Hey, it's Mr. E's big day!

Coming to paperback on Tuesday, May 5th!

Available in paperback on Tuesday!

Angelica wants to impress the new manager of NRA Realty --but does she HAVE to have her tea party at Tricia's store? (That would be a big YES!)

COMING TO PAPERBACK ON TUESDAY MAY 5th! (And the ebook price drops that day, too!)

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1CGywE2
B&N:  http://bit.ly/1FQwodQ

Books A Million:  http://bit.ly/1ECQlTI
Indie Bookstores:  http://bit.ly/1LEBQFC
Chapters:  http://bit.ly/1LEC1Rc
Book Depository:  http://bit.ly/1DI2gly
Watch the Video:  http://youtu.be/b9Tmrlqum0g

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DARK WATERS on audio ...

New Cozies Out Today!

Finally available in the UK, AU, NL and IE

Not entirely welcome ...

Mr. and Mrs. Duck came calling this afternoon. They aren't really welcome around our pool because ... let's just say they aren't very tidy.  This time we scared them away just by taking pictures.



I grabbed one more shot as they flew away.

Birthday Pie!

Today is Mr. L's birthday.  He's not into cake, so I baked him a lemon meringue pie.

This was the first time I got to use my new pie weights.  What fun!



I should take more pictures of the "work-in-progress."

Here's the final result.



Happy Birthday, Mr. L!

New Cozies Just for You!

Don't you just love the first Tuesday of the month -- NEW BOOKS!!!  Hey, and I'm leading the pack with a new audiobook.

ONE HOT MURDER:  Victoria Square Mystery #3

At the height of the heat wave, a tragic fire strikes Victoria Square. Wood U, a small store selling wooden gifts and small furniture, is destroyed. But the fire may just be a smoke screen—for murder. A body is found among the charred wreckage, and the victim didn’t die from smoke inhalation. He was shot. Now—despite making Detective Ray Davenport hot under the collar—Katie Bonner is determined to smoke out a coldhearted killer…

Audible |  Amazon  |  iTunes  |  Tantor Media (in CD)

==================================

And from my BFF and Cozy Chicks Blog sister Ellery Adams

Lemon Pies and Little White Lies: Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery #4

Ella Mae LeFaye’s Charmed Pie Shoppe has become a phenomenon beyond her wildest dreams, providing the enchanted town of Havenwood, Georgia, with spellbinding desserts and magical pies. Her personal life is also heating up as she takes on the responsibilities of leadership within her magical community. In fact, the only thing weighing her down is the fact that handsome Hugh Dylan won’t return her calls…

Still, when Havenwood is rocked by a series of mysterious deaths, Ella Mae must put romantic longings aside—especially when she realizes that the mystical symbols left at each crime scene are dangerously personal. Now she will have to whip up all her supernatural skills to uncover a killer out to settle an ancient score—before the murderer devastates everything Ella Mae is determined to protect…

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble
Kindle US  | Kindle Worldwide  |  Nook  |  Kobo  |  iBooks

==================================

And from another of my Cozy Chick Blog sisters, Duffy Brown

Demise in Denim, Consignment Shop Mystery #5

When Reagan Summerside turned the first floor of her old Victorian home into a consignment shop, she never imagined she’d be harboring a fugitive in her attic. But after a dead man is found in a bathtub and local lawyer Walker Boone is accused of doing the dirty deed, she suddenly has a new houseguest.

Having the lawyer who took her to the cleaners in her divorce settlement—and who has been getting under her skin ever since—in close proximity is enough to drive Reagan to distraction. For the sake of her sanity—and Walker’s freedom—they need to put their heads together to find out who is trying to get the lawyer out of the picture . . .
 
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble
Kindle US  | Kindle Worldwide  |  Nook  |  Kobo  |  iBooks

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DARK WATERS on audio ...

Finally available in the UK, AU, NL and IE

A wonderful cover reveal

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.

Dark Waters await ...

Wow -- a lot has been going on behind the scenes of late. Not only are the Victoria Square books coming out in audio, they are now available in e format for the UK, AU, NL, and Ireland.
Also brand new is my latest audiobook from my Jeff Resnick Mystery series, DARK WATERS, which is narrated by Steven Barnett.

For Jeff Resnick, the trouble starts with a near-death experience.  Brenda's family comes to visit and one of them reminds Jeff of the thugs who mugged him. His brother has taken possession of an expensive boat.  The yacht holds a deadly secret, one destined to turn his world upside down. Will Jeff solve the puzzle before his vision of near death becomes a reality?

Feathered Quill Book Reviews said:  "Conflicts swirl like the dark waters of the Niagara."

Available from:

Audible US | Audible UK  | Amazon | iTunes

For information on all the Jeff Resnick audiobooks, check out my website.

Victoria Square Mysteries available in e-format for AU, IE, NL and UK

I'm ecstatic to announce that the Victoria Square Mysteries are now available in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland.  And look at these beautiful covers!









For more information, you can check out my website.  Click here!


P.S.  Those really are my cats on the covers: Betsy (standing in for Della) and Bonnie (standing in for Mason).

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A wonderful cover reveal

First Tuesday -- Great Reading!

I'll drink to that!

A purr-fectly lovely cover

As I think I mentioned last week ... the Victoria Square Mysteries are coming to audio.  It's been a long time coming, but a little judicious nagging certainly didn't hurt.

Yesterday, my editor sent me the cover for the first one, A Crafty Killing.  (It'll all be available on February 24th.) To be fair, it was gorgeous. There was just one honking big error. The cat.  It was a ginger cat.  A very handsome ginger cat, but it wasn't Mason, the cat in the story.  Mason is a tabby!



Well, I let my editor know I was and wasn't happy. It's not his fault, after all, that Marketing ALWAYS gets it wrong!  The new art director was probably just taking a cue from the original cover. (Which wrongly has a ginger cat on it.)

When I didn't hear back from him during the next hour, I wondered if he might start to think I'm some kind of diva. And this audiobook is coming out from Tantor Media (a company that my publisher licensed the audio rights to).  I don't know how he did it, but my wonderful editor asked them to change the cover--and they did!!!!  Color me shocked, but extremely happy.

I think you have to agree, this cover is PURRfect.  I like the fact that Mason is glancing over his shoulder with a wary expression--looking for bad guys



I'm liking Tantor Media!  Not only do they produce nice covers, but they actually offer the audiobooks as downloads AND on CD. I have not heard a sample of the book, but I have heard samples of the narrator reading other cozy mysteries, so I think she'll be a good fit.

You can order the audio edition of A Crafty Killing.  Just click here.  (It's also available from Amazon and will soon be available from iTunes and Audible.)

The book and ebook are still available, too, and there'll be more on the horizon, too.

I'll let you know when The Walled Flower and One Hot Murder are available during the next couple of months.

New month -- new stories to enjoy!

I love the first Tuesday of the month -- that means new releases from many of my friends and favorite authors.  Today is no different.  Of course, first up is ... me .. then two of my Cozy Chicks blog sisters, Kate Collins and Duffy Brown.

CRYBABY featuring Jeff Resnick

Jeff Resnick—babysitter? It wasn’t a reference that had ever graced his personal résumé, but when he’s entrusted to care for his brother’s most prized possession—his infant daughter—Jeff is tested in ways he could never have anticipated. With his girlfriend Maggie unavailable, Jeff has only one person he can turn to for advice when his tiny niece falls ill on his watch.
Kindle US  | Kindle Worldwide
Kobo  |  Nook  |  iBooks  | Smashwords

========================================

Dead Man Walker ... a Consignment Shop mystery
by Duffy Brown

As a mortician beautician and housekeeper, Mercedes is no stranger to corpses or messy bathrooms. But the last thing she expects to find in a client’s bathtub is a dead body! Now she’s a murder suspect and it seems like her life is going down the drain. She turns to local lawyer Walker Boone to get her out of hot water.  But Walker has his own surprising connections to the dead man in the tub, and now he needs Reagan’s help to clear his own name—and keep him alive…

Kindle US  | Kindle Worldwide
Kobo  |  Nook  |  iBooks 

========================================

Miss Marple says ...

And you should always listen to Miss Marple ...

Angelica can has chocolate cake!

Live and soon to be live ....

Ever since I returned from the Ninc conference in late October, I've been hustling my butt working on a number of projects, some of which are now live and some that are still in the works. (I'll talk about that more in a week or so.)

LIVE -- FROM NEW YORK (okay, Rochester NY) IT'S ....

Cheated By Death in audio!
(Jeff Resnick Mystery #4)

I've got a fabulous new narrator, Steven Barnett, and I'm hoping that we can re-record the earlier books in the series so that Steven will be the voice of Jeff Resnick.

Audible US  |  Audible UK  | Amazon  |  iTunes

To read more about the book, click this link to my website.

As I mentioned last week, BOUND BY SUGGESTION (Jeff Resnick Mystery #5) is also now available in audio.  OMG -- I'm thrilled with Steven's performance. It sure had me on the edge of my seat, and I wrote it!

And out as paperbacks ...

Evolution: Jeff Resnick's Backstory
There's something about this book that haunts me. I think I've read it six times in the last month. I keep going back to it, and I don't usually go back and read my own stuff. (Although I do like to listen to it on audio in the car.) Maybe it's the whole "coming of age" aspect of the stories.

Not only is the book now available as a trade paperback, it'll soon be available in audio, too. (Again, performed by Steven Barnett.)  I'll let you know when that happens.  So far I've confined distribution to just Amazon because the paperbacks don't sell as well as the ebooks and there are costs associated with distribution (like being forced to not only give hefty discounts, but pay for returns--OUCH!).

To read more about the book, click this link to my website.

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

Tales Of Telenia: THRESHOLD
I don't know why this book doesn't seem to resonate with readers. It sure resonates with me. Why?  I'm not sure. I just know it, and the second book in the series, JOURNEY, were a heck of a lot of fun to write. I really enjoyed the experience and I thought my readers might be willing to leave their comfort zones to give my character Amanda Shelton a try. But I live in hope.  The sales for Evolution have picked up since the paperback edition came out. I'm hoping Amanda will have the same kind of luck.

If the sales pick up, not only will I squeeze the next book into my writing schedule, but I'll release the series as audiobooks, too.

To read more about the book, click this link to my website.

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

 =========================

SPOILER ALERT:  In the works? 

The audio edition of Jeff Resnick #6, Dark Waters.
The print edition of Tales of Telenia: JOURNEY
The audio editions of the first three Victoria Square Mysteries.
Booktown Mystery #10: (what I'm calling) A Not-So-Fond Farewell

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Now available!

Bursting with Pride

Coming February 3rd

A book to be proud of

Mr. L has been teasing me for weeks, telling me that I pat myself on the back because I enjoy listening to my own stories as audiobooks.

In particular, I've been listening to the latest Jeff Resnick Mystery which is now available on audio, BOUND BY SUGGESTION.  I've had it since before Christmas and have listened to the complete story at least four times. I've listened to the last 5-6 chapters at least 8 or 9 times.

Why?

Because it turns out I wrote a pretty exciting book.
Not all audiobooks are good.  You have to find the right voice.  Example:  The narrator for the first audio edition of Murder on the Mind was ALL WRONG for Jeff, and even worse for Richard. (I never did make it past the first CD because I kept cringing.)

I found the right voice in an audio producer named Steven Barnett (who has also performed Cheated By Death). Steven makes the story leap out of the speakers! The voices of the characters are pretty much perfect, especially Jeff, Richard, and Brenda. (Yeah, he even does good women's voices!)
I am just so proud of the book, and especially this audio edition.  I hope my readers/listeners will be, too.

It's now available from:

Audible US  |  Audible UK  |  iTunes  |  Amazon

P.S.  Steven is already working on the next book in the series, Dark Waters, and will soon begin Evolution: Jeff Resnick's backstory.  I can't wait!

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Now available!

Coming February 3rd

On the horizon: CRYBABY

Some people give themselves expensive Christmas gifts.  Some just trinkets.  I think most people don't even give themselves a gift. When I give myself a Christmas gift, it's usually time off to write something I really want to write.

This year I gave myself the time to write a short story featuring my favorite character, Jeff Resnick.

Jeff Resnick—babysitter? It wasn’t a reference that had ever graced his personal résumé, but when he’s entrusted to care for his brother’s most prized possession—his infant daughter—Jeff is tested in ways he could never have anticipated. With his girlfriend Maggie unavailable, Jeff has only one person he can turn to for advice when his tiny niece falls ill on his watch.

COMING:  February 3rd

It's available for pre-order now:

Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide

Kobo | iBooks

(It will be available for Nook on February 3rd.)

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Now available!

A Fatal Chapter is now ready for pre-order!

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

Who says there's no holiday cheer in space?

Out to Lunch

Earlier this year, when my mother-in-law went into the nursing home, Mr. L and I decided we needed to spend some quality time together away from worries and the hustle and bustle (and Internet) of daily life.  And since we like to go out to lunch, we thought we might like to do it once a week.  Since we often paired our lunch dates with a visit to his mother at the home, we went out a lot during the week.  Sadly, we lost her in August.

At Coleman's -- toasting Jeff.

Over the summer we also took little day trips on the weekend to places like Coleman's Irish Pub in Syracuse and The Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles, and a bunch of other wonderful restaurants outside of Rochester and had wonderful meals. I should also add that we don't go to franchise places. Nope, we like to go to locally owned restaurants where the food is freshly made--not microwaved and served by kids who don't know a spice from an herb.  (Sorry, kids.)

But now it's WINTER and we're not driving very far to get a bite to eat. And we aren't doing it on weekends, either. Why?  Because it seems there's some kind of conspiracy among the locally owned restaurants NOT to open for lunch on Saturday.  What's with that?

We checked (online menus from) restaurants in Syracuse and Buffalo and lots and lots of them are open for lunch on weekends, but not here in Rochester.  The only exception appears to be Keenan's. Okay, we like Keenan's. They make good martinis, have wonderful food, and they have a popcorn machine where you can help yourself, but we don't want to go there every week.

So .. I guess we're stuck going out to lunch on weekdays.  Today we're heading to one of my favorite restaurants, Bernard's Grove, where they have a wonderful beer-battered fish fry and lovely martinis.

Do you like to go out to lunch, and if so -- what kind of restaurant do you frequent?

Some holiday silliness.

Gee, I forgot to post these over the weekend.  Hope you like them.

 
Makes me itch just thinking about all those spiky leaves.



Or maybe she's just a lowercase letter "t".



If she bursts into flames, she can stop, drop, and roll out the door -- and hopefully into a snowbank!

(Stay tuned ... more to come!)