FEATURED BOOK: HAPPY HOMICIDES

Happy Homicides 2: Thirteen Cozy Mysteries (Crimes of the Heart)
Cozy Mystery Collection
Print Length: 597 pages
Publisher: Spot On Publishing (February 14, 2016)
ASIN: B01B3FKGOU

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this mystery anthology, Happy Homicides 2: Thirteen Cozy Mysteries, Crimes of the Heart, the authors include Joanna Campbell Slan, Teresa Trent, Neil Plakcy, Elaine Viets, Annie Adams, Camille Minichino, Nancy Jill Thames, Linda Gordon Hengerer, Kathi Daley, Carolyn Haines, Anna Celeste Burke, Randy Rawls, and Maggie Toussaint. 


Love can be deadly. As proven by these traditional mysteries, cunningly crafted by thirteen bestselling and award-winning authors. Nearly 500-pages of heart-warming, brain puzzling, and character-driven reads. Your purchase includes a free gift, a file with recipes and craft ideas sure to put you in a romantic mood any time of the year!

A COMPLETE LIST OF THE STORIES:

Stupid Cupid: A Cara Mia Delgatto Novella by Joanna Campbell Slan: Cara Mia’s search for love gets her involved in a star-crossed, homicidal romance.

A Heart for Murder by Teresa Trent: An expensive family heirloom is stolen from a local jewelry store, and Betsy Livingston Fitzpatrick would love to figure out who’s responsible.

 For the Love of Dog by Neil Plakcy: A young woman’s death causes a man to consider the many aspects of love. Is it ever a justification for murder?

Wedding Knife by Elaine Viets: A groom learns to take his vow – Till death do we part — very, very seriously.

Death and a Dozen Roses by Annie Adams: Plucky florist Rosie McKay is reunited with an old love, thanks to complications that happen when she tries to deliver a dozen roses.

The Sodium Arrow by Camille Minichino: The love of a student for a favorite teacher drives a freelance embalmer to seek out justice.

Sweets, Treats, and Murder by Nancy Jill Thames: Jillian Bradley is a widow with no children, but she still has a keen sense of family. Her love of a good mystery sets her and her canine companion, Teddy, on a quest for justice.

Dying for Valentine’s Tea: A Beach Tea Shop Novella by Linda Gordon Hengerer: The three Powell sisters want their friend Thelma to find true love, but they’re having trouble believing her fiancé has her best interests at heart.

The New Normal by Kathi Daley: Although her own dreams have been shattered, Ellie Davis finds it impossible to quit loving an old friend, even after he’s accused of murder.

Bones and Arrows by Carolyn Haines: Intrepid Sarah Booth Delaney would rather face a gun than a party on Valentine’s Day. Not surprisingly, she’s decided that Cupid is a big phony. But is he a jewel thief, too?

Murder at Catmmando Mountain: Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery 1 by Anna Celeste Burke: Georgina Shaw loves her cat, chocolate, and cooking. When she’s framed for a crime, she’s forced to reconsider her priorities.

The Missing Jacket by Randy Rawls: A golfing buddy offers Jonathan Boykin big money to retrieve a stolen jacket, but Jonathan suspects something else is going on. Jonathan is smart enough to discern the difference between love and lust. But can he also figure out the scam?

Really, Truly Dead by Maggie Toussaint: Lindsey McKay has no desire to return to small town life. But her love for her father brings her back home when he’s accused of murder.

~ Bonus Story ~

Impediments: A Kiki Lowenstein Short Story by Joanna Campbell Slan—Family problems and priestly politics threaten to derail a love match, until Kiki Lowenstein suggests a surprising solution.

Find out about the authors on their webpages below.

Joanna Campbell Slan

Teresa Trent

Neil Plakcy

Elaine Viets

Annie Adams

Camille Minichino

Kathi Daley

Nancy Jill Thames

Linda Gordon Hengerer

Carolyn Haines

Randy Rawls

Anna Celeste Burke

Maggie Toussaint


And get to know one of the authors, Maggie Toussaint, in the interview below.

INTERVIEW WITH MAGGIE TOUSSAINT

Maggie, do you write every day?
I stay on track when I set word count goals by the week. I write best in the morning, so that’s my top priority each morning. As we know, life often intervenes, and we don’t have our “primo” time available for writing. Then I have to get creative to meet my word count goal. I might jot down bullets on areas to pursue, or I might deepen someone’s character so that I learn something else about him or her. I might search out photo writing prompts related to my work-in-progress. Sometimes, I’ll pull out a notebook and write everything that comes to mind – the story will eventually make its way into the narrative. There’s just more junk in the way during the non-prime time writing window.

How often do you read?
Daily. Sometimes hourly. Enough said!

What is your writing style?
My style is heavily about the people and the places they live. I do my level best to make setting a character in each story. Though my early books were set in Maryland, I now write exclusively about the Georgia coast and the unique flavor of life here.


What do you think makes a good story?
I thoroughly enjoy a book with a solid whodunit that keeps the reader guessing. That book is even better if it has a romantic subplot. Since I write what I like to read, my favorite genre is romantic cozy mystery. My Really, Truly Dead novella falls solidly into this genre.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
My keys. It is no fun being locked out of your own home. We’ve left keys with neighbors before, but they are often busier than we are. We’ve hidden keys in safe places, but someone always forgets to put that key back. It’s better to carry your keys with you all the time.

What do you love about where you live?
My house looks out onto a salt marsh. Every day, there’s something different outside. Some days the marsh is golden like a wheat field; other days it’s the color of growing corn stalks. Birds come and go, chasing after the marine life in the twice daily tides. If I didn’t have this drive to keep writing, I’d be out and about snapping pictures all the time.


What’s your favorite beverage?
Everyone who knows me can answer this question: tea! I have always loved tea, even during my young adult Coca Cola phase. No matter what other liquid tempts me, tea is what I always come back to, whether it’s iced or hot. This beverage can be both energizing and comforting, and the peppermint kind can even settle your stomach. How can you go wrong with tea?

I totally agree! What is the most daring thing you've done?
Back in the day, my friends and I loved climbing trees to the very tippy-top. From there we became entranced with the idea of climbing on roofs. As children do, we figured out when there would be no adults at my one-story house and figured out to climb up on the roof. The view was excellent up there, but I didn’t like getting near the edge. Too scary.

If that wasn’t enough, from there we climbed down and used a plum tree to gain access to the carport, which had a tin roof. The metal flexed made creaks and groans as we walked on it. Because we had to drop down on the roof from the tree, we would have to leap up and out to grab the branch. None of us wanted to do that. The other two gals jumped to the ground from the carport roof just fine. It took me a long time to jump down.

Miraculously, we were safe, but apparently we dislodged shingles from the main roof by walking on it and were busted! Our punishment included a long lecture, and bedtime right after supper for a week. Purely torture when there was at least three good hours of daylight left.

What would your main character say about you?
Lindsey McKay in Really, Truly Dead would consider me a soulmate. Both of us have spent time in the newspaper industry, both of us have had to face fears, both of us love dogs and our families, and both of us value the results of hard work. Although, of the two of us, Lindsey is the only one who is still a natural redhead.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
One of the scenes in Really, Truly Dead was very hard to write. My sleuth, Lindsey, has been dumped in the ocean. Her brother drowned in the ocean and that’s been her biggest fear of her adult life – drowning. I share this fear with her, though my brother is alive and well. 

Consequently, I’m careful about water safety, but it was nearly paralyzing to write of her being stranded offshore. I tried glazing over her fear, but a beta reader felt the scene lacked intensity. I realized the intensity was in my head, so I bled it out on the page. I hope it will leave everyone with a healthy respect of the world’s oceans.

What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
I have a beautiful scene from a kayak trip I took with my husband. The water is slick calm, and the surface reflects nature’s beauty from all sides. It still takes my breath away.

Do you have any hidden talents?
I enjoy photographing the sights of coastal Georgia and showing them to readers and fans. We have something quite beautiful and unspoiled down here.

What is your favorite movie?
Galaxy Quest. If you’re not familiar with it, the premise is a take-off on Star Trek and stars Tim Allen. I regularly watched every Star Trek show as a kind, so this spoof was hysterically funny for me. I’ve even watched it multiple times and still laugh at the jokes.


If you had to choose a cliché about life, what would it be?
I was struck by the aptness of this phrase long ago, and it still applies. “The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get.” There’s a lot to be said for going about things in a logical manner and not flinging around trying to get an inhuman amount done in five minutes.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a sequel to my Really, Truly Dead novella for the next Happy Homicide anthology. Turtle Tribbles will be out in June. In the novella, my sleuth, newspaper editor Lindsey McKay, faces death as she tries to figure out who killed the Turtle Girl.

ABOUT MAGGIE:

Southern author Maggie Toussaint loves writing mysteries. She’s published twelve novels in mystery and romantic suspense. Under the pen name of Rigel Carson, she’s published three dystopian thrillers. Bubba Done It, book two in her dreamwalker series, is her latest cozy mystery release. The next dreamwalker book, Doggone It, releases October 2016. She also writes and publishes short stories and novellas. She’s a board member for Southeast Mystery Writers of America and Low Country Sisters in Crime.

Connect with Maggie:
Website   |  
Blog  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  
Goodreads  

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