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.
Posted in Blog Tour, Freebies and Special Offers, New Releases

The Best Laid Plans – New Book and Blog Tour Update

Posted on by Debbie

In my December News, I mentioned that I was publishing a non-fiction cat book, Pet Posts: the Cat Chats, this month and that it would be on blog tour starting today, December 9. I’ve been working on this book for several months. It’s a compilation of articles and blog posts written from the points of view of two of my previous and two of my current cats about feline health, behavior, and other topics. The book also features a large number of cat photos to illustrate the chapters. I had all hopes to have it complete this month. In fact, I originally had a blog tour scheduled in November. However, things didn’t turn out as I expected. I’m still hoping to have this book published shortly, but I’ve had to reschedule the tour to start this Sunday, December 13. I’m thankful that Maia from Silverdagger Book Tours and the book bloggers who signed up for the tour have been so accommodating, and I hope that my readers also understand the technical and other issues involved that often delay publishing a book. I know that other writers will empathize.

I look forward to announcing my new release, and fingers (and paws) crossed, book tour.

***UPDATE: Book has been approved by Amazon. Purchase link coming soon. Tour details announced soon.

In the meantime, please check out my 99-cent stocking stuffers available through December 31.

Celebrating Christmas with My Characters (a Cobble Cove cozy mystery short eBook)

Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Cobble Cove Book #2)

Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery (a Cobble Cove cozy mystery short eBook)

The Missing Mistletoe (paranormal romance)

 

Posted in Blog Tour, Cozy Mystery, Interview

Interview, Blog Tour, and Giveaway of A Deadly Edition, the new Blue Ridge Library Mystery, by Victoria Gilbert

Posted on by Debbie

Today, I’m interviewing author Victoria Gilbert from the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina about her new Blue Ridge Library Mystery release, A Deadly Edition.

Welcome to Ruff Drafts, Victoria. Please tell us how long have you been published and what titles and/or series you’ve published and with which publisher? Have you self-published any titles? Please give details.

My first published book (2014) was CROWN OF ICE, a fairytale retelling of H. C. Andersen’s The Snow Queen. It was originally trad. published, but for various reasons I pulled all my rights from that publisher and republished that title, as well as its companion title, SCEPTER OF FIRE – a “mash-up” retelling of Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling and The Steadfast Tin Soldier – as books one and two in the Mirror of Immortality Series. Those books were both independently published in the spring of 2017 with my author co-op, Snowy Wings Publishing.

I also wrote a YA scifi novel that was trad. published in 2016. However, I also had to pull my rights to that book and it’s now out-of-print. I have no plans to republish that particular book.

My first mystery was A MURDER FOR THE BOOKS. It was published in December 2017 by Crooked Lane Books, and is the start of the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. Since that time, Crooked Lane has published more books in that series – SHELVED UNDER MURDER (2018), PAST DUE FOR MURDER (2019), and BOUND FOR MURDER (2020). The fifth book, A DEADLY EDITION, publishing today, December 8,  2020 by Crooked Lane  is the book being celebrated during this tour.

The first book in my new series, the Booklover’s B&B series, BOOKED FOR DEATH, was published by Crooked Lane in August 2020.

Very nice. As a librarian as well as an author who writes a cozy mystery series involving a librarian, I hope to read some of your Blue Ridge Library mysteries.

Please tell us more 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.

Book two in the Booklover’s B&B series, RESERVED FOR MURDER, will be released in June 2021. It is already available for preorder.

There will also be at least two more books in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. Book six will be published in Dec. 2021 and book seven in Dec. 2022.

I’ve also recently signed a contract with Crooked Lane Books for a more traditional mystery series – the Hunter and Clewe Mysteries. Book one in that series will be published in spring 2023 and book two in spring 2024.

Sounds like you are very busy. It’s great that you’ve got your next few years’ writing planned.

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 am pretty booked up with contracts over the next few years! I will be working on my two original cozy series as well as the new traditional mystery series.

I plan to write at least two books a year. (I’m actually turning in three books in 2021!) I also hope to enhance my promotional efforts, attend pertinent conferences and conventions (when we can travel again), and continually improve my craft.

Impressive goals.

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

As a very eclectic reader myself, I would be happy to attract anyone who enjoys reading.

As far as who might be most interested in my two current series, I would say anyone who likes cozy or light mysteries, anyone interested in a small-town settings and interesting and diverse characters, anyone who enjoys some (clean) romance in their books, and anyone who likes historical mysteries mixed in with contemporary crime-solving.

You should have a wide audience.

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

I encourage authors to explore new paths to publication if they find the traditional publishing world isn’t interested in books they’ve written and love. Although my SF/F books don’t match the market for trad. publishing today, I’ve found publishing them independently (with my author co-op) a great alternative to leaving them languishing “on the shelf.”

Also, experiment and try new things, especially if you are feeling “stuck” or unfulfilled with where you are now. I started out in one genre, and while I did get published, I discovered that my real strengths as a writer lay elsewhere.

That’s very good advice. Although I have my cozy series and have written several standalone mysteries, I also write other genres and have written short stories, poetry, non-fiction articles, and will be releasing my first non-fiction cat book soon.

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

Despite starting later in life, my path to publication wasn’t as difficult as some. I actually signed with an agent and got a publishing deal after only a year of querying. To be honest, I faced more challenges AFTER being first published than before. I really don’t wish to go into details about those problems, but I will say that all my experiences have taught me a great deal about the publishing business, which I think is always beneficial.

That’s interesting. I’ve been querying agents off and on for a few years. I currently publish with two Indie publishers but have also found more problems after I was published. I wouldn’t call them problems so much as challenges.

Do you belong to any writing groups? Which ones?

I am a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. I am also involved in my local Sisters in Crime chapter, Murder We Write.

I’m also a member of Sisters in Crime, but there’s no local chapter in my area, unfortunately. I’ve also been considering joining Mystery Writers of America.

What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?

I love reading, of course! I also enjoy gardening, traveling, drawing and painting, listening to music, attending theatre and dance performances, and watching films and TV, especially British and other non-U.S. shows.

That’s a good variety of hobbies and pastimes.

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

What I like most is the creative process and bringing my characters to life. I also enjoy developing plots and honing my words into something that can make me feel proud. (Even though my writing is never perfect and I am still learning). In addition, I love hearing from readers who have enjoyed my books, and discussing writing and books with other readers.

My toughest challenge is promotion. I am not a natural salesperson, so dealing with the marketing aspect of the business is much more of a challenge for me than the creative side.

I feel exactly the same way about creativity and reader recognition as the most fulfilling parts of being an author as well as marketing/promoting being the most demanding and difficult parts.

What do you like about writing cozy mysteries?

As someone who is not fond of reading books that include graphic violence, language, or sex, I enjoy writing in a genre that doesn’t include those things. I also enjoy being able to focus on characters and everyday life while still being able to include action and adventure.

I feel that way, too.

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

From A DEADLY EDITION, Book Five in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series:

“This is starting to remind me of one of those French farces— people coming and going from all directions.” Richard’s fingers curled around mine.

Looking over the area as if to make sure no one was watching, Scott also used the back door to enter the house.

“It is peculiar,” I said, “but I’m sure there’s some reasonable explanation.”

A loud crash silenced Richard’s response.

“Sounds like it came from that direction,” he said, dropping my hand to sprint down the path.

I followed, running to match his longer strides. The path curved off to the right, ending at a wooden garden shed.

Richard paused, grabbing the edge of the half-open door. “Hold on,” he said as I reached him. “We should be careful. It could be some sort of wild animal, and if we back it into a corner, it could turn violent.”

“But it also could be hurt,” I said, pulling the door wider to peer inside the shed. “Can’t see much.”

There’s something on the floor.” Richard pointed toward a large, shadowy object sprawled across the center of the small room.

I backed away. “Not a bear, I hope.”

“It’s not moving. Maybe just some tarps that tipped off that top shelf.” Richard grabbed a rake that was propped next to the door.

As he crept closer to the shadowy object, holding the rake like a weapon, I stepped in behind him and moved to the side to allow light to spill in through the door.

It was a tarp—a cracked blue tarp dusted with mold. But it was draped over something else. Richard tentatively reached out and flipped up an edge of the thick plastic covering.

I gasped as an expensive leather shoe was revealed.

We both rushed forward to fling back the rest of the tarp. Then stood in silence, holding hands, as we stared down at the body of Oscar Selvaggio.

Enticing excerpt. Thanks for sharing.

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

While I do write series, and there is character development and plot progression over the course of each series, I never write cliff-hangers! If someone wants to read my books out of order, they should be able to enjoy them.

Also, I’m happy to engage with readers on social media or via my website contact form and would also love to talk to them if we meet at any conferences, signings, or related events. So readers – don’t hesitate to connect with me!

I don’t like writing (or reading) cliffhangers, and I consider that all the books of my Cobble Cove mysteries can be read as standalones, although readers might enjoy the character developments by reading them in order. As for engaging with readers (and also other writers), that’s always a pleasure.

Please list your social media links, website, blog, etc. 

Social Media Links:

Website/blog: http://victoriagilbertmysteries.com/

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaGilbertMysteryAuthor/ 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VGilbertauthor

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

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B071ZQZN1P?

BUY LINKS: 

A MURDER FOR THE BOOKS: http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/titles/a-murder-for-the-books/

SHELVED UNDER MURDER: http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/titles/shelved-under-murder/

PAST DUE FOR MURDER: http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/titles/past-due-for-murder/

BOUND FOR MURDER: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612101/bound-for-murder-by-victoria-gilbert/

A DEADLY EDITION: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647523/a-deadly-edition-by-victoria-gilbert/9781643854762/

BOOKED FOR DEATH:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622813/booked-for-death-by-victoria-gilbert/

RESERVED FOR MURDER (preorder):

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/659504/reserved-for-murder-by-victoria-gilbert/

Thanks so much, Victoria. I’m including your blog tour and giveaway below. Best wishes on your new release and all your upcoming publications.


A Deadly Edition: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
by Victoria Gilbert

About A Deadly Edition


A Deadly Edition: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (December 8, 2020)
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1643854762
Kindle ASIN: B085N3KN7L

‘Til death do us part” could be closer than the bride realizes in Victoria Gilbert’s tantalizing fifth Blue Ridge Library mystery.”

The pursuit to acquire a rare illustrated book turns deadly, and on the eve of her upcoming wedding, library director Amy Webber is drawn into a web of treachery and betrayal that could derail her happy day–and maybe just claim her life.

Planning a wedding can be murder–sometimes literally. At a party celebrating their upcoming nuptials, Taylorsford, Virginia library director Amy Webber and her fiancé Richard Muir discover the body of art dealer Oscar Selvaggio–a bitter rival of their host, Kurt Kendrick.

Both had been in a heated battle to purchase a rare illustrated volume created by William Morris’s Kelmscott Press, so suspicion immediately falls upon Kurt. Amy knows that Kurt has a closet-full of skeletons from his past–but she can’t believe he’s guilty of murder.

Amidst an avalanche of wedding preparations, Amy begins an investigation with the help of her aunt Lydia Talbot and the new mayor of Taylorsford, Sunshine “Sunny” Fields. Much to Lydia’s dismay, her boyfriend, art expert Hugh Chen, becomes convinced of Kurt’s guilt and launches an investigation of his own. As the case hits painfully close to home, the stakes become impossibly high–and the danger all too real.

About Victoria Gilbert

Raised in a historic small town near the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian.

Victoria writes the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Booklover’s B&B series, and the upcoming Hunter and Clewe traditional mystery series for Crooked Lane Books. She has also published fantasy with Snowy Wings Publishing.

A member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Victoria is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel. She lives near Winston-Salem, NC with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

Author Links

Website (includes blog): http://victoriagilbertmysteries.com/

FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaGilbertMysteryAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VGilbertauthor

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Gilbert/e/B071ZQZN1P

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16912697.Victoria_Gilbert

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

Blue Ridge Library Mystery series:

A MURDER FOR THE BOOKS: http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/titles/a-murder-for-the-books/

SHELVED UNDER MURDER: http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/titles/shelved-under-murder/

PAST DUE FOR MURDER: http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/titles/past-due-for-murder/

BOUND FOR MURDER: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612101/bound-for-murder-by-victoria-gilbert/

A DEADLY EDITION: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647523/a-deadly-edition-by-victoria-gilbert/9781643854762/

Booklover’s B&B series:

BOOKED FOR DEATH: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622813/booked-for-death-by-victoria-gilbert/

RESERVED FOR MURDER (preorder): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/659504/reserved-for-murder-by-victoria-gilbert/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

December 6 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

December 6 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – CelticLady Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

December 8 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

December 8 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 8 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

December 9 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW

December 9 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST

December 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 10 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

December 10 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

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

December 11 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT

December 11 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

December 11 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT

December 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

December 12 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 12 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 13 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

December 13 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

December 13 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT

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Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

Posted in Blog Tour, Guest Post

Guest Post, Blog Tour, and Giveaway for Where There’s A Will, A Glass Dolphin Mystery by Judy Penz Sheluk

Posted on by Debbie

Creating a Fictional Town

Judy Penz Sheluk

When I started writing my Glass Dolphin cozy mystery series, I wanted to create a fictional town that readers could believe in, and to do that, it had to be modeled after a town I could relate to. Now, I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and I’ve lived within two hours of that city, mostly in small towns, for all of my adult life. Add to the mix that I’ve never been much of a traveler (I don’t count a week in the Bahamas or the occasional writers’ conference as being a “traveler”) and I couldn’t imagine setting my book in a fictional U.S. town. After all, just like the people in them, every small town I’ve lived in has had its own distinct personality.

And so, I set the Glass Dolphin mysteries in Lount’s Landing, a fictionalized version of Holland Landing, where I’d lived for twenty years. Instead of the Holland River, the Landing (yes, Holland Landing folks refer to it as “the Landing”), I’ve got the Dutch River. Instead of neighboring Newmarket, I’ve got Marketville (though I did borrow its Main Street of indie shops and restaurants for Lount’s Landing).

Why Lount’s Landing, you might ask, and the answer is simple. When I first moved to the town in 1990, one of my first stops was the Holland Landing Public Library. Outside, there was a historical plaque commemorating Samuel Lount, who’d been hanged for treason in 1838. Fascinated, I researched Lount’s story. His history, and his hanging, is an integral part of The Hanged Man’s Noose, book 1 in the series.

In book 2, A Hole in One, Glass Dolphin antiques shop owners Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland decide to sponsor a hole in one contest at a charity golf tournament in hopes of promoting the store. Unfortunately, finding a dead body in the woods has a way of mucking things up, but the golf course, and the third hole where the body is discovered, is based on Silver Lakes Golf Course in…you guessed it…Holland Landing.

Where There’s A Will, book 3, wraps up the series with Emily getting married and house hunting, and Arabella and her ex-husband, Levon, hired to appraise the contents of an estate. Once again, the setting of Lount’s Landing is integral to the story.

One of the best compliments a reader can give me is to say, “I felt as if I were right there,” because that means I’ve been successful in creating a believable fictional town. And today, when most of us aren’t traveling, isn’t it fun to think you can visit a small town in Canada, where most people are good and those who aren’t eventually get their comeuppance.

Where There’s A Will: A Glass Dolphin Mystery
by Judy Penz Sheluk

About Where There’s A Will. . .


Where There’s A Will: A Glass Dolphin Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Superior Shores Press (November 10, 2020)
Paperback: 210 pages
ISBN-10: 1989495273
ISBN-13: 978-1989495278
Digital ASIN: B08KFLQ6KH

Emily Garland is getting married and looking for the perfect forever home. When the old, and some say haunted, Hadley house comes up for sale, she’s convinced it’s “the one.” The house is also perfect for reality TV star Miles Pemberton and his new series, House Haunters. Emily will fight for her dream home, but Pemberton’s pockets are deeper than Emily’s, and he’ll stretch the rules to get what he wants.

While Pemberton racks up enemies all around Lount’s Landing, Arabella Carpenter, Emily’s partner at the Glass Dolphin antiques shop, has been hired to appraise the contents of the estate, along with her ex-husband, Levon. Could the feuding beneficiaries decide there’s a conflict of interest? Could Pemberton?

Things get even more complicated when Arabella and Levon discover another will hidden inside the house, and with it, a decades-old secret. Can the property stay on the market? And if so, who will make the winning offer: Emily or Miles Pemberton?

About Judy Penz Sheluk

A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plans and Heartbreaks & Half-truths, which she also edited. Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she serves as Chair on the Board of Directors.

Author Links

Website/Blog: http://www.judypenzsheluk.com

Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/JudyPenzSheluk/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyPenzSheluk

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/judypenzsheluk/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/judy-penz-sheluk

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Penz-Sheluk/e/B00O74NX04

Purchase Links:

Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Apple

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

December 1 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

December 1 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

December 2 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

December 3 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

December 3 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

December 4 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 4 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

December 5 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – RECIPE

December 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 7 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST

December 7 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

December 8 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 8 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW

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Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

Posted in Reviews

Review for Faye Faraway by Helen Fisher

Posted on by Debbie

I first heard about this book through a library webinar I attended. As a fan of time-travel books, I found the premise interesting, a story about a woman whose mother died when she was young but who was able to go back in time to see her again. Although I didn’t lose my mother as a child, I know the feeling of wanting to spend more time with a loved one you’ve lost. Faye discovers that there are negatives as well as positives for doing this when she comes across an old box that had originally contained a Christmas gift for her. This box serves as a time machine that can send her back to the year prior to her mother’s death. While the trip back is bumpy, and Faye is bruised and battered from it, she is eager to befriend her mother who is younger than she is at the time. She also meets her young self which is an anomaly in this type of fiction. While Faye is reluctant to share her experience with anyone, including her husband who is about to enter the clergy, she confides in a blind co-worker. As she investigates the past through her time-travel trips and also through information she gathers in the present, she learns some amazing facts about her mother. The end is a twist that will surprise you but that makes sense of the plot. While this is a time-travel mystery, it’s also a story about faith and family. I read the advanced reader’s copy. The book releases in late January, and I highly recommend it.

Posted in Blog Tour, Guest Post

Guest Post and Blog Tour for On Deadly Tides: A Penny Brannigan Mystery by Elizabeth J. Duncan

Posted on by Debbie

A Bit of Literary Library Love

Several of the characters in the Penny Brannigan mystery series are great readers. Amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan loves to curl up with a good mystery. Police procedures are good, but nothing too violent. In Slated for Death, when she couldn’t sleep, the local librarian offered her a nice, boring history of farming practices in the former USSR.

Mrs. Lloyd, a retired postmistress, loves The Lady magazine, and subscribes to it so she won’t miss an issue. And although she occasionally dips into Country Life, she doesn’t read books. Her lodger, Florence Semble, however, is an avid reader, but she chooses not to buy them, preferring to be a regular patron of the Llanelen public library.

Another patron of the local library is Bronwyn Evans, the rector’s wife. She likes Regency romances, and if the story includes a handsome young earl with a smart carriage, so much the better.

But beyond the local public library, two private libraries feature prominently in the Penny Brannigan mystery series. Never Laugh as a Hearse Goes By (2013) is set in the beautiful tranquillity of Gladstone’s Library, in Hawarth, North Wales. Founded by four-time British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone in 1894, the library is the only prime ministerial library in Britain. It’s also a residential library, which means visitors can book a room and stay overnight, and it hosts conferences, which was the perfect reason for a group of my characters to gather.

In 2019’s Remembering the Dead, a pivotal scene takes place in the library of Ty Brith Hall, a Welsh country house.

She opened the door and stood aside to allow the others to enter the library. Three walls were lined with dark, built-in shelving filled with books, and the fourth wall, facing the door, was painted a soft, sophisticated shade of sage green with a hint of grey. It featured a fireplace with an ornately carved mantelpiece and surround situated between two large windows overlooking green fields dotted with grazing sheep.

Comfortable-looking chairs and a sofa upholstered in a muted grey-coloured fabric positioned on a worn, patterned burgundy carpet invited visitors to sit and thumb through the selection of magazines on a coffee table or choose a book.

“Those are the original shelves,” Gwennie pointed out. “They were fitted when the house was built.”

One unit of floor-to- ceiling shelves was filled with old books with leather binding in brown, navy blue, and red, their titles printed in gold on the spines, but most of the books were newer—colourful hardbacks and paperbacks. The books looked read and the room looked formal and felt cozy at the same time, with just the right hint of old-book smell.

“What a beautiful room,” exclaimed Penny.

“It is that,” said Gwennie, “except when it’s time for spring cleaning and every book has to be taken down and dusted.”

Although a library, public or private, doesn’t figure in On Deadly Tides, the most recent title in the Penny Brannigan series, the reading theme is woven throughout the series and probably plays as much a role in my characters’ lives as it does in yours!


On Deadly Tides: A Penny Brannigan Mystery
by Elizabeth J. Duncan

About On Deadly Tides


On Deadly Tides: A Penny Brannigan Mystery
Cozy Mystery
11th in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (November 10, 2020)
237 pages
ISBN-10: 1643854682
ISBN-13: 978-1643854687
Kindle ASIN: B084V85BT8

With a picturesque black and white lighthouse, pebble beaches and stunning views of sea and mountains, the island of Anglesey off the coast of North Wales is the perfect place for an idyllic mid-summer painting holiday.

And watercolour artist, businesswoman, and amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan is enjoying the retreat enormously – until she discovers the body of a New Zealand journalist on a secluded beach just as the tide is going out, threatening to take the body with it.

The post mortem reveals the victim died from injuries “consistent with a fall from a great height,” and the death is ruled accidental. But Penny thinks there’s more to the story. Curious how the victim came to such an untimely end at this most inhospitable spot, she uncovers a link to a mysterious disappearance several years earlier.

And as her holiday romance with a wildlife photographer turns to love, she learns some truths about herself, too, that surprise her.

As the winds of change blow through Penny’s own life, she sets sail on a friendly tide for a future she never dreamed possible, in a beautiful place she never imagined.

About Elizabeth J. Duncan

A two-time winner of the Bloody Words (Bony Blithe) Award for Canada’s best light mystery, Elizabeth J. Duncan is the author of two series: the Penny Brannigan mysteries set in North Wales and Shakespeare in the Catskills featuring costume designer Charlotte Fairfax. A former journalist, public relations practioner, and college professor, Elizabeth is a faculty member of the Humber School for Writers. She divides her time between Toronto, Canada and Llandudno, North Wales.

Author Links

Website: www.elizabethjduncan.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/elizabethjduncan

Twitter: @elizabethduncan

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N Kobo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

November 27 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 27 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

November 28 – I Read What You Write – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 28 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 29 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

November 30 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT

November 30 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

December 1 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST

December 1 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW

December 2 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

December 3 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

December 3 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

December 3 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

December 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

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Posted in Books, Cat Writers' Association, Freebies and Special Offers, New Releases

December News: Stocking Stuffers and a New Release

Posted on by Debbie

It’s hard to believe the holiday season is already here, and a new year is on its way. I know most of us are hoping 2021 is better than 2020. I certainly am. While we look forward to better days, we can make the most of the holidays by keeping our hopes and spirits high. One good way to do this is to relax with holiday reads. For the whole month of December, starting December 1, four of my holiday stories and books will cost less than a dollar. You can get all 4 eBooks for less than $5. Check out these stocking stuffers for yourself or someone on your gift list.

Here’s a peek inside each stocking.

Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery

Purchase Link: mybook.to/sneakyxmas

My award-winning Christmas story featuring the characters from my Cobble Cove cozy mystery series, Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery, won the 2019 MUSE Medallion from the Cat Writers’ Association. Who killed the pet store owner? Can Sneaky, the Siamese, help Alicia solve this mystery before Christmas Day?

Celebrating Christmas with My Characters

Purchase Link: mybook.to/XmasCharacters

Celebrating Christmas with My Characters introduces the characters from my Cobble Cove series. As the characters gather in the library of the Cobble Inn, each one has a gift for their author, and I have a gift for each of them.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Purchase Link: mybook.to/CobbleCove2

This 2nd book of the series takes place in Cobble Cove and also New York City during the holidays.

The Missing Mistletoe

Purchase Link: mybook.to/missingmistletoe

While not a part of the Cobble Cove series, this is a holiday time-travel mystery with a touch of romance taking place in San Francisco during the time of the Great Earthquake.

As you stuff your stockings with this great deal, keep your eye out for my new release, my first non-fiction book, Pet Posts: The Cat Chats publishing in early December and on blog tour from December 9 to December 23 with a $20 Amazon gift card giveaway. Information will be posted on this blog and on my social media channels.

Posted in Blog Tour, Reviews

Review and Blog Tour for Time Management For Creative People by Deirdra Eden

Posted on by Debbie

 

Chances are you’ve tried and failed with spreadsheets, agendas, day planners, and other mathematical and finite ways of measuring time. Applying the strict regimes of industrial systems to a creative mind can kill creativity, damper the enjoyment of your work, and knock you off balance.
In this workbook you will learn to balance, organize, and prioritize all you need to get done by living your life in creative cycles and seasons while maximizing your high and low energy times the way you were meant to.
 
Your creativity is a powerful force that can be harnessed, focused, controlled, commanded, and become a powerful ability as you masterfully channel your desire to create into the powerful motivating force it is meant to be.

 

  

 

 

Deirdra has spent the last decade captivating audiences of all ages with her novels and fairy tales. Her specialty is paranormal theology that delves into documented historical phenomenon and natural disasters of biblical proportions. 

As an author and one who has a full-time job to juggle along with my family and writing, I was interested in reading Deirdra Eden’s Time Management for Creative People. While I read the eBook copy, I’m sure the paperback edition will be more useful because of the fill-in charts, diagrams, and tables included in this workbook. I loved the way that each exercise built on the other allowing the reader to learn ways to organize projects and priorities while setting goals for the future. Projects are divided into Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly, and Daily tasks. The Creative Time Management Wheel diagram illustrates the creative, seasonal cycles and high and low energy levels of the creator. I recommend this book for anyone in the Arts — authors, artists, musicians, etc. Keep an eye out for this book at Barnes & Noble and other bookstores.

 

Posted in holidays

My Thankful Post to Readers, Fellow Writers, Family, and Friends

Posted on by Debbie

This has been a tough year and one that’s hard to find things to be thankful for, but if you reflect on the people in your life, I’m sure you’ll find many. I’m thankful for my husband, daughter, and cats, my relatives, friends, and co-workers at the library, my church, neighbors, and community, my readers, social media followers, my publishers, and fellow authors, my doctors, dentist, and veterinarian. The authors whose books I enjoy reading, the actors whose shows I like watching, the sunrise and sunset, nature, God, and all the animals and wildlife that inhabit the Earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I’m thankful for the things I have and the people I know, I’m also thankful for the things I had and the people I knew. I’m thankful for my parents who are gone but who loved, raised, and taught me how to treat and care for others and for all the pets I lost through the years who brought me so much joy while they were part of my life. I’m thankful for a friend I lost from COVID this year who inspired me by her faith.

 

 

 

Thanksgiving isn’t about Pilgrims and Indians dining together or stuffing yourself on turkey and sides. It’s about giving thanks for those people and things you take for granted every day or don’t realize the value of. It’s also about being the person others are thankful for knowing and doing the things that people are thankful you do.

I wish you all a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving. While this may not be the year you travel to relatives or have a large family gathering, it can still be a year full of giving thanks.

Posted in Cozy Mysteries, Dogs

Spotlight and Blog Tour for To Fetch a Villain, Four Fun “Tails” of Scandal and Murder: A Mutt Mystery

Posted on by Debbie

To Fetch a Villain – Four Fun “Tails” of Scandal and Murder A Mutt Mystery
by Jayne Ormerod, Maria Hudgins, Teresa Inge, & Heather Weidner

About To Fetch A Villain


To Fetch a Villain – Four Fun “Tails” of Scandal and Murder A Mutt Mystery
Cozy Mysteries
3rd in Series
Publisher: Bay Breeze Books
Paperback: 244 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8681709619
ASIN: B08LSQ7VVX

Old dogs and new tricks abound in TO FETCH A VILLAIN, the third installment in the Mutt Mysteries series. This collection of four novellas illustrates why dogs are our best friends and the perfect companions for digging up clues, solving crimes, and bringing villains to justice. Let sleeping dogs lie? Not when the MUTTS are on the case.

About the Authors

Heather Weidner

Heather Weidner writes the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series (Secret Lives and Private Eyes, The Tulip Shirt Murders, and Glitter, Glam, and Contraband). Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, and Deadly Southern Charm. Her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series (To Fetch a Thief, To Fetch a Scoundrel, and To Fetch a Villain). Her new cozy series, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, launches October 2021.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Sisters in Crime – Chessie, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers. Through the years, she has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager.

Maria Hudgins

Maria Hudgins is a mystery writer and a former high school science teacher. She is the author of the Dotsy Lamb Travel Mysteries, the Lacy Glass Archaeology Mysteries and several published short stories. Her favorite things are traveling, reading, dogs, and cats. She lives in Hampton, Virginia with her cat, Lulu.

Jayne Ormerod

Jayne Ormerod grew up in a small Ohio town and attended a small-town Ohio college. Upon earning her accountancy degree, she became a CIA (that’s not a sexy spy thing, but a Certified Internal Auditor). She married a naval officer, and off they sailed to see the world. After nineteen moves, they, along with their two rescue dogs Tiller and Scout, settled in a cottage by the Chesapeake Bay. Jayne writes cozy mysteries about small towns with beach settings. You can read more about Jayne and her many publications at www.JayneOrmerod.com.

Teresa Inge

Teresa Inge grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Today, she doesn’t carry a rod like her idol, but she hotrods. She is president of Sisters in Crime Mystery by the Sea Chapter and author of short mysteries in Virginia is for Mysteries, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Coastal Crimes: Mysteries by the Sea, and Murder by the Glass.

She resides in Southeastern Virginia with her husband and two dogs, Luke and Lena.

MUTT MYSTERIES

Purchase Links – Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

November 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

November 16 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

November 17 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 17 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

November 18 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

November 18 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews -SPOTLIGHT

November 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST

November 19 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 20 – Books to the Ceiling – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 20 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 21 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

November 22 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – GUEST POST

November 23 – My Journey Back – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 23 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

November 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

November 24 – Diane Reviews Books – GUEST POST

November 24 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

November 24 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW

November 25 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

November 25 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW

November 25 – Reading Authors Network – REVIEW

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Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

Posted in Guest Post

Guest Post by Brandon Leibowitz about Digital Marketing

Posted on by Debbie

What are the benefits of online digital marketing classes?

Over a decade or two, the Internet has touched almost all aspects of our life. It has also changed our buying habits. Businesses have also realized this change and are responding to development very positively. They have extensively started using digital platforms to sell their products. With so much development in the field, digital marketing has also emerged as a wonderful career option for the new generation. Many educational and training institutes have started offering digital marketing courses in multiple fields.

Online Digital Marketing Courses

Apart from traditional classes, many institutes have also started conducting these classes through online platforms like online SEO training classes, web content, brand management, mobile marketing classes, and so on. These classes offer many advantages over the traditional classes. Let us look at some of the benefits of online classes.

What are the Benefits of Online Digital Marketing Classes?

Affordable

One of the major benefits of digital classes is that they are more affordable than traditional programs. Many of the online classes charge less tuition fee. Moreover, even if they charge a similar tuition fee, you do not have to pay for the commutation charges. Besides, the course material is also available online so you do not need to pay for textbooks or course packages. Moreover, the new trend of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS) offers many digital marketing classes for free.

Flexibility of Time

This is a big plus for online digital marketing classes. You can attend online classes at your preferred time. This allows you to study without disturbing your work schedule. As the course is available online, you also don’t need to spend your time visiting libraries. So, the flexibility of time allows you to balance your work and study schedules and also gives you enough time to fulfill your family commitments.

Better Career Prospects

As you can study while working, online classes allow you to upgrade your knowledge and qualification without losing your work experience. This allows you to grow in the organization you are already working with. Besides, it opens up many new career opportunities for you in other organizations. Completing a digital marketing course online also shows your eagerness to learn new subjects and leaves a good impression on prospective employers.

Improve your Computer Operating Skills

This is an indirect advantage of learning through online classes. Even attending online SEO classes allows students to learn basic and advanced computer skills. While you navigate through various learning methods, you become more proficient in operating computers and associated programs, applications, and packages.

Improves Participation

Many students hesitate to participate in traditional classes. With the online classes, they easily open up and take part in the discussions. Online classes also help in improving concentration as there is no disturbance during the classes as in the traditional classes.

Final Words

So, overall online digital marketing classes offer you many benefits over the traditional classes. They are more affordable compared to traditional courses. Besides, they also allow you to study while working. So, if you get a chance to attend online SEO classes, do not miss the opportunity as these classes can be very helpful in enhancing your career prospects.

Author Bio:  Brandon Leibowitz is the founder of SEO Optimizers, a Digital Marketing Agency in Los Angeles, California. He is also the founder of Bosmol.com, a social media news log. He has been involved with search engine optimization and internet marketing since 2007.