Meet Catherine Bruns - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm happy to welcome Catherine Bruns to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Catherine writes the Cookies and Chance Mystery series. Crumbled to Pieces is the sixth book in the series and will be released Tuesday!

 
Kathy: Not only does Sally Muccio own a bakery, you include recipes in your Cookies and Chance Mystery series. Do you like to bake? If so, what's your favorite thing to make?

CB: I love to bake, especially cookies and cheesecake, which happens to be Sally’s favorite as well. What a coincidence!


Kathy: Sally has to deal with a lovable, but decidedly kooky family. Do you have a similar family dynamic?

CB: You mean “nutsy cookie,” like Grandma Rosa would say? :) No, my family is nothing like that. Sally’s dad is modeled slightly after my own father who passed away 17 years ago but that’s where the similarities end. I do think that everyone would love to have a Grandma Rosa in their lives, though.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

CB: I’ve always loved writing and reading mysteries. When I wrote my first novel five years ago, I didn’t even know it qualified as a cozy until an agent told me, lol. I guess it was meant to be.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

CB: I’ve just started work on my first non-cozy. Details are a secret for now!


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

CB: Sally runs a novelty cookie shop in Colwestern, New York with her talented and somewhat colorful best friend, Josie Sullivan. The shop’s trademark are the homemade fortune cookies they serve to customers, free with every purchase. The messages are featured in every book and all seem to come true in some shape or form. As you can see from Tastes Like Murder’s cover, they’re not always positive ones!

I also write the Cindy York mysteries about a “married with children” real estate agent who finds dead bodies while selling houses. My other series (for now) is the Aloha Lagoon Carrie Jorgenson culinary mysteries. Carrie is a waitress who flees to Hawaii to escape a bad home life. She takes a job working at the Loco Moco Café and finds her miserable boss dead on her first night of work.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

CB: Oh wow, that’s like trying to pick a favorite child. Maybe Josie because she’s outspoken and so different than me.


Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

CB: Not really. There’s lots of bakery cozies out there, such as Joanne Fluke’s series which I’ve never even read. I wanted to have a little of everything in this series—realistic and loveable characters, a touch of humor and romance, plus some suspense as well.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

CB: I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was eight years old. It was the natural next step for me after finishing my first novel, although I wish I hadn’t procrastinated about it for so many years.


Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

CB: Oh, it’s so hard to pick only four! Laura Ingalls Wilder because I loved her books as a child (and still do), Agatha Christie because of her brilliant mind, Janet Evanovich for the ability to make me laugh with every Stephanie Plum novel and Sue Grafton for her amazing plots. I’m so happy I did have a chance to meet Sue before she passed away.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

CB: Unfortunately, my reading time is very limited these days. I’m currently listening to “The Woman in the Window” on Audible and just getting to the really good part!


Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

CB: I work a full-time job and spend evenings and weekends writing and editing. But when I do have free time I love to watch live theater performances, bake and read.


Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

CB: Half and half, whipped cream, yogurt and eggs. Can you tell I’m a fan of dairy products? :)


Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

CB: Yes! The Cookies & Chance series will have two more books out in 2019. I am also extremely excited to announce that I have a new series debuting from Sourcebooks next summer. The Italian Chef Mysteries stars Tessa Esposito, a prominent cook and recent widow along with her mischievous Tuxedo cat, Luigi. Tessa discovers that her husband’s tragic accident was, in fact, not an accident. She goes to work in the local pizza parlor to learn the truth and gets more than she bargained for.


Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

CB: I love interacting with readers and the ability to create my own fictitious world.


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Crumbled to Pieces, the sixth book in the Cookies & Chance series, releases on September 25th.

In need of some quick dough, full-time baker and sometime sleuth Sally Muccio decides to rent the vacant apartment over the bakery to a friend of her grandmother’s. Allegra Fiato is nothing like Sal’s darling Grandma Rosa, though. She’s mean, dishonest, and harboring a deadly secret.

When the elderly woman is mowed down in a hit and run, it quickly becomes obvious this was no accident. Grandma Rosa asks for Sal’s help to find the killer which involves a last-minute trip to Vegas crashed by Sal’s crazy parents, stolen fortune cookies, and a mysterious missing
locket. To add more spice to the mix, a loved one makes a startling admission to Sal that shocks her to the very core. Suddenly, Sal’s world is in danger of crumbling around her. Can she put the pieces back together in time before the killer makes her the next victim?

*Recipes Included!* Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/2tSe4jU


To celebrate the new release, Catherine’s publisher has put Tastes Like Murder, first book in the Cookies & Chance series, on sale for just 99 cents until the end of the month! Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/29tKURt

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Places to find Catherine:

Author Page: https: //www.facebook.com/catherine.bruns5
Website: http://catherinebruns.net/
Newsletter Sign-up: http://catherinebruns.net/newsletter_bruns/newsletter.html

If you’d like to stay in touch, please check out my author page or sign up for my newsletter. I always feature lots of recipes and fun giveaways. http://catherinebruns.net/newsletter_bruns/newsletter.htmlIf you’d like to stay in touch after the party, please check out my author page or sign up for my newsletter. I always feature lots of recipes and fun giveaways. http://catherinebruns.net/newsletter_bruns/newsletter.html

Catherine’s Cozy Readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/241834706420330/

Bookbub: https://bit.ly/2BQhiLk

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2e11pas


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Catherine Bruns has graciously offered a giveaway to one lucky reader. She will provide an ebook copy (through Smashwords) of one of the first three books in the series - either Tastes Likes Murder, Baked to Death or Burned to a Crisp. Or, if the reader prefers, they can have an audible download code for Tastes Like Murder. Keep in mind the audible codes don't work outside the U.S. In order to qualify simply leave a comment on this blog post no later than 11:59pm EDT Monday, September 24, 2018. Tell us what most interests you about the Cookies and Chance series. Be sure to also tell us which e-book you'd choose if you won, or if you'd pick the audible version. Also include an e-mail address so that I can contact you should your comment be chosen. Good luck!