Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Freezer I'll Shoot by Victoria Hamilton. This book is the third in the Vintage Kitchen Mystery. I really enjoy this series, and envy Jaymie Leighton all her kitchen goodies. I just started this adventure-but Jaymie is avoiding her mother by hanging out at the island cottage instead of her home. Her mother, as well as the mother of her sort of boyfriend are NOT playing nicely. We also catch a glimpse of the good looking detective sans crime seen...so far.

This book will be released November 5, 2013. I'll have an interview with the author November 3rd. Be sure to stop by!

Relative Danger Spotlight & Giveaway

Relative Danger is the first Cealie Gunther Mystery by June Shaw.

Synposis:

Relative Danger is book one in a trilogy featuring widowed Cealie Gunther, who “thinks” she wants to avoid her hunky lover Gil Thurman, but he opens Cajun restaurants wherever she travels — and she is so bad at avoiding tempting dishes and men.

The book features spunky widowed Cealie Gunther is a woman of a certain age whose zeal for adventure keeps her in the thick of things—like trouble. She pops up in town early to watch her motherless granddaughter Kat graduate, only to discover that because of a death—accidental—or murder?—graduation might not take place.

Determined to find the truth, Cealie snags a job as a substitute teacher, exposing much violence, lurking menace and more disturbing questions than answers. The only thing certain is that a killer has decided she and her grandchild need to be expelled—permanently.

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Untreed Reads is giving away an e-book copy of Relative Danger to a reader of this blog! Just leave a comment and remember to include your e-mail address, as well as the format of your e-reader for a chance to win. I'll use Random.org to choose a winner. This is a relatively quick giveaway-you must leave a comment by 11:59 EST Monday night, October 28th.

If you want to learn more about June Shaw check out the following links:

Website: www.juneshaw.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/june.shaw.338

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading an advanced readers copy of Paws for Murder and am loving it! This book is the first in a new series by Annie Knox, a Pet Boutique Mystery. Izzy McHale had a plan: marry her high school sweetheart, help him through medical school, then become a fashion designer in NYC. Well, the first 2 parts of the plan worked-then her husband dumped her and moved to NYC while she remained in Merryville, Minnesota to design fashions, but for 4 legged customers. Izzy has opened the Trendy Tails Pet Boutique. While Izzy creates custom clothes and collars for pets, her friend, Rena, bakes them treats. The local protester has the boutique in her sights and the night of the grand opening, after creating a scene, is found dead-with Rena as the number one suspect.

An Interview with Pamela Rose

Pamela Rose joins us today. Pamela pens the Finn Sherlock Mystery series.

 


Kathy: Our amateur sleuth is named Finn Sherlock and her store, Sherlock's Home Mystery Bookstore, adjoins the 221b Bakery. May I hazard a guess that you are a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? How did you discover Sherlock Holmes?
PR: I have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was a pre-teen.  The little country school I attended didn’t have a lot of books but they did have several belonging to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Having already cut my teeth, so to speak, on Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden, I was looking for the next ‘flavor.’  Sherlock Holmes was a dream come true for this amateur sleuth with his methods of deduction.

Kathy: Finn has a twin sister, Echo. Is their relationship more akin to Sherlock Holmes and his brother, Mycroft, or Sherlock and Dr. Watson?
PR: Since readers know more about Dr. Watson and Sherlock, I guess they’re more like each other than we are allowed to know about Mycroft and Holmes, although some of that’s probably conjecture on my part.  Finn and Echo certainly squabble with each other, but just like Holmes and Watson, they’ve got each other’s back.
 
Kathy: There is a Civil War hiding place inside the bookstore. Are you a Civil War buff?  
PR: I’d have to say ‘no,’ and I think that time period has been romanticized somewhat.  I do have photos from that era, including one of a one-armed soldier with a hand-scrawled notation across the back, “Uncle Matthew.”   Many Americans aren’t aware that the Civil War was one of the bloodiest wars every fought, not only in deaths but in dismemberment of arms and legs—even more chilling in light of the fact that this was frequently brother against brother, or other family members.  (Maybe this is a good place to say that I have a friend who IS a Civil War buff!)

Kathy: It's almost Halloween. Are you a fan of the holiday? Have you ever participated in an event similar to the Fright Night Halloween Tour in the book?   
PR: Are you kidding?  I LOVE Halloween!  If you’ll pardon the pun, a ‘monster’ was created when I was a tiny little girl and my mother handmade me an Indian princess costume complete with dyed pigtails (supposedly black, but strangely with a purple cast to them) and leather moccasins.  She entered me in the local Halloween Parade Contest and I won first place!  I remember being lifted center stage with everyone towering over me, my hands full of prize money and candy and loving every minute of it.  Altogether it was pretty heady stuff for a six-year-old!

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
PR: About the same time that I discovered Sherlock Holmes, I started reading Agatha Christie.  I loved Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.  The carefully woven plots with clues scattered here and there caused me (as they were intended, I’m sure) to pit myself against their attempts to uncover the murderer.  As time went by and other author’s works were added into my reading repertoire, this fondness for ‘amateur sleuthing’ only intensified.  Of course, it’s a malady I still succumb to…thankfully I don’t think there’s a cure!  Now, as a mystery writer myself I get a charge out of being on the other end of scattering the ‘red herrings,’ something which I equally enjoy.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?  
PR: My first book, “The Eyes of the Jaguar” was a mystery adventure taking place over a span of about five centuries, so it also has historical overtones, although it’s far from being a historical novel.  It’s still under the mystery genre, just a little different approach.  In other words, same church different pew.

Kathy: Tell us about your series. 
PR: The Sherlock’s Home series features my protagonist, Finn Sherlock.  There are a total of 26 books roughed out in the series, one for each letter of the alphabet.  ‘Contentious Crone’ was the first, the second, with a working title of ‘Indigo Idiot,’ is next.  From there…my muse has to give me a little direction, which so far, she has been loath to do!

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?   
PR: I probably don’t have to tell you that characters are a little like children, you try not to have a favorite!  However…I will say that I love Uncle Oz.  He’s such a fun character, lots of unexpected behavior and yet he can be counted upon in the clinch.  I think perhaps I’m just enjoying exploring a male persona as opposed to the double X contingent!

Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?   
PR: Other than the Sherlock Holmes associations, the only inspiration is more like aspiration…I aspire to be as good a plotter as Agatha Christie!  However…that’s a skill I’m still developing.  Also, I’d love to be able to replicate Louise Penny’s facility in juxtaposing opposing human emotions into her mysteries.   She does this so skillfully a reader can get whiplash from the reversal in emotional direction; ‘pinballing’ from tense drama to delightful humor in the blink of an eye!  Now THAT’S skill.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?  
PR: You could say that I finally succumbed to the thought, “Gee…I’d like to publish a book someday.”  Lots of people say that…fewer actually do it.  You have to put those dreams in motion.  Also, I think it’s fair to say that as a person who has earned a pretty good living writing in advertising and other related venues, writing a book seemed like a natural progression.  Happily, that thought did not disappoint!

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?  
PR: For me, that’s kind of an easy question, since I’ve had the opportunity to mull over the premise that there’s a reason my favorite authors are just that.  Living authors:  The aforementioned Louise Penny and another beloved fellow writer, William Kent Krueger.  If I could shoehorn in one more living author: Reed Farrel Coleman.  His Mo Praeger series is delightful.  Two that are deceased are Lewis Carroll who was so skillful at creating strange, new worlds and Pearl S. Buck who was not only a facile weaver of tales, but she did go on to win that little nugget called the Pulitzer Prize for ‘The Good Earth.’

Kathy: What are you currently reading?   
PR: Ah, I knew you’d ask that!  I just finished Louise Penny’s “How the Light Gets In” and I just started reading “Uneasy Spirits” by M. Louisa Locke, billed as a ‘Victorian San Francisco Mystery.’

Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?  
PR: Other than writing, I also love to repurpose old furniture and architectural pieces.  I’m now in the process of turning a vintage iron gate into a fireplace screen.  This process for me is a ‘two-fer.’  I get to create something beautiful and functional…and re-use something that might otherwise get discarded.  My home is French country which also has a lot of that whole ‘shabby chic’ thing going on.  Repurposed items figure into that quite nicely.  (It’s good for the planet too!)

Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.   
PR: Soy milk, Umami sauce, texturized vegetable protein…and dark chocolate.  Can you tell that I’m a bit of a health nut?  I bill myself as a vegetarian, but I suppose flexitarian might also work as I eat primarily a vegetarian diet but very occasionally will have a bison burger and try to eat fish a couple times a week for the omegas.  Boring…I know! (LAUGHS)

Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?  
PR: I’m working on number two in the Finn Sherlock series:  Sherlock’s Home and the Adventure of the Indigo Idiot.  I’ve fleshed out the plot and now I get to do the actual writing.  In this book, the Sherlocks are introduced to a person who’s ‘shtick’ (don’t you love that word?) is being an ‘indigo adult’…someone who is supposedly a link in the next step of human evolution.  Stay tuned…

Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?   
PR: There are so many things…primarily, I suppose, I like the outlet for expressing all the creativity.  It’s like a cartoon I posted on my Pamela Rose page on Facebook:  it shows a man in his underwear sitting on an exam table with the doctor gesturing towards the x-ray on the light board that shows a book inside the man’s chest cavity.  “Good news!  You’ve got a book in you just waiting to come out.”  In my case, I think it’s a flash drive since there are lots of books in there, elbowing around and waiting to get written.  Thank heavens that the birthing process for books is at least marginally easier than through the traditional birth canal!

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Hero Worship by Dawn Calvert. Not a mystery, this book is a romance, a time-travel Regency romance. The book has a unique twist.  Andi Lofton-Hale is a modern day English teacher who falls in love with the hero of a Regency era novel. She wishes upon a wishing stone (given to her when she purchased the book) and is transported back in time, into the book itself. The problem is, she's not the heroine, she's just a minor character. The twist is that these characters know they are part of a book and are wont to go against the wishes of Louisa, the author. Andi struggles to overcome her character, be herself, and get her hero. I like the book, but am not enthralled. I thought I'd enjoy it a lot more and I'm not sure why I don't.

Fashionable Murder - An Interview with Barbara Jean Coast

I'd like to welcome two authors to the blog today, Andrea Taylor and Heather Shkuratoff, together known as Barbara Jean Coast. They write the Poppy Cove Mystery series.

Kathy: I've heard that publishers believe that US readers are less likely to buy a book set in Canada than in the US. I know that some Canadian authors do set their stories in the US, including you. Was it your decision to set the story in California? If so, was it more to do with the plot, or marketing? For the record, I'm a US citizen who enjoys books set in Canada too. I actually live near the border of Southern Ontario.

BJC: Honestly, we never thought in terms of borders, regarding writing, or life in general – American, Canadian, anywhere, it never crossed our minds. We spend a great deal of time in California, so it was a naturally creative inspiration to set the series there, from the appeal of the culture, lifestyle and time. It had everything to do with the plot, the setting almost becomes its own character and drives the story lines. We do have plans for a series possibly set in Canada in the future, but the muse of California spoke first and we did the most natural thing for us and answered the call.


Kathy: Barbara Jean Coast is actually Andrea Taylor and Heather Shkuratoff. How do you write as a team? Does one person work more on the plot while the other writes the actual words?

BJC: We talk a lot. We sit and write together, talking out the scenes and plots, it’s truly a joint effort.


Kathy: Strangled by Silk takes place in 1957. What made you choose this time in which to tell your story.

BJC: It was a time when the clothing was beautiful and the handcrafting of a custom made garment was a skill that was valued, but not out of place in a mid-sized community. Also, the social mores and attitudes of the time were fascinating. Underneath the polished veneer, bad things still happened, and the way they were handled in the public just lent itself to a mystery.


Kathy: Margot and Daphne own their own dress shop. Are you a fashionista?

BJC: Both of us really appreciate fashion. Heather comes from a background of dressmaking and design, more of the technical side of it, and Andrea loves beautiful clothes and accessories, the overall picture of an outfit perfected.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

BJC: We’ve both been reading them for years. We like how the characters develop and the details of their lives, work, hobbies and communities.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

BJC: Andrea writes a couple of blogs, one on creativity and the other is poetry. She’s also got a novel on the go set in the 1800’s.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

BJC: Poppy Cove Mysteries is a cozy book series set in the fictional town of Santa Lucia, loosely based on Santa Barbara in the late 50′s, early 60′s and revolves around the glamorous comings and goings of the social set of the town, with a little murder and mayhem thrown in for good measure. STRANGLED BY SILK, published by Cozy Cat Press, is the first in the series.

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

BJC: Daphne and Margot, of course, we love. They are their own sense of fabulousness!
AT: I also really like Loretta Simpson, the Santa Lucia Times Society Editor. She always gets the scoop!
HS: I have a soft spot for Nancy Lewis. She seems to get the short end of the stick at times. I’m rooting for her to get it right.


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

BJC: Probably the love of the beautiful setting, the glamorous time period, and the love of feeling fortunate to be given the gift to be able to tell it and share it with others.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

BJC: We were very pleased and honored when Patricia Rockwell at Cozy Cat Press chose to publish our first novel, and it felt like the right fit. We are very happy in our publishing home and feel fortunate to be in the company of some very talented writers.


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

AT: Tracy Chevalier, Charles Dickens, Susan Wittig Albert, and Michael Ondaatje. An eclectic group, there’s so many others as well.
HS: Let’s see to narrow it down, Lawrence Durrell, Daphne du Maurier, Alice Hoffman and Carl Hiaasen.
Our joint apologies go out to all those who we have to miss…can the rest of the unmentioned sit at the kids’ table ;-)!?!


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

AT: Pinkerton’s Sister by Peter Rutherford, Calamity at the Carwash by Sharon Rose and The Other Woman by Hank Phillipi Ryan.
HS: The Fall of Atlantis by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Don’t Cry Over Killed Milk by Stephen Kaminski.


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

AT: Reading, writing, cooking, collage, watching movies and television, really enjoying Downton Abbey, Sherlock and Mad Men lately. Jogging, yoga and meditation helps keep me centered and organized in my busy days.
HS: I definitely agree with the jogging, yoga, and meditation. I also read and enjoy cooking, listening to music, especially alt/indie and jazz. Sewing, even though I had done it as a past profession, is still a great passion for me.
Keeping up our Barbara Jean Coast persona through Daily Tweets, quips on Facebook and Pinterest from her fashion perspective gives us great joy and inspiration.


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


AT: Wine, peanut butter, cheese and jam.
HS: Nice one, Andrea. Caviar, olive oil, crackers and chocolate.


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

BJC: We’re currently writing our second in the Poppy Cove Mystery Series (we’re bumping off a Beauty Queen!), and have a solid outline for the third, with more to come. We’re talking out ideas about a couple of other series, but they’re still in the ruminating stage.


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

BJC: Being able to share our stories with anyone who is willing to read them, to welcome them into our world. It’s nice that the voices in your head have a place to go!



Want to learn more? Check out these links:


Blog: http://welcometopoppycove.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbaraJCoast

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/bjcoast/

Facebook: "Friend" Barbara Jean Coast & "Like" Poppy Cove Mysteries

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/BJCoast

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Cake on a Hot Tin Roof. This book is the second in the Piece of Cake Mystery series by Jacklyn Brady. Rita Lucero is dealing with her first Mardi Gras as owner of Zydeco Cakes in New Orleans when her aunt and uncle arrive from New Mexico for a surprise visit. All is not well and things get worse at a party Rita is hosting. Obnoxious Big Daddy Boudreaux winds up dead after an altercation with Uncle Nestor.

I'm enjoying my second visit to Zydeco Cakes. Author Jacklyn Brady builds tension and knows how to hold it. Recipes are included.