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THE COZY TIMES

Weekend Edition

This is a weekly online publication focused on connecting cozy mystery readers to favorite cozy characters by way of their town's newspapers. 

The Cozy Times will be available Wednesdays right here on Lisa Ks blog. 

There will also be weekend editions, and special editions from time to time. So keep watch. 

Today The Cozy Times is featuring 

The Palstone Courier

all the way from over the pond!

Check it out!

STOP PRESS!!!!

Rumours Of Dead Body Found Near Stone Circle

Rumours are circulating of strange goings on up at the Set In Stone Quarry in the hills above Palstone. For a while now there have been unusual explosions in the middle of the night in the woods in the area. Though the quarry can blast stone between the hours

of nine in the morning and five in the afternoon, it cannot legally continue working in the evenings or overnight. 

The unusual incidents have been reported to local police who confirmed several weeks ago that they were looking into the matter. Now, the latest whispers hint that a body has been found up on the moor. Is the possible murder connected to the night time explosions? It seems employees at the quarry are all suspiciously tight-lipped about matters. Have they been paid off or threatened and forced to keep quiet about what has happened? If so, why? The Palstone Courier can confirm sightings of several police vehicles up on the moor near the edge of the quarry and not far from the site of the ancient Stone Circle. 

Many locals view the Stone Circle as a sinister place and don’t go anywhere near it, even in daylight. All reporters at the Palstone Courier will endeavour to get to the bottom of the matter and inform local inhabitants immediately of any significant findings. Watch this space!

                                                    *****

***** 

Movie Star Back In Town

The heartthrob actor Ennis McKarthy recently finished filming his latest movie overseas and has returned to his home just outside Palstone. The actor has said he needs some time to relax away from the constant media spotlight. 

Recently voted Sexiest Guy On TV, McKarthy is one of Britain’s best-loved actors and considered to be a true gentleman. 

He is sharing his hideaway home with steady girlfriend Siobhan, a former air hostess. Rumours abound that the couple might be about to announce wedding plans but, as always, Mr McKarthy declined to comment and is fiercely guarding his privacy.

*****

The Happy Horoscopes

This week’s Happy Horoscopes

Local astrology queen Madam Zamber has this week’s 

Happy Horoscopes for you:

Aries The Ram: You’ll receive news of a fantastic job opportunity.

Taurus The Bull: This week is about love and romance for you.

Gemini The Questioner: Your week ahead is going to be a fun-packed adventure. There could even be a handsome man appearing in your life.

Cancer The Crab: You’ll get a much-needed chance to relax and put your feet up. Enjoy!

Leo The Lion: You love being the star of the show and this week you’ll get to be exactly that.

Virgo The Virgin: A fantastic career opportunity will present itself to you. Be sure to make the most of it.

Libra The Scales: Work hard this week and it could take your career forward in leaps and bounds.

Scorpio The Scorpion: Romance and adventure dominate your week.

Sagittarius The Archer: Be decisive and it will lead to an amazing week.

Capricorn The Goat: There will be news of an exciting windfall.

Aquarius The Water Bearer: Planning a holiday? A bit of sun, sea and sand is just what you need right now.

Pisces The Fish: Stop swimming against the tide and go with the flow instead – then you’ll have a wonderful week.

*****

We look forward to seeing you at The Quarryman!

~~~~~

That's this week's edition of 

The Cozy Times 

I hope you enjoyed!

To learn more about Derbyshire and it's 

residents, read the 

Amber Reed Mystery series 

by author 

Zanna MacKenzie

Book One

Wishing for more excitement in your life can land you in a whole lot of trouble. 

Amber Reed’s at work making up the horoscopes for the local newspaper and wishing for some excitement in her life, when she gets a phone call offering her just that. 

Plunged into the middle of a celebrity murder investigation she’s desperately trying to convince the scarily handsome special agent assigned to solve the case that she can help him catch the killer. 

Amber’s soon battling something far more dangerous than she could ever have imagined – and it has nothing to do with the equally scary chemistry fizzing between her and special agent Charlie. 

Has Amber’s wish for more excitement in her life landed her in big trouble – or is her fate written in the stars? 

Grab your copy of In The Stars today and join Amber on an action-packed, romance filled amateur sleuth adventure. 

Extract:

“What kind of excitement are Gemini’s going to have this week?” I ponder, tapping my fingers against the keyboard.

I’m a third of the way through making up the horoscopes for this week’s local paper. Aries are going to get news of a fantastic job opportunity. Capricorns will receive some kind of windfall. But what about Gemini? I always like to give my Madam Zamber horoscope column an upbeat feel – after all, nobody reads their star signs to get depressed right?

My fingers hover over the computer keys as I debate on Gemini’s fate. I’m a Gemini so this one better be especially good; it’s been a rough week.

My phone, nestled somewhere in the depths of my bag, starts playing a chart tune at full volume. When I eventually find it I check the caller display and see Ennis’ name.

Ennis and I haven’t spoken for a while but I know he came home last week after he’d finished working on his latest movie, he sent me a text. He probably wants to meet for a coffee and a catch up. It’s strange; to me Ennis is, well, just Ennis. I don’t think of him as a heartthrob actor, just my ex, my university boyfriend, who I meet up with for a chat whenever he’s in Palstone.

Time for a little break from the horoscopes. I hit the answer button.

“Hi, how’s things?” I ask, leaning back in my chair.

There’s nothing but silence on the other end of the line.

“Ennis?” I sit up, instantly concerned. “Are you there? Is something wrong?”

His voice is so quiet I can barely hear him. “Joel’s dead,” he says.

“What?” I shout, leaping to my feet and earning myself a look of curiosity from the other two members of staff at The Palstone Courier.  I lower my voice. “How? What happened?”

“We don’t know yet,” he replies, his voice heavy with emotion. “But the police are saying he died in suspicious circumstances.”

I gulp. “You mean murder?”

“Look, Amber can you please come over?” Ennis says. “Now? Please? I need to ask you a huge favour.”

I grab my jacket and bag. “On my way.”

Book Two

A murdered pop star. A mysterious island. A life changing secret about to be uncovered. 

Who would want to murder pop star Flynn Garrison? 

That’s exactly what Amber Reed needs to find out. As the lowly support officer and newest recruit at the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency’s (CCIA), she has a lot to prove. She’s desperate to get to grips with her first assignment and show that she’s up to the job with the elite agency who specialize in solving crimes for the rich and famous, but there’s a lot at stake… and it’s not only her new career that’s on the line. 

Is mixing business and pleasure ever a good idea? Will her relationship with CCIA special agent Charlie survive the challenge of the two of them working together? And then there’s the added complication of agent extraordinaire Martha, a man-eating goddess, also assigned to this investigation, who clearly has designs on Charlie. 

Working on the case leads Amber to a glamorous red carpet film premiere, learning to dance at a party in a grand country house - and the distinct possibility of becoming the murderer’s next victim. 

Can Amber manage to catch the killer, solve the case, stay alive and still keep her relationship with Charlie on track? 

Grab your copy today and join Amber on an action-packed, romance filled amateur sleuth adventure. 

Book Three

Stalkers, shootings and sassy special agents. All part of being famous, right? Well, they are for Oscar-winning actress Amelia Kingston when she starts getting deeply disturbing and threatening notes left by a stalker. When her boyfriend Ty is shot she calls in the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency (CCIA) the elite agency who specialize in solving crimes for the rich and famous. 

The CCIA send new recruit Amber Reed and her rather handsome special agent partner Charlie undercover to Amelia’s luxury mountain chalet to investigate. 

Circumstances force the agency to pull Charlie off the case, meaning Amber has a new crime-fighting partner to try and catch the stalker with – and he’s trouble with a capital T! He throws Amber’s life into chaos, making her question herself and her abilities as well as her relationship with Charlie. 

Can the two of them manage to pull together and stop the stalker before anyone else gets shot?

Book Four

The only thing worse than battling to solve the murder of three soap stars, is being forced to work with your ex to crack the case! 

One soap star death is a tragedy, but three all in the same week, that’s a case for the CCIA – otherwise known as the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency. 

Amber Reed, the agency's newest support officer, is sleuthing again! This time she's sent to Vancouver, Canada’s answer to Hollywood, where soap opera North Shores is filmed. She needs to track down who is targeting and killing the show’s stars – and fast. 

Alongside her, making up the rest of the CCIA team for this high profile case, are man-eater and troublemaker Martha, agency bad boy Dan and Amber’s kind-of-ex-boyfriend, special agent Charlie. 

Can they catch the killer before another star is murdered? Will Charlie and Amber kiss and make up or is it over between them, this time for good? Will sworn enemies Charlie and Dan manage to resist gunning for each other? 

The team need to find a way to set aside their differences and focus on the investigation because this time there’s not just one murder case to solve but three! 

About the author

Zanna Mackenzie lives in the UK on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border with her husband, 4 dogs, a vegetable patch that’s home to far too many weeds and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read.

Being a freelance writer and editor of business publications is her ‘day job’ but, at every opportunity, she can be found scribbling down notes on scenes for whatever novel she’s working on. She loves it when the characters in her novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot!

Find out more about Zanna on her blog www.zannamackenzie.blogspot.co.uk, on Twitter via @ZannaMacKenzie or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zanna.mackenzie

Find out more about Zanna at:

Website: www.zannamackenzie.co.uk

Blog: www.zannamackenzie.blogspot.co.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ZannaMacKenzie

Facebook: www.facebook.com/zanna.mackenzie

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/10703273-zanna-mackenzie

Pinterest: uk.pinterest.com/zannamac/

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The Cozy Times? 

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