Evelyn Cullet

This week, I’m welcoming author, Randy Rawls.

Randy Rawls was born and reared in Williamston, North Carolina, a small town in the northeastern part of the state. From there, he says he inherited a sense of responsibility, a belief in fair play, and a love of country. As a career US Army officer, he had the opportunity to learn, travel, teach, and hone talents inherited from his parents. Following retirement, he worked in other ventures for the US Government. Every job has in some way been fun. Even the dark days of Vietnam had their light moments, and he cherishes the camaraderie that was an integral part of survival in that hostile world.

Today, he has short stories in several anthologies, and a growing list of novels to his credit. As a prolific reader, the reads across several genres and takes that into his writing. He has written mysteries, thrillers, an historical, and two fantasy/mystery/thrillers featuring a Santa Elf. The count is now at fourteen and growing. He is a regular contributor to Happy Homicides, a twice annual anthology of cozy short stories. He also has a series of short stories featuring a cattle-herding burro. Wherever his imagination will take him, he follows.

Thank you, Evelyn, for allowing me to post my thoughts.

   I’ve been pushing out stories for twenty-five years or so. SAVING DABBA is my fifteenth published effort. (No, I won’t mention those that only live on my hard drive.) With the Beth Bowman series, I ventured into areas I once would have never touched. First, Beth is befriended by a homeless group in South Florida, and they have a part in each story. Have you ever wondered about those that you see on the street corners in (I’m guessing) every town and city? What is the story behind those people? How did they end up in such a situation? And, of course, how many of them are for real, and how many use begging as an alternative to getting a real job? In Beth’s stories, we deal with some who have real issues, true reasons for being where they are. Somewhere down the line, I might write about the scammers, but not yet.

  Incidentally, in case you’re wondering, Beth is a displaced Texan living in Coral Lakes, FL. Coral Lakes (my imaginary city) lies between Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton. The weather is idyllic, and the snowbird traffic during season is horrific. About every kind of crime imaginable occurs in the area.

  Second, I find myself drifting more toward (what I label) societal issues. And that’s where SAVING DABBA comes in. When a man with no identification is found beaten to death in a public park, Chief of Police Eduardo Elston calls on Beth to help with identifying him. Beth recognizes him by a tattoo on his neck, an outline of Texas with a star where Dallas is. His street name was Dallas.

  That is as the chief believed—the murder of a homeless person. He knows Beth is quite protective of her friends and fears she will involve herself in the investigation. He does not need her interference. They agree she will butt out if he keeps her up to date. Detective Deb Holt is the lead on the case and is assigned to keep Beth current with developments. Since they have worked together in the past, Beth is okay with the arrangement. Of course, Beth feels obligated to warn her friends, so she does. 

  As the FITE language and demonstrations become more violent, Beth becomes more involved. She cannot stand by while stores are looted and burned and more bodies are found.

  That’s the driving force in my SAVING DABBA—demonstrations that go from the exercise of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly to flagrant unlawful activities.

  Society presents us with many dilemmas. Our forefathers gave us a wonderful document in the Constitution. However, they could not envision the situations of the twenty-first century. We must make decisions about them daily, and that seems to be where my writing is taking me. I don’t claim to be an expert on anything, but I’m not immune to the developments around me. 

www.randyrawls.com

https://www.facebook.com/randy.rawls.315

Saving Dabba is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Dabba-Beth-Bowman-4/dp/1984926691/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520370020&sr=8-1&keywords=saving+dabba

Jingle and his Magnificent Seven is also available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jingle-Magnificent-Seven-Randy-Rawls-ebook/dp/B0753D84HJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520370495&sr=1-1&keywords=jingle+and+his+magnificent+seven

Randy and I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment.

This is Mystery/Thriller Promo weekend.

One of the books featured is my latest Charlotte Ross mystery,

The Tarkington Treasure.

In case you haven’t read it yet, stop by the promo to catch this fun mystery for only 99 cents. And while you’re there,  check out all the other mysteries and thrillers that are also on sale.

It’s my pleasure to welcome back one of my favorite authors,

Anna Celeste Burke

I am so glad to be back again with you and your readers, Evelyn! Thank you. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share the news about the release of Murder of the Maestro Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #6.

I publish as ANNA CELESTE BURKE and write three Cozy Mystery Series all focused on “Snooping into life’s mysteries with fun, fiction, & food–California style!”   Each series is set in a different part of this lovely state where I’ve retired with my husband. The Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series is set in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs, the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery series set on California’s Central Coast, and The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery series set in Orange County, California–the OC.

I have two new series debuting in 2018—Seaview Cottage Mysteries set near the coastal dunes around Monterey Bay and The Calla Lily Mystery Series set in California’s wine country. The Calla Lily Mystery series will be more romantic suspense than cozy mystery—a line I already walk in the Jessica Huntington Desert City Mystery series that includes romance, suspense, and a number of adult themes. It’s heavy on humor too, though. That’s why I characterize it as “cozy.”

Murder of the Maestro

Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #6

Marvelous Marley World’s legendary maestro is missing.

A body on the rocks below Dave Rollins’ Malibu Cliffside estate pulls Georgie Shaw and Detective Wheeler into another whodunit. Their murder investigation reveals that the legendary Marvelous Marley World maestro was a man of mystery. Did a secret from his past lead to his death? Was his killer a scorned woman, a jealous rival, a disturbed fan, or someone close to his heart?

When another body turns up, Georgie and Jack scramble to unravel the clues and solve the mystery behind the Murder of the Maestro.

Grab your copy of book 6 in the awarding-winning Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series by USA Today bestselling author, Anna Celeste Burke.

Recipes Included.

My ✰✰✰✰✰ Review

Georgie Shaw and her husband, Detective Jack Wheeler, are drawn into another investigation, when Georgie Shaw’s boss, Maximillian “Max” Marley, wants to know what happened to his friend, Dave Rollins, the man known as, The Maestro, who’d gone missing. What they find is the Maestro’s dead body on the rocks near his Malibu home.

This time the couple joins forces with the Lost Hills/Malibu Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to look for answers. They discover that the maestro was a womanizer of the worst kind, and had a secret past. Besides all the disgruntled women in his life, the suspect list keeps growing. Women and Mozart, art and money, appear to be the recurring themes in his life story.

 Had his indiscretions finally caught up with him? Was his a murder of passion, or revenge for a scandal from his past, or was there an entirely different motive? The many twists and turns will keep you guessing about who murdered the maestro in this delightful cozy mystery. All this mystery, plus Georgie’s adorable cats, and the wonderful recipes at the end of the book, what more could a reader ask?

Free to read with Kindle Unlimited.

FIND THE BOOK ON AMAZON: http://bit.ly/marleymaestro

FIND ALL THE BOOKS IN THE SERIES: http://bit.ly/georgie6

You can find out more about the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery Series, The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series, and the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery Series on my website: http://desertcitiesmystery.com. I’ll be adding more about the new series soon!

Please join me at other social media sites:

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Enter to win a free copy of, Murder of the Maestro. It’s fun and easy. All you have to do is leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you. 

The lucky winner of Murder of the Maestro is Michelle Fidler. Congratulations, Michelle.

On my blog I’m doing a book cover reveal for the latest mystery in my new cozy series, You Bet Your Life.

A Willows Bend Cozy Mystery, Book 1

“Sometimes, you have to take a chance.”

As a marketing executive, Heather Stanton is used to spinning anything negative that comes her way into gold, but now both her personal and professional lives have hit a glitch, so she cuts her losses and boards the first train out of town, leaving it all behind.

Heather never expects to run into her independent, free-wheeling Aunt Julia in a speck on the map called Willows Bend. Nor does she expect the turn her life takes when her aunt is suspected of murder.

Putting her own problems aside, Heather teams up with a handsome ex-private investigator to clear her aunt’s name. But will Julia’s innocence be questioned when the odds turn against her in a race to find the killer?

***

This book was a lot of fun for me to write. It’s very loosely based on my own Aunt Julia, a loveable redhead who enjoyed betting on the horses, watching wrestling on TV with my mom, and was the only woman I ever knew who carried a gun in her purse. Although she was never suspected of murder, she was not embarrassed to speak her mind. And you never knew what she might blurt out, or when. 

You Bet Your life is now available in ebook from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B5C2PSK/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1519944787&sr=1-4&keywords=You+Bet+Your+Life

This week I’m welcoming back another of my favorite authors,

 Anna Celeste Burke.

Thanks, Evelyn, for inviting me back to your lovely blog. It’s an honor to be in such good company with you and the other authors you’ve hosted.

I publish as ANNA CELESTE BURKE and write three Cozy Mystery Series all focused on “Snooping into life’s mysteries with fun, fiction, & food–California style!”   Each series is set in a different part of this lovely state where I’ve retired with my husband. The Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series is set in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs, the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery series set on California’s Central Coast, and The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery series set in Orange County, California–the OC.

You can find out more about the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery Series, The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series, and the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery Series on my website: http://www.desertcitiesmystery.com

Murder at Sea of Passenger X

It’s another Georgie Shaw cozy mystery for you from USA Today bestselling author, Anna Celeste Burke!

Welcome aboard! Georgie Shaw and her handsome new husband, Detective Jack Wheeler, are living it up on Marvelous Marley World’s luxurious cruise ship when trouble strikes. “The screaming came in bursts followed by shouts of man overboard, just like in a movie.” Who is passenger X? Did he fall or was he pushed? Does it have anything to do with the rash of jewelry thefts or the murdered man found near the spot where Passenger X went overboard?

With a killer on the loose, Georgie and Jack are soon enlisted to help solve the case. It’s a non-stop scramble to unravel the mystery before Georgie’s eccentric boss, “Mad” Max Marley, arrives in Tahiti demanding answers. That won’t be easy since Passenger X isn’t the only one with a dubious identity as the list of suspects grows.

That list includes Georgie’s old friend Chef Gerard and his striking blond, blue-eyed Sous Chef, Paolo. Masters of five-star cuisine and wizards with chocolate, are they cooking up more than sumptuous feasts and banquets of desserts? How about the guy in the Perroquet suit or “Monster Marston,” a standout in the fitness center?

It’s all hands on deck to figure out whodunit. Even Georgie’s cats get involved in the action on board this cruise that comes with a boatload of mystery!

RECIPES INCLUDED!

Here is an excerpt:

The Purrloined Note

The screams didn’t wake me. I was already up by then. I’m not sure what had stirred me from my sleep. Maybe I sensed the sparkling blue eyes gazing intently at me. Two sets since Miles and Ella sat side-by-side in Sphinx mode. Their chocolate ears pointed straight up—radar on!

“What has put you two on high alert?” I had asked my super-sensitive pair of Siamese cats. Talking to my cats was an old habit, usually rewarded by a bellow in return. Not this morning. It was quiet in our lovely suite on an upper deck of the MMW Fantasy of the Sea, one of the newest ships in my megalomaniacal boss’s cruise line. That grandiose streak in him isn’t all bad. Max Marley had paid for our honeymoon cruise to the South Sea Islands, and arranged for our cats to go along on the adventure, as a wedding present. I’m not ungrateful, just realistic about the gentleman genius who runs Marvelous Marley World, the entertainment conglomerate where I work.

The drapes in our suite were still drawn, but the sliders to the balcony were partly open. A sea breeze blew in, and the fabric billowed. Jack must have opened it, I thought, stretching, lazily, as I sank back into the comfy bed.

We both loved the salty air as we ventured from island to island during our ten days at sea. The siren song of adventure was carried along on those breezes for my handsome new husband who spent his life fighting crime as a police detective. For me, they are a reminder of home in Orange County where the Pacific Ocean is a walk away. That’s where Jack would live, too, when we returned to California.

As I had discovered during our week of cruising, Jack is an early riser. I enjoy my mornings, too, but I prefer to start my day slowly if I can get away with it. Perhaps that’s because I have a harder time than he does falling asleep at night. My anxious spirit wrestles with worries of the day. Jack nods off at the drop of a hat, a defensive strategy he picked up to survive decades as a cop.

“Grab your forty winks when you can,” he said. “Crime may not pay, but it doesn’t sleep either. You never know when you’ll get a call in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn.” That admonition was right up there with another of his favorite guidelines: “eat dessert first.”

Murder at Sea of Passenger X, Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #5 https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Passenger-Georgie-Shaw-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01MYH77FW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

COMING SOON! MURDER OF THE MAESTRO, GEORGIE SHAW COZY MYSTERY #6

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Thanks for visiting. Anna Celeste and I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment and enter to win a $10.00 Amazon gift card.

Hello Everyone,

I usually don’t promote things on my blog, but my Argentine novel, Masterpiece of Murder, is one of the featured books on The Kindle Book Review website for the entire month of October. 

I’m excited, because if you visit the site this month, there’s a chance for you to win the “Ultimate Reader gift basket” from The No. 1 Site for Reader Giveaways~~The Kindle Book Review. Just click on the link and enter the “easy entry” giveaway. It’s easy & fun. If you love reading, enter now; giveaway ends October 31st. Click here and enter every day ~> https://wp.me/P2H01p-au2

open gift box

I hope you’ll take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. And don’t forget to spread the word. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my blog, 

Evelyn

This first week in October, it’s my pleasure to host author, S.L. Smith.

A lifelong resident of Minnesota, S.L. Smith was born in Saint Cloud and attended Saint Catherine University in Saint Paul. During her thirty-two years with the state department of public safety, she worked with law enforcement and fire officials at the state, county and municipal levels. Those interactions assisted her with writing mysteries, but were just the starting point. Without the help of a friend who spent thirty-five years as a cop, she might never have ventured into writing police procedurals. He contributed to her understanding of the perspectives of her two protagonists, Pete Culnane and Martin Tierney. Thankfully, this friend is still a resource. He proofreads each manuscript and performs a reality check on the law enforcement aspects.

All three of her previous books include a social issue. In Blinded by the Sight, it’s homelessness. For book two, Running Scared, it’s the impacts of a failing marriage on the kids. Book three, Murder on a Stick, addresses a plight faced by many of the elderly. Smith is a member of Sisters in Crime (an organization that supports mystery writers). She divides her time between Minnesota and Florida, to care for her mother.

Here is an excerpt from Mistletoe and Murder: The Fourth Pete Culnane Mystery 

Tonight, Colette rang in the New Year like there was no tomorrow. Little did she know that, for her, that was indeed the case. Had she known, she would not have spent her final hours this way. She loved her brother, and she loved to party. Just the same, she had a long list of things she intended to see and do before exiting this life for the something … or nothing … that lay beyond. She had her heart set on traveling to Australia and New Zealand to bask in the lingo and marvel at the scenery. She intended to walk at least a mile on the Great Wall. She planned to learn to play the violin.

She knew not the day, and she’d never have pegged these as her final hours. Confident she’d be on this earth for at least a few more decades, she spent little time thinking about, fretting over, or preparing for an afterlife. Some time down the road, perhaps. For now, she needn’t worry—or so she thought.

Momentarily, the consequences of her procrastination would be between her and her maker. She’d planned this party. Did that mean, in some perverse way, she’d planned her demise?

. . .

Beverages flowed freely before, during, and after the meal. Colette kept up with the best of them.

. . .

In addition to celebrating Demetrius’s wedding, guests spent tonight preparing to ring in the New Year. Some used this as an opportunity to drown regrets about a year of failed attempts to better themselves, while preparing for another shot at the golden ring.

This was Demetrius’s second time around. Colette believed he’d regret this marriage as much as the last one. Just the same, she knew sharing that opinion wouldn’t change his mind. It would, however, change their relationship—at least in the near term. For that reason, she set aside her feelings and helped with the arrangements. She always did that. Nothing, not even a gold digger, could come between her and Demetrius.

During the final seconds before midnight, Colette took center stage. Ordinarily, she reveled in the attention. Not tonight and not this type of attention.

For the last few hours, Colette danced and drank, but not in that order. Shortly before the crowd commenced singing “Auld Lang Syne,” she began slurring her words. Soon her words became unintelligible.

Most of the guests pretended not to notice. Many observed that Colette seemed unusually thirsty tonight, so this didn’t shock them. Unfortunately, what followed raised greater concern, but failed to set off any alarms.

Colette began nodding off. Repeatedly, her chin sank and rested briefly on her chest. That would have been surprising if she was seated at the time. She wasn’t. She did it while standing and talking with several people. Suddenly, without warning, she teetered and slumped to the marble floor.

http://slsmithbooks.com

Book trailer:  https://youtu.be/DM4jaDqMkFQ

Buy link for Mistletoe and Murder:

https://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Murder-Culnane-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/0996464050/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1501614151&sr=8-2

Thanks for stopping by. We’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment.

I’m so pleased to welcome back one of my favorite authors,

Marilyn Meredith.

Marilyn Meredith’s published book count is nearing 40. She is one of the founding members of the San Joaquin chapter of Sister in Crime. She taught writing for Writers Digest Schools for 10 years, and was an instructor at the prestigious Maui Writers Retreat, and has taught at many writers’ conferences. Marilyn is a member of three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and serves on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She lives in the foothills of the Sierra, a place with many similarities to Tempe Crabtree’s patrol area. Webpage:  http://fictionforyou.com Blog:  http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/ and you can follow her on Facebook.

Lessons Learned Along the Way About Writing

 To be perfectly honest, there have been many.

Don’t throw anything away. I threw away finished manuscripts that I couldn’t find homes for. I’m sure that with time and rewriting I would have found a publisher. (This was before I had them on my computer.)

Learn as much as you can about the writing process. I didn’t do enough of that before I tried to get published. As a result it took 30 submissions and much rewriting before that first book found a home. (One excuse—this was in the days before the Internet.)

Keep good records about where and when you’ve sent something off. In general, keep good records about everything! I still don’t do it as well as I should.

Don’t be intimidated by others. When you’re in a room with other authors who may be famous—remember, they all started at the bottom just like you.

Be friendly to everyone no matter how they look. You’re the writer, what you want is readers and people who will be helpful along the way. There have been times I’ve sold books to the most unsavory looking people just because I was friendly. The old saying “You can’t tell a book by its cover” really fits here. Sometimes the most unlikely will be the one who invites you to a big event or events.

Keep a time line as you’re writing your book. Once I forgot a whole day—fortunately the editor caught it. It meant having to shift things around a bit.

Don’t have too much happen in one day—make sure what does happen is possible in that amount of time. (I’ve read too many books where I said, “Really? I don’t think so. Did this person never sleep, eat, go to the bathroom?”)

Take time out to experience life—after all that’s more fodder for your stories. Plus, you need to enjoy yourself too.

Marilyn

A Cold Death:

Deputy Tempe Crabtree and her husband answer the call for help with unruly guests visiting a closed summer camp during a huge snow storm and are trapped there along with the others. One is a murderer.

Anyone who orders any of my books from the  publisher ‘s  website: https://mundania.com can get 10% off by entering MP20 coupon code in the shopping cart. This is good all the time for all my books, E-books and print books.

On Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074XNP87Z/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503149760&sr=1-1&keywords=a+cold+death+by+marilyn+meredith

Marilyn and I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment.