Browse Category by Food Blogger Mystery Series
Food Blogger Mystery Series, New Releases

A CORPSE AT THE WITCHING HOUR

It’s release day for A CORPSE AT THE WITCHING HOUR, book six in the Food Blogger Mystery series and my thirteenth published book! Lucky 13.

I always have fun writing my books but this one was exceptionally fun because it takes place at Halloween and there’s a beautiful Victorian house that is rumored to be cursed. So. Much. Fun.

Hope Early has to contend with ghosts, a fatal curse, and a decades-old family secret to catch a killer in the new Food Blogger Mystery . . .

When her best friend’s Aunt Issy falls ill, food blogger Hope Early agrees to help him hand out Halloween candy at his aunt’s house, which is rumored to be cursed. A murder-suicide took place there a century ago, and legend has it that a woman has died there every twenty years since—on Halloween. Hope doesn’t really believe in curses or ghosts, but when all the trick-or-treaters are gone and she discovers a woman’s dead body on the front lawn, she wonders if the curse might be real after all.

Then Hope and her friend discover a cache of love letters linking the dead woman to Aunt Issy’s husband years ago, and Hope is certain they’ve uncovered the motive for murder—and the police are certain Aunt Issy is their main suspect. Determined to prove Issy’s innocence and nab the real culprit, Hope starts shaking other branches of the family tree. But she forgets that Halloween isn’t the only day people hide behind masks, and if she’s not careful, Hope will come face-to-face with a ghoulish fiend who’s not afraid to kill again . . .

Recipes included!

 

 

I have a favor to ask, after you read the book, please consider leaving a review of it at your preferred retailer’s website or on Goodreads or BookBub? Not sure how to write a review? Well, I have a post and a PDF that can help right here for you. Thank you!!!!

To get your copy of A CORPSE AT THE WITCHING HOUR : AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

 

Food Blogger Mysteries, Food Blogger Mystery Series

My Readers Top 3 Favorite Food Blogger Mysteries

In my March newsletter I asked my readers what their favorite Food Blogger mystery novel was and my inbox was overflowing with replies. To date, there are five Food Blogger mysteries released. They are THE UNINVITED CORPSE, THE HIDDEN CORPSE, THREE WIDOWS AND A CORPSE, THE CORPSE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO.

Reading each email I received, I started seeing that the most favorite books among my readers were mine also! Now, as an author, I do love every book I write but I can’t help but have favorites.

Today I’ll share with you the top three books and why they’re my faves.

THE UNINVITED CORPSE

This is the first book in the series and the first book I sold. It will always hold a special place in my heart. In this book, Hope Early is settling into her new life back in her hometown of Jefferson, CT. When her sister is accused of killing a rival real estate agent, Hope has no choice but to do a little of her own sleuthing to clear her sister.

As I wrote the first draft of this book, I created characters that I love and enjoy writing so much. Sally and Jane Merrifield are two characters that are a pure joy to write. There’s also Hope’s bestie, Drew Adams. When I plot out scenes that include the Merrifields with Hope and Drew, I know it’s going to be a great writing day. Then there’s Ethan Cahill, the police chief and longtime friend of Hope’s. They have a solid foundation and a mutual attraction.

Another character that was fun to create was Maretta Kingston. She’s such a sour person but she does love her hometown. Then there’s Elaine Whitcomb. What a hoot to write, especially the cooking lesson scene. There are so many more reasons why I love this book, but I don’t want to write…well a novel here. If you haven’t read THE UNINVITED CORPSE, I hope you’ll add it to your TBR.

Three Widows and A Corpse. Cozy Mystery. Culinary themed mystery.

THREE WIDOWS AND A CORPSE

All I had when I sat down to write this book was an idea about a scavenger hunt and three widows bickering with each other and all three under the suspicion of murder.

When I began outlining the book, the scene where the bigamist is found dead and his widows are there, was a scene I was so looking forward to writing. But, as the plotting continued, another scene when the widows show up at Hope’s house quickly became my most anticipated scene to write. This book was so much fun to write that I was a little sad when I typed, The End.

The Corpse Who Knew Too Much. Cozy Mystery. Culinary themed mystery.

THE CORPSE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

In this book, I loved connecting a twenty-year missing person’s case with a present-day murder. The book also includes a true crime podcast which gave me an opportunity to weave it into the story.

I felt as I was writing the book that there was a sinister vibe to it, not too much to make the story uncozy (yeah, that’s not a word, you understand what I’m talking about). For some reason, I think the killer reveal really underscored how we really don’t know people. Fun fact – my local library was used as the inspiration for the cover of the book.

To read more about the Food Blogger Mystery books click here and you’ll be directed to the series page.

If you haven’t tried the series yet, I hope you’ll give it a chance. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite book. Also, another Food Blogger mystery is coming this fall. More info on that will be coming soon.

If you have read the series, which book is your favorite?

Food Blogger Mysteries, Food Blogger Mystery Series, News & Events

Food Blogger Mysteries – The stories continue

I have big news! Ready for it?

There are going to be more Food Blogger mysteries!!!

In December, I signed a three book contract and I’m beyond thrilled! So much so, that I’m halfway through the first draft of Hope’s latest adventure. I don’t have a publication date yet, but what I can share now about the book is that the story revolves around Drew’s family. So. Much. Fun.

2022 has been a challenging, roller-coaster of a year. While things may have gone sideways, there have been blessings. I’m looking forward to this new year and writing more Food Blogger mysteries.

Food Blogger Mysteries, Food Blogger Mystery Series

Release Day Continues…

It’s a couple days after release day and it’s still all good! And a little bit crazy as I’m trying to juggle writing a new first draft, finalize a project for my agent and take care of life things. Oh, there’s also Connie. The weather is cool and she’s full of energy. There’s been a few games of tug of war with a sock between my work sessions.

Since Tuesday, I’ve received emails and messages and comments about THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO. I’m so grateful for all of them. There are also reviews being shared and I thought I’d share a few of them. Here’s one.

If you haven’t gotten your copy of THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO, no worries! It’s available at your favorite retailer.

Food Blogger Mysteries, Food Blogger Mystery Series, New Book Releases, New Releases, Uncategorized

THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO RELEASE

Well, it happened. THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO released yesterday. And like every other release day, it was a busy 24 hours. And I loved every minute of it. From answering reader emails, posting on social media, checking on my blog tour stops to doing a live Zoom event with five other amazing authors also celebrating book birthdays, I was all over the place. And I even got my car an oil change! Yep, the glamorous life of an author. 🙂

Yesterday was also National Neighbor’s Day. How fitting that the release of THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO fell on that day because Hope is dealing with a particularly cantankerous neighbor, Birdie Donovan. In fact, Birdie is circulating a petition to force Hope to move from their street. Now, this doesn’t sit well with Hope, who loves her neighborhood and her restored farmhouse. She’s not moving any time soon and she lets Birdie know just that. Unfortunately, that conversation happens in public and it’s captured on video, which goes viral. That’s pretty bad, right? Well, it gets worse for Hope. To find out how much more worse, you’ll need to pick up your own copy. 🙂

Yesterday I also got to celebrate my book’s birthday with five other cozy mystery authors and had the pleasure of joining in on a panel discussion about our books. To check out that video, click here to be directed to YouTube. And be sure to check out their books! Now’s the time to stock up on cozy reads.

Cozy mysteries are perfect for gift giving. Wouldn’t it be great to mark some gifts off your list?

HERE COMES THE FUDGE by Nancy Coco

Fudge shop owner Allie McMurphy never expected her maid of honor duties to include clearing the groom of murder . . .
 
THE BODY OF A CRIME
 
It’s late spring on picturesque Mackinac Island, Michigan.  Allie is prepping her Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop for the start of the tourist season and her best friend Jenn’s wedding. But when Jenn’s fiancé Shane, a crime scene investigator on the island, misses a dinner date, the two friends go looking for him. Led by Allie’s bichonpoo Mal into an alley, they come upon Shane standing over a body with a bloody knife in his hand. Shane won’t say what’s happened, just tells them to call 911. As the CSI is taken into custody by his colleagues, including Allie’s beau Rex Manning, the fudge maker vows to prove her friend’s fiancé is not a killer—before the ceremony turns into a jailhouse wedding . . .

MURDER OUTSIDE THE LINES by Krista Davis

Includes A Front and Back Cover for You to Color!

With Halloween just around the corner, the fall colors in Georgetown are brilliant. As manager of the Color Me Read bookstore, coloring book creator Florrie Fox has arranged for psychic author Hilda Rattenhorst to read from Spooktacular Ghost Stories. But the celebrity medium arrives for the event in hysterics, insisting she just saw a bare foot sticking out of a rolled-up carpet in a nearby alley. Is someone trying to sweep murder under the rug? Florrie calls in her policeman beau, Sergeant Eric Jonquille, but the carpet corpse has disappeared without a trace.
 
Then in the middle of her reading, Hilda chillingly declares that she feels the killer’s presence in the store. Is this a publicity stunt or a genuine psychic episode? It seems there’s no happy medium. When a local bibliophile is soon discovered missing, a strange mystery begins to unroll. Now it’s up to Florrie and Jonquille to expose a killer’s true colors . . .

MURDER AT THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKE OFF by Darci Hannah

Tucked away inside an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, bakeshop café owner Lindsey Bakewellis ready to make her first Christmas in town shine bright. But her merry plans crumble fast when murder appears under the mistletoe . . .
 
With the spirit of the holidays wafting through the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey thinks she has the recipe for the sweetest Christmas ever—winning the town-wide cookie bake-off. Unfortunately, striving for a picture-perfect December in Beacon Harbor is a lot like biting into stale shortbread. Low on staff and bombarded by visits from family, Lindsey can barely meet demands at work, let alone summon the confidence to face fierce competition . . .
 
Self-appointed Christmas know-it-all Felicity Stewart is determined to take the top spot in the bake‑off, and she’s not afraid to dump a little coal in everyone’s stocking to do it. Just as the competition heats up, everything falls apart when the judge is found dead—and covered in crumbs from Lindsey’s signature cookie!
 
Solving a murder was never on Lindsey’s wish list. But with her reputation on the line during the happiest time of the year, she’ll need to bring her best talents to the table in order to sift out the true Christmas Cookie culprit.

WREATHING HAVOC by Julia Henry

There’s nothing like autumn in picturesque Goosebush, Massachusetts, but beneath the season’s sun-dappled foliage, Lilly Jayne and her Garden Squad must investigate a shadowy murder mystery after a theater owner’s sudden death sows as much drama behind the scenes as on any stage…
 
Lilly Jayne typically spends the harvest season baking festive pies and crafting colorful wreaths to enter in the library’s annual fundraising contest. But this year, autumn opens on a somber note when beloved local theater owner, Leon Tompkin, dies unexpectedly. His memorial sets the scene for a mini reunion of The Goosebush Players’ best and brightest alumni, including Hollywood star, Jeremy Nolan…until someone plucks Jeremy from the spotlight, permanently.
 
Now, as dedicated theater volunteer, Scooter McGee, falls under suspicion, Lilly and her Garden Squad must spring into action. They quickly discover a cornucopia of potential suspects in Jeremy’s murder. Was it an embittered ex…or a jilted lover? A rival thespian…or an overly ambitious artist? Lilly rakes through the piles of clues, but if she doesn’t uncover the real killer soon, more than autumn leaves will be dropping in Goosebush…

MURDER CAN FROST YOUR DOUGHNUTS by Rose Pressey

he ghost of an Elvis impersonator has got psychic painter Celeste Cabot all shook up . . .
 
Celeste has pulled up in her pink Shasta trailer, aka mobile art studio, to the Sevier County Fair in the mountains of eastern Tennessee to sell her paintings. A highlight of the fair promises to be the celebrity impersonation contest. But the low point is when Celeste and her floppy-eared white Chihuahua Van (short for Van Gogh) find an Elvis impersonator in his trailer doing a great impression of a corpse, clutching a doughnut in his hand.
 
Seeking a vision to solve the crime, Celeste paints her own Elvis portrait—and suddenly the ghost of the Elvis impersonator appears. They say fools rush in, but with the help of this spirit, Celeste sets out to find the real killer among all the fake celebrities. It’s now or never, because there won’t be time to tell the killer: “Don’t be cruel.”
 
Includes tips and recipes!

THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO by Debra Sennefelder

Food blogging is turning Hope Early into a household name. But the dead body down the block makes her a #1 suspect . . .
 
It seems everyone loves Hope’s blog these days, and she’s busier than ever volunteering to help other women create their own paths to success. So she’s shocked when a neighbor petitions to run Hope right out of her small Connecticut town! Set in her ways, apparently Birdie Donovan doesn’t like the chaos Hope’s sleuthing creates, the police activity and crime scenes, and it’s happening way too often lately. Eager to make amends, Hope bakes Birdie a batch of her best muffins. The delicious treats might have smoothed things over—until Hope discovers Birdie dead in her gazebo the very next day . . .
 
Now instead of worrying about holding on to her beloved home, Hope is trying to stay out of jail. Because suddenly she’s the lead suspect in the case. Not even her boyfriend, Police Chief Ethan Cahill, is promising he can clear her name, much less discuss the investigation with her. It’s up to Hope to get to bake new ground on the case before the lifestyle brand she’s created—and her whole life—crumbles . . .

Includes Recipes from Hope’s Kitchen!