#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--MEET ROMANCE AUTHOR, ARTIST, AND CRAFTER DARLENE FREDETTE

Today we welcome Darlene Fredette to the blog. Darlene resides on the Atlantic Coast of Canada where the summers are too short, and the winters are too long. She writes contemporary romances with a focus on plot-driven page-turners. When not working on her next book, she can be found hanging out with her husband, her daughter, and her yellow Labrador. Learn more about Darlene and her books at her website and blog. 

An Artist at Heart

I’ve always been a crafter, from painting free-hand and ceramics, to needlepoint and cross stitch, diamond art beading, and pencil sketches. While I pencil sketch a picture once a week for my daughter and have a diamond art beading project started but not finished, I haven’t done other crafts in a long while.

 

During visits to see my aunt, who lives in a small town nestled on the Atlantic Ocean, we take walks along the beach to find sea glass. I wanted to design a sea glass project from all the little treasures I’ve found. I checked online for inspiration and came across an artist who works with sea glass. In one of her projects, she incorporated acrylic paint. I’ve always loved painting and the pouring technique piqued my interested, which led to following several painting artists.

 

I decided to haul out my paints and give painting a try. My first couple of paintings weren’t too bad, but I knew I could do better. I hadn’t painted in years, so I was a little rusty. I received plenty of painting supplies for Christmas and all I needed was an idea. My husband requested a painting design with The Rollings Stones tongue. I was thrilled with the result, as was my husband who requested another design.

 

Since then, I’ve done several more paintings, and I’m getting better with each one. There are many different elements to use instead of a paint brush, and I’ve already tried balloons, chains, and bubble wrap. My Daisy Balloon Burst is one of my favourites. Today, I finished another painting using red, pink, and white for the background and I painted a deep red heart on top. This painting will go on our front door for the next two weeks.

 

I have many designs I want to try, such as a themed series of fire and water, and earth and outer space, as well as a skull with a spooky background. The painting project ideas I have are endless!

 

I am happy to have rediscovered my love of painting, and while I may not consider myself an artist, I have been told by many that the title is appropriate.

 

If you want to check out more of my paintings and pencil drawings visit my website or blog.

 

Finding Home Again

A Redford Falls Novel, Book 5

A missing dog, a potential poisoning, and a suspicious death. Will Jordan and Logan find their happy-ever-after before another mysterious accident occurs?

 

Caretaker of a historical home, Jordan McKenzie, promised to keep a secret, but doing so gets harder by the minute, especially when an innocent kiss misses its intended target. Entangled in a web of mysterious mishaps, she discovers a surprising family connection. Is putting her trust in her boss' handsome nephew a risk worth taking?

 

Chef Logan Crane returns to Redford Falls hoping to claim an inheritance to open a restaurant, but he side-lines his plan after meeting Jordan. When past secrets intermingle with a present attraction, will Logan open his heart to the possibility of a future in Redford Falls…and with Jordan?

 

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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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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--THE MYSTERY AND COINCIDENCE OF TWO SCANDALOUS DISAPPEARANCES

By Lois Winston

I recently read The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, an historical novel woven around the eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926. I’ve always been fascinating by this event which has kept both professional and amateur sleuths guessing for years. 

At approximately 9:45pm Friday, December 3, 1926, Agatha Christie kissed her sleeping daughter, then drove off alone in her car. The car was later found abandoned with no sign of Christie. Some believed she’d drowned in a pond near the site where her car was found. Others thought the disappearance was a publicity stunt. Some clues pointed in the direction of murder, accusing her unfaithful husband Archie Christie. 

 

Christie was eventually found eleven days later staying at a spa hotel under an assumed name. Speculation ran the gamut of a head injury from a car accident or that she had orchestrated the entire episode to thwart her husband’s plans to spend the weekend with his mistress. In 2006 Andrew Norman, a doctor and Christie biographer, suggested that Christie had been in a fugue state brought about by trauma or depression.

 

Now here’s the amazing coincidence:

 

Nearly seven months earlier on May 18, 1926, another celebrity, Aimee Semple McPherson, went for a swim on a California beach and disappeared. McPherson was a Pentecostal evangelist, famous for using modern technology to spread her religious message worldwide.

McPherson was first assumed drowned. Her mother preached the sermon she was supposed to deliver the evening of her disappearance and told congregants, “Sister is with Jesus.” Upton Sinclair wrote a poem to commemorate the tragedy. Parishioners held round-the-clock seaside vigils. Her disappearance sparked a media frenzy.

 

A month after Aimee disappeared, her mother received a ransom note demanding a half million dollars and was told if she didn’t pay, Aimee would be sold into white slavery. Thinking the note was a hoax, she threw it out. Shortly after, Aimee stumbled out of the desert into a Mexican town. She claimed she’d been kidnapped, drugged, and tortured. She’d managed to escape her captors and walk half a day through the desert.

 

However, her story was full of holes. There was speculation she had run off with Kenneth Ormiston, her married lover. Witnesses claimed to have seen them in Carmel, California during the time Aimee was supposedly being held in Mexico. Some suggest she’d gone off to have an abortion or plastic surgery or had orchestrated the disappearance as a publicity stunt.

 

Christie and McPherson were born weeks apart in 1890. Their disappearances occurred months apart. Did Aimee’s disappearance influence Agatha Christie? Aimee Semple McPherson died in 1944. Agatha Christie died in 1976. Neither mystery was ever solved.

One of the hardest mysteries to write is the locked-room mystery. Dame Agatha was a master of that format. For years I wrestled with whether I could pull off a locked-room mystery. I finally decided to try writing one. A Sew Deadly Cruise, the ninth Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, was released in 2020 and is set on…wait for it…a cruise ship. I was so happy with the results that when it came time to write the next book in the series, I again decided on a locked-room format. Stitch, Bake, Die! came out this past October and takes place at a conference during a snow storm. 

In The Mystery of Mrs. Christie author Marie Benedict posits an interesting theory about Christie’s disappearance. Is it anywhere near the truth of what really happened? We’ll never know. Dame Agatha refused to speak of the episode for the remainder of her life and made not a single mention of those eleven days in her autobiography.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

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MEGA-COZY MYSTERY BOOK GIVEAWAY

In February 2013, a group of cozy mystery authors got together to form Booklover’s Bench as a way of supporting each other with cross-promotion. Over time, membership changed as both writing lives and personal lives changed, but the group is still going strong. Today, it consists of authors Terry Ambrose, Nancy J. Cohen, Debra H. Goldstein, Cheryl Hollon, Diane A.S. Stuckart, Maggie Toussaint, and Lois Winston. 

The Booklover’s Bench “Let’s Talk” features a blog every Thursday by one of our authors. The fourth Monday of each month features either “Authors on the Bench” or “Characters on the Bench,” where we all respond to one question.

 

We promote each other through our blogs, websites, newsletters, contests, and social media posts. Our goal is to increase the readership of all our members. We do this by offering interesting content, contests, and book giveaways.

 

Each month we hold a Rafflecopter book giveaway where the winner can choose one of seven books offered that month. However, every February in celebration of the anniversary of our founding, the lucky winner receives all seven books offered for the month. 

 

Want a chance to win? Click on over to Booklover’s Bench to enter between now and February 18^th and while you’re there, check out the beautiful new redesign of the website.

AN INTERVIEW WITH YA AND ADULT MYSTERY AUTHOR M.E. ROCHE

Today we sit down for a chat with YA and adult mystery author M. E. Roche. Learn more about her and her books at her website.  

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

Like many authors, I thought about writing long before I actually set pen to paper. When I began to take it seriously, it was probably close to eight years before I was published. With my first two novels, I worked with a subsidy publisher. I eventually re-published those two and my last two with Amazon, where I’ll be publishing the upcoming ones.

 

Where do you write?

I write at a desktop in my study, preferably in the early morning.

 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

I write in silence.

 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

My favorite books have always been mysteries, starting with Nancy Drew. It was only much later that I came upon those student nurse mysteries popular in the 1950’s and up—Cherry Ames and Sue Barton to name two. Not finding anything written for young readers after those series and knowing that nursing had certainly changed (being an RN myself), I first set out to do an update. My first three young adult novels introduced my principal character, Nora Brady—a student nurse—to a nurse’s role in a nursing home, a hospital, and then a pediatric hospital in another country. As Nora worked with law enforcement to solve crimes in her past, she then moved into that profession herself, which is where my latest adult novel begins. 

 

Real settings or fictional towns?

While I’ve made my characters and locations fictious, they are primarily based in the small coastal towns of northern California, and undoubtedly bear some resemblance to some people I may have met at some point in time. 

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

I’m not sure if I’d call it a quirk, but I definitely tend to leap before I think at times, which is what I oftentimes see my character Nora doing!

 

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

If I could have written any book, it would be Anne Morrow Lindberg’s Gift from the Sea. It’s one of my favorites and one that I have given many times as a gift with its message of women needing to take care of themselves. I love her use of different shells to depict the stages in a woman’s life, and like her, I love being by the water.

 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

I don’t wish for any. I think most of us try to do the best we can at all times; sometimes we do better than other times, but regrets are a waste of energy.

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

My first job out of high school was as a nurses’ aide (although I don’t remember ever seeing a nurse) caring for patients in the basement of a nursing home. I’m ashamed to say I only lasted three days. 

 

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

Too many to count. I love the old fairy tales, The Little Prince, Stephen King’s On Writing, William Least Heat Moon’s Blue Highways, and most recently, Robert Dugoni’s The World Played Chess.

 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

I would want water, cheese, and books.

 

Ocean or mountains?

I will always choose the ocean over the mountains.

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

 I am definitely a city girl, although I have managed to live in the country when needing to do so. At one point in time, I moved from the center of Boston to a rural area in western Massachusetts, where it took me weeks to get used to the quiet—no arguing outside my window or sirens careening by at all hours!

 

What’s on the horizon for you?

I have two future Nora Brady mysteries in the works, and I’d like to try another stand-alone. I also have a hybrid historical/mystery releasing this month and a paranormal mystery this summer.

 

The South Spit Murders

A Nora Brady Mystery

 

It's the early morning hours on a rainy night, when the sound of gunshots is reported by a trawler crossing the bar from the bay into the ocean. Nora Brady, a detective with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s department, is called to the south spit—that remote strip of land separating the Pacific Ocean from Williams Bay. Three murder victims, with no apparent connection, have been discovered near a lone campsite.

 

The subsequent investigation by Nora and her partner, Sam Duffy, provide a number of possible suspects, but each one seems to lack sufficient motive. Their investigation involves the full spectrum of local life—from the seedier areas of town to those in the most affluent, in which the recently deceased Terence Markam appears to have been a major force. Hostility, greed, jealousy or the desire to protect a loved one seems to drive each of the suspects to act. The outcome of those actions leaves one to wonder if everything has ended as it should.  

 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH THE WRITING TEAM OF HJ AND ALEXIA FORMAN

Today we sit down for a chat with police procedural authors HJ Forman and Alexia Forman.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels? 

HJ had this idea for at least ten years before he finally put words to paper. It was during the latter part of his full-time academic career that he found time to start. Alexia, an essayist, was talked into joining HJ recently. 

 

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication? 

As it was self-published, it was not very long after HJ finished a final version of his first book. 

 

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author? 

Self-published.

 

Where do you write? 

HJ writes in his home office and Alexia writes at the kitchen table. HJ wrote his first novel while traveling by Amtrak between LA and Merced.

 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind? 

Depends on HJ’s mood. If there is noise, he drowns it out with Bach or Mozart.  Alexia needs quiet.

 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?  

Except for our dog Muffy, none of the characters are real. Although it is very rare for someone in academia to commit murder, the plot is based on an actual problem in academia, unfair reviews.

 

Describe your process for naming your character?  

The name of the masculine main character, S.T. Jude, was based on the Catholic saint for performing impossible feats. HJ thought it would be fun to have a fiery red haired female main character, like the cartoon character Brenda Starr and named her Cindy Firestone.  As the biomedical research community is very diverse, some ethnic names were used. 

 

Real settings or fictional towns?  

Some are real and some are not.  

 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has? 

The male main character is a coffee addict.

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk? 

Alexia gets up very early (about 5 am,) to work while HJ stays up until midnight.

 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours? 

Alexia would have liked to have been born into a different family, one that was not ruled by an abusive father. HJ would rather not talk about it.

 

What’s your biggest pet peeve?  

People with Dunning Kruger Syndrome. That’s where someone without expertise in science argues that their opinion is as accurate as the facts presented by an expert. 

 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves? 

A satellite phone, water and chocolate. 

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held? 

Alexia – babysitter, did it once and retired. HJ – delivering newspapers, particularly in snow.

 

What’s the best book you’ve ever read? 

Alexia: Encyclopaedia Britannica.  HJ: The Winds of War by Herman Wouk.

 

Ocean or mountains?  

Both of us prefer ocean.

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?  

Both of us are city people.

 

What’s on the horizon for you?  

Travel again, please St. Jude. More writing.

 

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?  

HJ Forman was born and raised in New York City. In the latter part of a long and successful career as an award-winning academic biomedical scientist, he began writing mysteries. He is willing to admit that a small percentage of the inhabitants of academia are unworthy of admiration. He’s also finding retirement to be a myth since he’s busier than ever and barely fits in time to watch football games.

 

Alexia Forman, a proud Philadelphian, went from painting pictures with oils to painting them with words. In her long history as an academic librarian, she also discovered how academia mirrors the rest of society.

 

Learn more about the Formans and their book at their website.

Toxic Vengeance

Bodies of respected, highly educated men and women are dropping in different parts of the country. Why are all the victims poisoned even when they die by different means? It takes fiery redhead police detective Cindy Firestone from a Washington, D.C. suburb to spot a connection. She brings the case to the attention of FBI Special Agent Steve Jude, who recognizes her intelligence and enjoys her packaging. Together, they investigate the many suspects and learn about the world of academic science, which most outsiders assume to be sedate. How wrong is that!

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. JOSEPHINE REVA FROM MYSTERY AUTHOR L.M. JORDEN'S DR. JOSEPHINE PLANTAE PARADOXES SERIES

An interview with Josephine Reva, M.D. from the Dr. Josephine Plantae Paradoxes Series by L.M. Jorden. 

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

Not many people knew about the life of a homeopathic doctor in the early 20th century. It was gory, messy and physically demanding. Most people thought a woman couldn’t handle it, and that we should go back to the kitchen. I was the first Lady Doctor in areas of Brooklyn, and I was very busy. I treated everything from broken bones to tuberculous, delivered babies and performed surgeries, sometimes all in a single day! We doctors also made house calls — does anyone remember those? 

 

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

As a Homeopath MD, I have to be inquisitive and investigate a patient's overall health and state of mind, not only specific symptoms. I ask a lot of questions. This trained me to be a good detective.

 

What do you like least about yourself?

As a scientist and doctor, I don't take risks. I need to be professional to save lives. But when I become my alter ego, a jazz age flapper or opera star, I become sexy and adventurous.

 

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

The author keeps putting me under the covers with an amorous suitor, and he's sometimes even the murder suspect! Things do get steamy.

 

In Aconite, Queen of Poisons, I flirt with the tall blue-eyed chief detective who imprisons me, a debonair but villainous, brown-eyed suspect who dances up a storm at the speakeasy, and my black-eyed gorgeous hunk of a chauffeur. Hmmm, which one would you choose? 

 

Each new book takes place in a later decade, and I live a very long life, into my 90’s, with many lovers. I’m looking forward to that!

 

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

Whether to include passionate sex scenes! It’s a normal bodily function, and hormonally therapeutic for the endocrine system.

 

What is your greatest fear?

That I can't stop a killer using poison botanicals. in Belladonna, book 2, the world is in danger, so I have to act fast before war starts. Poison flowers should be used by trained homeopaths only — to cure people, not kill them!

 

What makes you happy?

Reading medical journals and experimenting in my lab. Science was full of new discoveries during my lifetime. 

 

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

I'd rewrite how some men gave us women doctors a hard time and were very condescending. They ridiculed us. But I think the author captures this truthfully. In fact, I'd say from my own experience, it was far worse. I’d march more for equality.

 

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

My fellow students from med school who teased me when I was the only female in class. They’re called the Yorkvillains, named after the Yorkville area where our school was. They’re naughty and also comedians, like the Marx Brothers.

 

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

My patients Maria and Sophie. They’re strong women, and they are married and traditional — very different from me. They love to dress up and put on the Ritz, and encourage me to find romance, too. But can a trailblazing early woman doctor have it all — love and a career?

 

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

L.M. Jorden is an award-winning journalist, author, and former professor who has lived on three continents. When not tending her garden, she writes on comparative societies for healthcare, human rights, and the environment. She holds a Master of Science from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and studied medicinal botany.

The Dr. Josephine Plantae Paradoxes is her debut mystery series. You can find L.M. on Facebook and her author page on Amazon.

What's next for you?

My new book in the series. BELLADONNA, Murder at the Opera, is set in the Golden Age 1930’s. Dr. Josephine and her beau are at the Brooklyn Opera when a diva is horribly murdered onstage. Josephine must go undercover as an ensemble singer to discover the links between the opera stars and a Brooklyn fascist group.  She and the gang set sail for Italy to try and stop a sinister international plot involving love, politics and poisons. All aboard on the high seas for a new madcap mystery!

 

Aconite, Queen of Poisons

A Dr. Josephine Plantae Paradoxes Series, Book 1

 

A Madcap Murder Mystery -  Based on a True Life Story

Booze Blanks? Lady Doctors? Poison Cures? Murder!

 

It’s the Roaring 20’s New York, and a feisty orphan rises from the Little Italy slums to become a doctor. Josephine Reva, M.D. is a trailblazing woman on a mission -- she's seeking equality in a male-dominated profession. When no Manhattan hospitals will hire a female physician, she puts out her shingle in faraway Brooklyn as the area’s first “Lady Doctor.”

 

Prohibition forbids drinking, but doctors can prescribe “medicinal” booze. Not surprisingly, Josephine’s patients flock to her, but bootleggers put her on their radar.

 

When an unexpected invitation arrives to join her peers at a conference, Josephine is surprised. Medicine is at a crossroads -- should she choose Allopathy or Homeopathy? Will Josephine renounce her paradoxical homeopathic “poison cures”?

 

Murder intrudes when a fellow doctor is found dead at the docks from Aconite, a purple flower known as the “Queen of Poisons.” But Aconite is also a homeopathic remedy, and Josephine realizes she’s being framed.

 

Chief Detective John O’Malley is a hard-boiled cop who believes poison is a “woman's weapon.” Josephine has no alibi. The two begin a cat and mouse chase along the killer’s trail, meeting some well-known New Yorkers, as the bodies pile up.

 

With help from her patients, Josephine goes undercover as her alter-ego — a sexy Jazz Age flapper — to a speakeasy to spy on suspicious doctors, quacks, and bootleggers. Pulling Josephine out of trouble is Dominick, her brawny and handsome chauffeur with a mysterious World War past.

 

Complications arise when Josephine falls for a debonair suspect. Is he friend or foe? Is the budding romance about to get nipped in the bud?

 

Can Josephine unmask the murderer? Can she unravel her own secrets to follow her heart and her ambition?

 

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