Currently Reading...

I am just starting to read A Feta Attraction by Susannah Hardy. This book is the first in the new Greek to me Mystery series which will be released next month. I am so excited to dive into this book; it takes place in Upstate New York, deals with ghosts, and has Greek food-with recipes, Fantastic!

Georgie Nikolopatos is the manager of a Greek restaurant owned by her mother in law which is rumoured to be haunted. Her husband has gone missing (unfortunately, not a rare occurrence) and in addition to running the restaurant, Georgie has to deal with the unwanted attentions of their biggest competitor and the ghost hunting crew her husband contacted to investigate Bonaparte House. A dead body complicates things even further!

Doodlebugged & Giveaway

I'd like to welcome Susan J. Kroupa and the Bad-Mouthed Tour! Susan writes the Doodlebugged Mystery series featuring Doodle, a bed bug sniffing labradoodle. Bad-Mouthed is the fourth in the series.

Kathy: Doodle works for works for “the boss,” Josh Hunter of Hunter Bed Bug Detection. (I've actually seen bed bug dogs at work. Dogs are amazing!) How did you choose bed bug detection as the career?

SJK: I needed a dog career that would give me lots of material without being too grim, as these mysteries are aimed at dog lovers of all ages. So I knew that dogs trained to sniff out things like narcotics or weapons were out. And then, fortunately for me and sadly for him, one of my sons, who happens to live in Arlington, VA, had the misfortune of getting bed bugs in his apartment. The exterminator sent by the manager used a dog to search out the bugs. My son was impressed and told me about the visit in great detail, and I ended up not only with a career for Doodle, but a location for the books’ settings as well.


Kathy: Doodle is described as an "obedience-impaired labradoodle". Is he based on a real dog?

SJK: Oh, my, yes! We rescued Shadow, a labradoodle puppy, in 2008 and had no idea what we were getting into. That little bundle of cuteness turned out to be a highly energetic, super smart furball that felt no obligation to listen to anything we had to say. Ever. The first year with Shadow (aka The Barkster , Boing Boing, Hyperdrive, Motor Mouth—you get the idea) was difficult, but we learned a lot about how to handle and train a high drive, independent dog. (Sort of.) There’s a reason that so many sniffer dogs are rescues. High drive dogs have too much energy and independence to make good family pets without good and consistent training. But they’re eager, often compelled, to work, to do a job. So they make good working dogs.

That said, as smart and as trouble-prone as Shadow is, Doodle is smarter and even more trouble-prone, and like most fictional characters, is a composite, with a background and a personality uniquely his own. I think simply writing about one’s pet might quickly get boring. J


Kathy: Doodle creates quite a scene at a Christmas pageant. Have you ever witnessed a Christmas pageant gone bad?

SJK: Sad to say, I’ve never seen a pageant with a dog in it, much less one that chases a rat in the middle of a performance. I’m a musician (flute, piano) and have been in lots of pageants and music programs, but the most dramatic disasters I’ve faced have been with bad mikes, crackling speakers, or tuning problems.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

SJK: I have loved mysteries and particularly cozies since high school, many eons ago. I started out with Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason books—not exactly cozies, I know—and moved on to Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, Patricia Moyes, Dorothy Cannell . . . gosh I could use up my word allotment here just listing authors I love. I like the wide variety of settings, the fact that the (often) amateur detectives are drawn from all walks of life, the puzzle of who-done-it, and the fact that I know a cozy won’t plop me down in a gritty world filled with scenes of graphic violence. There’s a lot to be said for that.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

SJK: I got started writing science fiction and fantasy, and while I didn’t publish any novels in that genre, some of my short fiction—most of which is available online—won literary awards and was published in professional magazines such as (the now sadly defunct) Realms of Fantasy. Many of those stories were set in a post-apocalyptic time on the Hopi and Navajo reservations, where I lived for some years, while others, such as my Christmas stories have modern setting with a whimsical fantasy element.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

SJK: The Doodlebugged mysteries have been called, “. . . the perfect blend of mystery, suspense, and laugh-out-loud doggy observations,” by best-selling author Virginia Smith. The books are aimed at a wide age-range. Kids like the surface story and identify with Doodle and Molly. Adults like all the subtext—there’s a lot going on that will go right over kids’ heads, as it does Doodle’s much of the time. There are lots of adult issues in the background: immigration, single-parenting, racism, and the importance of family, but Doodle’s narration keeps the tone light.

The series starts with Bed-Bugged, where Doodle first gets adopted by the boss and Molly. He finds bed bugs in a strange place that ends up putting him and Molly in danger. While the characters’ relationships develop through the subsequent books, each book is a standalone and can be read independently.


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

SJK: I try to be a good parent and love all my characters equally, but, in truth, the adult part of me loves “the boss” Josh Hunter, with his struggles to be a good single parent, which I was for a few years. The grandmother part of me loves Molly and her passionate, inquisitive spirit, something the parent part of me couldn’t love perhaps quite as much because Molly gets into so much trouble! And the writer part of me loves Doodle, for his good heart, and for his sarcastic voice and metaphor-impaired understanding of humans and human conversation.


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

SJK: An indirect inspiration was my mother’s death in 2010, the year before I started the books. After her death, I found I couldn’t write anything at all dark without sinking into depression. I stumbled upon—or perhaps got bitten by?—the idea for the Doodlebugged books while searching for something light and humorous that would still have something to say.


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

SJK: Definitely Dorothy L. Sayers and C.S. Lewis, although I’d be intimidated to be in the same room with them and would feel vastly undereducated and thick-brained in the presence of their keen minds. But it would be worth it to hear their conversation! I’d also invite Mary Stewart whose books have had a huge influence on me, and one of my favorite nonfiction authors, Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit and Unbroken.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

SJK: G.M. Malliet’s Wicked Autumn—Malliet’s so very witty. Death of a Cozy Writer cracked me up. I’m finishing Cat Warren’s excellent book, What the Dog Knows: the Science and Wonder of Working Dogs, and, as a reward for finishing several writing projects, Galbraith/Rowling’s The Silkworm. I absolutely loved Cuckoo’s Calling.


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

SJK: I’m an amateur photographer and have the good fortune to live in an extremely beautiful area, the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia. You can see some of my favorite photos on my webpage, http://www.susankroupa.com/photos.


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

SJK: Butter, garlic, yogurt, and cheese. Oh, and wine. But that’s five. J


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

SJK: I have the first book in a new series, TreeTalker, due out in the spring of 2015. TreeTalker blends Celtic and Hopi myths in a contemporary fantasy. And, yes, it has dogs! I also have a new Doodlebugged mystery scheduled for the fall of next year. If you sign up for my newsletter (links on my webpage and in the backs of the Doodlebugged books), you can be the first to know when new books are released.


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

SJK: Living in the worlds of the stories and getting to know the characters. And I love it when I get the words right.

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For a chance to win an e-book copy of Bad-Mouthed simply leave a comment on this blog post telling us about any "obedience-impaired" dog you know or a Christmas pageant mishap. Please also leave your e-reader format and an e-mail address so that I may contact you should you win. Also, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter contest for a print copy as well!

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Magical Mystery Tour for Spell Booked

I'm thrilled to welcome Joyce and Jim Lavene and the Magical Mystery Tour for Spell Booked. The Giveaway for this tour is REALLY special and unique.

Kathy: You write several series set in different locations. How did you decide upon Wilmington, North Carolina as the setting for your Retired Witches Mystery series?

J&JL: Thanks for having us here today, Kathy! We LOVE Wilmington. When you walk by the Cape Fear River, the history of the place embraces you. And just the name – Cape Fear – who wouldn’t want to write a mystery set there? All the old houses that made it through pirate raids, the smugglers caves, and the cobblestones make it easy to imagine what it was like when Blackbeard spent time there.


Kathy: What made you decide to write about witches...and retiring witches, at that?

J&JL: Witches have gotten a bad rap through the years. We wanted to portray them as ordinary people who can sometimes do extraordinary things and have great respect for the earth and human nature. The part about retired witches was tongue-in-cheek. Just the idea that there could be witches of a certain age who could have some problems with their magic seemed humorous to us. The story is meant to be funny.


Kathy: Did you base the witches in Spell Booked on those who practice Wicca, or follow a similar path? Did you consult any witches or Wiccans as part of your research?

J&JL: Yes. Most of the story is based on Wiccan teachings. There are some aspects that are more magical than what you’d expect to find, but we tried to stay true to the witches we know. The witches we’ve let read the story thought it was funny and enjoyed the read.


Kathy: There are many famous literary and cinematic witches. Do you have any favorites?

J&JL: Not really, although we enjoyed the Witches of East End. We wanted our witches not to be as cute, pretty, or sexy. Just a few mothers, teachers, and lifelong friends.


Kathy: I absolutely adore the cover of Spell Booked! Can you tell us about your covers and cover art? Did you give any suggestions as to what the covers should be like? Did you have any say in the matter at all? Do you know your cover artist?

J&JL: The Berkley Prime Crime artists are exceptional, aren’t they? The cover art for Spell Booked was based on what we talked about with our editor, even down to the cats! Mary Ann Lasher did the artwork for the cover and the design was by Lesley Worrell. I should also mention the great interior designs by Laura K. Corless too. We love the steaming cauldron effect!


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Molly and Elsie?

J&JL: We just finished writing the second book in the series, tentatively titled Looking for Mr. Goodwitch. Molly and Elsie will be further involved with training their new witch, Dorothy, with her mother, Olivia, looking on. They’ll have to keep looking for their missing spell book, and will be involved with the Grand Council of Witches – whether they want to be or not!


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

J&JL: In 2015, we’ll have the third Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery, In Hot Water, out in January along with the e-novella for the Biscuit Bowl series, Gator Bowl. In February, the second Biscuit Bowl Mystery, Fry Another Day, will be out. And in September, the next Retired Witches book will be out. Plus a few other surprises! Sweet Pepper and Biscuit Bowl are both written under a pseudonym, J. J. Cook., but all the books are from Berkley.


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Review

Spell Booked by Joyce and Jim Lavene
The First Retired Witches Mystery

The magical powers of Molly, Elsie, and Olivia are fading and they need to find witches to replace them so that they may pass down their spell book and retire to Boca Raton. They have their eye on recruiting Dorothy, a young librarian who doesn't even know she's a witch when tragedy hits. Olivia is murdered and their spell book stolen. Could another witch be killing witches to get their powers? Will Molly and Elsie be able to stop a powerful witch? Will they be able to retire to Boca with their family none the wiser of their magical abilities? Will they solve the murder of Olivia? Or die trying?

Life can be difficult if you're a witch, especially if you're a witch of a certain age. Friends for years, Molly, Elsie, and Olivia have never greatly explored their powers, using them mainly to help with household tasks. Cleanse the air. Fire rage. Now, their powers are fading, and worse, misfiring, so they're looking for new witches to train to take their place so that they can enjoy retirement in Boca.

Joyce and Jim Lavene take an interesting look  at witches in their new paranormal mystery series. What happens when witches with fading powers are forced to deal with a powerful witch; a witch with more power than the three combined even in their prime?! Forced to keep non-magical family members in the dark is difficult enough, it's even worse for Molly whose husband of 30 years is the homicide detective investigating the death of her good friend.

I enjoyed this take on the magical community; showing the down to earth, dare I say, mundane, world of witches, the bureaucracy of the Council, keeping secrets from loved ones. I also appreciate the fact that these women of a certain age continue to  look for romance and just plain sex.

Spell Booked kept me guessing. Who was good, who could be trusted, and who was the rogue witch? Joyce and James Lavene created a world where magic and mundane live together yet separate-even in the same households.

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Now for the REALLY special giveaway. The prize is a handwritten grimoire (a book of spells), a print copy of Spell Booked, a willow wand, and a velvet bag to carry it in! Each blog on the tour has a set of words that are clues. When all the words are put together they make a Witch's Spell.

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Why I Love Writing Cozy Mysteries - Lucy Burdette Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

Why I Love Writing Cozy Mysteries by Lucy Burdette


A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of teaching a class on writing a cozy mystery series. You could probably guess that that I love writing these books just from the fact that book number thirteen is out this month. But more on that in a little bit…

What attracts me (and maybe you) to this kind of story? The character lives by her wits and solves mysteries through her curiosity and her ability to observe things and understand the people around her. There’s no special assist from police tactics and training: no search warrants, no takedowns with guns or Tasers, no computer database to help sort out clues. The only real skills that my character brings to the series are her recipes!

So I have to tackle questions in each book: First, what business is it of Hayley's to get involved in solving a crime? What does she want more than anything? Why does she care? To put it another way, what’s her stake in the story? And yikes, who would ever listen to her when she does discover an important clue? That brings us to my favorite part of writing these books, relationships. When I think about developing a victim and possible suspects, I think about who knows who and what secrets they are hiding. And what's important to Hayley, and to her friends and her family.

The brand new book, the fifth book in the Key West food critic mystery series, is called Death with all the Trimmings. Hayley has landed the interview of her career as a food critic, talking with and observing a top chef who's moved from New York City to Key West. She soon discovers that the chef’s been experiencing sabotage in her kitchen. With a fire and a murder, things whirl out of control from there. As usual, there's lots of food and family, and in this case, the charm of a Key West Christmas, too. Hayley and I and the whole Key West gang hope you'll enjoy the read!

About Death with all the Trimmings: It may be Christmastime, but thoughts of peace on earth, good will toward men, don’t seem to extend to the restaurant business. Food critic Hayley Snow has been assigned to interview Edel Waugh, chef/owner of Key West’s hottest new restaurant. But off the record, Edel reveals that there’s been sabotage in the kitchen and asks Hayley to investigate. Things heat up fast when the restaurant is set on fire—and a body is discovered in the charred wreckage. Is someone out to destroy the chef’s business—or actually kill her? Amid holiday festivities like the lighted boat parade, and visiting relatives who stir up mixed emotions, Hayley needs to smoke out an arsonist and a killer before they turn up the heat again…on her!


Buy the Book: http://www.penguin.com/book/death-with-all-the-trimmings-by-lucy-burdette/9780451465900


Bio:

Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) is the author of 13 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West series featuring food critic Hayley Snow. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She's a past president of Sisters in Crime. She blogs about food and mysteries at Mystery Lovers Kitchen  and Jungle Red Writers. You can also find her on Facebook, and Twitter, and Pinterest.

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Review

Death with all the Trimmings by Lucy Burdette
The 5th Key West Food Critic Mystery

It's Christmastime in Key West and Hayley Snow has a lot on her plate. Hayley is dealing with the fact that her mom has decided that wintering in Key West is a great idea, a hiatus from a romance that was just starting to brew, and the fact that Ava, co-owner of the magazine, is still trying to get her fired. On the upside, Hayley has landed a great interview with the chef/owner of a new restaurant opening in town. What Hayley doesn't know is that the chef is hoping for more than an interview from Hayley-she needs her help. Someone is sabotaging the restaurant and Chef Edel has learned that Hayley has a nose for investigating. Things have just turned deadly on Key West-here's hoping that Hayley can find some peace this Christmas! 

The more I read this series, the more I love it. Lucy Burdette gives us Christmas in Key West featuring a Hometown Holiday Parade (where Hayley, Wally, and Danielle design their golf cart to look like a giant Key Lime pie pulled by reindeer), a town wide Christmas light competition, and the lighted boat parade, followed by the Dachshund Parade on New Years Day. The vivid descriptions transport me to the scene so that even I think a warm Christmas may be delightful. But there's more than Christmas ambiance to this book.

Lucy Burdette gives us a restaurant full of suspects, but what is the real motive? Was the kitchen sabotage perpetrated by the same person who killed Juan Carlos? Why kill him? Does it all have to do with a woman scorned? A business rivalry? Both? Hayley and Miss Gloria also have to deal with the consequences of getting involved in murder; possibly the most dangerous consequences they've ever faced! Death with all the Trimmings is a delightful read that kept me intrigued. We have a well thought out mystery enriched by characters who keep evolving, the uniqueness of Key West, the spirit of Christmas, and the promise that is a new year.

Recipes included.

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This book would make a perfect stocking stuffer! For a chance of your own print copy of Death with all the Trimmings leave a comment on this post describing your favorite holiday event no later than Saturday, December 6th at 11:59 pm EST. Sorry, US addresses only. Be sure to leave your e-mail address, so that I may contact you should you win.

Holiday Book Blitz - Cozy Christmas Capers

Enjoy these tales of mystery, romance, and laughter
amid the backdrop of pine trees, gingerbread men, and Santas galore!

The perfect short bites for cozying up by the fire with a cup of
cocoa…or waiting in line at gift wrapping!

http://www.gemmahalliday.com/Halliday_Publishing/ourbooks/Christmas/

Stories include:
Rosolio Red (Franki Amato Mysteries) by Traci Andrighetti
Chasing Tinsel (Miranda Vaughn Mysteries ) by Ellie Ashe
Death of a Christmas Witch (A Crewel to be Kind Mini Mystery) by Diane Bator
Queenie Baby: Pass the Eggnog (Queenie Baby Mysteries) by Christina A. Burke
The Holiday Inside Job by Mary Jo Burke
Hard to Catch a Christmas Thief (Hard Targets) by Wendy Byrne
A Christmas Ghost & Zero Regrets (Dead by the Numbers Mysteries) by Jennifer Fischetto
Christmas Canapés & Sabotage (Culinary Competition Mysteries) by Janel Gradowski
Christmas in High Heels (High Heels Mysteries) by Gemma Halliday
Christmas Al Dente (Southern Pasta Shop Mysteries) by Jennifer L. Hart
Santa Claus, Lies, and Murder (Amber Fox Mysteries) by Sibel Hodge
A (Gingerbread) Diorama of Death (Helen Binney Mysteries) by Gin Jones
Mini Pie the Christmas Spy! (Mini Pie Mysteries) by Libby LaManna
Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas (Greatest Hits Mysteries) by Leslie Langtry Ornamental Danger (Working Stiff Mysteries) by Kerri Nelson
Motion for Mistletoe (Jamie Winters Mysteries) by Kelly Rey
Christmas in Venice by Maria Grazia Swan
Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Tahoe Tessie Mysteries) by T. Sue VerSteeg
Santa’s Little Mistake by Stacey Wiedower

This link takes you to the site.

http://www.gemmahalliday.com/Halliday_Publishing/ourbooks/Christmas/.

Purchase Links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/124FjYo
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1twEMp6
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1qbOlb1
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1CSuGFQ

Currently Reading...

On this Release Day Tuesday, I'm reading one of these newly published books. The holiday got me a bit behind so I'm still reading The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer by Krista Davis. The second book in this series gives us a town that caters to pets and adds ghost hunters-a delightful combination!

Recipes for both people and pets are included.

Questions I’ve Always Wanted to Ask Myself! Guest Post by Laura Childs

Questions I’ve Always Wanted to Ask Myself!

Questions put to Laura Childs by Laura Childs,

author of Scorched Eggs, a Cackleberry Club Mystery

Okay, Laura, now that we’ve got you on the hot seat, tell us how you really got started.

While I was running my marketing firm, I started writing screenplays on the side.  I wrote crazy, very high concept scripts like Beverly Hills Trashman and The Cheddar Cat.  But after I’d written four screenplays, and basically got nowhere, I set that dream aside and did my own tough marketing analysis.  I realized that only a hundred or so feature films are produced each year, but thousands of novels are released.  Suffice it to say I immediately switched gears and began writing mysteries.

And then?

Then the slot machine went bing bong bing and cherries and oranges popped up.  My first mystery was very successful.  After that, I just kept writing and writing (occasionally coming up for food and air) until a few years later I found myself with three different mystery series that were regularly climbing onto the New York Times Bestseller List.

That doesn’t happen to everybody.

No, it doesn’t.  It takes a lot of luck and a ton of hard work.  My marketing background was critical in getting my book noticed by booksellers.  It’s exciting and rewarding to go to book clubs and libraries and talk about your books, but if you haven’t gotten in front of booksellers first, nobody will ever know you exist.

How did you plan out Scorched Eggs, your newest Cackleberry Club Mystery?

First I did a timeline – all my characters and events scratched out on a big sheet of paper.  Then I color coded all my characters to make sure that Suzanne, my main protagonist, rubbed shoulders with all the potential bad guys along the way.  When that felt right, I transferred everything to my computer and fleshed out an eighty-page outline.  Then I went back to chapter one and wrote the book straight through.

Okay, Laura, tell us about Scorched Eggs.  Tell us about the story itself.

Scorched Eggs kicks off with an enormous fire that engulfs the main street in small town Kindred and kills a dear friend of Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, the ladies of the Cackleberry Club.  When they vow to track down the killer, they uncover suspects that include a vengeful husband, ex-fireman, and an expert in explosives.  Of course, the ladies also have to keep all their other plates in the air, too, which include a vintage wedding, county fair, tea parties, and a dinner theatre!

It sounds like you had fun writing this.

I think this might be my favorite Cackleberry Club Mystery to date.  It’s got everything – crazy ladies on the high side of forty who run an egg-centric café, explosives, scary clowns, baby owls, romance, and rodeo riding.  I mean, this is a banquet of crazy!

And you included recipes?

Oh yes.  While tripping through this mystery you’ll find recipes for Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Cheese Popovers, and (naturally) Scorched Eggs.

Thank you, Laura.

Thank you, Laura!

 (And thank you for reading this!)

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cackleberry Club Mysteries, Tea Shop Mysteries, and Scrapbook Mysteries, and a recent recipient of the Romantic Times Book Review’s Award for Best Amateur Sleuth. In her previous life, she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, enjoys fund-raising for various non-profit animal organizations, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Visit her website at www.laurachilds.com or become a friend on Facebook.