Sally Goldenbaum: Knitting a Mystery

Readers sometimes ask why so many mystery writers structure their stories around a theme—like food or knitting or gardening. Why isn’t a plain old murder enough? Who needs herbs and bamboo needles and a trowel when you have a dead body?

           

The question made me think (even though I should have had a ready answer because I have two cozy mystery series that do exactly that, one revolving around a group of women who quilt —The Queen Bees Quilting mysteries—and the other, my current series, around knitting —The Seaside Knitters Mystery Series.

But I did have to think about it, and how the seaside knitters would be different if they didn’t knit, if they were simply “the seaside women.”

I know I didn’t pick knitting because I’m an expert at it. I’m not. I’m a knitter-in-training (the Seaside Knitters do a lot to help me out along the way—as does The Studio, my wonderful local yarn shop). 

So why?

Here’s what I think:

I think the seaside knitters mysteries are as much about relationships and women’s friendship as they are about knitting. But the knitting provides a kind of centering, a place to bring the women together at Izzy’s Yarn Studio on a regular basis. And because I am writing a series, I’m not only inviting readers back with each book, but also the same characters. They need to grow and develop for their readers, and having a ready-made place to do that—a place to interact, to gossip, to develop their friendship in new ways—is helpful in keeping a series fresh and interesting.

In the newest mystery, ANGORA ALIBI (Seaside Knitters Mystery #7) the knitters surround Izzy as she prepares for the birth of her first baby—a new event in their years of friendship. And when tension fills Izzy’s doctor’s office, an infant seat is abandoned on the beach, and a young man they all know is murdered, the knitters band together every step of the way until the murder is solved.

I also think that knitting provides a metaphor for the way Nell, Birdie, Cass, and Izzy think. Carefully and methodically they knit together the pieces of a puzzle to solve a crime, just like they do with their sweaters and gloves and baby booties.

Yarn also provides clues as the knitters work through the morass of elements that surround a murder. In the first book in the series, DEATH BY CASHMERE, a beautiful cashmere sweater leads the knitters down a path. And in A FATAL FLEECE, the sixth book in the series (recently released in paperback), the yellow fleece that Cass knit for an old fisherman, identifies a body.

And lastly, I think yarn is simply so tangible and visceral and sensual that it provides a feeling that can easily soften the harshness of murder and at the same time, heighten and stimulate the senses. It injects a sensuousness into the mystery, just like writing about food does. Sinking ones fingers into a basketful of Izzy’s buttercup yellow cashmere yarn, for example, or savoring Nell’s garlic grilled shrimp salad with fresh flakes of basil sprinkled on top—and clinking together four glasses of Birdie’s chilled pinot gris—are sure ways to stimulate and sharpen the senses and help the knitters of Sea Harbor explore the intricacies of a young man’s untimely death, as they do in ANGORA ALIBI.

And although readers of ANGORA ALIBI and the other seaside knitting mysteries won’t learn to knit as they join Izzy, Nell, Birdie, and Cass on a Thursday evening in the yarn shop, I hope they take away—not only a feeling of mystery and puzzles, of friendship and caring—but the urge to sink one’s fingers into a tempting pile of cashmere and cotton and luxurious angora wool yarn.

My thanks to TOTE BAGS ‘n BLOGS for inviting me and the seaside knitters to stop by, and for all of you for dropping in. Please visit my website, Facebook author page 

Or follow me on twitter.

Thank you!

Sally Goldenbaum is the author of thirty novels, most currently the Seaside Knitters Mystery Series, set in a seaside town north of Boston. Angora Alibi, the seventh in the series, was released this month. Sally also wrote the Queen Bees Quilter mystery series. She lives in land-locked Kansas but visits Cape Ann, the geographic inspiration for her series (and home of two amazing grandchildren and their parents) every chance she gets.

Jeannie Moon: The Temporary Wife

Hi Everyone!  I’m really happy to be here!  My debut novel The Temporary Wife is taking me all around the web to chat with readers about some fun topics.  One of the things I get asked about has to do with my writing style and how I got this particular book done under a crazy deadline.  Did I mention I had to write this book in six weeks?  No?  Ah.  Well. Here’s the low down on that.

When Intermix offered the contract, my fab editor Jesse wanted the book done in six weeks.  You see, I didn’t sell a finished manuscript, amazingly I sold on proposal.  She here I was with this contract and a deadline.  Oh, and the full-time teaching gig…I had that too. And I was directing the fall drama at my school.  Anything else?  Oh, yes…Hurricane Sandy.  We were lucky compared to other people.  We had no damage to our home, but we were without power for a week.

Yes, I had all of that, but I made a commitment to do something different…I wrote.  I wrote every day.  I set a word budget and made sure to meet my goal each week.  I didn’t play on games or social media when I was on the computer, I wrote.  And I finished on time.

I never saw myself as a fast writer or a plotter, but I learned to do both.  I changed and adapted.  I learned to be a professional.  I did what I had to do to get the job done.  No games. No excuses.

If only I’d done this before I sold I’d have fifty books written by now.

There’s no substitute for writing.  Iconic romance author, Bertrice Small, advises wannabe writers to produce three pages a day, six days a week.  If you do that for fifty weeks every year you’ll have written 900 pages.  That’s nothing to sneeze at. 

Slow and steady, as they say.

Jeannie Moon has always been a romantic. When she's not spinning tales of her own, Jeannie works as a school librarian, thankful she has a job that allows her to immerse herself in books. Married to her high school sweetheart, Jeannie has three kids, two lovable dogs and a mischievous cat and resides on Long Island, NY. If she's more than ten miles away from salt water for any longer than a week, she gets twitchy. Visit her website at www.jeanniemoon.com

Elaine Viets - Fall Off Paddleboarding

“Board Stiff,” my new Dead-End Job mystery, is the ultimate beach book. In fact, reviewer Oline Cogdill calls it a “vicarious Florida vacation.”

But researching this novel was no day at the beach.

In my twelfth Dead-End Job mystery, newlywed private eyes Helen Hawthorne and Phil Sagement have been hired by Sunny Jim’s Stand-up Paddleboard Rental to find out who’s sabotaging his business.

The smaller recreational companies – Jet Ski rentals, ocean kayaking, paddleboarding, and parasailing – are in hot competition for tourist dollars. According to the South Florida papers, some of them will stoop to sabotage, especially before spring break. The annual migration of college students to the beaches results in a burst of business for locals.

Paddleboarding looked like an incredibly cool beach sport. I watched people get on a board a little larger than a surf board and row with a long paddle. They made it look easy.

That’s why I took paddleboarding lessons for “Board Stiff.”

In the paddleboard ads, women always wear bikinis. Not this woman. I wore a T-shirt down to my knees. If I could have found my grandmother’s bloomers, I would have worn them.

My first lesson was on the Middle River, a calm, condo-lined waterway that runs through Fort Lauderdale. The water didn’t seem quite so calm when I was out there on my paddleboard. The instructor, Mario, started in about three feet of water. He stood up on his paddleboard as if he’d been born in the water.

I was a little – okay, a lot – shakier, but I actually managed to stand up from a kneeling position, holding the paddle (and my breath). This was probably the greatest athletic feat of my life.

I wobbled around in the water, and then I started getting the hang of it. I paddled over to a tree filled with nesting water birds. Because the paddleboard was so quiet, I could get right up to them.

Meanwhile, Mario was watching the bikinied chicks at a nearby condo.

“You can get really close to the wild life on a paddleboard,” I told him.

“Sure can,” he said, his eyes bulging.

I stayed up on my paddleboard for 45 minutes before I fell off when a JetSki roared by. “You fall very gracefully,” Mario said.

That fall led to a bigger downfall a week later. I took another paddleboard lesson, this time on the Intracoastal Waterway, in a section where the big yachts cruise. I got up on the board, and fell off.

I got back on and fell off.

I got up the third time, fell off, got back up and was stuck – rear end in the air, “mooning” the yachts in my red T-shirt.

“Relax!” my instructor said.

I don’t know about you, but the word “relax” makes me go as rigid as that paddleboard.

In my case, pride really did go before a fall.

***

“Board Stiff,” Elaine Viets’ new hardcover mystery, is set in the cutthroat world of Florida tourism. The New York Times Review of Books praises her “quick-witted mysteries.” Elaine’s bestselling Dead-End Job series is a satiric look at a serious subject – the minimum-wage world. Elaine’s second series features mystery shopper Josie Marcus. Elaine won the Agatha, Anthony and Lefty Awards. 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElaineVietsMysteryWriter
Check out the first chapters of her mysteries at www.elaineviets.com.

Tracy Solheim—Beating the Odds to Get My Game On.

I still remember the first book I wasn’t able to read.  It was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.  My problem was not for the reasons you’d think.  Yes, this was a controversial book at the time—I attempted to read it in 1973 as a young elementary school student.  But the issue was that I physically couldn’t read it.  You see, I was the girl with the Coke-bottle glasses and the rare vision disorder that’s only cool to ophthalmologists.  By the time I’d reached the fifth grade, the books I wanted to read—the one’s everybody was talking about—were printed with a smaller font than the Weekly Reader and my mixed up brain just wouldn’t let my eyes hold focus long enough to see the tiny words.

For an eleven-year-old, not being able to read about Ponyboy, Sodapop, Two-Bit, Johnny and the rest of the Greasers was devastating. My options were slim since audio books were still a blip on some entrepreneur’s radar.  Fortunately, I had a group of devoted friends who volunteered to read the book aloud to me every day at recess.  I spent the next few years being read to, until technology and ophthalmology made life a little easier for me.  Still, I remember being sixteen and having a doctor tell me I would most likely have difficulty earning a college degree much less being able to realize my dream of becoming an author.  The synapse connecting my brain to my vision just wouldn’t allow me to accomplish those goals.

Ten years later, that same eye-doctor marveled at my earning not only a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, but a Master’s Degree in Public Policy.  Better yet, I was working as a writer.  Well, sort of.  I was actually a Congressional investigator who got to write reports and testimony for Congress.  But one of those blue books turned out to be my first best seller, a feat I’m still proud of today—even if the subject matter could be used as a sleep aid.

Fast forward another two decades and I’ve finally accomplished my dream of becoming a published novelist.  Sure, I can’t actually read the printed version of my book, GAME ON.  Not without specially ground hard contact lenses, reading glasses, and a magnifying glass.  But I don’t have to read it.   I wrote it.  Those words on the page came from the voices in my head; voices that refused to be silenced by a nagging disability.  (Okay, there are those who think the voices in my head are my real nagging disability, but we’ll save that for another post.)

My process of getting those words on to the actual page is pretty convoluted.  Fortunately for people like me, the technology that allows speech to text has been perfected and is now widely used.  Who knew back in the days of being read to by friends that a talking phone named Siri would become my constant companion?  Or that the British voice on my GPS would take the place of struggling to read the fine print on a map?

Unfortunately, my reading vision will never improve.  But the stories in my head refuse to be denied. They flitter before my eyes and throughout my brain demanding to be told.  One way or another, I’ll get them on paper and if just one person reads my books and enjoys them, all my efforts will be worth it.  So far, my readers seem to like what I write, but you be the judge.  I’m giving away one of my books here.  Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of my debut novel, GAME ON.  Let me know what you think of it by liking my Facebook page /TracySolheimBooks or stop by my web site at www.tracysolheim.com.

Jenny Gardiner: Bizarre things you learn on the internet

While my son was training for a marathon over the past few months, I started to notice a strange phenomenon when he returned from his long runs. He'd come into the house and ask me, "Did you just clean or something?"

As if!

Now, anyone who knows me realizes that is a completely ridiculous question to ask. I only clean for company. So obviously that hadn't happened, as we didn't have anyone coming to visit!

After this had happened a few times, I knew there must be some linkage to his distance running. So I went to my old reliable go-to source for knowledge, Google. Sure enough, I typed into my computer, "why do I smell ammonia after a long run?" and Google, via Runners World, told me the answer: because if your body lacks adequate carbohydrates to burn during exercise, it begins to burn proteins, and ammonia is a byproduct of protein metabolism. Your body is actually producing ammonia, which is picked up by your blood and carried to your respiratory system, where you then smell it.

Who knew?

My kids and I have long joked about the bizarre things you can learn on the Internet. Once, late at night on a long drive, we were coming up with stupid questions just to keep me awake, and we decided we simply had to know if spiders experienced flatulence. The answer: not exactly, but sort of. An unsatisfying response at that. Perhaps more entertaining, though, was asking Siri (the iPhone virtual assistant, to this unfamiliar with her) to find that out for us. Siri, the font of all knowledge.

Last week I was making a large batch of granola, only to realize that the Aunt Jemima Lite "syrup" (if you can call it that) in my closet wasn't a satisfactory ingredient: all the recipes called for real maple syrup. Now I'd recently heard in the news a story about a major heist — of maple syrup — due to it's exorbitant price, and realized that the cost of said syrup would preclude my purchasing it to save money while making my own granola instead of buying the expensive stuff already made. But then I remembered, ages ago my mother had sent us one of those odd gifts we never got around to using: a "breakfast" kit, with some sort of flavored waffle mixes and a bottle of — ta-da! — maple syrup, long since relegated to the back of the food pantry. I checked out the bottle, with a veritable antique expiration date stamped on it, and gave up hope on being able to use it. But then, I figured I'd Google it, just in case…And sure enough, I learned from Chowhound that I'm pretty sure I could use maple syrup tapped back in the 1800's, if given the chance. I cracked open the bottle; it was fine, tasted fine, needed not one bit of intervention, and the granola was perfect (although it was likely more perfect because I also used honey from my friend's bees).

We have high-maintenance pets that require all sorts of particular types of foods, but that can also not eat all sorts of particular types of foods or they could die. I am constantly Googling what you can and cannot feed parrots and rabbits, for instance. Thank goodness our dogs and cat can get by with the standard chow. The other day I was happy to see fava beans in Whole Foods finally (a harbinger of spring), and purchased a bunch. I then thought that would be a treat for my parrot. Alas, I learned from those-in-the-know in the bird world that that could've killed her. If you know our surly parrot Graycie, you'd probably have urged me to feed her a bunch, but I simply couldn't do that to the old girl.

Last night I noticed a large brown stain on the stove. Now I've mentioned my cleaning skills aren't exactly the hallmark of my existence, and I am particularly bad at getting cooked-on food off of the cooktop. Invariably I scratch the enamel, which is a bad plan. So as I was failing at Windexing away this large brown burn, I stopped. Let's see what my Google Guru has to say, I thought. Sure enough: a simple paste of baking soda and water worked like a charm. I might even start not loathing cleaning the cooktop. Nah.

A while back we had a large group at our house for dinner in New Year's eve and someone dripped butter on her new silk dress. Now I'd have written that dress off for a goner, stain-wise. But Google knew otherwise. Cornstarch! We rubbed a bit of cornstarch into the stain and it pulled the grease right on out. She was able to head on to another party that night without looking like she'd needed a bib for dinner.

I think the thing that intrigues me the most when I type a question into Google is that someone else has already entered that question. I'm now motivated to come up with bizarre questions that surely no one has contemplated (or at least contemplated into that vast database in the clouds). It's become my obsession to come up with the unasked one. I'd hate to believe there is no more unexplored territory in the world of curiosity, and I'm determined to blaze a trail, Lewis and Clark-style, until that one unknown question materializes. Wish me luck.

Jenny Gardiner is currently an armchair scholar at the University of Google. You can find her at www.jennygardiner.net
Sleeping with Ward Cleaver

Slim to None

Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Determined to Kill Me

Accidentally on Purpose (written as Erin Delany)

Compromising Positions (written as Erin Delany)

I'm Not the Biggest Bitch in this Relationship (I'm a contributor)

And these shorts:
Idol Worship: A Lost Week with the Weirdos and Wannabes at American Idol Auditions

The Gall of It All: And None of the Three F's Rhymes with Duck

Naked Man On Main Street

find me on Facebook: fan page
 find me on twitter here
 find me on my website

Procrastination or Research? - Kylie Griffin

Writing in the fantasy genre most of my stories play like movies in my head as I write. Even in my down time I'll often drift off in a daydream, playing with scenes until it's their turn to be added to the story.

As a visual person I like to have those images recorded in my notes and series bible, so one of the tasks I work on as I type out my story is finding photos of settings, clothing, weapons, buildings, models or actors who resemble the world and the heroes and heroines I envisage. I can spend hours searching for just the right picture, particularly with my heroes/heroines - until I find the picture that resonates the most. 

A village in Italy aka The Gannec Fortress from ALLEGIANCE SWORN

After I've finished writing the book, usually the next task is putting together a portfolio of ideas for the art director at Berkley. My editor takes the photos and written descriptions to a meeting with Berkley's art director and they brainstorm a "look" for the cover of the book. This is made into a brief that is then sent to the cover artist (Gene Mollica is the man responsible for the covers in my Light Blade series) and he does his magic. 

Example of armour I included in my portfolio

The process from start to finish is particularly exciting. I love putting together the portfolio, of showing my editor and the art director the world I see in my head, and then waiting in anticipation as the brief is put together then eventually Gene sending back the finished product. When the cover comes through to my inbox it's an exciting time and I spend several minutes to'ing and fro'ing, hesitating to open the email, knowing months of work of a team of people lie within. 

Chris H. inspired Arek, my hero from ALLEGIANCE SWORN

So far I've been blown away with what Gene and the art director have envisaged for each of the Light Blade covers. The heroes and heroines have matched what I spent ages seeing in my head. Their clothes and the landscapes are spot on. And it makes the time I spend surfing the internet for images worth it. 

Arek & Imhara

But some might call this procrastination, yet I think it deserves the more honorable title of RESEARCH - what do you think? :-)

Do you form impressions of heroes from the books you read? Is there one actor/model you’d love to see play one of your favourite fictional character if the book was made into a movie? Share you thoughts and go into the giveaway for an ALLEGIANCE SWORN tote bag. Don’t forget to leave an email address so we can contact you!

ALLEGIANCE SWORN

Book #3 of the Light Blade series

SHE’S THE ENEMY HE CAN’T RESIST.

There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not purebred is virtually powerless. Until a demon leader seeks to unify the races…

With the alliance of the humans and the half-blood Na’Chi forged, the demon Na’Reish prepare for war by seizing human blood-slaves. Captured during a rescue mission-gone-wrong, Light Blade warrior Arek Barial finds himself claimed by a Na’Reishi female who offers him an unexpected choice.

Raised in the elite ranks of a society she abhors, Imhara Kaal lives a dangerous double life as a Na’Reish Clan-leader and an advocate for a caste-free life that honors the Old Ways. Openly rebelling against the Na’Reish would mean her death, unless she can find an emissary willing to present her petition to the human Blade council.

But Arek isn’t about to blindly follow a demon—despite the intense attraction growing between them. And while hatred for the Na’Reish is all he has ever known, Arek must learn to trust Imhara, or risk the destruction of all three races…

Website: http://www.kyliegriffin.com

Blog: www.kyliegriffinromance.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kylie-Griffin-paranormal-romance/152760788151938

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/KylieGriffin1

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4882841.Kylie_Griffin

Christina Hollis: Research and Romance...

Istanbul by Bertil Videt

I wrote my first romance almost by accident, but found I loved the process. 

My writing career began in journalism. A  piece I did on Robert Curthose, the eldest son of William the Conqueror, attracted a lot of interest. Writers love to see how many ways they can use the research they've done, so I decided to try expanding my work into a new biography of Robert. It felt like a good idea, but at the time publishers weren't interested in anyone who hadn’t been immortalized by Holbein - like the much more famous Henry VIII. 

Young Robert led a wild and exciting life, but he ended up as a pretty obscure footnote to English history. Without much in the way of written records or illustrations, I was told his natural habitat was between the pages of an academic thesis. That didn't appeal to me, so I put the idea aside. 

Then one day, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour did a feature on historical romance. When I was at school, I'd loved the books of Georgette Heyer so I decided to try turning some of the general research I’d already done into a novel. The result was Knight's Pawn, which was published by Harlequin Mills and Boon under their Masquerade imprint. This was followed by five more historical novels for Harlequin, written under my pen name of Polly Forrester. At the time they were only available in the UK. I'm now in the process of bringing them out as ebooks, to introduce them to a wider audience. 

Lady Rascal is already on sale and my next title, Jewel Under Siege, is due for release later this summer. Jewel under Siege is set in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), at the time of the Crusades. Elena is a young widow who finds herself in an impossible situation when tough warrior Emil literally falls into her life. He is the enemy, but the lure of the forbidden means Elena and Emil are attracted to each other despite the dangers. Robert Curthose manages to become a footnote to their story, too!

One thing I've noticed when revisiting my earlier work is that my fiction tended to be sweet, rather than steamy. As my career in fiction-writing has expanded, I've lost some of my inhibitions so I’m busy warming up the scenes between Elena and Emil at the moment . 

How do you like your historical romances - tender, or torrid? 

If you'd like to keep up with the latest news about Jewel Under Siege, you can subscribe to Christina’s newsletter by sending her an email at christinahollis@hotmail.co.uk with the word “subscribe” in the subject line. You can also read her blog at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com, and see a complete list of her published books at http://www.christinahollis.com.

Alyse Carlson - When Murder is a Laughing Matter

Mystery readers come in all shapes and sizes, so it really shouldn't be surprising they come in all variety of preferences, eh? But Cozy Mystery readers are a breed off from most... I believe they are perhaps gentler spirits, if no less inquisitive. They want the thrill of the mystery and the solving of it, but they don't care for the blood and guts of death; they aren't driven by the police procedural matters. They seem to care more about character development, and... strangely, they like their murder with some laughs...

That isn't to say the murder itself is comical—it needs to still be believable—but probably it is best if the reader never came to LIKE the guy... in fact a despicable victim is preferable... one that LOTS of people might like to see dead.  But still... the death itself isn't the funny part. So what is?

Characters, mostly.

Characters can be funny because they have a fine sense of humor (or are snarky). I try to always have at least a couple characters that readers would really want to hang out with—the kind of people you SHARE laughter with.  Annie, in particular, channels my silliest moments and I have a ball with any interaction between she and my MC, Cam.

Others are a little ridiculous, or annoying in a way that is funny, provided you don't actually have to spend time with these people. Life is full of these folks—nit-picky people, people with ridiculously high expectations, people with personality quirks. I love using folks like this for my background cast—most of the garden society is made up of nice people, but most of them also have a quirk or two that is amusing.

And then there are the obnoxious people: people so brazen that jaws drop. At least one of these folks will end up dead... and one or two more will end up on the suspect list, though some portion of suspects are also decent folks. But it is human nature to include a few obnoxious people when writing out that suspect list.

And then there are the situational opportunities.

I find having somebody ask my MC to do something she'd really rather no is often a fabulous place to infuse a little humor.

Or when characters who are snooping have to cover... either hiding, running, making up a story...

And there is ALWAYS gallows humor.

So how do you like your humor in mysteries, or other typically dark genres?

Begonia Bribe Blurb

Roanoke, Virginia, is home to some of the country’s most exquisite gardens, and it’s Camellia Harris’s job to promote them. But when a pint-sized beauty contest comes to town, someone decides to deliver a final judgment …

A beauty pageant for little girls—the Little Miss Begonia Pageant—has decided to hold their event in a Roanoke park. Camellia is called in to help deal with the botanical details, the cute contestants, and their catty mothers. She soon realizes that the drama onstage is nothing compared to the judges row. There’s jealousy, betrayal, and a love triangle involving local newsman—and known lothario—Telly Stevens. And a mysterious saboteur is trying to stop the pageant from happening at all.

But the drama turns deadly when Stevens is found dead, poisoned by some sort of plant. With a full flowerbed of potential suspects, Cam needs to dig through the evidence to uproot a killer with a deadly green thumb.

Hart Johnson (aka: Alyse Carlson) writes books from her bathtub and can be found at:

Confessions of a Watery Tart: http://waterytart23.blogspot.com/ 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/hartjohnson23?ref=tn_tnmn and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alyse-Carlson/109276705850205?fref=ts

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/HartJohnson

Nancy J. Parra - Gluten For Punishment

Introducing Toni Holmes of “Gluten For Punishment” a Baker’s Treat Mystery--

Can a gluten-free baker find her place in a small wheat town?

Toni Ryder returns to her home town of OilTop, Kansas, to fulfill her mother’s wish that Toni keep her sprawling Victorian homestead in the family. The wheat ranchers around her are not happy when Toni tries to make the best of things and opens a gluten-free bakery storefront. Matters grow worse as Toni becomes suspect number one when a wheat farmer is found dead, face down in the horse trough outside Toni’s bakery door.  Getting nowhere with the local police, Toni takes the investigation into her own hands as threats grow closer to home, but her number one suspects ends up dead in front of the local bank. Both deaths seem to point to Toni as threats escalate, her home is broken into and her mother’s things smashed and slashed. Can Toni catch a killer and make a place for herself or will the town prefer to be Toni-free over gluten-free?


Here's an excerpt from Gluten For Punishment -

“Toni, did you kill George Meister?”
My mouth went dry. My jaw went slack. The camera’s flash kept popping, blinding me. “What?” I glanced toward Grandma Ruth for some help. 
“It’s a fact George vandalized your store before he was killed,” Candy Cole, Oiltop Times reporter pushed on. “You were inside the store at the time he was murdered.”
“I was?” I shivered at the idea. It was bad enough to have a dead body nearby but to have a murder happen within a few feet of you? Nauseating.
“Honey,” Candy said. “You had motive and opportunity. Did you do it?”
“Seriously?” Here I’d been ready to give her a free cup of coffee. Not anymore. I stepped back. “Of course not, I wouldn’t kill anyone.”
“Are you telling me, it’s a coincidence that you’re new in town and a man is murdered outside your bakery?” Candy’s eyes glittered like a snake’s. 
“I’m not new in town,” I crossed my arms in front of me. “I grew up here. Are you saying any murders that happened while I lived here as a kid were my fault?”
“No,” Candy said thoughtfully. “But it’s a good angle. I can check and see how the murder rate was when you lived here and what happened after you left.”
“Stop it,” Grandma Ruth slapped the counter. “Toni wouldn’t kill anyone.”
“Oh, really? Then why is the Chief at the courthouse right now getting a warrant signed to search your home and your bakery for evidence?”
I sat down hard at the word warrant. 
“Put your head between your knees.” Grandma was beside me. Her sharp tone of voice combined with her palm on the back of my head had me doing exactly what she said. I have to admit staring at the black and white tile floor was a bit more calming than looking at Candy.  Her delight at my distress was unnerving.
“I thought we were friends, Candy,” I muttered.
“We are friends, honey,” Candy came around the counter and squatted down to peer at me. “That’s why I’m here.”
I turned my head. “You came to warn me?”
“Good friends hide the body, honey, remember?” Her gaze took on a warm and concerned look. I wasn’t sure if I should believe it.
*Glutenfree recipes included
-- 
Nancy J. Parra
www.nancyjparra.com

Why I love a warrior hero By Michelle Styles

From paranormal to historical and contemporary, there is just something about a warrior. And for me as well enjoying reading about them, there is just something extra special about writing a warrior hero. I love exploring his possibilities and depths.

So what is it  a warrior that appeals?

A warrior is the ultimate alpha hero.  He is not a savage or a brute but someone who knows both sides of human behaviour.

He is someone who can be very dangerous and more than a bit untamed. He has been in life- threatening situations and is not afraid to kill. Far from being an indiscriminate psychopath who takes pleasure in killing or hurting people, he has a code and only fights when necessary.   He also knows the cost of killing.  He is someone who will have lost people close to him because it is the nature of his job.

He has a strong streak of loyalty. He may fight for his country or cause but ultimately he fights for his friends. And those bonds are strong. His fellow warriors become his brothers. And those he loves and cares about, he is willing to fight for.  He will put himself in danger for those he loves. He knows how to lead but he is also not afraid to follow.

He has a strong protective streak as he seen the cost of failure. He seeks to shield people from danger rather than putting them into danger. This will often cause conflict with the heroine as she will be strong willed and utterly determined. A strong hero requires an even stronger heroine so the sparks can really fly!

It also helps that because he is a warrior, he will be in great physical shape as he has to make sure that he protect and defend.  But he can carry both physical and mental scars from the battles he has fought. Often times he has to learn to trust women again or to be able to re-enter civilised society rather than existing on a war footing all the time.

My next Viking will be out in November 2013  — Paying the Viking’s Price  and is about an Anglo Saxon lady who has to become a Viking warrior’s concubine in order to protect her people.  I have two other Vikings in the works, including the one which I am currently revising.  Warriors are just really fun to write about and to read about. I hope other people agree.

Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romance in a wide range of time periods. You can learn more about her books on www.michellestyles.co.uk

Jo Davis: Sworn to Protect

Detective Shane Ford, Sugarland’s favorite cop, has been blindsided by the sudden death of his best friend, NFL star Brad Cooper, and becoming the legal guardian of Brad’s son, Drew—a bitter, angry sixteen-year-old with a dangerous secret. Shane is determined to pry the truth from Drew, but only manages to alienate him—and winds up going head to head with Juvenile Detective Daisy Callahan, whose job is to protect the teen’s best interests.

Shane has always been drawn to Daisy’s beauty and strength, but he’s determined not to allow their intense attraction to interfere with his duty ever again. It’s a vow that will prove difficult to keep, as the realities of Shane and Daisy’s blossoming love and their growing bond with the grieving teen propel Shane headlong into danger for the new family he’s sworn to protect.

Top Ten Things Readers Should Know About Detective Shane Ford

1) Shane is the most eligible bachelor in town and he plans to keep it that way—until he gets close to Daisy Callahan on a dangerous case and she ignites his passion.

2) Shane is a top detective at the Sugarland Police Department.

3) He’s good friends with many of the guys at Fire Station Five.

4) Shane is six-plus feet of lean, long-legged sexy cowboy cop with gray eyes and sable brown hair that’s a bit longer than regulation.

5) He’s got a soft spot for kids, especially his 16 year-old godson, Drew.

6) Shane has a twin sister, Shea, who’s the heroine in LINE OF FIRE.

7) Shane’s brother-in-law is Tommy Skyler, former Station Five firefighter, who now works for the Fire Marshal’s office.

8) Shane’s best friend is murdered, and he suddenly becomes legal guardian of his godson, Drew.

9) Shane will have to work fast to discover Drew’s dangerous secret if he hopes to save his new family.

10) Shane is 100% pure hero, and it’s too bad there aren’t more men like him in the world.

May-December Friendships

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I saw, or heard from, all of my kids.  And as always, I marveled that I am so lucky to have these four amazing people in my life!  Oh, it's not that they don't drive me a bit crazy on occasion, but they are some of my very favorite people on earth (along with my husband).  Being a mother has been one of my most treasured jobs.

Yesterday I wrote a blog for Mother's Day about my grandmother and a very special teapot.  She was a strong woman, a 'feisty' woman who loved so fiercely.  Add to that my own mother and my mother-in-law, two women who taught me so much...well, I think that's why the idea of family is the the focus of so many of my stories.  It's because I've been blessed to be surrounded by a family I not only adore, but truly like!

You Are Invited...

This month, the second book in my A Valley Ridge Wedding trilogy, April Showers, was released.  The first book, You Are Invited..., dealt with a woman who inherits three children. This second book  in addition to the romance between Lily and Sebastian focuses on a May-December friendship between  Lily, and the hero's grandfather, Hank.

April Showers

There's something special about May-December friendships.  The generations who came before us offer so much wisdom, so many insights.  I've been lucky to have people like Hank in my life!

Yesterday was a day for family.  It was great to have my children celebrate Mother's Day with me yesterday.  It was nice to be able to honor a women who helped shape me in my blog, and to go visit my mom.  I also took time to remember all the people who helped shape the woman I've become.  My grandmother's best friend, Jean, who's read all my books and supported me in so many ways.  Marge, an older friend who helped me shape Lily and Hank's May/December friendship.  And Papa John, a man who wasn't related to me, but was my grandfather in every way that counts.

A Walk Down the Aisle

Do you have older people in your life, related or not, who helped shape the person you've become?

Holly

Personal Best by Carolyn Hart

When our children were young they were on a swim team. Both were good swimmers though never destined to be champions. But always in each race they strove to achieve their personal best. If that won a race or brought a pink or yellow ribbon that was added delight. But the important objective was to do your best.

I have always tried with each book to write the very best book I could write. But as books went out of print, their worth seemed to diminish. 

We all have a tendency to be immersed in now or as Zen enthusiasts understand, we are in the moment. My energy was focused on the new Annie and Max - DEAD, WHITE AND BLUE in May, the new Bailey Ruth - GHOST GONE WILD in October, and the new standalone - WHAT THE CAT SAW, last fall.

And I am excited about those titles. Since DEAD, WHITE, AND BLUE is the 23^rd in the Death on Demand series, I made a special effort to offer something fresh. This time the book doesn’t open with murder. Instead a reckless, careless young woman walks into the pines and is never seen again. In GHOST GONE WILD, I maroon Bailey Ruth on earth and who knows if she will ever make it back to Heaven. In WHAT THE CAT SAW, Nela Farley and Steve Flynn struggle with their own heartaches as they seek the truth about a forceful woman’s death.

But the past is suddenly very much in my present. Unexpectedly and happily, two small presses are publishing many early titles. Perhaps because they were out of print for so many years, I was dismissive of those early books and uncertain of their worth. For the republication, it was my task to read galleys of books that I had not read for more than 30 years. I was apprehensive and ended up feeling great relief. I hope readers will not begrudge me a moment of happiness when I realized that I had done my best with the early books just as I have for the later books.
There are more titles than readers will have time for but perhaps one or two might appeal. These books are harder edged and faster paced than the series books.

Out last year: RENDEVOUS IN VERACRUZ, college students plunge into danger in Mexico City in the early 80s; FLEE FROM THE PAST, Janey Hamilton builds a new life but the past catches up with her; SKULDUGGERY, the missing Peking Man bones surface in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Out this year: THE DEVEREAUX LEGACY, February, a ghost haunts a South Carolina plantation; A SETTLING OF ACCOUNTS, March, Kay Emory returns to post war London but the danger of the war isn’t over for her; ESCAPE FROM PARIS, June, two American sisters in Occupied Paris help British airmen escape but the Gestapo is only a step behind; NO EASY ANSWERS, July, an Army brat opposes the Vietnam War; BRAVE HEARTS, August, star-crossed lovers flee from the Japanese in the Philippines; DANGER: HIGH EXPLOSIVES!, September, students oppose the Vietnam War; DEATH BY SURPRISE, November; K.C. Carlisle is a street savvy street lawyer who comes to her family’s aid when a blackmailer threatens.

The year ends with publication in December of CRY IN THE NIGHT, a suspense novel set in Mexico City in the early 80s. Never before published, Berkley released it as an e-book last year. In December, it will be in print for the first time.

For the first time in many years, almost all of my books are available. I hope some may appeal. My only promise is this: I did my best each time. 

Brilliant Brenda Novak Auction!

by Anna Campbell

May has become a really significant month in Romancelandia. And not just because it's spring in the Northern Hemisphere, the season when minds traditionally turn to love.

May is also the month when NYT bestseller Brenda Novak holds her wonderful auction to raise money to help find a cure for juvenile diabetes. Here's a link to the auction's home page: http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/

Brenda is an amazing example of the power of one. I'm in awe of what she's achieved just through hard work and vision. So far, she's raised over $1.6 million for her cause and this year, she hopes to break the $2 million mark. More power to her right arm, I say! 

Every year, the whole romance community rallies behind this marvelous cause. There are gift baskets and trips and treats galore, and appropriate for a writer's auction, there are critiques and marketing packages and educational opportunities. Not to mention more signed books than you can poke a stick at! How can you resist?

I thought today I'd point you in the direction of my offerings - along with encouraging you to explore the site and discover what other delicious items are up for grabs.

First up, for writers, I'm offering a detailed critique of three chapters and a synopsis of an unpublished romance novel. I've done this every year and I've met some amazingly talented writers as a result, many of whom have gone on to stellar careers (names would be revealing too much but can I say NYT bestsellers?).  Here's the link for my critique if you'd like to bid: http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2841432

For readers, I've got three packs of signed books for your delectation:

THE RAKES AND ROGUES DUO - signed mass market paperbacks of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE'S BED and MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2841434

THE COURTESAN COLLECTION - signed mass market paperbacks of CLAIMING THE COURTESAN, TEMPT THE DEVIL and MY RECKLESS SURRENDER http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2841435

THE HUNKS AND HEROES TRIO - signed mass market paperbacks of UNTOUCHED, CAPTIVE OF SIN and MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2841433

I'm also part of the wonderful Romance Bandits basket which includes goodies from all my blog sisters: http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2961814

And if you're an aspiring writer, don't miss out on the critique of a partial from my wonderful crit partner, USA Today bestseller Annie West: http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2864988 Annie is a Tote Bags 'n' Blogs regular and her latest release is the fabulous CAPTIVE IN THE SPOTLIGHT.

I find Brenda so inspiring. So now I'd like to know who you find inspiring and why. 

And don't forget to check out the auction!

Lost in the Past : : Anne McAllister

One of the things we do as writers is continually learn more about the world we live in. We can’t write out of our imaginations without drawing from reality as well.

Even if we write fantasy, we need an inner logic on which to base our characters’ actions.  And if we write romance or mystery or westerns or, well, just about anything, we have to understand the world we are writing about. 

For me that often means finding the nitty-gritty details about what my heroes or heroines do for a living, where they live, what sorts of places they live, why they live there.  It has to do with setting a scene, it has to do with motivation. It has to do with who they are and what made them that way.

Some of the things that I draw on are things I grew up with – beaches, cowboys, volleyball players, artists.  Some are things I’ve learned about as I’ve found characters who intrigued me.  They did things I’d never have done: rode bulls, designed buildings, worked as models and photographers, built ships, sailed around the world.

So I’ve learned about all those things. I’ve talked to people engaged in those occupations. If I haven’t been there and done that, I’ve talked to people who have.

But this past year I’ve been digging less in the present than in the past. I’m just finishing a course in British military records and I’ve been spending my days – and far too late many nights – reading photocopies of service records from men who were in the trenches in World War I, who fought at Trafalgar, who were Loyalists in South Carolina and barely survived  the Battle of King’s Mountain.

It’s been an interesting month.  Before that there were months I dug into old mining records, learned about the industrial towns of the British Northeast, delved into records from textile mills and pored over apprenticeship records.

It’s been a break from the usual sort of digging and scratching I do when I come to write a book. But it has primed the pump in a way that contemporary research hasn’t been doing recently.  It’s not necessarily a new itch, but it’s definitely a different one to scratch.  It started out as an interest in my own family history. It’s gone on to make me interested in lots of peoples’ histories. They all bring the past into the present.

And I find that the past and the present are in many ways not so different.  Or, rather, people aren’t. People still hope and dream. They work and they play (though more of the former than the latter).  They rejoice and they mourn.  And always, it seems to me, I find an undercurrent of a need for connection – a desire for love.

Maybe it’s coming full circle.  But at the same time that I’m writing my latest book, I find that my characters’ story is both unique to them, and filled with echoes of other stories, other lives, both real and fictional. 

So the truth is, maybe I’m not lost in the past at all. Maybe I’ve looked there and found that what I write about in the present is there as well.

Have you looked into your own family history?  Do you get excited about those people whose decisions have had an impact on your life. Or are you like my mom whose eyes always glazed over at the very thought?!

Great War: Richard Caton Woodville [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; St Lawrence Mine, Butte, MT [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons