Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am so pleased to welcome Carol Ann Martin to Escape With Dollycas today!
Dear Reader,
You have no idea how thrilled I am to be here. All my life I’ve wanted to be an author, and here I am at last, sixty one years old and my first novel just coming out. This should be good news for all you wannabe authors out there. If I could do it, so can you. See? I’m the proof that it’s never too late.
There was a time when I thought I’d missed the boat, that I would never achieve my dream of being published. That was when a local author who was shortlisted for the governor general award (That’s a big deal in Canada.) insisted that age is good thing for a writer. The more life you’ve lived, the more you will have to write about. That was probably what gave me the courage to go for it, and give it my all. But what to write about?
I’d always loved murder mysteries, but at the same time I was tired of all the blood and gore in many of them. I was attracted to a gentler kind of murder mystery, more of the Miss Marple, or Jessica Fletcher type. I wrote a fun little manuscript and sent it out, fully expecting to get a few dozen rejections, but to my great surprise, I landed an agent on my first try. If somebody were to ask me what was the happiest day in my life? That day would be right up there. And then, a short time later, I was offered a three-book deal by Obsidian. My husband couldn’t get me off the chandelier for days. When I finally came down as set about writing, the Looming Murder Series was born.
What I wanted was to create characters that readers would want to get to know better, characters that they might want as friends in their own lives. The first novel in the series, introduces the main character Della Wright, a thirty-something brunette with a passion for weaving, high heels and fashion, and for snooping out clues. Della has just left a successful career as a business analyst to follow her dream of owning and operating her own weaving shop and studio. She has moved from Charlotte, to quaint Briar Hollow, a peaceful town at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. But, as it turns out, Briar Hollow is not quite as peaceful as she first imagined, because she soon stumbles upon the murdered body of a local business man.
Della’s main sidekick is long-time family-friend Matthew, who also happens to be a criminology professor. Della has feelings for Matthew, but she might have a better chance at capturing his interest if his mother wasn’t working so hard at bringing them together. I mean, really, what self-respecting man will let his mother choose his girlfriend?
Della’s best friend is the beautiful, tall, blonde, Jenny, who is convinced she can predict the future by reading tea leaves and tarot cards. Della only wishes Jenny would have warned her about some dangerous characters masquerading as upstanding citizens.
And last but not least, there is Winston, Matthew’s twenty-five pound French bulldog, who is completely taken with Della. At least one man in her life loves her, right? Too bad it’s Winnie and not Matthew.
My early readers tell me I’ve woven together a great little mystery with just the right amount of chuckles and shivers. I hope you’ll all agree.
All my best,
Carol Ann Martin
About This Author
Carol Ann Martin is a pen name for Monique Domovitch. She borrowed the name from her children, combining her daughter’s—Carole Ann—and her son’s—Martin. Monique lives with her physician husband and their three dogs. They divide their time between their homes in Canada and La Jolla.
Find out more here on her webpage.
Looming Murder:
A Weaving Mystery
A Brand New Series
Cozy Mystery
An Obsidian Mystery
Signet Eclipse (June 4, 2013)
Published by The Penguin Group
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451413604
E-Book File Size: 548 KB
ASIN: B009RYL36K
A LOOM WITH A VIEW
Della Wright jumped at a unique opportunity and has moved to Briar Hollow to open Dream Weavers. Her dream has always been to own a weaving studio. She is so excited when a half dozen people show up for her first class and some are already proficient weavers. She quickly learns that like every small town anywhere, people here love to gossip.
She sees a different side to her quiet, little, new hometown when she trips over a dead body and one of her new students becomes the prime suspect. With a little help from an old friend and a couple of new ones she finds herself weaving together clues to catch the a killer and try not to become their latest victim…
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I was very impressed with the debut of this series!
Funny Della has my mother or a mother just like mine. Until she died she called me at least once a day to offer “advice”. 🙂
The characters are a diverse group, teenager to retired, all with their own little quirks. Della seems to act first and think later, a quality I happen to like in a protagonist. Keeps the reader on their toes. Her relationships with the men in her life give a little Chick Lit vibe to this whodunit.
I was very drawn to Mercedes, a teenager that was practically dragged to the first weaving class. She grew by leaps and bounds in this first story. I can see her as an integral character as she continues to grow up and evolve.
The author has constructed a wonderful warp in the story for her to weft with characters and situations for many future mysteries. I can’t wait for my next escape to Briar Hollow.
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
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Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
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Contest Will End July 10, 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.”