Cozy Mysteries discussion
"Featuring" author...
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Emily Castle series
Three Sisters 2011
Showstoppers 2011
Invitation to Die 2013
Beyond Belief 2014
Non series
Alison Wonderland 1999
The Miracle Inspector 2010
Plays
The Psychic Detective
Purple, Sliver, Olive, Orange
The Memory Man
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Emily Castle is new to being a sleuth. With her pen and pad of paper at the ready, she keeps notes of what happens around her. She does her best to help solve the murders.
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If you enjoy Agatha Christie you'll like this British Cozy Author.
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Her newest release is Beyond Belief which came out Jan 2014
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(My apologies for not posting yesterday. I have been under the weather.)
Crime of Fashion series
Killer Hair 2003
Other Fiction
The Children didn't See Anything 2012
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Crime of Fashion series
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Crime of Fashion series
Killer Hair 2003
Designer Knockoff 2004
Hostile Makeoverver 2005
Raiders of the Lost Corset 2006
Grave Apparel 2007
Armed and Glamorous 2008
Shot Through Velvet 2010
Death on Heels 2012
Veiled Revenge 2013
Other Fiction
The Children didn't see Anything 2012
Plays as Eliot Byerrum
A Christmas Catus
Gumshoe Rendezvous
Movies that came from her books
Killer Hair and Hostile Makeover
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Crime of Fashion series
Fashion reporter, Lacey Smithsonian lives in Washington, D.C. When she is not working on material for Fashion Bite of the Day, she is helping solve murders.
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Mini Interview with Ellen Byerrum
#1 Where do you see yourself as a writer in 10 years?
E.B. I hadn't thought much about it. But I would like to make more money so that I could relax more and enjoy the process. I also would like to write a few books and plays that last.
#2 If you could live anywhere regardless of the weather, where and why?
E.B. Wouldn't it be fun to live in Paris for awhile? It's beautiful and I visited once, but not nearly long enough. I have such a fondness in my heart for Bucks County Pennsylvania, but I could probably live many places in Mid-Atlantic or possibly further south. I crave the green of the East, the moisture, the softness of the landscape. I love the occasional gray and rainy day, which I don't find where I currently live.
#3 What genres do you like to read when you are not writing?
E.B. Always love mysteries and thrillers, and I like the occasional Regency romance. Biographies are good if they're well done and not dropping footnotes every two sentences. I sometimes like memoir. And I love books on fashion and fashion history.
#4 Do you do book signings, if no do you have plans to, when and where?
E.B. I do not have as many book signings as I once did. Bookstores are fewer and farther between, and I find that in general, my readers are not that excited to have signed copies of paperbacks. There are no signings currently scheduled.
#5 Do you" base" any of your fictional characters in your books from people in your personal life?
E.B. That's a dangerous question! Traits from the occasional person I know work their way into my books, but once I decide on a character, he or she takes on a life of their own. Some turn out to surprise me in a good way. I do use quotes I've heard and manners of speech I might have heard.
#6 What are working on now?
E.B. After finishing a thriller that is currently being edited, I've returned to Lacey Smithsonian for the 10th Crime of Fashion Mystery. It's a lot of fun because the opening scene is at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and the clothes are delightful to write about. Sadly, they aren't in my closet.
#7 Do you have any talents other than being a great writer?
E.B. Thanks for the compliment. I'm not sure I do. I once worked at JC Penney in the housewares department and had to take a cake decorating course for which I have a diploma. I think I can still make a rose out of frosting. But most of my interests have to do with writing. I loved working as a reporter in Washington, D.C., for a trade publisher and covered aspects of the government. I also write plays and, when everything goes well, there is nothing on earth like the theatre.
Thanks so much for inviting me to speak with your readers.
Cheers,
Ellen
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Crime Fashion series is a hoot! It has great mystery, humor and some romance thrown in. You will definitely enjoy her books!
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Up and Coming Releases
Book #10 in Crime of Fashion series
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A Maine Clambake series
Clammed Up 2013
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Mini Interview with Barbara Ross
#1 Where do you see yourself as a writer in 10 years?
B.R. What a great question. I don't think anyone has ever asked me that before. Like most series writers, I'd love for my series to be continued. The third book, Musseled Out is due June 1 and I'd love a contract for more. I'd also like to continue with my short stories. (In an embarrassment of riches I have two Agatha nominations this year, Best Contemporary Novel for Clammed Up and Best Short Story for "Bread Baby" which appears in Best New England Crime Stories 2014: Stone Cold.) I also have an idea for a stand-alone, a suspense novel.
#2 If you could live anywhere regardless of the weather, where and why?
B.R. Oddly enough, no longer tied to our day jobs, my husband and I are wrestling with this right now. We'd keep our place in Maine, and maybe spend the winter in Key West where my parents had a house. But then again, it would be hard to give up our base in Boston. But I guess if money were no object, I'd have to say New York City, because I love it. Or Paris. Or the Cotswolds.Maybe it's a good thing money IS an object.
#3 What genres do you like to read when you are not writing?
B.R. Oh, all over the place. Mystery, both cozy and darker. Literary fiction, novels and short stories. And now, lots of non-fiction about Maine. Most recently a book about the sex lives of lobsters (it's amazing there are any lobsters) and an anthropological treatise called The Lobster Gangs of Maine.
#4 Do you do book signings, if no do you have plans to, when and where?
B.R. Yes, I do. I'm just starting to set signings up for Boiled Over which will be published in May. Check this page for updates.http://maineclambakemysteries.com/app...
#5 Do you" base" any of your fictional characters in your books from people in your personal life?
B.R. Funny you should ask. Yes, Gus in Clammed Up is based on a real person who had a restaurant and really had a "no strangers" rule as the fictional Gus does. Viola and Fiona Snuggs who own the Snuggles Inn are more loosely based on real people.
#6 What are working on now?
B.R. Finishing up Musseled Out, the third book in the Maine Clambake Mystery series, due to my publisher on June 1.
#7 Do you have any talents other than being a great writer?
B.R. Hmm. I was a tech entrepreneur, part of a team that successfully grew two technology start-ups. Other than that, I always say my superpower is being able to get more dishes in a single dishwasher load than any other person.
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I forgot to add this book to yesterday's post
Non series
The Death of an Ambitious Woman 2010
www.maineclambakemysteries.com
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A Maine Clambake series
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A Maine Clambake series
Clammed Up 2013
Non series
The Death of an Ambitious Woman 2010
Stone Cold 2013
Blood Moon 2012
Dead Calm 2011
Thin Ice 2010
Seasmoke 2006
Rip Tide 2004
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A Maine Clambake series
Julia Snowden comes back to town to help her family's business. While trying to help keep the family business a float she also helps solve murders.
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Her series has great mystery, humor and emotional moments that pull at your heart strings. You' ll not being disappointed if you read one of books.
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Up and Coming Releases
Boiled Over 5/6/14
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As Bailey Cates
Magical Bakery series
Brownies and Broomsticks 2012
As Cricket McRae
Home Craft series
Lye in Wait 2007
As K.C. McRae
Shotgun Moon 2013
After I get done with book I'm reading now, I will be starting Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti. This is the second book in the Magical Bakery series.
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Candace wrote: "I loved Brownies and Broomsticks!"I did too! I hope the second is just as good as the first!
Also I didn't know that this author has another pen name! Thanks to you now I do!
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Magical Bakery series
Home Crafting series
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Magical Bakery series
Brownies and Broomsticks 2012
Bewitched, Bothered and Biscotti 2012
Charms and Chocolate Chips 2013
Home Crafting series
Lye in Wait 2007
Heaven Preserve Us 2008
Spin a Wicked Web 2009
Something Borrowed, Something Bleu 2010
Wined and Dined 2011
Deadly Row to Hoe 2012
Non series
Shotgun Moon 2013
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Magical Bakery series
Katie Lightfoot went from being an assistant manager at a bakery t running her own. Katie is not only a fine baker but she learns she is a witch. While learning new skills of being a witch she also helps solve murders.
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The Magical Bakery series is entertaining. The story charms you with magic, romance and humor. It is a delicious mystery series.
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Up and Coming Releases
Some Enchanted Eclair 2014
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*Mother and daughter team
Jessica Conant Park/ Susan Conant
The Gourmet Girl series
Steamed 2006
Jessica Conant Park
YA books
Relatively Famous 2010
Susan Conant
Dog Lovers series
A New Leash on Death 1990
Cat Lovers series
Scratch the Surface 2005
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Gourmet Girl series
SUSAN CONANT
Dog Lovers series
Cat Lovers series
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(I am having issues with goodreads so I am sorry if this posts twice)
Day 4 JESSICA CONANT PARK/ SUSAN CONANT
Take the time out of reading your current cozy to read this interview with Jessica Conant Park
Mini Interview with Jessica Conant Park
J.P. #1 Where do you see yourself as a writer in 10 years?
I hope that I’m still pushing boundaries and breaking rules. I don’t ever want to fall into a rut where I’m regurgitating storylines that have been done to death.
#2 If you could live anywhere regardless of the weather, where and why?
J.P. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with San Diego. It’s such a beautiful city, and it still has some sort of smaller-city feel. How do they pull this off? Maybe it’s the weather that makes traffic and whatnot not seem problematic to me. The food and culture is wonderful, not to mention how scenic the area is.
#3 What genres do you like to read when you are not writing?
J.P. Literary fiction really is my go-to genre. I love romantic stories but am usually drawn to ones with a lit fic backbone. But I’ve been known to dip into many different genres, because I’m a big believer that good writing is good writing, and good stories are good stories. Limiting which genres I read would have made me miss out on some wonderful books. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis is a tremendous book, but not my typical read at all!
#4 Do you do book signings, if no do you have plans to, when and where?
J.P. I don’t do too many, but I am heading to Book Bash in Orlando during the last weekend of June this year, and then I’ll be in San Diego (yay!) on November 8th at a location TBD.
#5 Do you" base" any of your fictional characters in your books from people in your personal life?
J.P. Well, I’m not sure I should answer this! Kidding.... Never fully. Characters sometimes take on qualities that I’ve seen in people before, but the writing process is really about getting to know the character that I’ve created. Authors are forever being told things like, “Oh, I know who THAT character really is!” and that’s rarely true.
#6 What are working on now?
J.P. I’ve just started Flat-Out Celeste, a spinoff to my young adult novel Flat-Out Love that will follow the beloved sister from that story, Celeste, as she works her way through her senior year in high school.
#7 Do you have any talents other than being a great writer?
J.P. Ha! Well, thank you! I do love to cook. Believe me, there are plenty of nights that could scream because I’ve run out of ideas and energy for making dinner, but in general I still love to cook, and I’ve got some skills. Also, I can juggle kitty cats. (That’s not true, but it sounds more interesting.)
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Gourmet Girl series
Steamed 2006
Simmer Down 2007
Turn Up the Heat 2008
Fed Up 2009
Cook the Books 2010
YA Books
Relatively Famous 2010
Flat Out Live 2011
Susan Conant
Dog Lovers series
A New Leash on Death 1990
Dead and Doggone 1990
A Bite of Death 1991
Gone to the Dogs 1992
Bloodlines 1992
Paws before Dying 1993
Ruffly Speaking 1994Black
Black Ribbon 1994
Stud Rites 1996
Animal Appetite 1997
The Barker Street Regulars 1998
Evil Breeding 1999
Creature Discomforts 2000
The Wicked Flea 2002
The Dog Father 2003
Bride and Groom 2004
Gaits of Heaven 2006
All Shots 2007
Brute Strength 2011
Cat Lovers series
Scratch the Surface 2005
Non series: Two Vintage Holly Winter Stories 2010
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Gourmet Girl series
Chloe Carter loves food. She is going to school and falling for all the wrong men. While fiquring out her life she helps solve the local murders.
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The Gourmet Girl series is really funny. I laughed constantly. It has great mystery as well as romance.
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Up and Coming Releases
Flat - Out Celeste
It is a spin off of Flat - Out Love
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Glee Club series
Murder for Choir 2012
Skating series
Skating Around the Law 2010
The Testing Trilogy
The Testing 2013
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Glee Club series
Skating series
Testing Trilogy
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Glee Club series
Murder for Choir 2012
End Me a Tenor 2013
A Chorus Line-Up 2014
Skating series
Skating Around the Law 2010
Skating over the Line 2011
Skating on the Edge 2012
Skating Under the Wire 2013
The Testing Trilogy series
The Testing 2013
The Testing Guide 2013
Independent Study 2014
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Day 5 JOELLE CHARBONNEAU
Glee Club series
Paige Marshall is waiting for her big break. In the mean time she takes a job to run a Glee Club at a high school. If she isn't trying to hide from her Aunt's dog, Killer, she is helping solve murders.
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If her other books are just as good as her Glee Club series, I guarantee you will like them!
Mini Interview with Helen Smith
#1 Where do you see yourself as a writer in 10 years?
H.S. I would like to continue writing my current Emily Castles mystery series and also have another series underway. I would like to have found plenty of readers who enjoy my books and my style of writing, so that when I start out writing a new book, I’ll know there will be people out there who will find it entertaining.
#2 If you could live anywhere regardless of the weather, where and why?
H.S. I’m currently on a cruise ship in the South China Sea, en route to Hong Kong from Singapore. I started out from Southampton in early January and my final destination is San Diego in March, from where I’ll head to Monterey for Left Coast Crime. Life aboard ship is a fantastic adventure and I’m really enjoying it, especially as London tends to be grey and dismal January to March. But this is just a temporary arrangement. The rest of the time I live in London—and I love it. It’s such an interesting city with a rich literary heritage. I’m lucky to live there.
#3 What genres do you like to read when you are not writing?
H.S. I will read anything that is well written, so long as it doesn’t feature torture, rape, child abduction or cruelty to animals. That means I tend to avoid horror. I particularly enjoy mysteries and romance, and I also like reading biographies and autobiographies. I like humor in the books I read, but if I cry at the end, for me that usually means it’s a good book.
#4 Do you do book signings, if no do you have plans to, when and where?
H.S. I do! At the moment, I tend to tie them in with appearances at crime writing conventions. This year I’m going to be at Left Coast Crime in March, CrimeFest (UK) in May, Malice Domestic in May and Bouchercon in November. I will be appearing on panels and signing books afterwards.
#5 Do you" base" any of your fictional characters in your books from people in your personal life?
H.S. I usually invent the characters, though I have borrowed some of my daughter’s physical characteristics and her sweet nature for the character of Emily in my Emily Castles mystery series.
#6 What are you working on now?
H.S. I’m working on the next book in my Emily Castles mystery series. The books are standalone stories and can be read in any order, though they follow on chronologically from each other. This one takes place at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. Emily is in peril in this one!
#7 Do you have any talents other than being a great writer?
H.S. No, I wish I did. I would love to be able to sing. I’m good at cheering people up, though I’m not sure that’s a talent. At least it means I’m fun to be around if you’re feeling down.
Thanks for the questions. I enjoyed answering them
Helen