Since I’m a secret readaholic who loves cloak and dagger mysteries, my choices this week shouldn’t put you at death’s door or make you scream bloody murder. They should make you want to step into the garden where time stands still for your very own suspenseful reading gala. If you haven’t caught on yet, you will when you see my top three choices of cozy reads this week. Come on! The festival’s about to begin and there are three mysteries waiting to be solved! Find the clues, and you just might solve a murder! CLOCK AND DAGGER by Julianne Holmes Clock Shop Mystery Expert clockmaker Ruth Clagan has another murder on her hands in the second Clock Shop Mystery from the author of Just Killing Time. Ruth has three days to pull off four events—including the grand reopening of Cog & Sprocket, the clock shop she inherited from her grandfather—so she doesn’t have time for Beckett Green’s nonsense. The competitive owner of a new bookstore, Green seems determined to put other businesses out of business by also carrying their specialty items. He’s trying to steal Ruth’s new watchmaker, Mark Pine, not to mention block her plans to renovate the town…

“Writing a Woman’s World” Charlotte is a gifted and superbly trained young musician who has been blindsided by a shocking betrayal in her promising career when she takes a babysitting job with the McLeans, a glamorous Upper East Side Manhattan family. At first, the nanny gig is just a way of tiding herself over until she has licked her wounds and figured out her next move as a composer in New York. But, as it turns out, Charlotte is naturally good with children and becomes as deeply fond of the two little boys as they are of her. When an unthinkable tragedy leaves the McLeans bereft, Charlotte is not the only one who realizes that she’s the key to holding little George and Matty’s world together. Suddenly, in addition to life’s usual puzzles, such as sorting out which suitor is her best match, she finds herself with an impossible choice between her life-long dreams and the torn-apart family she’s come to love. By turns hilarious, sexy, and wise, here is a memorable story about how a young woman discovers the things that matter most. Angell talks to Writing a Woman’s Life columnist Yona Zeldis McDonough about her auspicious debut. How…

A mystery is not an easy endeavor to take on as a writer, and writing one great mystery after another, is even harder. Yet for a few exceptional writers, it’s a feat that is conquered several times a year. Lorraine Bartlett is a talented bestselling author who defines the category and graciously accept my invitation to share a little insight to her writing process with the readers of the Cozy Corner. Kym: Hi Lorraine! Welcome to the Cozy Corner! Lorraine: It’s great to be here! Kym: There aren’t many mystery authors who’ve had successful series written from both the female and male prospective as the lead character. How do you get into the mind-frame to write from two very different points of view? Which one do you prefer to write? Lorraine: I have to admit, it took quite a few drafts to be able to pull off writing from a male point of view. Once I nailed it, though, it seems like I can just slip into Jeff’s persona like putting on a pair of comfy slippers. I haven’t given much thought to how I write my various series. My characters are so vividly etched in my mind that I…

There’s nothing better than sitting on the porch reading a mystery with a summer breeze and a tall glass of iced tea. Unless of course, I’m lying on a beach with a cozy in my hands. This week I’m featuring four great novels you won’t want to miss as you enjoy the great weather, even if mother nature has you cooped up inside with a thunderstorm rolling through. A SHATTERING CRIME by Jennifer McAndrews Stained Glass Mystery #3 It’s death by Danish in the newest mystery from the national bestselling author of Death Under Glass, featuring stained-glass enthusiast and amateur sleuth Georgia Kelly. Life in Wenwood, New York, sparkles for Georgia, but for one of her neighbors, it’s about to lose its luster… Georgia’s day-to-day routine finally seems to be lining up. Stained-glass projects in the morning, clerical work for a law office in the afternoon, and waitressing in the evening. Best of all she gets to spend relaxing Sundays with her new boyfriend. But that comfortable pattern is about to be broken. First Georgia’s cat goes into heat and literally disturbs the peace. Then Georgia’s mother drops in for a visit with her new husband in tow. But everything…

Bonnie Vanak is no stranger to a full plate. She released two new novels in her Werewolves of Montana series this spring, and she is already looking forward to the rest of the year. In between the craziness of writing and publishing her books, she took a moment to chat with our Miranda Owen about THE MATING SEASON and THE MATING DESTINY, why she loves setting her books in Montana, and the appeal of shifters and fae in her stories. When I think back to the first werewolf book I read of yours – THE EMPATH (Draicon Werewolves Book 1) – and compare it with your current Montana Werewolves series, I am amazed by the intricate world-building and unique spin you always put on the werewolf myth. What is it about werewolves that captures your imagination? Thank you! I love writing about werewolves because of the loyalty, the fierceness in which they protect their own, and the alpha traits of the males. When I set out to write the Werewolves of Montana, it was with the intention of writing a darker, much sexier series than THE EMPATH, which was published by Harlequin. I loved writing Nocturnes for Harlequin, but faced…

If you’re a fan of Foyle’s War or other period pieces on PBS / BBC, then check out RADIO GIRLS for a glimpse behind the scenes of the start of the BBC. Mixing fictional and non-fictional characters, Sarah-Jane Stratford brings the era to life. You’ll soon be digging into Wikipedia for more details! How did you first learn about Hilda Matheson, and how did you come to write about her? I came across her name during research—just a short line, saying she was the first Director of Talks at the BBC. Not the first woman, the first director, period. Which seemed quite a thing in 1926. As I kept reading about her, I realized what an influential, yet unknown, feminist she was. She was in M15, recruited there by T.E. Lawrence (aka, Lawrence of Arabia); she was political secretary to Lady Astor, who was the first woman to be elected as a member of Parliament; and then she was hired away to the BBC, where she developed the concept of what talk radio could be. (Anyone who enjoys NPR or the BBC owes her a debt.) She went on to write the first ever book on broadcasting, and developed an…

What genre do you write in? I write a cozy mystery series with an amateur sleuth. I like the elements of this genre. There are interesting characters and a small town setting. There is no graphic violence so the reader doesn’t need to worry about suddenly finding a scene that puts an unpleasant image in their mind. It’s a “safe” read. You know your favorite person will be back in the next book. Tell us about your books. In the first one, MURDER AT REDWOOD COVE, Kelly Jackson, executive administrator for Resorts International, flies to Redwood Cove, California, after the manager of a bed and breakfast has a fatal fall off of a seaside cliff. It’s a straightforward assignment until a group of crime-solving senior citizens, the Silver Sentinels, cry murder. Kelly and the Sentinels work together to find out the truth about what happened. In the second book, MURDER AT THE MANSION, a guest is found stabbed and one of the Sentinels, Gertie Plumber, is attacked. Kelly and the Silver Sentinels must solve the crimes before another life is lost What makes your books different than others in this genre? I have a crime-solving group of five senior citizens,…

Juliet Lyman is a senior executive at Yesterday Records. Music is her passion and she’s very good at her job. That’s why her famously philanthropic boss Gideon sends her to Majorca, Spain to work with a very tortured, but talented client. Lionel Harding is one of the best songwriters of the 20th century, the multi-Grammy award-winning lyricist of the third most recorded song in history. But now he’s forty-two and six months overdue on the his latest paid assignment. Juliet is not leaving Majorca without either new lyrics or a very large check. For Juliet, business comes first. Emotions are secondary, and love isn’t even on the menu. But to Lionel, love is everything, and he blames Gideon for his broken heart. He’s determined to show Juliet that nothing is more important than love, but Juliet is just as determined to get Lionel to create the music that made him famous. As her professional and personal lives start to mix for the first time, Juliet is forced to reevaluate her priorities, and open her heart—perhaps for the very first time. Writing a Woman’s Life columnist Yona Zeldis McDonough chats with author Anita Hughes about her delectable new offering. YZM: You…

Last week Kat Martin published her latest novel INTO THE WHIRLWIND to great fanfare here at Fresh Fiction! Reviewer Helen Williams instantly put down the book and wanted to know more from Martin about her BOSS, Inc. series, how she picks the right leads for her books, and what she has coming out next. Helen Williams: Did you already have Dirk and Meg’s story developed when writing Ethan and Valerie’s story? Kat Martin: Originally, I didn’t plan to give Dirk a story at all, but at the end of INTO THE FURY, he was so sad I had to give him one! I had to make things right for him and Meg. (smile here) HW: Do you find it difficult to continue a series or does each story flow right into your next story? KM: Sometimes the stories flow, as with INTO THE WHIRLWIND, where I knew the characters, immediately realized the kind of threat Meg might have to face could involve her child. Other times, I struggle, which I am doing now on a new project. HW: Since some of your characters have some sort of military or special ops background is this from experience or do you just…

Tosca Lee, author of THE PROGENY, sits down with Fresh Fiction reviewer Debbie Wiley to talk about her new thriller. Debbie Wiley: Hi, Tosca! Thank you for joining us today at Fresh Fiction! I absolutely love the concept of THE PROGENY as it combines the modern day with the historical in one phenomenal conspiracy-laden thriller. What sparked your interest in Elisabeth Bathory and inspired the writing of THE PROGENY? Tosca Lee: Hi, Debbie! Thank you—and thank you for having me on Fresh Fiction! I’ve been wanting to write a thriller like this for a while. It was actually a fan who wrote to me and said, “What about a book on Elizabeth Bathory?” Though this book isn’t about Elizabeth Bathory herself per se, the legend of the “Blood Countess” does provide the mythological underpinning of the story about her modern-day descendants. DW: THE PROGENY is obviously very well researched, from the historical aspects to the very settings themselves. What was one of your favorite moments in researching THE PROGENY? TL: My favorite part was going to Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia and Italy—and taking my mom with me. I get a lot of my wanderlust from her (I swear, five minutes after…