Lee Strauss's Blog, page 8
December 10, 2020
Little Black Dress + New Journal Entry
Before the 1920s, wearing black was reserved only for mourning.
Then in 1926 Coco Chanel printed a short simple black dress on the cover of Vogue magazine. The little black dress made a bold statement both because it was black and because it was simple. It's the most versatile piece of clothing that can easily be switched up with accessories. Its short length and simplicity also meant that any woman could afford to be chic!
The little black dress continued to be popular throughout the rest of the 20th century.
In 1961, Audrey Hepburn wore the little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s – now considered one of the most iconic looks in cinematic history.
Of course, we can't forget when Princess Diana donned the dress in 1994.
One British journalist commented, “In that minidress, she oozed confidence, an air of happiness and independence. It was a classic case of a woman wearing the dress and not the other way around.”
Today, the little black dress is often considered essential to a complete wardrobe and has a timeless appeal.
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Interested in 1920s fashion?
You can revisit these four blog posts on the fashion of the 1920s:
1. https://www.leestraussbooks.com/beachwear-in-the-roaring-20s/
2. https://www.leestraussbooks.com/in-real-life-people/
3. https://www.leestraussbooks.com/fashion-and-murder/
4. https://www.leestraussbooks.com/im-in-love-with-the-1920s/
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Murder on the SS Rosa – Free Today
It's the perfect time to introduce your friends and family to Ginger Gold. The first of the Ginger Gold series is Free from December 9th to the 11th.
P.S. Don't worry if you missed the deal, SS Rosa will be free again on Dec 21 and 22
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New Journal Entry!
Christmas 1915 ~ Daniel experiences a rare truce with German soldiers on the front lines.
If you're not following and you'd like to, the Journal is available to my newsletter subscribers.
You can subscribe here.
The post Little Black Dress + New Journal Entry appeared first on Lee Strauss.
December 3, 2020
2 New Contests + Journal Entry
Can you believe it's already December? I suppose many of us are glad to see this year come to an end. 
November 25, 2020
2 Murder in Hyde Park Contests + Thanksgiving
To celebrate the upcoming release of Murder in Hyde Park, I'm giving away a free paperback copy! I'm also throwing in a $50 PayPal cash bonus.
Click here to enter Gleam contest!
Contest #2 – Goodreads*Opens for entries on November 27
Enter for a chance to win one of 10 e-book copies of Murder in Hyde Park!
The summer of 1926 brings high fashion to Hyde Park. Ginger's Regent Street dress shop, Feathers & Flair, is a major sponsor, and when top designer Coco Chanel makes an appearance, the London fashion scene lights up.
Until a model's body is found and Miss Chanel is suspected of murder. The fashion icon hires Lady Gold Investigations to clear her name, but can Ginger discover the murderer before becoming a dead mannequin herself?
Click here to enter Goodreads contest!
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends! Have a wonderful and SAFE time with friends and family (online or in person) and enjoy your scrumptious turkey dinner.
The post 2 Murder in Hyde Park Contests + Thanksgiving appeared first on Lee Strauss.
November 17, 2020
New Release – Lady Gold Investigates Volume 4
Are you getting excited for Christmas yet?
Join Mrs. Ginger Reed~aka Lady Gold, as she adventures with her husband Basil, her sister-in-law Felicia, and her curious dog Boss, to unravel these puzzling Christmas themed mysteries.
These short cozies are perfect for snuggling in front of the fireplace with your favourite cup of tea!
Get Lady Gold Investigates Volume 4 on Amazon
Get Lady Gold Investigates Volume 4 on Amazon
The post New Release – Lady Gold Investigates Volume 4 appeared first on Lee Strauss.
November 12, 2020
Poll results + New deal on Lady Gold Investigates + Journal entry
Thanks to everyone for your feedback on the question ‘How often do you want to hear from me?' The poll results show a pretty even split!
Going forward, I will shoot for sending out two newsletters and posting two blogs per month.
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Lady Gold Investigates Volume 1: FREE for a limited time!
Lady Gold Investigates is FREE until November 16th. Be sure to grab your free copy while you can!
Ginger Gold has opened her own private investigation office! This short story companion series to Ginger Gold Mysteries has the clever Mrs. Ginger Reed, aka Lady Gold, and her adventurous sister-in-law Felicia taking on clients who've got all sorts of troubles.
Grab your FREE copy of Lady Gold Investigates Volume 1
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Pre-Order Lady Gold Investigates Volume 4: Christmas Edition
Are you ready for Christmas yet??
Lady Gold Investigates 4 is now available for Pre-Order!
Join Mrs. Ginger Reed~aka Lady Gold, as she adventures with her husband Basil, her sister-in-law Felicia, and her curious dog Boss, to unravel these puzzling Christmas themed mysteries
These short cozies are perfect for snuggling in front of the fireplace with your favourite cup of tea!
Pre-Order Lady Gold Investigates Volume 4
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Friends of Lee book feature!
I'm sneaking in a Friends of Lee ~ Denise Jaden, whom you might recognize as a co-writer of mine from the Rosa Reed Mystery series, has launched her own cozy mystery series. Check out Murder at Mile Marker 18.
Perfect for fans of Molly Fitz and Christy Barritt… An unlucky amateur sleuth, an adorable cop, and a cat with a hunch…
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New Journal Entry!
Ginger takes a dangerous mission across enemy lines and meets Nurse Higgins!
The password is Goldmine. Don't forget to capitalize the ‘G'
Just a quick caveat: these entries aren't professionally edited.
If you're not following and you'd like to, the Journal is available to my newsletter subscribers.
You can subscribe here.
The post Poll results + New deal on Lady Gold Investigates + Journal entry appeared first on Lee Strauss.
October 29, 2020
New Release – Out Today
If you love early rock & roll, poodle skirts, clever who-dun-its, a charming cat and an even more charming detective, you're going to love this new series!
Murder is a hit!
It's the summer of 1956 and Private Investigator Rosa Reed (former Woman Police Constable from the London Metropolitan Police) attends her first rock and roll concert featuring the young and upcoming music sensation Elvis Presley.
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The high note goes sour when a press photographer is found dead onstage and Rosa is called in to investigate. When the apparent suicide is deemed to be a murder, she is once again called upon to work side by side with her former flame, Detective Miguel Belmonte.
Will Rosa keep her heart in line and find the killer before she has to sing the blues?
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Coming soon…
Cover reveal coming soon!
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Ginger Gold's Journal
I hope you're enjoying learning about Ginger's time with the British secret service!
If you're not following and you'd like to, the Journal is available to my newsletter subscribers.
You can subscribe here.
The post New Release – Out Today appeared first on Lee Strauss.
October 22, 2020
Homer the parrot + Rock ‘n Roll Preorder Countdown
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New to the Rosa Reed Mystery series is Homer the African Grey Parrot.
These parrots are known for their uncanny ability to talk and mimic sounds. In fact, they can often repeat words and phrases after hearing them just once or twice.
Some owners claim that these parrots can be very intune with human emotions, even speaking in proper context to human conversations happening around them. Research has shown that some parrots can even come to understand what they are saying, and some have even been taught to identify colours, objects and shapes.
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Their intelligence is so renowned that in some circles they are known as ‘The Einsteins of the Bird World’.
One downside to this intelligence is that once they start talking, sometimes you can’t get them to stop! Unlike TVs or Radios, there is no ‘off’ button for African Grey Parrots!
I had the pleasure of meeting the *real* Homer and his lovely person Barbara. It was the first time for me to get up close and personal with an African Grey Parrot, and I found the experience to be delightful. Homer often rides the handlebars on Barbara's bike as she rides around the park, and accompanies her on other fun outings as well. He loves to play with rags in the bathtub, which is a nesting instinct, and his favorite food is broccoli with cheese sauce. Parrots have to chew all the time because their beaks are always growing.
Homer has his own facebook page. You can follow him here: https://www.facebook.com/homer.parrot
Be sure to preorder Murder and Rock ‘n' Roll and watch for Homer's appearance! Diego isn't sure what to make of him. 
October 15, 2020
How often do you want to hear from me? + New Release Excerpt
I want to make sure I'm giving my readers and newsletter subscribers what they want.
Go ahead and let me know how often you want to hear from me in this Reader's Poll!
Click here to answer Reader's Poll
Murder and Rock ‘n Roll… Chapter 1
Despite her efforts to restrain bubbling excitement, Rosa Reed couldn’t help but let out a low-pitched squeal. Her British upbringing, with its emphasis on keeping a “stiff upper lip,” made this uncharacteristic sound unusual. Even her sleepy cat, Diego, who was curled up in the center of her four-poster bed, glared at her through narrow yellow-green eyes.
Rosa emitted a chuckle and vigorously rubbed his ears in retaliation. “I know it means nothing to you, Diego, but it’s Elvis Presley!”
A year previous, Rosa would’ve been hard-pressed to recite a tidbit of trivia about the young music star, but now it was as though Elvis Presley were everywhere—one couldn’t get away from hearing his music on the radio, seeing his face on the cover of magazines, and watching him on The Ed Sullivan Show.
And he was in Santa Bonita!
Pure serendipity, since the concert had been booked before Elvis had become a national sensation. Rosa’s main squeeze, Dr. Larry Rayburn, the town’s assistant medical examiner, had gotten tickets for them, and Rosa couldn’t wait for their evening to begin. She turned back to her bedroom mirror and added finishing touches to her makeup. After agonizing over several outfits, Rosa had decided on a two-tone navy-blue and red dress with a form-fitting bodice, accentuating her new “bullet bra.” Wearing her flouncy red skirt with a full crinoline slip would be fun for the upbeat event that an Elvis Presley concert promised to be. She suspected that many of the attendees would be teenagers. Though she was closer to thirty than twenty, Rosa felt young at heart, perhaps because, despite a failed attempt, she’d yet to marry and start a family.
The melody of “Blue Moon,” a song that had frequently been playing on local radio, reached Rosa from down the hall. Rosa had recently relocated to California from London, England, and lived with her American relatives in a large home known as the Forrester mansion. Gloria Forrester, Rosa’s cousin, who was closer to twenty than thirty, prepared to go to the concert with her friend Marjorie.
“Without a dream in my heaaaaart,” they sang loudly in unison.
Curious as to what the two girls were up to, Rosa tapped on the partially opened door before entering Gloria’s colorful bedroom.
“Oh, Rosa,” Gloria trilled. “I’m so excited; my knees are like marshmallows!”
Marjorie stared at the cardboard cover of the long-playing record they were listening to and swooned over the picture of Elvis, his smiling face large and inviting. “He’s just so dreamy!”
Rosa laughed. “I hope you two will survive the night.” She looked at Marjorie. “Is your sister going to be there?”
When Rosa had lived with the Forrester family to escape the dangers of German bombs over London, Nancy Kline became a high school friend.
“Yes,” Marjorie said. “She practically had to force Eddie to take her. I told her she could go with us, but I guess we’re too uncivilized for her. I swear, sometimes she acts older than our mother.”
“Three young sons might do that to someone,” Rosa said.
Although Gloria and Marjorie acted like teenagers, they were in their early twenties. Most girls their age were married or engaged. But Rosa had missed marrying her high school sweetheart, Miguel Belmonte, who now happened to be a detective in the Santa Bonita Police Force. Their romance, forbidden by Aunt Louisa, had been short but intense. When World War II ended, Rosa had been sent back to England, forcing the young couple’s relationship to dissolve.
Now she had Larry on her arm, a funny and kind Texan, and couldn’t be more thankful.
Yes, she was thankful.
Miguel’s engagement to Charlene Winters had thawed, rather, had disintegrated, and in a shockingly public way, and suddenly, Miguel was single again. Even though Rosa’s heart was still pulled toward Miguel, she refused to break the heart of her sincere and lovely boyfriend, over a once-fiery teenage love.
It wouldn’t be fair.
Returning to her bedroom, Rosa scooped Diego from the bed, headed downstairs, and walked along the wide hallway and into the kitchen at the back of the mansion. Señora Gomez, the long-time housekeeper, greeted Rosa and Diego with her standard warm smile.
“You look nice, Miss Rosa.”
“Thank you. I hope I’m not overdressed.”
“This Elvis fellow is very famous now, eh?”
“They call him an overnight sensation.”
Rosa set Diego on the tile floor, and he immediately investigated the status of his food and water bowls, both full, thanks to Señora Gomez.
Through the vast windows, Rosa spotted two members of her American family and joined them on the patio overlooking the pool, tennis court, and vast gardens. Palm trees dotted the well-manicured lawns, and Rosa loved the tropical essence the trees evoked. The mansion itself was a sprawling mission-style edifice that had Rosa gasping in admiration, even on her second visit.
“Join us for a cocktail?” The invitation came from Aunt Louisa, technically Rosa’s half-aunt, as she and Rosa’s mother, Ginger, shared a father but not a mother. Her aunt, dressed in a top-of-the-line, blue satin cocktail dress with triangular capped sleeves and a waist narrow enough to make a much younger woman envious, gave off the sophistication that her wealth and status demanded.
Rosa hardly felt she could refuse the drink. She lowered herself to the edge of one of the loungers, not wanting to get too comfortable, as she expected Larry to arrive soon.
“Just a small one,” Rosa said. “I’ll be leaving shortly.”
Aunt Louisa called to Ricardo, the pool boy, who hovered nearby. “A piña colada for Miss Reed.” She glanced at Rosa for approval, and Rosa nodded.
“Are you going to that Elvis Presley thing?” Sally Hartigan asked, a hint of her Boston accent remaining. The eldest occupant of the Forrester mansion, she was Aunt Louisa’s Boston-born mother, and though not related to Rosa by blood, she insisted Rosa call her Grandma Sally. The lady’s permanently tanned face had wrinkled through her seventy-plus years, but her gray hair was professionally permed and her perfectly pressed dress was tailored just for her. She lifted a glass of amber that tinkled with ice in Rosa’s direction.
“Yes,” Rosa answered. “I’m waiting for Larry to pick me up.”
Grandma Sally scowled. “I’ve seen Mr. Presley on television. The way he wiggles about onstage is uncouth.”
“It’s the new music, Mother,” Aunt Louisa said, taking a sip of her drink. “Rock and Roll.”
“It’s vulgar,” Grandma Sally muttered. “Young people these days have no manners. No respect for their elders.”
“I’m sure they’re not all like that,” Rosa said.
Ricardo returned with the piña colada, attractively garnished with a slice of fresh pineapple. Rosa thanked him before taking a sip.
“It’s not safe to cross the street,” Grandma Sally insisted. “Just the other day, we were nearly run over by a young man—his car radio blaring that crazy music—speeding down Main, right, Louisa?”
“I’m going to talk to the mayor about putting in another set of traffic lights,” Aunt Louisa replied. “And a lower speed limit. Something they’ll enforce. What do the police do around Santa Bonita, anyway?”
Rosa and her aunt didn’t land on the same side in their opinions about the police. Rosa’s job as a private investigator often caused her path to cross with the local men in blue along with a certain well-dressed detective that her aunt had never forgiven. Rosa found it best to steer away from the topic when it came up.
“And don’t forget,” Aunt Louisa added, “our annual fundraiser for Santa Bonita Veterans’ Foundation is happening in a few days at that same theater you’re going to tonight.” She raised a dark, professionally plucked eyebrow at Rosa. “I hope you’ve marked it on your calendar.”
“Oh, yes. I am looking forward to that,” Rosa returned, thankful that they’d moved off the subject of the police.
Señora Gomez entered the patio with quick steps. “Telephone for you, Miss Rosa,” she called out. “It’s your doctor amigo.”
Rosa checked her watch. Larry should be driving his truck up their drive, not calling on the telephone. She excused herself and followed Señora Gomez back into the kitchen where she picked up the receiver.
“Larry?”
“Hello, darlin’,” Larry said.
Rosa thought his voice sounded a little weak. “Are you all right?”
“I’m sorry to do this to ya, but I can’t make it to the concert tonight. I had a migraine come on strong about an hour ago. I don’t get them often, but when I do, they hit me like a runaway locomotive.”
“Oh no.” Rosa’s heart dropped. As much as she was concerned for Larry’s health, she was dreadfully disappointed not to go to the Elvis Presley concert.
As if he read her mind, he said, “You can still go. I’ll send a cabbie to you to deliver the tickets. Maybe you could take a friend.”
Rosa’s mind worked hurriedly. She could go with Gloria and Marjorie, and perhaps she could convince Clarence to join them. Since his wife had left him and his young daughter, he did nothing but mope about. It would be good for him.
“If you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. I’d feel terrible if you missed out on my account. You’re doin’ me a favor by goin’.”
“Well, if you’re certain.”
His warm Texan accent reassured her. “Darn tootin’, I am.”
It was a consolation prize, but Rosa took it.”
“Thank you, Larry. I’ll take pictures and be sure to tell you all about it. It’s going to be a momentous event.”
Pre-Order Murder and Rock ‘n Roll
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Ginger Gold's Journal
I hope you're enjoying learning about Ginger's time with the British secret service!
If you're not following and you'd like to, the Journal is available to my newsletter subscribers.
You can subscribe here.
The post How often do you want to hear from me? + New Release Excerpt appeared first on Lee Strauss.
October 9, 2020
Murder at High Tide FREE for limited time + Thanksgiving
I'm so glad Fall is here! It's a beautiful season where I live in the Okanagan Valley, and I get very excited when the leaves change colour. What does it look like where you live? Send me a photo!
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To all my fellow Canadians, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family and enjoy your turkey dinner.
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Murder at High Tide FREE for a very limited time
Murder's all wet! It's 1956 and WPC (Woman Police Constable) Rosa Reed has left her groom at the altar in London. Time spent with her American cousins in Santa Bonita, California is exactly what she needs to get back on her feet, though the last thing she expected was to get entangled in another murder case!
If you love early rock & roll, poodle skirts, clever who-dun-its, a charming cat and an even more charming detective, you're going to love this new series!
SALE ENDS TUESDAY, OCT 13th
Click here to grab your free copy!
The post Murder at High Tide FREE for limited time + Thanksgiving appeared first on Lee Strauss.
October 4, 2020
Have you tried Goodreads yet?
Goodreads allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and reading lists. They can also create their own groups of book suggestions, surveys, polls, blogs, and discussions.
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Basically, it’s a great community for readers to be involved in!
Click here to try Goodreads for yourself!
Once you’ve signed up for Goodreads, why not add Murder and Rock ‘n Roll to your ‘Want to read’ list?
Feel free to Comment on or ‘Like’ any book you find!
The post Have you tried Goodreads yet? appeared first on Lee Strauss.
