I'm pleased to welcome Nicole Earp to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Nicole on the pages of the Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery series by Joyce Proell and Brenda Whiteside. Birds, Puppies, and Murder is the fourth book in the series and was just published today!
My name is Nicole Earp, but everyone calls me Nic. Twice a year, my sister Emma and I spend a relaxing weekend at the storied Dulce Inn in Wyatt, Arizona celebrating our birthdays. We always treat ourselves to at least one chocolate martini in the Azul Saloon inside the inn. We’ve gotten to know most of the staff, and they nicknamed us The Chocolate Martini Sisters. Em’s birthday is in the spring, and I’m an autumn lady. I share the pages of the mysteries as the main character with my sister Em.
Brenda, one of the authors of our series, came up with the idea while having a chocolate martini with her sister. They buy each other the delicious drink twice a year on their birthdays in a historical inn and saloon in a western town called Prescott, Arizona. When they jokingly called themselves The Chocolate Martini Sisters, it gave Brenda an idea for a cozy mystery series. She contacted her friend Joyce Proell, and they collaborated bringing Em and me to life.
Em and I are different in many ways. I’m shorter, have long blonde/silver hair while Em has a short, auburn/gold trendy style. Our personalities are just as opposite. I tend to jump to conclusions, although my intuitiveness hasn’t been wrong too many times. Em is the analytical sister, so we complement each other when we’re on the trail of a murderer. I have a scar on my forehead that tingles when I’m nervous, which can happen when I sense something amiss with our sleuthing. I enjoy reading mysteries in bed and often lose track of time. Em says I have a hat obsession. I’ll admit, I do own quite a few. I enjoy wearing arty clothes, soft and feminine. If I don’t have on a hat, my dark blonde hair—and yes there are streaks of silver—is probably twisted into a messy knot. Em on the other hand sports the tailored look.
Em is a widow and has one son, Liam. I’ve been married twice. My first husband Ethan is the father of my daughter, Chloe. The marriage ended badly, thanks to him. He had trouble with his zipper. I used to get hot under the collar whenever we run into each other, but I’ve come to terms with it. Sort of. Gah! I might still have some feelings for him. Luckily, I rarely see him. My second husband Rodney Earp is a colorful, flamboyant lawyer. He claims to be a distant relative to the infamous Earp brothers. Our marriage lasted a year. We make better friends than mates. In Birds, Puppies, and Murder Rodney helps me get my new yoga studio Namaste set up correctly. He’s going to help me get a line of dog essential oils on the market too.
Although my sister and I seem polar opposites, we aren’t when it comes to all things mystery. Our techniques differ, but we love solving a crime together. Victims deserve justice. And we have such fun snooping and sleuthing. Chief Homicide Detective Guthrie gets a bit bent when we find the clues first. He had the nerve to suggest we get our license and hang our shingle, which I found funny. Em…not so much. She and Guthrie go toe to toe all the time.
In Birds, Puppies, and Murder there’s plenty of fun and plenty of sleuthing. I hope you’ll journey to Wyatt, visit the Dulce Inn and Namaste, and get lost in an entertaining murder mystery with The Chocolate Martini Sisters.
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Birds, Puppies, and Murder (Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery) by Joyce Proell & Brenda Whiteside
About Birds, Puppies, and Murder
Cozy Mystery 4th in Series
Setting - Arizona
Publisher: Independently Published
Publication Date: September 23, 2025
Print Length: 327 pages
Lost puppies, endangered birds… The sisters are birddogs on a murder most fowl.The sisters are thriving like mountain sage in an Arizona autumn. Nicole’s yoga business is gaining a foothold in Wyatt. Emma’s first mystery novel is scheduled for release. But a proposed, expansive building project in the pristine area of the bird sanctuary has the community in an uproar. It’s Environmentalists versus Big Business, and the sisters are caught in the cross-fire.
When one of Nic’s yoga students is found dead near the planned resort, the amateur sleuths are back on the trail of a killer. Who has the most to gain from her death—the morally challenged developer, the money-grubbing boyfriend, her jealous brother, a nasty neighbor, or a co-worker with dark secrets? And where has Skittles, the dog, gone?
While the Chocolate Martini Sisters sort through the litany of villains, they’re leaving no mystery unsolved. The stakes are escalating, throwing the sisters on divergent paths that all come together at a dangerous intersection. As they unsnarl the tangled mysteries, will they expose the murderer before the killer finds a way to silence them?
About the Authors
After hearing countless stories as a mental health professional, Joyce Proell retired to create her own tales. An award-winning author, she writes historical romance and cozy mystery where all endings are guaranteed happy. She shares her home on the prairie with a husband and a little dog with a big personality. When she isn’t reading or writing, she likes to swim and finds baking almost as relaxing as a day at the spa.
Website: https://joyceproell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoyceProellAuthor
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Joyce-Proell/author/B009K432O8
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6545483.Joyce_Proell
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joyce-proell
Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, cozy mystery, and romance. She’s a born and bred Arizona native who sets fictional stories in imaginary, but recognizable, Arizona locations. She and her husband live in Central Arizona. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.
Visit Brenda at https://www.brendawhiteside.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenda.whiteside.58/ or https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571687885846
X: https://x.com/brendawhitesid2
She blogs and has guests: https://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003V15WF8
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3972045.Brenda_Whiteside
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/brenda-whiteside
Purchase Link - Amazon
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