Guest Post by Rita Moreau, Author of Wheeler Dealer, the First Ghost and Camper Kooky Cozy Mystery

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Debbie

Guest Post by Rita Moreau

One of the questions I have been asked – well in the past when we did book launches in real life – was how do you write a book? I would like to do that, but I don’t know where to start.

I responded you write one word at a time. Not the magic answer they were looking for but it’s the truth because the bottom line is you must write, and you have to write every day and consistently.

In today’s climate writers are writing at a fast pace. Books are done in a month. Why? Readers in today’s climate will not wait a year unless you are a very well-known author. I have tried to write at a faster clip but its not easy. The pandemic in a way was helpful in that regard because I had no other distractions. I taught group fitness classes and for me it was my socialization. Writing is solitary and lonely and hard. When that went away, I was like all of us in lockdown and I sat and wrote. Last year I started a new series and have two books in the series complete and working on the third one. I have it down to about 4 months to finish a book taking into time for editing and formatting and book covers.

The other question or answer to questions I have given new authors or those who want to write is that you must hire a professional editor. You must take the time to learn about editing. For example, do you know there are different types of editing? When I first realized I needed an editor I asked an author who was speaking at an event about editing and how to go about finding an editor. I was floored with the answer – “I have three editors”. Well now I have three editors or have worked with three, a developmental, a copy and line editor and a proofreader. Not to mention beta readers who seem to catch issues your editors may have missed. I also have found reading the manuscript out loud to be extremely helpful. You will catch so much if you take the time to read your work out loud. Sometimes writing in longhand is helpful. I use it when I’m first sitting down to write a new novel. It helps me with my outline. I am more of a plotter but not detailed. I have a outline but use it more as a guide. Recently I have found I can write the ending before I reach the end. It helps me because I know where I am going. It may not turn out to be the end but it gets me past any writers block.

Finally, if you can accept the fact that more than likely you are not going to sell your book to Netflix or you are not going to make a bundle or you are not going to make the best seller list you will finally relax and take that pressure off your shoulders. And then who knows – you might write that book that makes it to the big or little screen. But still when I read a review and the reader tells me my words made them laugh and gave them a break from what they were going through in their everyday life than that is more than making a million dollars off the sale of your books. That’s the real joy on paper.

Wheeler-Dealer Ghost & Camper Kooky Mystery
by Rita Moreau

About Wheeler- Dealer

Wheeler-Dealer Ghost & Camper Kooky Mystery
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Independently published (April 1, 2021)
Paperback: 332 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8676266394
Digital ASIN: B08YP5NJNV

Solving a murder might raise her spirits. But will it spring her spectral friend from Purgatory?

Mabel Gold still isn’t sure what happened. Traded by her husband for a busty bimbo the same age as their youngest daughter, the feisty sixty-something rejects the retirement community and heads west in a vintage camper. But the RV comes complete with a ghost who needs a good deed to get into Heaven, and cracking open a homicide at their first stop in Savannah could give them both a new lease on life.

Determined to dig up the dirt on the dead wheeler-dealer, Mabel and her phantom companion tackle the crime. But with two rich dudes from Dubai, a Willie Nelson lookalike mobster, and a widow nicknamed The Barracuda all on the suspect list, conjuring up the truth could take a real live miracle.

Can Mabel catch the killer before she’s the next soul crashing the Pearly Gates?

Wheeler-Dealer is the high-spirited first book in the hilarious Ghost & the Camper kooky mystery series. If you like golden-girl sleuths, zany characters, and sardonic humor, then you’ll love Rita Moreau’s witty whodunit.

About Rita Moreau

Rita Moreau is the author of the Mary Catherine Mahoney Mystery series and the Ghost & Camper Kooky Mystery series.

A workaholic by nature, upon retirement, Rita Moreau began work on her bucket list, writing a book. Traveling the national parks with her husband George in a vintage Bluebird motor home, (on George’s list), Rita completed her first novel Bribing Saint Anthony. Back home she completed Nuns! Psychics! & Gypsies! OH! NO, Feisty Nuns and The Russian & Aunt Sophia and The House on Xenia. Last year when we entered the Twilight Zone Rita wrote the first two new novels in the Ghost & the Camper series. Rita and her husband live in a postcard called Florida where he has fun telling everyone he is the author’s husband. When not writing she joins PatZi Gil on the Joy on Paper radio program with Book Buzz Mysteries, or you can find her teaching SilverSneakers fitness classes and doing her best to keep busy. She loves connecting with readers. Visit her at http://www.RitaMoreau.com or find her on Facebook at facebook.com/RitaMoreauAuthor. She would love to hear from you.

Author Links

Website – http://www.ritamoreau.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RitaMoreauAuthor/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/RitaMoreau

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ritamoreau4996/

Radio – http://www.radio-joyonpaper.com

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6587803.Rita_Moreau

Purchase Link – Amazon

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 24 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

May 24 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 24 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

May 25 – Baroness’ Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

May 26 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

May 26 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 26 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

May 27 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST

May 27 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 27 – MJB Reviewer – REVIEW

May 28 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT

May 28 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 28 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 29 – CelticLady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 29 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

May 29 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

May 30 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

May 30 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

May 30 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

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Blog Tour, Cozy Mystery, Interview

Interview with Debra H. Goldstein, Author of Four Cuts Too Many, A Sarah Blair Cozy Mystery.

Posted on May 24, 2021May 24, 2021 by Debbie

I’m honored to have author Debra H. Goldstein from Birmingham, Alabama as a guest on Ruff Drafts for her blog tour with her new Sarah Blair release, Four Cuts Too Many.

Hi, Debra. How long have you been published? What titles and/or series have you published and with which publisher? Have you self-published any titles? Please give details.:Drafts.

Although I had legal articles published during my legal career, I didn’t begin writing fiction until a conference competition in 2010. During the past eleven years, I have written six published novels, one that will come out in 2022, and more than forty short stories. My works have been recognized with an IPPY award, as well as being named Agatha, Anthony, Derringer and Silver Falchion finalists.

Maze in Blue – a mystery set on the University of Michigan’s campus in the 1970’s – was published by Chalet, LLC (2011). When they went out of business in 2012, they gave me all files, including the artwork, so I could put it up on CreateSpace and fulfill my speaking obligations. Harlequin Worldwide Mystery bought its mass market rights, but I retain and still have it available in trade paperback and e-book.

Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery – published in 2016 by Five Star. Mass Market rights were later sold to Harlequin Worldwide Mystery. Five Star is no longer publishing mysteries.

One Taste Too Many – Kensington’s Sarah Blair cozy mystery series – January 2019-available in mass market, e-book, large print, and audio book.

Two Bites Too Many – Kensington’s Sarah Blair cozy mystery series – October 2019 – available in mass market, e-book, large print, and audio book.

Three Treats Too Many – Kensington’s Sarah Blair cozy mystery series – August 2020 – available in mass market, e-book, large print, and audio book.

Four Cuts Too Many – Kensington’s Sarah Blair cozy mystery series – May 2021 – available in mass market and e-book.

Five Belles Too Many – Kensington’s Sarah Blair cozy mystery series – (2022)

That’s quite impressive. Tell us a little bit about your books — if you write a series, any upcoming releases or your current work-in-progress. If you have an upcoming release, please specify the release date.

Four Cuts Too Many, the fourth book in Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series, releases on May 25, 2021. Set in a small Southern town, Sarah, who finds kitchens more frightening than murder, gets an education in slicing and dicing when someone in the culinary school where her friend teaches serves up a main corpse. Sarah soon finds that there’s no time to mince words when it comes to finding the real killer.

Sounds interesting, and I love the cover.

Describe your goals as a writer. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?

I write because it is a passion. Just before my second book was released, I walked away from my lifetime judicial appointment to write. My goals as a writer are simple: enjoy what I’m doing (I’m in my second childhood) and give readers an entertaining experience the fun of which allows them to escape the real world.

Those are great goals and a win win for you and your readers.

What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?

The Sarah Blair books appeal to cozy readers ages twenty to infinity. They are fast fun reads, but with a slight edge grounded in real life.

I’m sure they attract a wide audience.

What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?

Follow your dream. I wish I had done it sooner. Remember to read other people’s works, take classes, read how-to-books, network, and most of all – write. Publication doesn’t necessarily happen overnight, but improvement in your skills can happen daily.

As an author still hoping to find an agent, I appreciate that advice. I’m aware it can take time, and I’m thankful to my two Indie publishers who publish both my cozy series and my standalone mysteries.

What particular challenges and struggles did you face before first becoming published?

My biggest challenge was believing I could write and making the time to write. I was a master talking about how I wanted to write, but also in finding ways to avoid it.

I can relate to that. After self publishing my first book that didn’t sell well because I had no experience with marketing and promotion,, I stopped writing for some time until a patron at the library where I work who’d read my book told me that I shouldn’t give up my dream and that if I really wanted to write, I would find the time. Even though I still find marketing and promotion challenging, I now have 11 published books and, despite my full-time job, am still writing.

Do you belong to any writing groups? Which ones?

I belong to several chapters of Sisters in Crime and previously served as the president of its largest chapter, the Guppies, as well as being on the national board for five years. Presently, I am president of the Southeast region of Mystery Writers of America and sit on their national board. I also am a member of the Atlanta Writers Group.

Sisters in Crime and their Guppies group are wonderful associations for mystery authors. I’m also a member of both groups as well as International Thriller Writers and the Cat Writers’ Association. I’m hoping to join Mystery Writers of America soon.

What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?

Reading, Broadway shows, family & friends.

Nice. Hopefully Broadway shows will resume soon.

What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?

I love interacting with people and getting in the zone where words flow into stories and novels. My toughest challenge is balancing life, writing, and promotion – and sometimes coming up with a good idea.

I have trouble balancing writing time with my other obligations, too. I have lots of ideas but not the time to implement them all, so I have to pick and choose.

What do you like about writing cozy mysteries?

Writing cozy mysteries are a challenge to create a solid whodunit that readers enjoy and can potentially figure out without giving the ending away. It’s like creating a puzzle or a maze for people to walk through, with fair clues. If the writing works, I provide a reader with moments of escape and fun, while challenging myself to make each book or story better than the last one.

Yes, it’s important that readers are given clues but ones that don’t make the mystery too easy to solve. That’s another balancing act for cozy as well as other mystery writers.

Can you share a short excerpt from your latest title or upcoming release?

Four Cuts Too Many Excerpt:

“There’s something obviously still bothering you. You’ve laid out lots of theories, but you don’t sound convinced about any of them. From what you’ve said, besides Grace, you’ve got lots of possible suspects for Harlan and Chief Gerard to look at. Right?”

“In a sense.” Sarah held up her fingers as she ticked them off. “They should consider anyone who was on the floor when Grace and I got there. That would be Wanda, Franklin, Chef Bernardi, Fern, Nancy, Dr. Williams, and the people who waited to be interviewed in their offices who I don’t even know. The same holds true on the tenure issue, because most of the faculty is working its way toward tenure.”

Sarah put her hands back on the table. “I don’t think I have enough fingers to count everyone. When I add in family, there’s Wanda, but also Wanda’s biological mom, Dr. Martin’s new wife, Lynn, and Kait. There might also be someone at the retirement home who has a connection to Dr. Martin that I haven’t discovered yet. Someone mentioned that because of Kait, they considered Dr. Martin to be part of the Sunshine Retirement Home family.”

“That a long list of potential suspects. Surely Harlan can find enough motivation for most of them to raise doubt if Grace is arrested or tried. What’s really bothering you? What’s going on in your head?”

“I have to admit that if I were Chief Gerard and I was committed to following the money and the blood, Grace would be my primary suspect too . . .”

What a tantalizing excerpt. Thanks for sharing.

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or your books?

I’d like your readers to know how appreciative I am for them. Without them, Sarah couldn’t exist nor could I be having the time of my life. Thank you for having me today and to your readers for supporting my dream.

My pleasure. Readers are the best.

Thanks so much for chatting with me today. I’m sharing your blog tour and giveaway. Best wishes on the tour and your new release.

Four Cuts Too Many (A Sarah Blair Mystery)
by Debra H. Goldstein

About Four Cuts Too Many

Four Cuts Too Many (A Sarah Blair Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher: Kensington (May 25, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1496732219
ISBN-13: 978-1496732217
Digital ASIN: B08GY52GS6

Sarah Blair gets an education in slicing and dicing when someone in culinary school serves up a main corpse in Wheaton, Alabama . . .

Between working as a law firm receptionist, reluctantly pitching in as co-owner of her twin sister’s restaurant, and caretaking for her regal Siamese RahRah and rescue dog Fluffy, Sarah has no time to enjoy life’s finer things. Divorced and sort-of dating, she’s considering going back to school. But as a somewhat competent sleuth, Sarah’s more suited for criminal justice than learning how many ways she can burn a meal.

Although she wouldn’t mind learning some knife skills from her sous chef, Grace Winston. An adjunct instructor who teaches cutlery expertise in cooking college, Grace is considering accepting an executive chef’s position offered by Jane Clark, Sarah’s business rival—and her late ex-husband’s lover. But Grace’s future lands in hot water when the school’s director is found dead with one of her knives in his back. To clear her friend’s name, Sarah must sharpen her own skills at uncovering an elusive killer . . .

Includes quick and easy recipes!

About Debra H. Goldstein

Judge Debra H. Goldstein writes Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series (Three Treats Too Many, Two Bites Too Many, One Taste Too Many). She also authored Should Have Played Poker and IPPY Award-winning Maze in Blue. Her short stories have been named Agatha, Anthony, Derringer finalists. Debra serves on the national boards of Mystery Writers of America and is president of SEMWA. She previously was on Sisters in Crime’s national board and president of SinC’s Guppy Chapter.

Find out more about Debra and sign up for her newsletter at https://www.DebraHGoldstein.com. Follow her on Twitter (@DebraHGoldstein), Bookbub (https://www.bookbub.com/profile/debra-h-goldstein), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DebraHGoldsteinAuthor/).

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound –

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 23 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

May 23 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 24 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 24 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 25 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

May 25 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

May 26 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

May 26 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 27 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

May 27 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

May 28 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, RECIPE

May 28 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 28 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

May 29 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 29 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

May 30 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

June 1 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

June 1 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW, GUEST POST

June 2 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

June 2 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

June 3 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

June 3 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW

June 4 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

June 5 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

June 5 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 6 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

June 6 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

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Blog Tour, Guest Post

Guest Post, Blog Tour, and Giveaway for Death by Donut, A Pismawallops PTA Cozy Mystery by Rebecca M. Douglass

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Debbie

Where on Earth is Pismawallops Island, and how did it get there?

For those new to my PTA mystery series, the setting is a fairly small island in Puget Sound (Washington State), way up nearly in Canada. So how did it get there, and what made me chose an island? Aside from the obvious answer (“why not?”), I actually have several good reasons, even not considering the pleasures of owning an entire island. Okay, I admit that Pismawallops doesn’t actually exist outside of my books and my imagination, but it’s still mine.

Why else an island? I grew up on one. An island, in fact, not radically different from Pismawallops Island. So there’s an obvious attraction there—it’s easy to set a book in your hometown, and even easier if you make it a fictional version of your town. Pismawallops isn’t Vashon Island, but there are influences.

My childhood island is about 14 miles long, 6 miles wide, and when I was a kid had about 10,000 year-round residents. When my mom grew up there in the 1930s and 40s they had a lot of summer people, but by my time the summer cottages had mostly been refurbished for year-round use (or just moved into and occupants left to shiver through the winters). Vashon provided a couple of key elements I knew my fictional island had to have. For one thing, it has its own school district. I didn’t want some big-city administrators interfering with the operations of my little island, so I borrowed that element even though Pismawallops is probably too small to get away with it in the real world.

The second really key element was limited access. Pismawallops, like Vashon, is accessible only by ferry. I like islands that *are* islands. Some of my favorite childhood stories are set on islands of one sort or another, and the more remote the better. The limited access also lets me treat the island more like the isolated British country house of a different era of mystery writers. I honestly don’t know how mystery writers manage urban settings, where to me it feels like the suspects are infinite.

So what other islands have I known, besides the one I grew up on? Pismawallops is influenced by the San Juan Islands, also in Puget Sound. I never got to live there, but I did several bicycle trips there in my younger years, and somehow even to this girl from an island not so far off, they felt exotic. I borrowed heavily from the feeling of isolation and sparseness of population I got cycling on Lopez Island and even San Juan Island.

Other favorite islands are less apparent in the genesis of Pismawallops: Wizard Island, in the middle of Crater Lake. Alcatraz. Angel Island, where you can camp out and admire the San Francisco skyline all night. Every single little island off the Maine coast (even though I haven’t visited any, they have appeared in so many books I’ve read that just looking at them from the shore evokes adventure). Prince Edward Island, of course. I haven’t visited it, either, but Anne of Green Gables was a fixture of my childhood.

Of course, if we want to get a little larger, there’s Great Britain, and finally, ever and always the islands of my heart, New Zealand. With all that love of islands, can you wonder any longer that when I decided to invest in some imaginary real estate, I invented an island?

Death By Donut (A Pismawallops PTA Mystery)
by Rebecca M. Douglass

About Death by Donut

Death By Donut (A Pismawallops PTA Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th In Series
Independently Published (May 16, 2021)
~200 Pages
Digital ASIN: B08VKSZV2D

Election day’s almost here, and the island’s new pool is on the line. JJ should be all in with the campaign, but when a prominent Island businessman drops dead at her feet in the Have-A-Bite Bakery, someone has a mystery to solve. JJ’s fiancé—police chief Ron Karlson—is out of town. Who else is there?

JJ is missing her sweetheart, tired of the winter rains, and distracted by everybody’s questions about when the wedding’s happening. Even more worrying, her foster-daughter’s father has failed to show up on schedule. No wonder JJ’s struggling to wrap this one up before someone else bites into the wrong donut. There’s no time to lose, because something truly essential is on the line: saving the bakery—and JJ’s favorite espresso brownies!

About Rebecca M. Douglass

Rebecca M. Douglass was raised in Washington State on an island only a little bigger than Pismawallops. Though she has lived most of her adult life in California, the salt waters of Puget Sound continue to call to her and she enjoys owning an island in the Salish Sea, even if she had to invent one to do so! Rebecca has written a number of children’s books as well as her Pismawallops PTA mysteries and has had short stories published in several anthologies. When she isn’t writing, she likes to spend her free time hiking and biking, and her vacations exploring the outdoor world by camping, hiking, and backpacking.

Author Links

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

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-M-Douglass/e/B0078SLT2A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1502128942&sr=8-2

Smashwords Page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NinjaLibrarian

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5755891.Rebecca_M_Douglass

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Douglass_RM

Purchase Links – Amazon – Smashwords B&N iTunes Kobo

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 17 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

May 17 – Laura’s Interests – SPOTLIGHT

May 18 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

May 18 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

May 19 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

May 19 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 20 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Books to the Ceiling – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 21 – Diane Reviews Books – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST

May 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

May 23 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – REVIEW

May 24 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – My Journey Back the Journey Back – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 25 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

May 25 – Brianne’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

May 26 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

May 26 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 27 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

May 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

May 28 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

May 28 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

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Uncategorized

Recipe and Blog Tour for The Body in the Beaver Pond, The First Keri Isles Event Planner Cozy Mystery, by Cathy Perkins

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Debbie

Keri Isles is the first to admit she can’t cook, but she’s desperate for something to eat besides eggs and canned soup. She asks (okay, begs) her friend CoCo Anderson, the owner of a local café, for cooking lessons. Although CoCo would prefer Keri start with a non-cooking recipe, like a salad, she suggests a simple, hearty, soup recipe.

You’ll have to read the story to find out why it’s so important that Keri remember to:

SOAK THE BEANS!

Eleven Bean Frontier Soup

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 cups Mixed Beans (1 lb bag)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup Onion, chopped
3 cloves Minced Garlic
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp dried Parsley
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Cayenne
8 cups Water (or chicken broth if omitting ham hock)
1 Ham Hock
2 15-oz cans diced Tomatoes
4 cups sliced Kale (or Spinach)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse the beans, then place in a bowl with enough water to cover by an inch. Soak overnight.
The next day, drain the beans into a colander and rinse them well.
In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, herbs and spices and sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the beans to the soup pot with 2 1/2 quarts of water and ham hock; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until beans are soft, 3-3 1/2 hours. Add water or broth if soup becomes too dry or thick. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper.
Add tomatoes and kale. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Options!

Replace the ham hock and kale with 2 cups carrots and/or 2 cups butternut squash.

Add 4 strips of bacon, cut into ½ inch wide pieces. If using bacon, cook the bacon over medium low heat, stirring it occasionally until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. (Be patient; low and slow is the name of the game here!) With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a plate and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot. If using olive oil instead, simply warm the oil in the pot.

The Body in the Beaver Pond: A Keri Isles Event Planner Mystery
by Cathy Perkins

About The Body in the Beaver Pond

The Body in the Beaver Pond: A Keri Isles Event Planner Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Red Mountain Publishing (May 15, 2021)
Number of Pages: 325
Digital ASIN : B08ZYWWSY4

Even an event planner doesn’t plan on murder . . .

Keri Isles desperately needs to sell the Christmas Tree farm her cheating, rotten ex convinced his buddy, the judge, to saddle her with in the divorce settlement. Stuck in the Cascade Mountains, she’s lost her Seattle-based job and local job prospects are as scarce as internet service. When she finds the arrogant professor in charge of the local archeology dig floating face down in her beaver pond, however, unloading the property becomes secondary to staying out of prison.

A savvy—and scheming—attorney may be able to keep her head above water, but the personal price of his retainer may be too high. It’s up to Keri to use her mad networking skills and deploy a team of archaeology students, a bad boy photographer, and assorted eccentric neighbors to find the killer and clear her name.

About Cathy Perkins

Cathy Perkins’s suspense writing lurks behind a financial day-job, where she learned firsthand the camouflage, hide-in-plain-sight skills employed by her villains. A member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers, she has coordinated conferences, contests and debut author programs, and is a contributing editor for The Big Thrill.

When not writing, she can be found doing battle with the beavers over the pond height or setting off on another travel adventure. Born and raised in South Carolina, she now lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.

Author Links

Social Media

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CathyPerkinsAuthor

Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCathyPerkins

Twitter @cperkinswrites https://twitter.com/cperkinswrites

BookBub – follow me! https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cathy-perkins

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cathyperkinswrites/

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5367341.Cathy_Perkins

Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Cathy-Perkins/e/B006K0IKUQ

Website https://cperkinswrites.com

Purchase Links

Amazon Nook Kobo

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 14 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

May 14 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

May 15 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 15 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 16 – Diane Reviews Books – SPOTLIGHT

May 16 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 17 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

May 18 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

May 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – SPOTLIGHT

May 19 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

May 19 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

May 20 – Novels Alive – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 20 – Ruff Drafts – RECIPE POST

May 21 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

May 23 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

May 23 – Laura’s Interests – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

May 24 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 25 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

May 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

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Cover Reveal, Cozy Mystery

Cover Reveal for Murder and Marinara, an Italian Kitchen Mystery by Rosie Genova

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Debbie

Coming in June

National bestselling author Rosie Genova reprises her tasty Italian Kitchen Mysteries for a new audience!

The first book in her series, Murder and Marinara, will release on Amazon in June. In the meantime, here’s a peek at her fresh new cover. . .

READY . . .

SET . . .

REVEAL . . .

Award-winning author Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. The inspiration for her cozy series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, comes from her deep appreciation for Italian food, her affinity for the New Jersey seaside, and her love of classic mysteries from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. A former journalist and teacher, Rosie also writes women’s fiction and suspense. The proud mama of three grown sons, she still lives in her favorite state with her husband and a charming mutt named Lucy.

For news and info about the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, including releases of further books in the series, check out Rosie’s website, www.rosiegenova.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter. Also, be sure to like her Facebook page.

Cover Reveal Participants

The Book’s the Thing

Read Your Writes Book Reviews

Laura’s Interests

I Read What You Write

Cozy Up With Kathy

Socrates Book Reviews

Moonlight Rendezvous

Maureen’s Musings

Lisa Ks Book Review

Books a Plenty Book Reviews

The Ninja Librarian

Here’s How It Happened

Ruff Drafts

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

Sapphyria’s Book Reviews

Blog Tour, Cozy Mystery, Spotlight, Uncategorized

Spotlight and Blog Tour for Treasure Most Deadly, A Seaside Cove Bed and Breakfast Mystery, by Terry Ambrose

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Debbie

Treasure Most Deadly (A Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery)
by Terry Ambrose

About Treasure Most Deadly

Treasure Most Deadly (A Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Satori (April 28, 2021)
Print Length: 265 pages
ASIN: B08ZJ4XQ89

Seaside Cove amateur sleuths Rick and Alexandra Atwood are back!

Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast owner Rick Atwood is again called on to assist his friend, Chief of Police Adam Cunningham, with a murder investigation. The case seems straightforward enough. Clive Crabbe, who has a quick temper and a strong jealous streak, was found hunched over the victim after the man made advances toward Clive’s ex-wife.

A murder investigation is the last thing Rick wants right now. The B&B is booked solid. The town is inundated with tourists and news reporters chasing stories about treasure thieves. And Rick’s wedding to Marquetta Weiss is just weeks away. As if that wasn’t enough, Rick’s eleven-year-old daughter Alex is not only itching to help the cops solve another murder, but she’s forming an unhealthy friendship with a B&B guest.

As the murder investigation progresses, Rick realizes Alex’s new friend could be at the center of everything. The worst part is that Alex may be the one person capable of cracking the case.

About Terry Ambrose

Once upon a time, in a life he’d rather forget, Terry Ambrose, tracked down deadbeats for a living. He also hired big guys with tow trucks to steal cars-but only when negotiations failed. Those years of chasing deadbeats taught him many valuable life lessons such as-always keep your car in the garage. Today, Terry likes fast, funny mysteries and cool photography. He writes the Trouble in Paradise McKenna Mysteries and organized an anthology to benefit Read Aloud America. He fondly likens his efforts to those of a blind man herding cats.

Author Links:

Website: https://terryambrose.com

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suspensewriter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6447968.Terry_Ambrose

Twitter: https://twitter.com/terryawriterguy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/troubleinparadiseinc/

Purchase Link – Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANT

May 4 – ebook addicts – SPOTLIGHT

May 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

May 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 6 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

May 6 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

May 7 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 8 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW, GUEST POST

May 9 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

May 10 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

May 10 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 11 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 11 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 12 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

May 12 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

May 13 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 13 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

May 14 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 14 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

May 15 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

May 17 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

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Birthdays, Freebies and Special Offers, holidays

Mother’s Day/Birthday Sale

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Debbie

It happens every 7 years. My birthday falls on Mother’s Day. 2021 is one of those years. To celebrate my joint Mother’s Day birthday, I’m offering two of my books free and one at the special sale price of 99 cent. All 3 books will be on sale from May 7 to May 10.

Widowed librarian Alicia Fairmont needs answers…

After her husband is killed in a hit and run accident, Alicia travels upstate to his hometown of Cobble Cove, New York. She hopes to locate his estranged family and shed light on his mysterious past. Anticipating staying only a weekend, her visit is extended when she accepts a job at the town’s library.

Secrets stretch decades into the past…

Assisted by handsome newspaper publisher and aspiring novelist, John McKinney, Alicia discovers a connection between her absent in-laws and a secret John’s father has kept for over sixty years. Her investigation is interrupted when she receives word her house has burned and arson is suspected, sending her rushing back to Long Island, accompanied by John.

Back in Cobble Cove, cryptic clues are uncovered…

When Alicia returns, she finds a strange diary, confiscated letters, and a digital audio device containing a recording made the day her husband was killed. Anonymous notes warn Alicia to leave town, but she can’t turn her back on the mystery—or her attraction to John. As the pieces fall into place, evidence points to John’s involvement in her husband’s accident. The past and present threaten to collide, and Alicia confronts her fears…

Has she fallen in love with her husband’s killer?

Get your free book here:
mybook.to/Stonesthrow2

Librarian Alicia McKinney has put the past behind her…

Two years ago, Alicia discovered both a terrible truth and lasting love with John McKinney in the small town of Cobble Cove, New York. Now a busy mother of twin babies and co-author of a mystery series, Alicia couldn’t be happier.

Alicia’s contentment and safety are challenged…

Walking home alone from the library, Alicia senses someone following her, and on more than one occasion, she believes she is being watched. Does she have a stalker? When the local gift shop is burglarized, the troubling event causes unrest among Alicia and the residents of the quiet town.

John and Alicia receive an offer they can’t refuse…

When John’s sister offers to babysit while she and John take a much-needed vacation in New York City, Alicia is reluctant to leave her children because of the disturbances in Cobble Cove. John assures her the town is safe in the hands of Sheriff-elect Ramsay. Although Alicia’s experience with and dislike of the former Long Island detective don’t alleviate her concern, she and John take their trip.

Alicia faces her worst nightmare…

The McKinneys’ vacation is cut short when they learn their babies have been kidnapped and John’s sister shot. Alicia and John’s situation puts them between a rock and a hard place when the main suspect is found dead before the ransom is paid. In order to save their children, the McKinneys race against the clock to solve a mystery more puzzling than those found in their own books. Can they do it before time runs out?

Get this book on sale here:
mybook.to/CobbleCove2

Someone is strangling disabled people in the small town of Baxter, Connecticut. Detective Courtney Lang and her ex-partner and ex-lover, wheelchair-bound Bill Thompson, are paired up again and put in charge of the investigation. During the course of their search, Courtney uncovers information that points toward a connection between the murders and an unsolved series of muggings by a masked man, the same man who shot and disabled Bill a year ago on the night he proposed marriage to her.

Complicating matters for Courtney is her guilt about Thompson’s shooting, her affair with her new partner, Mark Farrell, and her unresolved feelings over the deaths of her mother and sister who perished in a fire while she was away from home.

As the deaths accrue and the “Handicapped Strangler” as the killer is coined by the press continues to rampage the town adding victims of different ages, sex, and disabilities to the murder count, Courtney discovers a clue that could crack open the case but may put her and Bill’s life in jeopardy.
Get this book on sale here:
mybook.to/RTD

Thanks to those who followed the blog tour for TIME’S RELATIVE, my new time-travel thriller. The cover has been chosen by AllAuthor to run in the May Cover of the Month Contest. Voting to include it in the second round ends on May 7. If you like this cover and think it could be a winner, please vote here: https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/11629/

Blog Tour, Guest Post

Guest Post and Blog Tour for a Ghost and His Gold by Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Debbie

Guest Post: The Siege of Ladysmith by Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Background

The siege of Ladysmith, a town in British controlled Natal, was a lengthily engagement between the British and the Boers during the Great South African War (Second Anglo Boer War).

When the negotiations between the two Boer republics and Britain broke down and war was declared on the 11^th of October 1899, 21,000 Boers advanced into Natal from all sides. By way of a countermeasure, Lieutenant Sir George White deployed his British troops around the garrison town of Ladysmith. As the Boers surrounded Ladysmith, White engaged in the Battle of Ladysmith with ended in disaster for the British with 1,200 men killed, wounded or captured.

The town was then besieged for 118 days from 2 November 1899 to 28 February 1900. On the 15^th of December 1899 the first British relief force under General Redvers Henry Buller was defeated at the Battle of Colenso.

On Christmas Day 1899, the Boers fired into Ladysmith a carrier shell without a fuse. It contained a Christmas pudding, two Union Flags and the message ‘compliments of the season’.

Following repeated attempts by Buller to fight his way across the Tugela River, he finally broke through the Boer positions on the 27^th of February 1900. On the evening of the 28^th of February, the first party of the relief column, under Major Hubert Gough and including Winston Churchill, rode into Ladysmith.

Map from Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Ladysmith

Extract from A Ghost and His Gold

Robert’s Diary – 13 January 1900

Today, Richard arrived in a state of great excitement.

“The Boer besiegers of Ladysmith launched an attack on the British defenders last week and it was decisively repulsed.”

This was an encouraging piece of news.

Ladysmith is a large town in Natal. The last news I’d heard about it related to the disastrous Battle of Ladysmith on the 30th of October last year.

A large British force had gathered in the town under Lieutenant General Sir George White, an elderly officer who had served mainly in India. He ordered a sortie of his entire force to capture the Boer forces who were stealthily surrounding the town.

This approach resulted in complete defeat for the British. His troops were driven back into the town after having suffered losses of one thousand two hundred men, killed, wounded or captured.

News of a defeat of the Boer besiegers was encouraging, especially in the context of Mafeking’s own besieged status.

“The men are all celebrating the news,” continued Richard, his eyes sparkling with pleasure. “The dispatch said that sixty-five Boers were killed during the attack and another one hundred and twenty wounded. “It also said that on Christmas Day, the Boers fired a carrier shell into the town without a fuse. It contained a Christmas pudding, two Union Jacks and a message saying, ‘compliments of the season.’ Isn’t that hilarious? The Boers do have a sense of humour, don’t they?”

I grinned back at him, his enthusiasm was contagious.

“That is funny. I told you many of the Boers are intelligent and witty.”

“There is also a poem that was written by one of the people in the town at the beginning of the siege. It is aimed at the Boer military leader, Kommandant-General Piet Joubert.”

Richard stopped speaking to pull a crumpled piece of newspaper from his short-pants pocket. A collection of other items came out with it, including a bit of string and a nail.

He’s still such a boy. He should be going to school every day and playing sport with his mates, not fighting in a war.

Opening the paper out, he smoothed it with his hands and started reading.

To General Slim Piet

Hail mighty Oom: Jew Boer

Proud leader of a dirty crew

Who shell at night instead of fight

as savage Bourbon Tartars do.

Your deeds of valour at the sound

the nations well may quake

The sick and wounded down you strike

The Church and Town Hall break.

The nature folk you blandly strip

of cattle clothes and money

and thus you prove you’re closely bred

To sow and wolf or monkey.

Oh slippery one at last you’ve hit

The biggest marks in town

Days twenty four you’ve done your best

To shell the Red Cross down.

But still it waves and up its back

Stands honour, brave and true

Our warrior lads but wait the word

to meet and share and square with you.

“What does slim mean?” he asked when he’d finished.

“In South African English it means someone who has outwitted you. It is not an insult.”

His forehead wrinkled with effort as he attempted to understand the poem’s satire.

“The use of the word slim in this context is satire. The poet is ridiculing the general by saying his is clever and then clearly informing him that the shells he is firing into Ladysmith are only hitting soft targets like the churches, hospitals and civilians instead of the military. The poet is essentially criticising him for his stupidity while praising him for being clever.”

“I understand now. Thanks for explaining.”

The corners of his mouth turned up in a broad smile as he silently re-read the poem with greater understanding.

Seeing this boy learn and develop is rewarding and I’ll miss him when the siege eventually ends, and I move on from Mafeking. Assuming it ever does end; it is relentless and endless right now.

The poem is from “The War Report, The Anglo-Boer War Through the Eyes of the Burghers” by J.E.H. Grobler

A Ghost and His Gold
by Roberta Eaton Cheadle

About A Ghost And His Gold

A Ghost and His Gold
Supernatural Historical
Stand-Alone Novel
Publisher TSL Publications (1/27/2021)
Number of Pages 264 pages
ISBN 9781914245039

After Tom and Michelle Cleveland move into their recently built, modern townhouse, their housewarming party is disrupted when a drunken game with an Ouija board goes wrong and summonses a sinister poltergeist, Estelle, who died in 1904.

Estelle makes her presence known in a series of terrifying events, culminating in her attacking Tom in his sleep with a knife. But, Estelle isn’t alone. Who are the shadows lurking in the background – one in an old-fashioned slouch hat and the other, a soldier, carrying a rifle?

After discovering their house has been built on the site of one of the original farms in Irene, Michelle becomes convinced that the answer to her horrifying visions lie in the past. She must unravel the stories of the three phantoms’ lives, and the circumstances surrounding their untimely deaths during the Second Anglo Boer War, in order to understand how they are tied together and why they are trapped in the world of ghosts between life and death. As the reasons behind Estelle’s malevolent behaviour towards Tom unfold, Michelle’s marriage comes under severe pressure and both their lives are threatened.

About Robbie Eaton Cheadle

Robbie Cheadle has published nine books for children and one poetry book. She has branched into writing for adults and young adults and, in order to clearly separate her children’s books from her adult books, is writing for older readers under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle.

Robbie Cheadle’s Sir Chocolate children’s picture books are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions that children can make under adult supervision. Her books for older children also incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.

Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s supernatural stories combine fabulous paranormal elements with fascinating historical facts.

Children’s picture books – available as a square book and an A5 book (co-authored with Michael Cheadle):
Sir Chocolate and the strawberry cream story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the baby cookie monster story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the sugar dough bees story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Condensed Milk River story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Sugar Crystal Caves story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Ice Cream Rainbow Fairies story and cookbook

Middle school books:
Silly Willy Goes to Cape Town (includes five fun party cake ideas)
While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with Elsie Hancy Eaton)

Poetry book:
Open a new door (co-authored with Kim Blades)

Supernatural fantasy YA novel:
Through the Nethergate

Supernatural historical adult novel:

A Ghost and His Gold

Horror Anthologies (edited by Dan Alatorre):
Spellbound
Nightmareland
Dark Visions
Wings & Fire

Paranormal Anthologies (edited by Kaye Lynne Booth):
Spirits of the West
Whispers of the Past

Murder mystery Anthology (edited by Stephen Bentley)
Death Among Us

Follow Roberta Eaton Cheadle at:

Website https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19631306.Roberta_Eaton_Cheadle

Twitter https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5

Purchase Links – Paperback: https://tslbooks.uk/product/a-ghost-and-his-gold-roberta-eaton-cheadle/ – https://amzn.to/3sqtkBH

Ebook: https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/robert-eaton-cheadle/a-ghost-and-his-gold/ebook/product-d858km.html?page=1&pageSize=4

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 3 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

May 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 4 – This Is My Truth Now – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 4 – Dodi Oviatt Author – REVIEW

May 5 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

May 5 – ebook addicts – SPOTLIGHT

May 6 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST

May 6 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 7 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 8 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 8 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 9 – Kyrosmagica– REVIEW

\May 9 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 10 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

May 10 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

May 11 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

May 12 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE

May 12–Carla Loves to Read – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

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Blog Tour, Cozy Mystery, Spotlight

Spotlight, Blog Tour, and Giveaway for Whole Latte Murder, An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery, by Lena Gregory

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Debbie

Whole Latte Murder (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
by Lena Gregory

About Whole Latte Murder

Whole Latte Murder (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation Lyrical Press(April 27, 2021)
Paperback: 206 pages
ISBN-10: 1516110498
ISBN-13: 978-1516110490
Digital ASIN: B08F2X8NGW

Ex-New Yorker and local diner owner Gia Morelli is still getting used to the sweltering Florida sun. But this summer she’ll have to deal with a more dangerous kind of heat—when she’s hot on the trail of another murderer . . .

Summer in Boggy Creek has arrived, and Gia’s best friend, successful real estate agent Savannah, is getting hitched. Now she’s enlisted Gia’s sleuthing talents in a desperate search for the perfect wedding dress. But when Savannah mysteriously vanishes after showing a mansion to a bigwig client, Gia investigates the house Savannah was trying to sell. The first clue she finds is Savannah’s car in the driveway. Inside the house, they stumble on Savannah’s potential buyer—dead. Someone had apparently closed the deal—with a two by four full of nails to the client’s head. Soon afterward, a woman’s body is fished from the lake near the same house. The townsfolk are now sweating bullets over the murders, and the heat comes down on poor Gia to find her missing friend, and track down the killer . . .

About Lena Gregory

Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, and the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest.

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

To learn more about Lena and her latest writing endeavors, visit her website at http://www.lenagregory.com/ and be sure to sign up for her newsletter http://lenagregory.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9765d0711ed4fab4fa31b16ac&id=49d42335d1.

Author Links

Newsletter: https://lenagregory.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9765d0711ed4fab4fa31b16ac&id=49d42335d1

Website: http://www.lenagregory.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lena.gregory.986

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LenaGregory03

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14956514.Lena_Gregory?from_search=true

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lenagregoryauth/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenagregoryauthor/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lena-gregory

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lena-Gregory/e/B01BKZQES0?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1591718042&sr=8-1