Thursday, September 30, 2021


Hello my friends! 
So many of you have been with me since the beginning, and will remember some of my "throwback" posts. But for my new readers, I like to share the old posts from time to time. 

The following post is from
September 29, 2014!

Featured is one of my favorite authors and an all around sweetheart of a lady,
Connie Archer/di Marco.

Enjoy! 

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Hello everyone! 

Today I am thrilled to be hosting one of my favorite cozy authors, and just an around awesome lady, 
Connie Archer!

Connie writes The Soup Lover's Mystery series. 
If you haven't read this series, you must add it to your reading list!

Connie has been thinking a lot lately about who she wants to kill. In her books that is! 

After you read Connie's dilemma, maybe you can help her out by leaving a comment letting her know who you think she should and shouldn't kill. 

And to thank you, Connie is giving away a copy of your choice of one of her first three 
Soup Lover's Mysteries!

You can enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

So, lets see what Connie has to say. 

    Who should I kill next?
by Connie Archer

Someone recently asked me how I’ve managed to have one or more murders in each book of the Soup Lover’s Mystery series without depleting the admittedly small population of Snowflake, Vermont.  Originally, the town census was 953 but now, unfortunately, there are only 950 souls in the village.  (Psssst . . . . don’t tell anyone, but the murder rate in this charming village is rather high.)


Winter tourists come for the ski slopes, summer visitors for the lovely scenery and the reenactment of the Battle of Bennington and, of course, the Harvest Festival in the fall.  Outsiders are safe.  Well, I mean they’re safe for me to kill, but Snowflake may not be a very safe place for them to be.  And of course if anyone comes to town for nefarious reasons, I feel I have a completely free hand in bumping them off. 

So that got me to thinking . . . what would happen if one of the village residents, one of the regulars in town, were murdered?  Would that complete demolish the boundaries of a cozy mystery?  Would readers be upset and write angry emails to me?  And if I should decide to do just that, who would I choose? 


Speaking of bumping characters off -- I’ve watched pretty much every episode of Downton Abbey.  No, I’m not a rabid fan, although I really have enjoyed the series.  A reviewer recently described Downton as a “perfect soap opera.”  That gave me pause.  A soap?  Wow!  I hadn’t quite thought of Downton Abbey as a soap, but maybe that reviewer had a point.  Maybe whatever factors caused Downton to be so popular are the same elements that make a mystery series a success. 


Let’s examine some of the things that have happened at Downton.  Bates has gone to jail -- for a good long time for the murder of his wife, leaving Anna heartbroken and terrified.  It wasn’t looking as if Bates would ever be released.  Anna’s been raped by a monstrous valet.  The younger sister who ran off with the chauffeur (sorry, can’t remember her character’s name), has died after childbirth, and then there’s Matthew.  What a shocker that was at the end of the season! 


So here’s this marvellous series that pulls every fan in every week even though terrible things are happening to the Crawley family and other residents of Downton Abbey.  Could I take a leaf from that book?  (Speaking figuratively that is.)  Could I kill off a series regular character?  Is that actually DONE in cozies???  And who would I choose? 

Jack?  Lucky’s beloved grandfather?  Well, we know Jack has had some health problems and then of course there are his flashbacks to the war.  But no!  Not Jack!  Never!  Even though he’s 85 years young.  Besides, who would tell time by the bells if anything happened to that wonderful Navy vet?

Lucky?  Nope.  Can’t do that.  After all, she’s my main protagonist.  Without her there couldn’t be a series.  She has to stick around to solve all the crimes.  Sophie?  Lucky’s best friend?  Can’t see that.  Sophie just got married.  Well, she will have been married by the end of Book 4, Ladle to the Grave, which is coming out on March 3, 2015.  No, that would be terrible. 


Sage DuBois?  The Spoonful’s chef?  Yikes!  Who would make all those fabulous soup recipes?  And surely not Horace Winthorpe!  He hasn’t finished his book on the Revolutionary War years in Vermont yet.  He has a ways to go.  And definitely not his dog Cicero.  Never Cicero

Perhaps a more minor character?  Flo Sullivan who sends Jack into tailspins with her flirtations?  Hmmm.  Hank or Barry, the Spoonful’s regulars?  Uh, uh.  They’re the first customers of the day.  Killing them would cause a rift in the universe that is Snowflake, Vermont

The more I thought about it, I realized how hard the choice would be, if not impossible.  I love them all.  I need them all.  They people the pages of each book, lending texture and color and idiosyncrasies.  I couldn’t bear to kill any of them.  Just can’t do it. 

This title will be released on March 3, 2015.

What do you think?  Should everyone in Snowflake stay in Snowflake?  The important people I mean?  Even the ones who are so annoying, like Cordelia Rank?  Personally, I think it would just be too too sad.  I want them all there the next time I sit down to plot the new crimes in the village. 

What do you think?  Could you bear to lose anyone in Snowflake?  Would you never speak or write to me again? 

Wow! Connie sure is in a predicament. 

I'm going to throw in my opinion. 

I would hate to see any of the people Connie mentioned above get murdered. But it occurs to me there are semi-regular characters that could be killed off and it would add just the right amount of angst to the story without completely breaking our hearts by losing one of our beloved regulars. 

My pick would be Sage's brother, Remy DuBois. 

What do you think? Do you think Connie can kill off a regular? 
Or should she stick with visitors to Snowflake?

I can't wait to read your suggestions for her.

You can purchase Connie Archer's Soup Lover's Mysteries at you local bookstore or any of these online book sellers.




Connie Archer is the national bestselling author of the Soup Lover's Mystery series set in Snowflake, Vermont -- A Spoonful of Murder, A Broth of Betrayal, A Roux of Revenge, Ladle to the Grave and A Clue in the Stew. You can find excerpts from the Soup Lover's Mystery series and Connie's recipes in The Cozy Cookbook from Penguin Random House and The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. Connie was born and raised in New England and loves writing about Vermont. Today she can be found on the other coast inventing soup recipes and designing plots. You can visit her website and blog at http://www.conniearchermysteries.com and sign up for her newsletter. You can find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ConnieArcherMysteries and Twitter @SnowflakeVT.

Writing as Connie di Marco, she also writes the Zodiac Mysteries from Midnight Ink. The first book in the series, The Madness of Mercury was released on June 8, 2016. You can visit her at www.conniedimarco.com, Facebook.com/ZodiacMysteries and Twitter @askzodia.


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I hope you all enjoyed this blast from the past post as much as I did. It's fun from me to goes back an see how I did things in the beginning.


Have a beautiful, amazing, wonderful day my friends!


Tuesday, September 28, 2021

 

Today I'm joining 
Berkley Mystery
 in celebrating the release of  
DEATH OF A RED-HOT RANCHER
Book 1 in the Love Is Murder Mysteries
by Mimi Granger


Love meets murder in this new cozy mystery series set in a quirky romance bookstore, with a heroine to die for.

Lizzie Hale may be the lucky owner of a successful romance bookshop, Love Under the Covers, but she's decidedly un-lucky in love. Though she's read almost every famous romance novelist, from Jane Austen to Nora Roberts, none have helped her figure out how to get—and keep—a man.

But Lizzie has bigger problems to worry about. Like murder.

When Brody Pierce, swoon-worthy ranch owner and resident bachelor, is found stabbed through the chest, hearts were heard breaking all over idyllic Tinker's Creek. But when Lizzie's aunt is implicated in the murder, she's determined to clear her name. Lizzie quickly realizes that Brody was a hunk with many hidden secrets, and she's soon leafing through a stack of suspects longer than Brody's list of lovers.

With the killer still on the loose, Lizzie will have to find the truth before this act of passion ignites a fire she can't put out.
From Mimi Granger

There’s a lot that goes into writing a cozy mystery. There’s murder and clues galore; suspects and red herrings; setting is important, too, as are the people who live in that place. 

The true heart of a cozy, though, is its main character, the amateur sleuth. And for cozy mystery writers, finding, developing, and writing that sleuth is a combination of fun and challenging.

That’s pretty much what I faced when I started tinkering with the idea for the Love is Murder mysteries. I knew I wanted to set my stories in a romance bookstore called Love Under the Covers. And obviously to keep the bookshop front and center, my heroine needed to be the proprietor of the shop.

But who would she be?

Her name struck me first—Lizzie Hale. And there were some givens right from the start: Lizzie had to be a book lover, she had to enjoy the romance genre above all else, and because she had to have the energy to run the shop and solve crimes, she had to be young.

So far, though, Lizzie sounded like a standard character, and readers demand more than that in the books they love.

What could make Lizzie different? For one thing, she needed to afford her own bookstore. I took care of that problem lickety-split: Lizzie’s parents had been investing in Apple stocks for her since she was born.  When the stocks came into her possession, she chose to follow her dream and open a bookstore. If only all money problems were that easily solved!

That still wasn’t enough to make Lizzie stand out in the crowd. The idea of making Lizzie a baseball fan and whiz when it comes to statistics wasn’t all that hard since my family has always been big into baseball, so I added that into the mix, and from there, things just started to rock ‘n roll. I needed a hero/love interest, right? I made him a gorgeous park ranger and former major league baseball player. Instantly, Max and Lizzie have something in common, something they can talk about—baseball.

Then just to turns things on their head, I made Lizzie, romance novel lover, a complete loser when it comes to real life romance! When Max is around, Lizzie gets itchy. She gets tongue-tied. If it wasn’t for the saving grace of baseball and the fact that when she and Max talk murder, Lizzie’s in her element, she’s sure he’d discover what a romance dork she is.

Lizzie makes her debut in Death of a Red-Hot Rancher, the first book in the new series, and I’ve already finished the next in the series as well. I discovered more interesting things about Lizzie in that book and I hope I—and readers—will get to know her even better in years to come!

Mimi Granger is a pseudonym for Connie Laux, an established mystery author. She is the author of the League of Literary Ladies Mystery series, the Button Box Mystery series, and the Haunted Mansion Mystery series. Mimi resides in Cleveland, Ohio. Learn more online at mystery-book-series.com.         

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mimi Granger is a pseudonym for Connie Laux, an established mystery author. She’s written the League of Literary Ladies series, the Button Box Mystery series, and the Haunted Mansion Mystery series.


I’m always excited to start a new cozy mystery series, so I couldn’t wait to read DEATH OF A RED HOT RANCHER, book 1 in the Love Is Murder series by author Mimi Granger.

I loved the lead character’s book store. I had just about every romance you could mention. I also liked her little home town and most of its residents. Protagonist, Lizzie, did fall a notch on my likeability meter because of something I won’t mention as I don’t want to skew how you view her.

DEATH OF A RED-HOT RANCHER is a solid beginning to this new series, and I’m looking forward to the second title to see what changes author Granger may make, and to learn more about the characters as she fleshes them out.

As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click "View web version". Then follow the above directions.

Monday, September 27, 2021


Check out these giveaways at GoodReads!

There could be a mix of print and eBooks, so make sure to check before you enter.

Use the link below each book for a chance to enter.

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Only one new cozy this time, but take a look at all of these cookbooks! 






ENTER




ENTER


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GOOD LUCK!

PS . . . While you're there, I'd love for you to friend me and check out my reviews! If you enjoy them, please make sure to Like them. Thanks!



As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click "View web version". Then follow the above directions.

Sunday, September 26, 2021

BOOK TOUR


I'm so happy to be a stop on the blog tour for
THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO
Book 5 in the Food Blogger Mysteries
by Debra Sennefelder


Food blogging is turning Hope Early into a household name. But the dead body down the block makes her a #1 suspect...
 
It seems everyone loves Hope’s blog these days, and she’s busier than ever volunteering to help other women create their own paths to success. So she’s shocked when a neighbor petitions to run Hope right out of her small Connecticut town! Set in her ways, apparently Birdie Donovan doesn’t like the chaos Hope’s sleuthing creates, the police activity and crime scenes, and it’s happening way too often lately. Eager to make amends, Hope bakes Birdie a batch of her best muffins. The delicious treats might have smoothed things over—until Hope discovers Birdie dead in her gazebo the very next day...
 
Now instead of worrying about holding on to her beloved home, Hope is trying to stay out of jail. Because suddenly she’s the lead suspect in the case. Not even her boyfriend, Police Chief Ethan Cahill, is promising he can clear her name, much less discuss the investigation with her. It’s up to Hope to get to bake new ground on the case before the lifestyle brand she’s created—and her whole life—crumbles...

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!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

One lucky reader will win a
Grand Prize Package
Include a Signed Copy of
THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO!

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

Winner will be chosen after October 4 at the end of the tour.

USA only

This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours


MY REVIEW

I’ve been a fan of author Debra Sennefelder since I read her first book. She has never disappointed and that includes this wonderful book, THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO. This fifth book in the series is just as tasty as the four titles that came before. Actually, is has even more flavor!

THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO held me prisoner with every page. What seemed to be an open and shut case of our protagonist committing murder, evolved into a twisty turny who-really-dunit that had me second and third guessing myself right up until the heart racing end.  In fact, it was so hard to put down it went with me to the kitchen for food and drink, and (Warning: TMI Alert) to the potty. J

Fans of the Food Blogger Mysteries and of Debra Sennefelder, will not be disappointed with this newest installment. Those who aren’t fans . . . that translate to “those who have never read a book by this author” . . . THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO will change that. 

Did I mention the amazing recipes?


LKBR:  Thank you for joining us today, Debra!

DS: Thank you! I’m so happy to be here.


LKBR: Please tell us a bit about your new book.

DS: Food blogger Hope Early finds herself involved in the murder investigation of a persnickety neighbor. Birdie Donovan likes things a certain way, and it seems that few of her neighbors live up to her standards, including Hope. After a very public argument, Hope finds Birdie dead – murdered. Evidence quickly mounts up against Hope, and she has to find the real killer and clear her name. 


LKBR: How many hours a week do you work in order to meet your deadline(s)?

DS: I work about forty hours a week for my writing business. That time includes admin work, social media, and promotion. Some days, my workload is lighter. Other days, it’s all I can do to get one thing crossed off my to-do list. I write my novels in several drafts, so I may be editing one manuscript while writing the first draft of another manuscript. It’s a constant juggling act.

 

LKBR: Are you working on any new projects?

DS: I am currently writing the first draft of a Resale Boutique mystery, which is due to my editor next spring. I’m also working on something that I can’t discuss at this time. Though, I can share that it’s so much fun!

 

LKBR: How many books do put out annually (if more than one)?

DS: Typically two a year.

 

LKBR: What is your brainstorming process like? Do you have a certain order you use when starting a new story? Such as, main character development, do you already have a murder in mind, the location it takes place?

DS: When I get an idea for a story, I first think about if that idea can carry a whole book. Some ideas can’t, and those get filed away to use perhaps as a secondary plot in the future. Once I get an idea for a story like I did for the manuscript I’m writing now, I start fleshing out the victim and the murderer. First, I need to know their history, what brought the two of them to this point, and I need to know what happened during the murder. Then I begin creating suspects and their relationships with the victim and the murderer (if there is one). Then I start plotting the story, and from there, I write my outline. The outline I sent to my editor for the Resale Boutique book I’m currently writing was 28 pages long. Actually, my working outline was closer to 35. In that outline I include snippets of dialogue, description, anything that comes to mind as I’m plotting that I don’t want to forget. 


LKBR: Where’s the strangest place inspiration has hit?

DS: I can’t think of the strangest place. Inspiration hits all the time, but as I said earlier, not all ideas can be used.


LKBR: What publishing decisions are made by you, and what are made by the publisher? Such as, cover design, paperback/hardcover, publishing date, pricing, and so on.

DS: The publisher decides all those things. However, I do have input into the cover design. My editor asks for my ideas, and I provide him with a document with images. If the cover depicts the murder scene, I’ll include descriptions of the scene in that document.

 

LKBR: Have you done both self-publishing and traditional publishing? If yes, how do they differ? And do you as the author have to promote them equally, or does a publisher handle a lot of the promoting?

DS: I haven’t done self-publishing.

LKBR: Multiple questions here. Have you ever thought about giving up on writing? If yes, why? What kept you going? What would you see yourself doing instead? If no, YAY! J


DS: Yes, the thought of packing up my index cards, my plotting sheets, and my thick idea file has crossed my mind more than once. But, the truth is I love what I do, and at this point in my life, I can’t see myself doing anything else. But, if I did stop writing, I’d probably go back to food blogging. 

 

 LKBR: If you could make one request of a reader, what would that be?

DS: I would love readers to share what they are reading with their friends and family.  think when you share what you are reading, you’re offering a wonderful gift to everyone around you. 


LKBR: Thank you for joining us here today, Debra!

DS: It’s been my pleasure. I hope your friends will connect with me on social media so I can get to know them. Thank you!

About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

Her first novel, THE UNINVITED CORPSE (A Food Blogger mystery) was published in 2018.In addition to writing the Food Blogger mystery series, she writes the Resale Boutique Mystery series. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in retail and publishing before becoming a full-time author. Her writing companion is her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih Tzu, Connie.

Author Links
FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE: http://bit.ly/2qjwHyT
GOODREADS – http://bit.ly/2DpMPE8

Purchase Links 
AMAZON    -    BARNES & NOBLE    -    KENSINGTON  
KOBO    -    GOOGLE    -    INDIEBOUND 



TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 21 – Author Elena Taylor's Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 21 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST
September 22 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
September 22 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
September 23 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
September 23 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 24 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 24 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
September 25 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews - REVIEW, GUEST POST
September 25 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW
September 26 – Brooke Blogs – RECIPE POST
September 26 – Lisa Ks Book Review - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 27 – Literary Gold - SPOTLIGHT
September 27 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 28 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
September 28 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
September 29 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
September 29 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT
September 30 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 30 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 1 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 2 – Laura's Interests – GUEST POST
October 3 – Cassidy's Bookshelves – GUEST POST
October 3 – Reading Authors Network – SPOTLIGHT
October 4 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
October 4 – Melina's Book Blog - REVIEW


As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 
upper right hand corner of this page (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click "View web version". Then follow the above directions.