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, I am left to figure out how to travel to Italy sans maid and chaperone to help my dear friend Belinda, as she awaits the birth of her baby alone. An opportunity presents itself in a most unexpected way—my cousin the queen is in need of a spy to attend a house party in the Italian lake country. The Prince of Wales and the dreadful Mrs. Simpson have been invited, and Her Majesty is anxious to thwart a possible secret wedding. What luck! A chance to see Belinda and please the queen as I seek her permission to relinquish my claim to the throne so I can marry Darcy. Only that’s as far as my good fortune takes me. I soon discover that Mummy is attending the villa party and she has her…

I’ve begun to think that inspiration is a bit like love: it appears unexpectedly and completely consumes one’s thoughts. I wasn’t looking to write a new series when the idea for The Book Retreat Mysteries struck. I was plenty busy with The Books By The Bay series, the Charmed Pie Shoppe series, and writing one half of The Novel Idea Mysteries (under the name Lucy Arlington). However, this muse refused to be ignored. Two summers ago, I’d been binge watching Downton Abbey. I love everything about that show, but what I love most is the incredible writing. The scenes unfold slowly, like a rosebud opening, and every line of dialog is carefully constructed. Anyway, I’d just finished gorging on Downton Abbey when we headed off on our family vacation to The Homestead Resort. Located in the wilds of western Virginia, this historic hotel offered tons of amenities as well as a variety of outdoor activities. It offered us an escape from our busy, noises lives. Staying there would be like turning back the clock. It would be out Downton Abbey retreat. The moment I first saw the sprawling manor house that was The Homestead nestled against a backdrop of blue…

Are you like me, shopping for the perfect gift at this time? Every year I try for that special gift that nobody dared to ask for but had been dreaming of. This kind of experience has happened to me a few times in my life and I know how magical it feels. I remember the Christmas when transistor radios had just been invented (okay, I realize I am dating myself ) and I longed for one. But my parents were giving me the train ticket to a friend’s wedding as my Christmas gift. Besides, transistor radios were a big deal when they first came out and certainly not cheap. So I didn’t even ask for one. Then on Christmas morning I went through my stocking—okay, I know I was a teenager but I still liked my stocking—and came across a battery. What a strange thing, I thought. What could I possible want a battery for? Then I felt hope and amazement flooding through me. It couldn’t be, could it? Not possibly… I went through the rest of the stocking and there at the very bottom was the transistor radio. I still tear up when I think about it now. The…

Finally! There is a little bit of a nip in the air, the kids are back in school, and you can almost hear an audible sigh of relief! Fall is Here! And with the beautiful falls days to come, there is a multitude of fresh new cozy mysteries to be enjoyed! So, with no further ado . . . THE CROCODILE’S LAST EMBRACE: A Jade Del Cameron Mystery by Suzanne Arruda Obsidian: $15.00 No one does historical mysteries better than Suzanne Arruda, and her Jade Del Cameron Mysteries, set in the 1920s, are always thrilling adeventures – and her latest book, THE CROCODILE’S LAST EMBRACE is no exception! Returning from Europe, intrepid explorer Jade del Cameron arrives in Kenya with bittersweet memories-and the certainty that Africa is her home and Sam Featherstone the man she wants to share her life with. When a letter arrives from America, Jade hopes it’s Sam sending word of his return. Instead, it’s a message written in the hand of her long- dead fiancé, asking “Why did you let me die?” When two men die under mysterious circumstances and Jade discovers that her old nemesis, Lilith Worthy, has escaped from prison, the deaths and the…

Jim Dale re-creating his HP readingsOriginally uploaded by freshfiction From Friday night with two, yes, TWO signings to Saturday’s PORTUS 2008 festivities, to a single signing on Sunday, this has been a FULL, crowded and EVENTFUL weekend in Dallas! I mean, it’s not like the price of gas is cutting into our books budget! Uh huh, so I’m cutting out food…and being on the WW, it’s hard, especially with all the good healthy and in season fruits and veggies. It just means less stops at the Cheesecake Factory next to the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble! (SORRY, Ellen!!) Rhys Bowen at Lincoln Park BNOriginally uploaded by freshfiction First up our double hitter night: Rhys Bowen, author of the Lady Georgie mystery series set in England in the 1930s. Poor Georgie! She’s been told by the Queen she’s to put up the latest German princess they’re trying to marry off in England and you can’t say no to the Queen! So penniless Lady Georgie manages to round up a “butler” (her grandfather) and a “cook” (grandfather’s lady friend) to set up a real house for a short stay. But all is not working as planned when the Princess shows up with…