FEATURED AUTHOR: LESLIE JONES

ABOUT THE BOOK

At the dawn of the 1960’s, Frank Armstrong had it all: a flash car, smart clothes, a good job with career prospects. With his foot firmly on the corporate ladder, rapid promotion seemed certain. Of course, winning the affections of the Boss’s daughter, Helen, went some way to providing a leg up - but Frank is a man of charm and wit, someone for whom doors will always open.


If only he’d realised what he had! Unfortunately, contrary to his carefully manicured persona, Frank has a flawed side to his character, one anchored in a past he can never quite let go of. He has a liking for booze, and a wandering eye – a lethal combination! He makes rash decisions, each one his last – at least that’s what he promises himself. But an apparently well-intentioned act of bravado sets him on a course for disaster, one that will see him losing everything: his wife, his son, his job – his self-respect.


Ever the optimist, he plans his way back. But is it too late?


With several interconnecting sub plots, the reader will follow Frank’s journey against the backdrop of the emerging recreational drug culture and the attitudes of the time – a time when phone calls were made from call boxes and social networking meant going to the pub.
 Spiral is a tale of love and betrayal, obsession and addiction, good and evil. Ultimately, it is a story about human fallibilities, self-awakening, and the realities of life at a time very different from the one we live in today.



Book Details:


Title: Spiral

Author: Leslie Jones

Genre: Family saga

Publisher: Amazon: (April 29, 2018)

Print length: 550 pages

GUEST POST BY LESLIE JONES

An exploration of love, betrayal human fallibilities set against the backdrop of the southern England in the early 1960’s

Spiral is a story written for those who lived during the 1960’s, who can remember what is was like, and probably feel a sense of nostalgia for that time. However, a younger generation, for whom the Sixties is a largely unknown and forgotten period, might be curious to know what it was like to live at a time when no one possessed a mobile phone, and social networking meant going to cafés and pubs where people talked face-to-face and not electronically!

Set in the early years of the decade in a small coastal town in southern England, the key character, Frank, is introduced as a man ‘on the up.’ A self-made success story, who lives by his wits, the doors to the Promised Land beckoned. He has the car, the smart clothes, the girl – who happens to be his boss’s daughter. With his foot firmly on the corporate ladder, life seemed good, very good indeed. But Frank is far from perfect – he has a fondness for booze and an eye for women. Then, one day, he loses everything and finds himself homeless. Ever the optimist, and acknowledging the ‘wake up’ call, he is determined to win his life back. But is it too late?

I lived through the 1960’s, born in the first month of that decade, which is where the story starts. There is a well-known saying: ‘If you can remember the Sixties then you weren’t there.’ My own recollections of sights, sounds, how people talked, what was on the TV – these are all still crystal clear even though it was so long ago. I wanted to record these before their vividness begins to fade – and that was how Spiral evolved. The story, fortunately, is not based on personal experience, although many of the scenes are memorised; for example, I have centred a key part of the story in a lido – remember them? I used to go regularly to the one in Lee-on-Solent (near Portsmouth southern England) – how cold the water was! The emerging recreational drug culture – the justification for the cliché quoted above – is of great interest to me. I studied the ‘Counter-culture’ as part of my degree at Manchester University, which also features in the early part of the story.

This is my first novel – hopefully not my last. It took nearly four years to produce from inception to publication. I live in beautiful West Sussex in the south of England but spend a great deal of time in The Middle East where I teach Human Resources and Leadership & Management. Much time away from home provided the opportunity to write. My approach to writing has been structured and systematic, starting with research in how to write a novel. Although an avid reader, I had no idea how much I didn’t know about the writer’s craft. One of the key considerations in writing fiction which I noted very early, is the need to ensure the story creates an emotional reaction. Frank’s behaviour, the key thrust of the story, is intended to do that. There in no intentional underlying moral message – I want the reader to make her/his own mind up about how much Frank is to blame for what happens to him.

For a free copy of Spiral, offered to readers of this post in the hope you might enjoy the book and provide a review, no matter how brief, click here.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF FRANK, FROM SPIRAL



Thursday 24th January 1963



Frank squeezes his eyes closed as the familiar intensifying light of the Goblin Teasmade penetrates his eyelids. He knows the persistent buzzing indicating the tea was ready would follow and, his eyes still shut, he leans across and switches off the alarm, avoiding the unwelcome intrusion to his waking moments. A dull throb towards the back of his head reminds him of the "lock in" at the Stag's Head. If only he'd avoided the invitation to stay for one more.





Helen is already up and about, he notes with no surprise - she would be downstairs preparing breakfast. He wonders if he's in trouble. Perhaps a tad - after all, he didn't get in 'til 1 pm, and he probably woke her despite his efforts to be quiet. But things were going well - and Helen acknowledged he was working hard to provide a secure and prosperous future for her and Peter. A late night might be forgiven every now and then.





After pouring himself a cup of tea, he sits up in bed, reaches for his packet of Rothmans, lights one and lays his aching head back on the pillow. The first drag on his cigarette makes his head spin - but a few sips of over-strong tea helps to calm that down. He smiles contentedly.





'Peter! Come on, your breakfast is ready!'





This was Helen. He imagines her standing at the foot of the stairs, holding a pan of Quakers Porridge Oats, staring impatiently upwards towards their son’s bedroom door. Seconds later, Frank hears the door across the landing banging open followed shortly after by the sound small feet tapping rapidly down the stairs. Peter had roused. Frank grins, knowing his son would be eager to administer the ritual swirling of Tate & Lyles syrup into the grey glutinous mass that represented his breakfast.



The smell of cooking bacon drifts upstairs. Despite his hangover, Frank realises he is hungry. He climbs out of bed and lurches uncertainly to the bathroom across the landing. 'Bloody hell it's cold!' he mutters, hoping Helen had lit the fire downstairs.





'Come on Frank, you're going to be late if you don't get a move on!' Helen yells up the stair.



'Well 

'I'm getting dressed, darling! Be down in a minute!'





Frank studies himself in the mirror as he adjusts his woolen tie, a recent birthday present from Helen. He smiles at his reflection, admiring the "rugged but handsome," Helen's description, face staring back at him. He grabs his tweed jacket from the back of the chair where he had placed it with surprising neatness, given his inebriated state the night before, scoops up his packet of Rothmans and zippo lighter from the bed side table, and heads downstairs.



***



He stares at his empty plate, full only a few minutes ago with bacon, two crisp rashers with rind on, two fried eggs, slightly runny, the way he likes them, a pork chipolata, black pudding and, his favorite: fried bread.





'That was smashing darling, just what the doctor ordered,' he says. He sees that Peter, having demolished his bowl of porridge, is now mashing egg soldiers into his mouth.





'Well, no wonder you're so hungry - you didn't make it home for supper last night and . . . '   



'I did tell you I wouldn't be home 'til late. I couldn't let old Fred down. He's been with the company since before the War.' 



Frank's good humour vanishes in anticipation of the nagging he thinks he’s about to receive. He fumbles in his pocket for his cigarettes and lights one.





'Well, you might have called. I didn't expect you to be that late. I take it you'll be back early today? Oh Frank, didn't you agree you wouldn't smoke at the table when Peter's around?'





'You're right, I did. Sorry. Look, I'd better be off. See you later.'





'Aren't you forgetting something?

'



Frank leans down and brushes the top of Helen's head with a brief kiss, ruffling Peter's hair as he passes his high chair. Peter grins up at him, his mouth plastered in egg yolk; Frank hopes his son would not insist on kissing him goodbye.



'Don't be late tonight, Frank, I'm cooking 'Mixed Grill."



*** 



The saloon bar in the Avondale is full of the normal throng of lunchtime drinkers.



'One more?'





Frank glances at his watch. 'I shouldn't really - I'm interviewing at three - the new sales position.'





'Go on, one more won't hurt. I'll drop you back at the depot by quarter to.' This was Bob, one of the depot van drivers and a regular drinking acquaintance.





'Aren't you supposed to be in Guildford this afternoon?'





Bob grins. 'No problem, I'll put my foot down. Never been late before.'





'What if the Police stop you? Come on, Bob, you've necked four pints so far!'




'They'll have to catch me first! Oh, stop worrying Frank - a few pints won't affect my driving. Why would the Police want to stop me?'





'Suppose you're right. Okay, but only one more!'



***



Frank studies the young woman sitting across the other side of his desk. 'Not bad, not bad at all,' whispers his inner voice, as his eyes appraised with the expertise of a serial womaniser.





'Well, you do have an impressive record - at least on paper. But how do you think you'll cope in this type of work? After all, most of our sales reps are men, and the customers you would be dealing with are as well. You might find it a bit . . . '




'Oh, I don't think that would be an issue. I can handle men and . . . '





'I'm sure you can,' Frank replies, grinning back and trying hard not to stare at her cleavage. 'Anyway, I'll be in touch.'





A few minutes after the young woman had left, Bob, the Managing Director, stands framed in the doorway.





'Don't tell me you're taking her on, Frank,' he says, lighting his pipe.





'I've not decided yet, Bob, there's a few more to interview yet. But she seems very capable and I reckon if . . . '





Bob waves his pipe, cutting him off. 'She'd be with us for five minutes before she's pregnant - and where will that leave us? Are the other applicants all men?'





'Yes, they are, but shouldn't we . . . ?'





'Oh, stop being so gallant, Frank. We've got enough women working here doing what they're good at: administration. Round pegs, round holes, eh Frank?'



Frank stares at the empty doorway for several seconds after Bob made his exit. He frowns, wondering if it was Bob's pre-emptive overruling of his employment decision, which undermined his authority, or the fact he had lost a possible prospect for a dalliance.



*** 




Frank takes a circuitous route home. Helen's instruction that he should not be late plays repeatedly in his mind. But he needs to make a phone call, one that could not be made from the office in case it was overheard, and not from somewhere where someone might see him and wonder what he was up to. He drives to the next town and stops at the Red Lion where he knows a coin operated phone booth outside the gents offered the prospect of a private conversation.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leslie Jones is an avid reader but new to the writing game – Spiral is his first novel.  His job, which involves teaching leadership & management and HR qualification programmes in the Middle East, means that he is abroad for a week or two most months. Using down-time productively opened the door to writing.

Leslie is a baby boomer – and aimed Spiral at that generation, writing in such a way as to appeal to those who can remember the joy of reading library books – perhaps a slightly old-fashioned style – or perhaps retro!

After a lengthy career as a naval officer, Leslie’s career followed an erratic path through event management, management consultancy, operational management, and finally learning and development.

Leslie is married and lives in beautiful West Sussex with his wife, Jean, and their (adult) daughter Chloe, who has learning difficulties, as well as their Golder Retriever, Darcie. He enjoys staying fit, sailing his veteran dinghy on the local reservoir, and coarse fishing.

Connect with the author:
Facebook  |  Goodreads


Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Completely Novel

FEATURED AUTHOR: JOANNE GUIDOCCIO

ABOUT THE BOOK

While not usually a big deal, one overlooked email would haunt teacher Gilda Greco. Had she read it, former student Sarah McHenry might still be alive.

Suspecting foul play, Constable Leo Mulligan plays on Gilda’s guilt and persuades her to participate in a séance facilitated by one of Canada’s best-known psychics. Six former students also agree to participate. At first co-operative and willing, the camaraderie is short-lived as old grudges and rivalries emerge. The séance is a bust.

Determined to solve Sarah’s murder, Gilda launches her own investigation and uncovers shocking revelations that could put several lives—including her own—in danger. Can Gilda and the psychic solve this case before the killer strikes again?

Book Details:


Title: A Different Kind of Reunion

Author: Joanne Guidoccio

Genre: Cozy mystery
Series: Gilda Greco Mystery Series, book 3

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press (April 23, 2018)

Print length: 236 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

INTERVIEW WITH JOANNE GUIDDOCCIO

Q: Joanne, tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
A: A standalone book, A Different Kind of Reunion is the third book in the Gilda Greco Mystery Series. Based in Northern Ontario, these cozy mysteries feature a fifty-something Italian woman, her meddling relatives, deserving and undeserving men, food, and murder. These books do not have to be read in any particular order.

Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
A: There is a morning after. Regardless of the many storms in my personal and family life, among them a breast cancer diagnosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, the clouds finally did lift. What got me through—praying and putting one foot in front of the other as I faced each day.

Q: What’s one thing you wish your younger writer self knew?
A: Use your “waiting time” effectively. While querying, start writing the next book in the series or an entirely new project. Alternatively, you could take an online course or sign up for a series of workshops. Keep your skills sharp!


Q: What’s one of your favorite quotes?
A: "We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can't have both. Not at the same time.” ― Brené Brown (Rising Strong)



Q: Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
A: Having lived and taught in different cities throughout the province of Ontario, I felt free to “borrow” characteristics from former colleagues and students to create composite characters. To date, no one has recognized himself/herself.

Q: Are you like any of your characters?
A: While imagining the protagonist of the Gilda Greco Mystery Series, I realized she could easily be my literary twin. In fact, I like to tell people that Gilda Greco is 70 percent of me. As to how I came up with that particular number, let’s just say my well-honed left brain did all the work. Our similarities . . . Italian Canadian, born and raised in Sudbury, relocated to Southern Ontario, mathematics teachers, career development practitioners, yoga enthusiasts, non-foodies.
One major difference–Gilda won a $19 million lottery. I’m still hoping!

Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: I admire late-blooming authors who have launched successful second acts. Two favorites come to mind: Maeve Binchy and Louise Penny. Their novels and writing journeys have inspired me to launch my own second act as a writer. From Maeve, I’ve learned that success is not a pie where only a select few have access to the slices. I’ve taken several pages out of Louise’s disciplined approach to structure my own writing practice.

Q: What book are you currently reading and in what format?
A: I’m reading Grit by Angela Duckworth (hardcover).

Q: Do you have a routine for writing?
A: After some experimentation, I came up with a daily regimen. Nothing too dramatic, but it works for me. I like to sleep in each day and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. But after my second cup of coffee, I start writing. My goal is 1,000 words a day. After I reach that quota, I’m free to meet with friends for lunch or coffee and plan other outings.

Q: Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
A: When I first retired, I assumed I would be writing in my den. Everything was in place: desk, new computer, bookshelves crammed with novels and craft guides, and inspiring Monet prints on the wall. But after several frustrating attempts, I realized the den was too small. While the room could easily be a second bedroom, it was not spacious enough for my creativity to flourish. So, I relocated to a corner of the living/dining area of my condo. With over 900 square feet of space and easy access to my kitchen and balcony, I no longer feel constrained.

Q: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
A: Here is one of my favorite reviews: English teacher Colleen McConnell describes Between Land and Sea as “a classic wisdom tale with a twist . . . reminiscent of Jane Austen.”

BOOK TRAILER


OTHER BOOKS BY JOANNE GUIDOCCIO

A Season for Killing Blondes 
Too Many Women in the Room
Between Land and Sea
The Coming of Arabella

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In 2008, Joanne  Guidoccio took advantage of early retirement and decided to launch a second career that would tap into her creative side and utilize her well-honed organizational skills. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. Her articles and book reviews were published in newspapers, magazines, and online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring theme in her novels and short stories. A member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and Romance Writers of America, Joanne writes paranormal romance, cozy mysteries, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario.


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

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Indigo  |  iTunes  |  The Wild Rose Press

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FEATURED AUTHOR: SHELLY FROME

ABOUT THE BOOK

For tour guide Emily Ryder, the turning point came on that fatal early morning when her beloved mentor met an untimely death. It's labeled as an accident and Trooper Dave Roberts is more interested in Emily than in any suspicions over Chris Cooper's death. For Emily, if Chris hadn't been the Village Planner and the only man standing in the way of the development of an apartment and entertainment complex in their quaint village of Lydfield, Connecticut, she might have believed it was an accident, but too many pieces didn't fit.

As Emily heads across the pond for a prescheduled tour of Lydfield's sister village, Lydfield-in-the-Moor, she discovers that the murderer may be closer than she thought.

Book Details:

Title: The Secluded Village Murders

Author: Shelly Frome

Genre: Cozy mystery


Publisher: BQB Publishing (September 1st 2018)


Print length: 339 pages


On tour with: Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours

INTERVIEW WITH SHELLY FROME

Q: Shelly, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
A: The secluded villages are, in point of fact, the sister villages of Litchfield, Connecticut and Litchfield, U.K. As it happens, at one time they exchanged visits and my late wife covered the festivities for the regional Connecticut paper.

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I spent my formative years in Miami, Florida.

Q: What’s your favorite memory?
A: My favorite memory is seeing my wife for the first time on the grounds of the Green Mountain Theater in Vermont.

Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
A: To put aside everything people have tried to foist on me and trust my inner voice and experience.

Q: What do you love about where you live?
A: Surrounded by and nestled in the Blue Ridge.

Q: What is the most daring thing you've done?
A: Taking off for the Mexican border in an unknown roommate’s MG as he tells me he’s on parole after holding up the same New Mexican town Billy Kid escaped from holding a saw-offed shotgun.

Q: Yikes! What’s one thing you wish your younger writer self knew?
A: That I had the makings of an incurable storyteller.

Q: What makes you nervous?
A: Some upcoming trial or cause for tribulation.

Q: What makes you excited?
A: A prospect that might have untold possibilities.

Q: Who are you?
A: A former New York starving actor and a professor emeritus of dramatic arts at the University of Connecticut.

Q: If you could only save one thing from your house, what would it be?
A: My goldendoodle Baxter.

Q: What’s one of your favorite quotes?
A: “All art is the result of having been in danger. Of going as far as one can go and beyond.” -Rilke

Q: What’s your favorite line from a book?
A: “The world breaks everyone. Some are strong in the broken places.” Hemingway

Q: Is your book based on real events?
A: The attempt of a rapacious developer from New Jersey to destroy a verdant high meadow adjacent to my home in order to build a condo complex.

Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: Hemingway, Mark Twain, Harper Lee, James Lee Burke, Ray Bradbury, P.D. James.

Q: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
A: When crime writer Donald Westlake declared that my Hollywood novel Tinseltown Riff was captivating.

Q: What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing?
A: Someone said my saga centering on a drifter was pretentious. Since I had put my whole heart and soul into it, I finally just discarded the notion.

Q: What are you working on now?
A: A crime story with the working title Miranda and the D-Day Caper.

EXCERPT FROM THE SECLUDED VILLAGE MURDERS

Picking up speed, she passed the rows of Victorian houses with their pilastered front porches and attached shutters in homage to last century’s Colonial Revival. She’d grown up here, always lived here except for college and her transatlantic jaunts. But at this moment, her village might as well be a scattering of old photos.
Before she knew it, the rain was beating down harder, her wiper blades barely able to keep up. Among the nagging questions flitting through her mind was how could Miranda Shaw have suddenly gotten wind of her leaking roof? Or did somebody just put her up to it, to get Chris rushing pell- mell in the rain so he would...
Emily eased her foot off the pedal, barely able to see through the downpour. She switched the wipers on high and kept her eyes on the road, intent on avoiding an accident.
Minutes later, she pulled into Miranda Shaw’s place at a slow but steady crawl. As she reached the circular drive, straining her eyes through the thwacking blades, she peered up two stories above the stone archway.
There she caught sight of the familiar gangly figure climbing higher toward the peak of an eight-sided turret. At a point where the grayish-blue slate, copper flashing, and a mullioned window merged, the figure suddenly became a shuddering blur.
Emily honked her horn, blasting as loud as she could. But it was too late. The figure flopped over and slid down the turret, glanced off the aluminum ladder and toppled like a broken doll.
***
Excerpt from The Secluded Village Murders by Shelly Frome.  Copyright © 2018 by Shelly Frome. Reproduced with permission from Shelly Frome. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, and Murder Run. Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Moon Games is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Connect with Shelly:
Website  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 

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FEATURED AUTHOR: NANCY WARREN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Vampires who knit

A troublemaking witch

Who killed Granny — and is she really dead?



At a crossroads between a cringe-worthy past (Todd the Toad) and an uncertain future (she's not exactly homeless, but it's close), Lucy Swift travels to Oxford to visit her grandmother. With Gran's undying love to count on and Cardinal Woolsey's, Gran's knitting shop, to keep her busy, Lucy can catch her breath and figure out what she's going to do.



Except it turns out that Gran is the undying. Or at least, the undead. But there's a death certificate. And a will, leaving the knitting shop to Lucy. And a lot of people going in and out who never use the door—including Gran, who is just as loving as ever, and prone to knitting sweaters at warp speed, late at night. What exactly is going on?



When Lucy discovers that Gran did not die peacefully in her sleep, but was murdered, she has to bring the killer to justice without tipping off the law that there's no body in the grave. Between a hot 600-year-old vampire and a dishy detective inspector, both of whom always seem to be there for her, Lucy finds her life getting more complicated than a triple cable cardigan. 
The only one who seems to know what's going on is her cat ... or is it ... her familiar? 

First in a new series of paranormal cozy mysteries with bite!

“A terrific read - witches, vampires, knitting and a great plot. What more could you ask for?”***** 5 star review by Krystyna, Amazon reviewer.

Book Details:


Title: The Vampire Knitting Club

Author’s name: Nancy Warren

Genre: Paranormal cozy mystery

Series: Vampire Knitting Club, book 1

Publisher: Ambleside Publishing (October 4, 2018)

Print length: 218 pages

On tour with: Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Stitches and Witches, Vampire Knitting Club book 2
Crochet and Cauldrons, Vampire Knitting Club book 3

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH NANCY WARREN

Things you need in order to write: My computer, an idea!, my 15-year-old border Collie, Max, at my feet.
Things that hamper your writing: Noise (this includes music. How writers can work with music is a mystery to me). Feeling like I have too much to do.

Things you love about writing: The freedom to create my own schedule, to work in sweats and the joy of creating something new.
Things you hate about writing: The second draft, AKA the poo draft. When the right word won’t come.


Things you never want to run out of: LUSH lavender body cream, Yorkshire Gold Tea, wine.
Things you wish you’d never bought: Those expensive jeans I knew were too tight and I thought I could lose a couple of pounds and fit into . . . 


Favorite foods: Chocolate, wine, cheese and bread: the major food groups.
Things that make you want to throw up: Liver, anything that ends in ‘wurst’ which is the perfect name for that stuff.

Favorite beverage: Champagne.

Something that gives you a pickle face: Kombucha. I try, I really do, because I know it’s good for me, but that stuff is nasty.

Favorite smell: Lavender.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Sometimes when I’m hiking a young guy will pass me and he’s put on heavy men’s cologne which is supposed to cover up his sweat smell, I guess. Well, it doesn’t and the combination of BO and cheap cologne nearly makes me throw up.

Something you’re really good at: Croquet, and I used to be a killer ping pong player. Not sure if I still am.

Something you’re really bad at: Knitting. Which is unfortunate as I’m writing a series about a knitting club! I’m learning, but knitting is much harder than I thought.


Something you wish you could do: Sing and dance like a Broadway star.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Iron.


Last best thing you ate: Recently? It was these amazing cream pastries in France.

Last thing you regret eating: That second cookie after dinner last night.

Things to say to an author: I am so mad at you! I was up until two reading your book and then I had to call in sick because I could not put it down!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I have a great idea. How about if I tell it to you, you write it and we’ll split the profits! Closely followed by, ‘You should write a romance about my friend. She’s been married fifteen times!’

Favorite places you’ve been: Bath, Oxford, Venice, Matera, the Great Barrier Reef, the Inca Train in Peru, Paris, Sedona, San Francisco, and too many more to name . . . 

Places you never want to go to again: Barcelona. I know people love it, but to me it’s too crowded, and I was nearly robbed by a pick pocket.

Favorite books: Pride and Prejudice, anything by Jane Austen, anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Books you would ban: Any book (nearly always written by a male author) where women are portrayed as weak and useless. Grrrrr.

Favorite things to do: Hiking, reading, traveling, live theater.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: Accounting, most housework.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I’ve hiked some mountains that I wasn’t sure I could summit and then stood at the top feeling like I’d conquered the world.

Something you chickened out from doing: Sky diving. I wanted to but was too scared.

The last thing you did for the first time: I tried Kombucha.

Something you’ll never do again: Drink Kombucha.

READ AN EXCERPT FROM THE VAMPIRE KNITTING CLUB




One

Cardinal Woolsey’s knitting shop has appeared on postcards celebrating the quaint views of Oxford, of which there are many. But when a visitor has tired of writing ‘wish you were here’ on the back of pictures of the various colleges, the dreaming spires, and the dome of the Radcliffe Camera, a cozy little shop painted blue, brimming with baskets of wool and hand-knit goods, can be so much more inviting.

My grandmother Agnes Bartlett owned the knitting shop and I was on my way to visit after spending a very hot month at a dig site in Egypt visiting my archeologist parents.

Gran was always ready to wrap her warm arms around me and tell me everything was going to be all right. I needed comforting after discovering my boyfriend of two years Todd had stuck his salami in someone else’s sandwich. I referred to him now as my ex-boyfriend The Toad. I was thinking about Gran’s wisdom, her hugs and her home made gingersnaps, when I started to feel as though cold, wet fingers were walking down the back of my neck.

My wheeled suitcase clanked and rattled behind me along the cobblestones of Harrington Street as I looked around, wondering what had caused the heebie-jeebies.

The October day was chilly and crisp and, in the mid-afternoon, the street was busy with shoppers, tourists and students. Church bells chimed three o’clock. When I glanced ahead, I saw my beloved Gran. She wore a black skirt, sensible shoes and one of her hand-knit cardigans, this one in orange and blue. She was walking with a glamorous woman in her sixties whom I didn’t recognize. I thought Gran looked confused and my hackles immediately rose. The glamor puss was holding an umbrella over Gran’s head, even though the day was dry and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
I waved and called, “Gran!” moving faster so my suitcase began to bounce.

I was sure they saw me, but as I sped toward them, they veered down a side street. What on earth? I lifted my case and began to run; though my case was so heavy it was more of a grunting stagger.

“Gran!” I yelled again. I stopped at the bottom of the road where I’d last seen them. There was no one there. A dry, shriveled leaf tumbled toward me and from a window ledge a small, black cat regarded me with what looked like pity. Otherwise, the street was empty.

“Agnes Bartlett!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

I stood, panting. The side street was lined with a mixture of half-timbered cottages and Victorian row houses, all clearly residential. Gran hadn’t popped into a shop and would soon emerge. She was visiting in one of those homes, presumably. I wondered if it belonged to her friend.

Well, there was no point standing there. I’d go to Cardinal Woolsey’s and wait for Gran there. Her assistant, Rosemary, would be running the shop and I could let myself into the upstairs flat and unpack while I waited for my grandmother to return.

I retraced my steps, but when I reached the entrance to the quaint shop and tried the door, it didn’t open. I tried again, pushing harder, before my other senses kicked in and I realized that no lights were on inside.

A printed sign hung on the windowed front door. It said, “Cardinal Woolsey’s is closed until further notice.” At the bottom was a phone number.

Closed until further notice?

Gran never closed the shop outside her regular closing days. And if she had, where was her assistant?

I stood on the sidewalk that feeling came again, like cold fingers on the nape of my neck.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


Nancy's a USA Today bestselling author of more than 60 novels. Nancy's originally from Vancouver, Canada, but she tends to wander. She currently lives in an 18th century house in Bath, England where she loves to pretend she's Jane Austen, or at least a character in a Jane Austen novel.

When she's not writing, she's hiking, skiing, traveling or sipping wine. She's appeared on the front page of the New York Times (when her book, Speed Dating launched Harlequin's NASCAR series), has been a clue in a crossword puzzle (National Post, Canada), and she's been a finalist for the RITA award three times, honored by Romantic Times Magazine and often shares her love of writing in her popular workshops.

Connect with Nancy:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

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FEATURED AUTHOR: LORETTA MARION

ABOUT THE BOOK

A family patriarch’s dying proclamation, an enigmatic disappearance, and a century-old curse converge in the shadows of a majestic home on Cape Cod’s craggy coast.



Thirty-seven-year-old painter Cassandra Mitchell is fourth-generation to live in the majestic Battersea Bluffs, a brooding Queen Anne home originally built by her great-grandparents, Percy and Celeste Mitchell, and still standing despite tragedies that have swept the generations. Local lore has it that there was a curse placed on the family and the house is haunted, though opinions are divided on whether it's by malicious or benevolent spirits. Cassie believes the latter―but now she stands to lose her beloved home to mounting debt and the machinations of her dream-weaving ex-husband.



Salvation seems to arrive when a nomadic young couple wanders onto the property with the promise of companionship and much-needed help―until they vanish without a trace, leaving behind no clue to their identities. Cassie is devastated, but determined to discover what's happened to the young couple...even as digging into their disappearance starts to uncover family secrets of her own. Despite warnings from her childhood friend, now the local Chief of Police―as well as an FBI agent who pushes the boundaries of professionalism―Cassie can't help following the trail of clues (and eerie signals from the old house itself) to unravel the mystery. But can she do so before her family's dark curse destroys everything in its path?



Book Details:


Title: House of Ashes

Author: Loretta Marion

Genre: Mystery (with elements of paranormal and romance)

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (November 13, 2018)

Print length: 336 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours


ALSO BY LORETTA MARION

The Fool's Truth   (Fall 2016)
The Fool's Truth is a twisty tale of mystery and suspense with whispers of romance. Desperation, dark secrets and danger emerge when Cordelia Richmond and her toddler daughter become stranded in the backwoods of Maine where she’s taken in by a witch-like hermit living off the grid. The book has received the following awards: Finalist in two categories (Mystery & Suspense) IAN 2017 Book of the Year Awards, Honorable Mention New England Bookfest, Literary Titan Gold Book Award. 

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH LORETTA MARION

A few of your favorite things: My favorite things have never been actual things. I count myself lucky to have THE BEST friends, a great husband, a wonderful mother who is sadly no longer with us, and many devoted canine companions throughout the years.
Things you need to throw out: I have too many shoes, purses, clothes in general. My closets need a major purge!


Things you need in order to write: Peace and quiet. A nice view is always inspirational.
Things that hamper your writing: Clutter. A loaded to-do list. Noise–Even music (except for light classical).

Things you love about writing: Spending time with my characters. Escaping into another place and time.
Things you hate about writing: Deadlines!

Easiest thing about being a writer: The writing!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Although I’m proud of my writing, I find it very difficult to tout it to others. Therefore, book promotion is a challenging but necessary part of the publishing process.


Things you love about where you live: It’s near the water. There are many opportunities for outdoor activities: biking, hiking, kayaking. The history of the community is interesting. There’s a quaint downtown walkable from my home.
Things that make you want to move: Winters!


Things you never want to run out of: Peanut butter, cheese, bread, nuts…yep, it’s all food! Oh, and wine. Boring but true…water.
Things you wish you’d never bought: There are quite a few clothing items hanging in my closet with the tags still attached to remind me it’s no bargain if you never end up wearing it.


Favorite foods: See above for things I never want to run out of and add dark chocolate and pasta to the list. And I love almost all vegetables – except lima beans.
Things that make you want to throw up: Lima beans.

Favorite music or song: Too many to pick just one, though “This Old Heart of Mine” by the Isley Brothers and remade by Rod Stewart is up there. Love the classic rockers like Petty, Clapton, The Beatles, Moody Blues, Chicago, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, CST&Y, CCR, Jackson Brown, Bowie, Dylan, Springsteen, Rolling Stones. I think I may have failed this question.
Music that make your ears bleed: Not a fan of rap.

Favorite smell: Tressor (my perfume). Old Spice (my husband’s aftershave).

Something that makes you hold your nose: Gin.

Something you’re really good at: Remembering faces and names.

Something you’re really bad at: Geography – though I do love to travel!


Something you wish you could do: Something creative or artistic like painting, playing music or singing.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Swear – not that I do it often.


Things you always put in your books: Pets, Small towns, a female protagonist, a mystery of some sort.

Things you never put in your books: Gratuitous sex or violence

Things to say to an author: I loved your book! How do you come up with those great story ideas? You’re my favorite author! You had me guessing until the very end.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Writing is such a nice little hobby for you. (Definitely killing them off in my next book!)

Favorite places you’ve been: Almost anywhere in New England and Canada. California wine country. Big Sur. Alaska & Hawaii. Favorite European cities I’ve been fortunate to visit: Paris, Florence, Budapest, Prague, Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Places you never want to go to again: Camping.


Favorite books (or genre): Too many! I love mysteries, the classics, women’s fiction, humor.

Books you would ban: None!


Favorite things to do: Walking – almost anywhere – through the woods, along the shore, in a vibrant city, through a quaint small town. Traveling. Spending time with friends. Writing.
Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: Dusting – fortunately my husband is a fantastic duster!

Most embarrassing moment: Too many – ha!
Proudest moment: I initiated a Legacy Story program for hospice patients when I was a volunteer. It was the most meaningful experience of my life and where my desire to write a novel had its beginnings.


Biggest lie you’ve ever told: That I was allergic to lima beans.
A lie you wish you’d told: Can’t think of one.


Best thing you’ve ever done: Quit smoking – YAY! (many, many years ago)
Biggest mistake: Starting smoking (I was young and foolish – and it was very hard to quit!)


The last thing you did for the first time: Flew on a 747 – I’d always wanted to, but never had the chance until recently.

Something you’ll never do again: Unless I absolutely must…fly in a helicopter.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


A true bibliophile, Loretta Marion’s affection for the written word began in childhood and followed her like a shadow throughout her life as she crafted award winning marketing and advertising copy and educational brochures. When not whipping out words on her laptop, she is traveling, enjoying outdoor pursuits, or is curled up with a delicious new book. Loretta lives in Rhode Island with her husband, Geoffrey, and their beloved Mr. Peabody, a sweet, devoted and amusing “Corgador” (Corgi-Labrador cross).

Connect with Loretta:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
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FEATURED AUTHOR: ELLEN BYRON

ABOUT THE BOOK

USA Today bestselling author Ellen Byron is back at it with fan-favorite plantation B&B owner Maggie Crozat in a fourth installment of the Cajun Country mysteries. 

Southern charm meets the dark mystery of the bayou as a hundred-year flood, a malicious murder, and a most unusual Mardi Gras converge at the Crozat Plantation B&B.

It’s Mardi Gras season on the bayou, which means parades, pageantry, and gumbo galore. But when a flood upends life in the tiny town of Pelican, Louisiana―and deposits a body of a stranger behind the Crozat Plantation B&B―the celebration takes a decidedly dark turn. The citizens of Pelican are ready to Laissez les bon temps rouler―but there’s beaucoup bad blood on hand this Mardi Gras. 



Maggie Crozat is determined to give the stranger a name and find out why he was murdered. The post-flood recovery has delayed the opening of a controversial exhibit about the little-known Louisiana Orphan Train. And when a judge for the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen pageant is shot, Maggie’s convinced the murder is connected to the body on the bayou. Does someone covet the pageant queen crown enough to kill for it? Could the deaths be related to the Orphan Train, which delivered its last charges to Louisiana in 1929? The leads are thin on this Fat Tuesday―and until the killer is unmasked, no one in Pelican is safe. 



A simmering gumbo of a humorous whodunit, Mardi Gras Murder is the fourth piquant installment in USA Today bestselling author Ellen Byron’s award-winning Cajun Country mysteries.

Book Details:


Title: Mardi Gras Murder

Author: Ellen Byron

Genre: Cozy mystery

Series: Cajun Country mysteries, book 4

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (October 9th, 2018)

Print length: 304 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH ELLEN BYRON

A few of your favorite things: My rescue dogs and all my gorgeous needlepoint. Especially the Christmas ornaments.
Things you need to throw out: Pretty much everything else. Our house could be on that show, Hoarders, these days.


Things you need in order to write: My fingers and a computer.
Things that hamper your writing: The Internet and… the Internet.


Things you love about writing: The magic of coming up with a great plot twist or a truly unique turn of phrase.
Things you hate about writing: Having to tear myself away from Facebook.

Things you love about where you live: My neighbors! I live in the Hollywood Hills, and five of us gals power-walk at least one night a week. We call ourselves the West Donas Walkers because our neighborhood is nicknamed the Donas, and we’re on the west side of it.
Things that make you want to move: Typical Los Angeles complaints: terrible traffic and self-involved people. Also, I love rain and desperately miss is.

Words that describe you: Funny, loyal, pragmatic, driven, honest, questioning, passionate, caring, emotional.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: Annoying, impatient, neurotic, stubborn, self-centered, opinionated, procrastinator.

Favorite foods: Chocolate, pasta, pizza, jambalaya, cake, gumbo, all kinds of meatball soups.
Things that make you want to throw up:  Coffee and cilantro. I despise them both. I have to rinse out my mouth if I accidentally eat either of them.

Favorite song: “Get Down Tonight,” by KC and the Sunshine Band. I consider it the best pop dance song ever written and no one will ever convince me otherwise.
Music that make your ears bleed: Heavy metal and anything by Drake. He is ALWAYS off key!

Favorite beverage: Unsweetened iced tea.

Something that gives you a pickle face: Sweetened iced tea – or any sugary drink.

Favorite smell: Night-blooming jasmine.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Tar.

Something you wish you could do: Dance en pointe in ballet. A dream of mine I never realized.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Spend money!

Something you like to do: Dance.

Something you wish you’d never done: Roll stop signs. All the tickets I’ve ever gotten – except for one speeding ticket – have been for rolling stop signs.

Last best thing you ate: Rum raisin cake. I was testing a recipe that will go into the fifth book in my Cajun Country Mystery series. Thumbs up for me, it came out great!

Last thing you regret eating: Rum raisin cake. It totally demolished my Weight Watchers points for the day.

Things you always put in your books: Recipes.
Things you never put in your books: Gory violence or torture of any kind. Yuck!

Things to say to an author: I love your series! 

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: You’re shorter in person than I thought you’d be.

Favorite things to do: Read, dance, needlepoint, hang with family and/or friends, wine-taste, just plain drink wine.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: Cleaning my house.

Things that make you happy: My doggies and my family, when everyone’s in a good mood. Also, see my list of “favorite things to do.”
Things that drive you crazy: People who would rather be right than happy.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

Plantation Shudders
Body on the Bayou
A Cajun Christmas Killing



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ellen Byron authors the Cajun Country Mystery series. A Cajun Christmas Killing and Body on the Bayou both won the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery and were nominated for Agatha awards in the category of Best Contemporary Novel. Plantation Shudders, was nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Daphne awards. Mardi Gras Murder launched October 9th. Ellen’s TV credits include Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents. She’s written over 200 national magazine articles, and her published plays include the award-winning Graceland. She also worked as a cater-waiter for the legendary Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing.

Connect with Ellen:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Instagram

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  
Barnes & Noble  |  Bookbub

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FEATURED AUTHOR: CAROLYN LAWRENCE

ABOUT THE BOOK

After the shocking death of her sister, Lily's life is shattered as she returns to her family's small hometown of Dacre, Georgia, to raise her socially awkward nephew Finn. But then a television show comes to town. When the lead actor Dutch Sturgess takes an interest in Finn's acting ability, then Lily herself, many around town are not happy. Especially Eli Bradley. Things quickly turn sour when the paparazzi uncover the secret Lily buried with her sister becomes front page news and unknowingly exposes the painfully abusive childhood Dutch tried to leave behind. The only comfort they have is with each other, but their bond will be tested when Eli and his brothers decide to make trouble for them. Lily and Dutch will take on a centuries-old moonshining feud with the Bradley boys, unsure if the town–and their love–can survive.



Book Details:


Title: The Mess We’re In

Author: Carolyn Lawrence

Genre: Romance


Series: The Dacre Anthology


Publisher: Carrick Press (August 14, 2018)

Print length: 258 pages

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH CAROLYN LAWRENCE


A few of your favorite things: I have a strong passion for ancestry and history, which runs rampant in my books. There is something romantic about digging into the dirt of the past and seeing what you find. I also enjoy sewing and cosplay. I just like creating. It doesn’t really matter what it is, as along as I am creating something.
Things you need to throw out: Those clothes I’m probably never going to fit into anymore, which are sadly out of date. 


Things you need in order to write: Music. I really don’t like writing without some music on. And a cold root beer.
Things that hamper your writing: My cats. I love them, but they really don’t like sharing the attention. 


Things you love about writing: The creation of a whole other world. You have the ability to design something, create something from scratch and play the ultimate chess game with the characters as you develop the story. There’s something rewarding about being able to do so. Also, I like the unknowing of it. While we might have control of the creation, the action seems to come from characters and we very rarely know exactly what is going on. It’s an adventure for the writer as much as it is for the characters.
Things you hate about writing: Sitting. I need a new chair. I really don’t hate anything but the sitting.

Easiest thing about being a writer: The writing. And the editing. I love editing. 

Hardest thing about being a writer: Being taking seriously, I suppose. Everyone thinks it’s just so easy to write; you just sit down and do it. But to write well takes skill and mastery which no one really seems to want to acknowledge and that is discouraging because you end up with statements like “I’d write a book if I had the time” hurled at you. We don’t have the time either, but we make it. That’s why we’re writers.


Things you love about where you live: It’s the South and I do love my South.
Things that make you want to move: Pollen. I’m allergic to everything that blooms here. And the traffic.


Things you never want to run out of: Toilet paper. Is that too obvious? Sorry I’m practical.
Things you wish you’d never bought: I really can’t think of anything? Probably yet another 6 pack of root beer. I really need to stop.


Words that describe you: Practical, intellectual, sarcastic, know-it-all, moody, introverted, funny, creative, observant.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: Know-it-all, moody, distant, snobby,

Favorite song: "Heart and Soul" by T’Pau.
Music that make your ears bleed: Probably anything pop today.

Favorite smell: Jasmine and lemon (though not together)
.
Something that makes you hold your nose: Vanilla, pumpkin spice things, the obvious pungent though natural smells which come with daily life.

Something you’re really good at: I’m odd in that I’m good at a lot of things. If I put my mind to it, I can master just about anything. So can anyone else. You just must be willing to try.

Something you’re really bad at: I cannot, for the life of me, dribble a basketball. 


Something you wish you could do: I wish I could speak Gaelic.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Honestly, nothing. I love learning and everything I learn has a practical value in life.

People you consider as heroes: Gwendolyn Brooks is probably my biggest hero, because I had the privilege of meeting her in high school, and she was very encouraging of my writing. 

People with a big L on their foreheads: I dislike people who don’t understand boundaries.

Favorite places you’ve been: Jackson, Wyoming and Moffat, Scotland.

Places you never want to go to again: Meridian, Mississippi, but there’s a story there. 

Favorite books: Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, To Kill a Mockingbird, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, Huckleberry Finn, anything by Flannery O’Conner and Edgar Allan Poe.

Books you would ban: Most books have an audience, and I wouldn’t want to take that away from them, but if it is poorly executed then I would ban it, like Stephanie Meyer or E.L. James (which is my opinion, they are), but again, there are people who like them, so I would never say ban them, because I would rather see people reading. I just won’t read them.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Stephen King, JK Rowling, Guillermo del Torro Evangeline Lily and Lou Diamond Phillips. They are all very inspirational to me.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Probably everyone, because I’m an introvert and if it consists of putting pants on, I’m usually a no.

Proudest moment: Publishing my book and handing it to the people who helped give me the courage to publish it. Pure joy for me.
Most embarrassing moment: I do embarrassing things all the time. There’s no particular moment which is more embarrassing, but then again, I don’t really get embarrass by what I do. My friends on the other hand . . .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Lawrence is a writer and an instructor in Georgia. She holds a BS in Communications, a Masters in Humanities and a Doctorate in Education. She teaches Humanities, American Literature, Perspectives in Humanities and Film Studies.


Connect with Carolyn:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads



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