Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Currently Reading...
I'm about to dive in to A Dish Best Served Cold by Rosie Genova. This book is the third in the Italian Kitchen Mystery series and will be released August 4th. I haven't started reading yet, but I'll share what I gather from the back cover. While Vic and her family are preparing for the Casa Lido's 75th anniversary an old family friend stops by with hints of an old family mystery. The restaurant's party brings more than revelry and remembrances-it brings a full fledged hurricane and even more surprises!
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Spotlight - Much Ado About Felines & Giveaway
Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on Much Ado about Felines by Kathi Daley. This book is the 4th in the Whales and Tails Mystery series and was released July 15th.
The Whales and Tails Mysteries is a cozy mystery series set on Madrona Island, a fictional island within the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State. As a fourth generation islander, Caitlin Hart is struggling to make her way as the economy and culture of the island evolves toward a tourism based industry. Cait lives in a cabin on her aunt's oceanfront estate where she helps her aunt run Harthaven Cat Sanctuary. When she isn't working with the cats, she helps best friend Tara, operate the coffee bar/bookstore/cat lounge they own, named Coffee Cat Books.
In the fourth installment in the series, the body of a long time island local is found buried in her own grave. Cait and the gang set out to investigate the strange occurrence and along the way they uncover the truth about the mysterious man who arrived on the ferry every week and is followed everywhere he goes by a black and white cat.
Kathi Daley is giving away a copy of Much Ado about Felines to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment on this blog post no later than 11:59 pm EDT on Wednesday, July 22, 2015. Be sure to leave your e-mail address so that I may contact you should yours be the lucky comment chosen by random.org!
The Whales and Tails Mysteries is a cozy mystery series set on Madrona Island, a fictional island within the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State. As a fourth generation islander, Caitlin Hart is struggling to make her way as the economy and culture of the island evolves toward a tourism based industry. Cait lives in a cabin on her aunt's oceanfront estate where she helps her aunt run Harthaven Cat Sanctuary. When she isn't working with the cats, she helps best friend Tara, operate the coffee bar/bookstore/cat lounge they own, named Coffee Cat Books.
In the fourth installment in the series, the body of a long time island local is found buried in her own grave. Cait and the gang set out to investigate the strange occurrence and along the way they uncover the truth about the mysterious man who arrived on the ferry every week and is followed everywhere he goes by a black and white cat.
Kathi Daley is giving away a copy of Much Ado about Felines to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment on this blog post no later than 11:59 pm EDT on Wednesday, July 22, 2015. Be sure to leave your e-mail address so that I may contact you should yours be the lucky comment chosen by random.org!
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Guest Post - An Interview with June Heal
Interview With June Heal
By Tonya Kappes
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up in the small town of Locust Grove, Kentucky with my widow mother, who died young. Darla, my mom who had me call her by her name, made homeopathic cures out of our home, selling them at a local flea market. I took over the flea market booth after her death and realized my cures were a little more potent than Darla’s. That opened a whole new world where I found out that my father was a wizard and I was a witch.
2) What has been your favorite adventure?
I have to say that out of the entire Magical Cures Mystery series, I loved finding out my true heritage and moving to the magical village of Whispering Falls.
3) What is your favorite treat?
Oh! Easy! Ding Dongs are my go to favorite treat. In fact, my good friend Raven Mortimer, owner of Wicked Good Bakery, makes a to-die-for replica of the Ding Dong and calls it June’s Gems.
4) If you could have a different ability, what would it be?
My friend, , he is able transport himself anywhere. I think that would be cool to do.
5) You have two familiars. Which one is your favorite?
Are you really asking me this question? I could never answer that. I do love how Mr. Prince Charming, my fairy god cat, brings me real silver charms for my charm bracelet to keep me protected.
I could do without Madame Torres’s smart alec mouth, but she’s great in keeping me safe by telling me future events. They both have a special place in my life.
6) Are you and Oscar ever going to get married?
I hope so! We have finally set a wedding date for All Hallow’s Eve. I hope you can come!
7) What is your favorite potion?
I have to say that I love the Gentle June’s Stressless Lotion that is sold nationally in the Head To Toe Works stores. The magic is in the bottle. Since it’s sold nationwide and I can’t read everyone’s real stress and give them a special potion, I put the spell in the bottle. When the customer picks up the bottle, the bottle gives them the stress free feeling and answers they are seeking.
8) What do you see in your next adventure?
That is easier said than done. I’m trying to tie the knot with Oscar and become Mrs. Oscar Park. I have a good gut feeling that things aren’t really going to go as planned since both our Aunts are butting heads about family rituals. Since he’s from a wizard family and I’m a witch, there are different wedding rituals. Oscar and I just might run off!
A CHARMING FATALITY is the seventh novel in the USA TODAY Bestselling Magical Cures Mystery Series.
For years, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been self-publishing her numerous mystery and romance titles with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plotlines and quirky characters, but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans. HarperCollins and Witness Impulse is thrilled to be publishing this insanely talented and wildly successful author in her hilarious and spooky Ghostly Southern series. Be sure to join Tonya’s newsletter and receive a free ebook download!
Purchase links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
iBooks
Kobo
blog: Whodunitauthors.com
twitter: twitter.com/tonyakappes11
Facebook: facebook.com/authortonyakappes
website: tonyakappes.com
Friday, July 17, 2015
Spotlight - Spellcasting in Silk
Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on Spellcasting in Silk by Juliet Blackwell. The Witchcraft Mystery series is just about my favorite series and I'm excited to read this latest entry. Just released last week, Spellcasting in Silk is the 7th book in the series.
From the back cover:
From the New York Times bestselling author of A Vision in Velvet comes more spooky sleuthing with Lily Ivory, vintage boutique owner and gifted witch....
Lily would like nothing better than to relax, enjoy her friends, and take care of business at her store, which is booming, thanks to San Francisco's upcoming Summer of Love Festival. But as the unofficial witchy consultant to the SFPD, she is pulled into yet another case.
A woman has jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and her apparent suicide may be connected to a suspicious botanica in the Mission District. When the police investigate the shop, they ask Lily to look into its mysterious owner, whose granddaughter also appears to be missing. As Lily searches for the truth, she finds herself confronted with a confounding mystery and some very powerful magic....
From the back cover:
From the New York Times bestselling author of A Vision in Velvet comes more spooky sleuthing with Lily Ivory, vintage boutique owner and gifted witch....
Lily would like nothing better than to relax, enjoy her friends, and take care of business at her store, which is booming, thanks to San Francisco's upcoming Summer of Love Festival. But as the unofficial witchy consultant to the SFPD, she is pulled into yet another case.
A woman has jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and her apparent suicide may be connected to a suspicious botanica in the Mission District. When the police investigate the shop, they ask Lily to look into its mysterious owner, whose granddaughter also appears to be missing. As Lily searches for the truth, she finds herself confronted with a confounding mystery and some very powerful magic....
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Currently Reading...
I just started reading Fudging the Books by Daryl Wood Gerber. This book is the 4th in the Cookbook Nook Mystery series and will be released in August.
It's February and chocolate and pirates have descended on Crystal Cove, California. Jenna is coating the Cookbook Nook in chocolate by featuring chocolate themed cookbooks, displays, and tasty, chocolatey treats to eat! Friend, candymaker, and cook book author Coco comes to town to give a talk and book signing replete with her own entourage, her vibrant editor, an unpleasant copyeditor, and dashing photographer. There are some interesting undercurrents going on...I don't trust that copyeditor! I'm only on page 36, so we'll have to see what happens!
It's February and chocolate and pirates have descended on Crystal Cove, California. Jenna is coating the Cookbook Nook in chocolate by featuring chocolate themed cookbooks, displays, and tasty, chocolatey treats to eat! Friend, candymaker, and cook book author Coco comes to town to give a talk and book signing replete with her own entourage, her vibrant editor, an unpleasant copyeditor, and dashing photographer. There are some interesting undercurrents going on...I don't trust that copyeditor! I'm only on page 36, so we'll have to see what happens!
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Review - Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes & Giveaway
Review
Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes by J.A. Lang
The Second Chef Maurice Mystery
A country manor, a raging snowstorm, a mysterious stranger, and plenty of wine: ingredients for a perfect murder!
Chef Maurice and his good friend, restaurant critic Arthur Wordington-Smythe, are visiting Bourne Hall for a dinner and wine tasting hosted by wine collector Sir William Burton-Trent. A handful of other guests including a Californian director turned vineyard owner, the granddaughter of a French wine family and her English husband, a wine critic, and an elderly relative make up the party. Things are not quite as jovial as they seem, however. When the cook discovers Sir William is locked in the wine cellar and won't respond to her knocks and calls, she fears the worst.
In the Chef Maurice Mystery series we see a return to the golden age of detective fiction. More than the setting of a small village in the Cotswolds filled with unique characters, Lang follows many of the "rules" set out by these great authors, and does so in a natural manner. Lang is true to the rules of fair play. J.A. lays out the clues and the reader has as much opportunity to solve the case as Chef Maurice. A.A. Milne, in his rules for detective fiction, stated "There should be a Watson: it is better for the detective 'to watsonize' than soliloquize".* In Arthur Wordington-Smythe we find Chef Maurice's Watson. The golden age authors were quite fond of locked room mysteries. In Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes we get the special treat of having a locked door mystery within a closed room mystery! The victim is found in a locked wine cellar while our suspects are pretty much stranded in a country manor house.
J.A. Lang puts a smile on my face. Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes is a fun clever novel. As a wine lover I quite enjoyed the focus on wines in this book and found the wonderful descriptions of food compelling as well as the different ways food is used. Food helps to solve one mystery and is also used to barter. In addition to Chef Maurice (my new gastronomical hero) and the murder mystery, we also have the conundrum that is the relationship between Patrick and PC Lucy. What is she hiding? Is there another man? Should he be worried? Then there's the great fun that kitchen commis Alf brings. And I can't forget the wonderful Hamilton. I love that pig and the way Chef Maurice treasures him. Lang has created a world where I want to visit. With hints of farce that keep me smiling and, above all, a finely crafted mystery, Lang has written a great book in her most wonderful series.
* Milne's rules were published in a reprint of his only detective novel The Red House Mystery. For more information see Martin Edwards, The Golden Age of Murder HarperCollinsPublishers Great Britain 2015.
Go to J.A. Lang's website: http://www.jalang.net/chef-maurice-giveaway/ to enter this great giveaway!
Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes by J.A. Lang
The Second Chef Maurice Mystery
A country manor, a raging snowstorm, a mysterious stranger, and plenty of wine: ingredients for a perfect murder!
Chef Maurice and his good friend, restaurant critic Arthur Wordington-Smythe, are visiting Bourne Hall for a dinner and wine tasting hosted by wine collector Sir William Burton-Trent. A handful of other guests including a Californian director turned vineyard owner, the granddaughter of a French wine family and her English husband, a wine critic, and an elderly relative make up the party. Things are not quite as jovial as they seem, however. When the cook discovers Sir William is locked in the wine cellar and won't respond to her knocks and calls, she fears the worst.
In the Chef Maurice Mystery series we see a return to the golden age of detective fiction. More than the setting of a small village in the Cotswolds filled with unique characters, Lang follows many of the "rules" set out by these great authors, and does so in a natural manner. Lang is true to the rules of fair play. J.A. lays out the clues and the reader has as much opportunity to solve the case as Chef Maurice. A.A. Milne, in his rules for detective fiction, stated "There should be a Watson: it is better for the detective 'to watsonize' than soliloquize".* In Arthur Wordington-Smythe we find Chef Maurice's Watson. The golden age authors were quite fond of locked room mysteries. In Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes we get the special treat of having a locked door mystery within a closed room mystery! The victim is found in a locked wine cellar while our suspects are pretty much stranded in a country manor house.
J.A. Lang puts a smile on my face. Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes is a fun clever novel. As a wine lover I quite enjoyed the focus on wines in this book and found the wonderful descriptions of food compelling as well as the different ways food is used. Food helps to solve one mystery and is also used to barter. In addition to Chef Maurice (my new gastronomical hero) and the murder mystery, we also have the conundrum that is the relationship between Patrick and PC Lucy. What is she hiding? Is there another man? Should he be worried? Then there's the great fun that kitchen commis Alf brings. And I can't forget the wonderful Hamilton. I love that pig and the way Chef Maurice treasures him. Lang has created a world where I want to visit. With hints of farce that keep me smiling and, above all, a finely crafted mystery, Lang has written a great book in her most wonderful series.
* Milne's rules were published in a reprint of his only detective novel The Red House Mystery. For more information see Martin Edwards, The Golden Age of Murder HarperCollinsPublishers Great Britain 2015.
Go to J.A. Lang's website: http://www.jalang.net/chef-maurice-giveaway/ to enter this great giveaway!
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Caught Read-Handed - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway
I'm happy to welcome Terrie Farley Moran back to the blog. Terrie writes the Read 'Em and Eat Mystery series. Caught Read-Handed, the second book in the series, was released this past week.
Kathy: In Caught Read-Handed a new library volunteer has earned the name "Tanya Trouble". Have you ever had to deal with a Tanya Trouble?
TFM: Tanya Trouble. Oh my! We’ve all dealt with a Tanya Trouble. Bossy. Opinionated. Gives orders like a general, particularly when she’s not in charge. Yep. I guess I’ve met her a time or two. And you probably have, too.
Kathy: Library sales can be such fun. Do you attend local library fundraisers and events?
TFM: For city kids, the public library is like a second home. I was fortunate enough to spend my childhood within walking distance of the Bronx regional center of the New York Public Library. I spent many an afternoon or evening there. Libraries keep kids out of trouble. As an adult I have attended fundraisers with fabulous guest speakers. (James Patterson comes to mind.) I’ve also attended countless lectures, concerts and plays at the library as well as classes in things like Yoga and Chinese brush painting. I am a huge supporter of libraries and I guess it shows.
Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?
TFM: I was inspired to write Caught Read-Handed by the old “what if?” About a decade ago I was getting out of my car in a library parking lot near my daughter’s house and a car door slammed and startled me. I looked around. A man was walking into the library. I assumed he was the door slammer. And I began “what if”ing. What if a story character was in a parking lot and someone slammed a door, and when the character looked over, she thought she recognized the man but on closer inspection he wasn’t who she thought he was. That was the seed. When I was putting the proposal together for the Read ’Em and Eat cozies, I expanded that seed into a plant and now, grown at last, Caught Read-Handed is a full and flowering garden.
Kathy: You won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel at Malice Domestic this year for Well Read, then Dead, the first book in your series. Congratulations! Has winning that award changed anything about your writing? Or your life?
TFM: Thanks so much. Winning the Agatha Award for Best First Novel was a grand and glorious event for me. It hasn’t changed my writing because my goal has always been to write an entertaining book, one that mystery readers will love. I struggle to reach that goal with every book and short story I write. As to changing my life, well, the Agatha teapot sits on the breakfront in my dining room. If anyone walks near it, I find myself saying, “Be careful. Watch the teapot.” I guess the message is: “If you are going to fall, knock into a piece of furniture and break your neck, please do so in the living room.”
Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Sassy and Bridgy?
TFM: I am delighted that in the third book, tentatively titled Read Sky in Mourning readers will have a chance to meet “the moms”. Sassy’s and Bridgy’s mothers come for a visit. Let’s just say Sassy’s mom adds to the mix of quirky characters, while having Bridgy’s mom around presents quite a challenge for Aunt Ophie. They are sisters after all!
Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?
TFM: Well, with Caught Read-Handed released this month, I suspect the third Read ’Em and Eat mystery will be released sometime in the summer of 2016.
I do have exciting news. I recently co-wrote Parchment and Old Lace with the magnificent Laura Childs. It is the thirteenth book in her scrapbooking series and will be released in October 2015. I always have a great time reading Laura’s books so it was a real joy for me to join in writing one.
********************************************************************************
Bio:
Agatha Award recipient Terrie Farley Moran is the author of the beachside Read 'Em and Eat cozy mystery series including Well Read, Then Dead and Caught Read-Handed. Her short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and numerous anthologies. She has been short-listed twice for Best American Mystery Stories. Terrie’s web address is www.terriefarleymoran.com She blogs at www.womenofmystery.net and can be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terriefarleymoran
*******************************************************************************
Review
Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran
The Second Read 'Em and Eat Mystery
While dropping off a book donation at the local library Sassy sees a familiar face, but a closer look reveals it's not the man she thought it was, her former boss. Before she can continue into the library itself she hears a caterwauling, and the man rushes out of the library he had just entered. The carrying on came from a trouble making volunteer, who seems to be there only to placate her rich husband and give headaches to the librarian and patrons. However, when Tonya "Trouble" is found murdered the deputies zoom in on this homeless veteran who so recently had an altercation with her as a person of interest. Sassy can't believe this man, who looked haunted, not predatory, could possibly murder anyone, and when she discovers his name, she realizes he must be the brother of her former boss. With the real murderer still on the loose and a lawyer who seems more slimy than the giant anaconda threatening Bow and the small animals of Fort Meyers, Sassy and the gang at the Read 'Em and Eat Cafe delve into the thick of things once again!
The importance of friends, family, and community is at the heart of Caught Read-Handed. Joining together, despite differences, for the betterment of all can be seen not only with Sassy, Bridgy, and Aunt Ophie, but with Alan and his family, the group of veterans, and the whole of Fort Myers Beach. While delivering an entertaining mystery, Moran also touches on an important societal issue, military veterans suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
The subject of homeless veterans and PTSD is treated with respect. There is however, one error that I must mention. In a later part of the book we hear about the family visiting their relative, who is currently in a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, while he is in restraints. A patient would never be allowed to have visitors while in restraints, at least according to the mental hygiene laws in my state. I have to believe that the laws must be similar in this regard in Florida.
Although distracting for me, the above mentioned issue did not effect the story which presented as a well structured mystery filled with fun characters in an inviting location. The relationship between Miguel and Bow is wonderful and I look forward to reading what the future holds for everyone in Fort Myers Beach, Florida!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Kathy: In Caught Read-Handed a new library volunteer has earned the name "Tanya Trouble". Have you ever had to deal with a Tanya Trouble?
TFM: Tanya Trouble. Oh my! We’ve all dealt with a Tanya Trouble. Bossy. Opinionated. Gives orders like a general, particularly when she’s not in charge. Yep. I guess I’ve met her a time or two. And you probably have, too.
Kathy: Library sales can be such fun. Do you attend local library fundraisers and events?
TFM: For city kids, the public library is like a second home. I was fortunate enough to spend my childhood within walking distance of the Bronx regional center of the New York Public Library. I spent many an afternoon or evening there. Libraries keep kids out of trouble. As an adult I have attended fundraisers with fabulous guest speakers. (James Patterson comes to mind.) I’ve also attended countless lectures, concerts and plays at the library as well as classes in things like Yoga and Chinese brush painting. I am a huge supporter of libraries and I guess it shows.
Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?
TFM: I was inspired to write Caught Read-Handed by the old “what if?” About a decade ago I was getting out of my car in a library parking lot near my daughter’s house and a car door slammed and startled me. I looked around. A man was walking into the library. I assumed he was the door slammer. And I began “what if”ing. What if a story character was in a parking lot and someone slammed a door, and when the character looked over, she thought she recognized the man but on closer inspection he wasn’t who she thought he was. That was the seed. When I was putting the proposal together for the Read ’Em and Eat cozies, I expanded that seed into a plant and now, grown at last, Caught Read-Handed is a full and flowering garden.
Kathy: You won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel at Malice Domestic this year for Well Read, then Dead, the first book in your series. Congratulations! Has winning that award changed anything about your writing? Or your life?
TFM: Thanks so much. Winning the Agatha Award for Best First Novel was a grand and glorious event for me. It hasn’t changed my writing because my goal has always been to write an entertaining book, one that mystery readers will love. I struggle to reach that goal with every book and short story I write. As to changing my life, well, the Agatha teapot sits on the breakfront in my dining room. If anyone walks near it, I find myself saying, “Be careful. Watch the teapot.” I guess the message is: “If you are going to fall, knock into a piece of furniture and break your neck, please do so in the living room.”
Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Sassy and Bridgy?
TFM: I am delighted that in the third book, tentatively titled Read Sky in Mourning readers will have a chance to meet “the moms”. Sassy’s and Bridgy’s mothers come for a visit. Let’s just say Sassy’s mom adds to the mix of quirky characters, while having Bridgy’s mom around presents quite a challenge for Aunt Ophie. They are sisters after all!
Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?
TFM: Well, with Caught Read-Handed released this month, I suspect the third Read ’Em and Eat mystery will be released sometime in the summer of 2016.
I do have exciting news. I recently co-wrote Parchment and Old Lace with the magnificent Laura Childs. It is the thirteenth book in her scrapbooking series and will be released in October 2015. I always have a great time reading Laura’s books so it was a real joy for me to join in writing one.
********************************************************************************
Bio:
Agatha Award recipient Terrie Farley Moran is the author of the beachside Read 'Em and Eat cozy mystery series including Well Read, Then Dead and Caught Read-Handed. Her short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and numerous anthologies. She has been short-listed twice for Best American Mystery Stories. Terrie’s web address is www.terriefarleymoran.com She blogs at www.womenofmystery.net and can be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terriefarleymoran
*******************************************************************************
Review
Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran
The Second Read 'Em and Eat Mystery
While dropping off a book donation at the local library Sassy sees a familiar face, but a closer look reveals it's not the man she thought it was, her former boss. Before she can continue into the library itself she hears a caterwauling, and the man rushes out of the library he had just entered. The carrying on came from a trouble making volunteer, who seems to be there only to placate her rich husband and give headaches to the librarian and patrons. However, when Tonya "Trouble" is found murdered the deputies zoom in on this homeless veteran who so recently had an altercation with her as a person of interest. Sassy can't believe this man, who looked haunted, not predatory, could possibly murder anyone, and when she discovers his name, she realizes he must be the brother of her former boss. With the real murderer still on the loose and a lawyer who seems more slimy than the giant anaconda threatening Bow and the small animals of Fort Meyers, Sassy and the gang at the Read 'Em and Eat Cafe delve into the thick of things once again!
The importance of friends, family, and community is at the heart of Caught Read-Handed. Joining together, despite differences, for the betterment of all can be seen not only with Sassy, Bridgy, and Aunt Ophie, but with Alan and his family, the group of veterans, and the whole of Fort Myers Beach. While delivering an entertaining mystery, Moran also touches on an important societal issue, military veterans suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
The subject of homeless veterans and PTSD is treated with respect. There is however, one error that I must mention. In a later part of the book we hear about the family visiting their relative, who is currently in a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, while he is in restraints. A patient would never be allowed to have visitors while in restraints, at least according to the mental hygiene laws in my state. I have to believe that the laws must be similar in this regard in Florida.
Although distracting for me, the above mentioned issue did not effect the story which presented as a well structured mystery filled with fun characters in an inviting location. The relationship between Miguel and Bow is wonderful and I look forward to reading what the future holds for everyone in Fort Myers Beach, Florida!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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