Showing posts with label What's New?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What's New?. Show all posts

Friday, September 23, 2016

What's New? Death of a Toy Soldier by Barbara Early

Happy Friday! What's New? Coming October 11th to bookstores and e-readers near you. Death of a Toy Soldier by Barbara Early. First in a Brand new series, The Vintage Toy Shop will get you in the Christmas Spirit.








Series: A Vintage Toyshop Mystery (Book 1)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (October 11, 2016)
Language: English



About the book:

Liz McCall grew up in a playful winter wonderland but it was never her dream to manage her father’s vintage toyshop. However, after he sank his entire police pension into the business, someone needed to help him turn his dreams into reality—and keep him from sneaking off to patrol the not-so-mean streets of East Aurora, NY.

The mood goes from nice to naughty when a nervous man, who was trying to have his antique toys appraised, is found in the shop with a lawn dart through his chest. Suddenly, Liz’s business plan is plunged into deep freeze, while she and her father find themselves toying with a cold-blooded killer who’s playing for keeps.

Now, it looks like Christmas might be cancelled for the neighborhood kids if Liz can't wrap up the case in Barbara Early's delightful debut Death of a Toy Soldier.



About the Author:






Barbara Early (A.K.A. Beverly Allen) grew up buried in the snowy suburbs of Buffalo, NY, where she developed a love for all things sedentary: reading, writing, classic movies, and Facebook Scrabble. She holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, but her penchant for the creative caused her to run away screaming from the pocket-protector set.

She taught secondary English and science for several years before home schooling her daughter successfully through high school. Barbara cooks up cozy mysteries with a healthy dose of comedy and sometimes a splash of romance.

When not reading or writing, she enjoys cooking, crafts, home-improvement projects, and spending time with her husband and daughter.


Find out more about Barbara and her books by visiting her website: 

Friday, September 16, 2016

What's New? The Hammett Hex by Victoria Abbott

Happy Friday! What's New? Coming soon to a bookstore and e-reader near you. The Hammett Hex ( A Book Collector Mystery) by Victoria Abbott.








Series: A Book Collector Mystery (Book 5)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (October 4, 2016)
Language: English




The national bestselling author of The Marsh Madness takes rare book collector Jordan Bingham on a trip to San Francisco—home to Dashiell Hammett’s hard-boiled heroes—where nothing is as it seems.

On a getaway to the City by the Bay, book collector Jordan Bingham becomes entangled in a mystery with more twists than Lombard Street...

Jordan has been able to swing a romantic trip to San Francisco with Officer Tyler “Smiley” Dekker on one condition—she must return with a rare copy of Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest for her irascible employer, Vera Van Alst. For his own part, Smiley is full of surprises. He’s a Dashiell devotee himself—excited to be in the city of Hammett’s hard-boiled heroes like Sam Spade and the Continental Op—and also announces he plans to visit his previously unmentioned estranged grandmother, who lives in an old Victorian in Pacific Heights.

But the trip goes downhill fast when Jordan is pushed from a cable car and barely escapes death. And when a dark sedan tries to run the couple down, it’s clear someone’s after them—but who? Just like in Hammett’s world, nothing is quite what is seems...

INCLUDES RECIPES



About the authors:




Mary Jane Maffini thinks she’s the luckiest woman in the world. After all, she gets to work at home in her cozy office -- or at her roomy dining room table or on her deck in summer -- writing what she has always loved to read: mysteries. And she gets to write in her pyjamas if she wants, with her miniature dachshunds, Daisy and Lily, snuggled up. She can take her breaks with her husband and the pooches in the dog park and it’s no one’s business but her own. What’s not to love? Plus anyone who has ever made her mad has ended up in a book. No wonder she’s usually in a good mood. MJ discovered mysteries as a child and read her way through the classics. Later in libraries, she found that people would pay her to select mysteries. They could have saved a bundle if only they’d realized who they were dealing with. She also learned how wonderful and varied crime fiction can be. Following a career as a librarian (not nearly as quiet as it sounds!), she continued her mystery infatuation by becoming co-owner of her favourite bookstore: Prime Crime Mystery Books, with her business partner, Linda Wiken .

Once again, people died. But only in her manuscripts. Since those wonderful reading days, MJ has written thirteen books in three mystery series and more than two dozen short stories. Her latest Charlotte Adams book The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder won the 2012 RT Award for Best Amateur Sleuth. She’s picked up several awards for her short fiction, including three Arthur Ellis awards and an Agatha. She’s also been nominated for an Anthony, a Barry, and several other Ellis awards. She also holds the Crime Writers of Canada Murdoch award.



Victoria Maffini comes by her murderous tendencies honestly, not to mention her writing skills. This is her first collaboration and first novel. She dove head first into the eerie world of Mysteries when she worked at Prime Crime Books for five creepy good years. Vic the Chic is long gone now, but her many glorious years of gorging on New Releases and used paperbacks sure come in handy when writing a Book Collector Mystery series.

When Victoria’s fingers are not on the keyboard they are pointing her Nikon at brides, babies and bad dogs, turning the images into cards, art and memories. Speaking of art…being creative is deep in Victoria’s soul, she never comes back from her long country walks without a stunning shot or a scene that will need to be painted or a pine cone that must be glittered. The crafting is strong with this one. She enjoys selling her art and other creations at the North Gower Farmers' Market in the summer months.



Find out more about Victoria Abbotts books at their website: 

Friday, August 26, 2016

What's New? Cancelled by Murder by Jean Flowers

Happy Friday! What's New? Coming September 6th to book stores and e-readers near you. Cancelled by Murder (A Postmistress Mystery series) by Jean Flowers.(a.k.a.Camille Minichino)








Series: A Postmistress Mystery (Book 2)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (September 6, 2016)
Language: English




Second in the Postmistress Mystery series by Jean Flowers, following Death Takes Priority...

“MAKE THIS MYSTERY SERIES YOUR PRIORITY.”—Janet Cantrell, national bestselling author of the Fat Cat mysteries

Cassie Miller returned to her sleepy hometown in the Berkshires to start over as the new postmistress. But she soon finds that dead letters are nothing compared to murder victims...

With a massive storm about to hit North Ashcot, Massachusetts, threatening floods and widespread wind damage, Cassie is forced to close up the post office along with the rest of the local business owners and residents, who are battening down the hatches and bracing themselves for the worst.

Although the storm proves not to be as bad as predicted, fabric shop owner Daisy Harmon is found dead, seemingly killed by a fallen branch. But the police quickly determine that her death had nothing to do with foul weather and everything to do with foul play. After Daisy’s widowed husband approaches her to help solve his wife’s murder, Cassie vows to find the killer before another innocent victim is taken by storm.







About the Author
Jean Flowers is the pseudonym for a long time mystery writer who has published series with Berkley and Minotaur. Her first book in the Postmistress Mystery series is Death Takes Priority.



Find out more about Jean Flowers at her website:

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

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Weekly Wrap Up # 33

Happy Sunday! Here is what happened this week:







August 8th- First in Series- The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco by Laura DiSilverio
August 9th- Author Spotlight- Laura DiSilverio
August 10th - Book Spotlight Blue Moon by Wendy Corsi Staub
August 11th- Book Spotlight and giveaway- Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton
August 12th- Blog Tour- Death and Disappearance by Susan Russo Anderson
August 12th- Book Spotlight and giveaway - Costume Catastrophe by Kathi Daley August 13th- What's New? Fire in the Stars by Barbara Fradkin



Coming this week:


August 15th- First in Series - Death by Cashmere by Sally Goldenbaum
August 16th- Author Spotlight- Sally Goldenbaum
August 17th- Guess the Mystery and Giveaway hosted by Linda Reilly
August 18th- Book Spotlight and giveaway- Christmas Caramel Murder by Joanne Fluke
August 19th- Blog Tour- Murder in the Mansion by Janet Finsilver
August 19th- What's New? Dandelion Dead - Chrystle Fiedler
August 20th- Non- Cozy- Mystery- Sins of My Youth by Mary Anne Edwards


Hope you have a great week!

Friday, August 12, 2016

What's New? and giveaway- It's Your Party, Die if you Want to by Vickie Fee

Happy Friday! What's New? Coming to bookstores and e-readers near you on Sept. 27th. It's Your  Party Die if You Want to (A Liv and Di in Dixie Mystery) by Vickie Fee. One lucky reader will receive a copy of this book after release day. All you have to do is leave a comment and email below for a chance to win your choice- e-book or paper copy. Good Luck Everyone!








Series: A Liv And Di In Dixie Mystery (Book 2)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington (September 27, 2016)
Language: English



Down home and delightful.” —Carolyn Hart

Between a riverboat gambler-theme engagement party and a murder mystery dinner for charity, Dixie, Tennessee, party planner Liv McKay is far too frenzied to feel festive. Add to the mix her duties at the annual businesswomen’s retreat and the antics of a celebrity ghost-hunting diva, and Liv’s schedule is turning out to be the scariest thing about this Halloween—especially when the ladies stumble across a dead body in a cemetery…

Morgan Robison was a party girl with a penchant for married men and stirring up a cauldron of drama. Any number of scorned wives or frightened philanderers could be behind her death. As Liv and her best friend, Di, set out to dig up the truth, they’ll face the unexpected and find their efforts hampered by a killer with one seriously haunting vendetta…

“Refreshing as a tall glass of sweet tea, Vickie Fee has crafted a series that celebrates the deadly traditions of Southern hospitality.” —Cheryl Hollon, author of Cracked to Death



About the author:




Vickie Fee writes the Liv and Di in Dixie mystery series--humorous cozy mysteries, featuring killer parties and Southern charm. The first book in the series was released Dec. 29, 2015. The second book, It's Your Party, Die If You Want To, will be released Sept. 27, 2016 and is now available for pre-order.

Vickie grew up on a steady diet of Nancy Drew, daydreams and sweet iced tea. Like most people born and raised in Memphis, she didn't tour Graceland until she was in her 30s--and then only as a host to out-of-town guests. She now lives in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with her husband, John. If she cranes her neck slightly, she can see beautiful Lake Superior from her office window. After earning a journalism degree from the University of Memphis, she spent many years as a reporter covering small Southern towns populated with colorful characters, much like those in her books' fictional town of Dixie, Tennessee.

Vickie is currently at work on the next book in the Liv and Di in Dixie mystery series.

Visit www.vickiefee.com to learn more about the author and her books.


Friday, August 5, 2016

What's New? Body on the Bayou by Ellen Bryon

What's new? Coming September 13th to bookstores and e-readers near you. Body on the Bayou (A Cajun Country Mystery Series) by Ellen Bryon. You can pre-order now.








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



The Crozats feared that past murders at Crozat Plantation B&B 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, Ellen Byron's funny and engaging follow up to her critically acclaimed novel Plantation Shudders.





Ellen's debut novel, Plantation Shudders: A Cajun Country Mystery, made the USA Today Bestsellers list, and has been nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Daphne awards. The second book in the series, Body on the Bayou, launches September 13th. Ellen is also a recipient of a William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant from the Malice Domestic Convention.

Her TV credits include Wings, Still Standing, and Just Shoot Me, as well as network and cable pilots. As a journalist, she's written over 200 magazine articles for national publications. She recently served on the Editorial Board for the UCLA Writers Program's books, Cut to the Chase and Inside the Room. Her plays, published by Dramatists Play Service, include the popular Graceland and Asleep on the Wind.

A graduate of Tulane University, Ellen lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and the family’s spoiled rescue dogs, which they describe as a “corgi-jack-huahua” and a “cherrier.” A native New Yorker, Ellen still misses her hometown… and still drives like a New York cabbie.


Visit Ellen's website and find out more about her books: 

Friday, July 29, 2016

What's New? Knit Your Own Murder by Monica Ferris

What's new? Happy Friday! Here is what is new and coming to a book store near you on August 2nd. Knit Your Own Murder by Monica Ferris.








Series: A Needlecraft Mystery (Book 19)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (August 2, 2016)
Language: English




In the USA Today bestselling Needlecraft Mysteries, Betsy Devonshire has her hands tied between running her needlework shop and turning her sharp eye for deduction to solving crimes…

The Monday Bunch and other local knitters are participating in a fund-raising auction to save a community center, creating a growing pile of stuffed animals and toys right in front of the auctioneers as the audience bids. Among those contributing the most knitted goods is temperamental businesswoman Maddy Hanover—who keels over halfway through the event After she is pronounced DOA, an autopsy reveals that Maddy had been poisoned. But how? And by whom? One of the prime suspects is her ruthless business rival Joe Mickels, who lost a bitterly contested property bid to Maddy.

When Mickels pleads his innocence to Betsy, she reluctantly believes him. But if Betsy is going to uncover the real murderer’s identity, she must first untangle the knots Maddy made in her relationships throughout her life…



About the Author

Monica Ferris is the USA Today bestselling author of the Needlecraft Mysteries (Darned If You Do, The Drowning Spool) as well as several mystery series under various pseudonyms. She lives in Minnesota.



Sunday, July 17, 2016

Weekly Wrap Up # 29

Happy Sunday. I hope you all had a great week. Here is a recap of what happened:








July 11th- First in Series- Well Read, then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran
July 12th- Blog Tour- Read to Death by Terrie Farley Moran
July 13th- Blog Tour- Somethings Knot Kosher by Mary Marks
July 14th- Guess the Mystery by Peg Cochran
July 15th- What's New? Silk Stalking by Diane Vallere
July 16th- Non-Cozy Mystery- Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger



Coming this week:


July 18th- Toasting Up Trouble by Linda Wiken
July 19th- Author Spotlight- Linda Wiken
July 20th- Guess the Mystery- Jenny Kales
July 21st - Book Spotlight
July 22nd - Blog Tour- Address to Die for by Mary Feliz
July 23rd- Non-Cozy Mystery- The Games by James Patterson



See you here.

Friday, July 15, 2016

What's New? Silk Stalkings by Diane Vallere

Happy Friday! What's New? Coming August 2nd to bookstores near you. Silk Stalkings ( A Material Witness Mystery ) by Diane Vallere.








Series: A Material Witness Mystery (Book 3)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (August 2, 2016)
Language: English



Fabric shop owner Polyester Monroe can get tangled up in textiles, but it’s murder that really throws her for a loop in the latest mystery from the national bestselling author of Crushed Velvet.

The time has come for San LadrĂ³n, California’s annual Miss Tangorli beauty pageant, and Poly has agreed to use Material Girl’s inventory of shimmery silks to create embellished gowns fit for a crown. But when millionaire Harvey Halliwell—the man who revived the city’s citrus trade with his imported tangorli tree—is found dead days before the pageant contestants are announced, something sour takes over the town.

To make matters worse, her friend, mechanic Charlie Brooks, is soon caught up in the crime, having been seen in the company of the case’s prime suspect. Now Poly’s on a mission to squeeze out the truth. But as she searches for a pattern, the killer seems intent on cutting up the evidence...



About the Author





Diane Vallere is the national bestselling author of the Lefty-nominated Material Witness Mysteries, which include Crushed Velvet and Suede to Rest, and the Costume Shop Mysteries, which began with A Disguise to Die For. She is the daughter of a seamstress and a scientist, which makes her feel like the love child of Edith Head and Mr. Spock. After twenty years in the fashion industry, she now writes full time, trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. She launched her own detective agency at ten years old and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since. 

Friday, July 1, 2016

What's New? Clock and Dagger by Julianne Holmes

Happy Friday and Fourth of July weekend. What's New? Coming August 2nd  to a bookstore near you. Clock and Dagger( A Clock Shop Mystery)  by Julianne Holmes.








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



Expert clockmaker Ruth Clagan has another murder on her hands in the second Clock Shop Mystery from the author of Just Killing Time.

Ruth has three days to pull off four events—including the grand reopening of Cog & Sprocket, the clock shop she inherited from her grandfather—so she doesn’t have time for Beckett Green’s nonsense. The competitive owner of a new bookstore, Green seems determined to put other businesses out of business by also carrying their specialty items. He’s trying to steal Ruth’s new watchmaker, Mark Pine, not to mention block her plans to renovate the town clock tower.

Ruth is already all wound up when she’s alarmed to discover Mark’s dead body. As the denizens of Orchard each chime in as to who they think the murderer is, Ruth needs to watch her back as she investigates on her own. Despite the danger, Ruth won’t stop until the killer is behind bars and serving time...


About the Author




Julianne Holmes writes the Clock Shop Mystery Series for Berkley Prime Crime. What a thrill–a dream come true. Just Killing Time is due out in October 2015. Clock and Dagger will be released in 2016, and I am working on book 3 now. I hope you enjoy meeting Ruth Clagan and following her adventures as much as I like writing them.

When I had to chose a name to write the Clock Shop Mystery series under, it was a simple choice. I was the first grandchild on my mother’s side of the family. When my parents told my grandmother that they were thinking about naming me Julianne Holmes Hennrikus, my grandmother (a wonderful but formidable woman) told them the name was too long. I became Julie Anne instead. So Julianne Holmes is close to my heart, pays homage to my wonderful parents, and can be shortened to Julie easily.

KILLING TIME webAs J.A. Hennrikus, my short story, “Tag, You’re Dead” was published in Level Best Book’s anthology Thin Ice. “Her Wish” is in Dead Calm. And “The Pendulum Swings, Until It Doesn’t” was published in Blood Moon. I am one of many authors who had their publishing debut via Level Best Books, and am forever grateful to the editors.

As Julie Hennrikus, I am the Executive Director of StageSource, a service organization for theater artists and companies in the greater Boston area. For me, theater is both my vocation and my avocation. I also teach arts management classes at Emerson College.

I blog with the wonderful Wicked Cozy Authors blog. These woman are my friends, my blog mates, and my cheering squad. Come by and visit us!

https://jahennrikus.com/






Friday, June 24, 2016

What's New? A Dark and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley

Happy Friday! What's new? Coming on July 5th to bookstores near you. A Dark and Stormy Murder (A Writer's Apprentice Murder) by Julia Buckley.








Series: A Writer's Apprentice Mystery (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (July 5, 2016)
Language: English



An aspiring suspense novelist lands in the middle of a real crime, in the first in a captivating new series by the author of the Undercover Dish Mysteries.

Lena London's literary dreams are coming true—as long as she can avoid any real-life villains...

Camilla Graham’s bestselling suspense novels inspired Lena London to become a writer, so when she lands a job as Camilla’s new assistant, she can’t believe her luck. Not only will she help her idol craft an enchanting new mystery, she’ll get to live rent-free in Camilla’s gorgeous Victorian home in the quaint town of Blue Lake, Indiana.

But Lena’s fortune soon changes for the worse. First, she lands in the center of small town gossip for befriending the local recluse. Then, she stumbles across one thing that a Camilla Graham novel is never without—a dead body, found on her new boss’s lakefront property.

Now Lena must take a page out of one of Camilla’s books to hunt down clues in a real crime that seems to be connected to the novelist’s mysterious estate—before the killer writes them both out of the story for good...






Julia Buckley is a Chicago mystery author whose career started in 2006 with the publication of THE DARK BACKWARD. Since then her work has appeared on Kindle in the Madeline Mann series and the novel THE GHOSTS OF LOVELY WOMEN. She is currently writing two series for Berkley Prime Crime, the first of which launched with THE BIG CHILI.

She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Romance Writers of America, along with the Chicago Writer's Association. In addition, she has worked with the same writer's group since 2000.

Julia has taught high school English for twenty-seven years; she lives near Chicago with her husband, two sons, three cats, and a mischievous Lab puppy named Digby. 

Friday, June 17, 2016

What's New? Take the Monkey and Run by Laura Morrigan

What's New? Take the Monkey and Run (A Call of the Wilde Mystery) by Laura Morrigan. Coming July 5th to a bookstore near you.







Series: A Call of the Wilde Mystery (Book 4)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (July 5, 2016)
Language: English


Grace Wilde must use her psychic abilities to track down a pesky primate in the latest Call of the Wilde Mystery.

Grace Wilde is excited to head to New Orleans for her first “real” case as an animal telepath. She intends to help a woman find her missing sister, but when she attempts to communicate with her client’s cat, Coco, Grace gets distracted by the presence of a much wilder animal.

Coco confirms that a mysterious monkey has been swinging around the Big Easy. Grace thinks she might be able to help corral the cheeky Capuchin in addition to solving her case. But things get complicated when she receives a cryptic warning that her client isn’t what she seems. Now it’s up to Grace to separate the truth from the monkey business...


About the Author


Spending the first years of her life on a Costa Rican coffee farm blessed Laura Morrigan with a fertile imagination and a love for all things wild. Later she became a volunteer at a Florida zoo, helping out with everything from “waste management” to teaching an elephant how to paint. Drawing from her years of experience with both wild and domestic animals and her passion for detective novels, Laura created the Call of the Wilde Mysteries, including Horse of a Different Killer, A Tiger’s Tale, and Woof at the Door. She’s currently hard at work—writing the next Call of the Wilde mystery.

http://www.lauramorrigan.com/

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Blog Tour and giveaway- Mrs. Odboddy Hometown Patriot by Elaine Faber

It's time for another fun blog tour. I am excited to have been apart of this one. Mrs. Odboddy Hometown Patriot by Elaine Faber was released on January 15th,2016.







Series: Mrs. Odboddy Mysteries (Book 1)
Paperback: 258 pages
Publisher: Elk Grove Publications (January 15, 2016)
Language: English



Synopsis:

Since the onset of WWII, Agnes Agatha Odboddy, hometown patriot and self-appointed scourge of the underworld, suspects conspiracies around every corner…stolen ration books, German spies running amuck, and a possible Japanese invasion off the California coast. This seventy-year-old, model citizen would set the world aright if she could get Chief Waddlemucker to pay attention to the town’s nefarious deeds on any given Meatless Monday.

Mrs. Odboddy vows to bring the villains, both foreign and domestic, to justice, all while keeping chickens in her bathroom, working at the Ration Stamp Office, and knitting argyles for the boys on the front lines.

Imagine the chaos when Agnes’s long-lost WWI lover returns, hoping to find a million dollars in missing Hawaiian money and rekindle their ancient romance. In the thrilling conclusion, Agnes’s predictions become all too real when Mrs. Roosevelt unexpectedly comes to town to attend a funeral and Agnes must prove that she is, indeed, a warrior on the home front.

In Elaine Faber's brand new series Mrs.Odboddy Hometown patriot you will meet a fun and witty cast of characters, a fresh new story and enjoy hours of fast-paced humorous reading. A page-turner that will keeping you wanting more.






About the Author:
About The Author –

Elaine is a member of Sisters in Crime, Inspire Christian Writers and Cat Writers Association. She lives in No. Calif with her husband and four house cats (the inspiration for her three humorous cozy cat mysteries, Black Cat’s Legacy, Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer, and Black Cat and the Accidental Angel).

Mrs. Odboddy’s character is based in no way on Elaine’s quirky personality. Two more Mrs. Odboddy adventures will publish in the near future. Many of Elaine’s short stories have appeared in magazines and multiple anthologies.

Webpage/blog: www.mindcandymysteries.com
Facebook, http://tinyurl.com/zm2j4n5

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Blog Tour and giveaway - The Calamity Cafe by Gayle Leeson

I am delighted to be part of Gayle Leeson's ( A.K.A. Gayle Trent) blog tour. She has a brand new series out called The Calamity Cafe (A Down South Cafe Mystery) that you will not want to miss.








Series: A Down South Café Mystery (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: NAL (June 7, 2016)
Language: English


First in a new cozy mystery series featuring Southern cooking that is to die for.

Aspiring chef and small-town Virginia native Amy Flowers is ready to open her own cafĂ© offering old-fashioned Southern food. But her dream may go up in smoke when someone kills the competition…

Tired of waiting tables at Lou’s Joint, Amy Flowers doesn’t just quit—she offers to buy the place from her bully of a boss, so she can finally open the cafĂ© of her dreams. Amy can’t wait to serve the kind of Southern, down-home treats and dishes that her grandmother always loved to the kooky cast of regulars at the restaurant. She knows her comfort food will be the talk of the sweet, small town of Winter Garden, Virginia.

At first Lou Lou refuses to sell, but when she seems ready to make a deal, she tells Amy to come see her. Showing up at the eatery ready to negotiate, Amy is shocked to find her former employer murdered. As the prime suspect, Amy will have to clear her name by serving up the real killer—and with Lou Lou’s stack of enemies, that’s a tall order.

Includes delicious Southern recipes


Filled with southern charm and mouth-watering food you, you will be hooked from the start. A delightful cast of characters and a murder that will have you guessing until the end. The story line is so well written you will be deeply involved in the book. Delectable and enjoyable.



About The Author –




Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. I also write as Amanda Lee. As Gayle Trent, I write the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series. As Amanda Lee, I write the Embroidery Mystery series. I live in Virginia with my family, which includes her own “Angus” who is not an Irish wolfhound but a Great Pyrenees who provides plenty of inspiration for the character of Mr. O’Ruff. I’m having a blast writing this new series!

Authors Links:
Webpage – http://www.gayleleeson.com
Gayle Trent Webpage – http://www.gayletrent.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/GayleTrent
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/426208.Gayle_Trent


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Friday, June 3, 2016

Blog tour and giveaway-Eclair and Present Danger by Laura Bradford

I am so thrilled to have Laura Bradford here with her brand new series Eclair and Present Danger( An Emergency Dessert Squad Series).Releasing on June 7th, you will want to add this one to your list of read.








Series: An Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (June 7, 2016)
Language: English



Synopsis

The first book in the delicious new Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery series from national bestselling author Laura Bradford.

With her rent rising faster than her pie crust, bakery owner Winnie Johnson had hoped to be rescued by an inheritance from her wealthy friend and neighbor Gertrude Redenbacher. Instead all she inherits is the widow’s hostile hissing tabby, Lovey, and a vintage ambulance, restored by Gertrude’s late husband. As her dream crumbles, Winnie makes her final delivery—a peach pie to an elderly widower. But she finds Bart Wagner lying on his kitchen floor, smothered by a pillow.

To comfort her frightened and grieving neighbors, Winnie comes to the rescue with her baked goods—and an idea is born: dessert delivery via her ambulance and a new business called the Emergency Dessert Squad. When she’s not speeding to the scenes of dessert emergencies, Winnie is also racing to track down Bart’s killer—before she needs to call a real ambulance for the next victim…

My review:

In Eclair and Present Danger by Laura Bradford, she dishes up a fun new mystery with a feisty cast of characters. Filled with humor and charm. You will want this to be on your reading list. It is a fun read that will keep you captivated and reading until the very end.


Keep Your Hands Inside The Car At All Times
By Winnie Johnson
(of the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries by Laura Bradford)


I used to love roller coasters—I loved the hills, the dips, the sharp turns…all of it. But now that my life has become one, I’m no longer such a fan.

Take for instance, my last twenty four hours or so…

One minute, I’m sitting across from my late neighbor’s attorney, waiting to see if the bequest Gertie left me will be enough to keep my lifelong dream (aka my bakery, Delectable Delights) open despite my landlord’s sudden need to raise my rent to an amount I can’t possibly pay. And the next I’m being handed a cat named Lovey (who hisses every time she looks at me) and keys to the vintage ambulance Gertie’s late husband was restoring prior to his own death.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m touched that Gertie thought so highly of me to leave me her two favorite possessions, but neither of them are capable of keeping Delectable Delights’ open.

Poof! My lifelong dream is gone…done…o-v-e-r. And there’s absolutely nothing I can do except cry.

But before I can do that, I have to make good on a promise I made to another friend, the late Ethel Wagner. You see, I promised Ethel that I would make a peach pie for her husband each week. It was her way of letting Bart know that she loved him even if she was no longer here to tell him that with words.

So I put a temporary hold on my tears and threw myself into the one thing that makes me feel whole—baking. I scooped, I measured, I stirred, I patted, I pinched, I cut, and I watched the numbers on my oven timer tick down until Bart’s peach pie was exactly the way he liked. When it was done, I carried it across the street and up to Bart’s door just as I have every week since Ethel’s passing. Only this time, despite his car being in the driveway, he didn’t come to the door when I knocked. He didn’t answer when I poked my head inside and called his name, either.

That’s when I went inside and found him—dead. Or, in the interest of full disclosure, murdered. Awful, I know.

Yet somehow, amid the tears (and therapeutic baking session) that followed, I came up with a way I might be able to…um…stay in business. And it’s pretty darn creative if I must say so my—
Whoa. Where do you think you’re going?
This ride isn’t over. Not even close. I still have a business to launch and a killer to catch.


Coming, June 7th!!!

The first book in the delicious new Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery series from national bestselling author Laura Bradford.

With her rent rising faster than her pie crust, bakery owner Winnie Johnson had hoped to be rescued by an inheritance from her wealthy friend and neighbor Gertrude Redenbacher. Instead all she inherits is the widow’s hostile hissing tabby, Lovey, and a vintage ambulance, restored by Gertrude’s late husband. As her dream crumbles, Winnie makes her final delivery—a peach pie to an elderly widower. But she finds Bart Wagner lying on his kitchen floor, smothered by a pillow.

To comfort her frightened and grieving neighbors, Winnie comes to the rescue with her baked goods—and an idea is born: dessert delivery via her ambulance and a new business called the Emergency Dessert Squad. When she’s not speeding to the scenes of dessert emergencies, Winnie is also racing to track down Bart’s killer—before she needs to call a real ambulance for the next victim...






About The Author –

Laura Bradford (aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey) is the author of several mystery series and a handful of romance novels. She is a former Agatha Award nominee and the recipient of an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. In her free time, Laura enjoys making memories with her family, baking, playing games, and catching up with friends. In addition to the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, Laura writes The Amish Mysteries and The Jenkins & Burns mysteries, as well as The Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries (as Elizabeth Lynn Casey).

For more information, visit Laura’s website: www.laurabradford.com or get to know her even better on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/laurabradfordauthor, and on Twitter: @bradfordauthor

Website: www.laurabradford.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurabradfordauthor

Twitter: @bradfordauthor


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Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Murder Most Fowl by Edith Maxwell

Book Spotlight- Murder Most Fowl (Local Foods Mystery) by Edith Maxwell.








Series: Local Foods Mystery (Book 4)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Kensington (May 31, 2016)
Language: English



Spring may be just around the corner, but a cold-blooded killer has put the big chill on the residents of Westbury, Massachusetts. It looks like organic farmer-turned-sleuth Cam Flaherty will have to set aside her seedlings for the time being as she tills the soil for clues in the mysterious death of a local poultry maven.

With the weather getting warmer, Cam should be spending her days pruning blueberry bushes and taking care of the new batch of chicks that just hatched. But murder knows no season. So when her fellow fowl-raiser Wayne Laitinen is found dead at his breakfast table one morning, Cam must put down her trimming shears and put on her crime-solving hat.

The kind-hearted chicken farmer didn't have any enemies--or did he? A wealthy financier has been working hard to convince him to sell her his land, while a group of animal rights activists recently vandalized his property. Money troubles were threatening to sink his marriage. And a thirty-year-old scandal was driving a wedge between him and one of his oldest friends.

Murder, blackmail, cover-ups. There's a fox in the hen house. But where? With some help from her off-again, on-again flame, police detective Pete Pappas, Cam will have to crack this case before Wayne's killer flies the coop forever.





Short bio: Agatha-nominated and Amazon bestselling author Edith Maxwell writes the Local Foods Mysteries and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries (as Maddie Day), and the Lauren Rousseau Mysteries (as Tace Baker), as well as award-winning short crime fiction. Maxwell lives north of Boston with her beau and three cats, and blogs with the other Wicked Cozy Authors. You can also find her at www.edithmaxwell.com, @edithmaxwell, and on Facebook.

Long bio: Edith Maxwell has always been a writer. She made her living writing technical documentation in the software industry, wrote features and essays as a free-lance journalist, edited medical texts, and produced several published articles and a doctoral dissertation in the field of linguistics. And before that she wrote fiction and news articles, with her first paid published story appearing at age 9. Creating fiction, long and short, is what makes her happiest.

She is active in Sisters in Crime, serving as the vice-president of the New England chapter, and is a member of Mystery Writers of America. She is also a long-time member of the Society of Friends (Quaker), currently the Clerk of Amesbury Friends Meeting. Her art story was featured in the National Endowment for the Arts 50th anniversary celebration.MaxFarmer

As a former organic farmer Edith knows the language and tensions of someone like Cam Flaherty, the farmer in the Local Foods mysteries. Edith lived in southern Indiana for five years and loved the slow pace and language of its natives, so it made sense to set the Country Store Mysteries there. She taught independent childbirth classes and worked as a doula for some years, giving her insight into the life of an historical midwife as portrayed in the Quaker Midwife Mysteries.

She lives in Amesbury, Massachusetts, but is originally a fourth-generation Californian. She has two grown sons, and lives in an antique house with her beau, their three cats, and several fine specimens of garden statuary.

https://edithmaxwell.com/

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Blog Tour and Giveaway- The Madness of Mercury by Connie di Marco

I am thrilled to be part of this blog tour. Connie Di Marco is visiting and she has a brand new book series releasing on June 8th. The Madness of Mercury (A Zodiac Mystery).








Series: A Zodiac Mystery (Book 1)
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Midnight Ink (June 8, 2016)
Language: English



Synopsis
San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti’s life is turned upside down when she becomes the target of the city’s newest cult leader, Reverend Roy of the Prophet’s Tabernacle. Driven out of her apartment in the midst of a disastrous Mercury retrograde period, she takes shelter with a client who’s caring for two elderly aunts. One aunt appears stricken with dementia and the other has fallen under the spell of the Reverend Roy. To add to the confusion, a young man claiming to be a long lost nephew arrives. The longer he stays, the more dangerous things become. Is the young man truly a member of the family? Can astrology confirm that? Julia’s not sure, but one thing she does know is that Mercury wasn’t merely the messenger of the gods—he was a trickster and a liar as well.


In Connie Di Marco's brand new book The Madness of Mercury, the signs are all there that this will be a great new hit. A Fresh new cast of characters and a strong story line keep your interest peaked and keep you so involved in the story you won't want to stop reading. It keeps you guessing until the end with twist and turns. I enjoyed this one and am looking forward to what will happen next.



It’s in the Stars

You might think that an astrologer as a protagonist is an odd choice, but I liked it. That’s why I invented Julia Bonatti, a crime-solving astrologer. I’ve always loved mysteries and once I was introduced to the subject of astrology, I was fascinated. Astrology is a mystery all by itself. So I thought, why not put the two together?

Now, you may not believe in the subject. That’s okay. You certainly don’t have to, but it is amazing to look at a natal chart and make a quick observation about the character of a person. How that individual approaches life, how they appear to others, what sort of opinions and attitudes they might hold.

The natal chart is a map of your intentions at birth. It will describe the things that come easily to you, as well as those traits and skills that will or must be developed in this lifetime. The birth chart will show where you are headed on your life path. Character really is destiny, and your astrological chart is both the map and the timing of that journey.

Here’s just one example -- Saturn by transit makes a complete cycle of the natal chart every twenty-eight or so years. It’s called the Saturn return and when that planet returns to its natal position at approximately age 28 (or a little more), it’s always a significant time, a “coming of age” cycle, a time we are most free to make our own choices in life, apart from parental or societal influences. Think back on your own experiences. What happened around that time? Did you marry? Have a child? Change occupations? Get a divorce? There is both a completion of the old and a beginning of the new at the time of the Saturn return.

And astrological studies of famous people are just as interesting. Here’s one I’ve read about that has always intrigued me. Both Mahatma Ghandi and Charles Manson have similar patterns between Mars, Venus and Saturn in their charts. Could you imagine two such different people having anything in common? They each made different choices in life. Manson chose a life of evil, Ghandi chose an ascetic life devoted to freeing his country.

Does Julia use astrology in solving crimes? Yes, she does. She can tell if there’s a relationship between two individuals. She can tell when someone is wearing a mask. She knows when a client might be in danger because of a transit or an eclipse to a sensitive point in their natal chart.

Astrology is an endlessly fascinating subject and if you follow the Zodiac Mysteries, you’ll see that I try to tailor the characters to their natal horoscopes or vice versa. I may add a disclaimer that anyone born on a certain date isn’t necessarily a murderer, I don’t want to frighten anyone, and I do take liberties, but not too much. Just enough to tell a story and solve a mystery.




About The Author –
Connie di Marco is the author of the Zodiac Mysteries from Midnight Ink. She was fascinated by astrology at an early age and this was the inspiration that gave birth to Julia Bonatti, San Francisco astrologer and her newspaper column Ask Zodia. Writing as Connie Archer, she is also the author of the Soup Lover’s Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime. Connie lives in Los Angeles with her family and a constantly talking cat.
Website: www.conniedimarco.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ConniediMarco
Twitter: @askzodia
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Connie_di_Marco/the-zodiac-mysteries/



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Friday, May 27, 2016

What's New? Dead End Street by Sheila Connolly

What's New? Sheila Connolly's next installment of the Museum Mystery series, Dead End Street releases on June 7th. One Lucky reader will receive a copy of this book. Leave a comment and email below.








Series: A Museum Mystery
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Reissue edition (June 7, 2016)
Language: English



The New York Times bestselling author of Privy to the Dead returns to Philadelphia for more history—and a chilling mystery . . .

When the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society discovers it owns some unique real estate, a deadly plot unfolds . . .

Society president Nell Pratt believes life is finally going her way. Everything’s running smoothly at work, and her love life is thriving. Then some unexpected news rocks her foundation. Two members of a local neighborhood rescue program, Tyrone Blakeney and Cherisse Chapman, inform Nell that her society owns an abandoned row house in a rundown area of Philadelphia and they insist on taking her to see the property before its date with the wrecking ball.

But soon after they arrive at the house, Cherisse is fatally shot and Tyrone is badly injured. The police believe it’s just random violence in a bad neighborhood, but Nell thinks there’s more to it and is determined to find answers before someone else becomes history . . .






About the Author

Sheila Connolly is the New York Times bestselling, Anthony and Agatha award–nominated author of the Museum Mysteries, the Orchard Mysteries, and the County Cork Mysteries. She has taught art history, structured and marketed municipal bonds for major cities, worked as a staff member on two statewide political campaigns, and served as a fundraiser for several nonprofit organizations. She also managed her own consulting company, providing genealogical research services. In addition to genealogy, Sheila loves restoring old houses, visiting cemeteries, and traveling. Now a full-time writer, she thinks writing mysteries is a lot more fun than any of her previous occupations.

http://www.sheilaconnolly.com/


Thursday, May 5, 2016

Crafty Thursday- Knitting

This month's Thurday's are all about authors who write cozy mysteries with crafts. Today's book was just released on May 3rd. Murder at Lambswool Farm ( A seaside knitters mystery) by Sally Goldenbaum.
Do you knit or crochet?  If you do, What are on your needles now? Have you always wanted to learn?








Late summer blooms in beautiful Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, and while a harvest thrives, Izzy Chambers Perry and the other Seaside Knitters will need to cast on their sleuthing skills to save a local farm. Unfortunately, finding a killer can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. . . .


Seaside Knitter Birdie Favazza has long loved knitting, but lately she’s taken on a new challenge—making a family farm operational again. With help from friends, Lambswool Farm is now up and running, with thriving crops and grazing sheep. In addition, the farm will host rustic, six-course prix fixe dinners plated by local chefs and served on a gorgeous restored harvest table, decorated to perfection with colorful knitted vegetables crafted by Izzy Chambers Perry, her aunt Nell, and the other Seaside Knitters.


But on the night of the first meal, everything spins out of control when one of the guests, Seaside Harbor’s family physician, becomes fatally ill. It seems that behind Dr. Alan Hamilton’s friendly bedside manner was a man with enemies and secrets.


Soon the town is gossiping and pointing fingers at all possible suspects—including the women at Lambswool Farm. Now the Seaside Knitters must join together to uncover the truth in Dr. Hamilton’s complicated past—and restore peace to town and country alike.


About Sally:





Life.....It's been a meandering, interesting journey that began in Manitowoc, WI, a town on the shores of Lake Michigan. There my father built ships, my mother stayed home, and my sisters, brother and I lived an easy small-town life. After high school, I moved to St. Louis (college); then Bloomington, IN (graduate school); and several other places along the way. Jobs included working in public television—with Mr. Rogers and his neighborhood just down the hall; teaching Latin, creative writing, and philosophy; and very early along that journey, living in St. Louis as a Catholic nun. A checkered past, of sorts.

After marrying a nice Jewish man whom I met in graduate school (my mother always said she had named me Sarah for a reason), a job brought us to a small town (Prairie Village), attached to a big city (Kansas City) and the home we still live in.

And it was here that my writing life took root.

The seeds to writing a novel—-or rather 'finishing' a novel—were planted in a sandbox in a park, not far from our Prairie Village home. It was there I met another newcomer to the area, Adrienne Staff, a woman who would become a life-long friend. While our children played together in the sand that day, I learned that not only was Adrienne as hungry for friendship as I was, but both of us loved to read and write and had drawers filled with unfinished novels. In no time at all we decided that perhaps the key to finishing a novel (at least, in our case) was to write a book together. A match made in heaven--a nice Jewish girl from New York and an ex-nun--certainly a pair with diverse experiences to spare! We'd hold one another to the task and we would complete a book and rid ourselves of the awful unfinished novel curse.

And so we did. Soon after finishing our first book, we found our wonderful agent, Andrea, and went on to publish a dozen or more novels together.

Years later friendship again played a huge role in my publishing life—this time in the person of Nancy Pickard, who invited me to help her with a mystery she was working on. Nancy turned a blind eye to the fact that I had never written a mystery—and together we sat and drank coffee and talked and wrote and rewrote, examined red herrings and twists and turns, and talked some more. And we finished the mystery.

After that, I was hooked! Now not only did I love to read mysteries, I loved to write them, too. How fortunate I was to have learned from a pro—and then to have lucked into my first mystery series, The Queen Bees Quilters mysteries.

A couple of years and three mysteries later, my life took another marvelous turn: my first grandchild! And along with baby Luke was born a new mystery series, The Seaside Knitters mysteries. (Grandchildren....knitting....it was meant to be.) Luke's parents live in a charming seaside town on Cape Ann, just north of Boston. A perfect place for a mystery series. And a perfect place for the series' author to visit OFTEN—to research plots, check out life on the dock, eat lobster—and to watch Luke, his now five-year-old sister Ruby, and his brand new brother Dax grow and thrive.

And more grandchildren followed right here in Kansas City. All together there are now six amazing little people who fill our lives and hearts and keep me writing mysteries.

It's a good life. 

Friday, April 29, 2016

What's New? Newlywed Dead by Nancy J. Parra

What's New? Coming May 3rd to bookstores and e-readers near you. Newlywed Dead(Perfectly Proposals Mystery) by Nancy J. Parra.








Series: Perfect Proposals Mystery (Book 3)
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Berkley (May 3, 2016)
Language: English



In the new Perfect Proposals mystery from the author of Bodice of Evidence and Engaged in Murder, a country club wedding reception becomes the scene of a baffling crime.


The wedding for Pepper Pomeroy’s sister Felicity starts with dearly beloved but it ends with dearly departed when Ashley, the bartender Pepper befriended earlier in the evening, drops dead from a lethal nightcap. Authorities think it’s just a tragic accident. After all, who’d want to kill a virtual stranger at a country club wedding reception? That’s what Pepper wants to know.


A search into Ashley’s past reveals a twisty path of secret sororities, well-connected enemies, and an unsolved slaying still shadowing members of high society—including a filthy-rich battle-ax whose demands for the services of Pepper’s Perfect Proposals are starting to sound more like veiled threats. Pepper’s business may be booming but continued success means outsmarting a mysterious culprit who’s still wedded to the idea of murder.


About the Author




Nancy J. Parra is the author of Bodice of Evidence and Engaged in Murder in the Perfect Proposals Mystery series and Flourless to Stop Him, Murder Gone A-Rye, and Gluten for Punishment in the Baker’s Treat Mystery series. She lives in California with her trusty Bichon-Poo, whom she refers to warmly as “Little Dog.” Parra also authors the national bestselling Candy-Coated Mystery series as Nancy Coco.


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...