Category: New Releases

Posted in Blog Tour, Cozy Mysteries, New Releases

Spotlight for Killer Reputation by Cassidy Salem (An Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth Mystery)

Posted on by Debbie

Killer Reputation (Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth)
by Cassidy Salem

About the Book

Killer Reputation (Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Self Published (June 15, 2018)
Paperback: 182 pages
ISBN-10: 1718753357
ISBN-13: 978-1718753358
Digital ASIN: B07DKB8WCH

Adina can’t resist snooping when someone she knows turns up dead. Again.

When a colleague at a prestigious think tank meets a violent death, Adina’s not convinced any of the obvious suspects disliked him enough to want him dead. Can the young research assistant, a quirky neighbor, and a lovable rescue pup help the police put together the pieces of the puzzle?

About the Author

Csalem

About the Author

Cassidy Salem has always been an avid reader. She is especially fond of mysteries (both cozy and traditional) and police procedurals. Cassidy also enjoys reading historical fiction focused on American and world history, as well as the classics. When she’s not reading, she enjoys music and spending time with family and friends, and travels with her husband and son whenever possible. Her travels have taken her to destinations throughout the United States, Europe, and Scandinavia.

Author Links

Twitter: @csalem11

Facebook: Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth

Blog: https://cassidysalem.wordpress.com/

Purchase link:

Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 17 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST

July 17 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 18 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

July 19 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

July 19 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

July 20 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 20 – Handcrafted Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 21 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

July 23 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW

July 24 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 25 – FUONLYKNEW – REVIEW

July 26 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

July 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

July 28 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW

July 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

July 29 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 30 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

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Posted in Cozy Mysteries, Dogs, New Releases

Spotlight for Disorderly Conduct (A Maggie McDonald Mystery) by Mary Feliz

Posted on by Debbie

Disorderly Conduct (A Maggie McDonald Mystery)
by Mary Feliz

About the Book

Disorderly Conduct (A Maggie McDonald Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Lyrical Underground (July 10, 2018)
Print Length: 233 pages
ASIN: B076GNYKM8

Professional organizer Maggie McDonald manages to balance a fastidious career with friends, family, and a spunky Golden Retriever. But add a fiery murder mystery to the mix, and Maggie wonders if she’s finally found a mess even she can’t tidy up . . .

With a devastating wildfire spreading to Silicon Valley, Maggie preps her family for a rapid evacuation. The heat rises when firefighters discover the body of her best friend Tess Olmos’s athletic husband—whose untimely death was anything but accidental. And as Tess agonizes over the whereabouts of her spouse’s drop-dead gorgeous running mate, she becomes the prime suspect in what’s shaping up to become a double murder case. Determined to set the record straight, Maggie sorts through clues in an investigation more dangerous than the flames approaching her home. But when her own loved ones are threatened, can she catch the meticulous killer before everything falls apart?

About the Author

Mary Feliz writes the Maggie McDonald Mysteries featuring a Silicon Valley professional organizer and her sidekick golden retriever. She’s worked for Fortune 500 firms and mom and pop enterprises competed in whaleboat races and done synchronized swimming. She attends organizing conferences in her character’s stead, but Maggie’s skills leave her in the dust.

Author Links:

Website: www.maryfeliz.com

Blog: www.maryfeliz.com/blog/

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

https://www.facebook.com/mary.feliz.581

Twitter: @maryfelizauthor

Kirkus: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/mary-feliz/preview/

Purchase Links:

Amazon B&N Kobo Google Books

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 9 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

July 10 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 10 – cherylbbookblog – SPOTLIGHT

July 11 – The Power of Words – REVIEW

July 12 – Reading Authors – SPOTLIGHT

July 12 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 13 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

July 13 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST

July 14 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

July 14 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 16 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW

July 17 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW

July 17 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST

July 18 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

July 18 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

July 19 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW

July 19 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

July 21 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW, GUEST POST

July 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

July 22 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

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Posted in Cozy Mystery, Mysteries, New Releases, Thriller

Two New Mysteries at Surprising Prices

Posted on by Debbie

If you like cozies:

mybook.to/LLLibrary 

Who killed library patron, Mr. Small?

When librarian Eugenia Pratt finds the body of a patron in the archives, she employs the help of Agatha, the library’s cat, to ferret out a clue to who-dun-it.

If you like thrilers:mybook.to/BulletBack 

With Friends Like These…

When Susan Drummond accompanies her husband, Ray, to his cabin where he goes to get away from it all and write, her friends and father become concerned that she isn’t answering her cell phone. They all decide to check in on her and find no trace of her or Ray except a newly dug grave.

Maybe you like both? They’re free on KindleUnlimited or only 99 cents each on Amazon. 

Posted in Cozy Mysteries, New Releases

Spotlight for As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles by Leslie Budewitz

Posted on by Debbie

As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles (A Food Lovers’ Village Mystery)
by Leslie Budewitz

About the Book

As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles (A Food Lovers’ Village Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Midnight Ink (June 8, 2018)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0738752419
Digital ASIN: B075W25FNF

Erin is one smart cookie, but can she keep the holiday spirit—and herself—alive till Christmas?

In Jewel Bay, all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily has turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.

When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?

Includes delicious recipes!

About the Author

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. She lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician, and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model, and avid bird-watcher.

Connect with her on her website, http://www.LeslieBudewitz.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N BookBub Kobo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

June 6 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – COZY WEDNESDAY

June 7 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW

June 7 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW

June 7 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 8 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

June 8 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW

June 8 – Carole’s Book Corner – GUEST POST

June 9 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

June 9 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW

June 10 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

June 10 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST

June 11 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

June 11 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

June 11 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

June 12 – The Power of Words – REVIEW

June 12 – Island Confidential – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 12 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

June 13 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW

June 14 – cherylbbookblog – REVIEW

June 14 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT

June 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

June 15 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW

June 16 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW

June 17 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 18 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW

June 18 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 19 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW

June 19 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

June 19 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

June 20 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

June 20 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST

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Posted in Bookblast, Cozy Mysteries, New Releases

BookBlast for Hightail it to Kinsey Falls by Gayle Leeson

Posted on by Debbie

Hightail It to Kinsey Falls (Kinsey Falls Series)
by Gayle Leeson

About the Book

Hightail It to Kinsey Falls (Kinsey Falls Series)
Women’s Fiction
1st in Series
Grace Abraham Publishing (May 22, 2018)
Print Length: 139 pages
Kindle ASIN: B07C46H3WH

All work and no play make Jade a dull girl.

Jade Burt can do without her grandmother’s meddling in her love life. But when Millie finds an abandoned baby possum, it leads her to Caleb Young. Caleb would be perfect for Jade! When Jade meets Caleb, it’s hard to argue with her grandmother’s choice. Still, Jade is determined to push Caleb away, but his friendship with Millie concerns her. What if he’s a slick con man trying to take advantage of a sweet old lady? Jade needs to figure Caleb out before he breaks her grandmother’s heart…and Jade’s too!

About the Author

 

 

Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. I also write as Amanda Lee. As Gayle Trent, I write the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series. As Amanda Lee, I write the Embroidery Mystery series.

I live in Virginia with my family, which includes my own “Angus” who is not an Irish wolfhound but a Great Pyrenees who provides plenty of inspiration for the character of Mr. O’Ruff. I’m having a blast writing this new series! But, never fear, I’m also working on a new cozy mystery series as well.

Website: http://www.gayleleeson.com http://www.gayletrent.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GayleTrent

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/gayletrent/pins/

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

Purchase Links:

Amazon Kobo Apple

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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BOOK BLAST PARTICIPANTS

May 22

FUONLYKNEW

Cozy Up With Kathy

View from the Birdhouse

Queen of All She Reads

Bibliophile Reviews

Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

May 23

StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

Varietats

The Power of Words

Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews

Readeropolis

May 24

Babs Book Bistro

Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

MJB Reviewers

The Montana Bookaholic

May 25

Ruff Drafts

Socrates’ Book Reviews

My Reading Journeys

Laura’s Interests

Brooke Blogs

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

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Posted in Anthology, Mysteries, New Releases

Introducing Plots and Schemes, Vol. 2, a Mystery Anthology by Solstice Publishing

Posted on by Debbie

For me, time is the greatest mystery of all. The fact is that we’re dreaming all the time. That’s what really gets me. We have a fathomless lake of unconsciousness just beneath our skulls.

Anthony Hopkins

I’m proud to have two of my mysteries featured in this new mystery anthology by Solstice Publishing. Check out my cozy mystery story, “Murder at the Lavender Lake Library” and my thriller, “Bullet in the Back.” The other stories in this collection are just as intriguing.

A good mystery will keep the reader engaged in the story while they’re also trying to figure out who done it. Solstice Publishing brings you ten mysteries by nine talented authors that will have you panting for more. Enjoy these stories!

eBook: https://bookgoodies.com/a/B07CTTVDTN

Print book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1625267851/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525388581&sr=1-1&keywords=plots+%26+Schemes+vol.+2

A hunter mistakes a woman for a wild turkey. A tragic accident… or murder?

Who killed library patron, Mr. Small?

Escaping violence doesn’t mean you won’t get away!

To the edge of Heaven and back!

With friends like these…

Two high school teachers become vigilantes.

Surprising mysteries lie behind Walt’s death.

Just another unusual day at Farstone Town.

Come on over to Tough Luck Lounge and relax in a Tiki Bar!

For nearly a hundred years, no one knew the truth.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/eLDffF_0dJw

Ten tales by nine talented authors will take you through mysteries of all sorts. Join with Susan Lynn Solomon, Debbie De Louise, Johnny Gunn, Jeffery Martin Botzenhart, Jack Adler, E.B. Sullivan, Palvi Sharma, Lois Crockett, and K.C. Sprayberry for Plots & Schemes Vol 2.

Posted in Cozy Mysteries, New Releases

Spotlight on 39 Winks: A Maggie O’Malley Mystery by Kathleen Valenti

Posted on by Debbie

39 Winks (A Maggie O’Malley Mystery)
by Kathleen Valenti

About the Book

39 Winks (A Maggie O’Malley Mystery)

Medical Mystery/Thriller
2nd in Series
Henery Press (May 22, 2018)
Print Length 298 Pages
Digital ASIN: B07B9M3VZ7

Former pharmaceutical researcher Maggie O’Malley is losing sleep. Her boyfriend Constantine’s aunt is a multitasking sleepwalker who, in addition to wandering her stately home, prepares meals, folds laundry and, one winter night, stumbles across her husband with his throat slit.

It’s a rude and gruesome awakening that’s upsetting to Aunt Polly. And interesting to the police.

Maggie and Constantine work to uncover who killed the cosmetic surgery mogul and why. As they dig into the lives of those who knew him best, they discover that the truth is only skin deep and doctoring perception is a treatment with deadly side effects.

A gripping page-turner with more twists than a surgeon’s suture, 39 Winks is a tale of lies, betrayals and greed that will keep you up at night. And looking over your shoulder.

About the Author

When Kathleen Valenti isn’t writing page-turning mysteries that combine humor and suspense, she works as a nationally award-winning advertising copywriter. 39 Winks is the second of the Maggie O’Malley mystery series and follows her debut mystery, Protocol. Kathleen lives in Oregon with her family where she pretends to enjoy running.

Learn more at www.kathleenvalenti.com.

Author Links

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

Twitter – https://twitter.com/KathyValenti1

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16773270.Kathleen_Valenti

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N Kobo BookBub

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 14 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 14 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

May 15 – The Editing Pen – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 16 – The Montana Bookaholic – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

May 17 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST

May 18 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

May 19 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 20 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST

May 21 – Readeropolis – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 22 – T’s Stuff – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 23 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST

May 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

May 26 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 27 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

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Posted in Cozy Mysteries, New Releases

Spotlight on Dead as a Doornail by Tonya Kappes

Posted on by Debbie

Dead As A Doornail (A Kenni Lowry Mystery)
by Tonya Kappes

About the Book


Dead As A Doornail (A Kenni Lowry Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Henery Press (May 15, 2018)
Paperback: 266 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1635113341
Digital ASIN: B079V6DNFW

Beauty is skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone. And doesn’t our Sheriff Kenni Lowry know that? Well, she knows a lot of things.

Lucy Lowell takes great pride in writing negative reviews in the local newspaper for anything that does not go her way. When Lucy is found dead, it appears to be from natural causes.

But Sheriff Kenni Lowry knows there is more to it because the ghost of her grandfather, the ex-sheriff, is standing over the body.

His presence can only mean one thing: Murder!

Since Kenni’s relationship with Deputy Finn Vincent has heated up, Kenni is having trouble conducting the investigation without Finn questioning her every move.

Can Kenni unravel the mystery on her own or will she have to tell Finn the real reason she knows it was murder—the ghost of her poppa?

It’s blowin’ up a storm and only Kenni knows how it’ll end.

About the Author

For years, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been publishing numerous mystery and romance titles with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plot lines and quirky characters but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans.
Sign up for her newsletter on her website at Tonyakappes.com .

Visit Tonya:
Facebook at Author Tonya Kappes,
https://www.facebook.com/authortonyakappes

Kappes Krew Street Team
https://www.facebook.com/groups/208579765929709/

Website
tonyakappes.com

Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4423580.Tonya_Kappes

Twitter
https://twitter.com/tonyakappes11

Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/tonyakappes/

Purchase Links:

Amazon B&N Kobo BookBub

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

May 10 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW

May 10 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST

May 11 – The Power of Words – REVIEW

May 12 – cherylbbookblog – SPOTLIGHT

May 13 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 14 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

May 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

May 15 – Readeropolis – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 16 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

May 16 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

May 17 – T’s Stuff – SPOTLIGHT

May 17 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

May 18 – FUONLYKNEW – REVIEW

May 19 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

May 20 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 21 – My Reading Journeys – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 21 – Varietats – REVIEW

May 22 – The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

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Posted in Cozy Mysteries, New Releases

Spotlight for The Face on the Other Side by John Carenen (Thomas O’Shea Mysteries)

Posted on by Debbie

The Face on the Other Side (Thomas O’Shea Mysteries)
by John Carenen

About the Book


The Face on the Other Side (Thomas O’Shea Mysteries)
Mystery
3rd in Series
FPS (February 10, 2018)
Paperback: 340 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1945338946

He’d promised Sheriff Payne that he wouldn’t take any more matters into his own hands. So, when on a leisurely morning drive, SEAL-trained Thomas O’Shea sees two girls attacking a boy on a sidewalk, he opts not to intervene. When the boy is later murdered in the local hospital, though, all promises are off. What seems at the start to be a simple case of gang activity turns out to be far more. Even O’Shea, who has seen more than his share of evil, could not have guessed what is about to transpire…

About the Author

John Carenen, a native of Clinton, Iowa, graduated with an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from the prestigious University of Iowa Writers Workshop and has been writing ever since. His work has appeared numerous times in Reader’s Digest (including a First Person Award), McCall’s, Dynamic Years, and other periodicals. He has been a featured columnist in newspapers in Morganton, North Carolina and Clinton, South Carolina. His fiction has appeared in regional literary magazines. A novel, Son-up, Son-down, was published by the National Institute of Mental Health. He is happily married to (long-suffering) Elisabeth, and they have two grown daughters, Caitlin and Rowe. When he isn’t writing, he thinks about getting in shape, cheers for the Iowa Hawkeyes and Boston Red Sox, and takes frequent naps. He has traveled extensively, having visited 43 states and 23 countries. He is a USAF veteran, having served in the Philippines and Massachusetts. A retired an English professor at Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina, he is hard at work on another novel.

Author Links

Purchase Links

Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 9 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 9 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST

May 10 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

May 10 – Fantastic Feathers – REVIEW

May 11 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

May 11 – Valerie’s Musings – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 12 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

May 13 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 14 – Blogger Nicole Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 15 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 16 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

May 17 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – GUEST POST

May 17 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW

May 18 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

May 19 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 21 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

 

 

 

Posted in Cozy Mysteries, Guest Post, New Releases

Guest Post by Maymee Bell, Author of Cake and Punishment

Posted on by Debbie

It’s my pleasure to feature a guest post by authorMaymee Bell whose new release, Cake and Punishment, is currently on blog tour with Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book.

From ideas to the page. . . 

I write by the seat of my pants. Not literally, but really—I don’t plot before I sit down, but I do think a lot.

Writing is definitely a job that is solitary. It’s just me and my made up world all day long. And just like in a regular job, whether it be a desk job, teacher, or stay at home mom, I have to make the commitment every single day to show up at my job—bring my fictitious world out of my head and on the page.

Since I write murder, it’s a little different than a novel in a different genre. I have to know the ending and the whodunit and the why before I even type a word on the page. This is when I scour crime scene interviews, reasons people are murdered, motives, news stories and zany ways to kill people.

Checkered Crime is the first novel in my latest mystery series, A Laurel London Mystery, and I knew there had to be a hook besides a mob guy kills because things didn’t go his way. So the “what-if” game starts.

I tape a big sheet of white paper on the wall in my office and I make bullet points of the what if’s with the answers. I’m leaving the answers out here because I don’t want to give away any of the fun details of the novel. You are going to have to buy and read the book for all the fun!

*What if the mob guy was missing a finger? Why is he missing a finger? How can I use that in the murder or the crime?
*What is unique about my heroine? What is her quirk? What if she lost her job and needed an old beater car? What if the car is yellow? What if the mob guy thought it was a taxi? What if he hired her to be his driver? OMG! What if the FBI is watching him? The FBI guy jumps in her car and forces her to work for the FBI…then she’d be working for both sides?
*What is in it for the heroine? 
*What is the crime? Why is the crime so important that it needs to be solved? 

This game goes on and on. I talk to myself and put the quirkiest answers next to the question. It may or may not make it into the book, but my ideas start to flow and the plot begins to take place.

This is when I sit down and begin to write the first draft or the “bones” of the novel. It takes me about one month, sitting butt in chair, and eight hour days to get it finished. After this draft is complete, I go back through the draft and add in all the little quirky or funny parts since I inject humor into the story. This is how I put the “meat on the bones.” The story deepens. My characters deepen and come to life. The dialogue tags take shape and the story begins to form into a solid novel.

This process takes me two – three weeks. After that, I will print out the novel and read it out loud, taking me another week. Here I begin to change around scenes or add more storyline or details.

This is the last before I send it off to my editor for the first round of edits. This is a back and forth process until it’s ready for my beta readers. With the feedback, I complete the novel for one last round of edits before it’s sent out into the world for readers.

I’m giving away ONE prize across all the blogs for a Kindle. Here is the link to the rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway