taste of Texas Mystery (Book 2)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (November 1, 2016)
Language: English





Synopsis

Tex-Mex waitress and part-time reporter Josie Callahan is about to serve up some Lone Star justice in this spicy Taste of Texas Mystery from the author of Here Today, Gone Tamale.

Tourists are pouring into the town of Broken Boot for the annual Homestead Days Music Festival. Opening the celebration at Two Boots dance hall is smooth-talking country singer Jeff Clark, the ex-boyfriend of Josie’s best friend, Patti Perez. When the charming Clark woos Patti onstage in an attempt to rekindle some sparks with his old flame, Josie fears her friend will end up as just one more notch on the singer’s guitar strap.

To impress her editor at the Broken Boot Bugle, Josie and her Chihuahua, Lenny, pursue the singer to Patti’s house, hoping for an interview. Instead, they discover Clark facedown in a bowl of guacamole with a bloodied guitar at his side. With Patti suddenly a murder suspect, Josie must use her reporter skills to find out who had a chip on their shoulder—before the killer double dips….

INCLUDES TEX-MEX RECIPES!




About the author:





Rebecca Adler grew up on the sugar beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast. Drawn to the Big Apple by the sweet smell of wishful thinking, she studied acting on Broadway until a dark-eyed cowboy flung her over his saddle and hightailed it to the Southwest.

Prior to writing women’s fiction, Gina always found a way to add a touch of the dramatic to her life: dinner theatre in Mississippi, can-can club in Florida, and playing a giant Furskin in the New York Toy Fair, plus the occasional play and musical.

She’s currently content to pour her melodramatic tendencies into writing her Taste of Texas culinary mystery series. Set in far West Texas, her humorous stories are filled with delicious suspense and scrumptious Tex-Mex recipes. Her alter ego, Gina Lee Nelson, writes sweet contemporary romances with a sweet, Southern-fried flavor.

Author Links
Webpage: www.AuthorRebeccaAdler.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRebeccaAdler/
Twitter: @CozyTxMysteries
GoodReads: http://tinyurl.com/GoodReads-RebeccaAdler



Thursday, October 27, 2016

Blog Tour - Teetotaled by Maia Chance

I am thrilled to feature Maia Chance's second book in the Discreet Retrieval Agency Mysteries. Teetotaled was released on October 4th and you will be swept away to the 1920's right from the start. The characters are fun and the wit and banter will keep you hooked and intrigued from the start.








Series: Discreet Retrieval Agency Mysteries (Book 2)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (October 4, 2016)
Language: English



After her philandering husband died and left her penniless in Prohibition-era New York, Lola Woodby escaped with her Swedish cook to the only place she could―her deceased husband’s secret love nest in the middle of Manhattan. Her only comforts were chocolate cake, dime store detective novels, and the occasional highball (okay, maybe not so occasional). But rent came due and Lola and Berta were forced to accept the first job that came their way, leading them to set up shop as private detectives operating out of Alfie’s cramped love nest.

Now Lola and Berta are in danger of losing the business they’ve barely gotten off the ground―work is sparse and money is running out. So when a society matron offers them a job, they take it―even if it means sneaking into a slimming and exercise facility and consuming only water and health food until they can steal a diary from Grace Whiddle, a resident at the “health farm.” But barely a day in, Grace and her diary escape from the facility―and Grace’s future mother-in-law is found murdered on the premises. Lola and Berta are promptly fired. But before they can climb into Lola’s brown and white Duesenberg Model A and whiz off the health farm property, they find themselves with a new client and a new charge: to solve the murder of Grace’s future mother-in-law.

Teetotaled, Maia Chance's sparkling new mystery will delight readers with its clever plotting, larger-than-life characters, and rich 1920s atmosphere.



Read on for a sneak peek of
The Discreet Retrieval Agency #2:
TEETOTALED

Everything in life that’s any fun, as somebody wisely observed, is either immoral, illegal or fattening. —P. G. Wodehouse



July 14, 1923

The afternoon Sophronia Whiddle offered us the diary job, it was so hot you could’ve sizzled bacon on the sidewalk. Which wasn’t a half bad idea, come to think of it, except that I was out of funds for bacon. I’d been living on shredded wheat for days. All right, hours.

My detecting partner Berta Lundgren and I were reading at the kitchen table in our poky little Washington Square apartment, waiting for the telephone to ring. Stagnant city air puffed in from the window. My Pomeranian, Cedric, panted in front of an electric fan. I yawned, and turned a page of the latest issue of Thrilling Romance.

“Mrs. Woodby, would it be remiss of me to suggest that you spend your leisure hours reading edifying publications?” Berta asked in her stern Swedish accent. She held up her book. Mexico City Mayhem, by Frank B. Jones, Jr. The cover depicted a man in a fedora wrestling a sinister-looking fellow in some sort of Aztec temple.

“That is edifying?” I asked. “Indeed. Thad Parker’s advice for decrypting ancient hieroglyphics could benefit our detective agency. Thrilling Romance is merely, well, pulp.” “But Jake Cadwell, Wall Street tycoon, is about to propose marriage to innocent young Lucinda from the typing pool. It’s all she’s ever dreamed of.” “I do realize you are pining for the absent Ralph Oliver—” “Pining? What absolute hooey.” “—but between you and me, Mrs. Woodby, if a man abruptly ceases to telephone, well, it is an indication that he has lost interest.”

“I don’t give a squirrel’s acorn about what Ralph Oliver may or may not be interested in. Besides, he’s on a job in Cuba.”
“If you say so.” I gave Thrilling Romance a shake and resumed reading. the clock ticked. I looked up. “I happened to notice that you boing like a broken spring every time the telephone jingles.” “I am hopeful for detective work.” “Not hopeful that Jimmy the Ant wishes to squire you the movie palace?” “Mr. Ant must keep a low profile for a time.” “He’s hiding from the Feds, you know.” Berta sent me a dirty look, patted her gray bun, and went back to her book. Is this what had become of the newly-hatched Discreet Retrieval Agency? Two sweaty, bickering ladies waiting for ginky fellows to telephone?

We needed work. A knock at the apartment door launched me to the little entry foyer. Berta wasn’t far behind. Cedric made a half-hearted yap but stayed in the kitchen. He had been lackluster lately because he was on strict kibble rations. If he didn’t slim down in time for his photograph session in two weeks, the people at Spratt’s Puppy Biscuits weren’t going to use him in their advertising campaign. Cedric’s career would be over before it began.

“You do not have shoes on, Mrs. Woodby,” Berta said. “If it is a client—” “Oh, they’ll understand,” I said, and opened the door. At first it seemed that no one was there. Just the stairwell, stinking of mildew and fried onions. Then I noticed the snub-nosed five-year-old boy.
“Oh, hello, Sam,” I said. “What have you there?” “Five cents, m’am,” Sam lisped. He held up a grubby nickel. “Ma said this is for finding Puffy.” “Thanks awfully, Sam, but why don’t you keep your money? Tell your mother the job is on us. Puffy was only behind the water tank on the roof. He wasn’t really lost.”

“Okay, sure, thanks something fierce, Mrs. Woodby!” Sam pocketed the nickel and scampered up the stairs in the direction of his family’s third-floor apartment.

I shut the door and turned. Berta blocked the foyer doorway like a daunting garden gnome. “This simply will not do,” she said. “You’re preaching to the choir.” “What has our commission been since we printed our business cards? Zilch.” “Don’t remind me. I drank the last drop of whiskey last night. I’m now an unwilling teetotaler.” We drifted back to the kitchen.

In the past month, our fledgling agency had solved a total of five cases: Disappearing milk bottles, nicked newspapers, two lost cats (including Puffy) and a spying endeavor involving the teenaged Martin Ulsky and his two-timing ways. The only payment we’d accepted was a set of Mrs. Bent’s hand-knitted egg cozies. The egg cozies were pretty cute.

“The rent will be due again,” Berta said. “That’s the trouble with rent.” “Perhaps we should take out a larger newspaper advertisement. I knew the one-and-a-half inch square would not attract enough notice.” Another knock sounded on the door. Cedric didn’t bother yapping this time. Berta and I locked desperate eyes. “For pity’s sake, Mrs. Woodby, put on your shoes.”
Once I’d stuffed my feet into a pair of t-straps, Berta opened the door. “I had almost decided that I had the wrong address,” a stout, elegant, middle-aged woman said. “But I see it is indeed you, Lola Woodby.” Her eyes flicked to Berta. “And . . . your cook?”

“Mrs. Lundgren used to be my cook,” I said. “How pleasant to see you, Mrs. Whiddle.” Seeing Sophronia Whiddle was about as pleasant as an ingrown toenail. Sophronia was not only a New York grande dame, but my own mother’s bosom friend. Mother, by the way, had no inkling that I’d gone into the gumshoe trade. I was supposed to be mourning my recently popped-off ball and chain, Alfie. But since Alfie had left me high and dry, I was no longer a pampered, thirty-one year old Society Matron. I was a working lady. At least, I was trying to be a working lady.

Sophronia did a once-over of my wrinkly, last-season dress, my mussed dark brown bob, and my wide mouth and blue eyes that I hadn’t spruced up with lipstick or mascara. I was conserving the last of my department store cosmetics. “Might I come in?” Sophronia asked. “Of course,” I said.
Berta and I led Sophronia through to the sitting room. I slid magazines and dime novels under a sofa cushion. I hid the dregs of last night’s highball behind knick-knacks on the mantel. “Please, sit,” I said.

Sophronia perched gingerly on the sofa as though she feared contracting a health concern. Which was indeed a faint possibility, given that this was Alfie’s former love nest. Untold cavortings with chorus girls had occurred on that sofa.
Berta and I sat in the two chairs facing the sofa. “What brings you here, Mrs. Whiddle?” I asked. “I wasn’t aware that Mother knew of this address. Is it something to do with the Ladies’ Opera Society?”

“Your mother knows nothing of this, and she never shall.” Oh, thank goodness. Sophronia extracted a slip of newsprint from her handbag and unfolded it to reveal our advertisement. “‘The Discreet Retrieval Agency’? ‘No job too trivial’?”

“Oh. Right. Yes, that’s us,” I said. “You weren’t surprised to see us, yet our names aren’t on the advertisement. How did you know?” “Does it matter? I have a job for you. I wish to keep the matter among the right sort of people, you see.” Sophronia folded the paper and replaced it in her handbag. “You must retrieve my daughter Grace’s diary.”

“Can’t you do that yourself?” I asked. “No, no. Quite impossible. You see, Grace is a peculiar girl, an awkward wallflower, really, and although, alas, she is not terribly bright—she takes after her poor deceased father’s family in that regard—she has, since the age of ten, been a passionate diarist. Scribbles in it incessantly, keeps the back-logs locked in a small safe in her bedroom. She has always guarded her diary with an unbecoming ferocity.”

“Would you explain, Mrs. Whiddle?” Berta asked. “Once when Grace was fourteen years old—she is nineteen now, you know—I was mildly concerned about her possible interest in a rather too forward grocer’s delivery boy. I wished to look into her diary to discover if I had any real reason to worry. Well, I attempted to take it from Grace while she was sleeping—she sleeps with it under her pillow—and she woke, raving and thrashing, and she bit me! It was terrifying, really.”

“Why do you wish for us to retrieve this diary?” I asked.



About the author:





MAIA CHANCE writes historical mystery novels that are rife with absurd predicaments and romantic adventure. She is the author of the Fairy Tale Fatal series, The Discreet Retrieval Agency series and the Prohibition-era caper, Come Hell or Highball. Her first mystery, Snow White Red-Handed, was a national bestseller. Maia lives in Seattle, where she shakes a killer martini, grows a mean radish, and bakes mocha bundts to die for. She is a Ph.D. candidate for English at the University of Washington.




Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Halloween Trivia hosted by Mary Anne Edwards

Happy Wednesday! It is time for some Halloween trivia fun with author Mary Anne Edwards.Play along and guess the answers , leave in comments below for a chance to win International Winner may choose a mobi copy of their choice from The Charlie McClung Mysteries Series. USA winner may choose a swag package or their choice of mobi from The Charlie McClung Mysteries Series.


Welcome Mary Anne , so glad you are here with us today.








An Irish Halloween

Two thousand years ago, the Celtic people of Ireland celebrated the New Year on November 1st. Really? But the night before, October 31st, they celebrated Samhain which has since evolved into Halloween as we know it. They believed ghosts returned to cause trouble and damage crops and could be used to predict the future. There were all kinds of festivals and rituals to honor their ancestors and ward off evil spirits. Just for fun, let’s see if you can guess the ancient Halloween traditions.



1. What did the community do to ward off bad fortune and evil spirits?

A. Carry torches
B. Build a campfire outside each house
C. Build a community bonfire


2) What did the Celts use to light their path at night?

A. Carved out turnip
B. Carved out pumpkin
C. Carved out gourd


3) What did the Celts use to protect themselves from wandering spirits?

A. Necklace of garlic
B. Costumes and disguises
C. A crucifix


4) The Celts believed fairies and goblins collected souls on Halloween. What did the Celts do to get the fairies and goblins to release captive souls?

A. Throw dust from under their feet at the fairies and goblins
B. Throw potatoes at the fairies and goblins
C. Sing hymns



5) What did the Irish eat on Halloween?

A. Potato Pie
B. Colcannon
C. Bangers and Mash



About the author:




Although I was born in Mercedes, Texas, I have lived in Georgia most of my life which has been filled with a variety of experiences. Some were great and some, well let's just say I have learned many lessons the hard way.

I have been married for 35 years to the most practically perfect man. We enjoy traveling and watching mysteries on TV. We have recently adopted a Tuxedo cat named Gertrude. I am an active member of Sisters in Crime Atlanta Chapter, Mystery Writers of America, and I sit on the advisory board of Rockdale Cares, Inc., a non-profit advocacy group for the developmentally challenged.

I began writing in high school but not seriously until 1999. I write traditional mysteries and my biggest influences are Agatha Christie, Anne Perry, Caroline Graham, Elizabeth Peters, and my family. I have had short stories published in Evangel and The Associate Reformed Presbyterian magazines. I have published a collection of eclectic short stories titled, My Favorite Work of Art.

My first manuscript, Useless Beauty, is waiting for me to breathe life into it. It was put on hold because my second manuscript, Brilliant Disguise, was begging to be written. It is the first in the Detective Charlie McClung mysteries. Brilliant Disguise was released on January 21, 2014. The second book, A Good Girl, was released in September 23, 2014. Criminal Kind, the third book in the series was released on June 30, 2015. Sins of My Youth was released on May 27. 2016. I'm currently working on the fifth book in the series, Flirting With Time. There are at least five more to follow in the series.



Find out more about Mary Anne Edwards and her great books by checking out her website:

http://www.maryanneedwards.com/index.html


Saturday, October 22, 2016

Blog Tour and Giveaway- Body on the Bayou by Ellen Bryon

I am thrilled for this blog tour. Body in the Bayou by Ellen Bryon was released on September 13th.








Series: A Cajun Country Mystery (Book 2)
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (September 13, 2016)
Language: English





Synopsis:

The Crozats feared that past murders at Crozat Plantation might spell the death of their beloved estate, but they’ve managed to survive the scandal. Now there’s a très bigger story in Pelican, Louisiana: the upcoming nuptials between Maggie Crozat’s nemesis, Police Chief Rufus Durand, and her co-worker, Vanessa Fleer.

When everyone else refuses the job of being Vanessa’s Maid of Honor, Maggie reluctantly takes up the title and finds herself tasked with a long list of duties–the most important of which is entertaining Vanessa’s cousin, Ginger Fleer-Starke. But just days before the wedding, Ginger’s lifeless body is found on the bayou and the Pelican PD, as well as the Crozats, have another murder mystery on their hands.

There’s a gumbo-potful of suspects, including an ex-Marine with PTSD, an annoying local newspaper reporter, and Vanessa’s own sparkplug of a mother. But when it looks like the investigation is zeroing in on Vanessa as the prime suspect, Maggie reluctantly adds keeping the bride-to-be out of jail to her list of Maid of Honor responsibilities in Body on the Bayou.



What's not to love about book two in the Cajun Country mystery series. Filled with action and humor,drama and witty characters this fast-paced mystery will keep you guessing until the end who the murderer is.






About The Author –

Ellen’s debut novel, PLANTATION SHUDDERS: A Cajun Country Mystery, has been nominated for an Agatha Best First Novel award, a Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery, and a Daphne Award for Best Mainstream Mystery. The second Cajun Country Mystery, BODY ON THE BAYOU, will be available in September 2016. Ellen’s TV credits include Wings and Just Shoot Me; she’s written over 200 magazine articles; her published plays include the award-winning Graceland and Asleep on the Wind. Ellen Byron is a native New Yorker who lives in Los Angeles and attributes her fascination with Louisiana to her college years at New Orleans’ Tulane University.

Webpage – http://www.ellenbyron.com/
Blog – http://www.ellenbyron.com/#!blog/c1in0
Twitter – https://twitter.com/ellenbyronla
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23234.Ellen_Byron



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Thursday, October 20, 2016

Blog Tour and giveaway- Deadly Wedding by Kate Parker

I am excited for this blog tour. Deadly Wedding is book two in the Deadly series by Kate Parker. Released on September 11,2016. If you would like to win a copy of this book, leave your email and a comment about the era that you love ,to be entered.










Series: Deadly Series
Paperback: 318 pages
Publisher: JDP Press (September 11, 2016)
Language: English





Why murder a dying man?

Olivia Denis is hesitant to help an old family friend get ready for her wedding outside London. The so-called friend is a master at using people. As a young widow trying to find her way through a new romantic relationship, Olivia would rather avoid the large party.

She definitely didn’t plan to find the bride’s grandfather stabbed to death. The cruel, enormously rich aristocrat had changed his will only the day before, angering all his children.

As Olivia is forced to investigate the murder, she’s called away by her employer, the owner of an influential London daily newspaper. She must carry out another secret assignment, one that will take her to Vienna, now part of Nazi Germany.

With war on the horizon and attacks on the old man’s family increasing, can Olivia find a way to save lives in two countries?




Kate Parker whisks us back to the 1930's with Deadly Wedding book two in the series. Olivia and her friends are getting ready for a wedding but what she didn't plan for was a murder to solve. With an assignment that sends her away, her plate is full as she tried to figure it all out. You will be captivated by this beautifully written story and the characters come to life right from the start. I really enjoyed this book and looking forward to what will happen next time.



About the author:






Kate Parker has wanted to travel to 1930s England since she read her mother’s Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers mysteries when she was a schoolgirl. After many years of studying science, she decided a time travel machine was out of the question so she found herself limited to reading about the period and visiting historic sites. Her love of this fascinating and challenging period led her to the research from which the Deadly series grew. Eventually, she found it necessary to spend several days in the British Library reading old newspapers, which meant another trip to England. Near Christmas. A sacrifice she’d gladly make every year.

The first story in the series is Deadly Scandal, released January 14, 2016.

Author Links:

Website: www.KateParkerbooks.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Author.Kate.Parker/
Twitter: www.twittter.com@KateParkerbooks
Goodreads: www.Goodreads.com/Kate_Parker



Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Halloween - Hosted by John Valeri

I am excited to have John Valeri as our Halloween host this week.His debut book was released on August 31st. Leave a comment and email below for a chance to win a copy of Tricks and Treats,









I am a fall freak.


As anybody who knows me can attest, I count down the days until pumpkin returns to Dunkin’ Donuts—and can usually snag my first cup before the end of August (and before the powers that be officially announce its resurrection). I also make entire meals from apple fritters, frequent haunted attractions, cloak myself in neon orange as often as I can get away with it, and read/watch scary things with a perverse sense of glee that some people seem to find disturbing.

So it’s only fitting that I make my debut as a fiction author in Tricks and Treats: A Collection of Spooky Stories by Connecticut Authors (Books and Boos Press)—a new seasonally-themed anthology featuring two of my contributions.

The first, “Just Cause”, is about a convict who goes missing—and the feisty prosecutor, Nevia Hastings, who put him away for murdering his wife, despite the conspicuous absence of a body. Hastings is a not-so-subtle ode to my childhood hero (and unlikely adulthood friend) Marcia Clark, who transcended “Trial of the Century” infamy to write brilliant crime novels. The story is part courtroom drama and part after-dark mayhem—and it’s got an ending that I hope defies expectation.

My second entry, “Blood Relations”, revisits the quiet suburban town of Greensboro one year after the unsolved murder of seventeen-year-old Amanda Pritchard, who was stabbed to death in her bedroom on Halloween night. It was conceived as an homage to Scream, which sparked my love of horror movies, and hopefully captures the essence of that film by virtue of its zany characters, snappy dialogue, and intense scenes. And yes—there’s a killer on the loose (though the only mask he/she hides behind is deception).

The remainder of the anthology is rounded out by classic and contemporary authors from the Nutmeg state whose tales range from the humorous to the truly horrifying. (As an aside: Who’d have thought I’d be published alongside Mark Twain? Somewhere, he’s turning over in his grave.) The latter group includes Melissa Crandall, Dan Foley, Stacey Longo, G. Elmer Munson, Kristi Petersen Schoonover and Ryanne Strong, several of whom I am fortunate to call friends.

Obviously, my opinion on the project is a bit biased (so I won’t give it)—but I’ll leave you with these words from Michelle Garza of This Is Horror (UK): “This collection brings with it all the trappings of the season, from pumpkins and spooky decorations, to that chill coursing over your skin in the night, and the lingering sense that death has come to claim many things, possibly the reader as well.”

So … go grab yourself a cup of pumpkin coffee (or the adult beverage of your choice), sit back, and prepare to be claimed.







John Valeri was an independent contractor for Examiner.com from 2009 to 2016. His Hartford Books Examiner column consistently ranked in the top ten percent of all Hartford, National Books and National Arts & Entertainment Examiners. John currently contributes to The National Book Review, The News and Times, The Strand, Suspense Magazine, and CriminalElement.com. He regularly moderates author interviews and book discussions at bookstores, conferences, and libraries throughout Connecticut; he has also appeared on television and radio. John made his fiction debut in Tricks and Treats, a Halloween-themed anthology published by Books & Boos Press in September. Visit him online at www.johnbvaleri.com.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Spotlight- A Killer Closet by Paula Paul

A Killer Closet by Paula Paul was release on October 11th.








File Size: 1552 KB
Print Length: 184 pages
Publisher: Alibi (October 11, 2016)
Publication Date: October 11, 2016
Sold by: Random House LLC
Language: English





Synopsis:

In a fashionably cozy short mystery novel, Paula Paul introduces a tenacious heroine who leaves big-city life behind and returns to picturesque Santa Fe, New Mexico—where murder lands on her doorstep.

Irene Seligman loves the warmth and beauty of her Southwest hometown, but only one thing could make her quit her prestigious job as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan to return there: the guilt applied by her demanding mother, Adelle. After Adelle’s most recent husband dies, leaving her with nothing, Irene decides to take a break from prosecuting criminals to move back to Santa Fe and open an upscale consignment store. With Irene’s determination and her mother’s eye for haute couture, they’re sure to make a killing.

But on the day of the grand opening, Irene discovers the body of one of Adelle’s friends in her storeroom. And although the intrigue causes business to boom, when someone else from Adelle’s social circle is murdered, Irene begins to suspect her mother might be in danger too. Ever the protective daughter, Irene investigates her mother’s friends, suspicious that they’re hiding more than designer clothes in their closets. But as she gets closer to uncovering some real skeletons, Irene might not live to regret coming home again.


This is the first book I read by Paula Paul and I enjoyed it. The characters are fun and the story is fast-paced and keeps you captivated.








About The Author

Award-winning novelist Paula Paul was born on her grandparents’ cotton farm near Shallowater, Texas, and graduated from a country high school near Maple, Texas. She earned a BA in journalism and has worked as a reporter for newspapers in both Texas and New Mexico. She’s been the recipient of state and national awards for her work as a journalist as well as a novelist. She’s the author of many mysteries, including the Alexandra Gladstone series and the Mystery by Design series, which she wrote as Paula Carter. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Author Link:

Webpage – http://www.paulapaul.net/



Thursday, October 13, 2016

Blog Tour and Giveaway- Masking for Trouble by Diane Vallere

I am excited to be part of Diane Vallere's blog tour. Her book Masking for Trouble was released on October 4th and is another fun read for Halloween.










Series: A Costume Shop Mystery (Book 2)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (October 4, 2016)
Language: English





Halloween brings more tricks than treats for costume shop owner Margo Tamblyn in the second in a new cozy series from the national bestselling author of the Material Witness Mysteries.

Halloween conjures up big business for Margo Tamblyn’s costume shop, Disguise DeLimit, but this year, the holiday comes knocking with serious trouble. Venture capitalist Paul Haverford plans to rezone historic downtown into a glitzy commercial area which would push out local business. Margo is set on saving her family’s store, especially after a nasty run-in with the chain-store tycoon, but after Haverford’s body is discovered during a spooky party at the derelict Alexandria Hotel, Margo finds herself dressed as the police’s prime suspect.

Anxious to clear her name, Margo begins hunting down anyone who might have wanted Haverford dead. Between all of his malicious maneuverings, the murdered mogul had buckets of people anxious to see him gone. Now, Margo will have to use every trick in the book to find a cloaked killer—before someone else winds up wearing a death shroud...





Trouble is brewing at the costume shop and Margo is getting more tricks than treats this year, In the second book of the series you are swept away to a fun adventure with Halloween right around the corner. Masking for Trouble will keep you on your toes with this fast-paced read and witty characters you won't want to stop reading until the very end. Add this one to your Halloween reading list , it is that good,




About the Author:





I’m a former fashion buyer turned mystery writer, trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. I was bit by the mystery bug as a kid reading Trixie Belden, Connie Blair, and The Three Investigators. Now I’m writing three series: the Style & Error Mysteries, the Mad for Mod Mysteries, and the Material Witness Mysteries.

The Costume Shop mysteries debuted with A DISGUISE TO DIE FOR, which introduces Margo Tamblyn, costume shop owner, who helps solve a murder after one of her clients is found dead at his own costume party (dressed as Sherlock!). MASKING FOR TROUBLE, the second in the series, will be out in October 2016, just in time for Halloween.

The Material Witness mysteries feature Polyester Monroe, who inherits the fabric shop where she was born. Books include SUEDE TO REST and CRUSHED VELVET . The third, SILK STALKINGS, was just released.

The Style & Error Series features former fashion buyer turned amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd. Books in that series include DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY ; BUYER, BEWARE ; THE BRIM REAPER ; and SOME LIKE IT HAUTE . (A short story, “Just Kidding ,” tells the story of how Samantha first met shoe designer Nick Taylor). Book 5, GRAND THEFT RETRO, will be out in 2016.



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Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Halloween Quiz by Maggie Pill

It is time for some Halloween trivia. Today's Host is Maggie Pill. author of the Sleuth Sister. Winner will receive their choice  of Sleuth Sisters book, 1,2,3, or 4? We can do e-book, print, or audio. Leave answers and email below.








Halloween Quiz

When Shelley asked for authors to do Halloween-type posts for October, I thought, “Why haven’t the Sleuth Sisters ever done anything with Halloween?” In four books, (working on #5) they haven’t, but I can imagine it.

Barb would go around town putting apostrophes in all the signs to make the word “correct”: Hallowe’en.

Faye would make enough yummy treats to rot the baby teeth of every Trick-or-Treater in Allport.

Retta would create costumes for the three of them. She’d be Wonder Woman, Barb would be Storm, and Faye would be Jayna, the Wonder Twin who can turn into any animal.

It makes sense: I mean, there’s a long tradition of threes at Halloween time, especially witches, like Macbeth, Hocus Pocus, The Witches of Eastwick, and dozens of songs on YouTube. But my sleuths aren’t supernatural in any way. They’re simply sisters who solve crimes using their individual strengths and strong family relationship. Though they don’t see life the same way at all, when danger threatens, they come together, sometimes in funny ways, sometimes in ways that warm your heart just a little. My readers often identify with that: while we don’t choose our sisters and often don’t agree with them, we step up when things get tough. It’s Sister Power!

Since the Sleuth Sisters haven’t focused on Halloween (yet), I came up with a little quiz based on horror/supernatural stories that you might enjoy. Find the answers in the grid horizontally, vertically, diagonally, backward and forward. (Hey, I never said I’d make it easy!)

Ghost seen by Hamlet in Act I
Scared schoolmaster in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
King of England who believed some witches chased his ship in a sieve
”The good little witch” of comic books
Ghost’s rank in THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR
Poe’s beloved who returns from death
Inspiration for Dracula
Gaelic screamer
Doctor for a werewolf?
Voodoo practitioner who can reanimate corpses, making zombies



A I E G I L E C R O K O B W F H C F L C E A J A M E S N T E P B K R D H E T T O W Y E H A A E D G R S I J S V O H N N P L M D N A I A Q B T X B D U Y V


Answers will be posted on my website http://maggiepill.maggiepillmysteries.com/ on October 13th.

And while you’re there, if you’re interested in the Sleuth Sisters Mysteries, sign up for my newsletter and get a free copy of your choice of Book 1, 2, 3, or 4 in either e-book or audio format. (The studio is working on Book 4 for audio, so that one might take a while.)



About the author:


Maggie Pill is the author of the Sleuth Sisters Mysteries, which make people say things like, “That’s just like me and my sisters!” Maggie is also Peg Herring, who writes the critically acclaimed Simon and Elizabeth historical mysteries, the award-winning Dead Detective Mysteries, and the intriguing Loser Mysteries. Maggie is funnier and cooler than Peg--and much younger, too

Spotlight- A Charming Voodoo by Tonya Kappes- Giveaway and Scavenger Hunt

I am thrilled to be part of Tonya Kappes Scavenger Hunt tour. Would you like a chance to win free audio book from the Magical Cures Mystery Series audio series picked by Tonya Kappes? All you have to do is tell us what your favorite thing about Halloween is and Your favorite Tonya Kappes book. Leave answers and email below.















Bubble. . . bubble. . . Whispering Falls is abuzz with the new housing development and new shops popping up all over the magical village. Cures and trouble. . . A Magical Cure’s owner, June Heal’s intuition is on high alert and she just can’t shake that something bad is about to happen. Magic stirs . . . It must be the upcoming All Hallow’s Eve celebration that has love in the air. Or maybe it’s because there are several more citizens in Whispering Falls. And trouble doubles . . . June’s intuition is far from wrong after she stumbles upon new town resident Patch Burr who is lying dead in the middle of his pumpkin patch.


About the author:



For years, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been publishing numerous mystery and romance titles with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plot lines and quirky characters, but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans.



Click here to join the fun on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/928367800600362/

Let's go on a scavenger hunt, click the link below for the clue:

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Monday, October 10, 2016

Blog Tour and Giveaway- Michelangelo's Ghost by Gigi Pandian

I am thrilled to be part of this blog tour. I have been a fan of Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery series by Gigi Pandian from the start and each book continues to get better and better Her newest book in the series is Michelangelo's Ghost was released on October 4th.









Series: A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery (Book 4)
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Henery Press (October 4, 2016)
Language: English







Synopsis
Can treasure-hunting historian Jaya Jones unmask a killer ghost?

A lost work of art linking India to the Italian Renaissance. A killer hiding behind a centuries-old ghost story. And a hidden treasure in Italy’s macabre sculpture garden known as the Park of Monsters…

Filled with the unexpected twists, vivid historical details, and cross-cultural connections Pandian is known for, Michelangelo’s Ghost is the most fast-paced and spellbinding Jaya Jones novel to date.

When Jaya’s old professor dies under eerie circumstances shortly after discovering manuscripts that point to a treasure in Italy’s Park of Monsters, Jaya and her brother pick up the trail. From San Francisco to the heart of Italy, Jaya is haunted by a ghost story inexorably linked to the masterpieces of a long-dead artist and the deeds of a modern-day murderer. Untrustworthy colleagues, disappearing boyfriends, and old enemies—who can Jaya trust when the ghost wails?



Jaya Jones is back in this gripping fast-paced page turner that will have you guessing till the end. With twists along the way you won't be able to put this one done. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.




Books in the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series:

•FOOL’S GOLD (prequel novella in OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE)
•ARTIFACT (#1)
•PIRATE VISHNU (#2)
•QUICKSAND (#3)
•MICHELANGELO’S GHOST (#4)





About The Author

USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian spent her childhood being dragged around the world by her cultural anthropologist parents, and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s the author of the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mystery series (Artifact, Pirate Vishnu, and Quicksand) and the Accidental Alchemist mysteries (The Accidental Alchemist and The Masquerading Magician).

Gigi’s debut mystery was awarded a Malice Domestic Grant, the follow-up won the Left Coast Crime Rose Award, and her short fiction has been short-listed for Agatha and Macavity awards. A breast cancer diagnosis in her thirties taught her two important life lessons: healing foods can taste amazing, and life’s too short to waste a single moment.

Find her online at www.gigipandian.com



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Sunday, October 9, 2016

Blog Tour and Giveaway- Putting on the With by Jim and Joyce Lavene

Jim and Joyce Lavene's passing shocked the cozy community. To lose such amazing author's was hard to handle. But we pulled together and supported their children by showing love and kindness. These two wonderful people I got to meet a few years ago and they touched my heart and I am blesses to have known them. Their newest book Putting on the Witch was released on October 4th. And while it was hard to read, it was an excellent story with great characters. I hope you will pick this one up and enjoy a few hours of fantastic reading.









Series: Retired Witches Mysteries (Book 3)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (October 4, 2016)
Language: English




Synopsis

With their coven’s spell book still missing, Molly and Elsie—along with their ghostly friend Olivia, her daughter Dorothy, and her boyfriend Brian—are all on edge, especially now that Dorothy’s infamously wicked father is back in the picture. So when they receive an invitation to an exclusive Witches Ball, the ladies jump at the chance to dress up and have some fun.

The castle locale is spectacular and the party is hopping, but the festivities come to a swift end when a member of the Grand Council of Witches is murdered. With the whole place on lock down, the coven is determined to find the cunning killer, even with an angry council and a real Spanish Inquisitor breathing down their necks…






About The Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene wrote award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They had written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. Joyce passed away October 20, 2015 and Jim passed on May 5, 2016. They are missed by family, friends and their many fans.

www.joyceandjimlavene.com
www.facebook.com/joyceandjimlavene



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Saturday, October 8, 2016

Blog Tour and Giveaway- Crepe Factor by Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran

I am thrilled to have Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran here today. They are the authors of Crepe Factor (A Scrap booking Mystery) released on October 4th.











Series: A Scrapbooking Mystery (Book 14)
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley (October 4, 2016)
Language: English




Synopsis

The Winter Market in the French Quarter is in full swing, but murder isn’t taking a holiday in the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of Parchment and Old Lace…


The holidays are a busy time for scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand—but not so hectic that she doesn’t have time to enjoy browsing the booths at the Winter Market with her best friend Ava. The last thing the ladies expect to see is a lurching man stabbed by a serving fork, dying in front of them.

The victim is loathed restaurant critic Martin Lash, who posted his scathing reviews on the Glutton for Punishment website. And the prime suspect is New Orleans restauranteur Quigg Brevard—who was seen giving the critic a tongue-lashing minutes before someone stuck a fork in him. An old flame of Carmela, Quigg asks for her help, which does not please her current beau, Detective Edgar Babcock, to say the least.

Before her relationship is the next victim, Carmela needs to find a murderer who had no reservations about punishing the culinary curmudgeon…

Scrapbooking tips and recipes included!






Review: I have followed this series from the start and when you put both of these authors together , their writing styles go so well together that you get an outstanding read. It is the Holiday season and the Winter Market is exciting and fun that Carmela just wants some time to enjoy all it has to offer. But what Carmela and her friend Ava got instead was a murder. Never a dull moment. They have more to do now by trying to find out who the killer is before they strike again. I enjoyed this book. So grab a cup of tea and get this book. You will love it.



About the Authors:




Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.



Laura’s Links:

Webpage – http://www.laurachilds.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31







Short-listed twice for The Best American Mystery Stories, Terrie Farley Moran is delighted to introduce mystery fans to the Read ’Em and Eat café and bookstore, which debuted with Well Read, Then Dead. followed by Caught Read-Handed and Read to Death released in July of this year. The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is playing games and reading stories with any or all of her grandchildren.

Terrie’s Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrie.moran.9 br /> Blog: www.womenofmystery.net
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23186092-terrie-moran



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Thursday, October 6, 2016

Blog Tour and Giveaway- Lethal Lifestyles by LynDee Walker

I am thrilled to have LynDee Walker her today. Her newest book Lethal Lifestyles was released on September 27th.









Series: A Headlines in High Heels Mystery
Paperback: 262 pages
Publisher: Henery Press (September 27, 2016)
Language: English




Synopsis

Wedding bells are ringing at the Richmond Telegraph, and maid of honor Nichelle Clarke is determined to give her friends the perfect fairytale beginning to their happily ever after. So when a corpse crashes rehearsal weekend, Nichelle ditches her wedding coordinator shoes for her crime reporter ones, and a little poking around turns up a big problem: the victim and the groom have a history, and it’s not a pretty one.

Evidence against groom Grant Parker piles up, leaving Nichelle wishing a hostile bridesmaid was still her biggest worry as she tries to fend off Richmond’s favorite TV reporter—and her own scheming publisher. At odds with the cops, her beloved editor, and the ticking clock, Nichelle races to uncover the truth and save the day before this perfect wedding turns into a funeral.



Books in the Headlines in High Heels Mystery Series:
•FRONT PAGE FATALITY (#1)
•BURIED LEADS (#2)
•DATELINE MEMPHIS (novella after BURIED LEADS in HEARTACHE MOTEL)
•SMALL TOWN SPIN (#3)
•DEVIL IN THE DEADLINE (#4)
•COVER SHOT (#5)
•LETHAL LIFESTYLES (#6)


About the Author:




LynDee Walker is the author of the national bestselling Headlines in High Heels mystery series, beginning with the Agatha Award-nominated FRONT PAGE FATALITY (2013).

The newest book in the series, LETHAL LIFESTYLES, will be published on September 27, 2016.

Before she started writing mysteries, LynDee was an award-winning journalist. Her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the U.S.

She adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is either playing with her children, working on her next novel, or admiring beautiful shoes she can’t wear.


Author Links
Webpage – www.lyndeewalker.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/lyndeewalkerbooks
Henery Press – http://henerypress.com/lethal-lifestyles/




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Blog Tour and Giveaway- Unlucky Charms by Linda O. Johnston

Today's blog tour is Unlucky Charms by Linda O. Johnston. I am thrilled to have Linda here with us today.










Series: A Superstition Mystery (Book 3)
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Midnight Ink (October 8, 2016)
Language: English




Synopsis

Rory Chasen, manager of the Lucky Dog Boutique in Destiny, California, hopes her new line of good-luck doggy toys will be a hit, especially the stuffed rabbits with extra-large feet. The timing of the line’s debut proves ill-fated, though, as several local shops―including Rory’s―are ransacked and vandalized with spilled salt and other unlucky charms.

The most likely culprit is disgruntled real estate agent Flora Curtival, whose issues with the town give her a motive. But when Flora is murdered and one of Rory’s toy rabbits is found with the body, Rory needs all the luck she can get while trying to determine just who killed the superstitious vandal.





About The Author –

Linda O. Johnston’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the year. Since then, Linda, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, has published more short stories, novellas, and 38 romance and mystery novels, including the Pet Rescue Mystery Series, a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, and Harlequin Romantic Suspense as well as the Alpha Force paranormal romance miniseries for Harlequin Nocturne. She additionally writes the Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink.

Author Links:


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Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Halloween Recipe from Callie's Kitchen

Halloween is a few weeks away and Jenny Kales stopped by to share with us this yummy recipe from Callie's Kitchen. A perfect treat for a cold Autumn night with a hot cup of cider. One lucky reader will win an Amazon e-book of ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. All you have to do is tell us your favorite thing about Fall.Leave comments and email below.







A Halloween Recipe from Callie’s Kitchen: Pumpkin Spice Loaf Cake

October means Halloween, and for many of us it also means “pumpkin spice” everything! I’m happy to share a heart-warming recipe for a good old-fashioned baked treat that will fill your house with the autumnal scents of pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin-pie spice. Hungry yet?



In fact, pumpkin spice loaf cake is exactly the type of thing that my amateur sleuth, Callie Costas, would serve in “Callie’s Kitchen,” her on-the-go meals business. Being Greek American, Callie loves to use cinnamon in so many of her dishes – the smell alone draws people into her shop. Well, when she’s not the prime suspect of a crime, that is. For more on that, please check out my culinary cozy mystery, “On the Chopping Block: A Callie’s Kitchen Mystery.” And yes, it has recipes! Book 2 in the series, called “Spiced and Iced” is set at Christmastime and will be on Amazon for pre-order later this month.

Now – back to the pumpkin cake! It is crazy good and so versatile. You can serve it for breakfast, brunch, snacks, with a cup of tea in the afternoon – you name it! Plus, it’s easy to make and you get two loaves out of the recipe. Freeze one for later or give it to a friend. They will love your for it!

I hope you enjoy the recipe!





Callie’s Pumpkin Spice Loaf Cake


Topping:
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons dark brown or light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, slightly softened
Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 15 oz can of solid pack pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten


Make the topping first:

Blend together flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon in a small bowl with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Set aside.


For the cake:

Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray Pam with flour on two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, sugar, eggs and oil. Add flour mixture to large bowl and stir gently until well combined.

Divide batter between loaf pans. Sprinkle half of topping over each. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean 50-60 minutes.

Cool loaves in pan on wire rack for 45 minutes, then turn out of pan and let cool completely on rack, about one hour. Wrap well in plastic wrap and foil to keep refrigerated for about a week. Can also be frozen up to one month. Readers can connect with me in many ways. I look forward to “meeting” you!


About the author:




It all started when a family member gave me “The Bobbsey Twins” series and Nancy Drew. The first mystery story I ever wrote, age 9, was “The Case of the Missing Brownies.” Spoiler alert: turns out, the dog was the culprit.I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in English and spent several years as a copywriter and corporate communications marketing writer for many top Chicago companies. When I had my first child, I started freelancing for a wide variety of clients. In particular, I’ve written for many parenting publications including TODAY Show Moms and Chicago Parent magazine. When I discovered that my oldest child has a life-threatening food allergy, I started The Nut-Free Mom blog, an award-winning resource for parents in my situation.

Since I almost always have my nose in a mystery novel (culinary cozy mysteries especially), I decided to take the plunge and write my own cozy mystery. My first novel features a Greek-American heroine (I married into a Greek-American family) who lives in a picturesque waterfront town inspired by the Geneva Lakes in Wisconsin (always a favorite place to visit). I’m also working on ideas for other novels — including series follow-ups to my first novel. I’m an enthusiastic member of the stellar mystery writer’s group, Sisters in Crime, and their incredibly helpful sub-group, The Guppies. I’m also a member of Mystery Writers of America and recently spent the day in Chicago attending Mystery Writers of America University, a series of courses taught by top mystery authors.

I love to write about food. Food is a big part of my novel and my amateur sleuth has a food-related job. One of my proudest foodie/writer moments was when my essay and cookies were semi-finalists in the Chicago Tribune’s annual Christmas Cookie and Essay Contest. I wrote about how a 1950s Greek church cookbook helped me find a way to recreate my favorite childhood Christmas cookies in nut-free fashion so that they were safe for my daughter to eat.

My version of the Greek butter cookie, kourabiethes. When I’m not working at the computer, I’m an avid reader, cook and baker. I’m addicted to Masterpiece Mystery series (DCI Banks, Inspector Lewis), BBC America mystery series like Broadchurch and my favorite Netflix go-to, Midsomer Murders. I enjoy retro/vintage everything – fashion, music, movies, ads, home décor, and cookbooks.

I live in the near Western suburbs of Chicago with my wonderful husband, two daughters and one cute but demanding Yorkshire terrier.





My website: www.jennykales.wordpress.com
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Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Blog Tour- Tangled Up in Brew by Joyce Tremel

I am thrilled to be on this blog tour. Joyce Tremel's next book in the Brewing Trouble series, Tangled up in Brew is released today.









Series: A Brewing Trouble Mystery (Book 2)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (October 4, 2016)
Language: English





Synopsis

Another intoxicating mystery featuring brew pub owner Maxine “Max” O’Hara—from the author of To Brew or Not to Brew.

BEER TODAY, GONE TOMORROW…

Brew pub owner Maxine “Max” O’Hara and her chef/boyfriend, Jake Lambert, are excited to be participating in the Three Rivers Brews and Burgers Festival. Max hopes to win the coveted Golden Stein for best craft beer—but even if she doesn’t, the festival will be great publicity for her Allegheny Brew House.

Or will it? When notoriously nasty food and beverage critic Reginald Mobley is drafted as a last-minute replacement judge, Max dreads a punishing review. Her fears are confirmed when Mobley literally spits out her beer, but things get even worse when the cranky critic drops dead right after trying one of Jake’s burgers. Now an ambitious new police detective is determined to pin Mobley’s murder on Max and Jake, who must pore over the clues to protect their freedom and reputations—and to find the self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner.


Review: Author Joyce Tremel has out done herself with the second book in the Brewing Trouble Mystery series. The Brews and Burger Festival is about to start and Max O'hara and Jake are busy preparing for the event, The Festival brings breweries and chef together to compete for the best and win the grand prize. But when one of the judges is murdered the suspects are many and everyone is on edge. Max and her friends try to find out who the killer is before they take out more of the competition. With twist and turns you will be guessing until the end.




About The Author



Joyce Tremel was a police secretary for ten years and more than once envisioned the demise of certain co-workers, but settled on writing as a way to keep herself out of jail. She is a native Pittsburgher and lives in a suburb of the city with her husband and a spoiled cat.

Her debut mystery, To Brew Or Not To Brew has been nominated for the 2015 Reviewers’ Choice award for best amateur sleuth by RT Book Reviews. The second book in the series, Tangled Up In Brew is scheduled for release in October 2016.


Author Links

Webpage – http://www.joycetremel.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JoyceTremel/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/JoyceTremel
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13746162.Joyce_Tremel



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Monday, October 3, 2016

First in Series- To Brew or Not to Brew by Joyce Tremel

Happy Monday! This week's First in a Series is To Brew or Not to Brew( A Brewing Trouble Mystery ) by Joyce Tremel released on December 1,2015.








Series: A Brewing Trouble Mystery (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (December 1, 2015)
Language: English




An all-new mystery series set in a Pittsburgh craft brew pub, featuring a brewmaster with a head for sleuthing.

The Allegheny Brew House is a dream come true for Maxine “Max” O’Hara, who went all the way to Germany for her brewmaster certification, and is now preparing to open her own craft brew pub in a newly revitalized section of Pittsburgh. But before she can start pouring stouts and lagers to thirsty throngs, there’s trouble on tap. Suspicious acts of sabotage culminate in Max finding her assistant brewmaster and chef Kurt Schmidt strangled in one of the vats.

Between rescuing a stray gray tabby she names Hops and considering a handsome ex-hockey player as her new chef, Max doesn’t have a lot of time to solve a murder. But with a homicide detective for a dad, she comes to criminal investigation naturally. And if someone is desperate enough to kill to stop her from opening, Max needs to act fast—before her brand-new brew biz totally tanks...

INCLUDES RECIPES



About the Author:






Joyce Tremel was a police secretary for over ten years. Her fiction has appeared in Mysterical-e, and her nonfiction has been published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police magazine. To Brew or Not to Brew is her first novel. She lives in a suburb of Pittsburgh with her husband and a spoiled cat.



Find out about Joyce's books by visiting her website at 

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Blog Tour- A March to Remember by Anna Loan Wilsey

Happy Sunday! I am excited for the blog tour A March to Remember by Anna Loan Wilsey was released on September 27th.









Series: A Hattie Davish Mystery (Book 5)
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Kensington (September 27, 2016)
Language: English




Synopsis

Traveling secretary Hattie Davish is taking her singular talents to Washington, D.C., to help Sir Arthur Windom-Greene research his next book. But in the winding halls of the nation’s capital, searching for the truth can sometimes lead to murder . . .

Hattie is in her element, digging through dusty basements, attics, and abandoned buildings, not to be denied until she fishes out that elusive fact. But her delightful explorations are dampened when she witnesses a carriage crash into a carp pond beneath the shadow of the Washington Monument. Alarmingly, one of the passengers flees the scene, leaving the other to drown. The incident only heightens tensions brought on by the much publicized arrival of “Coxey’s Army,” thousands of unemployed men converging on the capital for the first ever organized “march” on Washington. When one of the marchers is found murdered in the ensuing chaos, Hattie begins to suspect a sinister conspiracy is at hand. As she expands her investigations into the motives of murder and closes in on the trail of a killer, she is surprised and distraught to learn that her research will lead her straight to the highest levels of government . . .




Guest Post:

History as Inspiration

Whenever I am giving a presentation or attending an event: a book signing, a book club, or a panel discussion, I’m inevitably asked how I come up with the plots to my books or what inspires my stories. So I thought I would answer that question here today. Of course, every writer finds his or her story ideas in a myriad of places. For me, at least while writing the historical Hattie Davish Mystery series, it all comes down to rediscovering history. Each book in my series is set in a different historical town. I make it a point of visiting each location, whether I’d been there before or not, to focus on researching the town for the book. Most often, I go on my research trip with very little plot in mind.

Instead, I comb through archived newspapers, local library books, historical museum displays and city directories, hoping to find details of the town’s past that can come alive again in my books. And, without fail, I have found the inspiration I was searching for. Sometimes I discover a subplot element I hadn’t thought of before, sometimes the very essence of the book is discovered in a black and white newspaper article. For the first book in the series, I knew I wanted to set it in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, partially because it held a special place in my life and partially because it was known to have been a famous 19th century health resort. What I discovered in my research was that Carrie Nation, the controversial, hatchet-wielding temperance leader had lived in Eureka Springs at the end of her life. Suddenly Mrs. Edwina Trevelyan was born and A Lack of Temperance had its plot.

For Anything But Civil, set in the perfectly preserved 19th century boomtown of Galena, Illinois, the fact that a town of 5,000 people produced nine Union brigadier generals and a United States president inspired the idea of what would happen when rival Civil War veterans see each other for the first time after the war had ended. For A Sense of Entitlement, set in the famous summer resort of Newport, RI, the entire plot surrounding the plight of the working class during the Panic of 1893 was inspired by a ten sentence article in the local newspaper about telegraph operators striking at Newport’s largest hotel. When I went to St. Joseph, MO, to research A Deceptive Homecoming, the only thing I knew was that it was Hattie’s hometown and she was returning, after a long absence, for a funeral. Every other element of the story came from the research I discovered in the few days I was there.

For A March Remember, I thought it would be more of a challenge to uncover some element of Washington D.C.’s history that I didn’t know. I thought I would have to create my own inspiration. But I was so wrong. What I uncovered was an important moment forgotten by history- Jacob Coxey’s workingman’s march to Washington on May 1, 1894. It was the first “protest” march on Washington and one of the most publicized events of the 19th century. Yet I, who love history so much, had never heard of it. No one I knew had heard of it. Of course I would have to incorporate this into Hattie’s D.C. adventure. So I did. As with every “inspiration,” this real event has taken Hattie, and me, on adventures based in the actual history of the city. Each immensely fascinating, I can’t imagine having to make such stories up!





About the author:





Anna Loan-Wilsey, biologist, librarian, and author, writes the historical Hattie Davish Mystery series featuring a Victorian traveling secretary who solves crimes in every historic town she visits. The first in the series, A Lack of Temperance, set in 1890’s Eureka Springs, Arkansas, (an Amazon #1 bestseller) was followed by Anything But Civil (set in Galena, IL), A Sense of Entitlement (an iBook #1 bestseller set in Newport, RI), and A Deceptive Homecoming (set in St. Joseph, MO, Hattie’s hometown). A March to Remember finds Hattie caught up in the political intrigues surrounding Coxey’s Army and the first “march” on Washington, D.C. Anna lives in a Victorian farmhouse near Ames, Iowa with her family where she is happily working on new mystery adventures.


Author Links:


Webpage: www.annaloanwilsey.com
Facebook: https//www.facebook.com/annaloanwilseyauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annaloanwilsey @annaloanwilsey
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/5810152.Anna_Loan_Wilsey



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