Hiding the Witness - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to allow Diana Cameron to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can read about Diana in Hiding the Witness by Deena Alexander.

A Day in my Life
By
Diana Cameron

Until recently, my life was fairly routine. I can’t say boring, because I enjoy being a firefighter in Upstate New York, but since fleeing my home in Florida after a catastrophic break-up that led to the deaths of people close to me, I prefer quiet time. I like living in a remote area of the mountains, working with the few people I’ve come to trust to have my back, and trying to save as many people as possible. I can never make up for the lives that were lost, but at least I can try to save others.

But now, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do so. On my way home from work in the middle of the night, an explosion rocked the mountain. I ran toward the burning cabin to see if anyone was there and could be saved. When I went inside, I found a couple who’d been shot and a young child who appeared unharmed. Unfortunately, when I emerged from the cabin with the little girl in my arms, a sniper opened fire.

When the sheriff showed up, who also happens to be my only truly close friend, she insisted on providing protection—in the form of her overbearing brother—for both me and the child. I honestly didn’t think I needed a bodyguard, until the gunmen showed up at the hospital and opened fire with no regard for collateral damage.

Now, Chase and I are on the run with a little girl we haven’t been able to identify and no clue why someone is trying to kill her. To top it all off, both of us have trust issues. And we both want to do things our own way, which is fine when our ideas align, not so much when they don’t. But as we flee into the wilderness, I know we’re going to have to find a way to work together if we’re going to survive. 

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 Hiding the Witness by Deena Alexander

About Hiding the Witness

Hiding the Witness (Love Inspired Suspense)
Inspirational Romantic Suspense
Number in Series – Jameson Investigations #2
Setting - Upstate New York
Publisher: ‎ Love Inspired Suspense; Original edition (February 25, 2025)
Mass Market Paperback: ‎ 208 pages

Rescuing a child makes her a killer’s target.

Racing into a burning cabin to search for survivors, firefighter Diana Cameron stumbles upon an unconscious child—and two bodies with bullet wounds. When a sniper targets their narrow escape, Diana has no choice but to team up with bodyguard Chase Mitchell to keep the little girl safe. Uncovering the identity of the murder victims is the only way to find the killer. But as they’re chased by gunmen into the mountain wilderness, can they protect a tiny witness from the unknown…when the truth is more sinister than they imagined?

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

About Deena Alexander

 

Deena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Now she enjoys long walks in nature all year long, despite the occasional alligator or snake she sometimes encounters. Deena's love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn't sleep through the night, and she now works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor.  

Author Links:

• Webpage: http://deenaalexander.com/index.html
• Blog: http://deenaalexander.com/blog.html
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeenaAlexanderAuthor
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/DeenaAlexanderA
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20382104.Deena_Alexander
• BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/deena-alexander
• Newsletter: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/492177/92188784823633445/share
• Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Deena-Alexander/author/B08C1VKZFZ

Purchase Links - Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Kobo - Harlequin - Apple - Google Play 

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Juliet Montague Capshaw Comes to Visit - Guest Post & Giveaway

Juliet Montague Capshaw Comes to Visit

By Ellie Alexander

 
Thanks so much for giving me a chance to come chat with your readers about two of my favorite things: pastries and Ashland, Oregon. First, I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m Juliet Montague Capshaw, but please call me Jules. My parents named me after their favorite Shakespearean heroine. The name comes with a bit pressure, especially when it comes to love. In any other town, people probably wouldn’t think twice when hearing my name, but in Ashland, home of the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a name like Juliet practically denotes royalty. Don’t get me wrong I love sharing a name with one of literature’s greatest romantics, but Jules suits me better.

My parents’ love of the Bard is evident in more than just the name they gave me. Our family bakeshop, Torte, sits in the heart of Ashland’s charming downtown plaza where every shop and restaurant is designed to resemble an old English village. The bakeshop is no exception with its colorful awnings, bright red and teal walls, and a giant chalkboard with a rotating weekly quote from Shakespeare. It’s a homey and welcoming space. Everyone who walks through the front door is treated like family.

When I returned home to Ashland over a year ago I thought it would be a temporary stop. I needed some time to figure out what was next for me after leaving my husband and my job as a pastry chef for a cruise ship. Being back in Ashland made me realize that I had been longing for roots and a place to call home. I had worked through my sadness by kneading mounds of bread dough, losing myself in the art of frosting a cake with light and airy buttercream, and managing a team of young and talented baristas and pastry chefs in training.

Imagine my surprise when my estranged husband called to ask me to come back to the ship to fill in for a week. My initial response was to decline, but after giving it some thought returning to the ship might be just the thing I needed to permanently put that part of my life in the past. Of course, it also helped that he buttered me up by offering to bring my mom and her beau, the Professor (Ashland’s resident detective and Shakespeare aficionado) along on an all-expenses paid getaway. The fact that we had had an unusually cold and dreary winter probably tipped the scales in favor of me jetting off to the Caribbean for a week.

The minute we boarded the ship I felt the familiar tug of adventure. There was something magical about the scent of the salty sea air, the feeling of sun on my skin, and the palpable energy of guests waving and toasting with fruity cocktails as we pulled away from the dock. Soon I was immersed in a busy kitchen, whipping up pineapple soufflés and coconut cream tarts. The ship’s massive, industrial kitchen dwarfed Torte’s cozy, small kitchen. But bigger isn’t always better and within a few days of cutting through wide-open azure waters, I found myself homesick for Ashland’s quaint streets and the warmth of a crowded kitchen. I missed the fact that at Torte my hands were always coated in flour. On the ship, running the pastry kitchen had less to do with act of baking and more to do with production.

If comparing the two work spaces hadn’t validated my decision to return home to Ashland, finding the body of a young stowaway floating face-down in the pool certainly did. Now I was focused on solving the mystery of who the young woman was and why someone had killed her. The sooner we tracked down the murderer, the sooner I could return home to my beloved Ashland.

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Crime of Passion Fruit - Book Blast

 

A Crime of Passion Fruit (A Bakeshop Mystery)  
By Ellie Alexander

Cozy Mystery 6th in Series  
St. Martin's Paperbacks (June 27, 2017)  
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages ISBN-13: 978-1250088079

Torte―everybody’s favorite small-town family bakeshop―is headed for the high seas, where murder is about to make a splash. . . Jules Capshaw is trying to keep her cool as Torte gets set to make its transformation from quaint, local confectionary café to royal pastry palace. Meanwhile, Jules’s estranged husband Carlos is making a desperate plea for her to come aboard his cruise ship and dazzle everyone with her signature sweets. She may be skeptical about returning to her former nautical life with Carlos but Jules can’t resist an all-expense-paid trip, either. If only she knew that a dead body would find its way onto the itinerary . .

“A warm and inviting atmosphere, friendly and likable main characters, and a nasty murder mystery to solve!” ―Fresh Fiction

Now, instead of enjoying tropical drinks on deck between whipping up batches of sea-salted chocolates and flambéing fresh pineapple slices in the kitchen, Jules is plunged into dangerous waters. Her investigation leaves her with more questions than answers: Why can’t anyone on board identify the young woman? And how can she help Carlos keep passengers at ease with a killer in their midst? Jules feels like she’s ready to jump ship. Can she solve this case without getting in too deep?

“A perfect mix for fans of Jenn McKinlay, Leslie Budewitz, or Jessica Beck.” ―Library Journal

 
About The Author: Ellie Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she's not coated in flour, you'll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research.  

Author Links:

Web: http://www.elliealexander.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elliealexanderauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bakeshopmystery  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_alexander/    

Purchase Links Amazon    B&N    IndieBound    


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