Saturday, June 23, 2018

BOOK TOUR


I'm so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author
MURDER MADE TO ORDER
Book 2 in the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries
by Lena Gregory


To save her cozy Florida diner, Gia Morelli must choke down a heaping helping of murder . . . 
 
New York native Gia Morelli is just getting used to life in Florida when she gets word that the town government wants to shut down her pride and joy: the charming little diner known as the All-Day Breakfast Café. A forgotten zoning regulation means that the café was opened illegally, and hardboiled council president Marcia Steers refuses to budge. Gia is considering hanging up her apron and going back to New York, but before she gives up on her dream, she discovers something shocking in the local swamp: Marcia Steers, dead in the water. There’s a secret buried in the books at town hall, and someone killed to keep it hidden. To save her café and bring a killer to justice, Gia and her friends will have to figure out a killer’s recipe for murder . . .

📚📖📚📖📚
!!!GIVEAWAY!!!
Winner will be chosen after July 3
at the end of the tour

1 lucky reader will win a 

$25.00 Amazon Gift Card!

USA only

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

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


📚📖📚📖📚

With Lena

LKBR:  Thank you, Lena, for being here today!

Lena:  Hi! Thank you so much for having me.


LKBR: Please tell us a bit about your book/series.

Lena:  Murder Made to Order is the second book in the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries series, in which Gia Morelli flees New York to open an All-Day Breakfast Café in the small town of Boggy Creek Florida. Unfortunately, things don’t go exactly as planned, and Gia has a lot of adjusting to do.


LKBR: How did you come up with the concept?

Lena:  My first job was working early mornings in my grandfather’s deli. From there, I went on to work the breakfast shift at Friendly’s. When I wanted to write a café themed cozy, centering it around breakfast just came naturally. As for the location, I’ve spent most of my life living in a small town on eastern Long Island. When my husband got a job offer in central Florida, we moved there for a few years, and needless to say, the changes took a bit of getting used to. Unfortunately, some of Gia’s issues were based on actual events.


LKBR: What are your future plans for this series? Any hints or spoilers you can give us about the next book?

Lena: So far, there are three books in the All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery series; Scone Cold Killer, Murder Made to Order, and A Cold Brew Killing. One small hint; in both of the upcoming books, Gia gets involved in murder investigations to help out friends.


LKBR: Is writing an energizing experience, or does it take a lot out of you?

Lena:  Starting a new book is difficult for me, but once I get going and figure out exactly what’s happening, it energizes me. I can write the second half of a book in a fraction of the time it takes me to write the first half.

LKBR: Once you knew you wanted to be a published writer, who was the first person you reached out to for help? (Such as a publisher, or author)

Lena:  The very first person I reached out to when I decided to write a book was my best friend, Renee. She is an avid reader and had friends who had already been published. I approached the topic tentatively, not sure what to expect, but she was extremely supportive. The best advice she gave me was to sit down and write my book. Since then, she’s read for me, promoted for me, and supported me when I’ve gotten discouraged.


LKBR: What sort of research do you do for your books? Is it more computer based or hands on?

Lena:  My research about the crimes in my stories is more computer based; police procedures, motives for murder, methods of murder, weapons (which lead to some interesting pop up ads on my sidebars). My character research is more hands on; recipes I’ve used, places I’ve been, dogs I’ve had. When I was researching Cass Donovan from the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, I visited a psychic and ordered numerous books on crystals and stones as well as actual crystals and stones.


LKBR: What is your writing process? Place, time of day, by the hour or word count?

Lena:  I enjoy writing most in the morning or late at night. I need quiet, and that’s no easy task in my house! Although I have a small office space, I prefer to curl up in my living room chair with my laptop and lose myself in the story. On a good day, I aim for a thousand words, but sometimes I don’t even come close and other days (when I’m under a tight deadline) I can often write as many as three to five thousand words in a day.


LKBR: How do you come up with character names?

Lena:  I enjoy naming my characters, and I do often research names. I try to choose a name that is meaningful in some way to the character’s personality or interests. I also try to choose something appropriate for the character’s age and location.


LKBR: Is it difficult to write characters of the opposite sex? Do you have someone you use for advice?

Lena:  My cozies are all written from the heroine’s point of view, but I actually started out writing romance. All of my romance novels were written from both the male and female perspectives, and I sometimes found the men easier to write.


LKBR: Do you read reviews of your books? If you do, and a review is bad, what effect does it have on you? (I know some reviews are mean as opposed to constructive.)

Lena:  I am guilty of reading reviews, and I have to admit, bad reviews do hurt. I tend to feel sadder if it’s a legitimate review and the reviewer didn’t like my story. Some of the meaner reviews are easier to shrug off.


LKBR: What are 3 things readers may not know about you?

Lena:  1. I am married to my high school sweetheart, and we have three kids, ages twenty-seven, nineteen, and seven.  2. I trained at Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan and taught dance for more than twenty years. 3. I am an incurable insomniac.


LKBR: Where can readers go to learn more about you and your books?

Lena: Website:  http://www.lenagregory.com/











LKBR: Thank you so much for letting us get to know you better, Lena!

Lena:  Thank you for having me! I’ve really enjoyed visiting.



Another wonderful story, MURDER MADE TO ORDER was a book I couldn’t put down until I was finished.

When I finished reading book one in the All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery series, Scone Cold Killer, I was already hungry for the next book. I was thrilled when MURDER MADE TO ORDER was announced. Author Lena Gregory sure didn’t disappoint. She cooked up tale so tasty I devoured it!

 Murder past and present are brought together brilliantly in this mystery. My mind was racing trying to solve them both. I didn’t no a great job at it because I was blown away at the end! I’m impatiently awaiting the next installment needing to know even more of what’s in store for protagonist Gia, and the rest of the cast of characters. My imagination is already running wild with want to expect. 

Fans of book one are in for a total treat with MURDER MADE TO ORDER. If you haven’t read Scone Cold Killer get yourself a copy now and read these books back to back.

Lena Gregory lives in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island with her husband and three children. When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories. 
Author Links: 


a Rafflecopter giveaway 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

June 20 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
June 20 – Socrates' Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 20 – The Self-Rescue Princess – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 21 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
June 21 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
June 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
June 22 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW
June 22 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 23 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW
June 23 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 24 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
June 24 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST
June 25 – Varietats – REVIEW, GUEST POST
June 25 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT
June 26 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 26 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
June 27 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – GUEST POST
June 27 – Readeropolis – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 27 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
June 28 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 28 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
June 29 – My Reading Journeys - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 29 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW
June 30 - A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
June 30 - StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 1 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
July 1 – Laura's Interests - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
July 2 – A Blue Million Books - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 3 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
July 3 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

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

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clicking on the link in the 
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13 comments:

  1. The All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery series is a fun series.

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  2. Thank you for your review on "MURDER MADE TO ORDER" by Lena Gregory and for being part of the blog tour.

    Really enjoyed reading the interview with Lena and learning about his writing process and about her personally. Always enjoy reading her books and would love the opportunity to read this one. It sounds like a great read.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  3. Thanks for including Lena Gregory on your blog. Her latest book's cover invites me to read it. My fingers are crossed that my name is chosen.

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    1. Thank you so much, Robin! I hope you enjoy it :)

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  4. Sounds like a good book.

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  5. wonderful interview. I enjoyed Stone Cold Killer and can't wait to read Murder Made to Order! Thanks for the chance to win.

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  6. Thank you so much for having me, Lisa! And thank you for such a lovely review! I'm so happy you enjoyed the story :)

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  7. Sounds like a great addition to the series! I always find it interesting how an author comes up with ideas as well as how they work! Thanks, Lisa!!!!

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  8. Awesome interview and I can’t wait to read murder made to order. Thank you for the chance.

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