Murder by the Seashore - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Samara Yew to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Samara writes the California Bookshop Mystery series. MURDER BY THE SEASHORE is the first book in the series and today is its release day!

Kathy: Scarlett Gardner owns the Palm Trees and Page Turners bookshop. Have you ever dreamed of opening a bookshop?

SY: I think it would be fun to work at one, though opening up a brand new business seems like a ton of work as Scarlett discovers.

Kathy: Scarlett thought she'd have the help of her boyfriend and business partner, but is soon on her own. Have you ever started something as a team, but wound up doing it on your own?

SY: Nothing comes to mind. 

 

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

SY: I love the puzzling solving and trying to figure out the mystery alongside the sleuth. I also love that the sleuth is a regular, everyday person who gets caught up in a mystery, often unwillingly. It’s a fun adventure to dive into.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

SY: Not at the moment.
 

Kathy: Tell us about your series. 

SY: MURDER BY THE SEASHORE is the first book in the California Bookshop Mysteries. Scarlett Gardner receives a mysterious inheritance from a stranger she found dead on the beach near her beloved bookshop. She gets caught up in solving multiple mysteries about who the stranger was, why the woman left her a large inheritance, and who the killer is.

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

SY: Lucia, Scarlett’s roommate/BFF, is probably my favorite character, though I really love them all. Lucia is a huge movie nerd so it was fun writing her fun facts about some of my own favorite movies such as Star Wars and Jurassic Park.
 

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

SY: I wrote the first draft during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November 2020. It was the height of the pandemic so no traveling, but I wished I could escape the Canadian winter and head down to Southern California for a beach vacation. So instead, I wrote a cozy mystery with that setting.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

SY: Nothing specific made me want to publish it. I had fun writing it, my agent loved it, and we were able to find a publisher who wanted it.

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

SY: Let’s have the ultimate cozy mystery dinner party. I’d invite Jenn McKinlay, Ellery Adams, Ellen Byron, and Diane Kelly.

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

SY: I’m currently reading the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries by Deanna Raybourn. I just finished A MURDEROUS RELATION which is Book 5. I adore this historical mystery series! It’s a perfect blend of mystery, action, romance, and humor.

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

SY: I started canning this past summer and have become quite addicted. It’s been a great new hobby to keep me distracted from writing deadlines.
 

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

SY: Homemade chai concentrate, fruit, ingredients for all sorts of soup, and Greek yogurt which is usually the base for a delicious smoothie.

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

SY: I’m currently working on the next book of the California Bookshop Mysteries, and it’s been a lot of fun being back with Scarlett and the Palm Trees and Page Turners’ gang! There’s a lot more of Scarlett’s sister, Olivia, in this book, and I’ve enjoyed diving into their relationship dynamics.

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

SY: My favorite thing is taking trips to the library to check out dozens of new books and being able to call it “homework.”

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Review

MURDER BY THE SEASHORE by Samara Yew
The First California Bookshop Mystery 

 

Since her boyfriend and business partner dumped her, Scarlett Gardner is hoping she can make a go of her newly opened bookshop. When she discovers the dead body of a customer of the nearby pier, she comes under the scrutiny of Detective Maxwell. And when they learn the murdered woman left Scarlett a huge inheritance, she jumps to the top of the Detective's suspect list. With the help of her roommate best friend Scarlett decides to figure out, not only why the unknown woman left her a fortune, but who killed her before she winds up in jail and her beloved shop is forever known as the Murder Bookshop. 

 

The first California Bookshop Mystery welcomes readers with a great setting, a bookshop on the beach, and an interesting mystery. The fact that not only the identity of Lorelai Knight's killer is in question, but who she actually was was a novel approach that kept me intrigued. There were lots of good suspects and some nice twists and turns.

 

While I like Scarlett she acts so young. I suppose because she is young, but as a business owner, and her roommate a successful lawyer, the two tend to act more like teenagers than professionals. While it's refreshing that mysteries don't appear to be her favorite genre, it's a bit embarrassing how inept she is when it comes to figuring out how to investigate. She's also very wishy washy, going back and forth between suspecting people of murder, then thinking they couldn't be guilty. I found Detective Maxwell to be a bit of an overbearing, overprotective, and domineering husband, but a decent detective. On the whole, the cast of characters is likable, but there's room for growth and development.

MURDER BY THE SEASHORE is an enjoyable start to a new series. 

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 Murder by the Seashore (A California Bookshop Mystery) by Samara Yew

About Murder by the Seashore

Murder by the Seashore (A California Bookshop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - California
Crooked Lane Books (October 17, 2023)
Hardcover: ‎ 256 pages

Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Ellery Adams, Scarlett Gardner’s dream was to open a bookshop in Southern California, but it soon becomes a nightmare when she finds the dead body of a customer—and becomes the prime suspect.

Southern California is where dreams come true—or so Scarlett Gardner thought. When she moved there and opened the Palm Trees and Page Turners bookshop, she thought her boyfriend and business partner would be part of the story. When he leaves her for a better job, Scarlett finds herself struggling to keep her new business afloat. That’s not the only thing she has to worry about—she discovers something underneath the pier by her bookshop that she didn’t outline for her life’s story: the dead body of a book-buying customer.

After Scarlett gives a statement to the police, she thinks her life can go back to business as usual. But when a lawyer, representing someone named Lorelai Knight, tells Scarlett that she now stands to inherit a small fortune, she’s left with more questions than answers. Before she can make sense of any of it, the police bring her in for questioning; the body she found was Lorelai Knight. And the evidence they have against Scarlett doesn’t look good. Business is booming as Scarlett returns to Palm Trees and Page Turners, but for all the wrong reasons – curious tourists don’t want books, they want a glimpse of the Bookshop Killer.

Who could really be behind all of this? And why frame Scarlett? To clear her name, she’s going to have get creative—and hope she can remain one page ahead of the killer.

About Samara Yew

Samara Yew is a cozy mystery author who writes about adorable bookshops and dead bodies. A full-time mom, full-time dog servant, and part-time writer, Samara lives in British Columbia, Canada, where she can often be found watching Psych reruns. Samara loves to travel, especially visiting her husband’s home country of Singapore or donning Mickey ears in Disneyland. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.

Author Links: 

Website https://samarayew.com  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/samara.yew.books  

Twitter (X) https://twitter.com/samarayewauthor  

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samara.yew.author  

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24259604.Samara_Yew  

Purchase Links - Amazon - PenguinRandomHouse - B&N - Chapters Indigo 

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Paint Me a Crime - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Holly Yew to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Holly writes the Rose Shore Mystery series. Paint Me a Crime is the first book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: In Paint Me a Crime we meet Jessamine Rhodes, an art curator who has left a prominent gallery to open a small town community art center. Do you enjoy going to art galleries?

Yes, but it is something I have only done a handful of times. I live out in the middle of nowhere, and there’s not much of anything around, much less an art gallery.

Kathy: Have you ever been part of a community art center? Do you create art?

No, I haven’t been part of a community art center, just lots of arts and crafts programs at summer camps when I was a kid.

Kathy: Jessamine's first class is a watercolor class. Do you enjoy watercolors? What's your favorite artistic medium?

I haven’t created any art in many years, but I used to enjoy using pastels. A sneak peek for book two of the Rose Shore Mysteries is that it opens with a pastels class.

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

The first cozy mystery I ever read was a Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs. It was Scones & Bones, which is right in the middle of the series. I randomly saw it on a library shelf and thought a mystery about both tea and pirates sounded like a lot of fun! After I read a few cozy mysteries, I wanted to try writing fiction, and I liked the idea of creating a puzzle for readers to solve like the cozy mystery genre is known for.
 

Do you write in any other genres?

Not currently, though I’d love to write something historical one day.

Kathy: Tell us about your series. 

My series takes place in the fictional town of Rose Shore in the not-so-fictional Okanagan, BC, Canada. Jessamine, the owner of the local art center, gets caught up in solving murder mysteries in her beloved town. Her friends and adorable pet beagle join in the adventures.
 

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

Andrew Marsh is my favorite character. He is the admin assistant at the Rose Shore Community Art Center and has a great sense of humor. I like having a comic relief side character who is also a very caring friend for Jessamine to count on.

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

I was inspired by a writing prompt that said, “A painting goes missing in broad daylight. There were numerous people in the room, but no one saw anything.”

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

I don’t really have a clear answer for that. There was no moment where I decided I wanted to be a published author because everything happened one step at a time. After I finished writing Paint Me A Crime and had edited and revised it numerous times, I pitched it to agents and was offered representation. After editing it and revising it numerous times again, we sent it off to publishers.

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

- Deanna Raybourn because I love the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries, and I want to learn about her research process for historical mysteries set in Victorian England.

- Julie Anne Lindsey because I think she has a great sense of humor and would be a lot of fun to hang out with.

- Jane Austen, which is a big cliché, I know, but I want one dead author at this dinner part just to keep things interesting. Plus, I’d love for her to learn that her novels stood the test of time and became some of the most well-known books in the world.

- Christina Lauren, which I know is cheating a bit, but then I would get a bonus author!

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading the Library Lover’s Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay. I just finished book five, On Borrowed Time, and am waiting for my hold on book six, A Likely Story, to come in at my local library. I’m also currently reading Cold Brew Corpse by Tara Lush and Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

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

I like to bake and often bake with my son, which is always a messy adventure as he is only two years old, but he loves helping in the kitchen.

I also love to travel and have been to over twenty countries.
 

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

- Fruit of all kinds
- Bagels
- Taco seasoning
- Ice cream (though that is in the freezer)


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

I have written two more books in the Rose Shore Mysteries, both of which are waiting for copy edits, and I actually have another series debuting later this year. Murder by the Seashore, book one of the California Bookshop Mysteries will be releasing on October 17. This new book is about a bookshop owner who finds the dead body of a mysterious customer underneath the pier near her shop.

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

I love creating settings that I would love to visit or live in myself, both in terms of idyllic locales and the close-knit communities that are so common in cozy mysteries.   

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 Paint Me a Crime (A Rose Shore Mystery) by Holly Yew

About Paint Me A Crime

Paint Me a Crime (A Rose Shore Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting – Okanagan Valley in BC, Canada
Touchpoint Press (June 13, 2023)
Paperback: ‎ 252 pages

Art curator Jessamine Rhodes has left behind her gig at a prominent gallery in the city to open her own community art center in the small town of Rose Shore. She’s all set to host an extravagant opening watercolors class and has even booked a famous artist to teach it. Gabriella Everhart brings along her priceless painting Tranquil to showcase as the centerpiece of the event. The opening class is just wrapping up when suddenly Tranquil disappears before Jessamine’s eyes. Next, the lights of the art center flicker out and leave the crowd in complete darkness as a scream pierces the air. To her horror, Jessamine’s flashlight reveals that prestigious art collector Victor Carlisle has been murdered, and now her dreams are as shattered as the champagne glass found near the scene. Determined to save her now teetering reputation, Jessamine sets out to search for answers and the missing painting on her own. She has invested everything into her art center and is too anxious to step back and do nothing. Along the way, she teams up with a handsome paramedic who seems to have his own reasons for wanting justice for Victor’s tragedy.

About Holly Yew

After having called many places around the world home, Holly Yew has settled in the Okanagan, BC with her husband, son, and two rescue dogs. When she’s not writing or reading, she’s playing the piano, watching Star Wars, or enjoying a Dole Whip in Disneyland.

Holly is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers. She loves connecting with other writers and bookworms on social media, and you can find her at hollyyew.com.

Author Links: 

Website https://hollyyew.com/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/samara.yew.books  

Twitter https://twitter.com/HollyYew  

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/holly.yew.author/  

Purchase Links - Amazon - Amazon Canada - Barnes and Noble

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