Character Interview: The Quirky Quiz Show Caper

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Former teen idol Sandy Fairfax is a guest panelist on a TV game show—and the first category is murder!


When his kid brother, Warren, is framed for killing a college student, Sandy makes it his duty to track down the thug before the police move in. After all, Sandy did play a detective once on a hit TV show. Sandy will get right on the case—right after he visits his kids; fights with his ex; woos his hoped-to-be girlfriend, Cinnamon; and convinces his parents he should be the special entertainment at a black tie gala designed to raise funds for his father’s faltering orchestra. All this while he and his biggest fan attempt to “Raise The Stakes” on a rigged quiz show where––wonder of wonders––the murder victim had recently been a contestant. Sandy’s ready to pull out some of his long blond hair as the game points and the suspects pile up.
Today we have Sandy Fairfax as our guest.


Q: Tell our readers a little bit about yourself—maybe something they might not guess
 I’m Sandy Fairfax, a 38-year-old former teen idol. That’s my stage name. My real name is Stanford Ernest Farmington Jr. In the late 1970s I starred in the TV show “Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth” for four seasons, along with two feature films. My career hit the skids when my show ended and my recording contract ran out. For a number of years I didn’t do much except drink, but now I’m clean and sober and making a comeback. I’m also reconnecting with my family and seeing my kids more, which unfortunately also means talking to my ex more. What readers might not know is that I started singing with a boys’ choir at church. That was a great experience. I got used to performing in public and it also exposed me to some great classical music. Of course that gig ended when I hit puberty. I never joined a school choir, probably because I was busy with piano and violin lessons and recitals. I didn’t start singing again professionally until I joined a rock band in college and from there to solo shows.
Q: Who’s the character do you get along with best? 
That’s easy. In the second book of my series I met Cinnamon Lovett who not only became the choreographer for my shows but is now my girlfriend. Besides being drop-dead gorgeous she’s smart, funny, sensitive and caring. She doesn’t fawn over my like many women but treats me like a friend and equal. She’s worked in the entertainment business so she isn’t impressed by celebrities. And she doesn’t mind telling me off if she’s unhappy.
Q: Which other character do you have a conflict with?
 My brother, Warren Farmington, is the poster child of the family and I’m the black sheep. I haven’t seen him in ages and now he resents me trying to wheedle my way back into the family fold. He finished graduate school and puts me down because I dropped out of college to pursue fame and fortune. I think he’s jealous of my teen idol fame but he won’t admit it. He makes fun of my former rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, even though my life has calmed down since. But Warren had to swallow his pride when someone framed him in the murder of one of his students and yours truly came to his aid to clear his name.
Q: Just between you and me what do you really think of your author, Sally Carpenter?
She’s a typical fanatic, er, fan, the kind who’s in the front row of my concerts screaming her head off at me. She shares too much information about me to the readers. Hey, even celebrities deserve a little privacy. I’m annoyed that after four books I still haven’t had a really torrid love scene. I’m not a monk, you know. And what is with these death traps? In every book the bad guy comes close to killing me off. Nobody’s safe around this author.
Q: What’s next for you?
Thankfully, my author is letting me take a break while she starts a new series. Whew! Now I can finally get in some serious time in with my girlfriend and not worry about a murderer looking to put me six feet under.


 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sally Carpenter is native Hoosier now living in Moorpark, Calif. She has a master’s degree in theater from Indiana State University. While in school her plays “Star Collector” and “Common Ground” were finalists in the American College Theater Festival One-Act Playwrighting Competition. “Common Ground” also earned a college creative writing award and “Star Collector” was produced in New York City.
Carpenter also has a master’s degree in theology and a black belt in tae kwon do. She’s worked as an actress, college writing instructor, theater critic, jail chaplain, and tour guide/page for Paramount Pictures. She’s now employed at a community newspaper.
The Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol series is comprised of: “The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper” (2012 Eureka! Award finalist for best first mystery novel), “The Sinister Sitcom Caper,” “The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper” and “The Quirky Quiz ShowCaper.”
To atone for her sins of killing fictional people, she also writes the monthly Roots of Faith column for the Acorn Newspapers.
She blogs at http://sandyfairfaxauthor.com and ladiesofmystery.com.
 
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One Blessed Event, two Giveaways: The newest Professor Molly mystery is here!

>>>Enter to win a paper copy of The Blessed Event on Goodreads<<<

But wait, there’s more…
>>>Enter to win a copy of any Professor Molly mystery in your choice of format<<<

The Professor Molly mysteries
Left to right: The Case of the Defunct Adjunct, The Musubi Murder, The Cursed Canoe, The Black Thumb, The Invasive Species, The Blessed Event.

 


The Blessed Event, a Professor Molly Mystery

You may wonder what my least-favorite student was doing in my living room. In a twist of fate that might seem hilarious if it happened to someone else, he was now my stepson.

Professor Molly Barda is looking forward to a quiet summer in Mahina, Hawaii, working on her research and adjusting to married life. But when a visit from her new husband’s relatives coincides with a murder, Molly wonders what she’s married into–and realizes she might have a killer under her roof.
Thumbnail flying stork
The Blessed Event was nominated by readers and selected by Amazon’s editorial team via Kindle Scout, Amazon’s reader-powered publishing platform.


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Character Interview: Francine from Murder Under the Covered Bridge

>>>Enter to win a print copy of Murder under the Covered Bridge<<<

Working on a television taping to promote the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, the ladies decide to use their access to the Roseville Bridge to cross an item off Charlotte’s bucket list: #39) Be a Sexy Calendar Girl.

But the photo shoot is interrupted by gunshots and Francine’s cousin William stumbling down the riverbank followed by a man with a gun. William sustains life-threatening injuries, but is it homicide?
Francine and Charlotte go into detective mode to uncover the secret William knew about the shooter. Their success, however, depends on surviving two arson events, a séance, a shortage of Mary Ruth’s wildly popular corn fritter donuts, memory-challenged nursing home residents, and a killer who refuses to go up in flames.
 


Q: Aloha, and welcome to Island Confidential. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself–maybe something they might not guess?
A: I’m Francine McNamara. I’m 71 years old, and I’ve seen a lot in my lifetime. Certainly my thirty years as a nurse have contributed to that, but ever since Charlotte (my best friend) persuaded each member of our bridge club to come up with a list of sixty bucket list items we’d like to accomplish before we die, life has gotten very interesting. We can’t seem to shake the press from our attempts. It doesn’t help, either, that one of our own members, Joy McQueen, is now a correspondent with Good Morning America reporting on senior activities. Her publicist always wants us in the news. Even given this, it would be a lot easier if didn’t seem to be stumbling over dead bodies at an alarming rate. Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote has nothing on us, that’s for sure!
But you asked for information about me, didn’t you? Well, I’ve got a husband. We’ve been married for forty-five years now. His name is Jonathan, and he’s a hunk. Even in his seventies, I still find him to be a handsome man. We have three adult sons, Craig, Adam, and Chad. They’re all married and I couldn’t be happier with my daughters-in-law. Okay, that’s not quite true, but I’ve learned over the years not to squabble with the mothers of my grandchildren. And I’d love to tell you about my grandchildren, but I understand you don’t have that long.
So, you asked for some things readers might not know about me. I like puzzles a lot. I don’t talk about it much, but there’s something comforting to me about doing Sudoku. Numbers have always made a lot of sense to me. When I manage to get the lines and boxes of numbers 1-9 together, and they harmoniously live each in their own place, I feel a sense of accomplishment. I always note that my friend Charlotte likes crossword puzzles and reading mysteries and that’s why she wants to solve them, but I’m probably not far behind her.
Q: Who’s the character you get along with the best? Why?
A: I’d like to say that I get along best with Charlotte, but the truth is that while she’s my best friend and I wouldn’t trade our relationship for anything else, I probably get along with Mary Ruth the best. Mary Ruth is a caterer and I love making (and eating) good food. I frequently help her, either in the kitchen or acting as one of her servers, and I enjoy doing that a lot. It’s a good thing I exercise every day and still have a good metabolism, or I’d be gaining weight!
Q:  Anyone you don’t get along with so well? 
A: Well, Charlotte and I are best friends, as I said, but we frequently disagree over the nature of these investigations we keep finding ourselves in. Really, I’m just trying to keep her out of trouble. She’s terribly impulsive, and I have to control that or she’d find herself in over her head. Of course, she’d probably say I’m not free-thinking enough and that I constrain her ability to get things done. Maybe we’re just a good balance for each other.
Q:  Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?
A: Liz is such a dear. I’d love to have her for a granddaughter! Tony’s a good guy, but he doesn’t know enough about women. It’s a good thing Liz is around to tell him that a woman would never think a certain way. Tony also works too hard to make us look good. He wants everyone to love us, and really, we’re just human. We have as many uncharitable thoughts as the next person, but he’s always trying to hide those kind of things from you readers. Sometimes we just have to insist he let us think the thoughts that we have.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: As you might know if you’ve been reading our adventures, Jonathan and I are working on building a vacation/retreat home for ourselves on the 300 acres I inherited in Parke County, Indiana. There are secrets out there I’m sure we’ve yet to discover. I’m intrigued by the thought that my ancestor Doc Wheat may have located a second spring whose waters are an essential ingredient to the special cures he left us formulas for. I must locate that spring …


 
Murder on the Bucket List Tony & Liz
About The Authors 
Elizabeth Perona is the father/daughter writing team of Tony Perona and Liz Dombrosky. Tony is the author of the Nick Bertetto mystery series, the standalone thriller The Final Mayan Prophecy (with Paul Skorich), and co-editor and contributor to the anthologies Racing Can Be Murder and Hoosier Hoops & Hijinks. Tony is a member of Mystery Writers of America and has served the organization as a member of the Board of Directors and as Treasurer. He is also a member of Sisters-in-Crime.
Liz Dombrosky graduated from Ball State University in the Honors College with a degree in teaching. She is currently a stay-at-home mom. Murder on the Bucket List is her first novel.
Author Links

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New Bakery Cozy: Bring Your Own Baker

Anna just wants to earn enough money on the side to buy into the bakery, Callie’s Cakes, where she works together with her best nerd pal, Callie. The last thing she expects to see when she walks into Arthur’s apartment to do some moonlighting is a blood bath.

 
Callie’s ready to jump into the investigation of Arthur’s murder, and she’s bringing another bakery worker, Kristie, into their hijinks whether Kristie wants to or not. But things aren’t as they seem. There are gang affiliations, illegal gambling dens, and ladies of the night to wade through. Will Anna and Callie discover who murdered Arthur, or will Callie’s detective boyfriend and Anna’s self-appointed protector put a stop to such aspirations?
Come join us at Callie’s Cakes, where murder investigations are on the menu, but make sure to bring your own baker, because Anna’s a bit preoccupied at the moment.


About the Author


I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on from my mom’s Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When I wasn’t flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although I did manage every once in a while to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law. Another job change, this time from lawyer to B&B owner and I was again fed up and ready to scream I quit, which is incredibly difficult when you own the business. Thus, I shut the B&B during the week and in the off-season and started writing. Several books later I find myself in Istanbul writing full-time.


Author Links
Website: http://www.dehaggerty.com
Blog: http://www.dehaggerty.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dehaggerty
Twitter: https://twitter.com/denaehaggerty
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DEHaggerty/posts
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/denahaggerty/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7210211.D_E_Haggerty
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TRXQ0R
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/636073
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bring-your-own-baker-de-haggerty/1123795411?ean=2940153018690
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/bring-your-own-baker

 


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#Giveaway and spotlight: Oliver Twisted

>>> Enter to win a paper copy of Oliver Twisted!<<<

Oliver Twisted by Cindy Brown

I really enjoyed this book! It’s been a while since I had a book grab me by the face and insist I read right through, but this one did it…
~The Ninja Librarian
“Oliver Twisted” is delightfully funny, thoroughly entertaining, and will keep you guessing until the thrilling conclusion.
~My Funny View of Life
…talk about a ‘twisted’ mystery. Usually in a mystery, the characters may not be as they appear. In this book, the actors are dressed in period costumes, so you know darn well that they aren’t as they appear…
~Back Porchervations
OLIVER-TWISTED cover
 
Oliver Twisted
(An Ivy Meadows Mystery Book 3)

Paperback: 280 pages
Publisher: Henery Press (June 21, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1635110418
E-Book ASIN: B01DAPK14Q
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Orphans. Thieves. Murder. And an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet!
When Ivy Meadows lands a gig with the book-themed cruise line Get Lit!, she thinks she’s died and gone to Broadway. Not only has she snagged a starring role in a musical production of Oliver Twist, she’s making bank helping her PI uncle investigate a string of onboard thefts, all while sailing to Hawaii on the S.S. David Copperfield.
But Ivy is cruising for disaster. Her acting contract somehow skipped the part about aerial dancing forty feet above the stage, her uncle Bob is seriously sidetracked by a suspicious blonde, and—oh yeah—there’s a corpse in her closet.
Forget catching crooks. Ivy’s going to have a Dickens of a time just surviving.
Related subjects include: cozy mysteries, women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), amateur sleuth books, book club recommendations, humorous murder mysteries, private investigator mystery series.
Books in the Ivy Meadows Humorous Mystery Series:
MACDEATH (#1)
THE SOUND OF MURDER (#2)
OLIVER TWISTED (#3)

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BROWN-pic
Cindy Brown has been a theater geek (musician, actor, director, producer, and playwright) since her first professional gig at age 14. Now a full-time writer, she’s lucky enough to have garnered several awards (including 3rd place in the 2013 international Words With Jam First Page Competition, judged by Sue Grafton!) and is an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop. Though Cindy and her husband now live in Portland, Oregon, she made her home in Phoenix, Arizona, for more than 25 years and knows all the good places to hide dead bodies in both cities.
 
Author Links
Website & Blog: www.cindybrownwriter.com
Twitter handle: @friendlybrown
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cindy-Brown-author/288210721356802?ref=hl
Purchase Links
Amazon     B&N 
 


 

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Character Interview: Maggie Dove

Susan Breen introduces a charming new series heroine in this poignant and absorbing cozy mystery with a bite.

When Sunday School teacher Maggie Dove finds her hateful next-door neighbor Marcus Bender lying dead under her beloved oak tree—the one he demanded she cut down—she figures the man dropped dead of a mean heart. But Marcus was murdered, and the prime suspect is a young man Maggie loves like a son. Peter Nelson was the worst of Maggie’s Sunday School students; he was also her late daughter’s fiancé, and he’s been a devoted friend to Maggie in the years since her daughter’s death.
Maggie can’t lose Peter, too. So she sets out to find the real murderer. To do that, she must move past the grief that has immobilized her all these years. She must probe the hidden corners of her little village on the Hudson River. And, when another death strikes even closer to home, Maggie must find the courage to defend the people and the town she loves—even if it kills her.
 


Q: Aloha Maggie, thanks for stopping by the blog. Why don’t you tell our readers a little bit about yourself–maybe something they might not guess?
            My name is Maggie Dove. I’m a 62-year-old Sunday School teacher, and the worst trouble I ever got into was when I accidentally set off the church fire alarm while baking pretzels with my class. So you wouldn’t think I’d be investigating a murder, but someone I love was accused of the crime and I knew I couldn’t just stand by. I live in a pretty, old house in a small village on the Hudson River. There’s a small hiding place in the house that my abolitionist ancestors used to hide runaway slaves escaping to Canada. I drive a bright red Audi TT, which is a little florid, but I used to be a mystery writer and my detective drove that type of car. I love it.  My husband was a professor of Russian, so although I’m not an expert, my house is full of books and maps about Russia, and it looks like one of the people in my village works for the CIA.
Q: Who’s the character you get along with the best? 
There are many people I love in my small village of Darby-on-Hudson. In fact, that’s what made my murder investigation so difficult. The more questions I asked, the more I came to realize that the murderer must be someone I love. If I were to pick one person I’m especially fond of, I’d say it’s 6-year-old Edgar Blake, who is the worst of my Sunday School students. Edgar’s a handful, but he has a warm heart, and I feel like I connect with him. Maybe because I’ve always followed the rules, I’m intrigued by people who don’t. Some of my favorite people are the kind who get into a lot of trouble.
Q:  Which other character do you have a conflict with? 
The character who I have the worst conflict with is my neighbor, Marcus Bender. We had a huge argument over the oak tree on my front lawn. You wouldn’t think anyone would have a quarrel with a tree, but Bender did. He wanted me to cut it down because he said it blocked his view of the Hudson River. I love that tree. My father planted it when I was a girl, my late daughter played on it. Its gentle branches have brought me a great deal of comfort and joy. Bender offered me money to buy a new one, and put it somewhere else. I turned him down. Then one morning I went outside and smelled lye in the tree’s dirt. My neighbor was poisoning my tree. I was furious, pounded on his door, told him to stay off my lawn or I’d kill him. The next morning, I found his corpse under that tree.
Q:  Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?
I love my author, Susan Breen. Or as I think of her, the Boss. She knows lots of fun jokes. She and I share a love of bread pudding. My only quarrel with her is that she’s awfully bossy. She insists I get up and do things when I’d be happiest sitting by the Hudson River, looking at the boats go by.
Q: What’s next for you?
I enjoyed this adventure so much, even though at times my life was in jeopardy, that I decided, with some friends, to set up a detective agency. Of course, it takes a lot of skill and training to be a detective, so right now I’m involved in studying to get my detective license.


 
About The Author  

 
Susan Breen is the author of The Fiction Class, her debut novel that won the Washington Irving Book Award. Her stories and articles have appeared in many magazines, among them The Best American Nonrequired Reading, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Compose, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer. She teaches at Gotham Writers in Manhattan; is on the faculty of the New York Pitch Conference, South Carolina Writers Workshop, and the Women’s National Book Association; and is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters-in-Crime. Breen lives in a small village on the Hudson River with her husband, two dogs, and one cat. Her three children are flourishing elsewhere.

Webpage | Amazon Barnes & Noble

 
 


 

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#Giveaway and Interview: Gayle Leeson, author of The Calamity Cafe (new Southern culinary cozy series)

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The Calamity Cafe is the first book in a new cozy mystery series featuring Southern cooking

Aspiring chef and small-town Virginia native Amy Flowers is ready to open her own café offering old-fashioned Southern food. But her dream may go up in smoke when someone kills the competition…
Tired of waiting tables at Lou’s Joint, Amy Flowers doesn’t just quit—she offers to buy the place from her bully of a boss, so she can finally open the café of her dreams. Amy can’t wait to serve the kind of Southern, down-home treats and dishes that her grandmother always loved to the kooky cast of regulars at the restaurant. She knows her comfort food will be the talk of the sweet, small town of Winter Garden, Virginia.
At first Lou Lou refuses to sell, but when she seems ready to make a deal, she tells Amy to come see her.  Showing up at the eatery ready to negotiate, Amy is shocked to find her former employer murdered. As the prime suspect, Amy will have to clear her name by serving up the real killer—and with Lou Lou’s stack of enemies, that’s a tall order.
Includes delicious Southern recipes!


 
 
Q: Thanks for stopping by Island Confidential, Gayle. Can you tell us a little bit about your protagonist, Any?
A:  Amy Flowers is a young woman who has a serious goal but who doesn’t forget to have plenty of fun. She makes time for her friends and family while hoping to realize her goal of opening her own café.
Q: How much of you is in Amy?  How would you feel about her if you met her in real life?
A:  I’m sure there’s a little Amy in me, especially where she was so devoted to her grandmother who is deceased when we meet Amy. And, like Amy, I have a tendency to want to adopt and/or feed animals and people (especially children). Whenever my children were growing up, I was known for my cookies and cupcakes. Even when my son was in high school, I’d have to make and send chocolate chip cookies to his friends.
I’d love Amy if I met her in real life. I think we’d be good friends, but I’d have to avoid seeing her too often because if I didn’t, she’d feed me until I was as big as a house!
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
A:  They do. That’s something I’ve really enjoyed with other series I’ve written (the embroidery series written under the name Amanda Lee, in particular) and that I’m looking forward to exploring in the Down South Café series. I like that each individual book can be read as a standalone but that readers who start at the beginning and continue through the series can enjoy the nuances of watching the characters grow and develop.
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean? 
A:  Oh, my goodness, I have done it! In my cake decorating mystery Battered to Death (written as Gayle Trent), I killed a man who’d been mean to my son. The man was such a jerk, and I took great joy in beating him over the head with a cake stand and then drowning him in cake batter!
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A:  Both. Winter Garden is a fictional town in Virginia, but it’s close to real-life towns: Glade Spring, Meadowview, Abingdon, Bristol. In fact, at my website, I’m including photograph slideshows from various regions. I only have three so far, but I’ll continue to add to it.
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: Maybe Emily Osmet as Amy and Robbie Amell as Ryan. They’d be so cute together. Now you’ve got me excited about this movie! Who can we call to make it happen?
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A:  Worst advice: “You have to move to New York or Los Angeles to make it as a writer.”
Best advice: Never give up!
 
 


 
About The Author  

 
Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. I also write as Amanda Lee. As Gayle Trent, I write the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series. As Amanda Lee, I write the Embroidery Mystery series. I live in Virginia with my family, which includes her own “Angus” who is not an Irish wolfhound but a Great Pyrenees who provides plenty of inspiration for the character of Mr. O’Ruff. I’m having a blast writing this new series!
Author Links:
Webpage – http://www.gayleleeson.com
Gayle Trent Webpage – http://www.gayletrent.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/GayleTrent
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/426208.Gayle_Trent
Purchase Links
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Books-a-Million – Kobo  


 

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#Giveaway: Win a book and an actual buttermilk pie

>>> One winner will receive an e-copy of the book AND a buttermilk pie shipped from Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop in Franklin, Tennessee<<<

Mandy Hemphill is living her dream, running the successful Rose Cottage Cafe in Orchardville, Texas, from the ground floor of a converted, old—and possibly haunted—downtown home. She even had plans to grow her business with a new outdoor patio…if only the mayor wouldn’t have turned her down.
So when the beloved mayor is found murdered, Mandy finds herself among the suspects. And now business at the cafe is dropping faster than a fallen soufflé. How can she prove her innocence and save the Rose Cottage Cafe?
Thankfully Ben, the new owner of The Orchardville Gazette, doesn’t believe she’s guilty. As the two of them set out to find the real killer, they uncover one small-town lie after the next. But the closer they get to learning the truth about who killed the mayor, the more in danger they find themselves.



 


About The Author
After her twenty-year career in magazine publishing came to a screeching halt faster than you can say “print is dead,” Lori Stacy decided it was time to finally turn the many stories she had been crafting in her head over the years into books.
Lori has authored a number of fiction and nonfiction books for young adults, has written articles for both print and online publications, and has written about hotels for one of the world’s leading search engines.
She lives in Texas with her husband and three children. When she is not writing, you can usually find her in the kitchen baking treats (which she says are for her children) or trying to train their hundred-pound golden retriever, an obedience school dropout.
 

You can find out more about Lori and her latest books at www.loristacy.com, provided she didn’t forget to pay her web hosting bill.


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#Giveaway and New Campus Murder Mystery: Failure is Fatal by Lesley A. Diehl

>>>Enter to win an e-copy of Failure is Fatal<<<

Someone at Professor Laura Murphy’s college appears to be playing a joke on her by planting sexually explicit stories in her research results…Failure is Fatal Cover

but the joke turns deadly when one story details the recent stabbing murder of a coed. Eager to search out clues, Laura ignores warning signs that playing amateur sleuth may jeopardize her newly developing romance with Guy. And of course her usual intrusive manner puts her at odds with everyone on campus—colleagues, the college administration, the head of campus security and fraternity members. Is there no one Laura can’t offend in her eagerness to find the truth?


Setting Inspires my Work
Guest Post by Lesley Diehl

Failure Is Fatal is the second book in the Laura Murphy mystery series. In this book, Laura is, as we have come to know her: an impulsive, smart, chocolate-addicted advocate for taking down the bad guys especially those threatening the values she holds to be important—education, protection of the environment and justice for the victims of crimes. And she accomplishes all this while trying to hold together a long-distance love relationship. Of course, she has friends to help her as well as her sense of humor.
My novel length work and my short stories all have a strong sense of setting. I like to think of it as another character, one I can use in various ways. The setting can become the backdrop for the mystery. In the case of Failure Is Fatal the book is set in a small community in Upstate New York. The town houses a public university where my protagonist, Dr. Laura Murphy is a professor of psychology. The size of the community and the college allows me a limited area for the events in the story to unfold and affords me the opportunity to explore the geographical as well as the social setting where my characters live and work. And kill. I like my readers to be able to develop a mental map of the vicinity so that the reader moves around with as much familiarity as do the characters. I think this familiarity sets the stage for all of the changes made in the story, e.g., the murder, the search for clues, changes in relationships and the catastrophes I introduce into the setting. I want my reader to say, “Oh, yes. I know where she’s going. I’d do that too,” as the reader forms a sleuthing partnership with Laura.
Another way I like to use setting is to turn it on its ear, i.e., introduce some form of friction into the setting. For example, many of the scenes in the book take place in Laura’s house on a small lake outside of the college town. The conversations among Laura, her love interest, Guy, and the detective who enlists her aid in the case bristle with the tension of the killing but are set against the beauty of woods turning their autumn colors. As much as the setting might lull us into a feeling of normalcy, the threat of the coming winter and the tragedy of the murder work together to propel Laura forward in her search for the killer, forecasting the possibility of disaster yet to come.
As the promise of snow is realized, the story leads the reader into the blizzard of conflicting clues that toss Laura backward into events in her past that she must unravel and forward toward confrontation with the killer. Laura fights oncoming winter in terms of what it means for her long distance relationship with Guy as well as its impact on her ability to dig out clues to the murder in a community buried under ice and snow. The final resolution of the crime takes place during a deadly snowstorm. Laura could find her way through the snow to the killer or lose her way in the whiteout.
As I did with the first book in the series, Murder Is Academic, in Failure Is Fatal, I use the building tension of worsening weather as the culmination of a final meeting between Laura and the killer. Depending upon the season, Upstate New York can be subject to weather disasters such as floods, tornados, thunderstorms, blizzards and ice storms. The threat of bad weather can make for a great tension building device especially if it is used in parallel with the protagonist’s difficult path to finding the identity of a killer. A murder mystery is always better during a storm, especially if the writer pairs bad weather with a devious killer bent taking out the protagonist. Will the weather do her in? Will the killer? And if she defeats the killer, will the weather take her out? What fun for creating ultimate tension and anxiety, and, finally, as the reader expects in a good cozy mystery, a satisfying solution to the mystery.


About the Author
Lesley Diehl
Lesley retired from her life as a professor of psychology and reclaimed her country roots by moving to a small cottage in the Butternut River Valley in upstate New York.  In the winter she migrates to old Florida—cowboys, scrub palmetto, and open fields of grazing cattle, a place where spurs still jingle in the post office, and gators make golf a contact sport.  Back north, the shy ghost inhabiting the cottage serves as her literary muse.  When not writing, she gardens, cooks and renovates the 1874 cottage with the help of her husband, two cats and, of course, Fred the ghost, who gives artistic direction to their work.
She is the author of a number of mystery series (Microbrewing Series, Big Lake Mystery Series, Eve Appel Mystery Series and the Laura Murphy Mysteries), a standalone mystery (Angel Sleuth) and numerous short stories.   
Visit her on her website:  www.lesleyadiehl.com
Webpage: www.lesleyadiehl.com
Blog: www.lesleyadiehl.com/blog
Twitter: @lesleydiehl
Facebook: [email protected]


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