Author: Debbie

I'm a retired librarian and the award-winning author of the Cobble Cove, Buttercup Bend, and SOUP THE SUPERNATURAL KITTEN cozy mystery series and other novels, short stories, poems, articles, and a novella. My books include CLOUDY RAINBOW, REASON TO DIE, SEA SCOPE, MEMORY MAKERS, TIME'S RELATIVE, MEOWS AND PURRS, MEMORIES AND MEOWS, A MIXED BAG OF CAT TAILS, and A MYSTERY BOX OF CAT TAILS. My Cobble Cove cozy mystery series published by Solstice Publishing consist of 6 books: A STONE'S THROW, BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, WRITTEN IN STONE, LOVE ON THE ROCKS, NO GRAVESTONE UNTURNED, and ROCK A BYE BYE BABY. My standalone short story collection featuring the Cobble Cove characters is SNEAKY'S SUPERNATURAL MYSTERY AND OTHER COBBLE COVE STORIES. My Buttercup Bend series published by Next Chapter Publishing includes THE CASE OF THE CAT CRAZY LADY, THE CASE OF THE PARROT LOVING PROFESSOR, THE CASE OF THE LLAMA RAISING LIBRARIAN, THE CASE OF THE WHALE WATCHING WEDDING PLANNER, THE CASE OF THE REPTILE RESCUING RESCEPTIONIST, and the forthcoming CASE OF THE BULLFIGHTING BUILDER. I've also written a paranormal romance, CLOUDY RAINBOW, and short stories of various genres published as eBooks and in anthologies published by the Red Penguin Collection. My poetry appears in the Nassau County Voices in Verse and the Bard's Annual. My latest book is SUITCASE STORIES, a collection of mostly mystery short stories. My forthcoming standalone gothic mystery is LOOKING FOR LUCY. I'm a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, and the Cat Writers' Association. I live in South Carolina with my husband, daughter, and 3 cats.

Spotlight

Blog Tour and Spotlight for Shade Grown: A Barks & Beans Cafe Mystery by Heather Day Gilbert

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Debbie

Shade Grown (Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery)
by Heather Day Gilbert

About Shade Grown

Shade Grown (Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – West Virginia
WoodHaven Press (December 11, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 190 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8987556955
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BPQ8KHZR

BOOK EIGHT in the Award-winning BARKS & BEANS CAFE cozy mystery series!!

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java…and where murder sometimes pays a visit.

During Lewisburg’s popular summer home and garden tour, Macy and her brother Bo discover new aspects of their hometown’s history. One of the last homes they visit features a lush commemorative shade garden marking where a Civil War soldier’s bones were buried. As Macy pauses to admire a bed of blue hostas, she glimpses a shadowy shape lying beneath the dinner-plate leaves. It turns out to be the body of famed movie star Cody Franklin, who’d purchased the garden house as a quiet country retreat.

Back at the cafe, Macy speaks with Cody’s distraught sister, who lets slip that she’s afraid her brother’s killer will target her next. Macy’s heart goes out to the bereaved sibling, and she agrees to speak with Cody’s local acquaintances in hopes she’ll uncover some helpful backstory.

But someone powerful is lurking behind the scenes, and Macy has to zoom in on the killer before everything fades to black.

Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown…with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.

The Barks & Beans Cafe series in order:
Book 1: No Filter
Book 2: Iced Over
Book 3: Fair Trade
Book 4: Spilled Milk
Book 5: Trouble Brewing
Book 6: Cold Drip
Book 7: Roast Date
Book 8: Shade Grown
Standalone Novella: House Blend

About Heather Day Gilbert

HEATHER DAY GILBERT, an RWA Daphne du Maurier Award-winning author and 2-time ECPA Christy Award finalist, enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with unpredictable twists, much like the Agatha Christie books she read growing up. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren’t afraid to protect those they love. Find out more at heatherdaygilbert.com.

Author Links

Author Website: http://www.heatherdaygilbert.com

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

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/heatherdgilbert

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/heatherdaygilbert/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7232683.Heather_Day_Gilbert

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-day-gilbert

Purchase Link – Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

January 9 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

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January 9 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

January 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

January 10 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

January 10 – Nadaness In Motion – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 11 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 11 – CelticLady Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 11 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

January 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

January 12 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 13 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

January 13 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

January 13 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

January 14 – The Book Diva’s Reads – AUTHOR GUEST POST

January 14 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

January 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR GUEST POST
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Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal for Clocked Out, A Josie Posey Mystery by Anna St. John

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Debbie

The Great Escapes Team is happy to share with you the cover of Anna St. John’s new Josie Posey Mystery.
It will be released on February 6, 2024

Clocked Out – A Josie Posey Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Level Best Books (February 6, 2024)
Setting: A small town in Sunflower County, Kansas, named English Village

Josie Posey and her posse of Mahjong Mavens are at it again, in this cozy mystery where the retired big city crime reporter turned small town crime solver uncovers another murder in picturesque English Village.

When the clockmaker’s daughter returns home for a visit, reporter Josie Posey is assigned the task of interviewing the talented watch designer. That very afternoon the young woman falls from a ladder while inventorying antique clocks.

At first, Josie is certain the fall was an accident. Everyone loved Ella McGregor Benjamin. But Ella’s deathbed statement is a mysterious riddle that can’t be ignored. With her Old English Sheepdog Moe by her side, and an ever-growing list of suspects, Josie scrambles to identify the killer before anyone else gets hurt.

The local police chief wants Josie to help solve the puzzle, but stay out of his murder case. The editor of The Village Gazette wants an in-depth story for the next edition. And somebody wants Josie to stop asking questions. Deadlines loom.

In this fast-paced rollercoaster ride of a mystery, the clock is ticking as Josie vows to find the killer before time runs out.

About the Author

Anna St. John writes cozy mysteries featuring a mature, yet feisty, fomer crime reporter, Josie Posey, as the amateur sleuth.

Her debut novel, DOOMED BY BLOOMS, was released by Level Best Books in February 2023. CLOCKED OUT is the second book in her Josie Posey Mystery Series. It is scheduled to release Feb. 6, 2024.

A former journalist, award-winning advertising copywriter and ad agency owner, Anna is married to her high school sweetheart. She writes from her home office in Kansas, with her Old English Sheepdog by her side.

Anna is represented by Cindy Bullard, of Birch Literary Agency. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Kansas Authors Club.

Author Links
Website Facebook

Preorder this book here
Amazon Author Page

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holidays, Reviews

Review for Olivia’s Christmas Miracle by Patricia Fry

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Debbie

*****5 stars

If you like cats and cozy mysteries, you’ll enjoy this book, the 17th entry in prolific cat author, Patricia Fry’s Calico Cat Mystery series. Fry is also the award-winning author of the Klepto Cat mystery series. I’ve read books from both, and they are purr-fect reads. This one takes place during the holidays and a mystery involving cats and a gardening center. There are also children involved, and a sad situation that main character Parker and her wise cat, Olivia, help to fix. Olivia, the star of this series, is based on Fry’s own calico, Olivia. The covers are as pawsome as the stories. Don’t miss this for some cat style holiday magic: https://www.amazon.com/Olivias-Christmas-Miracle-Calico-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CN4DPKCY/

holidays, Reviews

Review for A Wish for Christmas by Courtney Cole

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Debbie

*****5 stars

I loved this book. It was a sweet holiday romance with a twist. When a high-stressed, work-driven couple, Nora and Jack, look for their missing dog, Elliott, they stumble upon a strange old man in New York City who gives them a snow globe. Nora makes a wish that her life could be different. The chapters then alternate between a woman (Noel) and a man (Jonah). Noel is an editor who has been approached by a man (Pad) who is writing a romance. Jonah is a workaholic in New York who has been avoiding visiting his father in a small Wyoming town where he grew up because he hasn’t gotten over the tragic death of his mother on Christmas Eve. As it turns out, Jonah’s father hates Christmas for the same reason and, as mayor of the town, has forbidden any holiday celebrations. Noel’s father, on the other hand, wants to bring Christmas back to Winter Falls. The two men engage in a PR battle. A series of events throw Noel and Jonah together including the author’s dog, Elliott, who he asks Noel to keep while he works on his book. Without giving away the twists in the story, which I believe are obvious, the ending is happy for Noel, Jonah, Elliott, and Winter Village.

author news

One Year Ago: Debbie’s Retirement News

Posted on December 22, 2023December 22, 2023 by Debbie

I can’t believe that it’s been a year since I retired last December. I’ve been posting some updates in my author newsletter about what I’ve been doing each month. I also wrote a monthly blog post, but I stopped after six months. Here is an update for the fall and winter. This will be the end of my posts on this topic, but if you’d like to subscribe to Ruff Drafts, my author newsletter, I’ll continue my updates there.

JULY: Sea Glass Festival at Cold Spring Harbor; Raynham Hall AR tour, Oyster Bay; Wedding anniversary, Harry and Hermione’s 5th birthdays.

AUGUST: Farm visits; Huntington Lighthouse Tour; Catpurrccinos Cat Cafe.

SEPTEMBER: Whale watching tour, Freeport; Old Bethpage Village Fair; Otto the Ghost at Hicks Fall Festival, Westbury; Old Westbury Gardens’ 1st. Asian Festival.

October: White Post Farms, Melville; Milleridge Inn Halloween Village and Octoberfest; Hicksville Library’s Fall Fair; Norman J. Levy Preserve, Seaford; Halloween House, Broadway Commons, Hicksville; Old Westbury Gardens scarecrow contest and dog days.

NOVEMBER: Garden City Hotel afternoon tea; New York City; Clark Gardens; Tree Lighting at the Milleridge Village; Reptile Festival; Holiday Concert at the Tilles Center.DECEMBER: Nutcracker Tea, Rockville Centre; Hicksville Library concerts; Our Lady of Mercy Academy’s tea with AdrianaTrigiani; Old Westbury Garden’s Gilded Age Cookbook Talk; Raynham Hall’s Candlelight Tour; Millneck Manor’s Miracle at the Manor event.

2024 will start a new set of adventures for our family as we make our move South. I wish you and your family a wonderful new year, too.

mystery, Novella, Reviews

Review of The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Debbie

***3 Stars

This wasn’t your typical Christmas romance or holiday story. It was more of a dark ghost story that took place at Christmas time. The majority of this novella is told through diary entries read by an unreliable narrator. A young woman is invited by a new friend, Emma, to spend Christmas at her family’s manor in the English countryside. During her visit, she learns of a murder that took place in the area and which her friend’s brother, a man she’s become attracted to, was suspected of committing. The diary mentions the girl seeing a man wearing a mask in the woods by the house. Then Emma also sees this man. The diary ends when Emma asks her friend to go out to meet her brother and a friend at a local pub.

After the diary entries are finished, readers learn of the main twist in the story. I felt the ending could be interpreted in different ways. It was an interesting story but, unfortunately, not one I think would appeal to many readers for the holidays.

Freebies and Special Offers, holidays

Holiday Sale and Happy Holiday Wishes

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Debbie

Just in time for the holidays, four of my mysteries are on sale for 99 cents on Apple Books. Buttercup Bend Mysteries Books 1-3: https://apple.co/41tC5xb; Sea Scope apple.co/4438f3h; Time’s Relative: apple.co/44o8CVE; and Memory Makers bit.ly/3IK9rQi.

I hope you take advantage of this deal for yourself or someone on your holiday gift list.

I wish you all a very Happy and Healthy Holiday!

Blog Tour, Spotlight

Blog Tour and Spotlight for Hope for the Holidays by Daryl Wood Gerber

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Debbie

Hope for the Holidays
by Daryl Wood Gerber

About Hope for the Holidays

Hope for the Holidays
Holiday Romance
Setting – Oregon
Independently Published – Chucklin Inc. (November 14, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8215261927
Digital : 979-8215400784

Hope Lyons’s husband ran through all their money and split Portland, Oregon, forcing Hope to sell her beloved Pie in the Sky bakery and move with her two children back to charming Hope Valley, her hometown. She has been working as a waitress and pinching pennies to get their lives back on track; however, when her children win KPRL’s Spirit of Christmas vacation contest, Hope worries about the extra expenses she will incur on such a trip and turns it down.

Steve Waldren, the handsome KPRL sports anchor, is now of an age where he can’t afford to have a gap on his resume. His confidence is already shaky, ever since his fiancée dumped him, claiming Steve would never reach his potential. When Steve’s boss dubs Steve to be Giveaway Santa, he’s forced to accept. Steve, as Santa, readily travels to Hope Valley to award the prize. But when Hope refuses it, he’s at a loss. His boss threatens to fire him if he doesn’t convince Hope to take it, and Steve does all he can to change her mind. But Hope can be stubborn, life can be a challenge, and Hope’s children can be unpredictable. Not to mention, the truth isn’t always what it seems.

Will Hope and Steve find their happily ever after? It might take a holiday miracle.

About Daryl Wood Gerber

Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber is delving into the world of romance for a passion project she simply had to write, HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS. In addition, Daryl writes the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries and the Fairy Garden Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she wrote the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes the Aspen Adams novels of suspense as well as stand-alone suspense.

She has a frisky Goldendoodle who keeps her in line. You can learn more about her books on her website: httsp://darylwoodgerber.com

Author Links

WEBSITE: https://darylwoodgerber.com

FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/darylwoodgerber

BOOKBUB: https://bookbub.com/authors/daryl-wood-gerber

YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/woodgerb1

INSTAGRAM: https//instagram.com/darylwoodgerber

GOODREADS: https://goodreads.com/darylwoodgerber

AMAZON: https://bit.ly/Daryl_Wood_Gerber_page

NEWSLETTER: https://darylwoodgerber.com/contact-media/

Purchase Links – Universal – Amazon – B&N

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

December 4 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

December 5 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – Reading Authors Network – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 8 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

December 8 – Carla Loves to Read – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 9 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

December 10 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT

December 11 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

December 12 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

December 13 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

December 13 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

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Blog Tour, Spotlight

Blog Tour and Spotlight for Murderous Means: A Southern California Mystery by Lida Sideris

Posted on December 10, 2023 by Debbie

Murderous Means: A Southern California Mystery
by Lida Sideris

About Murderous Means

Murderous Means: A Southern California Mystery
Cozy Mystery
6th in the Series
Setting – California
Level Best Books (December 5, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 315 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CKYGV5YH

Corrie Locke may not be the best rookie lawyer in town, but when it comes to catching a killer, let’s just say, she’s got enough skills to bring a band of shifty-eyed suspects to their knees.

When the wealthy matriarch of the dysfunctional Means family dies in her sleep, the family is convinced her death was anything but peaceful. They hire Corrie to prove it, but the only evidence they have to go on is a psychic’s half-baked vision that it was murder. To put the matter to rest, Corrie sets her sights on proving the psychic is a fraud. After all, everyone knows psychics are crack-pots, don’t they?

But what should be a simple investigation morphs into something deadly. The deeper Corrie digs, the more bizarre clues are revealed, and a possible witness is found dead. As tempers rise, it’s up to Corrie to catch a killer… who’s about to strike again.

About Lida Sideris

Lida Sideris is the author of the Southern California Mysteries. After graduating law school, Lida managed to snag a newbie lawyer’s dream job: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio…kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke… except without the homicides. Lida is a recipient of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship Award and a 2x Killer Nashville, Silver Falchion Award finalist. Lida lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, rescue dogs, and a flock of uppity chickens. To learn more, please visit www.LidaSideris.com

Author Links

Website https://www.lidasideris.com/

Blog https://www.lidasideris.com/blog/

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

Twitter/X: @lidasideris

Instagram: @lida_sideris

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lida-sideris

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14227684.Lida_Sideris

Purchase Links – Amazon – Bookshop.org B&N – Links Coming Soon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

December 4 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – Maureen’s Musing – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 7 – Celticlady’s Reviews – RECIPE

December 8 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

December 8 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 10 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

December 10 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

December 12 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 13 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

December 13 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

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Blog Tour, Guest Post

Guest Post and Blog Tour for Christmas in the Crosshairs by Deena Alexander

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Debbie

Christmas in the Crosshairs (Love Inspired Suspense)
by Deena Alexander

About Christmas in the Crosshairs

Christmas in the Crosshairs (Love Inspired Suspense)
Inspirational Romantic Suspense
Setting – Seaport, Long Island, New York
Love Inspired Suspense (November 28, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1335597794
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1335597793
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BTJ3BSJW

A baby in need of protection—

and a hitman in pursuit.

After evading an attack, defense attorney Adam Spencer is on the run from a dangerous hitman. The killer’s wife is Adam’s only hope at apprehending the criminal—until she lands in the hospital. Now he must depend on her twin sister, Jaelyn Reed, to find the answers they need…all while protecting the baby niece Jaelyn didn’t know she had. But with threats at every turn, trust may be the deadliest trap…

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

GUEST POST

Canine Search and Rescue

Anyone who knows me knows I love big dogs. All animals, really, but I have a soft spot for big dogs. They are loving, loyal, and amazing companions. I’ve had at least one, sometimes as many as four dogs, ever since I was a teenager. One of the most amazing dogs I’ve ever had was my Bernese Mountain Dog/ Golden Retriever mix, Koda. I still miss her every day.

When I decided to write a story about a canine search and rescue team, she was the first dog that came to mind. Although he only makes a cameo appearance in Christmas in the Crosshairs, Shadow—a Bernese Mountain Dog who, with his handler, works for Seaport Fire & Rescue—is one of the main characters in my story Kidnapped in the Woods.

It wasn’t until I really dug into researching search and rescue dogs that I realized how many lives depend on them, or how many different kinds there are. There are dogs who track missing persons, dogs who search for those who are deceased, and even dogs who go into collapsed buildings to search for survivors, just to name a few. I find it amazing how loyal and dedicated these dogs are. So much so, that they can even become depressed when they don’t succeed. After so much research, I’ve come to appreciate them and their importance in our lives even more.

And talk about loyalty. Right now, I have an Akita, Fluffy, and she is incredible, one of the most loving, affectionate, and loyal dogs I’ve ever had. While researching the breed, I came across the story of Hachiko, a Japanese Akita who was probably the most loyal dog who ever lived. He used to wait at the train station every day for his owner to return from work. One day, his owner passed away while at work. And still, every single day for nine more years, Hachikō made the trip to the train station to wait for him to appear.

About Deena Alexander

Deena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, a son-in-law, and four dogs. Now she enjoys long walks in nature all year long, despite the occasional alligator or snake she sometimes encounters. Deena’s love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night, and she now works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor.

Author Links