Laura Durham's Blog, page 2
October 28, 2017
Excerpt of For Better Or Hearse
Chapter One
“I barely escaped being sliced up like a sushi roll, Richard.” My shaking hand pressed the cell phone to my ear as I paced the marble lobby of the Fairmont Hotel. “I’m not exaggerating, either. Chef Henri tried to kill me.”
The only thing worse than working with a temperamental bride is dealing with a temperamental chef, and as one of D.C.’s top wedding planners, I’d had my share of both.
“He refuses to serve the Peking duck as a passed hors d’oeuvre, but with all these additiona...
October 21, 2017
Goodreads Giveaway of NIGHT OF THE LIVING WED!
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October 15, 2017
Cozy Mystery Halloween Giveaway!
Click here to enter to win a Grand Prize of a $100 Amazon gift card plus 20 new e-book releases! The giveaway runs between October 9th- October 31st and my new Halloween novella is part of the prize package.
August 14, 2017
Sneak Peek of REVIEW TO A KILL
Review to a Kill: An Annabelle Archer Wedding Planner Mystery
By Laura Durham
Chapter One
“This rain is going to ruin the view of the White House.” I threw open one of the french doors that led to the Hay-Adams Hotel’s narrow balcony overlooking both Lafayette Park and the most famous address in Washington, DC.
The gray clouds that hung over the city had been sending a steady mist of rain since the morning and, as it was now midafternoon, my hopes for a sunny wedding day, along with my ho...
Launch Day Bonus: Sneak Peek of REVIEW TO A KILL
It’s launch day for my newest Annabelle Archer novel, REVIEW TO A KILL!! In honor of today, I’m offering up the first chapter of the book for you to preview. Enjoy!
Review to a Kill: An Annabelle Archer Wedding Planner Mystery
By Laura Durham
Chapter One
“This rain is going to ruin the view of the White House.” I threw open one of the french doors that led to the Hay-Adams Hotel’s narrow balcony overlooking both Lafayette Park and the most famous address in Washington, DC.
The gray clouds t...
July 13, 2017
Finding The Self Publishing Formula
The thought of taking my original backlist indie and continuing the series sans publisher first entered my brain a couple of years ago. I’d joined Novelists, Inc and attended their excellent conference in St. Petersburg, Florida. The amount of information was overwhelming and, despite having a wicked cold for the entire time, I took tons of notes and heard many terms for the first time (Draft 3 Digital? BookBub?) but I wasn’t ready to take the leap. I think the amount of information and the...
July 2, 2017
BETTER OFF WED is Back!
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It’s been twelve years since my first novel, Better Off Wed, was traditionally published by Avon Books. I went on book tour for Better Off Wed while I was pregnant with my first child. Now my daughter is a pre-teen and is as tall as I am!
So a lot has changed. But even after all these years, I continue to get email from Annabelle Archer fans asking about the original series. It wasn’t my decision to stop the series (and I certainly wouldn’t have ended it with a cliffhanger) so I always wante...
May 10, 2017
MWA 2017 Edgar Award Winners!
Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Edgar Awards! I haven’t read all of the titles (I have read some) but this is my new “to-read” list!
BEST NOVEL
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (Hachette Book Group – Grand Central Publishing)
BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry (Penguin Random House – Penguin Books)
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty (Prometheus Books – Seventh Street Books)
BEST FACT CRIME
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a...
April 19, 2017
Mystery Writers of America Takes Manhattan!
For the past couple of years, I’ve had the honor of serving on the board of Mystery Writers of America. This is an amazing organization filled with talented, lovely people (lots of authors, editors, booksellers, bloggers, and fans) that does a ton to promote the mystery genre.
And every year, the board meets in New York City for its annual meeting. This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. I love getting to see old friends and make new ones....
My (Mini) Hemingway Pilgrimage in Cuba
My (Mini) Hemingway Pilgrimage in Cuba
Hemingway’s hotel room in Cuba
Cuba is filled with places to chase down the ghost of Ernest Hemingway since the Nobel Prize-winning author lived in the country for over twenty years. On my recent visit to the country, I had to adjust my pilgrimage to places that fit into the time we had in Havana and wouldn’t leave me with a pair of antsy children. At ages nine and eleven, my children aren’t yet Hemingway aficionados and it isn’t always appropriate to...
