FEATURED AUTHOR: SADIE HARTWELL


ABOUT THE BOOK

A new business might add some much-needed charm to downtown Dorset Falls—and draw tourists to Josie’s yarn shop. But when someone gets murdered, a close-knit community could come undone . . .



Shop owner Josie Blair is finally settling into the pace of living in Dorset Falls, Connecticut. Between running Miss Marple Knits, jumpstarting a blog, and handcrafting items with the help of her knitting pals, Josie’s too preoccupied to worry about her past in New York. And thanks to Lyndon and Harry, the owners of the brand-new antique shop next door, she has another project in her midst—repurposing a box of vintage crocheted doilies adorned with the most curious needlework . . .



But before Josie can formally welcome her neighbors, she discovers Lyndon on the floor of his shop stabbed to death by a rusty old pair of sheep shears. Police have pinned Harry as the killer, but Josie isn’t so sure. Now, she’s lacing up for another homicide investigation—and no eyelet or stitch can go unexamined, lest she herself becomes ensnared in the criminal’s deadly design . . .



INCLUDES ORIGINAL KNITTING PATTERNS!




LOVE OR HATE INTERVIEW WITH SADIE HARTWELL

A few of your favorite things:
Yoga pants. Good coffee. My cat, Ellie. Office supplies, especially three-ring binders, sticky notes, pretty file folders, and binder clips.
Things you need to throw out:
Old paperwork—I have a paper clutter problem that I have been unable to tame even with the use of these office supplies!  I could also throw out and replace some socks, now that you mention it.


Things you need in order to write:
A beverage: coffee, tea, seltzer, sometimes a glass of wine. A steno pad and a pen that writes smoothly (black only) so I can take notes. Relative peace and quiet.
Things that hamper your writing:
Excessive noise or anyone asking me what’s for dinner. Any music with lyrics or too much beat—I can’t help wanting to sing along or dance instead of putting words on the page. 


Things you love about writing:
Typing The End. I like having written, but the actual writing is a bit of a slog for me. I adore editing and polishing, though, once the first draft is done.
Things you hate about writing:
Maintaining the discipline to keep going—I really wish there was a machine that could hook up to my brain and extract a story fully formed! Saying goodbye to characters I’ve created and loved.

Hardest thing about being a writer:
Staying confident in my abilities and trusting my subconscious to come up with the answer to story problems.

Easiest thing about being a writer:
Meeting and talking to readers! 


Things you love about where you live:
I’m only a hundred yards or so from the public library. And I can be in any New England state in an hour and a half or less, or in New York City in a couple of hours.
Things that make you want to move:
I’d really like to live closer to the ocean.


Favorite foods:
Sharp cheddar cheese (with or without apple pie). Real maple syrup (with or without pancakes). Pink Lady apples. Fresh raspberries or raspberry anything. Fresh sea scallops.
Things that make you want to throw up: 
Peas. Lima beans. Raw seafood. Chocolate ice cream—I know that’s weird, considering I love most anything else chocolate. I think I just like my chocolate full strength, not diluted.

Favorite music:
1980s New Wave and rock.
Music that make your ears bleed:
Overly dramatic and lengthy renditions of the National Anthem—I judge a performance by how many extra notes get added, and in this case a higher score is not better.

Favorite smell:
Peanut butter cookies right out of the oven or lilacs, I can’t decide. 

Something that makes you hold your nose:
The litter box.

Something you’re really good at:
Making stuff up. 

Something you’re really bad at:
Dancing. I do it anyway!

Something you wish you could do:
Um, dance well?
Something you wish you’d never learned to do:
I almost—ALMOST—want to say knitting. Because it is an expensive, addictive hobby and it gets harder and harder to give away the stuff you knit because you tend to max out your friends and family.

Things you’d walk a mile for:
The newest Sue Grafton novel. A girls’ night out with my besties. A hug from my mom.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:
Televised golf games.

People you’d like to invite to dinner:
Michelle and Barry. Robert Downey Jr. (sigh!). Stephen King. Whoever it is that develops mystery series for the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel.

People you’d cancel dinner on:
A couple ex-boyfriends come to mind.

The last thing you did for the first time:
Drove a golf cart! Seriously, this was on my bucket list, and I just did it a few weeks ago. And it was as much fun as I thought it would be.

Something you’ll never do again:
Watch the movie Jeremiah Johnson. Not even a young Robert Redford wearing buckskins could induce me to sit through that again, LOL!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR




Sadie Hartwell grew up near the Canadian border in northern New York State, where it’s cold, dark, and snowy almost half the year—a perfect environment for nurturing a simultaneous love of mystery fiction and needlework. She attended St. Lawrence University, graduating with a degree in history, and has worked as a waitress, handbag designer/manufacturer, paralegal, and copy editor before turning to writing full-time. Now she gets to play with yarn and make up stories whenever she wants, and wishes everyone had a job as much fun as hers.

Connect with Sadie:
Website  |  Facebook  |   Twitter 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo  |  Books-A-Million 

       

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FEATURED AUTHOR: MELINDA MULLET

ABOUT THE BOOK

Photojournalist by trade, distillery owner by blood, and amateur sleuth by necessity, Abigail Logan learns that murder can’t stay bottled up forever in this charming Whisky Business Mystery.



It’s been three months since Abi Logan last checked in on Abbey Glen, the celebrated whisky distillery she inherited. With her oversize wheaten terrier, Liam, by her side, Abi returns to the quaint Scottish village of Balfour. But her relaxing Highland homecoming takes a stressful turn when she unearths an unseemly bit of village history, welcomes a group of Japanese whisky enthusiasts, and becomes shepherdess to an unexpected flock of sheep—all within the first twenty-four hours. Still, nothing’s more stressful than murder. . . .



Local celebrity Rory Hendricks is the hotheaded, hard-rocking former frontman of the Rebels—and Abi’s girlhood crush. After meeting him in person, Abi can’t say no to anything he asks, like photographing his upcoming show . . . or figuring out who’s trying to kill him. Turns out someone’s been bumping off his old bandmates, with the drummer dead under mysterious circumstances and the keyboardist in a coma following a hit-and-run. Now a series of threatening messages leads Rory to think he’s next on the chopping block. And the band has a devil’s share of broken hearts and bitter disputes in their past, leaving Abi a huge batch of suspects to sift through—all before the killer takes another shot.



Melinda Mullet’s delightful Whisky Business mysteries can be read together or separately. Enjoy responsibly:

Single Malt Murder | Death Distilled




LOVE OR HATE INTERVIEW WITH MELINDA MULLET



Things you need in order to write: 

Coffee or tea, depending on the time of the day. 
Things that hamper your writing:  

Noise. I like it dead quiet.

Things you love about writing:  

It’s a very peaceful occupation. You work in your own space and time and have the luxury of living inside your own head.  

Things you hate about writing:  

Writing is a double-edged sword. It can be a tremendously lonely occupation and you end up living inside your own head -- which often puts a strain on your personal relationships.

Hardest thing about being a writer:  

Staying disciplined.  When the weather is gorgeous it can be tough to nail your tail feathers to the chair and keep typing.

Easiest thing about being a writer:  

For me the easiest thing is coming up with ideas.  My head is always full of ideas and I see inspiration everywhere.  The hard part is getting it down on paper in a way that reflects my mental vision.


Things you love about where you live:  

We live just across the river from DC.  I love being close to the water and I love all the things that there are to do here.  Museums, theatre, outdoor activities.  There’s never a dull moment.  And I love that we have four distinct and very beautiful seasons.
Things that make you want to move:  

Politics and traffic.  You can never really escape the politics in this town.  At social gatherings it’s always the first topic of conversation.  And the traffic is hideous.

Words that describe you:  

Interesting question.  My protagonist in the Whisky Business series, Abi Logan, is a celebrated photographer famous for her portraits.  When she meets people she’s known for quickly coming up with a three word verbal sketch.  The first three words that pop into her head – a mental snapshot.  She may not understand the significance of the words when they come, but whether it’s instinct or insight the best of her portraits always capture the essence of those crucial three words.  I suspect her three words for me would be observant, creative and enthusiastic.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: 

Tired, overbooked and sometimes anxious.

Favorite foods: 

Favorite healthy foods are cheese and avocado. My guilty pleasures are homemade chocolate chip cookies, Ruffles potato chips, and salted cocktail peanuts.
Things that make you want to throw up:  

Okra. It somehow manages to be slimy and furry at the same time. Plus it reminds me of school lunches when I was a kid.

Favorite music:  

Rock and roll.  The Who, U2, Led Zepplin, Coldplay, Dire Straits . . .
Music that makes your ears bleed:  

That’s a tough question. I love all kinds of music from country to rap to show tunes. Even opera. I guess the only thing I won’t listen to is music with demeaning lyrics. 

Favorite beverage: 

Whisky! What else.  But I also like wine and I drink a lot of tea!

Something that gives you a pickle face:  

Weirdly enough, most sodas especially Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke.

Favorite smell:  

Sweet peas, bacon and onions sautéing in butter, and cinnamon baking.

Something that makes you hold your nose: 
Too much garlic. A little is great, but too much is too much.

Something you wish you could do:  

Sing. I’m passable at best but there’s a musical theater diva inside me struggling to get out!
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: 

Cook! Now it seems to be a three times a day thing and often a short order proposition.  Hmm.


Last best thing you ate:  

Virginia ham and homemade biscuits from Founding Farmers.

Last thing you regret eating: 

Durian. It’s a fruit, so they say, but it has the consistency of overripe avocado and smells like vomit. Like the worst Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean you can imagine. 

Favorite places you’ve been:  

London always. Any season, rain or shine. I’m more me there than anywhere else. It’s home.  And Venice is just magical. I could get lost in Venice for weeks on end and just wander aimlessly.

Places you never want to go to again:
Miami International Airport. It’s like being trapped in Dante’s first circle of hell.

People you’d like to invite to dinner:  

JK Rowling, because she really changed the way people read.  Dr. Carl June, because he’s making such amazing strides in cancer research. Lin Manuel Miranda because I’m a theater buff and he’s brilliant.  Lin’s wife Vanessa Nadal, because she’s a scientist, a lawyer, and an all-around fabulous woman.  And Tom Hiddleston – just because I could.

People you’d cancel dinner on:  

Most politicians. I get enough of that in DC!

Things that make you happy:

Puppy nose prints even when they’re on all the doors and windows, rain on the roof when you’re snug in bed, setting off on an adventure with my family, cherry blossom season, cocktails on the beach as the sun sets, watching the deer in the yard in the fresh snow, traveling.

Things that drive you crazy:  

Apathetic people. I meet so many people, especially around Washington, who try to appear more sophisticated by being jaded. Nothing impresses them. But life is full of wonderful, amazing things. I’m unashamedly enthusiastic about the world. There’s just so much to see and enjoy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melinda Mullet was born in Dallas and attended school in Texas, Washington D.C., England, and Austria. She spent many years as a practicing attorney before pursuing a career as a writer. Author of the Whisky Business Mystery series, Mullet is a passionate supporter of childhood literacy. She works with numerous domestic and international charities striving to promote functional literacy for all children. 

Melinda lives just outside of Washington, DC with her whisky-collecting husband, two extraordinary young women she is proud to call her daughters, and an obedience school drop-out named Macallen.

Connect with Melinda:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter 
Buy the book:   Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  

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FEATURED AUTHOR: AMY M. READE

ABOUT THE BOOK


Trading the urban pace of Edinburgh for a tiny village overlooking a breathtaking blue loch was a great move for budding photographer Sylvie Carmichael and her artist husband, Seamus—until a dangerous crime obscures the view . . . 
 


Sylvie’s bucolic life along the heather-covered moors of the Highlands is a world away from the hectic energy of the city. But then a London buyer is killed after purchasing a long-lost Scottish masterpiece from Seamus’s gallery—and the painting vanishes. As suspicion clouds their new life, and their relationship, Sylvie’s search for answers plunges her into an unsolved mystery dating back to Cromwellian Scotland through World War I and beyond. And as she moves closer to the truth, Sylvie is targeted by a murderer who’s after a treasure within a treasure that could rewrite history . . . and her own future.





LOVE OR HATE INTERVIEW WITH AMY READE

A few of your favorite things: 

Peonies, fireworks, windchimes, cool weather, low humidity, chocolate, cheese, and whole milk yogurt.
Things you need to throw out: 

Headphones that don’t work, a jar of lemon curd that is no longer yellow, and expired salad dressings.


Things you need in order to write: 

Working headphones in case there’s annoying background noise, a glass of water, and my dog nearby.
Things that hamper your writing: 

Telephone interruptions, face-to-face interruptions, and electronic interruptions. 


Things you love about where you live: 

October and blueberries.
Things that make you want to move: 

Humidity and summer traffic.


Things you never want to run out of: 

Clean socks, chocolate, and cheese.
Things you wish you’d never bought: 

An ill-advised pair of designer high heels.


Favorite music: 

Spa music and instrumental Hawaiian music.
Music that make your ears bleed: 

Rap and hip-hop.

Favorite smell: 

Avon overnight face cream (reminds me of my grandmother).
Something that makes you hold your nose:

Corned beef as it’s cooking.



Last best thing you ate: 

Lobster risotto.

Last thing you regret eating: 

Hotdog.


Things you’d walk a mile for: 

My family, my dog, a library.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: 

Wooden spoons, vomit, and flies.

Things you always put in your books: 

Food.

Things you never put in your books:

Explicit sex.

Things to say to an author:

“I left a five-star review of your book!”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: 

“I can’t believe you didn’t call the rental agency before trying to fix that tire yourself” followed by a string of insults, noises suggesting incredulity, and a demand that I read through the rental contract, which made no mention of calling the agency before getting the tire fixed. I mean, theoretically.  ツ

Favorite places you’ve been:

Scotland, Hawaii.

Places you never want to go to again:

I can’t think of any!

Favorite genre: 

Mysteries.

Books you would ban:

I might ban science fiction from my personal library.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: 

Marion Chesney (aka M.C. Beaton) and all my readers.

People you’d cancel dinner on: 

Most politicians.

Favorite things to do:

Sit out on the patio with a glass of wine, pet my dog, and cook.

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

I think I would walk quickly through a fire wearing gasoline pants to avoid running anywhere.

Things that make you happy: 

My family, my dog, rainy days, mountains, and the Pacific Ocean.

Things that drive you crazy: 

People who pass you on the highway only to slow down, bad online behavior, and my Kindle running out of battery too soon.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Amy M. Reade is a cook, chauffeur, household CEO, doctor, laundress, maid, psychiatrist, warden, seer, teacher, and pet whisperer. In other words, a wife, mother, and recovering attorney. But she also writes (how could she not write with that last name?) and is the author of The Malice Series (The House on Candlewick Lane, Highland Peril, and Murder in Thistlecross) and three standalone books, Secrets of Hallstead House, The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor, and House of the Hanging Jade. She lives in southern New Jersey but loves to travel. Her favorite places to visit are Scotland and Hawaii, and when she can’t travel she loves to read books set in far-flung locations.




Connect with Amy:
Website  |   Blog  |   Facebook  |   Facebook  |   Twitter  |  Pinterest   |  Goodreads 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |   Barnes & Noble  |   Kobo  |   Google Play  |  Amazon Author Page

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FEATURED AUTHOR: TED GALDI

ABOUT THE BOOK

Three inmates break out of a maximum-security prison in Texas, one of them Danny Marsh, a suburban kid in his twenties who landed in jail because of a crime he never intended to commit.

An American Cage follows Danny and his two escape partners over a twenty-four-hour period as they struggle to cross Texas to freedom in Mexico. On this dangerous journey, Danny has to evade the rabid Texas authorities, and even worse, the schemes of one of his closest allies, who isn't who he seems. ​



LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH TED GALDI

A few of your favorite things:
My family, coffee, my Kindle.
Things you need to throw out:
Photos of me in high school when I had frosted tips, all the clothes I wore during that era.


Things you need in order to write:
A computer, being awake.
Things that hamper your writing:
A broken computer, sleep
.

Things you love about writing:
Hearing from readers.
Things you hate about writing:
Nothing.


Things you never want to run out of:
Criterion Collection movies, chips and salsa,
Things you wish you’d never bought:
A massive CD collection right before iPods came out, every warranty a salesperson told me was a “great deal.”

Favorite music:
The Cure, The Doors, The Kills, The Smashing Pumpkins.
Music that make your ears bleed:
Pop music created in a boardroom.

Something you like to do:
Ski
.
Something you wish you’d never done:
Ski drunk.

Things you always put in your books:
Words.

Things you never put in your books:
Exclamation points in dialogue.

Things to say to an author:
Keep on writing.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:
Don’t keep on writing…the fictional me doesn’t really want to die.

Favorite books:
The Rabbit series by John Updike
.
Books you would ban:
None…screw censorship.

Favorite things to do:
Write, read.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing:
Ending up in a fire with gasoline pants on in the first place…what a horrible coincidence.

Things that make you happy:
A fun night out with my friends, a good dinner.

Things that drive you crazy:
People who talk really loudly on their cell phones in public places, when those same people make sure everyone around knows how “important” their conversation is. 




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ted Galdi is the author of the bestselling novel Elixir. The book is a winner of a Reader Views Reviewers Choice Award and a Silver Medal in the Readers' Favorite Book Awards. Ted is a graduate of Duke University and lives in Los Angeles. He has been featured by ABC and FOX television, iHeartRadio, Examiner, and many other media outlets. His second novel, An American Cage, is set for release Fall 2017.

Connect with Ted:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Instagram

The book is due to launch on October 16, but you can learn more about it here, and when it’s eventually out, buy it off this page too. Watch for it!

GET GOOSE PIMPLES!

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM

GUEST POST BY JUNE SHAW


ABOUT THE BOOK

It may be easier to patch up an old home than a broken heart. But along the Louisiana bayou, where beauty and danger mingle all too seamlessly, thoughts of romance may have to simmer on the back burner . . .

Twin sisters and fellow divorcees Sunny Taylor and Eve Vaughn have established their home repair and remodeling business with an eye toward quality and personal attention. So when they’re approached by hunky Dave Price to fix up his bayou fishing camp, they’re more than happy to take the job—especially since they both secretly think he may prove to be more than just another satisfied customer . . .

The ramshackle campsite could certainly use a woman’s touch. What it does not need is a dead body—but that’s what the trio stumble across. Clearly, the poor soul was murdered—and once the town tongue-waggers get going, Sunny, Eve, and Dave come under suspicion of the police, not to mention potential clients . . .

Now, with their futures on the line, their brewing love triangle will have to wait. Helped—and harried—by the twins’ mother and her retirement home’s cadre of amateur sleuths, the trio starts snooping on their own. But when another dead body turns up, they’ll have to get their hands dirtier than a swamp-bottom snake if they hope to clear their names . . .

GUEST POST BY JUNE SHAW



SNEAK PEAK – DEAD ON THE BAYOU – AND HOBBIES

I’ve lived in south Louisiana all my life and we’re blessed with many waterways, so the hobbies I’ve enjoyed often involved water. I grew up near our public pool, took swimming and diving lessons until I could lifeguard there myself. At the summer’s end, lifeguards put on a show. Boys dressed like clowns pretended to fall off tall diving boards. We girls performed synchronized swimming.
I never skied on snow, but did it on water, eventually performing with a local group. 

We have many bayous, rivers, canals, and the nearby Gulf of Mexico, all holding massive amounts of fish. My favorite meals include any type of seafood.

Fishing is another of my hobbies connected to water. I can sit on the bank of a bayou and watch my cork, getting exciting when it jerked down. Normally I fish from a boat, often down near the gulf, where I’ve pulled in some big ones. After we fish, we all relax at the camp. Countless people here own fishing camps near water. Most camps are built high on pilings to protect them during hurricane season, so many have long swings and eating areas underneath. Many also have long wharfs, where people can sit and try for any nearby fish.

A camp in Cajun country is a wonderfully relaxing place—unless a dead body shows up inside it. And you happen to find that body. And it’s someone you know.

I hope you’ll want to find out lots more in Dead on the Bayou, A Twin Sisters Mystery. And please tell me about your hobbies!



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

From the bayou country of South Louisiana, June Shaw previously sold a series of humorous mysteries to Five Star, Harlequin, and Untreed Reads. Publishers Weekly praised her debut, Relative Danger, which became a finalist for the David Award for Best Mystery of the Year. A hybrid author who has published other works, she has represented her state on the board of Mystery Writers of America’s Southwest Chapter for many years and continued to serve as the Published Author Liaison for Romance Writers of America’s Southern Louisiana chapter. She gains inspiration for her work from her faith, family, and friends, including the many readers who urge her on.




Connect with June:

Website  |  
Facebook  |  Twitter  | 


Buy the book:

Amazon  |  
Apple  |  
Barnes & Noble  |   
Google  |   
Kobo  |  
Kensington

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SPOTLIGHT ON AUTHOR J.R. RIPLEY

ABOUT THE BOOK

For Amy Simms, owner of Birds & Bees, nothing is more important than impressing her old professor, but this odd bird is about to fall to earth . . .

When her favorite ornithology professor comes calling, Birds & Bees owner Amy Simms hangs six hummingbird feeders around the shop to welcome Professor Livingston with a flock of his favorite flying creatures. But Amy soon finds that the sugar water in the feeders brings more than a swarm of hummingbirds. It also attracts murder.

Professor Livingston is just as friendly as Amy remembers, but something seems to be troubling him. When Amy pays him a visit that night, she finds the professor slumped over a table with a pair of scissors buried in his neck. And standing over his body is Rose Smith, the local bookseller, who claims she killed him. But while the police believe they have a bird in hand, Amy thinks the real killer may still be in the bush . . .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.R. Ripley is the pen name of Glenn Meganck, the critically acclaimed author of the Tony Kozol mystery series. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, he has chaired the Edgar committee for Best Original Paperback novel and served on the Best Short Story Committee. As a member of the International Association of Crime Writers, he has served on the Hammett Award committee for Best Novel. When not writing books, Glenn is writing songs, often singing them to the consternation of his audience and neighbors, or involved in one of his many passions, none of which have involved any of the dead bodies that seem to keep cropping up in his mysteries.

Connect with the author:
Website 

Buy the book:
Amazon  | B&N | kobo

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