Book Review: FUR BALL FEVER A Romantic Crime Mystery with Tons of Humor (The Fever Series Book 1) by Maureen Fisher

Synopsis

Romance, mystery & dogs with personality, all wrapped up with humor. 

An impulsive pet spa owner loses her elderly client's prize pooch ... After a lifetime of impetuous mistakes, Jersey Shore pet spa owner Grace Donnelly outdoes herself when a client's prize poodle, a shoo-in to win the annual Fur Ball, goes AWOL while in her custody. With money, careers, and lives in jeopardy, Grace is not afraid to strap on the leather to go undercover in a fetish club looking for clues. Too bad her helpers consist of an aging hippie aunt, a renegade schnauzer, a drag queen, and a dominatrix or two. Worst of all, the only man truly qualified to help is her former flame, the most domineering male on the eastern seaboard. 

A smokin' hot bodyguard has his own dangerous agenda ... Texas-born security specialist Nick Jackson faces his worst nightmare when Grace's amateur investigation nearly blows his covert operation. Unless he nails the con-artist who scammed his home-town's senior citizens and whacked a witness, his homicidal granddaddy will take justice into his own liver-spotted hands. To salvage his case, his sanity, and his ex-lover's velvety skin, Nick joins forces with the sassy crusader who rubs him the wrong way--and so many right ways too. 

Together, they encounter an explosion of murder & mayhem... Action bounces from the upscale Shore community of Saltwater Estates to a beach harboring washed-up corpses, a yacht no honest preacher could possibly afford, and the bawdiest nightclub in Atlantic City. 

With the Fur Ball rapidly approaching and hazards multiplying like bunnies, will Grace find the missing poodle in time, and can Nick nail the con-artist before his granddaddy does? 

Review

First in this series, what made this book enjoyable were the characters. Grace cares about people and tends to act impulsively for all the right reasons. She's also self-aware and still has feelings for her ex, Nick. Nick works security and still has feelings for Grace, only she keeps putting herself in danger. And now her attempt to find the missing dog lands her in the middle of his investigation into someone scamming senior citizens. 

The pace of the story is steady, with hints at Grace and Nick getting back together, humorous situations especially with pot-smoking Aunt BONeth and Granddaddy Hiram. At each step of the way, there are more clues to how the dognapping is connected to the scamming. The story is well-plotted and the characters well-developed.

A fun read, the next in the series is on my TBR list. For those who enjoy cozy mystery with a side of romance and humor, Fur Ball Fever will entertain. 

AMAZON

(Excerpt available on the book page!) 

GUEST POST: Interview of Bobbie Baxter (Cassie Baxter Mysteries)

Today it is my pleasure to have a guest post and interview of Bobby Baxter of the Cassie Baxter Mysteries and a giveaway courtesy of author Cindy Blackburn:

Hi! I’m Maxine Tibbitts, and I write a weekly column in the local paper for Lake Elizabeth, Vermont, detailing all the latest news around town. Some folks claim I’m a gossip columnist, but I only report the facts. No, really! Heaven knows I don’t need to exaggerate to make my column exciting. It may be teeny tiny, but there’s always something going on in Lake Elizabeth. We have lots of fascinating residents, but the most interesting of all is Cassie Baxter. And isn’t it convenient that I live next door to the Baxters? That’s Cassie and her father Bobby Baxter.

Take my advice and read Unexpected and Unbelievable, to get Cassie’s opinion about everything and anything, (including a couple of murders!). When you do so, you’ll notice that Cassie has much to say about living with her father. She claims Bobby drives her nuts, but between you and me, I think Cassie is Looney Tunes with or without her father’s help! So when Christa asked me to submit an interview from a resident of our little town, I chose Bobby. High time the man got to tell his side of things!! Here goes…

Maxine: So Bobby, according to what we hear from your daughter, you drive her nuts. But I’ll ask the opposite question: Does your daughter Cassie drive you nuts? After all, it’s a little unusual that a 40-something woman is living with her seventy-year-old father.

Bobby: Thank you for asking! Yes! Cassie does indeed drive me nuts. For instance, the girl insists she’s not a morning person and complains each and every morning when I wake her up before 5 a.m. But Cassie knows that deep down inside we Baxters are all morning people.

Maxine: Did you just say, before 5 a.m.? Did you just say, each and every morning?

Bobby: I did! It’s the best time of day! Once Cassie stops complaining, she proves to me, each and every day, that she IS a morning person. I sit down on the rocking chair at the foot of her bed, and we discuss the latest plot twist of my latest Chance Dooley story. Cassie is so good at getting Chance out of all the pickles he gets into. I only wish she were better at getting herself out of her own pickles. You have heard about the latest murder?

Maxine: Whoa! Back up! Let’s start with Chance Dooley. Explain to our readers, please.

Bobby: I’m a retired English teacher, and when I retired and moved up here to Vermont, I took up writing science fiction stories. Chance Dooley is the hero and star of these stories. He owns and operates Dooley’s Delivery Service: The Delivery Service That Delivers Where No Delivery Service Has Ever Delivered Before! Chance is a whiz-bang pilot, and he flies his Spaceship Destiny here, there, and everywhere throughout the Hollow Galaxy. But the Destiny, though it be state of the art technology for the 51st Century, is a tad temperamental—she has a bad habit of breaking down at the most inopportune times and in the most remote corners of the galaxy. That’s why Chance finds himself in so many pickles, you see.

Maxine: Umm, and you say Cassie helps you plot these stories?

Bobby: She’s a great help! And now so is little Truman. The child is so imaginative. He fits right in with us Baxters.

Maxine: Perhaps you should tell us about this latest addition to your household.

Bobby: Truman? Another fine example of how Cassie drives me nuts! Just the other day, she comes home with a five year child, right out of the blue, and tells me she’s agreed to take care of him, because he’s in need of a temporary guardian. Out of the blue! The child is absolutely no relation to us, and Cassie is not even a kid-person! Why do these things always happen to her? She manages to get into more pickles than Chance Dooley. Pickle, after pickle, after pickl—

Maxine: Speaking of pickles, I hear Cassie is involved in yet another murder investigation?

Bobby: I told you the girl drives me nuts. But, alas, I’m quite proud of her also. She has a good heart—the way she’s helping Truman being a good example of that, and she does seem to have a knack at solving murders.

Maxine: Which brings us to Cassie’s love life, doesn’t it? Is she or isn’t she involved with that handsome state trooper I see over at your house all the times of the day and night?

Bobby: You mean Captain Jason Sterling. Cassie swears there’s nothing going on there, other than this most recent murder investigation. Personally, I don’t know what to think, because the girl is head over heels about Joe Wylie. And he feels the same way about her.

Maxine: For those who don’t know, Joe Wylie is another neighbor. Cassie and Joe have been quite an ‘item’ in our little town, haven’t they, Bobby?

Bobby: Indeed. But Cassie insists I stay out of her love life. I try to give advice, but Cassie says that drives her nuts.

Maxine: Oh my! Things do seem to be even more exciting than usual over at your house—what with romantic entanglements, unsolved murders, and a five year old child! Perhaps we should direct folks to Unexpected to learn the whole story?

Bobby: Excellent idea, Maxine. We’re having a very busy autumn hereabouts, so come on up to Lake Elizabeth, Vermont, where the water is growing colder, the leaves are turning orange, and my daughter, Cassie Baxter, is going nuts.

*****

Learn more about Cassie, Bobby, Truman, Maxine, and the whole lovable gang at Lake Elizabeth, Vermont in UNEXPECTED, the second Cassie Baxter Mystery. New release! Here’s the scoop:

Small sleuth, tiny town, unfailing fun.

Welcome to Lake Elizabeth, Vermont, where the water’s growing colder, the leaves are turning orange, and Cassie Baxter is going nuts. Who wouldn’t go nuts with this latest unexpected development? Meet five-year-old Truman Tripp. Cassie, who is most definitely not a kid person, can’t understand why his mother left the child with her. But some even more perplexing problems soon present themselves, and Cassie’s already Looney Tunes life gets even loonier. Expect the unexpected when Lake Elizabeth’s most unlikely duo, Cassie and Truman, team up to catch a killer.

The Cassie Baxter Mysteries: They’re not Cue Balls, but they are screw balls.

Meet the Author

Cindy Blackburn writes cozy mysteries because she thinks grim reality is way overrated. When she’s not thinking up unlikely plot twists and ironing out the quirks and kinks of her lovable characters, Cindy is feeding her fat cat Betty or taking long walks with her cute hubby John. A native Vermonter who hates snow, Cindy divides her time between the south and the north. Most of the year you’ll find her in South Carolina. But come summer she’ll be on the porch of her lakeside shack in Vermont. Yep, it’s a place very similar to Lake Elizabeth. Cindy’s favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory, her favorite movie is Moonstruck, and her favorite color is purple. Cindy dislikes vacuuming, traffic, and lima beans. 

GIVEAWAY

** Cindy is giving away a digital copy of UNEXPECTED. Contest ends February 11, 2017. Leave a comment to be entered in the random drawing. The e-book will be sent directly by the author. **

Learn more about Cindy Blackburn and her books at www.cbmysteries.com. Cindy can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Review: UNEXPECTED : A Humorous and Romantic Cozy (Cassie Baxter Mysteries Book 2) by Cindy Blackburn

SYNOPSIS:

Small sleuth, tiny town, unfailing fun.
Welcome to Lake Elizabeth, Vermont, where the water's growing colder, the leaves are turning orange, and Cassie Baxter is going nuts. Who wouldn't go a little nuts with this latest unexpected development? Meet five-year-old Truman Tripp. Cassie, who is most definitely not a kid person, can't understand why his mother left the child with her. But some even more perplexing problems soon present themselves, and Cassie's already Looney Tunes life gets even loonier. Expect the unexpected when Lake Elizabeth's most unlikely duo, Cassie and Truman, team up to catch a killer.

REVIEW:

Aside from the obvious question of why someone Cassie didn't know listed her as next of kin, who murdered Truman's mother and why remained to be solved. At the same time, Cassie's father has to solve the plot problems of his sci fi story, and even Truman starts talking like the story is real. Cassie may be "looney tunes" but she has a heart of gold when it comes to this little boy.

This is the second in the Cassie Baxter series. Although a shift from Blackburn's Cue Ball mysteries, humor and a steady pace keep the story moving. The characters, including the goats, dog, and Truman's cat Notz, have unique and memorable personalities.  And then there's the continuing story of Chance Dooley and his space ship, the Destiny. This can be easily read as a stand alone story. 

AMAZON LINK FOR UNEXPECTED (BOOK 2)

AMAZON LINK FOR UNBELIEVABLE (BOOK 1)

Spotlight: ROGUES & RASCALS IN GOOSE PIMPLE JUNCTION by Amy Metz

This is such a fun series - it's my pleasure to spotlight the newest book!

About the book:

Sweet Southern belle Caledonia Culpepper and hit woman in training Wynona Baxter come up against crooked lawyers, restless husbands, a teenage hoodlum . . . it seems there are rogues and rascals everywhere you look in Goose Pimple Junction. When their paths cross, they prove there isn't a rogue or a rascal who can keep a good woman down. 

Mama always said there'd be days like this . . .

About the author:

Amy Metz is the author of the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. She is a former first grade teacher and the mother of two sons. When not actively engaged in writing, enjoying her family, or surfing Facebook or Pinterest, Amy can usually be found with a mixing spoon, camera, or book in one hand and a glass of sweet tea in the other. Amy lives in Louisville, Kentucky.


Links:

Website: http://authoramymetz.com 

Blog: http://abluemillionbooks.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmyMetz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoramymetz
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AmyMetz
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Metz/e/B008NA07X4/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rogues-Rascals-Pimple-Junction-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01EGOZKSW?

Book Review: DYING FOR A DANCE (Laurel McKay Mysteries Book 2) by Cindy Sample

Synopsis

Discovering she has two left feet isn't the biggest problem for Laurel McKay when she agrees to learn a foxtrot routine for her best friend's Lake Tahoe wedding. Stumbling over the lifeless body of a sexy Russian dance star with her broken shoe heel stuffed in his mouth... is far worse. Almost as bad as running into the hunky detective she dated briefly before he disappeared from her life.
When another death occurs on the ballroom floor, Laurel finds herself waltzing her way into the dark secrets of the Golden Hills Dance Studio. Navigating kids, career, wedding planning and murder requires some fancy footwork. Can Laurel tango with a killer and stay alive?

Review

Laurel McKay is doing her best to learn the dance routine for her best friend's wedding. Liz has arranged lessons at the local dance studio and Laurel meets others learning to dance - or dancing competitively. When one of the dance instructors ends up dead with the heel of her shoe in his mouth, Laurel has to deal with that complication and Tom - the detective she dated briefly who never called back. As she deals with the dance issue and the murder, she also has to come to terms with her mother's romance and the competitive dancers vying for title and prize money.

The murder at the dance studio has many suspects and Laurel is easily distracted from her dance lessons. She is well aware of her lack of coordination and also her desire to appease Liz who has become bridezilla. The characters are well developed, the pace is quick, and there is humor and romance as well as the mystery.  This is the second in the series, but I haven't read the first one - this can easily be read as a stand alone.  There are four others in the series so I see my TBR list growing...

AMAZON

Blog Tour: NUN BUT THE BRAVE (A Giulia Driscoll Mystery) by Alice Loweecey

Nun But The Brave

Cozy Mystery

3rd in Series

Publisher: Henery Press (July 12, 2016)

Paperback: 292 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1635110494

E-Book ASIN: B01E5YNFLC

Synopsis

Giulia Driscoll’s sister-in-law barges into Driscoll Investigations and promptly passes out from OD’ing on an unknown drug. Two OD’d teenagers are found dead in the park and behind a convenience store. DI’s new client insists her missing twin sister is not dead and enlists Giulia as the “Missing Person Whisperer.” Hooray for steady work?

The missing sister’s trail leads to married, pregnant, ex-nun Giulia’s first experience with online dating sites, to the delight of her husband and employees. Those dates lead her to local Doomsday Preppers. They grow their own everything, and that everything may be connected to the drugs, her sister-in-law, and the missing twin. These Preppers are about to learn the true meaning of doom.

Review

This installment of the Giulia Driscoll Humorous Mysteries is every bit as entertaining as NUN TOO SOON, the first in the series. Giulia is making a name for herself as able to find missing persons, but her real interest is finding out how her sister-in-law ended up almost dying from an overdose. Of course that means dealing with her brother who has yet to forgive her for leaving the convent. 

As Giulia tries to find a missing sister and solve the riddle behind her sister-in-law's problems, there are just too many similarities that pop up, not the least of which are found on dating sites.  Well-written with enough action and humor to keep it going, Loweecey has done it again. Although this is the second in the series, it can easily be read as a stand alone.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

Books in the Giulia Driscoll Humorous Mystery Series:

CHANGING HABITS (prequel short story)
NUN TOO SOON (#1)
SECOND TO NUN (#2)
NUN BUT THE BRAVE (#3)
THE CLOCK STRIKES NUN (#4) May 2017

About the Author

Baker of brownies and tormenter of characters, Alice Loweecey recently celebrated her thirtieth year outside the convent. She grew up watching Hammer Horror and Scooby-Doo Mysteries, which might explain a whole lot. When she’s not creating trouble for Giulia Falcone-Driscoll, she can be found growing her own vegetables (in summer) and cooking with them (the rest of the year).

Author Links:

Website: www.aliceloweecey.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alice.loweecey

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliceLoweecey

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4166880.Alice_Loweecey

Purchase Links

Amazon – B&N

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Blog Tour: OLIVER TWISTED (An Ivy Meadows Humorous Mystery Series) by Cindy Brown

Oliver Twisted

(An Ivy Meadows Mystery Book 3)

Paperback: 280 pages

Publisher: Henery Press (June 21, 2016)

ISBN-13: 978-1635110418

E-Book ASIN: B01DAPK14Q

Synopsis

Orphans. Thieves. Murder. And an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet!

When Ivy Meadows lands a gig with the book-themed cruise line Get Lit!, she thinks she’s died and gone to Broadway. Not only has she snagged a starring role in a musical production of Oliver Twist, she’s making bank helping her PI uncle investigate a string of onboard thefts, all while sailing to Hawaii on the S.S. David Copperfield.

But Ivy is cruising for disaster. Her acting contract somehow skipped the part about aerial dancing forty feet above the stage, her uncle Bob is seriously sidetracked by a suspicious blonde, and—oh yeah—there’s a corpse in her closet.

Forget catching crooks. Ivy’s going to have a Dickens of a time just surviving.

Related subjects include: cozy mysteries, women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), amateur sleuth books, book club recommendations, humorous murder mysteries, private investigator mystery series.

Books in the Ivy Meadows Humorous Mystery Series:

• MACDEATH (#1)
• THE SOUND OF MURDER (#2)
• OLIVER TWISTED (#3)

Review

Ivy and her uncle go undercover to catch thieves. Ivy's an actress so performing Nance in the director's version of Oliver Twist on a ship with everything Dickens themed should be easy. But Ivy's barely got her feet wet and she discovers a dead body in her closet. More annoying is that her uncle is distracted by Bette but her uncle doesn't want to hear suspicions about the lady.  The bigger problem is that the more Ivy finds out the less she trusts anyone, especially after the second body.

Between Ivy's fears, the not-quite Dickens aspects, and Oliver, Brown threads in humor along with the tension of determining if the deaths - either or both - are murder and somehow related to the thefts. The pace of the story is good and the antics of the orphans and Oliver as well as the adult characters make this an enjoyable read.  Although this is the third in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About the Author

Cindy Brown has been a theater geek (musician, actor, director, producer, and playwright) since her first professional gig at age 14. Now a full-time writer, she’s lucky enough to have garnered several awards (including 3rd place in the 2013 international Words With Jam First Page Competition, judged by Sue Grafton!) and is an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop. Though Cindy and her husband now live in Portland, Oregon, she made her home in Phoenix, Arizona, for more than 25 years and knows all the good places to hide dead bodies in both cities.

Author Links

Website & Blog: www.cindybrownwriter.com

Twitter handle: @friendlybrown

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cindy-Brown-author/288210721356802?ref=hl

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N

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Blog Tour: THE BODY IN THE LANDSCAPE by Larissa Reinhart

Synopsis:
“Anyone who likes humorous mysteries will also enjoy local author Larissa Reinhart, who captures small town Georgia in the laugh-out-loud escapades of struggling artist Cherry Tucker.” –Fayette Woman Magazine

“Cherry is a quirky spitfire who lights the match that sets her little town on fire.” – Dru’s Book Musings

When Cherry Tucker’s invited to paint the “kill portrait” for the winner of Big Rack Lodge’s Hogzilla hunt, it seems like a paid vacation. Back home in Halo, a Hatfield-McCoy-style standoff builds between Luke and Cherry’s families. She’s ready for a weekend away, hobnobbing with rich and famous hunters, where she can forget her troubles and nobody knows her name.

As Georgia sunshine turns to bleak December rain, Cherry’s R&R goes MIA when she finds a body in the woods. While the police believe the local drunk took an accidental spill, Cherry has her doubts, particularly when a series of malicious pranks are targeted at the rifle toting contestants. With loyal companions at her side—sort-of-ex-husband Todd and a championship bayer named Buckshot—Cherry tracks suspects through a forest full of pitfalls and perils. And all the while, a killer’s stalking the hunt party with a bead on Cherry.

Review:

Cherry Tucker's life is anything but boring. The family feud continues to thwart the rocky relationship between Cherry and Luke, but at least she has a painting ordered. What sounds like a dream job - hang out while the hunters do their thing and then paint the winner - turns sour when Cherry finds a dead body. Her interactions with the man are at odds with what townsfolk and police say about him. They are all willing to accept an accident, but not Cherry. And the hunt goes on, despite pranks and near misses. 

As with the other books in this series, Cherry's personality shines and her antics bring a smile.  The characters are well-developed, especially Todd. The story progresses at a good pace with twists, turns, and quirky personalities. All in all, Reinhart has once again managed to spin a humorous who-dun-it sure to please. Although this is the fifth in the series (and I've read them all), this can be read as a stand-alone. I hope the sixth is not far behind.

Books in the Cherry Tucker Humorous Mystery Series:

• QUICK SKETCH (Novella prequel to PORTRAIT in HEARTACHE MOTEL)
• PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY (#1)
• STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW (#2)
• HIJACK IN ABSTRACT (#3)
• DEATH IN PERSPECTIVE (#4)
• THE BODY IN THE LANDSCAPE (#5)

About The Author:

After teaching in the US and Japan, Larissa enjoys writing, particularly sassy female characters with a penchant for trouble. She lives near Atlanta with her family and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit. Visit her website or find her chatting on Facebook. THE BODY IN THE LANDSCAPE is the fifth book in the bestselling Cherry Tucker Mystery series. The first, PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, is a Daphne du Maurier finalist, Emily finalist, and Dixie Kane Memorial winner.

Author Links:

Website: http://larissareinhart.com/

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1qMwr29

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RisWrites

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RisWrites

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5806614.Larissa_Reinhart

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/LarissaReinhart/

Purchase Links:
Amazon B&N iTunes KOBO

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Blog Tour: THE SOUND OF MURDER by Cindy Brown

Synopsis

“This gut-splitting mystery is a hilarious riff on an avante-garde production of ‘the Scottish play’…Combining humor and pathos can be risky in a whodunit, but gifted author Brown makes it work.” – Mystery Scene Magazine (on Macdeath)

All Ivy Meadows wants is to be an actor. And a private investigator. Plus she’d really like a pair of clean underwear, a place to stay since her apartment burned up, and to overcome her fear of singing in public. Also, she’d really like to knock the socks off the big New York producer who’s coming to Arizona to see her in the world premiere of The Sound of Cabaret—featuring singing nuns and Berlin burlesque—at Desert Magic Dinner Theater.

Ivy’s cast mates come through with singing lessons, a pair of granny pants, and a housesitting gig in a retirement community. And her P.I. uncle even assigns her a real case. But all is not raindrops on roses. During her investigation, Ivy clashes with the local posse, stumbles upon a firebug and a snoring pug, and finds herself smack in the sights of a serial senior-killer.

Review
If you have a love of theater and mystery, you can't help but enjoy Ivy Meadows and her friends in the SOUND OF MURDER. The characters are well developed and well rounded. They may lack in sophisticated crime solving skills, but their quirky personalities make for a fun read - it's hard to not at least smile as Ivy muddles along as both singer and PI. Brown's knowledge of the theatre comes through. This is an easy read, with humor and plot twists to keep the story going. It can be read as a stand alone, but I think I'll go back and read MACDEATH before the third in the series comes out next year.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About the Author
Cindy Brown has been a theater geek (musician, actor, director, producer, and playwright) since her first professional gig at age 14. Now a full-time writer, she’s lucky enough to have garnered several awards (including 3rd place in the 2013 international Words With Jam First Page Competition, judged by Sue Grafton!) and is an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop. Though Cindy and her husband now live in Portland, Oregon, she made her home in Phoenix, Arizona, for more than 25 years and knows all the good places to hide dead bodies in both cities.

Author Links
Website & Blog: www.cindybrownwriter.com
Twitter handle: @friendlybrown
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cindy-Brown-author/288210721356802?ref=hl

Purchase Links
Amazon B&N


Books in the Ivy Meadows Humorous Mystery Series:
MACDEATH (#1)
THE SOUND OF MURDER (#2)
OLIVER TWISTED (#3) February 2016

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Guest Post: Morgan St. James - Author of Silver Sisters Mystery Series with Phyllice Bradner

Today, I'm happy to have Morgan St. James, author of Silver Sisters Mysteries Series , as my guest.  She is sharing her ideas about mystery and humor!

MAKING MURDER FUNNY

Or, How the Silver Sisters Mysteries Series Was Born

MORGAN ST. JAMES

My sister Phyllice Bradner moved from Los Angeles California to Alaska when she was only twenty—just about the time we probably would have become friends. I’m five-and-a-half years older, so when we were kids she was always the “tag-along” little sister. Anyway, while she chalked up marks in the New Frontier, I remained in Los Angeles. Our mother became the link, telling each of us what the other was doing, so we rarely communicated directly and barely knew each other until we wrote our first book together. We might have spoken to each other two or three times a year on the phone—long distance calls were very expensive back then—and we only saw each other the occasional times she visited L.A. I don’t do cold, and wasn’t about to travel to the frozen North, although after we began to write together I made many trips to Juneau, Alaska.

When Mom had mini-strokes, Phyllice traveled to L.A. to help deal with Mom’s health and getting her settled in assisted living. Wonder of all wonders, during those two weeks while she stayed at my house, we discovered we had three loves in common--Mom, each other and funny mysteries. We were both published writers and during that visit conceived idea of writing the award-winning Silver Sisters Mysteries. 

We’d grown up in a zany family and were able to translate that humor to our books. Every book draws from some of the crazy situations of real-life events.

The Silver Sisters are identical twins loosely based upon the our own diverse personalities. Goldie Silver, an over-the-hill flower child who owns an antique store in Juneau, Alaska is the "salt of the earth” is much like my sister. She would give someone the coat off their back as the cliché goes, then ask if she could get them a coat. At this point, I must say that the other twin, Godiva Olivia DuBois--a wealthy, manipulative widow who is a syndicated advice columnist to the lovelorn and lives on an estate in Beverly Hills, is somewhat patterned after me although I’m not syndicated but have written over 600 columns about the craft and business of writing, I admit to being manipulative but don't live on an estate in Beverly Hills. I did live two houses outside of Beverly Hills at one time, though. The street changed names at our corner. I’m far from a millionaire and I’m not a widow. But Godiva has many of my traits as Goldie has many of Phyllice’s. That’s a definite plus, because we always know how each twin will react in a given situation.

The fiesty 80-year-old mother Flossie and Uncle Sterling, former vaudeville magicians who love to go undercover dressed in disguise, are inspired by Mom, our beloved Aunt Edna and Uncle Sol, plus one of our father’s characteristics—he loved to dress in costumes, and that has carried over to our kids. Other supporting characters are composites of our relatives, kooky friends or pure imagination. As we write, we love to relive and use some of the funny situations we have experienced, and that only tightens our bond. As we’ve written through the years now, we have become best friends, and that is worth everything.

The 3rd fast-moving funny Silver Sisters whodunit, “Vanishing Act in Vegas,” featuring the zany identical silver-haired Mae West lookalikes, was recently released and is available from most online booksellers or can be ordered at your favorite local bookstore. In this escapade, the twins and their mother and uncle visit Las Vegas when Godiva's son moves there and falls in love with a beautiful magician. But there is more to Mara the Magnificent than meets the eye, and a string of murders follow. Twists, turns and a surprise ending will delight whodunit fans.

About Morgan St. James:

A frequent panelist, moderator, speaker and radio talk show host, Morgan St. James also presents a variety of workshops and has written over 600 published articles for the Los Angeles and Las Vegas editions of Examiner.com. She publishes the free bi-monthly eZine “Writers’ Tricks of the Trade.” 

With 14 books to her credit, in addition to writing her own novels like “Betrayed” and “Confessions of a Cougar,” as well as “Writers’ Tricks of the Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About the ABCs of Writing Fiction,” a handbook for writers at all stages of their careers, Morgan and her sister Phyllice Bradner co-author the award-winning Silver Sisters Mystery series. “A Corpse in the Soup” was named Best Mystery Audio Book in 2007 by USA Book News, the 3rd book, “Vanishing Act in Vegas,” recently released, and they are currently working on the 4th book in the series, “Diamonds in the Dumpster.”

She collaborated with true crime writer Dennis N. Griffin to write “La Bella Mafia,” the shocking but inspirational true story as told by Bella Capo, and the just released funny crime fiction “Bumping Off Fat Vinny.” 

Many of Morgan’s award-winning short stories appear in her single author anthology, “The MAFIA FUNERAL and Other Short Stories” available as an audio book in addition to the paperback and Kindle editions. She has also contributed stories to various anthologies featuring multiple authors including two Chicken Soup for the Soul books. 

Memberships include Greater Los Angeles Writers Society, Sisters in Crime, Henderson Writers Group and Las Vegas Writers Group and she is on the board of Southern Nevada Writers.

For more information visit: www.morganstjames-author.com,  and http://writerstricksofthetrade.blogspot.com

Amazon Links:

A Corpse in the Soup

Terror in a Teapot

Vanishing Act in Vegas

Blog Tour: DANG NEAR DEAD (An Aggie Mundeen Humorous Mystery Series) by Nancy G. West

Synopsis

Aggie vacations with Sam and Meredith at a Texas Hill Country dude ranch with plans to advise her column readers how to stay young and fresh in summer. Except for wranglers, dudes, heat, snakes and poison ivy, what could go wrong?

When an expert rider is thrown from a horse and lies in a coma, Aggie is convinced somebody caused the fall. Despite Sam’s warnings, Aggie is determined to expose the assailant. She concocts ingenious sleuthing methods that strain their dicey relationship as she probes secrets of the ranch and its inhabitants. After she scatters a hornet’s nest of cowboys, she discovers more than one hombre in the bunch would like to slit her throat.

Review

In this second of the Aggie Mundeen series, Aggie, her friend Meredith, and police detective, friend and hopefully more, Sam, go to a dude ranch in the hill country for some fresh air and relaxation. Aggie hopes that the time away from the job will help Sam relax and perhaps forgive her for what he perceives her meddling in police business, or at least get over his irritation with her. Bertha has been trying to make go of the dude ranch since she inherited it, but the going is hard, and some of the happenings amongst the wranglers, the River Rat, and the clown aren't helping. It seems more than one person may not want Bertha to succeed including her cousin. The various guests, poison ivy, frozen snakes, and bobcats add to the tale. 

The characters are well-developed and unique, as is the context and plot line. West combines humor and mystery to create an entertaining story. Having read FIT TO BE DEAD, I enjoyed reading more of Aggie and her attempts to show Sam that she can help him with her sleuthing. At the same time, DANG NEAR DEAD can easily be read as a stand-alone. I'm looking forward to SMART, BUT DEAD.

About the Author

I have been writing since age seven: poems back and forth with my mom. I had a real poem published in the Library Journal, Pegasus, at age fifteen. At eighteen, I wanted to study journalism and English literature, but friends who chose that college route were making minimum wage or selling lingerie. Being practical, I earned a business degree. After marriage and two children, I decided I HAD to study literature and write. I wrote non-fiction articles, a biography, and a suspense novel in 2004. That’s when whimsical Aggie Mundeen cut through the suspense, popped into my head and demanded her own series. The Aggie Mundeen mystery capers were born. Aggie must have been right: FIT TO BE DEAD is a LEFTY FINALIST 2013 for best humorous mystery, nominated by Left Coast Crime.

Links:

Chat with Aggie and Nancy on their blog: www.stayyoungwithaggie.wordress.com.

Author’s Webpage: http://www.nancygwest.com/

Author Page at Henery Press: http://henerypress.com/authors-humorous-mystery-series-authors/nancy-g-west/

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6442929.Nancy_G_West

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Amazon Paperback | B&N Paperback

Blog Tour: TALES FROM SUBURBIA by Brandi Haas

Synopsis:

Brandi Haas is no domestic goddess . . . but she’ll tell you that parenting is probably the hardest gig in the universe: “The pay is horrible, the wardrobe is pathetic, and your boss (although utterly adorable) is usually a tyrant." 

Brandi brings her trademark wit from the popular blog to this new collection, sharing stories of birthday party mayhem, mommy martyrdom, and snow shoveling majesty. 

The setting is Anytown, USA, among barking dogs, picket fences, and eclectic neighbors. Tales from Suburbia: You Don’t Have to Be Crazy to Live Here, but It Helps will make you laugh, warm your heart, and let you know you’re not alone. Mothers (and fathers) will recognize themselves, their children, and the absurd situations that family life brings to us all.

Review:
Not my usual read, but an enjoyable break nevertheless!  A collection of episodes of parenthood, in TALES FROM SUBURBIA Brandi Haas explains the subtitle You Don't Have to be Crazy to Live Here but It Helps.  Any parent (or grandparent) will relate to some of these stories, if not all, as most have experienced Chuck e Cheese (shudder), picking up their child or children at the school and wanting to be first in line, and many of the other adventures of motherhood Haas tells us about. Certainly, even if you have no children you are familiar with the dreaded school fundraisers and the "prizes" children get for being big sellers. My favorite though was the story of 6-year olds dipping strawberries in chocolate - more than once.  Not always politically correct, her adventures with motherhood, as well as with the grandparents, are entertaining.  

About the Author:
Brandi Haas is a former high school English teacher turned stay-at-home mom. Born and raised in California, she now lives in Missouri with her husband, daughter, and their dog, The WonderMutt. She is consistently inconsistent about her weight and age because, really, it’s no one’s business anyway. She sees humor in everything and began writing stories about her life as way to share her insanity with the world.

Author Links:
Blog: www.talesfromsuburbia.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalesfromSuburbia

Purchase Links:
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