Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 219

New England Crime Bake Time!

By Julie, enjoying fall in Somerville

Today is my day to do a giveaway! Reader’s choice–either Just Killing Time or Clock and Dagger! Comment to enter.

I missed the first New England Crime Bake, but have been to every one since. The first one I went to was the debut of the Level Best Book’s anthology. My friend Regina ran around, getting everyone’s signature on their story. “This is a goal for us,” she said to me. “To be in this book.” Two years later Regina passed away, but I think of her at every Crime Bake, and know thrilled she’d be to collect signatures on the latest Level Best anthology. I thought of her every time I signed my story in the three anthologies I was in. (My story, “Her Wish”, was inspired by Regina.)

This is part of what Crime Bake means to me. Partly a wonderful conference with fellow writers, where I learn and get inspired. But mostly it is a reunion with dear friends. Part inspiration, part therapy session, part gossip fest. The Wickeds are all together physically, which is a rare treat and my favorite part of the weekend.

What else am I looking forward to this year?

William Kent Krueger is the Guest of Honor. I’ve seen him on a couple of panels this past year, and know how lucky we are.
Learning about branding. We have a Friday night keynote about it, and a Sunday session on using podcasting to create a brand.
Celebrating the debut novelists. We started this last year–during “Death and Desserts” everyone with a debut novel gets a ribbon and congratulations.So great to cheer on folks who had their dream come true–I was one of them last year!
Spending time with Donna Andrews repping MWA and Diane Vallere repping Sisters in Crime.

We’ll report back on how the weekend went. Follow the hashtag #CrimeBake, and we’ll post this weekend.

Filed under: Julie's posts, Uncategorized Tagged: Diane Vallere, Donna Andrews, New England Crime Bake, William Kent Krueger

Wicked Wednesday — Grateful To Our Readers

Liz here – my turn for a giveaway! Leave a comment today and get a chance to win a copy of Murder Most Finicky or an ARC of Custom Baked Murder! I’ll be giving away one of each. 

Breaking news: Congratulations Ginger Smith — you are the winner of the Stick With The Wickeds contest!

We all have a lot of things to be grateful and near the top of the list is our readers. So, Wickeds share a story of an interaction with a reader, be it a note, something that happened face to face, or something via social media that made you smile.

Edith: Here’s my most recent interaction, and one that makes the druge part of writing all worthwhile. On Saturday I was one of twenty authors at the second annual Ipswich Authors Fair. I had my book, bookmarks, newsletter signup sheet, and a pocket full of cough drops. One woman came up, introduced herself, shook hands heartily, and said she’d read all my series. ALL of them? I asked, gestured at the lineup of four series. “Yes! I love your mysteries.” She was so enthusiastic, and so excited to meet me in person, she totally made my day. And if I can add one more, briefly: another fan wrote me an email saying she brought my book to the hospital to get her through a week of recovery after surgery and reading my story helped her through it. That note made my day in a different way.

Liz: I love when I meet readers who want to share stories about their pets with me. Since animals are a huge part of my books, it’s so nice to connect with readers who also feel those soul connections with animals. Often people come up to show me pictures of their cats or dogs, or share a funny story. And when Shaggy comes to events with me, it’s even better. She’s the real star. People love to meet her – she makes everyone smile. I’ve had many readers say to me that my animals, either in person or on my Facebook page, make them happy. And it makes me feel good to share that with people.

Barb: I love the mail I get from readers. Here’s a part of a note about the third book in the Maine Clambake series, Musseled Out.

I read page 289 my eyes filled with tears, there was something personal and special on that page. Six years ago we lost my dad to cancer. I was a total “daddy’s girl” and loved the fact that my father loved taking these trips to Boothbay Harbor. My dad’s name was Bruce and I grew up in…Paris, Maine! So you can imagine how it took my breath away! In a very selfish way, I feel like you wrote the book just for me!

I actually wrote the scene she’s referring to for someone quite different– a man named Bruce whose apartment my husband I were lucky enough to stay in in Paris, France. I had heard through the grapevine that this Bruce was justifiably proud of his lobster eating skills. I’d always wanted to describe how to eat a lobster in one of the books, so away I went. The fact that it spoke so personally to this reader is the happiest of coincidences…and the magic of reading. Dear readers, we love to hear from you!

Jessie: I am so grateful to hear from readers who either live in New England or have moved away who tell me how much my books and the characters feel like home to them. Hearing from readers always makes my week. I still can’t believe I get to connect with people this way! Truly, it is a dream come true!

Julie: A reader wrote me the nicest Facebook message. She loved Clock and Dagger, and then went on to give specific examples of why. It made my day, and I told her so. Honestly, every time someone says they read the book, or leaves a review, I get really misty.

Sherry: I’m always amazed when someone takes time out of their busy lives to attend an event I’m at or takes the time to write a note. A young woman with a toddler drove from DC out to Fairfax to come meet me — if you know anything about the traffic in this area you know this was a big deal!

Readers: What has someone done that has made your day?

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Filed under: Wicked Wednesday Tagged: Custom Baked Murder, fans, giveaway, grateful, Murder Most Finicky, musseled out, Paris France, Paris Maine, readers

Stick With The Wickeds Contest

Don’t Forget To Vote Today!

Sherry, here and I’m delighted to be giving away a book and a vintage Thanksgiving postcard to someone who leaves a comment on the blog! You can take your pick of one of my three Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries — Tagged for Death, The Longest Yard Sale, or All Murders Final! Thank you so much for being a part of our blog! All commenters will also be entered in the Fan on a Stick contest.

 

Once again, The New England Crime Bake is almost here. Since all the Wickeds are going to be able to attend, we are once again running a contest to take one of our readers with along with us, well, sort of. You will attend on a stick.

Dru peeks over Craig Johnson’s shoulder to watch the line dancing.

In the past we’ve taken Dru Ann Love, Barb Goffman, and Mark Baker. This year’s Guest of Honor is the amazing William Kent Krueger.

Here’s how it works: Just leave a comment on this blog post by midnight PDT to be entered into the drawing. If you are chosen as the winner all we’ll need from you is your photo in jpeg format and a list of five authors attending this year’s Crime Bake whose autograph you would like us to ask for on your behalf. After Crime Bake we will send your autographed stick self to you. Good luck!

Filed under: Contests Tagged: All Murders Final, Barb Goffman, Carstairs Considers, Craig Johnson, Crime Bake, Dru Ann Love, Dru's Book Musing, Mark Baker, New England Crime Bake, Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries, Tagged for Death, The Longest Yard Sale, vintage postcards, William Kent Krueger

There’s an Election?

Sheila is giving away one of her books to someone who leaves a comment. See the details at the end of the blog!

Sheila: You might have noticed by now that there’s a national election coming up—oh, right, that’s tomorrow. I’m sure the country will breathe a hearty sigh of relief when it’s finally over.

You’ll be happy to hear that I’m not going to talk about partisan politics, apart from saying that they’ve never been more evident than this year. I for one believe everyone is entitled to her or his own opinion. My only hope is that those opinions are based on fact, not hints and innuendos and outright lies.

Oddly enough, I suppose we as writers should be thrilled that how a campaign official or publicity person uses words can have a significant impact on the lives of millions of people. That’s a heady kind of power.

Let us start with the premise that most such people don’t lie. Well, not exactly. But they might bend the truth just a bit. This can be done in many ways. There’s omission (“The candidate burst into tears in front of a thousand screaming followers,” which doesn’t include the rest of the statement “after s/he was told that his/her nearest and dearest relative had minutes earlier died in a horrible plane crash.”) The first part is true (and these days, witnessed by millions of people), but it’s not the whole story.

Taken on its own, the first part of that statement makes the candidate appear weak and out of control. Read in its entirety, it could make the candidate appear much more sympathetic. It all depends on who’s spinning the story.

Or take a very fictional example: “The candidate voted to abolish aardvarks in this country, depriving aardvark-herders of their traditional livelihood.” The reality is that there were only 137 free-range aardvarks in this country and twelve herders who looked after them. And that was in 1969, when the vote was taken. Guess what: there are no aardvarks left in herds in this country, but that point appears in teeny-tiny print at the bottom of a television commercial, and is onscreen for three-tenths of a second. Thus the candidate ends up looking hostile to aardvarks and those who care for them—even though there aren’t any. [Insert picture of cute fuzzy baby aardvarks. Oh, sorry, baby aardvarks are anything but cute and fuzzy—scratch that.]

Any words can be twisted, contorted and edited to say something that the author never intended. Most writers have probably seen that in their own edits: we end up howling at the absent editor, “That’s not what I meant! You didn’t get it, you idiot!” If we are optimistic, we hope that the edits were well-intended, even if we think they’re wrong. If we are really annoyed, we accuse the editor of trying to turn what we wrote into his or her own book, at the expense of our writer-voice and our intended message.

We write fiction. We know it. We don’t expect our readers to believe that everything we put on the page is true and really happened the way we said it did. We hope they believe in the little world that we create on the page for as long as it takes to read the book, but there are few repercussions if they don’t (except maybe to our wallets). But politics is different—maybe. We want to believe a candidate wants what’s best for constituents and the city/county/state/country as a whole. Sadly that’s not always true. All too often there are other motives: ego, personal glory, money, power. All of these can be useful in a strong leader. But can’t we have a little wisdom in the mix? Some compassion? A dash of intelligence?

If you have strong beliefs about a candidate, or more than one, vote tomorrow. It’s both your right and a privilege. If you don’t know much about any of the candidates—inform yourself. Don’t just punch a button or fill in a circle blindly, or because your spouse or your mommy or daddy voted that way. Your decision matters.

November we give away one of our books each day, to thank you all for being faithful readers. I did write a book that included an election—and I never named the political party involved—but maybe you’re politicked out by now. I’ll be happy to offer the most recent one of any of my series: A Turn for the Bad, Dead End Street, or Seeds of Deception, in either print or e-format. Not an election in any of ‘em.

Just leave a comment here (and it doesn’t have to be political! What’s the ugliest baby animal you can think of?) and I’ll draw a winner (and the drawing won’t be rigged, I promise!)

http://www.sheilaconnolly.com

 

Filed under: Sheila's Posts, Uncategorized

Thankful for Our Readers–First Week Winners

That’s right, folks, it’d the end of our first week of giveaways for Thankful for Our Readers, the Wicked Cozies all November giveaway. We used Random.org for all our drawings.

Drum roll please.

November 1, winner of A Killer Kebab by Susannah Hardy is RoBeader! Please send your mailing information to Susannah Hardy at susannah dot hardy at yahoo dot com

November 2, winner of Murder Most Fowl by Edith Maxwell is Marihelen Ligon. Please send your mailing address to edith at edithmaxwell dot com.

November 3, winner of Dying for Strawberries by Sharon Farrow is Cynthia E. Blain! Please send your mailing address to barbaraross at maineclambakemysteries dot com.

November 4, winner of Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron is Celia Fowler! Send your mailing address to Ellen at ellenbyronla at att dot net

Congratulations, winners!

If you didn’t win, please keep entering. We’ll be here all month.

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Filed under: Contests Tagged: A Killer Kebab, Body on the Bayou, Dying for Strawberries, Edith Maxwell, Ellen Byron, Murder Most Fowl, Sharon Farrow, Susannah Hardy

I CAN’T BELIEVE I LEARNED HOW TO…with Guest Ellen Byron

Our month of giveaways continues! Today, our guest Ellen Byron offers up a copy of her new book, Body on the Bayou the second  in the Cajun Country Mystery series and some swag!

To be entered to win, leave a comment on the post. Winners for the week will be announced in a special blog post on Sunday.

 

When Plantation Shudders, the first in my Cajun Country Mystery series, was published, I figured promoting it meant some blog posts, a few Facebook updates, and the occasional tweet. Boy, was I wrong. There is so much more to do than that, and the last year has been one learning experience after another, tears followed by triumph… and then followed by tears again. But as I now hit the computer to promote Body on the Bayou, the second book in my series, I proudly share five of the skills I’ve managed to conquer.

I always wondered what the odd button reading “Print Screen” on my keyboard was for. Who knew it actually meant, “Print Screen?” Apparently everybody but me, because when I put the question “How do I take a screenshot?” to the Sisters in Crime Guppy group, a half dozen people patiently wrote back, “Hit the print screen button and then Control-V.” Ta da! Here’s a screenshot from an early draft of this very post:

Snipping tool. Ah, but how to turn a document or a PDF into a JPEG? That’s where a program called “Snipping Tool” comes in. (And the fact I even know what PDFs and JPEGs are is testament to what I’ve learned this year.) Some far more skilled person than yours truly guided me to the Windows menu where this computing miracle resides. I use it define an image and then save it as a JPEG. Which is exactly what I did with the example below.

Canva. I howled to the winds when I first tried Canva. Frankly, I still barely get it. But I bumbled my way through the site enough to create this Facebook banner. So… yay, me!
Making folders. Oh, the heady pleasure of discovering I can create folders to store my trillions of docs, emails, and photos. This may seem like Computing 101 to a lot of you, but to me it was an eye-opener. I do this so often now that I’m not including a picture because I wouldn’t know which “Folder” option to choose from. Email? Documents? Photos? The options are endless and wonderful – at least for me. Less so for my husband who has to back up all my data.

These are just a few of the skills I’ve picked up in my publishing journey. I’ve also created newsletters and sponsored contests. With some assistance from my teenager – this is where those impossible creatures come in handy – I’ve made bookmarks, business cards, and brochures. (Vistaprint and GotPrint are my new BFFs.) But perhaps the important task I’ve conquered is number five…

Learning how to use an electric wine opener.

Two years ago, I won a basket at a school silent auction that included a fancy electric wine bottle opener. I’m embarrassed to admit I was too intimidated to use it. But when I discovered I’d left my manual opener at my recent book launch party, I panicked. Then I decided that if I could master the above steps 1-4, I could figure out how to use an electric wine bottle opener. Success!

And thank goodness, because nothing says “Man, do I need a glass of wine” like a battle with any of those previously mentioned skills.

Readers, what computer skill – or skills – have you mastered?

 

BIO: Ellen’s debut novel, Plantation Shudders, made the USA Today Bestsellers list, and was nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Daphne awards. The second book in her Cajun Country Mystery Series, Body on the Bayou, offers “everything a cozy reader could want,” according to Publishers Weekly, while the Library Journal says, “Diane Mott ­Davidson and Lou Jane Temple fans will line up for this series.” A TV veteran, Ellen has written for many hit sitcoms, including Wings and Just Shoot Me.

 

Filed under: Guest posts Tagged: Body on the Bayou, Cajun Country Mysteries, Canva, electric wine opener, Ellen Byron, fresh snow, Plantation Shudders, snipping tool

Welcome, Sharon Farrow–and a Giveaway

Our month of giveaways continues! Today, our guest Sharon Farrow offers up a copy of her new book, Dying for Strawberries, the first in the Berry Basket Mystery series. Friend of the blog, Mark Baker, over at Carstairs Considers says, “If you are looking for a delicious new series, look no further…”

To be entered to win, leave a comment on the post. Winners for the week will be announced in a special blog post on Sunday.

Take it away, Sharon!

 

RESORT RETAIL

Most picturesque coastal towns no longer regard fishing as their main source of income. Instead, tourism drives the local economy. The heroine of my Berry Basket series, Marlee Jacob, is fortunate to live in a beautiful lakeshore town in western Michigan. Filled with galleries, boutiques, and one of a kind shops, Oriole Point also boasts a splendid view of Lake Michigan – sandy beaches and lighthouse included.

I, too, live in a scenic village nestled along my favorite Great Lake. Over the years, I have worked at various galleries and shops in town. This has given me a special insight as to what my heroine is likely to encounter on a daily basis at her berry themed store called The Berry Basket.

Questions, Questions, Questions

It’s only natural that tourists ask shopkeepers a constant stream of questions. Where is the best place to go for a lake perch dinner? How do we buy tickets for the dune buggy rides? What is the current musical playing at the local theater? And, of course, where is the nearest public rest room? There are important questions they never think to ask, but should: Where are the local speed traps? What should I do if I get caught in a rip tide? What local rivers should you NOT eat the fish from?

Given that my series is set along the Lake Michigan shore, tourists would ask Marlee all of the above questions. But most of all, they’d ask about the weather; by that, I mean the winter weather. Even though visitors usually come here for summer beach vacations and leaf peeping in autumn, our lake winters appear to weigh heavily on them. “What do you do here all winter?” they ask in a tone suggesting I live in a remote Yukon outpost. I remind them that a forty minute drive takes me to the second largest city in Michigan. Ten minutes away is a town boasting everything from Target and Barnes & Noble to Buffalo Wild Wings. And two hours south lies Chicago.

That answer leads to the next most asked question from tourists, ”How much snow do you get here?” Like me, Marlee would reply, “Not as much as everyone thinks.” Yes, we have lake effect snow, but we’re not buried in the white stuff all winter, like the intrepid residents of Buffalo, New York. And lake effect snow is usually over by mid-January when Lake Michigan finally freezes. Tourists are either disappointed by this answer, or don’t believe it. Somehow, they prefer to think of my fellow villagers and me snowed in and isolated like the unlucky family in The Shining.

Resort shopkeepers are accustomed to playing weather forecaster, tour guide, and restaurant reviewer. We know where to rent kayaks, who serves the best omelette in town, how to recognize rare types of beach glass, and which businesses keep dog treats behind the counter. However, some questions do surprise me, like the confused tourists who ask if the small bayou in the Kalamazoo River is Lake Michigan. Uh, no. When I worked in a local art gallery, a woman flung open the door one afternoon and pushed her way through a crowd of customers until she reached me. “I need your help,” she said in an urgent voice. “Where’s the closest place to buy authentic Mexican vanilla?” I usually have a ready answer for any tourist question, but this one left me stumped. A friend of mine later said, “I hope you told her ‘Mexico’.”

THE HONOR SYSTEM

With only 1,500 full-time residents, crime is rare in our town. The police force is small, with half the force part-time. I made Oriole Point twice as large as my village, but their local police would still have little experience handling serious crime. Which is why Marlee takes it upon herself to track down the killer in Dying for Strawberries. Indeed, most residents in Oriole Point (and my village) never lock their cars or worry about leaving purses unattended. This trusting attitude spills over to the shopkeepers.

The store I work at has a bench, a wooden slat chair, and a lovely old rocker on the sidewalk out front. On balmy days, those of us who work on that side of the street can be found lounging on those chairs as we talk for hours. It’s customary for us to greet customers as they enter our respective shops, reminding them to give a holler if they need assistance or have a question. It is possible one of those customers may have pocketed something they shouldn’t. If so, it was never apparent afterwards. And as one of the shop owners told me, “If they need something so bad they have to steal it, then let them.”

I have a friend who designs silk flower wreaths, which he sells in a local home décor store. This shop hangs some of his wreaths outside. They are clearly marked for sale – and at a hefty price – yet in all the years I have lived and worked here, not one of his floral creations has been stolen after hours. It’s as if the honor system so prevalent among the shopkeepers has rubbed off on our visitors. Although once in a great while, that trust is breached.

Recently, a customer in a gallery took a fancy to a small oil painting, prompting the gallery owner to tell her about the artwork. Holding the piece in her hands, she continued to browse. Ten minutes later, her hands were empty. And the painting was nowhere to be seen. However, the customer carried a large shoulder bag, where no doubt the painting was now tucked away. The owner chose not to confront her; no one was likely to be at the police station at that hour anyway. But he did follow her out the door and watched as she drove off in a brand new Mercedes. If she made a habit of stealing artwork, it could explain how she was able to afford the Mercedes.

I felt frustrated that this woman got away with her theft – which may have been repeated in other businesses in town. But I take comfort in the fact that if a customer pulls this in Marlee’s Berry Basket shop, there will be consequences. The local police might find a Mercedes abandoned just outside the town limits. And there on the front seat would be the stolen painting. With the dead body of the woman beside it. Life may be stranger than fiction, but fiction can be a lot more unforgiving.

Sharon Farrow is the latest pen name of award winning author Sharon Pisacreta. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Sharon has been a freelance writer since her twenties. Published in mystery, fantasy, and romance, Sharon currently writes The Berry Basket cozy mystery series, and is the editor of the travel site lakeeffectliving.com. She is also one half of the writing team D.E. Ireland, who co-author the Agatha nominated Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins mysteries. Visit Sharon at sharonfarrowauthor.com, on Facebook @SharonFarrowAuthor, or Twitter @SharonFarrowBB.

Back Cover Copy – Dying for Strawberries

With seasonal crowds flocking to its sandy beaches, lively downtown shops, and The Berry Basket, a berry emporium with something for everyone, the lakeshore village of Oriole Point is ripe for summer fun—and murder.

 

Much has changed for Marlee Jacob since she returned to Oriole Point, Michigan. Between running The Berry Basket, dodging local gossip, and whipping up strawberry muffins, smoothies, and margaritas to celebrate the town’s first annual Strawberry Moon Bash, the thirty-year-old hardly has time for her fiancé, let alone grim memories of her old life in New York . . .

But unfortunately for Marlee, Oriole Point is muddled with secrets of its own. First her friend Natasha disappears after an ominous dream. Next the seediest man in town threatens to crush her business. Then an unknown person nearly kills her on the night of the Bash. When she discovers a dead body, Marlee realizes she’ll have to foil a killer’s plot herself—before the past permanently stains her future.

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Filed under: Guest posts Tagged: Berry Basket Mysteries, book giveaway, Dying for Strawberries

Wicked Wednesday — Our Favorite Greek Movies

Thankful for Our Readers Giveaway –  Edith: I get to give away a book today – one copy of a signed hardcover Murder Most Fowl, my latest mystery, to one commenter! Winners will be announced on Sunday!

We are continuing to celebrate the release of Killer Kebab (A Greek To Me Mystery) by Susannah Hardy. Here’s a little bit about the third book in the series: The Bonaparte House is closed for the season, and Georgie Nikolopatos looks forward to fixing up the Greek restaurant and historic landmark—until her renovation plans hit a fatal snag.

With her divorce underway, her mother-in-law returning to Greece, and the tourists gone, Georgie finally has life under control—and the Bonaparte House to herself. She quickly hires a contractor for some much-needed renovations to reopen in time for a special Greek-style Thanksgiving meal. Georgie is suspicious though when former dishwasher Russ Riley arrives with the construction crew. He still has an axe to grind with the Nikolopatos family—but is it sharp enough to kill? When Georgie finds the body of her divorce lawyer amid the construction debris and Russ is quickly arrested for murder, something about the case doesn’t add up. While Georgie is no fan of Russ, even a bad egg deserves a crack at justice. Includes delicious Greek recipes!

Some of us have been to Greece and some only through movies. We all loved Mamma Mia but do you have another favorite movie set in Greece? What did you love about it? Have you been there?

Edith: I was in Thessaloniki in the summer of 1980 for an idyllic week of relaxed eating, lots of drinking, and talking politics with one of my best friends – who happens to be from there. While we were walking through the city one night, we happened across an open-air movie theater, and they were showing “Who’s Minding the Store?,” the Jerry Lewis film where he mimes typing on a typewriter. The Greeks LOVE Lewis, and while the movie isn’t set in Greece, I saw it there!

Liz: So I’ve never been to Greece, and I know this movie is technically not set in Greece, either, but figured it would count – My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I know, I know, but it was hilarious, wasn’t it?

Sherry: I took my daughter to the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants when she was in eighth grade. Part of the movie was filmed in Santorini, Greece according to IMDb. It was stunningly beautiful just like one would expect. I’ve never been to Greece but hope to go someday!

Barb: I was last in Greece in 1976–Athens, Crete, Santorini and Knaxos. I’ve wanted to return ever since and for awhile was saving all those expensive sailing cruise brochures that used to come to the house. I hope to still make it back someday. For Greek movies, I’ll go with the classic Never On Sunday, and its Academy Award-winning song, although I went to see the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with my niece, and I loved it.

Susannah/Sadie/Jane: I spent a couple of months in Greece after college, traveling around with a girlfriend, and I can honestly say Greece is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen! I’ve not been back, but it’s on my bucket list to return. I was on a very tight postcollege budget the first go round–next time, I hope to have some money to spend, LOL!  As for movies set in Greece, well, I’m a big fan of Mamma Mia and of course the classic, Zorba the Greek. 

Jessie: My favorite is Shirley Valentine. Not only was the heroine a joy to watch but the scenery was delightful too.

Julie: I’m with Jessie, love Shirley Valentine. I’m a huge Tom Conti fan, which always helps. (Did you know that film is based on a one woman play?) Also, Guns of Navarone. What a wonderful movie that was–saw it as a kid and loved it. Saw it as an adult, loved it AND understood it.

Readers: Do you have a favorite movie set in Greece? Or a fun experience with the culture?Save

Filed under: Book Birthday, Susannah's posts Tagged: A Killer Kebab, Feta Attraction, Jerry Lewis, Movies set in Greece, Murder Most Fowl, Olive and Let Die, Shirley Valentine, Susannah Hardy, Who's Minding the Store

Happy Book Birthday, Susannah Hardy!

Giveaway! For a chance to win A Killer Kebab leave a comment below wishing Susannah a happy book birthday or letting her know what you love about this series!

We are so excited to celebrate the book birthday of A Killer Kebab the third in the Greek to Me Mystery series by Susannah Hardy! Here’s a little about the book: The Bonaparte House is closed for the season, and Georgie Nikolopatos looks forward to fixing up the Greek restaurant and historic landmark—until her renovation plans hit a fatal snag.

With her divorce underway, her mother-in-law returning to Greece, and the tourists gone, Georgie finally has life under control—and the Bonaparte House to herself. She quickly hires a contractor for some much-needed renovations to reopen in time for a special Greek-style Thanksgiving meal. Georgie is suspicious though when former dishwasher Russ Riley arrives with the construction crew. He still has an axe to grind with the Nikolopatos family—but is it sharp enough to kill?

When Georgie finds the body of her divorce lawyer amid the construction debris and Russ is quickly arrested for murder, something about the case doesn’t add up. While Georgie is no fan of Russ, even a bad egg deserves a crack at justice.Includes delicious Greek recipes!

A Killer Kebab is the third in the series which includes Feta Attraction and Olive and Let Die. We can’t wait to see what Georgie is up to now!

Susannah Hardy is the author of the Greek to Me Mysteries, published by Berkley Prime Crime. If you like your mysteries cozy, culinary, and a little bit crazy, you’re going to love Georgie and the gang at Bonaparte Bay.

As Sadie Hartwell, Susannah also writes the Tangled Web Mysteries from Kensington.

Suze is a member of the New England Chapter of Sisters in Crime, the Romance Writers of America and the Connecticut Chapter of RWA.  Susannah is originally from Northern New York State (Way north!  Only a few miles from the Canadian border), graduated from St. Lawrence University, and now lives in Connecticut with her husband, teenage son, and Elvira the Wonder Cat.

 

Filed under: Book Birthday

Thankful For Our Readers Giveaway

November is a time to be thankful for things and one thing we are thankful for is our readers. We love reading your comments from the funny to the poignant. When we started this blog we didn’t want it to be about just us. We hoped to celebrate our fellow authors, writers working on getting published, and readers. Thanks to all of you who stop by.

During November we will have a giveaway every blog day (Monday-Friday). All you have to do is leave a comment on the blog each day for a chance to win. Thank you so much for being part of the Wicked Cozy Authors!

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Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: authors, giveaway, readers, thankful