Lisa Ks Book Reviews: February 2023

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

BOOK TOUR

I'm excited to be a stop on the blog tour for

CHARRED

Book 1 in the Whipped and Sipped Mysteries

G.P. Gottlieb

Alene Baron is dealing with frustrated employees, closed schools, and a homeless man who harasses customers outside the door of her café. Then, two dead bodies turn up in the burned remains of buildings owned by the husband of Alene’s best friend and pastry chef, Ruthie. Both bodies are wearing jackets that once belonged to Ruthie and crumbled in the pockets are the café’s distinctive wrappers. At the same time, Alene's uncle, a convicted felon, has resurfaced after disappearing for 22 years. It's all too much for the owner of the Whipped and Sipped Café.

LKBR: Hi, Galit. Thank you for being with us today!

GPG: Hi Lisa, thanks so much for inviting me as a guest on your blog.

LKBR: Please tell us about your newest book.

GPG: Charred: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery is the third book in the Whipped and Sipped mystery series set in the same Chicago neighborhood where I live. It’s also set during the first week of June 2020, when we were all living the nightmare of the Covid-19 pandemic. The city of Chicago fenced off all the parks and even access to the lake out of fear that people would spread the virus even while walking on the beach, playing in the park, talking to friends outside. I saw friends with kids struggling even more after all the camps were closed – city kids without backyards had nowhere to go. Anyway, every time I go for a walk, I’m grateful for the freedom to be surrounded by trees, grass, and water in.

LKBR: Readers always have a favorite character. Do you have a favorite from this series?

GPG: I love them all, but Alene’s dad, Cal Baron, has a special place in my heart. He’s based on several dads, but also on mine, and my 93-year-old dad passed away during that awful summer of 2o2o. My other favorite character is Ruthie, the pastry chef, because she’s the moral compass of the Whipped and Sipped Café. Everyone behaves better when she’s around. I based her on some of my sweetest, kindest friends.

LKBR: Once you’re finished writing a book, how long is it before you start writing the next?

GPG: It looks like I’m on the 2 year plan: Battered launched in 2019, and a few months later I began working on Smothered, which came out in 2021. But I started thinking about Charred shortly after submitting Smothered because what else was there to do in the summer of 2020 when everything was closed, there were no restaurants or movies, theater or gatherings. I might not get back to writing so quickly this time!

LKBR: What is your favorite part of writing? Your least favorite part?

GPG: My favorite part is sitting at my desk making up an entire pretend world of characters, situations, problems and solutions. My least favorite part is trying to sell books (although I love meeting and chatting with readers). I want the books to just fly off the shelves and into readers’ lives.

LKBR: Where do you do your best writing?

GPG: Sitting in my study with no distractions and a cup of hot herbal tea.

LKBR: What are the different ways you research for your books?

GPG: This is a fun question to answer because this series is set in a café, so whenever I’m sitting in a café sipping a hot drink or trying a pastry, I consider it research.

LKBR: Have you ever started writing a story just to find the idea simply isn’t working?

GPG: Many times, and there were many chapters in all three of my books that got deleted in later versions -I think it’s worthwhile to write out some of the backstories, but sometimes I went off in another direction and lost the train of the main story. I don’t begrudge the time spent on those tossed chapters though because they helped me understand some of the characters.

LKBR: Any new projects in the works?

GPG: I’ve been writing short essays and stories, preparing to submit them to various publications, and I’d also like to focus (when I take breaks from working on the 4^th book in the Whipped and Sipped Mystery series) on a collection of stories that might come together as a book. Also, I continue to invent recipes (not all of which are successful) that combine ingredients in new and unusual ways.

LKBR: What do you love to do in your free time? LOL Do you get much free time?

GPG: I interview authors of literary fiction for the New Books Network which entails reading lots of novels, I love baking, puzzling, walking, watching movies, and travelling (As I write this, I’m in Denver, about to head over to our daughter to do some cuddling with her baby as soon as he wakes up from his nap).

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

GPG: Please visit my website https://gpgottlieb.com

for new recipes, links to essays and articles, links to my podcast interviews of literary authors, and updates about my mystery novels. You can also find me on Facebook: authorgottlieb, Instagram: WhippedSipped, and Twitter: GottliebGP.

AMAZON BARNES and NOBLE GOODREADS Bookshop.Org

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

GPG: It’s been a pleasure, Lisa, and thank you for highlighting authors like me who love writing but didn’t realize how hard it would be to get our books into the hands of readers! I look forward to chatting with your followers!

G.P. Gottlieb

Known for her imaginative baking and fabulous dinners, G.P. Gottlieb was always an avid reader. She enjoyed several careers, but after recovering from cancer, turned to writing in earnest, melding two passions: nourishment for mind and body, and recipe-laced murder mysteries. She is also the host for New Books in Literature, a podcast of the New Books Network.

Author Links

Website - https://gpgottlieb.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorgottlieb

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whippedsipped/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/gottliebgp

GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19306694.G_P_Gottlieb

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/g-p-gottlieb

Medium - https://medium.com/@gpgottlieb

Amazon - https://amzn.to/3XnXC78

Purchase Link

Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

February 21 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

February 21 – Brooke Blogs – AUTHOR GUEST POST

February 22 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

February 22 – Baroness' Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

February 23 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT

February 23 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

February 24 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

February 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

February 26 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT

February 27 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

February 28 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 28 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 1 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

March 1 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW*

March 2 – The Mystery Section – RECIPE

March 3 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 3 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 3 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

March 4 – The Book's the Thing – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 5 – I'm Into Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 6 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

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Monday, February 27, 2023

I'm so happy to be joining

Berkley Mystery today in celebrating the release of

WINED AND DIED IN NEW ORLEANS

Book 2 in the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries

by Ellen Byron

The second in a fantastic new cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.

It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, housed in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.

Repairs on the property unearth crates of very old, very valuable French wine, buried by the home’s builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet. Ricki, who’s been struggling to attract more customers to Miss Vee’s, is thrilled when her post about the discovery of this long-buried treasure goes viral. She’s less thrilled when the post brings distant Charbonnet family members out of the woodwork, all clamoring for a cut of the wine’s sale.

When a dead body turns up in Bon Vee’s cheery fall decorations, the NOPD zeroes in on Eugenia Charbonnet Felice as the prime suspect, figuring that as head of the Charbonnet family, she has the most to gain. Ricki is determined to uncover the real culprit, but she can’t help noticing that Eugenia is acting strangely. Ricki wonders what kind of secret her mentor has bottled up, and fears what might happen if she uncorks it.

In the second Vintage Cookbook Mystery, Ricki has to help solve a murder, untangle family secrets, and grow her business, all while living under the threat of a hurricane that could wipe out everything from her home to Bon Vee.

While procrastinating on the Internet one day, I came across the story of a couple who discovered a hundred-year-old stash of whiskey hidden under the old country home they’d recently purchased. Couple finds bottles of 1920's bootleg whiskey inside NY home (today.com) Since I love both old homes and buried treasure, liquid or otherwise, this sparked a story idea. What if the staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, the centerpiece of my Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, discovered some kind of valuable stash hidden under the mansion by the home’s 19th century builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet? Historic sites like Bon Vee are always in dire need of funding. Plus, squabbling over the proceeds of a rare beverage’s auction were a recipe for drama… and even murder.

Driven a bit by my own drinking preferences—I don’t love whiskey or hard liquor in general unless it’s in a Margarita or Mojito—I decided to change the beverage from whiskey to wine. This required a consultation with Nadine Nettman, mystery writer and certified sommelier, to find out if any wine might survive a hundred-and-fifty-year dirt nap. Her response was encouraging. “As long as the wine has been stored well, it would still be drinkable,” she wrote back. “I’ve had wine from 1824 and it was delightful.”

Inspired by Nadine, I searched online for an example of centuries-old wine coming up for auction. I hit Internet gold when I landed on a story with amazing parallels to the one I was concocting in my head. In 2015, a renovation of New Jersey’s historic Liberty Hall unearthed one of the largest collections of 18th and 19th century Madeira wine ever discovered in the United States. Wines Found at Liberty Hall Sold at Auction; Will Improve Access to Museum - Kean University. When put up for sale by the world-famous Christie’s auction house a couple of years later, individual bottles claimed bids of $16,000 and even higher. Just like in the story I envisioned, the funds were put to use upgrading the historic site, which dates back to the 1760s.

The successful saga of the Liberty Hall wine stash was proof positive that my plot for Wined and Died in New Orleans would work. Exultant, I decided there was only one way to celebrate: hoisting a glass of actual Madeira. I’ve drunk a lot of wine in my day – especially during the pandemic – but I’d never had Madeira, described as a “fortified wine” made on the Portuguese Madeira islands.

I embarked on a hunt for a good bottle of it – or any bottle of it, as it turned out. When I asked if they served Madeira at a couple of local restaurants and wine bars, I received blank stares. At Trader Joe’s, a manager apologized for confusing Marsala with Madeira – which they don’t sell. I finally tracked down a bottle at our local wine shop: dating back to 1907, it was priced at twelve hundred dollars. I cracked open a bottle of ten-dollar Chardonnay instead.

At four-figure prices or higher, a bottle of Madeira may never grace my wine rack. But I love the plot it inspired for Wined and Died in New Orleans — with its bouquet of mystery and intrigue, and notes of humor and history.

Ellen Byron is the multiple Agatha and Lefty Award-winning writer of the Cajun Country and Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, as well as the Catering Hall Mysteries, which she writes under the pen name Maria DiRico. She’s the non-award-winning TV writer of shows like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly Odd Parents. A former playwright and magazine journalist, Ellen will be the 2023 Left Coast Crime toastmaster, but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.

As always, please leave a comment and

let me know what you think!

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

Sunday, February 26, 2023

I'm so happy to be joining

Berkley Mystery today in celebrating the release of

SIX SWEETS UNDER

Book 1 in the True Confections Mysteries

by Sarah Fox

In a cute new culinary cozy from USA Today bestselling author Sarah Fox, budding chocolatier Becca Ransom must solve a murder before she meets a sticky end.

Former actress Becca Ransom lived her dream in Hollywood for seven years before returning to her hometown of Larch Haven, known as the Venice of North America. The Vermont town has canals instead of roads, gondolas instead of cars, and charming cottages plucked from the pages of a fairy tale. It’s also where Becca is pursuing her newest passion as a chocolatier at True Confections, the chocolate shop owned by her grandparents, Lolly and Pops.

While Becca’s testing new flavors and reconnecting with old friends, the town is gearing up for the annual Gondola Races, popular with both residents and tourists, with one exception. Local curmudgeon Archie Smith wants nothing more than to keep tourists away from Larch Haven. He’s determined to derail this year’s event and does his best to stir up trouble for the organizers, including Becca’s grandfather.

Following a heated argument with Pops, Archie is found floating face-down in the canal, and Pops finds himself in hot water as one of the top suspects. Becca’s determined to clear her grandfather’s name, but when the case heats up, she could be facing a sticky end.

1. Tell us a bit about your new novel, Six Sweets Under. What is the story about and what inspired you to write it?

Six Sweets Under is about Becca Ransom, a former actress who now works as a chocolatier in the chocolate shop owned by her grandparents, Lolly and Pops. She lives in the canal town of Larch Haven, Vermont, known as the Venice of North America. As the town’s annual gondola races approach, the local curmudgeon is found dead, and Becca’s grandfather becomes a suspect. Becca wants to clear his name, and that’s how she becomes an amateur sleuth. The idea for the series started with the setting. A town with canals instead of roads and boats instead of cars struck me as too cozy to resist. From there, the rest of the elements of the series took shape.

2. What are some of your favorite treats enjoyed in the book?

Like Becca’s lifelong friend, Sawyer McGuire, I’m a big fan of chocolate and peanut butter, so I’m partial to the peanut butter pretzel truffles sold at True Confections. Becca and her best friend, Dizzy, also enjoy bubble tea, which is a favorite treat of mine.

3. What is one of your favorite (non-spoilery) scenes from Six Sweets Under?

One of my favorite scenes to write was the one where Becca is chatting with Sawyer while he’s lounging in the sun. I had that scene in my head before I even started writing the book and I feel like it really showcases the ease of their friendship as well as the undercurrent of the new dynamic to their relationship.

4. What are the top five books on your TBR list?

Three Shots to the Wind by Sherry Harris, A Book Club to Die For by Dorothy St. James, Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor, Goodbye Cruller World by Ginger Bolton, and Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather.

5. If you had to write in a different genre, what would it be and why?

I would choose either thrillers or romcoms. I love the suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat ride of thrillers. Romcoms are about as different from thrillers as you can get, but I usually have some romance in my mysteries and I think it would be a lot of fun to write a romcom.

6. What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Keep writing, keep reading, and don’t give up. There’s a lot of waiting involved when trying to find an agent or publisher so it’s a good idea to use that time to keep improving and to come up with another book in case things don’t work out with your current project.

7. Where is your favorite place to read?

On the couch, preferably with a cat on my lap and my dog curled up next to me.

8. Do you prefer writing in the morning, day, or at night?

Morning is my favorite time to write, as I seem to be most productive then, but on days when I have day job work I have to write in the afternoons instead.

9. What is your favorite way to practice self-care?

Reading and spending time with my dog and my cats. I also find watercolor painting helpful for relaxing and easing stress.

10. What can readers expect from you next?

The second True Confections Mystery, Baking Spirits Bright, will be released in October 2023. Aside from that, I’m currently working on a couple of proposals for brand-new projects, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for those!

Sarah Fox, writer of cozy mysteries, was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she developed a love for mysteries at a young age. When not writing novels or working as a legal writer she is often reading her way through a stack of books or spending time outdoors with her English Springer Spaniel.

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.

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Before getting into today's post, I want

to give a huge

THANK YOU

to Karen . . . aka Karen Mom of Three of

A Cup of Tea and a Cozy Mystery.

Knowing I hadn't been feeling well for some time, and my blog was suffering, Karen surprised me by scheduling an entire weeks' posts!

She, as always, did an incredible job!

Karen, you rock!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK TOUR

I'm happy to be a stop on the blog tour for

STICKS AND STONES AND A BAG OF BONES

Book 1 in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries

Heather Weidner

When a beat-up suitcase full of bones washes up by the pier, the residents of the quaint resort town of Mermaid Bay are whipped into a hurricane-sized frenzy over the gruesome find in the middle of their Christmas in July festivities. The holly-jolly mood retreats like the tide, with everyone wondering who was in the suitcase.

Christmas shoppe owner, Jade Hicks, wades into the fracas when voodoo dolls and mysterious notes and posters about impending doom start popping up all over town, threatening to destroy the economy of a community that lives and dies by tourist dollars. Then tensions crest when the prickly bookstore owner is found strangled to death with a string of holiday lights.

Jade and her French bulldog Chloe, have to solve the crime before anyone else gets hurt, and her business and the festival are forever tainted.

LKBR: Hi, Heather. Thank you for being with us today!

HEATHER: Thanks so much for letting me stop by the blog and talk to you all about my new cozy mystery series, The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. The first book is Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones.

LKBR: Please tell us about your book and series.

HEATHER: It’s set in the small (fictious) beach town, Mermaid Bay, on the coast of Virginia. Jade owns a Christmas store in the middle of all the action.

When a beat-up suitcase full of bones washes up by the pier, the residents are whipped into a hurricane-sized frenzy over the gruesome find in the middle of their Christmas in July festivities. The holly jolly mood retreats like the tide with everyone wondering who was in the suitcase.

Jade and her French bulldog Chloe, have to solve the crime before anyone else gets hurt and her business and the festival are forever tainted.

LKBR: Readers always have a favorite character. Do you have a favorite from this book series?

HEATHER: I like them all. They are quirky and fun. Jade is spunky and determined to figure out who murdered her friend. Patti is a ball of energy, and she loves Christmas as much as I do. Nick is the handsome Sheriff/boyfriend. And I love the animal sidekicks in the story. The rollie pollie Chloe is a French bulldog and Jade’s constant companion. Neville the Devil Cat is the store’s mouser, and he is Chloe’s nemesis and frenemy.

LKBR: Once you’re finished writing a book, how long is it before you start writing the next?

HEATHER: When I finish a book, I usually move right into editing and revising mode. That takes a few months to get it ready for my agent and editor. By then, I’ve usually got a new idea for a book, so I take a few days’ break and then start plotting. It takes me a couple of weeks to plot out the book, and then I’m ready to write.

LKBR: What is your favorite part of writing? Your least favorite part?

HEATHER: I love researching and writing. They are so much fun. Revising is my least favorite part. I really had to stay focused to get the job done.

LKBR: Where do you do your best writing?

HEATHER: I usually write at my desk. We live in a wooded community, so I have this huge window that looks out at the treetops. I am amazed at how much wildlife is in suburbia. It’s my writing spot. I usually do most of my editing in the sunroom. My two crazy Jack Russell Terriers are my fuzzy sidekicks. They have beds in the office. They’re great company, and they listen when I read dialog aloud.

LKBR: What are the different ways you research for your books?

HEATHER: I do a lot of internet research. I am also fortunate to be a CK (cop’s kid). My dad is a retired Virginia Beach police captain, and he’s a great source of information that you may not want to Google like, “hey, dad, what’s a meth lab smell like, and how long would a body stay submerged.”

I am also part of a wonderful organization for writers called Sisters in Crime. They offer so many training opportunities, and our local chapter has all kinds of programs to help writers get it right.

LKBR: Have you ever started writing a story just to find the idea simply isn’t working?

HEATHER: Oh yes. I have a couple of manuscripts in a drawer that will never see the light of day.

LKBR: Any new projects in the works?

HEATHER: In addition to the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries, I write the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries and the Delanie Fitzgerald (Private Eye) Mysteries. I’m noodling on a new idea for a new cozy series, and I’m finishing up the sixth book in the Jules Keene series right now.

LKBR: What do you love to do in your free time? LOL Do you get much free time?

HEATHER: There’s not much free time. I still have a day gig, so I do my writing/editing before work, at lunch, and on weekends/holidays. When I’m not writing, I love to kayak on the lake, take photos, and hang out with my husband and two crazy Jack Russell Terriers.

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

HEATHER: The best place would be my website, http://HeatherWeidner.com

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

HEATHER: Thanks so much for letting me stop by your blog today and talk about cozy mysteries. I’m from Virginia, so all of my series are set there. Jules Keene books are set in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Jade Hicks ones are set on the coast. The Commonwealth has all kinds of history, famous attractions, tourist spots, and wonderful restaurants. Thanks for letting me share it with you all! Happy Reading!

About Heather Weidner

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Sisters in Crime – Chessie, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.

Author Links

Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121854.Heather_Weidner

Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HeatherBWeidner/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-weidner-0064b233?trk=hp-identity-name

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-weidner-d6430278-c5c9-4b10-b911-340828fc7003

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heather_weidner_author

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyBjyB0zz-M1DaM-rU1bXGA?view_as=subscriber