Staging is Murder - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Grace Topping to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Grace writes the Laura Bishop Mystery series. STAGING IS MURDER is the first book in the series and will be released April 30, 2019.

Kathy: Laura Bishop is a home stager. Did you study design or watch a lot of HGTV?

GT: Main characters in Cozy mysteries usually have a business or interest besides solving murders. When I decided to write a cozy, I needed to come up with a business/interest, or hook, as it is frequently referred to. Since I had a real interest in home staging, primarily because I had watched way too many HGTV programs, I decided to make Laura Bishop a home stager. But that was only the beginning. Although I had a real knack for it and helped a number of friends stage their homes, having a knack for something and having real expertise are two different things.

Before I started writing, I watched even more HGTV programs and read everything I could find on home staging. Before Henery Press published my book, I contacted a few home staging training and certifying organizations to ensure I had accurately portrayed home stagers and did not misrepresent them in any way. Debbie Boggs, co-founder of Staging Studio in San Antonio, Texas, responded and offered to read my manuscript. She not only gave me a few tips about staging, she endorsed my book, saying STAGING IS MURDER is “Well-researched and authentic to the true life of a home stager.” It was such a relief to know I had gotten it right.

There is a difference between being an interior decorator and a home stager. Although they both do a certain amount of design, an interior decorator adds personality to a home, while a home stager takes the personality out so anyone viewing the home can imagine themselves living there. A home stager can also works with the homeowner to make sure the home is in the best shape it can be for prospective buyers to view.


Kathy: Do you enjoy decorating your own home?

GT: My husband and I enjoyed selecting everything we put into our home and having it all come together. We love the colonial style typical of what you would see if you visited Colonial Williamsburg. Now that we have gotten it the way we want it, we rarely change anything, so I do not do much decorating. I do enjoy helping friends in their homes. Most times what they need is just another set of eyes to see their place and make suggestions.


Kathy: In STAGING IS MURDER Laura is staging a 19th-century mansion that hasn’t been updated for decades. I love old homes, though I prefer them with modern conveniences. What about you? Would you enjoy transforming such a house?

GT: Updating an old home would be a huge undertaking. I probably would enjoy it only if I could move out while the renovation was being done and if I had reputable workmen that I knew could be relied on to do a good job. In STAGING IS MURDER, Laura has the family of her best friend who own a construction business. And she knows she can rely on them to do a good work. That makes all the difference.


Kathy: In addition to murder, Laura has to contend with the meddling of a horoscope-guided friend. Do you follow your own horoscope?

GT: I will occasionally check mine in the paper or in a magazine, but I think they are about as accurate as a Chinese fortune cookie, especially since they can be interpreted in so many ways. But occasionally I will see a horoscope that, surprisingly, appears to be spot on.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

GT: I read cozy mysteries because of what they do not have: violence, sex, or violence. Also, I like books that entertain, not horrify. I also like reading about the business or interest of the main character, especially if it is one that I know little about. I also like historical mysteries, especially ones by Jacqueline Winspear, Anne Perry, Charles Todd, and Frances Brody.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

GT: I have tried my hand writing books for children and plays for middle school kids. But based on the response, I think I better stick with murder mysteries.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

GT: The Laura Bishop series is about a woman who in midlife decides to change careers and become a home stager. In the first book, when a body falls from a laundry chute and lands at her feet, flowered wallpaper becomes the least of her home staging worries.


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

GT: One of my favorite characters, and one who is popular with lots of readers, is Mrs. Mariah Webster, the grandmother of a young man who is accused of murder. She implores Laura to help find the killer and free her grandson. Mrs. Webster has lots of moxie—enough so that she should have been conducting her own investigation.


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

GT: In addition to the home staging inspiration, I wanted to write about women getting a second chance in life and becoming successful, especially in a career where they could work for themselves and become independent.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

GT: I spent a career writing computer user manuals for systems related to banking. Deathly boring. The systems often changed or were replaced by other systems, so most of my work was either recycled or became part of a landfill somewhere. I wanted to work on something that would live on after me. Also, I had just retired, and when you retire you need something to live on and to live for. Writing mysteries gave me an interest and introduced me to wonderful people in the mystery-writing community.


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

GT: Jane Austen (of Pride and Prejudice fame), Jacqueline Winspear (historical mysteries), Bill Bryson (travel writer), and Georgette Heyer (creator of the Regency romance genre). That should make for interesting conversation.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

GT: I usually have two or three books going at one time. In book format, I am reading THE ELUSIVE ELIXIR by Gigi Pandian. In audio format, I am listening to MESSENGER OF TRUTH by Jacqueline Winspear.


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

GT: With promoting my first book and writing my second book in the series, I have little time for hobbies. In the spare time I have, I participate in two book clubs and volunteer at my church.


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

GT: Orange marmalade, tea (I am married to an Englishman), Pecorino-Romano cheese, and extra-virgin olive oil (my grandparents came from Italy).


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

GT: I have a contract for two more books in the Laura Bishop home staging series. The next one should be out sometime next spring. No plans right now for a new series.


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

GT: My very favorite thing is being a part of the mystery writing community. They are such a supportive group, and I have made so many friends since I began writing, especially among members of Sisters in Crime, a terrific group.

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Review

STAGING IS MURDER by Grace Topping

The First Laura Bishop Mystery

Laura Bishop has landed her first job as a professional home stager, beating out her old high school nemesis to stage the Denton house for sale. Along with her young assistant Tyrone, Laura is ready to make her mark, especially since she doesn't return to her well paying, but soul numbing IT career. Despite the difficult owner and tight deadline, Laura is making progress. But while working in the basement, the owner's body falls from the laundry chute....dead. The police arrest Tyrone whose Grandmother pleads with Laura to find the real killer. Relying on her memories of mystery novels and movies and help from her best friend, Laura tries to uncover the real killer, but will the killer find her first?

I enjoyed my first trip to Louiston, Pennsylvania. For the most part, I liked Laura. I found her nervousness and aversion to good looking men a bit annoying, but on the whole she is a likeable protagonist with lots of room to grow and evolve. I absolutely love Mrs. Webster. Tyrone's grandmother is a tiny dynamo and I certainly want to be on her good side. Best friend Nita Martino is a good foil and brings exuberance and fun. I also really like Madame Zolta and hope we see a lot more of her in upcoming books.

STAGING IS MURDER sets the stage for a solid mystery series. There's an interesting plot and engaging characters, with just enough zaniness to promote laughs, but keep things real.

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Staging is Murder (A Laura Bishop Mystery) by Grace Topping

About the Book

 

Staging is Murder (A Laura Bishop Mystery)  

Cozy Mystery 1st in Series  

Henery Press (April 30, 2019)  

Hardcover: 268 pages  Paperback: 268 pages

Laura Bishop just nabbed her first decorating commission—staging for sale a 19th-century mansion that hasn’t been updated for decades. But when a body falls from a laundry chute and lands at Laura’s feet, replacing flowered wallpaper becomes the least of her duties.

To clear her young assistant of the murder and save her fledgling business, Laura’s determined to find the killer. Turns out it’s not as easy as renovating a manor home, especially with two handsome men complicating her mission: the police detective assigned to the case and the real estate agent trying to save the manse from foreclosure.

Worse still, the meddling of a horoscope-guided friend, a determined grandmother, and the local funeral director could get them all killed before Laura props the first pillow.

About the Author

Grace Topping is a recovering technical writer and IT project manager, accustomed to writing lean, boring documents. Let loose to write fiction, she is now creating murder mysteries and killing off characters who remind her of some of the people she dealt with during her career. Fictional revenge is sweet. She’s using her experience helping friends stage their homes as inspiration for her Laura Bishop mystery series. The first book in the series, Staging is Murder, is about a woman starting a new career midlife as a home stager. Grace is the current vice president of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and a member of the SINC Guppies and Mystery Writers of America. She lives with her husband in Northern Virginia.

Author Links:

Website - https://www.gracetopping.com  
Twitter - https://twitter.com/gtoppingauthor  
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GraceToppingAuthor  
GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomgracetopping  

Purchase Links - Amazon B&N Kobo 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Body in the Wetlands - An Interview

I'm pleased to welcome Judi Lynn to the blog today. Judi writes the Jazzi Zanders Mystery series. The Body in the Wetlands is the second book in the series and was released earlier this week.

Kathy: Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod are house flippers. Are you handy with a hammer? Have you ever wanted to flip houses or do your own home repair and remodel?

JL: I wouldn’t say I’m handy with a hammer, but I can swing one. When my husband and I got married, we bought a 1920’s bungalow that needed EVERYTHING redone on it. We hired someone to knock out a wall and make our kitchen bigger and to add a dormer upstairs, but we did a lot of of the other work ourselves. And it’s a LOT of work. Enough that I’d never want to be a house flipper, but I really enjoyed making our house pretty much what we wanted.


Kathy: Do you watch a lot of HGTV?

JL: I was hooked on FIXER UPPER until the series ended, and I watched Property Brothers for years. Now, I love Home Town. And I liked Rehab Addict while it was on.


Kathy: In The Body in the Wetlands, a friendly senior goes missing and his dog leads Jazzi to the wetlands...and a corpse! Has a dog ever led you to something unexpected?

JL: A rotting groundhog, and that was enough😊


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

JL: I’m a longtime fan of Agatha Christie, and I really enjoy the Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton. Then I discovered Martha Grimes, Nancy Pickard, and Carolyn Hart. I was hooked.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

JL: I’ve written a lot of urban fantasy novels and novella bundles as Judith Post. And I wrote six Mill Pond romances for Lyrical Press. I’ve learned something each time I change genres. It’s pushed me to learn new skills.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

JL: I started out writing mystery short stories, so when I got a chance to return to mysteries, I was thrilled. The Jazzi Zanders mystery series appealed to me, because I like cozies. An amateur sleuth solves crimes, and they usually have a niche of some kind. I liked the idea of fixer-uppers. When I wrote my Babet and Prosper urban fantasy novellas, I enjoyed bringing the setting to life, and I really enjoyed showing a romantic partnership and characters who grow to become part of the threads of the stories. I wanted to keep those elements in my cozies.


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

JL: Well, I have to love Jazzi and Ansel. They’re my leads, but I have to say the more I wrote Jerod, the more I loved him. He’s such a wisecracking smart mouth. He reminds me so much of a neighbor boy who spent a lot of time at our house while he was growing up. I still love that kid!


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

JL: Not really, except maybe my Babet and Prosper stories without the supernatural.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

JL: I’ve been writing for a long time, and the more people who read my stories, the more fun it is. I used to write a book a year while my kids were in school. I’d start writing in September and wrap it up by June first. I’d faithfully send the manuscripts out, and when they got rejected, I’d throw the manuscripts in a drawer and forget about them. Then I’d start the next book the next September. But then I went to a mystery conference—Of Dark and Stormy Nights—in Chicago and paid for a professional to critique my first fifty pages. And she said, “Why aren’t you selling these?” And that made me think that maybe I should take my writing a little more seriously.


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

JL: Jane Austen, Ilona Andrews, Mae Clair, and Agatha Christie. But I’d have to invite my good writer friend Julia Donner, too, because we always yak writing together.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

JL: Anna Lee Huber. I love her Lady Darby series.


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

JL: I love to cook and entertain! And I love to garden, but I’m not as good at that😊


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

JL: Sausage—bulk or links, capers, diced tomatoes, and onions.


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

JL: I just signed a contract to write three more Jazzi mysteries--#4, 5, and 6.

And I started self-publishing a supernatural mystery series (because I do miss my urban fantasies)—I put up Muddy River Mystery One, and I’m working on the second book, Mixing It Up with Mortals.


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

JL: I love swimming in ideas for plots and characters and escaping into their worlds for a few hours each week day.

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The Body in the Wetlands (A Jazzi Zanders Mystery) by Judi Lynn

About the Book

 

The Body in the Wetlands (A Jazzi Zanders Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series 

Lyrical Underground (April 23, 2019)  

Paperback: 208 pages

High summer in River Bluffs, Indiana, is always sweltering and sweet. But the heat is really on when a decidedly dead body turns up in the neighborhood.

When established house flippers Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod donate a week’s worth of remodeling work to Jazzi’s sister Olivia, they’re expecting nothing more than back-breaking roofing work and cold beers at the end of each long, hot day. With Jazzi’s live-in boyfriend and partner Ansel on the team, it promises to be a quick break before starting their next big project—until Leo, an elderly neighbor of Olivia’s, unexpectedly goes missing . . .

When the friendly senior’s dog tugs Jazzi and the guys toward the wetlands beyond Olivia’s neighborhood, they stumble across a decomposing corpse—and a lot of questions. With Jazzi’s pal Detective Gaff along to investigate, Jazzi finds her hands full of a whole new mystery instead of the usual hammer and nails. And this time it will take some sophisticated sleuthing to track down the culprit of the deadly crime—before the killer turns on her next . . .

About the Author

Judi Lynn received a Master’s Degree from Indiana University as an elementary school teacher after attending the IPFW campus. She taught 1st, 2nd, and 4th grades for six years before having her two daughters. She loves gardening, cooking and trying new recipes.

Readers can visit her website at www.judithpostswritingmusings.com and her blog writingmusings.com.  

Purchase Links Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play

Connect the Dots - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Micki Demetrius to the blog today. You can find Micki on the pages of the Mah Jongg Mystery series by Barbara Barrett. CONNECT THE DOTS is the third book in the series and was released earlier this week.

My name is Micki Demetrius. I used to teach English in a private high school back East. It took a few years to learn how to survive in that rarified environment, but eventually I caught on. Generally, there were two types of students: those who were there because at their parents’ dictate or those there on scholarship. Not all of that first group acted like they were privileged, although there were enough. I learned a lot about myself during those days. How to keep my cool and not let the little monsters get the better of me. How to make English lit appeal to young minds with teaching methods related to their world—which meant learning how to text with my thumbs, keeping up with the latest rapper’s music and interpreting their private language to stay on top of their thinking. How to tell parents diplomatically their darlings were flunking.

I was married for ten years of that time. His name was Ignatius Demetrius, or “Iggy.” His best point was his charm. The man could talk me into anything, including loaning him money for his numerous business schemes, which I later discovered were usually disguised covers for his gambling debts. That was the reason I eventually called it quits. I haven’t really had another serious relationship since, not that I’m anti-men, I’m just much pickier these days.

My nest egg wasn’t what it could have been when I retired, thanks to my numerous loans to Iggy. Whatever path I took needed to be on a shoestring. I wanted a new start, new horizons to conquer. So I journeyed south to central Florida and the town of Serendipity Springs. After careful review of my finances and wise investing, I bought a one-bedroom condo and began pursuing a lifelong dream of being a journalist. Freelance, reporting to no one, writing about whatever topic appealed to me. The down side, however, was no guarantee of a steady income. Barely an income at all. But isn’t that what retirement’s supposed to be about? Following your heart in your later years.

But there was more to the down side. I have expensive tastes; I love designer clothes, gourmet dinners, theater and musical concerts. My teaching job had allowed me to indulge every so often, not much, but enough to satisfy my hunger until the next need to indulge. But now that I was living on my pension and limited savings, the chance to indulge came less frequently.

Then I met Katrina Faulkner. Kat. She had relocated to the sunshine state from the Midwest. She’d spent the better part of her life as an executive assistant to a CEO of a manufacturing concern and then caring for her ailing mother. Unlike me, though, Kat got lucky with the lottery. Unless she buys another nation, her winnings will keep her comfortable the rest of her life. We met playing Mah Jongg. Kat’s frugal where I’m not. I get my kicks helping her chip away at her bank account, especially updating her wardrobe.

I made two other great friends through Mah Jongg, Sydney Bonner and Marianne Putnam. Unlike Kat and me, both are married. Happily married for years to two pretty great guys. Even I approve of them. Besides our weekly games, we spend a lot of time together, sometimes no more than meeting at a local coffee shop or going out to lunch.

In recent months, we’ve also found ourselves drawn into murder investigations. Us. Imagine. Four retired women who know nothing about law enforcement procedures facing off with murderers. We didn’t seek this type of excitement. Those affected by the murders, usually our Mah Jongg friends, have prevailed upon us to look into other potential suspects on the down low, to gather the kind of intel the authorities either can’t obtain or dismiss.

Strangely enough, we’ve been successful. Well, not entirely on our own. We’ve had the begrudging help of the sheriff’s department as our safety cushion. Guess it doesn’t hurt that Sheriff Formero is sweet on Kat. Her involvement in these things frustrates him no end, but he tolerates us because we somehow manage to uncover vital information about the killer. He’ll never admit that, at least he hasn’t so far.

Recently, I wrote an article describing the numerous construction problems a friend had with her new condo. Before I got very far with my interviews, her son fell from her balcony and was killed. She was overtaken by her grief. The four of us did what we could to help, but she insisted he’d been murdered.

When medical evidence finally proved her right, my role should have ended. I tried to steer clear of the murder part. Really. Especially after the sheriff told me to stay out of it. But circumstances kept testing my good intentions; trouble kept following my friend. Like her son’s pregnant ex-girlfriend my friend didn’t even know existed, or a shady real estate agent who kept pushing her to sell her son’s business at a loss and further issues with her new temporary home. I couldn’t very well abandon her. How was I supposed to know the murderer considered me a threat?

I enjoyed being a teacher, but my life is so much richer now that I live in Serendipity Springs and have such wonderful friends who get me. Come, visit us and sign on for one of our adventures.

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Review

CONNECT THE DOTS by Barbara Barrett

The Third Mah Jongg Mystery

Micki Demetrius is surprised when fellow Mah Jongg player Clarissa asks to speak with her privately. After all, they don't know each other that well and aren't particularly close. When Clarissa tells her of all the structural issues with her new condo, added to the fact that neither she, nor her son have been able to get any help, Micki's journalistic nose smells a story. Clarissa can't even go on her balcony as it's deemed unsafe! Micki agrees to investigate and not only get answers for Clarissa, but get her condo repaired. When the two arrive at Herrington Estates they find it swarming with police and medical personnel. Clarissa's son had fallen to his death from her balcony. The police see it as a terrible accident, but Clarissa knows he never would have gone out on a balcony he knew could give way at any moment. Is it just a mother's grief, or could the Mah Jongg friends once again be involved in murder?

Mah Jongg friends, Micki, Kat, Syd, and Marianne, are each dealing with various issues in this third Mah Jongg Mystery. Syd is off on the sidelines taking care of her grandchildren while Marianne discovers a void in her life and is searching for something that's just for her. Micki takes the lead role here, using her journalistic skills to help their friend with Kat as her primary backup. Kat also has her own story line going as the Sheriff looks to move their romance along whilst she has second thoughts. Needless to say, there's a lot going on here.

I enjoyed being back with the Mah Jongg ladies. Although it wouldn't advance the plot, I would have liked to see more Mah Jongg being played. The snippets shared were not only fun, but pertinent to the story. I appreciate the way Barbara Barrett treats her main characters. They may be senior citizens, but they're not caricatures. They're not dotty old ladies, they're real women who have lived a bit. The book, in fact the whole series, focuses on how the lives of mature women change and evolve, learning to be self sufficient after depending on others, finding new meaning in life, deciding to trust again, and more. And how solving murders can keep the mind active.

CONNECT THE DOTS takes a hard look at construction and real estate today and how greed, dirty politics, and bad business practices can cause irreparable damage. Lesson one, never sign a document indicating everything is fine with your house until you've had it checked by your own home inspector! CONNECT THE DOTS is a well plotted mystery that highlights many important issues faced not only by women of mature years, but everyone.

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Connect the Dots (Mah Jongg Mysteries) by Barbara Barrett

About the Book

 

Connect the Dots (Mah Jongg Mysteries)  

Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series  

Bowker (February 2, 2019)  

Paperback: 278 pages

How could a thirty-something man fall to his death from a fourth-floor balcony he knows is defective? That’s the question freelance writer Micki Demetrius is asked to answer by the man’s grieving mother, Clarissa White, who refuses to believe his death was an unfortunate accident. But when the authorities determine it was homicide, Micki is shut out of her investigative efforts.

Giving up is easier said than done for Micki. She can’t resist a mystery, and suspicious characters won’t leave Clarissa alone, from the woman claiming a stake in the victim’s life to a cagey character who wants his business. As the threat to Clarissa grows, Micki feels compelled to help her in spite of the danger.

Micki’s three mah jongg pals—Sydney Bonner, Marianne Putnam and Katrina, Kat, Faulkner—are drawn into the mystery, but the retirees have their own challenges. Syd and husband Trip do grandparent duty while their daughter deals with marital issues. Marianne “finds herself” by writing a one-act play. And Kat must decide how public to go with her growing friendship with the sheriff. Together, they must connect the dots in a nefarious web of greed, neglect, secrecy and murder.

About the Author

Barbara Barrett started reading mysteries when she was pregnant with her first child to keep her mind off things like her changing body and food cravings. When she’d devoured as many Agatha Christies as she could find, she branched out to English village cozies and Ellery Queen.

Later, to avoid a midlife crisis, she began writing fiction at night when she wasn’t at her day job as a human resources analyst for Iowa State Government. After releasing eleven full-length romance novels and one novella, she returned to the cozy mystery genre, using one of her retirement pastimes, the game of mah jongg, as her inspiration. Not only has it been a great social outlet, it has also helped keep her mind active when not writing.

Bamboozled, the second book in her “Mah Jongg Mystery” series, features four friends who play mah jongg together and share otherwise in each other’s lives. None of the four is based on an actual person. Each is an amalgamation of several mah jongg friends with a lot of Barbara’s imagination thrown in for good measure. The four will continue to appear in future books in the series.

Anticipating the day when she would write her first mystery, she has been a member of the Mystery/Romantic Suspense chapter of Romance Writers of America for over a decade. She credits them with helping her hone her craft.

Barbara is married to the man she met her senior year of college. They have two grown children and eight grandchildren.

Author Links:

Website – http://www.barbarabarrettbooks.com  
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Barbara-Barrett-Author-1678443865812386/  
Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbarrettbooks  
Pinterest – pinterest.com/barbarabarrett7  
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8181756.Barbara_Barrett  
Subscribe Cozy Newsletter https://www.subscribepage.com/BBCozies  

Purchase Links:  Amazon B&N 

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The author has graciously offered an e-copy of CONNECT THE DOTS. Simply leave a comment on this post no later than 11:59pm Eastern Friday, April 26, 2019 telling us if you've ever played Mah Jongg and if so which version. The ladies here play the American version, while I've tried the Japanese version, Riichi. Please leave your e-mail address so that I can contact you should your comment be picked. Also, if you're having trouble posting, try using Firefox as your browser.