The (Cozy) View from Square One
By Bethany Blake
Here’s a secret about my new book, A Midwinter’s Tail: Less than a year ago, it was an entirely different story.
I actually wrote a novel by that name, sent it to my editor and told myself I was done. But as time passed, this little voice in my head kept whispering, “It’s not the right story.”
So, with no time to spare — deadlines were already past — I called my editor and said, “The book I sent you isn’t cozy enough. It’s not Christmas-y enough. The warmth and good cheer just aren’t there. And I want to start again.”
To her credit, she said, “I trust you. Go for it.”
It was the best, and worst, decision I’ve made in recent years. Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic. But I was under incredible pressure. However, I knew I’d made the right call the moment I started the first chapter, with pet sitter Daphne, her sensible sister Piper and best friend Moxie Bloom all gathered in snug Plum Cottage, planning for the Bark the Halls pet-friendly ball while a snowstorm rages outside — and a specter from the past looms.
I hope you enjoy this book, which is my ode to everything cozy at Christmas time. Firelight, hot cocoa, a romantic dance, ice skating, gingerbread houses that might just yield clues… It’s all there, my present to you, just waiting to be unwrapped!
Happy holidays!
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A Midwinter's Tail (Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery) by Bethany Blake
About the Book
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Kensington (November 27, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
To bark or not to bark . . . Professional pet sitter Daphne Templeton loves the holidays in Sylvan Creek, Pennsylvania. And nothing gets her into the spirit more than the town’s annual Bark the Halls Ball. The whole community will be there to wag their tails, especially this year’s special guest—Celeste “CeeCee” French, founder of a national chain of pet care franchises, who’s returning home to announce plans for a bright new flagship store. But not everyone’s celebrating CeeCee’s homecoming. Daphne’s friend Moxie Bloom, owner of Spa and Paw, a unique salon for people and their pets, has plenty to growl about. So when CeeCee is found face down under Sylvan Creek's town Christmas tree, stabbed with a distinctive pair of professional-grade pet shears, suspicion lands squarely on Moxie. Despite Daphne’s promises to Detective Jonathan Black, she quickly reprises her role as amateur sleuth. Ably assisted by her basset hound sidekick, Socrates, she must hurry to prove her friend’s innocence before a killer barks again . . . Includes recipes for homemade pet treats!
About the Author
Bethany Blake lives in a small, quaint town in Pennsylvania with her husband and three daughters. When she’s not writing or riding horses, she’s wrangling a menagerie of furry family members that includes a nervous pit bull, a fearsome feline, a blind goldfish, and an attack cardinal named Robert. Like Daphne Templeton, the heroine of her Lucky Paws Mysteries, Bethany holds a Ph.D. and operates a pet sitting business called Barkley’s Premium Pet Care.
Author Links: Webpage BookBub Twitter Facebook
Purchase Links: Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play IndieBound BookBub
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These sound like great reads!
ReplyDeletewonderful feature and giveaway. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoy these cozies. Thanks for this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteGreat story and my precious Pug Pep and I love the cover!
ReplyDeleteSounds so good would love to read and post reviews on at least 2 sites peggy clayton ptclayton2 at aol.com
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