Come, Bitter Poison
by Monica Knightley
With a great story line this whodunit will not disappoint, You will be captivated until the end.
~Shelley’s Book Case
It’s no secret I love the theatre and am obsessed with all things Scottish. What you may not know is that my favorite playwright EVER is William Shakespeare. All three of them are in Come, Bitter Poison, so I was pretty stoked to begin with. Even better, the book lived up to its promise; I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and can’t wait to get back to Stratford-upon-Avondale!
~Back Porchervations
Come, Bitter Poison:
A Stratford Upon Avondale Mystery
2nd in Series
Cozy Mystery
Print Length: 177 pages
ASIN: B01E0R0KXA
Synopsis
Sexy film star. Long-held secrets. Murder by poison.
When international stage and film star Miles Elliot comes to Stratford Upon Avondale to play Macbeth, Maggie O’Flynn is thrilled. He’s been her actor crush for years. But when Miles ends up at the center of a murder investigation Maggie finds herself slipping back into the role of amateur sleuth. Before long many of her friends become suspects in not just one murder, but two. Maggie must discover who’s poisoning people associated with the Shakespeare Festival before one of her friends gets slapped with a murder charge. And she must do so while dodging paparazzi that are stalking her due to a supposed love affair she’s having with Miles Elliot.
With a bit of Shakespeare, copious amounts of tea, and a faux-English setting to rival anything the real England has to offer, COME, BITTER POISON
is the second book in THE STRATFORD UPON AVONDALE
mystery series. Though part of a series, COME, BITTER POISON
can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. Lovers of cozy mysteries will find a cozy home in Stratford Upon Avondale.
About The Author –
Monica Knightley began creating compelling characters and stories at the age of three, when she had a plethora of imaginary friends, all with complete backstories. Today any characters that come knocking on the door of her imagination find themselves in one of her mysteries, young adult novels, or paranormal romances.
When not fueling her reading addiction or writing her next book, Monica loves to travel with her husband—especially to England. A bit of England seems to make its way into most of her books. Must haves include a perfectly steeped cup of tea, and a good, bold red wine. She lives in Portland, Oregon where the frequent rainy weather is perfect for curling up with a good book and a cup of tea.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.monicaknightley.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monicaknightleyauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/monicaknightley
I Read What You Write is unable to post so I am adding her interview here.
After a lifetime of wanting to be an author I decided to start living my dream about four years ago. I’ve always been a voracious reader with eclectic tastes, and as a writer I tend to be eclectic as well, writing in multiple genres. I’ve written paranormal romance, young adult contemporary, and now my cozy mysteries. COME, BITTER POISON is the second in my Stratford Upon Avondale mystery series. Though it’s part of a series it can also be enjoyed as a standalone. Maggie O’Flynn, my sleuth, is a former nun turned steamy romance writer and tea room owner. She’s new to the faux-English village of Stratford Upon Avondale, known for it’s Shakespeare festival, and often finds herself somehow involved in murder cases. In this book her longtime actor crush comes to town to play Macbeth, and when he becomes a suspect in a murder she knows she has to help clear him. This series combines a few things I love: England, (though this is a village in the U.S. that has an English look), Shakespeare, and tea!
1. What does it mean to you to be called an author?
This is a wonderful question that I’ve only recently been able to wrap my head around. When I started writing, after all those years of wanting to write, I considered myself a writer, since I was writing, but not an author. Early on in the process I heard that a person was an author as soon as they shared their writing with someone else. I shared my writing with beta readers and critique partners, but still I refused to think of myself as an author. A traditional publisher published my first book. People bought it. People read it. But I still didn’t think of myself as an author. Somehow the word author connoted a particular standing that I didn’t believe I had achieved. Fast forward a few more books, both indie and traditionally published and NOW I feel like an author. This final step in this metamorphosis only occurred a few weeks ago, when I read a review from one of my readers who wrote, “Love this author!” All those years of wanting to be an author then the years of working at writing had just been validated. I think I knew I had achieved my dream with my first published book, but hearing it from someone else made the dream a reality.I love being an AUTHOR!
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I am most surprised by how immersed I become in my characters’ lives. It will sound crazy, but they come to life for me as I write. I know that when I’m a little old lady with dementia in a nursing home I’ll be talking about Maggie, or Claire, or Sean like they are real people. I’m sure this is true for all writers, but they must keep it a secret, because I’ve been surprised by this aspect of writing. I swear there are days when I don’t know my fictional friends from my real life ones. (I had an overactive imagination as a child, too!)
Who is your favorite character in the book you are sharing with us today?
I’m going to cheat and give more than one answer. Naturally, I have a special affection for Maggie O’Flynn, my protagonist. Being an ex-nun who’s now writing steamy romances is a paradox that is so much fun to work with. She is bright, upbeat, sassy, confident, kind, and charming. In other words, she’s someone I could be friends with. And it needs to be that way because Maggie and I spend a lot of time together! Her best friend and sidekick, Gina Mattucci, is a kick to write. Loud, brash, energetic to a fault, and a bit naughty, Gina is the person I’d go to Happy Hour with. The two of them keep me well entertained!
What would your dream library look like?
My dream library would look like the one at Hogwarts, in Harry Potter. I’ve been to a few libraries in English and Irish colleges that looked very much like the Hogwarts library. I can imagine spending full days exploring all of the literary treasures in them. It would be an enormous room with the high vaulted cathedral ceiling. From the center of the room you could see three floors all filled with dark wood bookcases stuffed with books. There would be quiet nooks with comfortable overstuffed chairs for reading and rows of tables with the little library lamps for examining old books. It would smell like hundreds of years of books.
16. What is your all time favorite book or author?
If I can only choose one, it would have to be PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen. I reread it regularly. Despite having been written over 200 years ago her humor is contemporary and always makes me laugh aloud when I read it. This is true of all of her books, and each one has a particular scene that gets me every time I read it. She was a master!
17. Name three fun facts about you or your work.Apart from writing and reading, what are your other hobbies or interests?
Much of my writing has been inspired by my favorite pastime, which is travel. I especially love England and have visited it many times and it tends to show up in just about everything I write. I don’t know how the fascination with that country started, but I’ve been obsessed with England since I was a young child. I love all travel, no matter the destination—I just love experiencing new places and cultures. Like a few of the characters in this book, I like to garden and make my yard a place that refreshes and renews me. I recently became a grandmother for the first time, and being Gamma is THE BEST THING EVER! I can’t get enough of my sweet granddaughter.
Purchase Link
Tour Participants
June 20 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, INTERVIEW No post – interview added above.
June 20 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
June 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
June 21 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
June 21 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 22 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 22 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW
June 23 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 23 – T’s Stuff – SPOTLIGHT
June 24 – Books Direct – GUEST POST
June 24 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 25 – Community Bookstop – INTERVIEW
June 25 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
June 26 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
June 26 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – SPOTLIGHT
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Sounds like a good read.
Can’t wait to read this!
Exciting read! Thanks.
I never had the imagination it takes to write anything. I can barely write a grocery list. My son has the creative gene. When he was little, I would have him tell me the story of the pictures he drew and I wrote them down and attached them to the back of the drawings. I saved them for him for when he has kids. They are so cute.
This book sounds like something I’d really enjoy reading, thank you for sharing!
A great interview thank you.
I love the sound of the book and the cover!
Sounds like a great read can’t wait to read this book.
Sounds like a great read.
Sounds like a great read.
I just finished MacDeath by Cindy Brown, so another take on this sounds like fun!!
Looking forward to reading. Sounds amazing.
Good interview – love the sound of this book – thanks for the giveaway!
Thank you for the comment, Maria. This interview made me THINK!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I like the cover too
I enjoyed the interview — thanks for being part of the book tour!
Hi Celia! I’m glad you liked the interview–thank you!
Thanks for including Monica Knightley’s interview and her book on your blog. I always enjoy finding information on new books and authors. robeader53@yahoo.com
I love to read books with secrets 🙂
Looking forward to this and visitin Stratford upon Avondale!
looks interesting
Thanks for the awesome giveaway
Congrats on the book release. I love cozy mysteries. And anything-Scotland, too! The blurb sounds interesting. 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway
This sounds like a fantastic cozy mystery. Thanks for the giveaway.
Looks like a great read