BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--MYSTERY AUTHOR DEBBIE DE LOUISE FINDS CLUES IN UNUSUAL PLACES

Debbie De Louise is a reference librarian at a public library. She’s the author of ten novels including the five books and four stories of her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

Finding Clues and Lost Items in Unusual Places

Have you ever had the experience of finding something you’d been missing when you were looking for something else? It happens to me often. I can search for something high and low without any luck, but it usually turns up by accident when I least expect it or am hunting for a different lost item. My anniversary ring was missing for nearly a year when I found it in a drawer under some clothes I was looking through for something to wear. It took me a shorter time to find my library badge lanyard that I’d placed in a bag in my closet, but I also found it by accident when I was looking in there. 

 

When Alicia’s young daughter Carol finds a ring during an Easter Egg Hunt at the Cobble Inn in KittyKai’s Easter Mystery, my new short story featuring the Cobble Cove characters from my cozy mystery series, Detective Ramsay recognizes it as belonging to a missing woman. It isn’t long before the lady’s body is found buried on the construction site where workers had dug for the inn’s new bathroom. While Gretchen’s husband is relieved to finally know what happened to his wife, he’s devastated that she’s dead. But is he putting on an act? Gilly has heard him fighting with his wife. The arguments involve Gretchen’s brother, a rich man who supposedly stole her inheritance from her. 

 

Sneaky and KittyKai once again get involved in solving this mystery by following their ladies, Alicia and Gilly, to a doctor’s office where Gretchen had worked briefly as a receptionist. Sneaky ends up finding a clue by accident in the doctor’s drawer. But KittyKai is the one who saves the day and rightly so, because she’s the inn cat and the inn is where Gretchen Miller’s body was found.

 

While most people don’t find clues in their backyards that lead to dead bodies, according to Cision PR Newswire, the average American spends 2.5 days a year looking for lost items and the most common ones that are missing are: TV remotes (45%), phones (33%), car & keys (28%), glasses (27%), shoes (24%) and wallets/purses (20%). 

 

Rachel Hartman on the SpareFoot blog offers suggestions for finding lost items such as keeping those things you use daily in a regular spot, searching for misplaced objects in the most cluttered areas of your home, and using Smartphone apps that help locate missing items. Her post, “Where Did I Put That? 7 Tips for Finding Lost Items in Your Home” can be read in full here: https://www.sparefoot.com/self-storage/blog/14773-where-did-i-put-that-6-tips-for-finding-lost-items-in-your-home/

 

If someone is lucky, their lost item may turn up or be found by somebody and returned. There are people who swear by St. Christopher medals or psychics. In most cases, if you don’t find a lost object within a few days, you probably won’t recover it. However, there are always exceptions. I never thought I’d find my ring after almost a year, but after twenty years, I’m still looking for a special letter an author wrote to me. It disappeared somewhere between my move from my parents’ house to the one I share with my husband and daughter. That author, now deceased, was a great inspiration to me, and I know that letter would be treasured by me even more today as I continue on my publishing journey. I hope to find it one day, and maybe I will when I least expect it. I doubt it will lead me to a body but maybe the plot for another mystery.

 

KittyKai’s Easter Mystery
A Cobble Cove Stories, Book 4

 

During an Easter egg hunt at the Cobble Inn, a ring is found on the grounds by Alicia’s daughter, Carol. When the sheriff has it examined, he discovers it belonged to him and Gilly’s neighbor, Gretchen Miller, who disappeared the month before. An investigation leads to the discovery of Mrs. Miller’s body buried on the site of the inn’s new construction.

As Alicia and Gilly set out to solve this new mystery despite their husbands’ discouragement, Sneaky and KittyKai, the library and inn cats, secretly lend them a paw.

 

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#TRAVEL TO COBBLE COVE WITH GUEST AUTHOR DEBBIE DE LOUISE

Debbie De Louise is a librarian and the author of the Cobble Cove Mysteries, short stories of various genres, a standalone mystery, and a paranormal romance. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and three cats. Learn more about Debbie and her books at her website. 

Cobble Cove: A Small Town You’ll Love to Visit but Might Not Want to Live in

Cobble Cove is a fictional, upstate New York town that is the setting for my Cobble Cove cozy mystery series, which currently includes four books. What readers may already know, or those seeing the book titles might guess, stones and rocks are big geographical features of the town. In fact, when Alicia visits there to find some answers about her husband’s strange death because he lived there as a child, she enjoys the quaint street names and the stone architecture of the buildings and houses. The Cobble Cove Library, where she ends up taking a job, is located on Bookshelf Lane. The man she meets and later develops a romantic relationship with but who she fears might’ve played a role in her husband’s death, lives on Stone’s Throw Road.

There’s a small group of shops known as Cobble Cove Square that house the newspaper office of the Cobble Cove Courier, the post office, bank, beauty parlor, gift shop, and other establishments. In the second book of the series, this area plays an important role in crimes that are committed near the holidays.

The only place to stay in Cobble Cove and where Alicia initially checks in, is the Cobble Inn. Alicia eats dinner at the Cobble Diner after arriving in town and learns some interesting information from the proprietor.

Cobble Cove is a small town with a lake running through it. After Alicia meets John, the newspaper publisher, he takes her on a picnic on Cove Mountain where they can view the lake and village from a special vantage point.

I live on Long Island where Alicia originally comes from. I based Cobble Cove on some of the upstate towns I’ve visited. In the books, I refer to the neighboring town of New Paltz, a real place that happens to also have stone houses and buildings.

Besides its charming setting, Cobble Cove is home to many quirky residents. There’s Dora the innkeeper; Casey who manages the diner; Postmaster Ed; Sheila and Mac who work at the library; Wilma, the hairdresser; and Irene, the gift shop owner. There’s also Sneaky, a library cat, and John’s golden retriever Fido, both of whom help solve mysteries in the books.

Despite the cozy image of Cobble Cove, danger lurks within. Several murders and other crimes take place in the town over the course of the series, and more are scheduled in the future. Come visit if you dare.

Join Sneaky for a Facebook Valentine’s Day Paw-ty celebrating Love on the Rocks on Friday, February 8 from noon to 9 pm EST. There will be cozy mystery authors, contests, prizes, and giveaways. Click here to RSVP and learn more about  the event. 

Love on the Rocks

A Cobble Cove Mystery, Book 4

It’s February in the small town of Cobble Cove. Love is in the air . . . but so is murder!

When Alicia helps plan a Valentine’s Day Party at the Cobble Cove library that also includes a surprise for her newlywed friend, Gilly, things go wrong when a mysterious box of chocolates addressed to the director turns out laced with poison.

Clues Lead to A Dead Suspect.

Although Alicia promised John that she’ll no longer meddle in crime investigations, she and Gilly set out to find the person threatening Sheila who murdered the courier of the deadly candy. The three people they suspect include the professor from California who’s been romancing Sheila while she assists him with research for his book; the obnoxious patron Rhonda Kleisman who threw coffee at the director after refusing to pay for a damaged book; and a visiting widow staying at Gilly’s inn who’s unnaturally curious about Sheila and earns the nickname of Madame Defarge for her interest in knitting.

New Cat in Town

While Alicia and Gilly are trying to solve this new Cobble Cove mystery, Sneaky is introduced to Gilly’s new kitten, Kittykai, a calico she brought home from her honeymoon in Hawaii. It’s not like at first sight, but the two cats eventually become friends. They also both play a part in foiling the killer’s murder attempts, but will Alicia and Sheila survive unscathed?

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DEBRA H. GOLDSTEIN'S DEBUT SLEUTH SARAH BLAIR

Today we sit down for a chat with Sarah Blair of the new Sarah Blair Mystery Series by author Debra H. Goldstein.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, I reluctantly swapped my luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a small-town law firm receptionist job. With nothing much to show for the last decade but my feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, my life was in a bit of a rut before my author started pulling my strings.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

My fierce loyalty to my family – my twin sister, my mother, my late mother-in-law and RahRah, my cat. There was a time I also would have said that about my attitude toward my husband, but he blew it when he fell in love with Jane, the bimbo.

What do you like least about yourself?

Being honest, what I like least about myself is that I tend to second-guess and doubt my abilities in everything. It doesn’t matter whether it is doing anything around a kitchen, performing my law firm job, attempting to flirt or date, or even answering your questions.  Am I telling you what you want to know?

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

Look, my twin sister is a gourmet cook. She even has a degree from Culinary Institute of America. Me, my good plates are paper. Would you believe my author made me help my sister and the Southwind restaurant crew out during an Expo? You can imagine how that turned out.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

I argue with my author all the time. She keeps trying to push me into situations I don’t want to be in – like the kitchen or having to give up my cat. If I make a good enough point, she gives up, but usually she assures me I’ll be okay and makes me try whatever is in her mind. At that point, I do what she wants under protest and wait and see how she reacts to how things turn out. I don’t think the outcomes are always what my author predicted, but hey, I warned her.

What is your greatest fear?

My greatest fear is being in a kitchen. For me, it is a fate worse than death.

What makes you happy?

The simple love of my Siamese cat, RahRah, makes me happy. RahRah has a mind of his own, but there is something wonderful about how he cuddles against me when I’m sleeping.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

If I could rewrite a part of my life, I would have continued getting my education, even when I married Bill at eighteen. I thought our life together was going to be magical, so I never prepared myself in case something happened. I knew things were going to be messy when we divorced, but I never thought things could fall apart as completely as they did.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Naming the person who bugs me the most is so-o-oh easy. It’s my ex-husband’s bimbo, Jane Clark. Not only did she steal my husband, but now she wants my cat, RahRah, too.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

I’d trade places in a minute with my twin sister, Emily. We’re fraternal twins and while I’m lanky and dark haired, you can get the picture of how cute she is when I tell you she was a cheerleader in high school.  Besides her looks, she’s bright, has a good business head, and is a skilled trained chef. When she sets a goal, she goes after it without ever doubting herself.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

My author, Debra H. Goldstein, is wonderful. She uses her middle initial because there are two other Debra Goldsteins out there – one is a doctor who writes lots of medical papers and articles, and one is younger, blonder, and writes about text flirting. My author’s website is https://www.DebraHGoldstein.com . She blogs every other Monday for her own blog, It’s Not Always a Mystery (https://www.DebraHGoldstein.com/blog) and also the 2^nd Friday of every month for The Stiletto Gang and the 3^rd Monday for Writers Who Kill.

What's next for you?

My first adventure just debuted in One Taste Too Many. My story will continue in October 2019 with Two Bites Too Many. 

One Taste Too Many

A Sarah Blair Mystery, book 1

For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder!

Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired town she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily—an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant . . .

Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AUTHOR CLEA SIMON

Clea Simon is the author of seventeen mysteries in the Theda Krakow, Dulcie Schwartz, and Pru Marlowe pet noir series. The latter two are ongoing and include her most recent books. Learn more about Clea and her books at her website. 

What a winter! Up here in Massachusetts, we’re all going stir-crazy with the cold and the record-breaking snow. I know I’m crazy to get out. But my kitty, Musetta, is not. While she may have a more luxurious coat than I do (mine’s pink down, so yes, I do look like a marshmallow), my tuxedo medium-hair beauty is definitely a house cat – and that’s the way we like it.

You see, I’m a big proponent of keeping kitties indoors. There are just too many dangers out there for domestic beasts: coyotes (even in the suburbs,) hawks, fisher cats (which aren’t cats at all, but nasty weasel-y things with huge jaws,) and aggressive dogs, not to mention cars and the occasional evil human. Besides, it’s only natural for your kitty to hunt, and wouldn’t you rather your pet “hunt” a toy than a songbird?

“But doesn’t your cat get bored?” I get that question all the time. The answer is no, partly because I don’t let her get bored. In fact, I think part of the deal we make when we take in a cat is to keep her or him entertained and exercised. That keeps her healthy and trim and out of trouble (for the most part.) The key is to keep in mind that cats are hunters – obligate carnivores – so they’re evolutionarily designed for short bursts of intense energy. Now, originally, those might have been for chasing gazelle on the veldt. But in the house, that means two or three play sessions a day. The rest of the time can be spent napping  – and dreaming of that long-ago veldt!

So how to keep kitty amused? That’s simple! I’m a total sucker for every new toy that comes on the market – if it has catnip, so much the better. Our current favorites are the rattling fur mice made by Zanies. A friend brought one over and now we’re addicted! (We buy them in bulk, which is useful because Musetta tends to disembowel them pretty quickly.) But in truth, the best and longest lasting toys are the ones you can make yourself: a bunched-up ball of foil or a wine cork. As long as you can throw it, and she can bat it around, you’re all set up for hours of fun – and a healthy, happy indoor cat.

If only my own cabin fever were so easily resolved!

Kittens Can Kill

The dead don’t keep pets. So when animal behaviorist expert Pru Marlowe gets a call about a kitten, she doesn’t expect to find the cuddly creature playing beside the cooling body of prominent Beauville lawyer David Canaday. Heart attack? His three adult daughters angrily blame drug interactions, feline allergies—and each other. And begin to feud over their father, his considerable estate, and that cute ball of fluff. While the cause of death is pending, each sister has an axe to grind—with arguments that escalate when David’s partner reads out the will. Pru’s special sensitivity to animals, which caused her to flee the cacophony of Manhattan for the quiet Berkshires, adds further problems. The local vet is overwhelmed as the animal hospital's money runs out. There’s a needy Sheltie and some invasive squirrels, too. But the dead man’s kitten, his former partner, and his troublesome family keep drawing “wild-girl” animal psychic Pru back in. Despite the wry observations of her trusty tabby Wallis, now the wrongfully accused kitten’s guardian, and the grudging compliance of her cop lover, this may be one time when Pru can’t solve the mystery or save the kitten she wants to believe is innocent. A single witness knows the truth about that bright spring morning. How far can Pru investigate without risking her own hidden tale?

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TRAVEL WITH SERENA--FORT WAYNE & NORTHERN INDIANA WITH AUTHOR SHEILA WEBSTER BONEHAM

Foster Park

Sheila Webster Boneham writes fiction and non-fiction, much of it focused on animals, nature, and travel. Drop Dead on Recall won the 2013 Maxwell Award for Best Fiction Book from the Dog Writers Association of American and was named a Top Ten Dog Book of 2012 by NBC Petside. Sheila’s non-fiction books have been named best in their categories in the Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) and the Cat Writers Association (CWA) annual competitions, and her book Rescue Matters! How to Find, Foster, and Rehome Companion Animals has been called a "must read" for anyone involved with animal rescue. Learn more about Sheila and her books at her blog and website.  

Fort Wayne and Northern Indiana

Setting is an essential part of many works of fiction. Some settings are important enough to be regarded as "characters" of a sort – Tony Hillerman’s Four Corners area, John Connolly’s Maine, J.A. Jance’s Arizona and Seattle, Carl Hiassen’s Florida –I could go on for pages!

In my own Animals in Focus mystery series, animal photographer Janet MacPhail, her Australian Shepherd Jay, and her orange tabby Leo, spend their time in and around Fort Wayne and other parts of northern Indiana. I chose the area partly because I grew up there and know it well, and partly because it is a beautiful part of the country that often gets short shrift from outsiders who think all of Indiana is the fairly flat stretch of farmland from just west of Toledo to just east of Chicago.

Maumee River

To dispel the "nothing but corn, beans, and steel mills" stereotype, I send Janet to the lakes, rivers, forests, and ravines of the state as well as the cities, small towns, and occasional quirky attractions. (Seriously, have you ever been to a pickle festival? There’s one every summer just up the road in the little town of St. Joe.) Lake Michigan is a couple of hours to the northwest of Fort Wayne, and smaller lakes are scattered all across the northern part of the state. It is true that much of Indiana is flat to rolling farmland, but there are also deep ravines to hike and slow, brown rivers to row.

Janet and her friends also get around her hometown a lot, and for a medium size city, Fort Wayne has a lot to offer. One of Janet’s (and my!) favorite places is the River Greenway, a terrific walking and biking trail that runs for twenty-five miles through the heart of the city and beyond, following the St. Josesph’s, St. Mary’s, and Maumee Rivers. The Three Rivers Festival and Johnny Appleseed Festival are just two of the many annual events that liven up life in Fort Wayne when there’s no murder to solve, and when she needs a break, Janet heads for one of the city parks or a local small business like The Firefly Coffee House and The Cookie Cottage (real places and worth a visit!)

Janet would love to show you around next time you’re in northern Indiana!

Catwalk

Animal photographer Janet MacPhail is training for her cat Leo’s first feline agility trial when she gets a frantic call about a “cat-napping.” When Janet and her Australian Shepherd Jay set out to track down the missing kitty, they quickly find themselves drawn into the volatile politics of feral cat colonies, endangered wetlands, and a belligerent big-shot land developer. Janet is crazy busy trying to keep up with her mom’s nursing-home romance, her own relationship with Tom and his Labrador Retriever Drake, and upcoming agility trials with Jay and Leo. But when a body is discovered on the canine competition course, it stops the participants dead in their tracks—and sets Janet on the trail of a killer.

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MONEY MATTERS WITH SHEILA--PROTECTING YOUR PETS DURING A DISASTER

The real Leo

Today we welcome Janet MacPhail, fifty-something animal photographer and amateur sleuth protagonist of Sheila Webster Boneham’s Animals in Focus Mystery Series. With all the recent fires and weather-related disasters that have hit various parts of the country this past year, Janet is here to offer some tips on evacuating and protecting pets during a disaster. Learn more about Janet and Sheila at Sheila’s website. 

Are Your Pets Prepared for a Disaster?

(as told to Sheila Webster Boneham)

Hi! I’m Janet MacPhail, animal photographer and devoted pet owner. You might know me from the Animals in Focus Mystery series, which has been chronicling some of my misadventures of late (a little too many, if you ask me). Anyway, Anastasia asked me to drop by and talk about keeping pets safe when disaster strikes.

Disaster is something we’d all just as soon not deal with of course, but that’s no reason not to plan ahead. I know I wouldn’t evacuate without Jay, my Australian Shepherd, and Leo, my orange tabby. I live in northern Indiana, a mostly benign and lovely place that occasionally gets whacked by blizzards, tornados, and flooding. You may live with different possibilities. And of course we all hope never to deal with a house fire or other accidental or man-made hazard, but we also know they happen. So I thought I would tell you what I’ve done to increase the chances that my animals and I will all come through any of the above safe and sound. I mean, crafty killers are bad enough, right, Anastasia?

The real Jay

One thing that always worries me is what would happen to Jay and Leo if there were a disaster when I’m not home. Not that I leave them alone that much, but still…. So I have little signs posted by my front and back doors (and I made sure my boyfriend did the same). Stickers for that purpose are available from many vets, shelters, and other sources, or you can make one yourself. When Jay first joined my family, I crated him when I was out, so I included that information on my signs. I also note where Leo’s carrier is kept, where he likes to nap, and where their leashes hang. That way if someone had to get them quickly, they’d have everything they needed.

I also keep a list of names and phone numbers of a couple of people who would take them in a pinch. My neighbor, Goldie, for sure—if she’s home. My brother and his partner. I’ve even arranged with my vet to pay the bill if someone drops them off there. I signed a boarding and medical care authorization form, and I got a copy to keep in my evacuation kit (I’ll get to that in a minute).

My guys are used to being in the car and around strangers, but I still think a secure crate for each of them is essential. I mean, crates can keep them safely confined in a chaotic situation. They both wear tags for easy reference, and they have microchips implanted by my vet for more permanent identification. (I have those scanned whenever they go to the vet for something else, to be sure they’re still active.)

I have a waterproof box with Pet Evacuation Kit painted on the side, and I keep it on the storage shelf in my front closet. Here’s what’s in it:

∙ A list of phone numbers—mine, my two best friends’, my brother’s, my veterinarian’s.

∙ Copies of each animal’s rabies certificate and vaccination records.

∙ Proof of ownership so that if someone else rescues my boys, I can show that they are, in fact, mine–license registrations, microchip numbers, and photographs.

∙ If anything happened to me, I would want whoever took in my guys to know as much as possible, so I have a data sheet for each including his name, description, sex, age, feeding instructions, health-care needs, and a recent color photo.

∙ A week’s supply of dry food sealed in air-tight bags, and a couple of bottles of water. I rotate food and water once a month to keep everything fresh.

∙ Enough cash to pay for boarding the boys for at least three days. This wouldn’t be a problem with my vet, but who else will extend me credit if they don’t know me and I have no plastic on me? And cash can be hard to get at during a crisis.

So there you have it. I hope you never have to live through a disaster of any kind, but if you’re like me, you’ll feel better knowing you have a good chance of getting your pets to safety along with the rest of your family, come what may. Be safe!

The Money Bird

Animal photographer Janet MacPhail knows that trouble is in the air when Labrador Retriever Drake fetches a blood-soaked bag holding an exotic feather and a torn one-hundred-dollar bill during a photo shoot at Twisted Lake. One of Janet's photography students reports seeing a strange bird at the lake, but he turns up dead before Janet can talk to him. When she learns that the mysterious retreat center near the lake is housing large numbers of tropical birds, Janet is sure there's a connection and decides to investigate between dog-training classes, photo assignments, and visits to her mom at Shadetree Retirement. With help from her Australian Shepherd Jay and her quirky friend Goldie, Janet is determined to get to the bottom of things before another victim's wings are clipped for good.

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