Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Patrice Lyle | My Top 5 Most Beautiful Florida Bird Pictures
Author Guest / May 16, 2016

Living in Florida is fabulous for many reasons, but one major reason I love it is all the beautiful birds I see on area walks. DH (‘Darling Hubby’ for those of you not familiar with the acronym) and I come across the most incredible creatures on every trek. And thanks to my awesome iPhone, I get the best pictures. Here are three pelicans hanging out! Here are two White Ibis birds on crab patrol! Here’s a majestic Great White Heron enjoying a river stroll! Here’s a Great Blue Heron that strolled past our beach umbrella! Here’s a Great Blue Heron enjoying a fish breakfast! And, as a bonus, here’s a cute turtle enjoying a grass lunch! The threatened gopher tortoise is the only native tortoise living east of the Mississippi River, and it’s Florida’s only true tortoise. What sort of birds or critters do you encounter on walks? What bird or critter pictures have you taken? Also, please join fellow author Rachel Good and I for a fun-filled Facebook party called “The Ultimate Food Fight” from the comfort of your home tomorrow night! Are you Team Whoopie Pie or Team Gluten Free Berry Cobbler? Pick your side and come join…

Kylie Logan | It’s all about the Ethnic Foods…
Author Guest / May 16, 2016

According to statistics, there are more than 33 million people in America–a little more than 10% of the population–who lay claim to Irish ancestors. I am not one of them. My bloodlines are strictly eastern European and I will take pierogi over corned beef and cabbage any day, a shot of vodka (it has to be from Poland) instead of a beer, a plate of the fruit-filled pastries called kolachki over . . . well, pretty much over anything! So why begin my new Ethnic Eats mystery series with IRISH STEWED and Irish food? The answer is really pretty simple. In the book, the heroine, Laurel Inwood, meets a man named Declan Fury who comes from a big, boisterous, rollicking Irish family. It’s no coincidence that my husband, David, comes from a big, boisterous . . . well, you get the picture. David’s ancestors were railroaders, firemen and housekeepers. Our current circle (it’s a big one) of relatives includes bagpipers and cops and any number of in-laws, nieces and nephews who will argue politics passionately with you one moment, then drape an arm around your shoulders and give you a hug the next. One of our best family traditions is…

Nancy J. Parra | Wedding Traditions
Author Guest / May 16, 2016

The standard traditions for good luck at weddings include the bride not being seen by the groom on the wedding day before the wedding ceremony. Then there is the bride wearing something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. We throw rice to bring the marriage good luck and as a sign of fertility. Then there is the cutting of the wedding cake and the happy couple feeding each other. Keeping the top layer of the cake to be eaten on your first anniversary. So many traditions. All as a way to honor the bride and groom and to bring two families together as one. On my brother’s wedding day we could not decorate the church because there was a funeral scheduled before the wedding. They barely got the casket out and the funeral procession gone before people started showing up for the ceremony. WE went in and quickly changed the flowers from funeral to wedding. People whispered it was bad luck. But my brother is still happily married for over thrity years. My mother said it rained on her wedding day- also a sign of bad luck for the couple. And yet my parents are still together after…

Peg Cochran | Write Your Own Cozy Mystery in Ten Steps
Author Guest / May 16, 2016

Decide on the locale of your story. Is it going to be a real town or fictional? City or country? If it’s a big city, you’ll want to limit the action to a particular neighborhood that almost feels like a small town. Make it somewhere your readers would like to live. Create your “hook.” A hook is what sets your series apart from others. It can be an occupation for your sleuth like librarian, caterer, bookseller, etc. Or your hook can revolve around a hobby—knitting, scrapbooking, needlework, etc. Pick your victim. This is the fun part! Is there someone you would like to kill on paper? A disagreeable co-worker or an annoying neighbor? Be careful to change names and appearances but you can certainly borrow their irritating or despicable traits and make them your victim’s own. Pick your killer. Why does this person hate the victim enough to kill? They need a good motive for the crime. They can be a decent, upstanding citizen on the outside but evil on the inside. Decide on a murder method. Now that you have your killer, what would be a likely murder weapon? A gun or knife? Poison? The proverbial blow to the…