Out of the Ashes -- A Thanksgiving Treat -- The Phantom Ranger and the Skateboard Gang

The only unpublished novel that was on my usb memory stick snug in my purse when the house burned down in '08 was a middle reader novel my husband and I wrote called THE PHANTOM RANGER AND THE SKATEBOARD GANG. Recently Cheryl Pierson and I started a new publishing company, Prairie Rose Publications, blending our talents. This is a publishing company strictly for women's western fiction. We quickly discovered that there was a need for more, so we also formed Painted Pony Books for the younger readers. THE PHANTOM RANGER AND THE SKATEBOARD GANG is just the first novel to be published under the Painted Pony Books imprint.

THE PHANTOM RANGER AND THE SKATEBOARD GANG By James and Livia Reasoner

Codi Jackson and her father have been forced to move again. Codi’s getting used to being the “new girl” in her fifth grade class—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it. Can’t life just be normal? With her mother out of the picture and her father working odd shifts as a police officer, friends are important—as long as they’re not the wrong kind.

When Codi and a classmate, Keith Wright, are assigned to work on a history project, Codi has to make some hard decisions about her popularity in her new school.

But everything changes when Codi picks up an old Texas Rangers badge that belonged to one of her ancestors and he appears right before her eyes! Her great-great-great-grandfather says he’s come to help her, but how? And how is she going to explain the ghost of her long-ago Gramps to her history project partner and her father?

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Romantic Times Review of The Fatal Funnel Cake

RT rating 4 stars.

This mystery is nicely crafted, with a believable ending. The camaraderie of the Fresh-Baked Mystery series’ cast of retired schoolteachers who share a home is endearing....

Go here for the rest of the review.

Now Available in Mass Market Paperback -- Wedding Cake Killer by Livia J. Washburn

Wedding bells will be ringing in Weatherford, Texas, this Christmas when Phyllis Newsom opens up her home for her best friend’s wedding. And although the bride is wearing white, no one suspects that she’ll soon be wearing black....

After all the planning—and the cake tasting—the big day has finally arrived. Eve Turner, one of Phyllis’s boarders—and her best friend—is moving out and getting married to the affable Roy Porter. While she’s sad to see Eve go, Phyllis is more than happy to host the event in her home and to bake the bride and groom a delicious three-tiered coconut wedding cake. Even though a snowstorm in the forecast seems like a recipe for disaster, the day runs as smoothly as buttercream. 

But the marriage doesn’t last long past the honeymoon. When Roy’s found dead at a Weatherford bed-and-breakfast, Eve’s the top suspect. Now Phyllis must find out who iced Roy before her friend finds herself behind bars….  

I've been blown away by the reviews.  It has 25 reviews on Amazon and they're all 4 or 5 stars. 

PRAISE FOR THE FRESH-BAKED MYSTERIES

“Engaging…a cozy distinguished by its appealing characters and mouthwatering recipes.”—Publishers Weekly

“The whodunit is fun and the recipes [are] mouthwatering.”—The Best Reviews

“Washburn has a refreshing way with words and knows how to tell an exciting story.”—Midwest Book Review

“Delightful, [with a] realistic small-town vibe [and a] vibrant narrative…A Peach of a Murder runs the full range of emotions, so be prepared to laugh and cry with this one!”—The Romance Readers Connection

“Christmas and murder. It’s a combination that doesn’t seem to go together, yet Washburn pulls it off in a delightfully entertaining manner.”—Armchair Interviews

“A clever, intriguing contemporary cozy.”—Romance Junkies

“I loved it!...Definitely for people who just love a good mystery.”—Once Upon a Twilight

Now Available -- The Fatal Funnel Cake by Livia J. Washburn

It’s time for the State Fair of Texas—and cooking contests galore! Fryers are heating up and stomachs are growling. But Phyllis Newsom had better watch out. Someone’s brought an appetite for murder....

Phyllis and her friends Carolyn and Sam are ready to whip up their best dishes and win some ribbons in Dallas. And they’re excited to learn that one of their favorite celebrity chefs—Joye Jameson of The Joye of Cooking—is broadcasting her TV show from the fair. When Phyllis’s funnel cake is picked as one of the best of that category, Joye invites her and the other finalists to prepare their delicious recipes live on the air.

But Phyllis’s moment in the spotlight is spoiled after Joye suffers a deadly allergic reaction from one bite of her funnel cake. Now she’s gone from top entry to top suspect. So in order to clear her name, Phyllis will have to turn up the heat on this investigation before the real killer slips through her fingers....