Free Book, New Release, and Cat Writer’s Conference

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Debbie

This weekend through Monday, October 15-17, I have a free offer for readers, my short story cozy mystery collection, Sneaky’s Supernatural Mystery and Other Cobble Cove Stories. The main story is a great Halloween read, and it also includes a Christmas story.

Pick up your free copy here: mybook.to/CCcollection

Just released, a purr-fect collection of true cat stories, The Cat in the Christmas Tree and Other True Stories of Feline Joy and Merry Mischief. My story, “First Christmas with Kittens,” is included in this anthology.Pick up your copy here at the discounted price with free shipping: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/435953

And don’t miss the Cat Writers’ Association conference October 14 and 15. I’ll be appearing on two panels on Saturday, October 15. At 1 pm EDT, I’ll be joining three other members of CWA on the “Secrets to Successful Feline Fiction – The Story,” and at 5:30 pm EDT, the four of us will host a panel on “Secrets of Successful Feline Fiction – The Practice.” I hope you can join us and also attend the other great programs. Register at https://catwriters.com/2022-conference/

Cats, New Releases

New Release: The Cat in the Christmas Tree and Other True Stories of Feline Joy and Merry Mischief

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Debbie

I’m excited to announce the release of The Cat in the Christmas Tree and Other True Stories of Feline Joy and Merry Mischief, a purr-fect stocking stuffer and holiday read.

My story, “First Christmas with Kittens,” is included in this pawsome collection.

https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/435953

Reviews

Review for Verity by Colleen Hoover

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Debbie

*****5 stars

Working as a librarian at a public library, I’ve been having more and more requests for books by this author, so I wanted to see what all the hype was about. After reading Verity, I’m not at all surprised at Colleen Hoover’s popularity.

I enjoy reading a variety of genres. Verity is dark fiction at its best. It reminded me of Gone Girl, although it’s a totally different story. Told in first person by Lowen Ashleigh, an undiscovered writer who has a chance meeting with Jeremy Crawford, the husband of bestselling author, Verity Crawford. The chance meeting turns into an offer between Lowen’s agent and Jeremy who is seeking someone to write the last three books of his wife’s series while she is recovering from a car accident.

Verity accepts the generous offer despite the fact that she’s not sure she’s up to the job. When she arrives at the Crawfords’ home, she’s surprised at the extent of Verity’s injuries and discovers an unpublished manuscript of her autobiography that contains some disturbing facts about her relationship with her husband and the death of her twin daughters.

Lowen becomes involved romantically with Jeremy and continues reading his wife’s autobiography while she attempts to finish writing Verity’s series narrated by the villian.

I had a hard time putting this book down. It was well written and featured a wonderful twist. If you enjoy dark fiction, psychological mysteries, and books about authors, you will love this novel. It definitely lives up to the hype.

Horror, Reviews

Review for Malice House by Megan Shepherd

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Debbie

*Note: This book was an advanced reader’s copy from Net Galley. It will be published on October 4, 2022, and is available for order on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Malice-House-Megan-Shepherd-ebook/dp/B09VHD298B/

****4 stars

Malice House by Megan Shepherd

If you’re looking for a new Halloween read, look no further. The premise of this book is a curse on a family that allows them to bring alive monsters from their writing and artwork.

Haven Marbury, a children’s book illustrator, is the daughter of bestselling author Amory Marbury. When he dies, she goes to his secluded home in the small town of Lundie Bay to clear it out.

While going through her father’s papers, Haven finds an unpublished manuscript that was written while her father suffered from dementia. Unlike his award-winning style, the manuscript appears to be a horror novel featuring an assortment of monsters. Haven adds her own drawings of the monsters to the manuscript, hoping to sell it. She shares the unpublished book and her artwork with the members of the Ink Drinkers, a literary club of which her father was a member and who work in a nearby bookstore. The club members reject her drawings, but one of them, a young woman named Kylie, befriends her..

As strange murders occur in town, including that of her father’s housekeeper, an officer suspects Haven may be involved, as the killings are like those in one of her father’s books. Haven grows close to her father’s neighbor, Rafe, an heir to a peanut butter fortune until she discovers some grisly items that he’s hiding.

This book is a perfect October/Halloween read. The monsters are well depicted, and there are quite a few twists to satisfy a reader. I would recommend, however, not to read it at night with the light off.

Reviews

Review for The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Debbie

*Note: This book was an advanced reader’s copy from Net Galley. It will be published on November 1, 2022, and is available for order on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Cloisters-Novel-Katy-Hays-ebook/dp/B09ZVJX964/

****4 stars

THE CLOISTERS BY KATY HAYS

After her father’s death, Ann Stillwell leaves the small town of Walla Wall, Washington for a job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. But upon arriving, she is told that there isn’t a spot for her there. Instead, she is offered a position at the Cloisters, medieval museum. She works for Patrick, the museum’s curator, and with Rachel who becomes a very close friend. She also meets the gardener, Leo, to whom she becomes attracted.

During after hours at the museum, Ann leans that Rachel and Patrick read tarot cards. Patrick seeks the last card of a rare tarot deck to complete the set. He hopes to obtain this from an antique dealer. Ann comes upon the card accidentally and confides in Rachel that she’s found it. The two plan to capitalize on the find but wait for the right time to do so.
As Ann and Rachel grow closer because of their shared secret, Ann and Leo drift apart. Ann meets up with an old friend from her hometown who tells her some disturbing things about Rachel. While Ann doesn’t believe them, she is still concerned that she may not know her friend as well as she thinks.

One night, Ann joins Patrick, Rachel, and Leo in reading the tarot cards. This time, they ingest a mixture prepared by Leo that contains a small amount of a Belladonna plant that is poisonous in a higher concentration. They seek to achieve a state of enlightenment to help them receive the messages of the cards. The next day, Patrick is found dead,

Without giving away the rest of the book and the twists that follow, I would recommend this novel to those interested in divination arts, medieval history, and mysteries. I found the pace of the chapters leading up to the murder somewhat slow. After that point, the story really picked up.

Anthology, Cozy Mysteries, Spotlight

Spotlight for Deadly Traditions: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Anthology

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Debbie

Deadly Traditions: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Anthology
by Justine Maxwell, Gayle Leeson, Estelle Richards, Erin Scoggins, Sage So, Dianne Ascroft, Ellie Ballard, Melicity Pope, Mollie Cox Bryan, and Sam Cheever

About Deadly Traditions

Deadly Traditions: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Anthology
Cozy Mysteries
Grace Abraham Publishing (September 27, 2022)
Number of Pages TBA
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B2LHQ2G9

Have yourself a DEADLY little Christmas.

Celebrate the holidays with mistletoe, mayhem, and murder. Join your favorite authors as they cozy up by the fire with twelve festive short mysteries that feature treasured holiday traditions. Serve up a slice of fatal fruitcake and deck the halls with danger, because the holiday season has never been so much fun.

This original collection is available for a limited time only, so grab your copy today.

Includes:
A Pickle in a Pear Tree by Erin Scoggins
Mistletoe and Murder by Dianne Ascroft
O Deadly Night by Estelle Richards
Larceny and Gingerbread Lattes by Justine Maxwell
Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas by Gayle Leeson

About the Authors

About Gayle Leeson

Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. Gayle has also written as Amanda Lee. She is currently writing the Kinsey Falls chick-lit/women’s fiction series, the Down South Cafe cozy mystery series, and the Ghostly Fashionista cozy mystery series. Her book KILLER WEDDING CAKE won the Bronze Medal in the 20th Anniversary IPPY Awards. Gayle lives in Southwest Virginia with her family and enjoys hearing from readers.

About Mollie Cox Bryan

Mollie Cox Bryan writes cozy mysteries with edge. She’s the author of several bestselling mystery series, also writing under the pen name Maggie Blackburn. Her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award and as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman’s World. She has also been short-listed for the Virginia Library People’s Choice Award. She’s also penned a historical fiction: MEMORY OF LIGHT: AN AFTERMATH OF GETTYSBURG. She’s the mother of two nearly perfect daughters, each pursuing careers in music.

About Erin Scoggins

USA Today Bestselling Author Erin Scoggins is a long-time Southerner with a fondness for offbeat humor and fresh fried chicken. After fifteen years in marketing with a Fortune 500 company, she traded her MBA for fictional crime scenes and feisty small-town families. She writes fun, flirty mysteries that are celebrations of food, family, and the killer South.

Visit her at http://www.erinscoggins.com for book news and shenanigans.

About Estelle Richards

Estelle Richards lives in the beautiful American Southwest and writes cozy mysteries. Connect with Estelle at estellerichards.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/estellerichardswriter/.

About Justine Maxwell

Justine Maxwell writes cozy mysteries with brave heroines, strong family bonds, and a touch of romance. She has degrees in psychology from Northern Arizona University and Grand Canyon University. She hopes to one day become a reclusive author in a mountain cabin near Flagstaff, AZ. Until then, she’ll be a busy mom of four small children and one (allegedly) hypoallergenic pup, writing in the midst of chaos.

About Wendy H. Jones

International Award Winning Author Wendy H. Jones lives in Scotland, and her police procedural series featuring DI Shona McKenzie are set.Wendy has led a varied and adventurous life. Her love for adventure led to her joining the Royal Navy to undertake nurse training. After six years in the Navy she joined the Army where she served as an Officer for a further 17 years. Killer’s Countdown was her first novel and the first book in the Shona McKenzie Mysteries. Killer’s Crew won the Books Go Social Book of the Year 2017. The seventh book in the series. Killer’s Curse will be released early august 2020. The Dagger’s Curse, the first book in The Fergus and Flora Mysteries, was a finalist in the Woman Alive Magazine Readers Choice Award Book of the Year. Turning to humorous crime the Cass Claymore Investigates series was born. She is also a highly successful marketer and is currently in the process of rereleasing her completely updated marketing book Marketing Matters. This will be part of the Writing Matters Series following the release of Motivation Matters. She is also the author of the Bertie the Buffalo picture book and associated soft toy and colouring book. Wendy is delighted to be one of the authors in two anthologies aimed at empowering women – The Power of Why, and Women Win Against All Odds. She is proud to be the President of the Scottish Association of Writers and is the host of The Writing and Marketing Show podcast, a writing and marketing coach. and CEO of Writing Matters online writing school, Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy.

Dianne Ascroft

Dianne Ascroft is a Canadian writer living in Britain. Since moving to Britain in 1990 she has lived in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Online she can be found at http://www.dianneascroft.com.

She writes cozy mystery, historical and contemporary fiction, often with an Irish connection. Her non-fiction articles and short stories have been printed in Canadian and Irish magazines and regional newspapers including the Toronto Star, Ireland’s Own, Senior Times, Celtic Connection and Irish Connections Canada.

She was co-editor of The Fermanagh Miscellany, the Fermanagh Authors’ Association’s yearly anthology for several years and she also contributes material to other local history and writers’ anthologies.

Dianne is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, Sisters in Crime, Historical Novel Society, Writers Abroad, Fermanagh Authors’ Association and Fermanagh Writers.

Dianne started life in a quiet residential neighbourhood in the buzzing city of Toronto and has progressively moved to smaller places through the years. She now lives on a small farm in Northern Ireland with her husband and an assortment of strong willed animals. If she ever decides to write her autobiography the working title will be ‘Downsizing’.

Sam Cheever

USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Sam Cheever writes mystery and suspense, creating stories that draw you in and keep you eagerly turning pages. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 80+ books.

NEWSLETTER: Join Sam’s Monthly newsletter and get a FREE book! You can also keep up with her appearances, enjoy special content, and get previews of her upcoming work! https://www.samcheever.com/newsletter.html

TEXT NEWS ALERTS: Or if you’d rather not receive a monthly newsletter, you can sign up for text alerts and just receive a brief text when Sam’s launching a new release or appearing somewhere fun. Just text SAMNEWS to 781-728-9542 to be added!

ONLINE HOT SPOTS: To find out more about Sam and her work, please pay her a visit: Her website: https://www.samcheever.com; Her blog: https://www.samcheever.com/blog; and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamCheeverAuthor. She looks forward to chatting with you!

Purchase Link – Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 20 – Reading Authors Network – SPOTLIGHT

September 20 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

September 20 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 21 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

September 21 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT

September 21 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

September 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

September 22 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 23 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – fundinmental – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 24 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 24 – Mystery Review Crew – CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 24 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

September 25 – The Mystery Section – GUEST POST

September 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 26 – Maureen’s Musing – SPOTLIGHT

September 26 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

September 26 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 27 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

September 27 – Sapphyria’s Books – REVIEW

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

September 28 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

September 28 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 29 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 29 – My Journey Back – CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 29 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – SPOTLIGHT

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pets

Celebrating Rescue Pets on Remember Me Thursday

Posted on September 22, 2022September 22, 2022 by Debbie

Remember Me Thursday falls on September 22. This is the day we honor rescue pets and encourage pet adoption. Three years ago, I posted the adoption story of my cats, Harry and Hermione, from the Golden Paw Society Rescue. They are now four-years-old. You can read their story here. For other rescue stories, I recommend Second-Chance Cats: True Stories of the Cats We Rescue and the Cats Who Rescue Us. Harry and Hermione’s story was published in this book along with that of other rescue cats.

To learn more about all my cats, told from their own points-of-view about their rescues, life with our family, and stories they’ve even “pawed” themselves, along with lots of photos, check out my book Memories and Meows.

Check out the video about Remember Me Thursday.

There are many ways to get involved for Remember Me Thursday:

1. Post on social media using #SeeTheLight and #RememberMeThursday.

On September 22, let’s make sure everyone who opens their social media accounts sees a message about pet adoption! Encourage your fans to post by sharing your personal rescue story or one of our ready-made graphics. Here are a few to get you started! Check out our Blogger Resource page for more shareables, blogger badges, customizable photo frames and more.

2. Enter the #RememberMeThursday Contest.

You and your fans can win big for a favorite pet adoption organization by entering the #RememberMeThursday Contest! There are two ways to enter:

Submit your pet’s photo and story to our contest page.
Post a picture of your pet on social media using the hashtags #RememberMeThursday and #SeeTheLight.

3. Join the Remember Me Thursday Virtual Global Candle Lighting Ceremony.

This event will unite animal rescue advocates from all over the world.
DATE: Thursday, September 22, 2022
TIME: 9 a.m. Pacific Time
WHERE: Virtually on Zoom

To participate, sign up here: https://www.cognitoforms.com/HelenWoodwardAnimalCenter1/_2022RememberMeThursdayVirtualGlobalCandleLightingRegistrationForm

Bookblast

Book Blast for What Not to Wear to a Graveyard, A Resale Boutique Mystery, by Debra Sennefelder

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Debbie

What Not to Wear to a Graveyard (A Resale Boutique Mystery)
by Debra Sennefelder

BOOK BLAST

About What Not to Wear to a Graveyard

What Not to Wear to a Graveyard (A Resale Boutique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
A Resale Boutique Mystery Novella
Lyrical Press (September 8, 2020)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 97 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B082WR2253

After trading her Manhattan digs for her upstate hometown, fashionista Kelly Quinn has big plans for her grandmother’s consignment shop. But this All Hallow’s Eve someone is already dressed to kill . . .

A socialite’s missing dog has made front page news in Lucky Cove—complete with a hefty reward. But between renovating the consignment shop, planning her costume for a 1970s themed Halloween party, and scouting a location for a fashion shoot, Kelly doesn’t have time to search. Yet a visit to the local colonial-era cemetery—ideal for the moody atmosphere she’s after—soon turns up the precious pooch. Kelly’s looking forward to collecting the check—until she makes a gruesome discovery in an abandoned farmhouse: The dog’s owner, stabbed through the heart.

Kelly can’t help wondering why Constance Lane was traipsing around the farmhouse in stilettos. But as Kelly gets decked out in a vintage disco caftan, that isn’t the only fashion misstatement spooking her. Hidden in the dead woman’s past is a secret that could be the motive for the murder. And as the Halloween party gets started, even a menacing clown and a threatening bearded lady can’t keep Kelly from trick or treating for the truth—even if it means her last dance . . .

About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder is the acclaimed author of the Food Blogger Mysteries, the Resale Boutique Mystery Series and the upcoming Cookie Shop Mystery series. An avid reader who reads across a range of genres, mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

Her first novel, THE UNINVITED CORPSE (A Food Blogger mystery) was published in 2018.When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in retail and publishing before becoming a full-time author. Her writing companion is her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzu, Connie.

Author Links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pzv3VJ

Website: http://bit.ly/2lQwSNi

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2qjwHyT

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2mkLpnz

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2DpMPE8

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2EQh6da

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo –

BOOK BLAST PARTICIPANTS

SEPTEMBER 21

Celticlady’s Reviews

Ruff Drafts

Baroness Book Trove

Reading Is My SuperPower

Elizabeth McKenna – Author

Literary Gold

My Reading Journeys

Brooke Blogs

Lady Hawkeye

Sapphyria’s Book Reviews

Mochas, Mysteries and Meows

SEPTEMBER 22

Christy’s Cozy Corners

Angel’s Guilty Pleasures

Socrates Book Reviews

Cozy Up With Kathy

Novels Alive

FUONLYKNEW

Hearts & Scribbles

Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic

Maureen’s Musings

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!;

Podcasts, Short Story

September Podcast and Book News

Posted on September 14, 2022April 4, 2023 by Debbie

Sometimes authors like to try their hands at writing different genres. Although I have two cozy mystery series, I’ve also written some standalone mysteries and short stories. One of these stories, “Oceans Apart” is a departure from my usual writing. Donnie Lansdale does a great job giving voice to my tale. Listen to the podcast below from the Everyday Monsters Podcast and on Apple, Google, or Spotify until September 19.

The long-awaited Memories and Meows is now available at your favorite online shop. This book tells the stories of several of my cats through their own words and photos.

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/baon1P.

I’m also hoping to submit the second book of my Buttercup Bend cozy mystery series, tentatively titled, “The Case of the Parrot-Loving Professor,” to my publisher this month. Have you read the first one, The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady, yet?

Last but not least, my cat Harry will be sharing his story in the upcoming anthology, “Purr-severance” by Sierra M. Koester. We are both thrilled. Further details coming soon.

Bookblast

Book Blast for About the Meld: Magic, Please by Kelley Kay Bowles

Posted on September 13, 2022 by Debbie

About The Meld: Magic, Please

The Meld: Magic, Please
Young Adult Paranormal
1st in Series
Setting – The fictional Mountain West town of Pinewood, Colorado
All Things That Matter Press (July 3, 2022)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 143 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8986288529
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B5RZPXCX

The Meld, an otherworldly group of six, has gathered in the past millennium to bestow gifts on the most interesting of all populations: adolescents. The Meld members comprise a yin/yang of deadly behaviors which qualified their membership: half took lives for noble reasons, half for selfish ones. They completed their circle with Delilah Mackley in 1962 and have since been operating at full strength to give a supernatural gift to their chosen charges. This time, they choose Colorado sophomore Millie Mahoney.

The murder of Millie’s mother and the resultant self-destruction of her father have rendered her life chaotic, which Millie fights by immersing herself in her great passion: words and their power. The Meld gives her the ability for her words to become real:

Everything she writes comes true.

While she’s too smart to bring her mother back to life, Millie does look for a way to heal her family … and maybe catch the loving attention of Derek Samson while she’s at it.

About Kelley Kay Bowles

Kelley (Kelley Kaye, Kelley Kay Bowles, Kelley Gusich) taught High School English and Drama for twenty years in Colorado and California, but her love for storytelling dates back to creating captions for her high school yearbook. Maybe back to the tales she created around her Barbie and Ken. A 1994 MS diagnosis and many years of fertility struggles have (circuitously) brought Kelley, finally, to the life of writer and mother, both of which she adores. Death by Diploma, released by Red Adept Publishing in February 2016 and #1 for cozy mystery on Amazon in August that same year, is her debut cozy mystery, first in the Chalkboard Outlines® series. Book 2, Poison by Punctuation, was released on April 24, 2018, and the latest, Strangled by Simile, was released in March 2022. Her debut Young Adult Paranormal, Down in the Belly of the Whale, received the 2017 Indie Book of the Year from Aionios Books, which published the book on May 5, 2018. The first of The Meld YA Paranormal series: Magic, Please, was released July 3, 2022.

She’s also working with her husband to raise two active and busy teenage sons.

Author Links

Website – https://kelleykaybowles.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kelley.bowles.gusich

Twitter – https://twitter.com/kelkay1202

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVlte3qfP3gTpHOwjNjqDqg

GoodReads Link – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1380492.Kelley_Kay_Bowles

Purchase Link – Amazon

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BOOK BLAST PARTICIPANTS

September 12

Elizabeth McKenna – Author