ABOUT THE BOOK

With their coven’s spell book still missing, Molly and Elsie—along with their ghostly friend Olivia, her daughter Dorothy, and her boyfriend Brian—are all on edge, especially now that Dorothy’s infamously wicked father is back in the picture. So when they receive an invitation to an exclusive Witches Ball, the ladies jump at the chance to dress up and have some fun.

The castle locale is spectacular and the party is hopping, but the festivities come to a swift end when a member of the Grand Council of Witches is murdered. With the whole place on lock down, the coven is determined to find the cunning killer, even with an angry council and a real Spanish Inquisitor breathing down their necks . . .

 

About The Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene wrote award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They had written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. Joyce passed away October 20, 2015 and Jim passed on May 5, 2016. They are missed by family, friends and their many fans.

Find more about Jim and Joyce:
Website   |  Facebook  |  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  

Tour Participants
October 3 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW
October 3 – Queen of All She Reads – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – Blogger Nicole – SPOTLIGHT
October 4 – Sleuth Cafe – REVIEW, SPOTLIGHT
October 4 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW*
October 4 – The Angry Grey Cat Reads – REVIEW
October 5 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW*
October 5 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW (Interview)
October 6 – Book Babble – REVIEW
October 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
October 7 – Mallory Heart's Cozies - REVIEW, SPOTLIGHT
October 7 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – REVIEW*
October 8 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW*
October 8 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW*
October 9 – Shelley's Book Case – REVIEW*
October 9 – fuonlyknew – REVIEW*
October 10 – Socrates' Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT
October 10 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – REVIEW*
October 10 – Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes - SPOTLIGHT
October 11 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW, SPOTLIGHT*
October 11 – Deal Sharing Aunt – REVIEW*
October 12 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
October 12 – A Blue Million Books – SPOTLIGHT
October 13 – Booth Talks Books – REVIEW*
October 13 – The Cozy Mystery Journal – REVIEW
October 14 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, SPOTLIGHT*
October 15 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 16 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW  
October 16 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
October 17 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
October 17 – MysteriesEtc – REVIEW
October 18 – Kathy Loves 2 Read – REVIEW
October 19 – ChristyMystery – REVIEW
October 20 – My Interdimensional Chaos – REVIEW
October 21 - Murder, Mystery & More... – REVIEW
October 22 – centraleast2 – REVIEW
October 23 – Lori's Reading Corner - SPOTLIGHT
October 24 – The Girl with Book Lungs – SPOTLIGHT
October 24 – Polished Nails and Puppy Dog Tales – REVIEW

Joining us with Reviews/Spotlights Nicole G. Linda L. Kendrea P. Robin C. Daniele K. Lisa C. Stacie A. Karen K. Brittany A. Kathy D. Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

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FEATURED AUTHOR: LINDA O. JOHNSTON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rory Chasen, manager of the Lucky Dog Boutique in Destiny, California, hopes her new line of good-luck doggy toys will be a hit, especially the stuffed rabbits with extra-large feet. The timing of the line’s debut proves ill-fated, though, as several local shops―including Rory’s―are ransacked and vandalized with spilled salt and other unlucky charms. The most likely culprit is disgruntled real estate agent Flora Curtival, whose issues with the town give her a motive. But after Flora is murdered and one of Rory’s toy rabbits is found with the body, Rory needs all the luck she can get while trying to determine just who killed the superstitious vandal.

INTERVIEW WITH LINDA O. JOHNSTON

Linda, do you have a writing routine?
Yes, of sorts. I find myself getting other stuff out of the way first in the morning, like responding to interview questions. And then, usually in the afternoon, I face the computer and get to work, knowing I've accomplished everything else I have to that day.

Do you write every day?
Yes, unless I'm traveling or at a writing event. I've done that for years!

What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
My purse, of course, and its important contents, most especially all the bookmarks I carry for my most recent releases, to leave in bookstores, or introduce myself to new people when appropriate, or just look at now and then for fun!

Do you have any secret talents?
Of course, but if I told you what they were they wouldn't be secret anymore. But I can tell you that I think I attract dogs. Or at least I hope I do. Dogs are my friends, my loves, my writing themes . . . but that's no secret to anyone who reads my stuff.

What’s your favorite beverage? 
Flavored coffee, like hazelnut, not sweetened or drowned with any other flavor. Yes, I'm an addict. Caffeine and I are good friends.

What drives you crazy?
That's a literal question for me. Traffic literally drives me crazy, and it's gotten so much worse since I moved to L.A. a long time ago.

What is your superpower?
What—only one? Let's see . . . I can fly. I can read other people's minds. I can send zingers or otherwise punish people who harm dogs. I can fight off anyone without lifting a finger. I can see through walls and hear whispers and catch scents as well as any dog. I can turn into a shapeshifter. I can... well, heck, I can do anything, at least on the computer. That's part of the power of writing.

What is one of your happiest moments?
When I can share hugs with the right people: family, including grandkids and dogs, especially my Cavaliers.

What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
Do you mean there actually is a time when there's nothing to do? My mind doesn't think so. If I'm not actively working or moving, I'm always plotting.

Do you procrastinate?
Let me think about that for a while . . . Oh, yes. Do I procrastinate? I'm still pondering . . . Well,  yes, I suppose I do procrastinate sometimes—but never when one of my dogs gives me a command.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
"Reality is only for those who lack imagination."

What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Go visit Isaly's in Pittsburgh. That's where they started, and I loved them there as a kid. I don't think many Isaly restaurants exist anymore although some of their products are still sold in other stores—including Klondike bars!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda O. Johnston, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, currently writes two mystery series for Midnight Ink involving dogs: the Superstition Mysteries, where her protagonist runs a pet boutique, and the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries where the protagonist, a veterinary technician, also owns a barkery and a bakery. She has also written the Pet Rescue Mystery Series, a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and also currently writes for Harlequin Romantic Suspense as well as the Alpha Force paranormal romance miniseries about shapeshifters for Harlequin Nocturne. Her latest releases, Covert Attraction, a Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel, and Unlucky Charms, the third Superstition Mystery, are her forty-third and forty-fourth published novels.

Connect with Linda:   
Website  |  Blog  | Facebook 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Midnight Ink Books  |  Barnes & Noble 

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CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH LAURA CHILDS’ CARMELA BERTRAND

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Winter Market in the French Quarter is in full swing, but murder isn’t taking a holiday in the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of Parchment and Old Lace . . .

The holidays are a busy time for scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand—but not so hectic that she doesn’t have time to enjoy browsing the booths at the Winter Market with her best friend Ava. The last thing the ladies expect to see is a lurching man stabbed by a serving fork, dying in front of them.

The victim is loathed restaurant critic Martin Lash, who posted his scathing reviews on the Glutton for Punishment website. And the prime suspect is New Orleans restauranteur Quigg Brevard—who was seen giving the critic a tongue-lashing minutes before someone stuck a fork in him. An old flame of Carmela, Quigg asks for her help, which does not please her current beau, Detective Edgar Babcock, to say the least.

Before her relationship is the next victim, Carmela needs to find a murderer who had no reservations about punishing the culinary curmudgeon . . .

 “It’s not October without a new spectacular Scrapbooking Mystery from Laura Childs.”
     Romantic Times Book Reviews

“Thrills and chills.”
     St. Paul Pioneer Press

“Local color is Childs’ strong suit, and on this romp with Carmela, the details of the Big Easy, from absinthe to etouffee, do not disappoint.”
     Publisher’s Weekly

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Carmela Bertrand is the proprietor of Memory Mine Scrapbooking Shop in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Divorced from her rat-fink husband, Shamus, Carmela has struck gold with her little shop and delights in hosting classes on scrapbooking, papercraft, and rubber stamping. Although Detective Edgar Babcock is eager to put a ring on Carmela’s finger (and hopefully retire her from amateur sleuthing!) our dear Carmela’s been dragging her feet. After all, she’s happy living in her charming garden apartment with her two dogs, Boo and Poobah. And the nightlife with her best friend, Ava, isn’t bad either. But what really keeps things popping for Carmela is the city of New Orleans itself. After all, this is a city that has elevated Mardi Gras to a national holiday, is spooky, charming, mythic, and – oh yes, let’s not forget those crazy above ground cemeteries! What’s not to love?

INTERVIEW WITH CARMELA BERTRAND

Carmela, how did you first meet Laura?
I popped into my writer’s head one day as she was wandering through a scrapbook shop. She was looking at all the cool albums and scrapbook papers and saw how much fun all the ladies were having—you know, sitting at a big craft table in back, laughing together and working on scrapbook pages. When I felt my author’s brain begin to whirl, I just gave her a subtle whisper and said, “Wouldn’t it be fun if you wrote a Scrapbooking Mystery?”

Tell us about your favorite scene in Crepe Factor.
In the very first chapter, Ava and I are strolling the Winter Market in the French Quarter. We’re minding our business, looking at jewelry, nibbling food, and drinking wine (well, lots of wine), when suddenly, out of nowhere, we hear this horrible moaning and gurgling going on. Imagine our surprise when a man staggers out from behind one of the tents with an enormous kitchen fork stuck in his throat! I mean, this guy looked like some kind of zombie. He clomped right up to us with this dead-eyed look, and all Ava could do was let loose a blood curdling scream. What did I do? Um, well I did wonder who could have done this—and if the guilty party might be standing around watching the fun? I guess you could call me a wanna-be detective.

What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?
I create paper theatres, do stamping on velvet pillows, and generally hone my crafting skills. I also volunteer with the Children’s Art Association and occasionally help build Mardi Gras floats with my good friend Jekyl Hardy.

Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
Well, everybody in New Orleans is a little bit crazy. But I do love my fellow characters a whole lot. I mean, Ava is the best friend (and devious accomplice) that a girl could ever want. And Baby and Tandy are great friends, too. As for my ex-husband, Shamus? Meh. Maybe he should take a hike and not be in these books anymore.

Do you have any secret aspirations that your author doesn’t know about?
In one of the upcoming books Ava and I do a little modeling for The Latest Wrinkle, this great resale shop over on Magazine Street. So . . . I sure wouldn’t mind strutting the catwalk again sometime soon.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
I’d wander the antique shops in the French Quarter, stop by Café du Monde for chicory coffee and a beignet, hit the Old French Market for quirky shopping, then have lunch at The Court of Two Sisters. I’d probably head down to Magazine Street then for some more shopping. Around dinner time I’d call Ava and we’d pop into Commander’s Palace. Did I mention that food is a huge part of life in New Orleans?

Sure sounds like it! What’s the worst thing that happened in your life?
Getting divorced from Shamus Mechum was no piece of cake. For one thing, he hails from the banking Meechums, so getting any sort of settlement was horrible. It took me years and then I still had to deal with his parsimonious big sister Glory, who Ave and I like to call the Great Stone Face.

Tell us about your best friend.
OMG, where do I start? Ava Grieux is my BFF, and she runs Juju Voodoo, a little voodoo shop in the French Quarter. Maybe as a result of this slightly off-kilter enterprise, she’s a little more daring than I am. For example, Ava wears tight leopard tops, leather pants, and sky-high stilettos. And she does Botox big time. The other thing is, we are always getting in trouble together. We don’t look for it, but we’re forever being chased through a New Orleans cemetery or a bayou or rushing out of some fancy Garden District party. Yeah, it’s funny how trouble just seems to follow us around.

Describe the town where you live.
I’m the luckiest girl in the word because I was born and bred in New Orleans. You see, this is a city that should come with a warning label. This city is historic, charming and highly seductive. It’s filled with charming old homes and antique buildings decorated with lacy ironwork. Music is everywhere—blues, jazz, Cajun, whatever you want. And the food is to die for. We’re talking beignets, muffalettas, shrimp gumbo, fried catfish, turtle soup, red beans and rice, po-boys, eggs Sardou, jambalaya, alligator sausage, etouffee, pecan pie, bread pudding, and bananas Foster. And then, of course, we have Mardi Gras. With enormous floats, marchers, strings of beads, bands, exotic costumes, and all-night revelry, it’s the biggest, baddest party you’ve ever seen!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Laura Childs is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, enjoys travel, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Connect with Laura:
Webpage  |  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:
Facebook  |  Blog  |  Goodreads  



Buy the book:
Amazon  |  B&N  | Goggle Books | IndieBound

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FEATURED AUTHOR: ANNA LOAN-WILSEY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Traveling secretary Hattie Davish is taking her singular talents to Washington D.C. to help Sir Arthur research his next book. But in the winding halls of the nation's capital, searching for the truth can sometimes lead to murder . . .

Hattie is in her element, digging through dusty basements, attics, and abandoned buildings, not to be denied until she fishes out that elusive fact. But her delightful explorations are dampened when she witnesses a carriage crash into a carp pond beneath the shadow of the Washington Monument. Alarmingly, one of the passengers flees the scene, leaving the other to drown. The incident only heightens tensions brought on by the much publicized arrival of "Coxey's Army," thousands of unemployed men converging on the capital for the first ever organized "march" on Washington. When one of the marchers is found murdered in the ensuing chaos, Hattie begins to suspect a sinister conspiracy is at hand. As she expands her investigations into the motives of murder and closes in on the trail of a killer, she is surprised and distraught to learn that her research will lead her straight to the highest level of government . . .



INTERVIEW WITH ANNA LOAN-WILSEY

Anna, how did you get started writing?
I’ve been writing on and off my whole life. I wrote poems and short stories from elementary school through college. After that I focused more on technical writing than creative writing. It was only after my job was downsized several years ago, and I had the time, did I attempt to write a novel.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I love being immersed in the story so deeply that I forget that I’m writing and not simply watching the story evolve in front of my eyes.

Do you have a writing routine?
I write in the morning as soon as my daughter is off to school. I try to work until it is time to pick her up again. As my brain is mush after 4:00 or so, this works out nicely.

What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?
I wish I had connected with more with fellow published writers. When I first started the process, I did everything on my own. Much of the invaluable information and lessons I’ve since learned from other writers would have helped ease the way.

What’s more important – characters or plot?
Definitely characters. Great characters can drive a weak plot, but if a reader doesn’t like the characters, they won’t care about the plot, no matter how great it is.

How often do you read?
Every chance I get, which these days isn’t very often.

What books do you currently have published?
I have five books in the Hattie Davish Mystery series: A Lack of Temperance, Anything But Civil, A Sense of Entitlement, A Deceptive Homecoming and, the latest, A March to Remember.


Is writing your dream job?
Absolutely! When I was little I envisioned a scene from my future—I was in my study in my home on Beacon Hill, Boston, writing diligently at my typewriter (yes, I’m that old) with a Basset Hound at my feet. I am lucky enough to say I’ve had two of the three dreams come true! (I may someday still get to live on Beacon Hill!)


Beacon Hill is a dream of mine too. If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
That’s an easy one-PBS. With few exceptions, it is the only television station I watch.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without (besides your phone)?
I never leave without a tissue, a packet of tissues, if I’ve planned ahead. I have allergies and am ALWAYS in need of tissues.

What’s your favorite beverage?
I have two favorites: tea and seltzer water. I prefer black tea but have tried and like a wide spectrum of different teas. I usually have a nice cuppa in the afternoon in one of my antique tea cups. Seltzer water is something I crave and drink plain throughout the day, every day.

What is your superpower?
I find things. Truly, if there is anything missing, lost, or misplaced in my household, I’m the one who finds it every time. And if there is a piece of information someone needs, I’m the go-to person. It helps that I’ve been trained as a biologist and a librarian. But inquiring minds beware. One cannot idly mention a need for information, for, like many with superpowers, I feel compelled to use my powers whether they asked for it or not! But fear not, I’m very careful to use it for good.



What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do (nothing lost, missing, or misplaced!)?
I love to binge watch BBC TV mysteries. I’m currently watching WPC56 about the first woman police constable in England’s West Midlands in 1956.

Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Of course! I think every writer “borrows” traits, good and bad, from people they know. And who else do they know better than themselves? (You don’t expect me to tell what they are though, do you?)

Of course . . . um . . . not! What’s your most visited Internet site?
When I’m writing, the site I visit the most is the Online Etymology Dictionary. I am constantly having to check whether a word or phrase is appropriate to my book’s time period.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
To be honest, one of my favorite quotes is one I wrote myself completely by mistake! It happened in the course of writing an essay in French for French Literature class in college. I wanted to use the word “regardless” but couldn’t remember the French translation. I wrote myself a note on a post-it and stuck it to my lamp. A friend came in while I was still writing and said, “Wow, that’s such a great quote. I love it!”  I had no idea what she was talking about and told her so. When she read the note out loud, I realized her wonderful mistake. It read: "Look Up Regardless." I’ve tried to take my own inadvertent words to heart ever since.


What’s one thing that very few people know about you?
My first job out of college was training monkeys named Billy, Bob and Hank. Hank was by far my favorite. He never bit or scratched me once.

How do you like your pizza?
Growing up in Upstate New York, I definitely have a preference for traditional New York style (with mushrooms!). But who am I kidding? I’d eat almost any kind of pizza. In Montreal, I had some of the best “white” or garlic pizza and when I lived in Finland, I even ate pizza with corn and tuna fish on it!

What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
A slideshow of all my family photos. I just checked and the picture was of my dog lounging by the fire pit in the backyard followed by a picture of my daughter “helping” me bake. Every picture makes me smile.

What’s your biggest pet peeve about writing?
Having to get through that first draft. It is always awful and such a chore. I love it when I’m finally done and can go back and fix everything!



What are you working on now?
I’m working on developing a new mystery series. Stay tuned to find out more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anna Loan-Wilsey, biologist, librarian, and author, writes the historical Hattie Davish Mystery series featuring a Victorian traveling secretary who solves crimes in every historic town she visits. The first in the series, A Lack of Temperance, set in 1890’s Eureka Springs, Arkansas, (an Amazon #1 bestseller) was followed by Anything But Civil (set in Galena, IL), A Sense of Entitlement (an iBook #1 bestseller set in Newport, RI), and A Deceptive Homecoming (set in St. Joseph, MO, Hattie’s hometown). A March to Remember finds Hattie caught up in the political intrigues surrounding Coxey’s Army and the first “march” on Washington, D.C. Anna lives in a Victorian farmhouse near Ames, Iowa with her family where she is happily working on new mystery adventures.

Connect with Anna:

Website  |  Blog  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  Goodreads 

Buy the book:
Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  |  iTunes  |  IndieBound 

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FEATURED AUTHOR: REBECCA TOPE

ABOUT THE BOOK

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and business at Persimmon “Simmy” Brown’s flower shop is booming. But when Simmy fulfills a string of anonymous delivery orders, she is startled to realize that each contains a secretly menacing message for the recipients. When one of the people who receives a bouquet disappears, it seems that her worst fears have been confirmed.

As if that isn’t enough, Simmy’s friend Kathy turns up, on the trail of her wayward daughter Joanna, who she fears has grown too close to one of her university tutors. When Kathy attempts to reason with her daughter she finds that Joanna’s older lover may be even more dangerous than she had imagined. With both Kathy and Joanna in peril, Simmy and her friends find themselves caught up in a web of deception, blackmail and murder . . .

INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA TOPE

Rebecca, how did you get started writing?
As a young child, writing letters, diaries, little stories. I joined writing groups from the age of 21 and sold stories and articles for many years before finally getting a book published in 1999.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
Re-reading work done a month or so ago and realizing it’s much better than I feared. Thinking up convincing plot twists, just when I thought the whole thing was going to collapse into a pit of confusion.

Do you have a writing routine?
Early morning for an hour or two.

Do you write every day?
Yes.

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
Keeping a plot logical and credible. Sustaining consistency. Ploughing on through the middle section (roughly 30-40,000 words) when it all feels like a waste of time and effort.

What’s more important – characters or plot?
Character.

How often do you read?
Constantly.

What do you think makes a good story?
Narrative pace. The reader has to want to turn the page, or what are we doing?

What books do you currently have published?
Fourteen titles in the Cotswolds series. Seven earlier crime titles. Three self-published ebooks. Five in the Lake District series. 


Do you have any secret talents?
I can kill a sheep. I’m good at embroidery. And I’m a constant spinner and knitter.

Is writing your dream job?
Definitely, always was.


What is the worst job you’ve ever had? What did it teach you?
I was a couples counselor. People behaving very badly, full of bitterness, malice and dishonesty. Yuk! It taught me that people can be astonishingly unpleasant when forced to live with someone they have come to despise, fear or resent. Betrayal is seldom if ever forgiven.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
HBO.

How often do you tweet?
About once a month.

How do you feel about Facebook?
Negatively. It’s unthinkably invasive. I do not go near it, ever.

For what would you like to be remembered?
I have to say the books, but also I’m a pretty good Granny, and I plant a lot of trees.

What scares you the most?
Disapproval. (Pathetic, I know) I’m not very good at high bridges that you have to walk across carrying luggage either. (For example on the border between Costa Rica and Panama.)

What five things would you never want to live without?
My spinning wheel and big bag of fleece and knitting needles (That’s really one thing). A large stack of unread books. A radio. Clean underpants (knickers in the UK). A blank notebook and pencil.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without (besides your phone)?
Money. I often leave the phone behind. Seldom use the darn thing.

What do you love about where you live?
The silence. The birds and other wildlife. The open space which is all my own.


What’s your favorite fast food?
Chinese.


What’s your favorite beverage?
Rioja.

What drives you crazy?
Misuse of words on radio and TV (sat/sitting; lay/lie; less/fewer and about a thousand more).

What is your superpower?
Working at high speed.


Name one thing you’re really good at and one thing you’re really bad at.
Really good at organizing complicated overseas trips. Really bad at keeping the house clean.


What do you wish you could do?
Speak a foreign language fluently.

What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
Sit in blazing sunshine with no clothes on.

Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Frequently. I like to think it’s so I can have a dispassionate look at myself and see if there’s a remedy for impatience, intolerance,  etc.

What’s in your refrigerator right now?
Much more than usual. Dog food, cat food, cheese, sausages, milk, beer, and quite a few jars of unidentifiable sauces, pickles, jams. There’s a family meal tomorrow, which explains the extra stuff. Usually it’s just petfood and milk.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, UK. Newly built, excellently well stocked. A good friend works there. I was born in that town and have recently been researching how it was in the 1940s and 50s. It is welcoming, comfortable and successful.


How do you like your pizza?
Absent from the menu. I never really saw the virtue of pizza.


What is your favorite movie?
Melancholia, by Lars von Trier.


What are you working on now?
I’m waiting for a small publisher to finish the edit of a biography I have recently finished. He needs a lot of nagging. I will then compile the index. The book is called Sabine Baring-Gould; The Man Who Told a Thousand Stories. I spent 12 years writing it and am now impatient to get it in my hands as a real book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca Tope is the author of four murder mystery series, featuring Den Cooper, Devon police detective, Drew Slocombe, Undertaker; Thea Osborne, house sitter in the Cotswolds and now Persimmon Brown, Lake District florist. She is also a “ghost writer” of the novels based on the ITV series Rosemary and Thyme.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

FEATURED AUTHOR: LESLIE NAGEL

ABOUT THE BOOK

In a charming cozy mystery series debut, Leslie Nagel’s irrepressible small-town heroine finds that her fellow mystery book club members may be taking their Agatha Christie a bit too literally—and murder a bit too lightly.



Charley Carpenter has poured heart and soul into her clothing store, Old Hat Vintage Fashions. She’ll do anything to make it a success—even join the stuffy Agathas Book Club in order to cultivate customers among Oakwood, Ohio’s wealthy elite. 



Although mixing with the most influential women in town has its advantages, Charley finds the endless gossip a high price to pay. But after two women with close ties to the Agathas are brutally murdered, everyone falls under threat—and suspicion. When key evidence indicates that both murders are the work of the same hand, Charley realizes that the killer has arranged each corpse in perfect imitation of crime scenes from the Club’s murder mystery reading list. She uses her membership in the Club to convince Detective Marcus Trenault to use her as an inside informant. Not that he could stop her anyway.



Intelligent, fearless, and every bit as stubborn as Marc is, Charley soon learns the Agathas aren’t the only ones with secrets to protect. Passions explode as she and Marc must race against time to prevent another murder. And if Charley’s not careful, she may find herself becoming the killer’s next plot twist.


INTERVIEW WITH LESLIE NAGEL

Leslie, is writing your dream job?
Absolutely. I’ve wanted to write a novel since I was ten years old.


What is the worst job you’ve ever had? What did it teach you?
Ladies’ Locker room attendant. I scrubbed toilets and cleaned golf shoes at a country club one summer. I learned that people in uniforms performing mundane tasks are invisible to the wealthy. Oh, the gossip I picked up that summer.

What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?
I wish I’d done my homework. I was a marketing executive for over ten years, so I understand the value of doing market research before trying to develop a product. So why didn’t I check out basic market guidelines like expected word count or genre guidelines? I have no clue. What I do know is that failing to have a plan before I began caused me countless hours of revision and restructuring before my novel was saleable.

What’s more important – characters or plot?
I write cozy mysteries, so of course plot is the most important aspect. Readers expect to trace those clues to a satisfying solution to the puzzle. If they can’t, then I haven’t kept my side of the bargain.

How often do you read?
I always have an audio book going in the car and at least two books open on my iPad. I finish a book a week on average.

How do you feel about Facebook?
In this election season, I find all the political rantings tiresome. It’s social media, people. In general, however, I like the connectivity. My high school class has a page, and seeing everyone’s kids and grandkids is a lot of fun.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without?

Lipstick.


What do you love about where you live?

I’ve sprinkled fictional dead bodies all over my hometown, but it’s actually lovely and peaceful. People look out for one another, keep an eye on their kids, care about the school, the parks, the library. Oakwood is a jewel.


What’s your favorite fast food?

Subway tuna salad with guacamole and all the veggies. And I do mean ALL.



What’s your least favorite chore?
I hate ironing. It’s so pointless. The moment you put on the shirt, it’s wrinkled.


Do you procrastinate?
Never.

What’s one thing that drives you crazy?

When people say they’ll do a thing and then fail to follow through, I’m ready to do violence. If you don’t want to participate, simply say so.


What is the most daring thing you've done?

It’s a tie between white water rafting down the New River and getting married.

Who is your favorite fictional character?
Sherlock Holmes. He’s such an ass. But as my mother says, it ain’t bragging if it’s true.



Describe yourself in 5 words.

Organized, layered, active, sympathetic, caffeinated.



I love the last one! What’s your favorite song?

"Life On Mars" by David Bowie.



Do you have a favorite book?

The entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I’ve read them all over a dozen times.



What are you working on now?

I’ve nearly finished Book Two in the Oakwood Mystery Series. It centers around a crumbling old mansion in the woods of west Oakwood, a couple of greedy heirs eager to tear it down, and the seemingly unrelated death of the auctioneer who managed the estate sale. Throw a teenage drug ring into the mix, and amateur detective Charley Carpenter will definitely have her hands full.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leslie Nagel is a writer and teacher of writing at a local community college. Her debut novel, The Book Club Murders, is the first in the Oakwood Mystery Series. Leslie lives in the all too real city of Oakwood, Ohio, where murders are rare but great stories lie thick on the ground. After the written word, her passions include her husband, her son and daughter, hiking, tennis and strong black coffee, not necessarily in that order.



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

Buy the book:
Amazon   |  Barnes & Noble    |  iBooks   |  Kobo   

FEATURED AUTHOR: ANDREA KANE

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lady Alexandria Cassel scorned London's frivolous social whirl, seeking adventure as a stowaway aboard a merchant ship. Drake Barrett was the vessel's powerful captain—and a cynical duke who disdained a noble's shallow life. At sea he revealed neither his origins nor his wealth, and to Alexandria he was simply a man who made her cool reserve fly with the winds… whose desire for her was as wild as the ocean they sailed.

Caught in the crossfire of war, they were shipwrecked on an idyllic island, where they tasted perfect passion . . . and tenderness. But Drake dreaded the day of their rescue—when his love would discover that the virile man she adored was at the pinnacle of the aristocracy she despised. Hardly did they suspect the base treachery that would soon threaten them . . . and the dangers each would brave to join forever their hearts and lives!

ANDREA KANE ANSWERS FIVE FIVES

5 favorite possessions:
My laptap, my iPad, my cell phone, my Fitbit, and the ice cream in my fridge.

5 things you need in order to write:
Dead silence, a working outline, strong, well-developed characters, my writer’s muse, and a cup of coffee.

5 things about you or 5 words to describe you:
Perfectionist, soft-hearted, tenacious, determined, loving.

5 favorite foods:
Ice cream, pizza, filet mignon, chocolate fudge, seafood.

5 things you always put in your books:
Relationships, suspense, animals, red herrings, blood, sweat, and tears.

EXCERPT FROM MY HEART’S DESIRE

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY CLOTHES?"

No storm could be as fierce as the one that raged in Alexandria’s flashing eyes as she faced Drake across the cabin. Her expression was murderous, her small hands clenched at her sides, her tone lethal.

Drake closed the door behind him with a firm click. “By ‘your clothes’ I presume you mean that dusty gown and shredded chemise you discarded on my cabin floor?” He leaned nonchalantly against the wall, regarding her with amusement.

Alex was too angry to be shocked at his casual mention of her undergarment. “You know damned well what clothes I mean!”

“Now, now . . . such language, my lady. I am truly shocked.”

She looked as though she might strike him.

“I demand that you return my things at once!”

His brows went up. “You demand? Careful, princess, your snobbish airs are showing. Remember, on this ship the only one who demands is me.” He crossed the room, ignoring her as if she were no more than an annoying child.

She stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

“Did you want something, my lady?” He paused, studying her livid expression. She was as transparent as glass, her anger and exasperation clearly evident on her beautiful face.

Drake grinned. “Your clothes are no longer with us.”

The color in her face deepened. “What?”

“They were torn from your adventure.”

“Liar!” she shot back. “There was no reason for you to discard them … at least not for the reason you just gave.”

Her accusing tone made him chuckle. “You are quite correct, princess. The real reason is that I cannot have you parading around in your finery. My men are already lusting after you quite openly. We wouldn’t want to further intoxicate their senses, now would we?”

“The only one on this ship who has treated me with any disrespect is you!” she retorted.

“Then be grateful that I have limited you to men’s attire. Perhaps you will be safe from my lecherous advances.”

Drake moved away, and Alex turned her back as he took off his shirt and tossed it carelessly onto the chair. Tossing his breeches next to his shirt, he put an end to her torment by climbing into his berth.

The cabin was silent. Drake could sense Alex’s presence nearby, and he knew instinctively that she was not in bed.

“Princess?”

He heard her jump. “What is it?”

He cleared his throat. “Is there some problem?”

“No . . . yes . . . ” She paused. “May I use your basin and some water to wash the dirt from my face?”

Drake smiled in the darkness. “Go right ahead. And, princess … if you can find your way around in the dark, help yourself to one of my shirts. They are clean and more than large enough to protect your modesty.”

Again, silence. Then, “Thank you, Captain.”

Her bare feet padded across the room. Drake listened to her opening the heavy chest, taking out one of his shirts, and slipping it on. Splashing sounds told him she was washing, followed by her soft footsteps as she returned to her cot. Then a thud and a cry of pain.

Drake was out of bed in an instant, moving toward the sound of her choked cry.

“Alexandria? What is it?”

“I walked into the cot,” she whimpered.

“Are you badly hurt?”

In truth she was not. It had been a sudden painful blow, yet already the pain was subsiding to a dull throb. But it was more than she could withstand after her emotionally taxing day. Hot tears filled her eyes, spilled down her cheeks. Try though she would, she could not control the sobs that shook her.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “I never cry … and it is not that bad a bruise . . . I just can’t . . . ” She shook her head helplessly, covering her eyes with trembling hands.

There was no forethought. Drake reacted instantly, pulling her into his arms.

“Shhh,” he soothed, pressing her head against his chest. He felt her tears drenching his bare skin, her narrow shoulders shaking. “It’s all right, sweetheart … don’t cry,” he murmured, raising her chin with his forefinger, wishing he could see her face. He stroked his other hand down her back, pressing her closer to him.

They became aware of each other at the same moment. He was totally naked. She was clad only in a thin white shirt. She needed comfort. He needed more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrea Kane is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-seven novels, including thirteen psychological thrillers and fourteen historical romantic suspense titles.

With her signature style, Kane creates unforgettable characters and confronts them with life-threatening danger. As a master of suspense, she weaves them into exciting, carefully-researched stories, pushing them to the edge—and keeping her readers up all night.

Kane’s beloved historical romantic suspense novels include My Heart’s Desire, Samantha, The Last Duke, and Wishes in the Wind.

With a worldwide following of passionate readers, her books have been published in more than twenty languages.

Kane lives in New Jersey with her husband and family. She’s an avid crossword puzzle solver and a diehard Yankees fan. Otherwise, she’s either writing or playing with her Pomeranian, Mischief, who does his best to keep her from writing.

Connect with Andrea:
Website  |  
Facebook  | 
 Twitter  |  Goodreads  

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 


Book Details
Genre: Historical Romance

Published by: Bonnie Meadow Publishing LLC

Publication Date: September 20, 2016

Number of Pages: ~ 402

Series: Book 1 in "Barrett Family Series"


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