Karen Docter's Blog, page 216
April 7, 2016
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Meg Benjamin
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with MEG BENJAMIN!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, MEG BENJAMIN, and her favorite recipe for PEG BRACKEN’S OYSTER OLIVE DIP.
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LOVE IN THE MORNING
The Salt Box Trilogy, Book 2
BY MEG BENJAMIN
Blurb
Love in the Morning
Breakfast with benefits…
The Salt Box Trilogy, Book 2
The reality show Lovely Ladies of L.A. should have launched Lizzy Apodaca’s catering company into solvency. Instead, when her carefully prepared appetizers mysteriously gave the cast on-camera food poisoning, she lost everything.
To make matters worse, her car breaks down in Salt Box, Colorado, a town not much bigger than a salt shaker. But maybe her luck is changing—the handsome owner of Praeger House, the town’s premier hotel, needs a kitchen assistant.
Clark Denham realizes his diamond in the rough is a polished gem when Lizzy steps up to save the hotel’s breakfast buffet after his temperamental head chef quits. It isn’t long before she’s winning his heart as smoothly and efficiently as she runs his kitchen.
Their relationship goes from simmer to rolling boil with the speed of a short order cook. But when a bevy of not-so-lovely ladies shows up in Salt Box, Lizzy’s past disaster threatens to flatten her happily ever after faster than a falling soufflé.
Warning: Contains salty dialogue, several servings of high-carb cooking, and a big platter of screaming-hot bedroom delights.
LOVE IN THE MORNING
The Salt Box Trilogy, Book 2
BY MEG BENJAMIN
Excerpt
You could defuse this situation by moving away.
She stayed where she was.
He raised his hand to her cheek, running his fingertips lightly along the line of her cheekbone, leaving a trail of sparks behind.
Now. You should really move now. But still she stayed. She took a shuddering breath, staring up into those brown-green eyes, then licked her lips.
She heard his quick inhale, as if the lip licking had been some kind of signal. Maybe it had been.
And then he was leaning forward, stepping off the stool, one arm sliding around her waist, bringing her body up against his. She had time to feel the shape of his arousal against her belly, and then his lips touched hers and she lost track of whatever it was she’d been thinking about.
Heat blossomed inside her, feelings she hadn’t had for weeks, months if she was honest. The warmth spread through her body, her mouth opening beneath his, his tongue sliding along hers. Invitation, dangerous invitation. She had to fight the impulse to wrap her leg around his, to rub her calf against him. Instead she looped her arms around his neck, moving closer.
He angled his head again, taking the kiss deeper, his tongue rasping against hers now. She rubbed her hand along the back of his neck into his hair, tangling her fingers in the soft wisps, her fingertips dancing across his scalp, feeling the shape of his head.
He made a sound that was almost a growl, close enough that she suddenly felt nervous. Suppose he wanted more? Suppose she did? Was she really ready for this? Back off. For God’s sake, back off!
After another moment, he raised his head again, then leaned his forehead against hers. The whisper of his breath against her cheek sent another flash of heat rushing to her core. Powerful stuff, Lizzy. Way too powerful for you.
He leaned back again, looking down at her, his expression cautious. “Should I apologize?”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t that bad.”
For a moment he went on staring at her, until his teeth flashed in a grin. And then he was laughing, shaking his head. “Well, all right then. I wouldn’t want you to be disappointed.”
“Definitely.” She blew out a quick breath. “Definitely not disappointed.” She kept her gaze on his, waiting. Your move, boss.
After another moment, he touched his fingers to her cheek. She felt them tremble slightly. His lips moved up in a faint smile. “Good night, Lizzy. I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.”
Right. Good move. “You too,” she said gently, her smile echoing his.
He gave her another grin, then turned and headed back out the door toward his office.
Lizzy stayed where she was, watching the kitchen door swing closed behind him. And trying to convince herself that his leaving was really the best thing for both of them.
About Author Meg Benjamin… 
Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her Konigsburg series for Samhain Publishing is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Ramos Family Trilogy is set in San Antonio’s King William District. Her Salt Box trilogy takes place in her new home the Colorado Rockies. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers.
~~~
Links to Meg’s Website, Books, & Social Media:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qsHWAu
Meg’s Web site is http://www.MegBenjamin.com and her blog is http://megbenj1.wordpress.com/. You can follow her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/megbenjamin/), and Twitter (http://twitter.com/megbenj1). Meg loves to hear from readers—contact her at meg@megbenjamin.com.
To purchase Meg’s books, you can visit her author page at Samhain, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, or All Romance Ebooks.
I hope you enjoy the recipe Meg is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 253 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
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PEG BRACKEN’S OYSTER OLIVE DIP
[From I Hate to Cook Book by Peg Bracken]
Note from Meg: This recipe comes from a bestselling cookbook of the sixties, the I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken. It’s a lovely, decadent dip—definitely not for those counting calories or watching carbs. But it’s so, so good. I’d serve it with crackers or pita chips myself.
Ingredients:
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or sour cream)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 dash Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup chopped ripe olives
1 can (9 ounces) smoked oysters, drained and chopped
Preparation:
Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and hot sauce in a small bowl. Mix until well blended. Fold in olives and smoked oysters.
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Meg is giving away a copy of either Salt Box, Colorado ebook—Finding MR. RIGHT NOW or LOVE IN THE MORNING (Reader’s choice) to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog. Thank you, Meg, for sharing your story and favorite recipe with us.
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
April 6, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: The Match by Ann Dominguez
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
THE MATCH
A Medical Thriller
BY ANN DOMINGUEZ
Blurb
Medical student Kate Deming isn’t sure her marriage will survive till graduation. She hasn’t seen her husband or daughters in days, and her reclusive sister has stopped answering her calls. The turf war between the gangs and the mafia has made this Chicago’s deadliest winter on record, and every case that rolls into the emergency department is worse than the last. Kate recognizes the danger in her supervisor’s smile, but he’s so hot she may just take him up on it anyway.
When the CEO of the hospital dies in front of her, Kate reaches out to his widow. But the murdered man is not what he seemed, and Kate’s own sister is trapped in his web of lies. Will Kate be able to extricate her sister before the killer comes back to finish what he started?
THE MATCH
A Medical Thriller
BY ANN DOMINGUEZ
EXCERPT
To keep myself from watching him walk away, I dialed the number. The rush of heat under my skin had me sweating. At least Jack had left before that began. Too late, I realized I was calling a total stranger in the middle of the night. A total stranger who was probably on the rack with grief. Before I could hang up and pray she hadn’t heard the phone, someone answered.
“Frank?” she said, breathless.
Oh, no. She didn’t even know he was dead? “Um… no, this is Kate Deming—”
“Kate?”
Warning bells clanged in my head. In my stupor, I must have dialed wrong. I knew that voice. “Lara?”
“Damn you! How did you get this number?”
There had to be a mistake. I waited for my brain to catch up to my ears.
“Tell me! How did you get this number?”
“From Mary Oberholzer.”
“Shit.”
The line went dead.
“Lara? Lara?” I held the phone away from my head and glared as if I would be able to see her through it. The ED still hummed around me. Had I imagined the whole thing? I hit redial and waited until the phone rang, twice, three times.
“I’m here,” she said, “but I don’t think this phone is safe. Can you call me on my cell?”
“Of course, but I—”
“Call me back from a different phone!”
I looked around. The overnight clerk flirted with a paramedic, and Dr. Dennis headed into room three with one of the nurses. No one paid any attention to me while I scooted over to the next chair and self-consciously dialed Lara’s cell.
“Can you meet me?” she whispered.
“Where?”
Her breathing was shallow and raspy, as if she was holding back tears. “Not here…” Her voice trailed off again, and I waited.
When was the last time I had heard Lara upset? I remembered the days when she had been an emotional teenager, stuck in grief after our father had died, but that was more than ten years ago. Since college, Lara had been Uberwoman. I was the one in the middle of a midlife crisis.
She took a big breath and let it wheeze out, like an old woman with emphysema. “How about Pete’s?”
“Um, sure.” If you paid your way through grad school tending bar, you probably knew about the bars across town. “How did you—”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
I hadn’t seen Lara since Thanksgiving, which hadn’t gone particularly well, and she had been pale and thin. Now I was frightened for her. Was she really Oberholzer’s mistress? Did she know who killed him? And what if they were after her, too? Let her be okay, let her be okay,echoed in my head as I pedaled past the parked cars.
The wind made my ears sting and puffed my parka out like a plastic bag. The overcast sky glowed urban orange. Groups of students stumbled on the sidewalks here and there, laughing too loudly and trying to walk straight, but I felt the chill and thought of the feud between the Bloods and the Russian mafia. Shadows threatened between the cones of street light. I pedaled faster.
By the time I reached the bar, I had convinced myself it was all a big mistake. Mary Oberholzer was losing her marbles, and there was no relationship between Lara and Frank. I didn’t know how Mary got Lara’s number, but she was wrong about their affair. Lara was way too smart for that. Perhaps he had been her landlord, and she was worried someone was going to call for the rent. Would that be enough of a reason for her to sound so frightened on the phone? Surely Dan and I could come up with a month’s rent for Lara while she pulled her act together. We would straighten everything out.
People trickled in the door. A young woman came in alone. She was in her late twenties and was about seven or eight months pregnant. Her wool coat was open around her belly, and the toggle-buttons hung flaccid, like flags without wind. She was wearing an oversized Bears jersey and leggings. The bouncer actually greeted her, although he didn’t card her either, and he clearly expected more conversation than he got from her. Immediately, she was looking around for whomever she was meeting. I tried not to stare at her—mostly at her belly, which looked out of place in the bar—but it was a losing battle. Finally she saw me hiding by the pinball machine, and she made a beeline for me.
“Kate?” she hollered over the noise.
I did a triple take at her belly. She pulled a chair out a mile from the table and sat down. “Did you want a drink?” she asked, gesturing toward the bar.
“What happened to you?” Had she not come over to me, I wouldn’t have recognized her at all.
Lara’s mouth flattened into a line. She looked just like our mother. “I’m pregnant, all right? You should know the signs—crabby, big belly.”
Meet Author Ann Dominguez
… 
Ann is a writer, doctor, and mom of four. Her writing has appeared in JAMA and Medical Economics. She blogs at http://AnnDominguez.wordpress.com. When she’s not writing, parenting or doctoring, she enjoys reading and running. She hopes someday to finish a cup of tea before it gets cold.
~~~
Links to Ann’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Vncyyx
B&N:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-match-ann-dominguez/1122944723?ean=2940152463972
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/592042
Blog: http://AnnDominguez.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnDominguezBooks/
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Ann is giving away copies [kindle or nook copy (emailed gift certificate), pdf (via email), or if willing to wait 2 weeks for a paperback via mail, (US shipping only)] of THE MATCH to three lucky readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog. Thank you, Ann, for sharing your story with us.
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
April 5, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: The Semester Of Our Discontent by Cynthia Kuhn
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
THE SEMESTER OF OUR DISCONTENT
A Lila Maclean Mystery
BY CYNTHIA KUHN
Blurb
2015 William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant Winner
English professor Lila Maclean is thrilled about her new job at prestigious Stonedale University until she finds one of her colleagues dead. She soon learns that everyone, from the chancellor to the detective working the case, believes Lila—or someone she is protecting—may be responsible for the horrific event, so she assigns herself the task of identifying the killer.
More attacks on professors follow, the only connection a curious symbol found at each of the crime scenes. Putting her scholarly skills to the test, Lila gathers evidence, but her search is complicated by an unexpected nemesis, a suspicious investigator, and an ominous secret society. Rather than earning an “A” for effort, she receives a threat featuring the mysterious emblem and must act quickly to avoid failing her assignment…and becoming the next victim.
What Reviewers Are Saying…
“Kuhn earns a solid A+ with the best cozy debut I’ve read this year. An engaging heroine, a college setting that will have you aching to go back to school, and a puzzler of a mystery make this a must-read for cozy lovers.” — Laura DiSilverio, national best-selling author of the Readaholics Book Club mysteries and the Lefty-nominated Swift Investigations series
“The first sentence grabbed me, the ending surprised me and, in between, The Semester of Our Discontent was a box of delights. A pitch-perfect portrayal of academic life with a beguiling cast of anxious newbies, tweedy old troublemakers and scholars as sharp as they’re wise. Lila’s Stonedale is a world I’m thrilled to have found.” — Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author of the Dandy Gilver series and The Child Garden
“Murder is on the syllabus in The Semester of Our Discontent and college professor Lila Maclean gets an A+ for her detecting skills in this twisty mystery set at a Colorado university. With suspects and motives galore, solving the murder of department chair Roland Higgins won’t be easy, but Lila’s got brains and guts to spare. A great book…I can’t wait to see what author Cynthia Kuhn does next!” — Maggie Barbieri, author of the Murder 101 series and the Maeve Conlon mysteries
“Cynthia Kuhn takes readers on a mind-boggling safari into the wilds of academia where we encounter thundering pedants, rampaging sexists, slavering narcissists, run-amok egotists–and come to relish the few oases of sanity and kindness. Only an insider like Kuhn can reveal the savagery behind the mask of scholarship and collegiality with such acuity and grace.” — Lev Raphael, author of Assault with a Deadly Lie
“The Semester of Our Discontent takes the reader into higher education’s secrets and shadows, where the real lesson is for the new professor—how to stay alive. If you’re smart, you’ll read this book.” — Lori Rader-Day, Anthony Award-winning author of The Black Hour
THE SEMESTER OF OUR DISCONTENT
A Lila Maclean Mystery
BY CYNTHIA KUHN
Excerpt
Twenty minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, my assigned faculty mentor Judith Westerly popped her head into my office. In an impeccably tailored teal suit, her long white hair swept back in a complicated twist, she put me in mind of an Alfred Hitchcock heroine—cool, collected, and highly capable. She had been at Stonedale for almost thirty years and was an adept guide so far. I especially appreciated the fact that she seemed genuinely glad I was here.
We exchanged pleasantries, and she consulted her dainty gold watch. “Perhaps we should head to the faculty meeting? It’s a little early—we all try to avoid it until the last possible minute, of course—but that means we would have our choice of seats and could settle in before all the hubbub. I’ll show you the best vantage points.”
I followed her into the hallway, pulled the door shut behind me, and locked it.
“Truth be told, I’m not in a hurry to return to the departmental agenda,” said Judith as we walked. “At the last meeting of spring term, we spent two hours arguing over the font on our letterhead. Can you believe it? Then the deadlock over Arial and Helvetica went on for another week in an email battle.”
“Which font won?” I asked.
“That’s the whole point. It was tabled to be revisited this fall.” She smiled. “You may be the tiebreaker, Lila.”
“No thanks,” I said. The last thing I wanted to do was antagonize half of the department.
“Don’t worry. It will be a blind vote. We don’t want to put you in any uncomfortable situations.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“Not at first, anyway,” she added, with a wink.
We arrived at the arched entrance to the department library. The intricately carved wooden door swung open slowly when I pushed on it, though the hinges protested loudly.
At the sight of the lifeless form sprawled across the conference table, I shrieked and Judith gasped. One of the fiery dragons on Roland’s elegant tie had been slashed in half by the knife embedded in his chest.
Meet Author Cynthia Kuhn
… 
Cynthia Kuhn is professor of English at MSU Denver, where she teaches literature and writing. She also serves as president of Sisters in Crime-Colorado and blogs with Mysteristas. For more information, please visit cynthiakuhn.net
~~~
Links to Cynthia’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1RUquKS
Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/1V2QFC6
iTunes: apple.co/20bQ1G
Kobo: bit.ly/1Jfzvkb
Henery Press: henerypress.com
Website: cynthiakuhn.net
Twitter: @cynthiakuhn
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cynthiakuhnwriter
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/cynthiakuhn
Blog: mysteristas.wordpress.com
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Cynthia is giving away a Kindle ebook copy of THE SEMESTER OF OUR DISCONTENT to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench blogs. Thank you, Cynthia, for sharing your story with us.
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
April 4, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Saving The Soldier by Irene Vartanoff
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
SAVING THE SOLDIER
Selkirk Family Ranch, Book 2
BY IRENE VARTANOFF
Blurb
Investment banker Paula Barton harbors a secret love for JD Selkirk, brother of her best friend, but the wounded warrior refuses to leave the VA hospital and get on with his life. Then his brother threatens to sell the family ranch and Paula commits a rash act that puts JD in the middle of the crisis. Her daring tactic leaves her vulnerable to JD’s sudden campaign to charm her, an about-face she knows she shouldn’t trust.
JD wants to be left alone to brood over the haunting memories of the day an IED blew him up and ended his Army career. When Paula forces him to intervene in the ranch crisis, JD angrily decides to use his well-honed seduction skills on her. As the cocky player suddenly faces new physical challenges on the ranch, JD realizes he has more to reckon with than a romantic game.
SAVING THE SOLDIER
Selkirk Family Ranch, Book 2
BY IRENE VARTANOFF
EXCERPT
JD checked the snow from several windows. It looked to be over four inches in less than an hour. Unbelievable. In Cheyenne, they hardly had any rain, and they had no snow last year. Not that he spent much time looking out the hospital windows. People did that when they wanted to get out. When they had lives the weather impacted. He didn’t.
Paula walked down the stairs. Nice hip action. Her full breasts didn’t bounce. They moved gently. She wore a blue plaid long-sleeved western shirt and jeans, but on her they looked like a costume for a play.
“Bet you didn’t expect to be stuck here,” he said. He softened his words with a grin.
“Anytime I’m on the ranch, I’m stuck,” she said, with a half-smile.
“That’s right, you don’t like the isolation, I hear. You’re a city girl.”
Her expression became remote. “I see no particular virtue in being so far away from all other human beings.”
He rubbed his head. “After the constant noise of the hospital, it’s okay. Anyway, it makes your time with other people more intimate.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”
He moved in closer, crowding her. He put a finger on the top of her blouse, where one button was covering her breasts. Her eyes went wide. Her breath slowed. “We have to entertain ourselves. Find something to do.” He leaned in and lightly touched his lips to hers. “Like this, for instance,” he said.
She didn’t resist. She still stared at him like a rabbit eyeing a predatory beast. He put his right hand on her chin and tilted it at a better angle. The skin of her cheek was soft as a peach. Her lips were softer. He leaned in for another taste, this time delving deeper.
She made a sighing sound. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her thoroughly, plunging into her soft mouth, pressing her full breasts against his chest. One hand trailed down her soft backside, pulling her lower body against him.
The kissing continued, until he felt a bump on his leg. He looked down. The dog had butted him.
He started laughing. “Somebody’s a critic.” He drew back, still holding the womanly armful that was Paula, enjoying her softness against him.
She looked…blindsided.
He released her. “We’ll do more of this later,” he said, with his signature cheeky grin. “Hold my place.”
He whistled as he walked away.
Meet Author Irene Vartanoff
… 
Award-winning author Irene Vartanoff combined her love of comic books and romances by working for Marvel Comics and DC Comics as well as Harlequin, Bantam, Berkley, and My RomanceStory.com. Following an editorial career in romance publishing, Irene turned to writing novels. Her first was a superhero adventure novel, Temporary Superheroine, quickly followed by a sequel, Crisis at Comicon. A third superhero adventure for Chloe is on its way. The Selkirk Family Ranch series of sweet contemporary romances starts with Captive of the Cattle Baron, followed by Saving the Soldier. Tess’s story is in the works. Irene’s women’s fiction novels to date are Summer in the City and A Daughter’s a Daughter, with more soon to be published. A lifelong East Coast resident, Irene currently lives in a forest of tall oaks in the wilds of West Virginia.
~~~
Links to Irene’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1W3eKf4
Website:
http://www.irenevartanoff.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/irenevartanoffauthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/irenevartanoff
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7965076.Irene_Vartanoff
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/irenevartanoff/irene-vartanoff-author/
Or check out Irene’s Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.com/Irene-Vartanoff/e/B00UF19WYY
~~~
Thank you, Irene, for sharing your story with us.
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
April 3, 2016
**Author Peek** Interview with Cynthia Kuhn
**Author Peek** Interview with Cynthia Kuhn
~~
INTRODUCING….Cynthia.
Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full-time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.
Thanks for having me, Karen! I’m originally from upstate New York but now live in the Rocky Mountains. When I’m not teaching college English or writing, I’m usually at a sporting event of some kind, cheering on my sons. My preferred decor includes books.
1. What genre(s) do you write and why?
Academic mystery/amateur sleuth: I have been addicted to amateur sleuth mysteries in general since reading my first Trixie Belden when I was young and to academic mysteries in particular since discovering them during grad school.
2. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?
A photographic memory! No matter how many times I have read a text already, I have to re-read it just before teaching in order to have it fresh in mind for discussion, and that’s very time consuming. I would like to be able to read something once, then access it fully whenever necessary. Would definitely free up some hours in the day!
3. Do you ever get stuck when you’re writing a book? What do you do to get “unstuck”?
I do get stuck, though if I keep writing, I eventually become unstuck. Sometimes I’ll go write something else altogether and come back to the book. But continuing to write is key, at least for me.
4. What is your least favorite part of writing?
The last stages of editing, where I’ve read the manuscript so many times that it’s hard to see anything anew.
5. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?
I would take you OUT for dinner! You would be much happier with the food.
6. What is your typical day like?
It’s always a race. Get kids up, ready for, and delivered to schools, then insert any combination of teaching, grading, prepping class, advising, attending meetings, reading, writing, researching, doing committee work, etc. until the kids come home from school. Then it’s practice, games, concerts, homework, or basically whatever else is on the agenda.
7. What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
Honestly, it’s all equally difficult. But in a joyful way.
8. How likely are the people you meet going to end up in your next book?
Unlikely. The characters have their own backgrounds, qualities, and mannerisms. (However, you know the saying about not making writers mad or they’ll put you in their books? There must be a reason people say that. I haven’t been compelled so far, but I guess we’ll see…)
9. Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.
Lila Maclean is a new professor who stands up for things she believes in, but her determination to correct injustices can get her in trouble.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published? Please provide links to your website, blog, books, etc.
The Semester of Our Discontent (Lila Maclean Mystery #1) will be available April 5, 2016 from Henery Press.
English professor Lila Maclean is thrilled about her new job at prestigious Stonedale University until she finds one of her colleagues dead. She soon learns that everyone, from the chancellor to the detective working the case, believes Lila—or someone she is protecting—may be responsible for the horrific event, so she assigns herself the task of identifying the killer.
More attacks on professors follow, the only connection a curious symbol found at each of the crime scenes. Putting her scholarly skills to the test, Lila gathers evidence, but her search is complicated by an unexpected nemesis, a suspicious investigator, and an ominous secret society. Rather than earning an “A” for effort, she receives a threat featuring the mysterious emblem and must act quickly to avoid failing her assignment…and becoming the next victim.
~~~~~
Be sure to come back to read more about Cynthia and her novel, THE SEMESTER OF OUR DISCONTENT, A Lila Maclean Mystery, Book 1, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
~~~
Links to Cynthia’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1RUquKS
Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/1V2QFC6
iTunes: apple.co/20bQ1G
Kobo: bit.ly/1Jfzvkb
Henery Press: henerypress.com
Website: cynthiakuhn.net
Twitter: @cynthiakuhn
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cynthiakuhnwriter
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/cynthiakuhn
Blog: mysteristas.wordpress.com
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Cynthia is giving away a Kindle ebook copy of THE SEMESTER OF OUR DISCONTENT to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench blogs. Thank you, Cynthia, for sharing your story with us.
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
April 1, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Ten Days In August by Kate McMurray
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
TEN DAYS IN AUGUST
BY KATE McMURRAY
Blurb
From the Lower East Side to uptown Manhattan, a curious detective searches for clues on the sidewalks of New York—and finds a secret world of forbidden love that’s too hot to handle…
New York City, 1896. As the temperatures rise, so does the crime rate. At the peak of this sizzling heat wave, police inspector Hank Brandt is called to investigate the scandalous murder of a male prostitute. His colleagues think he should drop the case, but Hank’s interest is piqued, especially when he meets the intriguing key witness: a beautiful female impersonator named Nicholas Sharp.
As a nightclub performer living on the fringes of society, Nicky is reluctant to place his trust in a cop—even one as handsome as Hank. With Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt cracking down on vice in the city, Nicky’s afraid that getting involved could end his career. But when he realizes his life is in danger—and Hank is his strongest ally—the two men hit the streets together to solve the crime. From the tawdry tenements of the Lower East Side to the moneyed mansions of Fifth Avenue, Nicky and Hank are determined to uncover the truth. But when things start heating up between them, it’s not just their lives on the line. It’s their love…
TEN DAYS IN AUGUST
BY KATE McMURRAY
Excerpt
A dead horse sat like a mound in the middle of East Fourth Street. Flies buzzed about its heavy body and the scent of flesh rotting permeated the air. Hank hurried past it, though it was the third such horse he’d seen since he’d left the precinct house. The smell was so putrid that if he saw one more dead animal in the middle of the street, he might vomit. As it was, he barely held on to his dignity in this heat.
Heat and death were everywhere. That was all this miserable week had brought him. The hospitals had been swarmed with people flagging under the relentless, inescapable dread of August, and the morgues could not keep up with the demand.
The heat would break, but the toll on the city once the dust cleared was unimaginable. Commissioner Roosevelt had compared it to a cholera outbreak in a meeting the day before.
Hank couldn’t identify the sudden swooshing sound behind him, but then he realized someone had turned a hose on First Avenue.
This had been going on for four straight days. How many more could they really take?
A few minutes later, Hank arrived at a nondescript building. The front door was wide open, as were all of the windows. Curtains from the third floor billowed out of the building as a gentle breeze moved through, but the breeze wasn’t enough to do much more than furnish the citizens of New York with the memories of cooler days.
Hank pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and mopped some of the sweat off the back of his neck and his mustache. Trying to look presentable was likely a futile enterprise, but he wanted to try. He then climbed the stairs to the fourth floor, his lungs burning as he did so. He had to pause at the top of the stairs to mop his face again and catch his breath.
He would have jumped into the East River right then if it weren’t so far away.
Huffing a bit, Hank walked across the hall and knocked on the door to apartment 4F.
It took a moment, but eventually Nicky opened the door.
“Hello, Inspector,” Nicky said, leaning on the doorframe.
He was beautiful. His hair was disheveled instead of carefully combed, which had the effect of making him look a little wild. He wore no makeup now, no affectation. He was tall and thin with pouty lips and sparkling blue eyes. If Hank had ever seen a more beautiful man, he could not remember the occasion.
“And here you are, just as promised,” Nicky said.
It took Hank an embarrassingly long moment to speak. He was dumbstruck, speechless in the wake of Nicky’s beauty. But he swallowed and said, “I need some more information.”
Meet Author Kate McMurry …
Kate McMurray is an award-winning author romance author and an unabashed romance fan. When she’s not writing, she works as a nonfiction editor, dabbles in various crafts, and is maybe a tiny bit obsessed with baseball. She is currently president of the New York City chapter of Romance Writers of America. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
~~~
Links to Kate’s website, blog, books, etc.
Kensington: http://bit.ly/1ParSam
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Ruy96G
Google: http://bit.ly/1Rju0US
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pJy1Wp
Apple iBooks: http://apple.co/252HUz0
Website: http://www.katemcmurray.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katemcmurraywriter
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/katemcmwriter
Tumblr: http://rainbowleague.tumblr.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/katem1738/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3378512.Kate_McMurray
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Flickers by Kathryn Jordan
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
FLICKERS
BY KATHRYN JORDAN
Blurb
Set in the dynamic years leading up to the Roaring Twenties, Flickers turns its lens on California’s glamorous silent film era, as Victorian civilities are swept away by a bold new century . . .
Violet Winters is the daughter of one of California’s wealthy robber barons. Jack Sutter is the gardener’s son. In their youth, the two were inseparable. But in 1913 everything is changing, and despite their feelings for each other, adulthood has come between them. Their vastly different social positions leads Violet to marry the aloof but socially perfect Maury Rediston. Jack vows to win Violet back while carving out a new life for himself in the burgeoning motion picture industry. Tip Rediston, Violet’s brother-in-law, also gets drawn into the bohemian world of the flickers. As handsome as he is troubled, Tip starts his climb to stardom despite his family’s disapproval. But as social changes, political upheaval, and war change the world around them, Violet, Jack, and Tip learn that things are never as easy as they seem on the silver screen. . .
FLICKERS
BY KATHRYN JORDAN
Excerpt
When we write historical fiction, we sometimes fall into the trap of wanting our heroines to have modern attitudes and modern feelings about the social problems of the past, such as slavery or the treatment of the “lower classes.” Certainly there were women who rebelled against the common contempt for people “who just aren’t like us”, but as fictional characters, they have to have some kind of motivation for their change in attitude. FLICKERS takes place early in the Twentieth Century, when even in the United States rich people assumed that they deserved servants who “knew their place.”
Violet Winters Rediston, the heroine of the story, has good reasons for feeling differently about the matter. On a sunny afternoon, she and her best friend, Carrie, are sitting out on the terrace of Violet’s California home. Carrie is planning on having a second child, she tells Violet, so her daughter won’t be an only child like Violet was.
“Considering how I turned out,” Violet said. “that’s probably wise.”
Carrie toasted her with her glass of lemonade, and Violet laughed.
“I suppose,” Carrie said, “that’s why you made friends with the servants and their children. You must have been lonely out here.”
“Servants’ children?”
“Your old butler, Mueller, clucked over you like a mother hen, and his daughter did, too. Do you remember her? One of your nannies.”
“One of the many, yes. Talk about your thankless task! They could never please Mama for long.”
“And then once you got your own maid, you were more like friends than a servant and employer.”
Violet felt like snapping at her. Carrie apparently saw her annoyance in her expression.
“I’m sorry,” Carrie said. “That was just awfully snobby of me.”
“Well, yes, it was! But you do have a point. Yes, I was lonely. Sometimes you were the only friend I saw in a week, aside from Jack and the people who worked here.”
“I keep thinking about what your aunt told you about your mother not wanting you to go away to school. Maybe if you had –”
“I’d be a better little matron, you mean? I’d be able to keep the servants in their places?”
“No! Vi, I’m sorry. I keep saying all the wrong things.”
“No, you keep saying all the right things. The things we’re expected to say and think.” Violet caught herself and forced out a smile. “I’m sorry, too. My mood, these days!” She took a deep breath. “What were you going to say? About maybe if I’d gone to college.”
“Only that you might have met and married a man like my Hugh instead of one like your Maury.”
“All right. I do see what you mean. You know, I think I agreed to marry Maury because I was lonely. And of course, the family all liked him . . .”
Meet Author Kathryn Jordan
… 
Kathryn Jordan lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two cats, and a vagrant skunk. Although she spent her childhood in a Great Lakes industrial city, she became a confirmed Californian at age nine, when her family relocated to Santa Barbara, the “Santa Luisa” of the novel. All it took was one winter without five feet of snow turning into black urban slush to convince her that the move had been worthwhile. FLICKERS, her first historical novel, is a new departure for her career. Under the name of Katharine Kerr, she’s also the author of the Nola O’Grady series of light-hearted urban fantasy novels.
~~~
Links to Kathryn’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1UQNRdw
B&N:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flickers-katheryn-jordan/1122252686
Google:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kathryn_Jordan_Flickers
Kobo:
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/flickers-2
Book Depository:
http://www.bookdepository.com/Flickers-Kathryn-Jordan/9781601834997
Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flickers-Kathryn-Jordan-ebook/dp/B010ZZY172
Website: http://deverry.com
Twitter: @kit_kerr
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Kathryn-Flickers-Jordan-663343223805412/
https://www.facebook.com/Katharine-Kerr-173151512741221/
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
March 31, 2016
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Libby Fischer Hellmann
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN, and her favorite recipe for LIBBY’S “OUT OF THIS WORLD” BRISKET RECIPE.
~~~
JUMP CUT
An Ellie Foreman Mystery, Book 5
BY LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN
Blurb
A New Crime Thriller from Award-Winning Author Libby Fischer Hellmann
Chicago video producer, Ellie Foreman, has been absent from thriller author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s repertoire for almost a decade. Now she’s back…and soon entangled in a web of espionage, murder and suspicion that threatens to destroy what she holds most dear.
Hired to produce a candyfloss profile of Chicago-based aviation giant, Delcroft, Ellie is dismayed when company VP Charlotte Hollander, the architect of a new anti-drone system for Delcroft, trashes the production and cancels the project. Ellie believes Hollander was spooked by shots of a specific man in the video footage. But when Ellie arranges to meet the man to find out why, he’s killed by a subway train before they can talk. In the confusion, she finds a seemingly abandoned pack of cigarettes with a flash drive inside that belonged to the now dead man.
Ellie has the drive’s contents decrypted, but before long she discovers she’s under surveillance. Suspecting Delcroft and the ambitious Hollander are behind it, she’s unconvinced when Hollander tells her the dead man was a Chinese spy. Ellie and her boyfriend Luke try to find answers, but they don’t realize how far they’ve gone into the dangerous echelons of hidden power where more lives are on the line, including their own.
JUMP CUT is award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s twelfth novel and fifth in the award-winning Ellie Foreman mystery series.
Praise for JUMP CUT
“After a long hiatus, Hellmann returns to her Chicago-based sleuth with a chilling tale that may be all too close to the truth.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Exceptional… As Hellman’s convincing, conflicted characters face impossible choices, the tension is real and memorable.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Hellmann’s writing sparkles…plenty of suspense in this richly detailed thriller, but Hellmann’s characteristic wit and warmth are evident, too.” —Booklist
“From spies to drones and hackers, Jump Cut is a heart-stopping tale of corporate espionage that will have you snapping on your seatbelt. The tangled web of international intrigue is riveting. Hellman is a renowned master of suspense, and her great talent shows in the story’s many rich characters, the beautifully honed paragraphs, and the sweep of her provocative story. A keeper!”– Gayle Lynds, New York Times best-selling author of The Assassins
JUMP CUT
An Ellie Foreman Mystery, Book 5
BY LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN
Excerpt
Chapter Two
Monday
Before my gangstah-rap neighbor emptied his AK-47 into his buddy, the most exciting thing to happen in our village was the opening of a new grocery store. The store hired a pianist who played Beatles tunes, no doubt to persuade shoppers to part with their money more easily. My neighbor, rapper King Bling, was helping his fans part with their money too, but the shooting ended all that. Once he made bail, he moved and hasn’t been heard from since.
And so it goes in my little corner of the North Shore, about twenty miles from downtown Chicago. There are benefits. The King, as he’s known to his disciples, gave our cops something to do besides ticket speeders. And the new grocery store gave me the chance to buy prepared dinners so I could dispense with cooking.
Both of which come in handy when I’m producing a video, as was the case now. We didn’t finish the shoot until seven. I raced up the expressway toward home, dropped into the store, and was eyeballing a turkey pot roast—the only one left—when my cell trilled. I fished it out of my bag.
“Mom, where did you get the shoes?” I heard chatter and giggles in the background.
“What shoes, Rachel?”
“The ones you gave Jackie.” My daughter, Rachel, had successfully, if unbelievably, graduated from college and lived in an apartment in Wrigleyville. Jackie was her roommate. “Everybody thinks they’re awesome.”
I smiled. I’d bought a pair of shoes online a few weeks earlier. They looked like gray sneakers on a raised three-inch platform. They were adorable, just my style. When I tried them on, however, they were so steeply pitched I knew my middle-aged body would break one of my middle-aged legs in minutes. I’d sighed and given them to Rachel’s roommate, who is decades younger but wears my size. “I don’t remember. Online someplace.” I eyed the pot roast and closed in.
“Did you have a Groupon?”
I wracked my brain. “I think I did. How did you know?”
“You never buy retail. Okay, bye. Oh, wait, Q wants us to take you to dinner.”
Q, short for Quentin, is Rachel’s boyfriend, and he’s lasted longer than her usual flavor-of-the-month guy. They’d been “just friends” in high school but five years later discovered the other person was “pretty cool,” as Rachel put it. Apparently it was more serious than I thought, if he was suggesting a meet-up with Mom. That, or else he had perfected the suck-up-to-the-parents routine.
“What a lovely thought,” I replied, still eyeing the turkey pot roast, which smelled delicious even from a distance. Unfortunately, another shopper, a man with bushy eyebrows, narrow eyes, and one of those small baskets over his arm, was homing in on it too. I had to move fast.
“Let’s talk about it later. I’m getting dinner…ready.”
“Oh, Mom, I know you’re in the grocery store. I can hear the music.”
Busted.
The man with the basket caught me staring at the pot roast. His gaze wandered from me to the food. Back to me. I gave him a steely look. He turned back to the pot roast, shrugged in disdain, and picked up a slab of ribs instead.
I scooped up my dinner. It’s the little victories that count.
Chapter Three
Monday–Tuesday
Back home after dinner, I called my father, who was cranky. Then Luke, my boyfriend, who wasn’t. After that I called Susan, my closest friend. My daily check-ins complete, I climbed into bed and was soon immersed in a novel about time travel when my cell chirped. A text from Mac, my director and cameraman.
“Call at 6 a.m. Have to light the whole booth.”
I sighed and wondered for the umpteenth time if I was getting too old for early morning shoots. We were producing a video for Delcroft Aviation, one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world, with huge civilian and military contracts. Headquartered in the Loop, they’d been around for years but had recently updated their corporate communications strategy. Now they wanted to appear “engaged with and interested in” their publics. In the age of Facebook, Twitter, and about a hundred other social media networks, I wondered how much a consultant had been paid to come up with such an obvious strategy. I didn’t mind too much, though; the consultant recommended a video about the company, and Delcroft asked me for an RFP. We would feature only Delcroft’s consumer aviation side. We were to have nothing to do with their military aircraft, bombers, and drones, which probably accounted for a hefty chunk, if not most, of the corporation’s profits.
The video I proposed would be released in “chapters,” like a book. A new “chapter” would appear on their website, Facebook, and YouTube once a week over several months. Delcroft would also sponsor a contest in which regular folks could win tickets to the destination of their choice, no strings attached.
Delcroft liked the idea, and we were now shooting one of our final setups, an aviation trade show at McCormick Place, where Delcroft was a major exhibitor.
Mac, prudent as always, was on top of everything.
“I’ll bring coffee,” I texted back.
***
The sun winked off the frozen surface of Lake Michigan the next morning as I drove south to McCormick Place. During one of the most brutal Chicago winters in decades, the smudge of purple clouds tinged with pink and gold hinted that the fury of winter might—just might—have peaked. I parked in the overpriced lot, bought half a dozen cups of overpriced coffee, and carried them into the massive exhibit hall.
The crew was setting up lights and shades, and Mac was behind the camera framing shots. MacArthur J. Kendall III owns a production studio in Northbrook. He started out shooting sweet sixteens, bar mitzvahs, and weddings, but parlayed that into corporate videos. We’ve worked together for nearly twenty years, from the days of two-inch video, to one-inch, three-quarter, and now digital.
Mac’s name, salt-and-pepper hair, button-down shirts, and penny loafers scream WASP, but the nasty scar running down his left cheek saves him from total Episcopalian infamy. He tells people he was attacked by a Mexican drug lord and made me swear never to reveal it was from a car accident.
I went up to him. “What do you need me to do?”
“You have the shot list?”
I nodded and pulled it out of the canvas bag that doubles as my purse. We went over it. He gestured to the main area of the Delcroft booth, which featured a large projection screen with the company logo on both sides, and about twenty chairs arranged theater-style.
“What time’s the first presentation?”
Teresa Basso Gold, our client contact, had told us to be prepared for a series of short remarks by Delcroft executives touting the company’s latest innovations.
I checked my watch. Barely six thirty. “The doors don’t open until nine, and Teresa said not to expect anyone until ten. But you can get some establishing shots, if you want.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Mac said and strolled over to confer with the crew.
Chapter Four
Tuesday
The shoot went smoothly, but there were lots of talking heads, and not many cutaways or B-roll. A lot of video folks don’t mind. In fact, jump cuts of people talking, with no cover footage or transitions linking their remarks, are common in our “instant video” society. But I guess I’m a purist.
We did have plenty of video from the manufacturing facilities we’d been to, as well as interiors of the new planes they’d just introduced. Teresa had already sent me some file footage that would help us show the history of the company. Now I suggested she let us fly on one of their new planes to the Bahamas for B-roll; the light would be so much better. After all, it was February in Chicago. She rolled her eyes.
“Well…” I backed off. “There’s always Miami…”
She laughed.
I sighed.
A man eyed us as he brushed by and smiled, as if we’d all just shared a joke. He sat in one of the chairs, presumably waiting for the next speaker. He was probably somewhere in his thirties, with piercing eyes, longish black hair, and a slender build. He seemed to be part Asian, part Caucasian, and he reminded me of Keanu Reeves in a pinstriped suit.
Teresa and I exchanged glances. She smiled. “Nice.”
I checked her left hand. No wedding ring.
“He’s all yours,” I said. “I’m off the market.”
“Can’t do it,” she said. “You know what they say about where you eat…”
I shrugged. “Pity.” The guy was sexy in an understated but undeniable way.
“You said it.”
I liked Teresa.
***
Producing, when you have a great director like Mac, is easy. I didn’t have much to worry about except the script and how we’d edit the footage in post. I drifted around the booth, studying the models of wide-bodied jets. They were three feet in diameter and remarkably accurate, down to the upholstery on the tiny seats. I decided to ask for one of the models once the trade show was over. My boyfriend, Luke, is a pilot. He’d love it. I could picture it on the mantel above the fireplace in his office. Although maybe it should be suspended from the ceiling. I was mulling it over when I was interrupted by Keanu Reeves.
“Pardon me.” He smiled politely. “I couldn’t help noticing…” He motioned to the crew. “Are you with them?”
I nodded.
“What are you filming?”
“It’s a promotional video for Delcroft,” I said.
“Promotional?” He tilted his head as if he didn’t know what that meant.
Now that we were standing together, I saw that his eyes weren’t dark like his hair. In fact, they were sea blue and fringed with dark lashes. Striking.
“We’re showing the softer side of Delcroft,” I said, stealing the old Sears ad line.
His expression remained blank. He didn’t get it. I cleared my throat and stuck out my hand. “Ellie Foreman.”
He looked me over. I have long, wavy black hair, which, thanks to my hairdresser, will never contain a strand of gray, and blue-gray eyes, and I can still fit into a size eight, although they keep liberally interpreting the measurements. Still, it didn’t appear he was interested in my feminine attributes, which was what I’d figured when he approached.
We shook hands. “I’m Gregory Parks,” he said. “Do you work for Delcroft?”
“No. I’m a freelance producer. Delcroft hired me to make this video. Actually, a series of videos,” I added.
“Oh.” He didn’t seem to know what to make of that.
“I used to be in broadcast news.” I still feel compelled to tell people that. As if to assure them that while I might be a flak now, I was once a respectable member of the fourth estate. Then again, given the deplorable state of TV news today, it might not have been such a wise decision.
His brow furrowed into a puzzled expression, which was cut short by the trill of his cell. He picked up, and a tender look came over him. He spoke softly in what sounded like Chinese, smiled, then disconnected and pocketed the cell.
His smile brightened, his eyebrows arched, and he looked more interested. I wondered if he’d been talking to a woman. Maybe his girlfriend or wife. I looked for a ring but didn’t see one.
Suddenly he was all business again. “What division of Delcroft is making this—this video?”
“Public information.” I wondered why he was asking. “What about you?” I asked
“I’m a—a consultant.”
The consummate corporate catchall. It could mean anything from janitor to CEO. “That covers a lot of territory.”
“My company sent me to research new developments in aviation.”
“Oh. What company is that?”
“You wouldn’t know it.” He smiled, reached inside his jacket pocket, and pulled out a crush-proof box of Marlboros. I’d know the red-and-white logo anywhere. When I smoked, Marlboro was my brand, and the packaging hasn’t changed.
I frowned. “Those things can kill you, you know.” One of the things I’m most proud of is that I quit twenty years ago.
He colored and reached back into his jacket. “Sorry. I meant to give you this.” He withdrew a business card, handed it to me, and put the cigarette box back into his pocket. I dug into my bag and gave him one of mine in return.
I took a look at the card. Just his name, an email, and a phone number.
“And the company?” I asked again.
His color deepened. “Actually—uh—I’m doing some work with Delcroft.”
“Really.”
He nodded.
“Well, in that case, don’t let me keep you. Nice meeting you, Gregory.” I dropped his card into my bag and turned away. He’d been pumping me. Checking me out. But he clearly didn’t appreciate being pumped in return.
When we broke for lunch at a McCormick Place restaurant, I spotted Gregory again across the room. He waved as if we were best friends. I waved back.
“Who’s that?” Mac asked between bites of a supersized twelve-inch hot dog.
“I’m really not sure. At first I thought he was trying to pick me up.” I shrugged. “But he wasn’t. He was pumping me about Delcroft. But then he said he worked with them.”
Mac raised his eyebrows.
“Weird dude.” I shrugged.
The rest of the day was a blur of presentations, close-ups of the model planes, and cutaways. By the time we were finished, it was after six.
“Shall I upload the footage to you?” Mac asked.
Now that everything’s digital, I no longer need to spend long hours in a dark room hunched over a machine with an editor. I can screen and tag shots on my desktop, then email Mac what I want. Still, I miss the intimacy of the editing room. That’s where the magic happens, and if you’re lucky enough to have an editor like Hank Chenowsky, who works for Mac, it doesn’t feel like work, even when I walk out of a darkened room hours later like a cranky owl blinking in the sunshine.
“You know what? I think I’ll come over tomorrow morning and screen it with Hank. Let him know, okay?”
“Good deal,” Mac said. “Bring doughnuts.”
About Author Libby Fischer Hellmann… 
Libby Fischer Hellmann left a career in broadcast news in Washington, DC and moved to Chicago 35 years ago, where she, naturally, began to write gritty crime fiction. Twelve novels and twenty short stories later, she claims they’ll take her out of the Windy City feet first. She has been nominated for many awards in the mystery and crime writing community and has even won a few.
With the addition of Jump Cut in 2016, her novels include the now five-volume Ellie Foreman series, which she describes as a cross between “Desperate Housewives” and “24;” the hard-boiled 4-volume Georgia Davis PI series, and three stand-alone historical thrillers that Libby calls her “Revolution Trilogy.” Last fall The Incidental Spy, a historical novella set during the early years of the Manhattan Project at the U of Chicago was released. Her short stories have been published in a dozen anthologies, the Saturday Evening Post, and Ed Gorman’s “25 Criminally Good Short Stories” collection. In 2005 Libby was the national president of Sisters In Crime, a 3500 member organization dedicated to the advancement of female crime fiction authors.
* She has been a finalist twice for the Anthony, twice for Foreword Magazines Book of the Year, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Daphne and has won the Lovey multiple times.
~~~
Links to Libby’s Website, Books, & Social Media:
Website: http://libbyhellmann.com
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Libby-Fischer-Hellmann/e/B001HMMDZU/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1M0MCXX
itunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/jump-cut/id1063805362?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
IndieBound:
http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781464205194
I hope you enjoy the recipe Libby is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 252 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LIBBY’S “OUT OF THIS WORLD”
BRISKET RECIPE
And to thank you for this opportunity, I’d love to share my favorite never-fail, delicious, mouth-watering, out of this world brisket recipe.
I would put “secret” in the description but the recipe appears in JUMP CUT, which you’ll soon find out.
Here’s the link to Libby’s “Out of this World” Brisket Recipe: http://www.libbyhellmann.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/LibbyBrisket1.pdf
♥ Libby
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Libby is giving away one eBook or print copy of JUMP CUT to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog. Thank you, Libby, for sharing your story and recipe with us.
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
March 30, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: How To Please A Lady by Jane Goodger
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
HOW TO PLEAE A LADY
Lost Heiresses
BY JANE GOODGER
Blurb
Run though they might, love will find them…
Lady Rose Dunford is shocked–and titillated–by the number of female visitors coming and going from her mysterious new neighbor’s Manhattan brownstone. Recently widowed by the death of her very sweet, but not very exciting husband, Rose finds it difficult to imagine just what the attraction could be.
And then she meets the bachelor in question. Not only is Charlie Avery dashing and outrageously good looking–she knows him! He is none other than the man who once helped her escape the dreary matchmaking plans of her father, the man she once dreamed she could love. Can Charlie’s presence next door be an accident? Or has he come to show her everything he has learned about…
HOW TO PLEAE A LADY
Lost Heiresses
BY JANE GOODGER
Excerpt
Charlie tugged on his shirt, the fabric snapping with his frustration. He wanted to help Lady Rose, he truly did. But he was going to be in steerage with hundreds of other men, not crammed in a small room with a woman. A desirable woman whom he happened to love more than life itself. “I’ll be in steerage with the other lads,” he said.
“Oh.” Then she pulled out a pamphlet, and Charlie instantly knew what it was—his pamphlet for the White Star Line. She held it out, one finger pointing to the print. “It says here that they accommodate married couples.”
Charlie’s entire body stilled, and for a count of five, he couldn’t take in a breath. “You want us to marry?” he asked cautiously, hating that rush of joy that had him sitting abruptly on his bed, for in that moment, his legs couldn’t be trusted to hold him. “I’d be more than happy to, my lady, if need be.”
Lady Rose let out a laugh. “Goodness, Charlie, you should see your face. The situation is not that desperate. We could pretend to be married.”
Charlie forced out a laugh, feeling foolish. “Of course. Scared the living daylights out of me.” What the hell had he been thinking?
“I would never do that to you, Charlie,” she said softly. “My plan is to marry Daniel Cartwright. He’s an American who was just here for my engagement ball. He’s a delightful man with a promising career in politics and he needs a wife. I will be that wife.”
Charlie raised one brow. “Does he know that?”
“Not yet. But I’m confident I can convince him. Please, Charlie, say you will let me come. I can’t bear the thought of marrying Weston.” Her eyes filled with tears, and had it been any other woman standing there, he would have thought she was trying to manipulate him. But he knew she truly loathed and feared Weston. The man was a pig, and Charlie knew he would do anything in his power to protect her from him.
“Fine,” he said, sounding angry. “You can come with me. But when we get to New York, you’re on your own, understood?”
Lady Rose grinned. “Understood.”
“And you know where you’re going when you get to New York?”
She nodded. “I have his address. Oh, thank you, Charlie.” She hugged him and he thought he just might die if he didn’t wrap his arms around her, but he didn’t, and so he did die, just a little bit.
Meet Author Jane Goodger
… 
Jane Goodger lives in Rhode Island with her husband, three children, Chihuahua, one-eyed cat, and a ferret. She works full-time, and operates an editing service in between writing Victorian-set historical romances. In her free time (hahahaha), Jane watches HGTV and dreams of fixing up her 1940s colonial. A former journalist, Jane has lived in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Pozzuoli, Italy.
~~~
Links to Jane’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1RrCDd3
Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-please-a-lady-jane-goodger/1122252679?ean=9781601834515
Kobo:
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/how-to-please-a-lady
GooglePlay:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jane_Goodger_How_To_Please_A_Lady?id=HRMZCgAAQBAJ
Kensington Books:
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/32163
www.facebook.com/janegoodgerbooks
@janegoodger
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Three Weeks to Wed by Ella Quinn
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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THREE WEEKS TO WED
The Worthingtons
BY ELLA QUINN
Blurb
In the first book of her dazzling new series, bestselling author Ella Quinn introduces the soon-to-be Earl and Countess of Worthington—lovers who have more in common than they yet know. The future promises to be far from boring…
Lady Grace Carpenter is ready to seize the day—or rather, the night—with the most compelling man she’s ever known. Marriage would mean losing guardianship of her beloved siblings, and surely no sane gentleman will take on seven children not his own. But if she can have one anonymous tryst with Mattheus, Earl of Worthington, Grace will be content to live out the rest of her life as a spinster.
Matt had almost given up hope of finding a wife who could engage his mind as well as his body. And now this sensual, intelligent woman is offering herself to him. What could be more perfect? Except that after one wanton night, the mysterious Grace refuses to have anything to do with him. Amid the distractions of the Season he must convince her, one delicious encounter at a time, that no obstacle—or family—is too much for a man who’s discovered his heart’s desire…
“Oh, the tangled webs we weave…especially when our hearts are involved. Three Weeks to Wed is a delightfully heartwarming escape into the sparkling world of the Regency. Ella Quinn weaves magic.” —Cathy Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author
THREE WEEKS TO WED
The Worthingtons
BY ELLA QUINN
Excerpt
Note from Ella: Thanks so much for having me back. I hope you enjoy this excerpt from my new novel, Three Weeks to Wed. Lady Grace Carpenter and Mattheus, Earl of Worthington find themselves in the same in during a hail storm. Grace remembers him as being the one gentleman she thought she could marry, but Matt doesn’t remember her at all. Now unable to wed, she resolves to have one night of passion. The next morning when he awakes she’s gone. This scene is between Matt and his step-mother, Patience.
She glanced up, set aside her embroidery, and smiled. “Worthington, I’m so glad you’re home. The girls have missed you horribly.”
He gave her a peck on the cheek. “How have you been?”
“I’m well. We are all excited about Louisa’s come out. Do you need anything?”
He’d known she would ask. “Yes, I’ve fallen in love. The only problem is I can’t find her.”
Patience went off into a peal of light laughter. “Mattheus Worthington, what will you say next? Isn’t this rather sudden? Did you meet her in Town?”
“It may be, but it’s true, and I wouldn’t be the first man to fall in love at first sight. I met her at an inn during a storm, and she left before I could discover her name. I need your help finding her.” He described in careful detail his love’s most important features.
She pressed her lips together as if she would argue, then her countenance softened and she nodded. “Very well, but my dear, why do you not draw her for me?”
“That’s a good idea.” Why hadn’t he thought of it? Ever since he’d discovered she had left him, his brain had stopped working. Matt took her leave going immediately to his studio.
Using a pencil, he sketched his lady’s face and hair, careful to use the style she had when it was up, and colored it in. Once he was satisfied, he took it to Patience. “What do you think? Do you recognize her?”
Patience squinted over the drawing and tapped her cheek. “I’ve seen her. I just don’t know when. It must have been a few years ago, because her cheeks were rounder. Like that of a younger lady, still”—she held the paper up to the light—“I am sure it’s her.”
He was so close. He tried not to dance a jig. His breath caught. “Who? Who is she?”
Her brows drew together. “That’s the problem, I don’t remember her name.
Meet Author Ella Quinn
… 
Bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. She has just finished her first series, The Marriage Game, and her new series will start in April 2016.
She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and granddaughter, one cat and a dog. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat cruising the Caribbean and North America.
She loves having readers connect with her.
~~~
Links to Ella’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: www.ellaquinnauthor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter www.twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Blog http://ellaquinnauthor.wordpresscom
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1R73Ije
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/three-weeks-to-wed-ella-quinn/1122252683?ean=9781420139556
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/three-weeks-to-wed
Apple http://apple.co/1OpLwDi
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ella_Quinn_Three_Weeks_To_Wed?id=XhAZCgAAQBAJ
Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Three-Weeks-Wed/Ella-Quinn/9781420139556?id=6580542618446
Kensington Books: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/32225
