Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Author Interview and Giveaway: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate
(Potting Shed Mystery series Book 3)
Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Alibi (August 4, 2015)
Random House LLC
ASIN: B00PEPR70M
Synopsis
Perfect for fans of Laura
Childs, Ellery Adams, and Jenn McKinlay, Marty Wingate’s enchanting
Potting Shed Mystery series heads to Scotland as Pru Parke plans her
wedding . . . all while a vengeful murderer is poised to strike again.
After her romantic idyll with the debonair Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse culminates in a marriage proposal, Pru Parke sets about arranging their nuptials while diving into a short-term gig at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. At hand is the authentication of a journal purportedly penned by eighteenth-century botanist and explorer Archibald Menzies. Compared to the chaos of wedding planning, studying the journal is an agreeable task . . . that is, until a search for a missing cat leads to the discovery of a dead body: One of Pru’s colleagues has been conked on the head with a rock and dumped from a bridge into the Water of Leith.
After her romantic idyll with the debonair Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse culminates in a marriage proposal, Pru Parke sets about arranging their nuptials while diving into a short-term gig at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. At hand is the authentication of a journal purportedly penned by eighteenth-century botanist and explorer Archibald Menzies. Compared to the chaos of wedding planning, studying the journal is an agreeable task . . . that is, until a search for a missing cat leads to the discovery of a dead body: One of Pru’s colleagues has been conked on the head with a rock and dumped from a bridge into the Water of Leith.
Pru can’t help wondering if the murder
has something to do with the Menzies diary. Is the killer covering up a
forgery? Among the police’s many suspects are a fallen aristocrat turned
furniture maker, Pru’s overly solicitous assistant, even Pru herself.
Now, in the midst of sheer torture by the likes of flamboyant wedding
dress designers and eccentric church organists, Pru must also uncover
the work of a sly murderer—unless this bride wants to walk down the
aisle in handcuffs.
Birdhouse Books Interviews Marty Wingate
Birdhouse: When did
you realize you wanted to be a writer?
Marty: It might’ve
been somewhere around third grade – when our teacher read Charlotte’s Web to us. I was lost in the storytelling!
Birdhouse: What was
your favorite book as a child?
Marty: See above!
But also, I remember reading a series of chapter books for third and fourth
graders that had something to do with a cat and a space ship. I was quite taken
at the time, but can’t remember anything else now. If this sounds familiar to
any of your readers, please let me know.
Birdhouse: What is
your writing day like? Do you have any interesting writing quirks?
Marty: I get at
least two hours of new writing done every day. Well, that’s the goal. Every
writer has her own style, and I prefer to write something new, and then go back
to edit – comb through, clean it up, add detail. I find a twenty-minute walk
invaluable to adding layers to my writing.
Birdhouse: What was
the most surprising thing you learned while creating this book?
Marty: The story
has to do with the journal Archibald Menzies kept when he sailed with Captain
George Vancouver on the Discovery in the late 18th century. I was amazed to
find out that not only was the last year of Menzies’ journal missing, but also
the last year of everyone’s on that ship.
Conspiracy, you say?
Birdhouse: Who are
your favorite authors?
Marty: I’m all
over the map on this one. I love Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna
Clarke) and think J.K. Rowling’s new PI series is great. I’m a big fan of
Sophie Kinsella and the Shopaholic series. But for all time, the author who
most influenced me will be Ray Bradbury.
Birdhouse: What is
your next writing project?
Marty: I’m just
finishing up edits for the second book in my other mystery series (Birds of a
Feather) – Empty Next. And then, it’s back to Pru: I’m working on Potting Shed
#5 right now.
About the Author
Marty Wingate is the author of two previous Potting Shed mysteries, The Garden Plot and The Red Book of Primrose House. Her new Birds of a Feather Mystery series debuted with The Rhyme of the Magpie. Wingate is a regular contributor toCountry Gardens and
other magazines. She also leads gardening tours throughout England,
Scotland, Ireland, France, and North America. More Potting Shed and
Birds of a Feather mysteries are planned.
Author Links
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martywingateauthor
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/martywingate
- Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/453259.Marty_Wingate
- Website: www.martywingate.com
- Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marthawingate/
- Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marty-Wingate/e/B001JS1AIS
Amazon
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Did You Know Tuesday - National Milk Chocolate Day
Milk chocolate tastes more like sugar and milk than cacao, and so it was originally marketed for children. Most milk chocolate bars today have less than 33% cacao. I will admit that I prefer the sweeter milk chocolate to dark chocolate, which has a stronger taste.
My favorite candy bar - and also my favorite milk chocolate - is the Hershey bar. This candy bar was invented in 1900. The vintage ad above shows all the 1950's varieties of Hershey bars.
How about you - do you like milk chocolate? And what is your favorite milk chocolate bar? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Music Monday - "Draggin' the Line" - Tommy James (1971)
Book Spotlight and Giveaway - The Cottage Next Door by Georgia Bockoven
The Cottage Next Door
The Beach House # 3.5
The Beach House # 3.5
By: Georgia Bockoven
Releasing July 14, 2015
William Morrow
What should have been the best day in Diana Wagnor’s twenty-nine years
easily turns into the worst when her job is downsized, she discovers her fiancé
in bed with her best friend, and watches her cherished grandmother’s house burn
to the ground.
Clearly it’s time to start over and get out of Topeka, Kansas, where she’s spent
her whole life. But what should she do? And how does she ever trust herself in
another relationship when her one indisputable skill seems to be picking the
wrong man?
Diana finds her answers at the cottage next door to the beach house with
the help of a tall, sculptured, soft-spoken Californian, and a heart-shaped
piece of sea glass.
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/06/the-cottage-next-door-beach-house-35-by.html
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25476099-the-cottage-next-door
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/131843-the-beach-house
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/131843-the-beach-house
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cottage-next-door-georgia-bockoven/1121191649?ean=9780062389879
Author Info
Georgia Bockoven is an award-winning author who began writing fiction
after a successful career as a freelance journalist and photographer. Her books
have sold more than three million copies worldwide. The mother of two, she
resides in northern California with her husband,
John.
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(Two Digital Download Copies of THE COTTAGE NEXT DOOR)
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