BOOK TOUR
I'm so honored to be a stop on the blog tour for
A VINTAGE DEATH
Book 2 in the Keepsake Cove Mysteries
by Mary Ellen Hughes
Callie Reed has put together a special event, but a killer is ripping it apart at the seams
As the new owner of a music box store in Keepsake Cove, a quaint town full of collectible shops on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Callie Reed is eager to get more involved in her community. So she volunteers to plan the fall street decorations and welcome a visiting author who's come for a special book signing. But the celebratory mood is cut short when the local B&B owner is found dead, killed with a pair of vintage scissors.
Suspicion is cast on the victim's estranged wife, Dorothy, who owns Keepsake Cove's vintage sewing shop. Callie is sure Dorothy is innocent, and the visiting author agrees. Together, they begin their own investigation, only to discover that many people in Keepsake Cove have secrets. Secrets that are worth killing to keep.
LKBR: Thank you for being here today, Mary Ellen!
MEH: Great to
be here, Lisa!
LKBR: Please
tell us a bit about the Keepsake Cove series.
MEH: Keepsake
Cove, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is lined with charming and unique stores
that each carry a particular collectible. Callie Reed inherited her aunt’s
collectible music box shop (and the fairy tale-like cottage behind it). Her first challenge (in A Fatal Collection) was proving that her aunt’s death was not
accidental but murder. Her second task (in A
Vintage Death) is proving the innocence of a fellow shop keeper when the
victim was murdered with that shop keeper’s vintage scissors.
Added to that, Callie’s late Aunt Mel seems to be
communicating through her favorite music box, setting it to play, somehow, as a
warning or confirmation of a clue. Or is she? Callie goes back and forth on
that one.
LKBR: How did
you come up with the concept?
MEH: I’ve
always loved browsing through unusual and intriguing shops, so the thought of
creating an entire town of such shops was too tempting to ignore. Adding a murder
or two just came naturally, along with the hint of paranormal.
LKBR: What are
your future plans for this series? Any hints or spoilers you can give us about
the next book?
MEH: In A Vintage Death, I brought in Lyssa
Hammond, a top-selling suspense author who joined forces with Callie in solving
the murder. I’m bringing her back in book 3 (A Curio Killing) partly at the request of my critique group who really
enjoyed her character. (So did I!)
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)
MEH: Probably my husband, who had to
read my first attempts at fiction (poor guy!). After that it was other writers,
then publishers.
LKBR: What sort of research do you
do for your books? Is it more computer based or hands on?
MEH: Sometimes it’s hands on. When
I wrote the Craft Corner series, I learned how to make many of the things
described in the books (wreaths, beaded jewelry, etc.) More often it’s looking
things up online, such as information on bail procedures and so on, or picking
the brains of various experts.
LKBR: What is your
writing process? Place, time of day, by the hour or word count?
MEH: I write in the
morning and generally quit by lunch time. No word count goal. I have a spot
upstairs by a window that isn’t too distracting but looks out on trees, birds,
and occasional deer.
LKBR: How do you come up with character
names?
MEH: I pick
character names very carefully. They have to fit. So I look through baby-naming
books and on the social security list of popular names by decade. Sometimes
they get changed a few times until I’m satisfied. (Thank goodness for “find and
replace!”)
LKBR: Is it difficult to write
characters of the opposite sex? Do you have someone you use for advice?
MEH: I usually
run male characters by my husband for credibility. My critique group helps a
lot, too, such as when I once had a male character “trot across the street.” I
was advised to change that to “jogged,” which sounds more masculine.
LKBR: What are
3 things readers may not know about you?
MEH: I get
some of my best plot ideas while driving our riding mower; I once was an avid
sewer (made a daughter’s prom dress—and she liked it!); I can never remember
how to spell hors d’oeuvres (and spell check doesn’t either!).
LKBR: Where can
readers go to learn more about you and your books?
LKBR: Thank you
so much, Mary Ellen for letting us get to know you better!
MEH: Thanks
for the opportunity, Lisa! It’s always fun to be here.
📚📖📚📖📚
!!!GIVEAWAY!!!
Winners will be chosen after November 16
at the end of the tour
1 lucky readers will win a print copy of
A VINTAGE MURDER
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.
I’ve
just had another wonderful visit to Keepsake Cove and I’m already looking
forward to my next trip!
A VINTAGE DEATH was a book impossible to put
down. I know I often say that about books I read (What can I say? I’m addicted
to reading!), but it’s never been truer. Author Mary Ellen Hughes has upped her
game in this second installment of her Keepsake Cove Mysteries. I wouldn’t have
thought she could have topped book one, A
FATAL COLLECTION, but I really should have known better.
I
love a story where I can spend some time with the characters before the mystery
begins. It’s a great chance to get to know more about the people involved. In A
VINTAGE DEATH, there are a few chapters before the discovery of the body, and I
was able to learn a bit about Keepsake Cove, and its merchants. Now, on to the
mystery . . .
There
are not one, but two murders in this story, with each victim being killed by a
unique choice of weapon, vintage sewing scissors. It was very intriguing
searching for the who and why of it all. Like knotted thread, unraveling the
true truth wasn’t an easy task. But author Hughes expertly ties everything
together in a reveal that had me riveted to my seat.
Cozy mystery at its finest, I give A VINTAGE
DEATH 5 out of 5 stars. Heck, I give it 10 out of 5 stars!
About the Author
Mary Ellen Hughes is the bestselling author of the Pickled and Preserved Mysteries (Penguin), the Craft Corner Mysteries, and the Maggie Olenski Mysteries, along with several short stories. A Fatal Collection is her debut with Midnight Ink. A Wisconsin native, she has lived most of her adult life in Maryland, where she’s set many of her stories.
Visit her at www.MaryEllenHughes.com
Author Links
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/mehughes13/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/mehughesauthor
Purchase Links
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
November 7 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
November 7 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
November 7 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 7 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf - GUEST POST
November 8 – The Book Diva's Reads - GUEST POST
November 8 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, Sissy, & Too! - SPOTLIGHT
November 8 – Laura's Interests - REVIEW
November 9 – Moonlight Rendezvous - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 9 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
November 9 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
November 9 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
November 10 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 10 – MJB Reviewers - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 10 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
November 10 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews - CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 11 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW
November 11 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 11 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
November 12 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
November 12 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
November 12 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
November 13 – Valerie's Musings - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 13 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW
November 13 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
November 14 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
November 14 – Jane Reads - REVIEW, GUEST POST
November 14 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
November 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
November 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
November 15 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW
November 16 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
November 16 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
November 16 – Here's How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT
Thanks, Lisa. I enjoyed book one and look forward to reading this one. Happy Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your fabulous review on "A VINTAGE DEATH" by Mary Ellen Hughes and being part of the book tour. Enjoyed reading the interview. I, too, have a love for exploring quirky shops. You just never know what you may find. So you know I'm intrigued. :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE the cover and can't wait for the opportunity to read this great sounding book. It's definitely on my TBR list.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Hi Lisa! I enjoyed your blog with your interview of Mary Ellen Hughes and your review of A Vintage Death. It sounds like a great read, and I reading your interview and seeing how this series came to be written.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteDelightful interview! This series has been on my TBR list, as I love keepsake shops. Congratulations on the new release!
ReplyDeleteI would love to visit Keepsake Cove & it's inhabitants.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this series yet, but it is definitely on my TBR list. I love the charming small town and vintage storyline.
ReplyDeleteI do love Mary Ellen Hughes books!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like such a fun read. Wonderful review!
ReplyDeleteLooks intriguing!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to Lisa for inviting me here and giving my book such an amazing review! Thanks to all for your lovely comments. You are the readers I love writing for!
ReplyDelete