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/

Free Novelette-- Naughty or Mice by Livia J. Washburn

Dan Callahan's daughter was supposed to take care of her fourth grade class's pet mice over the Christmas vacation—or so she claimed. Melissa Logan, the little girl's teacher, wondered why she had gotten close with the handsome single dad, only to have him back off unexpectedly. But when the mice went missing, the truth about everything came out, and the search for the elusive creatures led not only to unexpected secrets from the past but also to the answers that two lonely people had been seeking without even knowing it.

NAUGHTY OR MICE is a heartwarming Christmas novelette from award-winning author Livia J. Washburn. Funny, poignant, and romantic, it's a charming "tail" you won't soon forget.

Available at Amazon for free December 9th - 13th.

Now Available -- BLACK AND BLUEBERRY DIE (A Fresh Baked Mystery) by Livia J. Washburn

Today would have been my father's 89th birthday.  Paul B. Washburn passed away a little more than a year ago.  It seemed fitting that this book would come out on his birthday.  He was a great inspiration and help. He and my mother helped my husband James Reasoner and I build our first house so we could pursue this crazy writing dream.  We never had to worry about losing our home when a book didn't sell. I will forever be grateful to them both.  Also, growing up in a beauty shop gave me great material for this book.  They owned Paul's Beauty Shop and ran it together until my mother went back to school to get her teaching degree, and Dad went back to building airplanes at General Dynamics, which is what he was doing before he was a hair stylist.

Blurb:

In the latest from the nationally bestselling author of The Candy Cane Cupcake Killer, Phyllis Newsom returns with a blackberry and blueberry pie recipe that’s to die for…

It’s late summer in Weatherford, Texas and Mike Newsom’s childhood friend is sweltering in prison for a crime he claims he didn’t commit, murdering his wife. So instead of asking his mother to please stop investigating a murder, as he usually does, he asks her and Sam to please help his friend.

Danny Jackson, found guilty of beating his wife Roxanne to death at the ritzy hair salon where she works, was sentenced to prison for 30 years. His pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears, so it’s up to Phyllis to find what actually happened. She finds there are a lot of secrets and lies being told, and Roxanne was in the middle of them all.

Though Phyllis doesn’t want to get mixed up in another murder investigation, her son rarely asks for favors, and certainly not favors like this.  She has to untangle the lies and comb out the facts to find what happened that dark night. 

Includes recipes!

Author Q&A—Livia Washburn

1. What inspired you to set the series in Weatherford, Texas?

I grew up just down the road from Weatherford, in a small Texas town.  Weatherford is a major city in comparison.  Weatherford was just the right size where major crimes could reasonably happen, but still have small town attitude.

2. Which of the characters in the Fresh-Baked Mystery series is most like someone you know in real life?

All of them.  My mother was a teacher and this series was written with her and her teacher friends in mind, while using characteristics from some of my daughters’ teachers as well. None of the fictional characters are based on anyone in particular. It's more of a case of blending qualities from all of them. When I created this series my mother was the treasurer of her chapter of the retired teachers organization, and I wrote the first book honoring her.  Sadly dementia claimed her reading ability before the first book, A Peach of a Murder, was published.

3. Phyllis and her friends are avid bakers. Are you a baker in real life? What is your favorite kind of treat to make?

I’m a "by the seat of your pants" baker.  I learned to bake using a dab of this and a spoonful of that.  It was a real eye opener when I had to write down the exact amount I was throwing into the mix. It was very frustrating when I’d painfully measure everything until the last ingredient and realize I’d just tossed it in.  It meant I had to start over, carefully measuring each ingredient.  My favorite treat would be cookies and I especially enjoy the Oatmeal Delight cookies that were in Killer Crab Cakes.

4. Could you share a little with us about your writing process? Do you write from an outline or free form? How do you come up with ideas?

I always have an outline before trying to even write the first chapter. It’s difficult enough to keep up with the clues without trying to do that by the seat of your pants.  Just the opposite of baking.  Ideas come from reading, mixing fiction with non-fiction.  When my youngest daughter saw the poison book I was intensely going through, she informed me that if her daddy died of any mysterious ailment, she was telling the cops about my books. She was just kidding, I think.

5. What kinds of hobbies do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?

I love to work with wood. When my husband and I first married, we built our home from the ground up.  When I say the ground up, actually it started below ground.  We dug the septic system with a shovel and a jackhammer.  Made the foundation with a small electric cement mixer, carrying the cement in a wheel barrow and buckets.  It’s amazing what you can actually do yourself when you try.

6. Who are some of your favorite authors? Do you have a favorite book or genre that you like reading the most?

I fell in love with food mysteries when I read my first Nero Wolfe mystery, and I enjoy the twists and turns Ellery Queen would put into a story.  Phyllis is a little of Ellery Queen, and Caroline has a bunch of Nero Wolfe in her.  The series I’m currently reading is the humorous Deadwood mysteries by Ann Charles.  I do enjoy the mix of humor, ghosts, and mysteries she put in this series. 

7. Is writing your dream job? Have you ever considered any other careers and if so, what are they?

Well of course it’s my dream job.  How many jobs can you do in your pajamas while daydreaming?  I enjoyed building houses.  I’ve helped family with their homes, too.  But unfortunately that can’t be done in your pajamas with a pair of Chihuahua/Min Pins curled up in your lap.  Who am I to deny the ankle biters a human bed?  I also enjoy helping other authors get published.  I started a small press business with a friend, Cheryl Pierson, and that has grown like a wildfire.  We just celebrated our 3rd year at Prairie Rose Publications and have had over 250 new releases. Below are a couple of my co-workers, Nora on the left, and Nicki on the right. They keep the UPS driver in fear for his life. (At least in their dreams.)

BUY LINKS   Barnes and Noble    Smashwords    Kobo    iTunes

        

Lassoing a Bride -- The Perfect Cover Image --Book Giveaway

Today at Prairie Rose Publications two new anthologies came out that I made covers for. I even have a story in one.  Today I'm giving away e-copies of Lassoing a Bride and Lassoing a Groom to one person who comments chosen by Random.org.


Last winter I asked my partner, Cheryl Pierson what she thought about having an anthology about western weddings for early summer. I sent her a mock cover. We threw around titles until we came up with Lassoing a Bride. The mock cover was too modern. and we also decided we wanted a smaller more intimate anthology so each author would have room to have decent length stories. We knew we'd have more stories than we wanted to put in this one anthology, so we added Lassoing a Groom. I found the perfect image for Lassoing a Bride and the bonus was there were more of the couple so I could also use one for Lassoing a Groom. We put out a call for stories, and it was soon obvious we'd need another Lassoing anthology, and added Lassoing a Mail-Order Bride. Now the first two anthologies have been released.

 LASSOING A BRIDE 

Some brides are hard to get a rope on, for sure! But in these wild west romance tales, being married is like sugar and lots of spice—with a dash of pepper in the mix! Ain’t nothin’ tame about these brides, who have a delicious story of their own—each falling under the spell of a handsome devil she thought was out of her reach. Unanswered prayers, broken dreams and unexpected circumstances are sometimes the best way for a groom to get the gal he loves when he’s looking at Lassoing a Bride!

PRETTIEST LITTLE HORSE THIEF by Gail L. Jenner
Sometimes it’s the stolen and unexpected love that has the power to heal a broken heart

UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS by Sarah J. McNeal
A broken dream…a cancelled wedding…and an unexpected blessing.

NO LESS THAN FOREVER by Tracy Garrett
Love always finds a way…

THE BANK ROBBER'S LAMENT by Sara Barnard
Smith found equal amounts of both anonymity and trouble in Gabriel's Settlement. But when he sets eyes on a beautiful woman and her young daughter who are being abused, might some other emotion be fated to bloom in that desert town of far west Texas?

THE BRIDE AND THE BADGE by Livia J. Washburn
Was Emily just bait for an outlaw trap—or did she mean more than that to the handsome Texas Ranger?
(Note: I do love those Texas Rangers!)

Available Now at  Barnes & Noble    Smashwords

    

LASSOING A GROOM 

How is a woman supposed to catch a husband? In the wild, wild west, she’s got to find a way to Lasso a Groom! Some of them are lawmen…some are outlaws. Ranchers and homesteaders are fair game, as well—none of 'em safe from love’s lariat, or the women who finally manage to rope ’em in!
DON’T GO SNARING MY HEART by Jacquie Rogers
Can rancher Dex Madsen get past loner Betsy Lynch's goats and killer chicken to help save her mining claim and win her heart?

RACE TO MARRY by Kirsten Lynn
He’s in town to tame a man-killer. She’s accused of being one. When she proposes marriage the race is on.

WANTED: THE SHERIFF by Tracy Garrett
He’s a confirmed bachelor…but she’ll capture his heart.

CANYON CROSSING by Kristy McCaffrey
In search of her brother, Annabel Cross enters Grand Canyon. When U.S. Deputy Marshal Angus Docherty rescues her from a cliff side, her most guarded secret might save them.

THE PERFECT HOMESTEAD BRIDE by Linda Hubalek
Will a dangerous man from Gussie Hamner’s past sabotage the future she’s building with Noah Wilerson?

THE WORST OUTLAW IN THE WEST by Kathleen Rice Adams
An inept bank robber and a bossy spinster team up to rob an empty vault. What could go wrong?

Now Available Barnes & Noble   Smashwords

     

Coming Soon:

   

Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of both Lassoing a Bride and Lassoing a Groom.