Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Author Spotlight- Karen Rose Smith

Happy Wednesday! Today's Spotlight is the lovely Karen Rose Smith!! Thank you Karen for giving us hours of fantastic reading.

Image of Karen Rose Smith

Karen Rose Smith is writing mysteries as well as romances now! Her plots, whether in mystery or romance, are all about relationships.

She began writing in her early teens when she listened to music and created stories to accompany the songs. After expressing feelings in poetry, earning a degree in English and French, completing short stories that became too long to find a market, she turned to her fascination with relationships to writing romances and now mysteries. This award-winning best-selling author (USA Today List, Borders Bestseller List, Amazon Romance Bestseller lists, Barnes and Noble Bestseller list) will see her 84th novel released in 2014. She has published with Silhouette, Harlequin, Kensington and Meteor/Kismet. Her awards include two Golden Leaf awards in short contemporary romance, the Golden Quill in traditional romance, two cataromance.com's awards for Best Special Editions and Romance Review's Today's Best series romance award. Jane Bowers of Romance Reviews Today states: "Karen Rose Smith's storyworlds are complete and realistic and lovely places to visit and revisit. She excels at stories that feature couples brought together by infants and children, and she handles her plots and characters with sublime sensitivity."
Karen is well-known for writing emotion-packed novels. An only child, she spent a lot of time in her imagination and with books--Nancy Drew, Zane Gray, The Black Stallion and Anne of Green Gables. She dreamt of brothers and sisters and a big family like her mother and father came from--seven children in her mom's family and ten in her dad's. On weekends she was often surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins. This is the root of her plotlines that include small communities and family relationships as integral to everyday living. She believes universal emotions unite us all and that is the reason she employs them to propel her plots.

It is no secret that Karen married her college sweetheart and they have been married for over forty years. She believes in the power of commitment and the hope that goes along with the promise of everlasting love. Along with enjoying time with her husband, Karen enjoys cooking, gardening, shopping, listening to music and keeping her three rescued cats company or vice versa.


She has been busy indie publishing her SEARCH FOR LOVE series. In addition, she is writing her Caprice De Luca mystery series for Kensington as well as romances for Harlequin Special Edition. Readers can follow her on Facebook (Search--Karen Rose Smith) or on Twitter @karenrosesmith. Contact her through her website www.karenrosesmith.com if you'd like to belong to her street team or her readers group on Facebook. She welcomes interaction with her readers on Facebook and Twitter, and would love to chat about plotlines, titles, emotions, heroes, heroines, music, books, gardening, cooking, or anything else readers deem noteworthy!

Wanted: A Real Family (Harlequin Special Edition Series #2277)
Deadly DecorStaged to Death Nathan's Vow 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Blog Tour-Let Loose by Rae Davies

Happy Tuesday! Welcome Rae Davies today! Glad you can be here with us. Leave a comment and email to be entered in the giveaway!!


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Let Loose
by Rae Davies

raedavies_letloose800Let Loose:
Dusty Deals Mystery Series: Book 4

Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Lead Dog Books (March 3, 2014)
File Size: 826 KB
Print Length: 215 pages
ASIN: B00IROM6BC
goodreads-badge-add-plus

Synopsis
No good deed goes unpunished. The rule has kept Lucy Mathews out of trouble for most of her 29 years. That is until her part-time partner decides Lucy’s image needs a little polishing and shoves her in front of every do-good bandwagon she can find.
Luckily for Lucy, her dream charity runs right up to her doorstep in the form of a sexy Canadian musher who’s in town to help organize the local sled dog race.
Not so luckily for Lucy, sexy Canadians and detective boyfriends do not a happy mixture make.
One dead race organizer, a group of rambunctious octogenarians, and a team of sled dogs in need of a home later and Lucy is confident this punishment is more than anyone, much less one lone antique store owner, can handle.

My Review:
This laugh out loud funny whodunit will keep you reading until the end and wanting more. Charming and delightful read. You will be hooked from the start. 
Other books in the Dusty Deals Mystery Series…
Loose Screw
Cut Loose
Loosey Goosey
Loose & Lethal: Dusty Deals Mystery Series Box Set: Books 1 -3

Coming Soon….
Love on the Loose (A Dusty Deals Mystery Series novella)
544752_332133136858752_1516498171_nAbout This Author
Rae Davies is the pen name of author Lori Devoti.
Lori Devoti worked for three different newspapers in two different states before deciding to stay home with her children and begin writing fiction. Lori has been a finalist for many awards including the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award and is a member of Novelists Inc., a prestigious group for professional writers. She lives near Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and children as well as two dogs.
Like Lucy, Rae/Lori loves antiques, Montana and malamutes.
Purchase Links
AMAZON       B&N            Smashwords

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!

Giveaway
A choice between the three e-book bundle, Loose & Lethal,
or a print copy of Loose Screw
Winner’s or Blogger’s Choice

Monday, April 28, 2014

Sassy Questions with Lucy Burdette

I love Sassy Questions and love it more When we are chatting with the amazing Lucy Burdette!! So get some coffee or tea and join us. Leave a comment!


Image of Lucy Burdette

Welcome Lucy, so glad you are with us today.

1. When you are having a day that is hectic what is your absolutely favorite go to comfort food? Macaroni and cheese comes to mind:). Though a piece of yellow cake with caramel icing (served with a glass of milk) would do the job nicely too. Here's the link to the best cake I think I've ever made:http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2014/01/decadent-southern-caramel-cake-offered.html

2. What is your guilty pleasure television show? This one is easy to answer (though I don't really feel guilty about it): NASHVILLE. I love the country music and I love Connie Britton (who was a star in FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) and I love the story lines. They know how to ratchet up the tension on that show! I think I learn a lot about plot from watching:)

3. When you have a girls night out what fun and wild thing do you do? Truth is, I used to be a lot wilder than I am now. But there is a bar just off Duval Street that serves five dollar martinis on Monday nights. I have visited a time or two with friends--and Hayley Snow may show up there too!

4. What is your favorite summer thing to do? remember not book related. We have a wonderful summer garden that includes okra, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, eggplant, blueberries, cucumbers and tons of other good stuff. I love picking those fresh vegetables and then figuring out a simple supper to make out of them.

5. Tell us one thing about you that no one would ever guess and you are willing to share. My high school had the only all-girl bagpipe band in the country. I was a dancer for the band, complete with kilt and sword!

Love it! So glad you were here today! 

-- 
Roberta Isleib writing as Lucy Burdette
MURDER WITH GANACHE in stores now
Follow Lucy on Twitter @LucyBurdette
Or "Like" her on Facebook

Murder with Ganache (Key West Food Critic Series #4) Death in Four Courses (Key West Food Critic Series #2) An Appetite for Murder (Key West Food Critic Series #1) Topped Chef (Key West Food Critic Series #3)

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Weekly Wrap Up # 16

Here is what happened this week:

April 21st- Guest Post- Kari Lee Townsend
April 22nd-  Guest Post- Lynn Cahoon
April 23rd-Author Spotlight- Marilyn Meredith
April 24th- First in a New Series- Murder on Bamboo Lane
April 25th- Blog Tour- The Corpse and the Emerald Thumb
April 26th- Book Trivia- Sparkle Abbey

books I've read

The Corpse and the Emerald Thumb by Cathy Ace
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
Pearls and Poison by Duffy Brown (book club )

Coming this week:

April 28th- Sassy Questions with Lucy Burdette
April 29th- Blog Tour- Let Loose by Rae Davies
April 30th- Author Spotlight- Karen Rose Smith
May 1st-First in a New Series- First Degree Fudge by Christine Desmet
May 2nd-Book Review
May 3rd-Book Trivia- Liz Mugavero

Hope to see you here!

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Book Trivia Saturday-Sparkle Abbey

It's time for Book Trivia! Today's Host is Sparkle Abbey!



Hello,
Thanks for stopping by Shelley’s blog.
We have a book trivia pop quiz for you today, but it’s a pretty easy one to figure out. At least we think so.

We write a pet mystery series that set in Laguna Beach and it features Caro and Melinda, two cousins. One is a pet therapist and one owns a fancy pet boutique. They take turns as the lead in our books, so sometimes it’s a Caro book and sometimes it’s a Mel book. Currently there are four books in the series.

All you have to do to be entered in the drawing for your choice of any of the Sparkle Abbey books is post the name of this Pampered Pets mystery.

Here are your four clues:

1. In this book the cousins are feuding about a family brooch. (Oh no, wait. That’s every book. LOL)

2. A secondary character in this book has a unique name which involves the months of the year.

3. The first line of both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 is, “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

4. The book includes some unusual artwork as part of the mystery.  

So that’s it! Post your guess below and we’ll draw from all the correct answers. The winner can choose any one of the four books that are currently out or our soon-to-be-released fifth book: FIFTY SHADES OF GREYHOUND which is going through the final processes at our publisher, Bell Bridge Books, and will be released later this month. It’s a Caro book and we’ve had a lot of fun with it and learned a lot of fascinating information about Greyhounds.

THE GIRL WITH THE DACHSUND TATTOO is in progress and we’re having a blast with it. Look for it to come out later in 2014.


Good Luck!!!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Blog Tour- The Corpse and the Emerald Thumb

I'm excited to have Cathy Ace with us today!Cathy is the author of The Corpse and the Emerald Thumb!


great escape tour banner large corpse emerald thumblarge banner640

The Corpse With The Emerald Thumb
by Cathy Ace

Synopsis
The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb (Cait Morgan Series #3)Criminologist and foodie Cait Morgan was looking forward to her dream vacation in Mexico with her boyfriend Bud Anderson. She wasn’t anticipating a fresh corpse on the floor of a local florist’s shop, and she definitely wasn’t expecting Bud to become the prime suspect.
With Bud’s freedom, and maybe even his life, at stake, Cait has to fight the clock to work out which member of the small community living in the seemingly idyllic municipality of Punta de las Rocas might have killed the locally respected florist, and why. Needing to investigate under the watchful gaze of the local police, Cait has to keep her relationship with Bud a secret, and she soon discovers she’s not the only one with something to hide. Peeling back layers of deceit to reveal even more puzzles, Cait struggles with a creeping sense of unreality, desperate to save Bud . . . and, ultimately, herself.In the third book in the beloved Cait Morgan Mysteries, The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb,travel to the idyllic Mexican countryside as Cait Morgan works against the clock to clear her wrongly accused partner of murder.
my review:
This fast-paced read will keep you on the edge of your seat with each turn of the page. Bud and Cait are on vacation in Mexico when something goes terribly wrong. Cait sees Bud killing some one in floral shop across the street and then being taken away by the police. She can't believe what she is seeing and then when Bud shouts out four names calls Jack and things get even more intense. This is a great suspense . It will keep you reading until the end. 

2cathyAbout This Author
Welsh Canadian mystery author Cathy Ace is the creator of the Cait Morgan Mysteries, which include The Corpse with the Silver Tongue, The Corpse with the Golden Nose, and The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb. Born, raised, and educated in Wales, Cathy enjoyed a successful career in marketing and training across Europe, before immigrating to Vancouver, Canada, where she taught on MBA and undergraduate marketing programs at various universities. Her eclectic tastes in art, music, food, and drink have been developed during her decades of extensive travel, which she continues whenever possible. Now a full-time author, Cathy’s short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, as well as on BBC Radio 4. She and her husband are keen gardeners, who enjoy being helped out around their acreage by their green-pawed Labradors.
 Author Links 
Website = www.cathyace.com
Twitter  = @AceCathy

Thanks for being here Cathy! 


Thursday, April 24, 2014

First in a New Series- Murder on Bamboo Lane

It's First in a New Series Thursday and I hope you are having a great day! Our First today is:

Murder on Bamboo Lane

Murder on Bamboo Lane by Naomi Hirahara

Book Description

 April 1, 2014
Trouble awaits rookie LAPD Officer Ellie Rush as she patrols the mean streets of Los Angeles on her bicycle…

Bike cop Ellie Rush dreams of becoming a homicide detective, but it’s still a shock when the first dead body she encounters on the job is that of a former college classmate.

At the behest of her Aunt Cheryl, the highest-ranking Asian-American officer in the LAPD (a source of pride for Ellie’s grandmother, but annoyance to her mom), Ellie becomes tangled in the investigation of the coed’s murder—with equal parts help and hindrance from her nosy best friend, her over-involved ex-boyfriend, a smoldering detective, and seemingly everyone else in her extended family…only to uncover secrets that a killer may go to any lengths to ensure stay hidden. 


Is this on your list? Have you read it? Tell us what you think.


you can buy it here if you haven't:

http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Bamboo-Officer-Ellie-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00F9F0UBK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397828845&sr=1-1&keywords=murder+on+bamboo+lane

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Author Spotlight- Blog Tour- Marilyn Meredith

It is a pleasure to be part of Marilyn Meredith's blog tour. Marilyn is the Author of Murder in the Worst Degree.

Book Description

 April 2, 2014
Officer Gordon Butler is called to the scene of a body washed up on the beach, a new police chief makes changes, a rapist attacks two women, Ryan and Barbara Strickland’s baby is born, but he faces an even bigger test, Detectives Milligan and Zachary follow a twisted path of clues to find a killer in Murder in the Worst Degree.

“As always, all the plot lines are completed, and the ending is very satisfying. This is a great read and highly recommended.”
—Larry K. & Lorna Collins, author of The Memory Keeper
---
“doesn’t neglect the drama of her character’s lives in this most enjoyable short novel.”
—C.K. Crigger, author of Two Feet Below and Three Seconds to Thunder
---
“Another 5 stars for Meredith! I like this book because it deals realistically and humanely with true crises or opportunities...special needs children, Alzheimer’s Disease, end-of-life decisions, and balancing careers and marriage.”
—J.L. Greger, author of Ignore the Pain.


My Review:

I was asked to read and review this book for her blog tour and I'm glad I did, I really enjoyed reading this well- written, fast- paced whodunit! Marilyn pulls you in from the start and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The characters are great and after reading this one you feel like you know them more and are part of the plot. 

This is the first one I have read in this series and after reading it, I will be going back to the beginning of the series so I can enjoy it as a whole. 


Thank you for letting me be part of this tour.




Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Guest Post- Lynn Cahoon

I'm excited to have Lynn Cahoon with us today! It is time to get to know her a bit more. So grab a beverage of choice and join us.
Welcome Lynn, So glad you could be here!!


Five things you didn’t know
Hi, I’m Lynn Cahoon. I’ve been published in romance for a few years now, but Guidebook to Murder is my first cozy mystery. I’m so excited for you all to get to visit South Cove, a tourist town nestled between the mountains and the central California coast.
I thought I’d do an introduction first, like any proper guest. LOL
Five things you didn’t know about me.
1-I’m a six year breast cancer survivor. It was this fright that got me busy writing. I realized ‘someday” may not come.
2-I spent the first 4 decades of my life in the same place, more or less. Boise Idaho is known as the Treasure Valley and I have to say, I miss my mountains.
3-I used to work for the state with the welfare, food stamps and Medicaid programs. Those years have given me a love for research. Especially when it isn’t dry, technical law, rules, and regulations.
4-My second time, I married for love. The first, out of fear. Believe me, love is better.
5- I’m addicted to potato chips. One of my first pictures is of me as a toddler sitting on the step at our Nampa house the bag of chips in my hands.  I’m the reason Lay’s created their slogan, “I can’t eat just one.”




Now its Jill Gardner’s, my amateur sleuth in the Tourist Trap Mysteries, turn.
1-Jill used to practice family law in San Francisco before she burned out and bought Coffee, Books, and More in South Cove.
2-Jill’s only living relative is her Aunt Jackie.
3-Jill is fiercely loyal to friends and can hold a grudge pretty well too.
4-Jill’s never been married for love, and doesn’t plan on marrying again.
5-When you ask Jill what her favorite food is, she has to stop and think. She loves all food, especially Diamond Lille’s fish and chips. And loaded potato soup.  And dessert. Does she have to choose just one?
Now it’s your turn. What one thing don’t most people know about you?
In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store--Coffee, Books, and More--open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder?
When Jill's elderly friend, Miss Emily, calls in a fit of pique, she already
knows the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily's gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill--along with all of her problems. . .and her enemies. Convinced her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit--especially if it gets her closer to South Cove's finest, Detective Greg King. Problem is, the killer knows she's on the case--and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently. . .
Links –


Bio
Lynn Cahoon’s a multi-published author. An Idaho native, her stories focus around the depth and experience of small town life and love. Lynn’s published in Chicken Soup anthologies, explored controversial stories for the confessional magazines, short stories in Women’s World, and contemporary romantic fiction. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and four fur babies.
Leave a comment I'm sure Lynn would love to hear from you!

Monday, April 21, 2014

Guest Post - Kari Lee Townsend

It is a beautiful Monday when Kari Lee Townsend us here!!! Get some coffee or tea and join us.

Thank you for being with us today Kari.



All in the Name of Research…


Authors are “unique” people. Many of us are visual. I know I am. I do a lot of research on the Internet. You would be amazed at all you can discover without ever leaving your home. Yet at the same time, I need to see things and do things in order to really be able to describe a scene and do it justice.
In my early romance novels, I would have my critique partner Barbara Witek come over and we would act out many scenes. For DESTINY WEARS SPURS I needed to see what it was like to rope a calf and mount a horse. No, I don’t have a calf or a horse in my living room, so yes, we roped and mounted each other. Then we noticed the blinds were open. The poor people out for an evening walk or driving by had to wonder what in the world we were doing.

For PROJECT PRODUCE I needed to see what produce would work for a psychology project my character was conducting. She needed to research how the size of a man’s Mr. Winkie affected his personality. So yes, my CP and I found ourselves in the produce section of the grocery store fondling and sizing up the pickles, cucumbers, and zucchinis. The poor produce manager asked me, “Can I help you?” To which I studied the size of his hands and feet, then replied, “You probably could, but I seriously don’t think you would want to.” The look on his face was priceless.


For SLEEPING IN THE MIDDLE my character’s friends dragged her to an adult “toy” store. She had never been, and frankly, neither had I. So of course I dragged my CP with me to an adult toy store in the city where we lived. We sat in the car, trying to get up the nerve to go in, when people started walking out with items wrapped in newspaper. We ducked down and watched for a while, then chickened out and went home. That was one bit of research that wasn’t going to be “hands on”.





I moved on to mysteries, thank goodness When I needed to research what it was like to carry a gun, spy through someone’s back window, and investigate, I put on a black leather jacket, grabbed my son’s air soft gun, a fake knife, a walkie talkie, and a notebook. Then I set up my camera and took pictures of myself posing with weapons and peeping through the window. Until I saw my neighbor standing on his patio, looking at me like I was nuts. I totally forgot he and his wife are both cops. Needless to say, I had a lot of explaining to do that day. I get into enough trouble with my critique partner around, but I get into more when left on my own.

For my FORTUNE TELLER MYSTERIES, I’ve had my tea leaves read, my palm read, my past life read, gone to a psychic fair, used a weegie board, and sat through a séance. I bought tea leaves, a crystal ball, and tarot cards. After researching the process online, I became the psychic, and my poor CP became my “victim”. She’s had tea leaves stuck in her teeth while trying to sip the water, her eyes strained while trying to see something…anything…in a crystal ball I made her stare at for far too long, and a headache from trying to make sense of tarot cards. I even dragged her along to a book signing once to demonstrate the process, only to have a huge line of people waiting to meet the real psychic. We barely escaped with our lives when they found out I only play one in my books.


For KICKING THE HABIT my character goes through a self-defense class after getting attacked. So of course I dragged my CP along to my neighbor’s house for a class she was holding. My neighbor is the real deal and as tough as can be. In fact, she is the self-defense instructor I used in that book. My poor CP ended up spraining her arm. I think we were the only ones who actually threw each other on the matt. And later, we acted out fight scenes. I’m surprised no one called the cops that day. You would have thought we were killing each other.














Lucky for her, PERIL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS was about a slightly OCD germaphobe fashion designer who has a freak accident that allows her to read people’s minds, but only through the power of touch—a total nightmare for someone like my character, yet a total relief for my CP. No acting out necessary for that one, just a lot of online research, watching episodes of Monk, and brainstorming ideas…all in the name of research ;)



To find out more about Kari and all of her books check out her website at http://www.karileetownsend.com

First in Series- Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Ross

Happy Monday! This week's First in Series is Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Ross Released on August 22, 2000. Seri...