FEATURED CHARACTER: MOLLIE COX BRYAN'S CORA CHEVALIER

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


Buy the book:
Amazon    |   Barnes & Noble 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FEATURED AUTHOR: MOLLIE COX BRYAN


ABOUT THE BOOK

For thirty-something blogger Cora Chevalier, small-town Indigo Gap, North Carolina, seems like the perfect place to reinvent her life. Shedding a stressful past as a counselor for a women’s shelter, Cora is pouring all her talents—and most of her savings—into a craft retreat business, with help from close pal and resident potter Jane Starr. Between transforming her Victorian estate into a crafter’s paradise and babysitting Jane’s daughter, the new entrepreneur has no time for distractions. Especially rumors about the murder of a local school librarian . . .

But when Jane’s fingerprints match those found at the grisly crime scene, Cora not only worries about her friend, but her own reputation. With angry townsfolk eager for justice and both Jane’s innocence and the retreat at risk, she must rely on her creative chops to unlace the truth behind the beloved librarian’s disturbing demise. Because if the killer’s patterns aren’t pinned, Cora’s handiwork could end up in stitches . . .




INTERVIEW WITH MOLLIE COX BRYAN

Mollie, how did you get started writing?
I’ve been writing since I was a little girl. I wrote my first novel when I was 12; finished my second novel at 18.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
Creating new stories.

Do you have a writing routine?
I write every day from 4 a.m to 6 a.m when I'm writing—sometimes I'm in edits or something and so I'll be revising or what ever during that time.

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
Finishing the book is very hard for me. I think I’m getting better at endings. But knowing when to stop and exactly how to end it has been very challenging for me.

How often do you read?
Everyday!

What books do you currently have published?
There are five books in the Cumberland Creek series, plus two e-novellas. Plus I have two cookbooks out. And my historical fiction, just released this year—Memory of Light: An Aftermath of Gettysburg. 


Is writing your dream job?
Absolutely! It’s such a tough business that if I didn’t love writing so much, I’d have quit by now. 


How often do you tweet?
Usually twice a day.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I love Facebook and the community there. It can be a bit distracting, so I do limit myself.

For what would you like to be remembered?
For being a good mom.

What scares you the most?
Something terrible happening to my daughters.

Would you make a good character in a book?
No. All I do is sit in front of a computer most days and run my daughters around. Bor-ing!

What five things would you never want to live without?
Indoor plumbing.
Heat and AC.
A good pair of running shoes.
My computer.
Books.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without.My driver’s license.

What do you love about where you live?
The Shenandoah Valley is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.


What’s your favorite thing to do on date night?
My husband and I love to haunt second-hand bookstores and then grab a bite.

What’s your favorite fast food?
Pizza.


What’s your favorite beverage?
Diet cherry limeade.

What drives you crazy?
Rudeness.


Name one thing you’re really good at and one thing you’re really bad at.
I hope I’m good at writing. And I am a bad housekeeper. True story. 


What do you wish you could do?
Hire a housekeeper!

What is one of your happiest moments?
Definitely when my girls were born!

What are you working on now?
I’m at work on Macrame Murder, the third book in the Cora Crafts Mysteries.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mollie Cox Bryan, author of the Cora Crafts Mysteries and the Agatha Award-nominated Cumberland Creek mystery series, is also an award-winning journalist and poet. She currently writes and crafts in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and two daughters. Please visit her at molliecoxbryan.com, where you can sign up for her exclusive newsletter. For scrapbooking, recipes, and other crafty-freebies, join her on Pinterest.



Connect with Mollie:

Website  |  Blog  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  | 
Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Featured Author: Mollie Cox Bryan

Great Escapes Book Tours brings Mollie Cox Bryan here today to talk about her brand new novel, Death of an Irish Diva--the third book in the Cumberland Creek mystery series, published by Kensington.

About the book:

Vera's dance studio may have suffered when Emily waltzed into town, but the croppers know she's not a vengeful murderer. Lucky for her, co-scrapbooker Annie is a freelance reporter eager to vindicate her friend. What she discovers is a puzzling labyrinth of secrets that only add question marks to Emily's murder. Just when it seems they've run out of clues, an antique scrapbook turns up and points the croppers in the right direction - and brings them face to face with a killer more twisted than a Celtic knot...

Other books in the series:

  Scrapbook of Secrets (A Cumberland Creek Mystery)
Scrapped (Cumberland Creek #2)

Interview with Mollie Cox Bryan

Mollie, how long have you been writing, and how did you start?

I’ve been telling stories since before I could hold a pencil. I wrote my first novel when I was twelve. I wrote my first FINISHED novel when I was a senior in high school.

Do you have another job outside of writing?

I am also a freelance writer and editor. I juggle my novel writing around those assignments.

How do you get to know your characters?

My characters just sort of come to me. When I started writing this book, I settled on three main characters, but there were definitely more. Some of them are working their way in as guest characters later on in the series.

Which character did you most enjoy writing?

I enjoy Beatrice immensely because she tells it like it is. She’s at the age where she has earned it. The other thing I like about her is the way she bridges “old world” Appalachia and the new one.

Are you like any of your characters?

I think there’s a bit of me in each of the characters. With Annie, I was a stay-at-home mom and freelancer for years (and kind of still am) and I definitely am an outsider, like she is. With Vera, I think we are similar in the way of our compassion and our love of dance. With Beatrice...um...let’s just say sometime my honesty gets me into trouble,

With which of your characters would you most like to be stuck in a bookstore?

Beatrice. She’s my 80-something-year-old quantum physicist and loves poetry, mostly Walt Whitman. She’s recently taken a liking to mysteries and is a big MC Beaton fan. 


Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.

Without giving too much away, the scene I enjoyed the most is toward the end, and I call it the “showdown.” It takes place on the street in the middle of the night, and involves the whole neighborhood.

Who are your favorite authors?

This changes for me from time to time. But right now, my favorite mystery authors are Louise Penny and Elizabeth Peters, but I’m also a fan of MC Beaton, just like Beatrice. I also love Barbara Kingsolver, Toni Morrison, and Isabel Allende.

How long is your to-be-read pile?

Too long! This has always been the case for me. But the more I get to know other fiction writers, the more my pile grows. I want to read their books, of course, but also the books that they love. And I try not to read fiction, particularly mysteries when I’m in first draft writing mode. So it tends to pile up.

You get to decide who would read your audiobook. Who would you choose?

Dame Judi Dench. I love her voice, and I think it would be a real kick to hear someone with a British accent read my Southern story.

What book are you currently reading and in what format (e-book/paperback/hardcover)?

Right now I’m reading Leaving the Saints by Martha Beck, non-fiction, and it’s fascinating.


Do you have a routine for writing? 

I used to run every morning then sit down and write. I try to do that now, but with my freelancing schedule, it’s a bit more difficult. If I have a tight deadline, I have to get that first.

But I do try to exercise in the morning, whether it’s running or going to the gym for a Zumba class. I find it really helps get my creative juices flowing—that along with several cups of coffee! Then, ideally I’ll sit down and write a couple of hours. Sometimes, I wake up very early in the morning—around 4 a.m. and I sit down and write then before the day really starts.

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?

I write in my “home office,” which is a sun porch. Very nice during certain seasons. I have a couple of good space heaters for the winter, and I’m usually fairly comfortable.

Where’s home for you?

I grew up in Western Pennsylvania, but I live in Virginia, so it’s home now.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I am working on a few things. My next book A Crafty Christmas (Cumberland Creek #4) is in the final production stages, so I just sent back edits to my publisher for it. Also, I’ve started writing book #5 in the series.

About the author:

After years of working as an editor and writer for nonprofits and corporations in the DC area, Mollie gave it all up for the “glamorous” life of a stay-at-home mom and part-time freelance writer. When she moved to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, she heard stories about the famous Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant and its owner, Mildred Rowe. Intrigued, she investigated and found most of the stories were true. Two cookbooks later, Mollie turned her writing skills to penning mysteries. One of her goals as a writer, as a person, is to explore many venues, genres, and to continue to learn and grow.

She grew up in Western Pennsylvania in a rural area (Raccoon Township) just outside of mill town Aliquippa, known for its football greats. She danced, did gymnastics, and wrote all the way through her youth. She started many novels—but finished her first one when she was a senior in high school. It was called Circles and featured a ballerina involved with a gang.

Today, she is the mom to two daughters who both dance and write. For Mollie, writing is like dancing, breathing, and love. She doesn’t go a day without it.

Connect with Mollie:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble