Curently Reading...

I'm currently reading The Pearl Dagger by L. A. Chandlar. This is the third book in the Art Deco Mystery series and will be released next week.

Thrilling, exciting, and dangerous, working for Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia is never a walk in the park and Lane Sanders continues to find herself in some tight spots. But Little Flower's latest push to rid New York City of pinball machines leads to results both unexpected and deadly. While the threats could stem from various gangs vying for power, it seems more likely that the Red Scroll Network is back in business. When the heir to the network is identified Lane and her boyfriend, Detective Finn Brodie, head to London.Will they find a way to end this criminal organization once and for all or will they find themselves beset by demons of a more personal nature?

Terns of Endearment - A Review

Review

TERNS OF ENDEARMENT by Donna Andrews

The Twenty-Fifth Meg Langslow Mystery

Finally giving into requests Meg's grandfather has joined the cruise ship lecture circuit. With the offer of heavily discounted fares for family and friends, the whole clan has joined him for an environmental cruise to Bermuda. While Michael and the twins spend time playing miniature golf, her mother takes tea, and Rose Noir attempts to protect the ship and its passengers from the Bermuda Triangle, Meg befriends a group of writers. Events take a terrible turn as the ship stops during the first night and loses all power. The fancy shoes and clothing of the Diva hated by the authors are found along with a suicide note. And Grandfather's assistant has gone missing. Much to the amazement of Meg and her dad, the Captain has no intention of investigating. With nary a crew member in sight, temperatures rising, food going bad, and no way to flush the toilets, Meg's mother takes charge and all members of the clan begin, not only to investigate, but organize all of the passengers to fix the ship. Did the Diva truly commit suicide? Did Trevor merely miss the boat? Will they ever make it to Bermuda? Or are the passengers and crew in as much danger as the Bermuda skink?

Meg and her eccentric clan hit the high seas in this the twenty-fifth entry to the Meg Langslow Mystery series. I've never been on a cruise, and reading this book has ensured that I never will! What a nightmare. I thought seasickness might be bad, but toilets that don't flush? Incomprehensible! As horrible as the conditions thrown at our characters, the book is actually great fun (as long as I'm reading it in my stationary air conditioned home with functioning plumbing). I love how every member of the Langslow clan, including Grandfather's tech people, have such special areas of expertise and how they all join together to help everyone.

The story is compelling and the mystery intricately plotted. I was never sure exactly what was going on and how things were connected, if they even were connected. Lots of surprises kept me reading late into the night. And I loved the ending tern of events.

TERNS OF ENDEARMENT is a fun addition to this long running series. Always humorous with characters you must love I enjoyed the cruise despite, and in part because of, the mishaps and can't wait to see what this amazing group of characters does next!

Stir Up - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm happy to welcome Gladys Spencer to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Gladys on the pages of the Lark Davis Mystery series by Annabelle Hunter. Stir Up is the second book in the series and was released last month.

Hello! My name is Gladys Spencer and I’ve been asked to do a guest blog about the wonderful town of Barrow Bay. I’ve lived in Barrow Bay my entire life, being born and raised here in this fine town. I married my husband who--

Benny: Gladys, no one wants to hear this. Get back to talking about the town.

Now, now Chief, I don’t believe anyone asked you what they wanted to hear about.

As I was saying, I married my husband, who was also a police officer, over fifty years ago. We were childhood --

Benny: You just can’t stay on topic can you?

Did you get your morning coffee this morning, Chief? Do you need me to go get another?

Benny: No, no. It would only end up on my lap.

Glad we’re clear on that. So, about my husband...

Lindsey: Gladys, Benny’s right. This is about the town, and not your husband.

Everyone’s a critic. No trust, I tell you. No trust. It’s just sad. Now, if all the people reading over my shoulder would let me tell you, I want to share how my husband saved the town.

Once again, I married my husband over fifty years ago, right out of high school. Back then this was still a little fishing town, and everyone was either fishing, or poor. Most times both. My husband was new to the force--

Benny: We didn’t have a force back then. We used the Sheriff's department.

Benny, who’s story is this?

Benny: An inaccurate one.

That didn’t even make sense. Go drink your coffee and stop annoying me.

Anyway, my husband was new to police work, and at the time, you could say that the force was a little… lose around the edges.

Benny: Vigilanties. They were well-dressed vigilanties.

Anyway! This was the 70s, and everything was different back then. We missed the hippy movement, but we had all been touched by the war in Vietnam. We’d lost friends, family, classmates, and most importantly, the next generation of fisherman, not that we were making money at that any more.

My husband, Sam, didn’t make it into the military due to a bad heart, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to do more for his country. Nancy’s husband, Ben, had just come back from the war with all his sniper skills and the two of them had grown very close.

At the time, we leaned more on the county for our protection, and the roads getting in and out of Barrow Bay were, well, horrible. To get anywhere we had to crawl around the mountains, hoping that nothing was around the next bend to stop us all together.

Hmm, no comment to that, Benny?

Benny: Nope. That’s the truth.

Thank you. So, calling in resources from the country took hours, and people were getting frustrated. Sam and Ben came up with an idea. They would form a police force. They set me up in our house, and started telling everyone to call me instead of the county and they would be out to help.

It was a horrible idea. I had two children to raise, and answering the phone at all hours of the night was the last thing I wanted, but then the day, or night rather, came.

It was midnight. Elise Blackburn called me. Her little daughter was struggling to breathe and they needed to get her to a hospital, but their car was still in the shop. They needed help. Sam jumped into action. He called Ben and they rushed over, both driving in case one got pulled over for speeding by an actual policeman. They drove as fast as they could and made it almost to the hospital before they were pulled over.

Sam jumped out and started talking to the cop as Ben started to transfer the struggling little girl into his car and keep going, but the cop stopped him. Telling Sam to get back into his car, the cop slid into his and turned on his lights, giving them an escort to the hospital. Sam, Ben and the cop stayed with Elsie as the doctors saved her daughter. They had made in with minutes to spare.

My husband was done. He took Elise’s hand--

Benny: No, he didn’t. You’re being dramatic.

Shh! I can tell this story the way I want. They asked me, not you.

He took Elise’s hand and promised that he wouldn’t rest until the town had a real police force. That no one else would have to live through what they did that night. That he would be the police chief and that they would be the best.

The cop, who had gone off duty right after they got to the hospital, asked what experience Sam had. They--

Benny: Gladys, your story’s unraveling.

Maybe it’s because I have to put up with you.

Anyway, he promised that he wouldn’t rest until they had their own police force. The cop asked him what his plans were. When they told him, the cop shook his head and said, “That won't work. You need a real chief.”

Benny: That was NOT what he said.

No, but I refuse to use vulgar language.

They turned to him, asking what he would do. He looked down, thinking for a second before he looked back at them.

“Hello. My name is Ben. I will give you the force you want.”

Well, my husband’s reaction was obvious.

“We already have a Ben. But you can be Benny.”

They came home and--

Benny: This isn’t about the town. And this does not qualify as saving it.

Ah, Chief, you haven't caught on by now? You are the town. We would be nothing without you. That night, Ben and Sam saved a little girl, yes, but they also found you.

They brought you home and you have helped us all.

And that’s how my husband saved the town.

*********************************************************************

Stir Up (Lark Davis Mysteries) by Annabelle Hunter

About the Book

Stir Up (Lark Davis Mysteries)  

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series  

Independently Published (July 1, 2019) 

Print Length: 178 page 

Peace and quiet is underrated.

After her last brush with murder, Larklyn Davis is relieved to be spending her time with the talented new horse at her stables instead of tripping over body parts. While she’s trying to figure out why her newest horse has lost his mojo, she’s also puzzling over her relationship with the brooding, uncommunicative Detective Brecken Wilson.

But then, disaster strikes, and both Lark’s reputation and business are on the line. Once again she finds herself pulled into a murder case and in close proximity to the handsome Detective. Throw in a dashing veterinarian plus a matchmaking town and Lark’s life spins out of control. As clues pile up and all evidence leads back to her barn, Lark gets saddled up to solve another mystery.

Who knew life in Barrow Bay would stir up so much trouble?

About Annabelle Hunter

Annabelle Hunter is a stay-at-home mom and an avid fan of classic mystery shows and dressage. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, and too many animals.

Purchase Link - Amazon

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Trust and Friendship - A Dreamed It Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Baxley Powell to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Bailey in the pages of the Dreamwalker Mystery series by Maggie Toussaint. DREAMED IT is the sixth book in the series and was released last week. 

Trust and Friendship

A character guest post by Baxley Powell in DREAMED IT by Maggie Toussaint

My name is Baxley Powell, and trust is important to me. I extend it readily to old friends and new friends, but if someone breaks trust with me, my instinct is to wipe the dust off my feet and move on. However, life paired me with people both trustworthy and liars, and I had to adjust my thinking.

Growing up in the Nesbitt family, I found most people avoided us. We were “those” people, the ones who wore hippy clothes and lived off the land, the ones that did mystical/magical/scary things out there in the woods. A few people weren’t put off by our differences. My parents had three close friends, and unexpectedly, I found true friendship with Charlotte Ambrose.

Charlotte never held my heritage against me, and I saw through the extra pounds she carried clear through to her big, caring heart. We stuck together through grade school and high school. Even when I married and moved away, she stayed in touch through calls and letters. Soon as I moved back home to Sinclair County, Ga., our friendship resumed as if I’d never left. I love her like a sister and trust her implicitly.

Sheriff Wayne Thompson employs me as a crime consultant. I’ve known him most of my life, and he is a chip off the old block when it comes to chasing women. However, he’s darn solid about police work and treats his staff fairly. I figured out right away that Wayne’s agenda is to promote Wayne, and as long as I honor that we have few problems. I trust him when it comes to work matters, but I don’t trust him outside of work.

Deputy Sam Mayes is a Native American I met on vacation in the mountains last year. He has a related psychic skill set, though our strengths are mostly complimentary. His friendship surprised me, as I wasn’t looking for a male friend, but we are good together. I’d trust Mayes with my life and have on several occasions.

And then there’s Rose. You may recall my Other World mentor named Rose. She came to my aid when my father went too far over the glass bridge on the Other Side. Daddy had gone in search of my missing husband. I begged Rose to find my father and she did, in exchange for an hour of my life. I thought nothing of that bargain or the next I made when Mom’s best friend’s appendix ruptured. Two hours of my life was nothing compared to the joy of having my inner circle intact. I also bartered another hour of my life away when Oliver, a ghost dog, inadvertently trapped me between worlds. An hour of my life seemed like a fair trade when I would’ve died without her help.

But…it worried me that Rose hadn’t collected on my debt. Would she use those three hours to commit crimes? When we first met, she claimed she was an angel working undercover for a demon. I took her at her word, but then, as our association grew, she wasn’t nice to me. In fact, once she roasted me over a fire like a rotisserie chicken! The soles of my feet hurt just thinking about it. Do I trust Rose? Not for a second, but we are bound by my indenture.

At the start of DREAMED IT, my latest case, Mayes and I awaken with no memory of where we’ve been or what we’ve done. My thoughts go to Rose as the culprit, but guess what? Rose is nowhere to be found, not in this world or the next.

I worry that something happened to her, and in an odd way, I miss her irritating, arrogant personality. But there’s no time to dwell on her absence, as Mayes and I are immediately plunged into a high profile homicide case.

For more of my latest adventure, check out DREAMED IT by Maggie Toussaint.

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Dreamed It (Dreamwalker Mystery) by Maggie Toussaint

About the Book

 

Dreamed It (Dreamwalker Mystery) 

Paranormal Cozy Mystery 6th in Series  

Camel Press (August 13, 2019) 

Paperback: 248 pages 

Justice for the dead and solace for the living is Baxley Powell’s creed, but she faces uncharted territory in this sixth book of the Dreamwalker Mystery Series. The Suitcase Killer has struck again, only this big city menace is now a problem for Baxley’s hometown. As that investigation heats up, a local woman is reported missing. The sheriff orders Baxley to work the missing person’s case.

Listening to the dead is familiar ground for Baxley but finding a missing young lady isn’t in her skill set. Besides, her dreams rarely follow a timeline. With the clock ticking, can this crime consultant discover a way to reach the living?

Her main source of help in the afterlife, a mentor named Rose, is unavailable. Instead, Baxley must rely on her wits and her Native American boyfriend, Deputy Sam Mayes, to find leads. Each shared dreamwalk and energy transfer binds them closer together, creating another issue. Mayes wants to marry Baxley but it isn’t that easy. They’re hampered by their community roles in opposite ends of the state.

Baxley juggles the pressure of two high-profile cases, a determined suitor, and expanding her limits. One thing is certain. Without her extrasensory sleuthing, the missing woman will die.

About Maggie Toussaint

Southern author Maggie Toussaint evolved into a mystery author after getting her feet damp in romantic suspense and dystopian fiction, with twenty fiction novels and two nonfiction novels to her credit. Her work won two Silver Falchions, the Readers’ Choice, and the EPIC Awards. She’s a past president of Southeast chapter of Mystery Writers of America and an officer of Lowcountry Sisters In Crime. She lives in coastal Georgia, where secrets, heritage, and ancient oaks cast long shadows. Visit her at https://maggietoussaint.com/

Author Links: Facebook 
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Purchase Link - Amazon

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And Then There Were Crumbs - A Review

Review

AND THEN THERE WERE CRUMBS by Eve Calder

The First Cookie House Mystery

Kate McGuire lost her job, her apartment, and her fiance all in one day. Leaving Manhattan behind the pastry chef has arrived in Coral Cay, Florida to start fresh. It seemed like a good idea, but with her car on its last legs, money running out, and no job in sight Kate's getting desperate. So desperate that she agrees to take a job manning the counter of a bakery that doesn't sell sweets-and she's not allowed to bake, merely man the front counter, at less than minimum wage. But when a greedy developer winds up dead and her new boss is accused of the murder Kate knows the gruff old man can't be guilty. Joined by a new group of friends Kate is determined to prove his innocence while keeping The Cookie House running and ready for his return.

The Cookie House Mystery series is off to a great start with AND THEN THERE WERE CRUMBS. A likeable protagonist, an adorable dog, and a welcoming florist team up to save a curmudgeon with a heart of gold. I love how the whole town gets behind Kate and do whatever they can to help Sam. Everyone wanted to kill the victim, everyone agrees the world, and Coral Cay in particular, is probably better off without him, and everyone agrees that Sam wouldn't do it, especially not in the manner it was done.

Oliver is an absolute charmer while Maxi is a terrific side kick/mother figure/friend. She's resilient and funny with a heart as big as Cuba! Although autumn in the mid-east is my perfect habitat, I wouldn't mind spending time on this Florida island, even in summer...as long as I could have a hunk of sourdough and a specially divined cookie from Kate.

Endearing characters, a close knit community, and an intricate mystery make AND THEN THERE WERE CRUMBS a delectable start to a new series.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading And Then There Were Crumbs by Eve Calder. This book is the first in the Cookie House Mystery series and was released last month.

Kate McGuire lost her job, her apartment, and her fiance all in one day. Leaving Manhattan behind the pastry chef has arrived in Coral Cay, Florida to start fresh. It seemed like a good idea, but with her car on its last legs, money running out, and no job in sight Kate's getting desperate. So desperate that she agrees to take a job manning the counter of a bakery that doesn't sell sweets-and she's not allowed to bake, merely man the front counter, at less than minimum wage. But when a greedy developer winds up dead and her new boss is accused of the murder Kate knows the gruff old man can't be guilty. Joined by a new group of friends Kate is determined to prove his innocence while keeping The Cookie House running and ready for his return.

Risky Biscuits - An Interview

I'm pleased to welcome Mary Lee Ashford to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Mary writes the Sugar and Spice Mystery series. Risky Biscuits is the second book in the series and was released last month.

Kathy: Sugar Calloway has launched a community cookbook publishing business. I collect cookbooks and some of my favorites are those from churches, schools, and other community organizations. Do you collect cookbooks? Have you ever been part of a community cookbook?

MLA: First off, Kathy, thanks for having me and how fun that you collect cookbooks, too! To begin with my collecting was somewhat unintentional. I had a few older cookbooks from my childhood. One of my favorites is the American Woman’s Cookbook with a 1942 copyright. It must have been my mother’s and it has so many great basic recipes. Through the years I was given or purchased others and the collection grew. Then a few years ago a dear friend, Mary Ellen, passed away and left me her cookbooks. Some were fancy gourmet cookbooks but my favorites were the ones from churches, schools, and tea rooms.

I have had recipes included in community cookbooks and one that was a lot of fun was one called, Cozy Food: 128 Mystery Writers Share Their Favorite Recipes


Kathy: In Risky Biscuits Sugar and Dixie prepare a fundraiser for the St. Ignatius Crack of Dawn Breakfast Club. What recipe would you like to see in that cookbook?

MLA: My favorite breakfast casserole is included in the fictional Crack of Dawn Breakfast Club Cookbook and also included in the back of Risky Biscuits. It’s the perfect, make the night before and put in the oven the next morning, dish to share with friends and family.


Kathy: I adore biscuits and gravy, but never make it myself. Consequently, on the rare occasions I go out to breakfast, that's usually what I order. What's your favorite breakfast?

MLA: If biscuits and gravy are on the menu, that’s what I’m always going to choose!


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

MLA: I think my love of cozy mysteries is rooted in my early love of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. My mom was a mystery reader and so I soon moved on to her Agatha Christie books. The transition from there to cozies was kind of a natural progression. I love the puzzle in the stories.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

MLA: For the present, I don’t write in any other genre.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

MLA: In the Sugar & Spice mysteries, Sugar Calloway, a down-sized magazine editor and Dixie Spicer, a blue-ribbon baker, team up to start a community cookbook business in peaceful St. Ignatius, Iowa. Stir in some small-town drama and a dollop of murder and the two suddenly have the perfect recipe for disaster.

I also write the Pampered Pets mysteries as half of Sparkle Abbey. Those books feature two cousins, one a pet therapist, and the other a pet boutique owner who’ve moved from their native Texas to posh and pet-friendly Laguna Beach. I like to describe it as: no pets are harmed, people are dead.


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

MLA: It’s always the one I’m writing, so right now, Sugar is my favorite character. I love that she’s smart, and brave, and stubbornly persistent. She doesn’t take no for an answer! But she’s also genuinely caring and fiercely loyal to those she cares about.


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

MLA: The inheritance of those cookbooks was the inspiration. Going through them and thinking about the groups of people that created them, planted the idea that every group has their own story. So many possibilities with all those different situations!


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

MLA: When my agent began shopping this series, I was hopeful. I really loved the idea of a community cookbook business as the basis for the stories, and I hoped she could find a publisher who loved the idea as much as I did. Lucky for me, Kensington thought the idea had merit and bought the series.


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

MLA: I think a great dinner party would be Agatha Christie, Mark Twain, Sara Paretsky and Stephen King. Can you imagine the conversations around that table?


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

MLA: I alternate fiction and non-fiction books and so at the moment I’m reading Atomic Habits by James Clear.


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

MLA: I have a passionate interest in creativity and teach a university class on the topic. As far as hobbies, with a demanding full-time job and a very busy family, there is unfortunately little time for hobbies. If I’m not working or writing, I mostly spend time with my family – husband, sons and their wives, six wonderful grandchildren, and one cat. Beyond that, if I’m able to carve out any free time, I read.


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

I always have butter and eggs in the fridge and wheat bread and peanut butter in the pantry. That sounds sort of boring, doesn’t it? I wish I had something more exotic or interesting to share.


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

MLA: Book three in the Sugar & Spice series has just been turned in. So, watch for news about that book soon! There are still edits and all to go through, so I don’t have a release date yet.


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

MLA: Definitely my favorite thing is meeting or hearing from readers! I love getting emails or notes from readers who have enjoyed my books and finding out what elements in the story connected for them. Or in some cases simply hearing that the story provided a much-needed escape. Writing a book is a very solitary pursuit and that connection to readers, whether in person or via email, is just the best!

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Risky Biscuits (A Sugar & Spice Mystery) by Mary Lee Ashford

About the Book

 

Risky Biscuits (A Sugar & Spice Mystery)  

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series  

Setting - Iowa  

Lyrical Underground (July 9, 2019)  

Paperback: 190 pages 

Former magazine editor “Sugar” Calloway’s life has taken a delicious twist since she launched a community cookbook publishing business with blue-ribbon baker Dixie Spicer. Now these amateur sleuths must solve a small-town murder—without getting burned . .

Sugar and Spice Cookbooks’ newest project is a fundraiser organized by the St. Ignatius Crack of Dawn Breakfast Club, famous for their all-you-can-eat biscuits and gravy events. But when a group member is found dead, Sugar and Spice’s priorities change from raising dough to figuring out who put murder on the menu.

The return of former badboy Nick Marchant has stirred the town’s gossips too. Add a few grudges and some old-fashioned greed over a land deal into the mix, and it’s a recipe for mayhem. And when someone serves up a second helping of murder, Sugar and Spice need to sift the guilty from the blameless, or their next breakfast may be their last . . .

* Includes delicious recipes! *

About Mary Lee Ashford

   
Mary Lee Ashford is a lifelong bibliophile, and avid reader, and supporter of public libraries. In addition to writing the Sugar & Spice mystery series for Kensington Books, she also writes as half of the writing team of Sparkle Abbey, author of the national bestselling Pampered Pets mystery series from Bell Bridge Books. Prior to publishing Mary Lee won first place in the Daphne du Maurier contest, sponsored by the Kiss of Death chapter of RWA, and was a finalist in Murder in the Grove’s mystery contest, as well as Killer Nashville’s Claymore Dagger contest. She is the founding president of Sisters in Crime – Iowa and a current board member of the Mystery Writers of America Midwest chapter, as well as a member of Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America, Kiss of Death the RWA Mystery Suspense chapter, Sisters in Crime, and the SinC internet group Guppies. Mary Lee has a passionate interest in creativity and teaches a university level course in Creative Management to MPA candidates, as well as presenting workshops and blogging about creativity. She loves encouraging other writers and is a frequent presenter on a variety of topics at workshops, conferences, and writers’ groups. In her day job, Mary Lee is a Deputy Chief Information Officer. She currently resides in the Midwest with her husband, Tim, and Sparkle, the rescue cat namesake of the Sparkle Abbey pseudonym. Her delights are reading and enjoying her family and especially her six grandchildren.  

Author Links:
Website: www.MaryLeeAshford.com  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryleeashford1  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maryleeashford
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_lee_ashford/  
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-lee-ashford  
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/maryleeashford/  

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