THE LITTLE SHOP of MURDERS (COLLECTED COZY MYSTERIES)
By Millie Ravensworth, ACF Bookens, Geraldine Byrne, Rachel McLean, Diane Kelly, Nikki Knight, London Lovett, Lise McClendon, Flora McGowan, Kathryn Mykel, J. New, Eryn Scott, Debbie Young, Victoria Tait, Carlene O’Connor
It is my pleasure to welcome Debbie Young
to Escape With Dollycas today!
Why I Nominated Read for Good as a Charity to Benefit from
“The Little Shop of Murders”
by Debbie Young
When the editors of The Little Shop of Murders asked its authors to suggest children’s charities to benefit from the book’s profits, I had no hesitation in putting forward Read for Good. This wonderful charity does great work across the UK bringing the love of books and reading to children and young people in all sociodemographic groups via schools, hospitals and other settings.
Read for Good’s prime purpose is to motivate children to read for pleasure because reading changes lives. Habitual reading offers many proven benefits that last lifelong, such as:
- Greater academic achievement
- More successful careers
- Better word power and vocabulary
- Stronger social skills
- Happier interpersonal relationships
I was lucky enough to work part-time for Read for Good for three years, just after I’d left my last full-time job to give myself more time for writing. It was a joy to work for an organisation that so valued books and reading, and what I learned there made me all the more determined to write books of my own and to promote reading to adults as well as to children. It’s one reason why I went on to found an accessible, affordable literature festival in my village.
The experience also made me aware of how privileged I had been as a child to have constant access to books and libraries, and to have parents who encouraged me to read for pleasure. I also realised for the first time how difficult it is for children in hospital to get access to a good supply of books, not least because infection control makes it impossible to share books or accept donations of second-hand books.
Read for Good’s work focuses on two key settings, schools and hospitals, but it also reaches out to other community groups and organisations.
For schools, Read for Good provides first-class resources, entirely free of charge. These resources help teachers run a sponsored reading for pleasure programme, Readathon®, that enthuse children to read for pleasure. It’s an important principle of Read for Good that children should choose to read whatever they enjoy – a refreshing change from prescribed reading curricula and books set for exams! By taking part in sponsored reads, young readers earn new books for their school libraries, and they also raise money to help children in hospital via Read for Good’s hospital programme.
Read for Good’s hospital programme provides new books and storytellers to all major children’s hospitals in the country, all year round. They supply colourful mobile bookcases to be taken around the wards and treatment areas, and they keep these trollies stocked with a huge selection of brand-new books, allowing poorly children to escape into stories. They also send professional storytellers on regular hospital tours, brightening the days of young patients, parents, carers and staff with welcome distraction and entertainment.
Any medical or community setting may also apply for one of Read for Good’s Brilliant Boxes of Books to provide young readers with access to appealing, modern reading matter to ignite their enthusiasm.
I left my job at Read for Good ten years ago to write full time. Since then, it’s grown and diversified, coping admirably with disruptions such as Covid and political and economic changes. The charity continues to be innovative, thoughtful, and thorough, and I’m bowled over by how much its relatively small but dedicated team achieves.
To find out more about the how Read for Good is improving the lives and futures of children and young people all over the country, visit its website at www.readforgood.org – and prepare to be amazed.
© Debbie Young 2023
Debbie, thank you so much for visiting today and sharing this wonderful charity with us!
Keep reading for more info on this anthology!
About The Little Shop of Murders
The Little Shop of Murders (Collected Cozy Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery Anthology
Pigeon Park Press (April 1, 2023)
Number of Pages – 260
ASIN : B0BVG2LM9H
Book shops, boutiques and small businesses are the lifeblood of small towns but what secrets lie behind those pretty display windows and in the alleyways behind these charming streets?
Step inside for a personal retail experience like no other!
‘The Little Shop of Murders’ collects together fifteen superb cozy mysteries written by some of the finest authors in the genre.
All author and publisher profits from the sale of this book go to children’s charities, helping those most in need.
Stories include:
Don’t Toy with Me by Diane Kelly
A Man With No Imagination by Millie Ravensworth
The Forget-Me-Not Antiques Mystery by Victoria Tait
It Was Our Song by Nikki Knight
Always and Furever by Eryn Scott
Wild Irish Dreams by Lise McClendon
Architect of a Murder by Carlene O’Connor
Blooms and Blackmail by London Lovett
Secondhand Murder by J. New
The Lady of the House by Flora McGowan
Requiem for a Violin by Geraldine Byrne
Nightly Nuisance by Kathryn Mykel
The Gift of Dragons by ACF Bookens
Nowhere to Hide by Debbie Young
Murder in the Bookshop by Rachel McLean
About the Authors
Debbie Young – Featured Author Today
Debbie Young writes two popular cozy mystery series featuring Sophie Sayers, set in a Cotswold village, and Gemma Lamb, set at a girls’ boarding school. One book in each series was shortlisted for the Bookbrunch Selfies Awards for the best independently-published fiction in the UK. She is founder of the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, UK Ambassador for the Alliance of Independent Authors, and a course tutor for Jericho Writers. She writes in the Plotting Shed at the bottom of her cottage garden. Her novels are now published by Boldwood Books and she is represented by the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.
Here’s the Amazon UK link for the whole series (the 8th book is up for preorder and will be published on 15th March): https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BGQHG246?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks
Website: www.authordebbieyoung.com
Facebook: @AuthorDebbieYoung
Twitter: @DebbieYoungBN
Instagram: @debbieyoungauthor
Also by Debbie Young
Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, UK, and never expected to travel the world. She’s drawn on her experiences following her military husband to write cozy murder mystery books with vivid and evocative settings. Her determined female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and you’ll experience surprises, humour and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.
Link to My Dotty Sayers series:– https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TMJFL7L
Carlene O’Connor is the USA Today bestselling author of The Irish Village Mysteries, Home to Ireland Mysteries, and the new County Kerry Mystery series. Her mysteries have been translated into German, Estonia, and UK markets thus far and the Irish Village Mysteries have been optioned for television. Readers are encouraged to get in touch via Facebook, Goodreads, Book Bub, or through the contact form on CarleneOConnor.net. An admitted wanderer, Carlene spends as much time in Ireland as possible while currently residing in California and Chicago. She is always up for joining events via Zoom or in person.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Carlene-OConnor/author/B01BJ1KOFY
Eryn Scott is the author of heartwarming cozy mysteries. Her Whiskers and Words cozy mystery series features deep friendships, strong families, a tight-knit small town, twisty mysteries, and a whole lot of adorable cats. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest with a handful of beloved animals. She enjoys knitting, hiking, skiing, horseback riding, and reading.
Link to my series: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LTWVPTG?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks
Flora McGowan is the author of the Carrie and Keith Mysteries, novels and short stories. Her stories combine a mix of mystery with the mystical and supernatural, often with an historical element as well as a touch of humour and a dash of romance. Flora was born in Dorset and has spent most, but not all, of her life there, and many of her stories are based in this locale. Flora enjoys travelling, taking inspiration from the places she visits. You can catch up with Flora via Goodreads, her blog, Facebook, Instagram or BookBub.
Flora McGowan on Amazon
Nikki Knight describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. An award-winning weekend anchor at New York City’s top all-news radio station, 1010 WINS, she writes mysteries including LIVE, LOCAL, AND DEAD, a Vermont Radio Mystery from Crooked Lane, and as Kathleen Marple Kalb, the Ella Shane and Old Stuff series. Her short stories appear online and in anthologies, and have been short-listed for Black Orchid Novella and Derringer Awards. She, her husband and son live in a Connecticut house owned by their cat.
Book link: Live, Local, and Dead (A Vermont Radio Mystery): Knight, Nikki: 9781643859453: Amazon.com: Books
Diane Kelly writes funny stories that feature feisty female lead characters and their furry, four-footed friends. Diane is the author of over three dozen novels and novellas, including the Death & Taxes white-collar crime series, the Paw Enforcement K-9 series, the House Flipper cozy mystery series, the Busted female motorcycle cop series, the Southern Homebrew moonshine series, and the Mountain Lodge Mysteries series. Find Diane online at DianeKelly.com, on Twitter and Instagram @DianeKellyBooks, and on Facebook at her Author Diane Kelly page.
Link to the first book in my House Flipper series – Dead as a Door Knocker: https://amzn.to/2oE3Epb
J. New is the author of The Yellow Cottage Vintage Mysteries. Immerse yourself in country house murders, dastardly deeds at English Church fetes, daring escapades in the French Riviera and the secret tunnels under London, in the award-winning series readers call, ‘Miss Marple’ meets ‘The Ghost Whisperer.’ She also writes two contemporary mystery series: Tea & Sympathy featuring Lilly Tweed, former Agony Aunt now purveyor of fine teas and Finch & Fischer with mobile librarian Penny Finch and her rescue dog Fischer at the helm. Jacquie lives in the North of England with her partner and an assortment of rescue animals.
London Lovett is a cozy mystery author and connoisseur of delicious baked goods.
Many readers have called her Port Danby Cozy Mystery series a ‘new favorite’. Port Danby features a small town florist with a powerful sense of smell. Lacey ‘Pink’ Pinkerton uses her impressive nose to help solve crimes as an amateur sleuth alongside her detective boyfriend, James Briggs. Blooms and Blackmail is a Port Danby short story.
You can keep up with London’s books and access some delicious recipes on her website: www.londonlovett.com
Link to Marigolds and Murder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075NB3B54
ACF Bookens lives in Virginia’s Southwestern Mountains with two hound dogs and a very energetic preschooler. When she’s not writing, she enjoys watching shows with teenagers who are way cooler than she ever was and cross-stitch. You can find her books at acfbookens.com
Link to my first book on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XVQDQ58/
Kathryn Mykel is the author of the Award-Winning Sewing Suspicion – A Quilting Cozy Mystery. Kathryn is inspired by the laugh-out-loud and fanciful aspects of cozies. Kathryn Mykel aims to write lighthearted, humorous cozies surrounding her passion for the craft of quilting. Born and raised in a small New England town—Kathryn is an avid quilter.
Sewing Suspicion – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HVC4K2N
Lise McClendon is the author of numerous novels of crime and suspense. Her bestselling Bennett Sisters Mysteries continue to charm readers worldwide. Her first mystery series was set in Jackson, Wyoming, featuring art dealer, Alix Thorssen. When not writing about foreign lands and dastardly criminals, Lise lives in Montana with her husband and has recently become a fan of sunny winters in the desert. She enjoys fly fishing, hiking, picking raspberries in the summer, and cross-country skiing in the winter. She has served on the national boards of directors of Mystery Writers of America and the International Association of Crime Writers/North America, as well as the faculty of the Jackson Hole Writers Conference.
Books: Bennett Sisters Mysteries: https://amzn.to/3Iyijt8. Alix Thorssen series: https://amzn.to/3W05kmY
Geraldine Moorkens Byrne is an Irish mystery writer, poet and educator. She lives with her family in Dublin where many of her stories are set, especially The Caroline Jordan series. When not dreaming up modern murder mysteries, she knits, crochets and teaches classes on Irish folk traditions. Until 2021 she owned Ireland’s oldest family owned music shop, the basis for “Requiem for a Violin.” Mrs. O’Brien and friends will return in their own series in 2023, The Music Shop Mysteries.
She also writes a magical cosy mystery series, The Old Bat Chronicles under the pen name Nina Hayes.
Geraldine Moorkens Byrne Author@celebratingwords.com Www.CelebratingWords.com
Millie Ravensworth has been writing (and sewing!) for years, and it seemed like a natural step to combine the two things in a series of cozy mysteries. She lives in England and has an adorable dog who likes to be at her side when she is sewing / writing, but he’d much rather she played fetch with his favourite toy!
Izzy King and Penny Slipper who appear in the story in this collection can also be found in the Cozy Craft Mystery books that are available to read now.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Millie-Ravensworth/e/B0BP2T4SV3/
Rachel McLean is an award-winning crime author who writes UK-based police procedurals. She is best known for the Dorset Crime series and the DI Zoe Finch series set in her home city of Birmingham. Book 1 in the Dorset Crime series, The Corfe Castle Murders, won the Kindle Storyteller Award 2021. Her new McBride and Tanner series is set around Loch Lomond in Scotland. Link to Zoe books: https://geni.us/zoefinch
A full bibliography and reading order can be found at rachelmclean.com/bibliography
Great Escapes Praise for
THE LITTLE SHOP of MURDERS
(COLLECTED COZY MYSTERIES)
THE LITTLE SHOP OF MURDERS is a good mix of cozy mystery short stories centered around shops and businesses in the US and UK.
~Cozy Up With Kathy
I recommend The Little Shop of Murders for fans of cozy mysteries. The stories would be great for reading on a trip, a subway commute, or in any setting where the reader has little bits of time for reading.
~View from the Birdhouse
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
April 3 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
April 3 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR GUEST POST
April 4 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
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April 5 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 5 – Nadaness In Motion – AUTHOR GUEST POST
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April 9 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
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April 11 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
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April 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
April 16 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
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What a wonderful program!
Great books! Great authors! Thanks for sharing!
I love it when you can read a book with stories from so many different authors in 1 book-thanks
Thank you so much for having me on your lovely blog, Dollycas, and huge thanks for helping me to spread the word about this fabulous charity.
LOVELY post, hon. I enjoyed all of it.