Spotlight and #Giveaway: Ninja Librarian Rebecca Douglass, Death by Trombone

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JJ MacGregor’s very bad day has just gotten a lot worse. JJ thought starting the day without coffee was a disaster, but now there’s a dead musician behind the Pismawallops High School gym. His trombone is missing, and something about the scene is off key. JJ and Police Chief Ron Karlson are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, but will they be able to work harmoniously or will discord ruin the investigation? With the music teacher as the prime suspect, JJ could be left to conduct the band, and then Graduation might truly end in a death by trombone, or at least the murder of Pomp and Circumstance!



 


About The Author
Rebecca Douglass was raised on an Island in Puget Sound only a little bigger than Pismawallops. She now lives and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area, and can be found on-line at www.ninjalibrarian.com and on Facebook as The Ninja Librarian. Her books include the tall tales for all ages, The Ninja Librarian and Return to Skunk Corners, middle-grade fantasy Halitor the Hero, and the first Pismawallops PTA mystery, Death By Ice Cream.

Rebecca likes to spend her time outdoors, when not writing or working to make the schools the best they can be. She spends her free time bicycling and running, and her vacations hiking, camping and backpacking.

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Interview: Vamps, Villains and Vaudeville, a Jazz Age Mystery by Ellen Mansoor Collier

In 1920s Galveston, society reporter Jazz Cross is in for a surprise when she attends a traveling vaudeville show with her beau, Prohibition Agent James Burton, and discovers that an old flame acts in the production. That night, they find a stabbing victim behind the Oasis — her half-brother Sammy’s speakeasy — who’s identified as an actor in the troupe. When the victim disappears and later turns up dead, Jazz must help prove that Sammy wasn’t the killer. After a second vaudeville actor is found murdered, Jazz discovers that the events behind the scenes are much more interesting than the outdated acts onstage. To make matters worse, Sammy’s old nemesis demands that he settles a score and forces him into yet another illegal scheme involving the troupe’s money-making ventures. Can Jazz help solve the murders and prove her brother’s innocence—so he can escape the Downtown Gang for good? Vamps, Villains and Vaudeville is a historical Jazz Age mystery inspired by real-life Galveston gangs and local landmarks.


 
Excerpt:
 
“Please take your seats. The Villains, Vixens and Varmints Vaudeville Show is about to begin.” The master of ceremonies’ mellifluous voice boomed across Martini Theatre, and lights dimmed as a uniformed usher escorted me and Agent Burton to our front-row seats.
The society editor—my boss, Mrs. Harper—snagged two front-and-center seats to Friday night’s opening performance. No doubt the traveling troupe expected the Galveston Gazette (rather, me) to give them a rave review.
Well, we’d see if this dog-and-pony show lived up to its billing, literally. The MC gave a short introduction and a chubby clown paraded onstage with a spotted pony, a small terrier-mix perched atop its back. When the clown tried to coax the pup to stand on its hind legs, the spunky mutt refused to cooperate, while the audience laughed with glee….
I’d tried to beg off this assignment, but my boss always found a way to make me work until the last minute. “Vaudeville is so old hat,” I protested. “Wouldn’t you rather attend? It’s right up your alley.”
“What do you mean by that, young lady?” Mrs. Harper eyed me under her wide-brimmed floral Edwardian bonnet. “Are you implying that I’m an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy, not as modern as you young flappers?”
Yes, that’s exactly what I meant. “Not at all. I thought you’d enjoy the show more since I prefer moving pictures. I can’t wait to see The Jazz Singer!”
“Take your young man and have a good time. Besides, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
My young man? She made Agent Burton sound like a pet Scottie.
Sure, I was sweet on him, despite my mixed feelings: Did I really want to date a Federal officer with such a dangerous occupation? As the lone Prohibition agent in the “Free State of Galveston”—where mobsters mingled with police and politicians—I worried his days might be numbered. The Treasury Department could ship Burton off to a new town on an even riskier assignment. Worse, Galveston gangsters could gun him down any moment, just for doing his job.
During intermission, the MC announced a last-minute replacement for Dan Dastardly in the closing act. After the break, “Milo the Magician” took the stage, elegant in a tux, top hat and white gloves, and performed his requisite card tricks and rabbit in the hat….
The final act highlighted a short scene from The Perils of Pauline, featuring a dastardly villain wearing a black mask and cape trying to kidnap helpless, hapless Pauline. Twirling his handlebar moustache, the evil masked man tied poor Pauline to a tree while the Tom Mix character managed to chase off the villain, and rescue his beloved damsel-in-distress. Yes, the act was so corny and hammy that it was comical, but I enjoyed the melodrama of it all.
After the show, the performers gathered on stage, and as each act stepped forward to take their separate bows, the applause grew louder. When the Perils of Pauline actors appeared, the audience stood up, clapping wildly and cheering as the performers grinned and waved. Seems I was wrong about vaudeville: The appreciative audience gave all the actors a standing ovation.
Strange, I noticed the villain smiling at me from his vantage point onstage—or was he? Surely I imagined it…until he took off his hat and held it out to me like a rose, or a bribe. Then he gave me a bold wink—right in front of Agent Burton. Blushing, I did a double-take: Was the villain flirting with me? Or did he know I worked for the Gazette?
“Looks like the mystery man has his eye on you,” Burton teased. “Should I be jealous?”
“Dan Dastardly?” I laughed it off. “He must want a mention in the Gazette. You know actors and their egos.”….
As we left, I glanced at the stage and saw the villain staring after us, his arms crossed, looking puzzled. What did he expect—an interview? A bouquet of flowers? My phone number?



Q: Ellen, thanks for stopping by! Tell us about Jazz Cross.
A: Jazz (Jasmine) Cross is a rebellious society reporter determined to make her mark on 1920s Galveston, Texas. Her black-sheep half-brother, Sammy, owns a speakeasy and she’s dating a Prohibition agent, James Burton, and she feels caught between two clashing cultures: the seedy speakeasy underworld and the snooty social circles she covers in the Galveston Gazette. A lot of historical mystery sleuths are wealthy wives or socialites or related to royalty and I wanted to make Jasmine an independent working gal struggling to make ends meet and forge a career in a chauvinistic world—like her heroine, Victorian journalist Nellie Bly.
Q: How much of you is in Jazz? How would you feel about her if you met her in real life?
A: Sure, we do have somewhat similar personality traits since I’m a magazine writer/editor in real life, but I don’t have the stomach for hard news or crime stories. Of course I’d love to meet my characters! I do have a lot of sympathy for Jasmine since I know how it feels to be held back by higher-ups in the working world. You can’t always wait for a boss or someone to “give you permission” to act on your own or follow a lead or accomplish a goal—you might wait forever!
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
A: Yes, I’m trying to show that Jazz becomes more confident and fearless, willing to stand up to her opponents and face danger without backing down. Also the men in her life, including the newspaper editor and her Prohibition Agent beau, are softening their stance on working women and giving her more room to grow.
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
A: Tempting—I’m afraid they’d recognize themselves! So far, I’ve used composite characters with their own personalities.
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A: Since 1920s Galveston was a wild and crazy town in real life, I’ve tried to incorporate actual settings and local landmarks, especially ones that are still standing. Sadly, many places mentioned were destroyed by hurricanes or—in the case of the speakeasies—shut down by Federal agents and/or Texas Rangers.
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: What a fun question! I’d love Jon Hamm or Matt Bomer to play Sammy, Ryan Gosling to play Agent Burton. For Amanda, maybe Jennifer Lawrence. Jasmine is harder to figure out… she has wavy dark hair and blue eyes—perhaps a cross between a Myrna Loy and Agent Carter type (feisty though not as fearless).
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A: Best advice? I once heard that it’s a good idea to read dialogue out loud to see if it sounds natural—and it works. Also to wait a few days or weeks to edit your novel so you get a new perspective.
Worst: Glue the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair. You get a lot of back aches that way! I’ve found that if I’m stuck, it helps to engage is some sort of physical exercise or mindless activity to keep your ideas fresh. I’ve gotten lots of ideas while brainstorming with my husband or friends at an outdoor café. I hate to be cooped up and only write when I see a scene or chapter unfold in my head. More fun and less frustrating than staring at a blank computer screen.
Also I tend not to outline my books in advance though I do have a general idea of overall plot. You miss a lot of possibilities if you stick to a rigid plot—I always work a few chapters ahead and jot down brief notes and ideas as I go along. Sometimes I get inspired by a new plot twist and keep writing to see where my characters take me. If I’m surprised by my storyline, I think my readers will be too!


About The Author

Ellen Mansoor Collier is a Houston-based freelance magazine writer and editor whose articles and essays have been published in a variety of national magazines. Several of her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World. During college summers, she worked as a reporter for a Houston community newspaper and as a cocktail waitress, both jobs providing background experience for her Jazz Age mysteries.
A flapper at heart, she’s worked as a magazine editor/writer, and in advertising and public relations (plus endured a hectic semester as a substitute teacher). She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Magazine Journalism and served on UTmost, the college magazine and as president of WICI (Women in Communications).
FLAPPERS, FLASKS AND FOUL PLAY is her first novel, published in 2012, followed by the sequel, BATHING BEAUTIES, BOOZE AND BULLETS, released in May 2013. She lives in Houston with her husband and Chow mutts, and visits Galveston whenever possible.
“When you grow up in Houston, Galveston becomes like a second home. I had no idea this sleepy beach town had such a wild and colorful past until I began doing research, and became fascinated by the legends and stories of the 1920s. Finally I had to stop researching and start writing, trying to imagine a flapper’s life in Galveston during Prohibition.”

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Spotlight: Plateful of Murder: A Terrified Detective Mystery by Carole Fowkes

Eating at Cannolis is murder on Claire’s figure…but chasing a singing killer could be deadly.
Book cover
 

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Private Detective Claire DeNardo is afraid of everything. Simple things like balloons, roller coasters, and hairpieces make her knees knock loud enough to be a band’s rhythm section. Unfortunately, the only job Claire can find is working for her Uncle Gino in his seedy detective agency. Until now, her cases have all been middle-aged men with trophy wives who needed watching. But Claire gets swept up in a murder case despite being afraid of conflict, bodily harm, and hurting anyone’s feelings. She enlists a jaded security guard, Ed, to help her. But when Ed is attacked and left comatose, Claire must stumble along by herself. Both the client who hired her and the handsome police detective want her off the case. When the wrong person is charged, it’s up to the terrified detective, to summon all the courage she can to find the true killer.


About the Author

Author
Carole Fowkes is the author of the cozy mystery series, “The Terrified Detective.” She has also had stories in a number of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books and other similar anthologies. She’s a registered nurse and lives with her husband in Dallas, Texas.


Author Links
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https://www.facebook.com/carolefowkes,
https://twitter.com/CaroleFowkes,
https://www.goodreads.com/carolefowkes
 

 


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Spotlight: Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O'Connor

“If Janet Evanovich and Maeve Binchy wrote a book together, Murder in an Irish Village would be the result. The Irish setting rings with authenticity and Siobhan O’Sullivan is a character to savor. She’s funny, feisty, and fearless. I want her to be my new best friend. I also want another book by Carlene O’Connor to read. This one is delicious fun.”—Laurien Berenson, author of Live and Let Growl


In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Natalie’s Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors, enjoy some brown bread and tea, and get the local gossip. Nowadays twenty-two-year-old Siobhán O’Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago.
It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher. One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table, dressed in a suit as if for his own funeral, a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest.
With the local garda suspecting the O’Sullivans, and their business in danger of being shunned–murder tends to spoil the appetite–it’s up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood.
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR CARLENE O’CONNOR AND MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE

“A smart whodunnit in an idyllic locale. I dare you not to be charmed by sleuth Siobhan and her siblings, the O’Sullivan Six.”—Barbara Ross, author of Musseled Out
“A delightful, funny, fast-paced romp of a book. O’Connor has written a vivid evocation of life in a small Irish town, an evocation replete with sharp characterizations and dialogue real enough to make you believe you’re sitting in an Irish pub. A satisfying read that will keep you entertained from the first to the last page.”Isis Crawford, author of A Catered Tea Party
“The cheeky and close-knit repartee among the O’Sullivans…[and] their antics are sure to appeal to cozy fans, who will also appreciate the warmth and spirit of the people of Kilbane.”– Publishers Weekly
“The first in this new series set in an Irish village delivers charm, warmth, and a smartly plotted mystery. Sprinkled with Irish words and phrases, the dialogue is authentic. The plot unfolds nicely, with several layers linking the current crime to an earlier accident. Siobhan is strong-willed and tenacious, while also being likable and funny. A winning debut.”– RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars



About The Author  
Carlene O’Connor comes from a long line of Irish storytellers, or professional liars as she prefers to call herself. Her great grandmother emigrated from Ireland to America during The Troubles, and the stories have been flowing ever since. She has dual citizenship and divides her time between New York and the Emerald Isle. Of all the places across the pond she’s wandered, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired by the town to create Kilbane, County Cork.

 
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Interview: Loretta Ross, author of Death & The Brewmaster’s Widow

They call it “the Brewmaster’s Widow”; the abandoned brewery where Death Bogart’s brother died in an arson fire.
With his girlfriend, Wren Morgan, Death goes home to St. Louis to take on a deeply personal mystery. When Randy Bogart went into the Einstadt Brewery, he left his broken badge behind at the firehouse. So why did the coroner find one on his body? Every answer leads to more questions. Why did the phony badge have the wrong number? Who set the brewery fire? What is the connection between Randy’s death and the mysterious Cherokee Caves, where the opulent playground of 19th century beer barons falls into slow decay?
Not understanding how and why he lost his brother is breaking the ex-Marine’s heart. But the Brewmaster’s Widow is jealous of her secrets. Prising them loose could cost Death and Wren both their lives.



Q: Loretta, thanks for stopping by! Tell us about the protagonists, Wren and…Death? 
A: The female lead, Wren Morgan, is an auctioneer who works for a family-owned auction business in the small town where she grew up. She’s a very stable individual, with a strong network of friends and family members, and she’s intelligent, kind-hearted, self-sufficient, and protective of those she cares about.
The male main character, Death Bogart, is a disabled Marine combat vet turned private eye and part-time bounty hunter. He went through a lot before and during the first book and that’s left him more vulnerable. He still thinks of himself as this big, strong, tough guy, but the reality is that he’s facing new challenges and basically having to reinvent himself.
Q: How much of you is in Wren–or even Death? How would you feel about them if you met them in real life?
A: Gosh, that’s tough to answer. I think we always put a lot of ourselves in any character. I think maybe Wren is someone I wish I was. She has a lot of my foibles, like driving carefully and getting lost a lot. And a lot of the random, oddball stories I tell about her are things that have actually happened to me. On the other hand, she’s more confident than I am, and a lot better organized.
I think if I met them, I’d like both Wren and Death a lot.
Q: Do Wren and Death change and evolve throughout the series?
A: Yes, they do, both as individuals and as a couple. They met in the first book and now, in the second, they’re going together. That relationship is going to continue to grow.
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 certainly. That’s what obnoxious people are for, right? Inspiration?
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A: The series is set in and around the town of East Bledsoe Ferry, in Rives County, Missouri. That town and county are both fictional, but both are based on the area where I live. This particular book, Death and the Brewmaster’s Widow, is set in St. Louis. I researched the area and tried to be as faithful to the general location as I could, but you couldn’t use it for a map reference. For example, one of the things mentioned in the book is the Lemp and Cherokee cave system. That does exist and its history is as I described it, but the location where Death and Wren enter the caves is entirely fictitious and I took liberties with the layout of the actual caves.
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Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: I’m not very good with actors and actresses, as I watch very little television and rarely see a movie. I do love the TV show Supernatural and of course Jensen Ackles is a fantastic actor, so I kind of think it would be fun to see him play Death and for his real-life wife, Danneel Harris, to play Wren.
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A: The worst advice was from a critique group that I belonged to years ago. There was one member who would count the words in every sentence and then mark them as WRONG if they didn’t fall within a certain range. It’s the same as people who say that you should never use adverbs or never split infinitives. In fact, there are no hard and fast rules. With the right author and the right circumstances, almost anything can work.
The best advice, and I’ve gotten it from multiple sources, is simply to read widely and just keep writing. That’s the only way to improve.
 


About The Author

Loretta Ross is a writer and historian who lives and works in rural Missouri. She is an alumna of Cottey College and holds a BA in archaeology from the University of Missouri – Columbia. She has loved mysteries since she first learned to read.

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Spotlight: Death of an Alchemist by Mary Lawrence

In the mid sixteenth century, Henry VIII sits on the throne, and Bianca Goddard tends to the sick and suffering in London’s slums, where disease can take a life as quickly as murder. . .


For years, alchemist Ferris Stannum has devoted himself to developing the Elixir of Life, the reputed serum of immortality. Having tested his remedy successfully on an animal, Stannum intends to send his alchemy journal to a colleague in Cairo for confirmation. Instead he is strangled in his bed and his journal is stolen.
Book Cover
As the daughter of an alchemist herself, Bianca is well acquainted with the mystical healing arts. As her husband, John, falls ill with the sweating sickness, she dares to hope Stannum’s journal could contain the secret to his recovery. But first she must solve the alchemist’s murder. As she ventures into a world of treachery and deceit, Stannum’s death proves to be only the first in a series of murders–and Bianca’s quest becomes a matter of life and death, not only for her husband, but for herself.


Mary Lawrence
 

About The Author 

Mary Lawrence studied biology and chemistry, graduating from Indiana University with a degree in Cytotechnology. She won the Celtic Heart Golden Claddagh Award for historical fiction, and was a finalist in both the RWA® Golden Heart contest, and the Gotham Young Adult Novel Discovery competition. Along with writing and farming, Lawrence works as a cytologist near Boston. She lives in Maine. The Alchemist’s Daughter is the first book in the Bianca Goddard Mystery series.


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Author Interview: Tracy Weber, author of Karma's a Killer

When Seattle yoga teacher Kate Davidson agrees to teach doga (yoga for dogs) at a fundraiser for a local animal rescue, she believes the only damage will be to her reputation. But a few downward-facing dogs are the least of Kate’s problems when an animal rights protest at the event leads to a suspicious fire and a drowning.
The police arrest a woman claiming to be Kate’s estranged mother and charge her with murder. To prove her innocence, Kate, boyfriend Michael, and German shepherd sidekick Bella dive deeply into the worlds of animal activism, organizational politics, and the dangerous obsessions that drive them. All while discovering that when it comes to murder, there’s no place like hOMe.


KARMA
Q: Karma’s a Killer is the third installment in the Downward Dog series. Can you tell us what the series, and the newest book, is about?
A: The Downward Dog Mysteries are lighthearted, happily-ever-after, human-animal love stories. Oh, did I mention that there are a few dead bodies tossed around for good measure?
Karma’s a Killer opens at a fundraiser for DogMa, a fictional Seattle animal rescue. While teaching a Doga (yoga for dogs) class, yoga teacher/sleuth Kate Davidson meets an animal rights activist named Dharma, who claims to be the mother that abandoned Kate thirty years earlier. The next day, Dharma is arrested for murdering a fellow animal rights activist. To prove Dharma’s innocence, Kate, her boyfriend Michael, and her German shepherd sidekick Bella dive deeply into the worlds of animal activism, organizational politics, and the dangerous obsessions that drive them.
And if solving a murder weren’t complicated enough, Kate will also have to decide whether or not to reconcile with Dharma. Not to mention having to contend with an almost-bankrupt animal rescue, a cantankerous crow, an unwanted pigeon houseguest, and a rabbit in a doga class. What could possibly go wrong?
Q:  Do you use incidents from your yoga teaching for your books? Perhaps with names and details changed?
A: Not many. Yoga class is like confession: there’s an implied level of confidentiality. But even experienced yoga teachers sometimes teach the class from hell. The class in which everything goes wrong. You say right when you mean left; you say big toe when you mean bicep. You step on students’ hands and cell phones go off during Savasana. Then you look down to realize—or in my case, a student tells you—that your pants are not only unzipped, they are also on inside out.
A few of those classes have made it into my stories, usually when Kate is thinking about murder when she should be focused on teaching. If Kate truly embarrasses herself while teaching in my stories, I likely did something similar in real life. My teaching foibles make for great comic relief.
Q: Is there really such a thing as “doga?”
A: There is indeed, though I don’t really think of it as yoga for dogs. I would call it yoga for humans with their dogs. Meaning humans practice yoga in the presence of their dogs. They occasionally use the dogs as props and do a few human-assisted dog stretches for good measure. For awhile, there was even a Doga studio in Seattle, though I can’t find it anymore. My German shepherd, Tasha, doesn’t get along well with other dogs, so we can’t take Doga classes. I did most of my research for the Doga scene in Karma’s a Killer online. If you want to check Doga out, Amazon has some interesting-looking books on Doga.
Q: How did you get involved in yoga? Would you recommend it someone who’s only dabbled in ten-minute quick yoga workouts? Convince me that I should try it. 
A: I came to yoga for relief from a chronic back injury. Due to a car accident, I had been in pain every day and unable to turn my head for seven years. I left my first yoga class firmly believing that the definition of the word “yoga” was “much pain.” But even though my body felt worse after class, my mind felt calmer. So much calmer that I kept going.
Eventually I found Viniyoga, the style of yoga that I teach. For the first time ever, both my mind and my body felt better at the end of class. After practicing for about a year, I realized that I wasn’t in pain most days, and that I could turn my head again. My body felt significantly healthier, and I was calmer and happier.
I quit my high-tech job at Microsoft and opened my yoga studio, Whole Life Yoga. And yes, I would recommend the right yoga practice for everyone. Make sure you find a qualified teacher in a style that fits the needs of your body. There are a gazillion yoga styles out there, and they are about as similar as gravel and marshmallows. If you don’t like the first class you try, try another.
Q: This is your third book in the series. Where do you allow your characters to evolve, and what will you keep constant?
A: Like most of us, my characters will make mistakes and learn from them in each book. Kate, especially, has a lot of growth left inside her. Tiffany may even surprise us. It will be interesting to see Rene evolve as she becomes a mother.
But my characters won’t change who they are at their core, and I don’t foresee changing any committed relationships. Kate needs some stability in the midst of all that chaos! Bella will continue to mature, but I won’t let her grow old and infirm. That would simply be too hard.
Q: For the other writers reading this: Give us one great tip!
A: Don’t give up! Writing is a TOUGH business. No one gets published without facing rejection or receiving negative reviews. When I was trying to land an agent, I allowed myself 24 hours to feel bad about every rejection, then I forced myself to do something proactive. Send out another letter, connect with another author, write another page. I try to do the same thing when I get the (thankfully rare) negative review.
You can’t please everyone, and yet when you write, you so desperately want to. (At least I do.) Just keep writing what you love and know that your work isn’t defined by what any one person thinks of it.
Above all else, have fun! If you have fun on your writing journey, you will be successful—even if you never make it to The New York Times Bestseller list.


About The Author

Tracy Weber is the author of the award-winning Downward Dog Mysteries series featuring yoga teacher Kate Davidson and her feisty German shepherd, Bella. Tracy loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any form possible. Her first book, Murder Strikes a Pose won the Maxwell Award for Fiction and is a 2015 Agatha award nominee for Best First Novel.
Tracy and her husband live in Seattle with their challenging yet amazing German shepherd Tasha. When she’s not writing, Tracy spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sipping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house.

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Now AvailablE:  THE CASE OF THE DEFUNCT ADJUNCT

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Can an author of police procedurals write cozies? COFFEE IS MURDER by Carolyn Arnold

Of course she can.

FOR SARA, COFFEE WAS ONE of life’s
greatest—and simplest—pleasures. Every time
she took a draw of freshly brewed java, her
eyelids automatically lowered in appreciation of
the robust flavor. Somehow, when drinking it,
life seemed less complicated, or maybe it was
just how it coated the palate and calmed her
nerves despite what some scientific studies
might say.

She was in her home office, seated behind her
desk, staring at the blinking cursor on her
monitor, but it wasn’t because she had writer’s
block. Her wrists needed a break. Better yet, she
needed to indulge in this cup.

Leaning back in her chair, she swiveled from
side to side and closed her eyes, savoring the
aroma ofthe dark beans. While they were ground
at the time she pressed the button, the only way
to get it any fresher was picking the beans off the
plants in Brazil. With their money, she supposed
it was an option

Carolyn Arnold writes three different series, under the same author name. As she describes them,

THE MADISON KNIGHT SERIES falls neatly into the police procedural genre with murder investigations and forensics. Think Law & Order meets CSI. There is some foul language and limited graphic violence.

THE BRANDON FISHER FBI SERIES toys with the edge between the police procedural genre and thriller genre. Due to this, you will find foul language and graphic violence in this series.

THE MCKINLEY MYSTERY SERIES ventures outside of the typical crime genre, lending itself to the cozy variety with no foul language or graphic violence. The series combines romance, mystery, humor, and adventure for a lighthearted, easy read.

So with the same author name, how can you tell what kind of book you’re getting? Good question.

Cozy.
Cozy.

Not Cozy.
Not Cozy.

 Coffee is Murder is #9 in Carolyn Arnold’s popular McKinley Mysteries.  If you prefer to start with the first book in the series, try The Day Job is Murder.

Coffee is Murder
Coffee is Murder
(McKinley Mysteries Book 9)

Cozy Mystery
File Size: 641 KB
Print Length: 155 pages
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
ASIN: B00U2HCG5S
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You might want to rethink your morning routine.
A cup a day won’t kill you, but a few might.

Author Links:

Website: https://carolynarnold.net

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold

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

Purchase Link:
Amazon


 

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THE MUSUBI MURDER August 2015 Amazon / B&N /Powell’s /Audible / iTunes