Please join me in welcoming author C.B. Wilson. Cozy pet mystery fans are sure to enjoy Dachshund to Death, book 7 in the Barkview Mystery Series. C.B.’s author photo brightened my day. The inspiration behind this delightful series is clear.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Dachshund to Death
Author: C.B. Wilson
Genre: Cozy Pet Mystery
BLURB:
A murdered chef, a missing gingerbread recipe and a holiday secret to die for…
A murdered pastry chef and a stolen family recipe turn Barkview’s annual holiday gingerbread doghouse competition into a canine cat-astrophy.
Has this competition turned dog-eat-dog or is it something more sinister? A tent full of knife-proficient suspects complicates everything. When Sandy’s sister is accused of the crime, Cat Hawl is on the scent. The deeper she digs she realizes that the recipe itself leads to something far more valuable than the perfect holiday treat.
With the help of two devilish Dachshunds, Cat must run with the big dogs to find a 1930’s treasure before the prize is eaten by time.
AUTHOR BIO:
The award-winning author of the critically acclaimed Barkview Mysteries series, C.B. Wilson’s love of writing was spurred by an early childhood encounter with a Nancy Drew book where she precociously wrote what she felt was a better ending. After studying at the Gemology Institute of America, she developed a passion for researching lost, stolen and missing diamonds–the big kind. Her fascination with dogs and their passionate owners inspired Barkview, California, the dog friendliest city in America.
C.B. lives in Peoria, AZ with her husband. She is an avid pickleball player who enjoys traveling to play tournaments. She admits to chocoholic tendencies and laughing out loud at dog comics.
Author Karina Bartow is joining us today for an interview. Accidental Allies, Book 3 in the Unde(a)feted Detective Series, is now available for pre-order.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Accidental Allies
Author: Karina Bartow
Genre: Mystery
BLURB:
Everybody’s experienced a rocky start to a new job, but few can top Minka Avery’s return to Orlando PD.
After six years as a stay-at-home mom, Minka’s nervous but excited to sit at a detective’s desk again. Before she has a chance to break in her badge, however, her career resumes with a bang when someone bombs the county courthouse.
With many disillusioned with the justice system, several brow-raising suspects emerge right away. Minka and her new partner, Renee, follow several tips that lead to dead ends, until they zero in on the courthouse’s former security guard. Their attempts to apprehend him send the city and police department into chaos. Meanwhile, Minka contends with the lingering suspicion of another party being involved. Could his accomplice be closer than she thinks?
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! What was the inspiration behind your latest release?
Accidental Allies is the third installment of the Unde(a)feated Detective Series, so I had to decide what turn I wanted the series to take. In its forerunner, Brother of Interest, Minka Avery, the protagonist, had taken a break from the police force, but she loves detective work so much that I knew she’d eventually return to the Orlando PD. Let’s just say I opted to bring her back with a bang!
Where do you get your ideas?
From all over, really. Minka is deaf, so I draw a lot of her experiences off of the hurdles I face from living with a disability—Cerebral Palsy, in my case—and yet wanting to pursue the goals you desire to.
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first?
Almost always the characters. Once I start developing them, they form the plot.
Have you ever traveled when researching information for a book?
Yes, I have. As a matter of fact, I went to see the courthouse where the bombing takes place in Accidental Allies and even had lunch at the diner across the street from it. I like to engage all of my senses when I’m setting scouting!
When did you begin writing?
I started writing little stories when I was nine years old, but I didn’t take it too seriously until I was eighteen.
How many hours do you dedicate each day towards writing?
Usually three to four.
What has been your biggest challenge?
I was born with Cerebral Palsy, so I only have limited use of one hand. Naturally, that affects my ability to type, but I’ve always been determined to do it all on my own, unless I’m on a deadline.
What does literary success mean to you?
Of course, it’d be thrilling to land the best-sellers list or a movie deal, but what matters most to me is having people enjoying my work. I really endeavour to make readers feel what the characters are going through and form a connection with them.
What writing tips or marketing advice would you like to share?
All aspects of it require commitment and perseverance, from writing a draft to seeking a publisher/agent to lining up promotional stuff. Because of that, I always say don’t give up!
Which authors inspire you?
I’ve enjoyed Nicolas Sparks’ style as well as Marie Benedict. They both can really throw you into the story and get lost in the characters.
What project are you currently working on?
Another novel in the Unde(a)feated Detective Series, as well as two mini-installments in the form of short stories that Author TG Wolff will feature on her Mysteries to Die For podcast.
AUTHOR BIO:
Karina Bartow grew up and still lives in Northern Ohio. Though born with Cerebral Palsy, she’s never allowed her disability to define her. Rather, she’s used her experiences to breathe life into characters who have physical limitations, but like her, are determined not to let them stand in the way of the life they want. Her works include Husband in Hiding, Brother of Interest, Forgetting My Way Back to You, and Wrong Line, Right Connection. She may only be able to type with one hand, but she writes with her whole heart!
I’m pleased to feature Joan Ramirez’s writing handbook, The Write Rules. Reviewers have found this book to be a useful tool for verbal and written communication skills.
BLURB:
IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY OR LATE TO FULFILL YOUR DESTINY. My writing handbook, for Engineering, Technical, and English as Second Language professionals, will enhance your written and verbal communications skill set. After reading this book and using the examples, you will be able to attract and retain clients. The concise but effective guidelines in the handbook will ensure your business grows to its full potential. However, you will have to work hard to achieve your goals. Success, unlike oatmeal, isn’t instant!
Please join me in welcoming back author Susie Black. I thrilled to spotlight her latest novel, Rag Lady. This story features sleuth Holly Schlivnik, from the Holly Swimsuit mystery series, as a recent college graduate navigating the career world.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Rag Lady
Author: Susie Black
Genre: Women’s Fiction
BLURB:
Recent college graduate Holly Schlivnik dreams of being a writer, but fate has other plans. A family crisis throws her into an improbable situation and her life will never be the same. Determined to make her own luck when things don’t happen the way she plans, the irrepressible young woman takes a sledge hammer to the glass ceiling and shatters it to smithereens. The wise-cracking, irreverent transplanted Californian takes you on a raucous, rollicking rollercoaster ride of her hysterical adventures as a ladies apparel sales rep traveling in the deep South as she ends up finding herself along the way.
AUTHOR BIO:
Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.
She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.
Please join me in welcoming author Vicky Burkholder. I’m excited to spotlight her novel The Cane, the Puzzle, and Magic. Paranormal romance readers have a new novel to add to the tbr pile.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: The Cane, the Puzzle, and Magic
Author: Vicky Burkholder
Genre: Urban Paranormal Romance
BLURB:
Facing down an ancient evil, special agent Elizabeth St. John is outnumbered, outgunned, and outmatched. Local cop Kaeden Pike is the perfect choice to help her but letting him—or anyone—into her life and heart is the most difficult challenge she’s ever faced. Kaeden has never found the one person who fit him, until now. But how can he convince Liz that they make the perfect pair, especially when the end of the world is coming? Someone has to gather the forces of good to win this fight, but when Liz accepts the role, she finds that being alone isn’t a choice she has to make. Almost losing Kaeden to the evil who already took the only other person she’s ever trusted convinces her to open her heart and let him in…where he belongs.
AUTHOR BIO:
As her alter-ego, Vicky has multiple homes all over the universe. She looks human – for the most part – but when she starts writing about characters being able to move things or flicking fire from their fingertips, or changing the course of rivers, people tend to get a little freaked out. She found the one guy out there in the universe who loves her for who she is and they’ve been together forever and raised four wonderful (now) adults. Her career includes work as a technical writer/editor, a stringer for the local newspaper, and an editor and copy editor for various publishers. At various times in her life, she has been a teacher, a secretary, a short-order cook, a computer specialist, a DJ, and a librarian. When not editing or writing, she can be found in the kitchen creating gluten free goodies for her family.
Jill Piscitello 