Please join me in welcoming author Jennifer Vido. This gorgeous book cover immediately captured my interest. Serenity by the Sea is a sweet romance featuring a celebrity designer hoping to reinvent herself.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Serenity by the Sea
Author: Jennifer Vido
Genre: Sweet Romance
BLURB:
Will a celebrity designer and her stubborn project manager sabotage their renovation or fall madly in love?
Celebrity designer Hailey Maybank escapes to Gull Island to reinvent herself after a high-profile divorce, lending her expertise on a renovation project. Working with the boss’s son comes with complications, but will she risk her reputation for a chance at love?
Will Purdey is vying to become a partner in the family business by showcasing his design skills on the firm’s latest project. Partnering with a famous designer with a tarnished reputation can ruin his plans, but will his growing attraction for the colorful artist allow him to get the job done?
AUTHOR BIO:
Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry, earning acclaim as the award-winning author of the Gull Island series. Her debut novel, “Serendipity by the Sea,” secured the prestigious Best First Book award from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest. In 2024, Vido’s talent garnered further accolades, with Baltimore Magazine readers naming her Best Local Author in their annual Best of Baltimore poll, while the Baltimore Sun acknowledged her with an Honorable Mention in their Best of 2024 Author category. When not writing fiction, she interviews authors for her weekly Jen’s Jewels column, leads water exercise classes, and directs a legal nonprofit. Currently residing in Maryland, she and her husband are proud parents to two grown sons and a rescue dog named Fripp.
Please join me in welcoming author Kim Janine Ligon. Her latest release, Those Ties that Bind, is a romantic suspense novel to keep readers turning the pages.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Those Ties That Bind
Author: Kim Janine Ligon
Genre: Clean Suspenseful/ Romance
BLURB:
Why are teenage mothers dying in the Garland Regional E.R. instead of delivering healthy babies for adoption at The Obstetrical Center? Something is seriously wrong. On her physician’s advice, Garland’s CEO Evelyn Langford reluctantly takes a long scheduled vacation for her fiftieth birthday leaving her team to conduct an investigation into Obstetrical Center.
Evelyn’s efforts to investigate the problem are hampered by her complicated relationships with her secretive brother, Frank, her subordinates, and, surprisingly, FBI Special Agent Rance Thompson, a new acquaintance, who comes to the small town to investigate possible links between the childbirth deaths and a string of teenage girl disappearances.
Will Frank’s increasingly erratic behavior and the growing attraction between Evelyn and the younger agent further complicate discovering the truth about the dying girls?
EXCERPT:
“You needn’t yell. I can hear you. The patient mumbled something to Dr. Merrick right before she died. She said ‘Doc, not me again, don’t. Please, I can’t. Please don’t.’ Does that make any sense to you?”
The physician hesitated a moment. “Why ask me? How would I know why a dying girl, who lied about who she was, said anything? She was probably delirious. Why do you think it has something to do with me?”
“She said not me again. I thought since she was your patient you might have some insight into her situation. Had she given birth at your center before?”
The physician hesitated a moment. “Why ask me? How would I know why a dying girl, who lied about who she was, said anything? She was probably delirious. Why do you think it has something to do with me?”
“She said not me again. I thought since she was your patient you might have some insight into her situation. Had she given birth at your center before?”
“How would I know off the top of my head? Hundreds of mothers have been through here. I haven’t memorized all their names, faces, and personal situations.”
AUTHOR BIO:
Kim Ligon has been writing stories for most of her life—some on paper and some only in her head. She has lots of source material growing up as the oldest child in a large family in a small town in Wisconsin. Her father was a veterinarian so there were not only lots of children around, but all manner of house pets and farm animals too. Her love of reading comes from her mother who was seldom seen sitting down without a book in her hand. After a demanding career in healthcare information technology, she is now getting to do all the creative things she loves which includes writing her stories to share with you. She lives with her chief encourager and personal romantic hero, her husband of almost forever, in Alabama. Please follow her further adventures at www.spinningromance.com
Please join me in welcoming back author Lori Pollard-Johnson. Today, Lori is sharing a guest post about the popularity of food and recipes in cozy mysteries. Foodies will relate to the many reasons readers enjoy this theme. Fans of cozies will delight in this new release featuring a feisty sleuth.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Toxic Torte
Author: Lori Pollard-Johnson
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
BLURB:
Jess Harriet writes for the Seattle Sun, a weekly newsrag best known for its personal ads. When her latest assignment turns out to be yet another obituary, this time for caustic restaurant critic Perry Lowell, she seriously considers quitting. But before the memorial buffet is replenished, detectives appear. Perry didn’t die of a heart attack after all. He was murdered…with a toxic torte, likely served at the Valentine’s Day Chocoholic Ball. Jess seizes the opportunity to solve the murder and scoop the story, but she’ll have to outwit Cherrie Belle, fellow Sun Reporter by week, cheerleader by weekend; Tom, a college dating disaster who holds a flame for Jess and the elusive Chocoholic Ball guest list; and a cadre of unsavory chefs who invite her to a dinner she suspects is a recipe for danger.
GUEST POST:
Death By Chocolate
What do coffee and tea shops, ice cream parlors, bakeries, and chocolate have to do with murder? Apparently, plenty.
An Internet search of cozy culinary mysteries revealed 681 hits, ranging from the well-known Diane Mott Davidson’s series with amateur sleuth and caterer Goldy, and Kate Lansing’s winery-themed series showcasing amateur sleuth and winery owner Parker Valentine, to my own contribution to the genre, “Toxic Torte.” “Toxic Torte” features Jess Harriet, a young, sassy newspaper reporter who dips into the world of gourmet desserts when cracking the case of caustic restaurant critic Perry Lowell’s poisoning at the Valentine’s Day Chocoholic Ball.
It got me to thinking. What is it about food-rich environments that screams murder? Is it because we love both a good yarn and a smooth Merlot, or a twist-filled plot and a slice of cherry pie? Or maybe it’s the recipes so commonly found embedded within the stories that we’re eager to try out. Then I thought, could it be something more than the food? Maybe so. Perhaps the attraction could be the people who make the food.
In each of the series, there’s a cadre of chefs, cooks, caterers and artistic gourmands who are preparing delectable foods that engage our senses as readers—it’s a full-body experience reading these books. But there’s something much more yummy than the meal itself—and that’s the people around the table–the family, be they blood-related or chosen.
The way I see it, food is a gathering opportunity, a time for communing and sharing thoughts and ideas with others dear to our hearts over a craft beer and cheesy nachos, or a cup of Earl Gray and slices of Gruyere and prosciutto. It’s a time for connecting—maybe the only time for connecting–in an incredibly busy world that demands so much of us every day. The preparation and enjoyment of food is, simply put, a time for fellowship. In a culinary mystery, the food fills our stomachs, and the camaraderie fills our souls.
So it’s not really a surprise that food finds its way into our favorite cozy mysteries. We get to spend time with characters we love, and love to hate, and satisfy our tummies. Looking back, I feel certain my love of chocolate and the people who make it led me to write “Toxic Torte.”
Hungry for more? Check out “Toxic Torte,” the first in my new “Just Desserts” mystery series, available as an eBook or in print.
AUTHOR BIO:
Lori Pollard-Johnson is a retired educator and current wife, mama and grandma. She writes from her homes in Washington and Arizona, and has been published in fiction, nonfiction and poetry, in publications as diverse as Vegetarian Journal, Seattle, Black Belt, Bridal Connections and The Binnacle, in addition to five novels. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her grandbabies, braiding rugs, perfecting her shavasana, swimming, hiking, practicing her releves, renovating fixer-uppers, reading, or watching javelinas dance through her backyard.
I’m pleased to feature Rhonda Blackhurst’s latest release, Inn the Spirit of Murder. There’s still plenty of time to top off your summer reading pile with a delightful cozy mystery!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Inn the Spirit of Murder
Author: Rhonda Blackhurst
Genre: Cozy Mystery
BLURB:
Six-year-sober life coach and skeptic, Andie Rose Kaczmarek, and her red retriever emotional support animal, Aspen, become the new owners of the surmised haunted Spirit Lake Inn in Minnesota. When Andie Rose finds a body in the inn’s kitchen, she fears it will be the death of what’s most important—the stellar reputation of the inn her grandparents, Grandpop and Honey, built.
Aware of the risk of stress in sobriety, she gets an AA sponsor—feisty, spirited Sister Alice who, 30 years ago, gave up one habit for another. Andie Rose falls prey to a new addiction, and one potentially more dangerous, that of solving the murder. But in typical Sister Alice fashion, she transforms the danger of solving a murder to a spirited good time. Will Andie Rose flip from skeptic to believer?
AUTHOR BIO:
Rhonda lives in Colorado but frequently escapes to her Arizona home. She is an avid reader, writer, lover of words, and dark chocolate connoisseur. Her writing career began at the tender age of four when she began writing with crayons on the knotty pine walls of the family home. She has 10 published novels: The Inheritance, a contemporary fiction novel; Shear Madness, Shear Deception, Shear Malice, Shear Murder, Shear Holiday Mayhem, Shear Fear, Shear Misfortune, and Shear Camping Caper–A Short Story, in the Melanie Hogan Mysteries; and Finding Abby and Abby’s Redemption in the Whispering Pines Romantic Suspense duology. She has a non-fiction book, Finding Peace Through Gratitude, under the pen name Alexandra Benn. She is also an indie author consultant and awarded the 2022 Master of Literary Arts Award from the Brighton Chamber. She can be found at her online home at http://www.rhondablackhurst.com
Author Anne Rollins is joining us today for an interview. Historical romance and historical mystery fans are in for a treat with her latest novel, Secrets at Selwyn Castle. Castles, secrets, jewel thieves, and unexpected romance are sure to keep readers turning pages.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Secrets at Selwyn Castle
Author: Anne Rollins
Genre: Historical Romance/Historical Mystery
BLURB:
Richard Selwyn has a simple plan: throw a holiday house party to help his younger brother find a wife. Richard, having no desire to disturb his comfortable bachelor life, isn’t looking for his own match. But he didn’t expect a castle full of secrets, a jewel thief, and a kiss under the mistletoe that might very well change the course of his life.
Ivy Burnley was raised in luxury by her noble uncle and aunt, but her own parentage is so scandalous that she believes herself unfit to marry a gentleman. She arrives at Selwyn Castle intending only to help chaperone her debutante cousin during the house party. As Christmas draws nearer, winter walks, evening waltzes, and a handsome earl challenge Ivy’s resolution to stay single.
When an unknown thief steals one of Ivy’s most priceless possessions, she’ll need Richard’s help to move past the shame of her background and uncover all the secrets at Selwyn Castle.
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! It is my pleasure to feature your novel.
What was the inspiration behind your latest release?
I wanted to write a Christmas novella, and I wanted to set it in a castle, because what’s more fun than a castle at Christmas? Then I needed a plot for that setting, and I fell back on years of reading classic English country house murders. The result ended up being half Regency romance, half cozy mystery!
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first? For me, “which comes first” varies from work to work. Sometimes I think of a plot or premise, then think “What kind of characters would the leads have to be to make this story work?” As I mentioned above, in the case of Secrets at Selwyn Castle, the setting came first. Then I decided I wanted an age gap romance (purely because I like that trope). That helped me create the lead characters. I asked myself why the male lead was still single if he was older than the usual marrying age. Answering that question helped shape Richard Selwyn as a character.
When did you begin writing?
I was still in elementary school (about fourth grade) when I started writing short stories, beginning with a supernatural thriller called “The Little Jade Dog.” The summer after I turned thirteen, I decided to write a whole novel, probably just to prove that I could. I figured a novel had to be at least 100 pages, so that was my goal. It was a portal fantasy that was my response to all the many children’s books in which characters explore an exciting, magical world, but return home at the end. I always thought “Why would you want to go home if you could stay in Narnia or Wonderland?” So I wrote a story called Crossworld Journey, in which the main characters did NOT return home.
After that novel, I wrote a novel every summer up until my college years. I didn’t start seriously writing again until after my first child was born, more than a decade later. I read so many picture books out loud to my baby that I thought “I bet I could write one,” and set out to learn how. After years of attempting to write picture books, I can confidently say that writing a 500-word picture book is, in many ways, harder than writing an 80,000-word novel!
What has been your biggest challenge?
As far as writing goes, I find revision to be more challenging than drafting, although I’ve gotten a lot better at it. But marketing and promotion are much harder than any stage of writing!
What does literary success mean to you?
My dream is to be able to walk into a bookstore or a library and see my books on the shelves. Libraries were a very important part of my childhood, so I’d really like to see my books in libraries!
Speaking of which, I hope readers realize that most libraries have a book request process through which you can ask that they purchase books they don’t currently have. That’s one way of supporting your favourite writers, even if you can’t buy their books.
What project are you currently working on?
Right now, I’m doing a complete rewrite of my first Regency romance work-in-progress. It’s a Regency fantasy romance set in the same world as my novel The Solitary Rose, but this story is told in first person from the perspective of a young autistic woman who has visions of the future. I love the lead characters in this book, but my writing has improved so much since I wrote the first version that I wanted to start over from scratch.
Upcoming books, events, appearances, giveaways:
Secrets at Selwyn Castle, the first book in my Beau Monde Secrets series, releases on August 30! That same day, I’ll be doing a half-day takeover at a Facebook group, the Tattered Page Book Club. There will be giveaways and fun stuff for readers! https://www.facebook.com/groups/269414840723994
AUTHOR BIO:
Anne Rollins is the pen name of an English professor who lives in Northern California with her family, her pets, and an enormous collection of books. She is a fan of Diana Wynne Jones, Jane Austen, and Patricia Wrede— just some of the authors who have influenced her writing. Her first romance novel was a Regency fantasy romance, and she is currently working on a series of Regency romances with a pinch of mystery.
Jill Piscitello 