I have some exciting news to share, but first, I want to thank all those great authors who helped me and my characters host our Cobble Cove mysteries birthday party on Facebook this past week. The guest hosts did a wonderful job, and we had a great turn out of readers.
Now for the big news. My brilliant 7th-grade daughter came up with a great idea which includes all the characters from the Cobble Cove mysteries hosting a monthly event called Cobble Cove Character Chat on the first Wednesday of each month. There will be a different character each month. That character will “chat” with anyone who visits the page that day. The character will post some information about themselves, maybe share an excerpt from a book in which they appear, and also offer a contest, freebie, or something else of interest to readers. Those who visit the CCCC event page may ask any question(s) they want of the character of that month. Doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun? Why not drop by and check out the first chat on Wednesday, December 7?
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Cobble Cove Mystery #2
Welcome to book two of the Cobble Cove cozy mystery series.
If you had the chance to read A Stone’s Throw, you came to know widowed librarian, Alicia, and followed her through the mystery that brought her to Cobble Cove and her meeting with John, the town’s newspaper publisher. InBetween a Rock and a Hard Place, Alicia is faced with several new mysteries and one that is particularly close to home.
This new story features the main characters from book #1 and introduces new Cobble Cove residents.
Between A Rock and a Hard Place releases October 12, 2016
Librarian Alicia McKinney has put the past behind her…
Two years ago, Alicia discovered both a terrible truth and lasting love with John McKinney in the small town of Cobble Cove, New York. Now a busy mother of twin babies and co-author of a mystery series, Alicia couldn’t be happier.
Alicia’s contentment and safety are challenged…
Walking home alone from the library, Alicia senses someone following her, and on more than one occasion, she believes she is being watched. Does she have a stalker? When the local gift shop is burglarized, the troubling event causes unrest among Alicia and the residents of the quiet town.
John and Alicia receive an offer they can’t refuse…
When John’s sister offers to babysit while she and John take a much-needed vacation in New York City, Alicia is reluctant to leave her children because of the disturbances in Cobble Cove. John assures her the town is safe in the hands of Sheriff-elect Ramsay. Although Alicia’s experience with and dislike of the former Long Island detective don’t alleviate her concern, she and John take their trip.
Alicia faces her worst nightmare…
The McKinneys’ vacation is cut short when they learn their babies have been kidnapped and John’s sister shot. Alicia and John’s situation puts them between a rock and a hard place when the main suspect is found dead before the ransom is paid. In order to save their children, the McKinneys race against the clock to solve a mystery more puzzling than those found in their own books. Can they do it before time runs out?
About the Author:
Debbie De Louise is a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island and has been involved with books and writing for over thirty years. She received the Lawrence C. Lobaugh, jr. Memorial Award in Journalism for her work as Features Editor on the Long Island University/C. W. Post student newspaper, the Pioneer. More recently, Debbie received the Glamour Puss Award from Hartz Corporation for an article about cat grooming that appeared on Catster.com. She has published a short mystery in the Cat Crimes Through Time Anthology and two novels, Cloudy Rainbow and A Stone’s Throw, the first book of her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series. Her short stories, The Path to Rainbow Bridge and Deadline appear in the anthologies, Realms of Fantastic Stories and Project 9, Vol. 2 published by Solstice Publishing. She is currently working on a psychological thriller, the third Cobble Cove Mystery, and a new pet-related cozy series. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and two cats.
Sneaky the Siamese from my Cobble Cove mysteries complained that he was overshadowed by the human characters in the first book, A STONE’S THROW, even though he helped Alicia discover an important clue. Then, after he looked through my draft of the sequel, BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, that is coming out soon, he wasn’t happy with the prime scenes I allotted him. Those who know cats are aware that felines can be very stubborn when they want to be, so I came up with an idea to appease his pride. I helped Sneaky start his own blog called Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog: Scooping the Shelves of Cat “Litter” ature. This blog, transcribed by me, will feature Sneaky’s interviews of other cat characters (and occasionally a special guest dog or other animal). It will also include timely news and articles of interest to cats and their humans.
Sneaky has had a large response from cats seeking to appear on the blog, but he is still on the prowl for more guests. If you’re an author who has a cat in any of your books who would like to be featured on Sneaky’s blog, please send an email to sneakylibrarycat@gmail.com.
Cover Image of BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, releasing this fall.
While this blog post topic is a week late for the challenge because I was on vacation and very busy when I returned, I still wanted to write it to introduce one of my newest characters in my mystery BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, the sequel to A STONE’S THROW. I am busy working on edits for this book and hope it’s out in October or November.
Warning: If you haven’t read A STONE’S THROW yet, you might want to skip this post because it contains a spoiler from the ending.
What Kim Pierce, college journalism major from the upcoming BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, Cobble Cove Mystery #2, might look like
While many characters from A STONE’S THROW are still included in its sequel, there are also quite a few new characters as Cobble Cove expands. Two of the newer characters introduced in BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE are college students, Kim Pierce and Andy Phillips. The two young people are journalism interns who work for John at the Cobble Cove Courier. Kim also babysits for John and Alicia’s twins. I am profiling her for this challenge.
Kim is the second oldest in a large family. She wears her brown hair in a ponytail and dresses casually in sweaters and jeans. She and Andy, who work together on the newspaper, are dating. Their relationship becomes tested in the book when he is suspected and later accused of some of the crimes that take place in Cobble Cove during the holiday season. When Kim witnesses an event that touches John and Alicia, her older brother Carter comforts her in Andy’s place.
Here is an unedited scene from BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, Cobble Cove Mystery #2 starring Kim:
The babysitter appeared at the nursery door. She was dressed in tight-fitting jeans, a pale fuzzy blue sweater that accented her light blue eyes. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail.
“Sorry that took so long,” she said not even out of breath having run up the stairs. Alicia envied the girl’s 20-year old body.
“Not to worry. I know how long doctors take. Sheila sent me home because she thinks I need more rest, but I feel fine. John was around earlier, but he’s gone to do some chores. Since you’re here, maybe I’ll take him up on his suggestion to go Christmas shopping or do something in town.”
Kim smiled. “Of course. You deserve to have time to yourself. I can watch the twins until four and then I have to get ready for my evening class.”
“I should be back way before then. How are your classes going this semester?”
Kim walked over to the cribs and looked down at the babies who were starting to fall asleep. In a low voice, she replied. “They’re good. Lots of work, but I enjoy it.”
“How much longer do you need to go before you earn your degree?”
Kim was by Carol’s crib, and she smiled as the baby opened her eyes again and regarded her with a gurgle. She reached down and tickled her.
“So sweet. Your babies are adorable, Alicia. One day, I hope to have cuties like these. But I want to start my career first. If I can afford the classes next year, I’ll be able to finish the following spring.”
Alicia knew college costs were high. “Are you taking out any loans?” When Alicia was at Long Island University, she’d earned some scholarships but she’d also borrowed money in her last year at library school. Luckily, she was able to pay her loan off shortly after she married her first husband.
“I’m not sure that’s a wise thing to do,” Kim said walking over to Johnny and watching as he followed his sister in waking up.
“I hate to have to pay back all that money with interest. I know I won’t earn much in the field I’m entering, especially in the beginning, and I can’t expect my parents to help much since I have three sisters and a brother at home.”
Alicia knew that both Kim and John’s other assistant, Andy, were from lower middle-class families. Kim came from a large family compared to today’s households and, although Andy only had a younger brother, his dad had died in a car accident a few years ago. His mother was struggling to make ends meet. She felt for the young people who were just starting out and was glad that John was paying them for their work on the paper and that she could offer Kim additional money for babysitting.
I’m very excited to participate in the blog challenge Sophia Valentine of Lifestyle and Literature created (see graphic for topics and dates if you have a blog and would like to participate. If you’re a reader, I’m sure you’ll enjoy learning about some of the great participating authors).
To update the readers of this blog with my new books, I’ve created a Ruff Drafts newsletter where I will share the latest news about my books and other projects as well as hold exclusive giveaways and contests for prizes.
As I’ve been hard at work on the second book of my Cobble Cove Mysteries that began with A STONE’S THROW, I will soon be able to give you details and some sneak peeks into the sequel. This content will be shared with my newsletter subscribers first, and some will not even be featured on this blog or any of my social media sites.
So subscribe today to receive my newsletter and become part of my inside fan group. I appreciate your support. The first newsletter will be out in March and will be sent on a monthly basis or more often when I have some extra special news to share.
In addition to other contests and giveaways I will be offering on a regular basis, all those who subscribe during the month of February will be entered into a random drawing for an autographed copy of their choice of A STONE’S THROW or the sequel when it is published (U.S. subscribers only).
Ruff Drafts 