#MidweekMystery and Author Interview: Murder on Tour by V. M. Burns


Murder on Tour

Bookstore owner and Michigander Samantha Washington is thrilled to see her debut historical mystery finally on the shelves, but a killer seems determined to steal away the spotlight . . .

While Sam wraps up her first whirlwind book tour, Nana Jo has kept Market Street Mysteries running smoothly. The last stop is a prestigious book festival in Sam’s hometown of North Harbor, Michigan. But not everyone thinks the guest of honor, bestselling author Judith Hunter, deserves stellar reviews. Sam witnesses nasty arguments between Judith and two different authors—who accuse her of plagiarism and sabotage . . .

When a publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Sam wonders if the killer missed the intended target. It’s a twist that echoes the plot of Sam’s mystery, Murder at Wickfield Lodge. But fact can be stranger—and deadlier—than fiction. How much collateral damage is the killer willing to risk? With feisty Nana Jo and the girls from Shady Acres Retirement Village lending a hand, Sam tries to solve the case before the festival delivers another fatality . . .


Author Interview

Today we’re thrilled to have Valerie “V. M.” Burns to talk about her latest Mystery Bookshop mystery, Murder on Tour. As both a reader and writer of cozy mysteries, I especially enjoyed the book tour setting!

Valerie, can you tell us about the protagonist, Samantha?

Samantha Washington and her late husband Leon dreamed of quitting their jobs and opening a mystery bookshop. When Leon dies, Sam realizes that life is too short not to follow your dreams. So, she quits her job and she opens the bookstore. But, the bookstore was their shared dream. Sam also dreamed of writing British historical mysteries. Sam is now realizing the culmination of all of her dreams with the publication of her first mystery, Murder at Wickfield Lodge. Her life on tour as a published author is nothing like J.B. Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote. Still, Sam has found success with her bookstore and her writing. She has also opened her heart to love and is engaged. Life is good.

Is Samantha anything like you?

Samantha Washington dreamed of quitting her job and opening a mystery bookshop and writing British historical cozy mysteries because that’s my dream, too. We both have pushy older sisters. Plus, Sam and I both have two toy poodles.

So quite a bit in common then! Also I’d love to visit your mystery bookshop when it opens. How do you think you would you feel about Samantha if you met her in real life?

If I were to meet her in real life, I think we would be best friends.

Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean? 

YES! This is how I get my victims. Whenever someone makes me angry, I add them to the list of victims. I always change the names of the victims, but I leave the initials. I find it cathartic.

I’m definitely going to pay attention to the murder victims’ initials from now on. How about the setting of your story? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?

The Mystery Bookshop Mystery series is set in the fictional town of North Harbor, Michigan. North Harbor is based on the real town of Benton Harbor. Because North Harbor is a fictional town, I can take a lot of liberties to make the setting work for my books. I have, however, included many details about the setting which are true to life.

When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?

My dream cast would be Kerry Washington as Samantha Washington. Loretta Devine as Nana Jo. Taraji P. Henson as Jenna Rutherford, and Idris Elba or Djimon Hounsou as Frank Patterson.

What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?

The worst advice I’ve received is from well-meaning people who tell me to do XXX (e.g. follow a detailed plot, get up at 4am to write, follow the trends, etc.). There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to writing. In my opinion, each person should do what makes them happy. Creating a detailed outline does not make me happy. In fact, when I tried to force myself to follow what others told me to do, it sucked all of the joy out of writing. Every person is different. Know what works for you and do that.


About the Author

Valerie (V. M.) Burns is an Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Next Generation Award Finalist. She is the author of the Mystery Bookshop, Dog Club, RJ Franklin, and Baker Street Mystery series. Valerie is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers of America, and Thriller Writers International. Valerie has a Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern University, a Master’s Degree in Business from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master of Fine Arts from Seton Hill University. In addition to writing, Valerie works as a manager at a call center, and is also a mentor in the Writing Popular Fiction MFA Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwest Indiana, Valerie now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles.

Author Links

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns

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

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16534140.V_M_Burns

Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/vmburnsbooks/

Website:  vmburns.com

Purchase Links

Amazon   Apple     Books-A-Million     Barnes and Noble    Bookshop.org    Google Play    Hudson Booksellers    Target   KOBO   Walmart

#MidweekMystery: Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by V. M. Burns


Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder

When Maddy Montgomery’s groom is a no-show to their livestream wedding, it’s a disaster that no amount of filtering can fix. But a surprise inheritance offers a chance to regroup and rebrand—as long as Maddy is willing to live in her late, great-aunt Octavia’s house in New Bison, Michigan, for a year, running her bakery and caring for a 250-pound English mastiff named Baby.

Maddy doesn’t bake, and her Louboutins aren’t made for walking giant dogs around Lake Michigan, but the locals are friendly and the scenery is beautiful. With help from her aunt’s loyal friends, aka the Baker Street Irregulars, Maddy feels ready to tackle any challenge, including Octavia’s award-winning cake recipes. That is, until New Bison’s mayor is fatally stabbed, and Maddy’s fingerprints are found on the knife . . .

Something strange is going on in New Bison. It seems Aunt Octavia had her suspicions, too. But Maddy’s going to need a whole lot more than a trending hashtag to save her reputation—and her life.


About the Author

Valerie (V. M.) Burns is the author of the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series. Her first book, The Plot is Murder, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Debut Novel. She is the author of the Dog Club Mystery Series, the RJ Franklin Mysteries, a three-time finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and an Edgar Award-nominated short story. Her newest series, Baker Street Mysteries, will release later this year, and her Pet Detective Mystery series will release in 2023. Valerie is on the board of Sisters in Crime and the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She is also a member of Dog Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, and International Thriller Writers. She is a manager for a Fortune 100 company and a mentor in the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie currently lives in the southeastern United States with her two poodles. Readers can visit her website at vmburns.com.

Author Links

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns

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

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16534140.V_M_Burns

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vmburns

Website:  vmburns.com

Purchase Links

#MidweekMystery: A Tourist’s Guide to Murder by V. M. Burns

Interview with V.M. Burns

Aloha, and welcome to Island Confidential! I really enjoy your protagonist, Samantha Washington, and envy what I consider to be her dream career. Can you tell the readers a little bit about her?

Samantha Washington was a high school English teacher who dreamed that one day, she and her husband, would open a mystery shop. When her husband dies, she decides life is too short not to follow her dreams. She quits her job and opens the mystery bookshop. She also dreamed that she would write British historic cozy mysteries, which she does.

There is a lot of me in Sam. She dreams of quitting her job and opening a mystery bookshop and writing British historic cozies because that’s my dream. Unfortunately, I’m not courageous enough to go “all in” like Sam. So, there’s no mystery bookshop (yet).

But fortunately for us readers, there are the cozy mysteries! If you met your protagonist in real life, how do you think you and she would get along?

If I met Samantha Washington in real life, I think we’d hit it off. We’d probably spend hours drinking tea, eating sweets, and talking about mysteries.

A Tourist’s Guide to Murder is the 6th book in the Mystery Bookshop series. Has Samantha changed as the story has progressed, or has she stayed the same? On a scale of Kinsey Millhone to Amelia Peabody.

My characters evolve. When the series started with, The Plot is Murder, Sam was still grieving for her husband, and just starting out with the bookshop. Her desire to write British historic cozies was such a closely held secret, not even those closest to her knew about that dream Over the course of the series, she has gained confidence, her bookshop is thriving, she is sharing her writing with others, and she has opened up her heart to the possibility of love.

Have you ever contemplated killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of your books, I mean? 

Actually, I find it therapeutic to murder people I know (in the pages of my books). Whenever someone makes me angry, I kill them in my books. I change the names to protect the guilty, but I usually keep the same initials. My friends and coworkers read my books to see if they recognize themselves in the victim.

The book’s setting, North Harbor, Michigan, feels like a real place. Is it? I can’t find it on Google Maps.

North Harbor is based on the town of Benton Harbor, Michigan which is on the shores of Lake Michigan in the Southwestern corner of the state. People from the area will recognize the locale, so while I change the names, the setting is true to life.

When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major roles?

I’d love to see Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures) as Samantha Washington. When I first started writing the series, I envisioned Della Reese as Nana Jo, but unfortunately, she has died. However, I believe Jackée Harry would also do an amazing job in the role.

What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author

The best advice I’ve received is to write the book that will keep your butt in the seat. Writing takes time and unless the book is something you feel passionate about, you won’t finish. I’ve been fortunate and haven’t had a lot of bad advice, but the worst advice is when people believe there is only one right way to do things—theirs. Just because something works for one person, doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. I believe each writer needs to figure out what works for them, and do that. 


A Tourist’s Guide to Murder

Sam joins Nana Jo and her Shady Acres Retirement Village friends Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae on a weeklong trip to London, England, to experience the Peabody Mystery Lovers Tour. The chance to see the sights and walk the streets that inspired Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle is a dream come true for Sam—and a perfect way to celebrate her new publishing contract as a mystery author.

But between visits to Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel district and 221B Baker Street, Major Horace Peabody is found dead, supposedly of natural causes. Despite his employer’s unfortunate demise, the tour guide insists on keeping calm and carrying on—until another tourist on their trip also dies under mysterious circumstances. Now it’s up to Sam and the Shady Acres ladies to mix and mingle among their fellow mystery lovers, find a motive, and turn up a murderer . . .


About the Author

V.M. (Valerie) Burns was born and raised in the Midwestern United States. She currently resides in the warmer region of the country in East Tennessee with her two poodles. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime. Valerie is the author of the RJ Franklin Mysteries, the Dog Club Mysteries, and the Agatha Award-nominated Mystery Bookshop Mystery series.

Author Links

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/burnsvm

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vmburns

Website:  vmburns.com

Purchase Links

Apple –  Amazon – Google – Kobo – Nook –  BAM –  Bookshop.org –  Hudson Booksellers –  IndieBound –  Target 

#MidweekMystery The House that Vanity Built | Nancy Cole Silverman

Misty Dawn, a former Hollywood psychic to the stars, knows the dark and sometimes glamorous streets of Los Angeles are full of secrets, broken promises, and dashed hopes.

The House that Vanity Built

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When a young woman comes to her door because she’s lost her engagement ring and is afraid to tell her fiancé (the son of one of the world’s biggest cosmetics empires), Misty senses it’s no accident.

Together Misty Dawn and her psychic charge, Wilson Thorne, must not only sneak behind the walls of the Conroy Estate (aka The House That Vanity Built), but go beyond the veil where the luminaries have laid plans to seek revenge.

Murder, lust, and a quest for a fountain of youth are hidden inside a family’s secret, one that threatens to upend the young woman’s life, and quite possibly, Misty’s as well.

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Author Nancy Cole Silverman

Nancy Cole Silverman’s realization that she and Edgar Allen Poe shared the same birthday sparked her lifelong interest in mystery fiction. After a very successful career in the radio industry she turned to writing, and her crime-focused novels and short stories have attracted readers throughout America. Her Carol Childs Mysteries series (Henery Press) features a single-mom whose “day job” as a reporter at a busy Los Angeles radio station often leads to long nights as a crime-solver. Silverman lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a thoroughly pampered standard poodle.

#MidweekMystery Mousse and Murder by “Elizabeth Logan”

A young chef might bite off more than she can chew

When Chef Charlie Cooke is offered the chance to leave San Francisco and return home to Elkview, Alaska, to take over her mother’s diner, she doesn’t even consider saying no. After all–her love life has recently become a Love Life Crumble, and a chance to reconnect with her roots may be just what she needs.

Determined to bring fresh life and flavors to the Bear Claw Diner, Charlie starts planning changes to the menu, which has grown stale over the years. But her plans are fried when her head cook Oliver turns up dead after a bitter and public fight over Charlie’s ideas–leaving Charlie as the only suspect in the case.

With her career, freedom, and life all on thin ice, Charlie must find out who the real killer is, before it’s too late.


About the Author

Camille Minichino is turning every aspect of her life into a mystery series.

Camille Minichino

Camille Minichino

A retired physicist, she’s the author of 28 mystery novels in 5 series, with different pen names. “Mousse and Murder,” coming out May 2020, is written under the pen name Elizabeth Logan. She’s also written many short stories and articles. She teaches science at Golden Gate U. in San Francisco and writing workshops around the SF Bay Area. Find out more at www.minichino.com.

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#MidweekMystery Dressed Up 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton


Dressed Up 4 Murder

Last one standing is the winner . . .

The holiday season has arrived and bookkeeper/amateur sleuth, Sophie “Phee” Kimball, would love nothing more than to enjoy the comforts of her new home with her detective boyfriend near Arizona’s Sun City West. Instead, her mother Harriet wants to showcase her chiweenie-chihuahua-dachshund Streetman in the Precious Pooches Holiday Extravaganza costume events. The festivities begin in October and end on St. Patrick’s Day—with the winner starring in the St. Pat’s Day parade. But things quickly turn an awful shade of green when Streetman uncovers a dead body under a tarp-covered grill in the neighbor’s yard.

The victim is Cameron Tully, a seafood distributor working out of Phoenix, who died from ingesting a toxic sago palm leaf. Before the police can even find a motive and suspect, another Precious Pooch owner nearly dies from the same poison. With Harriet believing someone’s targeting her and Streetman because of the costume contests, Phee will need a potful of Irish luck to sniff out a killer . . .

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J.C. Eaton

J.C. Eaton

The Sophie Kimball Mysteries

Meet Ann and Jim, Writing as J.C. Eaton
Ann I. Goldfarb
New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, they have authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington), The Wine Trail Mysteries (Kensington Lyrical Underground), and the Marcie Rayner Mysteries (Camel). In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name. James E. Clapp
When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching. Visit the website at www.jceatonmysteries.com and the blog at www.jceatonauthor.com
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#MidweekMystery Molded 4 Murder (a Sophie Kimball Mystery) by J.C. Eaton


Molded 4 Murder

A View to a Kiln…Sophie “Phee” Kimball enjoys working as a bookkeeper for a private investigator. If only her mother Harriet could enjoy her retirement at Sun City West in Arizona—instead of constantly getting involved with retirees being prematurely put out to pasture. This time Quentin Dussler, a prominent member of the clay sculpting club, was found dead, clutching a piece of paper scrawled with Phee’s mother’s name.

Terrified she’s been targeted by assassins, Harriet begs Phee to investigate. What Phee uncovers is a complicated scheme that only the most diabolical of murderers would ever devise. And as she chisels away at confusing clues and potential suspects, Phee unearths something far more precious and valuable than she could imagine. Eager for answers, she takes a bold step—placing herself in the crosshairs of a stonefaced killer …

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About the Authors

J.C. Eaton

Sophie Kimball Mysteries

Ann I. Goldfarb
New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, she has authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington) was released in June 2017. In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name. Visit the websites at www.jceatonauthor.com and www.timetravelmysteries.com

James E. Clapp
When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. His first novel, Booked 4 Murder (Kensington) was released in June 2017. Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching.
Visit their website at www.jceatonauthor.com and Like and Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JCEatonauthor/
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#MidweekMystery A Tangle in the Vines (A Calla Lily Mystery) by Anna Celeste Burke and The House on Hallowed Ground by Nancy Cole Silverman

The curtain may fall on the Calla Lily Players’ first season unless Lily and Austin can find a killer on the loose in California’s wine country.

Torrential rains threaten to put a damper on The Calla Lily Players’ first outdoor theater production. When the ground suddenly shifts, buried secrets revealed amid the tangled vines put the spotlight on murder. As Lily and Austin dig deeper into the mystery, the drama unfolds onstage and off. The race is on to find a killer before opening night.

Grab your copy of the second book in the Calla Lily Mystery series by USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Anna Celeste Burke and join the race! Recipes Included. Free to read in Kindle Unlimited.

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About the Author



An award-winning, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, I hope you’ll join me snooping into life’s mysteries with fun, fiction, and food—California style!

Life is an extravaganza! Figuring out how to hang tough and make the most of the wild ride is the challenge. On my way to Oahu, to join the rock musician and high school drop-out I had married in Tijuana, I was nabbed as a runaway. Eventually, the police let me go, but the rock band broke up.

Retired now, I’m still married to the same sweet guy and live with him near Palm Springs, California. I write the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series set here in the Coachella Valley, the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery Series set along California’s Central Coast, The Georgie Shaw Mystery series set in the OC, The Seaview Cottages Cozy Mystery Series set on the so-called American Riviera, just north of Santa Barbara, and The Calla Lily Mystery series where the murder and mayhem take place in California’s Wine Country. Won’t you join me? Sign up at: http://desertcitiesmystery.com.



Featured Image: Iris Kæmpferi, hand–colored collotype from Some Japanese Flowers (1896) by Kazumasa Ogawa. Original from the J. Paul Getty Museum.


The House on Hallowed Ground, a Misty Dawn Mystery by Nancy Cole Silverman

When Misty Dawn, a former Hollywood Psychic to the Stars, moves into an old craftsman house, she encounters the former owner, the recently deceased Hollywood set designer, Wilson Thorne.

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Wilson is unaware of his circumstances, and when Misty explains the particulars of his limbo state, and how he might help himself if he helps her, he’s not at all happy. That is until young actress Zoey Chamberlain comes to Misty’s door for help.

Zoey has recently purchased The Pink Mansion, a historic Hollywood Hills home, and believes it’s haunted. But when Misty arrives to search the house, it’s not a ghost she finds, but a dead body.

The police are quick to suspect Zoey of murdering her best friend. Zoey maintains her innocence and fears her friend’s death may have been a result of the ghost…and a long-time family curse.

Together Misty and Wilson must untangle the secrets of The Pink Mansion or submit to the powers of the family curse.

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Nancy Cole Silverman’s realization that she and Edgar Allen Poe shared the same birthday sparked her lifelong interest in mystery fiction. After a very successful career in the radio industry she turned to writing, and her crime-focused novels and short stories have attracted readers throughout America. Her Carol Childs Mysteries series (Henery Press) features a single-mom whose “day job” as a reporter at a busy Los Angeles radio station often leads to long nights as a crime-solver. Silverman lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a thoroughly pampered standard poodle.

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#MidweekMystery: Bark if it’s Murder by V. M. Burns

Lilly Echosby just witnessed a murder on a pet cam. Or did she?

When a last-minute opportunity arises to accompany her boss to an art auction in Atlanta, Lilly throws some money at the problem of where to board her toy poodle Aggie (short for Agatha Christie). Posh Pet Haven offers the most luxurious canine accommodations in all of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The place even provides pet cams so anxious owners can check in on their pampered pooches.

But when Lilly tries to take a peek at her poodle, she gets a terrible shock—she witnesses what she’s sure is a murder. She thinks the victim may be the wealthy co-owner of Pet Haven. The police follow her lead but find no body, no evidence of a crime, and no video record. Starting to feel like the dog owner who cried wolf, Lilly decides to go undercover to catch a killer who may be hiding in plain sight …


About the Author

V.M. Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest, she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com

Author Links:

Website: http://www.vmburns.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/
Twitter: @vmburns
Purchase Links:

AmazonBarnes & NobleIndieBound: – Books-A-MillionHudson Booksellers

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New website, new #Giveaway

I’ve spent the last few weeks migrating my website from WordPress.com to a self-hosted WordPress.org site. The old site was perfectly serviceable, but the self-hosted site lets me do more things. I can have different headers on different pages and posts (like the one at the top of this page). I can display t-shirts and coffee mugs from Zazzle in a nice grid.

I can use MyBookTable for more book display options.

The Professor Molly Mysteries
Trust Fall

Trust Fall

Author:
Series: The Professor Molly Mysteries, Book 0
Genre: Mystery
Tags: Campus, Hawaii, Meetings

Meetings can be murder. Literally.

It looks like it's going to be just another boring faculty retreat at Mahina State University, "Where Your Future Begins Tomorrow."

But then the Trust Fall exercise goes horribly wrong...

Get Trust Fall FREE in the eBook format of your choice

More info →

And I can display Rafflecopter widgets right on the page, so readers can follow the contest in real time. Here’s where you can enter to win your choice of Professor Molly mystery, in your choice of format.


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