Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Scheduled to Death by Mary Feliz

Book Synopsis
Professional organizer Maggie McDonald has a knack for cleaning up other people’s messes. So when the fiancée of her latest client turns up dead, it’s up to her to sort through the untidy list of suspects and identify the real killer.

Maggie McDonald is hoping to raise the profile of her new Orchard View organizing business via her first high-profile client. Professor Lincoln Sinclair may be up for a Nobel Prize, but he’s hopeless when it comes to organizing anything other than his thoughts. For an academic, he’s also amassed more than his share of enemies. When Sinclair’s fiancée is found dead on the floor of his home laboratory—electrocuted in a puddle of water—Maggie takes on the added task of finding the woman’s murderer. To do so, she’ll have to outmaneuver the suspicious, obnoxious police investigator she’s nicknamed “Detective Awful” before a shadowy figure can check off the first item on their personal to-do list—Kill Maggie McDonald.

Author Bio
Mary Feliz has lived in five states and two countries but calls Silicon Valley home. Traveling to other areas of the United States, she’s frequently reminded that what seems normal in the high-tech heartland can seem decidedly odd to the rest of the country. A big fan of irony, serendipity, diversity, and quirky intelligence tempered with gentle humor, Mary strives to bring these elements into her writing, although her characters tend to take these elements to a whole new level. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and National Association of Professional Organizers. Mary is a Smith College graduate with a degree in Sociology. She lives in Northern California with her husband, near the homes of their two adult offspring. Visit Mary online at MaryFeliz.com, or follow her on Twitter @MaryFelizAuthor.

Purchase Links Amazon     B&N

Giveaway
On February 10, the author will be giving away five ebook editions of both books to randomly selected names on her newsletter list. Here is the link where you can sign up for the newsletter - http://www.maryfeliz.com/newsletter/

Dear Abby - Join In to Remember Special Pets

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a good week.  My big news here?  It tried to snow.  Thankfully, the snow was not very successful, and just ended up in patches here and there.  I was able to walk around it, and Momma stayed home with me, and then it disappeared as quickly as it arrived ... so all is good.

I would like to introduce a new series at my blog.  I hope you will join me in remembering special pets.  Cats, dogs, horses, birds, guinea pigs, bunny rabbits ... all are welcome.  Every family has special pets that they remember - from childhood, from years ago, or from perhaps 5 or 10 years ago.

We can keep the memories upbeat with happy stories and funny anecdotes - and of course lots of photos of pets you remember and want to share.

If you would like to join in, please leave your email in the comments below.  I'll send a note back with just a few short questions, and then feature the special pets that you remember in future Dear Abby posts here.

I hope you'll join in!

Wishing you a good weekend, with no snow (!), and lots of time to cuddle with your favorite people.

Love,
Abby xoxoxo

Book Review and Giveaway - Sisters One, Two, Three by Nancy Star

Book Synopsis

After a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard, keeping secrets becomes a way of life for the Tangle family. With memories locked away, the sisters take divergent paths. Callie disappears, Mimi keeps so busy she has no time to think, and Ginger develops a lifelong aversion to risk that threatens the relationships she holds most dear.

When a whispered comment overheard by her rebellious teenage daughter forces Ginger to reveal a long-held family secret, the Tangles’ carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. Upon the death of Glory, the family’s colorful matriarch, and the return of long-estranged Callie, Ginger resolves to return to Martha’s Vineyard and piece together what really happened on that calamitous day when a shadow fell over four sun-kissed siblings playing at the shore. Along with Ginger’s newfound understanding come the keys to reconciliation: with her mother, with her sisters, and with her daughter.

At turns heartbreaking, humorous, and hopeful, Sisters One, Two, Three explores not only the consequences of secrets—even secrets kept out of love—but also the courage it takes to speak the truth, to forgive, and to let go. 


Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

My Review

Sisters One, Two, Three begins with the Tangle family.  There are four children:  Ginger, Mimi, Charlie, and Callie.  The parents are want-to-be-actress Glory, and Solly, who owns a toy business.  During a pivotal summer long ago (early 1970's from details like Space Food Sticks and psychadelic signs), Glory and the four children travel to Martha's Vineyard.  Tragedy occurs and changes the family.

 

The story flashes back to the past and forward to the present, with cautious Ginger, busy Mimi, and always adventurous Callie.  I found these characters well drawn and interesting;  I had a hard time putting the book down at night, and will admit that I stayed up several nights reading past my bedtime.

 

This is a beautifully written book, with dialogue that rings true and a plot that moves in threads that connect as the story moves on.  It is a moving story of family secrets and love.

 

I really enjoyed reading Sisters One, Two, Three, and will look for more books by Nancy Star.  Readers who enjoy women's fiction, family drama, and compelling storytelling will enjoy this book.  

 

Author Bio

Nancy Star is the author of four previous novels: Carpool Diem, Up Next, Now This, and Buried Lives. Her nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, Family Circle, Diversion magazine, and on the web. Before embarking on her writing career, Nancy worked for more than a decade as a movie executive in the film business, dividing her time between New York and London. She has two grown daughters and a son-in-law and now lives in New Jersey with her husband. 


Connect with Nancy

Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

Giveaway

One lucky reader will win a copy of Sisters, One, Two, Three.  Giveaway is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada, and ends 1/20.  The winner will be notified by email, and needs to respond within 48 hours.  The author or her publicist will send the book directly to the winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Book Spotlight and Giveaway - River City Dead by Nancy G. West

Book Synopsis

Aggie Mundeen, who advises readers in her column, “Stay Young with Aggie,” is pushing forty and determined to postpone a precipitous descent into middle-age. She plans to rendezvous with SAPD Detective Sam Vanderhoven at a hotel on the San Antonio River Walk…a vacation from crime and reset for their tumultuous relationship. In the midst of River City during Fiesta Week, what could go wrong?

Aggie’s new friends, the Fabulous Femmes, are holding their convention at the hotel. When hotel guests are murdered, Aggie discovers her friends have disturbing backgrounds. Evil surfaces at Fiesta events, and Aggie’s dancing debut at a Fiesta performance at Arneson River Theater is fraught with danger. Even in idyllic River City, crime complicates relationships.

Books in the Aggie Mundeen Humorous Mystery Series:

•FIT TO BE DEAD (#1)
•DANG NEAR DEAD (#2)
•SMART, BUT DEAD (#3)
•RIVER CITY DEAD (#4)

Author Bio
I’ve been writing since age seven: poems back and forth with my mom. I had a real poem published in the Library Journal, Pegasus, at age fifteen. At eighteen, I wanted to study journalism and English literature, but friends who chose that college route were making minimum wage or selling lingerie. Being practical, I earned a business degree. After marriage and two children, I decided I HAD to study literature and write. I wrote non-fiction articles, a biography, and a suspense novel in 2004. That’s when whimsical Aggie Mundeen cut through the suspense, popped into my head and demanded her own series. The Aggie Mundeen mystery capers were born. Aggie must have been right: FIT TO BE DEAD is a LEFTY FINALIST 2013 for best humorous mystery, nominated by Left Coast Crime.

Links
Chat with Aggie and Nancy on their blog: www.stayyoungwithaggie.wordress.com
Author’s Webpage: http://www.nancygwest.com/
Author Page at Henery Press: http://henerypress.com/authors-humorous-mystery-series-authors/nancy-g-west/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6442929.Nancy_G_West

Purchase Links
Amazon  B&N

Giveaway
(1) Print Copy River City Dead by Nancy G. West - U.S. ONLY.  Ends 1/20/17.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Dear Abby - The Return -- With Resolutions!

Dear Friends,

I'm back!  I missed chatting with you here.  How was your holiday?  I had a lovely time.  Here's my Christmas card picture for 2016:

I had a wonderful Christmas with my family.  I got treats, toys, and lots of lap time!   Here are a couple of pictures from Christmas day.  My human Grandma is helping me try on a Santa hat in this picture:

... and here I am with my new toys!   I played with them for a few minutes before deciding they function very well as pillows.  I love to cuddle with my soft toys.

I even made time to write a few New Year's resolutions: 

1. Take quiet time to reflect upon life.

2. Always be ready with a warm kiss.

3. Nap whenever you can!

4. And, of course, do your best to avoid thunderstorms!

I have some themes ahead for this year.  I'm debating between two for upcoming blog posts.  I'll make a decision and ask for your participation next week.

I'd love to hear from you!  Did you have a nice holiday season?  Did you - or your pets - make any resolutions?  You can leave me a message in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo