FEATURED AUTHOR: CONNIE BERRY

ABOUT THE BOOK

On a remote Scottish island, American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton wrestles with her own past while sleuthing a brutal killing, staged to recreate a two-hundred-year-old unsolved murder.

Autumn has come and gone on Scotland’s Isle of Glenroth, and the islanders gather for the Tartan Ball, the annual end-of-tourist-season gala. Spirits are high. A recently published novel about island history has brought hordes of tourists to the small Hebridean resort community. On the guest list is American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton. Kate returns reluctantly to the island where her husband died, determined to repair her relationship with his sister, proprietor of the island’s luxe country house hotel, famous for its connection with Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Kate has hardly unpacked when the next morning a body is found, murdered in a reenactment of an infamous unsolved murder described in the novel—and the only clue to the killer’s identity lies in a curiously embellished antique casket. The Scottish police discount the historical connection, but when a much-loved local handyman is arrested, Kate teams up with a vacationing detective inspector from Suffolk, England, to unmask a killer determined to rewrite island history—and Kate’s future.

Book Details:

Title: A Dream of Death

Author: Connie Berry

Genre: Traditional Amateur Sleuth

Series: Kate Hamilton mystery series, book 1

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books, (April 9, 2019)

Print length: 320 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

 

 

IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH CONNIE BERRY

IFs

IF you could talk to someone living, who would it be and what would you ask them?
A living person I'd love to spend time with is Martin Edwards, author of The Golden Age of Murder: The Mystery of the Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story. We'd sit by the fire in overstuffed armchairs sipping fine red wine. I'd ask him to tell me stories about the Golden Agers, and I'd sit back and listen for hours and hours. After that we'd move on to The Detection Club (he was the eighth president) and The Murder Squad. Finally, I'd pick his brain about writing modern crime novels with substance and style. I believe I'll be seeing him at Bouchercon 2019 in Dallas this autumn. Hmm. Wonder if he has time.

IF you could talk to someone dead, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Only one? As a history fanatic, that's hard. But I think I'd choose Queen Elizabeth I. I'd ask her if she was in love with Robert Dudley and how she really felt about the execution of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots—but only if she was in a good mood.

IF you could step back into a moment or day in time, where would you go?
Stepping back in time has always been one of my fantasies. I'd choose May of 1797, and I'd wing my way to the village of Chawton in Hampshire, England. Dropping by the Austen house on Winchester Road, I'd inquire if Miss Jane had an inclination to stroll down to Chawton House, the residence of her brother, Edward Austen Knight. We'd chat about her upcoming novel, First Impressions, and I'd suggest she rename it Pride & Prejudice.

IF you could time travel for an infinite period of time, where would you go?
Medieval England. I'd witness the swan song of the Anglo Saxons, life in the rural villages, the construction of the great cathedrals, the rise of the cities, the signing of the Magna Carta. I would not love the sanitary conditions, however. Could I pop back to the 21st century for a bath every few days? And—oh, yes—I have to be home before the Black Plague strikes.

IF you could choose a fictional town to live in, what would it be and from what book?
St. Mary Mead from Agatha Christie's The Murder at the Vicarage and The Body in the Library. As Miss Marple said, "One does see so much evil in a village."

IF you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
This will come as no surprise—an English village. I'm sure I was switched with an American baby at birth.

ANDs

5 favorite possessions:
•    My sweet Shih Tzu, Millie [see photo]
•    My Bible
•    Family Photographs
•    Four Norwegian egg cups that have been in my family since the 17th century [see photo]
And
•    My hiking boots that have taken me everywhere

5 things you never want to run out of:
This is a touchy question because products I like are routinely discontinued, forcing me to purchase them in bulk on ebay. For example, I own a lifetime supply of Rescue Pads, the tiny soap-filled scrubbers I can't live without, and at least a decade's worth of my favorite discontinued perfume, Essence by Narcisco Rodriquez. When they stopped making Cinnamon Tic Tacs (someone has a lot to answer for), I purchased every pack still in existence. I have one left, the last box of Cinnamon Tic Tacs in the universe [see photo]. Besides Rescue Pads and Essence, three more things I never want to run out of are coffee, Rosebud Salve, and red lipstick.

5 favorite foods:   
•    Cardamom bread with raisins (my Danish grandma made it every week)
•    Homemade chicken soup
•    White almond cake with buttercream frosting
•    Beef stew cooked in an Instant Pot
And
•    Pavlova with raspberries

5 favorite places you've been:
•    England
•    Norway
•    Austria
•    Israel
And
•    China   

5 favorite authors (writing now):
 •    Elly Griffiths (thought of her first because I'm currently reading The Stranger Diaries)
 •    Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St. Mary's series)
 •    Deborah Crombie
 •    Anthony Horowitz
And
 •    Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling)

WHATs

What's your all-time favorite movie?
Not quite a movie but the mini-series of Pride & Prejudice starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. I watch it at least once a year.

What's your all-time favorite library?
The main library in my hometown growing up where I wandered the stacks and fell in love with P.G. Wodehouse and Agatha Christie. I thought I'd discovered authors no one else knew about. Ha!

What's your favorite beverage?
Coffee. No question.

What's one thing you never leave the house without?
Lipstick. Without it, I look seriously ill.

What is the wallpaper on your computer's desktop?
The village of Bibury in the Cotswolds [see photo].


What's your all-time favorite picture of yourself?
A photo of me with my father—best dad ever. [see photo]



What's your latest recommendation for:
Food: A ketogenic lifestyle.

Music: "Anything" by Brook Benton or Sam Cooke. And lately I've been mesmerized by the piano playing of Jerry Lee Lewis in his country phase (I know, I know—don't judge me).

Movie: Mary Poppins Returns (I can't do intense movies in a theater).

Book: The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths.

Audiobook: The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz.

TV: Two relatively unknown series from England, Wild At Heart (set in South Africa) and The Royal (set in Yorkshire in the 1960s).

Netflix/Amazon Prime: The Five by Harlan Coban (chilling).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Connie Berry was born in Wisconsin to second-generation immigrants from Scandinavia and the British Isles. Like her protagonist, she was raised by charmingly eccentric antique collectors who eventually opened a shop, not because they wanted to sell antiques but because they needed a plausible excuse to keep buying them. Besides reading and writing mysteries, Connie loves cute animals, foreign travel with a hint of adventure, and all things British. She's the mother of two grown sons and lives in Ohio with her husband and adorable dog, Millie. Her second book, A Legacy of Murder, will be out in October of 2019.



Connect with Connie:
Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |   Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon   |  Barnes & Noble  |  Indiebound

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FEATURED AUTHOR: SIERRA N. TERRY

ABOUT THE BOOK

On a seemingly normal night, Jonas, a kind-hearted knight, saves a beautiful young woman from a vicious attack. He quickly finds out the young woman is actually a mermaid and as she disappears into the water Jonas vows to find her again, so taken by her mere presence. However, ever since they crossed paths Jonas began having strange ominous dreams about her, making him want to see her again even more. What do these dreams mean and why is he having them all the time? These are just some of the questions Jonas seeks answers to but all he really wants is a chance to make her his special lady.

Book Details:

Title: Beneath the Surface

Author: Sierra N. Terry

Genre: fantasy romance

Series: The Four Kingdoms Series, Book 2

Published: April 1, 2019

Print length: 452 pages

   


LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH SIERRA TERRY

A few of your favorite things: art, fantasy, good food, and warm days.
Things you need to throw out: all the clothes that are too big for me after my weight loss!


Things you need in order to write: an internet connection for research/spelling and maybe soft music.
Things that hamper your writing: being sleepy!


Things you love about writing: getting all my ideas down on paper and seeing it in printed form!
Things you hate about writing: not knowing all the little editing rules so my writing looks perfect on paper.

Easiest thing about being a writer: writing down all those ideas into a awesome story!
Hardest thing about being a writer: trying to promote/advertise my work. It’s exhausting, time consuming and doesn’t yield a lot of positive results. 




Things you never want to run out of: paper and closet space!
Things you wish you’d never bought: a bad copy of my first book.


Words that describe you: quirky, accepting and honest.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: loud, weird and insecure.

Favorite music: I love rock and jazz, but I like a little of everything.
Music that make your ears bleed: I’m not found of rap on most days.

Favorite beverage: vanilla chai tea.

Something that gives you a pickle face: V8 is weird!

Something you’re really good at: coming up with story ideas!

Something you’re really bad at: making myself draw at different angles.


Something you like to do: draw backgrounds and be super eloquent with my writing.

Something you wish you’d never done: get into erotic writing.

Things you’d walk a mile for: a book signing or a chance to meet people who are a fan of my work!
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Bugs. Big ones!

Things you always put in your books: humor or something cheesy.

Things you never put in your books: I haven’t had a loved character turn into a traitor yet!

Things to say to an author: friendly constructive criticism with general praise is always good!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: being compared to another (often times more successful) writer!

Favorite books: fantasy for sure!

Books you would ban: hard to say . . . I think just about all books have some kind of value in some way.

Things that make you happy: good food, space to work and time to do it.

Things that drive you crazy: tardiness and incomplete work

.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  


Born and raised in Central Virginia, there was almost no chance Sierra Terry could have grown up NOT being creative. Her mother was and still is, highly creative with her drawings and poetry and she always encouraged Sierra to pursue her work even if she didn’t always like the subject matter!

Sierra realized pretty young she loved to draw and read and despite all the encouragement she had, she somewhat put her creativity on the back burner until a few years ago. No job ever interested her like art and storytelling did, so in her mid-20s she started her comic again and worked on it like a second job! Since then she has finished drawing the comic, wrote 5 fantasy novels and more recently put all her works under the business name Sailorfrill Studio as well as started selling at anime, book or comic conventions.




Connect with Sierra:
Facebook  |  Goodreads  |   Amazon


Buy the book:

Amazon 

FEATURED AUTHOR: DARYL WOOD GERBER

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Agatha Award–winning author of Wreath Between the Lines returns to the Cookbook Nook, where culinary mysteries are giving everyone food for thought . . .

Book clubs from all over have descended on Crystal Cove to celebrate the library’s Book Club Bonanza week, and Jenna Hart has packed the Cookbook Nook with juicy reads and tasty cookbooks. But she’s most excited about spending an evening with the Mystery Mavens and their moveable feast, when they will go from house to house to share different culinary treats and discuss the whodunit they’re all reading. It’s all good food and fun for the savvy armchair detectives, until one of the members of the group is found murdered at the last stop on the tour.

As if that weren’t enough to spoil her appetite, Jenna discovers that all the evidence points to her friend Pepper as being the guilty party. And with Pepper’s chief-of-police daughter too close to the case to be impartial, Jenna knows she’ll have to step in to help clear her friend’s name before a bitter injustice sends her to jail. Sifting through the clues, Jenna unearths any number of possible culprits, but she’ll have to cook up a new way to catch the killer before Pepper’s goose is cooked.

Includes tasty sweet and savory recipes!

Book Details: 

Title: Sifting Through Clues

Author: Daryl Wood Gerber

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: Cookbook Nook Mysteries, book 8

Publisher: Beyond the Page
 (April 23, 2019)
Page count: 235 pages
On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

   


LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH DARYL WOOD GERBER

A few of your favorite things: dogs, cats, chocolate, flowers, swimming, listening to the ocean
Things you need to throw out: socks that have lost their stretch, paper receipts over seven years old, things in jars in the refrigerator that are passed their shelf life.


Things you need in order to write: music or quiet, a good space with elbowroom, inspiration
Things that hamper your writing: too much chatter, too many emails, too much PR

Things you love about writing: being creative, meeting new characters, new ideas
Things you hate about writing: being behind on my schedule, the muddy middle of a book when things aren’t pulling together

Things you love about where you live: the nook garden outside my office, Sparky on his pillow, the sounds of birds and the aroma of flowers, lots of trees
Things that make you want to move: lots of construction that makes it hard to walk Sparky, but I won’t move. I do love where I live.

Words that describe you: dedicated, loyal, Type A, perfectionist to a point, funny, friendly, can’t say no.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: can’t say no, independent to a fault, doesn’t ask for help.

Favorite foods: melon, avocado, shrimp, steak, chocolate, peaches, wine, ice cream, caramel.
Things that make you want to throw up:  beets, green peppers, eel, snails.

Favorite beverage: water, chardonnay
.
Something that gives you a pickle face: beets.

Something you wish you could do: say no.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: say yes  LOL.


Last best thing you ate: homemade oatmeal cookies with vanilla chips
.
Last thing you regret eating: ice cream that had gotten icy in the freezer, ugh. Why waste the calories?

Things you always put in your books: friends and family
.
Things you never put in your books: injured animals.

Things to say to an author: really enjoyed the story; thank you for writing it.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I didn’t like it but I finished it. (Me: Honestly, why did you finish it??)

Favorite things to do: go to movies and theater, golf, write, walk the dog.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing:  critiquing a writer’s work when the writer really doesn’t want a critique but wants a glowing response.

Things that make you happy: fairies and starlight and the sound of a child laughing
.
Things that drive you crazy: grumpy grumps.

Best thing you’ve ever done: married my husband, which changed my life
.
Biggest mistake: didn’t know enough about hospitals to ask the right questions.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: hitchhiked around Ireland by myself
.
Something you chickened out from doing: skiing down a slope that was packed in with fog.





Book trailer

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  


Agatha Award-winning Daryl Wood Gerber writes the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries as well as the French Bistro Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. Daryl also writes stand-alone suspense. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in Murder, She Wrote. She loves to cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line!



Connect with Daryl:

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest 

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Bookbub 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

EXTRA GIVEAWAY!

The author is giving away the winner’s choice of a Cookbook Nook Mystery, either in paper or e-book.
US or Canada only.  For a chance to win, leave a comment and include your email address.



FEATURED AUTHOR: JANET FINSILVER

ABOUT THE BOOK

Kelly Jackson, manager of the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast, is fond of the Doblinsky brothers, Ivan and Rudy, members of the Silver Sentinels, a crew of crime-solving senior citizens in their Northern California seaside hamlet. After she discovers a jewel-encrusted dagger—with what appears to be dried blood on the blade—on their fishing boat, they share their family history with Kelly, and she learns that the knife may be part of a set from their long-ago childhood in Russia. Its sudden reappearance is eerie, but the mystery grows much more serious when a body is found on the boat. The victim was a member of the community and part of the Russian Heritage Festival, and some of the organizers were clearly harboring some bitterness. But the story behind this murder seems as layered as a nesting doll—and Kelly’s feeling completely at sea . . .
 

Book Details:

Title: Murder at the Marina

Author: Janet Finsilver


Genre: Mystery


Series: Kelly Jackson mystery series, book 5


Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp. (April 2, 2019)


Page count: 200 pages


On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH JANET FINSILVER

A few of your favorite things: We have a wonderful collection of wildlife prints adorning the walls of our house. On each vacation my husband and I take we bring back something to remind us of our adventure. I brought back lovely handmade bookmarks from our most recent trip which was to Africa.
Things you need to throw out: Clothes I haven’t worn in a long time.



Things you need in order to write: I need a computer.
Things that hamper your writing: My long list of things to do! 



Things you love about writing: I love the creative flow of ideas.
Things you hate about writing: I don’t hate anything about the actual writing process. I dislike the pressure of a deadline if I’ve gotten behind on my writing goals. One year I was sick for over eight weeks. When I recovered, I had to work hard to have the book ready when it was due.


Easiest thing about being a writer: I enjoy being with my characters in Redwood Cove.
Hardest thing about being a writer: The hardest thing is blocking out the time.

Things you love about where you live: I love the access I have to wonderful trails and parks for hiking.

Things you love about where you live: I love the access I have to wonderful trails and parks for hiking.
Things that make you want to move: Traffic!

Words that describe you: I’m willing to try new things.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: I occasionally procrastinate.

Favorite foods: I love cheese and chocolate (though not together!).
Things that make you want to throw up: The smell of old fish will do it.

Favorite beverage: I enjoy strong black coffee (especially with chocolate).

Something that gives you a pickle face: Fruit that is sour when I expect it to be sweet.

Favorite smell: Jasmine flowers provide a wonderful fragrance.

Something that makes you hold your nose: That takes me back to old fish again.

Something you’re really good at: I’m very fast when it comes to typing.

Something you’re really bad at: I have trouble keeping up with all the changes in the computer world.

Something you like to do: I like to go horseback riding. I ride western style.

Something you wish you’d never done: My husband and I had an incredibly long walk from an event in Montreal back to our hotel. The distance was deceiving.

People you consider as heroes: People who go out of their way to help others.

People with a big L on their foreheads: Someone who puts other people down.

Things you always put in your books: I always have dogs with special training that contribute to our lives in different ways. A black Chihuahua named Sergeant is a hearing assistance dog and Max, a Goldendoodle trained as a diabetic alert dog, are just two of the canines populating my books.
Things you never put in your books: I never put in graphic violence. I don’t want my readers to get an unpleasant surprise when they turn the page.

Favorite places you’ve been: I loved Africa and San Ignacio Lagoon in Mexico during whale season.

Places you never want to go to again: I went inside a cave once. I never want to do that again. I discovered I was very claustrophobic!

Things that make you happy: I always love playing with my dogs.

Things that drive you crazy: All the ads on the Internet that keep popping up.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I took a helicopter ride in Africa. It was amazing to see all the wildlife below me.

Something you chickened out from doing:  I was snorkeling with a group in Mexico. We had been taken a distance off shore by boat. The guides asked us if we wanted to swim back to the beach. I’m not a strong swimmer and decided not to do it. It was a good decision. Some of the people really struggled to make it.

The last thing you did for the first time: Taking a trip to Africa.

Something you’ll never do again: Drive a rental car in a bad part of town (I took a wrong turn!)                              

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Janet Finsilver is the USA Today best-selling author of the Kelly Jackson mystery series. She worked in education for many years as a teacher, a program administrator, and a workshop presenter. Janet majored in English and earned a Master’s Degree in Education. She loves animals and has two dogs—Kylie and Ellie. Janet has ridden western style since she was a child and was a member of the National Ski Patrol. One of the highlights of her life was touching whales in the San Ignacio Lagoon. Murder at Redwood Cove, her debut mystery, was released on October 13, 2015. This was followed by Murder at the Mansion, Murder at the Fortune Teller’s Table, and Murder at the Mushroom Festival. Her fifth book, Murder at the Marina, released April 2, 2019.

Connect with Janet:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  

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

 

FEATURED AUTHOR: KELI HAMMOND

ABOUT THE BOOK



What does it take to stand out from the crowd? How do you build a brand people notice, connect with, and trust? What does it really take to get (and keep) a constant flow of incoming and loyal customers and opportunities?



In Craved, Keli Hammond walks you through the ins and outs of building a brand that is not only noticed, but sought-after and profitable. She uncovers the key elements needed to craft cohesive and clever marketing campaigns and demystifies the components needed to gain influence and be memorable. 



In this book, Hammond combines decades of award-winning industry knowledge with helpful stories and advice that illustrates what not to do in brand building. She walks you through how to build a loyal tribe that advocates for you and endorses you. 



Because marketing rules change quickly, the things that worked five years ago are now outdated and old-fashioned. The guidance you get from Craved will help you elevate your profile, attract more people to you, monetize your influence, and set the stage for long-term profit for your personal brand or business. 



Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at this for a while, this is the resource you need to help make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality. Transform your life by strategically creating a brand people CRAVE.


Book Details:


Title: CRAVED: The Secret Sauce to Building A Highly-Successful, Standout Brand
Author: Keli Hammond
Genre: Non-Fiction, Business
Published: April 9, 2019

Print length: 305 pages

 

 

IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH KELI HAMMOND

Ifs


If you could talk to someone (living), who would it be and what would you ask them?
Actress (and producer) Viola Davis, hands-down. She is a triple-threat, being the first black actor to win an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. Her commitment to her own personal excellence is so inspiring. Plus I just love her on How to Get Away With Murder. If I could ask one her one thing, I would want to know how she balances her drive to excel with her personal life and well-being. How does she juggle the two?

If you could talk to someone (dead), who would it be and what would you ask them?
I'd have to say, Nelson Mandela. Having lived through apartheid and 18 years in prison, then going on to become the president of South Africa in his 70s, I mean WOW. That would be a conversation for the record books. I would ask him how it felt to be honored with a Nobel Peace Prize.

If you could live in any time period which would it be?
I’d have to go with New York City In the 1920s during the Harlem Renaissance. I'd love to be around greats like Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, and Zora Neal Hurston, just to feel their magnetic energy. I can only imagine the inspiration, not to mention the nightlife. I'd be first In line at the Savoy Ballroom on Lenox Avenue.

If you could be anything besides a writer, what would it be?
I would probably be a United Nations Women's Cultural Ambassador or something like that. Someone that travels the world visiting, talking to, and learning about other cultures and teaching women of all ages and cultures how to achieve their personal goals and become leaders in their own right.

If you had to do community service (or already do volunteer work), what would you choose?
I love to work with young ladies, both teenagers and college grads from urban or underserved communities. A lot of times they get so caught up in their surroundings and daily struggles that they don’t believe their dreams are possible. I believe that these women need strong mentors to help them navigate the world and trust in their contributions to society.

If you could meet any author for coffee, who would you like to meet and what would you talk about?
Gary Vee (Gary Vaynerchuk)! I just want to pick his brain and soak up all of his infectious energy. I love how blunt and outspoken he is; his ways (and thoughts) remind me so much of my own.


If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?

I would have to say Paris, France. Love, love, love that city. As cliché as it may sound, Paris is top of the list. The multitude of things to see and do coupled with the diversity makes it such a pleasant city to be in. Every time I'm there I find that I'm so relaxed. Simple things like coffee and croissants are so enjoyable.


Ands


5 favorite possessions: 
•    cell phone
•    Nike apparel (all of it) LOL
•    smoothies
•    Bose wireless Bluetooth speaker
•    my marketing awards and accolades

5 things you need in order to write:
•    laptop or my iPad
•    inspiration
•    coffee
•    my notebook for jotting down the millions of ideas in my head
•    the TV on in the background (on mute)

5 things you love about where you live:
•    there are so many restaurants
•    that [weather-wise] we get all four seasons here
•    all of the different types of social events
•    you can easily drive to so many other awesome major cities
•    museums

5 things about you or 5 phrases/words to describe you:
•    world-traveler
•    energetic
•    enthusiastic
•    team-builder
•    supportive

5 favorite foods:
•    stir-fry anything
•    tacos
•    salads (of all kinds)
•    salmon
•    crab cakes

5 favorite places you’ve been:
There are lots, but here are a few…
•    Budapest
•    Thailand
•    Brazil
•    Iceland
•    Japan

5 favorite books:
•    The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
•    Presence by Amy Cuddy
•    The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae
•    The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone
•    Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

5 living people you’d like to invite to dinner: 
•    Comedian Trevor Noah
•    Rapper J. Cole
•    Author Mel Robbins
•    Singer Rihanna
•    Fashion Designer Christian Siriano (but I need him to bring dresses with him, haha)

5 people you’d like to be stuck in a bookstore with:
•    Dave Chapelle
•    Charlie Sheen
•    Ellen Degeneres
•    Jada Pinkett-Smith
•    Sean "Diddy" Combs

5 people you consider as heroes:
•    Colin Kaepernick
•    Michelle Obama (sorry Barack, haha. But this one's for the ladies)
•    Shonda Rhimes
•    Ryan Coogler
•    Lena Waithe

Whats

What’s your all-time favorite place?
Italy, easily. Either Florence or Rome. Italy is such a breathtaking country. It's peaceful, tranquil, historical, very walkable, and oh yeah, the food is amazing.

What’s your favorite song?
"We All Try" by Frank Ocean.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?
Jamaica…because it's a whole lot of reggae, rum punch, and relaxation. Oh, and can’t forget about the jerk chicken and coco bread.

What’s your favorite thing to do?
I love to be outside. I find fresh air exhilarating. Just to be outside on a beautiful spring or fall day reinvigorates me, and I love both city sights and outdoor hiking equally.

What’s your favorite dessert?
Love, love, love me some tiramisu (only the cake though, not the pudding).

What’s your favorite beverage?
Any smoothie that includes açaí. I became familiar with açaí when I traveled to Brazil in 2010, and ever since then, I've been obsessed.

What’s your favorite quote?
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” by Henry Ford.

What’s your favorite movie snack?
I always go for the raisinets, which is funny to me because I don't like raisins (like at all). LOL. But if I'm at the movies, I never pass up a box of raisinets. It's the strangest thing.

What’s your favorite social media site? Would you rather tweet or post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest . . .?
Instagram, hands-down. I love the connection that you're able to build with people through that specific social networking site. I've met some really fun and awesome folks through IG.


What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
Lip balm. I'm literally obsessed with keeping my lips moisturized. It's bad. HaHa.

What movie genre do you prefer: drama, comedy, action, adventure, thriller, or horror?
I love all things action/suspense, those keep you on the edge of your seat kind of movies. Think Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Kill Bill.

What do you collect?
Shot glasses and magnets from my travels around the world. They are a great way to remember the places I've been and the people I've met along the way.

What book are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on my second book, which is a mixture of a memoir/self-help/how-to book aimed at helping give people the courage to pursue their passion (despite setbacks) in order to live a more fulfilled life. In that book, I share personal stories and situations to show people how you can rebound from anything and transform yourself into whomever you seek to become.


All-time favorites with pictures:

What’s your all-time favorite picture of yourself?
Me in the red suit. It's colorful and vibrant (which is the way I feel about my personality.

What’s your latest recommendation for:
•    Food: Thai is my go-to, Drunken noodles or yellow curry. In the DC-area, Pasara Thai is my favorite.
•    Music: Sabrina Claudio, every single song
•    Movie: I'm always behind on movies, so I'll just share one of my go-tos. I love 80's and 90's movies. Beverly Hills Cop.
•    Book: Forgiveness: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything by Iyanla Vanzant
•    Audiobook: Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
•    TV: I'm still obsessed with The Walking Dead.
•    Netflix/Amazon Prime: Orange Is the New Black
•    Miscellaneous: I do interior design on the side (love it). I grew up watching HGTV as a child and that helped me envision how to turn empty spaces and blank canvases into warm, inviting rooms.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keli Hammond is a nationally-recognized, award-winning expert on marketing. The author of Craved: The Secret Sauce to Building a Highly-Successful, Standout Brand, Keli knows what it takes to make people stop, listen, engage, and invest in brands (both personal and business).

With a focus on brand acceleration and positioning, Keli's expertise helps people pinpoint hurdles to success and pivot their marketing to achieve maximum results and brand loyalty.

Keli distilled more than 15 years of marketing know-how into her debut book, aptly named  Craved, which offers practical tips and resources that provide clarity on how to turn a passion into profit by becoming a dynamic marketer.

Keli owns B Classic, a Washington, DC-based marketing and communications agency that helps entrepreneurs, corporations, non-profits, and government agencies better educate, entice, inspire, and engage their target consumers.

A highly sought-after speaker, trainer and writer, Keli regularly speaks to groups of business owners, students, and women about personal branding, marketing, and social media. She has been featured in The Washington Informer and The Start-Up Growth.

Keli holds a BA in Advertising from Temple University and certification in Change Leadership (Change Management) from Cornell University.


Connect with Keli:
Instagram  |  Twitter  |  LinkedIn   

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

FEATURED AUTHOR: JAMES J. CUDNEY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Braxton College is throwing the Heroes & Villains Costume Extravaganza to raise money for renovations to the antiquated Memorial Library. While attending, Kellan stumbles upon a close family friend standing over a dead body that’s dressed as Dr. Evil. Did one of Maggie’s sisters kill an annoying guest at the Roarke and Daughters Inn or does the victim have a more intimate connection to someone else on campus?


As Kellan helps the school’s president, Ursula, bury a scandalous secret from her past and unearth the identity of her stalker, he unexpectedly encounters a missing member of his own family who’s reappeared after a lengthy absence. When all of the peculiar events around town trace back to the Stoddards, a new family who recently moved to Wharton County, the explosive discovery only offers more confusion. 
Between the special flower exhibit that’s made an unplanned stop on campus and strange postcards arriving each week from all around the world, Kellan can’t decide which mystery in his life should take priority. Unfortunately, the biggest one of all has yet to arrive at his doorstep. When it does, Kellan won’t know what hit him.

Book Details:


Title: Flower Power Trip


Author: James J. Cudney


Genre: Cozy / light mystery


Series: Braxton Campus Mysteries #3


Publisher: Creativia Publishing (March 30th, 2019)


Print length: 265 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES J. CUDNEY

A few of your favorite things: Books, school projects, holiday and birthday cards.
Things you need to throw out: Old tax returns and clothes that don’t fit
.

Things you need in order to write: Quiet, laptop, water, paper, pen.
Things that hamper your writing: Noise, stopping to eat, errands
.

Things you love about writing: The freedom to express ideas, make people smile, and feel proud of creativity.
Things you hate about writing: Making the decision on grammar rules and fictional content– some are flexible, some are not . . . just because it’s wrong doesn’t mean it’s wrong in a book if it’s intentionally done a certain way or exaggerated to make the plot more fun.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with the characters and plots
.
Hardest thing about being a writer: Knowing you can’t make everyone happy and that people won’t like something you’ve done in the book
.

Things you love about where you live: Always something to do, every option for food,
Things that make you want to move: Expensive, noisy, congested.


Things you never want to run out of: Love, friends, time.
Things you wish you’d never bought: Cell phone? Ha…


Favorite foods: Sushi, chocolate, desserts.
Things that make you want to throw up: Mushrooms, eggplant.

Favorite beverage: Coffee, seltzer, champagne
.
Something that gives you a pickle face: Grapefruit juice.

Something you’re really good at: Creating new dishes
.
Something you’re really bad at: Following recipes
.

Things you’d walk a mile for: Good coffee.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Conflict.

Things you always put in your books: Odes to friends.

Things you never put in your books: Detailed religious or political views.

Favorite books: Mystery, family drama
.
Books you would ban: None . . . unless they are intentionally hateful. I’m all for books that expose negativity, but if the book’s purpose is to degrade someone or something, it’s generally wrong (unless of course you’re trying to stop something bad from happening).

Things that make you happy: Pets, cooking, gardening, reading
.
Things that drive you crazy: Arguments, highly opinionated people who get rude about it.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Become a writer and put myself out there to be judged.

Something you chickened out from doing: Writing a movie script.




OTHER BOOKS BY JAMES J. CUDNEY

Watching Glass Shatter (October 2017)
Father Figure (April 2018)

Braxton Campus Mysteries
Academic Curveball #1 (October 2018)
Broken Heart Attack #2 (November 2018)
Flower Power Trip #3 (March 2019)
Mistaken Identity Crisis #4 (Summer 2019)




ABOUT THE AUTHOR  


Most call James J. Cudney "Jay." He grew up on Long Island and currently lives in New York City, but he's traveled all across the US (and various parts of the world). After college he spent 15 years working in technology and business operations in the sports, entertainment, and media industries. Although he enjoyed his job, he left in 2016 to focus on his passion: telling stories and connecting people through words. His debut novel is Watching Glass Shatter, a contemporary fiction family drama with elements of mystery, suspense, humor, and romance. To see samples or receive news from his current and upcoming books, please subscribe with your email address at his website.

What Jay does outside of writing: He's an avid genealogist (discovered 2K family members going back about 250 years) and cook (he finds it so hard to follow a recipe). He loves to read; between Goodreads and his blog, he has over 750 book reviews which will give you a full flavor for his voice and style. On his blog, he started the 365 Daily Challenge, where he posts a word each day that has some meaning to him, then converse with everyone about life. There is humor, tears, love, friendship, advice and bloopers. Lots of bloopers where he pokes fun at himself all the time. Even his dogs have segments where they complain about him. All these things make up who he is; none of them are very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real and show how he lives every day. 

A bit of humor: Everything doubles as something else when you live in NYC. For Jay, it's the dining room, his favorite space in the apartment, where more than just his cooking is on display! As he looks out the windows onto a 12th floor terrace, various parts of nature (trees, bushes, flowers, bugs & animals) inspire him to write. How else can you pen the best story possible without these things by your side?


Connect with James:

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Pinterest

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Amazon author page

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FEATURED AUTHOR: MIKE PAPANTONIO

ABOUT THE BOOK

One week before his law school graduation, Jake Rutledge is shattered. His fraternal twin, Blake, has died of a drug overdose. When Jake returns to his hometown of Oakley, West Virginia, he discovers that his brother was not the only person hooked on opioid painkillers. The entire region has been ravaged by an epidemic insidiously planned and carried out by one of America’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.

Still wet behind the ears, Jake is determined to seek justice for all the victims of Big Pharma’s greed. He soon learns that the drug companies’ tentacles reach far and deep. His only hope is to get Nicholas “Deke” Deketomis to help. A partner at one of the country’s most powerful law firms, Deke’s “as tough as a two-dollar steak” and well-known for his winning tactics against corporate wrongdoers. With just enough persistence, Jake coaxes Deke to see Oakley’s devastation firsthand. Overwhelmed, Deke agrees to join forces with Jake.

And that’s when the real heat begins. Death threats, bribes, unlawful property seizure schemes – all are connected to the massive distribution of both legal and illegal drugs. Everyone is impacted, from the highest levels of corporate America to corrupt local officials to their lackeys and hapless victims. The complexity of the schemes is overwhelming.

Working tirelessly, the lawyers begin to uncover the truth. Along the way, Jake falls in love with Anna Fowler, a former homecoming queen who has succumbed to the power of opioids. With his support, she weans herself off the drugs. Hope begins to bloom ― when suddenly, Jake disappears. As Deke undertakes a desperate search to find him, questions swirl. Has Jake abandoned Anna and his crusade? Can the case against the evildoers move forward without him? Will Oakley and its residents survive? Law and Addiction is real-life drama at its finest ― a book that clears away the darkness page by page, spotlighting a profound truth about our society through expert storytelling.



Book Details:


Title: Law and Addiction


Author: Mike Papantonio

Genre: Legal thriller

Publisher: Waterside Productions (April 9, 2019)

Print length: 294 pages

INTERVIEW WITH MIKE PAPANTONIO


Q: What’s the story behind the title of your book?

A: As an attorney, when I was first approached about representing plaintiffs in an action against the major corporate opioid distributors, I knew little about the opioid epidemic. It was only when I started peeling back the opioid onion that I had no choice but to confront its ugliness. The more I discovered, the more outraged I became. My hope in writing this novel is to both edify and entertain. I want to provide readers with a front-row account of this epidemic, but not bludgeon them in the process. While I didn’t try to gloss over the human suffering, I still remain a believer in the power of the human spirit to prevail.  I hope this novel sparks a certain level of outrage in readers. As a nation, we need to be outraged by this crisis

Q: Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?

A: All three of my novels feature the resolute trial lawyer Nicholas “Deke” Deketomis, but each book is a standalone.

In Law and Disorder, money, power, and politics line up against Deke, and he must fight for his freedom, his family, and the future of his prestigious law firm.

In Law and Vengeance, Deke joins forces with Gina Romano, a young lawyer who runs headlong into a life and death struggle against weapons manufacturers, a gun rights lobbyist, psychopathic Chicago police, a hi-tech genius assassin, and the U.S. Department of Justice

And in Law and Addiction, Deke is fighting Big Pharma on behalf of the thousands of American’s trapped by the opioid crises.

Q: Do you have another job outside of writing?

A: Yes. I’m senior partner at Levin Papantonio, a plaintiff’s law firm based in Pensacola, Florida. We’ve handled many important cases, taking on Big Pharma, tobacco companies, and the automobile industry, among others. I am also one of the hosts of the syndicated Ring of Fire radio show and the host of America's Lawyer on RT America network.

Q: Where’s home for you? 

A: Pensacola, Florida.

Q: How did you create the plot for this book?

A: I think most novelists are driven by stories they’ve heard or experienced. All of my novels – Law and Addiction as well as Law And Disorder and Law and Vengeance – were driven by real events. These weren’t events that I read about in a newspaper – I’m actually in the middle of them. I’m in court and taking depositions on these issues.

Q: Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
A: The characters in my books are based on people I’ve worked with. They’re all composites. I collect little notes about the people I encounter of the years, and those qualities that I’ve found interesting become part of future characters. Take Jake in Law and Addiction, for example. Every day, you have young lawyers who are graduating from law school and trying to figure out what they want to do that’s important – what kind of legacy they want to build. Right out of law school, Jake confronts one of the biggest cases in the country. Oddly enough, this isn’t really unusual for really superb trial lawyers. You have the 1-800-AUTO-CRASH lawyers who handle ten thousand auto cases in their career, and that’s their legacy. But there are other lawyers who want to tell their children that they’ve really accomplished something – they’ve gotten a bad drug off the market, they’ve cleaned up an environmental catastrophe. In this case, Jake decides he can take on the biggest pharmaceutical industry in the world.

Q: Is your book based on real events?

A: Yes, I actually wrote Law and Addiction in real time, while I was handling a similar lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies. So, the book is based on real events that I’ve sought to mold into a good story that people will enjoy reading.

Q: Are you like any of your characters?

A: Deke is a character that can best be described as a composite. Because of the unusual quality of my practice, I have had the opportunity to work with the very best trial lawyers in America. There are probably fewer than fifty trial lawyers in the entire country who specialize in trying what would be considered complex cases on behalf of injured claimants. I have borrowed both the best and the most problematic qualities from that small group of trial lawyers to create Deke.

Q: Do you have a routine for writing? 

A: It may be counterintuitive, but the best writing advice I’ve ever gotten is to stop writing when you have a “hot hand.”  In other words, when I’m writing a chapter and it’s going very well, I stop.  I take a break, think about it, and get some sleep. When I come back the next day, I’m not in that pit looking for the next clever thing to do. I do follow a detailed, chapter-by-chapter outline, but I try to pace the actual writing so that each morning, when I pick up where I left off, it’s to work on something I’m already excited about.

Q: What are you working on now?
A: Along with preparing for a West Virginia trial against opioid distributors, I have been focusing on building a national consortium of America’s best trial lawyers lawyers to handle human trafficking cases against corporate entities that have helped the problem flourish. In fact that is the subject of my next book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Papantonio is a truth-teller, a crusader who uses fiction to entertain and inform his readers about some of the most pressing issues of our time. In each of his thrillers, from Law And Disorder to Law And Vengeance, and now Law And Addiction, he lays bare the conspiracies and white-collar crimes that hurt ordinary Americans ― and that are rarely covered by the national media.

A senior partner of Levin Papantonio, one of the country’s largest plaintiffs’ law firms, Papantonio uses his own cases as springboards for his novels. He has aggressively taken on Big Pharma, tobacco, weapon manufacturer, and the automobile industry, among other bastions of corporate greed.
One of the youngest inductees into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, Papantonio is also a well- known media presence as host of America’s Lawyer on the RT America television network and co-host of the syndicated radio show Ring of Fire. A skilled musician and athlete, he is based in Pensacola, Florida.

Connect with the author:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  IndieBound