It’s here! December is the month of holiday cheer, family sharing, rejoicing and celebrating, great food, gifts, and BOOKS!!!
Over the next 25 days, I will be interviewing some great authors who all have something in common: they each have a new Christmas Book. And you’re not going to want to miss one of these. So sit back and take notes, you’re going to want to add to your reading list by the time we’re through.
Our authors include: R.B Marshall, Kat Bellemore,Kathryn Leblanc, Michele Pariza Wacek, Carolyn L Dean, Ruby Riverton, Ileana Munoz Renfroe, P.D. Workman, Donna B McNicol, Kitty Kildare, Ada Bell, Sharon Micheal, Jenna St. James, Suzanne Bolder, Rose Dimond, Patti Larsen, Virginia K Bennett, Carley Winter, Shannon Symonds, Dionne Lister, Trisha Kelly, Christa Bakker, Lucinda Race, Lou Collins, Diane Rondeau, Diane Ascroft, Catherine Coles, Sara Rosett, Sabetha Danes, Trina Krieger, Debbie Lang, Karen Sue Walker, Ellen Jacobson, Gwen Gardner, Vikki Walton, Carmen Radtkeand me!
So, find the most comfy chair, grab a cup of coco and a blanket and get ready to find your holiday spirit with the help of these great authors.
Johnny Ly, Dianne Cortez, and JD Thompson quit high-powered jobs and moved to an old mansion in a small Central Texas town. They thought their chief problem would be earning livings as a veterinarian, accountant, lawyer, and ABBA tribute band, but they keep stumbling over mysteries and finding cats.
Who are you?(What type of books do you write, how long have you been writing, your favorite place to write) I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing. It’s taken me many years to make writing the key part of my day, instead of something squished in life’s daily activities. In my first career, I was a professional orchestra cellist, but for some reason I decided never to tell people I was a musician until I was making a full-time living at it. No one told me that artists can hardly ever do that. I’ve dragged my experience in professional orchestras, law firms, cat rescue, floral design, gardening, bookkeeping, teaching, training, and technical communication into my writing career. I’ve come around to defining that career as “Are you writing? You’re a writer!” I have four books, various stories, and a word count that grows every day to prove it.
Who is your protagonist? JD Thompson is an attorney who’d rather be writing poetry, singing in his ABBA tribute band, or hanging with his friends than working in judge’s chambers or corporate law firm. If he’s going to do lawyering, he wants it to make a difference in someone’s life. He’d rather mediate disputes than do courtroom combat, but he’s always ready to defend the defenseless.
How is your book related to fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving? “Rained Out” takes place during Thanksgiving week during a flood that leaves Central Texas stranded—and my protagonists trying to run a shelter in their Victorian mansion home. Stores and restaurants close after the first day, and our heroes have to provide for fifty-something sudden house guests for a week that includes Thanksgiving. Then JD finds a child in the house who has no parents with him.
Several other later holiday stories are included as well.
Is your book part of a series, if so, tell us about the series. Book 1 starts with young millennials JD Thompson, Dianne Cortez, and Johnny Ly moving to small town Beauchamp, Texas, to set up their offices and home in Johnny’s grandmother’s historic mansion. They intended to keep to their legal, accountant, and veterinary careers (while performing in their ABBA tribute band on the side), but murders keep derailing them into investigations.
Give the readers a hint of what’s to come for your character in future books. Murder crops up in and around Gregg House. So do relatives with their endless requests. In the next book, Hallow, JD explores his grandfather’s past to right an old wrong. It’s never too late, right?
With spooky preparations filling their days, Lily and Cassie find themselves caught up in a web of lies and deceit. In the small town of Hideaway Bay, the mother and daughter team’s efforts to build a haunted maze for the town’s Halloween festivities are constantly interrupted by strange events. But when a real body turns up on opening night, they must unravel the secrets and dark truths lurking around ever corner to prevent the trouble from turning deadly again.
Who am I? I am a multi-genre offer, though all of my books have a cozy feel! I write mystery, adventure, and urban fantasy. I’ve been publishing books for four years and look forward to sharing many more stories with readers!
Who is my protagonist? A mother-daughter duo, Lily and Cassie, they are very much modeled after my relationship with my own mom. After a tragedy, these ladies find comfort in each other and a new town – until mystery strikes!
How is my book related to fall/Halloween? Book 2 is set during the Halloween season. Lily and Cassie are creating a Halloween maze for their new home town when tragedy strikes!
Is my book part of a series? Yes! It’s Lily & Cassie by the Sea Cozy Mysteries
A hint of what’s to come? Mysteries are just starting for Lily & Cassie! In their next book, they’ll tackle the unexpected murder of a fellow resident of Hideaway Bay.
In the quaint town of Jericho Falls the highly anticipated pie baking contest turns into a perplexing puzzle. Join the Jericho Falls cast in this delightful novella-length whodunit and see if Chloe can expose the culprit before another crime shatters the autumn vibe of her beloved community.
Who are you? (What type of books do you write, how long have you been writing, your favorite place to write) As long as I can remember I have been reading mysteries. By the time I was ten, I was writing my own and turning them into little stapled paperbacks to share with my family. I’m thrilled to be writing and publishing real books to share with fellow mystery lovers out there. My stories are sure to include long-held secrets, an antique or two, and a little bit of romance.
Who is your protagonist? In my opinion, complex characters are the key to strong stories and my sleuth, Chloe Martin, is definitely complicated! At sixteen, she lost her best friend, and that tragedy has shaped her. On the other hand, she truly loves the little town she now calls home—and spending every day with her beloved (spunky) Grandma Lily. A lot of what Chloe is learning in the series is that the parts of her she sees as “flaws” can be strengths, too. In fact, it’s those very traits such as being stubborn and doggedly independent, that enable her to solve mysteries.
How is your book related to fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving? The Pie Contest Catastrophe is set in October, just before Halloween. The townspeople are decorating their shopfronts, drinking pumpkin spice lattes, and generally getting excited for the fall season. That is, until someone mysteriously dies at the pie contest planning meeting.
Is your book part of a series, if so, tell us about the series. Yes, this is one of the holiday novellas I’ve written as side stories to my larger series. They contain no spoilers to the main story line, just quick, fun mystery reads. They’re a great way to get acquainted with the series or just spend more time in Jericho Falls.
Give the readers a hint of what’s to come for your character in future books. I’m currently working on book 4 in the main series. Chloe Martin will be given her biggest crime solving challenge yet…a cold case.
You’re going to love Brook’s characters and the fictional town of Jericho Falls!
As the owner of Sedona Bed and Breakfast, Bernadette Maxwell has always played up the rumors that her business was haunted. She’s never believed it herself, even though she can’t explain the odd odors that sometimes permeate the room or why a blast of cold air comes out of nowhere… until she has an accident and can suddenly see her resident ghost—her crazy, fun-loving, hippie grandmother, Ruby.
Who are you?(What type of books do you write, how long have you been writing, your favorite place to write) My name is Carly Winter, and I write fun cozy mysteries set in small towns with plenty of quirky characters.
Who is your protagonist? In The Guest is a Goner, my protagonist is Bernadette Maxwell, a perfectionist with anxiety. Her sidekick, Ruby, is the ghost of her grandma who lives by her own rules and never had a worry in the world. These two have been described as the modern-day Odd Couple.
How is your book related to fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving? With Ruby being a ghost, it’s a perfect read for Halloween!
Is your book part of a series, if so, tell us about the series. This is the first book in the Sedona Spirit Cozy Mysteries which take place in Sedona, Arizona. Bernie and Ruby are pulled into murder investigations they must solve. There is also one cute cop that is taking an interest in Bernie. Will there be a romance on the horizon?
Give the readers a hint of what’s to come for your character in future books. This is a complete series. Titles are: The Guest is a Goner, The Tourist is Toast, The Fiancé is Finished, The Lawyer is Lifeless, The Neighbor is Nixed, The Minister is Murdered and the bonus novella, Christmas is Canceled, which is only available on my website.
I have read several of the books in Carly’s series, and I warn you, be ready to laugh and enjoy a good mystery!Don’t forget, buying directly from the author is a great way to show your support!
Pen In Hand, Words on Page 