Quiche of Death (A Sugar & Spice Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Lyrical Press (July 21, 2020)
Print Length: ~254 pages

 

Synopsis

 

When editor Sugar Calloway and baker Dixie Spicer went into business creating cookbooks, they found a sideline as amateur sleuths. Now a bitter family grudge could leave a fatal aftertaste…

At Sugar & Spice Community Cookbooks, the friends and business partners have secured a tasty new commission: producing a cookbook for the Arbor family. The Arbors have made their fortune in quiches, and Sugar and Spice have been invited to a weekend gathering where all the siblings, along with crusty matriarch Marta, will be in attendance. But it’s soon clear that this trip will come with a hefty slice of drama.

Theo, the only grandson, arrives with his flaky fiancée, Collette, who quickly stirs up trouble . . . and is found dead the next day. As the investigation unfolds, secrets—and recipes—are shared, and Sugar and Spice realize just how messy and murderous the situation may be. As another family member falls ill, can they solve the case without getting egg on their faces . . .and a target on their backs?

* Includes delicious recipes! *

 

 

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Excerpt

 

“Quiche me, you fool.”

The demand was followed by hoots of laughter as the sister—Jezzie, I think her name was—leaned into her spouse for a smooch. He hesitated but obliged.

I smiled at the boisterous group who clearly shared some inside joke about quiche and kissing. The warmth of the table and the sibling love melted my heart like butter on a biscuit. Taking a sip of water, I glanced over at Dixie, who sat across from me at the huge oak table.

She rolled her eyes.

“What?” I mouthed.

Dixie shrugged. Jezzie had perhaps a teensy bit too much wine, but still: When did my best friend and business partner get so darn stuffy? Maybe it was the inside-joke part that she found off-putting.

But we did know quiche was the family’s stock-in-trade, so it wasn’t that much of a stretch to figure out the expression had something to do with the Arbor family’s food business. After all, that was why we were here.

 

Guest Post

 

 

Is it real?

 

One of the things that I’m often asked is whether St. Ignatius, where the Sugar & Spice mysteries are set, is a real place. It’s very real to in my head, but I’m guessing that’s not what the person is asking me. And, I have to say, that I’m thrilled to find that many readers think it’s a real town.

Pampered Pets Mysteries, the other cozy series that I co-write as part of Sparkle Abbey, is set in Laguna Beach, a very real place in Southern California. A great pet-friendly community that was such fun to get to know and to write about.  However, in a constantly changing world, it was sometimes difficult to keep up with changes in the community. Streets don’t move, but businesses close, buildings are torn down, or new developments change the landscape.

So, when I started writing the Sugar & Spice mysteries, I deliberately choose to use a fictional town.

I’m from a small town in rural Madison County, Iowa and wanted to choose a place much like the area I grew up in. However, I hoped to avoid the problems inherent in using an actual town.

Readers who are from similar backgrounds will often ask if perhaps St. Ignatius is modeled after a particular town they know.

In truth, it’s a composite of many different small towns that I’ve visited. I’ve borrowed different pieces of those real places to create my fictional St. Ignatius.

• It has a town square with a central courthouse flanked by local businesses. I keep a map of the town square so I don’t accidentally move shops around as I’m writing.
• News travels fast and it is often shared at the local diner on the square. In St. Ignatius that’s the Red Hen Diner.
• It’s not large enough to have its own police force, so the county sheriff and his deputies handle law enforcement. Which can mean a noise complaint, a missing goat, or a murder.
• There’s a strong sense of community, where people in town look out for each other. Sometimes that means people know a lot about other people’s business. I guess it’s all in your perspective, right?
• There are families who have lived there for several generations and though newcomers are welcome, it may take a while to not be considered “new.”

I’ve had so much creating St. Ignatius for the Sugar & Spice Mysteries and I like to think if I’ve done it right, the town feels as real to readers as it does to me.

 

 

About the Author

 

Mary Lee Ashford is a lifelong bibliophile, and avid reader, and supporter of public libraries. In addition to writing the Sugar & Spice mystery series for Kensington Books, she also writes as half of the writing team of Sparkle Abbey, author of the national bestselling Pampered Pets mystery series from Bell Bridge Books.

Prior to publishing Mary Lee won first place in the Daphne du Maurier contest, sponsored by the Kiss of Death chapter of RWA, and was a finalist in Murder in the Grove’s mystery contest, as well as Killer Nashville’s Claymore Dagger contest.

She is the founding president of Sisters in Crime – Iowa and a current board member of the Mystery Writers of America Midwest chapter, as well as a member of Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America, Kiss of Death the RWA Mystery Suspense chapter, Sisters in Crime, and the SinC internet group Guppies.

Mary Lee has a passionate interest in creativity and teaches a university level course in Creative Management to MPA candidates, as well as presenting workshops and blogging about creativity. She loves encouraging other writers and is a frequent presenter on a variety of topics at workshops, conferences, and writers’ groups.

In her day job, Mary Lee is a Deputy Chief Information Officer. She currently resides in the Midwest with her husband, Tim, and Sparkle, the rescue cat namesake of the Sparkle Abbey pseudonym. Her delights are reading and enjoying her family and especially her six grandchildren.

 

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Giveaway

 

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Synopsis

 

Freelance writer Alex Vlodnachek hasn’t had a vacation in ages. So when her sister invites her—and pup Lucy—for a girls’ get-away to Miami, it’s too tempting to resist.

Big sister Annie wants Alex to savor a little fun in the sun at her South Beach condo. Redhead Alex just wants to escape complications at home, enjoy a little R&R and find an industrial-sized bottle of sunscreen. But trouble is hot on her heels—along with a few stray friends and relatives.

On the eve of the condo association’s hotly contested election, everything in the luxury high-rise is going haywire. But board president and social butterfly Leslie McQueen seems curiously absent amidst the chaos. Along with a good chunk of the association’s cash.

When several of Annie’s friends are left holding the bag, Alex jumps in to help—and discovers the tony condo tower offers no shortage of shady characters, murder, and mayhem.

But when her brother, Nick, arrives—with their irrepressible grandmother, Baba, and Alex’s pal Trip, in tow—is the gang riding to the rescue? Or plunging Alex into more hot water?

 

 

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Review

 

There is something about this series that draws me in each time.  Perhaps it is the family dynamics, maybe it is the mystery, or maybe it is Baba – the Russian grandmother that loves to make goulash for the family.  Whatever it is, I am definitely a fan of the series.

This installment takes us to South Beach Miami where something is amiss with the HOA board where Annie has a penthouse.  Annie brings Alex and Lucy (the pup) for a bit of a vacation and to help figure out what is going on.  They don’t expect to stumble across the death and mystery that ensues of who killed Leslie McQueen.

I stayed up way too late finishing this book.  That is the good (and bad) thing about an eReader is that it tells you how much more time is left in the book.  So when I see I only have 20 minutes, of course I’m going to finish the book before turning out the light.  The mystery moves along at a nice pace and while there are a few clues that might tip off who the murderer is, it wasn’t obvious, at least not to me.  There were several possibilities and as the truth was revealed it was quite fascinating to see how all of the pieces fit together.

I was amazed at the deviousness of Leslie McQueen.  It is no wonder she ended up dead!  I was tickled at some of the other tenants in the building and of course the dogs.  One is named Mrs. Pickles, that just cracked me up.

I was glad to see Gabby make an appearance (Nick’s ex) and she was quite useful with her criminal know-how.  We didn’t see much of Ian, but then they were out of town and he was back home.  I hope that Alex and Ian are able to come to terms in future books and resume their relationship.

If you are looking for a fun cozy series to read, then check this one out.  We give it five paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Dana Dratch writes and the fast, funny “Red Herring” mysteries — featuring redheaded coffeeholic and reluctant sleuth Alex Vlodnachek. CONFESSIONS OF A RED HERRING, SEEING RED, and her new mystery, RED HOT, are available now from Kensington Books.

Dana’s currently working on a fresh pot of coffee — and her next Alex Vlodnachek mystery adventure.

 

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Five Before Rome: 5 preludes to the Roma Series by Gabriel Valjan

Category: Adult fiction 18 yrs +, 215 pages

Genre: International Crime Thriller

Publisher: Wild Goose Publishing

Release date: June 2020

 

Synopsis

These five novellas precede Roma, Underground, the first novel in the Roma Series. Meet the five men, who form the team around Bianca, and learn about their personal history, their respective parts of Italy, and why they each have a stake in the fight against organized crime.

 

 

 

 

Author Interview

 

There are many books out here about the mafia. What makes yours different?

 

My Roma Series novels and the current collection of novellas Five Before Rome are different from other books about the mafia because I situate my stories abroad. I also introduce readers to Italian culture, cuisine, and history. The most important difference is that I show how the mafia there is very different the one we have in the United States.

 

What advice would you give to budding writers?

 

• Read widely and outside of your culture.
• Write, put it down, and come back to it later.
• Criticism from editors is never personal; they want the best story, so listen, hold your breath and count to ten, and don’t react.
• Rewrite
• Nothing you write is perfect, but do your best to tell the best story possible.

 

What genre do you write and why?

 

First, try to think of a story as good writing and try to avoid labels. Labels may limit the development of your writing chops. I’ve found that foraging outside of my literary diet exposes me to techniques and strategies I can incorporate into my own writing. I tend to write crime fiction because it feels real, relatable, and, like Life, messy.

 

Do you write every day?

 

As a rule, yes, I am at the desk daily, though some days I’ll revise a passage or rework a short story I believe has legs.

 

How long have you been writing?

 

12 years. I spent a year writing short stories as a way to develop the muscles before I attempted my first novel, which I promptly shoved into a drawer. I never thought of myself as a writer. I’ve enjoyed reading all my life and I admired creative people who could translate what’s in their head to paper.

 

What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you? The scariest? The strangest?

 

Funniest. I’m hearing-impaired and was once upon a time a competitive triathlete. One night I planned to meet up with friends. Two things you need to know first. I was limping from running long-distance and my cat had had his stomach shaved for a medical procedure. I met my friends in a very loud bar. A friend asked, “How’s your calf?” I responded, “He didn’t like being shaved.” I instantly realized from the reaction I received that my calf wasn’t my cat.

 

Scariest. I’m a NAUI-Advanced SCUBA diver. I did a shipwreck dive, down to the coastal tanker the Chester A. Pollig in Gloucester, MA, which is 75-feet below the surface and surrounded by sand. Shipwrecks are technical dives and potentially dangerous for a variety of reasons. Visibility was poor that day, the water cold, and my dive buddy abandoned me (a mortal sin in the world of diving). I found another diver in distress and I buddy-breathed with him with my air-supply for a timed ascent to avoid the bends. He panicked and used up my air at about 30-feet from the surface, so I had to surface on my own. Oh, there were box jellyfish in the water. Yes, the other diver surfaced okay. No, my instructor was not happy with my swim-buddy. Like I said, a mortal sin.

 

Strangest. I enjoyed a surreal moment during the swim portion of an Olympic-distance triathlon (Drown/Swim 1 mile, Crash/Bike 25 miles, Fall Down/Run 6.2 miles).

The water in Maine was cold, and I’d gotten into a good rhythm with my arms and legs. I swam over and under and between several hundred swimmers. I was in the top five out of the water, at 21 minutes. Trust me, it was the aquatic version of the Flight of the Valkyries.

 

If there is one thing you want to readers to remember about you, what would it be?

 

If you’ve never met me but knew me only as a writer, then I’d say that I cared about what I created on the page. If you’ve met me, that I’m a kind person and a good friend.

 

About the Author

 

Gabriel Valjan lives in Boston’s South End where he enjoys the local restaurants. When he isn’t appeasing Munchkin, his cat, with tuna, he documents the #dogsofsouthendboston on Instagram. His short stories have appeared online, in journals, and in several anthologies. Gabriel is the author of two series, Roma and Company Files, with Winter Goose Publishing. He was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery for Company Files: 2. The Naming Game in 2020. Gabriel has been a finalist for the Fish Prize, shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, and received an Honorable Mention for the Nero Wolfe Black Orchid Novella Contest in 2018. Dirty Old Town, the first in the Shane Cleary series, was published in 2020 by Level Best Books. Gabriel attends crime fiction conferences, such as Bouchercon, Malice Domestic, and New England Crime Bake. He is a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime.

 

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Giveaway

 

$20 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Gabriel Valjan, author of FIVE BEFORE ROME (ends Aug 3)

 

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LANDING IN MY PRESENT

 

by

 

Mary Clark

 

Biography / Aviation / Historical / WWII

Publisher: Hellgate Press

Date of Publication: June 15, 2020

Number of Pages: 218

Scroll down for the giveaway!

 

 

 

 

Mary Walker Clark barely knew her father. When he died, he left not only the obvious void every teen would experience, but took with him scores of Indiana Jones-style tales about flying the Hump, a treacherous series of US missions that transported supplies over the Himalayas to China during World War II.

 

It would take a chance interview with a pilot who had flown with her father in the war to launch a series of extraordinary journeys—into a shrouded past and halfway around the globe to India and China—for Clark to finally come to know the father whose absence had haunted her for decades.

 

Landing in My Present chronicles the adventures of a daughter who chose to pry open a painful past while enlarging her view of an adventurous father long thought lost.

 

 

Amazon • Hellgate Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every now and then a book will come along that will touch a myriad of emotions and this book does just that.  The journey that Mary Clark takes us on spans nearly a century starting with her father’s life through her journey to learn more about his past that just wasn’t discussed.  It might have been the times or perhaps that was just her father’s personality, but as she delves into his story and her memories, a more complex man emerges.

Charles (Charlie) Walker died when Mary was just 16 and a junior in high school from a freak accident on the family farm located in the Panhandle of Texas. While he didn’t die right away, there came a point where her mother had to make a tough decision, one that no one ever wishes to make in their life.  This is a quote that shows Mary’s maturity looking back at the situation and the decision her mother made:

“I admired her for making that decision (to bring him home to die) and deeply felt the sadness and anxiety that would have accompanied the choice she didn’t want to make.  I wished we had talked during that emotional time but we didn’t, an early indication of my family’s tilt toward silence, choosing to let traumatic events sink below consciousness.”

I think many families from that time period didn’t talk about feelings or what they were thinking about doing and just did what was necessary.  This next quote ties into that mindset and sums it up nicely and I think if anyone were to look back on their ancestors they might see the same traits, I know I do.

“My cousin Carolyn calls this “stuffing.” You stuff all the bad news down deep and don’t allow it to surface. A more proper description is that we lived in a culture of silent grief.”

Fifty years later, she started really questioning what she knew about her father and decided to learn more about him after hearing an interview with a fellow aviator that flew with her father during the war.  She is an analytical thinker and I felt like each piece of information she uncovered was filling in the puzzle of what her father experienced during the war.  She started with what she knew and dived deeper into family archives and researching the Hump pilots.  Considering how late she waited to research these pilots, many had passed away but she was lucky to have met a few and their families that shared what information they had gleaned from their father that aided in her research.  The letters she uncovered were like a gift to her.  They shared stories and memories that assisted Mary in her research and filling in the missing pieces of her father’s life.  I found it interesting that the military gave each soldier personalized stationery.  In today’s world, they would just text or email those they wished to communicate with so the art of a letter is slowly being lost which is a shame because that is how we track our history.

Researching her father’s past had positive benefits.  Mary and her brother’s remembered more once they shared memories which might trigger another memory and really open their minds to their childhood.  I know if I think about my past, I remember some things but others will share stories that I have forgotten.  So I can see where this would be a huge benefit to any family.  But the negative consequences included the guilt that Mary felt for not knowing her father better. She shouldn’t blame herself for not knowing him better because she was a teenager and what teenager really knows their parent?  I know I couldn’t tell you things about my dad’s past when I was a teen because we don’t think that way at that age.

Once the research was done, we are taken on a trek through India and China and the towns and villages that Charlie visited while stationed over there.  I could feel the emotions from Mary’s writing on the impact it made on her to see where he lived, worked, and how the people in those countries felt about the US Military stationed there during WWII.  It was amazing that 50+ years later that some were still so thankful for what people like her father did for them.  I could sense some closure on that part of his life.  There was still more research to do, but this helped assuage her desire to know more about her father.  Between her descriptions of the scenery and the pictures, it is easy to picture these in my mind.

There are a few things that I took away from this book – and these are my interpretations – to document your family history.  Ask the questions, interview the grandparents and parents, ask what it was like when they were a child, how they met their spouse, the different paths that they took to where they are now.  The other is to not let so much time pass by before asking the questions because you never know when it will be too late.  I wish I had asked my father more things before he passed away.  Much like Mary, I will have to do my own research and ask my mother more questions so that information isn’t lost.  I also learned to cherish your family.  Time together is better than anything else.

This was an educational book on many fronts – from the war to family dynamics.  The addition of the photographs and memories just added to the depth of this memoir. I think anyone that enjoys history and different aspects of WWII would learn something new and be amazed at the bravery that some people hold.

I leave you with a few additional quotes that spoke to me.

“What I didn’t see until later was the biggest loss of all, his story.”

“My parents weren’t afraid of the world, so neither was I.”

“I had come to more fully understand Dad’s experience in this remote location, and that we did.”

 

I give this 4 1/2 paws.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Walker Clark is a retired attorney turned travel writer who loves taking readers with her to worldwide destinations. She has been traveling independently and internationally for over fifty years. Her essays may be found in the Paris News, at her blog, “Mary Clark, Traveler,” and her podcasts at KETR 88.9, an NPR affiliate. Clark is an award-winning member of the North American Travel Journalists Association and a contributor to Still Me, … After All These Years, 24 Writers Reflect on Aging.

 

In 2016, Clark traveled to India and China to follow her father’s WWII footsteps when he was a Hump pilot flying over the Himalayas. Her journey to connect with him fifty years after his death is told in her book, Landing in My Present.

Clark is a fifth generation Texan living in Paris, Texas.

 

 

Website ║ Facebook  ║ Blog

 

Instagram ║ Amazon Author Page

 

 

————————————-

 

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THREE WINNERS

FIRST WINNER: $25 Amazon card

SECOND WINNER: Signed copy of Landing in My Present

THIRD WINNER: $15 Amazon card.

 July 21-July 31, 2020

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Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

 

For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily.

 

Or, visit the blogs directly:

 

7/21/20	BONUS Post	Texas Book Lover
7/21/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
7/22/20	Review	Book Bustle
7/22/20	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
7/23/20	Review	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
7/24/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
7/24/20	Review	Jennifer Silverwood
7/25/20	Review	The Clueless Gent
7/26/20	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
7/27/20	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
7/27/20	Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
7/28/20	BONUS Post	All the Ups and Downs

 

 

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Come Home to Deep River

 

by Jackie Ashenden

 

Publication Date: 7/28/2020

 

Synopsis

 

Coming home was the easy part. Facing her will take everything he’s got…

 

Silas Quinn hasn’t been back to Deep River, Alaska, in years, not since he joined the army. He left behind the best friend he’d ever had. But he knew Hope Dawson was meant for bigger things than Deep River—and he—had to offer. What he didn’t know was that when he left, he took Hope’s dreams right along with him…

Then tragedy strikes and sends Silas home, and the entire town is thrown into chaos when they learn what brought him back—he’s inherited ownership of the town and the newly discovered oil reserves under it!

Hope gave up on ever getting out of Deep River. Her mom needed her, then her grandfather died and left her the local hangout to run. Now Si is back in town, stirring up old feelings—including her anger at being left behind. His return brings Hope an offer that can change her life. Love, or adventure, are almost within reach—but she can’t have both…

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Flying into Deep River, Alaska, took a special kind of grit. The airstrip was a narrow bit of gravel to the side of soaring mountains, with a river running along one edge, and there was always some kind of crosswind happening that would challenge even the most experienced pilot.

It wasn’t a forgiving landing, and there was no room for error.

Luckily, Silas Quinn hadn’t made an error in all the time he’d spent flying around the wilds of the Alaskan backcountry, and he wasn’t about to make one now.

Particularly not when he was flying into the hometown he’d left thirteen years earlier and hadn’t been back to since.

Especially not when he was coming back to what would probably turn out to be the most hostile reception since Mike Flint had once said at a town meeting that he thought the idea of a luxury motel on the side of the Deep River would be good and why didn’t they build one.

Considering the reason Si was here was fifty million times worse than the idea of a luxury motel, the response he was likely to get once he’d broken the news would probably be more than the one month of cold-shouldering that Mike had gotten.

Si would be lucky if the town didn’t kill him.

That was if this damn airstrip didn’t kill him first.

The clouds were lowering, and the rain was coming down hard, and the wind was a problem, but with his friend Caleb’s death still fresh, Si was in no mood to let the elements have their way with him.

He’d survived three tours in Afghanistan.

He’d survive this, even if it killed him.

He kept his nerve and brought the tiny plane down, the wheels bouncing on the gravel as he rolled up just shy of the lone hangar that housed Deep River’s entire aviation industry.

As the spin of the Cessna’s propellers began to wind down, Si sat in the cockpit trying to handle the rush of emotions that he had known would grip him the second he touched down. The usual mixture of grief, anger, and longing that Deep River always instilled whenever he thought of his hometown.

There was a special poignancy to it today though. Because Caleb was only a few weeks dead and the shock of the will was still ringing through Si’s entire being like a hammer strike.

Deep River was an anomaly. The entire town was privately owned and had been since the gold rush days, when town founder Jacob West had bought up all the land around the Deep River and declared it a haven for the misfits and rogues who didn’t fit in anywhere in normal society. He’d leased out the land to anyone who wanted to join him, getting them to pay him whatever they could afford in terms of a nominal rent, and in return, they could have a plot of land to call their own and do whatever they wanted with it.

The People’s Republic of Deep River, some called it.

Most just called it home.

Even over a hundred years later, the town was still owned by the Wests.

And that was the difficulty. Caleb was the oldest West and had inherited the town after his father, Jared West, had died five years earlier. And he’d ran the place since then—or at least he had until his unexpected death in a plane crash while running supplies up to a remote settlement in the north.

But that hadn’t been the end to the shocks that Si and his two other friends, Damon and Zeke, had had to endure in the past few weeks.

First, there had been finding out that Caleb had left the entire town to them in his will. And second, oil had been discovered within Deep River’s city limits—oil that the town had no idea was underneath their land.

Oil that, once they knew about it, was going to turn the entire place upside down.

Heavy stuff for three ex-military guys who had nothing to their names but a small company doing adventure tours for tourists, transport runs for hunters, and supply runs for everyone else in the Alaskan bush.

Si stared out at the rain beyond the windshield of the plane.

It hid everything from view, which was probably just as well. He hadn’t wanted to come back here, not considering what he’d been trying to leave behind, but it hadn’t made any sense for either Damon or Zeke to be the advance party.

This was his hometown. He was the one who knew Deep River and the people in it. And he was the one who’d been closest to Caleb.

Therefore, it made sense for him to be the one to break the happy news that firstly, the fact that he, Damon, and Zeke were the new owners. And secondly, there was oil in them thar hills.

Some men might have kept the oil a secret and kept all the riches for themselves too, but Si wasn’t that kind of man, and neither were his friends.

He’d been brought up in Deep River, an extreme environment where everyone learned to rely on each other since that could be all that stood between you and a very uncomfortable death. There was no time for petty grievances—though to be fair, there were a lot of those as well. But when push came to shove, the town pulled together. Because fundamentally, they were all the same. They’d all come here because they didn’t fit anywhere else, because they were escaping something, because they liked the quiet and the isolation and the return to nature.

Because they just plain old liked it.

Si let out a breath.

And now he was going to give them news that was going to blow it all apart.

***

Excerpted from Come Home to Deep River by Jackie Ashenden. © 2020 by Jackie Ashenden. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

About the Author

 

Jackie has been writing fiction since she was eleven years old. She used to balance her writing with the more serious job of librarianship until a chance meeting with another romance writer prompted her to devote herself to the true love of her heart – writing romance. She particularly likes to write dark, emotional stories with alpha heroes and kick-ass heroines. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

 

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Giveaway

 

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Synopsis

 

Mitch Lovett, a recently divorced father of two, wasn’t looking for anything serious—but when he fooled around with an old friend, Dee Wynn, serious was what he got. Dee has decided that Mitch will be hers and nothing is going to stand in her way. But Gail, another member of their college group (and now their babysitting co-op), has had her eye on Mitch as well—nevermind the fact that she’s married to a jealous, abusive husband who just happens to have received a new gun for his birthday. When Mitch and Gail consummate their long-standing attraction—recklessly following their heart’s desires—they set into motion a series of events with ultimately tragic consequences for all involved.

Set in Takoma Park (a close-knit liberal community that borders Washington, D.C.) among a group of college friends now raising families together, Lady Killer explores spousal abuse and the ways that both long-standing friendships and marriages can unravel when put to the test. Ultimately, both Mitch and Gail will have to decide who they really are and what they really want—both for themselves and their children.

 

***

Set in Takoma Park, Maryland among a group of college friends now raising families together, domestic noir novel LADY KILLER explores spousal abuse and the ways that both long-standing friendships and marriages can unravel when put to the test. Mitch Lovett, a recently divorced father of two, is in love with Gail Strickland. Ed, Gail’s jealous, abusive husband just happens to have received a new gun for his birthday. Dee Wynn decides she loves Mitch as well, and that nothing is going to stand in her way. According to Matthew Norman (Domestic Violets), “this quick burst of a book” reminded him of “some of John Updike’s famous suburban romps.” An explosive novel that sets in motion a series of events with tragic consequences for all involved.

 

 

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About the Author

 

JEFF RICHARDS’ first book, Open Country: A Civil War Novel in Stories, was published by Paycock Press in 2015, and Lady Killer is his second novel. His fiction, essays, and cowboy poetry have appeared in over 27 publications including Prick of the Spindle, Pinch, New South, and Southern Humanities Review, and five anthologies including “Tales Out of School” (Beacon Press); “Letters to J.D. Salinger” (University of Wisconsin Press); and “Higher Education” (Pearson), a college composition reader. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife and two dogs and travels often to Colorado where his kids live.

 

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Ready For The World: Driver’s Education

 

Ready For The World: Driver’s Education follows the story of Brandon Delacruz, a fifteen-year-old Filipino American teenager trying to make his way through life during the late 1980s. What Brandon wants out of life is simple: a cool car, a chance to be one of the cool kids at school, and most of all, a cool girlfriend. But instead, all he has are his loving family and his lifelong friends, Josh and Ally, to help him get through the minefield of high school life.

As he looks for ways to get the car and status, Brandon fails to realize that the girl he’s been searching for has been there all along. But before he and Ally can explore a new relationship, a tragedy occurs that changes their lives. And now Brandon will have to find a way to balance his deep friendship with the excitement, trepidation, and complexity that young love brings…all while trying to keep his grades up.

 

Ready For The World: Superstar

 

Things couldn’t be better for Brandon Delacruz. After a long and winding road, he finally has the girl of his dreams. To top it all off, he’s discovered his destiny. He’s going to write the next great novel. Not bad for someone who a few months shy of his sixteenth birthday.

But after a tumultuous start to the year, he finds himself stuck between two girls. On one side is Ally, his best friend since kindergarten who’s suddenly become more of a mystery. And on the other side is Rachel, a brilliant and strong-willed girl that isn’t afraid to speak her mind. As he sorts his feelings out, he’ll find that the world isn’t like the one he’s writing about in his book. Real-life is messy and perplexing, especially in high school.

And Brandon will learn that life can offer true beauty and grace…and heartbreak.

 

 

Ready For The World: Driver’s Education

 

 

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Ready For The World: Superstar

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Excerpt from Ready For The World: Driver’s Education

 

AND THERE IT WAS. THE BRASS RING THAT HELD THE KEY TO MY FREEDOM, INCHES FROM MY GRASP. I grabbed Dad‘s keychain out of his fingers and turned the key in the ignition. The engine rumbled to life underneath my sweaty grip.

It was the summer of 1986 and I was the proud owner of a driver‘s permit from the great state of California. Back then, once you passed a driver‘s education class, you could get behind the wheel. But in my life, there was a more powerful governing body that controlled my ability to drive: my parents.

“Make sure that you keep both hands in the ten and two positions at all times, “Dad said.

“But how am I supposed to hold my beer if both of my hands are on the wheel? “ I asked with a smile.

Dad seared a hole into my head with his stare. “Don‘t even joke about that. Do you understand me? “

“I was kidding! “

“I don’t care. “

I caught Mom’s reflection in the rearview mirror. She stopped going over the grocery store receipt to give me one of her looks. Eyebrows arched. Head tilted down. Chin to the left. It was a look I knew all too well. It was the “don’t dig yourself any further into this hole “look”.

My parents were pretty easy going and fair, as parents go anyway. Mom and Dad were always cool with my friends, let me go out at night within reason, and even let me have a telephone in my room. They moved to the United States in 1964 and luckily for me, weren‘t like the “typical” Filipino parents. They didn‘t make me practice the piano eight hours a day, seven days a week. They didn‘t frown at an A-minus on my report card and ask, “Why isn‘t it an A-plus? “ And they didn‘t demand that I only study medicine or law in college. They merely suggested all those things. It was a slight twist on the Asian parenting handbook.

When I pushed to get more time behind the wheel, I knew what to expect. There would be lectures about how to be super-duper safe on the road. I‘d hear how to be wary of the other drivers. But more than anything else, they stressed that I was not to be an idiot in any way, shape, or form.

“Watch your speed! “ Dad said. “You‘re only supposed to go twenty-five around here!

“Around here were the suburbs of San Diego. I grew up in a home like a lot of other homes with a yard like many other yards. My neighborhood was like a lot of other neighborhoods. I graduated from Pence Junior High School this past June. I would attend Howard McMillan High School in a few days. It was a little more than a mile from our house.

“Dad, you know I‘m allowed to drive to school by myself with a permit, “I said. I kept my hands at ten and two in hopes he‘d notice. I don’t know if he did. But I did hear him grunt.

“Why don‘t you ride your bike to school? “ Mom asked. “It‘s about the same distance from home.

“To a guy without his own car, a mile was the distance between San Diego and the moon. It was 5,280 feet of rugged terrain with steep hills and deep valleys. But to my parents, it was a short bike ride.

“I read the DMV manual and it says I’m allowed to drive, “I said.

“We know the laws, “Dad said. “But you’re not driving until we think you‘re ready.”

“But I‘ll be the only one in my class not driving to school.”

“Then that makes you unique, “he said. “Be ready to make a right at the light.”

I couldn‘t believe it. My parents were oblivious to how ridiculous I’d look pulling up to school on a ten-speed bike. Or worse, they knew and didn‘t care. I slumped in my seat and jerked the wheel as I made the turn at the light.

Mom’s piercing scream rang in my ears. “BRANDON JACOB DELACRUZ! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? “

I shook my head a bit and looked around. Had I hit someone? I looked down at the dashboard and checked my speed. Was I going too fast? “What happened?” I asked.

 

 

About the Author

 

Charmeljun Gallardo is a former Radiologist and author. His first book is Ready For The World young adult book series. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a Creative Writing degree in 1996. He is a writer, photography enthusiast, sports fan, movie geek, stroke survivor, and an adventurous foodie. He lives in San Diego, California with his wife and son.

 

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Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam
(Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series)

Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Independently published (May 16, 2020)
Paperback: 218 pages

 

Synopsis

 

A Mother’s Day trip to the Netherlands turns deadly when a guest plummets from a windmill. Was it an accident or a murder? For Lana Hansen, the answer will mean freedom or imprisonment for someone close to her…

Wanderlust Tours guide Lana Hansen and her mother, Gillian, haven’t seen eye to eye in over a decade, ever since Lana was wrongly fired from her job as an investigative reporter. So when Lana’s boss invites Gillian to join her upcoming Mother’s Day tour to the Netherlands, Lana is less than pleased.

What could be worse than spending ten days with her estranged mother? Lana is about to find out…

The tour begins on a high note when the majority of guests bond during their visit to the Keukenhof flower gardens and a cruise around the picturesque canals of Amsterdam.

Despite her initial reservations, Lana thinks this might be the best group she had ever led. Until she discovers one of her guests—a recent retiree named Priscilla—is the person who destroyed her career in journalism.

All Lana can see is red. But circumstances dictate that she figure out a way to lead the tour, make peace with her mother, and not murder her guest. She doesn’t know whether she can handle the pressure.

Lana needn’t worry. Shortly after their fight, Priscilla falls off the balcony of a historic windmill at Zaanse Schans. Was she pushed or simply careless? The investigating officers suspect murder—and topping their suspect list is Lana’s mom!

Can Lana save Gillian? Or will her mother end up spending the rest of her days in a Dutch prison?

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she moved to Darwin, Australia, before settling in the Netherlands. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels. When not writing, she can be found in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.

Jennifer’s love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning mystery series—the Zelda Richardson Mysteries and Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries—and standalone stories.

 

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Synopsis

 

A sweet and sassy contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson.

Rake Tarbell is in trouble. When the fabulously wealthy and carefree bachelor wakes up horribly hungover in Venice, it’s not something that would normally be a problem…except he has no idea how he got there from California. Or who stole his wallet. Or who emptied his bank account of millions. Or who in the world is Lillith, the charming little girl claiming to be his long lost daughter. For the first time in his life, Rake is on his own and throwing Benjamins around aren’t going to solve his problem. Now if only the gorgeous, fun, and free-spirited woman who brought Lillith into his life was willing to help the situation…

Claire Delaney finds Rake’s problems hilarious and is not in the least bit sorry of adding to them by bringing Lillith into the mix. A pretty Midwestern girl with a streak for mischief, Rake is not the kind of man Claire hangs around with. Even if he is drop-dead handsome and charming as all get-out. Even if he needs help and she has all the answers. But if this helps Lillith, she will go out of her way. And with a guy like Rake, she’s willing to bend her rules a bit for some fun. But when adventure-filled days turn to romantic nights as they search for answers, and someone starts following them through the streets of Venice, Claire realizes she’s playing more than just a game. And maybe, just maybe, she isn’t willing to let go of Rake or Lillith just yet.

 

 

 

 

Review

 

This book had me laughing in many places as I watched Rake stumble through the book not knowing what was going on…or did he?  Maybe he was smarter than we give him credit.  The rest of the characters are multifaceted and show you want they want you to see.  Delaney is a tough cookie but has a softer side that she lets very few people see.  Lillith is very precocious and smarter than anyone can even imagine.  There is a slew of other characters that help round out the story and bring in some interesting aspects.

Besides the romance and comedy, there is a little bit of mystery.  Who are these men that keep following Rake and Delaney?  Why are they following them?  What do they think that Rake and Delaney know and are keeping a secret?  The answer is intriguing and the ensuing events are somewhat comical.

There are references to another book, Danger Sweethart.  I have not read this book so was a bit lost on those references, but since I have read the synopsis of that book, I realize it is Blake’s story that we discover a smidgeon of in this book.  Let’s just say, Nonna Tarbell is sticking her nose into their business.

It is very important that if you read this book to read the author’s notes at the beginning.  Otherwise, you might be confused while reading this book.  There is a lot of sub-dialogue (inner thoughts) and it can be a little confusing until you realize to read the part in parentheses after the sentence is finished.  It is this inner dialogue that cracked me up the most.

I enjoyed this book and now want to go back and read Danger Sweethart to discover Blake’s story.

We give this book 4 paws up!

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

MaryJanice Davidson is an American author and motivational speaker who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular Undead series and is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and lives in St. Paul with her family.

 

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Synopsis

 

When Eliza Owens gets a phone call in the middle of the night from a girl she’s never met, she doesn’t know what to think. The girl introduces herself as Paige, and says she used to date Erik Stern, Eliza’s fiancé. What’s more, she has something important to discuss.

The only problem? Paige has been dead for years.

Believing it to be a sick prank, Eliza tries to force it from her mind until Sam, Eliza’s older sister, tells her she met Paige only a few weeks before. And, according to Sam, Paige has nothing nice to say about Erik.

The fight which follows shatters the lives of everyone involved, and Erik disappears without a trace.

Five years later, Erik returns to town after his father’s death. Old wounds quickly resurface, and with them several burning questions. None the least of which is: Who spoke to Eliza and Sam if it wasn’t Paige? And why?

 

 

 

 

Review

 

This is a raw and gritty book that surprised me.  I wasn’t expecting the darkness surrounding Eliza and Erik, but as the tale unfolded I found myself intrigued by all the different elements involved.  This is a little bit of a mystery – how did Sam die and who is impersonating Paige, but as the truth is revealed it is more than you would have ever expected.

The story starts out with two young boys trying to bring back someone from the dead.  I didn’t think much about it after that intro, but it is key to this story but all of the details are not revealed until about 3/4 of the way through the book.  The story then jumps forward about 7 years and we are meet Eliza who is engaged to Erik but receives a call from someone that is dead wanting to warn her about him.  That throws a kink into the story because how could someone that is dead contact Eliza?  To top it off, this person has also been talking to Eliza’s sister, Sam.  The story really gets interesting at this point.

There is another jump in time, now it is 5 years later where the bulk of the book is set.  Eliza has gone off the rails and is a drug user and no longer with Erik.  This part of the book I had the hardest part with due to the drug use.  I also didn’t understand how Eliza could afford to pay for drugs if she wasn’t working.  Granted, Roger probably gave her a lot of it in trade, which is sad because Eliza had so much potential but the death of her sister sent her into a downward spiral.  While this portion of the book is set in a relatively short period of time, so much happens to understand what happened and for Eliza and Erik to work through the events of the past.  They both have issues to address within themselves and with each other.

The supernatural angle was intriguing and I feel like there are still some unanswered questions based on how the book ended.  They may be more on my end and I want to know more about the journey Erik took and how it concluded.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Rebecca Crunden is an Irish-based author originally from Texas. Obsessed with both writing and reading, she’s been writing books most of her life and decided to start independently publishing them in 2017. To date, she’s published one series, two standalone novels, a novella, and co-written an anthology. When she’s not writing, reading, or drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee, she’s camping with her partner or watching an insane amount of science fiction-fantasy shows.

 

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