ABOUT THE BOOK
All of Cora Chevalier’s dreams are coming true. Since moving to Indigo Gap, North Carolina, the busy crafting maven has been blessed with a great boyfriend, a lovely home, and a booming craft retreat business. But on the eve of her first Crafty Mom’s Escape Weekend, tragedy strikes again in Indigo Gap. This time, it’s curtains for Stan Herald, the disagreeable director of the local theater group, who’s murdered on the opening night of their new production. Worse, Cora’s friend Zee is accused of the crime.
Cora is determined to prove her friend’s innocence, but Zee’s mysterious past is making that difficult. And with a list of suspects longer than a double spool of satin cording, getting a bead on the real culprit won’t be easy. With her friends Jane and Ruby at her side, Cora must string together the clues and solve Stan’s murder before the killer gives an encore performance.
Includes crafting tips!
Book Details:
Title: Assault and Beadery
Author’s name: Mollie Cox Bryan
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Cora Crafts Mysteries, book 4
Publisher: Kensington, (September 25, 2018)
Print length: 320 pages
On
tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours
INTERVIEW WITH MOLLIE COX BRYAN’S CORA CHEVALIER
Q: How did you first meet Mollie?
A: She was working on a scrapbooking mystery series, and I wanted to be included. She thought about it, but my voice was so strong she thought my own book would be better—and that idea grew into a series.
Q: Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book?
A: I guess there aren’t too many women’s shelter counselors who end up opening a craft retreat. I think that’s the unique thing about me.
Q: Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
A: Looking back, my favorite scene is when the crafters at the retreat have had too much to drink by mistake. It’s funny now, but then I wasn’t too thrilled.
Q: Did you have a hard time convincing Mollie to write any particular scenes for you?
A: No. She’s in charge, much to my dismay.
Q: What do you like to do when you are not being read somewhere?
A: There’s so much to do in between craft retreats and planning and preparing for them. Plus I have a popular blog that I keep up with, along with a number of my own craft projects. I love spending time with my cat Luna and my boyfriend Adrian.
Q: Do have any secret aspirations that Mollie doesn’t know about?
A: I’d love to be able to sing. But I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.
Q: What impression do you make on people when they first meet you?
A: I think people often mistake my niceness for being a pushover. But I always pick and choose my battles. I’m stronger than most people know and, to tell you the truth, I found that I’m stronger than I’ve even realized. Okay, yes, so I’ve passed out a few times when I’ve run into dead bodies. But who wouldn’t?
Q: Tell us about your best friend.
A: Jane was my best friend growing up in Pittsburgh—somehow we lost track of one another after college. I was a counselor in a women’s center, and she was a single mother needing help—she walked in the door one day, and we’ve not lost track of each other since. Now, she’s my business partner. She’s an award-winning potter and a wonderful mother to London.
Q: What are you most afraid of?
A: I’m most afraid of dying without making a difference in this world. Okay, some people think I already have. But I want to continue helping people as much as I can. Crafting helps people in so many ways. I know that may seem strange to people. I mean, it’s not saving the world, but it is making a small difference to some—one craft, one woman at a time.
Q: How do you feel about your life right now?
A: I’ve realized a dream by opening the craft retreat. I’d like to be able to pay back my investors soon. I’m also very happy in my relationship with Adrian right now. I’ve not had a boyfriend in a long time—a side effect of working in a women’s shelter. So, I’m please with everything right now. I just hope I don’t have to deal with anymore murders!
Q: Tell us about the town where you live.
A: I live in Indigo Gap, North Carolina. Many of the streets are named after blue variations. Azure. Cobalt. Many of the businesses also use blue in their names. Blue Dawg Diner. Blue Lily Cafe. The Blue Note Bed and Breakfast. We are proud of our history, but sometimes the blue is a bit too much for some of us.
Q: Reminds me of A Blue Million Books! What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?
A: I’ve seen a lot working as a counselor, and it’s affected me greatly. So I look at life and relationships with a bit of suspicion. I like to think it’s made me more sensitive to the plight of abuse victims of both genders. I can usually spot them a mile away. I stand for victims everywhere, always fighting for the underdog.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mollie Cox Bryan writes cozy mysteries with edge and romances with slow, sweet burn. The first book in her Cora Crafts Mystery series, Death Among the Doilies, was a "Fresh Fiction Not to Miss” selection and was a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award. The second book, No Charm Intended, was named a “Summer 2017 Top 10 Beach Read” by Woman's World. She also wrote the Agatha-award nominated Cumberland Creek Mysteries. She makes her home at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, where she works as an executive and marketing assistant and writes in the early morning hours. Connect with Mollie:
Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads
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