Gone but not for Garden - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a new release. Gone but not for Garden by Kate Collins is the fourth book in the Goddess of Greene St. Mystery series and it is being released today! I have to admit I got behind in this series, but I hope to catch up soon!

Blurb:

Athena Spencer works with her big Greek-American family (whom she also anonymously blogs about) at their garden center near Lake Michigan. She’s also gained a reputation for crime-solving—and that’s what brings flower-shop owner and fellow sleuth Abby Knight Salvare to her door . . .
 
Abby has come from Indiana to this Lake Michigan town to help her cousin, Jillian, who was emceeing a local fashion show and now stands accused of murdering one of the models. Some of Sequoia’s most prominent citizens were there on the catwalk, so there’s increasing pressure to have the next event be a perp walk.
 
The clueless Jillian is in jail after ignoring orders not to leave town, and she isn’t happy—orange is not her color. Along with her handsome PI partner, Case, Athena starts making inquiries, while tiptoeing around the wives of the town’s mayor and police chief. In the meantime, the two detectives are becoming fast friends. After all, in addition to homicide, Abby and Athena share an interest in horticulture—though right now the only thing they’re growing is their list of suspects . . .

A Statue of Limitations Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Kate Collins to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Kate writes the Goddess of Green St. Mystery series. STATUE OF LIMITATIONS is the first book in the series and was released last month.

Kathy: You start a new series with STATUE OF LIMITATIONS. What made you move from a flower shop to a garden center?

KC: I love flowers and gardening and have learned a lot about them, so it seemed a natural fit.


Kathy: In this series opener Athena returns home to her big Greek family. Do you have a big family? Do you celebrate your heritage?

KC: The characters are based on my husband’s big crazy Greek family who always made me laugh – or shake my head in dismay. I’m just a run-of-the mill English/Irish woman with a “normal” family.


Kathy: I love the fact that there is a "mischievous wild raccoon" in the story. I love raccoons. Do you have personal raccoon experience?

KC: No raccoon experience other than what I’ve read about them – or chased them away from my bird feeders.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

KC: The very first thing were the Nancy Drew mysteries, followed by Agatha Christie. Since my voice is oftentimes humorous, I wanted to write in a genre that allowed that. I don’t like gory description, especially before bed, so cozies are perfect. Intriguing, fast-paced, and humorous at times.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

KC: I published seven historical romances before turning to mystery. The links to those books are on my website: katecollinsbooks.com


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

KC: The Goddess of Greene St. Mysteries is about Athena, one sister in a family of four funny Greek sisters, all of whom are named after Greek goddesses, who gets a taste of solving a murder mystery in the first book and is hooked. Because she not only solved the murder case but also saved the section of her tourist town known as Little Greece, she was dubbed by the newspaper The Goddess of Greene St.

The Flower Shop Mysteries is about one intrepid florist, a law school flunk out, who was dumped by her fiancé and kicked out of law school before finding her way to Bloomers Flower Shop, where she became a florist. She and hunky bar owner Marco Salvare not only catch murderers, they also become romantically involved. Twenty-one books in all.


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

KC: For The Goddess of Greene St. Mysteries, it was my husband’s big, crazy Greek family.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

KC: I wanted to share my stories with readers.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

KC: VIEW ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS


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

KC: I love yoga, reading in many genres, tole painting, and interior decorating.


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

KC: Coffee creamer, a quart container full of fruit smoothie, extra sharp cheddar cheese, hummus.


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

KC: I’m working on the third book in the Goddess of Greene St. Mysteries right now and I hope to continue the series.


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

KC: It’s a toss-up between having an occupation that allows me to use my active imagination and being able to set my own hours.

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Review

STATUE OF LIMITATIONS by Kate Collins

The First Goddess of Greene St. Mystery

When Athena Spencer hears a noise in the garden shop after hours she things it's the mischievous raccoon who has been hanging around. Instead she finds a handsome stranger who claims the statue her grandfather bought actually belongs to him. If that wasn't enough a greedy businessman wants to tear down Little Greece to put up condominiums. Taking a chance, Athena joins forces with the stranger, now a fugitive, to stop the town tyrant and find justice.

You have to take a leap of faith in the first Goddess of Greene St. Mystery. Athena goes well out of her way to help Case...someone that is trying to take her grandfathers statue as well as being wanted as a murder suspect. That's somewhat implausible. But once you accept that Athena is acting rationally, or at least in the best interest of her family and community, everything falls into place. And a delightful place it is!

I loved just about everything in STATUE OF LIMITATIONS. A fantastic group of characters liven up the pages. Athena's eccentric family is charming and fun from her ditsy sister Delphi who "sees" things, to her meddling mother, even her son who knows more Greek than she does. Then there are the despicable characters-the Talbot family and their minions and the traitors among the Greek community. There's a bit of romance and a darn good mystery!

I love the Greek details woven into the story, particularly the language. I think Athena's blog is hysterical, more so because of her mother and sisters comments about it. I appreciate how Athena picks up on things that are incorrect, but necessary for the plot, like why there wasn't an autopsy on Talbot Senior, and weaves it into the story.

Athena wanted some space from all things Greek, but finds herself embracing her culture and her family as she fights for justice and Little Greece. STATUE OF LIMITATIONS is a delightful mystery that left me with a smile on my face.

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Statue of Limitations (A Goddess of Greene St. Mystery) by Kate Collins

About Statue of Limitations

Statue of Limitations (A Goddess of Greene St. Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 1st in Series  

Publisher: Kensington (January 28, 2020)  

Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages 

In this delightful new series by the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mysteries, Athena Spencer comes back home to work with her crazy big Greek family at their garden center. But she never expected a return to her roots would mean protecting her family from murder . . . After her divorce, Athena has returned to coastal Michigan to work in her family’s garden center and raise her son, while also caring for a mischievous wild raccoon and fending off her family’s annoying talent for nagging. Working alone at the garden center one night, Athena is startled by a handsome stranger who claims to be the rightful owner of a valuable statue her grandfather purchased at a recent estate sale. But she has even bigger problems on her plate. The powerful Talbot family from whom her pappoús bought the statue is threatening to raze the shops on Greene Street’s “Little Greece” to make way for a condo. The recent death of the family’s patriarch already seemed suspicious, but now it’s clear that a murderer is in their midst. Athena will have to live up to her warrior goddess namesake to protect her family from a killer and save their community from ruin . . .

About Kate Collins

Kate Collins is the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mystery series. After publishing numerous historical romances, Kate penned the long-running mystery series, three books of which were made into Hallmark movies starring Brooke Shields. An Indiana native, Kate graduated from Purdue University with a master's degree in education. When not growing roots at her computer, Kate loves to garden. Other passions include yoga, reading, spending time with family and friends, sampling great wines and fine dark chocolate, and enjoying every moment of life. Kate lives in Northwest Indiana and Key West, Florida. Visit her online at KateCollinsBooks.com.

Author Links:
Website http://www.katecollinsbooks.com/
 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Collins/49648459004

Purchase Links - Kensington - Amazon - B&N - Kobo

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight - Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks

I'd like to shine a spotlight on a book published earlier this month, Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks. The book is not a mystery novel, but rather a cookbook combined with articles about tea and tea parties. The book is a combined effort of the Cozy Chicks: Ellery Adams, Lorraine Bartlett, Duffy Brown, Kate Collins, Mary Kennedy, Mary Jane Maffini, Maggie Sefton, and Leann Sweeney

From the back cover:

The Cozy Chicks realized that tea was such a perfect complement to cozy mysteries that we decided to write a book about it. Not only does Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks have delicious recipes, but it also includes themed tea menus, fascinating articles, fun facts, curious quotes, and helpful hints on how to host the most memorable tea parties ever! And for an extra treat, a few of us have included excerpts of our work as well! Read, cook, drink tea, savor, and most of all enjoy!

Long Running Series

I'm always a little sad whenever I finish a book I really like. Sad that the adventure is over and I have to say goodbye to new friends. The wonderful thing about cozy mysteries is that they're usually series-so when you finish one, you know you'll meet up with everyone again for the next adventure.

Unfortunately, some series are short lived. In some cases, this result is not desired by the author either. The book doesn't sell well and the publisher won't publish further stories in the series. Happily, the advent of e-books and self publishing has allowed some authors to continue their series even when the publisher says no. Sometimes the series ends because, tragically, the author died. Barbara Burnett Smith wrote the Purple Sage Mysteries and had just started a new beading series, Bead on Trouble when she died. A second book in that series, Beads of Doubt, was published, finished by another author. 

Some series have a set ending by the author. Carole Nelson Douglas intends to go through the entire alphabet with her Midnight Louis series. After the first two books, Catnap and Pussyfoot, the titles follow the alphabet-Cat on a Blue Monday. She's currently on W with the 2012 release of Cat in a White Tie and Tales. Kate Kingsbury also had an ending with her Pennyfoot Hotel series; although that's not quite true in that four years after the series ended she began bringing those characters back in Christmas mysteries.

Long running series are great in that you truly get to know the characters. Seeing how the characters change and grow can be amazing and wonderful. At the start of the series by Elizabeth Peters we meet Amelia Peabody, a single lady in Victorian England who is finally free to travel. By the most recent book in the series Amelia is married with grandchildren! We've also seen the political and archeological changes in Egypt. Crocodile on the Sandbank was published in 1975 with A River in the Sky released in 2010. There are currently 19 books in this series.

So what makes a series long running? Although time does count for something (the Amelia Peabody series continued for 35 years and although the author is 85 years old, she's still with us-so there may yet be another book in the series!) to me it's the number of books in the series that makes it long running. For me, a series must have at least 10 published books in order to be considered a long running series.

There are problems with long running series. Unfortunately, I've found a few clunkers in some of my favorite series. I suppose when you write that many books, some are bound to be not as great. When it first started, I adored the Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown; every book was great. Then there was a horrible clunker. I didn't give up on it, and Rita Mae Brown got back on track with some wonderful books which I recommend. There are currently 20 books in the series which began with Wish You Were Here in 1990 with the 21st scheduled to be published in June 2013. What's interesting is that the clunker sits half way through the series.

So what are some other long running series? Cleo Coyle currently has 12 books in her Coffeehouse Mysteries. Laura Childs has two long running series. The Tea Shop Mysteries started with Death by Darjeeling in 2001 and the 14th in the series will be released in March 2013. Her Scrapbooking Series just makes the cut with her 10th book in the series, Postcards from the Dead published in 2012. There are 17 books in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson series with the 18th to be published in February 2013. Two of these are actually novellas, found in holiday collections with stories with other authors, but still, more than enough to make a long running series. There are 16 books in Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear series. Kate Collins started her Flower Shop Mysteries with a 2004 publication. There are now 13 books. There are 17 books in the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton starting with Aunt Dimity's Death back in 1992 with the 18th due in April 2013.

As you can see, there are plenty of long running series out there-and many series which I hope will become long running. Do you have a favorite long running series? Which current series do you hope become long running ones?

Green Thumb

I have garden designs in my head. I love pouring through seed catalogs, gardening magazines, and Pinterest, looking at all the lovely plants and imagining them in my yard. While I enjoy reading and dreaming about my garden, I don't actually do much with it. Sadly, I tend to neglect my houseplants and most die of thirst. As for the yard, I tend to let things fend for themselves. Perhaps that's why I enjoy the gardening cozy mystery. I get to think about the garden while others do all the work!

Gardening cozies feature, of course, gardeners. Most are professionals working as landscape designers, florists, or people having other, similar careers. Many of these books also include gardening tips.

Looking for an educated look at plants? Want a unique gardening shop in which to putter around? Check out The Peggy Lee Garden mysteries by Joyce and Jim Lavene. Peggy Lee is a botanist who owns a garden shop in Charlotte, North Carolina.

I love the scent that engulfs you when you enter a florist shop. If you can't make it to your local florist, why not try a fictional one? Kate Collins pens the Flower Shop mysteries. Set in New Chapel, Indiana the series features Abby Knight, owner of Bloomers Florists. Bretta Solomon also owns a flower shop, the Flower Shop, in River City, Missouri in the series by Janis Harrison.

Nina Quinn is a landscape designer with a difference-she does surprise garden makeovers in the Nina Quinn mystery series by Heather Webber.

In Virginia, near Washington DC we find Louise Eldridge, an organic gardener who becomes the host of a PBS gardening show on TV in the series by Ann Ripley. While Louise is close to Washington DC and politics (her husband is a CIA agent) Casey Calhoun is even closer. She's a gardener for the White House in The White House Gardener mysteries by Dorothy St. James.

Garden Clubs are great ways for gardeners to get together. They're also a way to find murderers. Alisa Craig gives us the Grub-and-Stakers series which takes place in Lobelia Falls, Ontario, Canada while Susan Wittig Albert takes us back to the 1930's in Darling, Alabama with the Darling Dahlias.

As outdoor gardening is coming to a close for the season, at least in my part of the world, now is the perfect time to pick up a gardening mystery. I hope you'll give one a try!