So happy for my friend Mary Kennedy and celebrating the re-boot of STAY TUNED FOR MURDER, the third book in her Talk Radio Mystery series. If you've never tried this series, it's very funny. It's got a dog--Pugsley, and some whacky characters who will steal your heart. (First book in the series is DEAD AIR). Check it out! Dr. Maggie Walsh's radio show has been getting a boost in ratings ever since Madame Chantal, who claims to talk to the dead, started her regular guest appearances. But when two women are killed after a seance, it's up to Maggie to catch the culprit before she, too, winds up on the other side...
Why pay a buck for a cup of Mickey D's coffee when you can buy a laugh-out-loud funny cozy mystery? I was only too happy to blurb her book, DEAD AIR, and you can get it for 99 cents until midnight tonight! You won't be sorry.
"Frasier Meets Murder She Wrote"—that's how readers have described the Talk Radio Mysteries. It's all about a NY psychologist who moves to sunny Florida to become a radio talk show host. Start with the first release, DEAD AIR and you'll be hooked on Dr. Maggie.
Licensed psychologist Dr. Maggie Walsh, hosts On the Couchwith Maggie Walsh on radio station WYME. When charismatic, dishonest New Age prophet Sanjay Gingii appears on the show and then dies in a suspicious manner, Maggie's roommate is named the prime suspect, but Maggie soon learns that plenty of other people had means and motives to do Gingii in.
As a writer, I don't only read what I write. Yes, I adore cozy mysteries, and yes, I read darker suspense, but I also read what I call "fun stuff." Sweet romance and YA books. (Harry Potter is considered YA and boy, did that series get dark--and not just kids read them.)
But a fun series I've been reading is Mary Kennedy's Crazy Love Diaries. She wrote three of them: Love Signs, The Ten Cupcake Romance, and Only You. They are utterly charming, and laugh-out loud funny.
Here's a bit more about them.
Love Signs: Tracy Adams trusts her horoscope--it's been right 100% of the time. When the stars predict she'll meet a good-looking boy, Jeff Nichols shows up. Tracy falls hard, but the stars warn Tracy not to mistake friendship for love. Now she's confused. Jeff is everything she wants in a boyfriend, but her horoscope insists Steve Richards is a better match for her, even though they have nothing in common. Have the stars made a terrible mistake? Should Tracy trust her heart or her horoscope?
The Ten Cupcake Romance: Every time Amy Miller falls in love, she eats her heart out—literally! Her latest crazy is cupcakes, but when her friend Sharon finds Amy devouring a whole box of them, she knows that Amy needs to find a better hobby. Why not become a romance novelist? Amy loves the idea and Simon Adams a cute British student fits right into the plot. In fact, he's the main character. Amy knows enough about love to fill a book, but even she can't guess how the story will end.
Only You: Carla Santini. She's the Italian exchange student who's coming to stay with Jamie Hogan and her family for the summer. Jamie can hardly wait to spend time with Carla—it will be just like having a sister her own age. Everyone is waiting for Carla's arrival at the airport. When a gorgeous Italian boy steps off the plane, Jamie gasps in surprise. Carla is actually Carlo—there was a typo! Can one key stroke turn Jamie's world upside down?
I've written before about how I like to make graphics. I think they're fun, and usually I do them to either celebrate a National Day of ... or to plug my own or somebody else's books. For instance: Today is National "Talk LIke A Pirate" Day, and I made a graphic for it for the Cozy Chicks.
I've made them for my friends, too.
And, of course, I've made them for myself.
My question to you is ... does seeing these kinds of graphics influence you? Would you be interested in any of the books because of the graphics. I sure hope the answer is yes, but even if it's no, I'll probably still make them because it's fun.
I can't draw. Mr. L laughs hysterically at my attempts, but that's because he CAN draw, and paint, and make funny cartoons, and makes exquisite maps. My creative gifts just don't fit into that category. But, I can put together a graphic using different elements. How many elements do you think there are in the Telenia graphic above? Would it surprise you to know there are 8 different things going on?
the title
Meet Wren.
Never Underestimate the power of a woman with a loom.
the book cover
the photo of the witch.
the Tales of Telenia logo
my website URL
the black background
I find it fun to put all these elements together. And so I'll ask the question again: do these types of graphics influence you?
And here's a bonus graphic just because it amuses me. (Coming October 15th.)
My book, Tales of Telenia: STRANDED, is just one of 15 books you could win when you enter a #YoungAdultBack-To-School Book Giveaway. While you’re at it, why not read them on a brand new Amazon #Kindle Fire?
Don't read YA? Maybe your kids or grandkids do!
Enter by September 12th to win a wide selection of Young Adult e-books, a Kindle Fire, or both! Click here for more information on how to increase your odds of winning.Look for the follow-up email to confirm your entry. Good luck!
My friend Mary Kennedy and I are celebrating because we've both got new books out. As this is my blog (tee hee), I'll go with mine first.
My readers asked for it, and I've delivered. A Jeff Resnick Six Pack features all six Jeff Resnick "short" stories. (Some are a lot longer than others.)
This collection of short stories bridges the gaps between the Jeff Resnick novels of suspense and intrigue.
When The Spirit Moves You: Does Jeff believe in ghosts? Bah! Humbug: Christmas with his girlfriend Maggie’s family is anything but merry. Cold Case: A small boy is missing. Can Jeff find him? Spooked!: A malevolent spirit visits for Halloween. Crybaby: Have diaper bag—will travel! Eyewitness: Jeff can’t move ahead in live until he finds out who murdered his wife.
And second in the Hollywood Nights series from Mary Kennedy ... MOVIE STAR!
Jessie Phillips and her friend, Tracy, go Hollywood when a film company chooses Fairmont Academy as the setting for a sizzling thriller. Sparks fly off and on the set as the teens become embroiled in a mystery fit for the big screen, and things heat up for Jessie when the film’s star Shane Rockett takes a shine to her. Will Jessie score more than her fifteen-minutes of fame?
(This novel won an award and grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for "artistic excellence in literary fiction.”)
Okay, I admit it -- I took most of the summer off from blogging. I hope to get back into the swing of things as the weather turns colder and I'm inside more.
In the meantime, it's the first Tuesday of the month and two of my Cozy Chick blog sisters have new books out.
My good pal Mary Jane Maffini is one half of the mother-daughter writing team of Victoria Abbott. Today, the third book in their Book Collector Mystery series, THE WOLFE WIDOW, is officially released.
As Thanksgiving approaches, Jordan Bingham is grateful for her job researching rare books for Vera Van Alst, the infamous curmudgeon of Harrison Falls, New York. But when an uninvited guest makes an appearance, much more than dinner is disrupted—and Jordan is thankful just to be alive… Vera Van Alst doesn’t normally receive visitors without appointment, but she agrees to see the imperious Muriel Delgado upon arrival. Shortly thereafter, Jordan is told that her position is being terminated. Evicted from the Van Alst House, Jordan is determined to find out what hold Muriel has over her erstwhile employer.
Mary Kennedy is a psychologist who just happens to write mysteries, and NIGHTMARES CAN BE MURDER is the first in her new Dream Club Mystery Series.
Business consultant Taylor Blake has eturned to Savannah, Georgia, to help her sister Allison turn her dream of running an old-fashioned candy store into a reality. Allison is also interested in dream interpretation and invites Taylor to her Friday night Dream Club, where members meet once a week to share and analyze their dreams. When a local dance instructor, Chico Hernandez, is found dead in his studio, and the murder scene has an eerie resemblance to one of the dreams shared at their meeting, Taylor can’t help but be intrigued. And when her sister, who was briefly involved with the dance teacher, becomes the prime suspect, Taylor and their fellow club members can’t be caught napping. It’s up to them to dream up a solution to the murder before Allison faces a real-life nightmare.
