FEATURED CHARACTER: LAURA CHILD'S CARMELA BERTRAND

ABOUT THE BOOK

An exploding Mardi Gras float has got to be the strangest murder weapon scrappy sleuth Carmela Bertrand has ever encountered in this latest Scrapbooking Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author.

It’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans and scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand is excited to be attending the Pluvius Parade along with her best friend Ava. Carmela’s ex-husband Shamus rides by the duo on his float at the head of the parade, when suddenly the revelry turns to disaster. Shamus’ float crashes and explodes, and although Shamus escapes unhurt, a member of his krewe is killed.

Carmela and Ava plunge into an investigation of the krewe-member’s death, but as they dig deeper it starts to look less like an accident and more like a murder . . . and Shamus seems less like a victim and more like a suspect.




Book Details

Title: Glitter Bomb

Author: Laura Childs
 and Terrie Farley Moran
Genre: Cozy mystery

Series: A Scrapbooking Mystery, book 15

Publisher: Berkley (October 2, 2018)

Print length: 320 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

CHARACTER GUEST POST WITH LAURA CHILD’S CARMELA BERTRAND

Hi Everyone. My name is Carmela Bertrand. I am the proud owner of the Memory Mine Scrapbooking shop on Governor Nicholls Street in the heart of French Quarter of New Orleans. My BFF Ava Gruiex owns the Juju Voodoo shop a few blocks away. We may be busy entrepreneurs but we still manage to have an exciting social life because New Orleans is always crackling with the vitality of a town filled with social events small and large, all contributing to keeping us a tightly woven community.

Naturally Mardi Gras is our most majestic celebration, a continuous party with entertainment, friends, beads and the most amazing food.

As annoying as my ex-husband, Shamus Meecham, can be, he does know how to party. Shamus told me that his krewe had built the most spectacular float for the Pluvius Parade. Ava and I were not going to miss a chance to see that so we found a primo spot to view all the excitement. We were dancing around, catching beads in mid-air, cheering our heads off, and raising our geaux cups to all the costumed marchers as they went by.

Right behind a marching band, the golden float rolled down the block. I said to Ave, “This is it. The float Shamus bragged about. I can’t wait to see it up close.”

 I loved the gold glitter swirling all around the float and the energy of the krewe members throwing gold beads into the crowd of onlookers was contagious.  Everyone was having the time of their lives until BOOM! The float exploded right in front of our eyes! Krewe members were thrown up in the air and landed smack on the ground. A ton of gold glitter erupted from the float. In a couple of seconds glitter was covering everything and everybody. I shook my head, wondering if I would ever get the tiny flakes out of my hair. After the total shock wore off, all the krewe members began to stand unsteadily and dust themselves off. All but one. I saw Shamus lean over a body that was perfectly still and begin brushing away the pounds of glitter on the man’s face. The man never moved.

Wailing sirens were rapidly approaching and that could only mean one thing. My fiancé, handsome and debonair Detective Edgar Babcock, was about to find me at yet another very public death. That was the last thing I needed. But there I was when he pulled up. Within a few minutes he discovered that Shamus was there as well. Let’s just say, Babcock gets agitated anytime Shamus is around. And he is mega annoyed at my being anywhere near one of his murder cases. So this was a double whammy.

Of course I had to promise Babcock that I would go home and stay away from “snooping” as he called it.

But once it was confirmed that there was a bomb on the float and then people started to look at Shamus as a definite suspect, well, on behalf of Boo and Poobah, the loveable dogs that Shamus and I still share, what else could I do but “snoop”?

I hope you will come and hang out with me, Ava and, of course Babcock, in Glitter Bomb.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:
The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Connect with Laura:
Website  |  Facebook  


Short-listed twice for The Best American Mystery Stories, Terrie Farley Moran is delighted to introduce mystery fans to the Read ’Em and Eat café and bookstore, which debuted with Well Read, Then Dead, followed by Caught Read-Handed, and Read to Death, released in July of this year.  The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is playing games and reading stories with any or all of her grandchildren.

Connect with Terrie:
Blog  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon   |  Barnes & Noble  |  Google Books   




a Rafflecopter giveaway

FEATURED AUTHOR: CHRISTINA FREEBURN

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Caribbean cruise is the perfect setting for a Roget wedding, and Faith meeting Ted’s family. She also hopes the vacation gets their stalled romance moving, but it doesn’t take long for that dream to capsize. Ted’s daughter hates her. The ex-wife is adored. Odessa Roget is surly. And the banned father of a groom, John Roget, requests Faith’s assistance in bringing down a jewel theft ring masterminded by his ex-wife.

Having had a man she loved accuse her of a crime, Faith won’t let Odessa travel down the same path and agrees to help. Faith sets her course on uncovering the true criminals—which might be a groom’s best friend. The romantic week turns disastrous as a wedding is interrupted, suspicious deaths point to murders, and Ted’s daughter schemes to reunite her parents. Instead of diamonds being a girl’s best friend, Faith finds they’re cruising her toward Davy Jones’ Locker.

INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTINA FREEBURN

Christina, do you write every day?
No. For me, I need to give my brain at least one day of rest from writing a week. If I don’t take a day off, I find myself struggling to get the words out. I need a break from the computer and to not think about the story to come back to it fresh and ready to create.

How often do you read?
I try to read every day, though last year I didn’t read as often as I wanted (unless I counted message boards). This year, I’m going to limit the amount of time I spend on messages boards so I have more time to read books. I missed reading books and there are so many on my Kindle and my shelves that I’m a little said I didn’t get around to reading last year.

What do you think makes a good story?
For me, a good story has main characters who are actively involved in the plot and not ones where all the events just happen in the story and the heroine and hero are only reacting. I don’t even mind unlikeable characters as long as they are true to themselves and are engaged in what’s going on in the plot and realize some of the drama happening to them was created by them.

What books do you currently have published?
Masked to Death is the thirteenth book I’ve had published. Two of my books are out of print, and I have no plans to self-publish. The books I have out that are still in print are in the Scrap this Series: Cropped to Death, Designed to Death, Embellished to Death, Framed to Death, and the most recent Masked to Death.
I wrote The New Beginning Series which are inspirational romantic suspense (this series is complete), and those books are: Lost Then Found, Led Astray, Safe and Sound, Long Gone, and Far and Away
Then there’s Dying for Redemption which is a traditional detective novel where the main character is a ghost who helps the recently murdered solve their own case. I’d love to write another in this world (I had planned on it being a series), but I haven’t been able to work it into my schedule the last few years.

Is writing your dream job?
Yes.  I wanted to be a writer  when “I grew up” in the ninth grade. Before then, I loved reading but not so much writing. I will admit that there are some days when writing (especially the business side of it) can almost feel like a nightmare, but I know every job (and dream) has those days where you question yourself and wonder why you thought it was a good idea.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
The Food Network. I can get some great cooking and baking tips and learn a lot, and I love most of the shows. But probably the best thing about the Food Network is there isn’t any negativity, except for some of the competition shows when the contestants get sassy with each other. But even then, it’s limited and not too horrible or leaves me feeling depressed.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I like Facebook. There are days when I spend way too much time on it and days I wonder why I bother because my feed contains so much negativity. On those days,  I remind myself Facebook is a way I can keep connected with family and friends that I don’t get to see that often, and it’s what I make of it. If I know I’m in a mood where pretty much the world seems to irritate me, I need to not click on the icon and wait until I’m feeling better.  Like with anything, there’s positives and negatives and I’m the one that controls if Facebook is a positive or negative experience for me.

What five things would you never want to live without?
The five things I wouldn’t want to live without are cars, cameras, scrapbooking supplies, computer, and luggage…all things that help in traveling, creating memories, and documenting them.

What do you wish you could do?
Swim. I never learned as a child, and when I was almost thirty I took swim lessons, but I didn’t master it and still struggle in the water. I can not drown for a short length of time, but I still don’t know how to swim. I’ve thought about trying lessons again but there isn’t a place near me that teaches adults. I really want to learn as I enjoy cruising, and I know I’d love it even more if I could swim because I’d be able to participate in more of the excursions available as most involve water.

What’s your least favorite chore?
Laundry because it just never seems to be done.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery Series brings together Christina’s love of mysteries, scrapbooking, and West Virginia. When not writing or reading, she can be found in her craft room or at a crop. She’s working on the sixth book in the series published by Henery Press. Christina served in the US Army JAG Corps and also worked as a paralegal, librarian, and church secretary.

Connect with Christina:
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