Posted in Blog Tour, Guest Post

Guest Post and Blog Tour for Cowboys and Chaos, A Magical Book Club Mystery by Elizabeth Pantley

 


Cowboys and Chaos: Magical Mystery Book Club
by Elizabeth Pantley

About Cowboys and Chaos


Cowboys and Chaos: Magical Mystery Book Club
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Current Day AND the Wild West in the 1880s
Better Beginnings, Inc. (November 20, 2022)
Number of Pages: 250
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BB1HS7XL

This is no ordinary book club! When the group chooses a book, they are whisked away from reality to find themselves totally immersed in the story. The characters, the setting, and the murder all come to life. In order to exit the book, they’ll need to solve the mystery and reach The End.

This time, the club chooses a mystery that takes place in a quaint western town – in the old Wild West. That sounds like great fun, until they arrive in the dusty old town in the Arizona desert, among cowboys and saloons. They discover that the outhouse isn’t the worse thing about this trip.

The good news is that Paige, Glo, Zell, Frank, and the other members of the club discover plenty of surprises here, and they have a great time visiting a piece of history. They’ll get to live through many exciting moments as they unravel this cozy mystery story.

GUEST POST by Elizabeth Pantley

Little Known Secrets of the Wild West

My newest book is set in the Wild West of the 1800s. Although the story is fiction, I like to include as many accurate details as possible to keep the story real for my readers. While researching this era, I discovered many funny or odd things about the old West. Here are a few.

Hollywood Gets it Wrong

There’s the REAL Wild West and the Hollywood version of the Wild West, and they are often very different. All the leading men in Westerns are handsome, clean-shaven, neat, and well-spoken. In the real Wild West, being a cowboy was dirty work. They were often toothless, messy, dirty, and very, very hairy. No cowboy in the 1800s shaved every morning, and they often bathed only a few times a year! They likely had just a few years of schooling, so while smart when it came to rounding up cattle, they weren’t great at conversation.

Cowboys didn’t wear Cowboy Hats

Well, they were cowboys, and they wore hats, but those hats looked very different from today’s cowboy hats. In the 1800s men wore short-brimmed bowler and Derby style hats. These didn’t protect them from the desert sun, so eventually the pioneers created newer hats patterned after the Mexican vaqueros’ sombrero. Cowboy hats as we know them today weren’t born until 1865, and weren’t common until many years later.

Gunslingers didn’t fill the Town

Most men in the wild west were farmers who worked the plows and tended the farm animals. Certainly there were gunslingers, but they were the minority. Men didn’t roam the town wearing pistols. Street violence, hired guns, and quickdraw gunfights were rare.

Brothels were Commonplace

Most towns had a cathouse, and no one cared. These were a normal aspect of life in a place where men outnumbered women by huge percentages. Parlor house owners were often some of the wealthy in town and used some of their funds for the benefit of the community.

Few Gun Owners were Crack Shots

Ammunition was very expensive, so very few gun owners were skilled. They couldn’t afford to practice.

The Hollywood Wild West is More Fun

The real Wild West was filled with hard work, disease, and struggle. The Hollywood Wild West is fascinating and exciting. Guess which Wild West appears in Cowboys and Chaos?

About Elizabeth Pantley

Elizabeth Pantley says that writing her two Mystery and Magic book series is the most fun she’s ever had at work. Fans of her work say her joy is evident through the engaging stories she tells. Elizabeth is also the internationally bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, a beautiful inspiration for her enchanted worlds.

I’m wild about Elizabeth’s new series and can’t wait to read this book. Check out my previous posts about her first two Magical Mystery Book Club books: Book 1: https://wp.me/p7XcB0-1dZ and Book 2: https://wp.me/p6m4z7-3Gd

You can also read an interview of Frank, the cat on this blog: https://wp.me/p7XcB0-1dZ

You can also read about her Destiny Falls Magic and Mystery series in these blog posts:

https://wp.me/p6m4z7-38p

https://wp.me/p6m4z7-38S,

https://wp.me/p6m4z7-3vT

Author Links

Website: https://www.nocrysolution.com/books/
Newsletter Sign-up: https://www.nocrysolution.com/mailing-list/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DestinyFallsMysteryandMagic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinyfallsmystery/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-pantley

Purchase Links
Amazon Links:
US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BB5R43N1
CA https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BB5R43N1
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BB5R43N1
AU https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BB5R43N1

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

November 30 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 30 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 1 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 2 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

December 3 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 5 – Elza Reads – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

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

December 7 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

December 8 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 9 – ebook addicts – REVIEW

December 10 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT

December 10 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW

December 11 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT

December 12 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 13 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST

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Posted in Blog Tour

Spotlight and Blog Tour for The Socialite’s Guide to Murder by S.K. Golden (A Pinnacle Hotel Mystery)


The Socialite’s Guide to Murder (A Pinnacle Hotel Mystery)
by S. K. Golden

About The Socialite’s Guide to Murder


The Socialite’s Guide to Murder (A Pinnacle Hotel Mystery)
Historical Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – New York City, 1958
Crooked Lane Books (October 11, 2022)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639101764
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639101764
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09Q7XM28Y

The hotel was her refuge, but scandal is afoot—and a killer stalks the halls in this charming series debut perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Ashley Weaver.

It’s 1958 and Evelyn Elizabeth Grace Murphy has not left the Pinnacle Hotel in fourteen months. She suffers from agoraphobia, and what’s more, it’s her father’s hotel, and everything she needs is there. Evelyn’s always been good at finding things, she discovered her mother dead in a Manhattan alleyway fifteen years earlier. Now she’s finding trouble inside her sanctuary. At a party for artist Billie Bell, his newest work is stolen, and Evelyn’s fake boyfriend (and real best friend), movie star Henry Fox, is accused of the theft. But just as Evelyn sets out to prove Henry’s innocence, she finds Billie Bell dead.

The murder weapon links the crime to the hotel’s chief of security. But why would he use a knife with his initials on the handle? With her beloved home in disarray, Evelyn joins up with hotel employee (and her secret crush) Mac Cooper to get to the bottom of the case.

As Mac picks locks and Evelyn snoops around the hotel, they discover the walls around them contain more secrets than they previously knew. Now, Evelyn must force herself to leave the hotel to follow the clues—but when she and Mac set off to chase a lead, their car crashes and they barely escape with their lives. Someone snipped Evelyn’s brake lines, and now the stakes have become dangerously high.

Evelyn’s knack for sleuthing—and her playful imagination—are always hard at work, and she throws an elaborate party at the hotel where every guest is a suspect. But will the killer emerge from the glamorous lineup? If not, Evelyn just might find herself…next in line for murder.

About S. K. Golden

Sarah K Golden is the author of the cozy mystery Murder at the Pinnacle Hotel. Born and raised in the Florida Keys, she married a commercial fisherman. The two of them still live on the islands with their five kids (one boy, four girls — including identical twins!), two cats, and a corgi named Goku. She graduated from Saint Leo University with a bachelor’s degree in Human Services and Administration and has put it to good use approximately zero times. She’s worked as a bank teller, a pharmacy technician, and an executive assistant at her father’s church. Sarah is delighted to be doing none of those things now. She is currently working on book two in the Evelyn Murphy series.

Author Links

Purchase Links:

PenguinRandomHouseAmazonB&NKoboIndieBound

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

December 5 – Reading Reality – REVIEW

December 5 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 6 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 6 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – Bootsie’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 8 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 8 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 8 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 9 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

December 9 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT

December 9 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

December 9 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

December 10 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 10 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

December 10 – Elza Reads – REVIEW

December 11 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT

December 11 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

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Posted in Cozy Mystery

Guest Post and Blog Tour for Death by Puffin by Jennifer S. Alderson


Death by Puffin: A Bachelorette Party Murder in Reykjavik
(Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery)
by Jennifer S. Alderson

About Death By Puffin


Death by Puffin: A Bachelorette Party Murder in Reykjavik (Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Setting – Iceland
Traveling Life Press (November 24, 2022)
Number of Pages: 180
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09WX2D57V

Iceland—land of fire, ice … and murder?

After a nasty fight with her boyfriend, tour guide Lana Hansen takes a week off work to get her head straight. Fate brings her to Iceland and the Hotel Puffin where she hopes the magnificent natural surroundings will help heal her heart and point the way forward.

Instead of the rest and relaxation she wishes to find, Lana ends up neighbors with a group of rowdy Americans in town for a bachelorette party and wedding. Their joyous frivolity is a painful reminder of her own relationship problems, and Lana does her best to steer clear of the group.

Yet when someone in the wedding party dies under mysterious circumstances, she gets pulled into the investigation. Can Lana help unmask the killer before they strike again—or will this trip be her last?

The Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries are heartwarming stories about making friends, traveling, and celebrating new experiences. Join tour guide Lana Hansen as she leads tourists and readers to fascinating cities around the globe on intriguing adventures that often turn deadly.

Books in the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery series:
Book 1 – Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest
Book 2 – Death by Baguette: A Valentine’s Day Murder in Paris
Book 3 – Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam
Book 4 – Death by Bagpipes: A Summer Murder in Edinburgh
Book 5 – Death by Fountain: A Christmas Murder in Rome
Book 6 – Death by Leprechaun: A Saint Patrick’s Day Murder in Dublin
Book 7 – Death by Flamenco: An Easter Murder in Seville
Book 8 – Death by Gondola: A Springtime Murder in Venice
Book 9 – Death by Puffin: A Bachelorette Party Murder in Reykjavik
Books 10-12 – More adventures are coming soon!!

GUEST POST
Celebrating the End and a New Beginning

By Jennifer S. Alderson

“Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” I learned this song during my time as a Brownie, a sort of Girl Scout, and it has stuck with me ever since. Not only because it’s a great way to view friendships, but because it is also applicable to so many other aspects in life – even writing books!

Being a writer gives me the freedom to create new worlds, relationships, and characters whenever I feel like it. Which can be a blessing, but also a burden – especially when my fantasy kicks into overdrive!

I am in envy of writers who can effortlessly switch between their book worlds when writing, and release novels from several series each year. Unfortunately, my brain is not wired like that! Which is why I have decided to take a short break from the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries so that I can write the first three books in another cozy series.

To be clear, I love writing about Lana Hansen and her tours, so this will NOT be her last adventure. Yet, in order to get this new series right, I need to clear my head and start afresh. This one features an art sleuth and antiques expert on assignment in Europe, which is quite a different setup than Lana leading tour groups. Book one of this new series is almost finished; after I have book three completed, I’m going to plan a new adventure for Lana – I promise!

I do have to add that I am as excited about this new series as I am by the Travel Can Be Murder Mysteries, and do believe that readers will enjoy these new adventures as much as they do Lana’s tours! Two beta readers have already read the initial draft of book one and are also quite enthusiastic about it – which is an enormous relief.

Even though this is not the end, knowing Death by Puffin will be the last book published in this series for a while, did affect how I wrote the story. This novel is more focused on Lana’s personal life than any of the previous eight books. Because I don’t know exactly when the next one will be released, I don’t want to leave readers hanging. Which is why several questions concerning Lana’s job and relationship are answered, and a few loose plot threads relating to her good friends are wrapped up.

That’s also why Lana’s best friend, Willow, is in Iceland with her. Willow is one of my favorite characters to write, probably because she is a compilation of several good friends I’ve known over the years – people I could always rely on to be there for me, but who could also be brutally honest when necessary. Having Willow join Lana for the week was a great way for me to bring her back into the story. And in this book, Lana desperately needs her friendship and advice.

To me, this is an important theme of the book – that you don’t have to do it all alone and that no problem is insurmountable, no matter how depressing things may seem at the moment. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone – a friend, loved one, or sympathetic stranger – in order to get perspective on your current state of being, and find a way out.

At the start of Death by Puffin, Lana is incredibly down and can’t see a way out of her troubles. After Willow flies over, she gets Lana out of the hotel and offers her perspective on Lana’s predicament. Her advice is definitely helpful, but perhaps a bit harsher than Lana had hoped. While she is trying to absorb Willow’s words and shift her mindset to see the positive, a guest is murdered in their hotel, setting Lana into an emotional tailspin.

It’s Willow who convinces her that they need to find the killer, for Lana’s own mental health. Willow even helps interrogate the suspects – something she really enjoys doing! To discover exactly why she is so gung-ho to sleuth out the murderer, you’ll have to read the book.

Writing the final chapter was also quite a challenge because I usually tell the readers where Lana is going next. Despite not wanting to leaving any situations unresolved, I thought it was still important to hint at the possible new directions this series may be taking when I resume writing it, probably in the Fall of 2023. After having written nine books about Lana’s tours, it’s time to look for other ways for her to travel the world and solve any mysteries that come her way.

That’s the beauty of being a writer, I get to think up any old storyline I want! As long as there are readers who enjoy the stories, I’ll keep writing more of them.

Speaking of which, I want to give a shoutout to all of the fans of the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series who have left incredible reviews and sent messages making clear that they cannot wait to read more of Lana’s adventures. It encouragement like that that inspires me to keep writing and do my best to make each book better than the last one!

Happy reading and travels, Jennifer

About Jennifer S. Alderson

Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she moved to Darwin, Australia, before settling in the Netherlands. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels. When not writing, she can be found in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.

Author Links

Website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JSAauthor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/JSAauthor

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-s-alderson

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JennifeSAlderson

Purchase Links

Amazon( (US) Amazon Worldwide

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

November 28 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 28 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 29 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

November 30 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 30 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

December 1 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 1 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Bootsie’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT

December 3 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

December 3 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

December 5 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

December 6 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 7 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW

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