A MERCIFUL SECRET is the third book in my Mercy Kilpatrick series about an FBI agent who was raised in rural Oregon by survivalists. In SECRET, Mercy is caught up in two related murder investigations hundreds of miles apart. Here’s an interview with my heroine: How would you describe yourself? Mercy Kilpatrick: I’m independent and strive to be prepared for everything. Rational. Reliable. You were raised ‘off the grid’ with your family. How did this influence the person you have become? Mercy: Being raised off the grid, taught me that I am the only person I can rely on. People forget that grocery stores can run out of food, power can be permanently cut off, and that when desperate, your most trusted neighbor will turn their back on you. I never forget. You left home in order to become an FBI agent. This had to be a pretty big change for you. What made you want to join the government? Mercy: I saw it as a challenge. I’d been raised to believe that government constantly oversteps its bounds and that our population should never trust it. I was taught that the world was black and white. When I left home,…

The new year is always filled with fresh prospects, new beginnings and hope for a better tomorrow. Yet sometimes, you just want to hang onto what made you comfortable last year. The time-tested and proven. As a mystery reader, its no different. Your favorite sleuths hold a special place in your heart you aren’t about to give up. And why should you? Yet you still can’t resist the shiny and new cozy that holds so much intrigue—so don’t! This week I have some great return heroines, one that’s new to me, but she’s been around for three previous books (which gave me a backlist to check out) and a bonus mystery of a brand new series that will have you looking ahead for more! If you know these authors, check out their latest mystery and return to what you love. If they’re new to you, celebrate the beginning of a new relationship with a tried and true series. And don’t forget to check out an up and coming series you’re sure add to your list of favorites. CRUST NO ONE by Winnie Archer A Bread Shop Mystery #2 Business is booming at Yeast of Eden. But with a deadly mystery…

It’s hard to pick the best mysteries of the past year, especially when I’m limited on space. I don’t feature a book I don’t love, so if you’ve seen it on the Cozy Corner, you know I adored it. Yet each year I torture myself by trying to list the best mysteries, and considering I never come close to reading all of the books in my to-be-read file, it’s an impossible task. What if the best is still at the bottom of that pile?! This year the challenge seemed even more difficult and my pile even bigger, which led me to choose books that resonated with me, for one reason or another, throughout the past twelve months. I hope you enjoy my picks for 2017’s best mysteries. ON HER MAJESTY’S FRIGHTFULLY SECRET SERVICE ON HER MAJESTY’S FRIGHTFULLY SECRET SERVICE by Rhys Bowen Royal Spyness Mystery #11 In the new Royal Spyness Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Crowned and Dangerous, Lady Georgiana Rannoch juggles secret missions from the Queen, Darcy, and her mother. But it’s all in a day’s work when you’re thirty-fifth in line to the British Crown. When Darcy runs off on another secret assignment,…

The rat race has begun! For many, the menorah is lit. Or the tree is decorated. The lights are hung. The list is complete. (Until they add to it again.) The shopping has started—on and off-line. The weather is cooperating. Sorta. And the parties are out of control! But all you want to do is relax. So here’s a few cozies to help you do just that. Enjoy! HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SLAY by Vicki Delany A Year-Round Christmas Mystery #3 The town of Rudolph, New York, is gearing up to celebrate Christmas in July. Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, is looking forward to a busy weekend starting with the arrival of Santa by boat to begin his summer vacation at the lake. But Merry is caught off guard when her ex-fiancé, Max Folger, unexpectedly arrives with a team from a lifestyle magazine wanting to do a feature on the July festivities. It’s clear that Max’s visit has less to do with business and more to do with winning back Merry’s heart. Between the magazine feature and the Christmas events, Merry has too much on her plate to deal with an old flame. But when Max is found…

You know it’s going to happen. You’re going to need to escape. Because on Thursday afternoon, Uncle Bill will be deep in the eggnog—except he won’t be drinking the same eggnog everyone else will be enjoying. Uncle Bill’s special blend will come from the flask in his pocket, and the more he drinks, the louder his political jokes will get. If he was the only one you had to worry about this Thanksgiving, you’d survive. Except he isn’t. Your cousin Lori will be flirting with your brother-in-law, and your sister will be close to murder if he even acknowledges Lori’s presence. Which will exclude your right hand helper from any of the meal preparations—the last thing you need is your sister in vicinity of a kitchen full of knives. Don’t forget the football games. There are three to contend with this year, so unless you’re having a Thanksgiving Day brunch, you better be prepared for your mother-in-law to be very unhappy when you time the meal to coincide with her team’s kick-off. Not that she has a ‘team’ who she loyally keeps up with. She only watches football on the holidays you’ve drawn the unlucky straw to host the holiday…

The week of Readers & ritas is always a busy one in North Texas. Games to prepare, baskets to put together, and the dreaded hunts through closets for clothes that still fit. To top that off, I have edits to complete—Yikes! Needless to say, my thoughts are racing at night and going to sleep can be a chore. To relax and get my mind off my to-do list, I’ve decided to turn off all electronics and stop everything I’m doing at nine o’clock; which is technically ten o’clock if you’re having trouble adjusting to day light savings time like me. Sunday, I made a list of books to read in the next two weeks and started on book number one, which has proven to be a wonderful distraction. I hope you’ll join me on my quest for a good night’s sleep with a few entertaining reads that will make the rest of your busy life take a back seat for a few blessed hours of relaxation. A ROOM WITH A BREW by Joyce Tremel Brewing Trouble #3 Disaster is on tap in this all-new mystery from the author of Tangled Up in Brew. It’s Oktoberfest in Pittsburgh, and brewpub owner…

The cozy temps of fall are just starting to reach Texas, bringing with them one of my guilty pleasures—snuggling up with a fuzzy blanket and a good mystery in front of the fire pit in my back yard. The thought of sitting in my comfy lounge chair with the fresh scent of a fire wafting through the air has allured me away from my desk the last couple nights. Once the fire was lit, and the crackle of the sap mixed with the mysterious calls of the night birds down near the creek, I forgot about the work awaiting me. Experiencing the artistic paintbrush of the setting sun on beautiful night canvas while sipping rich hot chocolate, has been as important to my soul, as work is to my mind. Don’t resist the temptation. Take a couple hours away and relax with one of these cozy mysteries in your hands. DIAL MEOW FOR MURDER by Bethany Blake Lucky Paws Petsitting mystery #2 Even an experienced pet sitter like Daphne Templeton can be fooled by animal behavior: how can an adorably tiny fuzz ball named Tinkleston be capable of sudden flying leaps with cat claws bared? But human behavior remains even…

As fall finally starts to creep in we turn our attention toward new holiday reads. Of course Halloween arrives weeks for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it was only a matter of time before the spooky-sexy books began filling our e-readers. Miranda Owen chatted with Marie Harte about her newest romance ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN, the perfect addition for anyone looking to dig into a new book instead of a pumpkin. I love Halloween-themed romances, and in ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN, I think you do a wonderful job of maintaining balance between the silly, the sexy and the emotional punch. Do you consciously try to maintain that balance in every book you write, or does it just happen organically? Which comes first, or is easiest to write – the story or the characters? Thanks! I like humor in my books, and I tend to write on the sexy side. I do strive for a balance between deeper emotion and humor. While I’d like to you feel what my characters feel, I also want you to enjoy the experience, and to me, laughter and tears go together quite well. *grin* Though not all my stories have sad pasts, they have…

About Bethany Turner Bethany Turner is the director of administration for Rock Springs Church in Southwest Colorado. A former VP/operations manager of a commercial bank and a three-time cancer survivor (all before she turned 35), Bethany knows that when God has plans for your life, it doesn’t matter what anyone else has to say. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Colorado. WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER Tell us a little about THE SECRET LIFE OF SARAH HOLLENBECK . Sarah is the author of some bestselling romance books that are so provocative and steamy her name becomes synonymous with the genre. But when Sarah becomes a Christ follower, she must try and maneuver away from her scandalous reputation—easier said than done since the books are still selling like wildfire, and she’s being hounded for the film rights. Sarah is determined to start a new life in which she can actually spread good and light to the world, but of course the darkness of the past isn’t going to go away easily. Things get even more complicated when she begins falling in love with Ben Delaney, who happens to be her new pastor. Why did you decide to…

Anna Bradley debuted her new Sutherlands series with LADY ELEANOR’S SEVENTH SUITOR on September 5th. She stopped by Fresh Fiction to talk with Miranda Owen about the new book, starting a fresh series, and what to expect from her next. In LADY ELEANOR’S SEVENTH SUITOR, Lady Eleanor and Camden have a somewhat adversarial relationship for much of the story. Normally I prefer the hero and heroine to be on the same side, facing an outside threat. What makes this romance work for me, is that the reader is able to get inside their heads and see what they’re feeling and thinking. Which type of romance do you find easier or more enjoyable to write – one in which the hero and heroine start out with a prickly relationship, or one in which they like each other right away? I admit to being a big fan of the “enemies to lovers” trope, so when my stories open, the characters do tend to be at odds with each other. That’s not to say I don’t like a story where the hero and heroine are on the same page, but I’ve always been drawn (as a reader and a writer) to the kind…