Have a terrific holiday!
 Welcome, Booklovers! Winter has come to the Midwest, so no more deck days until spring. We'll be around the fireplace until then, and joined by Latte, my tortoise shell Siamese. So pull up a chair and join me in welcoming this week's guest writer, Augustina Van Hoven, with her featured book, The Christmas Kiss, a holiday time travel romance. Good morning, Augustina. If I'm not mistaken, on a previous visit to the blog you said your coffee preference was chocolate mocha with a shot of caramel. AVH: That's right. Ally: While my magic pot prepares your drink, please tell readers about your background.  Bio: Augustina Van Hoven was born in The Netherlands and currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and pets. She is an avid reader of romance, science fiction and fantasy. When she’s not writing she likes to work in her garden or in the winter months crochet and knit on her knitting machines. Something unique/unusual that isn’t in my bio: “I immigrated to the United States from The Netherlands. While doing research on ships for my current WIP, I decided to research the ship I sailed on when we immigrated. I found out that a few years after I arrived here, Eddie and Alex Van Halen from the rock group Van Halen, immigrated to the USA on the same ship.” Author Contacts: Website: https://augustinavanhoven.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/augustinavhoven FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Augustina-Van-Hoven/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/augustinavhoven/ Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/augustinavanhoven BookBub page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/augustina-van-hoven Newsletter sign up: https://augustinavanhoven.com/join-newsletter/ INTERVIEW: Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book? AVH: I was watching the television show Downton Abby, and I wondered what it would be like to take a person from the early 1920’s and bring them forward to our time. The rest of the story developed from there. Ally: Are people you know models for your book characters? In what way? AVH: For some of my characters, that’s true. I usually don’t use the whole person, rather bits of their personality or appearance. I’ll take a person and make them the base for the character and add on the features, flaws and personality traits I need for the story. Ally: Do you write from an outline? AVH: I always spend time working out the story before I begin writing. I find I need a road map to help me get to where I want to go. My outlines are not very detailed, just the main things that need to happen in the chapter. I add in the details as I’m writing. Ally: How many drafts (revision passes) do you do on a typical book before submission to your editor/publisher? AVH: I generally do three passes before the story goes to my editor. Sometimes I discover I need to change a detail I wrote in an earlier chapter in order to make something else work later in the book. After I make that sort of change, I have to go back through the story to make sure it’s fixed in all the chapters where it appears. Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? AVH: I’m currently working on a time travel novella. In this story, you’re introduced to The Honorable Henry Benedict Percival Darington, the third son of the Earl of Linferd. The year is 1803, and Henry is arriving in New York hoping to stay at the estate of a distant cousin. Something happens and he finds himself at the home of a woman in modern times with no clue about how he got there or how he can get home. The novella is scheduled for release in January 2022. Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose? AVH:
 The Christmas Kiss Genre: Time travel romance Heat rate: 1 What happens under the mistletoe… When a sledding accident catapults governess Annabelle O’Sullivan ninety-four years into the future, she panics. She doesn’t know how to get back to 1925, and she doesn’t know how to survive in the twenty-first century. Annabelle must depend on the kindness of a stranger and his daughter, and she repays that kindness the only way she knows how: by making a home. The longer she stays, the less she wants to leave. But can she trust this stranger with her life? Since the death of his wife, Daniel Wagner has shut down his heart to everyone except his daughter, Olivia. Other women—including some of his employees at the ski lodge he manages—have angled for his attention. But Daniel found avoidance easy, until he was forced to rescue an unconscious woman lying in a snowdrift by the side of the road. Although the stranger seems to have no past, Daniel soon finds himself thinking about a present—and a future—with her. Purchase links: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Kiss-Love-Through-Time-ebook/dp/B07XXHKKNW Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1133591279?ean=2940163689958 Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1480184864 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-christmas-kiss-3  Check out this time travel mystery, first in a new series by Janet Raye Stevens. For the full book spotlight, including blurb, excerpt, an introduction to the author and buy links, follow this link to my JL Buck mystery blog: https://janetlbuck.com/blog/book-spotlight-beryl-blue-time-cop-by-janet-raye-stevens  Good Morning, Booklovers! Pull up a chair and join me in welcoming guest author Alana Lorens (Barbara Mountjoy) bringing us her featured suspense/thriller, Encounter. Nice to have you with us, Alana. How do you take your coffee? AL: Definitely high-test, full caffeine, with flavored creamers. Ally: That’s an easy request. While I get our drinks, please tell readers about yourself.  Bio: Alana Lorens has been a published writer for more than forty years, after working as a pizza maker, a floral designer, a journalist and a family law attorney. Currently a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the aging hippie loves her time in the smoky blue mountains. She writes romance and suspense as Alana Lorens, and sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal mystery as Lyndi Alexander. One of her novellas, THAT GIRL’S THE ONE I LOVE, is set in the city of Asheville during the old Bele Chere festival. She lives with her daughter on the autism spectrum, who is the youngest of her seven children, and she is ruled by two crotchety old cats, and six kittens of various ages. Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “Once upon a time, I got up on a nightclub stage and sang “Killing Me Softly” with the Morris Brothers band on Presque Isle, PA.” Social media links: Website http://Alana-lorens.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AlanaLorens/ Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4829967.Alana_Lorens Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alana-Lorens/e/B005GE0WBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1 Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D1aJmCwdYk&t=28s Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alana-lorens Twitter: @AlexanderLyndi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexander_lyndi/ INTERVIEW: Ally: Tell us about the models for your book characters. Do they come from people you know? AL: The book I’m working on currently has a heroine that may be too much like me. I wanted to write a book with a character that has some chronic illnesses, because I think most heroines are glaringly physically perfect. I’ve written my ex-husbands—and other people’s ex-husbands, for that matter--into books, where horrible things have happened to them. Sometimes it’s just satisfying. Ally: Do you read reviews of your books? Do you respond to them? Are you affected by them? AL: I do. I’m always hoping people will enjoy the stories I tell. I’ve also got to remember, like my old Con Law professor used to say, that a “C” is considered average/normal. We all were used to getting A’s easily before law school, and kinda freaked out if we got a C. You’ve got to consider who your competition is. So many choices out there for readers, that a 3 out of 5 stars means that the book told a good story and read well. 4 and 5, of course is better! 😊 I don’t respond, though. People’s opinion is their opinion. I’m certainly not going to change it by arguing with them! Ally: If you could rewrite the ending of any book ever written, what would it be and why? AL: Oh, wow. I’d love to see a different ending for Cormac McCarthy’s THE ROAD. But it wouldn’t fit, at all. Just so depressing. Ally: If you switched careers with the main character of the last book you read, what would it be? AL: Ha! I’d be Walter Bishop, crazed, LSD-scarred scientist working for the FBI on the Fringe Project. Wouldn’t that be a blast! Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? AL: My contemporary second-chance romance A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME will be released by The Wild Rose Press on January 10, 2022. Blurb: Up-and-coming mommyblogger and single mom Marisol Herrera Slade returns to her old hometown in western Pennsylvania for her 20th high school reunion in 2005, reluctant and yet compelled to see her high school sweetheart, Russell Asher, who dumped her for the homecoming queen. Russell's marriage to the golden girl, however, ended in a nasty divorce, and he has been systematically excluded from his sons' lives. In his Internet wanderings, he's found feminist blogger named Jerrika Jones, who glorifies single motherhood, essentially putting a stamp of approval on what's happened to him. His group of single dad advocates have vowed to take this woman down. What Russell doesn't know, when he thinks to rekindle what he had with Marisol, is that Marisol and Jerrika are one and the same. When his group discovers the truth, will their drive for revenge derail any chance the couple have to reunite? Or will they find they have more in common than they ever expected? Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you select? AL:
 Encounter Author: Alana Lorens Genre: Suspense/Thriller Rating: PG-13 Teo Haroun and the other lawyers in his firm look forward in varying degrees to the retreat at the Sherman Ranch in northern New Mexico. The boss has laid down some rules—no phones, no computers, no communication with the outside world—that makes them uneasy. But the corporate team-building exercises are necessary for this firm to survive its inner sniping and turmoil—and to protect the secrets they hold. Inez Suela and thirty other Mexicans have paid a coyote hundreds of pesos to take them across the border into the United States, where they hope to make a better life. The crowded truck heads north into New Mexico to meet their local driver, the occupants unaware that a freak March snowstorm is waiting in its path. Jake Patrin, the caretaker of the Ranch, fights demons of his own as he struggles daily with addiction. Working far from the city on the lonely Ranch, hosting those who rent the facility, is his protection and solace. But he’s about to lose the only peace he’s been able to grasp. Davi Pilar needs to make some fast money to appease a couple of St. Louis loan sharks, so he agrees to pick up a truckload of illegals and take them to St. Louis. He drives to New Mexico, not knowing that Inez, the woman who rejected him years before, is one of those on that truck. The intersection of these people, the collision of their cultures, the revelation of their secrets—all these things lead to violence, death, and even redemption in their New Mexico ENCOUNTER. BOOK TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb96vbSfiH8&t=84s Buy Links: PAP: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1941278965/ PAP: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781666296044/ HRD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1941278973/ HRD: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781666295030/ Amz Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096T8ZWT6/ Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/encounter/id1570703068/ Kobo Books: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/encounter-31 B&N Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940162514800/ Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1087545?ref=dfpbooks  Good Morning, Booklovers! Our guest author this week is Ashli Montgomery, writing romance as Virginia’dele Smith, and featuring her novel, Grocery Girl, first in a series. Welcome, Ashli. What may I get you to drink? AM/VS: I love the smell of coffee, but I don’t like the taste of it. Instead, I’m a hot tea drinker. My favorite is spiced, black tea with a teaspoon of honey and cream. Ally: While my magic pot prepares our drinks, please tell readers something about your background.  Bio: Ashli Montgomery is a wife, a momma, and an author whose passion is sharing love stories, books, quilts, yoga, recipes, and all of her favorite things in life. She is quilting to mend the mind by spearheading and educating a community of friends who love quilts and quilting but hate Alzheimer’s disease through Quilt 2 End ALZ, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit she launched to use her quilting hobby as a platform to advocate for an end to Alzheimer's disease. Ashli writes under the pen name Virginia’dele Smith to honor Syble Virginia Tidwell, Adele Gertrude Baylin, and Etta Jean Smith. These three cherished grandmothers were beautiful role models, teaching Ashli to love without judgment and to always put family first. Through Grandma Syble’s journals and appetite for books, through Momadele’s priceless cards and handwritten letters, and through many, many hours of visiting over fabric at Mema’s kitchen island, Ashli also learned to treasure words. Something unique that isn’t in your bio: “Today — November 3rd — is my birthday, and more importantly it’s Launch Day for my debut novel, Grocery Girl. My favorite reward/celebration is a spa appointment for a fabulous massage, followed by a steak dinner at my favorite restaurant, and of course, something sweet for dessert. Now you know exactly how I’ll be spending the rest of my day!” To learn more about Virginia’dele Smith, visit AshliMontgomery.com — while exploring her site, sign up to receive an invitation to join her exclusive online community, Welcome to Green Hills. LINKS: Website: www.AshliMontgomery.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/AshliMontgomery.VirginiadeleSmith Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashlim.virginiadelesmith/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ashlimontgomery/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeAndCoach INTERVIEW: Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book? AM/VS: When my now-twenty-three-year-old daughter was in junior high and high school, we had the opportunity to serve our community together through an organization called National Charity League. One of our favorite philanthropic activities through NCL was a weekly delivery of fresh fruit for a local youth shelter. On Monday mornings I would run to the grocery store to select ninety pieces of whatever was in-season…apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, plums, and even pears. It was a small task, but a meaningful gift. Interestingly, there was a fire engine parked outside the grocery store almost every Monday morning when I arrived to shop for the fruit. I figured the crew was there picking up what they needed to prepare meals at the fire house for their shift. The firefighters were always kind and polite, yet they were definitely “on a mission” and quite business-like. My imagination envisioned a sweet and kind young woman and a stoic, handsome fireman noticing one another in the produce aisle – a real meet cute scenario. The story concept wouldn’t leave me alone. When I tossed and turned at night, I thought about those characters — Rhys and Maree — as well as their story arc, their internal and external conflicts, and of course, their happy ending. I pictured the small town where they lived, and I fell in love with their friends and family. I had to write their romance, had to share their love story. And I based my lead character on my incredible and lovely daughter, Maci Maree. Ally: What is the hardest part of writing? Explain. AM/VS: Time – finding time, creating time, managing time, using time. Time is the hardest part of writing! My ideal day includes at least six hours of writing. But it also includes a workout followed by a quick shower, perhaps fixed hair and a light application of makeup, a task or two of housework, running a few errands, taking phone calls from my loved ones, eating, sleeping, sewing, reading. And I dream of a hot bubble bath to end the day. That is just a normal day… I have at least one bonus activity to tackle most days: Alzheimer’s work, board meetings, football practice, ball games, Mahjongg with friends, teaching yoga classes, quilt projects for others, and tending to Quilt 2 End ALZ business. My fatal flaw is that I love doing all these hobbies and jobs, and I don’t want to give any of them up. That means that twenty-four is not an adequate number of hours in my world. I need more time! Ally: If you could live in a fictional setting of your choice for the next six months, where would it be? Explain where the setting came from and why you chose it. AM/VS: After I was born and raised in Texas, our family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, seven years for my husband’s job as the head football coach for the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Upon arrival, I was shocked and surprised to find that Oklahoma is much more than flat plains and red dirt — although, that red dirt creates the most breathtaking sunsets on a daily basis! Tulsa is located in what’s called Green Country and has the most spectacular landscapes: stunning trees, shrubs, and flowers, gorgeous gardens, and eclectic neighborhoods with all styles and ages of beautiful homes. And as one drives south from Tulsa, through the eastern side of Oklahoma, the vegetation gets even greener and even denser. It’s amazing! Every time I drive that route across the Indian Nation Turnpike, I can’t look away from the canopy of thick, green trees. I imagine quaint small towns hidden from the rest of the world, the world that is zooming by, too busy to notice the treasure so close. Even though I know Texas much better, I was compelled to set my fictional small town under that canopy. I named my community Green Hills, and I would absolutely love to live there for six months — or sixty years. I recently wrote a manifesto, a biographical short story for Virginia’dele Smith — my pen name and alter ego. In it I describe Green Hills this way: Hidden among the lush green trees, Green Hills has mystical qualities of unity and encouragement. The community is designed and depicted how I wish the world would be: uplifting, supportive, helpful, and kind. There are all types of people in Green Hills, with all types of backgrounds and careers… …The fine folks of Green Hills will love many of the jobs and hobbies that I love: quilting, sewing, reading, writing, cooking, baking, tea rooms, hair salons, dress shops, boutiques, antique malls, crafts, home decor, architecture, real estate, teaching, and singing. There will be football, and other sports like baseball, dance, and yoga. There will be doctors and nurses, firefighters and EMT’s. There will be police and mayors and civil servants. There will be tragedy and loss. There will be challenges and struggles. There will be a theme of facing Alzheimer’s disease and the fight to end it. There will be love — clean and wholesome love, deep and emotional love. Lots and lots of love! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a place like that? Ally: What is your favorite marketing tool? Why? AM/VS: Oddly enough, a Facebook Group is my favorite marketing tool. Many authors have online fan groups and writing communities, and I think they do a really good job with them. But I decided to do something a little different. Welcome to Green Hills is a closed Facebook Group, private and exclusive, and only for fans of Virginia’dele Smith and the Green Hills series of small-town wholesome romance stories. This community is a place to connect with readers, sew with quilters, participate in book club, take a yoga class, attend quilt guild meetings, swap fabric, share recipes. It’s an exciting and happening place - a hidden gem - and everyone is invited to stop by, stay a while, and visit often. I look forward to spending time with the people of Green Hills and getting to know everyone. It’s not the normal marketing channel, but I think it will be both a powerful platform for sharing my author journey and a very authentic reflection of my style. Friends, family, fans, and readers receive an invitation to join the group upon registering to receive emails from me and can subscribe here. Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? AM/VS: I’m currently editing Book 2: In the Trenches, writing Book 3: Three Times to Make Sure, and outlining book four (title TBD) in the Green Hills series. These first four novels center around the Davenport family — Maree, Max, M’Kenzee, and their close friend Daniel Davis. I used to raise an eyebrow in skepticism when I heard authors say that a book “wrote itself” but I can now testify that the phenomenon really does happen. When I find time to write, these adventures flow onto the page on their own. Oftentimes, I reread the chapters after a great writing session to discover what I’ve typed. And I am always very happy (and a tiny bit surprised) to rediscover how much I love these characters and how tangibly I feel their struggles and successes. They are proof that good people exist, that they have ups and downs just like the rest of us, and that happily ever after is not a fluke. Anticipated release dates? Fingers crossed for early 2022. Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose? AM/VS:
 Grocery Girl: Book 1 Author Pen Name: Virginia’dele Smith Genre: Small-town, wholesome romance Heat Rating: PG ASIN: B09KQDK8D8 She inhales life with every breath. He’s suffered a world of pain. Can they rise above tragedy to find their happily ever after? Maree Davenport refuses to let a tearful past rule her future. After losing her parents at the age of five, the big-hearted fabric designer is determined to embrace her feelings and find happiness no matter what. So when she literally runs over a handsome new firefighter in the produce section, the hopeless romantic is certain she’s just collided with destiny. Everyone Rhys Larsen ever loved has died. And though he may have hit it off with the pretty girl at the store, the haunted EMT knows better than to let her into his heart. But when an accident leaves her wounded and in need of care, he vows to nurse her back to health. As Maree struggles to break through the grieving man’s walls, she fears his deep-seated superhero complex will make him unreachable. And as Rhys grapples with trying to protect the beautiful woman from his curse, he worries he’ll have to choose between doing the right thing and true love. Can this conflicted couple reconcile their opposite takes on adversity and find purpose in each other’s arms? Grocery Girl is the touching first book in the Green Hills wholesome small-town romance series. If you like strong but vulnerable characters, emotional growth, and quaint backdrops, then you’ll adore Virginia'dele Smith’s celebration of joy. Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KQDK8D8?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_0&storeType=ebooks  Good Morning, Booklovers! How nice to see everyone on this rainy morning! Please join me in welcoming short story writer Franceiia Belton to this week's Coffee Chat, where she'll be featuring an anthology with her latest short story cozy mystery, "The Brotherhood of Tricks and Treats." (And don't miss the giveaway at the end!) A pleasure to meet you, Francelia. What may I get you to drink? FB: I'm not a coffee drinker, and as I've gotten older, I have become a tea drinker. Flavored tea with honey. My husband makes me a perfect cup every time. :) Ally: I don't have your husband here to make it for you, but I do have a magic pot that can mimic anything. While I prepare our drinks, please introduce yourself to readers.  Bio: Francelia Belton’s love of short stories came from watching old Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents television shows in her youth. Her fiction has appeared in various publications, with a new short story coming out in the upcoming Denver Noir anthology by Akashic Books. Also, she was a finalist in the 2020-2021 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Competition and is currently a semi-finalist in the 2021 Outstanding Screenplays Shorts Competition for her short story, “Knife Girl.” Something unique/unusual that isn't in my regular bio: “I am a 80's girl, so there are a couple of hard rock/hair band songs I like in addition to my R&B and hip hop. LOL.” Author Links: https://Francel.Be/Writing-Stories https://www.goodreads.com/Francelia https://www.bookbub.com/profile/Francelia-Belton https://www.amazon.com/Francelia-Belton/e/B01LBFLQKU https://www.facebook.com/Francelia.Stories https://twitter.com/FranceliaBelton INTERVIEW: Ally: Who or what inspired your current story? FB: I needed to write a holiday culinary cozy crime short story, and I chose Halloween. But the problem was that I didn't have a recipe for Halloween, because I don't celebrate the holiday other than passing out candy to trick-or-treaters every year. Luckily, I have a friend on Facebook who was making Halloween treats for her nieces and nephews at the time. The treat sounded so good, I asked her if I could use it for my story. And hence, the appearance of Krispie Balls in my story, "The Brotherhood Tricks and Treats." :) Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Do you have a "day" job? FB: I choose writing as a career because I have always loved reading and writing since I was a little girl. I was the kid who turned in a story with her vocabulary words rather than just the requisite 20 separate sentences in elementary school. My "day" job is an office manager in a commercial property management company. Ally: What book/author had the biggest influence on your writing? FB: As much as I love reading, I can't say it was a book or author that had the biggest influence on my writing. It was watching all those old television programs like The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and their ilk. They are the reason why I write short stories instead of novels. I'm in and out in a character's life rather than following them around for any length of time. Ally: What are your reading habits? Current favorites? FB: I am a huge audiobook listener. It is how I get a majority of my reading done. I have a 45-minute commute each way during the work week, and to me there's no better way to pass the time. My absolute favorite audiobook of all time is World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. I don't normally read zombie books, but I love this book because it's about the different perspectives of what happened before, during, and after a zombie war. I love the human stories of love, grief, loss and survival, and all the actors conveyed it beautifully in the audio version. I have to listen to it at least once a year. Ally: What three books in your genre would you recommend to readers? FB: Twisted by Jeffery Deaver; Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King; Cutting Edge: New Stories of Mystery and Crime by Women Writers edited by Joyce Carol Oates Ally: Which questions did you select to answer from the trivia list? FB:
 Festive Mayhem 2: Seven Holiday Culinary Cozy Mysteries Genre: Cozy Mystery (short Stories by various authors) Seven crime writers of color have teamed up for the second year running to offer you the gift of escape this holiday season. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, Halloween to New Year's, cozy mystery fans are bound to find a favorite holiday represented in this limited-time collection of exclusive, never-before-published seasonal short stories. What you'll find inside: • "Nefarious New Year" by Paige Sleuth. A suspected poisoning leads Cherry Hills, Washington animal rescue maven Imogene Little to spend New Year’s Eve 1999 tracking down a would-be murderer. • "The Brotherhood of Tricks and Treats" by Francelia Belton. A young man wants to fit in with his older brothers, but gets in over his head. • "Cookies, Lies & Homicide" by Angela Henry. When lonely widow Mercy Davenport finds a lost dog, she has no idea searching for its owner will land her in the middle of a murder mystery, putting her in the crosshairs of a killer and on the radar of a grumpy local police detective. • "Last Bite" by Rhoda Berlin. When Emily introduces her fiancé to her family, Thanksgiving comes to a fateful end. • "A Praline for Pepe" by Carolyn Marie Wilkins. Carrie McFarland’s psychic powers are tested when a showboat featuring a racist revue brings a handsome stranger, a new cuisine, and a cold-blooded killer to Aaronsville, Indiana in 1921. • "A Cup of Secrets" by Barbara Howard. Debutante Chelsea Parker's birthday celebration launched his catering business into an overnight success, but Milo is thrown into the center of a murder investigation before dawn with his business partner and love of his life as the primary suspect. • "The Jollof Rice and Crayfish Mystery" by Stella Oni. Elizabeth Ojo senses trouble when billionaire businessman Chief Arowolo, his wives and family come to celebrate his 75th birthday in the Mews, and she is not wrong as Chief collapses on the day of his celebration. Bonus recipes are included for each story! Available at: Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo https://books2read.com/fm2 ****In celebration of their release, the authors are hosting a multi-book giveaway. Visit the Rafflecopter Giveaway page through October 29 and enter for your chance to win. http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f0f9d74e25  At First Sight (Global Security Unlimited 1) Genre: Romance Oxford, England 1993. An awkward American grad student runs into a gorgeous English undergrad with her bicycle. She’s embarrassed. He’s intrigued. They go their separate ways, but neither forgets. Chicago, Illinois 2013. When Cress Taylor starts receiving anonymous threats, the successful novelist feels her world crashing down. Max Grant turns up at a book signing and wants to renew their fleeting acquaintance. Is the timing coincidental or suspicious? Should she fall into his arms or run like hell? Then the plagiarism accusations start. A former spy now working for a global security company, Max Grant has always steered clear of relationships—until now. When he sees Cress in a TV interview, his curiosity ignites. Will the spark he felt twenty years ago burst into flame? Cress is a magnet he can’t resist. As threats escalate to physical danger, Max feels driven to protect Cress. They must learn to work together if they want to stop her nemesis and find their happy ending. Buy Links: Universal link for ebook: mybook.to/atfirstsightmichalove Amazon paperback link: https://www.amazon.com/At-First-Sight-Sharon-Michalove/dp/1736918702/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=at+first+sight+sharon+michalove&qid=1631632069&sr=8-1 Barnes and Noble paperback link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/at-first-sight-sharon-d-michalove/1140047370?ean=9781736918708 EXCERPT: I step off the private elevator on the fortieth floor of One Financial Plaza in my new shoes. New shoes—ridiculous, bright-red, three-inch stilettos. What was I thinking? Oh yeah, Everest. Maybe the best restaurant in Chicago. One of the thirty or forty best in the U.S. As I passed the store window, the shoes lured me in. My willpower collapsed like a condemned building. This is so not me. I’ve only had them a minute, and they’re cheese graters for feet. A quick roll of my ankle on the slick granite floor reminds me why I don’t wear high heels. My arms splay and rotate like a windmill. The shopping bag that holds my serviceable flats and my small evening bag spins off my wrist. One shoe skids away. Crap, crap, crap. The brown kraft-paper bag is a missile that hurtles toward a man on his way to the restaurant entrance. My mouth opens in soundless warning as it speeds toward an invisible bullseye. Thunk. The bag bounces off his arm. My evening clutch pops out, wide open. Damn that broken clasp. Change rings against hard wood and granite, spraying in all directions. I drop to my knees and crawl after the quarters and pennies. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him spin. A frown twists lush lips. “You all right?” A foot in a brogue polished within an inch of its life rests a millimeter from my fingers as I reach for more coins. A shoe, a red shoe, is in his hand. “Lost something?” He holds it out to me. His rich British accent sends a prickle down my spine. I tip my head up to give him a quick once-over. A spark flashes through eyes that remind me of a walk on the beach in winter. A face bisected by a high-bridged aristocratic slash of a nose. My face tingles. The tips of my ears are warm. I grab the shoe, drop it on the floor, and hide my face in my hands. “Fine. Sorry. I lost my balance and the bag escaped.” My fingers muffle the sound. He starts to bend down. His hand brushes my ear. Zap. I scoot backward. He straightens up and shakes his hand. “Pins and needles.” With effort, I wrench my focus back to the coins. My good luck charm, a Victorian black opal pendant I bought when my first book sold, slides back and forth against the sanded silk of my shabby chic little black dress. Streaks of fire reflect off the granite floor as it swings. I brush stray discs into the pile. “Just trying to help.” “I can manage. Thanks, though.” A loud male voice calls out, “Hey, Max. Get in here.” “Half a mo’.” I wave him off. “Your friends want you.” “But…” “I’ve got this.” “Sure?” “Yeah. Go on.” He straightens, turns, walks into the restaurant. I stare at his back in the perfect gray suit. The color matches his eyes. The heap of change winks at me. I slip on my shoe and pick them up so no one else falls. Little traitors. Purse and shoe box stuffed back into the shopping bag, I stagger through the wood-framed doorway. The tables are all full. I have a word with the maître d' before he shows me to a center table where four people give me a standing ovation. Heat burns my cheeks. The other diners stare, some annoyed but more amused. In fact, complete strangers join in, clapping. A group of men in elegant suits, ensconced at a round table positioned to enjoy the spectacular view, whistle loudly. My nose wrinkles. Over-aged frat boys. With my unruly curls and my almost too-thin frame, all these people may wonder if I’m some D-list celeb. I look like a starved model, but the genes tell the story. I have the appetite of a hockey player after a game. My best friend, Micki, leads the cheers. She is a statuesque platinum blonde, all curves, killing it in a red-sequined dress. My shoes would be perfect. She glances toward my feet. “Nice shoes. New?” “Yeah. Big mistake.” “About time you started to wear grown-up shoes.” We wear the same size. I’ll wrap them up for Christmas. One pair of fancy shoes, light wear.  Bio: Sharon Michalove grew up in suburban Chicago. She received four degrees from the University of Illinois because she didn't have the gumption to go anywhere else, and spent most of her career at the university, eventually earning a PhD, working in departmental administration, publishing and libraries. Her specialties are 15th-16th century European history, polar exploration, and food history. She may be one of the few people in America to never live outside her home state. In graduate school, she met and married the love of her life. They shared a love of music, theater, travel and cats. He died in 2013. Sharon also loves hockey, reading, cooking, writing, and various less elevated activities like eating cookies and sampling gins and single malts. After spending most of her life in a medium-sized university town she moved back to Chicago in 2017 so she could go to more Blackhawks games and spend quality time at Eataly. She hopes to accomplish a lifetime goal by publishing her first novel this year. Unfortunately her other lifetime goal, to be English, is likely to remain unfulfilled. Social Links: They are all collected at Linktree https://linktr.ee/sdmichalove  Good Morning, Booklovers! It's a brisk fall day in the Midwest, and we’re gathered around the fireplace this morning. Won’t you join us in welcoming today's guest author, Heather Weidner, to the Coffee Chat? So nice to have you with us, Heather. How do you take your coffee? HW: I like iced coffee (year-round). The security guard at my day gig laughs at me when I show up in January, shivering with a cold drink. Ally: It’s almost shivering weather this morning, but cold coffee is coming right up! While I prepare our drinks, please tell readers something about your background.  Bio: Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers is the first in her cozy mystery series, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries. She also writes the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series set in Virginia. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series. Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers. Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “One of my first jobs as a kid was to pick up the bullet casing at the police range where my dad was practicing. Being a CK (cop’s kid), I thought everyone talked of murder and mayhem at the dinner table.” Author Contact Links: Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121854.Heather_Weidner Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-weidner-d6430278-c5c9-4b10-b911-340828fc7003 INERVIEW: Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book, Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers? HW: My husband loves DIY projects, and we watch a lot of shows on TV. One summer, I came across one in California where a couple refurbished vintage trailers, and that gave me the idea for Jules’s campground. She saves classic campers from the scrap heap and gives them a new life as part of a posh, glamping (glamorous camping) experience. She and her security guard add tiny houses to the offerings in this book. Ally: What is the hardest part of writing? HW: I think the hardest thing about writing is staying focused. I get distracted so easily. I go to Google to look up something, and then hours later, I’m watching alpaca videos. My friend and awesome writer, Alan Orloff, told me about BICFOK (Butt in Chair and Fingers on Keyboard), and it’s a good reminder that my task is to write. Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job? HW: I still have a day gig. I’m an IT QA/Governance manager. I think it helps me with my writing. I get great ideas from all the people I interact with. And I always have wonderful IT resources to answer my questions about the dark web, computer security, and funny things people do with technology. It also helps me organize and plan my writing time. I need to make the most of it when my writing/book marketing time is limited. Ally: Do you write from an outline? HW: I do. Many moons ago, I was an IT project manager, and I’m a planner, outliner, and list maker. I do a high-level outline for the book, and then I start writing. Sometimes, the characters go off on their own paths, and I adjust. The outline helps me later when I have to write the dreaded synopsis. Ally: What's the best writing/marketing advice you’ve been given? HW: Writing/publishing is a business, and it’s hard work. It takes a lot of time and energy (and sticktoitiveness) to get published. Ally: Tell us about your reading habits. Current favorites? HW: I have been a reader since I got my first library card. (Shout out to all the fabulous librarians and teachers who helped me throughout the years and encouraged my addictive reading habit!) I read lots of genres, but my go-to is always mystery, thriller, and suspense. I read a lot of cozy mysteries to learn the craft and conventions. Plus, I absolutely love them. Right now, my favorite authors are Libby Klein, Sherry Harris, Ellen Bryon, Jennifer Chow, Diane Kelly, Bree Baker, John Grisham, Lee Child, and K.L. Murphy. Ally: How many drafts (revision passes) do you do on a typical book before submission to your editor/publisher? HW: I learned a long time ago, that when I think I’m “done,” I’m not. That’s just the beginning. The fabulous Mary Burton gave me great advice early on. She said to just write your first draft. Save the editing/proofreading for when you finish, and she’s right. My first book took five years to write and probably another two years to get published because I spent so much time refining a few chapters. I am much more prolific when I just write. I then spend time doing two or three (or ten) read-throughs. Then it’s ready for my critique group’s feedback. I make those changes, and then it’s ready for my agent and editor’s review and feedback. Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? HW: The second book in the Jules Keene Glamping series, Film Crews and Rendezvous comes out in October 2022. Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer? HW:
 Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers (Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries #1) Genre: Cozy Mystery There is nothing like finding a dead body, clad only in a red satin thong, on your property to jolt you from a quiet routine. Jules Keene, owner of the posh Fern Valley Camping Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is thrust into the world of the Dark Web when one of her guests, Ira Perkins, is found murdered in the woods near her vintage trailers. Jules quickly discovers that the man who claimed to be on a writing retreat was not what he seemed, and someone will go to any length to find what he left at her resort. Jules, along with her Jack Russell Terrier sidekick Bijou, has to put the rest of the missing pieces of a blackmailing scheme together before her business is ruined. Jules’s resort, set in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville in the quaint town of Fern Valley, offers guests a unique vacation in refurbished and upcycled vintage trailers. Hoping to expand her offerings, she partners with her maintenance/security guy to create a village of tiny houses, the latest home DIY craze, but a second murder of a reporter interrupts Jules’s expansion plans. Curiosity gets the best of her, and she steps up her sleuthing to find out what Ira Perkins was really up to and what he was really hiding at her resort. Buy Link: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GGBFWT5  Good Morning, Booklovers! Join me this fine fall morning in welcoming mystery author Nancy Nau Sullivan to the Coffee Chat with her featured series The Blanche Murninghan Mysteries and a cover reveal for book three. Nice to meet you, Nancy. How do you take your coffee? NNS: I drink coffee black, no sugar, and strong. Preferably Peet’s or Dunkin’ Dark, and only one or two in the morning otherwise I’m stuck to the ceiling. Ally: No problem for my magic pot. While I pour, please introduce yourself to readers.  Bio: Nancy Nau Sullivan’s Saving Tuna Street--nominated for best mystery, 2020, at Foreword Reviews—launched the Blanche Murninghan mystery series. Second in the series, Trouble Down Mexico Way (June, 2021); third, Mission Improbable: Vietnam (June, 2022) follow up (Light Messages/Torchflame Books). Nancy’s memoir, The Last Cadillac, won two Eric Hoffer awards. Her novel, The Boys of Alpha Block (TouchPoint Press, April 2021), is based on years of teaching at a boys’ prison. A former newspaper journalist, she also taught in Mexico, Argentina, and Chicago. Nancy lives in Northwest Indiana, and often anywhere near water. Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “I love to drive long distances – alone—listening to country music and eating kettle korn until it comes out my ears.” Social media: www.nancynausullivan.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nancy.sullivan.9638 Twitter @NauSullivan Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/nancy-nau-sullivan LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-nau-sullivan-712b2015a/ INTERVIEW: Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book/series? NNS: I’m hugely driven by setting, hence, the places I’ve visited and loved have lent the backdrop, and the hook, for the Blanche Murninghan mystery series. The first, Saving Tuna Street, came out of a concern for the environment on Anna Maria Island, Florida—the setting for my memoir, The Last Cadillac. Mexico City was a favorite haunt during my stint in the Peace Corps in 2013 and inspired mystery number two. I visited Vietnam, which totally captured me for the third installment, and the fourth takes place in Ireland, which I’ve visited many times. Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision? NNS: I’m traditionally published, mainly because I wanted to work with professionals on my writing projects. I have an English teaching background, so I’m pretty grounded in grammar and the essentials, but I wanted that excellent eye on my work. I’ve been happy with the wonderful relationships I’ve made at three small presses for my four books. Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job? NNS: I’ve always been a writer since writing squiggly lines to my sister when I was six. It was frustrating then (and sometimes now), but my grandmother said, “Don’t worry. You’ll write one day.” That remark certainly planted something in my head. I was a newspaper journalist before teaching English. I began getting short stories published about ten years ago and it became the springboard to getting a publisher for my memoir, my first book. Ally: What's the best writing/marketing advice you’ve been given? NNS: Keep finishing the books. Promotion is great, but the writing and the publishing of more and more is what matters. Ally: What authors have had the biggest influence on your writing? NNS: Carl Hiaasen, James Lee Burke, Anne Tyler, Anne Lamott, Laura Lippman, Tana French Ally: Tell us about your reading habits. Current favorites? NNS: I read up on the country or setting for months before, and during, writing the book; right now, it’s Ireland—Carlene O’Connor, Kathleen McGurl, Tana French, Frank Delaney, Colm Toibin, Rutherford, so many. Ally: You’re thrown into a different time period—either past or future—what book hero would you want with you? Why? NNS: James Hall’s wonderful Thorn, or any of Carl Hiaasen’s plucky, fabulous, funny female leads. These characters stick to their truth, through all the bad stuff. It’s easier to live with yourself when you do. Ally: What is your most frequently used source of information? Why? What are its benefits? NNS: I buy a Frommer’s or other guide book of the year my story takes place. It’s invaluable for details about flights, food, streets, events. Even though I’ve been to these places—I lived in Mexico for a year—the guide book is a great assist to notes, blogs, and that old memory. Ally: Do you buy ads for your books? Where? Have they been profitable? NNS: With my first book, The Last Cadillac: A Memoir, I bought a tiny ad in a prominent writing magazine for $750. Stupidest thing I ever did. I also bought a review for the memoir from Kirkus – also pricey – and the best promo I’ve ever done. It was glowing. Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? NNS: Third in the Blanche Murninghan mystery series: Mission Improbable:Vietnam--is in edits and due out next June from Light Messages/Torchflame Books. Cover reveal, attached to email. I’ve signed on for the fourth in the series, A Deathly Irish Secret, tentative publication, June 2023. Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer? NNS:
 Cover reveal: Mystery #three: Mission Improbable: Vietnam (June 2022, Light Messages) Blurb for Series: The Blanche Murninghan Mysteries Genre: Cozy mystery Sometime sleuth, part-time journalist, and full-time beach bum, Blanche Murninghan, gets herself in one scrape after another—in places she never expected. The new mystery series starts off peacefully enough on sleepy Santa Maria Island, Florida (until murder and mayhem drop in). Adventure then finds Blanche in Mexico City where she uncovers a “new” mummy, and in Vietnam where she hunts down a friend’s lost mother. Saving Tuna Street and Trouble Down Mexico Way from Light Messages/Torchflame Books, available on Amazon, through the publisher, and at any bookstore. Mission Improbable: Vietnam launches June, 2022.
Covers: Mystery #one: Saving Tuna Street (June 2020, Light Messages) Mystery #two: Trouble Down Mexico Way (June 2021, Light Messages) Buy Link: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0928LWQQR? Also available at the publisher and other bookstores (see more buy links on website or Bookbub listing in bio above) Writing is Learning Thank you Ally for inviting me to share some thoughts on writing. The thing that I enjoy most about writing is the depths to which I must dig to flesh out whatever story I’m writing. This might be due to my historical novel roots where research is such a fundamental building block of the novel. The rule of thumb that seems to make sense to me is a hundred to one. For every single piece of authentic information I include, I must have read, noted, and understood one hundred. To write about a subject, you must become an expert—not to fill the pages but to minimize the information shared. The better one understands a topic, the more succinctly they can explain it. The subject of Mind Trap, being released on October 6th, is cults. At the time that I began my research, I had no idea the extent of these groups in the world. There are various definitions, but most simply, a cult is the veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers. This definition can certainly be used to encompass quite a lot. The definition if often accompanied by the concept of irrational beliefs. These are often associated with a charismatic leader that can convince their followers to act outside of conventional practices. My mystery/thriller, Mind Trap, delves into these controversial interpretations of groups that have been labeled cults while also putting you on a thrill ride that keeps you turning the pages while also learning about the history of cults in the world. My first book in the series, Wolfe Trap, dissected heroin trafficking and opiate abuse and the affect that fentanyl has had in this illegal and legal enterprise. The next mystery, Mouse Trap, will investigate genome engineering. And due out next September, Honey Trap, tackles the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena that has been in all the news as of late. I have written several historical novels as well as the Mainely Mystery series. I’ve decided to combine those two loves for the project I’m currently working on, Brooklyn Eight Ballo, which will be out late next year. It is a PI mystery set in 1923 Brooklyn, and already I’ve been blown away with the wealth of fascinating people and events from back then. Throw in a little mystery, and you have the recipe for some fun learning. Thank you for joining me for my thoughts. And as always, read on. Write on.  About the Author Matt Cost is the highly acclaimed, award-winning author of the Mainely Mystery series. The first book, Mainely Power, was selected as the Maine Humanities Council Read ME fiction book of 2020. This was followed by Mainely Fear and Mainely Money. Mainely Angst is the fourth book of the series. I Am Cuba: Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution was his first traditionally published novel. He had another historical released in August of 2021, Love in a Time of Hate. Wolfe Trap was the first in the Clay Wolfe Port Essex Trap series. Mind Trap was the second, published in October of 2021, and will be followed by Mouse Trap in April of 2022. Cost was a history major at Trinity College. He owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym, before serving a ten-year sentence as a junior high school teacher. In 2014 he was released and began writing. And that’s what he does. He writes histories and mysteries. Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. A chocolate Lab and a basset hound round out the mix. He now spends his days at the computer, writing. Author Links and Social Media Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.cost.3 Twitter: @MattCost8 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlangdoncost/  Mind Trap (Clay Wolfe/Port Essex mystery series, Book #2) Genre: mystery Mind Trap delves into a radical cult threatening a small coastal Maine town. When Clay Wolfe is hired to find a missing girl, the events come tumbling down in rapid fashion. “You say your daughter is missing?” Clay Wolfe asked. The man in front of him was slightly disheveled. Red eyes. Fear creased his features. What is the End Game? It was as close to ecstasy as the woman had ever been in her life. It was enlightenment. She was no longer Martha Abbott. She was a warrior of Marduk engaged in a war of purity. What is going to happen on Leap Day? “We have allowed sin to fill our homes, and it is our divine labor to cleanse that filth from our streets.” Marduk’s voice boomed through the cavernous temple. Something evil is lurking in the streets of Port Essex. A missing girl. Violent attacks. It is up to Clay Wolfe, his partner Baylee Baker, and a colorful assortment of friends to get to the bottom of these odious occurrences before it is too late. Buy Links Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Mainely-Angst-Matt-Cost/dp/1645992845/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mainely+angst&qid=1631819295&s=books&sr=1-1 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mainely-angst-matt-cost/1140142186?ean=9781645992844 |
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