Posted in excerpt, Poetry on January 25, 2024

 

 

Synopsis

 

Nature speaks to us in many ways. In this collection of haiku written over the course of one year, Jim Bates has chosen the 5-7-5 syllable format to share his feelings for the natural world. He hopes you enjoy them.

After the snowstorm

Winter’s soft gentle beauty

Snow on evergreens.

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Praise

 

“Award winning author Jim Bates writes entire stories inside the parameters of a Haiku. Each word invokes imagery so impactful that one forgets it is wrapped in such few words. From the simplicity of a haiku comes boundless emotion and each one is to be savored.” – Acclaimed writer Sharon Frame Gay is the author of “Song of the Highway” and “Nomad Diner.”

“Jim Bates brings a clear view of nature in his tiny gems–a beautiful collection of the Haiku art form.” – Shelia Henry is an accomplished poet whose work appears in many anthologies and online publications.

Jim packs beautiful imagery into Haiku and within them manages to deliver to us deep insightful stories. This is a book you will want to read over and over. Charming! – Ger White is an Irish poet and storyteller. “Newspapers on the Floor” is her first collection of poems.

Jim Bates’ new book “Haiku Seasons” is filled with beautiful shortform poems that are meditative in their quality. Each poem evokes a visual image of seasonal wonder. It is a perfect book to relax you at the end of a long day. – Ann Christine Tabaka, is a poet & author whose most recent collection of poems is “Learning To Climb the Mountain.”

 

 

Excerpt

 

Haiku Seasons is a wonderful compilation of heartfelt, thoughtful, and soulful haiku.

 

Soft snowflakes drifting

Brushing eyelids so gently

Like a lover’s touch.

 

The book is divided into four seasons, and the haiku within each season reflects images, with words evoking snowflakes, bluebirds in the spring, geese winging south in the autumn, or childhood memories of a summer cabin.

 

By the forest path

Babbling woodland stream flowing

Music to dream by.

 

Some are joyful. Some are whimsical, while others reflect the quiet hours of a winter’s day before a soothing fire.

 

Northwest wind blowing

Cold gray winter day chills deep

Fireplace burns so warm.

 

Each haiku reflects the deep and sensitive soul of award-winning author Jim Bates, who delivers these special poems with a fine hand and a depth of spirit. I highly recommend this book.

 

Hot day on a dock

Feet dangling in cool water

Sunfish nibbling toes.

 

 

About the Author

 

Jim’s stories and poems have appeared in nearly five hundred online and print publications. His collection of short stories, Resilience, is published by Bridge House Publishing. Short Stuff, a collection of flash fiction and drabbles is published by Chapeltown Books. Periodic Stories, Periodic Stories Volume Two, Periodic Stories Volume Three – A Novel, and Periodic Stories Volume Four are published by Impspired. Dreamers, a collection of short stories, is published by Clarendon House Publishing. Something Better, a dystopian adventure novella, and the novel, The Alien of Orchard Lake, are published by Dark Myth Publications. In the fall of 2022, his collection entitled Holiday Stories was published by Impspired as was his collection of poetry, Haiku Seasons. In February 2023, Periodic Stories Volume IV was published, as was his collection of poems, The Alchemy of Then, both by Impspired. In June 2023, a collection of flash fiction, Dancing With Butterflies, was published by Impspired.In July 2023, his YA novella The Battle of Marvel Wood was published by Impspired. His short story “Aliens” was nominated by The Zodiac Press for the 2020 Pushcart Prize. His story “The Maple Leaf” was voted 2021 Story of the Year for Spillwords. He was voted December 2022 Author of the Month for Spillwords. He also reads his stories for Talking Stories Radio and for Jim’s Storytime on his website. He lives in a small town west of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

Website

 

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery on January 24, 2024

 

 

 

 

Twinkle Twinkle Au Revoir: A Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Virginia
Level Best Books (January 16, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 252 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Love is in the air when Hollywood arrives in Mermaid Bay, and the town may never be the same.

Fans will do almost anything to get a glimpse of the actors or a chance to be an extra in the Love Channel’s “My Coastal Valentine.” Crowds flock to the cozy beach town from all over and business is booming for Christmas shop owner, Jade Hicks until the body of a testy reporter is found in one of the actors rooms. And if murder isn’t bad enough, someone tries to kill the show’s star, hunky Raphael Allard.

The cozy little beach town feels cursed, as the Love Channel threatens to pull out of the project. Jade and the gang, Lorelei, Peppermint Patti, Bernie, Chloe, and Neville the Devil Cat, have to solve the crimes before it ruins the town’s reputation and breaks the hearts of fans across the country.

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Guest Post

 

What I Learned about the Writing Life from 1970s Cartoons

 

Heather Weidner, Author of the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries and the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries

 

I’m first-generation Sesame Street and M-TV. I’m a Gen-Xer who watched way too much television in the 1970s and 80s, but all those hours in front of the magic box (with no cable or remote) taught me some things about mysteries and the writing life.

I have been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, and The Funky Phantom. Saturday morning cartoons were part of every week’s ritual, along with the required bowl of overly sugared cereal. The sleuths in these shows were everyday kids (or a dog or a ghost). These cartoons showed me that you didn’t have to be an adult with a lot of training to solve a mystery and right wrongs. You could be heroic at any age. You just needed your wits and some creativity.

Use Your Assets – In most of these shows, the kids used what they had in the moment. Start with what’s already in your toolbox. You need to put in the time and energy to hone your skills and build your platform.

Everyone Needs Friends – Find Your Group – Scooby and Shaggy, Archie and Jughead, the Super Friends, Speed Buggy, and the Groovie Ghoulies – The writing journey is a long (often solitary one), you need friends, mentors, coaches, and cheerleaders. Find your crew and support each other. Make sure that you’re an active participant with the writing community. You don’t have to do everything, but you need to do something. Share ideas, experiences, and contacts. Provide feedback and guidance and make sure to support other writers.

People (or Dogs, Ghosts, Ghoulies) Are Willing to Help – The Writing Community is full of authors at different stages in their careers who are gracious with their time and advice. Find your writing allies and cherish them.

Often It’s Scary – How many scary monsters did the Mystery Inc. group battle in Scooby-Doo? (Hundreds!) Most of them turned out to be evil adults who were thwarted by a bunch of kids and Great Dane. There are some rough patches and scary stuff along the writing journey. Rejections, bad critiques, and nasty reviews aren’t pleasant. Learn what you can from them and keep going.

Be Flexible and Resourceful – Most of the characters on Saturday morning cartoons were amateurs, and not everything went according to plan (Wile E. Coyote, Hong Kong Phooey, The Hair Bear Bunch, Pebbles and Bam-Bam, …). You are going to run into all kinds of roadblocks and dead ends. Figure out ways to move forward and to advance your goals. Use your gifts. Be creative and find your way out of the spooky castle, the creepy swamp, or the eerie abandoned theme park.

 

Writing and publishing are a business. Your writing life is a rollercoaster of a journey, just like those cartoons from decades ago. It’ll be chock-full of thrills and anticipation, along with a few dips and hair-raising twists and turns. Arm yourself and hone your skills for the adventure.

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime: National, Central Virginia, Chessie, Guppies, and Grand Canyon Writers, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers, and she blogs regularly with the Writers Who Kill.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.

 

Website & Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram

 

GoodreadsAmazon Author Page * Pinterest

 

LinkedInBookBub  * BlueSky

 

 

Giveaway

 

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Posted in 5 paws, excerpt, Giveaway, Historical, Literary, Review on January 23, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

If the fate of unrequited love survives fifty-one years, nine months, and four days in Gabriel García Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera, it leads the way for HER: The Flame Tree, a spare, remorseless love triptych that sweeps through the rich panorama of two generations of colonial and post-colonial Vietnam. The hopeless love of a young eunuch for a high-ranking concubine is one of this novel’s three stories that illuminate the oriental mystery of Vietnam, as epic as it is persevering,

Despite a rich trove of documentary films, Western readers know little of the spiritual face of Vietnam. Framed between 1915 and 1993, HER: The Flame Tree begins in Huế, the former imperial capital Vietnam. It is in the Purple Forbidden City, that Canh, the young eunuch, fulfills his vow to be near the girl of his dreams, a villager-turned imperial concubine.

The novel begins with an expatriate Vietnamese man living in the United States who journeys back to Vietnam to search for the adopted daughter of a centenarian eunuch of the Imperial Court of Huế to find out who she really is. His world takes on a new meaning after he becames a part of her life.

Phượng. Her name is the magnificent flame tree’s flowers that grace the ancient capital of Huế. Her father, mentor of Canh the young eunuch, was a hundred-year-old grand eunuch of the Imperial Court, who had adopted and raised her since she was a baby. Their peaceful world suddenly changed when one day, sometime in the early years of the Vietnam war, Jonathan Edward came into their lives. On his quest to search for his just deceased lover’s mysterious birth, there he met Phượng, an exquisite beauty.

Through the eye of her father, history is retold. Just before the fall of the French Indochina during the last dynasty of Vietnam, a young eunuch hopelessly fell in love with a high-ranking concubine. Once the eunuch had secured the concubine’s trust, it became a fatal attraction. The eunuch died. The concubine, still a virgin, lost her mind. Her father said she was possessed by the young eunuch’s spirit who had been madly in love with her.

HER: The Flame Tree does not have the flavor of historical fiction, plot-heavy and sexually graphic. Rather, it is atmospheric and impressionistic, in the style of Snow Falling on Cedars. The magnificent poinciana flowers, which grace the ancient capital of Huế, symbolize farewell in Vietnamese adolescent romance. Its symbolic image befits Phượng for her magnanimous nature and grace, and the scarlet blossoming flowers when Jonathan Edward bids Phượng farewell is beauty without sadness—Wait and Hope.

 

 

 

Amazon * Barnes&Noble * Bookshop

 

 

Praise

 

“In this almost folkloric saga of a royal eunuch, his adopted daughter and the tragedies and triumphs of love in their lives from the days of the emperor’s court to the war with America, Khanh Ha takes us deeply into the heart of traditional Vietnam in a tale told in such lushly poetic, descriptive language that it immerses the reader deeply and sensually into the gorgeousness of the land, the texture and taste of food, and the complex humanity of the characters. Her: The Flame Tree is an intricately woven, seductively fascinating story of family, sacrifice, loyalty and redeeming love in the face of heart-breaking loss that breathtakingly weaves the lives of individuals we come to know and care about into the saga of Vietnamese—and American—history.” —Wayne Karlin, author of Memorial Days

“Ha evokes a visceral image of Vietnam . . .  A vivid study of a country’s fraught history and how its people struggled to make sense of it.” —Kirkus Reviews

Her: The Flame Tree is a beautiful novel, rich with evocations of natural setting in coastal Vietnam; remembered action going back more than a hundred years; and characters both extraordinary and poignantly ordinary, developed by layer upon layer of stories.”—Elizabeth Harris, judge and author of Mayhem: Three Lives of a Woman

“Early in Khanh Ha’s latest novel Her: The Flame Tree, the author describes a book made of delicate leaves of gold. Such a volume would be ideal to record this shimmering and often tender tale of love, loss, and memory.” —Steve Evans, author of The Marriage of True Minds

 

 

Excerpt

 

Miss Phượng met the last concubine of Emperor Tự-Ðức when the woman was very old, in the final year of her long life. When the emperor died in 1883, she was only fifteen. She told Miss Phượng she was one hundred and twenty-three now. Small, birdlike, white hair parted in the middle, braided in two small plaits on the sides of her head.

She took Miss Phượng by the hand and led her into the cottage, which sat behind a bamboo hedge in the back of the mausoleum. She served tea from a tiny blue-flowered pot the size of her hand. The nougats she offered were made of egg whites and brown sugar and chopped nuts. Brittle, they melted quickly in the mouth.

“I used to make them for the emperor,” she told Miss Phượng. “A long time ago.” Then regarding Miss Phượng, she nodded, “See the banyan out there?”

It dwarfed the cottage with its shade, like an immense pavilion. Miss Phượng traced its tortuous roots to the steps of the concubine’s home.

“It was a little tree when I came,” the old woman muttered.

“Yes,” Miss Phượng said, “trees outlive us. My father had a magnolia planted outside the Trinh Minh Palace during his service as the grand eunuch for the imperial family. He would be three years older than you, Madam, if he still lived.”

In the deceased emperor’s personal room the old concubine sat down on the carved rosewood bed. Hunched between the parted panels of the yellow mosquito net, she sat amidst her husband’s belongings—the bed, its embroidered mat, the porcelain pillow, the tea, the rice liquor, the areca-nuts and betel leaves and a tiny pot of lime. They were here for him when he returned in spirit.

For one hundred and eight years she replenished them every morning so that when he arrived nothing was missing, nothing was stale. He could read his favorite books. He could write, as was his passion, in his annals, each page of which was a thin leaf of gold. He would find again his gold swords, jade shrubs, his chess men in green and white jade, chopsticks made of kim-giao white wood that turned black against any sort of poison. They were arranged there under glass.

Miss Phượng took the old woman’s hand and led her out of her haunt, passing candle-lit nooks and corners and the eternally mildewed air of the sunless chambers.

 

©Khanh Ha

 

 

Guest Review by Nora

 

A spellbinding novel from one of the greatest authors of our time– ‘Her: The Flame Tree,’ by Khanh Ha, is a one-of-a-kind story that allows the reader to travel deep into the heart of Vietnamese history.

Minh is a Vietnamese man now living in America who returns to his home country to seek out one very special woman and learn her story. Phuong is the adopted daughter of a former court eunuch who spent much of her life caring for her elderly father. Of both Vietnamese and French descent, Phuong knows nothing of her birth parents and has only ever known the love of her adopted father, Canh. But Canh has a storied history as well, and the novel unveils these three different timelines as it goes along.

From the halls of the palace of the Imperial Emperor to the packed streets of the marketplace, ‘Her: he Flame Tree’ takes you on a journey that you won’t soon forget.

I’m a huge fan of Khanh Ha’s writing and have enjoyed several of his books in the past, which is why I had a feeling I would enjoy this one. As an author, he has an undeniable way of crafting an atmosphere that makes the reader feel immersed in the story.

Between that creative blend of Vietnamese and American culture that Ha is so great at illustrating, and the strength and power of the characters, this book was a strong five star read for me!

I can’t imagine a better way to spend a winter evening than enjoying a book by this stellar author. This, being one of my first books of the year, was such a treat for both the heart and mind. I simply cannot wait to read whatever Ha comes out with next! I’m sure it will be extraordinary!

 

 

About the Author

 

Award winning author Khanh Ha is a nine-time Pushcart nominee, finalist for The Ohio State University Fiction Collection Prize, Mary McCarthy Prize, Many Voices Project, Prairie Schooner Book Prize, The University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize, Prize Americana, and The Santa Fe Writers Project. He is the recipient of the Sand Hills Prize for Best Fiction, The Robert Watson Literary Prize in Fiction, The Orison Anthology Award for Fiction, The James Knudsen Prize for Fiction, The C&R Press Fiction Prize, The EastOver Fiction Prize, The Blackwater Press Fiction Prize, The Gival Press Novel Award, and The Red Hen Press Fiction Award.

 

 

Website * Blog * X (Twitter) * Facebook * Pinterest

 

 

Giveaway

 

This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies and is open to the U.S. only.

This giveaway ends on Feb 22, 2024, at midnight pacific time.

Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, Monday, mystery on January 22, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

A Bean to Die For (A Coffee Lover’s Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Florida
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (January 9, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Perfect for fans of Cleo Coyle and Lucy Burdette, reporter-turned-barista Lana Lewis is back on the case when a body is dug up in the community garden.

Lana Lewis is brewing up new concoctions at Perkatory, a popular café in Devil’s Beach, when she decides she wants to try her hand at growing her own coffee. She secures a gardening plot in the community garden, thanks to her father and the garden’s owner, Darla. Darla’s list of rules is long, but that doesn’t stop someone from leaving Jack Daggett’s body amongst the gardening plots.

Jack, an environmental activist, had been banned from the garden previously, because of his many fights with Darla about organic produce. Lana promises her boyfriend, police chief Noah, that she’s going to stay out of this case, having been too involved in previous cases. But when she learns that Jack died from an accidental overdose, and Darla is the top suspect because of her shady past, Lana can’t help but poke around in an attempt to clear Darla’s name.

As Lana dives deeper into the case, she learns that Jack had more enemies than she realized. When Darla turns up dead, Lana has to turn up the heat on her investigation. With Lana on the case, it won’t be long before someone spills the beans to crack this case wide open. But will she able to find the killer before they strike again?

 

 

 

Amazon * Barnes & NobleKoboBookshop

 

 

Guest Post

 

In the future, those of us who lived through the dark times of the pandemic will measure those years in what we watched while we tried to mentally disconnect from the virus and the world.

Binging streaming TV series was a balm for our stressed souls.

We started with Tiger King, a docu-series about troublingly strange people who were obsessed with big cats. Some of us sampled the sexy-yet-mind-numbingly dumb 365 Days, if only because the main characters were beautiful and were having the sex we weren’t.

After that, we did a one-eighty and tried to redeem what brain cells we had left with Ted Lasso, or perhaps the Queen’s Gambit.

By 2021, we were ready for a touch of the real world. But not too much, because things were still dicey.

And that’s when we were given the best viewing gift of all: a cozy mystery series. There is nothing like a little gentle murder, one that’s low-stakes yet interesting, to capture our attention.

Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez — along with a rotating list of A-list stars — was released in August of 2021, just as Hot Girl Summer was withering into another dreary, lonely fall.

Readers of cozy mystery novels recognized the series for what it was right away. It had all the hallmarks of the genre: amateur sleuths, a tight knit, closed community, a non-gory homicide, no on-screen sex. The premise was simple: three incredibly different people who all love true crime podcasts come together to make a podcast of their own when a murder happens in their New York City building.

Viewers fell in love with the series, and so did critics; it won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes.

I have a theory that since the pandemic, people have discovered, or re-discovered, cozy mysteries. The genre is perfect for armchair travel.  And in a world that’s become scary and complex, the concept of seeking justice for one homicide turns sharp reality into a comfy, manageable — and most importantly, bingeable — escape.

I published my first cozy mystery, Grounds for Murder, in December of 2020, about nine months before OMITB came out. That show is on its third season, my publisher is about the release the fourth book in the Coffee Lover’s Mystery Series in January. The title is A BEAN TO DIE FOR, and it has all of the cozy tropes readers love: a quirky setting, found family, eccentric characters, humor — and gentle murder.

 

Here’s an excerpt from my book:

 

Dad continued talking about Jack’s crop, and I walked on. Sure enough, there were some tall vines snaking up wire trellises. The spicy, earthy scent of tomato plants hung in the humid, heavy air. Maybe I’d get some free tomatoes out of this situation. Was that unethical, to take the previous guy’s fruit?

It was March, which meant the Florida growing season was in full swing. Unlike up north, it’s impossible to cultivate anything in Florida in the summer. I still didn’t fully know what this meant for my small coffee plants sprouting in the makeshift greenhouse back at my place. Would they grow as well as these tomatoes? I sure hoped so.

I was about to round the corner and walk along the last, long row of my plot when I stopped. There was something unusual lying on the ground.

Feet.

“Uh, guys.” Black sandals and white socks came into view, with the toes pointing to the sky. I leaned forward, unsure if I should pro- ceed further. “Hello? Are you okay?”

Erica slammed into my back, probably because she was looking at her phone. “Hello! What? I’m fine!”

“Not you. Him. There’s something other than tomatoes here,” I said in a shaky voice, pointing in front of me.

There, sticking out between two tall plants bursting with fruit, were the sun-beaten, motionless legs of an elderly man.

 

 

About the Author

 

Tara Lush is a Florida-based author and journalist. She’s an RWA Rita finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow, and the winner of the George C. Polk Award for environmental journalism.

She was a reporter with The Associated Press in Florida, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters, and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations under the name Tamara Lush.

Tara is a fan of vintage pulp fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, 1980s fashion, tropical chill, kombucha, gin, tonic, seashells, iPhones, Art Deco, telenovelas, street art, coconut anything, strong coffee and newspapers. She lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband and two dogs.

Her debut mystery series is published by Crooked Lane Books.

 

Facebook * Website * Instagram * Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway

 

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Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery on January 21, 2024

 

 

 

 

Deadly to the Core (A Cider House Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Pennsylvania
Crooked Lane Books (January 16, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 250 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Julie Anne Lindsey, when Kate Mulligan inherits her great uncle’s fruit orchard, she quickly realizes that apples aren’t the only thing that can have rotten cores.

After losing her husband in a terrible car crash, thirty-five-year-old Kate is left to pick up the pieces of her life alone. Although she has physically recovered, she worries her spirit never will. But when she learns that she has inherited a fruit orchard in a small town just outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, from her great uncle Stan, she takes this as an opportunity ripe for the picking. Kate knew immediately what to do with it: open a cider house. Her hopeful plans fall far from the tree when she finds the body of the orchard manager, Carl Randolph, leaving her to figure out who is at the core of this murder.

She had been in correspondence with Carl, who had agreed with her brilliant idea of opening a cider house. But not everyone is so quick to buy what she was selling—Uncle Stan’s lawyer, Robert Larabee, paints a less rosy financial outlook of the orchard’s past, present, and future.

Kate discovers that Carl had large, unexplained deposits to his bank account and it becomes clear that either he was blackmailing someone, or someone was paying him to keep quiet. Meanwhile, Kate and her neighbors receive offers to buy their property from a mysterious buyer. And there’s more than meets the eye with the neighboring orchard owner, Daniel Martinez, although Kate can’t quite put her finger on if it’s sweet or sour.

Will she be able to pick out the bad apple among the bunch before it’s too late?

 

 

 

Amazon * B&NKoboBookshop  PenguinRandomHouse

 

 

Guest Post

 

Hi, everyone. I’m Kate Mulligan. I’m not sure why anyone wants to hear from me, but here goes. I just moved to Orchardville, Pennsylvania from Pittsburgh. For some reason, my great-uncle Stan willed me his orchard. I’m glad he did, though. I needed something new—something to look forward to. It’s been a terrible year for me. You see, my husband Brian and I were in a car accident and he was killed. I made it through although I’m put together with a good bit of titanium. I’m on the mend, but I miss my husband with all my heart. I’m happy I have something to focus on now.

Before the accident, I managed a cidery in Pittsburgh. Brian and I had dreamed of opening our own someday and now with the orchard, I’ll be able to do just that. I’d spent summers with my grandmother and Uncle Stan. There was an old barn on the property that with the help of my orchard manager Carl Randolph and some local people, has been restored. It’s ready for the fermentation tanks to arrive any day now.

I can’t forget to mention my friend Marguerite Yost. She owns the café in town. Back when I used to spend the summers at Grandma’s house, we were inseparable. We kept in touch some over the years, but it wasn’t the same. It’s good to have a friend. The people in Orchardville are so nice. Rudy, who owns the grocery store wouldn’t even let me pay for groceries on my first trip. He and his wife Ruth were good friends with Grandma and Uncle Stan. Daniel Martinez, the neighboring orchard owner, has been great, too. He even made me save his number in my phone contacts in case I needed anything. Not that I’ll ever use it, of course.

Right now I’m heading to Carl’s cabin in the orchard. He’s going to give me my first lesson on fruit trees and owning an orchard. I don’t know a thing about it, but I’m anxious to learn it all. I can see his cabin from here and it looks like the front door is open. And I hear music blasting from inside. I hope everything is all right…

 

 

About the Author

 

Joyce St. Anthony was a police secretary for ten years and more than once envisioned the demise of certain co-workers but settled on writing as a way to keep herself out of jail. In addition to the Homefront News Mysteries, she is the author of the Brewing Trouble Mysteries and the upcoming Cider House Mysteries, written under her own name, Joyce Tremel. She lives in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania with her husband.

 

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Giveaway

 

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Posted in 5 paws, Book Release, fiction, Review, women on January 20, 2024

 

 

Synopsis

 

On paper, Zoe Zeng has made it in New York’s fashion world as a fashion columnist at Chic. But life in New York City isn’t as chic as Zoe imagined. Then one day, Zoe receives a job offer at FitPick, an app startup based in Silicon Valley. With her current career at a dead end, Zoe accepts the offer and swaps high fashion for high tech, haute couture for HTML. She soon realizes that in an industry claiming to change the world for the better, not everyone’s intentions are pure. With an eight-figure investment on the line, Zoe must find a way to revamp FitPick’s image despite Silicon Valley’s elitism and her icy colleagues. Or the company’s future will go up in smoke—and hers with it.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Bookshop

 

 

Review

 

I stayed up way too late trying to finish this book! I didn’t make it and had to finish up the next day. Yes, it was that good!

This book reminded me that while women have come a long way in this world, there are plenty of men out there who still try to hold us back. This book may hit some trigger points for people, but everything that happened is what you see in this world today. It is a shame that we haven’t moved past the point where people do not treat each other respectfully and only look out for their own interests.

Zoe is young and has a lot to learn, but that doesn’t stop her from jumping into a new career across the country. I appreciated her zeal for the job and also for championing the underdog in the influencer world. She may have been naive at various times, but I think her inexperience was actually a plus in this situation. She could think outside the box. Plus, fashion is her world and she knew what would or wouldn’t work.

There are friendships that are formed along the way for Zoe, and even some interoffice romance. Zoe is true to herself, or at least does her best, and seeks out the same in those around her. She has to navigate a few sticky situations but does it gracefully and without too many blunders. She is a character that I really admire, even when she is having a pity party.

While I have had a bit of a reading slump so far this year, this book engaged my soul and reenergized my love for reading.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Born and raised in Singapore, Kyla Zhao graduated in 2021 from Stanford University with an MA in Communications (Media Studies) and a BA in Psychology. Right now, she works in marketing at a tech company in Silicon Valley, California.

Besides novel writing, Kyla has an extensive magazine editorial portfolio. Previously, she was a fashion and lifestyle writer at Vogue Singapore. She has also written for the Singapore editions of Harper’s Bazaar and Tatler, covered the Asian Television Awards, and interviewed personalities such as singer Nathan Sykes.

Above all else, Kyla hopes to champion Asian representation in her works and write the characters of color that she rarely got to read about when she was young.

 

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Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, mystery on January 19, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Family Man (Rosedale Investigations)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Tennessee
Camel Press (January 9, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages

 

Synopsis

 

A woman approaches Rosedale Investigations to report her husband missing. Then another woman arrives to report her husband is missing. When the team sees the photographs of James Browning, they realize it’s the same guy; they have a bigamist on their hands. Detective Wayne Nichols locates Browning’s car at the local airport and learns the man’s been subpoenaed to provide evidence in the trial of a decade-old murder of a police officer-a shooting Browning witnessed.

A second client, Hilary Broadchurch-Miller believes her brother, Grant, is being blackmailed by Aimee, his yoga instructor. He had earlier pledged to cover the cost of sending Hilary’s sons to college and she’s afraid he might renege on that promise. When Billy Jo interviews Aimee, she denies having an affair and is shocked when accused of blackmail. However, when Billy Jo checks the Venmo app, she discovers Grant has been giving Aimee money for two months. Something is definitely going on.

This one is a page-turner with two wives who don’t know about each other, a man who may or may not have a daughter, and a final 4th of July party where all the strands of the tale come together.

 

 

Amazon

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Lyn Farrell is the pen name of Lynda Farquhar the author of the Mae December Mystery series as well as the Rosedale Investigations series. She is a former Michigan State University professor in the College of Human Medicine, a mother, and a grandmother. She loves playing with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and is always on the lookout for her family artist grandfather’s (Eugene Iverd) paintings. He was a Saturday Evening Post cover artist.

 

Website * Facebook

 

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 

 

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Posted in excerpt, Novella on January 18, 2024

 

 

Synopsis

 

For Quinn and his young family, life in 2220 in the aftermath of global warming was a depressing dead-end existence with no future past the mandatory forty-year life span at which point you were unceremoniously put to death and turned into compost. But only if you lived that long. One day Quinn makes a fateful decision with a disastrous effect, and it forces him and his wife and son along with a friend to flee the confines of The City in search of a different life. Something better. But first, they need to elude the World Order Security Police who are dispatched to track them down with orders to shoot to kill. Will they make it? Read their inspiring story and find out.

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Excerpt

 

When they were seated on the Carrier, Matt said to his dad, politely, “Thank you, Daddy, for taking me. I had a really fun time.”

Quinn smiled. He loved his son, and he was glad he’d been able to spend time with him. Once a week wasn’t often enough. “I had fun, too.”

The first stop was the building where children of Matt’s age were kept. Quinn wanted to hug him but knew the World Order frowned upon signs of affection. After a brief hesitation, he thought, what the hell, why not? and grabbed Matt in a big bear hug, knowing the surveillance cameras would catch him and punish him accordingly, taking a day off his LifeLine. Too bad, he thought, holding his son tighter. Matt hugged him back. He felt his son’s sweet breath on his neck and it made him smile. The hug was worth it.

Finally, Matt squirmed away, giggling. “I’ll see you next week, Daddy.”

“Okay, son. The History Center, right?”

“Right.”

“See you then. Bye, bye.” Quinn waved.

The Transport Carrier then headed for the concrete building where Quinn and his wife lived. He watched the landscape passing by outside his window, featureless and grey with dust and ash everywhere. Relentlessly depressing. His mind drifted back to the exhibit he and Matt had seen. He loved the colors: the green trees and the blue pond. The red cardinal. Not the grey decay he and his wife and son lived in every day. It’d be a week before he’d see Matt again and he was already looking forward to it. In fact, at that moment he made a fateful decision. When they got together next time, he was going to hold his son again. Tight. No matter what the consequences. LifeLine be damned. It’d be worth it.

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Jim’s stories and poems have appeared in nearly five hundred online and print publications. His collection of short stories, Resilience, is published by Bridge House Publishing. Short Stuff, a collection of flash fiction and drabbles is published by Chapeltown Books. Periodic Stories, Periodic Stories Volume Two, Periodic Stories Volume Three – A Novel, and Periodic Stories Volume Four are published by Impspired. Dreamers, a collection of short stories, is published by Clarendon House Publishing. Something Better, a dystopian adventure novella, and the novel, The Alien of Orchard Lake, are published by Dark Myth Publications. In the fall of 2022, his collection entitled Holiday Stories was published by Impspired as was his collection of poetry, Haiku Seasons. In February 2023, Periodic Stories Volume IV was published, as was his collection of poems, The Alchemy of Then, both by Impspired. In June 2023, a collection of flash fiction, Dancing With Butterflies, was published by Impspired.In July 2023, his YA novella The Battle of Marvel Wood was published by Impspired. His short story “Aliens” was nominated by The Zodiac Press for the 2020 Pushcart Prize. His story “The Maple Leaf” was voted 2021 Story of the Year for Spillwords. He was voted December 2022 Author of the Month for Spillwords. He also reads his stories for Talking Stories Radio and for Jim’s Storytime on his website. He lives in a small town west of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

Website

 

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery, Recipe on January 17, 2024

 

 

 

 

A Crust to Die For (A Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Georgia
Severn House (January 2, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages

 

Synopsis

 

The Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off has the small town of Branson, Georgia buzzing. Not least its organizer, Southern Style’s food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin. But right before the finals one of the celebrity judges falls ill, and to Tiffany’s horror the magazine replaces him with none other than handsome TV star and restaurateur Bartholomew Driscoll.

Tiffany once gave his restaurant a poor review, and she’s convinced he’s only accepted the job to get revenge. She fully expects Driscoll will find a way to ruin the contest . . . but she definitely doesn’t expect to trip over his dead body backstage!

Soon, it’s clear Tiffany wasn’t the only person who had less than positive feelings towards the sharp-tongued Driscoll. She’s surrounded by suspects – but which of the motley crew of contestants, family members and scorned friends and colleagues had the guts to commit murder?

With the help of her BFF Hilary and annoyingly handsome detective Bartell, and with cat Lily and puppy Cooper as emotional support, Tiffany investigates, only to discover that revenge is indeed a dish best served cold . . .

 

 

Amazon * B&N

 

 

Guest Post & Recipe

 

Hello Folks!  I’m T.C.LoTempio, author of the Nick and Nora mysteries, the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries, and most recently, the Tiffany Austin Food blogger mysteries!

In A CRUST TO DIE FOR, Tiffany’s latest adventure (out January 2!)  Tiffany emcees a pizza baking contest. And who doesn’t love pizza, right? Below are two of Tiffany’s favorite pizza recipes! We hope they will be yours too!

 

Cheesy Easy bake Pizza

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar (can substitute honey

½ cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup sliced onion

2 bell peppers, cut thin

16 oz mozzarella cheese, grated

2 cups tomato sauce

Toppings of your choice

 

Directions:

Prepare crust: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar or honey in warm water, then add the olive oil and the salt.

In a separate bowl, mix flours together. Add them to liquid mixture, stirring first and then kneading to incorporate. Let dough rise 30-40 minutes. While dough is rising, saute sliced onions in a pan over medium heat with a little olive oil to caramelize their sugars. Cook until transparent but not browned. Reduce heat, add a little water to prevent browning, and let cook another 10 to 15 minutes until glossy and sweet. Add sliced peppers and cook 5-10 more minutes.

Once dough has risen, preheat oven to 425°. Divide dough in half. On clean, floured surface, roll out two round, 12 in. pizza crusts, using fingers to roll the perimeter into an outer crust edge as thick as you like. Using a spatula, slide crusts onto well-floured pans or baking stones. If using fresh tomatoes, layer cheese evenly over crust, then scatter your favorite toppings on top, finishing with the herbs. If using tomato sauce, spread over crust, top with cheese and then other toppings.

Bake pizzas in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the crust is brown and crisp.

Note:  You can substitute pre-made pizza dough if you prefer.

 

 

Ricotta Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough (you can either make your own as per first recipe, or get the pre-made at your grocery store)

Ricotta cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

(Quantity depends on how cheesy you want pizza)

Fresh basil

Salt

Pepper

Minced garlic

 

Directions:

Layer the ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese on the pizza dough.  Sprinkle Parmesan over top.  Add salt, pepper, and minced garlic.  Bake in preheated oven until crust is brown and crisp.  Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

 

 

About the Author

 

T. C. LoTempio is the award-winning, national bestselling author of the Nick and Nora mystery series. Her cat, Rocco, provides the inspiration for the character of Nick the cat. She also writes the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery Series, as well as the Cat Rescue series. Her latest series is the Tiffany Austin Food Blogger series from Severn House.

 

ROCCO’s blogWebsiteFacebookTwitter * Goodreads

 

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

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Posted in 5 paws, fiction, Mystical, women on January 16, 2024

 

 

Synopsis

 

The Russell family members all seem to have–gifts. Eldest sister Penelope naturally infuses strength or joy or love into the fabric of the dresses she designs as a seamstress. Her younger sister, Lilith, is never without whatever she needs—there’s always a person nearby who just happens to have an apartment available to rent, or a part-time job open, or a car to borrow just when they need it. And Lilith’s adult daughter, Mattie, always seems to trigger the perfect song to mysteriously start playing. And at the heart of the family is their old Victorian home that sometimes seems to have a personality in and of itself. When independent, artistic Mattie Russell finds herself back in the family home after her mother’s unexpected death, she has no intention of sticking around the small town. But during the reading of the will, the family is shocked to learn Lilith included a testamentary trust that requires Mattie to stay in Ivy Ridge long enough to complete a series of seemingly absurd tasks in order to claim her inheritance. While completing the tasks, Mattie discovers that her mother had a well-thought-out plan for her daughter that would lead Mattie to finding her birth father, learn to keep her heart open for love, and discover that staying still long enough to sow seeds can produce a stunning garden and vibrant life.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Bookshop

 

 

Review

 

This was such a fun book to read. It is about family, dreams, destiny, truth, and love.

The Russell women could be considered enchanted, as they have the ability to make life better for themselves and others around them through their talents. While decisions made by some kept the family apart, her death brings them back together. It is also about looking past the choices made in your younger years to discover your destiny for today.

This story is told from several points of view – Mattie, Penelope, and Jonathan. Mattie is dealing with the death of her mother and what this means for her going forward. Her life was following her mother from town to town and living a nomadic lifestyle. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when the person dies that you had those experiences with, it changes your life forever. Penelope has been locked into her world in Ivy Ridge for a few decades based on some decisions she made in the past. But life is about second chances and the strength to change the trajectory your life is on. The same could be said for Jonathan. He might not think that he would be happy in Ivy Ridge, but a medical scare with his father gives him the opportunity to rethink what life might be like in this little town.

I really liked how the story came together, weaving in the past with the present. The three main characters all learn something about themselves and what they believe to be true when it might not be the truth. The characters all get happily ever afters, but it is a journey to get to that point.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the house and its enchantment in helping guide Penelope and Mattie in the right direction.

We give this book 5 paws up and suggest adding it to your TBR list.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Born and raised in southern Georgia, where honeysuckle grows wild, and the whippoorwills sing, Jennifer Moorman is the bestselling author of the magical realism Mystic Water series. Jennifer started writing in elementary school, crafting epic tales of adventure, love, and magic. She wrote stories in Mead notebooks, on printer paper, on napkins, and on the soles of her shoes. Her blog is full of dishes inspired by fiction, and she hosts baking classes showcasing these recipes. Jennifer considers herself a traveler, a baker, and a dreamer. She can always be won over with chocolate, unicorns, or rainbows. She believes in love—everlasting and forever.

 

Website * Instagram * Facebook

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