Book Spotlight - Eggs in a Casket- Giveaway

I'd like to shine a spotlight on the January 7th release of Eggs in a Casket, the 5th book in the Cackleberry Club Mystery Series by Laura Childs.

From the back cover:

The ladies of the Cackleberry Club are always ready to serve-whether they're cooking up breakfast or sniffing out a bad egg.

While Petra handles the breakfast rush  at the Cackleberry Club, the cafe's other two owners, Suzanne and Toni, head to Memorial Cemetery to help prepare for its 150th anniversary celebration. But as they search the winding paths for the Historical Society tent, they discover something else out of place: the body of ex-prison warden Lester Drummond lying facedown in someone else's freshly dug grave.

In the small town of Kindred, everyone knows everyone, and Lester was no exception. Suzanne knew him as the creepy guy who made unwanted advances on her friend Missy Langston. But now it appears the man was hiding a few secrets...and at least one of them was worth killing for.

As the case cracks open, there are plenty of suspects to consider-from recent parolees to Missy herself, who Suzanne and Toni saw speeding away just before they found the body. Now, with a cemetery celebration in the offing, and the local authorities in over their heads, it's up to the Cackleberry Club to unscramble the clues and clear their friend's name.

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

Author Laura Childs has graciously offered 2 autographed hardcover copies of this new release! Comment on this post telling me your favorite way to eat eggs to be entered. Please, also leave your e-mail address so that I know how to contact you. You have until 11:59pm EST this Thursday, January 9th, 2014 to comment. I'll use random.org to pick 2 lucky winners.

Currently Reading & Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! May 2014 bring us all lots of reading pleasure!

I'm currently reading An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette. This is the first book in the Key West Food Critic Mystery series. I confess, I'm way behind...the 4th in the series will be published in February. I know I want to catch up as I'm enjoying this first book.

Hayley Snow picked up and moved to Key West to live with her new love. Sadly, he turned out to be a jerk who cheated on her, then kicked her out! Now she's trying to make a living in Key West and is attempting to further her food writing career by applying for a job as a food critic. That endeavor is made more difficult by the fact that the owner of the magazine with which she's trying to get a job just happens to be her ex's new girlfriend. Loveless, jobless, and sharing a houseboat...can it get much worse? Well, the girlfriend is murdered...and Hayley becomes prime suspect.

Recipes are included.

Witchcraft Reading Challenge

Sign up here at Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

I've never participated in a reading challenge, aside from one in the second grade, but this one caught my eye and I decided to join in. The challenge runs from Jan 1, 2014 – Dec 31, 2014 and you have to read books featuring witches! Any full length book that includes a witch as a main character or includes major witchcraft elements counts, either fiction or nonfiction. I already read a few cozy mysteries that feature witches-so my goal is fairly high. However, I also just looked at the total number of all books I read in 2013, so my goal won't be that high. I'm aiming for the Mother level-reading 11-15 qualifying books. I also intend to write a review for each of these books.

For full challenge rules and more details about joining check out Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf.

2013-A Blog Year in Review

Can you believe there are just 3 more days left in 2013? I always like to take some time to reflect on the past year. What have I done, seen, and learned? What accomplishments have I achieved? I thought I’d review this blog as well. What was the year like for Cozy Up With Kathy?

One major milestone was August 12. That was my 1 year anniversary for the blog. Should it be birthday? Whatever the case, the blog is going strong, in fact even stronger, one year later!

I’ve also increased the number of posts. At first my intention was only to post on Sundays and Wednesdays. However, being involved with so many book tours I now also occasionally post on Tuesdays and Fridays. It’s nice to be popular!

Did you know that Cozy Up With Kathy has a corresponding Facebook page? I started that page on January 19th to share even more information about cozy mysteries. If you haven’t already done so, please, stop by and give me a like! https://www.facebook.com/CozyUpWithKathy

The most exciting thing for me is welcoming so many authors to my blog. I love doing interviews and have done over 30 this year. So, which authors paid Cozy Up With Kathy a visit in 2013? Starting back in January and continuing through December I had Linda O. Johnston, Cindy Blackburn, Tonya Kappes, Jennifer Oko, Susanna Calkins, Mitzi Kelly, Lucy Burdette, Madison Johns, Kate Carlisle, Peg Cochran, Erika Chase, Sam Cheever, Daryl Wood Gerber, Cathy Ace, Dawn Eastman, Teresa Trent, Christine Wenger, Cate Price, Joyce and Jim Lavene, Jesse Giles Christiansen, Wendy Delaney, Amanda Flower, Isabella Alan, Joanna Campbell Slan, Jessie Crocket, Rosie Genova, M. Louisa Locke, Barbara Jean Coast, Pamela Rose, June Shaw, Victoria Hamilton, Julie Seedorf, Krista Davis, Sharon Pape, Terri L. Austin, Larissa Reinhart, and LynDee Walker. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and enlightening me and my readers.

I’ve read 56 books over the past year, sharing some with you on my Wednesday Currently Reading post. The first book I finished in 2013 was Fox Tracks by Rita Mae Brown and the last was Teacup Turbulence by Linda O. Johnston. (I’m fairly certain I shan’t finish the book I’m currently reading by the end of the year.) I’ve been introduced to several new cozy mystery series that have quickly become favorites (Victoria Hamilton’s Merry Muffin series, J.J. Cook’s Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade series, Rosie Genova’s Italian Kitchen series, and Jenn McKinlay’s London Hat Shop Mysteries to name a few!) And of course, I’ve tried to catch up with many of the wonderful series I already follow (Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats series, Krista Davis’ Domestic Diva series, Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft series and Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile mysteries, for example).

This year had been a great one for my mystery blog. Thank you for visiting me in 2013. I hope you’ll continue to join Cozy Up With Kathy in 2014 for lots more mysterious adventures!

Currently Reading...& Merry Christmas!

I'd like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. Thank you for visiting and commenting. I hope you enjoy my posts.

Due to the holiday preparations and the fact that I can't currently take a bath because of my surgery I haven't done much reading. (Yes, I love to read in the tub!) So I'm still reading Teacup Turbulence by Linda O. Johnston. I have a feeling I now know why our victim was murdered...but I'm not sure who done it!

Generosity

I'm continually amazed by the generosity of mystery authors. During this holiday season I witness so many writers giving gifts and prizes to their readers. I count myself lucky to be the recipient of not only the physical prizes, but the friendly, warm, and even caring, environment they've created.

The Scrooges out there may say, it's just a marketing ploy, but it's not only that. Sure, giving away books encourages people to read more, and hopefully purchase more, thereby enhancing the authors continued work and bottom line. But there's more to it than that. I believe the authors want to share a part of themselves and welcome us into their own world.

I've been fortunate to meet several writers, and correspond with many more. I've never met a more down to earth, friendly, helpful, and encouraging group of people in my life. I consider myself lucky to have them as a part of my life and I hope I can, in some small way anyway, help them continue in their mission to bring their stories to the world.

Writers give us a gift every time their stories come into our lives. I, for one, am most thankful for the opportunity to get to know these authors better. Thank you authors, with heartfelt gratitude, for your time, your words, and your generosity.

Merry Christmas!

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Teacup Turbulence by Linda O. Johnston. This book is the 5th in the Pet Rescue Mystery series...not including the e-book novella, Nonstop Spaniels. This series deals with a subject close to my heart-animal rescue. Teacup Turbulence highlights a newer aspect of animal rescue-using private pilots to fly animals to areas where they have a better chance at getting adopted. Unfortunately, our protagonist, Lauren Vancouver, gets more than the small dogs she expected. A thoroughly unpleasant woman accompanies them. I believe, however, that she won't be around for long!

This book will be released January 7, 2014