Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 122
June 11, 2020
Maine Clambake #9 Cover Reveal
by Barb, writing from Portland, Maine
Hi all. I’m here today to reveal the cover for Maine Clambake Mystery #9, Shucked Apart. It’s due out February 23, 2021.
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As you can probably tell, this is the book about oyster farming–with a dead body, of course. Here’s the description.
The Snowden Family Clambake Company has a beloved reputation in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. Almost as famous is the sleuthing ability of proprietor Julia Snowden, which is why an oyster farmer seeks her out when she’s in trouble.
When Andie Greatorex is robbed of two buckets of oyster seed worth $35,000, she wonders if somebody’s trying to mussel her out of business. Could it be a rival oyster farmer, a steamed former employee, or a snooty summer resident who objects to her unsightly oyster cages floating on the beautiful Damariscotta River? There’s also a lobsterman who’s worried the farm’s expanding lease will encroach on his territory and Andie’s ex-partner, who may come to regret their split. Before Julia can make much headway in the investigation, Andie turns up dead, stabbed by a shucking knife. Now it’s up to Julia to set a trap for a cold and clammy killer . . .
Shucked Apart is available for pre-order in the new Kensington Mass Max and ebook editions at many fine retailers, including–
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
IndieBound
Chapters Indigo
Readers: What do you think? Of the artwork? Of the description?
June 10, 2020
Wicked Wednesday-Unexpected Gifts
Jessie: In New Hampshire, enjoying being out of book jail!
This month we are talking about the unexpected. So, I wanted to ask you all if you have ever received an unexpected gift and if so, what was it?
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Julie: I’m always delighted when people think of me. A friend made me a mask with Boston Red Sox fabric, and that delighted me. Another friend knew I like the edges of brownies, and sent me a pan that makes only edges out of the blue. I love that sort of gift–one that is thoughtful and helps you think of that person over time.
Edith: I got the unexpected gift of a lifetime from these very ladies last week. Malice Domestic had said they weren’t going to send the Agatha Award teapots in the mail, that they would award them next year. My dear Wickeds didn’t want me to have to go a whole year before getting my official teapot for Charity’s Burden. So they made me this unofficial one, with lettering by Jessie Crockett. When I unpacked it I cried for ten minutes!
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Sherry: Edith, I’m so glad you love your gift. It was Jessie’s idea and a brilliant one. My husband is my unexpected gift and the gift that keeps on giving. He asked me to dance one night many years ago. I said no at first, but finally said yes. We’ll be married thirty years this fall.
Barb: We moved in mid-December the year I was in seventh grade. It’s a hard time to move a kid and I wasn’t graceful about it. When I came down on Christmas morning, my presents were a bright red quilt and a rocking chair that my father had painted. They were the first non-kid presents I’d ever received and I treasured them. The quilt disintegrated 20 years on, but I kept the rocking chair. It was in my son’s room when he was a baby and then in my daughter’s room. I repainted it at least once. I gave it to my son and his wife when my granddaughter was born. They don’t use it anymore. It never was very comfortable. But they’ve kept it so Viola can have her photo taken sitting on it every year on her birthday. For me, it’s the unexpected gift that keeps on giving.
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Jessie: A couple of years ago my two youngest sons told me they were heading off to do some sort of errand one afternoon mid-week. I thought nothing of it until about an hour later when I was standing at my kitchen sink and a third son popped his head round the corner. The three of them had arranged for a surprise visit for my birthday. I was totally surprised and very touched!
June 9, 2020
Guest-Alexis Morgan
Jessie: In New Hampshire where the weather cannot decide if it is spring or high summer!
One of the really fun parts of participating in this blog over the years has been the opportunity to discover new authors. In a time when so few live author events are taking place, it is especially lovely to be able to host guests here on the blog for all of you to get to know as well. Here’s a little about her upcoming book DEATH BY AUCTION:
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Not only did Abby McCree inherit her aunt’s house in Snowberry Creek, Washington, she inherited a handsome tenant and a whole lot of trouble . . .
It’s hard to say no to Tripp Blackston. That’s how Abby found herself on yet another committee, organizing a bachelors’ auction to raise money for Tripp’s veterans group. The former Special Forces soldier is mortified when Abby enlists him to be one of the prizes, but she has a covert plan to bid on him herself. Before she can, she’s foiled by a sniper bid from a gorgeous stranger, who turns out to be Tripp’s ex-wife, Valerie.
Still reeling from the shock that Tripp was married and wondering what his ex is suddenly doing in town, Abby goes looking to pay the auction’s emcee, radio personality Bryce Cadigan. She finds him in the parking lot, dead in his car. Valerie appears to be the last one to have seen Bryce alive, so she’s the cops’ best bid for suspect. When she asks Tripp for help—and lodgings—it’s Abby’s turn to block by inviting Val to stay with her. But did she just open her home to a murderer?
She is offering two autographed ARCs of DEATH BY AUCTION (USA only) to commenters. Without further ado, here’s Alexis!
I can’t speak for all writers, but for me characters don’t spring onto the page fully formed. Oh, I definitely know a few things—how old they are, the color of their hair and eyes, and what style of clothing they usually wear. However, those things don’t always tell me much about the person inside. Instead, I actually get to know them the same way I do people in the real world—bit by bit as I spend more time with them.
As their story unfolds, I learn what their quirks are, the cadence of their speech, and what they like to do in their spare time. Are they a cat person or a dog person? Do they like kids? What kind of car do they drive and why? Surprisingly, that little detail can tell me a lot, especially if the vehicle is something distinctive like a 1932 Packard or a 1960s muscle car.
If I’m lucky, they’ll eventually tell me more important things about themselves. What experience in their past has profoundly affected the person they are today. Who do they turn to for comfort or advice? Who has betrayed their trust? Whose approval do they seek? And what regrets do they have from a past relationship?
My understanding of Abby, the amateur sleuth in The Abby McCree Mysteries, has grown in depth over the course of the series. I knew from the start that she was in her early thirties and recently divorced. At the beginning of the first book, she’s recently moved to Snowberry Creek to deal with the house she’d inherited from her late aunt. The place came furnished with the clutter of several generations of prior occupants, a 95 lb. mastiff mix named Zeke, and a handsome tenant in the mother-in-law house in the backyard.
All of that added up to Abby going through some major changes in her life and leaving her unsure about what comes next. I may have set all of that in motion in her world, but I didn’t know where it would all lead. I, however, have learned answers to a few of those questions I mentioned above. Her ex-husband was the one who betrayed her, leaving Abby with a few understandable trust issues. It was her aunt Sybil who had a profound affect on Abby’s life, sharing her love of baking and making quilts with her niece.
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As I wrote DEATH BY AUCTION, the third book in the series, Abby continued to surprise me. In a very short time, she has developed strong connections with a growing number of people in Snowberry Creek. She now counts the chief of police, the owner of the local coffee shop, and the members of both the quilting guild and the local veterans group as her friends. She’s also fiercely protective of people she cares about to the point that she’ll risk her own safety to find justice for them.
As I work on the next books in her series, I can’t wait to see what I learn about Abby next.
Readers, Abby and I have a couple of things in common. One of my most prized possessions is this hand-pieced quilt made by my late aunt. I also have a bunch of favorite recipes that she gave me, and I think of her every time I make them. Do you have a favorite possession that belonged to a special family member that means a lot to you?
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USA Today Best-selling author Alexis Morgan grew up in Missouri but now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. She is the author of over forty-five novels, novellas, and short stories in a variety of genres. Alexis is particularly excited about her latest venture—The Abby McCree Mysteries, a cozy series from Kensington Publishing.
WEBSITE: www.alexismorgan.com
BUY LINKS:
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/death-by-auction/id1503395481
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-by-auction-alexis-morgan/1132868169?ean=9781496719553
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/death-by-auction
June 8, 2020
What the Heck is a Mass Max book?
If you preorder books you may have noticed that Kensington paperback books that come out starting on September 29th are a dollar more. I asked Kensington publicist Larissa Ackerman to explain the price increase and all the wonderful benefits that come with it.
Thank you so much Sherry and the Wickeds for inviting me on to talk about our new format for paperback books! As Sherry mentioned, beginning with our September 29th, 2020 releases, the Kensington books that previously would’ve been available as mass market paperbacks for $7.99 or $8.99 will now cost $8.99 or $9.99. That’s because starting that month, Kensington will be replacing the traditional mass market paperback size – those are the small books that usually measure about 4.125 x 6.75 inches – with a bigger, better format called Mass Max.
The Mass Max paperbacks are larger than your standard mass market book; at 4.75in by 7in, the new format will be more than half an inch wider, and a quarter of an inch taller. It almost looks like a “gift size” trade paperback, and will come with two huge benefits: the larger sizing means that the books will now have more spaced-out margins, and the fonts will be easier to read.
Let me pause for a moment to talk about book formats for those of you who are asking yourselves, “What on earth is this lady rambling about? Mass market? Mass Max? Mass capacity? Is she talking about paperbacks or what?” Print books are traditionally produced in three formats: hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market paperback. Mass markets are the smallest books out of the three formats listed, and the typeset in them tends to be much tighter than the other two. As a comparison, the average trade paperback size is 5 x 8 inches, and the average mass market size is 4.125 x 6.75 inches. But now, there is a new format that is in between the mass market and trade paperback size that we will be publishing our paperbacks in, called Mass Max.
With their larger size, more legible fonts and wider margins, the Mass Max format will provide readers with a more comfortable reading experience than with traditional mass market paperbacks, while still being convenient to hold and stow into your handbag or backpack. The paper quality and spine design will also have the more enhanced, high-end feel of a trade paperback, while remaining smaller and less pricey than the $15 – $18 usually charged for the trade paperbacks.
For those of us who hate it when a book’s spine gets cracked, another perk of the Mass Max format is you can actually read them without having to peek between the pages in order to avoid breaking the spine!
Another great aspect about the new Mass Max format is that with their more refined look, they’ll appeal more to independent bookstores and retailers that were formerly uninterested in carrying mass market paperback sizes. At the same time, the stores that have always been the main retailers for mass market books—like Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, and airport stores—are super excited and very supportive about the new Mass Max format. Kensington is the first publisher to completely eliminate the mass market size on future releases, instead shifting our entire Kensington Mass, Zebra and Pinnacle lists to the new-and-improved Mass Max size.
For only a dollar more per book, the new Mass Max format is providing our readers with a more convenient, comfortable, and quality reading experience!
Want to know more? Read the following articles. Book Riot: https://bookriot.com/2020/05/15/different-types-of-book-formats/
Press release for Kensington Mass Max: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/83133-kensington-to-introduce-larger-mass-market-format.html
[image error]Bio: Larissa Ackerman is a Communications Manager at Kensington Publishing Corp., where she handles publicity and marketing campaigns for many of their cozy and historical mystery series. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College in 2012 and has been working in book publicity ever since. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two cats, and she is still trying to solve the mystery of how to stop eating so much chocolate.
Readers: What do you think?
June 5, 2020
Welcome Author Karen Perry and a #giveaway
Hi. Barb here. Still sticking pretty close to home in Portland, Maine
I met Connecticut author Karen Perry because we went to the same high school, though not at the same time. We “met” through a classmate of mine, John Shaefer, who heads the alumni department among other things. Karen asked if I would considered blurbing her debut mystery novel, The Green Beach File, which I was happy to do. Here’s what I said.
“Karen Perry’s strong debut The Green Beach has it all–a shocking murder, a twisty plot, strong characters, and a storyline that stays with you.”
Comment on the blog to be entered to win a copy of The Green Beach File and a special surprise noted below.
Without further ado, take it away Karen!
[image error]In The Green Beach File, Jenn, an environmental attorney, discovers a gruesome dead body discarded in a unique location. A herptologist was grimly attacked and left to die, and Jenn is shocked by the killer’s violence. The sight of the dead body jumbles Jenn’s mind and forces open hidden memories of her finance’s slow and painful death from cancer. Jenn can’t move past the image of the dead, and learns the death might be connected to the construction of luxury homes on the largest undeveloped beachfront property between Boston and New York. She tries to move forward, but is unwittingly ensnared in a legal battle over these luxury homes. A charming, handsome police officer, who is equally fixated on the murder, suddenly enters Jenn’s life. She can’t tell whether to trust him, whether to date him, or . . . whether he’s involved in the murders.
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Jenn does, however, have a depth of environmental knowledge. She examines and analyzes whatever nature is within her view, rather than on the people speaking to her. You will enjoy finding some aspect of nature or environmentalism woven into each chapter.
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In sum, I hope you will enjoy Jenn’s adventure sleuthing out the killer in The Green Beach File. It is a little bit of environmentalism gone sideways, mixed with some back yard naturalism, but mostly, it is just a lot of fun.
Readers: Enter my giveaway by responding to this blog post. Because my novel is an environmental thriller, I will be giving away a Sequoia Tree Seedling. The seedling will be shipped to the winner, and will be selected by my Wicked host, Barbara Ross.
Bio:
K.A. Perry is an attorney and math teacher in Connecticut. Her career has meandered from a large firm, to some time at home, to a teaching degree, to part time math teaching, and now to her own law firm. She has four sons, which makes for a very busy life. She squeezes in writing in while everyone else is sleeping.
Author’s website: www.kaperry.com
Buy Links
Available now for pre-order: https://permutedpress.com/book/the-green-beach-file
Distributed by Simon & Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Green-Beach-File/K-A-Perry/9781682619070
June 4, 2020
Justice. More than a word.
by Julie, sitting with a heavy heart in Somerville
I love writing cozies, and reading them. There are two primary reasons for that. The first is the community. World building for a cozy is about more than making a place where crime happens. It’s building a cast of characters who people want to visit. It’s about building a community that people care about. It’s about understanding the human dynamics, and frailties, that are part of that community. I think of my characters like a repertory company who all play a role in the story I’m telling. In my Garden Squad series, though Lilly Jayne is the center of the stories, the entire Garden Squad are vital to her world, and to the stories.
The second reason I love cozies and traditional mysteries is that justice is served. An action creates chaos in the world of the book, and by the end order is restored. Justice is served.
I’m working on book #4 in the series, and I’ve been thinking about my characters of Tamara and Warwick O’Connor. They are Black characters, navigating the world of Goosebush. In the manuscript I’m working on I’m introducing Tyrone, their son. Ty is 25, and visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday. I’ve been thinking about Ty, Warwick and Tamara a lot this week. When I create characters I do a lot of work on their backstory, work you’ll never read, but it’s the work I do that helps them stand out. This week I’ve been thinking about the Goosebush community. Did Warwick and Tamara have to have the talk with Tyrone? The talk that all young Black men get. The one that tells them to how to navigate a world that targets them? Does Tamara worry when he goes out? Does Warwick tell him not to wear a hoodie?
While we write fiction that is an escape for many, that does not make us less citizens of the world. I know that Black lives matter. I know that the work of being anti-racist goes beyond having diverse characters in my book. It requires me, it requires all of us, to dismantle the system that is keeping people oppressed. It requires taking a stand.
I’m glad that my books provide people with a few hours of escape. But we can’t escape from the work we all have to do to make this world a better place. That includes making the statement, which is not political but is about human dignity, that Black Lives Matter. And then doing the work that helps make that a reality, when for too many people it is not.
Did Warwick and Tamara have to have the talk with Ty? Probably. Even in Goosebush. And that, this week especially, breaks my heart.
Not sure where to start? The Wickeds are working on that as well. Here’s a few ideas.
The Miss Demeanors blog shared a post Kellye Garrett did. It’s a great way for people to consider what they can do.Sisters in Crime has Frankie’s List, a list of diverse authors. Consider adding some of them to your reading list.Here’s a great Anti-Racism Resource List that the Amesbury Friends Meeting put out.The Crime Writers of Color have a podcast, lists, and a mailing list.
Doing some research will bring you to a lot more resources that you can use to help make change. Because here’s the thing. Justice shouldn’t only happen in fiction.
June 3, 2020
Wicked Wednesday-Unexpected Weather
Jessie: In New Hampshire, enjoying the warm breezes and flowers in bloom!
I think we can all agree that recent health events were not necessarily anticipated. So, this month we are chatting about the unexpected. So, Wickeds, I was wondering about the most unexpected weather incident you ever experienced? Tornados? Floods? Hail? A beautiful day in the dead of winter?
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Edith/Maddie: I’m sure many here will have blizzard stories, and I did have to drive at night in literally blinding snowstorms a couple of times, which is terrifying- you don’t want to pull over and wait it out because you’ll freeze to death, but all you can see are the taillights on the semi in front of you. So instead I offer this as entertainment to you northerners: when I was a southern California child, a freeze was forecast. We kids were SO excited because that never happened. (The citrus farmers, not so much.) My siblings and I put a pie pan of water out in the patio to see if it would freeze overnight. It didn’t, but it was cold!
Barb: That is a funny story, Maddie, at least to us northerners. I’ll never forget the sight of a college dorm-mate from Hawaii dancing in his first snowstorm. I was on Cape Cod once working at the Barnstable Registry of Deeds. The weather was fine until I started to drive home on 6A, when a snow squall blew up so vicious I couldn’t see anything. I was terrified of stopping because someone could hit me, but also terrified to keep driving because I knew there was a brick railroad bridge abutment coming up an I was scared of driving into it. Finally I pulled off to the side of the road. At least I hoped it was the side of the road. When the snow cleared enough that I could see a little, I went on. There was no snow on the ground by Plymouth. No cell phones in those days, so when I finally stumbled into our apartment in Boston, super late and muttering my excuses to my husband and the friend we had invited to dinner, they looked at me like I was crazy. Snowstorm? What snowstorm?
Julie: The winter of 2015 broke snow records, so that was pretty epic. I remember trying to walk down city sidewalks, but they hadn’t been shoveled so it would deadend into a 6 foot drift. I also remember Hurricane Gloria in 1985. I was living in an apartment with a friend, and like everyone else we taped our windows, filled up the tub with water and prepared to wait it out. We also bought a case of beer to help. We did lose power, and there were winds, but it wasn’t the window shattering hurricane we’d expected. That said, our windows were taped for several weeks afterwards.
Sherry: Julie, interesting that my weather story was also in 1985. Having lived all over the country I feel like I’ve lived through it all except for living through an active volcano. However, one of the scariest weather related experiences occurred when I lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming. A rain storm dropped six inches of rain in four hours, plus there was a tornado. I was at the mall huddled in the interior hallways not normally open to the public with one hundred other people — some hysterical. When the tornado threat passed we were told it wasn’t safe to leave because of flooding. Later as I drove home water was shoving my car as it flowed down the road and I had to pick a way to go home. I picked the right one and made it safely, but twelve people died that night. Four on a route I almost took. There’s a saying “turn around don’t drown” please follow that.
Liz: Oh wow Sherry – that’s so scary! I remember back in the early 2000s there was a wicked crazy ice storm that hit – I lived in southern New Hampshire at the time and commuted into Massachusetts for work and school. I tried to go to work that morning and it took me two hours to go two miles, then when I tried to turn around I couldn’t get up one of the main roads because it had a slight incline and the roads were so icy. Cars were stranded everywhere. I had to go sit in a Dunkin Donuts until they got the roads under control and I could get home.
Jessie: I remember that ice storm too! Here, neighbors across the river into Maine were without power for over two weeks! My most unexpected weather event was actually one of my favorite childhood memories. Once when my family lived near Chicago there was a summer evening when there was an amazing lightning storm. For hours and hours streaks of it danced and flashed and crackled across the sky like a natural fireworks display. But it never rained, not a drop. My parents let my sister and me stay up far past our bedtime to watch it. I still love a summer storm!
Readers: Share your experience of the unexpected from Mother Nature!
June 2, 2020
No Words
Jessie: In New Hampshire experiencing an uncharacteristic loss of words
Sometimes the only thing to offer is a quiet place for the eye, and the heart, to rest for a moment. Instead of posting a more typical blog today I asked my family to send me photos they had taken of things they consider cheering or beautiful to share with you. Despite the social distancing, please consider yourselves all hugged.
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Readers, how about if you tell us all something that brings you peace or a sense of hopefulness or something for which you feel grateful.
June 1, 2020
Opening Lines
Jessie: I spotted this while out jogging with my son one Saturday morning. Add your own opening line to start this story!
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Edith/Maddie: Ma – I specifically instructed Honeyboo to let that car slide straight into the quarry. What all’s gonna happen when ol’ Officer Buck finds a body in the front seat? Jolene – They won’t, Mama. I dug it a good deep woodland grave.
Sherry: I’d seen a lot of crime scenes in the ten years since I’d become a state trooper, but none of them hit me like this one did. I remember the day grandpa drove off in that car when I was twelve. He never came home. Maybe now I’d finally get some answers.
Barb: I gave up trying to steer or brake. The car went airborn, flying through the trees, branches clawing at the windows. Time slowed and stretched. My eyes stayed stubbornly open until the moment when the metal screamed and then…
Jessie: I looked and I looked but I just could not remember where I left my car.
Julie: Damn GPS.
Readers: Add your own opening line!
May 29, 2020
Wicked Summer Reads
The Wickeds have books coming out this summer — two are new series, two are continuations of beloved series, and one is the wide release of a first in a new series. I can’t wait to read all of them!
June 30
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Witch Hunt by Cate Conte is the first book in the Full Moon mysteries set in the fictional town of North Harbor, Conneticut. Here’s a bit about the book: Murder isn’t always crystal-clear . . . especially when the prime suspect discovers she’s a witch.
Violet Mooney owns The Full Moon crystal shop in quaint North Harbor, Connecticut. Still grieving her beloved grandmother’s recent unexpected death, she takes comfort in her fat orange cat Monty and her work. Not everyone in town is thrilled with her business, however. When disagreeable town councilwoman Carla Fernandez picks a fight over Violet’s “voodoo shop,” the two have a very public confrontation. Of course, when Carla turns up dead, Violet gets little sympathy from the police as suspect #1.
But the shock of two policemen showing up at her door pales in comparison to the sudden appearance of her estranged mother Fiona and a surprise sister, Zoe. What Fiona reveals will rock her world and her sense of self—and reawaken her long-dormant mysterious power. Good thing. She’s gonna need it . . .
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Nacho Average Murder by Maddie Day is the seventh country store mystery. Here’s a bit about the book: Robbie Jordan is temporarily leaving Pans ’N Pancakes, her country store in South Lick, Indiana, to visit Santa Barbara, California—where wildfire smoke tinges the air, but a more immediate danger may lie in wait . . .
While looking forward to her high school reunion back in California, Robbie’s anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother’s untimely death. At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors—avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes. But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes. With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery—but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive . . .
Includes Recipes for You to Try!
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Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody by Barbara Ross is now in wide release in all formats. It was a Barnes and Noble exclusive. Here’s a bit about the book: Jane Darrowfield is a year into her retirement, and she’s already traveled and planted a garden. She’s organized her photos, her recipes, and her spices. The statistics suggest she has at least a few more decades ahead of her, so she better find something to do . . .
JANE DARROWFIELD, PROFESSIONAL BUSYBODY
After Jane helps a friend with a sticky personal problem, word starts to spread around her bridge club—and then around all of West Cambridge, Massachusetts—that she’s the go-to girl for situations that need discreet fixing. Soon she has her first paid assignment—the director of a 55-and-over condo community needs her to de-escalate hostilities among the residents. As Jane discovers after moving in for her undercover assignment, the mature set can be as immature as any high schoolers, and war is breaking out between cliques.
It seems she might make some progress—until one of the aging “popular kids” is bludgeoned to death with a golf club. And though the automatic sprinklers have washed away much of the evidence, Jane’s on course to find out whodunit . . .
July 28
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From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harris is the first book in the new Chloe Jackson Seaglass Saloon mystery series set in a beach bar in the fictional town of Emerald Cove in the panhandle of Florida. Here’s a bit about the book: A whip smart librarian’s fresh start comes with a tart twist in this perfect cocktail of murder and mystery—with a romance chaser.
MURDER ON TAP With Chicago winters in the rearview mirror, Chloe Jackson is making good on a promise: help her late friend’s grandmother run the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle. To Chloe’s surprise, feisty Vivi Slidell isn’t the frail retiree Chloe expects. Nor is Emerald Cove. It’s less a sleepy fishing village than a panhandle hotspot overrun with land developers and tourists. But it’s a Sea Glass regular who’s mysteriously crossed the cranky Vivi. When their bitter argument comes to a head and he’s found dead behind the bar, guess who’s the number one suspect?
In trying to clear Vivi’s name, Chloe discovers the old woman isn’t the only one in Emerald Cove with secrets. Under the laidback attitude, sparkling white beaches, and small town ways something terrible is brewing. And the sure way a killer can keep those secrets bottled up is to finish off one murder with a double shot: aimed at Chloe and Vivi.
Edith/Maddie: I’m jumping in here to include Speaking of Murder, which will also release in July. It first came out in 2012 under the name Tace Baker, and is being re-released with new edits and a new cover as an Edith Maxwell book by Beyond the Page! Its sequel, originally titled Bluffing is Murder, will similarly be out in August, except with a new title. Stay tuned for news.
August 25
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Digging Up the Remains by Julia Henry is the third book in the Garden Squad mystery series. A festive fall is in full swing in Goosebush, Massachusetts, but when a snoopy reporter is felled by foul play, it’s up to Lilly and her Garden Squad to spook out a killer . . .
Between hosting a haunted house on her lawn, serving on the town’s 400th Anniversary Planning Committee, and prepping for the Fall Festival’s 10k fundraiser, Lilly’s hands are full. She doesn’t have time for prickly newspaper reporter Tyler Crane, who’s been creeping around town, looking for dirt on Goosebush’s most notable families . . . until he’s found dead on the race route moments before the start.
An unfortunate accident? Or did Tyler unearth a secret that someone in Goosebush is willing to kill to keep? By planting nasty rumors and cultivating fear, Tyler sowed a fair share of ill will during his brief time in town. Weeding through the suspects will be thorny, but Lilly and her Garden Squad are determined to root out the autumnal assassin before the Fall Festival flops . . .
Stayed tuned for our fall releases!
Readers: What books are you looking forward to this summer — it doesn’t have to be one of the above!
