A VALENTINE'S DAY COZY MYSTERY SALE

Not only is it Valentine’s Day today, but it’s my author’s birthday month. To celebrate, Lois Winston has put the ebook bundle of the first two books in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries on sale for only .99 cents. Can you believe it? You can’t even buy a cup of coffee for that anymore. I’m not sure if there’s anything left you can buy for .99 cents except a postage stamp. And who knows how long that will last?

Normally, this 2-book bundle sells for $6.99, but it won’t be on sale for long, only until February 21^st. So don’t miss out. If you haven’t read these bestselling books yet, you won’t believe the trouble Lois has in store for me. She’s been at it for years now. Here a dead body, there a dead body. Every time I turn around, there’s a dead body! Who knew authors could be so sadistic? And to think, she used to write romances. Why couldn’t she write me into one of those? 

Anyway, Kirkus Reviews said I was, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” And both Publishers Weekly and Booklist gave Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun starred reviews, and Death by Killer Mop Doll was a Mystery Guild Alternate Selection.

 

So don’t wait. Time is ticking…

Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, Books 1-2

 

Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun

When Anastasia Pollack's husband permanently cashes in his chips at a roulette table in Vegas, her comfortable middle-class life craps out. She's left with two teenage sons, a mountain of debt, and her hateful, cane-wielding Communist mother-in-law. Not to mention stunned disbelief over her late husband's secret gambling addiction, and the loan shark who's demanding fifty thousand dollars.

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Anastasia's job as crafts editor for a magazine proves no respite when she discovers a dead body glued to her office chair. The victim, fashion editor Marlys Vandenburg, collected enemies and ex-lovers like Jimmy Choos on her ruthless climb to editor-in-chief. But when evidence surfaces of an illicit affair between Marlys and Anastasia's husband, Anastasia becomes the number one suspect. Can she find the killer and clear her name before he strikes again?

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Death by Killer Mop Doll

Overdue bills and constant mother vs. mother-in-law battles at home are bad enough. But crafts editor Anastasia Pollack's stress level is maxed out when she and her fellow American Woman editors get roped into unpaid gigs for a revamped morning TV show. Before the glue is dry on Anastasia's mop dolls, morning TV turns crime drama when the studio is trashed and the producer is murdered. Former co-hosts Vince and Monica—sleazy D-list celebrities—stand out among a lengthy lineup of suspects, all furious over the show's new format. And Anastasia has no clue her snooping has landed her directly in the killer's unforgiving spotlight.

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Crafts projects included.

 

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ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END...

No, we're not ending Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers. But today author Lois Winston, who writes my eponymous series (and constantly risks my life and limbs), is here to talk about a joint venture that is coming to an end. If you want to read about me and some of my fellow sleuths for only a few pennies, you don't have much longer to take advantage of this great deal.

A few years ago sales of multi-author ebook box sets became very popular. For authors it was a way of getting their books in the hands of readers who may never have heard of them or their titles. For readers it was a way to try a book by one or more authors they’d never read without having to spend a lot of money. At .99 cents for ten full-length books, it was a hard-to-resist bargain. The participating authors didn’t make much money, but the goal was to increase their readership, not their pocketbooks. If a reader liked one or more of the stories, hopefully that reader would then go on to buy other books by those authors.

After participating in several romance box sets, I came up with the idea of creating a box set comprised of the first book in ten different mystery series. Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries launched on May 1, 2016. Now two years later that box set is retiring at the end of the month. If you never picked up your copy, now is the time. You only have until the end of this month. Come May those ten titles will cost $30.90.

Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries is a collection of full-length mysteries featuring murder and assorted mayhem by ten critically acclaimed, award-winning, and bestselling authors. Each novel in the set is the first book in an established multi-book series—more than 3,000 pages featuring amateur sleuth, caper, and cozy novels.

Stories include:

Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery by Lois Winston—Working mom Anastasia is clueless about her husband’s gambling addiction until he permanently cashes in his chips and her comfortable middle-class life craps out. He leaves her with staggering debt, his communist mother, and a loan shark demanding $50,000. Then she’s accused of murder…

Murder Among Neighbors, a Kate Austen Suburban Mystery by Jonnie Jacobs — When Kate Austen’s socialite neighbor, Pepper Livingston, is murdered, Kate becomes involved in a sea of steamy secrets that bring her face to face with shocking truths—and handsome detective Michael Stone.

Skeleton in a Dead Space, a Kelly O’Connell Mystery by Judy Alter—Real estate isn’t a dangerous profession until Kelly O’Connell stumbles over a skeleton and runs into serial killers and cold-blooded murderers in a home being renovated in Fort Worth. Kelly barges through life trying to keep from angering her policeman boyfriend Mike and protect her two young daughters.

In for a Penny, a Cleopatra Jones Mystery by Maggie Toussaint—Accountant Cleo faces an unwanted hazard when her golf ball lands on a dead banker. The cops think her BFF shot him, so Cleo sets out to prove them wrong. She ventures into the dating world, wrangles her teens, adopts the victim’s dog, and tries to rein in her mom…until the killer puts a target on Cleo’s back.

The Hydrogen Murder, a Periodic Table Mystery by Camille Minichino—A retired physicist returns to her hometown of Revere, Massachusetts and moves into an apartment above her friends' funeral home. When she signs on to help the Police Department with a science-related homicide, she doesn't realize she may have hundreds of cases ahead of her.

Retirement Can Be Murder, A Baby Boomer Mystery by Susan Santangelo—Carol Andrews dreads her husband Jim’s upcoming retirement more than a root canal without Novocain. She can’t imagine anything worse than having an at-home husband with time on his hands and nothing to fill it—until Jim is suspected of murdering his retirement coach.

Dead Air, A Talk Radio Mystery by Mary Kennedy—Psychologist Maggie Walsh moves from NY to Florida to become the host of WYME's On the Couch with Maggie Walsh. When her guest, New Age prophet Guru Sanjay Gingii, turns up dead, her new roommate Lark becomes the prime suspect. Maggie must prove Lark innocent while dealing with a killer who needs more than just therapy.

A Dead Red Cadillac, A Dead Red Mystery by RP Dahlke—When her vintage Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the police ask aero-ag pilot Lalla Bains why an elderly widowed piano teacher is found strapped in the driver’s seat. Lalla confronts suspects, informants, cross-dressers, drug-running crop dusters, and a crazy Chihuahua on her quest to find the killer.

Murder is a Family Business, an Alvarez Family Murder Mystery by Heather Haven—Just because a man cheats on his wife and makes Danny DeVito look tall, dark and handsome, is that any reason to kill him? The reluctant and quirky PI, Lee Alvarez, has her work cut out for her when the man is murdered on her watch. Of all the nerve.

Murder, Honey, a Carol Sabala Mystery by Vinnie Hansen—When the head chef collapses into baker Carol Sabala’s cookie dough, she is thrust into her first murder investigation. Suspects abound at Archibald’s, the swanky Santa Cruz restaurant where Carol works. The head chef cut a swath of people who wanted him dead from ex-lovers to bitter rivals to greedy relatives.

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ANASTASIA’S EASY-TO-KEEP NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION SUGGESTION

We’re four days into the New Year. Did you make any resolutions? If not, may I suggest you resolve to discover some new mystery authors this year? What? You’re reluctant to give a new author a try because too often by the end of the first chapter (or even sooner) you realize you don’t like the book and have no desire to continue reading?

I’ve been there. Sometimes I keep reading, hoping the book will get better, but it rarely does. It’s so frustrating to have wasted both time and money on a book I didn’t like. If you know anything about me, you know I have neither time nor money to waste.

After too many negative reading experiences some readers wind up swearing they’ll only read their tried-and-true favorite authors, never again giving an unknown-to-them author a try. However, when you only stick with authors you know, you never experience the joy of discovering a new favorite author. Think about what you could be missing!

I have the perfect solution, and it will only cost you a mere .99 cents. And that’s for not one but ten full-length mysteries. That’s right—ten books by ten different authors for less than a dollar. Invest another .99 cents, and you can try ten companion novellas, eight by the same authors of the mystery novels, plus two additional authors.

Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries features works by authors Lois Winston (she’s the author who writes about me!), Jonnie Jacobs, Judy Alter, Camille Minichino, Mary Kennedy, Maggie Toussaint, Heather Haven, Susan Santangelo, RP Dahlke, and Vinnie Hansen. Each full-length mystery is the first book in an ongoing series.

Sleuthing Women II: 10 Mystery Novellas features companion stories to existing series by the writing team of Allison Brennan and Laura Griffin, Lois Winston, Maggie Toussaint, Jonnie Jacobs, Camille Minichino, Heather Haven, Vinnie Hansen, Mary Kennedy, Judy Alter, and Rita Lakin.

So resolve this year to discover some new favorite authors. If you find you don't care for some of the stories in the collections, move on to the next. Taste is subjective. However, you never know. Even if you only like one book in each set, that author just might become one of your all-time favorite authors.

Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries

Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery by Lois Winston—Working mom Anastasia is clueless about her husband’s gambling addiction until he permanently cashes in his chips and her comfortable middle-class life craps out. He leaves her with staggering debt, his communist mother, and a loan shark demanding $50,000. Then she’s accused of murder…

Murder Among Neighbors, a Kate Austen Suburban Mystery by Jonnie Jacobs — When Kate Austen’s socialite neighbor, Pepper Livingston, is murdered, Kate becomes involved in a sea of steamy secrets that bring her face to face with shocking truths—and handsome detective Michael Stone.

Skeleton in a Dead Space, a Kelly O’Connell Mystery by Judy Alter—Real estate isn’t a dangerous profession until Kelly O’Connell stumbles over a skeleton and runs into serial killers and cold-blooded murderers in a home being renovated in Fort Worth. Kelly barges through life trying to keep from angering her policeman boyfriend Mike and protect her two young daughters.

In for a Penny, a Cleopatra Jones Mystery by Maggie Toussaint—Accountant Cleo faces an unwanted hazard when her golf ball lands on a dead banker. The cops think her BFF shot him, so Cleo sets out to prove them wrong. She ventures into the dating world, wrangles her teens, adopts the victim’s dog, and tries to rein in her mom…until the killer puts a target on Cleo’s back.

The Hydrogen Murder, a Periodic Table Mystery by Camille Minichino—A retired physicist returns to her hometown of Revere, Massachusetts and moves into an apartment above her friends' funeral home. When she signs on to help the Police Department with a science-related homicide, she doesn't realize she may have hundreds of cases ahead of her.

Retirement Can Be Murder, A Baby Boomer Mystery by Susan Santangelo—Carol Andrews dreads her husband Jim’s upcoming retirement more than a root canal without Novocain. She can’t imagine anything worse than having an at-home husband with time on his hands and nothing to fill it—until Jim is suspected of murdering his retirement coach.

Dead Air, A Talk Radio Mystery by Mary Kennedy—Psychologist Maggie Walsh moves from NY to Florida to become the host of WYME's On the Couch with Maggie Walsh. When her guest, New Age prophet Guru Sanjay Gingii, turns up dead, her new roommate Lark becomes the prime suspect. Maggie must prove Lark innocent while dealing with a killer who needs more than just therapy.

A Dead Red Cadillac, A Dead Red Mystery by RP Dahlke—When her vintage Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the police ask aero-ag pilot Lalla Bains why an elderly widowed piano teacher is found strapped in the driver’s seat. Lalla confronts suspects, informants, cross-dressers, drug-running crop dusters, and a crazy Chihuahua on her quest to find the killer.

Murder is a Family Business, an Alvarez Family Murder Mystery by Heather Haven—Just because a man cheats on his wife and makes Danny DeVito look tall, dark and handsome, is that any reason to kill him? The reluctant and quirky PI, Lee Alvarez, has her work cut out for her when the man is murdered on her watch. Of all the nerve.

Murder, Honey, a Carol Sabala Mystery by Vinnie Hansen—When the head chef collapses into baker Carol Sabala’s cookie dough, she is thrust into her first murder investigation. Suspects abound at Archibald’s, the swanky Santa Cruz restaurant where Carol works. The head chef cut a swath of people who wanted him dead from ex-lovers to bitter rivals to greedy relatives.

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Sleuthing Women II: 10 Mystery Novellas

Frosted, A Moreno & Hart Novella by Allison Brennan & Laura Griffin—Three years ago LAPD Detective Scarlet Moreno and rookie cop Krista Hart were nearly killed during a botched sting operation. Now, they’re best friends and partners in the Orange County private investigation firm of Moreno & Hart. But their routine assignments are anything but safe.

Crewel Intentions, An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Novella by Lois Winston—Craft editor Anastasia Pollack receives a desperate call for help from former fashion editor Erica Milano, now in Witness Protection. Erica is being stalked and is afraid to notify the authorities. She once saved Anastasia’s life. Will Anastasia be able to return the favor before the stalker strikes?

No Quarter, A Cleopatra Jones Novella by Maggie Toussaint—Amnesia, the doctor says when accountant Cleopatra Jones wakes in a distant hospital. Hours later most of her memory returns. Detective Jack Martinez visits Cleo’s nearby wealthy client, only she’s dead and broke. To Cleo’s horror, she’s a murder suspect. Will she totally recover her memory before the killer returns? 

What the Widow Knew, A Kali-O’Brien Novella by Jonnie Jacobs —Attorney Kali O’Brien takes on the case of a young woman accused of murdering her much older, very rich husband. As evidence mounts and other possible suspects are eliminated, Kali’s doubts about her client’s innocence grow. Meanwhile, Kali is also grappling with her feelings for longtime boyfriend Detective Bryce Keating.

The Magnesium Murder, A Periodic Table Mystery by Camille Minichino—While freelance embalmer Anastasia Brent prepares the body of a young bride-to-be, she learns the girl’s mother suspects foul play. Once again Anastasia is pressed into service as a sleuth, following a trail of clues in search of a murderer and justice.

Honeymoons Can Be Murder, A Lee Alvarez Novella by Heather Haven— When PI Lee Alvarez goes on her honeymoon with bridegroom, Gurn Hanson, they find a dead woman practically on their doorstep. Kauai breezes may be soft, but there are gale force winds of accusation against Gurn. Will Lee find the real killer before her new hubby gets sent to a Hawaiian hoosegow?

Smoked Meat, A Carol Sabala Novella by Vinnie Hansen—Baker and wannabe sleuth Carol Sabala visits her mother for a family Christmas get-together. It’s murder, in more ways than one.

A Deadly Fundraiser, A Talk Radio Novella by Mary Kennedy—When radio talk show host Dr. Maggie Walsh and her pals start digging up clues in a scavenger hunt at a glitzy fundraiser, the game suddenly turns deadly. Will Maggie and her team be able to crack the case and solve the crime?

The Color of Fear, A Kelly O’Connell Novella by Judy Alter—Kelly receives a written kidnap threat targeting her infant daughter, Gracie. Kelly’s assistant Keisha narrates as Kelly and her family plot their precautions, but as time passes and the threat still looms, fear takes a toll on the family…and on Keisha.

Papa’s Ghost, A Gladdy Gold Mystery Novella by Rita Lakin—Gladdy and her girls accept an assignment iat a famous resort in Key West, thinking it will combine business with pleasure. Once they arrive, Gladdy suspects something is strange. Not only is their client an unexpected shock, but so is the case of murder they are expected to solve. Can they succeed when a whole city is against them?

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--12 SLAYS OF CHRISTMAS MYSTERY BOX SET TO SUPPORT NO-KILL SHELTERS

Colleen Mooney joins us today to talk about a very special project she’s involved in with a group of fellow authors. Learn more about the project and the various giveaways the authors are offering at their website. 

I met Abby Vandiver in a Twitter group, and the next thing I know I’m working with these wonderful mystery writers, and we are doing a Christmas Box set called the 12 Slays of Christmas and donating all proceeds to Non-Kill Animals Shelters. Now, since Harvey hit Houston and Irma hit Florida, there is a greater need than ever.  We hope to sell enough copies so that we can help both areas.

The collection is available for preorder now on Amazon, Kobo, Nook, and ITunes for only $.99.  After the December 5^th release the price increase to $4.99.

The lineup of authors and stories include:

1.Abby L. Vandiver, Baby Its Cold Outside

It's a family affair. Cousins, Brigitt and San finally start their dream business - an event planning company! And what better time to open then at Christmas. But it looks as if the only event they may be hosting is a murder investigation after a body is found in their basement.

2. Judith Lucci, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Faced with the recent death of her husband Medical Examiner Kinsey Zee and her black lab Solomon investigate a death by bear mauling on the Massanutten Mountain only to learn her holiday wouldn't be so bad after all.

3. Amy Vansant, Stollen Time

When a Pineapple Port resident is found face-down in her Christmas fruit stollen, Charlotte knows this case won't be cake. Was it an accident? The ungrateful granddaughter? Or the person who baked the stollen?

4. Colleen Mooney, Death by Rum Balls

Guests to a neighborhood Christmas party all have something to hide and the hostess has been spreading everything except good will. When a couple are discovered poisoned right before everyone sits down for dinner, all the guests are suspects and have reasons they want the hostess to pay.

5. Amy Reade, The Worst Noel

It's Black Friday, and Lilly Carlsen finds a body who's been strangled with a strand of pearls from her inventory on her biggest shopping day of the year. Lilly is a single mom with two teenagers, has a sister with Juniper Junction's finest and her mother is showing signs of dementia, but her life gets more complicated when her ex-husband shows up out of the clear, thin mountain air.

6.Nell Goddin, The Case of the Curious Biscuit

PI Molly Sutton expected Christmas in Castillac to be quaint and charming. But apparently murder doesn't take vacations...

7. Colleen Helme, Devil in A Black Suit

Ramos’ job as the right-hand man to a mobster used to be easy until Shelby, a mind-reading soccer mom, joined the organization. With all the trouble she gets into, he’s constantly putting his life on the line to save her. But this time, it could be a deal with a deadly enemy that gets him killed.

8. Larissa Reinhart, May Your Days Be Cherry and Albright

In this Rashomon-style Christmas mystery, while Cherry Tucker suffers from flu-induced visions of murder, Maize Albright’s on the hunt for a missing granddaughter whose criminal stockings have long been filled with coal. 

9. Kim Hunt Harris, Frankincense, Gold, and Murder

Salem is celebrating Christmas in true Trailertopian style, but her festivities take a downturn when she finds a murdered neighbor. It won’t be a jolly Christmas if her snooping for the killer leads to her becoming the next victim.

10. Cindy Bell, Christmas Chocolates and Crimes

Ally and Charlotte expected the holidays to be filled with chocolates and good times. What they didn’t expect is to be solving murders and crimes.

 

11.Summer Prescott, Home for the Holidays

When a down-and-out young veteran finds himself homeless for the holidays, he lands a job as a mall Santa, and finds himself in a situation much tighter than a chimney. Will the magic of Christmas come to his aid in time?

12. Kathleen Dionne, Murder at the Holiday Bazaar

Travel chef, Stevie Elliott, comes home to Quapaw, Mississippi, to help with the annual Holiday Bazaar by making her famous Southern Fried Chicken. But this joyous festival suddenly sours when Pastor Oliver is found dead in his office with one of Stevie’s half-eaten chicken legs in his hand.

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