Everyone is more than ready for the trees to bloom and the flowers to sprout. The temperatures are finally rising and hopefully *fingers crossed* we’ve all experience the last snowfall of winter! Sitting in the sun soaking up some vitamin D is finally a possibility, and what better way to celebrate the return of nice weather than to do it with a blanket in the park and a book in your hands? Here are four new mysteries for you to enjoy this spring season. And as a tease for next week, one of these authors will be joining me for a short story right here on the Cozy Corner! It’s your turn to dig into the clues, and figure out the mystery! But, you’ll only be able to do that, by going to each author’s social media sites! QUEEN ANNE’S LACE by Susan Wittig Albert China Bayles #26 A present day ghost leads China Bayles to a secret from Pecan Springs’s past in this haunting mystery from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert. While helping Ruby Wilcox clean up the loft above their shops, China comes upon a box of antique handcrafted lace and old photographs. Following the…

In my YA debut, A MESSY, BEAUTIFUL LIFE, Ellie and Jason are improv comedians who become friends when their improv groups join forces to enter a sketch comedy contest. Laughing and being absurd together—while heartache unfolds around them—pushes them closer, and they have to decide if it’s worth the risk to take their friendship to the next level. Since I ended up marrying my best friend in real life, I’m totally biased as to whether it’s worth the risk to fall in love with a friend. Here are my top five reasons: You get each other’s jokes. For comediansthis is especially important. But if someone gets your sense of humor, they get you. And no one finds you funnier than your friends. Plus, laughter releases oxytocin in our system, the same hormone that bonds people to each other. So, more laughter, more bonding!It just makes sense. You’re committed to commitment. No one wants to risk ruining a good friendship dynamic, so you both understand at the start that if you’re agreeing to take it to the next level, you’re going all in. He comes pre-approved.You get to avoid that awkward introduction to your friends where you’re stressing if he’ll fit…

Sadly, the Donnigans series is coming to a close with THE ONLY THING. Though all the books stand alone as their own stories, I do like to weave characters from other series in and out of various books. It’s like six degrees of separation with Kevin Bacon, but instead of the grand Footloose Master, you have the McCauleys! The MCCAULEY BROTHERS books are the first I wrote for Sourcebooks, and they revolve around the McCauley brothers (go figure.) Their cousins, THE DONNIGANS, also live in Seattle. As do the mechanics who feature in BODY SHOP BAD BOYS, who work for Del McCauley at Webster’s garage. Confused yet? But hey, THE ONLY THING is about J.T. Webster and Hope Donnigan. So let’s focus on these two. Some interesting facts about… HOPE DONNIGAN First appeared in RUINING MR. PERFECT because she works for Cameron McCauley. Is the only girl in her family and among her McCauley cousins Has in the past babysat her nephew Colin McCauley (who appeared in all the McCauley books, staring with THE TROUBLEMAKER NEXT DOOR) First met J.T. at her cousin Mike’s Wedding in WHAT TO DO WITH A BAD BOY J.T. WEBSTER First appeared in (and I…

Greetings, John. You are a homicide detective. Can you tell us a little about your job and what brought you into law enforcement? I didn’t intend to go into law enforcement. I was majoring in political science and began picking up criminal justice courses. After I passed the bar, I told my parents I wasn’t ready for a desk job. I figure there was plenty of time to be a cop and, later, a lawyer like my father. It didn’t make them happy but they knew I’d get this “cop thing” out of my system. Now it’s been seventeen years—ten on the homicide team–and I’m the guy they call in Richmond when the crime is gruesome. You have faced some very dangerous situations as a cop. What was your most harrowing case? We heard that your partner was hurt? How has this changed you? The explosion and fire were the single worst event of my life. My partner and I were on the trail of a serial arsonist. When we entered his residence we realized it was a trap. My partner was badly injured. To this day I lie awake hearing his screams. I can’t say that incident has made…