Saving Kathy's House

As most of you know, I write the Lotus Bay Mysteries (and not often enough). When I started the series, I based it on a real place.

Over about a decade, I'd watched what I began to call "Kathy's house" (the basis for Swans Nest Inn) fall into disrepair. It made me sad. It made me want to write about rescuing it. Of course, I needed a BIGGER house to act as the inn, so... I just added more rooms. A lot more rooms--and a taller attic. (I figure Swans Nest Inn is at least double the size of "Kathy's house.") The grass was never cut (the picture above was taken in early spring), and it just got shabbier and shabbier. And then one day, the dreaded RED X went up. That meant, if it caught on fire, it wasn't safe for firefighters to enter.  (Ruh-roh!)

Then, two years ago, a FOR SALE sign went up. Yay! Someone was going to save Kathy's house.  Only nothing happened for quite a while. In fact, there's also a commercial building on the lot, and the new owner worked on it before the house. It was finished last summer and looks quite nice. They finally painted (or stained) the house last fall. I was surprised he choose charcoal gray. (Not my choice.) But the house was finally starting to get some love.

The house is by no means finished. And where I took it from four apartments back to a home, the new owner is taking the home and making it a duplex. It looks quite a bit different, but actually very nice.

How do I know about all this?  I met the new owner last week. He's a surveyor and was surveying a cottage near ours. Our neighbor works with him and as I was packing the car, I was called over to speak to him. Not only had our neighbor read the Lotus Bay Mysteries, but he'd loaned the books to the surveyor and his wife. I told him I'd added a big porch, and apparently it's in the works, although I'm not sure if it'll be in the front or the back of the house.

It was so nice to hear about the love and care that's going into the restoration. (You can't see it, but there's a lovely picnic area to the left.)

Don't you just love happy endings?

FB Giveaway

Woo-hoo! Over on my Facebook Group Page, I'm hosting a holiday craft giveaway to celebrate my holiday books. Come on over and leave a comment sharing a favorite holiday memory to be in contention for a different craft project for the next few days.

Today's featured story is CHRISTMAS AT SWANS NEST.

The holidays are fast approaching, and Kathy Grant is hard at work on the renovations of her soon-to-be bed and breakfast. An unexpected winter storm disrupts her friends’ plans, and it looks like her B&B will have to open a little early. And then there are the cryptic notes that hint of a treasure to be found somewhere in the house. Will Kathy and her friends find a cache of cash?

Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Apple Books | Kobo 

Click this link to  join my Facebook Group Page. 

Would you wear one of these?

I polled reader on my Facebook Group about author swag a while back. Now I need to know what series they (and you) might be interested for T-shirts, totes, and mugs.

Below are my logos (and I have others, like Sweet Sue's from Victoria Square, etc.)

What would you like to see on a shirt, tote, or mug?

My Easter Dessert

The best part of holidays for me is ... the food. It's so enjoyable to share a wonderful meal with friends and/or family, and this year for Easter we're going traditional with a spiral ham, deviled eggs, honeyed carrots, rolls, and at least one more fresh veggie. We'll see what's at the store tomorrow.

But my favorite part of the meal is the dessert.  Okay, I've got a sweet tooth. This year, I'm leaning toward cake. My upcoming book, The Best From Swans Nest, a Lotus Bay Cookbook, has ten cake recipes and five frosting recipes. YUM! I'm leaning toward making spice cake with maple frosting. (That maple frosting also takes great with carrot cake or hummingbird cake. Yum-yum!)

Spice Cake
Ingredients
¼ cup butter or ½ cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup dark-brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup molasses
2¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC, Gas Mark 4). Butter and lightly flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Cream the butter or shortening and slowly add the two sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then add the milk and molasses, beating thoroughly. In another bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients and add to the wet mixture, beating until well blended. Pour the batter into the pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.

Frost with your favorite cream cheese or buttercream frosting. Also tastes great with maple or caramel frosting, or sift confectioners’ sugar over the top.

Yield:  6 to 8 servings

Maple Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2¾ cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Place the softened butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 30 to 40 seconds until whipped. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Sift the confectioner’s sugar into the bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 30 to 40 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the brown sugar and maple syrup. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the walnuts until just until mixed and spread on the cooled cake.

Yield: 3 cups

THE BEST FROM SWANS NEST arrives on May 14th. Pre-order your copy now!

Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | Apple Books 

It's National Oreo Day!

You can bet that there are Oreos in the cupboard in Tori's kitchen. Kathy, of course, will grudgingly eat one, but she's a cookie baker. There are 41 cookie recipes in The Best From Swans Nest. 

What's your favorite commercially made cookie and your favorite homemade cookie?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kathy's cookbook THE BEST OF SWANS NEST will be available on May 14th. Pre-order now!

Kindle US
Kindle UK
Kindle Worldwide

Nook
Kobo
Apple Books

You'll get only The Best From Swans Nest

Woo-hoo! Two years in the making, but at last THE BEST FROM SWANS NEST is now available for pre-order. It's a companion cookbook for the Lotus Bay Mystery series.

What's been fun for me is giving background information for Kathy Grant and what her inn and food mean to her. If you're a fan of the Lotus Bay Mysteries, and you like to eat, you'll want to add this companion to the series to your ereader. (And yes, it will also be available in print -- hopefully on the same day as the ebook. I'll keep you posted.)

Here's a brief description:

Kathy Grant, owner of the Swans Nest Inn on beautiful Lotus Bay, has collected more than a hundred mouth-watering recipes that she not only offers her B&B guests, but the brides who book their engagement and wedding parties at the inn.

Now you can enjoy the same treats like sweet sausage coffee ring, lots of marvelous muffins, quiche, stuffed mushrooms and many, many more!

Kindle US | Kindle UK | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | Apple Books

October on Lotus bay

The leaves are starting to turn on the trees around Lotus Bay. Without boats, the geese, swans, ducks, and gulls have the bay to themselves. I love to hear the geese flying overhead. They get restless paddling around, take off, land somewhere else, and the cycle repeats. I'm pretty sure they stay in the area year round, thanks to all the farmland full of leftovers (corn and soybeans) and the retention ponds. 

What's the wildlife doing in your neck of the woods?

It's Waffle Wednesday at Swans Nest Inn

Happy Waffle Wednesday! That's what Kathy Grant is serving today at her B&B, Swans Nest Inn.

Mmm...waffles. A little fruit and a dollop of whipped butter (or even better, whipped cream!) on top and some New York State (or maybe New Hampshire for Booktown readers) maple syrup ... even yummier.

What would you like with your waffles?

Morning on Lotus Bay

The sky is gray and bay is calm in this first October morning. The wind starts to rise just before lunch. The leaves are still pretty much green, but they will start to turn any day now. Then the west side of the bay gets fiery red and orange and we call it the burn side. Spectacular.

Soon the cottages will be shuttered because the water needs to be turned off before the ground freezes. Customers are few and far between during the week during October when the water gets low. But life on Lotus Bay is peaceful and Tori Cannon wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Sunset on Lotus Bay

I Got Swans

My family has had a cottage on the “real” Lotus Bay for over forty years. So I’m pretty familiar with the area, which is one reason why I’ve chosen to write about it.

Of course, my version is filled with fictional characters, and it’s not exactly in the same part of New York State as the real one is, and the names are all changed, but a lot is still the same. The seasons, the fishing, the lotuses, and the swans.

Swans are an important part of my Lotus Bay “universe.” Kathy Grant, one of my main characters, is opening a B&B called Swans Nest. (You can read all about it in the latest book, A REEL CATCH.)

But since I’ve been writing about Lotus Bay and the swans … I started collecting swans. Okay, I did have a few swan planters beforehand, but it didn’t become a collection (and you have to have three for a collection to start) until I started writing the series.

I’ve got tall swans, and itty bitty swans. Many white ones, but in pink, green, and orange. (I know! What’s with that?) And recently I acquired a lotus and lily pad salt and pepper shaker set. I mean, how could I resist it?

I’ve also got swan coasters, swan prints on the wall, and a couple of swan decorative plates. They’re such beautiful birds—how can one NOT like (love) them?

Have you got any swans?
=========================================

Swans Nest Inn is about to open, and Kathy Grant solicits her BFF, Tori Cannon, to help spruce up her property at the marshy end of Lotus Bay, only they didn’t count on finding a body. Who was he? What’s his connection to their friend Paul Darcy? Meanwhile, two entrepreneurs with vast business ties are interested in helping Tori reopen the Lotus Lodge, and their real motives are as murky as the bay after a storm. Will Swans Nest open on time? Will the Lotus Lodge reopen at all?

Trade Paperback:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million 

Book Depository (free shipping worldwide)

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A Reel Catch -- just a little late

The days before a book launches are always filled with excitement and a lot of extra work, especially when you don't know if the paperback edition will be available in time, and the audio edition is taking longer than I had anticipated to get started.  So what did I forget to do on launch day?  I forgot to blog about it!  So, I'm here to remedy that little error.

The trade Paperback edition!

The reviewsare starting to come in. I was thrilled with the Fresh Fiction review (above, you can read the whole thing here), and there are at least three more reviews from bloggers, too.

Here's the description:

Swans Nest Inn is about to open, and Kathy Grant solicits her BFF, Tori Cannon, to help spruce up her property at the marshy end of Lotus Bay, only they didn’t count on finding a body. Who was he? What’s his connection to their friend Paul Darcy? Meanwhile, two entrepreneurs with vast business ties are interested in helping Tori reopen the Lotus Lodge, and their real motives are as murky as the bay after a storm. Will Swans Nest open on time? Will the Lotus Lodge reopen at all?

Trade Paperback:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million 

Book Depository (free shipping worldwide)

Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | iBooks

Coming to Audio, too!

Have you ordered your copy yet?

Teacup Tuesday on Lotus Bay

Happy Teacup Tuesday. Of course, my mind is focused on Friday and the launch of A REEL CATCH. While the title makes you think of fishing, a large part of the book is focused on Kathy opening her B&B, Swans Nest. She serves her first "official" tea-lunch during the course of the book, and I had a lot of fun planning that party--the menu, the dishes, how she folded the linen napkins....Yeah, I know. Anal to the max--but it set the scene for an important discussion between three of the main characters.

Can you guess what Kathy served?

Join Kathy and Tori for Christmas on Lotus Bay!

Happy Book Day to me!  Christmas At Swans Nest, a Lotus Bay Mini Mystery is available today!


The holidays are fast approaching, and Kathy Grant is hard at work on the renovations of her soon-to-be bed and breakfast. An unexpected winter storm disrupts her friends’ plans, and it looks like her B&B will have to open a little early. And then there are the cryptic notes that hint of a treasure to be found somewhere in the house. Will Kathy and her friends find a cache of cash?

Kindle US: http://amzn.to/2cGphth
Kindle Worldwide: http://authl.it/B01M19K1B5
iBooks:  http://apple.co/2diJUi9
Kobo:  http://bit.ly/2dc8RMr
Nook: http://bit.ly/2dc8Qbw
Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/2dAGB8N

Look twice for motorcycles!

Today is National Ride a Motorcycle Day.

My character, Noreen Darby, used to ride on a regular basis, but she doesn't have time now that she's part owner of the Bay Bar on Beautiful Lotus Bay.  She wants everyone to remember to stay safe by wearing their helmets and leather -- and for motorists to look twice for motorcycles.
Here's a little cheesecake shot from the good old days!

With Baited Breath is now an audiobook!

I'm so pleased to announce that With Baited Breath is now available as an audiobook.  It took about three months for me to find the right narrator, but Heather Masters did a wonderful job.  I'm particularly fond of the way she voiced Anissa and Kathy.  She nailed them perfectly.

Here's the description:

Tori Cannon and her grandfather return from her grandma’s funeral to find a body jammed in one of their derelict motel units. The victim had no enemies except for maybe the rich woman who wants to level his eyesore of a home, a resentful daughter, and friends who were anything but. Tori’s BFF, Kathy, arrives to help spruce up the place and they are soon mixed up in the deadly consequences that murder entails. Can they save the business and find a murderer or will they, too, sleep with the fishes?


Audible US  |  Audible UK

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

iTunes

The book is also available as a trade paperback and all ebook formats.

Related articles

First Tuesday of the Month = New Books!

The Return of Victoria Square ...

Coming June 16th ...

Mmm...oatmeal cookies!

Tori and Kathy know what's important to celebrate -- and cookies top the list. Kathy shares some of her recipes in Panty Raid and With Baited Breath.

Ready for their first big adventure!

Tori Cannon and Kathy Grant have their sunglasses, sunscreen, hats, and are ready for a summer on Lotus Bay.



How about you?

Trade Paperback

Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide

Kobo  |  iBooks

Nook

It's here at last!

I'm absolutely thrilled because today is the first Tuesday of the month and my new cozy mystery, With Baited Breath, is now available.

The first review is in from Feathered Quill Book Reviews.  It says in part:  "A fabulous start in Lorraine Bartlett’s new series. The author seemed to know exactly how to draw me hook, line and sinker into the tale. There was quite a bit of humor, especially with Gramps on the scene.  The scene has been set and I’m certainly looking forward to reading all about Lotus Bay and some of their not-so-quaint and very quirky residents.

Quill says: Lorraine Bartlett has just taken the word 'cozy' to a new level when she landed her readership on the shores of Lotus Bay!"

Trade Paperback | Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | Kobo | Nook | iBooks

You can now pre-order the first Lotus Bay Mystery

I'm so happy to announce tht my first Lotus Bay Mystery, WITH BAITED BREATH, is now available for pre-order for ebooks.  (The Trade Paperback will be avaiable ... as soon as I figure out how to get it out there for preorder ,.. if it's possible.  Keep in touch!)

Here's a brief description:

Tori Cannon and her grandfather, Herb, return from her grandmother’s funeral, and it’s with sadness that she learns the bait shop and small motel they ran has fallen on hard times. Jammed into one of the motel’s units is the body of one of Herb’s customers, his mouth filled with spikes. The victim had no enemies, except for the rich woman who wanted to level his eyesore of a home. But he’s also got a daughter who’s resentful her father wasn’t a major force in her life, and friends who were anything but.
Tori’s friend, Kathy, arrives to help spruce up the property, and the two of them find themselves mixed up in the petty jealousies and deadly consequences that murder entails. Can they save the bait shop and find a murderer before they, too, sleep with the fishes?

For more information about the series, check out my website.
For preorder, click one of the links below:

Kindle | Kindle Worldwide

iBooks |  Kobo  |  Nook

If you haven't read the prequel, it's avaiable now.

Tori Cannon and her BFF, Kathy Grant, get together for a girl’s weekend of wine, cookies, and laughter, but there’s also the specter of a panty pincher hanging around the laundry room of the complex where Tori lives. Kathy thinks they can catch the culprit red-handed in a panty raid!
This mini mystery introduces the two main characters of the upcoming Lotus Bay Mysteries.

Kindle  |  Kindle Worldwide
iBooks  |  Kobo  | Nook
Smashwords

Take a look at my new cover!

Here's the cover for the first Lotus Bay Mystery, WITH BAITED BREATH I hope to have it available for pre-order sometime in October. Cross your fingers.



Meanwhile, Here's a brief description of the story.

Tori Cannon and her grandfather, Herb, return from her grandmother’s funeral, and it’s with sadness that she learns the bait shop and small motel they ran has fallen on hard times. Jammed into one of the motel’s units is the body of one of Herb’s customers, his mouth filled with spikes. The victim had no enemies, except for the rich woman who wanted to buy his eyesore of a home. But he’s also got a daughter who’s resentful her father wasn’t a major force in her life, and friends who were anything but.

Tori’s BFF, Kathy, arrives to help spruce up the property, and the two of them find themselves mixed up in the petty jealousies and deadly consequences that murder entails. Can they save the bait shop and find a murderer before they, too, sleep with the fishes?

For more information about the series, check out my website!