BOOK TOUR

I'm excited to be a stop on the book tour for

LAVENDER BLUE MURDER

Book 21 in the Tea Shop Mysteries

by Laura Childs

Tea-Maven Theodosia Browning brews up trouble in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

Tea maven Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier Drayton Conneley are guests at a bird hunt styled in the precise manner of an English shooting party. Which means elevenses (sloe gin fizzes), gun loaders, the drawing of pegs, fine looking bird dogs, and shooting costumes of tweed, herringbone, and suede.

But as gunshots explode like a riff of Black Cat firecrackers, another shot sounds too close for comfort to Theodosia and Drayton. Intrigued but worried, Theodosia wanders into the neighbor's lavender field where she discovers their host, Reginald Doyle, bleeding to death.

His wife, Meredith, is beside herself with grief and begs Theodosia and Drayton to stay the night. But Theodosia awakens at 2:00A.M. to find smoke in her room and the house on fire. As the fire department screams in and the investigating sheriff returns, Meredith again pleads with Theodosia for help.

As Theodosia investigates, fingers are pointed, secrets are uncovered, Reginald's daughter-in-law goes missing presumed drowned, and Meredith is determined to find answers via a séance. All the while Theodosia worries if she's made a mistake in inviting a prime suspect to her upscale Lavender Lady Tea.

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

📚🕮📚🕮📚

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

1 lucky readers will each win a print copy of

LAVENDER BLUE MURDER 

Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

Winner will be chosen after March 21 at the end of the tour.

This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.

📚🕮📚🕮📚

A CHAT WITH LAURA

LKBR: Thank you for joining us today, Laura.

LC: Thank you so much for having me, Lisa. You are so kind and it’s always fun to be invited here.

LKBR: Please tell us a little bit about Lavender Blue Murder, your new Tea Shop Mystery.

LC: As tea shop owner Theodosia and her tea sommelier Drayton enjoy a British-style day of shooting at Creekmore Plantation, gunshots explode like Black Cat firecrackers. But the distinctive pop of a handgun sounds too close for comfort. Theodosia wanders into a neighboring lavender field and discovers their host Reginald Doyle bleeding to death. Hours later, a fire rips through the Doyle’s plantation house. A shooting and a fire feel way too coincidental, so Theodosia launches an investigation. Fingers are pointed, suspects abound, and old secrets are revealed even as Reginald’s daughter-in law is missing and presumed drowned. A wild, cross-country chase with more shots fired reveals the killer. This is one of my most action-packed mysteries yet!

LKBR: What are your plans for this series?

LC: Lavender Blue Murder is the 21^st book in the Tea Shop Mystery series and I’m just finishing up Haunted Hibiscus, the next book. Then it’s on to a Christmas Tea Shop Mystery that’s as yet untitled. Then I have four more books to write in my current Tea Shop Mystery contract. So lots to come.

LKBR: Are you working on any new projects?

LC: I’m working on projects 24/7. I have a TV deal that’s in the works, plus I’m working on a new Scrapbook Mystery, a new Cackleberry Club Mystery, and two other new series – one a thriller, one a humorous mystery.

LKBR: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

LC: When I was six years old I wrote and illustrated George the Ghost. From then on I was the kid who told ghost stories around the campfire, wrote for the school paper, and made up countless songs and poems. I was an English major in college and went on to become an advertising writer/producer at three multi-national ad agencies. Later on I founded and became CEO of my own company, Mission Critical Marketing.

LKBR: Was getting your first book published everything you thought it would be?

LC: I had some help. Mary Higgins Clark, God rest her dear soul, put me in touch with a number of agents and editors so my first book sold very quickly. From there I just kept pitching new series and they kept getting snapped up. Of course, twenty-five years as a professional writer helped up my game.

LKBR: What’s your favorite part of being a writer?

LC: Calling the shots. I can write what I want, when I want to (yes, even a beach in Bali, which I have done). And if I have a new book idea my publisher generally listens to me.

LKBR: Have you ever read a book that has stayed with you long after reading it?

LC: Probably some of the classics like Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. And I still love re-reading Rosemary’s Baby and Salem’s Lot. Those books still scare the crap out of me.

LKBR: On what site do you recommend readers leave their reviews?

LC: Probably Good Reads and Amazon are the most popular. Those are the ones I look at anyway.

LKBR: If you could spend one hour with a reader, what would you want to talk about?

LC: Actually, I spend many hours with lots of readers. I give talks at libraries and book clubs, as well as dozens of bookstores. Afterwards, there are lots of Q&A’s, some formal, some not. Most of the time readers ask me how I got started, how do I keep all three of my mystery series straight (never a problem) and how did I find an agent? Probably, because many readers are also would-be writers, the agent question is what fascinates them the most. I generally tell them to write a full-length manuscript, have it professionally edited, then boil it down to a one-paragraph synopsis. From there it’s a matter of writing query letters to potential agents. I also tell them to take writing classes, follow writer’s blogs, and always think positive because talent does win out!

LKBR: Thanks you so much, Laura, for letting us get to know you better!

LC: Many thanks to you, Lisa K. And to all your wonderful followers!

Love,

Laura Childs

Find me at wwwlaurachilds.com or on Facebook at Laura Childs Author

For me, it’s a no brainer when a new book from author Laura Childs is released. I get the book. They have become “go to” reads. So I was excited to finally read LAVENDER BLUE MURDER.

As with the rest of the Tea Shop Mystery series, this was a well written (author Laura Childs doesn’t know how to do it any other way) tale that was so vivid, I could see the images, hear the sounds, and smell the delightful food. From one scene to the next, there was a mixture of fun, drama, and excitement. The mystery aspect of the story was wonderfully plotted, leading me down many wrong paths before the surprising reveal.

As would have been with Theo’s aunt Libby, the theme of this one, a bird hunt styled English shooting party, didn’t excite me. I deplore hunting. That being said, I read the book and certainly enjoyed it. I did want to stop reading at one point, but instead skimmed past it. This view is my personal opinion. It’s not meant to deter you away from the book.

The Tea Shop Mysteries are like a good, strong cup of tea. The longer you let it steep, the stronger it becomes. At book twenty-one in the series, LAVENDAR BLUE MURDER is the strongest brewed to date.

About Laura Childs

 

  Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs. Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are: The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston. The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here! The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality. 

 Laura’s Links

Website – http://www.laurachilds.com/ 

 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31 

 Purchase Links

Amazon    B&N    Kobo    Google Play    IndieBound 

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 2 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
March 2 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
March 3 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW
March 4 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
March 4 – My Journey Back – REVIEW
March 5 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – GUEST POST
March 5 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW
March 6 – I'm All About Books-SPOTLIGHT
March 6 – Here's How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT
March 7 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW
March 8 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
March 9 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
March 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 10 – The Editing Pen – REVIEW
March 10 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLGHT
March 11 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
March 12 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 13 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT
March 13 – The Book Diva's Reads – GUEST POST
March 14 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW
March 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 15 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
March 16 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST
March 16 – This Is My Truth Now – SPOTLIGHT
March 17 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
March 18 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 19 – Laura`s Interests – REVIEW
March 19 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
March 20 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW
March 21 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW

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