Book Title: MURDER IN A CUP Character Name: Shay Myers   How would you describe your family or your childhood? My childhood was amazing. I was lucky to have had two very loving parents who were there for myself and my older sister, Jen. Sadly, though, on my eighteenth birthday, a boating accident took them away from us. After that, life was pretty much a blur for a few years.   What was your greatest talent? I’m not sure if it’s a talent or a curse, but I’ve always had what my sister called “inky feelings.” I could and still can sense things about people or situations, but I often struggle to know what to do with them.   Significant other? There was one until I discovered my ex-husband, Brad, and my assistant were having an affair for two years and had, during that time, stolen all my money and my gemstone and jewelry company out from under me and destroyed my reputation and. Yes, I was naive, but, in my defense, Brad was my accountant, and I loved him and trusted him right up until I couldn’t.   Biggest challenge in relationships? Trust to be sure.   Where do…

(c) Lauren Elliott, Kensington Publishing Corp., 2022.  STEEPED IN SECRETS excerpt shared with permission from the publisher.   “Then see if this is more to your liking.” Julia yanked on the corner edge of the back curtain and revealed an ornate wrought-iron spiral staircase.   “Now that’s what I was waiting to see,” Liam said. “Access to the second floor.”   “Why?” Shay eyed him warily. “Are you hoping it’s filled with the bodies of her customers?”   “Now that would make a good tale to tell tonight in the pub, wouldn’t it?” With a flash of humor in his eyes, he shuffled past her toward the staircase. “Actually, I have a rooftop patio on my second floor, and at night I could hear her singing. When it was a quiet night in the pub, I would just sit for hours, listening to her Irish songs. She had quite the voice, sad but really good.” He stepped up onto the first metal stair. “Always wanted to see what she was working on up here till the wee hours of the morning.”   “What’s that?” Shay pointed to the wall behind Liam.   “What?” Julia looked to the spot Shay had…

1–What is the title of your latest release? My next release will be on April 26th, A MARGIN FOR MURDER book eight in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Bookshop owner Addie Greyborne must put the brakes on a killer after a death occurs behind the wheel of a bookmobile . . . 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Before I wrote my first cozy book, I conducted extensive research into the history of various locations that would work well with what I had in mind writing and found Massachusetts to be perfect. It’s an area steeped in history that goes back well before the 1600s and is easily accessible to hundreds of other cultural and historical sites. It made the perfect setting for a cozy murder mystery series. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Most definitely!  To me, when developing a character, it’s about keeping an element of reality in a fictional world. My development of Addie Greyborne is no exception. I write her to have good days and bad. She can be serious, and then silly—some say she acts…

Book recommendations from Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer, Debbie Wiley! You can read more of her reviews and columns here. Enjoy! — Comfort reads have always been an important part of my life. Some of my oldest (and favorite) books I own have been read and reread, particularly when life seems a bit tougher than normal. While many nowadays struggle to agree on just about anything and tensions and turmoil are heightened, comfort reads are a great escape and an excellent form of self-care. One of my all-time favorite comfort reads, THE RED CARNELIAN by Phyllis Whitney immediately pops to mind. However, I’m also finding comfort in new read, particularly cozy mysteries and I want to share a few of my recent enjoyable book escapes. Any book featuring a bookstore is almost guaranteed to be a hit with me and Lauren Elliott’s Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series is certainly that! In A PAGE MARKED FOR MURDER, Addison Greyborne has her hands full. Not only is she the owner of Beyond the Page, a book and curio shop, but her flakey cousin isn’t coming to work regularly leaving only Addison and her shop assistant, Paige Stringer, during the Fire and Ice Festival. Worse…

Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer Debbie Wiley Hi Lauren! Thank you for joining us today at Fresh Fiction! I love cozy mysteries, especially ones centered around a bookstore so MURDER IN THE FIRST EDITION is a real treat for me to read. Can you tell our readers a little something about the storyline and the inspiration behind it? Hi, thank you for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be here. The inspiration behind my Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series came to me a number of years ago. I had a good friend who owned a small used bookshop and being the book lover I am. It became my second home.  Her shop was my vision of the perfect bookstore–old and rare books, a reading corner, charming knick-knacks, and a bay window display that she decorated to highlight the season and one that never failed to attract passersby.  When I had more time to devote to writing, my old reading friend, Agatha Christie emerged, and the first image that came to mind was my real-life friend Maggie and her bookshop. From there, Addie’s was born. Even though, Beyond the Page Books & Curios is an expanded version of my friends, it’s…

Fresh Fiction Senior Review Debbie Wiley Bookstores have always been a place of joy for me, even as a young child. Books open up doors to new worlds and new adventures. Some authors capture that essence in their books by including bookstores as part of their plots. A wealth of emotions can be conveyed as characters learn to cope and heal through books and bookstores. Here are a few recent books that include bookstores as part of the magical world the authors transport us into. Jenny Colgan’s Scottish Bookshop series includes two books, THE BOOKSHOP ON THE SHORE and THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER, centered around a mobile bookstore. Both stories focus on a female lead character who heads to Scotland seeking a new life where a mobile bookstore becomes part of both of their worlds. THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER is the first book in the series and shows how Nina Redmond first creates the idea of a mobile bookstore, as she seeks to share her love of books with a population unaccustomed to reading for pleasure. The second book, THE BOOKSHOP ON THE SHORE, focuses on Zoe O’Connell’s move to Scotland and her struggles to fill Nina’s shoes…