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Special Thursday Edition of Cozy Wednesday with Author Sally Goldenbaum (Giveaway too!)

Cozy Wednesday, Giveaways, Guest Posts, Reviews 2013 65 Responses »

May 092013

Welcome to a Special Edition of Cozy Wednesday!

I am always excited to have Sally drop by for a visit!

Many, many thanks to the wonderful Lori Caswell for inviting me to drop in again. Dolly’s cozy corner is a perfect place to take a break, to relax with friends like you…and to talk about books and life. Today my topic is:

THE PERFECT PLACE TO WRITE

Recently I watched an HGTV show featuring a couple looking for their dream home.

The husband—a writer—was having a horrible time because he could only write in a bathtub, he said, and none of the homes they toured had one he considered suitable. Lots of questions ‘surfaced’ in my head—is there water in the tub? A pillow on the bottom? A waterproof computer on his knees….? (And certainly I had major curiosity about what he wrote.)

But each of us has our own quirks about where we write, and I moved on from bathtubs to thinking about a notable writer, Stephen King, who has strong ideas about where writers should write. He says all novelists should have a serene, preferably dull, writing place. But dull and serene is very subjective, don’t you think? I spend lots of time writing in a local coffee shop. I easily block out the cappuccino machines and gossip and crying babies. But when I need to come up for air and prove to myself that there are other people living in this beautiful universe, I look up from my laptop and rejoice at the people around me, proof that I haven’t totally left the world of the living.

Different stories require different writing spaces. While working on the fifth book in the Seaside Knitters Mystery series,The Wedding Shawl, I spent the summer writing on my screened porch with Nancy Pickard, who was writing The Scent of Rain and Lightning, The view of my back yard, where my daughter was married a few years earlier, was the inspiration for Izzy’s wedding inThe Wedding Shawl. It was the perfect place to write that book.

A portion of a A Fatal Fleece (now in paperback) was written in the Pleasant Street Tea Co. (which is in Gloucester, a REAL town on Cape Ann, just down an ocean road from the fictitious Sea Harbor). The shop, which has deep, comfortable couches and an amazing prosciutto and pesto panini sandwich, is where Nell, Izzy, Birdie and Cass—the Seaside Knitters—would hang out with me, leading me forward, as together we faced a ghost in Birdie’s closet, dealt with an unexpected turn in Cass Halloran’s life, and solved the mystery of a colorful old fisherman’s murder.

But for my most recent book, Angora Alibi, I retreated to Nancy’s deck—a most necessary move since my son and his family (including 3 children under 4) were living with my husband, me, two dogs, and our cat. The porch, filled with toys, no longer held its former serenity. But Nancy’s deck definitely did. As I looked out over the duck ponds and jogging trails, Angora Alibi came to life, and I followed along as a pregnant Izzy and her knitting friends worked deliberately and desperately to uncover the secret behind an infant baby carrier abandoned on a Sea Harbor beach, the untimely death of a young man the seaside knitters all knew—and the murder of an old man each of them held dear.

And now I’m writing the 8^th book in the series, the one in which a stranger comes to Sea Harbor to find out who she is. Where, I wonder, is the best place to write it? I’m thinking it could be on a porch…a coffee shop…a deck…a library. Hmmm…well, it could be almost anywhere, as long as Nell, Birdie, Cass, and Izzy stop by and sit with me, telling me what’s happening next in their lives. Anywhere. Sometimes that’s the perfect place to write.

~Sally

About This Author

Sally Goldenbaum is a philosophy teacher, knitter, editor, and the author of more than two-dozen novels.

Please visit her on Facebook.

Or at her Website: sallygoldenbaum.com

Angora Alibi:
A Seaside Knitters Mystery
7th in Series
Cozy Mystery
Obsidian (May 7, 2013)
Published by The Penguin Group
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451415349
E-Book File Size: 702 KB
ASIN: B00BYLQO54

The sun is shining in Sea Harbor and a group of friends, the Seaside Knitters, are spending Thursday evenings knitting the sweetest of gifts—a baby blanket. But as the due date draws near, they find they must take time away from their needles and yarn to confront a murder and untangle a mystery before a certain baby is brought into the world….

Everyone is excited about the upcoming birth of Baby Perry and Izzy is trying to take perfect care of herself by getting plenty of exercise. On one of her walks along the beach she notices an abandoned infant car seat complete with a yellow angora baby blanket. After several days she realizes no one is claiming the seat and it bothers her to just leave it there. She stows it the trunk of her car but then the seat starts showing up in her dreams/nightmares. She just can’t get the thing off her mind. What happened to the baby? She just has a feeling something bad happened or is about to happen. Are her raging hormones responsible for these terrible thoughts?

Then a young man who does odd jobs around town dies while scuba diving. Is this the bad thing that has been on her mind? When it is learned that he was murdered and he has a connection to the car seat Izzy rallies the Seaside Knitters to investigate. Their attention to intricate patterns may be just what is needed to catch a killer.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

I look forward to my visits to Sea Harbor. Sally has created a special place with very special people. The friendship of these characters is so genuine, readers feel like a member of the group. Nell, Birdie, Cass and Izzy are blessed to have each other in their lives. The joyful preparations for the new baby are so much fun, aside from the murder, of course.

My favorite character this time was Gabby. She has grown up before our eyes and has a heart as big as all outdoors. She also has a real talent that comes to light which was quite a surprise to the other characters as well as readers.

The death of Horace caught me a little off guard as he was a very interesting individual that had a great way of compensating for his failing eyesight. Something that unfortunately led to his demise.

The new characters really made the plot very complex with several red herrings that keeps the reader on their toes. We are also kept guessing about whether Izzy is having a boy or girl until the big moment arrives. I found this very refreshing as most couples these days know and have a name chosen months in advance. I like the surprise and while we had a list of names ready after the birth of all four of our children it was important to us to actually see and hold them before donning their names upon them. Only one child came home with the first name on the list.

An excellent story, a delightful place, rich characters – I couldn’t ask for more! But there is a tasty recipe and a baby blanket pattern too!

I am anxiously awaiting my next trip to Sea Harbor!

Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

Would you like to win a copy of this wonderful book?

Thanks to the people at Penguin
I have 2 copies to giveaway!!

U.S. and CANADIAN RESIDENTS
You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find
something you like here and become a follower.

Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Liking My Facebook Fan Page.

Leave a comment for Sally for 5 Bonus Entries !

If you publicize the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere you will receive
5 Bonus Entries For Each Link.

Contest Will End May 23, 2013 at 11:59 PM CST
Winners Will Be Chosen By Random.org
Winners Will Be Notified By Email
and Will Be Posted Here In The Sidebar

CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy by Heather Blake

Read - A - Latte 150 Challenge, Reviews 2013 5 Responses »

Apr 122013

The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy:
A Wishcraft Mystery
3rd in Series
Cozy Mystery
Obsidian (April 2, 2013)
Published by The Penguin Group
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451239693
E-Book File Size: 706 KB
ASIN: B008BM0JVE

Darcy Merriweather is Enchanted Village’s newest resident Wishcrafter—a witch who can grant wishes for others. But as Darcy prepares a celebration for a magical florist, she discovers that every rose has its thorns…

As You Wish, Darcy and Aunt Ve’s personal concierge service has been hired to throw a party for magical florist, Harriette Harkness. She is 80 years young and plans to celebrate. She is also celebrating her new Witching Hour rose, it is the very first all natural midnight black flower.

Darcy has all the plans under control and ready to go. She is just waiting for Michael Healey to deliver the cake and the special entertainment to arrive. When she goes out to the parking lot to track down these very important party needs the celebration is turned inside out. She finds Michael’s dead body not far from the bakery van. She then receives another surprise when Michael’s ghost imprints itself on her. This means they are bonded together until she “untangles the thicket surrounding his murder”.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
I have fallen hard for this series and its magical characters.

A contemporary fairy tale, The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy even has a set of Wicked Sisters! All my favorites are back from past stories, including the lovable familiars, Pepe and the movie line expert Archie. They are joined by all the witch crafters that call the Enchanted Village home.

The part that really caught my interest was the imprinting of the ghost on Darcy. I think this would be so cool!!! as long as it was a friendly ghost like Michael. They way they were able to communicate was just brilliant. The special craft the he and his sister had was also interesting.

I was also taken in by the floracrafters vs. the terracrafters and the dysfunctional families created by their prejudice of each other. To me both gifts would be so much fun with all the plants, the blooms, the lawns, the gardens.

The Enchanted Village is truly a magical place, full of whimsical characters. A place where wishes come true and spells are cast. A place where the familiar becomes extraordinary. A place where romance is starting to bloom. A place I would love to visit often. I wish I never had to leave!!!!

The whole series is recommended highly. I know you will be as enchanted as I have become with these wonderful stories!

Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

About This Author
Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber) is the author of over a dozen novels. She’s a Dr Pepper enthusiast, total homebody who loves to be close to her family, read, watch Reality TV (totally addicted, especially to competition shows), crochet, occasionally leave the house to hike the beautiful mountains in the northeast, bake (mostly cookies) and dreams of owning a house at the base of Mt. Mansfield in Stowe, VT. Heather grew up in a suburb of Boston, but currently, she lives in the Cincinnati area with her family and is hard at work on her next book. Find out more at http://www.heatherblakebooks.com/

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Review: Six Years by Harlan Coben

Mystery & Suspense Challenge, Read - A - Latte 150 Challenge, Reviews 2013 1 Response »

Mar 122013

Six Years
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Dutton Adult (March 19, 2013)
Published by The Penguin Group
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0525953487
E-Book File Size: 568 KB
ASIN: B008EKMBW8

Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.

But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for…but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she’s been married to Todd for almost two decades, and with that fact everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life—a time he has never gotten over—is turned completely inside out.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
Classic Coben! I absolutely loved this story! Wow!

The entire story is told from Jake’s point of view and we get to know everything he is feeling from confusion to joy and every other emotion you can conceive. A character with layers and we get to peel them away and really understand his life. To love someone so quickly and so deeply, then to have them just slip away, later realizing all the lies and deception, and knowing that if he delves any further to get to the truth he is putting himself and people he cares about in danger.

This complex story is very unique and perfectly paced. I loved the romantic twist in this suspense filled novel, spiced with just a bit of humor – Coben style. Readers are taken on a wild ride from the first page to the last. You will not be able to put this book down so plan accordingly. Harlan Coben keeps getting better and better! I don’t know how he is going to top this one! Pre-Order your copy today!

Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

About This Author
With over 47 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben’s last three consecutive novels, Caught, Long Lost and Hold Tight all debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and lists around the world. His next thriller Live Wire will be out in early spring 2011. His books are published in 40 languages around the globe and have been number one bestsellers in over a dozen countries.

Winner of the Edgar Award, Shamus Award and Anthony Award—the first author to win all three—international bestselling author Harlan Coben’s critically-acclaimed novels have been called “ingenious” (New York Times), “poignant and insightful” (Los Angeles Times), “consistently entertaining” (Houston Chronicle), “superb” (Chicago Tribune) and “must reading” (Philadelphia Inquirer). His most recent novels, Caught, Long Lost, Hold Tight, The Woods, Promise Me, The Innocent, Just One Look, No Second Chance, Tell No One and Gone for Good have appeared on the top of all the major bestseller lists including the New York Times, London Times, Le Monde, Publishers Weekly, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY.

To find out more about Harlan Coben and his book check out his webpage here. You can even read the first chapter of Six Years,

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Cozy Wednesday with Author Ada Madison (Spectacular Giveaway too!)

A - Z Cozy Mystery Challenge, Cozy Wednesday, Cruisin Thru Cozies Reading Challenge, Giveaways, Guest Posts, Read - A - Latte 150 Challenge, Where Are You Reading Challenge 67 Responses »

Jan 092013

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!

I am thrilled to welcome Ada Madison (Camille Minichino) to Escape With Dollycas today!!

slideruleLG

I love Dollycas’s idea of ESCAPE! So many meanings, so many twists to discuss.

Last time I visited here, I talked about 2 things that keep me from escaping into a book: when authors give Wikipedia-type descriptions of places, signaling that they’ve never been to the location; and when they name characters after their relatives or friends, taking the reader out of the story to note, “How cute, she’s giving a nod to her cousin Chucky.”

For me as an author, the best way to escape is to break the rules. I’m such a wimp, an utter rule-keeper in real life, that writing a character who breaks the rules is true escape. Here are a couple of real-life instances that have inspired me to have my characters break a rule or two, including Sophie Knowles in A Function of Murder.

Case #1. Trespass!

One time I showed up to teach a writing class that was to be held on the property of a county park. The class was scheduled for ten o’clock. I showed up about 15 minutes early and found a couple of students waiting outside an impressive fence with a chain, a serious padlock, and a large, forbidding No Trespassing sign. notrespass

No problem; we were early. We chatted on; more students came. Minutes passed. No one showed up to let us in. A couple of delivery people came by in trucks and left when they realized there was no entry. We made a few calls with our cells—first to my contact at the school, who suggested I call the park police, who suggested I call the city police, who suggested I call my contact at the school, and so on.

The boring part of the story is that eventually someone came to let us in.

The interesting part happened while we were waiting.

A young woman pulled up in a low red sports car. She got out and addressed us. “I have to get in there,” she said. “I was at a wedding in the park last night and I left my purse.”

We shrugged and explained that there was nothing we could do until someone came with a key for the padlock.

She grunted, and thought a minute. The next thing we knew, she was scaling the fence, her long hair flying in the breeze. She plopped down on the other side and walked into the park. About 5 minutes later, she approached the fence again, from the inside, and climbed out.

In her hands were a purse, a pair of glittery sling backs, and a bra.

She gave us a wink, got in her car and drove off.

My writing students and I got a lot of mileage of the incident, creating many colorful back stories. We all agreed, however, that the most impressive thing was the young woman’s willingness to disregard the No Trespassing sign and its warning of a heavy fine.

For me, the physical difficulty of scaling a fence pales in comparison to the mental and psychological difficulty of disobeying a sign.

Maybe that’s why I write fiction—to break laws vicariously!

Would you have climbed that fence?

Case #2. Disregard This Announcement!

Waiting for a train in an underground San Francisco transit station, I sat next to two 20-something women slurping cold coffee drinks from a Starbucks cup. Between them was a bag of Mrs. Field’s cookie bites. They were happy snackers, chatting away, in English (you’ll see why that’s important in a minute).

Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say there were first-timers on BART and didn’t know the rules: NO food or drink allowed in BART stations or on trains.

Then it’s a good thing there are signs with the information repeated in a scrolling message overhead.

Let’s give them another chance and say they didn’t lift their heads to read the message.

Then it’s a good thing a loud warning announcement came over the PA system, every 2 minutes or so, interrupting their conversation: Eating or drinking in a BART station can result in a fine of up to $250.

Wow! $250. I started to get nervous for the girls. I looked over and one caught my eye and gave me a friendly, relaxed smile. In other words, fully aware of the rules they were breaking, what the girls weren’t breaking was a sweat.

I scooted away from them, lest the BART police think I was with these lawbreakers.

I’ll jump ahead to the end of the story: Nothing bad happened to the young women, who carried their food and drink onto a train. As far as I know they reached their destination, escaping any punishment.

I’m not sure how hungry or thirsty I’d have to be to take food or drink down to the BART station. Starving? Dehydrated? Even at an age when I could easily claim exigent senior citizen circumstances, I couldn’t do it.

I’m envious. It’s not about the BART rule, or the No Trespassing rule in Case #1; it’s about any rule. I just can’t break them. (Note that I’m holding a slide RULE in the photo.)

Criticism is levied against cozy mysteries because their amateur sleuths often do foolish things, unlawful even, while investigating murders.

But isn’t that what fiction is for? Someone has to live an exciting rule-breaking life for us.

Do you follow even the smallest rule, or would you make a good amateur sleuth?

Excellent post! I am just like you! Thank you so much for visiting today!!

About This Author

Camille Minichino, a retired physicist turned writer, has published 17 mysteries in three series: The Periodic Table Mysteries, The Miniature Mysteries (as Margaret Grace) and The Professor Sophie Knowles Mysteries (as Ada Madison). Soon, every aspect of her life will be a mystery series. She’s also written short stories and articles for popular magazines and teaches writing and science in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Function of Murder

A Function of Murder
(Professor Sophie Knowles Mystery)
3rd in Series
Cozy Mystery
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
The Berkley Publishing Group (December 31, 2012)
Published by The Penguin Group
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425251751
E-Book File Size: 613 KB
ASIN: B0095ZMIEM
Cover Illustration by Lisa French
Cover Design by Lesley Worrell

Math Professor Sophie Knowles is looking forward to some time off as this year’s class graduates, but things do not go as planned. The graduates are complaining about the mayor who gave the commencement address, one student is upset about her grade and vents on social media, and just when she is about to escape all of the drama to take a stroll with her helicopter pilot boyfriend things go horribly wrong. They are interrupted by the mayor himself as he falls into the fountain with a knife in his back. Sophie is shocked to find out the mayor was seeking her out for help before he was killed. Solving this murder in’t going to be easy but Sophie is ready to show her work as she tries delve into all the scandal and corruption that seems to connect to the mayor and find out how she fits into this criminal equation.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Sophie is such a fun protagonist. She really doesn’t want to get all wrapped up in a murder investigation but she just can’t help herself. Her boyfriend does his best to keep her safe but they can’t be together 24/7. Thankfully she has a great relationship with Detective Virgil Mitchell. The killer really surprised me. I figured it out at the same time Sophie did. It was a puzzler with quite a suspenseful ending.

The subplot of the student that is unhappy with her grades was wonderful. I am sure teachers near and far deal with this problem. With social media the student can take their issue to the masses making resolution difficult especially when “friends” take the problem to a whole new level.

Ada Madison has written three marvelous main characters, surrounded them with a group of very interesting individuals in a setting ripe for mystery. Add it all together and A Function of Murder equals an absolutely impressive whodunit.

a perfect escape

5 STARFISH

Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

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Camille has made the giveaway today SPECTACULAR!!

In addition to the 2 books I am giving away
thanks to the wonderful people at Berkley Prime Crime -

She is giving away 3 additional copies with bookmarks and rulers!!!

THAT’S A TOTAL OF 5 COPIES!!!

U.S. AND CANADA ONLY

To enter you must leave a comment below
answering Camille’s question:

Do you follow even the smallest rule, or would you make a good amateur sleuth?

Plus fill out the entry form found here!

Winners will be chosen by Random.org
Winners will be notified by email and
will be posted in the sidebar of this blog.
Entries without a comment will be disqualified!
Contest Will End January 23 at 11:59 p.m. CST

85941 Cruisin 2013 2013where are you reading readalattechallenge_zps01d248d0

Cozy Wednesday With Author Heather Blake (Giveaway too!)

Cozy Wednesday, Giveaways, Guest Posts, Reviews 2012 84 Responses »

Aug 222012

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!

We all have our favorite genres and those we tend to avoid. For me I avoid anything with aliens, vampires, werewolves or zombies. Witches and ghosts also used to be included on that list. Paranormal stuff just wasn’t my “cup of tea”. But thanks to authors like Heather Blake I have changed my mind. I am one of those people she talks about in her post below. Maybe you are too!

Hi Heather!

Hi Everyone!

Enchanted

I knew that when I started writing the Wishcraft mysteries that some of my readers wouldn’t be as enchanted with them as I was. Mostly because of the content—after all, the stories center around witches, and some people just don’t do witches—as I heard discouragingly time and again.

I understand, I really do. I was in their position recently with Meg Cabot’s vampire series. I don’t particularly care for vampire books, but I love Meg Cabot’s books and her writing, so I gave the vampires a try. The result? I loved them. Lesson learned. I’d never let a stereotype dissuade me.

So my response to my readers? Give my books a try. Especially if you’ve read and enjoyed my other novels, give this series a chance. Trust me as an author, and trust my writing enough to deliver a satisfying story.

Most did. The result? They were…enchanted.

Why?

Because my books are all about the characters. Darcy, who stars in the Wishcraft mysteries, is just a woman trying to figure out who she is and how she belongs. She’s had more downs than ups, but she’s strong and willing to fight for what’s right. She’s relatable and flawed. And she just happens to be a witch.

Then there’s one of her sidekicks, the town historian with a long history, big talent as a clothing designer, a cranky disposition, and a penchant for biting. He’s also a mouse—something easy to forget as one gets wrapped up in the story.

The characters are unique and lovable, fun and endearing. They become…friends.

So for all of you who are on the fence about reading a “witch” book…give it a shot.

Maybe you’ll be enchanted, too.

~Heather

I have definitely been enchanted by these stories! Heather, I hope you come back again to visit soon!!

A Witch Before Dying:
A Wishcraft Mystery
2nd in Series
An Obsidian Mystery
Published by New American Library (August 7, 2012)
A Division of the Penguin Group
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451237637
Cover Illustration by Bella Pilar

Darcy Merriweather is a wishcrafter who can grant wishes for anyone but herself. She works for her Aunt Ve’s personal concierge service, As You Wish.

Aunt Ve is feeling a bit under the weather plus she is trying to plan her wedding. Darcy is trying to help her but she also takes on Elodie Keaton as a new client.

Elodie’s mother has been missing for so long Elodie realizes that she can no longer afford to pay all the bills and keep her mother’s house. Her mother was a bit of a hoarder and Elodie hires Darcy to clean out the house so she can list it for sale. The motto of As You Wish is “No Job Impossible” but this house is close to impossible. Darcy just starts to make a little headway through the piles of boxes, newspapers and other “treasures” when she makes a disturbing discovery. She finds Elodie’s mother’s body buried under all the chaos.

It has been over a year since Patrice Keaton was seen. She disappeared shortly after an argument with her charmcrafter boyfriend. Darcy is determined to figure out just how Patrice ended up being part of her own collection. Was she killed in a fit of jealousy? Or was she killed because she had something someone else wanted? Darcy knows she doesn’t have much time and while she can’t grant her own wishes she has to make sure the wrong person’s wishes don’t come true.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
I am definitely enchanted by this story and its characters! Darcy, Ve, Nick and Mimi will wish their way right into your heart.

Blake has crafted characters that not only include some delightful witches but the familiars are absolutely charming! Archie and Pepe had me in stitches. Easy for Pepe as he’s a tailor who also happens to be a mouse. Archie is a parrot that can quote a line from almost any movie. Archie has a unique run in with a very large dog that had me giggling out loud and reading the snippet to everyone I could.

The story has a really fairy tale feel. As Pepe was sewing away I was picturing the mice in Cinderella as they granted her wishes. Heather Blake wraps her fairy tale with a bewitching mystery, snappy dialogue, and a bit of romance in a truly Enchanted Village.

A magical story to escape into today. It is a fun, lighthearted read that I know you will enjoy. Watch for the next book in this series, The Good, the Bad and the Witchy: A Wishcraft Mystery hitting shelves in April 2013.

Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

Would you like to win a copy of this wonderful book?

Thanks to the people at Penguin
I have 2 copies to giveaway!!

U.S. and CANADIAN RESIDENTS
You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find
something you like here and become a follower.

Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Liking My Facebook Fan Page.

Leave a comment for Heather for 5 Bonus Entries !

If you publicize the giveaway anywhere you will receive
5 Bonus Entries For Each Link.

Contest Will End September 5, 2012 at 11:59 PM CST
Winners Will Be Chosen By Random.org
Winners Will Be Notified By Email
and Will Be Posted Here In The Sidebar.

CLICK HERE FOR GIVEAWAY ENTRY FORM

Review: Sour Apples by Sheila Connolly

Reviews 2012 2 Responses »

Aug 212012

Sour Apples
(An Orchard Mystery)
6th in Series
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
The Berkley Publishing Company
Published by The Penguin Group (August 7, 2012)
Cozy Mystery
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages ISBN-13: 978-0425251508
Cover Illustration by Mary Ann Lasher
Cover Design by Annette Fiore Defex
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Meg Corey has settled in nicely in Granford and her future looks bright with her orchard a success and even expanding. She has made many new friends and her relationship with Seth Chapin is growing as well as her apples.

Then Meg’s friend Lauren blows into town. She has left the bank and is now running the congressional campaign for a former football star from Granford. Seth has some reservations about the candidate and his campaign but there is no time to delve into those details as a local dairy farmer, Joyce Truesdell is found dead. It is first ruled accidental as she was thought to have been kicked my one of her cows, but the autopsy shows that fatal blow came not from a hoof but from a weapon of some sort.

The husband is pegged as the prime suspect but Meg thinks someone else may have had a beef with the dairy farmer. She intends to milk everyone she can think of for clues to finding the real culprit without churning too much attention her way.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
This book is a bestseller for a reason. The entire series in extraordinary. Each book picks up almost where the last one left off so you feel as if you never left Granford or missed any detail.

The plot of the story is clever and timely as the entire nation is a hotbed of politics right now and environmental issues have been in the news for years.

The characters have become friends and and you just want to see them succeed and grow. Meg is a feisty protagonist that can admit when she is wrong and fight for what she knows is right. Her life took a very unexpected turn when she came to town to take over the orchard but her life has bloomed in Granford. With Bree by her side helping to managing the orchard and Seth at the ready for anything Meg needs, her life is and will continue to be very fruitful.

Connolly plants the seeds allowing the clues to unfold at a perfect pace. The readers are treated to a juicy and appealing mystery. The recipes, apple and orchard tips are the ala-mode to a tart and tasty pie of a story. I cannot wait to bite into the next orchard mystery.

Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

About This Author

Sheila writes the Orchard Mysteries and the Museum Mysteries and Buried In a Bog (A County Cork Mystery)comes out February 5, 2013. To find out more about Sheila visit her webpage at http://sheilaconnolly.com

Review: Gone by Cathi Hanauer

Reviews 2012 3 Responses »

Jul 202012

Gone: A Novel
Atria Books
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Published June 19, 2012

Eve Adams has worked part-time and taken care of her children while supporting her husband the sculptor. He has had some success in the past but now seems to be in a creative slump. Eve has taken her knowledge of food and written a book and counsels people how to eat healthy and lose weight. Her business is growing, the book goes into a second printing. Her husband, Eric. takes her out to celebrate. She thought the evening went fine until her husband leaves to take home the sitter and disappears.

She has no idea where he went or what is going on but the sitter is missing too. She needs to take care of the kids, the house and the bills and wait to her from her husband. Is he gone forever?

Dollycas’s Thoughts

The characters in this story were very interesting. For the most part real and each with their own set of flaws. The one thing that bothered me about this book was passivity of the wife. I understand staying strong for your kids, being scared for the future, and not wanting people to know your husband left you but I felt she needed to put more effort into what was really going on, especially after the husband contacted their daughter. She took on the whole load herself including their quickly emptying checkbook.

I wanted to hate Eric for just running away but he was definitely suffering from a major case of depression. I felt terrible for the kids and Eve had her hands full with a teenager trying to make the most of her father’s absence by putting herself into some dangerous situations and a son just trying to understand why his dad left.

This is a story of family dynamics, trying to balance everything, work, kids, family, marriage and life in general. The ending was just too easy for me. This was a major upheaval in this marriage and the reactions of all the characters just seemed off.

The characters may not have acted in the way I wanted but this was still a good story of a very complicated life circumstances. I think that is what the author was going for, unexpected reactions by the characters. Otherwise this book would be like thousands of others. Written this way it creates conflict for the reader which got us involved in the story. You are actually upset with the way things are playing out and the pages keep turning.

Yes, I am a bit conflicted. This is not a story that I am going to scream and shout that you must read but it still a worthy read. It may be a good group read because I think it would prompt healthy discussion. Sometimes we need a story like this to shake up our views a bit.

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About This Author

Cathi Hanauer is the author of the novels My Sister’s Bones and Sweet Ruin and the editor of the New York Times bestselling essay anthology The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth About Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage. Her articles, essays, and/or criticism have appeared in The New York Times, Elle, O, The Oprah Magazine, Glamour, Self, Parenting, Whole Living, and other magazines. She lives with her family in western Massachusetts. Visit her online at CathiHanauer.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand

Reviews 2012 4 Responses »

Jun 302012

Summerland: A Novel
Reagan Arthur Books
Little Brown & Company
Hachette Book Group
Available Now

It’s graduation day at Nantucket High. On the warm June evening the parties have moved to a bonfire at the beach. Four teens decide to leave the party and tragedy strikes when the driver of the Jeep floors the gas pedal and the vehicle goes airborne then comes to rest on a beach. Penny Alistair is dead, her twin brother Hobby is in a coma with 16 broken bones. Penny’s boyfriend, Jake and their friend Demeter are unhurt physically. They had on their seat belts. They are so many questions and the survivors will continue to be haunted by what happened.

Zoe, Penny and Hobby’s mother has raised these kids alone. She would be called a “free spirit” who raised two wonderful and talented children. Hobby was a star athlete and Penny had the voce of an angel. How can she survive without her daughter and does she have enough strength to help Hobby recover?

The summer is spent trying to figure out why the accident happened and parents doing everything they can to protect their children. For some that means really seeing their children for the first time in years and realizing they have not been the parent their children needed them to be. They key to understanding the accident means finding out what happened at that bonfire. Will all the secrets be revealed?

Dollycas’s Thoughts
Told from several points of view this story gives honest portrayal of lives changed in a split second. For one there is no turning back but for the rest of individuals involved it is a chance to make better choices, to reach out for help, to reflect, to be honest with themselves, and to try to move forward in a better direction.

There is so much happening in this story. The characters and the situations they find themselves in are very complex. It reads almost like a mystery as you follow the clues to try to figure out what happened in the dunes on the beach and what made certain characters fall so far. Emotions run the gambit as we try to empathize with each and every character.

This is a wonderful beach read but not my favorite my this author. Silver Girl still holds that spot. Just one note to the author, people can be paralyzed side to side. My right side is paralyzed, but not the left.

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About the Author*
Elin Hilderbrand: novelist, mother of three, sports enthusiast, avid fan of Bruce Springsteen, Veuve Clicquot, and four-inch heels. She sits on the Board of Directors at the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club and Nantucket Little League. Her resting pulse is 65.

*From Amazon.com

Review: Summer Breeze by Nancy Thayer

Reviews 2012 3 Responses »

Jun 142012

Summer Breeze: A Novel
Ballantine Books
An Imprint of Random House Publishing Group
Released June 5, 2012

Welcome to Summer at Dragonfly Lake.

Bella Barnaby has come home to help her mom out. She has broken her leg and needs Bella’s help to run her little store Barnaby’s Barn. While there she starts to imagine a different course for both the store and her life.

Natalie Reynolds has dreams of becoming a successful artist but can’t succeed in New York working as a waitress and taking classes only when she has the money. She decides to take her aunt up on her offer to house sit at her lakeside home. More than her creative dreams start to come true at the lake.

Morgan O’Keefe sets her career aside to follow her husband as he takes a very high powered job. She thinks being a stay at home mom for her son will make will occupy all her time but she soon is missing her job and thrill her work brought to her life. She really needs a change.

These women quickly become friends and life on Dragonfly Lakes fills with love, temptation, discovery and change. As friends they are there for each other as they see all their lives turn to take very different paths.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
The setting for this book sounds absolutely gorgeous. The characters are good and developed. The plot was the real problem for me. The friendships were strong but everything just happened so fast. In the course of just one summer everyone in the book made life changing decisions and in the end everything was tied up with a nice big bow.

I don’t want to give too much away and spoil the story but it was all too unbelievable.

This is the first book by this author that really fell flat for me. It just didn’t have that thing that her other books have that grab you and make you interested in the characters. Maybe my expectations for her work are just too high. It is well written but just doesn’t have that “pop” that is should have.

A light summer beach read but very predictable. Definitely not one of Nancy Thayer’s best efforts.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Amazon Vine. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Cozy Wednesday with Sally Goldenbaum – Road Trip! (Giveaway too!)

Cozy Wednesday, Giveaways, Not Enough Books Cozy Mystery Challenge, Reviews 2012, Wisconsin Author 39 Responses »

May 022012

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!

Today I am thrilled to welcome Sally Goldenbaum back to my blog whatever the name may be. Sally has been with me since the beginning. She no longer calls Wisconsin home but she grew up here and that makes her a Wisconsin Author. More importantly she is my friend and she writes wonderful stories for you and I to “escape into”. I look forward to every visit to Sea Harbor to catch up with the Seaside Knitters. I also look forward to Sally’s visits. Today we are taking a virtual road trip, hang on tight!!

Hi Sally!!

Hi Everyone!

Visiting “Dollycas’s Thoughts” is like settling down in a warm, comfortable place with readers, writers, friends, and wonderful books. A joy.

It’s a lot like the place where I write, so I thought I’d share that place with you today, invite you to sit a spell, to feel the breeze, sip a glass of wine or tea.

First, in the interest of full disclosure, I don’t write in this place when winter comes and snow makes its way through the screens. On those days I move to a coffee shop, to the library, or to my friend Nancy’s office. But when it’s spring and the robins beckon, I answer their call. And here’s where I land—

On my writing porch. Welcome!

It’s small and square with an old cabinet built into one corner, crammed with books. The chairs are casual and worn and the couch is the perfect length to stretch out on between chapters. It even has its own special breeze, one that moves through the space on warm Kansas days and whispers, ‘Stay. Be still. Write.’

Each spring I fill buckets with soapy water and head out to clean the wide ceiling fan. Next come the screens and the walls, dreary with winter dust. The cushions are washed, the chairs wiped off, the small refrigerator filled with writer’s tonics—water, diet coke, iced tea.

It’s not a homey office or a kitchen table (where I wrote when my kids were little) but a breezy, comfortable writing space that suits me just fine. It’s where I sit and imagine the people of Sea Harbor. It’s where I got to know Finnegan, the old fisherman who both helps—and hinders—Cass’ life in A Fatal Fleece. It’s where I met the skeleton in Birdie’s closet who became so important to the knitters in A Fatal Fleece.

It isn’t only the seaside knitters and their friends who share this space with me. My writing companion, Nancy Pickard (The Scent of Rain and Lightning), often wanders in with her black Mac in hand and settles into the wicker chair across the porch from me.

We write our own separate books, but share the porch and the writing vibes (not to mention those elusive muses, when they show up). Especially we share a kindred spirit and sensibility. Another person who knows that sitting at a computer isn’t always easy. That cleaning an oven or walking in a freezing rain or going to Target sometimes sounds devastatingly attractive.

But no, it’s time to write, our presence says to one another. And so we stay put. Without a single word passing our lips, we shout to the other: I’m sitting here on this lovely porch writing. Don’t you think you should be, too?

The rule of our writing porch is simple: Quiet. Authors at work. And mostly that’s what we do, saving news updates, Words for Friends, and gossip for later, pausing only for water or coffee or diet Coke refills.

Sometimes, though, we take breaks and walk around the yard to talk about the perfect murder or red herrings or why a plot is suddenly falling apart. Then back to the porch and the hum of the fan, to pages begging for words and resolution. But all days come to an end, and often our end is marked with cheese and crackers, a glass of wine, a little time to celebrate the people living in our books, the way a plot unfolds or a murder is solved. The joy of having written.

Sometimes.

And sometimes we simply sink deep into the cushions and wonder why our brains hurt.

But there’s always another day. And on those other days, wondrous writing things can happen, like Finnegan the fisherman telling me what he was all about in A Fatal Fleece, and Izzy’s perfect wedding in The Wedding Shawl unfolding so nicely it made me cry.

Some days when I sit out here, my mind wanders to days before the porch gave birth to The Wedding Shawl or A Fatal Fleece and Nancy’s The Scent of Rain and Lightning. It’s always been a special place in our family’s life. Sometimes I think it’s why we bought this house 30 years ago. It’s where we gathered to welcome grandbaby Julian home from the hospital, and where we introduced a new daughter-in-law from California to the rest of the family.

It’s where these amazing grandchildren play and eat and laugh.

The porch has hosted baby showers and birthday parties, bridesmaids’ luncheons and family reunions—and it’s where our daughter and her fiancé looked out over the yard one summer day and planned a wedding ceremony—right back there beneath the trees. The same backyard wedding that inspired my favorite scene in The Wedding Shawl (available this month in paperback!). The porch. It’s where we go. Where our family gathers.
Where memories—and books—are born.

I’m glad you came for a visit. Come back soon! And a huge thanks to Lori for planning our visit.

[Note: a few parts of my porch essay previously appeared in an online magazine, ShelterPop.]

~Sally

Sally Goldenbaum is the national bestselling author of the Seaside Knitters Mystery Series and twenty-five other novels. Her most recent mystery, A Fatal Fleece, was released May 1st and The Wedding Shawl was released in paperback the same day. Sally lives in Kansas, far from the sea, but her porch, like a magic carpet, transports her to far-away places where mysteries dwell and Sirens sing.

Visit her online at sallygoldenbaum.com

Thank you Sally for inviting us to drop by! I don’t know about anyone else but I need to pick up Nancy’s latest book too. Some wonderful novels have been written on that beautiful porch!

A Fatal Fleece:
A Seaside Knitters Mystery
6th in series
An Obsidian Mystery
Published by New American Library
A Division of The Penguin Group

There’s someone new in Sea Harbor!! Gabby is a granddaughter Birdie didn’t know she had. Joe Marietti found out about his son shortly before he died but knew nothing about Gabby. Her great-uncle Nick has brought her to Sea Harbor for a visit. She is a very intuitive little lady and quickly makes friends with almost the entire town. She even starts a new trend.

Gabby makes friends with Finnegan, an old fisherman that has become quite a recluse since his wife passed away. Before Gabby he was only close to lobsterwoman Cass Halloran and her mom. Cass tried to brighten up his life and wardrobe by making him a bright yellow fleece vest. He loved it. The property he owns has become quite the scene of disrepair and many people are trying to get him to sell it. He has refused all offers.

The whole town is in shock when Cass finds the old man dead. She immediately becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Her friends know Cass would never hurt a soul. Now they just have to prove it. It may not be easy because they have a ten year old who wants to help and they all need to keep her safe.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

The friendships that bind the people of Sea Harbor together are what makes reading this story and the rest of this series pure pleasure. They stick together in good times and bad, have each others back, and get together each and every week for dinner, discussion, and dissection of the current crime that needs to be solved.

Finnegan was not part of the core group of characters that got together for the weekly feast, (yes they are feasts, these people cook up some scrumptious food,) but I quickly felt for him as he was grieving all that he had lost. Gabby reaching out to him was so perfect. It is amazing how kids can do things adults just can’t do.

Part of the charm of the Seaside Knitters Mysteries is the setting of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts and the way Sally describes it perfectly. The pictures are so clear in your mind that you feel like you are walking down the streets, pulling weeds in the garden, sitting in Izzy’s yarn studio knitting or crocheting your latest project, or enjoying a glass of wine with some friends.

You do not need to be a knitter or even the least bit crafty to enjoy these mysteries. The plots are riveting, the characters are real and the setting is rich. I enjoy each trip to Sea Harbor and know you will too!

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Would you like to win a copy of Sally’s new book?
Thanks to the people at Penguin
I have 2 copies to giveaway!!
Plus I have 1 copy of The Wedding Shawl to give away too!!

U.S. and CANADIAN RESIDENTS
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something you like here and become a follower.

Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Liking My Facebook Fan Page.

Leave a comment for Sally for 5 Bonus Entries !

If you publicize the giveaway anywhere you will receive
5 Bonus Entries For Each Link.

Contest Will End May 16, 2012 at 11:59 PM CST
Winners Will Be Chosen By Random.org
Winners Will Be Notified By Email
and Will Be Posted Here.