FEATURED AUTHOR: DOROTHY ST. JAMES

ABOUT THE BOOK

Join Penn and Stella on their latest adventure!

There’s a legend in the Sea Islands that before a hurricane hits the Gray Lady can be seen walking down the beach warning of doom. Penn doesn’t believe in such silly stories, but she does believe weather forecasters. A powerful hurricane is heading their way. Everyone on the island of Camellia Beach is busy boarding up windows and securing valuables to upper levels of buildings. Joe Davies, a local treasure hunter with an unquenchable sweet tooth, claims to have seen the Gray Lady walking toward him just that morning and is terrified for his life.

After the storm passes everyone returns to survey the damage. As Penn walks her little dog Stella on the beach, she finds Joe Davies’ body washed up onshore. Not only that, it looks as if an exploding transformer caused Joe’s seaside shack to burn to the ground. Did the Gray Lady claim another victim? Many on the island believe that is exactly what happened.

Penn is sure there’s another explanation. She follows the clues and hints of lost gold to discover that the truth behind the treasure hunter’s death is as much of a maze as the boating channels winding their way through the local marshes.

Book Details:


Title: Bonbon with the Wind

Author: Dorothy St. James

Genre: cozy mystery


Series: A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery, book 4


Publisher: Barking Dog Press (December 9, 2019)


Print length: 251 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours



IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH DOROTHY ST. JAMES

IFs


If you could talk to someone, who would it be and what would you ask them?

If I could, I’d take Agatha Christie out for tea and dessert. I’d love to ask her what happened when she went missing for 11 days in 1926. Did she have a mental breakdown? Was she escaping from writing pressures? Or did she do this in order to make us all wonder about her and talk about her? It’d be fun to find out the truth behind her disappearance. Of course, after learning her secret, I’d write a tell-all book about it.

If you could time travel for an infinite period of time, where would you go? 

If I could travel through time, I’d go everywhere! I’d like to be there for the big bang. I’d ride on the back of a gigantic dinosaur. I’d grunt with cavemen. I’d visit with ancient Egyptians. I’d want to visit Jane Austen and tell her how much I enjoy her novels. I’d also dive into the future and use what I see to help mankind make better decisions.

If you had to do community service, what would you choose?
I’m going to start fostering dogs this winter. I’m looking forward to experiencing the challenges of bringing home a dog that needs some special attention. I think it will be a joy to share this experience with my young daughter.

If you could meet any author for coffee, who would you like to meet and what would you talk about? 

Oh my goodness, if I could, I’d so enjoy sitting down and having tea with one of my favorite authors, Jenn Mckinlay. I love her books. She seems so friendly online. Even though I’d be nervous and awkward, I feel like she’d be easy to talk with. I’d want to know how she approaches her writing process. How does she make her books so wonderful? Plus, I’d ask her to sign a book for me.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be? 

This is SO hard. There are so many great places to live. I do love living in Charleston, South Carolina, with its historic downtown and beaches nearby. I’ve lived here my entire life. However, lately, I’ve been thinking about how much fun it would be to live in a small English village on the trainline and being able to take the train to explore the England and European countryside. I would love to do that for a year or two and then return to live in a big city, like New York City, for a year or two. I have a growing desire to explore new areas.




ANDs



5 favorite possessions:
    •    Kindle Paperwhite
    •    the pretty purple laptop computer
    •    my used but wonderfully reliable electric car
    •    my cell phone
and
    •    my favorite warm knit blanket

5 things you need in order to write:
    •    tea
    •    chocolate (for courage)
    •    quiet
    •    my purple laptop computer
and
    •    my ideas notebook

5 things you love about writing:
    •    having written (two words I love writing the most are “THE END”)
    •    the moment when a scene or a book starts to come together and everything feels great
    •    discovering new things about myself
    •    surprises that my characters throw at me
and
    •    the thrill (and terror) of inviting others to read what I’ve written

5 favorite things to do:
    •    sneak away and read
    •    talk about books with others who love books
    •    craft projects
    •    dog training
and
    •    trying new foods (preferably while traveling to new places to try them)

WHATs

What’s your all-time favorite place? 

The beach. When I gaze out into the vast ocean, I’m humbled. Things slow down at the beach. My thoughts slow down when I’m at the beach. It’s my happy place.

What’s your all-time favorite place in your town?

That’s easy. The beach is my happy place. And my favorite beach in Charleston is Folly Beach. Here’s a picture of its fun downtown.

What’s your all-time favorite author? 

Elizabeth Peters. Her mysteries are always page-turning fun. I loved everything she wrote. There will never be another writer quite as special as her.

What’s your favorite time of day? 

Nighttime. After putting my young daughter to bed, I get ready for bed in cozy pjs. And if I don’t need to write, I lose myself in whatever book I’m reading. This is my time to catch my breath and recharge.

What’s your favorite candy bar? 

Small batch, bean-to-bar dark chocolate bars made from criollo cacao beans take me to my personal nirvana. Once I’ve discovered these candy bars, everything else pales in comparison.

What’s your favorite social media site? 

For good or ill, I spend most of my time on Facebook. I’m comfortable there. And the cozy reader groups are filled with people who are fun to get to know.


What’s your all-time favorite place you’ve visited?
One of my favorite towns to visit is Washington, D.C. Most of the museums are free. Fun things are always happening there. And Malice Domestic, the cozy mystery fan convention, takes place close by every year. This is a picture of me visiting the White House gardens while collecting research material for my White House Gardener Mystery series.

What’s your favorite color?

Blue. Light blue, dark blue, teal blue, and—my, my, my— beautiful aqua blue. The color makes me happy. I make purchase decisions for kitchen appliances on whether it comes in blue. I buy clothes that are blue. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been drawn to the calming color.


What book are you currently working on? 

I’m writing the second book in my new series, the Secret Bookroom Mysteries. It’s set in a small town library that has been modernized. Printed books have been replaced with electronic versions. My intrepid librarian, in an act of rebellion, has created a secret bookroom in the library where lovers of the printed word can still access their favorite books. What she doesn’t realize is that protecting the printed word would turn out to be so dangerous.

What’s your all-time favorite picture of yourself? 

This picture was taken several years ago. It’s a picture of my first experience participating in a dog show. Iona was still a puppy! And I was quite the novice. Actually, I still am a novice when it comes to dog shows. We only lasted one season. But it was great fun talking with the other dog owners and spending the day with my best dog.

What’s your latest recommendation for:
Food: Criollo Chocolate. It’s a chocolate made with a bean variety that is more difficult to grow than the Forastero chocolate that most common chocolates are crafted out of. Criollo chocolates have a sweeter, more tropical flavor. It’s my favorite!
Movie: Knives Out. There’s a cameo appearance by the Agatha Award teapots (the mystery novel awards given at the traditional/cozy convention Malice Domestic) in the movie, which is reason enough to see the movie.
Book: Besides my books? (Kidding!) I read and reread everything Elizabeth Peters has written. She’s a master of the cozy mystery genre. I especially adore her Vicki Bliss series. I enjoy so many books in the cozy mystery genre, it is difficult to pick one to recommend, so I’m going to simply tell you which book I’m reading and enjoying right now: It’s Dead Eye by Alyssa Day, a Tiger’s Eye Mystery, which is a new series for me. And it’s different from most of the cozies I read. There’s a strong paranormal element in the story. But, so far, the writing is funny and the mystery is making me think. I look forward to reading more of the series.
TV: I don’t watch much TV. There are too many books to read. But I have been enjoying The Good Place.
Netflix/Amazon Prime: On Netflix, I’m a huge fan of Lucifer, a show that explores what might happen when the devil decides he wants to play detective. On Amazon Prime, my daughter and I have enjoyed the documentary series, First Peoples. It traces the evolution of the human race and spread of our species across the world. It’s a fascinating look at the rise of civilizations in the world.
Miscellaneous: Drink herbal tea and give tai chi a try. Herbal teas are my go-to stress relievers. And practicing tai chi (offered free at my local library) is a great way to stretch and strengthen my muscles without straining anything. I highly recommend it!

What books do you currently have published?
The Southern Chocolate Shop Mysteries
Book 1: Asking for Truffle
Book 2: Playing with Bonbon Fire
Book 3: In Cold Chocolate
Book 4: Bonbon with the Wind

The White House Gardener Mysteries
Book 1: Flowerbed of State
Book 2: The Scarlet Pepper
Book 3: Oak and Dagger

Aloha Pete Mysteries
Birds in Paradise (Novella available exclusively on Amazon.)

The Secret Bookroom Mysteries
Book 1: The Broken Spine (Available September 2020)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mystery author Dorothy St. James was born in New York but raised in South Carolina. She makes her home on an artsy island community in South Carolina with her husband, a crazy dog, and fluffy cat. Though writing has always been a passion for her, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology and a graduate degree in Public Administration and Urban Planning. She put her educational experience to use, having worked in all branches and all levels of government including local, regional, state, and federal. She even spent time during college working for a non-profit environmental watchdog organization.

Switching from government service and community planning to fiction writing wasn't as big of a change as some might think. Her government work was all about the stories of the people and the places where they live. As an urban planner, Dorothy loved telling the stories of the people she met. And from that, her desire to tell the tales that were so alive in her heart grew until she could not ignore it any longer. In 2001, she took a leap of faith and pursued her dream of writing fiction full-time.

* Dorothy St. James is the alter-ego of award-winning multi-published author, Dorothy McFalls. She enjoys writing in several different genres. Her works have been nominated for many awards including: Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, Reviewers International Organization Award, National Reader's Choice Award, CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Award, and The Romance Reviews Today Perfect 10! Award. Reviewers have called her work: "amazing," "perfect," "filled with emotion," and "lined with danger."



Connect with Dorothy:

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Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Indie Bound

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