Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--ROMANTIC MYSTERY AUTHOR BETHANY MAINES ON POPPIES AND ELEVATORS

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Bethany Maines is the award-winning indie and traditionally published author of romantic action-adventure and fantasy novels that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someone’s hind-end. She can usually be found chasing after her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel or screenplay. Learn more about Bethany and her books and find links to her on social media at her website.

Poppies Inspired by an Elevator Ride

This craft was used in Elevator Ride—Book 1 of the Valkyrie Brothers Trilogy—an action-packed, age-gap romance mystery. The heroine, Vivian Kaye, is the chair of the event committee for a Veteran centered non-profit. When the non-profit throws a fundraising gala, they use oversized paper poppies as part of the décor.

Of course, poppies are also used to denote Memorial Day—a tradition since World War I, inspired by a poem written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. So there was a nice nod to veteran tradition as well. Vivian’s father was a Marine Corps veteran who helped found the non-profit and Vivian has always been dedicated to it—something that the hero Rowan Valkyrie, an ex-Marine, doesn’t realize when he dismisses Vivian as a non-serious twenty-something. Of course, he ends up eating his words AND shooting at the bad guys who are trying to kill Vivian and her boss.

The Valkyrie Brothers Trilogy was inspired when I visited the Smith Tower in Seattle several years ago. The Smith Tower has a hand operated elevator and was once the tallest building west of the Mississippi. It’s distinct pyramid top and gorgeous art deco interior are an amazing setting for any story. However, while I quickly came up with the idea for the opening of what would become book three, when Ash and Harper meet in the elevator, it wasn’t until several years later that I finally figured out how to make all the brothers meet their love interests in their own elevators. Yes, that’s right. I really made them all meet in an elevator.

In Elevator Ride, Vivian ambushes Rowan in an elevator to serve him with papers.

In Between Floors (Book 2, available June 23^rd), Rowan’s brother Forest is a single dad who thinks that perfection is the only answer to controlling the chaos of the universe. So, of course, fate delivers him a perfectly imperfect nanny. And then they get stuck in an elevator together and have to escape.

And in Emergency Exit, the youngest Valkyrie brother Ash arrives at a party with Harper, the girl he just met in the elevator only to have everyone assume she’s his girlfriend. Except that a fake girlfriend might be just what Ash needs. The Valkyrie Brothers trilogy is a laugh-packed series of connected romantic mysteries starring the Valkyrie Brothers--Rowan, Forest, and Ash--as they struggle to find love AND stay alive in Seattle.

Elevator Ride

The Valkyrie Brothers, Book 1

Vivian Kaye has been tasked with serving a cease-and-desist letter to Rowan Valkyrie—the most hated tenant in Seattle’s Hoskins building—but when she ambushes the seasoned security professional in the elevator, she ignites a powder keg of tempers and attraction.

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Between Floors

The Valkyrie Brothers, Book 2

Wild-child Chloe Jordan returned to Seattle to face her past, but when she gets stuck in an elevator with grumpy Forest Valkyrie—the terminally stressed single dad who just rejected her as a nanny candidate—Chloe discovers that it's her future at stake.

Pre-order (on sale June 23^rd)

Paper Poppies

Video link: https://youtube.com/shorts/zrR-ohmASOI

Materials:

Hard straws or sticks

1” Styrofoam balls

Glue (Use a hot glue or low-temp glue gun or tacky glue.)

Red and black tissue paper or crepe paper

Florist tape

Directions:

1. Cut out approximately twelve red circles for the petals of each flower. The sample used a 3-1/2” circle template, but you can use slightly smaller or larger circles. If you don’t have a template, use a glass, round dish, or round cookie cutter. The circles don’t have to be perfect. Trace the outline over folded paper, then cut all the petals out at once.

2. For each flower, cut a black paper circle large enough to cover the Styrofoam ball. Cover the ball, securing with glue.

3. Fold/twist the petal shapes. Imperfect is best. Do a little zig-zag folding and crumpling.

4. Poke a straw into the bottom of the ball, glue to secure.

5. Glue petals to the ball and stem. Use as many as you think looks good.

6. Wrap florist tape around the base and straw stem, securing both ends with glue.

AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CHRISTIE WALDMAN

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Today we sit down for a chat with Christie Waldman, author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Learn more about Christine and her books at her website.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

When I was seven, I had a second-grade teacher who thought kids should be writing stories and plays. We even wrote a class play which we performed for the parents with paper mâché puppets we made ourselves. When, for my story about a talking horse, I kept going back for more yellow paper, my teacher said, “I think you’re writing a novel.” Oh! I liked that!

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?

Sixty years! From first draft to publication of The Voice of the Wooden Dragon was forty-one years.

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

Hybrid

Where do you write?

Home office

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

Silence

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

Most are imagined, but some details come from history or my own life.

Describe your process for naming your character?

Mostly, the names just come to me. They need to sound “right.” “Meredith” was the name of the statue that inspired The Voice of the Wooden Dragon (carved by Bill Loomis of Carbondale, Illinois).

Real settings or fictional towns?

My novel has both: the Land of Deweydaire and Philadelphia.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

Dr. Sampson, an oddball dragon doctor, performs hypnosis with a yo-yo.

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

Chewing on pens and pencils

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. It is such a great story—so full of heart!

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

Everything happens for a reason, even things that look like wrong turns, is how I see it. If, for example, I had gone to a college other than SIU in Carbondale, Illinois, I would not have met Bill Loomis or seen his dragon statue, “Meredith,” which gave me the idea for The Voice of the Wooden Dragon, the book I feel I was meant to write.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

People who automatically find some reason to disagree with you instead of looking for common ground.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

Aside from the essentials, food, water, and sunshine: the music of birds, the beauty of nature, and fresh air.

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

“Walking beans” (hoeing rows of soybeans)

Who’s your all-time favorite literary character (any genre)? Why?

Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables. She’s loving and lovable. She’s an imaginative dreamer who grows up into a lovely young woman. She’s probably based on her author’s life.

Ocean or mountains?

Mountains

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

Country girl

What’s on the horizon for you?

Perhaps I will try to write some short stories. Maybe one will turn into a novel. Also, I have Francis Bacon-related research to complete and patchwork quilts to make for my grandchildren.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?

I would love to see children’s creative writing, art, and music cultivated in homes and schools. I did not get this nurturing growing up, other than from that one teacher. Still, I went to college seeking a liberal arts, humanities education that would prepare me to become a “serious fiction writer.” Bernard Malamud once offered this advice to would-be writers: “You must know and love literature and read and think of it endlessly.”

The Voice of the Wooden Dragon.

“Wanted: Princess Meredith!” Friend and foe seek the outlaw dragon princess who fights on behalf of oppressed human farmers. Things go from bad to worse when her cousin Prince Rupert—that bully!—takes the throne. Somehow, with the help of her friends, the boy Peter, court-jester dragon Felix, and a little girl in America named Suse, she must find a way to defeat Carlos’s magic, reclaim her power, and fulfill her destiny.

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AUTHOR ELLE HARTFORD ON HER MOST PRECIOUS COLLECTION & ADVICE FROM A CAROUSEL HORSE

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Elle Hartford writes the award-winning Alchemical Tales series, a blend of cozy mystery and cozy fantasy. She has also published a spin-off series, Pomegranate Cafe Romance, and numerous short mysteries in anthologies. For other writers and authors looking to go “wide,” Elle is excited to offer coaching services and support. She made all the self-publishing mistakes, and you can learn from her experience! Find out more at her website.

My prized collection is a set of small carousel horses. Friends send me pictures of carousel statuettes they find in thrift stores, and every once in a while I’ll bring a new musical edition or porcelain figure home, but these eleven horses will always be my favorites.

Why? Well, I did write a book about them . . .

But the story actually starts earlier than that:

It was four years ago, and we were just getting out and about again after the worst of the pandemic. My then-boyfriend and his family had a tradition of spending the winter holidays in the Poconos, in Pennsylvania. I was happy to explore a new place with them, and especially excited when we found a large antiques store.

You know the kind of antiques store that’s really a whole collection of booths and jumbles, crammed into an old factory building or barn? The kind that seems to go on forever? That’s exactly what this was. I worked my way methodically through each stall. At the very end, when I was almost back to the cash register again, I came upon a glass case with shelves full of carousel horses.

I’d loved horses as a kid, and I’d just rediscovered a love of myths and magic during the pandemic. Looking at these carousel horses, I could see how each had a theme or a story behind it. They were all perfectly unique. There was one little black horse in the collection with a phoenix painted on its side, something that reminded me of Russian legends of the firebird and the horse of power. I’m not always a decisive person, and it was so hard to choose a favorite of the lot, but it was so alluring . . .

I bought it. That was the first carousel horse I ever bought–and probably the first time I’d ever had the guts to ask for a case to be opened at a store!

But then we were back in our rented rooms, and I was looking at this little black horse, and it was beautiful–and yet somehow lonely. There had been another horse in the collection, a gorgeous white horse with a golden mane and lotus-like saddle . . .

I went back and got that one, too. After all, the black horse needed a partner! I was very tempted by the rest of the horses in the collection by that point, but to buy all eleven would have been an extravagant expense. I felt bad enough dragging my boyfriend and his family back to the same store. In fact, I tried to make my purchase quickly so they wouldn’t have to wait–even though they’d all dispersed once we got into the store, anyway (everyone has their own method for going through a pile of antiques!) I got out of the store first, statuette clutched in my hands, ready to move on to the next adventure. I could be happy with my two beautiful carousel horses. But where was my boyfriend? What was taking him so long?

You see where this is going, perhaps?

I had no idea, myself. I was shocked when, several days later, I unwrapped an elaborate Christmas package to discover two more carousel horses, one a transparent red, one a deep jewel blue. Another matched set, from the same collection.

And then on Valentine's Day–a white one with roses, a little black knight.

And then for my birthday! At that point, my boyfriend had gotten tired of keeping the secret. He gave me the rest of them all at once. When we’d gone back to the store that day, he’d realized how much they meant to me, and he’d decided to buy whatever I left behind.

By the way, he’s my “then boyfriend” because he’s now my husband.

Those carousel horses captured my imagination, and more than that, they represented a sense of fun and love every time I looked at them. It was not long before I was writing a magical mystery for each one. Now, that collection of short stories is called The Carousel Capers, and it’s a prequel for my series of cozy fairy tale mysteries, The Alchemical Tales. This month marks three years since The Carousel Capers was published. Every single one of those horses will always have a special place in my heart.

The Carousel Capers

Life is no fairy tale in the magical small town of Belville. When Red buys her dream storefront in the quaint Market Square, she knows she’ll be putting in hard work to make it a success.

But what Red doesn’t expect is a tiny antique carousel horse statue turning up in her mail. And she isn’t at all prepared for the slew of criminals and friends, greed and mystery that follow in its wake! It turns out that the carousel horse has a deep, dark secret. If she wants to head off doom, Red will have to brave ghostly forests, watery depths, wild mine cart rides, and even a fancy party or two.

In this series of short stories, each chapter focuses on a new carousel statuette–and a new mythical horse. Join Red and her friends as they try to take the reins of this galloping mystery before they find themselves left in the dust!

An ebook copy of The Carousel Capers is available for free as a gift for Elle’s newsletter subscribers:https://dl.bookfunnel.com/azwto4v5pf

You can also purchase the deluxe print edition here: https://books2read.com/thecarouselcapers/

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA—TROLLS

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Trolls: Save the Humans

Trolls: Nasty creatures who live under bridges.

Trolls: Nasty people who bully others on social media.

Trolls: Weird looking collectibles from the 1960s (since appearing in animated movies.)

Trolls: Kristoff’s fun-loving adoptive family in Frozen

Trolls: Amazing works of art from recycled materials by Thomas Dambo.

I first learned of Thomas Dambo’s work when I saw a news story about him and his art installations made of recycled materials. He’s considered the world’s leading recycling artist with his work appearing throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. His more than 125 larger-than-life trolls were created to share his environmental message throughout the world in outdoor installations that use trash to create art within nature.

The trolls have noticed that “small people” (humans) are harming the planet. The goal of these giant trolls is to educate humans, whereby they’ll rediscover nature and become thoughtful, caring stewards of our planet. A more positive message than those other trolls that frequent social media, right?

Six of Dambo’s trolls took up residence within the gardens, trees, and wooded areas of the Cheekwood Estate & Gardens in Nashville during 2024 in the spring and summer. Check their schedule. They may be coming to a location near you this year. If you go, tell them I said hello.

AN INTERVIEW WITH SISTER BERNADETTE OHLSON FROM AUTHOR MELISSA WESTEMEIER'S NUN THE WISER MYSTERIES

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Today we sit down for a chat with Sister Bernadette Ohlson, AKA Bernie, from author Melissa Westemeier’s Nun the Wiser Mysteries.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

I taught middle school language arts at St. Alyosius and after retirement I spent a few years traveling the world with friends and colleagues before returning to Eugene. By then the parish was converted to senior apartments. I was pleased to move into The Abbey: Senior Living, even though Rin Sato got here first and took occupancy of my former classroom—I wound up with the former 6^th grade classroom. Frankly, before Melissa showed up with AJ Lewis, I was getting bored with my daily routine and looking for a new hobby.

As for that daily routine, it’s my habit to do stretches and devotions before tying my sneakers and walking around the neighborhood to get my steps in. I’ll spend the rest of the day reading, running errands, doing puzzles, and visiting with whoever’s in the common area. Dinner’s served at 5pm most nights, and I join neighbors in the dining room to eat. I like going to movies and plays, traveling when I can, and corresponding with friends and relatives. I remain a very active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

I’m a take-charge kind of lady. Some people call me bossy, but who does everyone turn to when they need advice or direction? Me.

What do you like least about yourself?

I’m not crafty. I like to read and do jigsaw puzzles, but that’s about the extent of my hobbies, and it bothers me to have so much time on my hands and very little to do. I need a sense of purpose or a side hustle. Everyone else here at The Abbey has one.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

She sent me on vacation with my best friend Eleanor to Portland during a Comic-Con. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Grown-ups wearing costumes, talking about comic books and video games, the place was swarming with monsters and aliens and robots. I wound up trapped in an elevator that weekend, too…

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

Sometimes she suggests I’m wrong, and of course I’m never wrong. Well, almost never wrong.

What is your greatest fear?

Irrelevance. I worry people might stop asking for my advice or someone moves in and starts running everything wrong. People need good leaders, and I know I’m skilled at running things. If others fail to recognize that quality in me and stop listening to me…well, it’s a terrible thought to contemplate. Things would go south very quickly.

What makes you happy?

Knowing I’m right. And having people depend on me to help solve their problems.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

I’d have spoken to Cliff sooner instead of ignoring and avoiding the old crank. I really had no idea…

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Rin Sato can push people’s buttons sometimes, but I do consider her a good friend. Also, she’s cheap. You ever wonder where all the sugar and jam packets disappear to when we go out to eat? Check her purse. No, I’m not joking.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

Taylor Jones, only because I think it must be thrilling to be a detective.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

Bless Melissa. She sent her sons to Catholic school, but she’s not even Catholic! Her heart’s in the right spot, though. She writes about all sorts of topics at www.melwestemeier.com.

What's next for you?

There’s a developer interested in buying the properties down the block from The Abbey. Ethan told me Vision Co. wants to tear down the existing buildings and put places like the Pharmers Market and In Stitches out of business. What will happen to our neighborhood if those places close? It’s terrible to think about, so I’m organizing opposition to that project.

Old Habits Die Hard

A Nun the Wiser Mystery, Book 1

Meddling and murder can both be deadly sins

When retired nun and teacher Sister Bernadette returns with her fellow residents to The Abbey: Senior Living, she is the first to discover the body sprawled in the hallway of the converted school where she once taught English and now lives. Instead of freezing with horror, Sister Bernie has questions. Lots of them. Why does Toni Travi, the bedazzled and bejeweled resident from apartment 218, have so much chest hair? Did anyone at The Abbey know Toni was a man? Was Toni’s death related to allegations that she cheated at cards? Where’s the murder weapon? Who had motive? And did someone kill Toni, or the man hiding beneath the Revlon foundation and blonde wig?

Detective AJ Lewis is in charge of the investigation, though Sister Bernie acts as if he is still her student. With unholy stubbornness, she dogs his every step, eavesdrops, sneaks beyond the police tape and offers unsolicited conjecture and clues. He wants to keep her safe, but she’s determined to lend a helping hand—it’s her habit, after all!

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HISTORICAL MYSTERY AUTHOR MJ FINN ON DESIGNING AN HISTORICAL MYSTERY SERIES

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 05:30:00 +0000

M.J. Finn is an armchair pilot with a life-long interest in the Golden Age of Air Racing. Growing up in Chicago led to basing leading character TJ O’Connell there and provides an opportunity to describe the vibrant, growing city in the heart of the United States that was more than the stomping grounds for Al Capone and other famous criminals.

There are thousands of new books published every week on Amazon and other sites. This makes coming up with a unique story within the Mystery, Thriller, Suspense (MTS) category challenging. I was working with a writing coach who emphasized the need to come up with something that would stand apart from other books but still fit within genre expectations. His other advice was to write what I knew.

What did I know? I’m an avid reader of history and historical fiction, so setting the series in an historical period made sense. I also like thrillers and mysteries, so that meant fitting into the historical mystery/thriller space. But where and when to set the story so that it didn’t get lost in an ocean of books that had already been published? The Prohibition era in America was popular, especially for cozy mysteries, and many people identified Chicago with the era due to Al Capone and the gang wars. I grew up on the northside of Chicago, so setting the story there was an easy choice. Not only was Rogers Park a growing section of the city in that period, Al Capone had actually lived there for a year or so.

One of my other passions is flying and airplanes. The 1920s and 1930s have often been called the Golden Age of air racing, with plenty of unique characters, planes, and races. The National Air Races for 1930 were held north of Chicago, the only time they were held in that area. By making my protagonist a pilot, I could move him around the country for different settings, mysteries, and antagonists in future books. The possibilities were only limited by my imagination.

So now I had a basic concept for my series:

· A young barnstorming pilot from Rogers Park in Chicago.

· The first book would revolve around the 1930 National Air Races at Curtiss-Reynolds Field near Chicago.

· Something forces this young pilot to solve a mystery that he’s involved in.

· There needs to be life and death stakes and one or more mobs involved.

· Many mysteries set in this period have protagonists from the upper class, who don’t seem to worry about money. This detective is from the middle class, and money will never be far from his thoughts.

A side benefit of writing historical fiction is doing research for each of the books. While some authors may see this as a chore or a necessary evil, I enjoy exploring different times and places and learning new things. While it was tempted to go too far down the rabbit hole of research, placing myself on a schedule to complete the first draft kept those temptations in check. I was lucky to discover the Rogers Park Historical Society and their series of books on the history and development of the neighborhood. The information and pictures were extremely helpful, and volunteers from the society answered a number of questions that came up as I wrote the first draft.

Curtiss-Reynolds Field later became Glenview Naval Air Station in WW II, so there was a lot of information about the field during that period available. Finding information and photographs from 1930 was more difficult, but cruising through newspaper archives and websites dedicated to air races uncovered a few gems. My home library was filled with books on racing planes and races from the period, so that was one of the easier research areas to complete. Then I ran into my first obstacle.

I wanted the pilot to be someone who had bigger dreams and visions than just racing planes. Someone who was an expert in one area, but who faces challenges in others. To make his financial challenges a bit more daunting, he became the first in his family to seek a college degree. It turns out they didn’t have degrees in aeronautical engineering at colleges in Chicago at that time. So, he ends up going to the Armour Institute seeking a Mechanical Engineering degree. Coincidentally, that’s where I went to school (it’s now the Illinois Institute of Technology). They have their yearbooks and school newspapers online, providing all the information needed to realistically include his college experiences.

Now I was off to the races! There are currently three books in the series, with three more to follow in 2025. I hope you’ll fly along on TJ O’Connell’s adventures.

Fallen Aces

The Barnstorming Detective Series, Book One

All he wanted to do was fly his plane in the nationals, but they took that away from him. Now he’s seeking justice.

In the thrilling world of the 1930 Chicago Air Races, one young pilot's dream is derailed when disaster strikes.TJ O'Connell, a determined young Irish-American pilot from the north side of Chicago, aims to win the competition and fund his dream of attending college. However, tragedy strikes when a renowned American ace crashes during a practice run, and TJ is wrongfully accused of causing the disaster.

To clear his name and secure his future, TJ must find the truth with the help of allies he meets along the way. As they delve deeper into the aviation world, they unearth a web of secrets, rivalries, and prejudices that threaten to tarnish TJ's dreams.

From the gritty streets of Chicago to the dazzling heights of the racecourse, TJ must race against time to uncover the truth. Will he emerge victorious in both the hearing room and the skies, or will the shadows of suspicion forever eclipse his ambitions?

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MYSTERY AUTHOR SKYE ALEXANDER ON SAYING GOODBYE TO WELL-LOVED CHARACTERS

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Skye Alexander is the author of nearly 50 fiction and nonfiction books. Her stories have appeared in anthologies internationally, and her work has been translated into fifteen languages. In 2003, she cofounded Level Best Books with fellow crime writers Kate Flora and Susan Oleksiw. So far her Lizzie Crane mystery series includes four traditional historical novels set in the Jazz Age with a forth scheduled for a 2025 release. Learn more about Skye and her books at her website.

Saying Goodbye

Characters in books, like aspiring actors, often push for bigger parts in a story––and they may graduate from cameos to starring roles. Sometimes, though, they’re ready to retire or the author decides they’ve fulfilled their purposes and it’s time to say goodbye.

‘Til Death Do Us Part

Mystery writers specialize in killing people. Though usually we bump off the bad guys, occasionally it’s necessary to eliminate a character we––or our readers––genuinely like. Writing about the same people, from the same point of view, can grow tedious for an author over time. Bestselling author Sue Grafton admitted she wished she’d chosen something shorter than her twenty-six-book alphabet series. Of course, you can’t kill the protagonist unless you’ve decided to end the series and write something else.

In one of the most famous protagonist dumps, Agatha Christie got rid of her popular sleuth Hercule Poirot who starred in thirty of her novels. Christie had tired of the man she called a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep" and wanted to “exorcise herself of him.” Except her publishers and fans wouldn’t let her. Finally, more than fifty years after his first appearance, Christie ended her literary relationship with Poirot. He became the only fictional character to get his obituary in the New York Times.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn’t intend for his famous detective Sherlock Holmes to be a major player in his novels. Worried that the popular pipe-smoking character was preventing him from penning more serious literature, the author decided to kill his cash cow. But his readers weren’t having it. Under pressure, Doyle wrote The Adventure of the Empty House in which he pointed out inadequate eyewitness accounts of the investigator’s supposed death in a previous book and resurrected the much-loved Holmes.

Leaving the Door Open

What if an author chooses to take a series in a different direction, rather than ending it? That’s what Anne Hillerman, daughter of the popular novelist Tony Hillerman, did after her famous father died in 2008. Anne opted to let Tony’s protagonist, Navajo Nation Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, retire from the force––but he still serves as mentor to his partner Sergeant Jim Chee and Chee’s wife Officer Bernadette Manuelito.

When I started writing Running in the Shadows, the fourth novel in my Lizzie Crane Jazz Age mystery series, one of the primary characters in my books asked me to relieve her of her duties. Melody Fitzgerald, a talented young flutist and violinist in my protagonist’s band, wanted to marry her sweetheart and start a family. I had to let her go. But even though her priorities have changed and she’ll no longer travel the country with her fellow musicians, Melody promises to make guest appearances from time to time.

This halfway method allows the author to move into fresh territory, introducing new characters or elevating minor ones to major roles, without casting off the folks who begat the series. It’s also a more acceptable transition for readers who’ve become attached to fictitious friends and don’t want to say goodbye.

A Fitting End

Cutting a character can be hard for writers––it’s like losing a friend you’ve been hanging out with for years. Mystery writer Tess Gerritsen agreed that eliminating a major character in her series was painful to write and she hesitated to do it. “But without that death, the tale would lose its power.” Sometimes it’s better to let characters die with dignity than to force them to continue after they’ve served their purpose or the author is itching to move on.

Writing a character out of your series needs to be done carefully. Killing off a key character can be powerful, but the death needs to have meaning. In Gone with the Wind, for example, Melanie’s death awakens Scarlett to the fact that she loves Rhett, not Ashley. Maybe a character sacrifices his life to save a friend or a mother dies protecting her child. Thus, the writer makes it easier for readers to accept the loss by conferring hero/ine status on the deceased. After a respectful burial or “fare thee well” the author can open new doors and invite readers to step inside.

Running in the Shadows

A Lizzie Crane Mystery, Book 4

March 1926: Salem, Massachusetts

A spring equinox party at the mansion of a rich, flamboyant, and controversial art collector promises New York jazz singer Lizzie Crane and her band a fat paycheck, lucrative connections, and plenty of fun. She’ll also have an opportunity to reconnect with a handsome Boston Brahmin she fancies.

But the excitement she hopes for doesn’t turn out the way she expected. On the night of the musicians’ first performance, a naked young woman trots into the ballroom on horseback, sweeps up a talented artist named Sebastian, and rides off with him into the night. The next morning, Lizzie discovers the artist’s body tied to a tree, shot full of arrows like the martyred Saint Sebastian in Botticelli’s painting.

Soon Lizzie learns that her business partner, pianist Sidney Somerset, once had a close relationship with the dead man––and police suspect Sidney may have murdered him. As she tries to protect her friend and discover the killer, Lizzie gets swept up in the treacherous underworld of art theft and forgery, a world where fantastic sums of money change hands and where lives are cheap.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH KATE GOLDSTEIN FROM AUTHOR REBECCA OLMSTEAD'S GABRIELLE DORIAN MYSTERIES

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Today we sit down for a chat with Kate Goldstein (Gabrielle Dorian’s Best Friend) from award-winning author Rebecca Olmstead’s Gabrielle Dorian Mystery Series.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

I was new in Whitman, Washington, trying to make a fresh start after my no-good husband Byron left me for a barely legal piece of fluff. Having lived most of my life in Beverly Hills, California, Whitman was quite the culture shock, but Gabrielle Dorian befriended me and came to be my best friend and business partner in our fashion boutique, Belle Femme.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

There are two, actually. Honesty. I would never lie to a client just to make a sale, and I have no problem speaking my mind. And fierce loyalty. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect my friends and family.

What do you like least about yourself?

It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if I were a little younger…It might also make it easier to find love again. A little more height would also be welcome. But what I lack in stature, I make up for in heart.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

Well…there was the time I threw the plasma TV off the balcony through the windshield of Byron’s new Ferrari. But that was justified.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

I am a caretaker at heart, and I love to spoil my friends. But the author wants Gabrielle to be a strong, independent woman. She has no clue what poor Gabrielle has been through. She needs me, and I will keep trying to take care of her regardless of what the author wants.

What is your greatest fear?

Gabrielle is a beautiful, generous human being, and she has a great gift—her dreams are prophetic and help her help others. When I met her, her faith inspired me. But, since losing her parents and then her husband, she seems to be angry with God. My greatest fear is that Gabrielle will lose her faith altogether.

What makes you happy?

Like my best friend, helping people makes me happy, like making women look and feel beautiful in our boutique, and helping Gabrielle through her grief…and helping her solve cases, and bring victims closure.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

I’ve gone through a lot in my life, some good and some bad. But I don’t know that I would rewrite any part of my story. It’s all made me the person I am. And I’m pretty happy with that. Now, if only I can help young Gabrielle reach that point in her life.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

That would have to be Trevor Bruthert. He may have been Gabrielle’s husband’s best friend and business partner, but he also thinks he’s God’s gift to women with his blond hair and skin-tight T-shirts and jeans. He doesn’t fool me, though. I know a poser when I see one.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

Easy. Gabrielle Dorian. Tall, slender, beautiful, and gifted. But honestly, I feel blessed just to have her as my best friend.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

Just between us, my author started this series over thirty years ago! In all fairness, she was homeschooling five children, but I think she’s on a roll, now. She also writes short stories, which have been published in numerous anthologies and periodicals, and Christian nonfiction. You can find her at www.rebeccaolmstead.com. She loves to hear from her readers.

What's next for you?

I’ll be helping Gabrielle find a friend’s missing son in Dreams and Deceptions. Then, when evidence turns up suggesting Gabrielle’s husband was murdered, she becomes suspect number one! I’ll have to help her decipher her dreams to get to the bottom of both mysteries. She’ll need me now more than ever!

Dreams and Illusions

A Gabrielle Dorian Mystery, Book 1

Gabrielle Dorian leaves the comfort of her hometown, Whitman, Washington, to help her estranged sister, Tina, who has been charged with first-degree murder in Seattle. Will her prophetic dreams lead her to the truth? And will the truth set Tina free or condemn her?

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS -- PISTACHIO CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA MUFFINS RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Those of you familiar with the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries know that I can’t start my workday without an infusion of coffee and something sweet, courtesy of food editor and my bestie Cloris McWerther. Author Lois Winston recently began writing the latest installment in the series (because she takes such joy in dropping dead bodies into my life,) and she asked Cloris to come up with a new muffin recipe. (Did she really think this would make me forget she’s planning to add more murder and mayhem into my future?)

I must admit, though, this muffin is delicious, and because it’s not overly sweet, I didn’t feel guilty helping myself to a second. But muffins are not just for starting the day. Grab your beverage of choice and curl up at any time with this newest baked creation and Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the latest Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery.

Spoiler alert: I do survive to experience whatever torments Lois has planned for me in the next book.

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1-1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 lg. ripe bananas, mashed

6 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 lg. egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. milk

2/3 C. packed brown sugar (lt. or dark)

1 C. mini chocolate chips

1/2 C. salted pistachio meats

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 12-ct. muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In a med. Size bowl, whisk together first five ingredients and set aside.

In stand mixer on med. speed, beat together mashed bananas, melted butter, egg, vanilla, milk, and egg.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, beating until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and pistachios.

Divide batter evenly into liners. Batter should fill liners to the top.

Bake at 435 degrees F. for five minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and continue baking for 16 minutes or until toothpick stuck in center of muffins comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in tin for five minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

Check out all the books Lois Winston has written about me and more at her website.

NEW ANASTASIA POLLACK CRAFTING MYSTERY BUNDLE

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Guilty as Framed and A Crafty Collage of Crime, the 11^th and 12^th books in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, are now available as a 2-ebook set.

Guilty as Framed

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 11

Inspired by the true-crime cold case of the largest art heist in history

When an elderly man shows up at the home of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack, she’s drawn into the unsolved mystery of the greatest art heist in history.

Boston mob boss Cormac Murphy has recently been released from prison. He refuses to believe Anastasia’s assertion that the man he’s looking for doesn’t live at her address and attempts to muscle his way into her home. His efforts are thwarted by Anastasia’s fiancé Zack Barnes.

A week later, a stolen SUV containing a dead body appears in Anastasia’s driveway. Anastasia believes Murphy is sending her a message. It’s only the first in a series of alarming incidents, including a mugging, a break-in, another murder, and the discovery of a cache of jewelry and an etching from the largest museum burglary in history.

But will Anastasia solve the mystery behind these shocking events before she falls victim to a couple of desperate thugs who will stop at nothing to get what they want?

Crafts projects included.

A Crafty Collage of Crime

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 12

Winner of the 2024 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Comedy

When an elderly man shows up at the home of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack, she’s drawn into the unsolved mystery of the greatest art heist in history.

But will Anastasia solve the mystery behind these shocking events before she falls victim to a couple of desperate thugs who will stop at nothing to get what they want?

Crafts projects included.

Wherever crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack goes, murder and mayhem follow. Her honeymoon is no exception. She and new husband, photojournalist (and possible spy) Zachary Barnes, are enjoying a walk in the Tennessee woods when they stumble upon a body on the side of a creek. The dead man is the husband of one of the three sisters who own the winery and guest cottages where Anastasia and Zack are vacationing.

When the local sheriff sets his sights on the widow as the prime suspect, her sisters close ranks around her. The three siblings are true-crime junkies, and thanks to a podcaster who has produced an unauthorized series about her, Anastasia’s reputation for solving murders has preceded her to the bucolic hamlet. The sisters plead for her help in finding the real killer. As Anastasia learns more about the women and their business, a host of suspects emerge, including several relatives, a relentless land developer, and even the sisters themselves.

Meanwhile, Anastasia becomes obsessed with discovering the podcaster’s identity. Along with knowing about Anastasia’s life as a reluctant amateur sleuth, the podcaster has divulged details of Anastasia’s personal life. Someone has betrayed Anastasia’s trust, and she’s out to discover the identity of the culprit.

Craft projects included.

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COOKING WITH CLORIS--AUTHOR BARBARA PRONIN'S NEW WWII HISTORICAL NOVEL AND A RECIPE FOR CHALLAH

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Brooklyn born Barbara Pronin is the author of nine novels acclaimed by such notables as Mary Higgins Clark, Tony Hillerman, and Faye Kellerman. Learn about this SoCal transplant and her books on her website.

Full disclosure: my newest novel, a WW II historical called Winter’s End, is not about a crafty killer. It is about three crafty killers, three amazing young women of the Dutch Resistance who learn to blow up trains and take out Nazi tyrants in their mission to help Jewish escapees and save their homeland from starvation in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.

Led by young Evi Strobel, who, I swear, walked into my head one night and would not leave until I told her story, the three are as different as night and day, yet they work together like the tiles in a Rubik’s cube to outfox their Nazi enemies.

Here is 16-yearold Evi, enticing Nazi officers from smoky taverns to their deaths until the fateful night when she is saved from rape by a downed American airman.

There is Dr. Zoe Visser, a veterinarian by trade, picking pockets for Dutch ID cards for use by escaping Jews, and leading frightened escapees to their border destinations in the dead of night.

And here is Mila Brouwer, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy collaborator, passing secrets she learns at her father’s dinner table to waiting Resistance leaders.

Their stories evolve on several levels – as an unexpected love story, as a coming-of-age story, and as a tale of incredible bravery – a remarkable journey I fell in love with, from its beginnings in the cobblestoned streets of Amsterdam to its ending more than seventy years later and a world away, where one of these women learns to bake a delectable Sabbath challah from her Jewish-American mother-in-law.

Winter’s End will be published on May 15, but it is on pre-sale now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. While you wait for it, you may want to try your hand at making a golden loaf of homemade challah bread. (It takes a bit of work, but trust me, it’s worth it!)

Golden Challah

(makes one loaf)

Ingredients:

1 packet dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 cup warm water

1 egg

1/4-cup honey

3 tbs canola oil

1 tsp salt

4 ½ cl. Flour, approximately

For the egg wash:

1 egg

2 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. vanilla

Directions:

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/4-cup warm water in a medium-sized bowl. Let sit about 15 minutes until thick and frothy.

Add the egg, honey, oil, salt, remaining 3/4-cup of water, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix until a loose batter forms. Add the remainder of flour slowly. You may need all, less, or more flour, so use your hands to add it in slowly. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Once the dough has enough flour, knead it for a couple of minutes right in the bowl.

Cover the dough with a wet towel and put it in a warm place to rise for about 1—1-1/2 hours. Dough should double in size.

Punch the dough down and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into thirds and with your hands, roll each piece into a long (13-14 inch) piece. Attach the three pieces at one end, tuck the end under, and braid the dough as you would if it were Evi‘s hair. Tuck the second end under, place the braided loaf on a lightly greased cookie sheet, and let it rise for another 30-40 minutes.

Beat the egg with the honey and vanilla and gently brush over the loaf. Bake at 375° F for approximately 35-45 minutes. Loaf should be golden on top, and firm on the bottom.

Winter’s End

Luring Nazi officers from smoky taverns to their deaths was not what Evi Strobel bargained for when she agreed to join the Dutch Resistance. But that is what she did until that fateful night she was saved from rape by a downed American Airman.

Nor did Zoe Visser expect to be picking pockets for Dutch ID cards for use by escaping Jews, much less leading frightened enemies of the Reich toward uncertain treks to the Belgian border - nor did Mila Brouwer, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy German collaborator, expect to be passing secrets learned at her father's dinner table to help Resistance stalwarts blow up Nazi trains and meeting halls.

But four years into German occupation, with the Dutch surviving on boiled tulip bulbs, and Hitler tightening control ahead of advancing Allies, that is what they did. Follow them as Winter's End traces a harrowing journey from the cobblestoned streets of Nazi-occupied Holland to an astonishing finale seventy years later and a world away.

Preorder (available 5/15/25)

MYSTERY AUTHOR HEATHER AMES ON LIFE UPSTAGING ART

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Image by Robin Olson from Pixabay

Heather Ames writes two mystery series (one with a paranormal twist,) standalone suspense, romantic suspense, and short contemporary romances. When she’s not writing, she’s traveling the world or dreaming up new adventures. She’s lived in five countries, seven states, hitchhiked around Europe, lived in a 6^th floor walk-up in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower and worked as a bartender in Madrid. During a long career in healthcare, she has seen more dead and/or mangled bodies than the average person and carried pepper spray for safety when going to treat patients in the barrios of L.A., All these experiences enrich her novels. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

A Moment of Reflection

Serendipity is a strange and frequently bizarre journey into unknown territory. Sometimes it can be called karma. Other times, just plain annoying. But it’s always one of those sudden, out-of-the-blue experiences that makes anyone, even the most cynical among us, take a moment to wonder why and how it happened.

I had one of those moments this week. I’d worked on a blog post I thought was almost ready to roll when life lobbed one of those curve balls that, if written into a novel, would be dismissed as plot manipulation.

More than ten years ago, the transmission on my vehicle started experiencing problems. First it was one thing, which was fixed, but only a couple of weeks later, a bigger problem developed. My car went into the service department and ended up staying there two weeks. During that time, I was put into a rental at no cost while a decision was made about whether the repair would be covered by the manufacturer. While I wondered whether an extremely expensive repair was going to make me purchase a replacement, I found I really liked the rental vehicle. I also found that particular model was out of my price range, even one that had been previously owned. Luckily, the repair was covered, and when I did trade in that car, it was for one within my budget, not my fanciful daydreaming.

Jump ahead to two weeks ago. The vehicle I now owned suddenly stopped talking to me. When I took it in for that issue and a routine servicing, I received bad news…the cost of replacing the part was not only prohibitive, but another big-ticket problem was also discovered. I opted to fix the major oil leak, but not the silence. I figured I could always tune into a radio station on my phone, and I was assured the lack of verbal communication from the car wasn’t a safety issue.

But less than a week later, a warning message notified me that my transmission had failed. This time, there was no coverage to bail me out. With two big outstanding repairs, I realized I was going to have to find a replacement. While still in shock, I searched online, then tramped around a big used car lot with a hundred choices. But yesterday the dealership called. A newer version of the vehicle I had driven for two weeks all that time ago and really liked had just been traded in. It was within my price range, and it’s now in my driveway.

If I had written this story into a plotline, I know I’d have seen raised eyebrows, even eye rolls, and heard this was too much of a coincidence. Although all books in my Ghost Shop series have magical elements, I’m sure I’d have been told this particular subplot’s outcome could only have occurred as the result of using a spell or waving a wand. Detractors would tell me to rewrite the story, leaving serendipity by the wayside.

Sometimes, life not only imitates art, life upstages it. Those strange little unexpected, quirky moments that whisper to us from the ethers need to be acknowledged. This was one of those moments. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has experienced a momentary chill, or a moment of déjà vu. But writing one into a book? Maybe not.

Tapped by Fate

A Ghost Shop Mystery, Book 1

A reluctant psychic inherits a spooky metaphysical shop in Salem, Oregon and teams up with a retired detective who suspects his daughter’s drowning was no accident. Dark forces lead Sunny Kingston to rely not only on her new partner, Ash Haines, but her enigmatic, fortune-telling assistant, a gargoyle more animal than mineral, and a questionably human winery owner in search of redemption. Vincente Valderos has a hint of sulphur about him and a proposition that’s difficult for Sunny and Ash to ignore. But it comes with a bigger price tag than either of them may be willing to pay.

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VALENTINE'S DAY FACEBOOK PARTY! THERE WILL BE PRIZES!

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Get ready for A LOVE OF COZY MYSTERIES Facebook Party! ❤️ Join us on Friday, Feb. 14, from 7:00-8:00 PM ET, for a night of mystery, fun, and fabulous prizes!

Meet all seven amazing authors from Booklovers Bench, read intriguing posts, share your thoughts, and maybe even win a prize or two! Mark your calendars!

Sign up at https://www.facebook.com/share/1BCquhcGkC/ if interested or attending. Party will be at https://facebook.com/NewReleaseParty/ Friday, Feb. 14th 7-8pm ET.

MYSTERY AUTHOR LORI P0LLARD-JOHNSON ON DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

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. Toxic Torte is the first book in her "Just Desserts" series. 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. Learn more about her and her books here.

What Made Me Think of…Death by Chocolate?

Writers are often asked what the inspiration is for their mystery novels. It seems our brains are hardwired to create chaos and mayhem in clever ways that surprise readers. I’m not sure why that is, but I’ll take it as a compliment.

The book I’m most asked about, though, is Toxic Torte, a cozy mystery about an (in)famous restaurant critic who is poisoned in a very delicious way the day after Valentine’s Day: Death by Chocolate. What inspired me, however, are all my experiences writing about chefs and the food and wine industry.

My writing career started as a creative and profitable hobby while being a stay-at-home mom. I queried and wrote nonfiction articles about a variety of things—kid-friendly activities, business profiles, music reviews—but one of my favorite topics was covering gourmet dining and the chefs who create sumptuous meals. What I discovered early on is that the average chef donates an extraordinary amount of time above and beyond their chef duties to helping others. After prepping, planning, and ordering, they oversee sous chefs, and then, most notably, spend their off days volunteering at food banks, educating others on nutrition, and cooking for nonprofits.

They inspired me!

But then I watched how a well-placed review by a harsh critic could crumple their reputation and devastate their reservation list. It made me angry! So I began to think of how a chef might retaliate. In reality, chefs have to simply continue being the best they can be—maybe open a new restaurant under a different name or go to work in another city. But in a fictional world, they could exact the perfect revenge: a delicious death. Thus, Toxic Torte rose like a decadent chocolate souffle in my brain.

While writing, I experimented with a bunch of chocolatey confections—I’m partial to flourless tortes—and found a recipe for a not-too-sweet, nutritionally healthy, vegan dessert called Cocoa Balls. Reminiscent of a chocolate torte, I adapted the following recipe to my family’s tastes. They’re easy to make, freeze and refrigerate well, and satisfy our cravings for a decadent, flourless (and gluten free), chocolatey confection that are chock full of natural energy, fiber, protein and antioxidants.

Cocoa Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup dates (I like to use a specialty date: Black Gold from Sam Cobb Farms in Palm Desert, CA, but if you can’t get them, a pitted Medjool will do)

1 cup walnuts (I love the heartiness and oiliness of a walnut, but you can experiment with other types of nuts—make sure they are unsalted)

2 T cocoa powder (I like to use the extra dark variety, but others like a softer taste)

Chill the dates and walnuts for a few hours in the refrigerator, then process the dates and walnuts in a food processor until they form a slightly sticky, slightly crumbly mix.

Add the cocoa powder and pulse a few times until mix is coated and becomes dark brown.

Scoop with a spoon and form into approximately 20 balls, 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

We like to eat them in place of cookies or biscuits with tea or coffee, or as a garnish with a scoop of non-dairy ice cream. They keep well in the refrigerator for at least a month in a sealed container or frozen for at least six months. They won’t last that long, though!

Toxic Torte

A Just Desserts Mystery, Book 1

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.

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LOVE COZY MYSTERIES? CELEBRATE VALENTINE'S DAY WITH FREE COZY READS!

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Month! My author, Lois Winston, has been taking part in monthly Bookfunnel promotions to grow her newsletter list. Subscribe to any or all of the authors' newsletters featured in this month's promo to receive a thank-you gift of a free cozy mystery by that author. Click here for the participating authors and their books.

FOURTEEN AND COUNTING + A VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR WITH RECIPES, CRAFTS, AND GIVEAWAYS

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Today is the official release day for Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth book in that series author Lois Winston writes about me—otherwise known as the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

My author has always created stories about me based on real-life events she’s either read about, seen on the news, or experienced. For instance, in Guilty as Framed, the eleventh book in the series, she wove a plot around the actual 1990 unsolved museum heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in Boston. To this day, it’s the largest theft of artworks in history and none have ever been recovered.

A Crafty Collage of Crime, the award-winning twelfth book in the series, was inspired by her move in 2021 from New Jersey to Tennessee. Many of our readers wanted to know when I would also move to the South, but being a diehard Jersey Girl, I dug in my heels and threatened to kidnap her muse if she dared transplant me. We compromised by Lois sending me on a trip to Tennessee wine country (yes, it’s a thing) and, of course, within hours of arriving, I stumbled across a dead body.

In Seams Like the Perfect Crime Lois once again gave me one of her own experiences, this one involving some very odd neighbors who used to live across the street from her back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These neighbors were so odd, that Lois didn’t have to do much in the way of embellishing what she saw from her own window. When you read the short synopsis of the plot, your first reaction will be, she had to have made up those people. Trust me, she didn’t.

Well, she did make up some of the tertiary characters in the book, and none of the real-life characters were ever murdered, but many of the characters in this book are a perfect example of truth being stranger than fiction.

Seams Like the Perfect Crime

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 14

When staffing shortages continue to hamper the Union County homicide squad, Detective Sam Spader once again turns to his secret weapon, reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack. How can she and husband Zack Barnes refuse when the victim is their new neighbor?

Revolutionary War reenactor Barry Sumner had the odd habit of spending hours mowing a small patch of packed dirt and weeds until his mower ran out of gas. He’d then guzzle beer on his front porch until he passed out. That’s where Anastasia’s son Nick discovers his body three days after the victim and his family moved into the newly built mini-McMansion across the street.

After a melee breaks out at the viewing, Spader zeroes in on the widow as his prime suspect. However, Anastasia has her doubts. There are other possible suspects, including a woman who’d had an affair with the victim, his ex-wife, the man overseeing the widow’s trust fund, a drug dealer, and the reenactors who were blackmailing the widow and victim.

When another reenactor is murdered, Spader suspects they’re dealing with a serial killer, but Anastasia wonders if the killer is attempting to misdirect the investigation. As she narrows down the suspects, will she jeopardize her own life to learn the truth?

Craft projects included.

Buy Links

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Lois and I will also be on a Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour Feb. 4-17. Visit each stop on the tour for some fun posts, recipes, and crafts and to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win a copy of Seams Like the Perfect Crime.

February 4 – Jody's Bookish Haven – Spotlight

February 4 – Ascroft, eh? – Author guest post

February 5 – Socrates Book Reviews – Spotlight

February 5 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – Spotlight

February 6 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – Review & Recipe

February 6 – Baroness Book Trove – Spotlight

February 7 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – Craft post

February 7 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews - Spotlight

February 8 – Boys' Mom Reads! – Recipe

February 8 – Ruff Drafts – Spotlight

February 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Character guest post

February 9 – FUONLYKNEW – Spotlight

February 10 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – Spotlight

February 11 – Christy's Cozy Corners – Author guest post

February 12 – Novels Alive – Review

February 13 – Jane Reads – Character guest post

February 14 – Deal Sharing Aunt – Author guest post

February 15 – Frugal Freelancer – Author interview

February 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight

February 17 – Maureen's Musings – Spotlight

DEBUT MYSTERY AUTHOR KATE MICHAELSON'S KILLER SOUP RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 20:11:00 +0000

Kate Michaelson’s debut novel, Hidden Rooms, won the Hugh Holton Award for best unpublished mystery by a Midwest writer and was released by CamCat Books in 2024. As a curriculum developer and technical writer, Kate has created educational content on everything from media literacy to cybersecurity awareness. In her free time, she loves hiking, gardening, and anything that takes her outdoors and away from her laptop. Learn more about her and her books and find links to her other social media at her website.

Home Cooking and a Killer Recipe

My debut mystery, Hidden Rooms, is set in a small Ohio farming town much like the one where I grew up. Like me, my main character, Riley, is lucky enough to have a mother who is a fantastic cook. The book opens soon after Riley’s return to her hometown and features plenty of scenes where her close-knit family comes together to enjoy homemade, seasonally fresh food.

Aside from being a traditional murder mystery, part of the puzzle in Hidden Rooms is Riley’s own medical mystery. Since moving home, Riley has been fighting bewildering health issues, from vertigo to joint pain. Like many people—particularly women—she struggles to find a clear diagnosis and has been left to manage her symptoms as best she can. Part of this includes eating foods that will help her feel her best.

I imagine this Savory Butternut Squash Soup would be the perfect dish for Riley since it offers a mix of comforting, garden-fresh home cooking, along with anti-inflammatory ingredients, like ginger, garlic, and turmeric. Also, since almost the entire U.S. is feeling the deep freeze as I write this, now seems like an ideal time to warm up with some soup, and the ginger gives this recipe a little added heat!

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

1 cooked butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup of diced onion (about half an onion)

½ tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon turmeric

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

½ cup cream

A Note on Baking vs. Dicing the Squash

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not peel and dice a squash if I can avoid it! Of course, it’s absolutely fine to prepare your squash that way if that’s what you prefer, but I find it a bit easier to bake the halved squash.

To do so, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the butternut squash into halves and remove the seeds. Brush olive oil onto the squash. Place the halves face down in a baking dish with a cup of water and bake for one to one and a half hours (until tender). Allow it to cool slightly and then remove the squash from the skin.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and sauté onions. After about 5 minutes, stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, paprika, and turmeric. Next, add the broth and cooked squash. Bring it to a low boil, stirring frequently.

Remove the pot from the heat. Puree the soup using an immersion blender. (If you need to use a regular blender, allow the soup to cool before blending it.)

Stir in the cream and put the blended soup back on the heat to rewarm it. Once it is hot, it’s ready to serve! I like to add pumpkin seeds as a topping for a little crunch.

Enjoy!

Hidden Rooms

Long-distance runner, Riley Svenson, has been fighting bewildering symptoms for months, from vertigo to fainting spells. Worse, her doctors can’t tell her what’s wrong, leaving her to wonder if it’s stress or something more threatening. But when her brother’s fiancée is killed—and he becomes the prime suspect—Riley must prove his innocence, despite the toll on her health.

As she reacquaints herself with the familiar houses and wild woods of her childhood, the secrets she uncovers take her on a trail to the real killer that leads right back to the very people she knows best and loves most.

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JOIN ME ONLINE MONDAY EVENING FOR MURDER, MAYHEM, AND COZY MYSTERIES!

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

This coming Monday evening, January 27th at 7pm ET (6pm CT, 5pm MT, and 4pm PT), I'll be the guest of the Cozy Mystery Party Facebook Group, hosted by Heather Harrisson and Shawn Stevens. If you'd like to join in for a fun hour + of all things murder, mayhem, and cozy mysteries (there will be prizes and surprises!), join the group ahead of time at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cozymysteryparty. Hope to see you there!

AN INTERVIEW WITH ALEX FROM MYSTERY AUTHOR ROXANNE VARZI'S ARMCHAIR ANTHROPOLOGY WHODUNIT SERIES

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Today we sit down for a chat with Alex from Roxanne Varzi’s Armchair Anthropology Whodunit series.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

I was an anthropology PhD student at Columbia University trying to get funding to do field research. I still am – an anthropology PhD student, trying to get funding, but now I’m in a lot of trouble with my PhD committee because things went south when I went north.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

My curiosity, though it can get me in trouble.

What do you like least about yourself?

My lack of self-confidence. I don’t trust my intuition as much as I should. We grad students suffer from imposter syndrome and it’s worse if you have learning disabilities like I do. I have ADHD and dyslexia.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

She has a thing for geology and snow. She made me ski through boiling fumaroles in Yellowstone National Park, and I don’t ski. Currently she has me dangling from the edge of a glacier in Norway where I am presumably recording the sound of its demise, without meeting my own demise. I’m an anthropologist, I study urban culture and yet somehow, I keep ending up in the proverbial wild.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

She’s a bit obsessed with the idea I’m solving mysteries by using my anthropology training, but it’s neurodiversity that allows me to see the world differently and drives my curiosity. My dyslexia is how I make connections and find trajectories others don’t. My dyslexia is my superpower. I keep reminding her Agatha Christie had dyslexia…it takes her kind of mind to think up these kinds of mysteries, and to solve them.

What is your greatest fear?

Being alone. Not like on or in a glacier alone, but in life, alone. I was the only child of a single mother, and she died when I was in high school, so I have had to create family along the way. I have a best friend, Kit, who is like a sister, but I have a fear of abandonment. See lack of confidence above.

What makes you happy?

A good mystery, a compelling research question, a problem I can solve. I love being deep into a puzzle. And if it involves human behavior, all the better.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

My love life. I am very good at reading signs and people but maybe again it’s this lack of self-confidence, but I cannot read potential love interests.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Pete, he is so utterly arrogant. Maybe I’m jealous of his self-confidence, his chutzpah and entitlement. I am a visual anthropologist, and I live by a code of ethics when it comes to taking and showing pictures, he’s a photojournalist and flouts those rules.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

Kit. She is intelligent, glamourous, funny, has a great family and is kind.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

She’s an anthropologist. She practices multi-modal anthropology which means she outputs her research in eccentric forms for a scientist: as plays, films, sound art, fiction and even a cozy murder mystery. Her tagline is: In an era of fake news, a little anthropology goes a long way. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

What's next for you?

Montana where you first met me didn’t go so well. Currently, I am writing to you from Oslo, and I'll be honest things aren't going so well here either. Let's just say there's another dead body. You might think it an unfortunate coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidences. Dead bodies repeatedly popping up in my field sites is not exactly auspicious. Maybe the message is to stop going to cold climates, or, to give-up on anthropology. When I was in Montana, I promised Kit I would go somewhere warm next. But we grad students go where the money is. And my author wanted to write a Nordic non-noir. I’m just trying to do some ethnographic fieldwork. I can promise you I will be in a very hot desert the next time you hear from me – Joshua Tree California to be exact.

Death in a Nutshell

An Armchair Anthropology Whodunit

Alex is on the verge of dismissal from her anthropology doctoral program when her luck turns, and she lands a fellowship with a dioramist at the Museum of the Rockies. The only problem is, Alex hasn’t a clue about dioramas or dinosaurs, and, as she will soon find out, she’s not the only one faking it in this frozen landscape. From New York City to Yellowstone National Park, we follow Alex, a whip-smart student with dyslexia and ADHD, a Margaret Mead cum Ms. Marple, as she explores friendship, identity, globalization and a murder against the stunning backdrop of the Rockies in winter.

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CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--NASHVILLE ZOOLUMINATION

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Zoolumination at the Nashville Zoo is billed as "the country's largest lantern festival, featuring magical scenes of more than 1,000 custom-made silk lanterns," some 100 feet long and 50 feet high. You'll find everything from mythical creatures to wildlife to flowers and even an outdoor skating rink! Each year the event grows bigger and more spectacular. If you're anywhere near Middle Tennessee through February 9th this year, it's a not-to-be-missed evening of awe.

And for another special evening, join author Lois Winston on Monday evening, January 27th at 7pm ET (6pm CT, 5pm MT, and 4pm PT), where she'll be the guest of the Cozy Mystery Party Facebook Group, hosted by Heather Harrisson and Shawn Stevens. If you'd like to join in for a fun hour + of all things murder, mayhem, and cozy mysteries (there will be prizes and surprises!), join the group ahead of time at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cozymysteryparty. Hope to see you there!

AN INTERVIEW WITH MYSTERY, SCI-FI, AND HORROR AUTHOR JOANNE McLAUGHLIN

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Today we sit down for a chat with mystery, science fiction, and horror author Joanne McLaughlin who assures us that her vampires are more darkly romantic than scary. Learn more about her and her books at her website and blog.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

When I was about nine years old, after reading Little Women for the first time.

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?

Several decades. I first attempted novel writing in my late twenties, but then I spent many years doing things other than creating fiction.

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

All of the above. My first novel, Never Before Noon, was published by a small traditional press that later folded. I regained my rights and republished the novel. By then, I had already independently published the second book in the trilogy, Never Until Now, because the small press was foundering. I also indie-published the trilogy’s final installment, Never More Human. My latest book, Chasing Ashes, is a hybrid publication with Celestial Echo Press, whose owners, Ann Stolinsky and Ruth Littner, I had already known for a decade as writers and the editors behind Gemini Wordsmiths.

Where do you write?

At my dining room table, where I have more room to spread out. Also, a better view than my tiny office offers.

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

I need silence now, after too many years listening to news radio while I was an editor at newspapers and public media.

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

All of my published novels include journalists—I worked as a reporter or editor for decades. And I try to keep my plots true to the era in which they are written. In my vampire books, for example, the reporter is covering the pre-Brexit European Union and eurozone. I wrote those novels when I was a business editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Chasing Ashes includes a scene loosely inspired by an incident I observed with two of my college roommates many years ago, and several characters in that book are composites based on those roommates.

Describe your process for naming your character?

My main Chasing Ashes character, reporter Laura Cunningham, is a reserved, hardworking, and fiercely loyal woman who grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I gave her a name that felt strong and steady, not trendy or something pegged to the decade in which she would have been born. But I named the protagonist of my vampire novels after my first cat, Chloe, who was my pal during many early novel-writing sessions.

Real settings or fictional towns?

Both, though many of the fictional settings are based either on places where I have lived or where friends have lived.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

Laura suffers from stage fright in Chasing Ashes, complete with nausea and panic attacks.

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

I’m claustrophobic, so I’m extremely uncomfortable in library buildings with tall shelves all around. As a hungry reader and a writer, I’m obviously grateful for libraries, but I can’t remember when I last had a library card. Probably in elementary school.

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

Room by Emma Donoghue. The claustrophobia of the setting struck a chord, as did the child’s POV. Amazing.

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

I wish I could remake some career decisions made when I was just out of college. I thought I knew all there was to know. Hah!

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Finding toothpaste blobs in the bathroom sink.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

The people I love most, books, and warmth. I’d prefer a deserted tropical island.

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

In college, I made credit collection calls for a major retail-store chain that was also noted for its catalog sales. On Saturday mornings, I would contact military families stationed overseas. No fun calling Okinawa, who knows how many time zones away, to ask why the refrigerator still hadn’t been paid off. Lots of awkward pauses on that far end of the phone line.

Who’s your all-time favorite literary character (any genre)? Why?

Jo March. She’s smart, talented, a bit impulsive but wise enough to see her mistakes and shift gears as needed; a 19^th-century woman who figures out the work-family thing in her own, unconventional way.

Ocean or mountains?

Ocean

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

City, but not downtown. I like a small yard and a front porch.

What’s on the horizon for you?

My romantic mystery, A Poetic Puzzle, will be published February 1^st. A second book in the series I call Verse Case Scenarios (only half-joking here) is in progress. Fingers crossed.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?

I try to inject humor and family dysfunction into all my books. I’m a funny, snarky girl too chicken to try improv or stand-up, so there you go. Just don’t give me a straight line.

Chasing Ashes

Reporter Laura Cunningham’s childhood friend and college roommate vanished the day a deadly fire destroyed The Challenge, a residential counseling center for troubled students. Not something Laura could just forget—not after a year, not after almost twenty-five. So Laura writes a true-crime book demanding a new investigation, and envisions uncovering past secrets. What she can’t imagine is the fresh torment her book will unleash.

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MEET MUSICIAN AND AMATEUR SLEUTH JASON DAVEY FROM AUTHOR WINONA KENT'S JASON DAVEY MYSTERIES

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Image by gazrock from Pixabay

Today we sit down for a chat with Jason Davey (aka Jason Figgis) from author Winona Kent’s Jason Davey Mysteries.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

To be honest, it wasn’t ever ordinary. My parents were the founding members of the 60s British folky-pop band Figgis Green. So my sister and I grew up in the spotlight. And when I became a musician myself, I started out busking in interesting places like Covent Garden and the London Underground. Then I joined a few bands, and spent time touring. And then, after my wife died, I ran away to sea to work on cruise ships. Which is, in itself, quite adventurous. And then after Winona discovered me in Cold Play—and then abandoned me!—I went travelling around the world for a few years. After I came back, a few mates and myself auditioned for a gig at a tired old rock and roll club called Diamonds…we failed the audition but then the owner got murdered…and his brother turned it into a jazz club called The Blue Devil…we auditioned again…and the rest is history.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

My habit of completely rearranging pieces of music to create new forms of audio fusion. You can do it with food, so why not with music? Case in point: Aria Sopra la Bergamasca by Marco Uccellini. Composed in 1642. Traditionally performed with two violins and a basso continuo. My band and I do it with a Gretsch solid body G5135 CVT, a harpsichord patch on a Roland XP-80, a tenor sax wailing out the baroque melody line, and a polite little snare drum keeping us all well-behaved. My drummer Rudy sums it up nicely—the perfect synthesis of the unnatural with the bizarre.

On the other hand, I once rearranged Variation X (“Dorabella”) from Elgar’s Enigma Variations into a jazz piece. After two performances at The Blue Devil, I was unceremoniously informed by my band that if I was going to subject them to much more of my “idiosyncratic wankery” (as Dave, my keyboard guy, put it), I might consider continuing my gig at the club as a solo act.

I still firmly believe classical music should never take itself too seriously.

What do you like least about yourself?

If you’d asked me that before I went on the road with my mum’s band, Figgis Green, I’d have said, my addiction to nicotine. But I gave up smoking halfway through the tour and I haven’t looked back since. Now, it’s my lack of any kind of physical fitness—other than a daily walk, which, admittedly, does often cover a couple of miles. I’m in my fifties now and I want—I need—to work on having a healthier lifestyle. Somebody famous—I can’t quite remember who—once said, “Whenever I’m overcome with the feeling I ought to exercise, I lie down ‘til it goes away.” That might have described me in days gone by—but no more!

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

In Ticket to Ride, while I was on tour with my mum’s band, she made me deliberately drink some seafood chowder prepped by our catering crew. My mum had been laid low by what we thought was an allergy to mussels—which I also suffer from (as does Winona, so she has first-hand knowledge). Rather than wait for a toxicology report, she had me sample the stuff. She knew the results would make themselves apparent almost immediately. And they did. With predictably unfortunate results.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

Most definitely.

See below!

What is your greatest fear?

What Winona’s going to do to me next! She seems to take a perverse joy in making me suffer. I’ve nearly died in a fire, been thrown into the sea, almost been welded to death, beaten up and had my feet burned by a thug, struck by lightning, overdosed on insulin and fallen head first out of a two-story window. I’m afraid to think about what she has planned for the next book. I anticipate strong words will be exchanged.

What makes you happy?

Marmite. Branston Pickle. Yorkshire tea. Maltesers. Chocolate digestives. Fireball XL5. Pat Metheny.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

I’d probably rethink Notes on a Missing G-String. It’s got dodgy subject matter (a runaway teenaged daughter, Soho’s sex trade)…as well as some very “descriptive” scenes… at the time Winona wrote that story she was literally still trying to find her audience—as well as an agent and a traditional publisher—and I’m pretty positive both she and I thought sex might sell. And the book did sell quite a lot of copies. But it’s probably dead last in my list of favourite Jason Davey adventures.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

My old nemesis, Arthur Braskey. I first crossed paths with him in Notes on a Missing G-String. He’s an elderly, old-fashioned Soho crimelord—clever, with a somewhat twisted sense of humour, and an absolute bastard. Especially to me. He forced me to take part in a charity firewalk—and then he burned the bottoms of my feet for real. I thought I was done with him at the end of the novel, but he showed up again in Bad Boy. He's someone I do truly fear—for obvious reasons—but somehow I found the courage to stand up to him. And I’m quite proud of myself for that.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

In another life I’d love to write cozy mysteries. My sister does that, under the name Taylor Feldspar. I would absolutely love to be a bestselling author with about 30 books on the shelves, never out of print, featured in high-profile interviews and hobnobbing with the great mystery novelists. And, of course, there would be series deals for television. My sister shows up in most of my adventures. In the latest, Bad Boy, she helps me get the answer to one of those damnable train-time-distance problems—which I’ve never been able to solve.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

Winona’s been writing for quite a long time. Her first book was published in 1989. It was called Skywatcher,and it was a finalist in a well-known (back then!) first-novel competition. Then there was a bit of a gap, and she wrote a second book about the same characters (spies!) called The Cilla Rose Affair. And then she discovered me! Although I wasn’t a sleuth at the time…I was just a jobbing musician working onboard a lovely old cruise ship sailing between Vancouver and Alaska. That was in 2012, in a novel called Cold Play. She and I both had a lot of fun with that one—at the time, I was obsessed with Twitter (my handle was @cold_fingers)…and so was she, to be honest! I remember she asked a whole load of her followers if they’d like to be characters in the book. They could pick their fictitious names and also what they did for a living. They all ended up passengers on the cruise ship.

After that, she abandoned me! She went on to write three “accidental time-travel romances”, although I always suspected she had me at the back of her mind when she created Shaun Deeley, the time-hopping companion of the series heroine, Charlie Duran.

And then, in 2017, Winona discovered that she quite enjoyed writing mysteries. And she remembered what a good time she’d had with me five years earlier in Cold Play, and thought to herself, why don’t I bring Jason back as a private investigator? Still a musician, mind—and now with a permanent residency at The Blue Devil jazz club in London’s Soho. But also a somewhat reluctant amateur sleuth. So that was Disturbing the Peace, and now there are four more novels, for a total of five, with the latest one (Bad Boy) released in September 2024.

The thing that always amazes me is that Winona has twelve books out there (including an anthology of short stories)—and all but the last three were written while she was working full-time at completely unrelated jobs.

She’s now happily retired (and she’s just turned 70, which utterly amazes me—she’s about twenty years older than me) and has turned plant-rescuing into one of the things she does when she’s not writing or researching or being the Chair of Crime Writers of Canada. She searches for potted plants that people have tossed into the compost bin at the apartment building where she lives. And she picks up bits of succulents that have dropped off mother plants at the linear park along the river across the road. She’s got quite a collection of those currently occupying her sunny bedroom window. In the summer, she’ll move them all outside to her balcony.

Learn more about Winona’s and her books at her website and at her blog on Substack.

And lots of sample chapters.

What's next for you?

Well…as I mentioned, I have a residency at The Blue Devil nightclub in London, and nearly all of my adventures, for the most part, have happened in England. So I’m very pleased to reveal that my next story is going to take place in Vancouver, Canada. When I was working as a musician aboard the Star Sapphire (doing the Alaska run), my home port was Vancouver, so I’m quite familiar with the city. In fact, it’s one of my favourite places. I’ll be visiting Vancouver with my sister Angie, the one who writes those cozy mysteries under the pseudonym Taylor Feldspar. Angie’s the guest of honour at a crime-writing festival, and I’ve volunteered to accompany her because her husband hates flying. Plus, I’m a real-life amateur sleuth, so who wouldn’t want me along as a tell-all sidekick? While I’m in Vancouver, I may pop ‘round to visit an old mate from my cruise ship days…and that’s when things are going to get very interesting. I’ll say no more…my overworked author has yet to put this into Plottr and get the outline going…but I know she’s been thinking about this since she attended Left Coast Crime in both Vancouver and Seattle…and a recent fire in the apartment building where she used to live has ignited all kinds of possible complications!

Bad Boy

A Jason Davey Mystery, Book 5

Fresh from a 34-day, 18-city tour of England, professional musician and amateur sleuth Jason Davey accepts an invitation from a fan, Marcus Merritt, to meet at Level 72 of The Shard to sign one of his band's programs. Marcus hands him the booklet, then leaps to his death from the open viewing platform. Thus begins a week-long quest, during which Jason is tasked with retrieving a stolen collection of scores by England’s most famous composer, Sir Edward Elgar.

Marcus shared Elgar's love of eccentric puzzles and games, and the challenging clues he's assembled for Jason seem to mirror the 14 themes in Elgar's renowned Enigma Variations. Jason's journey takes him to Derbyshire and then back to London, and a four-hour walking tour of Soho's lost music venues where, in Denmark Street, he faces a life-threatening battle with two adversaries: a treacherous Russian gangster who is also hunting for the stolen collection, and Marcus's sister—who holds the key to a decades-old mystery involving a notorious London crime lord's missing daughter.

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:30:00 +0000

AUTHOR HARINI NAGENDRA'S LATEST HISTORICAL MYSTERY SET IN INDIA

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 06:30:00 +0000

image from Wikimedia Commons

Harini Nagendra is a professor of ecology at Azim Premji University, and a well-known public speaker and writer on issues of nature and sustainability. The first book in her Bangalore Detectives Club series was a New York Times Notable Book of 2022, and shortlisted for the Agatha, Lefty, Anthony and Historical Dagger. Harini lives in Bangalore with her family, in a home filled with maps. She loves trees, mysteries, and traditional recipes. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Juggling with danger - circuses and street magic in 1920s colonial India

In my day job, I am an academic and university professor who conducts research on the ecology and history of Indian cities – and I come across many fascinating nuggets of information which I’d love to share with readers from different parts of the world. The Bangalore Detectives Club, my historical mystery series set in 1920s colonial India, was inspired by this desire to showcase the many, very interesting stories and anecdotes that needed to flourish outside the pages of scholarly academic literature. While I write non-fiction, too, it’s sometimes easiest to do this through a story.

Book 3 in the series, A Nest of Vipers, takes us into the world of jadoo—Indian street magic—with sleight-of-hand magicians and rope tricks which have fascinated me since I was a young child, growing up in Delhi in the 1970s, where it was common to see snake charmers, fortune tellers with parrots, and animal trainers with performing bears. Some of these forms of street magic have since been made illegal, especially the ones that involve caging and mistreating wild animals – and rightfully so. But others still survive to this day on the streets of India.

Jadoo had an uneasy relationship to western stage magic in the early 20^th century. Indian street performers and circus artists made their way to Europe and America, and public interest in their performances began to attract the attention of Western magicians like Harry Houdini, who dressed in blackface at the Chicago World Fair in 1893 and pretended to be a Hindu Fakir.

Houdini may not have known, but he was following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor Charles Dickens, who also stained his face and enacted the part of an Indian magician at children’s parties. Houdini’s biggest rival Howard Thurston travelled to India to learn the secrets of street magicians, which he then exploited on stage, but at the same time, denounced those that he learnt from, calling them charlatans and tricksters.

By 1922, when the Indian independence movement had spread across India, a few prominent circuses had begun to integrate acts that incorporated elements of anti-British sentiment, flirting with danger. The Bengali magician Das, who plays a key role in A Nest of Vipers, disappears in the middle of a dramatic performance, soon after making his distaste for the British Empire public on stage. His story was inspired by all the stories I read about Indian magicians, and by the nimble street acrobats I still see in Indian cities today, who are bold and imaginative, yet languish in obscurity - in contrast to their more successful Western counterparts.

A Nest of Vipers

A Bangalore Detectives Club Mystery, Book 3

Death stalks the streets of Bangalore when the Circus comes to town . . .

It's January 1922. The Bangalore Constabulary is on high alert as The Prince of Wales is scheduled to visit the city to redeem his reputation after disastrous visits marked by violent anti-British riots.

Kaveri has none of these concerns on her mind, not when she has just been given VIP tickets to the famous Bangalore circus. But when a celebrity magician, shackled in an iron cage filled with deadly snakes, disappears into thin air, she is stunned to discover her friend and favourite policeman, Inspector Ismail, is telling her to leave the case well alone.

After solving two murder cases, Kaveri Murthy thought she had cemented her reputation as Bangalore's favourite lady detective. But when death threats are left at her doorstep, former friends become foes, and the bodies start to pile up, Kaveri realises she has never been in this much danger…

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MYSTERY AUTHOR ERICA MINER SENDS HER SLEUTH CAREENING FROM MISADVENTURE TO MISADVENTURE

noreply@blogger.com (ANASTASIA POLLACK) — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Erica Miner is a violinist turned award-winning author, screenwriter, journalist and lecturer. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

A Protagonist’s Journey from Misadventure to Misadventure

As an author of a series, I’m always thinking about how the next book can be totally different from the current one, yet continue seamlessly from where we left off. The main character is the crux of this issue, and in Book 3 of the series I put her in a situation that would challenge the most intrepid violinist-cum-sleuth.

In the first book of my Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series, Aria for Murder, the young protagonist, Julia, starts off as a starry-eyed neophyte violinist about to make her debut in the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, the most prestigious company in the world. She’s excited and thrilled. But she has no idea something terrible is about to happen, and before long she finds herself entangled in a murder investigation, with her life in peril.

Julia survives, and in Book 2, Prelude to Murder, Julia heads to Santa Fe to perform at the Opera. Here she finds further in-house violence, this time at an outdoor theatre set between two mysterious mountain ranges, where both ghosts and murder proliferate. Unable to resist becoming involved in an investigation, Julia ends up the target of a ruthless killer and is barely able to defend herself to save her own life and return to the Met.

Now, at the beginning of Book 3, Overture to Murder, five years have passed, during which Julia has managed to stay out of trouble. But San Francisco Opera calls on her in desperation: their concertmaster (first of the first violinists) has suffered serious injuries in a hit and run accident. Would she be able to replace him while he recovers?

Challenge is something Julia is drawn to like a wasp to a piece of prosciutto on the brunch table. She loves the violin, she loves opera, and she has fond memories of when her father showed her the delights of the City by the Bay, even though she was only five years old at the time. San Francisco

Opera is the second most prestigious company in the US, after the Met. Serving in the all-important position of concertmaster, even if only for the summer, would be a life changing experience, too good to pass up. The entire season would be focused on the monumental Ring of the Nibelungen, the masterful but fiendishly difficult four-opera cycle written by the 19^th century German giant, Richard Wagner. Being a prominent orchestral leader for this astounding work would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, too good to pass up. There’s just one slight detail that might make her hesitate.

Her five-year-old daughter.

At the end of Prelude to Murder, Julia had been flabbergasted when she discovered she was pregnant. She never had considered having children, least of all at the age of 23. Her career was her primary focus, her obsession in almost every way.

But she cared deeply for Larry, her significant other, and figured it must have been her destiny to have his child, even if she was not quite ready to become a parent. When Rebecca was born, Julia was delighted to have a little girl—a “mini-me,” as Larry insisted on calling his daughter. He took to being a dad as if he had been born to it. Now if only Larry would stop bugging her about getting married, Julia thought, everything would be perfect.

Julia also loved San Francisco. Now Rebecca was the same age as Julia when her father had shown her the entrancing city, and Julia thought it the ideal age to do the same with Rebecca. She would be busy fulfilling her obligations at the opera, not to mention teaching violin to her rebellious five-year-old, but Larry would take up the slack. Surely Julia would find a bit of time here and there to join her family in availing themselves of the joys of the iconic landmarks of San Francisco. Julia gladly accepts the job offer, and she and her loved ones head west.

It turns out her job is not the only challenge that confronts Julia. Despite the expertise she has gained from six years of experience at the Met and Santa Fe, she is not prepared for the unexpected stress from a theatre with more than its share of detestable divas of both the male and female categories, irritable stage directors who have it in for her…and murder.

Once again, Julia succumbs to the lure of a brutal crime needing to be solved. In between the arduous rehearsals and tense performances in the theatre she follows her natural curiosity to the clues that are hidden in the recesses of the eerie basement with its ancient, dangerous looking equipment and the upper reaches of the theatre where, she is told, ghosts have been encountered.

As before, Julia’s sleuthing attracts the ire of a brutal killer. But she could not have anticipated the dreadful surprise that the perpetrator has in store.

Overture to Murder

A Julia Kogan Opera Mystery, Book 3

After jeopardizing her safety investigating killings at the Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera, intrepid violinist Julia heads to the San Francisco Opera to replace ailing concertmaster, Ben, who has suffered serious injuries in a hit and run accident. Julia suspects the mishap might not have been accidental, especially when a prominent company member becomes the victim of a grisly murder. As before, Julia cannot resist becoming involved in the investigation. Fiery artistic temperaments and danger lurking in the dark hallways and back stairways of an opera house with its own ghosts provide a chilling backdrop to Julia’s sleuthing. This time, however, it’s not only her own life that is in peril.

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