Great Escapes Book Tour

I'm so happy to be a stop on the 

blog tour for author

Kate Dyer Seeley

and her new book

NATURAL THORN KILLER

Book 1 in the Rose City Mysteries

Cut down among the flowers . . .
 
Britta Johnston might be a late bloomer, but after leaving her deadbeat husband and dead-end job, she’s finally pursuing her artistic passion at her aunt Elin’s floral boutique, Blooma, in Portland, Oregon. It’s on the banks of the Willamette, in a quaint district of cobblestone paths and cherry trees. The wine bar featuring Pacific Northwest vintages is a tasty bonus, offering another kind of bouquet to enjoy. But things aren’t as peaceful as they look.
 
For one thing, someone’s been leaving dead roses around—and a sleazy real estate developer who wants the waterfront property has put a big-money offer on the table. Then, after a contentious meeting of local business owners, he’s found on the floor of the shop, with Elin’s garden shears planted in his chest. And before the police decide to pin the crime on her beloved aunt, Britta will have to find out who arranged this murder . . .

Thanks so much for having me on as a guest! I’m eager to share this book with readers and give them a glimpse into the luscious world of my fictional version of Riverplace Village located on the banks of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. Portland is affectionately known as the Rose City, and for good reason. I grew up in Vancouver, Washington just on the other side of the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon. Every year in the late spring my family would pack a picnic and head to Washington Park for the day. We would start the morning at the Oregon Zoo, where my brother and I would race to see the giraffes and elephants. After we had worn ourselves and our feet out trekking to see the many animals and exhibits in the zoo we would head for the Rose Garden and have a picnic amongst row after row of beautiful, colorful blooming roses. It always reminded me of a rainbow of flowers and the smell was like nothing else I had ever experienced.

Much later as an adult, I came to realize how lucky I was to have grown up in the Pacific Northwest and in the heart of rose territory. Hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world visit Washington Park and the Portland International Test Rose Garden. When I began researching Portland’s long history with roses for this book, I learned that the Rose Garden is the oldest public test garden in the nation. Over ten thousand of roses bloom in the garden each year from May through September. The best part is that admission is free. No wonder my parents always packed a picnic for us to share and planned to linger for the afternoon. Visitors can stroll through over four and half acres of rose gardens and take in upwards of six-hundred and fifty different varieties.

The International Test Rose Garden is a must-see when visiting Portland and armed with inspiration from my childhood along with the rich history of roses I used that as my backdrop for Natural Thorn Killer. My protagonist, Britta Johnston has returned home to Portland to help her Aunt Elin run their European-style flower shop Blooma. Blooma is located in Riverplace Village, a quaint shopping district with cobblestone streets, cherry trees, and world-class views of the Willamette River and Mt. Hood. Britta has left the Midwest and a lifeless job working at a wholesale flower market behind. She’s thrilled to be back in the land of color and blooming roses.

No spoilers but roses play a big part in this book. Britta is a rose expert and her skills are going to be put to the test when it comes to figuring out the meaning of each beautiful stem and whether or not a Deep Secret blood-red rose could have led to murder. I hope you enjoy spending some time in the Rose City with Britta and hopefully you learn a bit about Portland’s most beloved flower!

📕📖📕📖📕📖📕

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

Winner(s) will be chosen after April 6

at the end of the tour

1 lucky reader will win an autographed copy of

NATURAL THORN KILLER

USA only

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

This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, and hosted by
 Lisa Ks Book Reviews.

www.escapewithdollycas.com

About the Author

 

  Kate Dyer-Seeley aka Ellie Alexander writes multiple mystery series, all with a Pacific Northwest touch. She lives in the PNW with her husband and son, where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub. Better yet—at all three. 

Author Links 

Facebook   Twitter  Instagram   GoodReads 

Purchase Links

Amazon   B&N   Hudson Booksellers   IndieBound   BAM

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 26 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY

March 27 – Writing Pearls – REVIEW

March 27 – Valerie's Musings – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 28 – The Power of Words - REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

March 28 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

March 29 – The Self-Rescue Princess – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 30 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

March 31 - Books a Plenty Book Reviews - REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

March 31 - Lisa Ks Book Reviews – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY

April 1 – Texas Book-aholic - REVIEW

April 1 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

April 2 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY

April 3 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW, GUEST POST

April 3 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 4 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW

April 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

April 5 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW

April 5 – A Blue Million Books - AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 6 – Laura's Interests – SPOTLIGHT

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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