Blog Tour & Review: Death Runs Adrift by Karen MacInerney

Today I have Karen MacInerney to talk about her new book, Death runs Adrift which is the sixth novel in her Gray Whale Inn mystery series. I have always liked the main character, Natalie, and mysteries that involve food have always a big favorite of mine.

My feelings about desks. (And my coffee shop addiction.)

by Karen MacInerney

In the third grade, my parents moved me from the local public school to a very small progressive school housed in an old church, with approximately 25 students and no desks. No desks! We did our work everywhere. Out on the playground. Lying on the stage. Sitting in a comfy chair in the school library. Hanging from our toes from a doorframe, if we were limber enough.

It was an amazing experience.

Years later, when I snagged a job doing technical writing for 3M, I was given a desk in an oatmeal-colored cubicle in the middle of a desert-like expanse of carpet. The only noise was from the air-conditioning and the murmurs of my fellow cell…er, officemates talking to people about riveting subjects like electrical tape and cable ties. I learned a lot about writing during my time there — after trying to make a press release on the anniversary of electrical tape sound exciting, writing synopses of mysteries is a breeze – but I spent almost no time at my desk. Somehow, “desk” felt synonymous with “jail cell.”

These days, I have a beautiful office, with storm-blue walls, hardwood floors, a rag rug, a lovely white corner desk I picked myself, and a view of trees out the window. I sit there to do watercolor sometimes, or to journal, or to pay bills. But when I’m writing a scene of a book? Ninety-nine percent of the time, I grab my laptop, tuck it into my bag, and head for a local coffee shop, where I settle into a cushy chair near the door. ( I avoid tables. Too desk-like, I suppose.)

I think a good bit of my coffee-shop habit can be traced to my desk phobia. But part of it stems from the fact that writing can be a lonely profession; by necessity, authors need to spend a lot of time being quiet and focusing on the screen, trying to pick just the right word or figure out what the characters are going to do next. It can be a wonderful job, and there’s nothing better than losing yourself in an imaginary world when the words are flowing and things just seem to “happen” on the page. But not all days are like that. In fact, many times, putting down words is slow and cumbersome, and tasks like laundry and pantry re-organization suddenly seem both pressing and much more appealing than churning through another 500 words on the computer.

But if I’m in a cozy chair at a coffee shop (as I am right now), where there is no laundry to be done, friends can stop by and say hello, and I’m connected to the world around me, I don’t feel like I’m working. I feel like I’m playing – and the buzz of people and music and espresso machines help me feel less isolated from the world at large, energizing both me and my writing. (I’m sure the coffee helps, too.) I’ve recently found a writing buddy whose schedule meshes with mine, and that’s a huge boon for an extraverted writer like me. Not only do I get to write in a coffee shop, but I’ve got a friend I can touch base with when I’m struggling with a word or a scene.

I know everyone is different, and sometimes I’ve felt like I “should” work at a desk, but I’ve finally allowed myself to do what works for me. How about you? Do you feel more focused at a desk, or do you prefer to work wherever suits your fancy?

About the Author:

Critically acclaimed author Karen MacInerney also teaches writers’ workshops and drives a mean carpool. Her book Murder on the Rocks was selected as an Agatha nominee for Best First Novel. When she’s not writing or chauffeuring children, she loves to read, drink coffee, attempt unusual recipes, and hit the local hike-and-bike trail. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children, and escapes to Maine as often as possible.’

Website/Facebook

With her own wedding fast approaching and her mother-in-law dating an unexpected beau, the last thing Natalie Barnes needs is to find a young man shot dead in a dinghy. A note she finds with the body suggests the dearly departed had a secret rendezvous planned with somebody on the island. But when suspicion is cast on a fisherman Natalie believes to be innocent, she begins to wonder if the murder was the result of a lover’s quarrel . . . or a lobsterman’s disagreement gone horribly wrong.

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Death runs Adrift

Review (4.25 Stars): I have been a fan of the Gray Whale Inn mystery series ever since reading the first one, Murder on the Rocks. I really liked the main character, Natalie Barnes, and how she always seemed to find herself in the middle of a murder mystery when she least expects it. I’ve also been a little envious of Natalie because she has been able to realize her dream of running a beautiful bed and breakfast on a cozy little island. In this story, Natalie comes across the body of a mysterious young man who is a relative newcomer to the island and may have been involved in illegal activities that contributed to his demise. She must work quickly to find the true murderer before an innocent person is put away for the crime.

I really enjoyed this mystery and I was excited to see that Natalie is getting closer and closer to her own wedding day with her fiance, John. Since this is the sixth novel in the series, I loved getting updates on previous characters that I’ve gotten to know over the course of the series and visiting with certain characters that feel like old friends. I also enjoy the atmosphere of each book and the great recipes that are always tucked in the back of every mystery. Ms. MacInerney has the amazing ability to create a unique mystery that will make you lose all track of time while you investigate the clues right along with Natalie. I am looking forward to reading more fun adventures with Natalie, John and the rest of the cast at the Gray Whale Inn in the very near future.

May 5, 2014

Book Spotlight & Review: Nobody by Sarah M. Anderson

Nobody Bodine is a nobody who came from a nobody and will always be a nobody.

He disappears into the shadows-no one sees him if he doesn’t want them to. He exists in neither the white man’s world nor the tribe’s, dispensing vigilante justice when he sees fit. There’s no other place for a man like him in this world.

Until Melinda Mitchell shows up on the rez. From the first moment he lays eyes on her, he can tell there’s something different about her. For starters, she’s not afraid of him. She asks where his scars came from, and why he has so many. But more than that, she sees him. For the first time in his life, Nobody feels like a somebody in her eyes.

Melinda has come west to run the new day care on the White Sandy Reservation. She’s intrigued by this strange man and his tattered skin, and when she discovers that he’s a self-appointed guardian angel for the boy in her care, she realizes that there’s more to Nobody than meets the eyes. But how far will he go to keep the boy safe? And will she be able to draw him into the light?

Amazon/B&N

*EXCERPT*

Chapter One

“You didn’t tell me we were going to have a campfire tonight!”

Nobody Bodine stepped to the edge of the shadows, his gaze focused on the woman who’d spoken. He knew she wouldn’t see him. No one ever did. The thin stand of pines was more than enough cover for him. He stayed back in the darkness, watching from a safe distance. He always kept his distance.

“We have a campfire every night.” Rebel came into view, carrying more logs for the fire. He dropped them and then turned to scan the trees. Damn it, Nobody was going to need a better spot to hide. “Everybody is welcome to sit with us.”

Nobody’s skin prickled. Had he thought this was a safe distance? Safe would be anywhere but here. Safe would be heading to a bar to make sure Lou didn’t go home and beat the hell out of his wife. Safe would be going to make sure Jamie was gonna be okay for the night. Safe was anything—everything—but watching the woman.

But that’s what he was doing. He’d never seen her before but he sure as hell wanted a better look. Proof positive that Nobody was an idiot.
She was crouched down in front of the fire, feeding small sticks into the flame with a wild grin on her face. She wore a long skirt and a tank top. Nobody leaned forward. He could see her bra straps.

He snapped his eyes away from that. He didn’t know who she was but she obviously wasn’t the kind of woman who would give someone like Nobody a second look.

“Melinda!” There was Dr. Mitchell, marching toward the fire with purpose. “What are you doing?”

Melinda. That was a pretty name. Matched her pretty face.

“We haven’t had a campfire since—well, since we were kids! Can we make S’mores?”

What the hell was a somore? Nobody took a step forward so he could hear better. If he had to guess, he’d say the two women were related—sisters, maybe? But this new woman didn’t look much like Dr. Mitchell, who was tall and willowy with that wild mass of yellow curls.

Nobody watched as Dr. Mitchell came to stand next to this Melinda. Melinda put her arm around Dr. Mitchell’s shoulders and leaned against her. They were sisters. They had a lot of the same face, the same pale blue eyes—although Melinda’s were brighter, like the wide-open sky. Melinda was a few inches shorter than her sister, but considerably more . . . shaped. It was hard to miss the curves of her body in that thin tank top she wore over a skirt. Her bra straps were hot pink, although he was trying not to think about that. He wasn’t doing a great job.

Another way she wasn’t like her sister was that Dr. Mitchell didn’t wear anything she didn’t have to—no jewelry, no decoration. Just her doctor’s coat and something to pin her hair back. Melinda was wearing necklaces. He wasn’t close enough that he could tell how many she had, but the firelight was catching on the metal around her neck. And in her ears. And on her fingers. She seemed to single-handedly be making up for the lack of accessories for her sister.

She laughed at something Rebel said as he walked back around the side of the house. Nobody had hardly seen Dr. Mitchell smile, much less laugh, but Melinda threw her head back and laughed with a wild kind of abandon. She didn’t care what other people thought, Nobody could tell. She would wear what she wanted and do what she wanted. The light of the fire caught her hair, making the colors even wilder. He’d never seen hair with red and white streaks painted in it before, but it made her look like she was born in the fire.

Hell, he was starting to feel a little hot himself.

Rebel looked toward the trees again, but he didn’t push the issue. Instead, he settled into his normal spot, telling Melinda Mitchell about life on the rez.

Nobody shouldn’t be here. He didn’t have a place in his life for pretty, fearless women. He should be keeping an eye on Jamie, or, at the very least, checking on his herd of horses. Those two things had been more than enough to keep him busy.

His feet wouldn’t move. Melinda Mitchell was poking at the fire with a stick. Every so often, she’d look at Rebel, but instead of her sister’s devotion, Nobody swore she was rolling her eyes at him. Would she roll her eyes at Nobody? Or would she just cower in fear?

She sat back on her heels, that wild joy all over her face. Damn. He leaned forward to get a better look. Her eyes snapped up, right to where he was. She stood up and moved away from the fire. Toward him.

“What?” Rebel asked, following her gaze.

“Is someone out there?” She pointed—right at him. Not even Rebel could find him in the dark—and this strange white woman was staring at him.

“No,” he heard Rebel say. “Nobody’s there.”

Nobody moved, pulling back into the shadows until he couldn’t see her wild hair or her pretty face. The hair on his arms stood up straight and the hair on his head tried to do the same, despite the tail he wore it in. The darkness wrapped around him until he was nothing but a shadow himself, backing away from the light of the campfire one silent step at a time. When he was far enough away that he could run without worrying about making noise, he turned and raced to where he’d left his horse.

He didn’t know how he did it. Hell, he didn’t even know what ‘it’ was. It wasn’t anything that anyone had ever taught him. All he knew was that if he didn’t want to be seen, he wasn’t seen.

Most of the time, anyway.

He wasn’t a sica, a ghost. For one thing, he was pretty sure he’d never died. Come close a few times, but never actually went over. For another, when he ran, he always had feet. That was the big proof—feet hitting the ground, the earth pushing back against him. Same thing when he got into a brawl. Sicas didn’t break other people’s faces with their bare hands.

The only time Nobody had ever had the same weird sensation had been one time when a storm had blown in over the Badlands. One moment, the sky had been relatively clear as he’d brushed his horses. The next, lightning had struck nearby at the same moment a fierce wind had almost knocked him over. Every single hair on his head had stood straight out. That had almost felt like when he moved into the shadows.

Almost.

Nobody found his horse, Red. Red was a good horse—quiet and careful. She could move through the uncut prairie grass without blowing snot or shying in fear from every little noise. She wasn’t the fastest horse Nobody took care of, but speed wasn’t everything. Plus, she had a tendency to stay put, so Nobody didn’t have to hobble her.

Nobody wasn’t much for fancy names. Most of his horses had names like Spot or Star. Red was red. None of this Whispering Wind of the Plains crap or whatever the people who eventually bought his horses named the animals.

Red came to him with a low whistle, half a mouthful of grass hanging out of her mouth. Nobody patted her neck and then swung himself up on to her bare back. He didn’t own a saddle. Or a bridle for that matter. He didn’t need them.

Something pulled at the edge of his consciousness. That was the other thing he did without knowing how or why—he felt things. Things he shouldn’t feel.

For a moment, his mind turned back to the wild sister of the not-wild doctor. He’d felt something then, too—a pull. Hadn’t that been the whole reason he’d stayed so long?

Not something. Someone. Someone named Melinda.

But the pull he felt right now—he shook Melinda Mitchell from his head. No, it wasn’t her. He tasted fear.

Shit.

Jamie.

Nobody urged Red into a flat-out gallop toward the center of the rez, silently cursing the whole time. What the hell was wrong with him? He shouldn’t have gone to Rebel’s tonight.

Nobody may be a nobody who came from nobody and would always be a nobody, but he’d finally found a purpose in this world. Most people—excepting Rebel and his wife—didn’t look at him. They were either afraid of him—with good reason—or they refused to acknowledge he even existed.

Kids were different. Oh, they were afraid of him, especially the ones who’d been hurt too many times, but it was a lot easier to change a kid’s way of thinking than it was a grown-up who only saw what they wanted to see.

He shouldn’t have let himself get distracted by a woman. He should have been watching over Jamie. That was his job.

The taste of fear got stronger. Panic.

Nobody rode harder.

By the time the lights of the small cluster of houses came into view, Red was foaming with sweat, her sides heaving. Nobody slid off her, mentally promising to give her a good rub-down when they made it back home, away from the porch lights and people.

He slipped into the shadows, edging his way around the houses. A dog lifted its head as he passed, but didn’t bark. They never did.

Jamie’s house didn’t have a porch light, but light spilled out of the windows on the side of the house. From thirty feet away, Nobody heard the shouts of Lou Kills Deer, the screams of Myra Kill Dear, the shattering of glass.

Damn it, he should have been here. Lou was a mean snake when he was sober; Myra wasn’t much better. Together they were one hell of a pair of vicious drunks. Sooner or later, they’d beat each other to death or drive into oncoming traffic or pick the wrong fight in a bar and that would be the end of them. Which would have been fine with Nobody.

Except for their son, Jamie.

Jamie’s light wasn’t on. Nobody prayed that the boy had gone to bed before the drunken arguments had started, that he’d gotten his door locked and the dresser moved over before Lou started punching things.

But that pull told him that hadn’t happened.

He tapped on the window—once, then paused for ten seconds, then quickly two more times. If Jamie was in there, he’d recognize the signal.

A minute later, the window opened. At first, Nobody was relieved to see the kid—but then he saw the blooming bruise over Jamie’s left eye.

Damn it all to hell. He’d let himself be distracted by a woman and Jamie had paid the price.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Jamie said, but his voice wavered and he scrubbed the back of his hand across his nose. “I didn’t cry.”

Nobody nodded, glad that the kid hadn’t given Lou what he wanted.

From the front of the house, Myra screamed.

Nobody slammed his hands on the windowsill and started to heft himself up. He didn’t like Myra Kills Deer. She was a shitty mother who used her son as a shield while taunting her husband. In that, she was a lot like Nobody’s mother. The only real difference was that Myra didn’t hurt her son. Much.

Still, Nobody couldn’t listen as Lou killed her.

Then a crash shook the crappy little house, followed by Lou howling. Looking terrified, Jamie put his hands on Nobody’s shoulders and pushed. “No—he’ll kill you too. Can we just go? I want to go.”

Not likely. Lou was a savage drunk, but Nobody had ten years and thirty pounds of muscle on him, not to mention stone-cold sober reflexes. He could go inside and put an end to Lou Kills Deer and be gone before anyone was the wiser. No one else besides Jamie would know he’d been here. No one would be able to find any proof that he’d been involved, even if they suspected him. And they would only suspect him because of his record.

Nobody stood there, half off the ground, listening as the fight escalated. He wanted nothing more than to show Lou exactly what fear felt like. But Jamie’s eyes pleaded with him.

He hated this, hated knowing that Jamie lived in the same hell Nobody had grown up in. But most of all, he hated that he didn’t do more.

“Please,” Jamie begged. “I want to go home.”

Finally, Nobody relented. He wasn’t here to kill Lou. He was here to protect Jamie, just like he’d always dreamed of someone protecting him.

He dropped back to the ground and turned around. Jamie scrambled out the open window and hung onto him, piggy-back. Jamie buried his head into Nobody’s neck as he ran for Red.

Assuming no one died in that awful house, Lou and Myra would probably spend the next few days drunk and sleeping it off. They wouldn’t even notice that their son was gone. And if they did, Nobody didn’t think they’d care.

He wanted to ride hard for home to put as much space between Jamie and his parents as possible. But Nobody had already pushed Red as far as he dared. So he lifted the kid off his back and onto Red’s.

Then he began the long walk home.

About the Author:

Award-winning author Sarah M. Anderson may live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out west on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, she had plenty of encouragement to learn everything she could about the tribes of the Great Plains.

When she started writing, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go. Sarah writes for both Harlequin Desire and Samhain Publishing.

Sarah won the RT Reviewer’s Choice Best Desire of 2012 for A Man of Privilege and accepted the award in person in Kansas City at the RT convention on May 3, 2013.

Combining snarky humor with shirtless cowboys on horseback, Sarah strives to raise awareness of the realities of life on Lakota Indian reservations. She uses proper Lakota translations when her characters speak their native language.

Sarah lives in Illinois with her husband, son, and rescue dogs. She is a writer and editor at Mark Twain Media, Inc. an educational publishing company. When not chasing her son around or writing, she attempts to read, knit and complete home improvement projects on her historical 1895 Queen Anne house.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Jennifer’s Review of Nobody

Review (4.5 Stars): I have always liked Nobody Bodine because he was this mysterious man that protected the innocent on the reservation but the one person that no one knew much about. I was so glad that we finally got to learn his story and I couldn’t imagine a better person besides Melinda to help us get to know this amazing man. Melinda was such a carefree spirit who used art to help break the ice in creating a new daycare center. She was the first person who could actually see Nobody as a person and wasn’t scared away by the scars and burns all over his body. She saw him as someone special that went through a rough life and she just wanted to get to know the strong man that he had become now.

Nobody was an amazing guy. He looked out for the people on the reservation that were trying to make a difference or weren’t able to take care of themselves like the children that were being abused by their parents. He never wanted anyone else to go through the same hell that he did growing up and this made him such a great hero. He considered himself to be “broken,” because he believed that no one would want a man that had scars and looked like they were a UFC cage fighter. He was known as a ghost among his people and he lived his life that way. I loved seeing him come out of his shell with Melinda and finally get the life that he deserved after being alone for so long.

I’ve enjoyed every romance that Ms. Anderson has put out in the Men of the White Sandy series but I have to say that Nobody is my absolute favorite. I couldn’t get enough of his and Melinda’s story and I was sad to see this book come to an end. He definitely deserved some happiness in his life and I was so glad that Melinda came into his life when he was least expecting it. It is hard not to fall in love with Nobody and want to bring light into his world of darkness like Melinda did.

May 2, 2014May 1, 2014

Book Spotlight & Review: Can’t Stop Loving You by Lynnette Austin

She’s the only dream he wants . . .

Hometown girl Maggie Sullivan can’t wait to get out of Maverick Junction. Designing the wedding gown of the year for her friend-and America’s Favorite Heiress-is the break Maggie’s been waiting for. But her lifelong dream takes an unexpected turn when she runs into her high school sweetheart-now the town’s hotter-than-hot veterinarian.

Brawley Odell, country right down to the tips of his cowboy boots, has returned to take over the local animal doctor’s practice. But the real reason he’s in town is that he’s never stopped thinking about the fiery green-eyed beauty who once captured his heart . . .

Amazon/B&N

About the Author:

Lynnette Hallberg grew up in Pennsylvania’s Alleghany Mountains, moved to New York, then to the Rockies in Wyoming. Presently she, her husband, and her Siamese cat divide their time between Naples, Florida’s beaches and Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. She has a Master’s in Educational Leadership and taught middle school language arts before leaving it to write full-time. Her books have finaled in Romance Writers of America’s national Golden Heart Contest, PASIC’s Book of Your Heart Contest, and Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Contest. Her books include Enchanted Evening from Kensington, and Moonlight, Motorcycles, and Bad Boys, Chantilly Lace and A Pretty Face, and Night Shadows from The Wild Rose Press. Her newest, Just A Little White Lie, is scheduled for a September 2011 release from Carina Press. A lover of books, Lynnette loves to read and write and loves nothing better than to lose herself in her characters’ world. Besides reading and writing, she loves to travel. She’s visited all fifty states with the exception of Alaska. She’s traveled extensively throughout Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa, and Central America-always on the lookout for new characters or a new story. Visit Lynnette at www.lynnettehallberg.com.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Jennifer’s Review of Can’t Stop Lovin’ You

Review (4.5 Stars): I loved Maggie and Brawley together even though there were times I wanted to hit Brawley over the head. He left Maggie when he went off to college and told her that they should go their separate ways to experience life. All Maggie wanted to do was to be with Brawley and she would have followed him to the end of the earth, but he left her heartbroken and alone. Several years later, Brawley is back in Maverick Junction taking over the vet clinic from Dr. Gibson at the time when Maggie’s dream is about to come true. Maggie has an amazing gift of designing beautiful clothing and is moving to New York to debut her new clothing line in a fashion show. Everything she ever wanted is about to happen and Brawley isn’t happy that she is moving to the big city. He realized he made a mistake leaving her and Maverick Junction and was hoping to finally make amends since he realized that she is the only one for him.

I loved Maggie because she worked so hard for everything and it was about to pay off. Everyone was excited about her clothing line and she couldn’t wait to start her life as a fashion designer in New York. She loved her family but this was her time to shine and I wanted her to get everything that she ever dreamed. I have to say that Brawley acted like an idiot in the beginning of the book because he should have just told her how he felt instead of being a jerk about her leaving town. They could have worked something out where she was able to be in New York working on her clothing line and spend some time in Maverick Junction. He caused her a lot of pain and sadness and I felt that he should have done a lot more groveling with flowers and jewelry. 🙂

Can’t Stop Loving You is a great small-town romance and I loved catching up with the other characters in the series. Ms. Austin has the ability to create wonderful romances that will pull at your heart-strings and want a cowboy of your own. I can’t wait to read more from this series and I think Ms. Austin is an author to watch.

May 1, 2014May 1, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb by Cathy Ace

Criminologist and foodie Cait Morgan was looking forward to her dream vacation in Mexico with her boyfriend Bud Anderson. She wasn’t anticipating a fresh corpse on the floor of a local florist’s shop, and she definitely wasn’t expecting Bud to become the prime suspect.

With Bud’s freedom, and maybe even his life, at stake, Cait has to fight the clock to work out which member of the small community living in the seemingly idyllic municipality of Punta de las Rocas might have killed the locally respected florist, and why. Needing to investigate under the watchful gaze of the local police, Cait has to keep her relationship with Bud a secret, and she soon discovers she’s not the only one with something to hide. Peeling back layers of deceit to reveal even more puzzles, Cait struggles with a creeping sense of unreality, desperate to save Bud . . . and, ultimately, herself.

In the third book in the beloved Cait Morgan Mysteries, The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb, travel to the idyllic Mexican countryside as Cait Morgan works against the clock to clear her wrongly accused partner of murder.

Amazon/B&N

About the Author:

Welsh Canadian mystery author Cathy Ace is the creator of the Cait Morgan Mysteries, which include The Corpse with the Silver Tongue, The Corpse with the Golden Nose, and The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb. Born, raised, and educated in Wales, Cathy enjoyed a successful career in marketing and training across Europe, before immigrating to Vancouver, Canada, where she taught on MBA and undergraduate marketing programs at various universities. Her eclectic tastes in art, music, food, and drink have been developed during her decades of extensive travel, which she continues whenever possible. Now a full-time author, Cathy’s short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, as well as on BBC Radio 4. She and her husband are keen gardeners, who enjoy being helped out around their acreage by their green-pawed Labradors.

Website/Facebook

Jennifer’s Review of The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb

Review (4 Stars): Cait Morgan is one of my favorite characters because I love her personality and her fierce determination to discover the truth. In this book, she is on vacation in Mexico with her boyfriend, Bud, when she is immediately thrown into the middle of another murder mystery with Bud as the prime suspect. She has to quickly find answers to this crime before Bud is put in jail for the rest of his life.

The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb will keep you guessing as you are swept away with Cait to find the identity of the killer and clear Bud’s name. Ms. Ace’s characters are well-written, fun and you will enjoy every moment that you get to spend with Cait. This is a great addition to an already delightful mystery series and I’m looking forward to reading more from Ms. Ace.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb. This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by May 8th, please leave a question or comment for Ms. Ace:

April 21, 2014April 20, 2014

Blog Tour Interview & Review: An American Werewolf in Hoboken by Dakota Cassidy

I have the amazingly talented Dakota Cassidy here today to talk about her new book, An American Werewolf in Hoboken. I loved Max and “Fluffy” and I can’t get enough of Ms. Cassidy’s humor in her books.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m an old, ex-small-time beauty queen who writes books about crazy situations with a little romance and smexy. 🙂

2. Can you tell us a little bit about your book, An American Werewolf in Hoboken?

Max Adams is a werewolf cursed to die if he doesn’t find his life mate, convince her he’s the one for her in a little under a month, and has to lead a double life while he does it. Because he ends up caught in full shift by Animal Control, and his life mate, JC Jensen mistakenly adopts him. 🙂

3. How did you come up with the idea for this book?

I always sort of thought wolves don’t look that much different than domestic dogs, so what would happen if one got caught by the pound, one who doesn’t necessarily look exactly like a wolf, but maybe a hybrid. I asked myself the same question I always do, “What if” and I took off from there. 🙂

4. What is the strangest thing that you had to research for a book?

You know, researching phone sex was really interesting. I actually called a phone-sex operator. She was really nice. Her name was Cinderella 🙂

5. What are you working on now?

The Accidental Dragon and more werewolves for the new series!

6. Are there any authors that have influenced you to become a writer?

You know, this just sort of happened to me, but as I began to take this more seriously, I’d definitely have to say Nina Bangs, Sandra Hill and Judith McNaught were huge influences.

7. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Shut up. LOL! Seriously. Go write. DON’T talk about it. Don’t think about it too much. Just do it.

8. I’m a huge Walking Dead fan *cough* Daryl *cough* and I know that you are too, so do you have any other favorite TV shows at the moment?

Back off the Daryl, Jen! I love House of Cards, Blacklist, Resurrection, The Following — OMG, I could go on and on!

9. Favorite vacation spot?

I don’t take those very often, but I loved Key West.

10. Is there one food or drink that you have to have while writing?

Mostly I drink water — sometimes coffee, sometimes Peach Snapple.

Thank you so much for being here, Dakota.

I hope everyone will come check out Max and his whacky clan of werewolves. Please I need shoes. LOL! Thanks for having me, love!

About the Author:

Dakota Cassidy lives for a good laugh in life and in her writing. In fact, she almost loves a good giggle as much as she loves hair products and that’s saying something.

Her goals in life are simple, (like really simple): banish the color yellow forever, create world peace via hot rollers and Aqua Net; and finally, nab every tiara in the land by competing in the Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss World pageants, then sweeping them in a stunning trifecta of much duct tape and Vaseline usage, all in just under one week. Oh, and write really fun books!

Dakota lives in Oregon with her dogs and has a husband who puts the heroes in her books to shame.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Wooing a life mate can be hard enough for a wolf, wooing one while under the threat of a curse even more so.

Wooing a mate while pretending to be her dog? Nearly impossible.

After being drugged and captured by Animal Control, Max Adams is on Hoboken’s doggie death row when his life mate adopts him, takes him home, and promptly names him Fluffy. While JC, in all her new-pet-owner-ness, feeds “Fluffy” vile kibble, dresses him in mortifying dog couture, and schedules to have his manhood removed, Max’s human side gets to know JC. Especially in the biblical sense. Hopefully well enough to make her fall madly in love, mate with him under the full moon, and move with him to Cedar Glen to live happily every after forever and ever amen. And fast.

Because the curse comes with a deadline…and the clock is ticking.

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of An American Werewolf in Hoboken

Review (4.5 Stars): Max Adams is looking for his mate in Hoboken and has to find her before the first full moon to break a family curse. He never expected to be drugged and captured in his wolf form by Animal Control and placed for adoption in an animal shelter. JC Jensen is tired of having worthless boyfriends in her life and decides that adopting an animal will help her from falling for the wrong guy again. She is instantly drawn to Max at the shelter and decides that he is the pet for her and takes “Fluffy” home. Max knows that JC is the one that is destined to be his mate and has a month to convince her that they belong together. So he “moves” in as her next door neighbor and also plays the part of “Fluffy” to get to know JC and as time goes on, falls in love with her. He just has to convince her that she is his mate and not scare her by announcing that he and her precious dog “Fluffy” are one in the same and that he comes from a family of werewolves.

I love Dakota’s writing style because each of her books are filled with love and humor that always makes me laugh out loud. I felt sorry for poor Max in the beginning because he got himself captured by Animal Control and had to deal with humiliation of being a pet dog named Fluffy. He knew that JC was his mate at first sight and was surprised to learn that she was human and not a werewolf like him. JC had the single life that a lot of us women had, meeting jerk after jerk and wondering if we would find anyone worthy in our lives. She decided that adopting a pet was the answer and it was by bringing Max into her life. They were great together as a couple and he made her feel as though she was treasured which is exactly what she needed. I loved Max’s family because of everything they did for the residents of Cedar Glen and how accepting they were of JC without a second thought. An American Werewolf in Hoboken is a sexy, hot romance that will having you laughing at all the trouble that Max gets into while trying to find his mate. I can’t wait to see which one of Max’s family has to take their journey to find their mate next.

April 19, 2014April 13, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Small Town Spin by LynDee Walker

When a superstar athlete’s son turns up dead in a tiny town on the Virginia coast, crime reporter Nichelle Clarke gets the inside scoop. But she quickly spies a gaping hole her inner Lois Lane cannot ignore.

Determined to unravel the mystery, Nichelle fights off paparazzi cameras and an unexpected rival. She uncovers an illegal moonshine operation, a string of copycat suicides, and a slew of closets stacked with more skeletons than slingbacks. Chasing a killer who’s a breath from getting away with murder, Nichelle realizes too late the culprit has her number—and it might be up.

Amazon/Goodreads

About the Author:

LynDee Walker’s award-winning journalistic work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the nation. After nearly a decade covering crime, courts, and local politics, she left full-time reporting for motherhood with a side of freelancing and fiction writing. Small Town Spin is the third in her bestselling Headlines in High Heels Mystery series. The fourth arrives January 2015.

LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is either playing with her children or working on her next novel (but probably not cleaning her house).

Website/Facebook

Jennifer’s Review of Small Town Spin

Review (4 Stars): I was first introduced to the character, Nichelle Clarke, in the anthology, Heartache Motel, that I had the pleasure of reading a few months back. Dateline Memphis was one of my favorite stories from that book and I’m so glad to read her newest adventure, Small Town Spin. Nichelle receives a phone call to do an exclusive interview with the famous family of a teenager who recently committed suicide. What she finds is a mystery that doesn’t quite add up when the clues don’t lead to a troubled young man but one that had so much to live for. As she investigates further, more teenagers are committing suicide in this small town and she is willing to put herself in danger to find answers.

I liked Nichelle because she is such a great character. During most of this book, she was fighting a sinus infection and working long hours to find answers to this mystery which I respected. She was smart, sassy and I loved her determination. The mystery was well-written and engaging until the very last page. I love Ms. Walker’s books and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

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April 19, 2014April 18, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Burnout by Teresa Trent

Today I have Teresa Trent here to talk about her new mystery, Burnout. These books are fun and entertaining mysteries that have great small-town characters.

The Romance of Mystery

by Teresa Trent

I love a mystery, but the best mysteries are also romances. I can remember as a young woman reading all of the Phyllis Whitney books with the wispy maiden drawn on the cover turning her back as she ran away from the dark and brooding mansion house behind her. There was something about that cover that drew me into the story. Maybe I was imagining myself as the young slender woman with beautiful straight hair and the well – fitting evening gown. Yes, there was a mystery, and yes, she was in danger, but she was young and beautiful so that meant there was probably also a young and handsome man somewhere in the story. I was sold. I have never been one to enjoy high body counts and page after page of terrible things one character has done to another. That is probably why I write cozy mysteries instead of thrillers. In a cozy mystery much of the violence is offstage. If there is a report from the coroner it’s usually something the characters read and not something a character finds out from lifting a sheet on a dead body.

There is nothing that kills that romantic feeling faster than an in-depth discussion of the decomposition of a body. No, mysteries need to be interwoven with romance. The main character is stepping out taking chances both in tracking down a killer and allowing their own vulnerability with another character. Will the love interest turn out to be bad or good? Read on and find out.

Even Miss Marple had an element of romance in every story. Miss Marple rarely takes part in a romantic entanglement, but Agatha Christie always made sure that there were younger characters and some elements of romance. In my Pecan Bayou Mystery Series, I have one romantic relationship that is interwoven throughout all five books. I try to capture the relationship from the first kiss between my two characters Betsy and Leo all the way to the love that they share in the fifth book as a married couple. Of course they are not alone. They are surrounded by all of the quirky characters of small-town Texas and quite a few murderers. Leo asks Betsy in one book if there was some sort of bizarre crop dusting with mood-enhancing chemicals that produced so many killer psychos in one tiny town. Still though, no matter how many bodies Betsy finds, Leo keeps coming back to her, sometimes to rescue her and sometimes to get rescued by her.

Isn’t that what love is all about, anyway?

About the Author:

Teresa Trent writes her Pecan Bayou Mystery Series from Houston, Texas. With a father in the army, her family moved often finally settling in Colorado. Living in Texas for the last 18 years she loves the people and even the weather. Teresa includes Danny, a character with Down Syndrome in her Pecan Bayou family and in real life is the mother of an adult son with Down Syndrome/PDD. Creating the character of Danny and all of the other inhabitants of Pecan Bayou has been a joy for her. Even though she lives in the big city, her writing is influenced by all of the interesting people she finds in small towns and the sense of family that seems to be woven through them all.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

It’s November in Pecan Bayou, Texas and while the town is getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday a deadly fire breaks out at the newspaper office. When Rocky, the editor is nowhere to be found, Betsy refuses to believe he has perished in the fire. The entire town is coming down with the stomach flu and Betsy must deal with her husband’s new found celebrity as an on-air weatherman filling in for and under-the-weather Hurricane Hal . Leo loves all the attention he’s getting, especially from the sexy administrative assistant who works at the station. Is their new marriage in trouble already? Find out in the fifth book of the Pecan Bayou Mystery Series. All the characters you’ve come to know and love are back and you’ll find plenty of the Happy Hinter’s recipes and tips included at the end of the book.

Amazon

(This book is currently FREE during the dates of the tour!)

Jennifer’s Review of Burnout

Review (4 Stars): This was a quick and very entertaining mystery that kept me up most of the night. Everyone is pretty much sick with the flu in Pecan Bayou and Betsy is trying desperately to stay well before the holidays. In the middle of all this, there is a terrible fire at the newspaper and Rocky is missing and they aren’t sure if he perished in the fire. Betsy hopes for the best but as the evidence mounts, she may have to face the fact that her longtime editor may have been killed and someone purposely set the fire. Was it an accident or was someone trying to silence Rocky before he exposed the truth on a story that someone didn’t want to come to light?

I like the Pecan Bayou series because these mysteries are always fun and will keep you guessing to the very end. Betsy has overcome so much over the course of this series and I enjoyed the fact that everything was going so well for her in the beginning of this story. She does have quite a few challenges in this story due to some new family dynamics but considering everything she has been through, I know everything will work out for her. Ms. Trent is always able to write intriguing mysteries with great small-town characters and I can’t wait to see what is in store next for Pecan Bayou.

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April 17, 2014April 16, 2014

Book Spotlight & Review: Sweet Talk Me by Kieran Kramer

HE’S SURE GOT A WAY WITH WORDS…
The last person True Maybank expected to run into while picking up her wedding gown was country music superstar Harrison Gamble. Years ago, when they were small-town teens in Biscuit Creek, South Carolina, they shared a forbidden night of passion. Now that she’s about to settle down, True’s love affair with the handsome crooner is a thing of the past. Or is it? From the moment he says hello, she has to fight swooning like an adoring fan.

CAN SHE RESIST HIS CHARMS?
Today he’s rich, famous, and on every woman’s hot list. But back in the day, Harrison wasn’t good enough for debutante True. Since then she’s had her fair share of marital prospects, including the perfect Southern gentleman she’s about to settle down with. Is Harrison the only one to realize the mistake True’s about to make? Can the society girl and the sexy singer make music together – this time around?

Amazon/B&N

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Kieran Kramer currently writes fun contemporary romance for St. Martin’s Press. A former CIA employee, journalist, and English teacher, Kieran’s also a game show veteran, karaoke enthusiast, and general adventurer. She lives where she grew up–in the Lowcountry of South Carolina–with her family. Find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and at www.kierankramerbooks.com.

Jennifer’s Review of Sweet Talk Me

Review (4.25 Stars): I loved Ms. Kramer’s House of Brady series and I was super excited to read her new contemporary release, Sweet Talk Me. The story starts out with True Maybank putting the finishing touches on her wedding plans to longtime beau, Dubose and trying not to freak out as these plans start to fall apart. Harrison Gamble, famous country singer and True’s first love, comes back into her life at the most inopportune time while she is picking up her wedding dress. Harrison decides that needs to stay in town for a few weeks to help his family and to try to rekindle his friendship with True. He thinks her marrying Dubose is a huge mistake and he hopes that with time, he can remind her of the relationship that they had and the possible future they can have together.

True is such a contemporary Southern belle, who holds her head high and puts up a brave front when her world seems to be crashing around her. I loved her strength because she held on to her home and raised her younger sister by herself when her parents died in a tragic accident. She never asked for help from anyone and spending time with Harrison reminded her of a time where she could still achieve her dreams of going to college. He brought out the best in her and was willing to help her without any strings attached. Harrison was every bit the sexy country superstar and no matter what happened in his life, he never forgot where he came from. Both True and Harrison looked out for their family and they seemed perfect for each other, but their pride and the past seemed to get in the way.

Sweet Talk Me is an enjoyable sexy southern romance and I loved every bit of True and Harrison’s story. The pacing was a little slow at times in this book but I liked how these scenes showed how deep the emotions were between them, even after all these years. I always enjoy Ms. Kramer’s books and I’m looking forward to reading more from this great author.

April 12, 2014April 11, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: See Jane Fall by Katy Regnery

When his company is contracted by a magazine to help with a fashion photo shoot, easy-going Yellowstone tour guide Lars Lindstrom rolls his eyes. This means he’ll have to “babysit” supermodel Samara Amaya’s assistant. Little does he know that Jane Mays, Samara’s down-to-earth, smart-mouthed assistant and cousin, with her smoky voice and surprisingly soft heart, is someone of whom he can’t get enough—or that spoiled Samara has her sights set on a weekend fling with him and will do just about anything to get her way.

When a plain Jane faces off with a supermodel to win a cowboy’s heart, just about anyone can end up taking a fall. This time it’ll be for good.

Amazon/Goodreads

About the Author:

KATY REGNERY, contemporary romance author of the Heart of Montana and Enchanted Places series, has always loved telling a good story. She credits her mother with making funny, heartwarming tales come alive throughout her childhood. A lifelong devotee of all romance writing, from Edwardian to present-day, it was just a matter of time before Katy tried her hand at writing a love story of her own.

Living in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, her family creates just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories of all are the messy and unexpected ones.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Jennifer’s Review of See Jane Fall

Review (4.5 Stars): Katy Regnery is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors with her well-written story lines and characters that you can instantly connect with. Jane Mays is no exception and I think that See Jane Fall is in my top five books so far this year. I loved Jane because she was a survivor, she dealt with the loss of her family and dealt with the daily verbal abuse from her prima donna cousin, Samara. Jane was fun, down-to-earth, and needed to step out of Samara’s shadow to grab her chance at love before her cousin ruined everything. It was fun watching Jane and Lars together because they had so much in common and were perfect for each other if they just gave it a chance.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was Samara, Jane’s cousin, because she was a selfish, backstabbing, cruel woman who used her beauty as an excuse to verbally abuse everyone around her. I wanted to smack her for Jane because this woman needed to be brought down a few pegs and it made me root for Jane all the more. I loved reading Jane and Lars’ story in See Jane Fall and I’m dying to read Maggie’s story next from Ms. Regnery.

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April 9, 2014April 8, 2014

Book Spotlight & Review: The Other Half by Sarah Rayner

The mistress. The Wife. Each has her own story.

Chloë, bright hip and single, is a features editor with ambitions to launch a magazine of her own. When she meets her potential new boss, she knows she shouldn’t mix business with pleasure, but finds it impossible to resist…

Maggie appears to have it all. She’s beautiful, a talented writer, and has a gorgeous husband. But something’s not quite right: his job as a magazine publisher is keeping him in the city until late most evenings, and some nights he doesn’t come home at all…

Told in alternating voices of the mistress and the wife, this story of an affair is a sharp, seductive take on modern love. Who, if anyone, comes out unscathed?

Amazon/B&N

*EXCERPT*

Chloë, the mistress, (so to speak) works with her lover, James, and has gone away with him secretly, to New York.

Chloë still had half an hour before she was due to meet James in Bloomingdales, but found a thickly powdered beautician to give her a makeover. She stripped Chloë’s face of its usual make-up and clipped her hair back in order to transform her attractive yet far from supermodel features.
And that is exactly where Chloë was – one eye half made-up, the other bare – when there was a screech from across the counter, a screech that made her blood run cold.
‘Chloë! It can’t be! Chloë! Is that you?’ Out of one eye, Chloë verified that the voice belonged to the person she feared it did.
Jean. Her boss, James’s colleague, and James’s wife’s best friend.
Oh. My. God.
Now Jean was at her shoulder.
‘Hi,’ said Chloë weakly, the powdered beautician still determinedly dabbing at her eyelid.
‘Have you come to the conference?’ asked Jean.
‘Er, no . . .’ Chloë thought supersonic speed. ‘I’m on holiday.’
‘Gosh. What a coincidence!’
‘Got a last-minute booking.’ When lying stick close to the truth, then deflect: ‘How about you?’
‘I’m here for the conference. You should know that!’
If she thought about it, Chloë did.
‘So,’ continued Jean, ‘where are you staying?’
‘With friends in the Village.’ Chloë spoke as best she could with her jaw wide open as the beautician liplined her mouth. ‘How about you?’ Oh please, please, not the Paramount.
‘The Algonquin. I know it’s not trendy but I love it. I can kid myself I’m literary.’
Phew, thought Chloë. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. But – oh, heavens, James! James was meeting her here! If she squinted she could just see her watch: 2.55. She had five minutes to get rid of Jean, at most.
Yet Jean seemed to have no desire to go. ‘So, if you’re here anyway, you should come to the conference, Chloë. I’ll arrange for you to attend. We can go together.’
Aargh! Worse and worse! ‘That would be great.’ Chloë opened her eyes extra wide in horror. The powdered beauty misread the signal, and leapt to attack her with another layer of mascara.
‘Afterwards, if you like, we could go out for supper.’
No, no, no! thought Chloë. ‘I’m afraid I’ve arranged to meet my friends.’ Then, fearing Jean might invite herself, added, ‘They’ve booked Nobu for a birthday bash.’
‘Really?’ Jean was evidently impressed. ‘I gather you have to reserve a table weeks in advance.’
Exactly, thought Chloë.
‘What a hip crowd you must know here.’
‘Oh, I do,’ said Chloë. In for a penny. ‘My friend Matt is a playwright. Lives in the East Village.’
‘Is that where you’re staying?’
‘Um, yes, on Spring Street.’
‘Gosh, how trendy,’ said Jean. ‘Though I’d call that SoHo.’
‘SoHo, East Village, NoHo . . . it’s all the same,’ laughed Chloë, desperately. ‘Eh?’
‘If you say so.’
At that moment, just as she thought she was winning, Chloë saw James weaving his way through Lancôme, Chanel, Bobbi Brown . . .
Drastic action was called for.
Perched on the counter was a huge bottle of eye make-up remover. Hideously oily, but . . . ‘Oh, my God, Jean!’ Chloë shrieked theatrically, and sent it flying. The liquid spilt all over Jean’s designer suit. Then, to make doubly sure, ‘Jean! I am so sorry!’
James was almost upon them. Jean was bent over frantically sponging her jacket with some tissues. The powdered beauty was mopping the counter – it needed one more shriek.
‘Oh, JEAN, how can I make it up to you?’
And – thank God – all at once James seemed to realize what the commotion was about. Chloë saw him dart behind a pillar, just before Jean stood upright, and flee as fast as he could through Christian Dior and Trish McEvoy, past women’s belts and gloves, and out of the nearest door onto Lexington Avenue.

About the Author:

Sarah Rayner is best known as the author of the international bestseller, One Moment, One Morning and its follow-up, The Two Week Wait. But the British author had a life before that; she spent her childhood in the suburbs of the London, then became a punk rocker, spiked her hair and went to university in Yorkshire to study English and get chilblains.

She returned to London in the late ’80s, flattened her hair and worked in fashion PR for a bit, before her boss told her she was better at writing than schmoozing clients, and suggested she become an advertising copywriter. She took the hint, and after ten years in various London agencies, turned freelance, got some short stories published by women’s magazines, and for many years combined life as an author and copywriter. Sarah now writes fiction full time, and lives in Brighton with her husband and stepson.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Jennifer’s Review of The Other Half

Review (4 Stars): One of the things that I liked about The Other Half was that it told the story of an affair from both the perspectives of the wife, Maggie and the mistress, Chloë. Maggie loves James and after having a child and being married several years together, they have lost the spark in their relationship. She would love to have another child but James doesn’t seem to feel the same way and she has been trying everything to bring them closer together. Chloë is a young woman who meets James at work and quickly becomes involved in a sexual relationship with him which slowly becomes something more.

I liked Maggie from the very beginning and I thought that she was a strong character that was trying to strengthen her relationship with her husband. I liked reading her story throughout this book and how she dealt with James’ infidelity. Chloë was a different character for me and I had a hard time sympathizing with her. She knew James was married from the beginning and was even a child of a broken home due to adultery, yet she still got involved with him. The Other Half was a very interesting look at the effects of infidelity and how each character changes over the course of the book because of it. I thought that this book was well-written and I will definitely be reading more from Ms. Rayner.

April 5, 2014April 4, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Death on Eat Street by J.J. Cook

I’m pleased to welcome J.J. Cook here today to talk about their new book, Death on Eat Street. I love culinary mysteries so this one is definitely high on my list.

1. Tell me about your new release.

Death on Eat Street is about Zoe Chase who gives up her job at a bank to follow her heart, and become a food entrepreneur. She buys a diner that needs substantial renovations, and creates a food truck to finance that plan. Her ace-in-the-hole is the biscuit bowl: a deep friend biscuit with the center hollowed out and filled with pie filling, custard, beef stew, or chili. She has some difficulties getting started when she finds a dead rival food truck owner, but has friends who help her through the bad times.

2. What inspired you to write mysteries?

We have both always loved mysteries! Sherlock Holmes, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew. We love the puzzle, and solving it while we write the story.

3. What is the most interesting/strange thing you had to research for your books?

We actually got in the middle of a food truck feud over parking places. We put that into Death on Eat Street since we lived through it. People hire others to keep certain places open in good sales areas. Failing that, they get physical pushing other food trucks out of the way. It was a strange, and scary experience!

4. What are you working on now?

We are working on our next food truck book, FRY HARD, and our seventh Peggy Lee Garden Mystery, LETHAL LILY, which is out in May. Our first book in the Retired Witches Spell Book Mystery, SPELL BOOKED, will be out in December.

5. Are there any authors or books that have influenced you to become a writer?

We read across genres – mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy – and like to write in all those genres. We love Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Tanith Lee, Carole Nelson Douglas, and Barbara Hambly.

6. What was the first book you ever wrote and was it published?

The first book that we wrote was A Family for the Sheriff, and it was published by Silhouette in 1999 under one of our pseudonyms, Elyssa Grant.

Thank you so much for being here on Books-n-Kisses.

Thanks for having us here today!

About the Author:

J.J. Cook writes award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, Joyce and Jim Lavene, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family. Visit them at www.jjcook.net.

Twitter/Facebook

Zoe Chase always wanted to own her own restaurant—but first, she’ll have to serve up a heaping helping of meals on wheels, with a side of mystery. When she’s once again passed over for a promotion at work, Zoe decides to take the big leap and go for her dream. She quits, gives up her fancy digs, and buys a fixer-upper diner in a shady part of town. To keep above water during the renovation, she buys a used food truck to serve the downtown and waterfront of Mobile, Alabama. Zoe starts to dish out classic Southern food—but her specialty is her deep-fried biscuit bowls that blow traditional bread bowls away. After a promising start, things start to go downhill faster than a food truck without brakes. First, someone tries to rob the cash register. Next, Zoe is threatened by the owner of a competing food truck for taking their spot. And when the owner ends up dead inside Zoe’s rolling restaurant, Zoe and her sole employee, Ollie, find themselves hopping out of the frying pan into the fryer. They need to find the real killer, before both of them get burned.

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Death on Eat Street

Review (4.5 Stars): Zoe was a great character for me because she took a chance on making her dreams come true and quit her dead-end job to open up a diner. Her family thought she was crazy because all she wanted to do was make people smile by having them eat her food. She quickly becomes involved in the death of a food truck competitor whose dead body ends up in the driver seat of her food truck. Even though she is cleared as a suspect, Zoe still finds herself in dangerous situations from someone who believes that she is hiding something that belonged to the deceased. She now has to find the true identity of the killer before her dreams of success go up in smoke.

This is the first book in the Biscuit Bowl Food Truck mystery series and I’ve already become a fan of Zoe and her friends. I liked how Zoe was truly a good person who always looked for ways to help other people even though she barely knew them. She came from a rich family who tried to push her into staying at a boring job and marry a guy who was absolutely wrong for her. She believed in the people that she just met and they turned out to be people that she could really count on when her family wouldn’t support her dreams. I thought the murder mystery was exciting and full of plot twists that will definitely keep you on your toes. Death on Eat Street is a delectable mystery that will have you craving one of Zoe’s famous biscuit bowls and I can’t wait to see what is in store for Zoe next.

Giveaway

I have one copy of Death on Eat Street to giveaway. This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by April 10th, please leave a comment or question for J.J. Cook:

April 3, 2014April 2, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: A Killing Notion by Melissa Bourbon

Today we have Melissa Bourbon here on Books-n-Kisses to talk about her new book, A Killing Notion. She is also the author of the Lola Cruz mystery series, so please give her a warm welcome. 🙂

1. Tell me about your new release.

A Killing Notion is the 5th book in A Magical Dressmaking mystery series. If you know anything about Texas homecoming, you may have heard about big Texas mums. Homecoming and mums set the stage for the latest mystery Harlow Cassidy needs to solve.

2. Where did you come up with the idea for this series?

I live in Texas and wanted to create a small, quaint town that would be one I’d like to live in (minus the murders!). When creating Harlow, I wanted her to have an interesting history. Making her a descendent of Butch Cassidy gave her a unique background and also allowed her, and all the Cassidy women, to have charms. The magical element is very light… just enough to add a little twist of fun to the stories!

3. What was the most interesting thing that you had to research as a writer?

With the Lola Cruz mystery series, I researched nudist resorts. There was one about ten miles from our house which I actually went to. I interviewed people who worked there, and people who were members. To say it was interesting is an understatement! I haven’t done anything quite as bold or crazy since them. I don’t foresee any nudist resort mysteries in Harlow Cassidy’s future.

4. Which authors do you feel have influenced you to become a writer?

I would have to say Agatha Christie. During high school I read all of her mysteries and loved every one of them. I remember going to the library with my mom so she could check out Curtain, Hercule Poirot’s last case. So while she’s not a writer, my mom also greatly influenced me.

I also love magical realism, so Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen are two contemporary authors I like. Practical Magic is one of my favorite books.

5. What are you working on now?

I just finished the 6th Magical Dressmaking book, A Seamless Murder. It’ll be released in January 2015. I’m in the process of the fourth Lola Cruz mystery and a proposal for a new series. Details to come!

6. Favorite TV guilty pleasure? Downton Abbey, True Detective, and House of Cards. LOVE them all!

7. Favorite Food? Warm chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven, baba ganoush (crazy love!), and spanakopita (spinach and feta strudel made in fila dough) – not all in the same meal, of course. 😉

About the Author:

Melissa Bourbon, who sometimes answers to her Latina-by-marriage name Misa Ramirez, gave up teaching middle and high school kids in Northern California to write full-time amidst horses and Longhorns in North Texas. She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with yoga and chocolate, is devoted to her family, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.

She is the Marketing Director with Entangled Publishing, is the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series with St. Martin’s Minotaur and Entangled Publishing, and A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series with NAL. She also has written two romantic suspense novels, a light paranormal romance, and is the co-author of The Tricked-out Toolbox, a practical marketing guide for authors.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Harlow Jane Cassidy is swamped with homecoming couture requests. If only she didn’t have to help solve a murder, she might get the gowns off the dress forms….

Harlow is doing everything she can to expand her dressmaking business, Buttons & Bows—without letting clients know about her secret charm. When she has a chance to create homecoming dresses with a local charity and handmade mums for several high school girls—including Gracie, whose father, Will, has mended Harlow’s heart—she is ready to use her magical talents for a great cause.

But when Gracie’s date for the dance is accused of murder, Harlow knows things won’t be back on course until she helps Gracie clear the football player’s name. If Harlow can’t patch up this mess before the big game, her business and her love life might be permanently benched.

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Jennifer’s Review of A Killing Notion

Review (4.25 Stars): I love books that deal with magic and this series is definitely a winner. In A Killing Notion, Harlow is enjoying the success of her business and is in the middle of creating homecoming dresses for the local high school girls. When the boyfriend of one of the girls is accused of murdering his father, Harlow decides to use her investigating skills once again to help clear his name.

I’ve always liked Harlow and I was glad to see that her relationship with Will was still going strong in this book. I love spending time with these characters and enjoy the shenanigans of Harlow’s ghostly grandmother, Loretta Mae, who always makes an appearance when least expected. This clever mystery had me guessing until the very end and I have to say this series keeps getting better and better. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series, A Seamless Murder, which will be out early next year.

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