Author Interview and Giveaway - A Memory of Muskets by Kathleen Ernst

Book Synopsis

Curator Chloe Ellefson is happily planning to spotlight home-front challenges and German immigrants at Old World Wisconsin’s first Civil War reenactment―but her overbearing boss scorns her ideas and proposes staging a mock battle. And when a reenactor is found dead at one of the historic site’s German farms, Chloe’s boyfriend, cop Roelke McKenna, suspects murder.

The more Roelke learns about reenacting, the more he fears that a killer will join the ranks at Chloe’s special event. Then Chloe discovers a disturbing secret about Roelke’s Civil War-era ancestors. Together they struggle to solve crimes past and present . . . before Chloe loses her job and another reenactor loses his life.

Author Interview

View from the Birdhouse:  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Kathleen Ernst:  I was a voracious reader as a child.  When I was about ten I realized that if reading was so much fun, writing my own stories would be even more satisfying.

View from the Birdhouse:  What was your favorite book as a child?

Kathleen Ernst:  The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder had a huge influence on me, and helped inspire my lifelong interest in history.  They are beautifully written.  My 6^th Chloe Ellefson mystery, Death on the Prairie, featured all of Laura’s homesites, which was great fun!

View from the Birdhouse:  What is your writing day like?  Do you have any interesting writing quirks?

Kathleen Ernst:  I balance the actual writing with the business aspects of being a writer—answering email, writing blog posts, etc.  I often write in coffee shops.  They are noisy, but none of that noise has anything to do with me!  I also go on several writing retreats every year. 

View from the Birdhouse:  What was the most surprising thing you learned while creating this book?

Kathleen Ernst:  A subplot features German immigrants who arrive in Wisconsin just before the American Civil War, and I thought a lot about what a difficult situation they faced.  Some felt duty-bound to fight for the country that had welcomed them.  Others felt compelled to avoid the conflict, and focus on developing their new farm or home.

View from the Birdhouse:  What is your next writing project?

Kathleen Ernst:  I’m working on the 8th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, which will feature a new historic site and an ethnic group I haven’t written about before.  Coming fall 2017! 

About the Author

Kathleen Ernst is a former museum curator who remains passionate about history!  In addition to the Chloe Ellefson Historic Sites series, she has written many books for American Girl, including nine about the historical character she created, Caroline Abbott. Over 1.5 million copies of Kathleen’s 33 titles have been sold. The Chloe series has earned a LOVEY Award for Best Traditional Mystery, and several of her mysteries for young readers have been finalists for Edgar or Agatha awards. 

Author Links:

www.kathleenernst.com
www.sitesandstories.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/kathleenernst.author 

Purchase Links:
Amazon – B&N –Indie Bound

Giveaway
One lucky reader will win a print copy of Memory of Muskets (U.S. only).  This giveaway ends at midnight on October 18.  The winner will be notified by email, and will need to respond within 48 hours.  The book will be mailed to the winner from the author or her publicist.
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Book Review and Giveaway - Masking for Trouble by Diane Vallere

Book Synopsis

Halloween brings more tricks than treats for costume shop owner Margo Tamblyn in the second in a new cozy series from the national bestselling author of the Material Witness Mysteries.

Halloween conjures up big business for Margo Tamblyn’s costume shop, Disguise DeLimit, but this year, the holiday comes knocking with serious trouble. Venture capitalist Paul Haverford plans to rezone historic downtown into a glitzy commercial area which would push out local business. Margo is set on saving her family’s store, especially after a nasty run-in with the chain-store tycoon, but after Haverford’s body is discovered during a spooky party at the derelict Alexandria Hotel, Margo finds herself dressed as the police’s prime suspect.

Anxious to clear her name, Margo begins hunting down anyone who might have wanted Haverford dead. Between all of his malicious maneuverings, the murdered mogul had buckets of people anxious to see him gone. Now, Margo will have to use every trick in the book to find a cloaked killer—before someone else winds up wearing a death shroud…

My Review
What a fun and unique mystery!  Margo Tamblyn is a costume shop owner dealing with the busiest time of year in her business - Halloween.  She discovers that a real estate developer wants to rezone the picturesque area where her shop is located.  Before she can make a plan to save the shop, the real estate developer is discovered dead at a big Halloween party - and Margo is the suspect.

Masking for Trouble has a lot of fun qualities for a cozy mystery. First there is the setting. Proper City is described in the book as "a town filled with people who like to dress up.  It's like something out of Grimms' Fairy Tales" (p. 52). 

The costume shop setting is equally fascinating - I loved all the details of costumes found there.  For instance, Margo wears a black widow spider costume that sprays Silly String as a sort of web.  What a neat detail!

I really liked Margo as an amateur detective.  She's smart, resourceful, and brave.  I also liked her love interest, Tak, and found their secret text codes for meetings fun.

This is a lively mystery, and it moves at a brisk pace thanks to well developed characters and quick dialogue.  The whodunit aspect of the mystery kept me guessing!

I have not read the first book in this series (yet!) but picked up quickly with Masking for Death.  I am eager to look up Diane Vallere's other mysteries as well now, especially her Madison Night series, since I love Mid-Century.   I enthusiastically recommend Masking for Death for other fans of cozy mysteries;  it makes an especially fun Halloween read.

Author Bio

I’m a former fashion buyer turned mystery writer, trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. I was bit by the mystery bug as a kid reading Trixie Belden, Connie Blair, and The Three Investigators. Now I’m writing three series: the Style & Error Mysteries, the Mad for Mod Mysteries, and the Material Witness Mysteries.

The Costume Shop mysteries debuted with A DISGUISE TO DIE FOR, which introduces Margo Tamblyn, costume shop owner, who helps solve a murder after one of her clients is found dead at his own costume party (dressed as Sherlock!). MASKING FOR TROUBLE, the second in the series, will be out in October 2016, just in time for Halloween.

The Material Witness mysteries feature Polyester Monroe, who inherits the fabric shop where she was born. Books include SUEDE TO REST  and CRUSHED VELVET . The third, SILK STALKINGS,  was just released.

The Style & Error Series features former fashion buyer turned amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd. Books in that series include DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY ; BUYER, BEWARE ; THE BRIM REAPER ; and SOME LIKE IT HAUTE . (A short story, “Just Kidding ,” tells the story of how Samantha first met shoe designer Nick Taylor). Book 5, GRAND THEFT RETRO, will be out in 2016.

The Madison Night Mysteries feature a modern day interior decorator who specializes in midcentury design (studying Doris Day movies to get the look right). Books are PILLOW STALK ,THAT TOUCH OF INK , and WITH VICS YOU GET EGGROLL . A prequel novella, “Midnight Ice,” can be found in OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE . 

Author Links

Webpage: http://www.dianevallere.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/DianeVallereAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianevallere
GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4739022.Diane_Vallere 

Purchase Links
Amazon – B&N 

Giveaway
(1) Mythic Mazes Jigsaw Puzzle - U.S. Only

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I received a copy of this book from Great Escapes Book Tour.

Dear Abby - Pet Meet and Greet: Lili and Miguel Luis

Dear friends,

Today is my first Pet Meet and Greet post.  I'm very happy to introduce you to two of my long time dachshund friends.  Lili and Miguel Luis live with their human mother, Dianne, in Mexico.  They are in a dachshund group that Momma has belonged to for many years ... and they are great doxies!

Abby:  Who are your pets (names, breeds, ages)?

Dianne:  Lili, “Tweenie” dachshund, 16 ½ years young and Miguel Luis, standard dachshund, 13 ½ years young.

Abby:  Is there a story behind any of your pets' names?

Dianne:  When I adopted Lili, I had two names in mind: Molly and Lili. I took one look at that precious puppy and knew her name was Lili. As for Miguel Luis, he was born here in Ensenada Mexico so he had to have a Mexican name. He was named after my favorite Mexican singer, Luis Miguel.

Abby:  What is the funniest thing your pets have done?

Dianne:  They’re always doing funny stuff but what got me recently is Miguel was on the ramp going from the floor to the couch and just standing there. Lili wanted to come up (bear in mind she is ½ his size). She squeezed up next to hip and with a little hip action, pushed him off.

Abby:  Have your pets had any adventures?

Dianne:  The worst adventure is we were walking on the beach with Teeana (to the bridge in 2008) and were attacked by 2 gigantic mastiffs. The owners had no control over them and they had me on the ground in 30 seconds. The girls ran off (a good decision on their part) and Miguel stayed and fought the big dogs off with me and Jesus. (I kept saying “Jesus help me” and He did!) Teeana waited aways down the beach but little Lili, terrified, ran home, across a busy street a total distance of about ½ mile. 

Abby:  What do you and your pets do for fun?

Dianne:  They’re both older now so short walks. Miguel’s never been much for play but every once in awhile Lili decides she wants to play and runs through the house to get me to play with her.

Abby:  Do your pets have any favorite, special toys?

Dianne:  They used to like balls and, of all things, those brown rubber doorstops, but in the past year or so, they’ve not been interested in toys.

Abby:  What are some special things your pets can do?

Dianne:  Nothing I can think of offhand

Abby:  What are your pets' most lovable qualities?

Dianne:  Those precious faces just looking up at me with so much love, I just want to hug them all the time. I just love them to the moon and back.

Thank you, Dianne!  I loved learning more about my good friends Lili and Miguel Luis here, and know readers will enjoy meeting them here,  too.  You can leave a comment or message for them below.

I would love to include YOUR pets in a future Pet Meet and Greet.  I sent out little questionnaires to everyone who responded in the comments last week.  If you have not received it, please let me know and I can resend.  And if you want to include your pets here, please leave your email in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo 

Book Review - Finding Libbie by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Book Synopsis
Poring over a dusty hatbox of photographs in her grandmother’s closet, Emily Prentice is shocked to discover her father was married to his high school sweetheart before meeting her mother.

In the summer of 1968, Jack and Libbie fall in love under the spell of their small town, untouched by the chaos of the late sixties. Though Libbie’s well-to-do parents disapprove of Jack’s humble family and his aspiration to become a mechanic, she marries Jack a year after they graduate high school. But soon their happiness crumbles as Libbie’s mental state unravels and she is drawn to alcohol and drugs. Despite his efforts to help her, Jack loses the woman he loves and is forced to move on with his life.

Now that Emily’s mother has passed away, Jack is alone again, and Emily grows obsessed with the beautiful woman who had given her father such joy. Determined to find Libbie, Emily pieces together the couple’s fragmented past. But is it too late for happy endings?

 

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books a Million | Barnes & Noble

 

My Review

Finding Libbie tells such a moving story.  It begins with Emily helping her grandmother to clean out her farm house before she moves.  Emily finds an old hat box of letters and photos, and realizes her father was married as a young man, before he met her mother.  

 

The first part of the book tells the story of Emily's father, Jack, and his first love Libbie.  They were high school sweethearts in 1968, although she came from a prominent family and he was from a strong working class family.  The book beautifully captures small town life in the 1960's, with details like an outdoor movie on a big screen, Dairy Queen, a roller rink, an A&W drive in, a Fourth of July carnival.

 

Jack and Libbie are both likable, sympathetic characters and I really enjoyed reading about their early romance.  For this reason, I found it really hard to read about Libbie's unhappiness and addiction.

 

The second part of the book involves Emily's search for Libbie.  As I read along, I really hoped for happiness for these characters that I came to care for in Finding Libbie.  I liked Emily's look into the past and search for Libbie.

 

This is a well written, heartwarming, emotionally stirring book.    I recommend it to fans of women's fiction, small town fiction, and family stories.

Author Bio

Deanna Lynn Sletten grew up on the sunny coast of Southern California before moving to northern Minnesota as a teenager. Her interest in writing novels was sparked in a college English class, and she has been writing in some form or another ever since. In 2011, Deanna self-published her first novel and has since published several more, both on her own and with Lake Union Publishing. 

 

Deanna enjoys writing heartwarming women’s fiction and romance novels with unforgettable characters. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes readers on the adventure of a lifetime. She believes in fate, destiny, love at first sight, soul mates, second chances, magic, and happily ever after—all of which are reflected in her novels.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian shepherd or relaxing on her boat in the summer.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

I received a copy of this book from TLC Book Tours.

Music Monday - "Can't Find My Way Home" by Blind Faith (1969)

"Can't Find My Way Home" by Blind Faith is a classic rock song that is new on my horizon.  I love retro music, but this song doesn't seem to get much airplay even on '60's on 6 (SiriusXM).

I have been watching, and enjoying, the new TV series This is Us.  It's a beautifully written show about relationships and connections between people and time.  It moves back and forth in time, giving little segments of the story out of order, and you slowly start to piece them together.  Although it is a show about relationships, it reminds me a bit of Lost in the non-linear storytelling.  It's really interesting.  Two of the characters in the show are a couple who have multiple babies (triplets) in 1980.  This is their song.  After the episode that featured "Can't Find My Way Home," I had to look this up on Youtube to listen again.  It's a sad song, but really beautiful.

This song was written in 1969 by Steve Winwood and recorded by Blind Faith.  Blind Faith put out one album in 1969.  The group consisted of Steve Winwood, and two members of the band Cream -- Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton, along with bassist Rich Grech.

I find this song beautiful and rather haunting.  



And here is a clip of This Is Us, featuring the song.



I'd love to hear from you in the comments, whether about this Music Monday song or This Is Us.  (I really love this show!).