Category: Cozy Mystery

Becoming More Familiar

By Darcy Merriweather from Heather Blake’s Wishcraft mysteries

Have you ever heard of familiars? You’d think that I would have brushed up on all my witchcraft terminology when I found out I was a witch and then moved to the Enchanted Village in Salem, Massachusetts, where there’s a witch on every corner.

But I’d never heard of a familiar, didn’t know what they were, and had never seen one until one was quite literally underfoot. If you’re as clueless as I was, here’s the definition from dictionary.com (don’t you love that website?)

Familiar: an animal, as a cat, that embodies a supernatural spirit and aids a witch in performing magic.

Since I’ve been in the village, I’ve come across a couple of familiars: Pepe (a mouse who works at Bewitching Boutique) and Archie (a Macaw who works for the Craft’s secret Elder). But I know there are more, maybe even one under my own roof. Could it be Missy, our dog? Tilda, our cat?

I’ve begun questioning every critter I come across but so far no one’s talking. I guess time will reveal who’s who and what’s what around here.

Until then, I’m hoping Pepe and Archie will help me solve the murder that recently occurred in the village—and help me to brush up on all things witchcraft. Can’t hurt to ask them, right?

About the Author:

Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber) is the author of more than twenty novels and has been twice nominated for an Agatha Award. She’s a total homebody who loves to be close to her family, read, watch reality TV (especially cooking competition shows), drink too much coffee, crochet, bake (mostly cookies), and occasionally leave the house to travel to the beautiful mountains in the northeast. Heather grew up in a suburb of Boston, but currently she lives in the Cincinnati area with her family and is hard at work on her next book.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

The Enchanted Village is abuzz when the old Tavistock house finally goes up for sale. Darcy’s friend Curecrafter Cherise Goodwin is hoping she will have the winning bid on the home, but Darcy can’t shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen—and her magical instincts are usually right.

Sure enough, while Darcy and Cherise are looking at the property, they discover real estate agent Raina Gallagher stone-cold dead on the floor. Clutched in her hand is a gemstone amulet and, on the wall above her, a large red A. While Raina had no shortage of enemies, there’s also a dark legend about the house itself. To track down the killer, Darcy must unlock the secrets of both the deceased and the estate—and she’ll need to act fast, because revenge is a deal that never closes.…

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Jennifer’s Review of Some Like It Witchy

Review (4.5 Stars): Some Like It Witchy is a magically entertaining addition to an already charming cozy series.  Darcy and her friend, Cherise, are visiting the old Tavistock house that Cherise intends to buy, when they discover the body of the real estate agent upstairs in the master bedroom.  Darcy finds herself in the middle of another mystery with a killer that will do anything to prevent their identity from being discovered.

This is one of my favorite series and I love the Enchanted Village and all its inhabitants.  Darcy and Nick’s relationship is progressing nicely and I’m looking forward to seeing what is up for them next.  I loved the mystery involving the old house and the secrets that everyone believed the old owner was hiding from the rest of the village.  I was so involved with this mystery that by the time we reached the end, I was blindsided by the identity of the killer.  Never saw that coming at all.  Ms. Blake has done a great job with this series and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Some Like It Witchy. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by May 15th, please leave me a comment below:

The Cape Cod of the Midwest is this cozy’s setting

With author Christine DeSmet, the Fudge Shop Mystery Series

Ava Oosterling and her Grandpa Gil operate Oosterlings’ Live Bait, Bobbers & Belgian Fudge & Beer on a harbor in Door County, Wisconsin, known as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest.”

In Five-Alarm Fudge, Book 3 of the Fudge Shop Mystery series, Ava and her Grandpa Gil are again mixed up in a fun fudge felony—this time involving romance, royal relatives, and revenge.

When a visiting European prince asks Ava Oosterling to unearth a priceless, 1800s divinity fudge recipe, the request fans the flames of foul play, with murder marring Ava’s Cinderella dreams.

Prior to the story, Grandpa took it upon himself to invite the prince of Belgium to visit. Grandpa insists the prince is a shirt-tail relation but far enough removed by ancestors to qualify as marriage material for Ava.

Ava is beside herself with Grandpa. She’s in the midst of a rekindled romance with her ex, Dillon Rivers, who is refurbishing the Blue Heron Inn in order for Ava to take it over. In the meantime, Ava lives in a rundown rental cabin with an ever-present field mouse.

Grandpa has also promised the prince that Ava will find a long, lost divinity fudge recipe supposedly hidden in a local historical church by a Belgian nun during an 1871 fire.

The irony of being surrounded by miles and miles of water in this peninsular county is that on October 8, 1871 the very real Great Fire happened—taking an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 lives in this region. This event occurred the same days as the famous Chicago fire that took about 300 lives.

This novel delves into a lot of real history of the region. Did you know that this area is home to the only church-sanctioned Marian sighting in the United States? You’ll learn about the real Sister Adele Brise, who hid in a wood church and was spared in the Great Fire. Prior to that event, she reported being visited by Mary, the mother of Jesus. Today, travelers from across the United States stop at the shrine in Champion, Wis., on their way to Door County.

Just north of there, in Namur, Wis., Grandpa Gil feels sure that the traveling, teaching nun must have hidden an early version of a divinity fudge recipe in the brick church, thus protecting the special recipe from fires.

Ava scours the local church for the recipe, but instead finds a dead body, a fire, and the start of a game of hide-and-seek with an arsonist out to do in Ava before she can try on the glass slipper.

Other regular characters in my series include Ava’s best friend Pauline, who’s a kindergarten teacher, and Laura, who’s having twins and waiting for her husband to come home from a special mission in the Middle East.

There’s also a smart gaggle of church ladies who often cause Ava no end of trouble when they volunteer at the fudge shop.

And Dillon Rivers’ American water spaniel, Lucky Harbor, finds his nose in all kinds of trouble in every fudge mystery.

My series presents a warm-hearted view of a real place popular for vacations. I hope readers have a chance to look it up online to explore and then visit sometime where reading a Fudge Shop Mystery while lazing away a day in a hammock is what Door County is all about.

About the Author:

Christine DeSmet writes the Fudge Shop Mystery Series (Penguin Random House/NAL/Obsidian). She’s also an award-winning scriptwriter and teaches writing at University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies where she directs the annual June Write-by-the-Lake Writer’s Workshop & Retreat. You can write to her at UW-Madison, cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu or find her on Facebook or at her website, www.ChristineDeSmet.com.

It’s autumn in Fishers’ Harbor, Wisconsin, and fudge shop owner Ava Oosterling is busy preparing for the harvest festival and a visit from some royal relatives who live in Belgium. According to Ava’s grandpa, a famous divinity fudge recipe from the 1860s is hidden somewhere in a local historical church—a treat fit for a prince.

But when a fire in the church reveals the body of a murdered man, it looks like someone is willing to go to any length to possess the valuable secret to the divinity fudge. As Ava searches for the killer—and the recipe—she could use a little divine intervention, because she may have bitten off more than she can chew…

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Jennifer’s Review of Five-Alarm Fudge

Review (4 Stars): Five-Alarm Fudge is a charming mystery filled with irresistible treats, fascinating characters and a complex plot-driven whodunnit that kept me reading past my bedtime. Ava and her family are preparing for a visit from some royal relatives and Ava must find a missing fudge recipe that her grandfather said that she would make for their visiting guests.  When a fire in the church leads to the discovery of a dead body, Ava learns that this missing recipe may be the motive for murder and is on the hunt to find another killer before it is too late.

Ava is such an interesting character and I enjoy spending time with her and her lovely friends with each new mystery.  I loved seeing how far she has come over the course of the series, especially in her relationship with her old flame, Dillon.  The mystery was entertaining and fun and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the Fudge Shop Mystery series.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Five Alarm Fudge. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by April 22nd, please leave me a comment below:

Walker Boone here from the lovely city of Savannah, Georgia. The azaleas are in bloom, the magnolias are big as dinner plates and I’m on the run.

In Demise in Denim, I’ve kind of gotten myself into one big huge mess and it looks like Reagan Summerside and Auntie KiKi are the only ones trying to get me out of it.

You see there was this dead guy in a bathtub. Not my bathtub but his own and my housekeeper happened to stumble across the body. If I remember right it went something like…

“See, there he is, Mr. Boone,” Mercedes said to me. “Just like I told you on the phone, Conway Adkins dead as a fence post in his very own claw-foot bathtub and naked as the day he was born.”
“I take you added the washcloth?” I said to Mercedes, both of us standing in the doorway and staring at the corpse.
“Couldn’t be having the man laying there with his shrivelness all exposed to the world now could I. Not proper for a man his age.”
     “Or for the rest of us,” I added.

At first Mercedes was the number one suspect. That was bad enough because she’s a friend and she can’t be beat as a housekeeper. On both accounts–and with my dust-bunnies threatening to mutiny—I went after the rear killer.

I didn’t have a lot of luck, in fact I almost got killed a few times and then…somehow…I wound up the number one suspect.

“This is circumstantial evidence,” I said to Reagan as we stood on the sidewalk outside my house. “The police have to see that someone’s setting me up to cover their own butt.”
     “It’s your butt that needs covering, Walker Boone,” Reagan offered. “The police found your .38 and it matches the bullet that killed Conway. The cops are on their way. You got to get out of here right now.”
      I looked at my red ‘57 Chevy convertible parked at the curb. “Might as well put a target on my back driving this thing.”
      Reagan shoved her helmet at me.      “Take Princess.”
     “A scooter? You want me to ride a pink scooter named Princess?”
     “Better than that being your nickname in the big house.”

Reagan was a big help in me getting away but it might not be enough:

The convertible top was down, a crescent moon hung low over the marshlands and the night sky was filled with a bazillion stars as I drove Walker Boone’s precious ’57 red Chevy toward Tybee Post. It was a perfect spring night except that my palms were sweating, my heart was rocketing around in my chest, and there were one, two, make that four police cars on my bumper, their red and blue lights flashing in my rearview mirror.

I need a place to hide out but where? Where would you go if you were on the run? Who would help you out? Let me know and I’ll give away two Demise In Denim totes from the answers. Wish me luck.

About the Author:

Duffy Brown loves anything with a mystery. While others girls dreamed of dating Brad Pitt, Duffy longed to take Sherlock Holmes to the prom. She has two cats, Spooky and Dr. Watson, her license plate is Sherlok and she conjures up who-done-it stories of her very own for Berkley Prime Crime. Duffy’s national bestselling Consignment Shop Mystery series is set in Savannah and the Cycle Path Mysteries are set on Mackinac Island.

Website/Facebook

It’s springtime in Savannah, Georgia, in the newest Consignment Shop Mystery from the national bestselling author of Pearls and Poison. The azaleas and magnolias are in bloom—and Walker Boone is on the run. . .

When Reagan Summerside turned the first floor of her old Victorian home into a consignment shop, she never imagined she’d be harboring a fugitive in her attic. But after a dead man is found in a bathtub and local lawyer Walker Boone is accused of doing the dirty deed, she suddenly has a new houseguest.

Having the lawyer who took her to the cleaners in her divorce settlement—and who has been getting under her skin ever since—in close proximity is enough to drive Reagan to distraction. For the sake of her sanity—and Walker’s freedom—they need to put their heads together to find out who is trying to get the lawyer out of the picture . . .

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Jennifer’s Review of Demise in Denim

Review (4.5 Stars): I want to warn everyone first that Demise in Denim picks up right after the events of Dead Man Walker, which is a novella that was released in earlier this year.  It would be helpful to read this first but if you are already familiar with these characters then you are able to follow along with the story rather quickly.  Boone is wanted for murder and it is up to Reagan to figure out the identity of the killer who is trying to frame Boone for a crime he didn’t commit.

I absolutely love this series because I can’t stop myself from laughing as I read all the crazy antics that Reagan seems to find herself in with each book.  I enjoyed seeing how Reagan and Boone’s romantic relationship was progressing in Demise in Denim and I’m happy to say that I had a huge smile on my face by the end of the book.  Demise in Denim is a charming mystery with the right dose of southern sass and hospitality that always has me coming back for me.  I adore Reagan and I can’t wait to see what is up next for her and Boone in the future.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Demise in Denim. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by April 22nd, please answer Duffy’s question above:

The author of Maple Mayhem returns to Sugar Grove, New Hampshire, where the Greene family—including Dani’s irksome Aunt Hazel—are busy preparing for the annual Maple Festival. But nothing kills the festive spirit like murder…

Aunt Hazel isn’t exactly sweet, but she’s not the only one putting syrup maker Dani in a sour mood. Her family is trying to help renovate the town’s Opera House, but their contractor Russ Collins seems to specialize in finely crafted excuses. And his latest one is killer.

In the Opera House basement, Russ uncovers the remains of Spooner Duffy, a charming drifter thought to have skipped town decades ago with a hefty sum of the town’s money. Tapping into some unpleasant memories, Spooner’s bones also threaten to reveal a murderer’s secret, and now it’s up to Dani to catch a killer before the town is stuck with a deadly reputation.

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About the Author:

A nearly life-

long resident of the Granite State, Jessie naturally adores black flies, 98% humidity, killing frosts in August and snow banks taller than the average grandmother.

When not working on her next murderous adventure she enthusiastically combs the beach, designs bento lunches and throws parties. She delights in mentoring young writers at local schools.

Her debut mystery, Live Free or Die, was the 2011 winner of the Daphne DuMaurier Award for Mainstream Mystery.

Jessie lives with her dark and mysterious husband and exuberant children in a village so small most other New Hampshire residents have never heard of it. Hearing from readers makes the winter seem shorter so please drop her a line.

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Jennifer’s Review of A Sticky Situation

Review (4 Stars): This is the third book in the Sugar Grove mystery series and I absolutely adored Dani in this book.  I loved the humor that was sprinkled throughout this book and the lengths that Dani and her family went to trying to avoid spending time with Aunt Hazel.  The mystery was very entertaining because it was very complex and well-written and is bound to please cozy readers alike.  A Sticky Situation was a fun romp with fascinating characters and a spunky heroine that is absolutely delightful.  Looking forward to read the next book in the series to see what Dani finds herself involved in next.

Giveaway

From the author of Be Careful What You Witch For, here is the newest Family Fortune Mystery, starring former cop Clyde Fortune, who—snowbound with her kooky family in a creepy castle—is climbing the walls and combing the halls, looking for a cold-blooded killer…

After their flight to Mexico is cancelled, Clyde and her detective boyfriend, Mac, end up snowed in with their families at a supposedly haunted hotel. Clyde’s tarot card reading mother, Rose, is making dire predictions for the weekend, and self-proclaimed pet psychic Aunt Vi is enchanted by the legend of the hotel’s ghost—until the power goes out and a body turns up.

With a hotel full of stranded suspects, Clyde will have to draw on all her skills—both the police ones she’d rather forget and the psychic ones she’d rather ignore—to solve the bone-chilling mystery before someone else gets iced…

Amazon/B&N

About the Author:

When I was ten years old, my two favorite things were climbing trees and reading. As a bonus, I discovered if I combined the two, I could hide from my mother when she wanted me to clean my room. Nancy Drew and I spent many afternoons solving crimes and avoiding chores. Eventually, I moved on to Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, and Stephanie Plum. I improved my housework-dodging ploys.

After many years in Michigan, I now live in Iowa with my husband, son and daughter. When I’m not writing or chauffeuring kids, I keep busy catering to the whims of a bossy bichon-shih tzu mix who wants to rule the world.

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Jennifer’s Review of A Fright to the Death

Review (4.5 Stars): Clyde and Mac are headed to a romantic getaway in Mexico when a horrible snow storm shuts down everything including their flight to their destination.  Determined to make the best of the situation, Mac takes Clyde to a charming hotel that he had heard a lot about only to discover that Clyde’s family is there for a knitting convention. Things go from bad to worse, when a body is found and the killer is trapped right along with them because of the snowstorm.  Now Mac and Clyde must find a killer before they decide to take their next victim.

It is always a treat to visit the charmingly eccentric characters of Crystal Haven and each book in this series is more delightful than the last.  I loved how Clyde and Mac’s relationship was progressing by the end of the book and I felt so sorry for them that they ended up at the last place they wanted to be while on vacation. A Fright to the Death is a hauntingly fun mystery filled with thrills and chills, that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Can’t wait to read more from my favorite magical family in the next book.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of A Fright to the Death. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by April 19th, please leave me a comment below for Dawn:

Finding a Book Club that Fits

by Laura DiSilverio

Up front confession: I do not currently belong to a book club, even though I’ve just launched a series about the five women who make up the Readaholics book club.

Over the stifled gasps, I add: I would like to, but with two teens still at home, I have not carved out the time to join one or start one. [Embarrassed pause.]  Okay, that’s weak. We make time for the things that are important to us, right? I mean, I make it to the gym 3-4 times a week, and to Bible study every other week, so if I were serious about wanting to join a book club, I would. After all, CEOs and government ministers and stay-at-home moms with six kids find time (and babysitters) and get to their once a month book club meetings.

Book Club Types

I’ve gotten as far as debating what kind of club I would like to join. One that reads best-sellers? One that reads classics? A club that mixes it up with fiction one month and non-fiction the next? One that has husbands and wives, or one that’s all women? One that spends ten minutes discussing the book du jour and an hour catching up with friends and noshing? Or a club that huddles around a facilitator with a long list of prepared questions?

I divide most book clubs into two groups: social and serious. There’s usually a lot of wine or margaritas at a social book club, and furrowed brows and note-taking at the serious ones. As a writer, I’ve talked to clubs of both kinds and enjoyed them both. I get all my best what-to-read-next recommendations from book clubs.
Reading Like a Writer

I think part of my inertia is because I haven’t ever been part of a book club that wants to look at books the way I do, as a writer. Francine Prose wrote a book called Reading Like a Writer some years back, and I think she’d be great to have in a book club. Yeah, it can be interesting to argue about the social issues raised in a book, and ask “What would I do in such-and-such a situation?” But I want to dissect how an author makes a character sympathetic, or how she raises the tension in a particular scene, or why he chose a particular setting. Few of my friends and neighbors want to take a book apart that way. That’s not a slam on them–they’re not writers.

I’m sure a movie director would have a similar experience watching movies with non-industry friends. Her buddies might be gushing about the moral dilemma portrayed in the film, while the director says, “Did you notice how that shot was framed, or that transition, or the lighting?”

Resolved

While writing this post, I’ve come to the conclusion that I really do want to be part of a book club. If I start a book club that spends at least part of every meeting looking at how the author wrote the book (and part of each session quaffing wine, chatting and arguing about the book’s content), will any of you join me? We’ll have to call ourselves the Readaholics, of course.

In the comments, please recommend a book for us to start with!

P.S.:  If you don’t live close enough to Colorado Springs to make it to meetings, why not check out the Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco to see what they’re reading?

About the Author:

My life began, from a writing perspective, when I went to college. That’s not to say I didn’t write stories before then. I did. I’ve always written and, in my elementary years, illustrated stories. My tales always featured horses and princesses I could render with flowing manes of hair. Anyway, when I say my writing life didn’t begin until college, that’s because my home life was so overwhelmingly normal and angst-free: no family divorces, no abuse, no felons, no deaths, no drugs or alcohol, no shop-lifting or sex parties to win peer approval. (Have you heard what 12-year-olds are up to today? I shudder.) My father was an Air Force pilot and we moved a lot, living in Georgia, Texas, Washington, the Philippines, and Oklahoma before I was out of high-school, but I liked the peripatetic lifestyle.

I wrote my first novel for a creative writing class at Trinity University. Professor Bob Flynn inspired me and heroically refrained from gagging when reading the contemporary romance I titled “Jeweled Torment.” That manuscript is buried in a box in the garage, along with the Regency romance I wrote shortly after joining the Air Force. I concentrated on becoming a good intelligence officer for many years before doing any more significant writing. I served with an F-16 wing in Korea, helped resolve reports of live-sightings of Vietnam prisoners of war while working out of the embassy in Bangkok, pushed paper at the Defense Intelligence Agency, earned my Master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania, taught English for three years at the Air Force Academy, learned cool things about satellites (none of which I can ever write about) at the National Reconnaissance Office, attended various professional schools, did my time in the Pentagon, commanded a squadron in England, and ended up in Colorado. Along the way, I married my wonderful husband and produced two beautiful children who re-defined what is important in life. A moment of Holy Spirit-guided epiphany in Elliot’s Bay bookstore in Seattle convinced me it was time to embark on writing and mothering full time. I retired from the Air Force in late 2004.

My motto? Never, never, never, give up. I’m also fond of the saying that sits on my desk beneath a photo of a sailboat on the sea: “You cannot discover new worlds unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

One of those new worlds included the privilege of serving on the Sisters in Crime Board, for which I am now their immediate Past President.

I discover more new worlds all the time in my writing and I give thanks every day for being able to pursue my passion.

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Jennifer’s Review of The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco

Review (4.5 Stars): This was a great start to a new cozy series and I loved that the mystery revolved around a bookclub comprised of women that loved mysteries.  Amy-Faye was sweet, spunky and I love the humor that was laced throughout this mystery.  The secondary characters in this story are a real treat and I believe that The Readaholics and The Falcon Falso is a definite winner.  I haven’t read any of Ms. DiSilverio’s other mystery series but that will definitely change since I enjoyed this one so much.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by April 13th, please leave me a comment below:

Things have been quiet in the coastal town of North Harbor, Maine, since Sarah Grayson and her rescue cat, Elvis, solved their first murder. Sarah is happy running Second Chance, the shop where she sells lovingly refurbished and repurposed items. But then she gets dragged into a controversy over developing the waterfront. Most of the residents—including Sarah—are for it, but there is one holdout—baker Lily Carter.

So when Lily is found murdered in her bakery, it looks like somebody wanted to remove the only obstacle to the development. But Sarah soon discovers that nothing is as simple as it seems. Now, with the help of her cat’s uncanny ability to detect a lie, Sarah is narrowing down the suspects. But can she collar the culprit before the ruthless killer pounces again?

Amazon/B&N

About the Author:

Sofie Ryan is the pseudonym of young adult writer and mixed-media artist, Darlene Ryan. As Sofie Kelly she writes the Magical Cats mysteries. And as Sofie Ryan she writes the Second Chance Cats series. Sofie/Darlene lives on the east coast with her husband and daughter. In her spare time she practices Wu style tai chi and likes to prowl around thrift stores. And she admits to having a small crush on Matt Lauer.

Website

Jennifer’s Review of Buy A Whisker

Review (4 Stars): Readers are in for a real treat with Buy A Whisker.  Sarah finds herself in the middle of a community dispute over whether the waterfront should be developed and help bring more tourists to the lovely town of North Harbor.  Everyone in town seems to be for the proposed plan except local baker, Lily Carter and she refuses to sell her business for the waterfront development.  Soon, Lily is found murdered in her bakery and now Sarah and her trusty feline sidekick, Elvis, must find a killer before they decide to take another victim to get keep this project going.

I love little Elvis and he can tell when people are lying which has come in handy in helping Sarah find a killer in the past.  This cat is so adorable and has definitely become one of my favorite characters in the series.  Buy A Whisker is a cute, charming mystery that will have you wanting to spend more time with this spunky crime-fighting duo.  The mystery was intriguing with several plot twists and the right amount of humor to make the pages just fly by.  Looking forward to reading the next mystery, A Whisker of Trouble, which is due out next year.

Giveaway

Ladle to the Grave

Guest Post by Connie Archer

When a local woman is poisoned at a pagan ritual in the woods, Lucky Jamieson’s grandfather, Jack, who provided the herbs for the gathering, is suspected of making a terrible mistake.  The following day, a dead man is found floating in a creek just outside of town, his face unrecognizable.  Is he a stranger or Lucky’s best friend’s estranged brother?  Lucky is certain both deaths are murder.  Can she find the connection and clear her grandfather’s name before more victims fall prey to a killer?  

I hear voices . . . voices of my characters, that is.  They’re all clamoring in my head, telling me what they think, how they feel, what they want.  I have to shake my head to remind myself they are all figments of my imagination.  Or are they?  Do we create more than we know, more than we ever imagine, when we write stories and invent characters to people those stories?

I recently received an email from a fan of the Soup Lover’s Mystery series.  She had attended an author panel and wrote a very kind note.  She remarked how much she enjoyed listening to authors talk about future plans for their characters, characters, she said, “. . . that readers think of as friends.”

Her note struck a chord.  I know when I pick up the next long-awaited book in a series, I feel the exact same way – that I’m about to embark on an exciting adventure with an old friend — [fill in the blank here] – Caitlyn Tierney or V.I Warshawski or Kinsey Millhone.  I was suddenly humbled and wondered if perhaps readers also think of the denizens of the By the Spoonful Soup Shop and the residents of Snowflake, Vermont as friends with whom they can share an adventure.

Do we, as authors, lose sight of that?  Do we become too concerned with the next story line, the next plot point, the next sale, the next review, losing touch with the fact that we are entertainers who provide escape, adventure or comfort to our readers?  After all, we most likely remember more about our favorite characters’ lives and histories than we do some of our friends and acquaintances in the real world.

Each choice an author makes will outline that fictional life path, and we, as authors, must stay true to the characters we’ve created, no matter what flaws they may possess or what crimes they become involved with.  Will Jack Jamieson, Lucky’s grandfather, survive and thrive past the ripe old age of 86?  Will Sophie and Sage create a successful future together?  Could the village’s librarian have once dispatched her husband years before?  And does Hank Northcross harbor a deep dark secret that threatens his present life?

We must cherish our characters.  If we don’t, how can we expect our readers to connect with them and love them as well, even if some of them are the ones we love to hate?

So yes, I listen to those voices.  They’re important.  Our characters take on a life of their own and authors must listen.  Are they any less real as friends because they exist only between the covers of a book?  I don’t think so.

Wait . . . they’re speaking to me again.  I need to hear what they have to say . . .

About the Author:

Connie Archer is the national bestselling author of A Spoonful of Murder and A Broth of Betrayal, the soup lover’s mystery series set in Vermont, from Berkley Prime Crime. The fourth book in the series, Ladle to the Grave, was released on March 3, 2015. Connie was born and raised in New England. She now lives on the other coast.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

By the Spoonful is Snowflake, Vermont’s most popular soup shop, but owner Lucky Jamieson doesn’t have any time to enjoy her success—she’s too busy trying to keep a lid on false accusations against her loved ones…

It’s almost May, and some of the local ladies have organized a pagan celebration in the woods to welcome spring. But the evening goes terribly wrong when one of the attendees winds up dead, apparently poisoned by an herbal concoction prepared by Lucky’s grandfather, Jack.

Lucky’s sure her grandfather could not have made such a tragic mistake. But before she can clear him of suspicion, her best friend, Sophie, is diverted from planning her wedding to By the Spoonful chef Sage DuBois when she finds a dead man floating in the creek on her property. Now it’s up to Lucky to get both Sophie and Jack out of hot water before a killer stirs up more trouble…

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Jennifer’s Review of Ladle to the Grave

Review (4.25 Stars): This is one of my favorite series at the moment and I love spending time with Lucky and her friends in Snowflake, Vermont.  Lucky finds herself deeply involved in the wedding plans for Sophie and Sage’s upcoming nuptials as well as having her hands full with the day to day operations of her restaurant.  While Sophie and Lucky are visiting Sophie’s property, they stumble on a dead body in the creek and now Lucky has another murder on her hands.  On top of that, Jack is being accused of providing herbs that may be involved in the death of a local woman and can’t prove that the herbs he gave her weren’t poisonous. Lucky must use her sleuthing abilities to clear both their names before all their plans become permanently postponed.

Ladle to the Grave is an enchanting mystery filled with clever plot-twists, delightful characters and yummy recipes that will have you coming back for seconds.   This is the fourth book in the Soup Lover’s mystery series and I always find myself craving a hot bowl of soup after I’ve finished reading one of Ms. Archer’s mysteries.  I liked that there were two murders to solve in this book which made it interesting for me as the reader.  I adore Lucky and the characters of Snowflake, Vermont and I know that readers will as well, once you start this charming series.

Giveaway

A FIRST DATE DEATH: A Love or Money Mystery

by Diana Orgain

I am so happy to introduce A First Date with Death to you. I wrote the book because like many of you, I’m a huge fan of some reality TV programs. I especially love those shows that deal with dating or a love story. I’m riveted by the human dynamics of watching one girl/boy go after the person that is unavailable while completing shunning the contestant that proclaims ever-lasting love. And yes, I’ve been known to yell at the TV.

But, of course, I’m a mystery author at heart. So, I began to wonder what would happen if I played with that setting and placed a mystery around it?

A First Date with Death was born! What could be more fun than to mix up the venue of reality TV and a murder mystery? (Although I promise you no one was harmed during the writing of this book). But if you watch any of the commercials for the TV Shows of which I speak, you know that usually there’s a fair amount of tears.

I hope you won’t cry when you read A First Date with Death except maybe from laughter. Oh – and there is a bit of suspense, not only will you have to keep guessing “who done it” but also you’ll have to guess who wins the show!

I’d love to hear from you. You can find my website at: www.dianaorgain.com Or email me at: diana@dianaorgain.com.

About the Author:

Diana Orgain is the author of the Maternal Instincts Mysteries and coauthor of Gilt Trip with Laura Childs in the New York Times bestselling Scrapbooking Mysteries. She holds a B.A and M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University with a minor in acting. Diana has acted professionally both on stage and in national commercials. She’s written several plays, which were produced at San Francisco State University, GreenHouse Productions, and PlayGround. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and three children. Visit her at www.dianaorgain.com.

Reality TV meets murder in the first in a new mystery series from the author of the Maternal Instincts Mysteries and co-author the New York Times bestselling Scrapbooking Mysteries.

When brokenhearted Georgia Thornton goes looking for romance on reality TV, she has nothing to lose—apart from a good man, a cash prize, and maybe her life…

What was Georgia thinking? Sure, some cad ditched her at the altar, but can she really find love on TV? Her best friend—and producer of the reality show Love or Money—thinks so. Ten men. Ten adventure-filled dates. What can go wrong? For starters, a faulty bungee cord that hurls Georgia’s first date into a tragic spiral of the Golden Gate Bridge.

He’s replaced by Paul Sanders, Georgia’s former fiancé. But the cop isn’t looking for a TV gig. Suspecting that the lover’s leap was no accident, Paul’s going undercover. When another bachelor gets a fatal kiss-off, the reality is that someone has killer new plans for the show—and for Georgia herself. Now, under the threat of permanent cancellation, Georgia fears that the only man on the set she can trust is the one man she just can’t count on…

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Jennifer’s Review of A First Date With Death

Review (5 Stars): One of my favorite guilty pleasures has been watching Reality TV dating shows and this mystery incorporates it all.  Mystery, romance, and reality television.  Georgia has just lost her job and her fiancé so she decides to be the bachelorette on a show where contestants try to win her hand for love or money.  Georgia must figure out who is in it for love or the cold hard cash but someone is slowly knocking off her potential suitors one by one.  To make matters worse, her ex-fiancé ends up on the show posing undercover as a contestant to find the killer before they take out all the competition for good.

I loved, loved, loved A First Date With Death.  I instantly adored Georgia and understood everything that she was going through that made her agree to do a reality show.  She was sweet, funny and such a firecracker and now one of my favorite cozy heroines.  I enjoyed learning all about making a “reality TV” show and everything that we see on television isn’t real but staged for the camera.  The mystery was very interesting and engaging and I couldn’t figure out the killer at all, which is always a bonus for me.  This is a great start to a new series and I will definitely tune in for the next installment of this fun new cozy series.

Giveaway

A Cover By Any Other Season
By Laurie Cass

For an author, there are many high points on the road to a book’s publication. Getting the first solid idea for the book’s plot is a great moment. So is starting the first draft. And then there’s the giddiness of snapping out a paragraph that just sings, and there’s the satisfaction of finishing the first draft, the relief when you finalize the last round of edits, and the thrill of seeing a copy of the book in a bookstore … but before that happens, there’s an agonizing moment to endure, a moment that’s fraught with angst and tension.

Yep, I’m talking about the day you get the first glimpse of your book’s cover.

This process is different for different authors and publishers, but in my case, I don’t have much hand in the cover design. What happens for me is that my editor asks if I have any ideas for the cover and I almost always say no, because I’m busy writing the book and haven’t given Thought One to what the cover might look like. My editor says okey-dokey and a couple of months later she emails me an image and writes, “Hope you like it!”

I’ve had great good luck with all of my book covers, but the cover for BORROWED CRIME blew me away. It’s flat out gorgeous. The bookmobile is parked in a forest glade, birds are flittering about, books are displayed outside amidst wildflowers, and everything is green and growing and almost magical-looking with the way the sunlight is shimmering through all the green.

There’s only one problem; the book takes place in early winter. And while winter for some people means putting on a sweater and mowing every other week instead of every five days, it’s a little different in northern Michigan, where the bookmobile cat mystery series is set.

Up here, early winter means no green leaves, no grass, and the only flowers to be seen are in flower shops, not outside growing out of the ground. Instead, we have bare trees, cloudy skies, and snow. Wet, sloppy, drippy, snow that chills you to the bone.

As I looked at the beautiful but oh-so-very seasonally incorrect image, I suddenly understood my editor’s comment of, “Just so you know, the cover is a little warm.”

Ah. Now I get it.

My suggestion that the artist paint some snow over the top of everything wasn’t taken seriously. Neither was my other suggestion, which was to save this cover for the next book, which takes place in late spring.

So what’s an author to do?

Well, since there wasn’t much this particular author could do about the situation, I figured I might as well see the humor in the whole thing. After all, it makes for a good story, right?

And besides, it’s hard to be too upset because it really is a beautiful cover!

About the Author:

Laurie Cass grew up in Michigan and graduated from college in the 80’s with a (mostly unused) degree in geology. She turned to writing in the late nineties. After a number of years in management, she felt the need to move on and took a job with fewer responsibilities. A month later, she was dead bored and began to consider writing as a way to wake up her brain. She started reading a lot of books on writing and happened across a particular sentence: “What’s it going to be, reasons or results?”

The phrase practically stuck her in the eye. She printed it out, framed it, and put it next to her computer. “Reasons or results?” At the end of her life, was she going to have a pile of reasons for not having done anything? Or was she going to sit down and write a book? Once she started looking at it that way, the decision was easy. A short 13 years later, her first book was published.

Currently, Laurie and her husband share their house with two cats, the inestimable Eddie and the adorably cute Sinii. When Laurie isn’t writing, she’s working at her day job, reading, attempting to keep the flowerbeds free of weeds, or doing some variety of skiing. She also write the PTA Mysteries under the name Laura Alden.

Website/Facebook

Librarian Minnie Hamilton spreads the joy of reading throughout Chilson, Michigan, with her bookmobile, but she doesn’t ride alone. Her rescue cat, Eddie, and a group of volunteers are always on board to deliver cheer—until one of her helpers gets checked out for good…

When Minnie loses a grant that was supposed to keep the bookmobile running, she’s worried her pet project could come to its final page. But she’s determined to keep her patrons—and Eddie’s fans—happy and well read. She just needs her boss, Stephen to see things her way, and make sure he doesn’t see Eddie. The library director doesn’t exactly know about the bookmobile’s furry co-pilot.

But when a volunteer dies on the bookmobile’s route, Minnie finds her traveling library in an even more precarious position. Although the death was originally ruled a hunting accident, a growing stack of clues is pointing towards murder. It’s up to Minnie and Eddie to find the killer, and fast—before the best chapter of her life comes to a messy close…

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Jennifer’s Review of Borrowed Crime

Review (4 Stars): Borrowed Crime was a delightful mystery with engaging characters, clever plot twists and a purrfect sidekick.  Minnie Hamilton is having a hard time finding funds to keep her beloved bookmobile program running and she is at her wit’s end trying to find a solution. On top of that, she is desperately trying to find volunteers to assist her when the bookmobile makes their scheduled stops. When one of her new volunteers is found dead and all the evidence points to murder, Minnie must solve the clues fast before her beloved bookmobile is shut down for good.

This is a great series and I just love Minnie and her feline buddy, Eddie.  I felt bad for Minnie in the beginning of the book because she was completely stressed that she would lose her beloved bookmobile program and that her boss knew all about Eddie joining her for every trip.  The last thing she needed was for one of her volunteers to be murdered and she ends up discovering the body once again.  The mystery in Borrowed Crime was thought-provoking and had me trying to figure why the victim was killed, when the clues didn’t point to the killer right away.  I loved getting updates on my favorite supporting characters and I’m glad that Minnie’s love life was still heading in the right direction.  This is the third book in Bookmobile Cat Mystery series and I’m looking forward to reading book number four, Pouncing on Murder, when it comes out later this year.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Borrowed Crime. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by March 15th, please leave me a comment below: