Hello, dear friends. 

Well, I have been gone much longer then planned. I'm so about that. While I get on Facebook and chime in, I've still been pretty much inside my own head. My goal is to get back to reading, reviewing, my blog and all of you. 

Thank you all for your kind words, and your patience. 

I hope your summer has been a good one, and as we grow closer to Fall (Yay!), I hope it only gets better. While so many mourn the loss Summer, I welcome it. Once the cooler air, better yet, the crisp chilly air of Fall comes around, I always find myself coming back to life. So please, hang in there a little longer with me. I will be back!

Hugs and love to you all.

Lisa

Hello my friends.

I wanted to check in after being quiet for so long.

I'm doing well. I'm not sick. Not in a eat broth, get some sleep kinda way.

Most of you already know that I have bi-polar as well as panic and anxiety disorder. In that mixed depression. With the help of medications, I do much better then I did about 30 years ago when diagnosed. However, there are times when my medication, and me being a born goofball just aren't strong enough to get me through sometimes. 

But I am trying. I am trying hard. For you, my family, and myself, I'm trying so hard. 

Lisa Ks Book Reviews will continue! As soon as I can get myself back on an even keel, I will be back. 

You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily did you? 😉

Sending love, peace, and light to you all. 

 Hello all. As you must have noticed by now, nothing new has been happening on my blog. There are 2 reasons.

1: First to happen . . . I haven't been able to load any images to my blog. I've been working hard on trying to figure it out, but so far, nothing.

2: I've been having some flare ups 

of my bipolar, and have had a struggle with my depression. May & June are hard months for me. For my family. The anniversary of both my parents deaths, the anniversary of my brother's death, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the birthday of one of my dearest friends who has now passed. It's all too much in a small space of time.

I'm so sorry to have been MIA. I am going to strive to get things back on track. I'm giving myself a deadline of July 1. I pray you all can hang in there with me as I work on getting my blog, and my presence in the cozy community back in order. In the mean time, love and joy to you all. Good bless. Hugs to you all.

A huge THANK YOU to my friend Karen, for looking after all of you for me. She's so busy in life right now, that it means more than words can say that she would help out, even without being asked! Love you, Karen! 

As for things here. I still can't upload images. If I can't soon, it looks like I may have to set up a new blog. (Insert sad face here) Either way, I will be back up and running ASAP. 

Hugs my friends. And, Happy June!  

Lisa

 

Welcome back and thought I would share about a Facebook event that is happening June 6th so you have time to mark your calendars! 

June 6th is the release date for Death Knells and Wedding Bells by Eva Gates and over on her Author page on Facebook she is hosting an event that I highly recommend attending. Virtually of course !

So many Authors are participating in this event, which is on Facebook and can be found on Eva Gates and Vicki Delany's Facebook page. 

Mark your calendars and RSVP for this amazing event, more than 150 people have already signed up for it! A lighthouse, a wedding, a mystery and so much more! I hope to see you there.

 

Well It looks like Lisa is still having some trouble with uploading images to her page, somehow it is letting me. But I feel her frustration and I through my desk in full support.

I hope you will accept me filling in...

I have some exciting news from the Cozy World to share, Two Cozy Mysteries I can't wait to read...

Coming July 4th!!! Scaredy Cat by Sofie Ryan, book 10 of 11 in the Second Chance Cat Mystery Series is going to be released! I love this cover!

"Secondhand store owner Sarah Grayson and her affectionate rescue cat, Elvis, will scare up a few leads to find a killer in the newest installment of this captivating New York Times bestselling series.

 After a long, cold, and snowy winter, it seems as though spring may be arriving early in Maine. Sarah Grayson is busy at her store, Second Chance, and she’s looking forward to an afternoon break from the hustle and bustle, tagging along to the North Harbor Spring House Tour with her friend Detective Michelle Andrews.

 But it turns out one of the houses has a haunted history, and when a ghost hunter is found dead on the premises, Sarah knows the best way to uncover the killer/to solve the mystery is by investigating the not-so-dearly departed. With help from Elvis and Charlotte’s Angels, the crew of senior citizen private detectives who work out of the store, she’ll close the case on this creepy crime" - Amazon

 Ok you may not know me that well but I am obsessed with tea and this particular series. This has me so excited and preordering Laura Childs July 4th, 2023 release of A Dark and Stormy Tea, I am already thinking of the teas I shall sip with this in my tea tent! 

"A possible serial killer on the loose sends tea maven Theodosia Browning into a whirlwind of investigation in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

It was a dark and stormy night, but that was the least of Theodosia Browning's troubles. As she approaches St. Philips Graveyard, Theodosia sees two figures locked in a strange embrace. Wiping rain from her eyes, Theodosia realizes she has just witnessed a brutal murder and sees a dark-hooded figure slip away into the fog.

In the throes of alerting police, Theodosia recognizes the victim—it is the daughter of her friend, Lois, who owns the Antiquarian Bookshop next door to her own Indigo Tea Shop.

Even though this appears to be the work of a serial killer who is stalking the back alleys of Charleston, Lois begs Theodosia for help. Against the advice of her boyfriend, Detective Pete Riley, and the sage words of Drayton, her tea sommelier, amateur-sleuth Theodosia launches her own shadow investigation. And quickly discovers that suspects abound with the dead girl’s boyfriend, nefarious real estate developer, private-security man, bumbling reporter, and her own neighbor who is writing a true-crime book and searching for a big ending."- Amazon 

Neither Lisa or I are Amazon Affiliates. I just get most of my pre ordered books through Amazon. I am no longer receiving advanced reading copies so if you see me get really excited you can bet these are ones I have chosen to add to my TBR list this summer!

Thanks for joining us here and for luck that Lisa can be online again soon! 

 Greetings! I hear for you in the USA it may be a long weekend, here in Canada ours was last weekend and I was so tired i never got around to making a Jello Pie I had been wanting to try. 

When my parents were alive and my dad still working he had a lady in the office who made us this pie once and I absolutely loved it, having had no idea at the time how she made this magical fluffy red pie, and now many decades later, I learned that it was a Jello Pie! 

Specifically this recipe I found on the Kraft Canada Website which you can also find by clicking this sentence. 

Hoping that this photo is viewable to you all, it is from the Kraft Website and I was in absolute disbelief that while I was looking at recipes this yummy childhood memory  has been rediscovered!

What I think I love most about this pie is that it combines my favorite parts of having pie, the fruit and the creamy topping, into the pie! 

While I am not sure how you will be spending your holiday weekend I hope it is with people you love, or doing something you love. 

I will let you know how my pie turns out! Let me know if you make this or if you have a similar pie recipe you would share!

Hello all.

Something has gone wrong, again, between my computer and my blog host site. I can't upload any photos. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. 

Sigh.

PLEASE stick with me. I want to work through very carefully. There are 10 years of post on this blog. So far, the only "fix" options I have found is to set up a new blog. I can't stand the thought of losing everything. 

Please send good thoughts, vibes, and prayers that I can figure this out. 

Love and hugs to you all,

Lisa

 

Sending love to you all today and hopefully some cozy laughs!

 So... I did a thing, cost under $3 and has hopefully brought a smile or two to people passing by...

This is my second Bug, but I never put eyelashes on car before, wondering how long they will last! "Tea Kettle" is this ones name and she was lacking personality.

This was my first love, I called her "Teapot"! I miss this car so much and tried to keep her alive for as long as I could. I really loved everything about her, especially how I could transport special surprises for my nieces like this one on the eve of her birthday so many years ago. Now I am imagining what she would have looked like with eyelashes!

The new Eyelashes on Tea Kettle, hopefully will bring some much needed lightness and humor to my morning commute, oh and I can't wait to see my teenagers responce at seeing them before he gets in the car to drop off at his school....

I shall keep you posted!

Just had to get this off my chest. 

I have brought this up before, and am sure I will again.

Do you feel there should be such a thing as an "edgy" cozy? I don't.

I do not think cursing should be in Cozy Mysteries. I have come to except a h*ll or d*mn here and there, but multiple, multiple times on one book? Multiple times only half way through the book? It's too much. And then there are other words that are worse. B*tch, b*stard! What? In a cozy? No! 

Also, sexual suggestions have become a bit too descriptive. We all know some of our characters have sexual relationships. But some of the descriptions have been very risqué. And using the word erotic!

I love our cozy authors. I have a high respect for their talents. Maybe it's the publishers that want them a little more than cozy. But I miss the day when I could pick up a cozy and know it would be like a "Hallmark" type of read. I could pass books on to anyone pre-teen to 100, and know that they were appropriate.

I have friends and fellow readers who feel the same. Anyone out there feel that way too?

Thanks for hearing my rant. 

 This week I am thinking about ways to beat the summer heat. I am not a summer person and while I love a sunny day I don't love a hot day. I have had to check several times this last week if it was hot out or if I was just having a hot flash, sadly sometimes it was both. Why? Why must we suffer in the sun? We where I live A/C is really not that common in homes and we usually get two unbearable weeks in the summer usually in August but, sometimes it is early and often. I have never heard the term "Heat Dome" more than I have in the last few years. Not even sure it is a real thing but something we just have to get used to.

So when the weather gets hot I usually switch to a cozy themed mystery that is fall or winter based. I would love to read a paint and sip mystery, but have not yet found one so if you know of one let me know.

I took up painting in the last 5 years and I am really enjoying it, I get better each time and it makes me feel really proud and like I am getting that much needed creative outlet. 

To escape the summer heat, I am sharing a few favourite series you might be able to find at your library, and one series I have been meaning to start! 

One past summer I was obsessed with the fiber craft type mysteries, knitting, (which I can do, kinda), crochet, (which I can't yet do), needle point, cross stitch and needle felting are all crafts I have tried.

Absolutely loved the following series:

Maggie Sefton's Knitting Series! Such a fun read and very fun knitting patterns, there are 16 books I believe in the series so a summer of good reading and projects await you!

I would be remiss if I did not mention the amazing Betty Hechtman Crochet Mystery series, her books made me laugh, cry and had some great recipes in them as well. 

I loved so much Amanda Lee's Embroidery series and her beautiful Irish Wolfhound apprentice! 

there are 10 books in this series and I loved Better off Thread, but so many wonderful titles in this series. 

 

A series I had been meaning to read is the Amish Quilt Shop Mystery series by Isabella Alan (aka Amanda Flower!)

I would love to hear your crafting cozy suggestions to keep my mind busy when my hands are not crafting on these hot summer nights!

Looking forward to sharing more with you again soon!

We can do it! We can do it! We can do it!

ENTER

ENTER

ENTER

ENTER

ENTER

ENTER

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.

Did you know you can win a ton of great prizes of at WriterSpace? 

Check these out!

At Writerspace you can win books (not just cozies), Gift Cards, and other great prizes from dozens of authors!

Check these out!

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Pam Binder is giving away a $25 gift card to one winner's favorite bookselling store.

Enter Here

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Jayne Ann Krentz is giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card (winner's choice), to celebrate the release of Amanda Quick's THE BRIDE WORE WHITE.

Enter Here

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Tricia Cerrone is giving away a $100 Amazon gift card to one winner and ebook copies of GLIMMER to twenty additional winners.

Enter Here

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Colleen Coble is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one winner.

Enter Here

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Nina Crespo is giving away a surprise book related prize to one winner!

Enter Here

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Denise Hunter is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one winner to celebrate the release of A NOVEL PROPOSAL.

Enter Here

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Linda O. Johnston is giving away a copy of GUARDIAN K-9 ON CALL to one winner. (winner's choice of print or Amazon eBook)

Enter Here
US only

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Corrina Lawson is giving away a $25 gift card plus a copy of RISE OF THE FIRESTARTER to one winner.

Enter Here
US only

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Heather Long is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card.

Enter Here

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Linda Lael Miller is giving away a beautiful Montana Silversmith necklace (valued at $85) and a $25 Amazon gift card to one winner.

Enter Here
US only

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

 

(Note from Lisa: The Love Inspired line of books aren't Cozies, but they faith based and or written by Christian authors, so, they are all very clean like Cozies)

Jessica Patch is giving away the entire Quantico Profilers Series which includes: TEXAS COLD CASE THREAT, COLD CASE KILLER PROFILE, and TEXAS SMOKE SCREEN to one winner! (eBook copies if the winner is outside the US)

Enter Here

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Laura Scott is giving away copies of GUARDING THE WITNESS to three winners.

Enter Here
US only

Sheila Roberts is giving away a mermaid bottle stopper to celebrate the release of MERMAID BEACH.

Enter Here
US only

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

Writerspace is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one winner.

Enter Here
US only

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

These are just a few of the wonder giveaways over at Writerspace! Head over and start entering!

Writerspace

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.