Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
The Fascinating, Obscure Holiday Tradition We Should All Adopt by Kate Carlisle
Author Guest / October 23, 2023

Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of two ongoing series: the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery and murder; and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries (as seen on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors’ closets, but murder victims, too. Her latest Bibliophile Mystery is THE TWELVE BOOKS OF CHRISTMAS.   There are a lot of fabulous Christmas mystery books on the shelves. One of the things we love about Christmas books of any genre is the familiarity of the traditions. Reading about a familiar tradition is like hearing a beloved song—it immerses us immediately in the feeling of a happy memory. When I sat down to write THE TWELVE BOOKS OF CHRISTMAS, I made sure to include lots of the cozy holiday traditions that readers expect and want. I mean, just look at the cover! This scene comes straight from the book and is wonderfully drenched in all things Christmas. But the readers who pick up my books also crave knowledge—they want to be entertained, yes, but they also want to learn something. And they’re voracious….

Kate Carlisle | A Body in a Chapel
Author Guest / May 1, 2023

1–What is the title of your latest release? DRESSED TO DRILL 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Contractor Shannon Hammer and her crew have been hired to renovate Lighthouse Cove’s Gothic Victorian church into a world-class art museum, but work comes to a screeching halt when they discover the body of a young woman in one of the chapels. With the help of her boyfriend, thriller writer Mac Sullivan, and her closest friends, Shannon will follow the clues to stop the killer from striking again. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? All the Fixer-Upper Mysteries take place in Lighthouse Cove. If you haven’t read the books yet but that sounds familiar, you probably caught the movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Lighthouse Cove is a quaint Victorian small town in northern California, with incredible ocean views and a few too many murders per capita. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Absolutely! Shannon is the kind of woman I admire—she’s smart, observant, and hard-working, and she’s also one of the most loyal friends you could ever have. In fact, she’s the kind of friend who, if you were suspected…

Kym Roberts | Cozy Corner: Give the Demons a Break
Author Guest , Cozy Corner / May 27, 2019

Everyone has renovations they want to do, have to do, or are forced to do. We chose to do multiple renovation projects with one scheduled right after the other. I spent months choosing the right contractors. Some more expensive than others, but all of them with good reputations for the work they did and the timelines they kept. I even scheduled Murphy’s Law into my master plan. We were going to be done by May first. It’s Memorial Day and we still have contractors coming and going. My office has been covered with plastic for two weeks. Before that, it was loaded with furniture and boxes for a month. The month before that, it was empty. The last time I got to sit at my desk and write, was the last week of January. I’ve actually missed most of spring, not because of the weather, but because I’ve been working my butt off and keeping contractors inline, on time, and Murphy out of my blasted projects. (Ha!) The time that I’ve missed away from my work, I’ve actually gained in reading. It a known fact that I can get interrupted while I read, but if you interrupt me while I…

Miranda Owen | Bookish Mysteries
Author Guest / March 18, 2019

They were always there for you, books, like a small pet dog that doesn’t die. – Ian Sansom, THE CASE OF THE MISSING BOOKS Books are my life. In addition to spending time either reading or writing about books, I have worked in various libraries for years, and even met my husband while we were both working at our local library. Books about books – specifically stories about librarians, and people who collect books, or work in bookstores – are a favorite sub-genre of mine. Then there are books that take characters from classic works of literature and put them in the role of amateur sleuth. As I’m a huge fan of mysteries, I love combining these types of characters and themes with the quirkiness of a cozy mystery. The results can be delicious. He was sick of the excuses and the lies. He was tired of the evasions and the untruths, of people refusing to stand up and speak the truth and take responsibility for their own actions. It seemed to him like yet another symptom of the decline of Western civilization; of chaos; and climate change; and environmental disaster; and war; disease; famine; oppression; the eternal slow slide…

Fall Back and Get Cozy
Cozy Corner / November 7, 2017

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…

Summer Mysteries
Cozy Corner / June 26, 2017

Whether you like to sit on the porch with a hardback book in your hands, or with your Kindle or Nook on your lap, this week I’ve chosen four mystery must-reads to enjoy during your summer nights. Pour a glass of iced tea and join these great heroines and their quirky sidekicks in a cozy corner—each one is a treat not to be missed! ONLY SKEIN DEEP by Maggie Sefton Knitting Mystery In the latest novel from The New York Times bestselling author of Knit to Be Tied, Kelly Flynn and The Lambspun Knitters are eagerly awaiting a bundle of joy but find themselves heaped with trouble instead… Kelly Flynn and her boyfriend, Steve, couldn’t be happier as they await the birth of their bouncing baby boy. Kelly’s got a built-in group of fiber arts specialists, the Lambspun Knitters, who are working away on blankets and booties. As they sit around the table crafting their keepsakes, the story of Giselle Callahan is a popular topic of conversation. Giselle is the young wife of Henry Callahan, a Fort Connor banking scion, who traded in his previous wife of forty years for a newer model. Giselle’s prowess as a skilled country club…

KATE CARLISE | Top 10 Reasons Why Every Millionaire Needs a Wife
Author Guest / July 26, 2010

We always hear about the millionaire playboy, but seriously. Trotting the globe alone. Sounds kind of sad and pathetic, doesn’t it? How much fun could a man have, bedding different women every night? No man wants to do that! After a while, arm candy would make a millionaire sick. Or at least, it would a millionaire of character, like Adam Duke, the hero of my latest book, The Millionaire Meets His Match. Adam has no intention of ever settling down, but that’s because he doesn’t realize how much a wife-the right wife – would add to his life. So here are the Top 10 Reasons Why Every Millionaire Needs a Wife 10. She makes a fabulous tax deduction. When you’re raking in the bucks, you need every tax deduction you can get. Which brings us to… 9. He needs someone to bear his insanely gorgeous heirs. No mansion is complete without the sound of children laughing as they play in the bowling alley or build a fort in the wine cellar. Of course, it will be a while before the children inherit because… 8. Married men live longer. He needs time to enjoy all that money. And of course, he…