Elena Hartwell's Blog, page 56

Holiday Cozy: A Christmas Carol Murder

A brand new holiday cozy from Heather Redmond, A Christmas Carol Murder.

Don’t miss any of the stops along the Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour!

Nothing says happy holidays like a little murder . . .
Book & Author info + Excerpt + Rafflecopter Giveaway


Holiday Cozy!
A Christmas Carol Murder

The latest novel from Heather Redmond’s acclaimed mystery series finds young Charles Dickens suspecting a miser of pushing his partner out a window, but his fiancée Kate Hogarth takes a more charitable view of the old man’s innocence . . .

London, December 1835: Charles and Kate are out with friends and family for a chilly night of caroling and good cheer. But their blood truly runs cold when their singing is interrupted by a body plummeting from an upper window of a house. They soon learn the dead man at their feet, his neck strangely wrapped in chains, is Jacob Harley, the business partner of the resident of the house, an unpleasant codger who owns a counting house, one Emmanuel Screws.

Ever the journalist, Charles dedicates himself to discovering who’s behind the diabolical defenestration. But before he can investigate further, Harley’s corpse is stolen. Following that, Charles is visited in his quarters by what appears to be Harley’s ghost—or is it merely Charles’s overwrought imagination?

He continues to suspect Emmanuel, the same penurious penny pincher who denied his father a loan years ago, but Kate insists the old man is too weak to heave a body out a window. Their mutual affection and admiration can accommodate a difference of opinion, but matters are complicated by the unexpected arrival of an infant orphan. Charles must find the child a home while solving a murder, to ensure that the next one in chains is the guilty party.

Genre: Historical Mystery

Published by: Kensington Publishing

Publication Date: September 29th 2020

Number of Pages: 320

ISBN: 1496717171 (ISBN13: 9781496717177)

Series: A Dickens of a Crime #3 || A Stand Alone Mystery

To buy the book, click on any of the following links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

To enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway, click the link here.
One Amazon Gift Card (US residents only)

Excerpt From the holiday cozy: A Christmas Carol Murder
Chapter One

Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, December 1, 1835 

They hadn’t found the body yet. Old Sal was surely dead. Feathers had caught on candles, igniting the blaze. Maybe a yipping dog had some part in the fiery disaster. The marchioness’s advanced age had surely contributed to the fatal misadventure. The marquess, her son, had nearly killed himself in a futile attempt to rescue her. 

Charles Dickens’s cough forced him to set down his pen. Ink dribbled from it, obscuring his last few words. He found it hard to stay seated, so he pushed his hands through his unruly dark hair, as if pressing on his sooty scalp would keep him on the pub bench. Only three hours of sleep before being dragged from his bed to make the twenty-three-mile journey from his rooms at Furnival’s Inn in London that morning. Nervous energy alone kept his pen moving. 

He rubbed his eyes, gritty with grime and fumes from the fire, both the massive one that had destroyed the still-smoking ruins of Hatfield House’s west wing, and the much smaller one here in the taproom at Eight Bells Pub. Some light came in from out of doors, courtesy of a quarter-full moon, but the windows were small. 

He called for a candle and kept working. 

Putting the messy slip of paper aside, he dipped his pen in his inkwell. Starting again, he recalled the devastation of the scene, the remains of once noble apartments now reduced to rubble and ash. He filled one slip after another, describing the scene, the architecture, the theories. 

When he ran out of words, he let his memories of massive oaken Tudor beams, half-burned; heaps of bricks; lumps of metal; buckets of water; black-faced people; and unending, catch-in- your-throat soot—all that remained of forty-five rooms of storied, aristocratic things—fade away. 

The ringing of St. Ethelreda’s venerable church bells returned him to the moment. Had it gone eight p.m. already? Hooves and the wheels of a cart sounded in the narrow street outside. A couple of men passed by, discussing the fire. The door of the pub opened and closed,allowing the flash from a lantern to illuminate the dark room. 

Charles noted the attempts to make the room festive. Greenery had been tacked to the blackened beams and draped around the mantelpiece. He thought he saw mistletoe mischievously strung up in that recess to the left of the great fireplace. 

Next to it, a man slumped in a chair. He wore a tired, stained old surtout and plaid trousers with a mended tear in the knee. Next to him waited an empty stool, ready for an adoring wife or small child to sit there. 

Charles stacked his completed slips of paper on the weathered table and took a fresh one from his pile, the pathos of that empty seat tugging at him. He began to write something new, imagining that last year at this time, a sweet little girl sat on the stool, looking up at the old, beaten man. How different his demeanor would have been then! 

Charles drew a line between his musings and the lower blank part of the page. His pen flew again, as he made the note. Add a bit of melancholy to my Christmas festivities sketch. 

Unbidden, the serving maid delivered another glass of hot rum and water. The maid, maybe fourteen, with wide, apple- colored cheeks and a weak chin, gave him a sideways glance full of suspicion. 

He grinned at her and pointed to his face. “Soot from the fire. I’m sending a report back to London.” His hand brushed against his shoulder, puffing soot from his black tailcoat into his eyes. 

She pressed her lips together and marched away, her little body taut with indignation. Well, she didn’t understand he had to send his report by the next mail coach. Not much time for sentiment or bathing just yet. 

By the time he finished his notes, the drinks hadn’t done their job of settling his cough. He knew it would worsen if he lay down so he opened his writing desk to pull out a piece of notepaper. 

Dearest Fanny, he wrote to his sister. Where to begin? I wrote to my betrothed this morning so I thought I should send my news to someone else. Was ever a man so busy? I am editing my upcoming book. Did I tell you it will be called Sketches by Boz? I have to turn in the revisions for volumes one and two by the end of the year, in advance of the first volume releasing February eighth. I am also working on an operetta, thanks to that conversation with your friend John Hullah, in my head, at least. I hope to actually commence writing it as soon as my revisions are done. 

I remember all the happy Christmas memories of our earliest childhood, the games and songs and ghost stories when we lived in Portsmouth, and hope to re-create them in my own sweet home next year. How merry it will be to share Christmas with the Hogarths! To think that you, Leticia, and I will all be settled soon with our life’s companions. Soon we will know the sounds of happy children at our hearths and celebrate all the joys that the season should contain in our private chambers. 

He set down his pen without signing the letter. It might be that he would have more to add before returning to London. He had no idea how long it would be before they recovered the Marchioness of Salisbury’s body, if indeed, anything was left. Restacking his papers, he considered the question of her jewels. Had they burned? At least the priceless volumes in the library all had survived, despite the walls being damaged. 

His brain kept churning, so he pulled out his copy of Sketches by Boz. He would edit for a while before retiring to his room at the Salisbury Arms. No time for sleep when work had to be done. 

Pounding on the chamber door woke him. Daylight scarcely streamed around the tattered edges of the inn’s curtain. Charles coughed. He still tasted acrid soot at the back of his throat. Indeed, it coated his tongue. 

The pounding came again as he scratched his unshaven chin. Had the Morning Chronicle sent someone after him? He’d put his first dispatch from the fire on the mail coach. Pulling his frock coat over his stained shirt, he hopped across the floor while he tugged on his dirty trousers. Soot puffed into the air with each bounce. 

“Coming, coming,” he called. 

The hinges squeaked horribly when he opened the door. On the other side stood a white-capped maid. She wore a dark cloak over her dress. A bundle nestled between her joined arms. Had she been kicking the door? 

“Can I help you?” Charles asked, politely enough for the hour. To his right, his boots were gone. He had left them to be polished. 

The girl lifted her bundle. The lump of clothes moved. 

He frowned, then leaned over the lump. A plump face topped by a thatch of black hair stared back. A baby. Was she hoping for alms? “What’s your name, girl?” 

“Madge, sir. Madge Porter.” 

“Well, Madge Porter, I can spare you a few coins for the babe if you’ll wait for a moment. Having hard times?” 

She stared hard at him. He realized the cloaked figure was the tiny serving maid from the Eight Bells. “He’s my sister’s child.” 

“I see. Is she at work?” He laugh-choked. “She’s not in here with me, if that’s what you’re thinking.” 

Her mouth hung open for a moment. “No, sir, I don’t think that.”

 “What, then?” He glanced around for his overcoat, which had a few coins in a pocket. “What is the babe’s name?” 

“Timothy, sir.” She tightened her weak chin until her pale skin folded in on itself. “Timothy Dickens?” she warbled. 

“Dickens?” He took another glance at the babe. Cherry red, pursed lips, and a squashed button of a nose. He didn’t see any resemblance to his relatives. His voice sharpened. “Goodness, Madge, what a coincidence.” 

Her voice strengthened. “I don’t think so, sir.” 

He frowned. The serving maid did not seem to understand his sarcasm. “I’ve never been to Hatfield before. My family is from Portsmouth. I don’t know if your Timothy Dickens is a distant relative of mine or not. Who is his father?” 

“She died in the fire.” 

He tilted his head at the non sequitur. “Who?” 

“My sister. She died in the fire. She was in service to old Sarey.” Charles coughed, holding the doorjamb to keep himself upright. This was fresh news. “How tragic. I didn’t hear that a maid died.” 

“They haven’t found the bodies.” 

“That I know. I’m reporting on the fire, but then, I told you that. Thank you for the information. I’ll pay you for it if you wait a moment for me to find my purse.” 

She thrust the bundle toward him. “Timothy is yer son, sir. You need to take him.” 

Charles took a step back, waving his hands. “No he isn’t.” 

“He’s four months old. It would have been last year, around All Hallow’s Eve. Do you remember the bonfire? She’s prettier than me, my Lizzie. Her hair is lighter, not like yers or mine.” 

“Truly, I’ve never been in Hatfield before now,” he said gently. “I work mostly in London.” 

She huffed out a little sob. He sensed she was coming to a crescendo, rather like a dramatic piece of music that seemed pastoral at first, then exploded. “I know yer his daddy, sir. I can’t take him. My parents are dead.” 

He coughed again. Blasted soot. “I’m sorry. It’s a terrible tragedy. You’re young to be all alone with a baby.” 

Her entire being seemed to shudder, then, like the strike of a cobra, she shoved the wriggling bundle into his arms and dashed down the passage. 

His arms fluttered like jelly for a moment, as if his bones had fled with the horror of the orphaned child’s appearance, until the baby opened its tiny maw and Charles found his strength. 

Then he realized the blankets were damp. Little fatherless, motherless Timothy whoever-he-was had soiled himself. The baby wailed indignantly but his aunt did not return. 

Charles completed his reporting duties with one hand while cradling the infant, now dressed in Charles’s cleanest handkerchief and spare shirt, in the other arm. Infant swaddling dried in front of the fire. When Charles had had his body and soul together well enough to chase after little Madge Porter, the proprietor of the Eight Bells had told him she wasn’t due there until the evening. 

He’d begged the man for names of any Porter relatives, but the proprietor had been unhelpful. Charles had tripped over to St. Ethelreda’s, still smelling smoke through a nose dripping from the cold. The canon had been of no use and in fact smelled of Hollands, rather than incense. He went to a barbershop, holding the baby while he was shaved, but the attendant refused to offer information. 

When the babe began to cry again, he took him to a stable yard and inquired if they had a cow. A stoic stableman took pity on him and sent him to his quiet wife, a new mother herself. She agreed to nurse the child while Charles went to Hatfield House to see if the marchioness had been found yet. 

He attempted to gain access to the marquess, still directing the recovery efforts. While waiting, he offered the opinion that they should pull down the remaining walls, which looked likely to kill the intended rescuers more assuredly than anything else in the vast acreage of destruction. Everyone coughed, exhausted, working by rote rather than by intelligence. 

After a while, he gave up on the marquess. He interviewed those working in the ruins to get an update for the Chronicle, then went to the still-standing east wing of the house to see the housekeeper. She allowed him into her parlor for half a crown. The room’s walls were freshly painted, showing evidence of care taken even with the servant’s quarters. A large plain cross decorated the free space on the wall, in between storage cupboards. 

The housekeeper had a tall tower of graying hair, stiffened by some sort of grease into a peak over her forehead. Her black gown and white apron looked untouched by the fire. When she spoke, however, he sensed the fatigue and the sadness. 

“I have served this family for thirty-seven years,” she moaned. “Such a tragedy.” 

He took some time with her recital of the many treasures of the house, storing up a collection of things he could report on, then let her share some of her favorite history of the house. But he knew he needed to return to gather the baby from the stableman’s wife soon. 

“Do you have a Lizzie Porter employed here?” 

“Yes, sir.” The housekeeper gave a little sob and covered her mouth. “In the west wing, sir. I haven’t seen her since the fire.”

 His fingers tingled. “Do you think she died?” 

“I don’t know, sir. Not a flighty girl. I doubt she’d have run off if she lived.” 

“Not a flighty girl?” He frowned. “But she has a babe.” He was surprised to know she had kept her employment. 

The housekeeper shook her head. “She’s an eater, sir, but there never was a babe in her belly.” 

The story became steadily more curious. “Did she take any leave, about four months ago? In July or August?” 

The housekeeper picked up her teacup and stared at the leaves remaining at the bottom. “An ague went around the staff in the summer. Some kind of sweating sickness. She had it like all the rest. Went to recuperate with her sister.” 

“Madge?” 

She nodded absently. “Yes, that Madge. Just a slip of a girl. Hasn’t come to work here but stayed in the village.” 

“I’ve met her. How long was Lizzie with her?” 

“Oh, for weeks. She came back pale and thin, but so did a couple of other girls. It killed one of the cook’s helpers. Terrible.” The housekeeper fingered a thin chain around her neck.

 It didn’t sound like a group of girls made up the illness to help Lizzie hide her expectations, but the ague had been timed perfectly for her to hide wee Timothy’s birth. Who had been the babe’s wet nurse? 

“Do you know where Madge lives?” 

“Above the Eight Bells, sir. Servants’ quarters.” The housekeeper set down her cup and rose, indicating the interview had ended. 

Charles checked around the pub again when he returned to town, just a short walk from the grand, if sadly diminished, house. The quarters for servants were empty. Madge seemed to have gone into hiding. How she could abandon her nephew so carelessly, he did not know, but perhaps she was too devastated by her sister’s death to think clearly. 

* * *

A day later, Charles and the baby were both sunk into exhaustion by the long journey to London. Charles’s carriage, the final step of the trip, pulled up in front of a stone building. Across from Mary-le-Bow Church in Cheapside, it had shop space, three floors of apartments, and a half attic on top. He’d had to hire a carriage from the posting inn where the coach had left them on the outskirts of town. While he had no trouble walking many miles, carrying both a valise and an infant was more than he could manage. At least they’d kept each other warm. 

He made his awkward way out of the vehicle, coughing as the smoky city air hit his tortured lungs. In his arms, the babe slept peacefully, though he had cried with hunger for part of the long coach journey. 

Charles’s friends, William and Julie Aga, had taken rooms here, above a chophouse. The building exuded the scent of roasting meats. His stomach grumbled as he went up the stairs to his friends’ chambers. William was a reporter, like Charles, though more focused on crime than government. 

Charles doubled over, coughing, as he reached the top of the steps. He suspected if he’d had a hand free to apply his handkerchief, it would come away black again. 

The door to the Agas’ rooms opened before he had the chance to knock. 

“Charles!” William exploded. “Good God, man, what a sound to torture my ears.” 

Charles unbent himself and managed a nod at his friend. William had the air of a successful, fashionable man-about-town, even at his rooms on a Thursday evening. He wore a paisley waistcoat under an old black tailcoat, which fit him like it had been sewn directly on his broad-shouldered body. They both prided themselves on dressing well. His summer-golden hair had darkened due to the lack of sun. He had the look of a great horseman, though Charles knew that William, like he, spent most of his time hunched over a paper and quill. 

“I like that fabric,” Charles said. “Did Julie make you that waistcoat?” 

“Charles.” William waved his arms. “Whatever are you carrying in your arms?” 

Charles dropped his valise to the ground. It grazed his foot. He let out a yelp and hopped. “Blast it! My toe.” 

William leaned forward and snatched the bundle from Charles’s arm. The cloth over little Timothy’s face slid away, exposing the sleeping child. “No room in the inn?” 

“Very funny,” Charles snarled. He rubbed his foot against the back of his calf. “That smarted.” 

“Whose baby?” 

“A dead serving maid’s. I remember you said that a woman across the hall from you had a screaming infant. Do you think she might be persuaded to feed this one? He’s about four months old.” 

William rubbed his tongue over his gums as he glanced from Timothy to Charles, then back again. 

“He needs to eat. I don’t want to starve him. Also, I think he’s a little too warm.” Charles gave Timothy an anxious glance. 

“Let’s hope he isn’t coming down with something.” William stepped into the passage and gave a long-suffering sigh. Then, he crossed to the other side and used his elbow to bang on the door across from his. “Mrs. Herring?” 

Charles heard a loud cry in the room beyond, a muttered imprecation, and a child’s piping voice, then the door opened. A girl about the age of his youngest brother, Boz, opened the door. 

“Wot?” she said indistinctly, as she was missing several teeth. 

“I need your mother,” William said, smiling at the girl. 

The girl turned her head partway and shrieked for her mother. A couple of minutes later the lady of the house arrived, a fat babe burping on her shoulder. She appeared as well fed as the infant, with rounded wrists tapering into fat fingers peering out from her cotton dress sleeves. 

“Mr. Aga!” she said with a smile. 

Charles instantly trusted Mrs. Herring’s sweet smile. Her hand had gone to the top of her daughter’s head for a caress, the sort of woman who genuinely enjoyed her children. 

“Good lady,” Charles began. “I’ve been given the custody of this orphaned child due to a rather dramatic situation. Might you be able to take him in to nurse?” 

Mrs. Herring stepped toward William. She took one look at the sleeping Timothy and exclaimed, “Lor bless me!” She handed her larger infant over to her daughter, then reached out her hands to William. He promptly placed the bundle into the mother’s arms. 

Charles saw Timothy stir. He began to root around. “Hungry. Hasn’t been nourished since this morning.” 

“Poor mite,” Mrs. Herring cooed. “How could you have let this happen? They must be fed regularly.” 

“I don’t know how to care for a baby,” Charles admitted. 

“But I remembered my friends had you as a neighbor. Can you help him?” 

“We’ve no room for the tiny lad,” Mrs. Herring said sternly. She coaxed her daughter back inside. 

“I can pay for his board,” Charles responded. 

Mrs. Herring didn’t speak but her eyebrows lifted. 

“Just for tonight at first,” William suggested with an easy smile. “You can see the situation is desperate.” 

Charles reached into his pocket and pulled out a shilling. “I’m good for it. Truly. This would pay for days of his care if I hire a wet nurse. He has an aunt but she disappeared. I couldn’t find her before I had to return to London.” 

“We’ll talk to you again in the morning,” William said. “I won’t leave the building until we’ve spoken.” 

“Where am I to put him?” she asked, staring rather fixedly at the shilling. “The bed is full and we don’t have a cradle.” 

William nodded wisely, as if he’d thought of this already. “Mr. Dickens and I will consult with my wife and bring something suitable. If you can feed him while we wait?” 

Mrs. Herring reached out her free hand. Charles noted she had clean nails. She seemed a good choice for wet nurse. He placed the shilling in her palm and prayed they could make longer-term arrangements for a reasonable price. 

Timothy let out a thin wail. 

“He sounds weak,” Charles said, guilt coloring his words. 

“I’ll do what I can.” Mrs. Herring glanced at the babe in her arms, then shut the door.

Heather Redmond, Author of the holiday cozy, A Christmas Carol Murder

Heather Redmond is an author of commercial fiction and also writes as Heather Hiestand. First published in mystery, she took a long detour through romance before returning. Though her last British-born ancestor departed London in the 1920s, she is a committed anglophile, Dickens devotee, and lover of all things nineteenth century.

She has lived in Illinois, California, and Texas, and now resides in a small town in Washington State with her husband and son. The author of many novels, novellas, and short stories, she has achieved best-seller status at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Her 2018 Heather Redmond debut, A Tale of Two Murders, was a multi-week Barnes & Noble Hardcover Mystery Bestseller.

Her two current mystery series are “A Dickens of a Crime” and “the Journaling mysteries.” She writes for Kensington and Severn House.

She is the 2020-21 President of the Columbia River Chapter of Sisters in Crime (SinC).

To learn more about Heather, click on her name, photo or any of the following links:  Goodreads, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

Visit all the stops along the Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour

11/01 Interview @ A Blue Million Books

11/02 Showcase @ Im Into Books

11/03 Review @ Sunny island breezes

11/04 Review @ Media From the Heart

11/04 Showcase @ Reading A Page Turner

11/05 Review @ Jackies Book Review Page

11/06 Showcase @ Sylv. net

11/08 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader

11/09 Showcase @ Tome Tender

11/10 Interview @ Books Chatter

11/12 Showcase @ nanasbookreviews

11/13 Review @ rozierreadsandwine

11/14 Showcase @ Cheryls Book Nook

11/15 Review @ Novels N Latte Review

11/16 Guest post @ Quiet Fury Books

11/18 Interview @ Blog Talk Radio

11/18 Review @ Just Reviews

11/22 Review @ It’s All About the Book

11/23 Review @ Bring on Lemons

11/27 Guest post @ Nesies Place

11/28 Review @ Jane Pettit Reviews

12/01 Interview @ Cozy Up With Kathy

12/02 Showcase @ bookalicious traveladdict

12/04 Review @ Cozy Up With Kathy

12/04 Showcase @ Books to the Ceiling

12/07 Review @ Ms. Cats Honest World

12/08 Review @ 5 minutes for books

12/09 Guest post @ 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS

12/09 Interview/showcase @ CMash Reads

12/12 Review @ @ all_books_great_and_small

12/15 Review @ The Book Connection

12/16 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews

12/17 Showcase @ The Pulp and Mystery Shelf

12/21 Review @ Scrapping&Playing

12/23 Showcase @ Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!

12/24 Review @ Books with Bircky

12/25 Review @ EienCafe

12/30 Interview @ Novels Alive

12/31 Review @ Novels Alive

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

E-book on sale for $1.99 the entire month of November!

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post Holiday Cozy: A Christmas Carol Murder appeared first on Elena Taylor.

A Mini Mystery by Cozy Author Melissa Bourbon

Mini Mystery: The Secret on Rum Runner’s Lane. A short, fun cozy mystery—perfect for the holidays!

A series within a series, this short mystery brings you the same characters as Melissa Bourbon’s Murder in Devil’s Cove. Want to find out more about the full series? Click the link here to read an author interview and my review.

Spotlight + Rafflecopter Giveaway

Don’t miss any of the stops along the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour! Scroll down for the full list.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mini Mystery!

The Secret on Rum Runner’s Lane: A Book Magic Mini Mystery [image error]

Cozy Mystery

Mini Mystery #1

Publisher: Lake House Press (November 10, 2020)

Print length: 104 pages

ASIN: B08LDSY5DD

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The Lane women are bibliomancers, but Cassie sees her divination not as a gift, but as a curse–one from which she desperately wants to escape. It turns out, though, that running from her fate isn’t as easy as she thought it would be.

When a woman goes missing, and a neighbor turns up dead, Cassie turns to the books she’s always avoided to help her find the truth.

To buy the book, click on the following link:  Amazon 

Melissa Bourbon: Author of the Mini Mystery The Secret on Rum Runner’s Lane

Melissa Bourbon is the national bestselling author of nineteen mystery books, including the brand new collaborative Book Magic mysteries, the Lola Cruz Mysteries, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, and the Bread Shop Mysteries, written as Winnie Archer. She is a former middle school English teacher who gave up the classroom in order to live in her imagination full time.

Melissa, a California native who has lived in Texas and Colorado, now calls the southeast home. She hikes, practices yoga, cooks, and is slowly but surely discovering all the great restaurants in the Carolinas. Since four of her five amazing kids are living their lives, scattered throughout the country, her dogs, Bean, the pug, Dobby, the chug, and Jasper, a cattle dog/lab keep her company while she writes.

Melissa lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and their youngest son. She is beyond fortunate to be living the life of her dreams.

To learn more about Melissa, click on her name, photo, or any of the following links: Instagram, Facebook (BookWarriors), Facebook (Author Page)

Visit all the Stops Along the Way for this Mini Mystery!

December 1 –  Celticlady’s Reviews  – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE

December 1 –  Thoughts in Progress  – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 –  Baroness’ Book Trove  – REVIEW

December 2 –  StoreyBook Reviews  – REVIEW

December 3 –  Author Elena Taylor’s Blog  – SPOTLIGHT

December 3 –  Maureen Timerman  – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 –  Books a Plenty Book Reviews  – REVIEW, GUEST POST

December 4 –  Literary Gold  – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 –  I Read What You Write  – REVIEW, GUEST POST

December 5 –  eBook Addicts  – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 –  Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews  – SPOTLIGHT

December 7 –  Cozy Up WIth Kathy  – REVIEW

December 8 –  FUONLYKNEW  – SPOTLIGHT

December 9 –  I’m All About Books  – SPOTLIGHT

December 9 –  Island Confidential  – SPOTLIGHT

December 10 –  Christy’s Cozy Corners  – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

December 10 –  Reading Is My SuperPower  – REVIEW

December 11 –  Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW

December 11 –  Sapphyria’s Book Reviews  – SPOTLIGHT

December 12 –  Ruff Drafts  – GUEST POST

December 13 –  Socrates Book Reviews  – REVIEW

December 14 –  Brooke Blogs  – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE

 

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post A Mini Mystery by Cozy Author Melissa Bourbon appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Elizabeth J Duncan Launches Her Latest Cozy

Elizabeth J Duncan launches her latest Penny Branigan Mystery with On Deadly Tides.

Visit all the stops along her Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

Author Interview +Author & Book Info + Rafflecopter Giveaway!
Love your mysteries cozy? Check out this YA Cozy by Richie Narvaez, click the link here.

On Deadly Tides by Elizabeth J Duncan

On Deadly Tides: A Penny Brannigan Mystery

Cozy Mystery

11th in Series

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (November 10, 2020)

237 pages

ISBN-10: 1643854682

ISBN-13: 978-1643854687

Kindle ASIN: B084V85BT8

 

 

To buy the book, click any of the following links: Amazon    B&N    Kobo

With a picturesque black and white lighthouse, pebble beaches and stunning views of sea and mountains, the island of Anglesey off the coast of North Wales is the perfect place for an idyllic mid-summer painting holiday.

And watercolour artist, businesswoman, and amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan is enjoying the retreat enormously – until she discovers the body of a New Zealand journalist on a secluded beach just as the tide is going out, threatening to take the body with it.

The post mortem reveals the victim died from injuries “consistent with a fall from a great height,” and the death is ruled accidental. But Penny thinks there’s more to the story. Curious how the victim came to such an untimely end at this most inhospitable spot, she uncovers a link to a mysterious disappearance several years earlier.

And as her holiday romance with a wildlife photographer turns to love, she learns some truths about herself, too, that surprise her.

As the winds of change blow through Penny’s own life, she sets sail on a friendly tide for a future she never dreamed possible, in a beautiful place she never imagined.

Elizabeth J Duncan: Author Interview
Tell us about the island of Anglesey off the coast of North Wales where you set On Deadly Tides.

Anglesey is so picturesque! With stunning views across the Menai Strait to the Snowdonia mountain range, a charming black and white lighthouse with a bell that tolls every minute, the medieval town of Beaumaris featuring the remains of a thirteenth-century moated castle, quaint fishing villages, beautiful beaches, and wildlife galore, it’s the perfect place for a painting holiday. But as amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan discovers in On Deadly Tides, even in such an idyllic setting, (fictional) danger is never far away.

This is the eleventh book in your Penny Brannigan Mystery Series. What’s your secret for such longevity!

Gwrych Castle

The North Wales setting always inspires me. Once I’ve found the perfect location for the story I’m about to tell, the rest follows quite easily.

Over the course of the series I’ve learned that the best way to keep the stories fresh is to keep the characters fresh—introduce new ones, and give the recurring characters new challenges and obstacles to overcome. And to keep the story interesting for me to write, I like to learn new things.

Previous books in the series have touched on the history of slate mining in North Wales, various fancy breeds of chickens, how Gwrych Castle fell into ruin, the illegal antiquities trade, and how to organize a really posh dinner party.

On Deadly Tides includes some romance to spice up the mystery. Is that new for you? Or do you like to include a little romance with your murders?

Actually, it isn’t up to me; my protagonist has made it clear she’s in charge of her own life.

In previous books I tried matching Penny Brannigan up with someone I thought she’d like, but she wasn’t having it and the romance didn’t work out. But in On Deadly Tides, she meets someone and everything falls into place. I was really happy for her, and I think readers will be, too.

You spend time in both North Wales and Toronto, Canada. How did you come to live in both countries?

I lived in the UK for five years at one point in my life, and I love it. I rediscovered Wales about 12 years ago, chose it as the setting for the Penny Brannigan mystery series, and until the pandemic came along, divided my time almost equally between the two countries. I’m looking forward to the day when the worst of Covid is behind us and we can travel again.

You also write the Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery Series. Tell us about your other series.

This series features Charlotte Fairfax, an Englishwoman who started her career in the costume department of the Royal Shakespeare Company and now finds herself with a small theatre company in upstate New York.

She has a corgi called Rupert, who is probably the star of the series. Each book centres around the production and performance of one play and with a theatre company at the heart of the story, there’s so much potential for rich characters, engaging details, and (dare I say it?) drama!

What are you working on now?

I’m on a break from the novels, and have just written a short story, which I hope will be chosen for inclusion in an anthology. A short story is a great way to test drive new characters.

Words of wisdom for aspiring writers:

Get in with the people who are doing what you aspire to do. So if you want to be a writer, go where the writers are. When an author gives a presentation at your local library—go! If you can, attend a convention and go to the panel discussions. I guarantee you’ll come away having picked up at least one great tip, but probably more.

Here’s an example of how that works. I once attended a talk at the Toronto Reference Library given by author Gail Bowen. Her suggestion was write for 15 minutes a day. This will keep you connected to your work, get the creative juices flowing, and 15 minutes will most likely turn into something longer. Now that’s great advice!

It is great advice! Thank you for sharing. Great to chat with you. Best of luck with the new novel!

Elizabeth J Duncan

Elizabeth J Duncan is the two-time winner of the Bloody Words (Bony Blithe) Award for Canada’s best light mystery. She is the author of two series: the Penny Brannigan mysteries set in North Wales and Shakespeare in the Catskills featuring costume designer Charlotte Fairfax.

A former journalist, public relations practitioner, and college professor, Elizabeth is a faculty member of the Humber School for Writers.

She divides her time between Toronto, Canada and Llandudno, North Wales.

To learn more about Elizabeth, click on her name, photo, or any of the following links: Facebook and Twitter

Visit all the stops along the tour!

November 27 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 27 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

November 28 – I Read What You Write – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 28 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 29 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

November 30 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT

November 30 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

December 1 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST

December 1 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW

December 2 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

December 3 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

December 3 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

December 3 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

December 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

December 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 6 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway!

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Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

All We Buried eBook is on sale for $1.99 through the end of November!

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post Elizabeth J Duncan Launches Her Latest Cozy appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Open For Murder: A Happy Camper Mystery

Open For Murder: A Happy Camper Mystery

Spotlight

Author Mary Angela launches a brand new cozy series with Open For Murder. Visit all the stops along her Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour by clicking the link here.

Check back for my review of Open For Murder posting December 9
To enter the Rafflecopter click the link here

Open For Murder: A Happy Camper Mystery

Open for Murder (A Happy Camper Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Publisher: Lyrical Press (November 24, 2020)

Paperback: 207 pages

ISBN-10: 1516110722

ISBN-13: 978-1516110728

Digital ASIN: B085LTP1XH

Deep in the heart of touristy small-town Spirit Canyon, South Dakota, former journalist Zo Jones runs the Happy Camper gift shop, where she sells everything from locally made souvenirs to memorabilia. She even rents out mountain bikes, and dabbles in the adventure industry—and sleuthing . . .

It’s Memorial Day weekend in Spirit Canyon, and for Zo that means the return of summer shoppers. It also means the return of her good friend Beth, who’s moved back to the area to reopen her family’s premier hotel, Spirit Canyon Lodge. Beth and Zo spent many childhood summers there and Zo can’t wait to reconnect and celebrate the Grand Opening. But the festivities go from bad to worse when a power outage knocks out the lights—and morning reveals a competitor’s dead body found on the premises . . .

Soon enough, Beth is the prime suspect in the suspicious death. Fortunately, Zo isn’t afraid to put her investigative skills to work and prove her friend’s innocence. To start digging for information, she appeals to Max Harrington, a local Forest Ranger and unlikely ally. Though they’ve argued about Happy Camper’s tours, in this case they agree on one thing: Beth isn’t a murderer. Stranger things have happened than their collaboration. After all, this is Spirit Canyon. But as the list of suspects grows, Zo will have to keep her guard up if she doesn’t want to be the next lodge guest to check out . . .

To buy the book click on any of the following links: Amazon – Apple – Google – Kobo –  B&N

Mary Angela: Author of Open For Murder

Mary Angela is the author of the Professor Prather and Happy Camper cozy mystery series.

When Mary isn’t penning heartwarming whodunits, she’s teaching, reading, traveling, or spending time with her family.

She lives in South Dakota with her husband, daughters, and spoiled pets. You can find out more about her loves, including her writing, at MaryAngelaBooks.com.

To learn more about Mary, click on any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram

 

 

Visit all the stops along the way!

November 24 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 24 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

November 25 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

November 25 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 27 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

November 27 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

November 28 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT

November 28 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

November 30 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW

November 30 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW

December 1 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 1 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 3 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

December 3 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

December 4 – The Editing Pen – REVIEW

December 4 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW

December 5 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

December 6 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

December 7 – This Is My Truth Now – CHARACTER GUEST POST

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

EBook on sale for $1.99 through the end of November!

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post Open For Murder: A Happy Camper Mystery appeared first on Elena Taylor.

The Man in Milan: Debut Thriller by Vito Racanelli

ITW Debut author Vito Racanelli shares a few thoughts about publishing his thriller, The Man in Milan.

The Man in Milan by Vito Racanelli

When NYPD detectives Paul Rossi and Hamilton P. Turner begin investigating the Sutton Place murder of an Italian air force pilot, the last thing they expect is that they will find themselves sucked into the potential cover-up of the Ustica massacre, the most horrific aviation crime in Italian history, in which all 81 souls on board perished, where Italian President Francesco Cossiga blamed a missile deployed by the French Navy for the disaster.

But as they begin investigating, Rossi, recovering from a broken marriage, and Turner, an African-American opera buff, poet, and former lawyer with ambitions to be mayor, come up against NYPD bureaucratic obstacles and stonewalling by the Italian Consulate in NYC.

Lieutenant Laura Muro, the policewoman sister of the victim, comes to New York to aid the investigation, but soon the trio find themselves in the crosshairs of the Gladio, Italy’s powerful, shadowy political cabal whose reach extends to the highest reaches of New York political and ruling class.

To buy the book click on the following links: Amazon, IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, and BAM

Vito Racanelli, Author of The Man in Milan

Vito Racanelli is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer whose short stories have been broadcast on the BBC’s Story Time and performed at Liar’s League NYC. He’s currently working on a sequel to The Man in Milan and another novel.

His short stories have been published by Akashic Books, The Literarian, The Boiler, and KGB Bar Lit Magazine, among many other publications.

He was a 2013 and 2018 Fish Publishing Flash Fiction Story Prize finalist, placed a “notable” story in the Gemini 2016 Short Story contest, and participated in the 2013 Pen World Festival.

His non-fiction has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Newark Star Ledger, San Francisco Chronicle, Barron’s, Penta Magazine and the Far Eastern Economic Review, among other publications.

He was the AP-Dow Jones Italy Bureau Chief for four years, where he learned to appreciate really fast cars and good food.

To learn more about Vito, click on his name, photo, or click the following link: Twitter (Personal) and Twitter (Author)

Vito Racanelli: The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:

This is my first manuscript and the process from beginning to pub date has taken many years. It required patience, dedication and “grinta,” as the Italians say. I met my agent at a book publishing conference.

What inspired you to write The Man in Milan?

The one kernel of truth in the book—a downed airliner—probably by an explosion and with authorities who seemingly were not in a hurry to get to the truth, really intrigued me.

What  question would you most like to be asked about your writing?
What really happened to that airliner?
A:  I wish I really knew, but some people somewhere do know.
What are you working on now?

I am working on a sequel to The Man in Milan and also another novel, about an Italian soldier’s journey through WW2.

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

E-Book on sale through the end of November!

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post The Man in Milan: Debut Thriller by Vito Racanelli appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Inside Passage: A New Thriller by Burt Weissbourd

Inside Passage: Showcase on a new thriller by Burt Weissbourd

Visit all the stops along the Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour!

Scroll down for all the stops along the tour for Inside Passage, an excerpt, author and book info, and the Rafflecopter Giveaway!

To enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway, click the link here.

Five winners of an Amazon Gift Card

Inside Passage

Genre: Crime Thriller

Published by: Blue City Press

Publication Date: October 20th 2020

Number of Pages: 290

ISBN: 1733438246 (ISBN13: 9781733438247)

Series:A Corey Logan Thriller, #1 || STAND ALONE MYSTERY

Corey Logan was set up.

She knows Nick Season’s terrible secret. Coming home from prison, all Corey wants is to be with her son. To get him back, she needs to make a good impression on the psychiatrist evaluating her. Dr. Abe Stein doesn’t believe she was framed — until his well-heeled mother falls for the charming state attorney general candidate, Nick Season.

As the dogs of war are unleashed, Corey and her son run for their lives — taking her boat up the Pacific Northwest’s remote Inside Passage.

“A stunning, fast paced thriller that took me on an intense ride and kept me on the edge of myseat the entire way through … If you love beautifully executed thrillers that will play with your mind as well as your heart, this is the book for you.” ~ Midwest Book Review

To buy the book, click on any of the following links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Goodreads

Inside Passage is the first in Weissbourd’s haunting, heart-stirring Corey Logan Trilogy.

Inside Passage
Teaser
Minos

Click here to find out more about the Corey Logan Trilogy.

Author of Inside Passage Burt Weissbourd

Burt Weissbourd is a novelist, screenwriter and producer of feature films. He was born in 1949 and graduated cum laude from Yale University, with honors in psychology.

During his student years, he volunteered at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris and taught English to college students in Thailand. After he graduated, he wrote, directed, and produced educational films for Gilbert Altschul Productions.

He began a finance program at the Northwestern University Graduate School of Business, but left to start his own film production company in Los Angeles. He managed that company from 1977 until 1986, producing films including Ghost Story starring Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Patricia Neal, and Raggedy Man starring Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard, which The New York Times called “a movie of sweet, low-keyed charm.”

In 1987, he founded an investment business, which he still runs. Burt’s novels include the thrillers Danger in Plain Sight, The Corey Logan Trilogy (Inside Passage, Teaser and Minos), and In Velvet, a thriller set in Yellowstone National Park.

To learn more about Burt, click on his name, photo, or any of the following links: Goodreads, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

Excerpt from Inside Passage by Burt Weissbourd

“Wouldn’t you like to get married in your own backyard?”

“Of course I would. You know that,” she snapped. “But I can’t.”

“Why not? Because Nick Season says you can’t. You have the right to live the life you want to live. Don’t give it up for that son of a bitch. Hell no. You don’t have to do that.” Abe leaned closer. There it was, those laser-like light blue eyes. “It won’t be easy, but together, we can figure out what to do. You and I can do this. We have to.”

“My God, what are you thinking? This isn’t like psycho-therapy.” She held his eyes. “We can’t ‘figure it out’ or ‘work on it.’ It’s not a head game. We have no evidence. Nothing. Nick’s a foolproof liar and a stone-cold killer. And he’s going to be Washington’s state attorney general.”

“And he has to be stopped.” Abe looked into their fire. “It’s not just about what you’d have to give up … think about what he’ll do if he ever finds out that you and Billy are alive. And though you might be okay for a year, or even two, eventually, he’ll start to wonder. And then to worry. It’s who he is. You’ve told me that. And then he’ll never stop checking. He’ll have me followed. Every year, he’ll run your prints, and Billy’s, through some Canadian database. And that’s just the beginning … unless we stop him.”

“And how do you propose to do that?”

Abe’s bushy brows furrowed in a “V” until they almost touched. “I understand the problem now.” They touched. Corey had never seen that. Very cool. He meant business. He turned to her, full face. “To begin, I’ll comb my hair and look this devil in his shiny black eyes.”

What? What was that? Corey was dumbstruck. Eventually, she softly mouthed, “What?” And louder, before he could answer, “Aren’t you afraid of him?”

“He’s very frightening, and I’m painfully aware of what’s at stake. And of course I see how very dangerous he is and yes, that scares me.” He scowled. “But I have other feelings that are even stronger than my fear.”

“What does that mean?”

“What I’m afraid of, what keeps me up at night, is losing you. Nick wants to kill the person I love most in the world. That makes him my archenemy, my nemesis. What I feel for Nick is inexhaustible rage.” He tapped his pipe against the log, emptying it into the sand, then he carefully set it down. When he looked up, his expression had turned fierce. Abe took both of her hands. “Nick Season be damned!”

“You’re being crazy.” She had never seen Abe like this.

“No, I’m telling you how I feel. I want to marry you Corey. I want to live with you and Billy in Seattle. I want to go to parent night at Billy’s school. I want to take you guys to dinner at Tulio and for pizza at Via Tribunali. I want to fish at your favorite spots near Bainbridge —”

“He’ll kill us all.” And Abe was really scaring her.

“I have to keep that from happening.”

“This isn’t a storybook. Nick isn’t like anyone you know. And this isn’t an insight kind of deal. Look what happened the last time you tried to help. They almost got Billy, and I had to kill someone. Look what almost happened last night. This time you and Billy and I, we could all die. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, I do. But I won’t let that happen.”

“Won’t let that happen?”

“No, I won’t.”

“How?”

“I’m working on that. “

“Working on it? How? You’re going to comb your hair? Look this devil in his shiny black eyes? What is that about?”

Abe considered her question. “It’s a way of starting.”

Corey put her head in her hands. She didn’t know what to say.

Visit all the stops along the Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tour for Inside Passage!

11/01 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader

11/02 Showcase @ Reading A Page Turner

11/03 Showcase @ Tome Tender

11/04 Showcase @ Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!

11/05 Interview @ Quiet Fury Books

11/07 Interview @ A Blue Million Books

11/08 Showcase @ EienCafe

11/09 Showcase @ The Pulp and Mystery Shelf

11/10 Guest post/showcase @ Novels Alive

11/11 Interview/showcase @ CMash Reads

11/14 Review @ all_books_great_and_small

11/16 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews

11/17 Guest post @ BooksChatter

11/19 Guest post @ The Book Divas Reads

11/20 Review @ Katis Bookaholic Rambling Reviews

11/20 Review @ rozierreadsandwine

11/24 Showcase @ Im Into Books

11/25 Review @ Nesies Place

11/26 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews

11/27 Review @ Brooke Blogs

11/28 Review @ A Room Without Books is Empty

11/28 Showcase @ nanasbookreviews

11/30 Review @ sunny island breezes

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post Inside Passage: A New Thriller by Burt Weissbourd appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Pandemic Birthday: Suddenly Fifty-two

Pandemic birthday, there’s something to wrap my head around.

Having a birthday during a pandemic wasn’t anything I expected last year, yet here I am. Another year older and still in a situation that feels dangerous and often out of my control.

Pandemic Birthday Thoughts

Birthdays always make me feel a bit introspective, and this year is no different, not to mention the rules of the world have changed.

This will be the second birthday of mine after my father shuffled off his mortal coil. He died on October 19, so November 21 of last year was only a month later. It felt very silent not to hear his voice on the phone. Singing to each other was something we did every year, no matter where we might be.

I felt the silence back in July, when for the first time since I moved out of my childhood home, I didn’t call him on his birthday as I had every year. Instead, Mom and I talked on the phone about my dad.

The void left behind. The complications of the man. Our loss. The meaning of grief.

The Holiday Season

My birthday also symbolizes the start of the holidays for me. The closest my birthday gets to Thanksgiving is the day before, as everyone couple years it falls on November 22. I always enjoyed when that happened because it meant family would gather and there would be comfort food and no impingement on birthday gift giving as a Christmas birthday might do.

Thanksgiving is also my favorite holiday. I love the food and the fact it doesn’t require gifts.

Yosemite by Geralt on Pixabay

When I was a kid, we often had family Thanksgivings, my parents, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents . . . sometimes we had destinations. Warner’s Hot Springs. Yosemite Valley. Places where snow would fall and other people would cook.

This year, my hubby and I will hunker down in our own home and Zoom in with family members. He promised to cook me an actual, traditional Thanksgiving meal. Did I mention I love the food?

Most years we do something non-traditional, because my step-daughters will have already been to traditional meals with their mom and the families of their significant others. It’s always delicious, often crab, steak, and pasta, and I love our family tradition, but still . . . stuffing!

Last year we made a hilarious attempt at a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us on the day of. We do our “family” T-day on the weekend so aforementioned step-daughters and partners don’t have to do three meals in one day!

We made a reservation for a fancy midday dinner. We arrived to discover it was their regular menu. The traditional Thanksgiving meal was only served in the evening.

How can this be? I asked, almost in tears. Everyone knows Thanksgiving dinner should be at like two in the afternoon so you can watch football and sleep on the living room floor in a food-stuffed coma!

A fellow patron, also bereft at the lack of turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes with gravy, told us about a place up the street serving a Thanksgiving buffet.

It was a total time warp. The hostess was eighty if she was a day, and greeted us wearing a long leather skirt and heavy makeup. The restaurant was filled with what looked like extras from a low budget movie about the mob.

The cocktails could take paint off a station wagon and the food was exactly what I wanted. As if we were sitting in a midwest church basement, except the cooks looked more like they might all be out on parole.

The “floor show” between the patrons and the staff was totally worth it. I felt like I’d fallen into a Landford Wilson play. I still have dreams about that meal. Surreal film clips of yam casserole and chain smoking octogenarians with a wiggle in their walk and tattooed men who can cook like my grandmother did.

Pandemic Birthday Day

Firenze

My birthday falls on a Saturday this year. Usually I would spend the day going to the bookstore to pick out a new book and have a coffee and a sweet at the cafe. I’d probably go over to Costco and buy myself new fuzzy pajamas.

There would be a dinner with my step-daughters, their partners, and my hubby. We’d likely go for Italian at Firenze in Bellevue (best Rigatoni All’ Amatriciana in the world). It would be lovely.

This year, I will likely buy a new book for my Kindle and bake myself a cake. I might hit the Starbucks drive through. Hubby and I will go to the farm and spend time with the horses. The weather report says we might get a break from the rain.

It will be a quiet day, which is how I like my life. I’ll miss not seeing my two step-daughters, my son-in-law, my oldest step-daughter’s boyfriend. I’ll miss that Mom can’t fly up to be with us as she has in the past.

I’ll miss not being able to fly down and see my dad, who couldn’t travel the last few years of his life because of the Parkinson’s. I’ll miss the family members no longer with us, the aunt, uncle, grandparents who have also shuffled off their mortal coils.

Pandemic Birthday Thankfulness

Wyatt

Rayna

But I have so much to be thankful for. First and foremost, my beautiful granddaughter Rayna. She was born in February and I got to hold her before the pandemic set in. I’m thankful for socially distanced visits and watching her grow over Zoom.

I’m thankful for Wyatt. The missing piece in our little family. We now have two dogs, two cats, and two horses. It makes our household feel complete.

I’m thankful that there are vaccines on the horizon, better cures, a chance to return to normalcy in 2021.

I’m thankful for my (knock on wood) continued health and the health of those closest to me.

I’m thankful for my Wednesday Morning Writing Workshop regulars, who give me something to focus on every week, I love their enthusiasm and joy in discussing writing.

Want to join us for my free Wednesday Morning Writing Workshops? Click the link here.

Pandemic Birthday Gratitude

But more than anything else, I’m grateful for another journey around the sun. The world is still a wonderful and remarkable place. The pandemic can’t take that from us. Nothing can. As long as we are breathing, there is hope for the future, beauty in the moment, and connection to others.

Wishing you all a peaceful day. We are all in this together.

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

The E-book for All We Buried is on sale for $1.99 through the end of November! E-books make great virtual stocking stuffers!

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post Pandemic Birthday: Suddenly Fifty-two appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Crazy Cat Lady Cozy: Cat Conundrum

Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mysteries. Purrrfectly delighted to introduce you all to Mollie Hunt and hand my blog over for a guest post on the dangers of cats and manuscripts!

Visit all the stops on Mollie’s Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour!

Rafflecopter Giveaway + Guest Post + Book & Author Info

To enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway, click the link here.

1 signed copy of Cat Conundrum, 1 Cat Print Scarf, and a Cat Coffee Cup filled with Chocolates

Cat Conundrum: Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mystery

Cat Conundrum (Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mysteries)

Cozy Mystery

7th in Series

Independently Published (October 29, 2020)

Number of Pages: 292

Digital ASIN: B08KSK1531

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A locked room. A dead man. The cat is the only witness, and he isn’t talking.

Locked-room murders are being committed in sleepy little Long Beach, Washington. As to the killer, Sheriff Matt Boulder has no idea who or why.

The sheriff needs help. He calls his friend, animal cop Denny Paris, and gets a surprise bonus: Lynley Cannon, amateur sleuth. This isn’t how the sixty-something cat shelter volunteer envisioned her beach vacation, but when Denny asks her to join him in the search, how can she refuse?

While the officers investigate one line of inquiry, Lynley takes a different approach. Her only clues, a cat found at the murder scene and a rich man’s missing wife, lead her thread by thread to a scheme more insidious than fiction.

But who will she tell when she turns out to be the one in the locked room?

To buy the book, click on the following link: Amazon

THE SCARY THING ABOUT CAT EDITORS by Mollie Hunt

Tinkerbelle is looking at me from her bed behind my monitor where she does her best editing. She knows what I’m thinking. She knows I don’t have a clue what I’m about to write, and she knows I’m going to fudge my way through in spite of that. Cats know these things, but…

How do they know?

I turn slightly and see Tink is not alone; Little is also watching. She wants to see what I do next. She looks exceedingly smug, knowing that if she doesn’t like it, she will drift her feathery fur across my touch screen and make it disappear in a fizzle of pixel-fire.

“No, Little, no! It can’t be that bad. Can it?”

The Cat Editors

There has been a lot of buzz on the internet lately about cat editors. You think we’re kidding? That the phrase, cat editor, is just a cute way of saying we like to work with a cat on our laps? Not true. Cats know a good story when they hear one, and since they are essentially telepathic, they often know a writer’s work before the writer does.

Tinkerbelle is purring as she pushes me for full disclosure. Okay, I admit my title is misleading: I don’t find cats scary; certainly not my own little clowder.

No, I’m not afraid of cats’ arsenal of arcane abilities. Bring them on, the more the better! The feline talent for reading my mind, and at times, influencing it, is a good thing—after all, what would a cat writer be without cats? The fact that my books revolve around cats doesn’t seem strange to me. When sometimes I find myself writing from their perspective, well, that’s not weird, is it? Someone needs to tell their stories.

When I have crazy cat lady dreams and wake up with a cat on my head, that’s just life with cats, right?

But sometimes when I close my eyes, I begin to purr…

Be afraid! Be furry afraid!

Note from author: Tinkerbelle, Little, and Big Red are reoccurring characters in my Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mystery Series. Along with several others, they make up the clowder of my hero, cat shelter volunteer Lynley Cannon. Cat Conundrum takes Lynley away from home, however, where she becomes entangled with some new cats, leaving her own cats’ involvement at a minimum. I let the trio help me pen this post so they wouldn’t feel bad about the omission. Tinkerbelle, Little, and Red will be back full force in the next of the series, Adventure Cat coming fall of 2021.

The Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mysteries: Books need not be read in order.

Cats’ Eyes (book #1)

Copy Cat (book #2)

Cat’s Paw (book #3)

Cat Call (book #4)

Cat Café (book #5)

Cosmic Cat (book #6)

Cat Noel (a Christmas novella)

Cat Conundrum (book #7)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

More about the Crazy Cat Lady, Mollie Hunt

Native Oregonian Mollie Hunt has always had an affinity for cats, so it was a short step for her to become a cat writer.

Mollie is the author of The Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mystery Series, featuring Lynley Cannon, a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip. The 3rd in the series, Cat’s Paw, was a finalist for the 2016 Mystery & Mayhem Book Award. The 5th, Cat Café won the World’s Best Cat Litter-ary Award in 2019. The 6th, Cosmic Cat, is the winner of the Cat Writers Association Muse Medallion Award for Best Cat Mystery 2019.

Mollie’s sci-fantasy, Cat Summer (Fire Star Press) also won a Muse Medallion, this time for Best Cat Sci-fi Fantasy. Cat Summer is the first in her Cat Seasons Tetralogy where cats save the world from an evil older than history—twice! Mollie published a stand-alone mystery, Placid River Runs Deep, which delves into murder, obsession, and the challenge of chronic illness in bucolic southwest Washington.

Two of her short cat stories have been published in anthologies. She has a little book of Cat Poems as well.

Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, Willamette Writers, the Cat Writers’ Association, and the Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like Lynley, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

To learn more about Mollie, click on her name, photo, or any of the following links: Blog, Amazon, Facebook, Elena Taylor.

For Kids During Covid: Celebrating the Seasons

For kids during Covid, celebrating takes on a very different meaning than it has in past years. As I have no experience with children with or without a pandemic raging around the globe, I thought I’d check in with someone who knows a little bit more about raising kids. Welcome Courtenay Schurman to my blog! Take it away, Courtenay!

Celebrating the Seasons with Children during COVID by Courtenay Schurman

When Elena invited me to be a guest blogger, I was both giddy and nervous. How can I advise others who are struggling far worse than I am, during post-election, pandemic times? Here are some things that we have tried with our teenaged daughter. Perhaps some of these will resonate with you.

Movement For Kids During Covid

As a personal trainer, I am a firm believer in the power of exercise to cope with stress. We live a twenty-minute walk from my daughter’s high school. I wanted to encourage her to keep that habit going so that if and when schools ever reopen (it will happen, the question is when), she would maintain the habit of walking two miles daily.

So, several days a week, we take our dog for a twenty-minute walk around the neighborhood before remote learning begins.

Not only does it give us a chance to discuss whatever might be bothering her, but it also keeps our brains sharp with some fresh outdoor air and exercise. I give her a pass if it’s pouring or if she’s left a homework assignment to the last minute.

If we get snow this year (we both adore snow) it will be tricky getting her back inside! One possible bonus to remote learning and snow: no snow closure days that have to be made up into summer.

Hiking, snowshoeing, biking, and urban walking are all great outdoor COVID-time ways to exercise for families. And if you can toss a frisbee or play badminton in your backyard, do so. We do!

Seasonal Joy For Kids During Covid

Seasons affect people in different ways, and this year may be particularly challenging, since family gatherings in most areas of the country will be limited to small numbers and outside whenever possible. But whether you are staying isolated or seeing a few people, there are still plenty of things you can do to celebrate the change of seasons.

In October, we got creative with our pumpkin carving and tried out some new ideas we’d seen on the internet.  If you have fruit trees in your yard, you could try baking a scrumptious pie. My daughter tried her hand at her first “apple pi pie” complete with a lattice top.

On a neighborhood walk, try collecting interesting leaves for a decorative collage or place mat. Take your phone and shoot your teen in funny poses in front of seasonal decorations or lights in your neighborhood.

And if you like watching migrating birds, try slathering pinecones with a bit of suet or peanut butter, roll them in fine birdseed, and hang the ornaments from branches in your yard.

For other ways to celebrate the seasons, click the link here.

 Expressing Gratitude With Kids During Covid

One of the daily rituals we share at dinner is saying at least one thing we’re grateful for. That can be as simple as “I’m grateful it’s the weekend” or as complicated as “I’m grateful to X for doing Y for me so that I felt Z.” We started this habit when our daughter was in single digits, and now it’s become a routine.

The gratitude shares have changed during COVID (we don’t leave the house nearly as often as before, so they feel smaller, somehow) but sharing that we’re grateful for some small chore (unloading the dishwasher without being asked) or a kindness one of us did for someone else in the household (finishing construction on the deck; buying Sumo Mandarins or roasted nuts for a delicious treat) keeps us gentle, patient, and respectful around one another even in our extended isolation.

Think Outside the Box With Kids During Covid

It’s easy for patience to wear thin. Family traditions may have to change because of forces beyond our control. But if we can put some energy into thinking of new ways to celebrate, we might surprise ourselves.

Instead of an extended gatherings for Thanksgiving, we plan to celebrate gluten-free with a sushi appetizer, roast duck, scalloped potatoes, and one of my daughter’s signature pies with one friend “within our bubble.”

A literary colleague of mine was planning on keeping her Zoom link open to family members to “drop by” while she listened to holiday music and decorated her home, kind of like hosting a virtual “open house.”

Not feeling particularly festive? How about turning on some peaceful, calming music?

Click the link here for suggestions.

Connections For Kids During Covid

Photo: Grace Parker

Teens need their friends. When my daughter turned sixteen in May, my husband and I found a few creative ways to celebrate with her.

We contacted one of her favorite teachers at school who agreed to host a birthday party on Zoom. Her French teacher held a crepe-making class. And, we lassoed my extended family together for a weekend Zoom.

While it was not the birthday we would have otherwise planned, she still got to connect with important people.

“It takes a village” may be cliché, but it’s really true. We are social creatures. We simply cannot get through these tough times in isolation.

Zoom might not be the same as face-to-face or as satisfying as a warm hug, but it’s better than nothing. And until things improve, why not try hugging a tree?

Learn how to hug a tree! Click the link here.

Coping with School / Grace Space For Kids During Covid

Finally, talk with your kids. What’s frustrating for them? What could you be doing better or differently?

When my daughter told me she was distracted by her parents walking in and out of the kitchen area where she has her computer, we agreed to do morning chores before, after, or between her Zoom classes, delaying the dishwasher, and minimizing foot traffic.

Since her educational experience is our top priority, we make do without a camera for some of our calls or move downstairs where we won’t disturb her. We offer to help with meals if she’s pressed with homework deadlines.

We also try to maintain one of her other favorite high school traditions, stopping by the library to work on the weekly jigsaw puzzle, by keeping one available on the kitchen counter if she needs a study break.

We all need to make sacrifices. But if we can focus on small wins and happy moments that we give each other every day, we’ll all make it through this unscathed.

So, hug a tree. Enjoy the beauty and bounty that Mother Nature shares with us every single day.

And as Elena pointed out in another blog, “This is not the new normal. This is only the new now.”

About Courtenay Schurman, MS, CSCS

Photo by Courtenay’s daughter

Courtenay writes novels for children and loves taking her dog, Ajax, on long hikes. She is co-author of The Outdoor Athlete and trains people at all levels to excel in mountain sports such as hiking and climbing.

She ran the Family Activities group for the Seattle Mountaineers for four years. To learn more about outdoor activities you can do with your children, click the link here.  She loves to answer training questions of all kinds at court@bodyresults.com.

 

 

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

The E-book for All We Buried is on sale for $1.99 through the end of November! E-books make great virtual stocking stuffers!

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post For Kids During Covid: Celebrating the Seasons appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Winter Witness by Tina deBellegarde

Tina deBellegarde launches Winter Witness: A Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery

Visit all the stops along her Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour!

Excerpt +Author & Book Info + Rafflecopter Giveaway!

To enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway, click the link here.

Two $20 Amazon Gift Cards

Winter Witness by Tina deBellegarde

Genre: Traditional Mystery

Published by: Level Best Books

Publication Date: September 29, 2020

Number of Pages: 282

ISBN: 978-1-947915-76-3

Series: Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery, #1

When a beloved nun is murdered in a sleepy Catskill Mountain town, a grieving young widow finds herself at the center of the turmoil.

Bianca St. Denis is searching for a job and seeking acceptance in her new home of Batavia-on-Hudson.

Agatha Miller, the nun’s closest friend and the ailing local historian everyone loves to hate, shares her painful personal history and long-buried village secrets with Bianca. Armed with this knowledge, Bianca unravels the mysteries surrounding the death while dealing with the suspicions of her eccentric neighbors.

However, Bianca’s meddling complicates the sheriff’s investigation as well as his marriage. Can Sheriff Mike Riley escape his painful past in a town where murder and infighting over a new casino vie for his attention?

Danger stalks Bianca as she gets closer to the truth. Can the sheriff solve the mystery before the killer strikes again? Can the town heal its wounds once the truth has been uncovered?

To buy the book, click on any of the following links: Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads | Oblong Books and Music

Excerpt of Winter Witness

CHAPTER ONE

Thursday, December 15

She could have been sleeping, were it not for the gaping gash in the back of her head and the bloody stone next to her limp body.

Sheriff Mike Riley stood alone on the shore of the near-frozen lake. At his feet, Sister Elaine Fisher lay face down, ice crystals forming around her body where it met the shoreline. The murmuring water of the nearby stream imparted a peacefulness at odds with the scene. In the waning winter light, he paused ankle deep in the snow illuminated by the beat of red strobe lights.

Murder seemed so extreme. The villagers would be baffled. Murder didn’t happen in sleepy Batavia-on-Hudson. An occasional stolen bicycle, some were paid off the books, but that was hardly worth mentioning. Lately, there had been a handful of amateur burglaries. Murder was another story altogether.

But there was no denying it. Elaine’s body was there before him, lifeless on a cushion of snow at the edge of the lake.

Sheriff Riley ran his chapped hands through his salt and pepper hair. A knowing person might have noticed that he used this motion to disguise a quick brush at his cheek, to eliminate the one tear that slipped through.

He feared this day, the day his lazy job would bring him face to face once again with the ugly underbelly he knew existed even in a quiet place like Batavia-on-Hudson. Mike Riley wasn’t afraid of death. He was afraid of the transformation a village like this was bound to go through after an act of murder.

He cried for Elaine; though he barely knew her. But also, he cried for the village that died with her that morning. A place where children still wandered freely. A village that didn’t lock doors, and trusted everyone, even the ones they gossiped about. Now, inevitably, the villagers would be guarded around each other, never quite sure anymore if someone could be trusted.

He thought he could already hear the locks snapping shut in cars and homes as word of the murder got out. Mothers yanking children indoors, hand-in-hand lovers escaping the once-romantic shadows of the wooded pathways, and old ladies turning into shut-ins instead of walking their dogs across the windy bluff.

Sheriff Riley steeled himself not just to confront the damaged body of the first murder victim of Batavia in over seventy years, but to confront the worried faces of mothers, the defeated faces of fathers and the vulnerable faces of the elderly.

He squatted in the slush, wincing as his bad knee rebelled, and laid his hands on Elaine’s rough canvas jacket, two-sizes too big—one of her thrift shop purchases, no doubt. As reverently as was possible in the muddy snow, Mike Riley turned over her body to examine the face of a changing village.

Sister Elaine had no one left, she had no known siblings and of course, no spouse or children. Only Agatha Miller, her childhood companion, could have been considered next of kin. How Elaine had tolerated her grumpy old friend was a mystery to everyone.

The sheriff knew that Elaine’s death would rock the community. Even a relative outsider like Mike understood that Elaine had been an anchor in Batavia. Her kindness had given the village heart, and her compassion had given it soul. No one would be prepared for this.

Mike knew from experience that preparation for death eases the grief. You start getting ready emotionally and psychologically. You make arrangements. You imagine your life without someone. But Mike also knew that when the time comes it still slaps you in the face, cold and bracing. And you realize you were only fooling yourself. Then somehow, in short order, work becomes demanding, bills need to be paid and something on the radio steals a chuckle right out of your throat. For a brief second you realize that there are moments of respite from your grief and perhaps someday those moments will expand and you may be able to experience joy once again.

But for now, Elaine’s death will be a shock. No one had prepared for her death, let alone her murder.

Tina deBellegarde

Tina deBellegarde lives in Catskill, New York, with her husband Denis and their cat Shelby.

Winter Witness is the first book in the Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery Series.

Tina also writes short stories and flash fiction. When she isn’t writing, she is helping Denis tend their beehives, harvest shiitake mushrooms, and cultivate their vegetable garden.

She travels to Japan regularly to visit her son, Alessandro. Tina did her graduate studies in history. She is a former exporter, paralegal, teacher, and library clerk.

To Learn more about Tina deBellegarde, click on her name, photo or any of the following links: Goodreads, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook


Visit all the stops along the Winter Witness tour!

11/02 Review @ Quiet Fury Books

11/03 Review @ Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!

11/04 Interview/showcase @ CMash Reads

11/05 Showcase @ The Pulp and Mystery Shelf

11/06 Review @ Buried Under Books

11/07 Review @ Jane Pettit Reviews

11/08 Review @ Miss W Book Reviews

11/09 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader

11/10 Review @ It’s All About the Book

11/11 Review @ Celticladys Reviews

11/12 Showcase @ Lisa-Queen of Random

11/13 Guest post @ Novels Alive

11/15 Showcase @ nanasbookreviews

11/16 Review/showcase @ Our Town Book Reviews

11/17 Guest post @ BooksChatter

11/18 Review/Showcase @ Novels N Latte

11/19 Interview @ Reading A Page Turner

11/19 Review @ On the Page Pa services

11/20 Review @ 5 Minutes for Books

11/22 Showcase @ EienCafe

11/23 Interview @ A Blue Million Books

11/24 Review @ Sunny island breezes

11/25 Showcase @ Nesies Place

11/27 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews

11/28 Review @ A Room Without Books is Empty

11/29 Review @ The World As I See It

11/30 Review @ Scrapping&Playing

01/27/21 Podcast w/Fran Lewis

01/27/21 Review @ Just Reviews

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post Winter Witness by Tina deBellegarde appeared first on Elena Taylor.