Friday, November 19, 2021

 

This year, as every year since starting my blog, I am thankful for all of you! Thank you for all you do to keep my blog, and me going.

I'm also thankful for . . . Cozy Mysteries!
Check out these Thanksgiving titles.


As Thanksgiving approaches, Jordan Bingham is grateful for her job researching rare books for Vera Van Alst, the infamous curmudgeon of Harrison Falls, New York. But when an uninvited guest makes an appearance, much more than dinner is disrupted—and Jordan is thankful just to be alive…
 
Vera Van Alst doesn’t normally receive visitors without appointment, but she agrees to see the imperious Muriel Delgado upon arrival. Shortly thereafter, Jordan is told that her position is being terminated. Evicted from the Van Alst House, Jordan is determined to find out what hold Muriel has over her erstwhile employer.
 
It seems Muriel has designs on Vera’s money and property—not to mention a particular interest in her collection of Nero Wolfe first editions. When Jordan discovers a deadly connection between Muriel and the Van Alst family, it’s up to her to put the house in order and stop a killer from going back to press.


This Thanksgiving, be grateful for China Bayles—who teams up with an old friend to solve a complex case of theft and murder in a South Texas ranching community…

It’s Thanksgiving in Pecan Springs, and China is planning to visit her mother, Leatha, and her mother’s husband, Sam, who are enthusiastically embarking on a new enterprise—turning their former game ranch into a vacation retreat for birders. She’s also looking forward to catching up with her friend, game warden Mackenzie “Mack” Chambers, who was recently transferred to the area. But Leatha calls with bad news: Sam has had a heart attack.

How will Leatha manage if Sam can’t carry his share? She does have a helper, Sue Ellen Krause. But China discovers that Sue Ellen, who is in the process of leaving her marriage to the assistant foreman at a large trophy game ranch, is in some serious trouble. Before Sue Ellen can tell China the full story, her car veers off a deserted road and she is killed.

Meanwhile, when a local veterinarian is shot in what appears to be a burglary at his clinic, Mack Chambers believes his murder could be related to fawns stolen from a nearby ranch. As Mack follows the trail, China begins to wonder if Sue Ellen’s death may not have been an accident, and if there’s a connection to the stolen animals. But their search for the truth may put their own lives in danger…


PTA meetings at Tarver Elementary School can get pretty heated. But after parent Sam Helmstetter is strangled in his car following a meeting, mom and PTA secretary Beth Kennedy and her best friend Marina fear there may be a cold-blooded killer in the group...


Jessica Fletcher would like to relax as Thanksgiving comes to Cabot Cove, but she's hosting a bountiful dinner for an ever-growing guest list. She couldn't be happier with the results-until she stumbles upon a body with a carving knife stuck in its chest...


It's Thanksgiving--and it's not just the turkey who's in danger.

As tourists arrive at Cobb's Landing to enjoy an authentic Colonial-style Thanksgiving,
mayor Peggy Turner would be thankful for nothing more than a clue as to who killed her neighbor--a clue that didn't point to her.

Check back tomorrow for more Thanksgiving titles!

Wednesday, November 17, 2021


!!!LORI SMANSKI!!!

Congratulations Lori!!!
Please email me at 
lisaksbookreview@aol.com

Thank you to everyone for your great comments over the past few weeks. I enjoyed reading every last one of them! I'd love to see you all comment more often!


Monday, November 15, 2021

RIP

Robert Dean Stockwell 

Home sick in bed one day, some 20 years or so ago, I was looking for something to watch on TV to take my mind off of how miserable I was feeling. I found Quantum Leap. That day started my love affair with Dean Stockwell

Admiral Al Calavicci, Quantum Leap

From that day on, I watched just about every movie and show Dean had done. Some were great, while others, well, not my taste.

With a good portion of his almost (then) 70 year acting career winding down, actor Dean Stockwell began a whole new career in his 60s as an artist under his full name of Robert Dean Stockwell.




 

I never dreamed that one day I would get to meet Dean, not once, but twice. Both experiences were memories that I will cherish.

2004

In 2005, my dear friend Laurie, (who had been a fan of Dean's long before I had ever heard of him), and I had the incredible opportunity to have dinner with him. 

2005 with my friend, Laurie.

I will never be able to explain just how amazing that evening was. He was kind, funny, intense, brilliant, quirky, child like, and, well . . . he was Dean Stockwell.   

We talked about his acting, his art, and his life. He shared stories with us that were from deep inside him and parts of his life that I have never seen in print.

Our conversations weren't one sided. He wanted to know about us as well. And as we each shared a bit of our lives with him, we had his full attention. He was actually fascinated with what we had to say. 


Upon hearing about Dean's passing, it wasn't just hearing a favorite actor had passed. No. For me it was knowing a true force of nature was gone.





Rest in Peace

Saturday, November 13, 2021

 

Today I'm shining the Spotlight on author
Amy Renshaw!


Amy is the author of the new
Sophie Strong Mysteries.
The first book in the series is


A notorious woman is murdered, and reporter Sophie Strong stumbles onto the story. Does she have what it takes to find the killer before it’s too late?

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 1912: As the only female reporter at the Milwaukee Herald, twenty-two-year-old Sophie Strong is thrilled when she’s invited to cover the party of the season. Soon she’s swept into the opulent world of the city’s wealthy brewing families. But before she can even get to her typewriter, she discovers a murder victim. The intriguing Detective Jacob Zimmer warns her to leave sleuthing to the police, while Sophie’s editor insists she focus on tea parties and fashion shows. But when her friend Clara Elliot comes under suspicion, Sophie is determined to uncover the truth—even if she risks her own life along the way. Check out this historical mystery sure to intrigue fans of Rhys Bowen, Alyssa Maxwell, and Victoria Thompson.


Explore New Worlds in Historical Mysteries

~ by Amy Renshaw, author of Strong Suspicions: A Sophie Strong Mystery

I remember the history classes I took in school as being rather dry affairs with an emphasis on wars, the years they took place, and why they got started. But in historical mystery novels, we encounter history from an entirely different angle. These books combine the intriguing puzzle of a murder mystery with a glimpse into how people lived in another time and place. 

My favorite historical mysteries offer a chance to learn about an intriguing career or field of expertise. For example, in A Peculiar Combination, the first book in a new series by Ashley Weaver, we meet a young woman who makes her living as a safecracker and con artist in England during World War II. She explains how safes work and describes her method for breaking into them. 

Another series by the same author features a wealthy couple named Amory and Milo Ames who solve mysteries among high society in 1930s Europe. In The Essence of Malice, they cross paths with a world-famous French parfumier and find out how new fragrances are developed with blends of essential oils. 

The Giver of Stars, by JoJo Moyes, isn’t a conventional whodunnit, but it involves a mysterious death that eventually gets resolved. The central characters are inspired by the packhorse librarians of Kentucky, women who traveled around on horseback delivering books to rural families in the 1930s. 

When I came up with the idea for the Sophie Strong mystery series, I loved the idea of Sophie working as a journalist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the 1910s. As a reporter, Sophie can run around the city asking questions and looking for clues while she’s doing her job. There were quite a few real female journalists in the area at that time. Two women reporters who worked for Milwaukee papers around the turn of the century, Edna Ferber and Zona Gale, went on to become popular novelists.

In Sophie Strong’s next adventure, she’ll go behind the scenes at one of the massive department stores of her era. It was the golden age of American department stores, when they functioned like miniature cities. In addition to several floors of merchandise, a store might include restaurants, a delicatessen, a beauty salon, a box office, and a travel agency. Some even housed radio stations. 

In the future, I hope to have Sophie discover new mysteries as she reports from locations like a movie theater, a museum, or a photography studio. Each new setting offers the promise of fascinating facts about a specific world in the early twentieth century. 

What are your favorite mystery series, and what worlds do they invite you to explore?

Author Amy Renshaw loves writing, reading, and sleuthing about history. She's the Senior Editor at Brilliant Star Magazine, an award-winning publication from the Bahá’ís of the U.S. Amy lives in Wisconsin, where she hikes in the woods, adores chocolate, and writes novels.

Learn more at amyrenshawauthor.com, or follow her on Facebook or Instagram at @amyrenshawauthor.


Amy Renshaw loves writing, reading, and sleuthing about history. She's the Senior Editor at Brilliant Star Magazine and Brilliant Star Online, award-winning publications from the Baha'is of the U.S. Amy lives in Wisconsin, where she hikes in the woods, adores chocolate, and writes historical mystery novels.


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

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Friday, November 12, 2021

 


Today I'm shining the Spotlight on author
Jenny Kales!


Jenny is the author of the
Callie's Kitchen Mysteries.
The newest book in the series is


Greek vacations can be murder! Recipes are included in this cozy mystery set in the Greek Islands.

Callie Costas can’t believe she is finally traveling to Greece with her significant other, Detective Ian Sands. However, this isn’t your average voyage: Callie’s father has invited a slew of colorful family members to his beautiful childhood village to celebrate his recent marriage. Callie is especially delighted to be reunited with her Greek “Aunt Sweetie” aka Glykeria.

The Costas family’s Greek getaway turns to Greek tragedy when murder turns up on the menu at the seaside restaurant of her father’s friend, Dimitrios. A restaurant employee has been killed and Dimitrios is a prime suspect.

With a hodge-podge group of tourists and villagers to round out the suspect list, can Callie help her father clear his friend’s name, before the killer skewers her?

Scroll up and click to start reading this delicious cozy mystery today!

SLAYED BY SOUVLAKI
Book 5 in the 
Callie's Kitchen Mysteries
is now available!

A New Release: Callie’s Kitchen Goes to Greece!

When I decided to set my latest Callie’s Kitchen Mystery, SLAYED BY SOULAKI, in Greece, it felt natural for the characters to take this exotic trip. For one thing, I had already set the scene in my previous book, The Callie’s Kitchen Mysteries Cookbook, which includes new scenes including the marriage of Callie’s father who has long been widowed. Spoiler alert: Callie’s father announces a family trip to his childhood village in celebration of his recent wedding. Callie and her significant other, Detective Ian Sands, had been discussing the possibility of a trip together. However, I’m not sure they had planned on Callie’s family joining them! Still, the trip is a go, and everyone is excited to visit the homeland of Callie’s father, George.

For those of you familiar with the series, the setting in my latest book, Slayed By Souvlaki, also provides a wonderful way to reconnect Callie and her crew with a beloved character, Glykeria, aka “Aunt Sweetie.” Adventurous Aunt Sweetie is George’s very removed cousin but Callie refers to as her “aunt” in the complicated ways of large but close Greek families. Sweetie is there to welcome the Costas family with open arms and of course, she becomes involved in the murder mystery. Aunt Sweetie first appeared in the second Callie’s Kitchen Mystery, Spiced and Iced, where she and Callie’s Grandma Viv proved to be quite the sleuthing duo!

The Island

Instead of referring to an actual Greek island, I set the Slayed By Souvlaki on a fictional island called “Kalos.” Kalos is a combination of several locations in the beautiful Cyclades Islands. The Cyclades include some iconic destinations including Santorini, Milos, and Paros. I envisioned a stunning backdrop for the drama that occurs in my cozy mystery, and through description and plot lines, I want readers to feel like they are right there with Callie every step of the way.

As with Crystal Bay, Wisconsin, the setting of Callie’s Kitchen, I chose to be inspired by a location and creating a fictional place based in reality. This allows a lot more creative freedom and hopefully, more fun for the reader.

Kalos vs. Crystal Bay

When I brought my cozy mystery cast to the exotic Greek Isles, I still wanted to capture that “cozy” feeling that you get in Crystal Bay. Luckily, small Greek islands have many similarities to the waterfront Wisconsin community in the Callie’s Kitchen Mysteries: tourism, a beautiful view, lots of restaurants, small businesses (where Callie does some major sleuthing) and specific local customs that add to the flavor of the story. Of course, I made sure there was no shortage of drama and action. Relaxation does not come easily to Callie and just like at home, she takes on more than she bargained for, but always for a worthy cause!

The island of Kalos in Slayed By Souvlaki also features an oceanside fishing village, mountains, and ancient ruins – obviously not things you will find in Callie’s hometown of Crystal Bay, Wisconsin. I hope readers enjoy the new, exotic locations, along with the elements that are more familiar from previous books.

Finally, the Food! 

Any Callie’s Kitchen Mystery would not be complete without delicious food mentions, and recipes included at the end of the story. As you can imagine, Callie and her family experience some tempting foods, including the souvlaki in the title (aka shish kebab), gorgeous Greek pastries featuring crispy, buttery phyllo dough, and many other culinary delights.

One of my favorite elements in Slayed By Souvlaki is the inclusion of a traditional Greek sweet shop. These are favorite spots to visit after a dinner in Greece because many Greek restaurants do not include a dessert menu. If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, you need to visit one of these charming spots where you can have your fill of Greek-style pastries, Greek rice pudding, European gelato, and even fancy French-style treats. Of course, people indulge throughout the day as well.

SLAYED BY SOUVLAKI has an emphasis on traditional Greek cuisine, and the recipes at the end are some of my (and my family’s) favorites. I hope you enjoy them too!

If you are already a reader of my books, thanks so much for joining me on this journey! If you are new to my series, I hope you will give them a look! You can start at any book, as they are all standalones. Personally, I like to start at the beginning. If that’s you, here’s the order of the series:

ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK

SPICED AND ICED

SECRETS AND PIES

A STEW TO A KILL

THE CALLIE’S KITCHEN MYSTERIES COOKBOOK
(with recipes and scenes not found in previous books)

SLAYED BY SOUVLAKI

You can find my books in e-book and paperback on Amazon, and all the books in the series are free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Thank you, Lisa, and your blog readers for joining me today! If you’d like to follow me on Facebook and Instagram or join my newsletter list, I’ll provide the links below.

Newsletter subscribers are eligible for exclusive giveaways, cover reveals, book excerpts, recipes and more!

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Jenny Kales is the author of The Callie’s Kitchen Mystery Series, featuring Greek-American Calliope Costas, feisty food business owner and amateur sleuth, who lives in a scenic Wisconsin town with colorful characters -- and a high murder rate! Each book contains several delicious recipes, both Greek and American. Recent release: THE CALLIE'S KITCHEN MYSTERIES COOKBOOK, inspired by the series with new scenes and recipes.

Jenny is an avid reader, cook and baker and she’s addicted to reading and mystery TV, especially anything on Masterpiece Mystery or Acorn TV. She lives just outside of Chicago with her husband, two daughters and one cute but demanding Yorkshire terrier. She's hard at work on additional writing projects including more Callie's Kitchen Mysteries and a new series.




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.

Thursday, November 11, 2021


Today I'm shining the Spotlight on author
Molly Hunt!


Molly is the author of the
Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries.
The newest book in the series is


ADVENTURE CAT
releases November 17!

 🐱😸😹😺😻😼😽🙀

While you're waiting for ADVENTURE CAT to release, check out the rest of the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries!






About Molly


Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy series, the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries and the Tenth Life Mysteries. Her Cat Seasons Sci-Fantasy Tetralogy features extraordinary cats saving the world. Mollie also pens a bit of cat poetry. Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, and Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like her cat lady character, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.


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.