Easter Basket Murder ARCs are Here and Two #giveaways!

by Barb, in Maine where it’s cold and dark

Easter Basket Murder Advance Reader Copies are here and I’m celebrating with TWO giveaway opportunities.

Giveaway #1

Ten lucky winners will be selected to receive a ARC of Easter Basket Murder, the novella collection including stories by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and me. It will be released on January 23, 2024, so be the first on your block to read it. To enter, click here and fill out the form. US only, I’m afraid. Winners will be selected on November 16. If you entered through my newsletter this morning, there is no need to enter again.

Easter Basket Murder is also available on NetGalley for frequent reviewers who access ARCs in that way.

In addition to providing murder and mystery, my novella “Hopped Along,” moves Julia Snowden’s personal story along.

Giveaway #2

As an extra bonus, I’m participating in a group giveaway organized by the Book Talk authors (Paige Shelton, Hannah Dennison, Kate Carlisle, and Jenn McKinlay). Can you imagine how excited you’ll be if you win this BOOK HARVEST—sixteen wonderful mysteries from some of the most intriguing storytellers writing today.

Prize package includes:

Winter’s End by Paige SheltonThe Grim Reader by Kate CarlisleDeadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah DennisonStrawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlayDead in Devon by Stephanie AustinHidden Beneath by Barbara RossRest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki DelanyHot Pot Murder by Jennifer ChowWhat They Don’t Know by Susan FurlongBayou Book Thief by Ellen ByronUnder Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi PandianMurder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins, aka Celeste ConnallyMurder from Scratch by Leslie KarstHere Comes the Body by Maria diRicoMurder at Archly Manor by Sara RosettThe Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks

To enter, click here. Winners will be drawn on November 14. This giveaway is open internationally, but a winner outside the US will receive a $100 gift card to the bookstore of choice.

Best of luck to everyone!

About ARCs

ARCs or Advance Reader Copies are what used to be called uncorrected galleys back before digital printing. There will be some typos. (I’ve already spotted one that thank goodness I caught when I reviewed the page proofs.) And for Easter Basket Murder, the ARC will be a paperback, not hardcover.

Readers: Can you put up with the imperfections of an ARC or do they bug you too much. Would you rather have the book early and a little rough, or wait for publication day?

About Easter Basket Murder

Put on your springtime best and grab a basket, because Easter egg hunting is to dye for in this delightful new collection of Easter-themed capers set in coastal Maine and featuring fan-favorite sleuths from the long-running, bestselling cozy mystery series by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross!

EASTER BASKET MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
Tinker’s Cove businesses are clashing over a new Easter Basket–themed promotion to boost in-store sales, with tensions boiling over the grand prize—a mysterious golden egg crafted by a reclusive Maine artist. When the one-of-a-kind art piece is stolen, it’s up to part-time reporter Lucy Stone to investigate three struggling entrepreneurs who stick out in the local scene. But a huge town scandal comes into focus when a harmless shopping spree turns deadly, leaving Lucy to stop a murderer from springing back into action . . .

DEATH BY EASTER EGG by LEE HOLLIS
As Bar Harbor’s annual egg hunt approaches, Island Food & Spirits columnist and restauranteur Hayley Powell is thrilled to introduce her grandson, Eli, to local springtime traditions. Turns out, keeping up with a rambunctious toddler isn’t always sunshine and rainbows—especially when a decadent peanut butter treat kills the Easter bunny himself during the festivities! Now, with a clear-as-cellophane case of murder on her hands, it’s up to Hayley to crack the clues and scramble deadly plans before it’s too late . . .

HOPPED ALONG by BARBARA ROSS
Julia Snowden’s Easter Sunday at Windsholme, a sprawling mansion tucked away on a remote Maine island, looks like it’s been borrowed from the pages of a lifestyle magazine. But when a dead body is discovered in the garden—then vanishes soon after without any explanation—an innocent hunt for eggs becomes a dangerous hunt for answers. With no clues beyond a copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Julia must find out if April Fool’s Day came early or if she’s caught in a killer’s twisted game . . .