Posted in Blog Tour, Guest Post

Blog Tour and Guest Post for Fragrance of Death, A Sally Solari Mystery by Leslie Karst

The Fragrance of Death (A Sally Solari Mystery)
by Leslie Karst

About The Fragrance of Death


The Fragrance of Death (A Sally Solari Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – California
Severn House; Main edition (August 2, 2022)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448309034
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448309030
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09V878YNB

Restaurateur Sally Solari has a nose for trouble, but when her sense of smell goes missing, it’s not just her career on the line . . . it’s her life.

Restaurateur Sally Solari is a champion, both in the kitchen and on the case, but after getting mixed up in one too many murders, she’s noticed her nonna’s friends have now taken to crossing themselves when they see her in the street. Adding to her woes, a sinus infection has knocked out her sense of smell, making cooking on the hot line difficult, indeed. Nevertheless, Sally is determined to stay out of trouble and focus on her work.

But then her old acquaintance Neil Lerici is murdered at the annual Santa Cruz Artichoke Cook-Off, and her powers of investigation are called into action once more. Could Neil have been killed by the local restaurant owner who took his winning spot at the competition? Or maybe by one of his siblings, who were desperate to sell the family farm to a real estate developer?

Sally plunges headfirst into the case, risking alienating everyone she knows – including the dapper Detective Vargas, who finds her sleuthing both infuriating and endearing. And soon it’s not only her restaurant and tentative new relationship that are on the line – it’s her life . . .

The Fragrance of Death is a non-stop fun cozy mystery that will keep your mind buzzing and your mouth watering, and contains a selection of delicious recipes to cook at home.

Guest Post: Stop and Smell the Coffee—If You Can

The Fragrance of Death, the brand new book in my Sally Solari culinary mystery series, opens with a horror story. Or at least that’s how it feels to Sally, who wakes up on page one to discover she’s completely lost her sense of smell. And I mean completely: not even the stink of a thousand cloves of garlic would be enough to set her olfactory nerves alight.

Since Sally is the owner and sous chef at Gauguin, a trendy French-Polynesian eatery in Santa Cruz, California, having no sense of smell—which translates to having no sense of taste, either—spells disaster for her as a restaurateur. Not to mention as a human being, because there’s nothing she loves more than the flavor of a roast chicken scented with tarragon and butter, or the fragrance of a vine-ripened peach served atop a dollop of raspberry-spiked crème fraîche.

And to make matters even worse, this is the day she’s competing in the annual artichoke cook-off—at which she’d vowed to best her beloved but highly competitive father, who owns Solari’s, a traditional Italian seafood place out on the town’s historic fisherman’s wharf. How on earth can Sally be expected to prepare Artichoke Salad with Lemon Aïoli for two hundred people with no ability to smell or taste a thing?

You may suspect that this plot device is based on the plight of the myriad people who lost their sense of smell as a result of Covid. But no. It was actually inspired by personal experience, something completely unrelated to the pandemic. For I suffered through my own horror story when, some years back, after having a particularly vicious sinus infection, I thought I’d recovered—only to wake up one morning unable to smell a thing.

It’s an exceedingly bizarre experience to brew your morning pot of coffee and then suddenly realize you can’t detect any aroma whatsoever from those beans you’re grinding. And then to bite into the half a hamburger you’ve reheated for breakfast and have your tastebuds register nothing whatsoever—even after you douse the thing with a tablespoon of of Sriracha sauce. (Which is exactly what happened to me that dire morning.)

And then to have my ENT inform me that my sense of smell may never ever return? That it all depended on whether or not the nerves regenerated on their own? Horror of horrors!

I almost balked at throwing such a horrendous experience at my protagonist. After four books, I’d grown quite fond of her, and it seemed somehow, well…mean to saddle her with such a plight. But it is a murder mystery, after all, so I figured she could take it. Sally is a tough gal.

And, after all, my sense of smell did thank goodness eventually return—though not for six long, miserable and excruciating weeks. But you’ll just have to read the book to see what happens with Sally….

About Leslie Karst

Leslie Karst is the author of the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari culinary mystery series. The daughter of a law professor and a potter, she waited tables and sang in a new wave rock band before deciding she was ready for “real” job and ending up at Stanford Law School. It was during her career as a research and appellate attorney in Santa Cruz, California, that Leslie rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking and once more returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary arts.

Now retired from the law, Leslie spends her time cooking, cycling, gardening, singing alto in her local community chorus, and of course writing. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Author Links

Website http://www.lesliekarstauthor.com/

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

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/leslie-karst

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14220589.Leslie_Karst

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/LeslieKarst

Purchase Links – AmazonBookShopB&N

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July 28 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

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Guest Post and Spotlight for The Dead Betray None (A Viscount Ware Mystery) by J.L. Buck

The Dead Betray None (A Viscount Ware Mystery)

Genre: Historical (Regency) Mystery

Author: JL Buck

An aristocratic spy and a highborn lady cross paths over a dead body.

1811 England seethes with discontent. A self-indulgent prince regent sits on the throne of a country at war with France, on the brink of war with America, and facing growing rebellion at home.

Lucien, Viscount Ware, recently home after four years on the Continent as a spy for England, finds life in the haute ton tedious. He secretly agrees to handle a few delicate matters for the Crown’s private spy unit at Whitehall. A housebreaking at a country houseparty seems a strange assignment until he discovers that a French cipher, the key to Napoleon’s war codes, was among the stolen items. As he follows its trail to London’s notorious rookeries and into its glittering ballrooms, he faces a growing threat of treachery from more than one direction.

Lady Anne Ashburn missed her London season while caring for her invalid mother in the north country. A new nurse allows her to visit relatives, where she becomes embroiled in a blackmail plot. To avoid a terrible scandal, she goes to London to face down the scoundrel threatening her family.

The night of the elegant Christmastide Ball, Lucien finds Lady Anne standing over a corpse. What happens after that—the risks they take, the intrusion of a notorious crime lord, society gossip, and good intentions gone awry—sends them spiraling into danger and potential disaster for England’s war effort.

An ever-twisting plot sure to keep you turning the pages.

Buy Links:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Betray-None-J-Buck-ebook/dp/B09VM9RSS9

B&N:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dead-betray-none-j-l-buck/1141104585

Kobo:  www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-dead-betray-none

Google Books:  https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Dead_Betray_None/TKi4zgEACAAJ?hl=en

Booktopia:  https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-dead-betray-none-j-l-buck/ebook/9781942078913.html

Target (PB):  https://www.target.com/p/the-dead-betray-none-by-j-l-buck-paperback/-/A-86100637

Walmart (PB):  https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Dead-Betray-None-Paperback-9781942078906/710102163?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0

GUEST POST; Anything for a Bet!

One of the enjoyable things about writing historical fiction is the interesting tidbits of history you discover during research. One such item was the cricket match at Ball Pond in October 1811.

The Regency period in England was gambling mad. Some men—and women—would bet on anything from the outcome of a sporting event to whether a courtship would last or how long it would take a snake to cross the road.

On this particular occasion—defying society’s belief at the time that women were too delicate for sports—a 500 guinea bet (approx. $17,000 in today’s market) led to the first recorded match of two all-women cricket teams. The match between Hampshire and Surrey counties lasted three days with Hampshire finally winning by fifteen notches. Referred to as a “bawdy” event (see a sketch of the match for sale), the gentlemen organizers immediately arranged for a rematch!

About the Author:

J L Buck began writing full-time after she retired from a legal career with the Juvenile Court System. Over the next few years, she published sixteen urban fantasy/paranormal novels under the pen name of Ally Shields. In 2019, she decided to fulfill a childhood wish to write mysteries, chose a period in history that fascinated her—and began work on the Viscount Ware Mystery series set in Regency England.

Ms. Buck lives in the Midwest with Latte, a mischievous Siamese cat, who attempts to co-author her writing by taking over the keyboard. When not writing or running two blogs, J L Buck enjoys her eight grandchildren (and a great-grandson), reading (preferably on a sunny deck), travel (USA and abroad), and binge-watching any sub-genre of mystery shows.

She can be contacted through her website, her Ally Shields fantasy website, or other social media

Blog:  https://janetlbuck.com/blog.html

Twitter: http://twitter.com/janetlbuck
Twitter (Ally Shields): http://twitter.com/sheildsally
Author Facebook: ​ https://www.facebook.com/jlbuckauthor
Pinterest: ​www.pinterest.com/janetlbuck
Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/user/show/25107252-janet-buck

Posted in Blog Tour, Guest Post

Guest Post: MEET THE CHARACTERS FROM THE CASE OF THE CAT CRAZY LADY

shellelp's avatarI Read What You Write!

Meet the Characters from The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady
By Debbie De Louise

Instead of a blurb, excerpt, or a plot synopsis, character profiles are a great way to introduce readers to a book. Here are some of the characters from The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady: Buttercup Bend Mystery #1. I hope you enjoy meeting them.

A picture containing person, indoor

Description automatically generated

Cathy Carter is the main character of The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady. She lives in Buttercup Bend which is a lovely small town in the Catskills of upstate New York with her grandmother, Florence and Siamese cat, Oliver. She co-owns a pet cemetery, Rainbow Gardens, and rescue center, Rainbow Rescues, with her brother, Doug, who lives next door with his pregnant wife, Becky. She and Doug are orphans. They lost their parents five years ago in a car accident. Cathy was injured in the accident and…

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Posted in Blog Tour, Guest Post

Guest Post and Blog Tour for Valued for Murder: A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery by Victoria Tait


Valued for Murder: A British Cozy Murder Mystery
(A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery) by Victoria Tait

About Valued for Murder

Valued for Murder: A British Cozy Murder Mystery
(A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery)

Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Kanga Press (June 10, 2022)
Number of Pages c. 240
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09TRXWWNG

An antiques show. A dead diva. For an amateur sleuth the truth is not always crystal clear.

Dotty Sayers is enjoying her job in a Cotswold auction house. When she’s offered a place on an antiques TV show, she nervously agrees to a makeover and is surprised by the admiring glances she receives. Working on set at a historic country hotel, she realises all that glitters is not gold when at the bottom of the circular staircase, one of the experts is found dead.

Was the death accidental or something shadier? Dotty promises to leave the investigation to the police, but as this amateur sleuth appraises the dead woman’s estate, she can’t help unveiling clues. But when she returns from viewing a priceless sculpture, and finds her British blue cat missing, she knows that life does not imitate art.

Can Dotty tell a fake from the real deal and identify the killer?

Guest Post – Antique Television Shows

The death in Valued for Murder occurs during the filming of a fictitious antique TV show, The Antique Tour, when a celebrity expert is killed.  A potentially priceless bronze sculpture, which is brought to the show by a member of the public, is also featured in the story.

Before I started writing the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, I re-watched the 1980s British show, Lovejoy, about a loveable rogue and shady antiques dealer who was always out for a quick buck.  However, his conscience usually got the better of him, and as he had a talent for discovering hidden treasures, he always extricated himself and his friends from whatever scrape they were in.

My advanced readers have enjoyed the antique show setting.  In the UK, the number of shows relating to antiques, auctions, and associated themes, such as architectural restoration, have steadily increased.  The original programme, The Antiques Roadshow, is popular in both the US and the UK, as I believe, is Antiques Roadtrip.

So why are these shows so popular?  People love a rags to riches story and the dream that an object gathering dust in their garage or attic is worth a fortune.  This concept is one of the themes in Valued for Murder.

Many people have an object which has been handed down as a family heirloom, which they are very attached to.  Seeing similar people with similar items on the television creates an emotional link and brings them back to watch the program each week.

As viewers, we love watching the reaction of the owners to the valuation of their items, but we also enjoy the personal stories behind objects.

The shows have also helped the antique industry, particularly in jewellery, with members of the public becoming aware of the wide range of antique jewellery, much of which is affordable, and they seek it out to buy.

There are also reports that despite of the pandemic, or maybe because of it, there is rising interest period pieces over modern equivalents and that vintage pieces and family heirlooms are making a comeback.  The trend for upcycling is leading people to repurpose items they didn’t think worth keeping into something useful or fun.

Shows in the UK such as Bargain Hunt are popular, as everyone likes the chance of buying a piece and selling it at auction for a profit.  And if they make a loss, it doesn’t matter as they are spending someone else’s money!

Antique fairs are increasing in popularity and the customers who visit are more knowledgeable than ever before.  While some are looking for a bargain, to make a profit, I would caution that it is best to buy items you like and want to live with.

And if you think you have an item of value or interest you’d like to take to a show?  Look up the relevant show’s website and find out what you need to do.  Antiques Roadshow, for instance, is only allowing visitors who have applied for tickets, although this is free to do.

I hope you enjoy Valued for Murder and future episodes of your favourite antique shows.

About Victoria Tait

I was born and raised in Yorkshire, UK, and never expected to travel the world. But I fell for an Army Officer, and I’ve followed him from Northern Ireland, up to the Scottish Highlands, across to Africa and the Kenyan Savannah, back to the British Cotswolds, and we are now living in Sarajevo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Southern Europe.

I never expected to be an author, but all this moving is not ideal for holding down a job. Instead, I’ve taken the experiences of the places I’ve lived to write vivid and evocative cozy mystery books with determined female sleuths.

I have two fast-growing teenage boys, and together we’ve learnt to ski on the Bosnian mountains. I also enjoy horse riding, mountain biking and I’ve started running as a way to improve my physical fitness, mental wellbeing and shed some excess pounds.

Author Links

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/victoria-tait

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

For access to exclusive content, giveaways and freebies, sign up for my newsletter at my website: VictoriaTait.com

Website: https://victoriatait.com/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/VictoriaTaitAuthor/_saved/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait

Purchase Links – Amazon

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Posted in Cozy Mystery, Guest Post

Guest Post, Recipe, and Blog Tour for Cover Art

Why is Death by Chocolate a Favourite Fantasy?

Vanessa Westermann

In my family, we have a number of self-confessed chocoholics. There’s something about the complex, roasted flavours, the melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s addictive.

Studies have shown that chocolate can induce euphoria and have a calming effect. In fact, European pharmacies in the past used to dispense chocolate as a medicinal drug. Chocolate really can make you feel better (unless you eat an entire bag of Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses in one road trip).

But, if chocolate can be medicinal, can it also be toxic? Both sweet and bitter, delicious and deadly?

Death by chocolate may be a favourite fantasy, but death by poisoned chocolate is another matter entirely.

In Cover Art, Charley Scott is thrilled to be running a summer pop-up art gallery in cottage country. But, beneath the surface of this peaceful lakeside village, darkness lurks. Local chocolatier, Matt Thorn, is struggling with his father’s death and his legacy of deception. As Matt plans to expose his father’s secrets, a man is found dead, the result of eating Matt’s chocolates. Charley will have to see past the obvious, to find the killer.

The idea of writing a mystery, involving death by chocolate, was sparked years ago. My mom took part in a workshop run by a local chocolatier about how to make truffles and Belgian pralines. She came home with recipes covered in hand-written notes, samples, a chocolate-stained apron and a ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse into a chocolatier’s workshop. We tried out the recipes in our own kitchen, chopping blocks of chocolate and tempering it to a glossy sheen.

I still savour that moment. And isn’t that an interesting turn of the phrase?

Taste, emotion and memory are intertwined. A familiar flavour can recall a positive, or negative, experience and take you right back to that time and place. That’s why writers use sensory descriptions — taste, touch, scent and sound — to bring their settings to life.

In Cover Art, Matt’s workroom is at the back of his shop, called Chocoholic’s. You’ll see copper pots suspended from the track lighting. A twenty-pound crate of oranges, ready to be hand sliced and candied, shoved to one side. You’ll feel the air, chilled to a brisk eighteen degrees Celsius, kept constant by the PVC strip curtains hanging over the door. You might hear the crackle of tempered chocolate shrinking and releasing in the molds as it cools or the riff-heavy leads and gravelly vocals of vintage BTO, blasting through the overhead speakers. You’ll breathe in the scent of single origin Guittard chocolate — a spicy, heady aroma of tobacco, plums, and black cherries.

To be able to add those sensory details to my story, I read cookbooks, like David Lebovitz’s The Great Book of Chocolate: The Chocolate Lover’s Guide and Gale Gand’s Chocolate and Vanilla. I browsed confectioners’ websites and visited artisan chocolate shops.

Before writing Cover Art, I would have said that my favourite chocolate was dark. The darker, the better. I did not like white chocolate, at all. Then I visited Warkworth, Ontario’s Centre & Maine Chocolate Company and tried their Gin & Tonic bar. White chocolate and lime zest, laced with juniper essential oil, and coriander. It’s incredible. I infused this flavour into Cover Art — it’s the first chocolate Charley samples in Matt’s store. If you want to try the Gin & Tonic for yourself, you can order it online from Centre & Maine (https://centreandmainchocolate.com/ ).

Besides reading cookbooks and eating chocolate, I also tried my hand at some practical research. Below is my recipe for chocolate espresso truffles, combining both dark chocolate and white chocolate, along with that shot of caffeine that fuels my writing process.

Chocolate Espresso Truffles

Makes c. 70 truffles

Ingredients:
300 g. white chocolate
300 g. bittersweet couverture or good quality bittersweet chocolate (70%)
1 tbsp espresso powder (or to taste)
3 tbsp cocoa powder

  1. Using a serrated knife, cut the white chocolate and bittersweet couverture into pieces, as small as possible (no larger than 1 ½ cm chunks). Place the chocolate and couverture pieces in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl in a saucepan of simmering water and gently melt the chocolate, stirring with a spatula. Once melted, stir in the espresso powder.
  2. Line a loaf pan with baking paper. Pour the melted chocolate-couverture mixture into the loaf form and let cool at room temperature for 5-6 hours.
  3. Carefully remove the now firm chocolate from the loaf pan, by holding the edges of the baking paper. Remove the baking paper from the chocolate. Using a large, sharp kitchen knife cut the chocolate into rows, 2 cm thick. Then cut those rows into 2cm squares.
  4. Sift the cocoa powder into a small bowl. Use a fork to dip the chocolate squares into the cocoa powder, coating them evenly. Then place the enrobed chocolate squares into a strainer to shake off the excess cocoa.
  5. The chocolate truffles can be filled into plastic bags or stored in a tin—perhaps an empty coffee tin, for a fun twist.

These chocolate truffles will keep for 2-4 weeks in the fridge. If you can resist them!

Whip up a batch, grab a copy of Cover Art and indulge in murder and chocolate

Cover Art (A Charley Scott Mystery)
by Vanessa Westermann

About Cover Art


Cover Art (A Charley Scott Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada
Cormorant Books (May 17, 2022)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 440 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1770866426
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1770866423

Charley Scott is thrilled to be running a summer pop-up gallery in cottage country. Returning to the lakeside village, not on vacation but as an artist, she’s determined to turn her hobby into a career.

But, beneath the surface of this peaceful town, darkness lurks. There’s a history.

Local chocolatier, Matt Thorn, is struggling with his father’s death and his legacy of deception. As Matt plans to expose his father’s secrets, a local is found dead, the result of eating Matt’s chocolates.

Luckily, art is all about perspective and Charley’s always had a keen eye. Can she see past the obvious and find the killer?

 

About Vanessa Westermann

An avid reader of mysteries, Vanessa Westermann is a former Arthur Ellis Awards judge, holds an M.A. in English Literature, as well as a Bachelor of Education, and has taught creative writing. Her debut mystery, An Excuse for Murder, was published in 2019. At the heart of all of Westermann’s stories are strong female protagonists inspired by the heroines in her own life. She currently lives in Ontario.

Social media links:

Blog: https://www.vanessa-westermann.info/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VanessasPicks

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

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18861715.Vanessa_Westermann

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/vanessa-westermann

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NIndigo

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

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May 20 – Baroness’ Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

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Guest Post and Blog Tour for Bear Witness, an Alaska Untamed Mystery by Lark O. Jensen

Guest Blog Post, by Linda O. Johnston, who wrote Bear Witness, the first Alaska Untamed Mystery, under the pseudonym Lark O. Jensen:

Whodunnits and Wildlife

What do writers who love animals, and also love to read and write cozy mysteries, do for fun?

Well, at least some of them, like me, write cozy mysteries that contain animals!  Are you surprised? 😊

That has been the case with all the various cozy mystery series I’ve written, from the Kendra Ballantyne Mysteries to the Pet Rescue Mysteries, the Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries, and even the Superstition Mysteries. They all contain dogs, my favorite animals.

And now? More animals, including wildlife! My new book BEAR WITNESS is an Alaska Untamed mystery, the first in a series. Does it contain a dog? Of course! It’s Sasha, a husky, whose name means “defender,” and in addition to being a wonderful companion, that’s what Sasha does: defend people.

Sasha belongs to Stacie Calder, the series protagonist. Stacie is a naturalist, by education and vocation, and because of her love of animals. Right now, she lives in Alaska and provides tours during the warmest seasons on a tour boat owned by a family with an entire fleet of tour boats. Yes, she points out animals, some wonderful wildlife, while Sasha comes along with her

Stacie loves to show tourists the seal mamas and babies on ice floes in the waterways where they travel, as well as birds in the sky and wolves and bears along the shore. She likes the people she works with, too, including the captain and assistant captain of her boat and the staff in addition to herself, as well as most of the tourists she helps to watch all those wonderful animals.

You note I said most of the tourists. Some who take sightseeing trips with them aren’t particularly nice, especially a few who are snooping and trying to learn all they can about running that kind of tour boat, since they want to buy their own and go into competition. They even talk about it, to each other, and to those who work on the tour boat.

Not exactly a good way to make friends onboard, at least not with those who are in charge.

And one of those passengers who says he wants to become a competitor winds up dead. He disappears one day, and his body is found in the water when they take the same journey the next day. Who finds him? Sasha, with her wonderful sense of scent, discovers him off the side of the boat, along the shore.

It turns out he was murdered.

As I said, Stacie is a naturalist and doesn’t consider herself any kind of detective. But when one of her favorite people, the captain of her tour boat, winds up being considered the main suspect, she has to try to find the answer. There are other suspects too. Stacie herself even argued with the murder victim, so to some extent she has to investigate to protect herself.

She’s not the only one investigating, of course. Among other authorities, Officer Liam Amaruq of a new wing of the Alaska State Troopers winds up officially looking into it. Stacie likes Liam. They even start developing a bit of a relationship, although he doesn’t really want her snooping.

Yes, it’s a cozy mystery.

I got the idea of this kind of mystery series while I was on an Alaskan cruise a few years ago. No, my dogs weren’t with me, but I took one of those boat tours in the Juneau area and was highly impressed with the wonderful wildlife pointed out by the tour guides on that boat. Seals and whales and porpoises in the water, various birds in the air, and bears and wolves on the shoreline landscape.

My animal-lover writer mind got into business and started brainstorming about how I could use what I saw in a story, even a series.

The Alaska Untamed Mysteries are the result!

By the way, I also write Harlequin Romantic Suspense novels, and most of them also contain—what else?—dogs.

Bear Witness (An Alaska Untamed Mystery)
by Lark O. Jensen

About Bear Witness


Bear Witness (An Alaska Untamed Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Alaska
Crooked Lane Books (May 10, 2022)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1643858963
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643858968
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09CD3RWVD

Alaska tour boat guide Stacie Calder faces the deep freeze in this scenic cozy series debut perfect for fans of Paige Shelton.

No nine-to-five cubicle career will suit Stacie Calder—the naturalist much prefers working in the great outdoors. Specifically, the spacious and spectacular Alaskan wilderness, whose rugged charms she shares with sightseers on the top deck of the tour boat where she works. But one May afternoon, Stacie’s passengers see more than glittering glaciers, frolicking harbor seals, climbing bears and soaring seabirds…they also witness a man lying dead in the frigid Alaskan waters. And it seems likely that someone gave him a fatal push.

Stacie didn’t know the unfortunate victim, but he sure wanted to know a lot about her. He spent most of his final afternoon bombarding her with questions quite awkward to answer. And when he wasn’t in her hair, he was arguing incessantly with the boat’s beleaguered crew. Which makes for a suspect list about as long as the passenger manifest. Furthermore, as police helicopters relentlessly circle her boat in search of any clues, Stacie is shaken to find herself on that suspect list.

Before the tour boat reaches shore Stacie—accompanied by her beautiful blue-eyed husky, Sasha—must deduce just who sent the testy tourist tumbling into the turgid waters and have the authorities take custody. Because if she can’t, then the killer might aim a fatal ice-cold stare at Stacie.

About Lark O. Jensen

Lark O. Jensen is the pseudonym of Linda O. Johnston, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer. Lark has written Bear Witness, the first Alaska Untamed mystery for Crooked Lane. Linda has written the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series and the Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink and the Pet Rescue Mysteries and Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Linda also writes for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and her stories often involve dogs.

Author Links

Website: www.LindaOJohnston.com

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

Purchase Links

Amazon Barnes & Noble

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Guest Post, Blog Tour, and Giveaway for Costumes & Cadavers: A Sassy Supplies Cozy Mystery, by Katherine H. Brown

Hi, everyone.

I’m Katherine, the author of Costumes & Cadavers, and I’m humbled to be here today.

Authors often receive questions about their writing process or story creation. I thought this would be a nice opportunity to see if I can answer one of those today.

Do the characters come to you at the same time, or do some of them come as you write?

Many of my characters start with a quick thought: a quirky conversation pops in my head; an outfit that would be fabulous at getting in the way while hunting a murderer; a cool name.

Then POOF.

I take that thought, jot it down in a spiral or a Word document, and start making up some extras to go with it. Soon, I’ve created perhaps two to five of my characters and some small details about them. From there, I decide what is going to happen to toss them into some mystery or mayhem. And I begin writing!

I’m what we in the writer world call a plantser. I mostly write by the seat of my pants, though I may string together a simple outline or plan for a character or two, I don’t usually know the details of the middle of the book. Those come as I write. Or as I write myself into a corner and have to find my way out, either way.

So, many characters pop up unexpectedly in the middle of a scene and I just write them based on the part they need to play in the story.

Once, a chef suddenly started speaking French. Another time, a Yakuza gang appeared out of nowhere in a sleepy little beach town. I don’t even begin to question when these things happen; I simply grin and keep typing.
Costumes & Cadavers: Sassy Supplies Cozy Mystery
by Katherine H. Brown

About Costumes & Cadavers

Costumes & Cadavers: Sassy Supplies Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Independently Published (January 17, 2022)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 36 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09QMRXW4T

Nobody ever plans to be the death of the party.

Party guests congratulate Charity Basham, owner of Sassy Supplies Crafts & More, on the scariness of her backyard skeleton decoration. Unfortunately, Charity didn’t put out any skeleton decorations.

With the discovery of a dead body, her Halloween party turns into a nightmare. With her fingerprints (and some white cat fur) are all over the murder weapon, Charity finds herself at the top of the suspect list.

Can she clear her name before the dishy Detective Sota arrests her for murder?

About Katherine H. Brown

Texas author Katherine Brown is a wife, a mother to two beautiful book-devouring girls, a bookaholic ice cream lover, Harry Potter fan, and an enthusiastic weaver of words. Writing since she could scribble with crayons, Katherine has published books for adults and children alike. Fans of her cozy mystery series range from age twelve to seventy-two. She hopes to inspire in others a passion for reading and provide many adventures through the pages of books for years to come.

Author Links

Websitewww.katherinebrownbooks.com

Instagram – www.instagram.com/katherinebrownkatie

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18681694.Katherine_Brown

BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/katherine-h-brown

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

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Katherine-Brown/e/B078J72H8M

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Purchase Link – Amazon

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Guest Post and Blog Tour for Murder Most Pemberly, An Eliza Darcy Mystery by Jessica Berg

Top Ten Ways Romance Authors Lie to You

As a contemporary romance author and a cozy author who loves to add romance to my mystery plots, writing the title hurt a little bit. Okay, it hurt quite a bit. If you are in a serious relationship or married, you know what kind of pretty half-truths we writers employ to get you to melt into your chair and never leave until gorgeous guy kisses beautiful girl in front of a glorious sunset. Just like the Masked Magician in the television show The Masked Magician threw his fellow magicians under the proverbial bus by exposing the secrets of illusions, I’m about to reveal the top 10 “lies” writers use to make you swoon. So, play along while the Wrapped Writer (not so clever, but I don’t have time to come up with something else with fitting alliteration) exposes the illusion of fictional love.

#1: Man must be gorgeous.

Newsflash: not all men are hot; some aren’t even good-looking; some have a face only a mother could love. However, looks really are inconsequential when it comes to finding the guy that will make you happy. Looks fade away; personality does not.

#2: Every kiss tastes of something besides real life.

This one is my favorite, both to exploit readers and to be exploited by. But, if you have ever been kissed, you know the truth. Kisses, unless both kissers are prepared and have either brushed their teeth or chewed gum, taste nothing like romance books’ puckers. Here is a taste of real-life kisses: garlic, coffee, anything eaten for lunch (like tacos or salty fries), wine, and the mother of all tastes: morning breath.

#3: Two people must overcome battles to find each other.

I met my future husband on a smoke break. Nothing romantic, nothing dangerous (unless you count smoking as dangerous), no spies trying to kill us, no ex-lover trying to win back my or his affection. We just met, liked each other, and the rest is history. You, too, can have this simple, albeit boring romantic adventure. If your relationship requires high level of espionage or unpacked baggage, you might be in for a world of hurt when the relationship settles around “Hey, will you pick up some lettuce on your way home from work?”

#4: Female protagonist is petite and pretty.

This is a “lie” I try not to partake in as an author, but many romance writers succumb to this characterization ploy. Women come in all shapes and sizes and colors; a real man will look at personality and not the size on the label in a pair of jeans or the cup size of a bra.

#5: Female protagonist is outspoken and may occasionally throw something.

So, I sin with this lie. Here’s why. Because part of me, and I’m assuming other romance writers feel the same, wishes I could be like my female characters. I wish I could speak my mind when angry instead of stew in silence. I wish I could be brave enough to smash a vase against the wall to show my frustration at times. And because I can’t/won’t/shouldn’t do these things, my characters sometimes do. Bye-bye sheepish author lady, hello sexy vixen who knows just the right words to say just the right things.

#6: Muscles are in.

The only six pack worth having, ladies, is a six pack of your favorite beverage. Six packs are difficult to attain and even tougher to maintain, so unless your main squeeze spends all his time in the gym and eats a very specific diet, you will have to deal with some pudge and a slight love handle or two.

#7: Every time lovers touch, electricity happens.

Um…no. Just a plain, big, old, fat no. It may happen that when you hold your significant other’s hand, jolts of hormones and pheromones and whatever else race up your skin. But if this phenomenon does not happen, please, please, please don’t freak out. You are not falling out of love; you are simply being human holding another human’s hand. Don’t expect butterflies, lighting bolts, or whatever other metaphor we authors throw at you every time you touch your lover.

#8: Weather as a barometer of The Love Journey.

Authors use weather as a symbolic device. You will not experience rebirth or rejuvenation every time it rains; you will simply get wet.

#9: The end is the end.

The end is only the beginning. Where the author leaves the couple in a passionate embrace is where real life takes over. Oil changes, spit-up, diaper duty, household chores, honey-do lists, and life begin at “the kiss.”

#10: Romance is huge, planned events.

Romance is the opposite. It’s the little moments, the insignificant moments that add up to colossal romance. Late night grocery store missions, snuggling on the couch, a back rub just because, loading/unloading the dishwasher, getting the kids out of the house make up a true relationship. Don’t lose that for an ideal that literally only exists in fiction.

So, in closing, please remember that fictional romance is exactly what it is: fictional. Read it, enjoy it, find escape in it, but then leave it and enjoy real-life romance as well. The real-life stuff is better anyway!


Murder Most Pemberley (Eliza Darcy Mysteries)
by Jessica Berg

About Murder Most Pemberley

Murder Most Pemberley (Eliza Darcy Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing (March 8, 2021)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1948051656
ISBN-13: 978-1948051651
Digital
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing, LLC (February 16, 2021)
ASIN: B08TKJ73L1

Eat a crumpet. Check. Say “bloody hell” in an English pub. Check. Solve three murders and fall in love? Definitely not on the list. But when England dishes up murder, even an American girl knows it’s time to channel her inner Agatha Christie.

American Eliza Darcy travels to Merry Old England to partake in a Darcy/Bennet family reunion for one reason: to solve the estrangement between her father and uncle. Not long after Eliza’s arrival and exploration of the vast estate of her ancestors, a dead body surfaces. Murder and mayhem replace afternoon teas and flirting with her British heartthrob. Eliza has every intention of keeping her snoot out of official Scotland Yard business, but when clues to the murder begin to merge with her investigation into her family’s rift, her inner wannabe sleuth self-activates.

With the help of her batty great-aunt and the sexy Heath Tilney, Eliza hurries to untangle the web of lies and secrets. As corpses start to pile up faster than the clues, Eliza fears the estate’s family graveyard will swallow another body: hers.

About Jessica Berg

Jessica Berg, a child of the Dakotas and the prairie, grew up amongst hard-working men and women and learned at an early early age to “put some effort into it.” Following that wise adage, she has put effort into teaching high school English for over a decade, being a mother to four children (she finds herself surprised at this number, too), basking in the love of her husband of more than fifteen years and losing herself in the imaginary worlds she creates.

Author Links

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

Guest Post by Rita Moreau

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

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

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

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

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

Wheeler-Dealer Ghost & Camper Kooky Mystery
by Rita Moreau

About Wheeler- Dealer


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

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

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

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

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

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

About Rita Moreau

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

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

Author Links

Website – http://www.ritamoreau.com

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

Twitter – https://twitter.com/RitaMoreau

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

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

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

Purchase Link – Amazon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Death by Donut


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

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

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

About Rebecca M. Douglass

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

Author Links

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

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

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Douglass_RM

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