Guest Post & #Giveaway – Murder on the Toy Town Express by Barbara Early @BarbEarly #cozy
Murder on the Toy Town Express: A Vintage Toyshop Mystery
Cozy Mysterry
2nd in Series
Setting – New York
Crooked Lane Books (October 10, 2017)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Synopsis
Liz McCall has come to love running her father’s vintage toyshop back home in East Aurora, NY, so when the Train and Toy Show comes to town, she’s all aboard for a fun toy-filled weekend. The only hitch is that her childhood bully Craig McFadden, now local business rival, has set up a booth next to hers. But the fun and games are over when Craig falls from the ceiling in a publicity stunt gone wrong.
What was initially thought to be a fatal accident proves much more sinister. Pulled into the case by her feelings for both Ken, the police chief, and Jack, her high school sweetheart whose brother is one the prime suspects, Liz dives headfirst into the investigation. But as she digs deeper, she’s shocked to learn her father may have been the intended target.
The trouble train is barreling down and Liz may have just bought herself a first class ticket in Murder on the Toy Town Express, Barbara Early’s delightful second installment in her Vintage Toyshop mysteries.
Amazon * B&N * BAM * INDIEBOUND * Book Depository
Guest Post
Why set a mystery series against the backdrop of a toy shop?
Well, it all started with a place. When I wrote the Bridal Bouquet Shop series (as Beverly Allen), I came to love the fictional town in Virginia where the story took place. But one thing always bothered me. I kept waiting for an eagle-eyed Virginia reader to tell me I messed something up. So I checked and double-checked everything. Was it soda or pop…or something else? Middle school or junior high? So many common expressions vary by geography, and it was giving me fits. Fortunately, I had a few locals I could message and get good answers, because it’s not always convenient to hop in the car and drive to Virginia.
When developing a new series, I wanted to stay a little closer to home. The village of East Aurora, NY, is one of the coziest towns I’ve ever encountered. There’s a quirky five-and-dime with a proclivity for puns, and an array of mom-and-pop Main Street shops and eateries that would stand up to any fictional cozy town. Of course, when I was scouting it out, I might have gotten a few odd looks when I said things like, “Now this would be a great place to find a body.”
Once I had the location, I needed to decide what business or occupation my amateur sleuth would specialize in—at least when she wasn’t stumbling over those dead bodies. I toyed with several ideas. (Ha! Pun unintentional.) I was browsing through the Chamber of Commerce website when I learned that the village was sometimes called Toy Town, based on its long history of toy manufacture. So first I thought toy shop, then the thought struck. Vintage toys.
Soon I learned that there was such a thing as vintage toy shows. When I went to my first, I became a fan. It’s hard not to ooh and aah over all those toys from my childhood, many I might have not thought about in years. It’s really more about nostalgia sometimes than it is toys. Not all of us have a vintage toy collection, but most of us have fond memories of our childhood playthings!
It was just such a show that became the inspiration for the backdrop of Murder on the Toy Town Express, which features the death of a comic book dealer at a Train and Toy Show—very similar to one that takes place near me twice a year.
Except nobody has died at the real one, at least I hope not!
About the Author
Barbara Early earned an engineering degree, but after four years of doing nothing but math, developed a sudden allergy to the subject and decided to choose another occupation. Before she settled on murdering fictional people, she was a secretary, a school teacher, a pastor’s wife, and an amateur puppeteer. After several years living elsewhere, she and her husband moved back to her native Western New York State, where she enjoys cooking, crafts, classic movies and campy seventies television, board games, and posting pictures of her four cats on Facebook. She writes the Vintage Toyshop series and the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries (as Beverly Allen).
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Author Newsletter * Cozy Cafe * Killer Characters
Giveaway
There are 2 giveaways today – I am lucky enough to give away one of these prize packs which includes a brightly colored vintage toyshop tote bag, key ring, train whistle, bookmarks, and assorted fun toyshop swag (color and selection will vary).
The second giveaway is a tour wide giveaway
Check out the other blogs on this tour
October 9 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 9 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 10 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
October 10 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 11 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY
October 11 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 11 – Writing Pearls – REVIEW
October 12 – The Power of Words – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
October 12 – Blogger Nicole Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
October 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
October 13 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY
October 13 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – GUEST POST
October 14 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
October 14 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
October 15 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
October 15 – Sleuth Cafe – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
October 16 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
October 16 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
October 17 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
October 18 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
October 18 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
October 18 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
tracee
I had a stuffed dog that I got as a baby. At the time, it was bigger than me.
Wendy Caddy
One of my favorite toys was a Barbie doll that had molded hair but came with 3 wigs.
Audrey Stewart
I had a stuffed black cat that I carried everywhere.