Monday, October 29, 2018

A Drop Dead Ornaments Interview & Giveaway

I'm happy to welcome Lois Winston back to the blog today. Lois writes the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series. Drop Dead Ornaments is the seventh book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: In Drop Dead Ornaments the high school seniors have chosen to raise money for the county food bank as a community service project. Do you help out or donate to your food bank?

LW: I spearheaded and edited Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing. A percentage of the profits were donated to our county food bank.


Kathy: Why are food banks so important?

LW: Many of our citizens live on limited, fixed incomes or below the poverty level. Making ends meet often means skipping meals and not meeting nutritional needs, which can lead to health issues. Food banks are a way of insuring our most vulnerable citizens have more healthful diets.


Kathy: I love Christmas ornaments. Do you make your own, like Anastasia?

LW: Absolutely! After all, like Anastasia, I’m also a crafts designer. However, my tree does include purchased ornaments that were gifts from other people.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite ornament?

LW: I have several. They were ornaments my sons made in grade school. The sentimental value of these ornaments far outweighs the rudimentary workmanship.


Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

LW: There was, but divulging it would give away a major plot point.


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Anastasia?

LW: Anastasia and I are joined at the hip. I’ll continue putting her in the middle of murder and mayhem as long as readers want to read about her. Right now I’m mulling over plots for the next book in the series. I have several ideas, but I haven’t settled on one yet.


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

LW: I also write the Empty Nest Mystery Series, featuring Gracie and Blake Elliott. Gracie is a wannabe romance author turned amateur sleuth. Her husband Blake invariably winds up getting pulled into murder investigations as he tries to keep Gracie out of trouble. The series is a modern version of the old Thin Man movies with William Powell and Myrna Loy. There have been two books in the series so far, Definitely Dead and Literally Dead. At some point in the near future I’ll be working on another book in that series. Looks like I’ve got a busy year ahead of me!

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Drop Dead Ornaments

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 7


Anastasia Pollack’s son Alex is dating Sophie Lambert, the new kid in town. For their community service project, the high school seniors have chosen to raise money for the county food bank. Anastasia taps her craft industry contacts to donate materials for the students to make Christmas ornaments they’ll sell at the town’s annual Holiday Crafts Fair.

At the fair Anastasia meets Sophie’s father, Shane Lambert, who strikes her as a man with secrets. She also notices a woman eavesdropping on their conversation. Later that evening when the woman turns up dead, Sophie’s father is arrested for her murder.

Alex and Sophie beg Anastasia to find the real killer, but Anastasia has had her fill of dead bodies. She’s also not convinced of Shane’s innocence. Besides, she’s promised younger son Nick she’ll stop risking her life. But how can she say no to Alex?

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Buy Links

Amazon https://amzn.to/2MBo1xS

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/drop-dead-ornaments

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/drop-dead-ornaments/id1431548050?mt=11

Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drop-dead-ornaments-lois-winston/1129345148?ean=2940161937181

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Bio: USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.

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Website: www.loiswinston.com

Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/722763.Lois_Winston

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