ATYPICAL DETECTIVE ATTIRE TAKES CENTER STAGE IN ROSALIE SPIELMAN’S LATEST COZY MYSTERY

Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world with her cozy mysteries. Learn more about Rosalie and her books at her website.

Hallo-waiian Shirts

The detective in the Aloha Lagoon mysteries, shared by all the authors who write for the series, is Detective Ray Kahoalani. The series sleuths are often initially confused by his causal "Island Time" lack of urgency and his Hawaiian-print shirts, but he is still a professional who gets his job done. Our sleuths just sometimes help a little!

 

Kiki Hepburn, the protagonist and amateur sleuth introduced in Death Under the Sea, is a dive tour leader in Aloha Lagoon, a resort town in Kauai. She has settled into a comfortable life living with Auntie Akamai and dating Dex Kokoa, and occasionally solving murders.

 

In our most recent visit to Aloha Lagoon, Hallo-waiian Murder Mystery, Kiki is hanging out with Auntie Akamai and her friends in a rousing pre-Halloween game of mahjong, when one of them collapses, presumably from an allergic reaction. Kiki performs first aid, and the friend is sent off to the hospital, where they later find out she has died. When Detective Ray shows up, Kiki and Auntie Akamai realize it was not an allergic reaction, but murder.

 

While Ray is questioning Kiki, she notices his shirt:

 

Ray's usual Hawaiian shirt was dominated by orange flowers and had a black background, so I couldn't help but smile that he was wearing Halloween colors. At least until I saw the tiny lime green skulls between the flowers. 

 

And in a later scene:

 

Tonight, his Hallo-waiian–print shirt had a purple background with grinning jack o' lanterns scattered amongst fuchsia hibiscuses and teal surfboards.

 

I wrote this, thinking myself quite clever and not realizing that shirts like this actually existed. But I'm thrilled to see that they do! A simple internet search will show you a world of alternatives to the colorful surfers, sunsets, and hibiscus shirts we usually picture, including Halloween-themed ones.

 

I didn't find exactly what I had pictured, but some on Amazon.com came close. I will fully admit to then falling down a rabbit hole of Hawaiian shirts. I've found shirts for enthusiasts of many different things, like cats, Sasquatch, Star Wars, cows, cartoon characters, dinosaurs, and…capybaras. You can even get a custom shirt with pictures of yourself or your pet, nestled among Hawaiian-type foliage.

 

But my absolute favorite find, the Inception of festive casual wear: The Hawaiian shirt of…Hawaiian shirts.

 

You should fully expect to see that one in my fourth Aloha Lagoon book!

 

Hallo-waiian Murder Mystery

An Aloha Lagoon Mystery, Book 20

It's Kiki Hepburn's first Halloween in Aloha Lagoon, and she doesn't know exactly what to expect. Between working at the busy Aloha Lagoon Dive Shop and living with the eccentric Auntie Akamai, life is always unpredictable. But one thing Kiki definitely didn't expect is the sudden death of Auntie Akamai's life-long friend, Celine Suzuki! And when the island's Homicide Detective Ray shows up, Kiki knows the death is not an accident—it's murder.

Now Auntie Akamai's friends are all suspects in the death. Was it Oliana Harris, the Pineapple Princess, and heiress to a pineapple fortune? Margaux La Roux, a transplant from New Orleans? Or Stella Keawe, Akamai's gossipy goose of a neighbor? They're all acting suspiciously. And each is hiding something. But is what they're hiding worth killing over?

Instead of enjoying her first Hawaiian Autumn under the waves, Kiki's investigation takes her to gardens of flowering poisonous plants, an over-the-top animal shelter, a prickly pineapple plantation, and a zombie theme "Hallo-wedding." With time running out and "something" stalking her every move, will Kiki live to see her Halloween treats? Or will this year end in a "trick" Kiki won't come back from?

Preorder (available Oct. 3^rd)

#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--MYSTERY AUTHOR PATY JAGER ON A HAWAIIAN VACATION, CRAFTS, AND MURDER

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of forty-three novels, eight novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it. Learn more about Paty and her books at her website. 

Sunscreen, Bug Spray, and Camera

When my hubby of forty years finally caved and agreed to a trip to Hawaii, I couldn’t start packing fast enough! We discussed which island to visit with our daughters, who had been to several between them and their husbands. We settled on Kaua‘i. 

After I made the plane reservations and reserved a place to stay, it started to hit me that we were really going! In October. We were told the weather stayed a nice even mid to high 70s with some rain. That was fine. We’d just had a mild summer and would be accustom to the temperatures. 

We arrived late at night, drove to the place we were staying, and collapsed. The next day we surveyed the area, bought some groceries, and figured out what we wanted to do. My goal was to discover all I could about the art community on the island. After all, I needed a logical reason for my character, potter Shandra Higheagle, to travel to the island.

The “condo village” where we were staying had a farmer’s market day, where locals brought in produce they grew. I tried the interesting looking lychee fruit. It was like eating a peeled grape with a large seed in the middle. Very sweet, and a wonderful addition to my breakfast. There was also a day when local artisans brought their wares. Here I visited with a photographer and a woman who sold painted sarongs.

In the town of Kōalo, I wandered into an art gallery and asked the woman questions about the local artists. She didn’t seem to know very much other than she had a brochure about a juried art exhibition at a mall in Līhu‘e.

The next day I asked my hubby if we could go to the mall. After eating lunch in the mall plaza, I went to the area where the exhibition was set up and had a wonderful visit with an artist who was keeping an eye on things. She told me about the show, and how they get a judge from the islands or the mainland. Right then lights went off in my head. I could have Shandra come to Kaua‘i to be the juror for their show. The time of the year was good, she would have to be on the island at least a week and a half, and she could bring her husband Ryan. 

Once I’d learned all the ins and outs of how to get Shandra to the island, I could just take in the island, learn bits and pieces of the culture, and relax. Well, hike and sweat! This was where the sunscreen, bug spray, and camera came in. Hubby isn’t a sit at the beach kind of guy. We hiked trails to get higher to see better. We hiked rocky, up and down, trails to get to pretty beaches and see wet caves and enjoy the tropical ambiance. 

And that 70 degree weather…Nope! It was in the 90s all week. Talk about two melting bodies! The place we stayed didn’t have air conditioning because it is rarely needed. The small studio we were in didn’t have a way to get any kind of cross breeze. We spent the nights, taking cold showers and trying to sleep. Needless to say, I won’t get my hubby back there again. 

I mixed photos of the art I perused while at the exhibition into this post. They had everything from painting, mixed media, and ceramics. There were some beautiful pieces. Some depicted the island and some were just interesting. 

Abstract Casualty

A Shandra Higheagle Mystery, Book 14 

Hawaiian adventure, Deceit, Murder

Shandra Higheagle is asked to juror an art exhibition on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. 

After an altercation at the exhibition, the chairwoman of the event, Shandra’s friend, arrives home with torn clothes, scratches, and stating she tried to save an angry artist who fell over a cliff. Shandra and Ryan begin piecing together information to figure out if the friend did try to save the artist or helped him over the edge. 

During the investigation, Shandra comes across a person who reminds her of an unhealthy time in her past. Knowing this man and the one from her past, she is determined to find his connection to the dead artist. When her grandmother doesn’t come to her in dreams, Shandra wonders if her past is blinding her from the truth.

 Buy Link