BOOK TOUR
I'm so happy to be a stop on the
book tour for
Winnie Archer
and her new book
KNEADED TO DEATH
Book 1 in the Bread Shop Mysteries
Everyone swears by Yeast of Eden, the Mexican bread shop in town. But tonight, the only thing on the menu is la muerte . . .
Struggling photographer Ivy Culpepper has lots of soul-searching to do since returning to seaside Santa Sofia, California. That is, until the thirty-six-year-old enters a bread making class at Yeast of Eden. Whether it’s the aroma of fresh conchas in the oven, or her instant connection with owner Olaya Solis, Ivy just knows the missing ingredients in her life are hidden among the secrets of Olaya’s bakery . . .
But Ivy’s spirits crumble when a missing classmate is suddenly discovered dead in her car. Even more devastating, the prime suspect is Olaya Solis herself. Doubting the woman could commit such a crime, Ivy embarks on a murder investigation of her own to prove her innocence and seize the real killer. As she follows a deadly trail of crumbs around town, Ivy must trust her gut like never before—or someone else could be toast!
Struggling photographer Ivy Culpepper has lots of soul-searching to do since returning to seaside Santa Sofia, California. That is, until the thirty-six-year-old enters a bread making class at Yeast of Eden. Whether it’s the aroma of fresh conchas in the oven, or her instant connection with owner Olaya Solis, Ivy just knows the missing ingredients in her life are hidden among the secrets of Olaya’s bakery . . .
But Ivy’s spirits crumble when a missing classmate is suddenly discovered dead in her car. Even more devastating, the prime suspect is Olaya Solis herself. Doubting the woman could commit such a crime, Ivy embarks on a murder investigation of her own to prove her innocence and seize the real killer. As she follows a deadly trail of crumbs around town, Ivy must trust her gut like never before—or someone else could be toast!
About Winnie
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
The indefatigable Winnie Archer is a middle school teacher by day, and a writer by night. Born in a beach town in California, she now lives in an inspiring century old house in North Texas and loves being surrounded by real-life history. She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with both yoga and chocolate, adores pumpkin spice lattes, is devoted to her five kids and husband, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.
Visit Winnie online:
WinnieArcher.com
Winnie Archer is the pseudonym for national bestselling author Melissa Bourbon.
Learn more at http://melissabourbon.com.
Twitter @MelissaBourbon
Purchase Links:
Amazon
~*~*~*~*~*~
*****!!!GIVEAWAY!!!*****
Three (3) print copies of
KNEADED TO DEATH
(Open to USA and CANADA only)
Winners will be chosen after March 12
at the end of the tour
Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.
This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.
An Interview with Winnie Archer
LKBR: Thank you for being here today!
WA: Thank
you for having me! Cozy mystery lovers unite J
LKBR: Please
tell us a bit about your book/series.
WA: Well, Kneaded to Death is book
one in the brand new Bread Shop Mystery series. It stars Ivy Culpepper as the
amateur sleuth (and equally amateur baker). She has returned home to Santa
Sofia, California six months after her mother’s death and she’s trying to find
her way again. She takes a bread making class at a local bread shop and, well,
from there murder happens!
(Breads you might find in Yeast of Eden)
LKBR: How did
you come up with the concept for this series?
WA: As I
said, this is the first in a new series. I love baking, so that was an element
I definitely wanted to bring in. I was born and raised in California, so even
though I have lived in North Texas for the last nine years, I wanted to set
this book back in my home state. I decided on Ivy’s name first. She developed
from there, as did Olaya Solis and Penelope Branford, her two sidekicks.
LKBR: Do you
have a favorite character in your series?
WA: I love
Ivy, of course. She’s a great character. She’s strong and independent and is
someone I’d love to know. I adore Penelope Branford. She was an unexpected
addition to the book. I didn’t know she was going to play such a prominent
role. She’s an octogenarian firecracker and I love her! Olaya Solis is the
calming, rational figure and she’s so important to the series; she provides
balance and starts to become a surrogate mother figure to Ivy. Basically, I
adore them all. J
LKBR: Is there a certain type of scene
that’s harder for you to write than others? Love, action, death, ect?
WA: No, not really. I have written six
traditional cozy mysteries, two romantic suspenses, three caper mysteries, and
a romance, so I feel like I’ve done it all!
LKBR: In your writing, have you ever
used experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
WA: Oh sure! I pull from lots of different places: bits from the
news or previous stories I’ve read, real people, and sometimes just a habit or
quirk I observe in someone I know. I think my heroine’s always are a bit
autobiographical. I don’t know how to write or create characters in any other
way. Sometimes they have bits of me in them, or sometimes they have character
traits that I wish I had. I definitely hope I’m like Penelope Branford when I’m
80!
LKBR: When you’re in the process of writing/creating a book, do you use a
computer, typewriter, dictate, or use pen to paper?
WA: Computer!
Usually my laptop, but sometimes my desktop. I often write while my daughter’s
at soccer, or when I’m spending time with my son, so multitasking is my middle
name.
LKBR: Do you have any writing quirks or
rituals that you do before, during, and/or after writing a new book?
WA: Nope!
Although I did treat myself to a massage after finishing book two, Crust No
One, recently. I might make that a new reward after every book is completed.
LKBR: What does your family think about
your writing? How important is their support?
WA: They’re all insanely proud of
me. I’ve been writing seriously for fourteen years now. They’ve seen the hard
work it’s taken. Even when I doubted that I’d ever be able to share the stories
and characters I love so much, my husband never doubted me. Their support is so
important; I couldn’t spend the time I do writing without it.
LKBR: What inspired you to write your first book?
WA: I was a
middle school teacher before taking time off to be with my kids. I had just had
my 5th (and final) baby and needed something to do outside the house.
Something to help me keep my sanity. Something that made me think about adult
things instead of kids all the time. I started meeting with a friend on Monday
nights and we’d write. My first character, Lola Cruz, was born, and from there I
never stopped.
LKBR: What
was the most surprising thing you learned when trying to get your first book
published?
WA: I had
to realize that rejections were not personal. It’s so hard to have your work
criticized by editors and agents you’ve submitted your work to. I put so much
into my stories that it is very hard not to take it personally.
LKBR: What
book are you reading?
WA: I just
finished The Woman in Cabin 10. It is a good mystery!
LKBR: Do you
have any advice for aspiring cozy writers?
WA: Persevere.
There were many times when I was ready to throw in the towel, but I never did
because ultimately I wanted to share my stories. I’m just an ordinary person.
I’m a teacher. A mother. A wife. A daughter…and a writer. My advice is to
persevere, because giving up ensures that you will never achieve your goal.
LKBR: Where
can readers go to learn more about you and your books?
Twitter @teacher_misa
Instagram @misaram5
LKBR: Thank
you so much for letting us get to know you better!
WA:
Thank you for loving cozy mysteries!
📕📖📗📖📘📖📙
MY REVIEW
A mouthwatering tale of bread,
murder, and more bread.
I’ve been looking forward to
reading KNEADED TO DEATH. I’m a self-professed breadaholic, so this book was on
my radar right away. And, the descriptions of the different breads did not
disappoint, and indeed succeeded in making my stomach growl. It seems like I
could smell each yeasty loaf as it came out of the oven. Yum!
I had a
love/I’m-not-sure-about-her relationship with protagonist Ivy Culpepper. My
opinion seemed to change every chapter or so. Ivy did have an awful tragedy in
her life set six months before the book’s beginning, so I’m aware she wasn’t
supposed to be all happy-go-lucky. And I did love that she found peace through
baking, and using her camera. Hiding behind that lens can help heal a world of
hurts. I’ve done it myself, so there was a bit of a connection there with her.
There were many unique
characters in KNEADED TO DEATH. I enjoyed the Solis sisters, and that they
slipped a lot into their native Spanish from time to time. However, I wish
there had been a few more translation moments for the readers.
The mystery was pretty solid,
with plenty of suspects to keep me on my toes. The reveal of who murdered a fellow
classmate in Ivy’s bread making class took my completely by surprise. There was
also a twist brought in. There was another twist brought into the reveal as
well.
All in all a good start to a
new series. I look forward to book two, and trying to connect more with
Ivy.
KNEADED TO DEATH comes with
two tasty recipes at the back of the book.
You're going to love
KNEADED TO DEATH
Tour Participants
Tour Participants
February 27 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews
February 27 – Books,Dreams,Life
February 28 – Sleuth Cafe
February 28 – The Book's the Thing
March 1 – Celticlady's Reviews
March 1 – Bookworm Mom
March 2 – Reading Is My SuperPower
March 2 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews
March 3 – Melina's Book Blog
March 3 – Rainy Day Reviews
March 4 – Shelley's Book Case
March 4 – Island Confidential
March 5 – Laura's Interests
March 5 – Bibliophile Reviews
March 6 – Valerie's Musings
March 6 – Book Babble
March 7 – Community Bookstop
March 8 – Brooke Blogs
March 8 – A Holland Reads
March 9 – StoreyBook Reviews
March 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy
March 10 – Becky's Bookcase
March 10 – Readeropolis
March 11 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews
March 12 – Moonlight Rendezvous
GOOD LUCK!
As always, please leave a comment and
let me know what you think!
Follow my blog by
clicking on the link in the
upper right hand corner of this page.
I love reading your reviews!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa. Happy Saturday, to you.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, Lisa. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteGreat reveive thank you Lisa! I just brought it from Amazon.com can't wait for it to come in. She's a new Author for me.
ReplyDeletePenney
Ooo, thank you, Penney! I hope you like it :)
DeleteGreat post and so love bread also love to make it the smell in the house while it is baking is the best. My second foster mom came from Australia and she baked the best bread it usedd to rise in her bed and she would go and give it a good slam so it would rise again it was so good!
ReplyDeleteI hope the bread in the book lives up to your childhood memories!
Delete"Kneaded to Death" sounds like a great start to a new series. Looking forward to reading.
ReplyDeleteThank you for following the tour, Dianne!
DeleteLoved this interview and write-up. Bread makes this book call my name. My favorite food is bread (who wants lobster every day?) But bread comes in all forms and I have never ever tired of it. 😁. I really must read this book. Thanks for letting me know about this author and series,Lisa.
ReplyDeleteCynthia B
I hope you try it and love it, Cynthia!
DeleteGreat review! I can't wait to read this book!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Delete