B.L. Blair's Blog, page 13

Happy March!

The daffodils are just starting to bloom in our yard. I can feel spring in the air!
February was a crazy month. I celebrated my fifth anniversary as an author. I had a lot of fun. I hope those of you who participated in some of the events and giveaways had a good time as well.
My day job also was very busy in February. Between all the things I was doing with my anniversary month and the crazy pace at work, I got behind on my writing. I hoping March will be a productive month.

Last Day to enter to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card

I wanted to make the last giveaway for my author anniversary month a little different. So here is a virtual scavenger hunt using my website, http://www.blblair.com. The clues are below. Each clue you answer will be an entry into the giveaway. Go to my website and find the answer and then enter them into the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck and have fun!


Which of my series has a box set?Hint: View the book pages.
What did Isabel lose that belonged to the Cantono family?Hint: View the Leah Norwood Book Trailer on the home page.
When will I be on the DEAR Texas radio show?
Does Rachel snore?Hint: Rachel is a character in Trust Me: Holton Series #3.
What is the name of the lost Savannah cat?Hint: Read the excerpt from the book.
How did the police trace Donnie to Leah in Dead in a Park?Hint: Read the excerpt from the book.
What color was the envelope taped to Trudy’s door in The Lost Macaw.Hint: Read the excerpt from the book.
Where will I be appearing on April 7, 2018?
Giveaway:By providing your information you are agreeing to be added to my mailing list. This is MANDATORY for any entry. It is free and you may unsubscribe at any time; however, you must be on my list or eligible to be added to the list at the time of the selection of the winner. If you have been on the mailing list in the past and unsubscribed, I may not add you again. In that case, the only way you will be eligible to win the prize is to voluntarily sign up for my mailing list. To do so, please visit http://www.blblair.com/connect.html and complete the form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Website Scavenger Hunt – Prize $20 Amazon Gift Card

I wanted to make the last giveaway for my author anniversary month a little different. So here is a virtual scavenger hunt using my website, http://www.blblair.com. The clues are below. Each clue you answer will be an entry into the giveaway. Go to my website and find the answer and then enter them into the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck and have fun!


Which of my series has a box set?Hint: View the book pages.
What did Isabel lose that belonged to the Cantono family?Hint: View the Leah Norwood Book Trailer on the home page.
When will I be on the DEAR Texas radio show?
Does Rachel snore?Hint: Rachel is a character in Trust Me: Holton Series #3.
What is the name of the lost Savannah cat?Hint: Read the excerpt from the book.
How did the police trace Donnie to Leah in Dead in a Park?Hint: Read the excerpt from the book.
What color was the envelope taped to Trudy’s door in The Lost Macaw.Hint: Read the excerpt from the book.
Where will I be appearing on April 7, 2018?
Giveaway:By providing your information you are agreeing to be added to my mailing list. This is MANDATORY for any entry. It is free and you may unsubscribe at any time; however, you must be on my list or eligible to be added to the list at the time of the selection of the winner. If you have been on the mailing list in the past and unsubscribed, I may not add you again. In that case, the only way you will be eligible to win the prize is to voluntarily sign up for my mailing list. To do so, please visit http://www.blblair.com/connect.html and complete the form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lost and Found Pets Mystery Novellas and Giveaway

I love my Lost and Found Pets series. They are so much fun to write. Originally, I had an idea for a female private investigator whose office was in the building own by a wealthy man with a daughter. He was going to be the love interest. I actually wrote about half of the novella with that story line, but it just didn’t flow. In that story, she had a dog that was trained for search and rescue, and the man’s daughter hired Alex to find her lost cat. If any of you have read The Lost Great Dane, you will recognize some of the plot. The more I thought about it the more I wanted the dog to play a part in the stories. That gave me the idea of an investigator that specializes in finding lost animals. Once I changed the characters and setting, the story just flowed. Soon after that, I wrote the second book, The Lost Savannah. I wrote and published four novellas in about a year. They all just came flowing out. It was so much fun. I have a story in my head for another novella, but I need one book before that one to set up more of the plot. I am hoping to get them written late this year or early next year.
As a continued celebration of my author anniversary, I have another giveaway. Enter below to win an eBook copy of The Lost Great Dane, two Lost Great Dane coasters, and a Lost Great Dane bandana.


Giveaway:
By providing your information you are agreeing to be added to my mailing list. This is MANDATORY for any entry. It is free and you may unsubscribe at any time; however, you must be on my list or eligible to be added to the list at the time of the selection of the winner. If you have been on the mailing list in the past and unsubscribed, I may not add you again. In that case, the only way you will be eligible to win the prize is to voluntarily sign up for my mailing list. To do so, please visit http://www.blblair.com/connect.html and complete the form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2 and Giveaway

Dead in a Park is the second Leah Norwood mystery. I really don't know where I got the idea for this story. I just knew Leah was going to be involved with a mystery that had something to do with a ring. The story wasn’t too hard to write, but I didn’t have any idea of the ending until I got there. I think it’s a fun book.
When Leah Norwood finds the body of Donald Collins in the city park, she doesn’t know he is a distant relative. Young Donnie was a jewel thief and a career criminal. Hidden in the lining of his suit jacket was an exact replica of a ring that has been in Leah’s family for over a hundred years. After her home is burglarized, the sexy chief of police is convinced the ruby ring has something to do with the murder.
Leah wants to find out what happened to Donnie, but why would someone kill for a hundred year old ring? She discovers a connection between Donnie and the drug-dealing Cantono family, between the Cantono family and a jewelry appraiser, and between the jewelry appraiser and one of her own employees. Chief Griggs might be onto something. All clues lead back to the family ring.
Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the killer strikes again?
**Amazon**iBooks**B&N**Kobo**Smashwords**
Giveaway:
By providing your information you are agreeing to be added to my mailing list. This is MANDATORY for any entry. It is free and you may unsubscribe at any time; however, you must be on my list or eligible to be added to the list at the time of the selection of the winner. If you have been on the mailing list in the past and unsubscribed, I may not add you. You must voluntarily sign up for my mailing list again. To do so, please visit http://www.blblair.com/connect.html and complete the form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dead in a Dumpster Giveaway

I’m giving away a Dead in a Dumpster Gift Pack which will include a copy of the book, a tote bag, a bookmark, and a magnet. If you haven’t read the previous blog post that has the flip cards, you will need the answer from one of them to enter the giveaway. Here’s the link to the flip cards:
https://www.playbuzz.com/blqojz10/leah-norwood-trivia
Giveaway:
By providing your information you are agreeing to be added to my mailing list. This is MANDATORY for any entry. It is free and you may unsubscribe at any time; however, you must be on my list or eligible to be added to the list at the time of the selection of the winner. If you have been on the mailing list in the past and unsubscribed, I may not add you. You must voluntarily sign up for my mailing list again. To do so, please visit http://www.blblair.com/connect.html and complete the form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Leah Norwood Mysteries

The first three books I self-published were category romance. Simple and sweet is what I called them. Boy meets girl, they get together, break up, and get back together to live happily ever after. There is something comforting about these types of books. Sometimes, I want to simply escape from reality for a little while and read something easy and pleasant. That is what I tried to write with the Holton Romance Series.
It was long though that other ideas intruded. I have read a lot of cozy mysteries. They usually have some type of theme. A knitting club (yarn store), a book club (book store), a tea shop…and so on. I really didn’t have quite that, but I had an idea for a woman who loved to read mysteries that would get involved in a few herself. Leah Norwood was born. She does run a shop (lotion and fragrance) and she has a love interest. My “theme” if you can call it that is she keeps finding the body. In Dead in a Dumpster, she finds the body in the dumpster behind her store. In Dead in a Park, she finds the body in the city park, and in Dead in a Pickup – you guessed it – she finds the body in a pickup parked in front of a house.
Dead in a Pickup is currently in progress. I have written the first five chapters which is almost a fourth of the way. I haven’t had as much time as I normally do to write so it’s been slow going. I have at least one more in this series planned. It will be titled Dead in a Barn.
Leah is a fun character to write. She is nosy and stubborn. She is also very loyal to her friends which is what often gets her into trouble. Learn a little more about her and the books by reading the flip cards below.

Mystery Books

When I was 11 or 12, I had trouble finding something to read. I had outgrown the Nancy Drew/Dana Girls books but wasn’t ready for anything very advanced. This was the early seventies. No Harry Potter or Artimus Fowl.
My mother tried to find me something that I could read. She gave me a copy of a regency mystery. She thought it was “soft” enough to work. I can’t remember the name of the book, but I couldn’t finish it. It scared me. I wish now I knew the name. I’m sure it’s not frightening at all.
By the time I reached high school, I was reading a lot of mysteries and thrillers. Robert Ludlum, Ken Follett, John Le Carre. My love for mysteries has continued all through my life. I go through phases. There will be months when I only read romance or fantasy, but mysteries are always part of my library.
Do you know the great mystery books and who wrote them? There are too many and it’s subjective, but I created a little trivia quiz about five of them. Check it out.

Happy Valentine's Day

Giveaway - Holton Series Bookmark and Magnet

My next giveaway is a Holton Series Bookmark and Magnet. Sorry, everyone, I can't giveaway gift cards every time - I'd go broke!