Tag: Frankie Bow | Page 20

The author of A Gilded Grave returns to Newport, Rhode Island, at the close of the nineteenth century, where headstrong heiress Deanna Randolph must solve another murder among the social elite.

With her mother in Europe, Deanna is staying with the Ballard family, who agree to chaperone her through the summer season and guide her toward an advantageous marriage proposal—or so her mother hopes. Relishing her new freedom, Deanna is more interested in buying one of the fashionable new bathing costumes, joining a ladies’ bicycling club, and befriending an actress named Amabelle Deeks, all of which would scandalize her mother.
Far more scandalous is the discovery of a young man bludgeoned to death on the conservatory floor at Bonheur, the Ballards’ sumptuous “cottage.” Deanna recognizes him as an actor who performed at the birthday fete for a prominent judge the night before. But why was he at Bonheur? And where is Amabelle?
Concerned her new friend may be in danger—or worse—Deanna enlists the help of her intrepid maid, Elspeth, and her former beau, Joe Ballard, to find Amabelle before the villain of this drama demands an encore.

Q: Tell our readers a little bit about yourself–maybe something readers might not guess?
A: My name is Deanna Randolph, I’m eighteen, I live in Newport Island in 1895. Everyone thinks my sister is perfect (except that she gets the migraine). I love her and I guess that it’s good that eveyone pays attention to her, because I get more freedom than I should. That’s okay. Because I like to do things that young ladies are not supposed to do.
Q: Who’s the character you get along with the best?
A: I get along with my maid Elspeth. She’s kind of my best friend because we spend so much time together, and she doesn’t let me get away with stuff and she helps me to stay brave. Plus she loves the dime novel detective stories we read on the sly. Nobody understand me like Elspeth does.
Q: Which other character do you have a conflict with?
A: Joe Ballard and I have lots of “misunderstandings.” He just doesn’t want me to do things, he’s worried about my reputation. I don’t know why. He and I were supposed to get married. And then he left society to work on his inventions. How’s that for my reputation. Our fathers planned it, and I didn’t want to get married, but it was a little humiliating. I want to see the world and learn new things, and not be tied down to society’s demands until I’m older. If even then.
Q: Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?
A: She is such a stickler. Has to research everything. I’m all ready to jump into some adventure and she leaves me mid sentence, to check if it would really happen that way. I guess that’s okay because I wouldn’t want to be an anachronism, but it is really annoying.
Q: What’s next for you?
In the next Newport Gilded Age Mystery, my friend Herbert comes to town with a new motor car that he’s testing for the first motor car race in America in Chicago. It riles some of the horse people and a murder leads to the people who run the races and threatens Herbert’s future and maybe even his life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelley Freydont is the author of the Liv Montgomery, Celebration Bay Festival Mysteries, (Silent Knife, Trick or Deceit),the Katie McDonald Sudoku Mysteries and the Lindy Haggerty dance company mystery series. Her Newport Gilded Age Mystery series began in June 2015 with A Gilded Grave, followed in June 2016 with A Golden Cage.
Shelley loves puzzles of all kinds and when not writing or reading mysteries, she’s most likely working on a jigsaw, Sudoku, or crossword.
As Shelley Noble, she’s the author of the women’s fiction novels, Beach Colors, Stargazey Point, and Breakwater Bay as well as several novellas.
She lives at New Jersey Shore and loves to hear from readers.

Author Links
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Twitter
Amazon
Nook

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June 14, 2016

#Giveaway and interview: Rogues and Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction

>>Win one of three e-copies of Rogues and Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction <<<

Like any good Southern belle, Caledonia Culpepper was raised by her mama to be gracious, charming, witty, and above all, a devoted mother and loving wife, so she’s baffled when her marriage falls apart.

Wynona Baxter is a master of disguise but is often a ditzy airhead. A hit woman wannabe, when she’s hired for her first job in Goose Pimple Junction and things don’t go as planned, she’s forced to resort to Plan B. She’ll also need Plan C and D.
Crooked lawyers, restless husbands, a teenaged hoodlum – it seems there are rogues and rascals everywhere you look in Goose Pimple Junction.
When Caledonia and Wynona’s paths cross, they prove there isn’t a rogue or a rascal who can keep a good woman down. Mama always said there would be days like this . . .

Q: Amy, thanks for stopping by! Tell us a little about your main characters, if you would.
A: There are two protagonists in Rogues & Rascals. Caledonia is a lifelong resident of GPJ, a mom, and a southern belle through and through. Wynona has been thrust into the profession of assassin. The problem is, she’s not very bright and she doesn’t want to be a hit woman. Her first assignment is in GPJ, where she’s in for a little culture shock.
Q: How much of you is in either or both of your protagonists? How would you feel about them if you met them in real life?
A: There’s probably a little bit of me in Caledonia. Wynona and I don’t have much in common except in the brains department—neither of us has any. I would love to hang out with both ladies. They’d be a lot of fun.
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
A: Yes they do. You can read any of the books as a standalone, but you will know the characters better if you start with the first book.
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
A: Um . . . possibly. I might have done that in Rogues & Rascals—several times. Maybe.
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A: I definitely take liberties. A lot of times, reviewers say, “That wouldn’t happen in real life. No Southern town is like that.” No, it wouldn’t, and no there isn’t. My books are fiction. I wanted the town and its people to be crazier than the average crazy. Some readers have said the town is a character itself in the book. That made me happy!
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: Reese Witherspoon would be a great Caledonia. In a few years, Jennifer Lawrence would be a great Wynona. She’s a little too young right now. I can see Kathy Bates as Louetta. The rest are up for grabs!

Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A: The best advice I’ve heard is to read the book out loud as you write and as you edit. Probably the worst advice was to write dialogue phonetically. I think a book reads better if you let the reader decide the voice of the character. In my opinion, spelling dialogue phonetically is okay occasionally, but it slows down the reader if you do it all the time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Metz is the author of the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. She is a former first-grade teacher and the mother of two sons. When not actively engaged in writing, enjoying her family, or surfing Facebook or Pinterest, Amy can usually be found with a mixing spoon, camera, or book in one hand and a glass of sweet tea in the other. Amy lives in Louisville, Kentucky.
Author Links
Website: http://authoramymetz.com
Blog: http://abluemillionbooks.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmyMetz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoramymetz
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AmyMetz
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Metz/e/B008NA07X4/

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June 11, 2016

Kindle Press picks up the latest Professor Molly mystery, The Blessed Event

Exciting news: The Blessed Event has been selected via Kindle Scout to be published by Kindle Press.
“You might 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, Davison was now my stepson.”

Professor Molly Barda is looking forward to a quiet summer in Mahina, Hawai`i 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.

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June 10, 2016

#Giveaway and Character Interview: Kathi Corbin of Tea Cups and Carnage (A Tourist Trap Mystery)

>>>Enter to win one of two e-copies of Tea Cups and Carnage by Lynn Cahoon<<<

The kettle’s about to boil over . . .
The quaint coastal town of South Cove, California, is all abuzz about the opening of a new specialty shop, Tea Hee. But as Coffee, Books, and More owner Jill Gardner is about to find out, there’s nothing cozy about murder . .

Shop owner Kathi Corbin says she came to South Cove to get away from her estranged family. But is she telling the truth? And did a sinister someone from her past follow her to South Cove? When a woman claiming to be Kathi’s sister starts making waves and a dead body is found in a local motel, Jill must step in to clear Kathi’s name–without getting herself in hot water.

Q: Kathi, thanks for stopping by. Could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself–maybe something they might not guess?
A: Hi, I’m Kathi Corbin, newcomer to South Cove, but truly a lady of the south. I’m from Texas and although I’m missing home and sweet tea, everyone here in South Cove has been so lovely, I’m definitely feeling welcome.
Something you may not know about me? I’m pretty much an open book. You all know about my years performing in pageants. I do love the evening gown competitions. Who wouldn’t love getting dressed up like a movie star on a red carpet for opening night. Of course, I’m a knockout in the bathing suit section as well.
But I guess what would surprise most of you was I was a complete and hopeless tomboy as a young girl. I swear, I could ride, rope, and castrate a calf faster than most of the hired hands my daddy brought on the ranch.
I also make a mean batch of Rocky Mountain Oysters.
Q: Who’s the character you get along with the best? Why?
A: The men of South Cove love me. And why wouldn’t they? (giggle) I mean, I’m probably the closest thing to a real Miss America that they’ve ever met. Of course, I was robbed of the crown due to that unfortunate incident, but if I’d been allowed to compete, I would have wiped the floor with those other girls. It’s just too bad that lovely Greg King is so attached to that bookstore owner, Jill’s her name. I’d like him to slap those cuffs on me some day. Yes, I can be a bad girl…
Q: Which other character do you have a conflict with? Why?
A: That Darla woman from the winery. I swear, she’s about as friendly as a pit bull. I think she’d walk on someone’s grave to get the story for that little rag she calls a newspaper. I mean, really, what is there to report on in little, bitty South Cove. The place is heaven on the California coast.
And that older woman at the coffee shop. I think her name is Jackie. For some reason, she thinks we’re best friends. She’s always talking to me like she understands how hard it is to be a woman in today’s world. I don’t think she has a clue. I mean, not to be rude, but she’s old and I’m gorgeous. I don’t see how she can relate.
Q: Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?
A: Oh, Lynn. I really want to lock her in a room and do a complete makeover. She’s got the most amazing eyes, but most days, she forgets to even put on mascara. I do enjoy working with her to report the happenings of South Cove. You can tell her anything. And unfortunately, sometimes while we were writing my story, I did.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: Now that the shop is open, Tea Hee is my main priority. I want the business to grow and thrive. Maybe I’ll even set up a website where we can do on line orders. Every woman needs a little tea party in her life, don’t you agree?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Cahoon is the author of the NYT and USA Today bestselling Tourist Trap cozy mystery series. Guidebook to Murder, book 1 of the series won the Reader’s Crown for Mystery Fiction in 2015. She’s also the author of the soon to be released, Cat Latimer series, with the first book, A STORY TO KILL, releasing in mass market paperback September 2016.She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies. Sign up for her newsletter at www.lynncahoon.com

Keep up with Lynn:

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June 8, 2016

You’ve seen the meme. Here are some actual college administrator titles

By now you’ve likely seen the viral “University Title Generator” meme that parodies the culture of academic bureaucracy by listing made-up administrative titles such as “deputy vice president of the committee on community climate,” “principal deputy dean of the committee on learning affairs,” and “temporary lead deputy chancellor of facilities compliance of the task force on alumni service.”
At least, we’re pretty sure they’re made up.
But these aren’t. These actual administrative job titles have appeared over the last few months in academic help-wanted listings.
The number of administrators at American universities and colleges has more than doubled in the last 25 years, vastly outpacing the increase in enrollment. Read here about the perks that go to university administrators nationwide, and here about a backlash against administrator benefits at Massachusetts public colleges and universities, and the legislative investigation that has resulted.
University officials say their administrative payrolls have grown in response to parent expectations and government regulations, among other reasons.
Here are some examples of the jobs they’re filling.
Assistant director of affinity group leadership (University of Denver)
Constituent relationship management program manager (University of Massachusetts, Boston)
Educational talent search academic advisor (Harris Stowe State University)
Early career readiness and student employment program coordinator (University of Arizona)
Coordinator of community standards (Governors State University)
Academic success consultant (Creighton Medical School)
Academic success coordinator for peer-led instruction (Framingham State University)
Senior associate director for student engagement (Eastern Kentucky University)
Student involvement coordinator (North Carolina State University)
Senior associate director of student engagement (Columbia University)
Manager of employee communication and engagement (Seminole State College)
Assistant director of admission student volunteers (University of Pennsylvania)
Associate director of student conduct and community standards (University of Tennessee at Knoxville)
Director of institutional effectiveness (Wabash College)
Customer relationship management coordinator (University of Cincinnati)

Student journals and competitions coordinator (University of Colorado)
Student philanthropy manager (University of California, Berkeley)
Associate director of young alumni engagement (Kenyon College)
Assistant director for athletic event and guest services (Miami University)
Senior user experience analyst (University of Maryland University College)
Vice president for planning, analytics, and decision support (New York Institute of Technology)
Director of campus relations (University of Maryland)
Office concierge (University of Maryland University College)

from The Hechinger Report http://bit.ly/1TTjwqC

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June 7, 2016

Hawai‘i Summer 2016 Bon Dance Schedule

It’s time to celebrate obon season in Hawai‘i! (If you only learn one dance, it should be this one.)

O‘ahu

JUNE

Saturday, June 4: Hawai‘i’s Plantation Village, 5:45–10 p.m., 677-0110
Friday, June 10: Pan Pacific Festival bon dance, 7–9 p.m. (tentative)
Saturday, June 18: ‘Ewa Hongwanji, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 681-5222
Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25: Honpa Hongwanji Hawai‘i Betsuin, 6–10:30 p.m., 536-7044
Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25: Wahiawā Hongwanji, 6:30–10 p.m., 622-4320

JULY

Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2: Mānoa Koganji, 5–10 p.m., 988-4905
Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2: Mō‘ili‘ili Hongwanji, 6–10:30 p.m., 949-1659
Friday, July 2: Kāne‘ohe Higashi Hongwanji, 6:30–10 p.m., 247-2661
Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9: Hale‘iwa Jodo Mission, 8–10:30 p.m., 637-4382
Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9: Koboji Shingon Mission, 7–10:30 p.m., 841-7033
Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9: Rissho Kosei-kai Hawai‘i Kyokai, 6:30–9:30 p.m., 455-3212
Saturday, July 9: Waipahu Hongwanji, 7 p.m., 677-4221
Sunday, July 10: Seicho-No-Ie Hawai‘i Jisso Center, 12:30–2:30 p.m., 677-4221
Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16: Jikoen Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, 6 p.m., 845-3422
Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16: Shinshu Kyokai Mission, 7–10:30 p.m., 973-0150
Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16: Wahiawā Ryusenji Soto Mission, 7:30–10:30 p.m., 622-1429
Saturday, July 16: Kailua Hongwanji, 7 p.m., 262-4560
Saturday, July 16: Wai‘anae Hongwanji, 6:30 p.m., 677-4221
Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23: Hale‘iwa Shingon Mission, 7:30–10:30 p.m., 637-4423
Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23: Higashi Hongwanji Hawai‘i Betsuin, 7 p.m., 531-9088
Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30: Pālolo Higashi Hongwanji, 6:30–9:30 p.m., 732-1491

AUGUST

Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 6: Waipahu Soto Zen Temple Taiyoji, 7–10 p.m., 671-3103
Saturday, Aug. 6: Wailaua Hongwaji, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 637-4395
Friday, Aug. 12 and Saturday, Aug. 13: Pearl City Hongwanji, 7–10 p.m., 455-1680
Friday, Aug. 12 and Saturday, Aug. 13: Shingon Shu Hawai‘i, 5–10 p.m., 941-5663
Friday, Aug. 12 and Saturday, Aug. 13: Soto Mission of ‘Aiea Taiheiji, 7–10:30 p.m., 488-6794
Friday, Aug. 19: O‘ahu Care Facility, TBA, 973-1900
Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20: Jodo Mission of Hawai‘i, 6–9:30 p.m., 949-3995
Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20: Mililani Hongwanji, 7–10:30 p.m. (625-0925)
Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20: Soto Mission of Hawai‘i Betsuin Shoboji, 7–10:30 p.m., 537-9409
Saturday, Aug. 20: Valley of the Temple Memorial Park, TBA
Saturday, Aug. 27: ‘Aiea Hongwanji, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 487-2626
Saturday, Aug. 27: Kapahulu Senior Center, 6–10 p.m., 737-1748
Saturday, Aug. 27: Nichiren Mission of Hawai‘i, 6–9 p.m., 595-3517

SEPTEMBER

Saturday, Sept. 3: Okinawan Festival, 5:30–9 p.m., 676-5400
Saturday, Sept. 10: Honbushin International Center, 6–9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 17: Autumn Okinawa Dance Festival at Hawai‘i Okinawa Center, 5:30–10:30 p.m., 676-5400

Big Island

JUNE

Saturday, June 4: Hawai‘i Japanese Center, 12 p.m., 934-9611
Saturday, June 11: Honomu Henjoji Mission, 7 p.m., 963-6308
Saturday, June 18: Keauhou Shopping Center (Kona Hongwanji), 6–10 p.m., 323-2993
Saturday, June 18: Pāpa‘ikou Hongwanji, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 964-1640
Saturday, June 25: Honomu Hongwanji, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 963-6302

JULY

Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2: Puna Hongwanji, 8 p.m. following 7 p.m. service, 966-9981
Saturday, July 2: Kohala Hongwanji, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 775-7532
Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9: Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin, 7–10:30 p.m., 961-6677
Saturday, July 9: Kohala Jodo Mission, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 889-5456
Saturday, July 9: Kona Daifukuji Soto Mission, 7–10 p.m., 322-3524
Saturday, July 9: Paauilo Hongwanji, 7:30 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 775-7232
Saturday, July 16: Hilo Meisho-in, 8 p.m. following 7 p.m. service, 935-6996
Saturday, July 16: Honokaa Hongwanji, 7 p.m. following 5:30 p.m. service, 775-7232
Saturday, July 16: Keei Hongwanji (Kona Hongwanji), 7 p.m., 323-2993
Saturday, July 23: Hilo Hooganji Mission, 7:30 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 935-8331
Saturday, July 23: Kona Hongwanji, 7 p.m. following 6:30 p.m. lantern parade, 323-2993
Saturday, July 23: Papaaloa Hongwanji, 6 p.m. following 5 p.m. service, 962-6340
Saturday, July 30: Hilo Taishoji Soto Mission, 7 p.m., 935-8407

AUGUST

Saturday, Aug. 6: Kurtistown Jodo Mission, 8 p.m. following 7 p.m. service, 966-9777
Saturday, Aug. 6: Hāwī Jodo Mission, 6 p.m. following 5:30 p.m., 775-0965
Saturday, Aug. 13: Hāmākua Jodo Mission, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 889-5456
Saturday, Aug. 13: Hilo Higashi Hongwanji Mission, 7 p.m., 935-8968
Saturday, Aug. 13: Kona Koyasan Daishiji Mission, 7 p.m., 324-1741
Friday, Aug. 19: Life Care Center of Hilo, 6 p.m., 959-9151
Saturday, Aug. 20: Hakalau Jodo Mission, 7 p.m., 966-9777
Saturday, Aug. 20: Kamuela Hongwanji, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 775-7232
Sunday, Aug. 21: Pahala Hongwanji Mission, 5–9 p.m., 928-8254
Saturday, Aug. 27: Honohina Hongwanji, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 963-6032
Saturday, Aug. 27: Puna Hongwanji Pahoa Shibu, 7:30 p.m., 966-9981

Kaua‘i

JUNE

Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4: Līhu‘e Hongwanji, 7:30 p.m., 245-6262
Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11: Waimea Shingon Mission, 7:30 p.m., 388-1854
Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18: Kapa‘a Jodo Mission, 7:30 p.m., 822-4319
Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25: West Kaua‘i Hongwanji Waimea Temple, 7:30 p.m., 338-1537

JULY

Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9: Kapa‘a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, 7:30 p.m., 822-4667
Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16: Waimea Higashi Hongwanji, 7:30–10:30 p.m., 338-1847
Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23: Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple Zenshuji, 7:30–10:30 p.m., 335-3521
Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30: Koloa Jodo Mission, 7:30 p.m., 742-6735

AUGUST

Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 6, West Kaua‘i Hongwanji Hanapepe Temple, 7:30 p.m., 338-1537

Maui/Lāna‘i/Moloka‘i

JUNE

Saturday, June 4: Lahaina Shingon Mission, 7:30 p.m. following 6:30 p.m. service, 661-0466
Saturday, June 11: Pu‘nnēnē Nichiren Mission, 8 p.m. following 7 p.m. service, 871-4831
Friday, June 17: Wailuku Jodo Mission, 8 p.m. following 7 p.m. service, 244-0066
Saturday, June 18: Wailuku Shingon Mission, 7:30 p.m. following 6:30 p.m. service, 242-5618

JULY

Saturday, July 2: Lahaina Jodo Mission, 6:30 p.m. following service, 661-4304
Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9: Pā‘ia Mantokuji Soto Mission, 7:30–10:30 p.m., 579- 8051
Saturday, July 9: Lāna‘i Hongwanji, 6 p.m., 565-6151
Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16: Kahului Hongwanji, 7:30 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 871-4732
Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23: Makawao Hongwanji, 7:30 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 572-7229
Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30: Wailuku Hongwanji, 8 p.m. following 6:45 p.m. service, 244-0406
Saturday, July 30 : Guzeiji Soto Mission of Moloka‘i, 6–9 p.m., 537-9409

AUGUST

Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 6: Lahaina Hongwanji, 7:30 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 661-0640
Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20: Kahului Jodo Mission, 7:30 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 244-0066
Saturday, Aug. 20: Paia Rinzai Zen Mission, 7 p.m. following 6 p.m. service, 579-9921
Saturday, Aug. 27: Kula Shofukuji Shingon Mission, 7:30 p.m. following 6:30 p.m. service, 661-0466

SEPTEMBER

Saturday, Sept. 10, Hāna Obon Festival, 5:00 p.m.

*Times and dates are subject to change
Source: Hawai‘i Summer 2016 Bon Dance Schedule – Honolulu Magazine – June 2016 – Hawaii

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June 5, 2016

Character Interview: Éclair and Present Danger: An Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery

The first book in the delicious new Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery series from national bestselling author Laura Bradford.

With her rent rising faster than her pie crust, bakery owner Winnie Johnson had hoped to be rescued by an inheritance from her wealthy friend and neighbor Gertrude Redenbacher. Instead all she inherits is the widow’s hostile hissing tabby, Lovey, and a vintage ambulance, restored by Gertrude’s late husband. As her dream crumbles, Winnie makes her final delivery—a peach pie to an elderly widower. But she finds Bart Wagner lying on his kitchen floor, smothered by a pillow.
To comfort her frightened and grieving neighbors, Winnie comes to the rescue with her baked goods—and an idea is born: dessert delivery via her ambulance and a new business called the Emergency Dessert Squad. When she’s not speeding to the scenes of dessert emergencies, Winnie is also racing to track down Bart’s killer—before she needs to call a real ambulance for the next victim…

Winnie Johnson herself stopped by Island Confidential to talk about her life and adventures, and to dish (ahem) on some of the other characters.
Q: Tell our readers a little bit about yourself–maybe something readers might not guess?
My name is Winnie Johnson. When you hear that name, you probably think I’m an elderly person, but I’m not. I’m actually 34. What’s interesting is that most of my friends—my true friends—are elderly. I enjoy their wisdom and their candor, though, between you and me, I wish they’d show a little less candor about my love life (or lack, thereof).
My biggest passion in life is baking. It’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl. I get a kick out of turning a person’s day around with something I’ve baked.
I’ll never forget the day I opened my bakery, Delectable Delights. It was a dream come true. People hired me to bake their children’s birthday cakes, their book club’s pastries, their office party’s treats, you name it.
But now, just a few years later, that dream has turned into a nightmare. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to bake. And I still love my bakery. But the landlord has raised my rent so high, I can’t stay open any longer.
I thought I had a shot when I got word I was named in Gertrude Redenbacher’s will, but, sadly, a vintage ambulance and a cat that hisses non-stop (at me) wasn’t exactly the bequest I needed.
But hey…I’ll figure it out. One way or the other.
Q: Who’s the character you get along with the best? Why?
Don’t tell Renee, my best friend and employee (or, rather, my soon to be let go employee), but I think I’m going to have to say Mr. Nelson for this one. Mr. Nelson is the elderly man who lives downstairs. He’s virtually deaf (though somehow he can always hear the sound of Renee’s stilettos on the front porch) and has a penchant for playing tricks on people (I can’t tell you how many times he’s gotten me with the old whoopee cushion gag), but he’s also the best listener I’ve ever known.
Q: Which other character do you have a conflict with? Why?
Right now, I’d have to say my biggest issue is with Nick Batkas, the man who is so hell bent on turning downtown Silver Lake into some sort of happening area, he’s pulled the proverbial rug right out from under my bakery.
Q: Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?
Laura Bradford? She’s okay, actually. She lets me do my thing without getting in the way and she’s not amused by Renee’s repeated innuendos regarding my checkered pet-owning past.
It helps, of course, that she’s responsible for the demise of a few goldfish in her past, as well…
Q: What’s next for you?
I’m hoping to make my Emergency Dessert Squad the talk of not only Silver Lake, but the surrounding towns, as well. And I’m hoping this thing with Jay Morgan (the oh so cute business professor at Silver Lake College) is real. Mr. Nelson and Renee are sure it is. But Jay’s teenage daughter, Caroline, is determined it’s not…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a child, Laura Bradford fell in love with writing over a stack of blank paper, a box of crayons, and a freshly sharpened number two pencil. From that moment forward, she never wanted to do or be anything else. Today, Laura is the national bestselling author of several mystery series, including the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, the Amish Mysteries, the Jenkins & Burns Mysteries, and the upcoming Tobi Tobias Mystery Series. She is a former Agatha Award nominee, and the recipient of an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award in romance. A graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, Laura enjoys making memories with her family, baking, and being an advocate for those living with Multiple Sclerosis.
Author Links
Website: www.laurabradford.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurabradfordauthor
Twitter: @bradfordauthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/laurabrad4d/
Purchase Links:
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound
Amazon

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June 4, 2016

Back Porchervations: The Cursed Canoe by Frankie Bow – #review #giveaway

The Cursed Canoe has a little something for everyone: a slick mystery, and intrepid heroine, some comic relief. At this time of year, people start making noise about good ‘beach reads’. Here ya go. Catch a few rays for me!

Reblogged from: Back Porchervations: The Cursed Canoe by Frankie Bow – #review #giveaway

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June 2, 2016

Guest post on Brooke Blogs: The real-life "Labor Day Canoe Race"

Professor Molly Barda investigates a mysterious paddling accident, and realizes it isn’t just business majors who cheat to get what they want. Whether it’s moving up in the college rankings, getting a seat in the big canoe race, or just looking out for themselves, some people will do whatever it takes-including murder.

The women’s crews would leave the bay, paddle the tough eighteen miles down the coast, and disembark. The women would get out and the men’s teams would climb into the same canoes and paddle back up the coast, where they would arrive at the starting point many grueling hours later. A spectator on the beach wouldn’t see anything after the canoes sped off. I’d be staring out at the empty blue water.

The Labor Day Race is a big deal—so much so, that all seven women on Emma’s crew want to participate. (Unfortunately, the canoe has only six seats…)
Read more: The Cursed Canoe by Frankie Bow – Guest Post + Giveaway » Brooke Blogs

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June 1, 2016

#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.