Review -- The Great Chili Kill-Off -- Giveaway!

This week we have a fun group of food mysteries for your Thanksgiving dinner reading-Asking for Truffle: A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery by Dorothy St. James, Dead and Ganache: A Chocolate Whisperer Mystery by Colette London, The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams, Assault and Buttery: A Popcorn Shop Mystery by Kristi Abbott, The Great Chili Kill-Off: A Fresh Baked Mystery by Liv Washburn, and The Quiche and the Dead: A Pie Town Mystery by Kirsten Weiss. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 6 books, along with links you can use to purchase them. Kings River Life Magazine's Food Mysteries For Your Thanksgiving Holiday includes a very nice review of the 12th Fresh Baked Mystery, THE GREAT CHILI KILL-OFF. Lots of fun reading included.
http://kingsriverlife.com/11/18/food-mysteries-for-your-thanksgiving-holiday/

Now Available -- Mail Order Brides for Sale: The Remington Sisters

Brought up in the wealth and comfort of Eastern “old money” in staid and proper Philadelphia, the Remington sisters are forced to scatter to the four winds and become mail-order brides. Their sinister step-father, Josiah Bloodworth, has made plans to marry them off in loveless marriages—marriages to men who will do his bidding, and help him gain a fortune. But time is running out for the beautiful Remington brides. No matter what lies ahead in the uncertain future they’re headed for, it has to be better than the evil they’re running from…

LIZZY: Livia J. Washburn

Elizabeth Remington’s well-ordered world is turned upside down when she is forced to become a mail-order bride to escape the plans of their sinister step-father, Josiah Bloodworth. With her cat, Fulton, Lizzy flees to Alaska, a wild land in the throes of gold fever—but she soon discovers the man she’s to marry is not who she thought he was! Taking refuge in a saloon alongside rough-and-tumble gold miners and cutthroat claim jumpers, she tries to protect herself from the biggest danger of all—her own heart. Flint McKinnon has signed his soul away to the Devil in Philadelphia, she believes. He’s chased Lizzy across the continent, but can she believe him when he says he loves her? 

BELLE: Jacquie Rogers 

Belle Remington must marry someone else before the dangerous Neville Fenster catches up with her. She's desperate to escape the wicked match her step-father has arranged—so she hightails it out of Philadelphia to the wild land of Idaho Territory to become a bootmaker's mail-order bride. But when she arrives in Oreana, she discovers her groom has been murdered—and now, his brother-in-law, rancher Cord Callahan, insists on fulfilling the marriage contract himself.  Belle’s life depends on a hasty marriage, and an inebriated Cord is happy to oblige. Belle is beautiful and smart as a whip. But she has a secret. When Fenster shows up, can Cord protect the woman he wants to love forever?

SABRINA: Cheryl Pierson

Impulsive Sabrina Remington, the youngest sister, chooses to wed a man she knows her well-bred family will disapprove of. Cameron Fraser is half Scottish, half Cherokee, and all-out dangerous! Though his family owns a ranch, Cam has made his way in the world with his fast draw for many years—he’s a gunman, living barely on the right side of the law. Will Sabrina be able to find a new life, and lasting love, in lawless Indian Territory with him? His skills with a gun may see Cam Fraser as the only man alive who can keep Sabrina safe from her diabolical step-father. With everything on the line as Bloodworth and his henchmen close in, will Cam be able to protect Sabrina from the desperate man who means to kidnap her for his own wicked purposes? 

LOLA: Celia Yeary

As the eldest daughter, Lola Remington made sure her younger sisters were well on their way to escape from their ruthless step-father, Josiah Bloodworth, before she thought of herself. Bloodworth’s intentions are calculated and cruel—and he has determined that Lola will marry his detestable cohort—Uriah Pleasant. Lola makes her escape to a rancher in Texas who waits to marry her. Jackson Theodore Rains is something—self-assured, handsome as sin, tough…and tender. But Lola has stepped into the middle of a violent Range War. To make matters worse, Jack lets her know he had expected someone younger—he wants a big family to fill his home. To cover her disappointment, Lola throws herself into learning how to shoot, how to ride—and how to escape once more when the dangerous Mr. Pleasant unexpectedly finds her and makes her his prisoner. But the main goal was to win Jack’s love—the biggest battle of all.   

     

Recycle and Reuse: Make Shaving Legs Easier

Anyone with back or knee problems knows how difficult it is to shave your legs when they're acting up. Something I've experienced with rheumatoid arthritis which I was only diagnosed with about ten years ago. I've actually had trouble reaching the lower part of my legs with a razor since the day I started shaving.

At age 11 my right knee started giving me trouble, lots of pain, swelling, and a weird blue knot. During sixth grade PE I scared my teacher to death when we were playing leap frog. This was a class where we did a lot of tumbling, cartwheels, and such, and I had great fun with it most days. The best I could ever do was a handstand over to a backbend and then stand back up. I could never do it quickly but I was proud to accomplish that. On this particular day my right knee was acting very fussy and we were leaping high. I told him that I didn't think I could do it. The coach convinced me to try. I think he thought I was scared. Well, I leaped over the person's back but the landing wasn't pretty. For one thing it's hard to jump when your knee doesn't want to bend, so I couldn't get the height I really needed, and then my knee said nope on the landing and I went down and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to come back up. Coach thought he broke me, bless his heart. I did get up but bending the knee was very painful and that was the beginning of the doctors. I had experienced pains in my ankles and other joints for the two years before. Mom would wrap the swollen joint in an Ace bandage and I'd head on to school. The right knee was the worst pain, though.

Doctors were pretty clueless, experimenting on me until finally we all agreed to just let the knee hurt. James was a sweetheart. He took over chores like cleaning the bathtub. There weren't many tools to help when we first married. I remember the first grabber I bought. What a wonderful tool. I have several of those handy tools.

As I got older, especially when I started having to lift my mother, my back started giving trouble too. So then my knee didn't want to bend, and neither did my back. The last thing I wanted to do was ask my husband to shave my legs. He would have, of course, but I didn't like not being able to do it myself. That's when I made razor on a stick.

My first attempt was just a razor attached to a dowel. It worked much better than I thought it would. Handy in the shower and tub. I happily used my stick razor for many years and wished I'd thought of it sooner.

When I was cleaning my father's fishing cabin I found an old mesh shower pouf on a handle.

I knew no one would ever use it again, but as I was about to toss it in the trash a thought occurred to me. I bet I could use that handle...

My new and improved razor on a stick. I bought razors with a curved handle to fit the best with the curved stick. One tie is to keep it from sliding and the second is to keep it stable on the handle. Razors can easily be attached with either wire, like twist ties on loaves of bread, or with plastic zip ties, or good ol' duct tape would also work. Great for quickly shaving legs in the shower or the tub with limited bending.

If you don't have a cool handle, a dowel works fine and can be quickly attached to your favorite razor.

Friday the 13th -- BAKER'S DEADLY DOZEN by Livia J. Washburn

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in the United States. It occurs at least once every year, and up to three times a year. It’s interesting to find that while there is evidence of both Fridays and the number 13 being considered unlucky, there is no record of Friday the 13^th being especially unlucky before the 19th century. And it’s all where you live, Hispanic and Greek culture find Tuesday the 13^th unlucky while it’s Friday the 17^th for Italians.

Personally I haven’t found Friday the 13^th especially unlucky. We did have someone set a fire in a nearby field on an October Friday the 13^th. Luckily my husband and I both worked from home, so we smelled the smoke and were able to call the fire department and then take our shovels and keep it from a neighbor’s house. Seems to me that was a lucky day, though.

This Friday the 13^th is another lucky day for me personally. It's the release date of the 13^th Fresh Baked Mystery. I am so lucky to be able to continue this series with Baker’s Deadly Dozen.

Baker's Deadly Dozen (A Fresh Baked Mystery) (Volume 13)

Going back to school can be a killer!

Phyllis Newsom and Sam Fletcher come out of retirement to take substitute teacher jobs as a favor for some friends, but they soon realize that the more things change, the more they stay the same. That means getting up early, dealing with students and other teachers, and helping out with extracurricular activities. The problem is, for Phyllis, stumbling over dead bodies is an extracurricular activity!

When murder strikes at the school’s Friday the Thirteenth dance, it’s unlucky not only for the victim but also for the student who’s the prime suspect. Sam’s granddaughter has a crush on the boy and can’t believe he’s a killer. Neither can Phyllis. The police are convinced, though, so the only way Phyllis can help him is to uncover the true identity of the killer stalking the halls of the high school before it’s too late!

EXCERPT

   The light downstairs went out before they reached the stairwell. Phyllis frowned. If Mr. McCracken was down there cleaning he should have been moving around enough to keep the light on. Unless he was inside one of the classrooms, then the light might have gone off, she reasoned.

     Then it came on again.

      Something about the way things were happening made a chill run down her back. She was at the top of the stairs now, so she stopped and called, “Mr. McCracken?”

     A strange sound came from below. It might have been a human groan. Ronnie exclaimed, “What was that?”

     The lights went off again.

     “Ronnie,” Phyllis said, “I’m starting to get the feeling that something is wrong. Go back to the cafeteria and find your grandfather.”

     “What are you going to do?” Ronnie gestured toward the stairs. “Go down there and see what it is we heard? It might be a . . . a monster!”

     “You don’t believe in monsters.”

     “Right now, I don’t disbelieve in them.”

     

Smashwords Link

Now Available for Pre-Order Baker’s Deadly Dozen (A Fresh-Baked Mystery Book 13)

Going back to school can be a killer!

Phyllis Newsom and Sam Fletcher come out of retirement to take substitute teacher jobs as a favor for some friends, but they soon realize that the more things change, the more they stay the same. That means getting up early, dealing with students and other teachers, and helping out with extracurricular activities. The problem is, for Phyllis, stumbling over dead bodies is an extracurricular activity!

When murder strikes at the school’s Friday the Thirteenth dance, it’s unlucky not only for the victim but also for the student who’s the prime suspect. Sam’s granddaughter has a crush on the boy and can’t believe he’s a killer. Neither can Phyllis. The police are convinced, though, so the only way Phyllis can help him is to uncover the true identity of the killer stalking the halls of the high school before it’s too late!

Ebook now available for pre-order at Amazon.  It will be available at Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and Kobo and in trade by release day, Friday October 13th, 20017.

Now Available -- The Great Chili Kill-Off

Chili will always be associated with family for me. My mother would give New Year Eve parties for both sides of our family, which would result in rooms full of love. Dad had six siblings, and so did Mom, so our house would be full of aunts, uncles, and cousins. For the parties, Mom would make a huge pot of chili and a big pot of pinto beans. I know, many do not think you should put beans into chili, and especially not pintos, but that’s the way my mother made it, so that is one of my comfort foods. And on the side was some wonderful golden cornbread. Funny how some foods equal love in our minds. 

My mother was also a teacher. She and her friends gave me many ideas for this series. I have great respect for teachers, and was thrilled when both of my daughters went into the profession. I’m very proud of them both.

So book twelve of the Fresh Baked series was written with much love and respect to both family and the many teachers in our world. I’m thinking it might be time to put on a big pot of chili…

THE GREAT CHILI KILL-OFF

Fresh Baked Mystery Book 12

The chili in Texas is red-hot . . . and so is murder!

Phyllis, Sam, Carolyn, and Eve head for West Texas to compete in a Fourth of July chili cookoff. Thousands of people have descended on a sleepy little ghost town, turning it into a boomtown for chili mavens, gamblers, musicians, and media. Raucous excitement fills the air, but so does chili when a sabotaged propane cooker explodes, killing the much-hated current champion. The victim leaves behind a tangled trail of sleeping with other men’s wives, cheating at cards – and maybe at chili cooking – and deadly anger. With Sam a possible suspect in the murder, emotions run hot as a bowl of Texas red as Phyllis has to untangle these threads in order to put her finger on the killer!

Livia J. Washburn's beloved Fresh Baked Mystery series is back with another novel full of tasty recipes, dastardly doings, and brilliant sleuthing by Phyllis Newsom and her friends. THE GREAT CHILI KILL-OFF is a delicious dish of murder and detection.