WHY DOESN’T THAT AUTHOR PICK ON SOMEONE ELSE FOR A CHANGE?

by Anastasia Pollack from Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries series by Lois Winston

That Lois Winston! She’s done it to me again. Really, I don’t know what I ever did to her that she’s got it in for me. It was bad enough that in Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, she nearly got me killed. Now she’s done it again.

At first, I thought in this new book she’d changed her ways. I was living a nice middleclass life until she came along. Good job. Husband. Two kids. Nice house in the ‘burbs. She enters my life, and all of a sudden my husband turns out to be a closet gambler who’s decimated our bank accounts and racked up debt like you wouldn’t believe. And did I mention he’s got his own personal loan shark? Of course, I knew nothing about any of this until she had my dearly beloved drop dead onto a roulette wheel in Las Vegas when he was supposed to be at a sales meeting in Harrisburg, PA. I not only inherited all the debt, I also inherited Ricardo the loan shark.

That was the first book in the series, and I’ve been dealing with the aftermath ever since. So when Lois opened Death By Killer Mop Doll with Mama announcing that she’d solved my financial problems, I thought, my author had seen the error of her ways and was making up for all the misery she’d inflicted on me in Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun. Boy, was I wrong!

Let me tell you about the trouble she’s causing me this time.

It’s not bad enough that I’m dealing with overdue bills and constant mother vs. mother-in-law battles between Mama and Lucille the curmudgeonly communist. My stress level maxes out when my fellow American Woman editors and I get roped into unpaid gigs for a revamped morning TV show -- thanks to Mama’s meddling. Of course, Mama had the best of intentions. She always does. But you know what they say about hell being paved with good intentions. Mama thought we’d all get paid for the additional work. Too bad she didn’t know about that clause in our contracts…

Then, before the glue is dry on my mop dolls, morning TV turns crime drama when the studio is trashed and a member of the production team is murdered. The former co-hosts, sleazy D-list celebrities, stand out among a lengthy lineup of suspects, all furious over the show's new format, but Lois makes me start snooping around, and the next thing I know, she lands me directly in the killer's unforgiving spotlight!

I ask you, what did I ever do to deserve this?

I don’t think my troubles will be ending any time soon, either. Lois has already turned in the third book in the series, and rumor has it that she’s been offered a contract for books 4 and 5. I hope I survive!

Meanwhile, at least Lois is nice to her readers. She’s on a blog tour right now and is giving away 5 signed copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll. All you have to do to enter is post a comment to this blog or any of the other blogs on the tour. But you’d better hurry. The tour ends tomorrow. You can find the tour schedule at her website and my Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog . She’s also giving away 3 additional copies on Goodreads.

Spring Dreaming

by Willow Vanderling from the Threadville Mystery series by Janet Bolin

Sometimes, especially in a dreary monochromatic winter like this one has been, I absolutely need to see and touch fabrics.

Yesterday, after I closed my own shop, In Stitches, I just had to run across the street and tour Batty About Quilts. Naomi arranges her bolts of fabrics in rainbow order, and the trend this year is toward colors that appear to be drenched in sunlight. I walked up and down every aisle, touching the bright reds, yellows, blue, and purples. And the greens. For some reason, I was drawn to the grassiest and leafiest greens.

I had no plans to make a quilt, but I couldn’t help buying yards and yards of cotton fabrics in all the shades of April’s baby leaves.

To make matters worse, after I finished at Batty About Quilts, I went next door to Edna’s notions shop, Buttons and Bows. I bought yards of satin ribbons the colors of daffodils, crocuses, tulips, forsythia, and lilacs.

And now I’m designing a quilt. I’ll use the embroidery software and machines in my machine embroidery boutique to create embroidered blossoms. And the ribbons? Maybe I’ll fasten bows in the corners between the squares…

It will be a simple quilt, a small quilt, and it really shouldn’t take very long.

Right. That’s what I always say.

What do you find yourself planning, designing, and creating in the depths of winter?

You can learn more about Willow and how she helped solve a murder in DIRE THREADS, available in stores everywhere.

Talk to Janet Bolin on facebook and twitter.

And watch for THREADED FOR TROUBLE, arriving in stores June 5, 2012, and available for pre-order now!

Dear old pals, jolly old pals...

I ask you, what is one to do when an old schoolfriend asks for help? Sybil was widowed in the Great War. She hadn't a husband to turn to. She was supporting herself and her young daughter as secretary to a writer. I admire her for that.

I, Daisy Dalrymple as was, managed for myself for some years after the war. You see, I lost my brother and my fiancé at the front, and my father died in the influenza pandemic in '18. I could have lived with my mother (Heaven forfend!), or sponged off the distant cousin who inherited my father's estate and title. Instead, after trying various jobs, I found my métier as a journalist.

And then I married my darling Alec, so now, strictly speaking, I'm Mrs Alec Fletcher. But the dear old lady who chronicles my adventures, Carola Dunn, once having called the series of books by my maiden name, thought it best not to change.

To get back to Sybil: We weren't particularly close at school, actually, and I lost touch with her after sending condolences on her husband's death. We all had our own losses to mourn. So I was surprised to hear from her one day in late summer, 1926. Something strange and disturbing was going on, she said, at the Derbyshire farmhouse where her author-employer lived. She was worried. She had heard through the Old Girls' bush telegraph that I rather specialised in mysteries.

That was nonsense of course. Specialised, indeed! I can't help it if I stumble across more than my fair share of murders.

However, I had absolutely no reason to foresee that Sybil's problem was going to result in events of interest to the police. If I had guessed, I would have refused her invitation. Alec gets rather sticky about such things. You see, he happens to be a Detective Inspector at Scotland Yard, and it embarrasses him when his wife meddles in police investigations.

Not that I meddle. I am occasionally able to be of assistance... But that's beside the point. Sybil's invitation seemed perfectly innocent and I was sure I'd be able to put her mind at rest. Besides, I was looking forward to my first long drive in my new car, a sky-blue 1925 Gwynne Eight.

How was I to guess that the isolated farmhouse in the Derbyshire Dales harboured a seething mass of resentment, jealousy, and long-lived grudges that would soon lead to unnatural death?

A sullen farmer, a worried doctor, a bitter old woman, a flighty girl with expensive tastes, a young man with literary aspirations, an irresponsible but charming Irish playwright, an overbearing man of the world: Add a secret that could change everyone's lives--an explosive mixture, to be sure. But why did it have to wait until my visit to explode?

Wouldn't you know it: As soon as the local police found out about Alec's profession, they called in the Yard. Alec's Superintendent sent him rushing north to make sure I wasn't interfering. I might as well admit that Superintendent Crane doesn't like me.

Naturally, Alec found out he needed my assistance. I knew all the people involved and he didn't. It would save him a lot of time and effort if he'd just acknowledge that when I say someone just isn't the sort of person to have committed murder, it's true.

Well, usually...

Was I right this time? You can read about my trials and tribulations in GONE WEST, Carola Dunn's latest addition to my story.Do visit me and Carola on Facebook and on our website. Also, you can watch a video of Carola talking about me (and a few other things) here.

I may live in the 1920s, but that doesn't mean I can't keep up with the times!

Sherlock Holmes at the Grocery Story

By Molly Pink from the Crochet Mysteries by Betty Hechtman.

My name is Molly Pink and I'm a sometimes sleuth and an always crocheter. You know how some people hate waiting in line at the grocery store. Not me. It gives me the chance to play what I call Sherlock Holmes. I like to see what I can deduce about the people ahead of me in line by what they are buying. I like doing it so much, sometimes I wish the line would go slower.

Here's an example from the other day. I watched the couple ahead of me unload their cart onto the conveyer belt. The woman was draped in a loose tunic over pants that camouflaged but didn't totally cover up her round shape. The man wore jeans with a belt like the one's Mitt Romney wears, only this guy had a neat polo shirt on top instead of a button down collar dress shirt.

I counted four Lean Cuisine entrees, a box of sugar free sugar cookies (isn't that an oxymoron like fat free sour cream), a six pack of zero calories flavored sparkling water, two rib eye steaks, a box of frozen fried chicken, two baking potatoes, a ready made caesar salad for one, and a loaf of freshly made rustic bread.

You probably already came to the same conclusion I did. One of them was on a diet and one wasn't. I'm guessing it was her because I don't believe any guy, even if he was on a diet, would buy sugar free cookies.

It's actually due to my Sherlock Holmes game that I met my sometimes boyfriend homicide detective Barry Greenberg. Any of you who know me, also know I think boyfriend is a stupid title for a man in his fifties, even if he is pretty high on the hot meter.

He was ahead of me in line. He didn't even have a cart, just one of those handheld things. But then all he put on the conveyer belt was a box of frozen mac and cheese and a six pack of beer. It looked pretty lonely to me. Particularly when I started to unload my groceries and put them on the conveyer belt. I was shopping for a dinner party.

Well, to cut to the chase, we started talking and I ended up inviting him to my dinner party. It's not quite as weird as it sounds. It's not like I go around picking up guys in the grocery store, even though since I'm a widow, I suppose I could. I did sort of know him. I'd gotten a completely undeserved traffic ticket and gone to traffic school to get it off my record. Barry had been a last minute stand in for the cop that was supposed to teach the class.

By the way, I could tell by the speed of Barry's acceptance that I'd been right about his dinner plans seeming lonely. Who knew my game would actually come with a prize?

Speaking of Lingerie

By Emma Taylor from Murder Unmentionable, a Sweet Nothings Mystery by Meg London

Just the other day I was walking through downtown Paris (Tennessee that is) when I spied Angel Roy up ahead. Now I love Angel to death, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes she makes some seriously bad sartorial choices if you know what I mean. She bent down to tie her shoe and between her low-cut jeans and a too-short top, all of Paris got an eyeful of Angel’s thong.

Then just yesterday I was shopping at Walmart when I saw my friend Bitsy duck between two racks of dresses and perform a maneuver that all women recognize as the “this-underwear-is-giving-me-a-wedgie-and-I-can’t-stand-it-another-minute-dance.”

Now I’m not saying you all need to just give up and run out and buy a six pack of big, white granny panties, but there are alternatives. Come on down to our shop, Sweet Nothings, and I’ll show you! We’ve got some beautiful pieces, lace-trimmed and absolutely gorgeous that won’t ride up, slip down or go sideways. It’s all in choosing the right style and getting the right fit.

Arabella, Sylvia and I will be happy to help you.

Who's There?

By Nell Pratt, in Sheila Connolly's Museum Mystery series.

Coming from Berkley Prime Crime,
February 2012

I like to think I'm a rationale, sensible person, but sometimes things are kind of hard to explain, you know?

I work in a public building that's over a hundred years old now, and anybody who's ever spent time in one like it knows that odd things can happen—bumps and thumps, for example. I can tell myself that's just the building's bones creaking. or the furnace coming on, or a change in the weather. But then there are things that aren't quite so easy to label, like why a copy machine in a dark corner will suddenly turn itself on when no one is near it. Electrical surge? Maybe. But why is that machine the only one affected, and not all the others?

But that's not quite as odd as what happened when one of our most valued members asked me to find something for him in our collections, but quietly, without telling anyone else. I was happy to help him, but the more I looked into his request, the more strange events kept happening. All good ones, thank heavens, like finding a document that I was looking for in a place I knew it hadn't been the day before, or having a book fall at my feet, open to exactly the page I needed. One discovery like that can be a coincidence, but several in a row?

I'm not superstitious, but I think I had a little help on this project, and I'm not entirely sure it was mortal.

PAINTED ROCK CLIFF

by Kate Connolly from Diana Orgain's Maternal Instinct Mystery Series

I went for a wonderful hike on Lands End the other day. There is an area called Painted Rock Cliff. You may be able to tell from the photos that the trail goes up to the right and there is a stern warning not to go to the left with the quote "People have fallen to their death from this point. KEEP OUT"
Seems pretty clear, right? Why then did I witness a lone man standing beyond the sign perliously close to the edge, with his wife or lady friend simply looking on?
Intriguing.
I had to stop and poke my nose around. I mean, how could you not? Especially after what happened with my friend's boyfriend....Well, so it's official then. I'm on a case. You have to read more about it later...as I discover it. But tell me, why do you think that man was walking on the edge of the cliff?

Cumberland Creek Scrapbooking Newbie

By Annie Chamovitz, Scrapbook of Secrets, the first in the Cumberland Creek Mystery Series (Released February 7, 2012) by Mollie Cox Bryan

A few years ago, I’d have rather stuck needles in my eyes than go to a scrapbook crop. But my world was so different then—before we had the boys and before we gave up living in the D.C. area, trying to find reasonable daycare, and a way to manage two careers and a new baby. Sometimes, I wondered if my child knew the difference between me and any other bottle-wielding, dark-haired woman. It just about killed me.

Soon, another baby was on its way and Mike and I knew change was inevitable. So I quit my job as an investigative reporter and we moved to the sleepy village of Cumberland Creek, where the cost of living is more manageable. It’s taken me awhile to find a friend or two and now I have a group of friends with one thing in common: they crop until they drop—every Saturday night. They are all so different, but they’ve known each other forever. Vera is a sort of a Southern belle that owns the local dancing school, Paige is a middle-age ex-hippy that teaches history at Cumberland Creek High School, and DeeAnn is a big-boned Midwest transplant that owns a successful little bakery on Main Street. As you’d expect, her baking is extraordinary—but the other scrapbookers are no slouches in the kitchen and always bring food to share. I’ve probably gained five pounds just since I started going to the weekly crops.

Surprisingly enough, I look forward to getting together weekly and yes, even to scrapbooking. After all, I am a writer and scrapbooking is simply visual storytelling—although sometimes it offers much, much more, like clues to an untimely death of a young mother who lives in your neighborhood. A mother with secrets. We all have secrets, don’t we? Have you ever wondered what your papers would say about you after you’re gone? I shudder to think.

To find out more about Scrapbook of Secrets, please visit MollieCoxBryan.com

Journal Entry #9, by Harlow Jane Cassidy

By: Harlow Jane Cassidy

From: A Magical Dressmaking Mystery

Author: Melissa Bourbon

Book 2: A Fitting End

Pub. Date: February 2012

At seven forty-five in the morning, it already felt like an oven, and when I walked outside, the moisture clung to my skin.  Let me tell you, journal, I thought I was done with murder, but today I realized that that was wishful thinking.  I'd clipped my hair up and headed in my ancient pickup truck, formerly owned by my great-grandmother and recently brought back to working order by Bubba of Bubba Murphy’s repair shop.  The one thing Bubba didn’t fix was the air conditioner, which meant I looked like a drowned rat by the time I got to the swanky Bliss Country Club.  

Summoned by Mrs. Zinnia James, and if you’ve met Mrs. James, you know you don’t say no to a summons.  

But when I got there, the parking lot was bursting, but the golf course was pretty much deserted.  I thought maybe all the golfers were all on the back nine, but the second I stepped inside the air conditioned lobby of the club, I knew I was wrong.

Dead wrong.

Everybody stopped talking... and they were all looking at me.  Not in a Look, it’s the dressmaker, Harlow Cassidy, and isn’t she an icon of fashion? way, but in a Let’s give her a wide berth like you’d give one of the Salem witches kind of way.

Not a good feeling, let me tell you.

All I can say is that murder is back in Bliss.  

Again.

And like a bowl of redeye gravy, I’m in the center of it. 

Again.

Oh boy.  Will the Margaret Moffett Lea Pageant and Ball be able to go on?  

And what about the dresses I found in the attic?  What do they mean and where did they come from?

Good lord, there’s Will and Gracie to worry about!  What a secret I discovered about them. 

And here I thought coming back to Bliss would be peaceful.

What am I going to do?  Sometimes I think I should move back to Manhattan.  What do you think?

Watch the series trailer for A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series!

Pre-Order A Fitting End

Amazon

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About A Fitting End

Former Manhattan fashion designer Harlow Jane Cassidy has a gift for creating beautiful dresses.  But when Harlow becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, she’ll more than her sewing skills to unravel the mystery…

Business is booming at Harlow’s custom dressmaking boutique, Buttons & Bows, even with the presence of her great-grandmother’s ghost hanging around the shop.  But thanks to the fast approaching Margaret Moffette Lea Pageant and Ball, Harlow has her work cut out for her when Mrs. Zinnia James hires her to make her granddaughter’s pageant gown.

With the debutant ball getting the whole town of Bliss, Texas into a tizzy, Harlow knows her dress has to be perfect.  But when a local golf pro is found stabbed to death with dressmaking shears, the new deputy thinks Harlow and Mrs. James conspired to commit the crime.  Now Harlow has to finish the dress on time and clear her name before the next outfit she designs is a prison jumpsuit…

Redesigning Me

By: Jaymie Leighton

From: The Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series

Author: Victoria Hamilton

Book 1 Title: A Deadly Grind

Pub. Date: May 2012

 

Did you ever take a hit to your self esteem so hard it knocks you flying? That's what happened to me a couple of weeks before Christmas. Joel, who I thought was the love of my life, dumped me. Just... dumped me. I had no clue why until last week when I learned that he has been shacking up with some new girl in Queensville, someone he just met a few months ago.

I'm so mad... I feel like I was taken in, and I'm hurt. But now I want to get on with my life, except I realized that what is missing in my life is a sense of purpose. But how do you go about finding a sense of purpose? My Grandma Leighton, who I spent a lot of time with over Christmas, said I needed to look inside myself at what excites me, what makes me happy, what gets me going in the morning.

 

So I did some soul searching. That, and some literal searching. I got up in the attic of the family house and dug around in old boxes and trunks and came across a whole bunch of my grandma's old cookbooks and recipes. My complete absorption in them--I don't usually pay that much attention to anything written unless it's a new Mary Balogh book--showed me the way. It was what Oprah calls an 'aha' moment.

I love old cookbooks, and old kitchen vessels and utensils, and everything old connected with the kitchen. I've been collecting for a couple of years, but it is now my mission to transform the kitchen of my house into a showcase for all the stuff I love so much. I also have another goal in mind, but I think I'll just keep that card close to my chest for now.

I've moped around for too long; now it's time to rejoin life! I'm only 32, and there are better fish in the sea, right? At least, that's what Grandma says.

So... have you ever taken that kind of body blow, the hit to your feeling of self-worth or self-esteem so hard it feels like a physical punch in the stomach? What did you do to recover, and what would you do differently now?

Victoria Hamilton on Facebook

Twitter: @MysteryVictoria

Blog: http://vintagekitchenmysteries.blogspot.com/

Chilly Weather & Hot Relationship Problems

Sophie Winston

blogs for

Krista Davis

author of

The Domestic Diva Mysteries





It's that time of year again.  If it's not snowing, it's icy.  If it's not icy, it's muddy.  I'm cooking all sorts of hearty comfort foods like yummy macaroni and cheese (four cheeses, of course), spicy chili, beef stew, and my favorite indulgence late at night after work -- hot chocolate pudding.

If I had any sense at all, I would book a cruise for January and get away to the sun.  Maybe visit Hayley Snow in Key West.  She's living it up in the sunshine!  But as dismal as January and February are in terms of weather, they're prime months for event planners.  I'm booked solid.  As I look through my planner, I'm wondering if I haven't overbooked myself.  No time off until July!  I'm blocking out a week of vacation time right now -- in ink!  Right after the Fourth of July, and the radiology convention, and the annual Greene family picnic.

Picnic sounds so simple doesn't it?  That's what the Greenes like to call it.  It's really their version of a big company party for the employees at their catalogs, Planter's Punch, which caters to Southern gardeners, and Backwoods for hunting and fishing enthusiasts.  They always schedule it for National Ice Cream Day and have a fabulous ice cream bar where their guests can make their own sundaes.  By all rights, Olive Greene ought to be one of Old Town's socialites, but she'd rather putter around in her garden than, well, just about anything else, which means I have a free hand in making the "picnic" arrangements.

But as soon as I'm done with that, I'm taking a week off just for myself.  Maybe I'll take a staycation and putter around in my own garden.  Lots of time to decide that.

Uh oh, Mars, my ex-husband is coming up the sidewalk.  I've been avoiding him like crazy since we shared an awkwardly romantic moment in the fall.  I don't know how to handle it, so I've been ducking him at every opportunity.  I can't keep running away from him.  Can I?  Do I have to face him and talk about it (please say no) or can I just pretend like it never happened?

Where's Sunny?

Detective Mitch Stone of

The Fortune Teller Mysteries

by Kari Lee Townsend

"Detective Stone here." Mitch cleared his throat. "I, uh, I'm looking for Sunshine Meadows. Most people call her Sunny. I call her Tink because there's nothing to the woman. But never mind that. The point is, I'm looking for her. Seems I'm always looking for her," he grumbled. "She's a little thing. Short, spikey blond hair, green eyes ... basically like the real Tinker Bell. Anyway," he swiped his hand through the air and came into the room further, "have you seen her?"

Walking warily around the room, he added, "Man, it really is dark in here." He shook his head on a frown. "I followed her in here once before, and let me tell you, it was no picnic. You'd be smart to watch your back. Apparently there are some real characters who hang out here. In fact, I heard some of them are actual killers. Unless, you're one of them. I mean, you're not, are you?" He parted his sport coat and dropped his hand to his gun then heaved out an irritated breath. "This is just like Sunny to stick her nose in places where it doesn't belong. Every time I start investigating a new case, she shows up, asking questions, chasing after wild goose chases, and stirring up trouble. No matter how many times I tell her to stay put, she never listens. I tried to tell her getting involved with these killer characters wasn't a good idea. No telling what kind of influence they will have over her."

He made one more sweep around the room, checking every hiding place without any luck. "She thinks I don't think she's any good at sleuthing, and that I don't believe she's really psychic."

He grunted, scrubbing a hand over his five o'clock shadow. "Okay, so I admit she tends to know things I can't explain, but come on. Psychic? I wouldn't go that far, but that's not the reason I don't want her getting involved in any of the murders I'm investigating. She has no idea how much I care about her, and that it would kill me if anything bad happened to her." He sighed. "So I grumble and complain a lot, and do my best to save her cute, frustrating, pain-in-my-backside behind."

He suddenly looked around as though something serious had occurred to him. "Hey, you don't have a cat, do you?" He shuddered. "Because I heard that some of these characters do. I'm not all that fond of cats, especially Sunny's. She calls him Morty, short for immortal. I don't think he's immortal. I think he's the devil. There's something not right about him. It's like he can see right into a person's soul. Kinda freaks me out. In fact," Mitch started backing toward the exit, "I think that's my cue to leave. Do me a favor. If you see Sunny, don't tell her I'm looking for her. Tell her that Granny Gert is looking for her. Today's Thursday. That's Granny's baking day. Tell Sunny that Granny is out of flour. That will send her home for sure, then I can stop worrying and do my job. Like investigating this corpse she supposedly saw in her crystal ball. If it's not one thing, it's another with her. I'll tell ya, she's gonna be the death of me yet." The corner of his lip tipped up ever so slightly. "But she sure is entertaining."

*************************************************************************

Tempest in the Tea Leaves - August 2011

Corpse in the Crystal Ball - June 2012

Trouble in the Tarot - March 2013

To find out more about Kari Lee Townsend go to www.karileetownsend.com

Friend her on Facebook www.facebook.com/karileetownsendAUTHOR

Follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/karileetownsend

Sign up for her newsletter http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karileetownsend

How Dodie Got Her Groove Back

By: Kiki Lowenstein, "star" of Joanna Campbell Slan's Kiki Lowenstein Mysteries
Pub. Date: Make, Take, Murder - Midnight Ink - May 2011

"A sleep study? You are kidding me. Someone gets paid to watch people snore?"

I've been working on curbing my tongue, trying not to blurt out whatever wanders through my pea-sized brain, but Dodie's claim that she was going for a sleep study boggled my mind.

"Yes, Sunshine, I've been falling asleep at my desk. Every morning, I wake up more exhausted than when I went to bed. Horace says I'm too tired to be any fun. So my doctor wrote a prescription for me to go to a sleep clinic. The study starts at eight in the evening and I'm done at seven the next day."  She smiled at me, a tired and wobbly grin, that failed to crinkle her eyes.

Ever since her chemo and radiation treatments for lung cancer, she's been a shadow of her former self. Who could have guessed that she'd sail through the treatments so easily only to struggle after being pronounced "cured"? I knew that her husband Horace worried over her. We all did. She was dragging along, looking more and more wasted every day. Worst of all, she seemed to have lost all her mojo. The Dodie of Old was a fearsome, wild and woolly character, a woman of giant tastes, passions and energy.

"What exactly do they do in a sleep study?"

"Wire me with monitors. Watch me sleep. Record my brain waves. Then a specialist reads the measurements. They can tell when I fall asleep, when I go into REM--the really restful sleep--and what might be keeping me from getting a good night's rest."

"How on earth do they expect you to sleep when you're all wired up?"

"Beats me," said Dodie with a shrug. "Maybe that's the point."

Two days later, Dodie greeted me at the back door of the store. "Hey, there, Sunshine!"

"Boy, aren't we perky?" I am NOT a morning person. I struggle along, aided by copious cups of coffee, and raw willpower. If I had my druthers, the day wouldn't begin until noon. Seeing my boss all yippy-skippy cheery should have made me happy. Instead it simply tired me out.

"Got the best sleep of my life. Eight hours of uninterrupted bliss." Her eyes sparkled and I noted a decided skip in her step.

"But didn't they put wires on you? Weren't you being tested for sleep apnea?" I encouraged Gracie, my harlequin Great Dane rescue pup, to quit sniffing the trash and come get into her doggy play pen. When it came to snoring, Gracie was a champ. She sounded like a train chugging its way through the kitchen where I kept her doggy bed.

"Yes, indeed, they did. They also turned the temperature down low. See, Horace likes it hot in the bedroom. I wake up several times a night all sweaty. But when the temp is down around 69, I sleep like a baby. Even with monitors all over my body!"

Here's what Dodie learned about good sleep hygiene:

1. Temperature in the bedroom should be around 69 degrees Farenheit.

2. The room should be as dark as possible. You should cover up the lit dial of a digital clock and anything else that glows. If at all possible, do not use a nightlight. Keep a flashlight by the bed instead. 

3. Turn off the television. The volume jumps with commercials, and that change is enough to wake people up. If you must have a TV on, tune it to the weather channel.

4. If there's outside noise, such as traffic or others in the house, consider using ear plugs. If silicone ear plugs irritate your ears, try wax plugs.

5. Avoid using the computer right before bed. The light from the screen activates your wakefulness.
6. Wear loose fitting clothes and a pair of socks.
7. Try to go to sleep at the same time every night. Establish a habit.
8. Don't sleep with pets in the bed. They rustle around too much. Instead, get them a pet bed for your bedroom.
9. Take a hot bath or shower before bed. The drop in your body temperature will help you go to sleep.

Horace stepped out from Dodie's office. It was a bit unusual for him to accompany her to work. But today he watched her bustle around in the backroom with an eager puppy expression on his face. He, too, had a bounce in his gait. "I was happy to bundle up and let her dial down the thermostat. Anything for my darling wife. When she is happy, I am happy, too."

"I feel great!" said Dodie. "Funny. You don't realize the way a lack of sleep saps all your energy. I woke up raring to go this morning. Best mood I've been in for months! I think I can finally tackle all that paperwork on my desk."

Horace patted her fondly on the backside as she moved past him through the doorway and toward her big office chair. She paused mid-route, and they exchanged a look of affection, a quiet moment of tenderness and connection. As she took her seat, I noticed a crimson glow stain her cheeks.

Hmmm. What was it that Shakespeare called sleep? The chief nourisher in life's feast.

Yeah. I think he got that right.

**

For more information on getting a great night's sleep go to Sleep Compass.

**

To read more about Kiki and her friends, order your copy of Make, Take, Murder.

**

BREAKING NEWS--
Today marks the release of the second Kiki Lowenstein Short Story for Kindle--"Kiki Lowenstein and the White Elephant." It's only 99 cents! That's less than a bottle of Diet Dr Pepper!

Achooo

by Avery Baker, from Jennie Bentley's Do It Yourself home renovation mysteries

Being sick sucks.

It’s the Maine weather, I suppose. It’s colder here than in New York. Or maybe it’s that chilly breeze off the Atlantic. I just can’t seem to wear enough clothes to stay warm.

Or it could be Aunt Inga’s house. It’s a hundred and forty years old, a Second Empire Victorian. Gorgeous, but chilly. They built solid back in those days, but they weren’t as concerned with creature comforts. Derek and I renovated it, but we didn’t tear the walls out and insulate, so the house gets cold. The ceilings are twelve feet tall and the rooms are huge, so it’s hard to heat.

Whatever it is, I’ve got the crud. I was lucky last year, when nothing too bad happened. My stepfather Noel came to visit and got the worst cold he’d ever had, though. Poor guy; winter in Maine is very different from winter in California. I doubt he’ll ever come back. At least not during the dark part of the year. 

I was OK, though. No problems at all last winter. I was cold, and I couldn’t wait for the snow to thaw and the sun to come back out, but I didn’t get sick.

This year... oh, boy. I’ve been sniffling since Thanksgiving, and over Christmas it got really bad. Then I started coughing, and I haven’t stopped since.

The only good thing is that Doctor Ben still makes house calls. Derek diagnosed bronchitis first, and then his dad came and confirmed it. They’ve got me sucking down horse-sized antibiotics and gallons and gallons of water and tea with honey. And Derek makes sure I stay in bed. Normally, I’d be all for that, but there’s no hanky-panky going on. I’m supposed to rest. Hanky-panky would be too strenuous.

Although things could be worse. There’s HGTV to watch, and DIY magazines to read, and I’ve got Mischa like a living, breathing, purring heating-pad covering my feet... and Derek stopping by with the best lobster-rolls in Maine for lunch.

So how about you? Have you kept the crud at bay this winter? Do you have any tips for how I can get through the next week without losing my temper or my sanity?    

It's a Man's World

Duffy Brown

Iced Chiffon

Boys will be Boys, right. I mean when a hot young chickie is right there in front of you and comes on to you, what’s a guy to do?

Hollis Beaumont the Third here and when Janelle gave me the look and bought me an extra dry martini, I knew we were meant for each other. That I was married to Reagan didn’t seem to matter to either of is. That’s what true love does, crowds out all those other pesky little thoughts like marriage that don’t really matter. Just as they say, love conquers all.

Janelle is so beautiful, and fun with that long blond hair and great shape. That she’s twenty-four and I’m forty-five is testament to how much of a stud I still am. I keep myself fit and trim and I don’t think Reagan appreciates me for the ruggedly handsome guy I am.

I have no idea why Reagan got so upset when she found Janelle and me doing the horizontal hula on my desk in the office last week. I mean, really, what did Reagan expect, that I’d be faithful to her forever?

This is the twenty-first century. Men need to spread their wings, explore, feel young. They need to be with someone who appreciates them and I got to tell you that having a great looking babe hanging off my arm is pretty sweet.

I can’t imagine why Reagan’s got her shorts in a bunch. She’s the one who signed the prenup that left her nothing in our divorce. She’s thirty-two and a little on the old side for me, but she’ll be fine. I gave her that old dump of a house in the Victorian district. I think that was pretty decent of me, don’t you. She can fix it up. She doesn’t have anything else to do, right!

Me? I’ve got Janelle to keep me busy.

Sunny is in the House!

We are thrilled to welcome Kari Lee Townsend to Killer Characters! Her characters will talk to us on the 19th of every month. You may remember this post that her character, Sunny, wrote for us last July:


Sunny
from the Fortune Teller Mysteries
blogs for
Kari Lee Townsend





   
    “Killers and characters and blogs…oh my,” I muttered to myself, needing to hear a voice. It was dark and quiet and freaky in here. The blog owners said the characters were killers, but I was beginning to wonder. Was this whole thing a ruse to lure me out of Divinity to this blog in the middle of Cyberspace so the owners could do me in? Unlike my cat, Morty, I didn’t have nine lives. Although with him being immortal, I guess he didn’t, either.

    Detective Mitch Stone, aka Grumpy Pants, would flip out if he knew I was here. He’d ordered me not to investigate alone, but I couldn’t help it. My fortune-telling supplies had clearly shown someone was going to die. My visions always come true. Could that “someone” be me? Using a key light, I scanned my notes, looking for clues to which of these bloggers could be capable of murder.

    Wendy Lyn Watson knows how to cover up murder since she teaches law, and she’s admitted she can scoop to kill a pint of ice cream in nothing flat.

    Krista Davis knows where to hide a body in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She’s a Diva, painting the town while her sidekick cat leaps to amazing heights and opens cabinets, readying her lethal supplies.

    Mary Kennedy knows how to find her victim’s weaknesses as a clinical psychologist. She listens to talk radio, but when the air goes dead, I just know reel murder is going on.

    Maggie Sefton, with her several careers, has something to hide. Further digging at the skein of the crime revealed she’s packing a pair of knitting needles and knows how to use them.

    Denise Swanson acts cool and composed, but admits to sneaking away for a little adventure with her husband. Only, I heard on their last trip they murdered a wedding belle.

    Elizabeth Spann Craig/Riley Adams is delicious and suspicious. She staggers out of libraries and complains of being dragged along as a hostage, yet dreams of dark and stormy nights where pretty dies.

    Avery Aames likes to read, cook, and garden, but secretly hitchhikes around Ireland and jumps out of airplanes. Turns out she stole Avery’s identity and is really the dangerous Daryl Wood Gerber.

    Mary Jane Maffini outright admits to settling into a life of crime. She was a former president of crime, and a member of a Ladies Killing Circle with the messiest desk I’ve ever seen.

    Misa Ramirez/Melissa Bourbon might hang out with seamstresses, but she makes her victims pleat for mercy. And poor Lola and Harlow. I shivered. She downright stalks them on their adventures.

    Laura Alden seems so sweet with her love of baths, red raspberries and blue skies, but she’s really like a PI with all the pictures she takes for “research.” I heard she committed murder at the PTA.

    Betty Hechtman found her calling in a stitch in crime. She’s deadly with her crochet hook in hand and a bit obsessed with Granny squares. Kinda freaks me out.

    Sheila Connolly has more degrees than she knows what to do with and has lived all over. I wouldn’t want to get her mad and make her see red…she finds death delicious.

    Janet Bolin is the expert weapons master with all these hobbies, claiming the snares are unavoidable, but I know better. Now the situation is dire, I fear.

    Heather Webber is the queen of escape plans. She rides the T, skips rocks, and roots for the red sox, but don’t let her fool you. She’s truly madly crazy.

    Amanda Flower weaves in and out of Slovakia, Ireland and Israel like she weaves a basket, but I just know that murder is hiding within.

    Casey Daniels loves to stomp through cemeteries, or should I say museums without walls, looking for inspiration, but I know better…she’s looking for the living dead at night.

    Lucy Burdette/Roberta Isleib poses as a food critic, but her alter ego is really a clinical psychologist with a taste for murder. I’d beware of the advice she gives.

    Miranda James hides her cat in the stacks of classified books, waiting for the go ahead to pounce. I heard she thinks murder is past due.

    Joyce & Jim Lavene were last seen wearing harrowing hats at a renaissance fair, attempting to commit murder. I heard they get help from their pets and won’t stop until they find the missing pieces.

    J.J. Murphy might act like she’s into health care but I just know she murdered her darlings at the round table.

    Duffy Brown/Dianne Castell commits murder on consignment. I mean she iced the chiffon, and who takes Sherlock Holmes to the prom over Brad Pitt? There’s just something off about her.

    Joanna Campbell Slan was seen on the banks of the river with scars on her knees. She claims she tripped, but I heard she’s armed with scissors and can give a deadly paper cut.

    Finally, Diana Orgain claims her maternal instincts help solve crime and she brings her baby with her. But I say she’s a bundle of trouble and a great actor as she writes the script for my murder.

    A noise echoed through the dark room, startling me, then a pair of hands grabbed me from behind and covered my mouth before I could scream. This was it. I was going to die.

I hated it when Detective Grumpy Pants was right.

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the inevitable, when the hands jerked me around. My eyes sprang open, and I sucked in a breath. Mitch, I thought on a sigh of relief that died a quick death as I stared into eyes so dark they were nearly black. And narrowed. And angry as hell. Forget the blog owners.

The Grumpmeister was going to kill me for sure.


Kari Lee Townsend lives in Central New York with her very understanding husband, her three busy boys, and her oh-so-dramatic daughter, who keep her grounded and make everything she does worthwhile…not to mention provide her with loads of material for her books. Kari is a longtime lover of reading and writing, with a masters in English education, who spends her days trying to figure out whodunit. Funny how no one at home will confess any more than the characters in her mysteries!

    Kari writes fun and exciting stories for any age, set in small towns, with mystical elements and quirky characters. You can find out more about her on her website www.karileetownsend.com and also on the group mystery blog she cohosts, called Mysteries and Margaritas, at www.mysteriesandmargaritasblogspot.com



TEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES: A Fortune Teller Mystery

In the fortune telling business there are a lot of pretenders, but Sunshine Meadows is the real deal—and her predictions can be lethally accurate…

Sunny is a big city psychic who moves to the quaint town of Divinity, NY to open her fortune-telling business in an ancient Victorian house, inheriting the strange cat residing within. Sunny gives her first reading to the frazzled librarian and discovers the woman is going to die. When the woman flees in terror, Sunny calls the police, only she’s too late. The ruggedly handsome, hard-nosed detective is a ”non-believer.” He finds the librarian dead, and Sunny becomes his number one suspect, forcing her to prove her innocence before the real killer can put an end to the psychic’s future.

Laissez les bon Temps Rouler

by Miss Frankie Renier from Cake on a Hot Tin Roof, (out on Feb 7!), second in the Piece of Cake mystery series by Jacklyn Brady.

Let the good times roll, y’all!

It’s Mardi Gras and the good times, they are a-rolling! I just wish I could get my daughter-in-law to roll with them.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. Rita’s just as sweet as she can be, bless her heart, and I’m lucky to have her here with me. Why, if not for her I’d be completely alone since my son died and his bakery, Zydeco Cakes, would be running amok. I’m grateful she’s here to take over for me. But she does have a tendency to worry and everybody knows there’s no room for worry during Mardi Gras.

Take, for instance, the Captain’s Court party for the Krewe of Musterion. My son, Philippe, got the baby in the King Cake last year and tradition dictates that it was his job to host this year’s party. Of course, that’s impossible since he’s no longer with us, so it made perfect sense that Rita, being his widow and all, should step in and act as hostess in his place. And that’s exactly what I told the folks at Musterion. That way the party could go on without so much as a hiccup.

They, of course, were thrilled. But Rita...

It’s not her fault, I suppose. She’s not from around here, and she really doesn’t understand how things work, though Lord knows she tries. She wasn’t nearly as excited about my idea as I thought she’d be. But what did she expect from me? I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing, could I? The Captain’s Court is tradition—one that’s been around since God was a boy. The party needed a hostess. And it’s not as if I didn’t do my fair share of the work.

It all would have been just fine if not for that blow-hard Big Daddy Boudreaux. The way he got himself killed was almost enough to prove Rita right and me wrong. But I don’t want to talk about that now.

It’s Mardi Gras. King Cake anyone? Maybe you’ll get the baby this year!

Jacklyn Brady lives on the Gulf Coast and writes the Piece of Cake mystery series set in New Orleans and featuring cake artist and trained pastry chef, Rita Lucero and, of course, Miss Frankie. The first book in the series, A SHEETCAKE NAMED DESIRE was released in August 2011. Look for book #3 (tentatively titled ARSENIC AND OLD CAKE) in the fall of 2012. You can visit Jacklyn at http://www.jacklynbrady.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Cozies!

Dieters and Cake Decorating...A Business Killing Combo!

by Daphne Martin of Killer Sweet Tooth
- Gayle Trent

Okay, so what's the top--or, at least one of the top--New Year's resolutions year after year after year after year? Say it with me, everybody: Lose weight! So every year after New Year's Day, my business basically tanks until February 14--Valentine's Day. Even the Save-A-Buck (a local grocery store that buys cakes from me on consignment because it doesn't have a bakery) slows up on sales of sweets this time of year because everyone is on a health kick.

I'm all for healthier eating. But it's hard to go more than a month without any income, so what's a cake decorator to do? I'm trying to incorporate and advertise some new cake flavors. I found these two recipes online, and the titles link back to the original recipes. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Light Cake, Any Flavor

Ingredients:

1 box dry cake mix
12 oz can of diet soda
1 tub of light whipped topping

Directions:

Do NOT follow the instructions on the boxed cake mix for this recipe. Instead:

Empty a regular boxed dry cake mix, any flavor*, into a medium bowl. Add a 12-oz can of diet soda, any flavor*. Using an electric hand mixer, mix the two ingredients very well. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake according to temperature and time recommendations on the box of the cake mix.

Allow the cake to cool completely. Then top with an entire tub of lite whipped topping. Cut into 12 squares. PERFECT light dessert.

*I recommend using diet 7-up or diet sprite for white or lemon cake mixes and diet Coke or diet Pepsi for chocolate cake mixes. You can also spruce up a white cake mix by adding fresh, sliced strawberries atop the whipped topping - a very light version of strawberry shortcake!

Number of Servings: 12

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

Cooking spray
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Orange slices

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cake, coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Dust pans evenly with 2 tablespoons flour.
3. Combine 1 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended. Add egg substitute and eggs; beat until well blended. Add pumpkin, beating until blended.
4. Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove cake from pans; cool completely on wire rack.
5. To prepare frosting, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until blended (do not overbeat). Add juice, stirring until blended.
6. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup frosting over layer, and top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top of cake. Sprinkle with pecans, and garnish with orange slices, if desired.

So, what do you think? Could you enjoy either of these cakes and still keep your New Year's resolution to eat healthier?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Killer Sweet Tooth is the third book in the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating Mystery Series. Learn more at http://www.gayletrent.com.

Grow Your Pineapple Top

By Casey Calhoun, Assistant White House Gardener
From the White House Gardener Mystery Series by Dorothy St. James 
THE SCARLET PEPPER coming April 2012

It's winter in the capital city, which means while there are still planning meetings galore to attend, there's not much happening outside in the garden.

Luckily for me, there are plenty of fun projects that can be done indoors. It keeps me from getting cabin fever or, worse, searching out mysteries to solve. Here's one you might want to try.

Plant and grow the top of your pineapple!

Step 1: Select a healthy pineapple with a bright green top. Look between the leaves. If you can find one with roots, you're that much ahead.


Step 2: Slice off the leafy pineapple top. (Okay, you can eat the pineapple as well. But I'm much more interested in growing the thing than I am with eating it.)


Step 3: Remove the bottom inch of leaves and pineapple meat from the stalk. This is an important step. If you leave the sweet pineapple meat on the stalk, it will rot.


Step 4: Place in a dry, warm spot for 3 to 7 days for the stalk to dry and form a callus. This helps to keep it from rotting.


Step 5: Press the stalk into a pot filled with perlite, vermiculite, sand or any combinations of these. A cactus potting soil will work as well. Bury the stalk up to the just above the first leaf.


Step 6: Place in a sunny window. Do not over water. The stalk will sprout in 6 to 8 weeks and grow into an exotic houseplant.

Would you like a Flowerbed of State bookmark that includes instructions on growing your own pineapple top? Shoot Dorothy St. James an email with your contact information and I'll bug her until she mails you one.

Happy growing! 

 * * * * * * *

Dorothy St. James writes the White House Gardener Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Flowerbed of State is the first book in the series. Be sure to grab your copy while they're still available! Visit with Dorothy on the web or at Facebook. Or follow her on Twitter.

Praise for FLOWERBED OF STATE:
"Credible characters, a fast-paced plot, and a light look at political life in Washington, D.C., will delight cozy fans." ~ Publishers Weekly

"This spunky new romantic suspense series is an obvious pick for readers who enjoy Julie Hyzy's "White House Chef" series (Buffalo West Wing), but also think of gardening mystery series such as Rosemary Harris's (Slugfest)." ~ Library Journal

Order Flowerbed of State from your favorite bookseller. 

Look for The Scarlet Pepper in April 2012. Pre-order your copy today!

Once a Parent . . .

Charlie Harris from the Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James talks being a parent

If you're a parent, I don't think it matters how old your children are. You're still going to worry. My son, Sean, and my daughter, Laura, are both successful, professional adults, but that doesn't mean I'm not concerned for their well-being. Sean and I have had some problems with our relationship recently, but things are much better now.

Laura and I have always gotten along well, because she is probably more like me, while Sean is more like his late mother, temperamentally. I'm fairly easy-going, and so is Laura. She, however, loves to be in the spotlight, while I'd rather lurk backstage. That is why she became an actor and went off to Hollywood to seek fame and fortune. She's not a major star yet, but she's had some success.

That's why I was surprised -- albeit very pleased -- when I discovered that Laura was going to spend the fall in Athena with her brother and me. Teaching acting, of all things, at Athena College. It will be wonderful to have her here, and I know Diesel is delighted because he adores my daughter.

The only thing that worries me is Laura's friendship with Conor Lawton, a truly obnoxious playwright who is the artist-in-residence at the college this year. I just have a bad feeling about him and his connection to Laura....

File M for Murder goes on sale officially on January 31st, both in print and electronically.

It Was a Crime of Passion

Jake Del Vecchio from The Devereaux's Dime Store mysteries by Denise Swanson

My name is Jake Del Vecchio and I’m supposed to be helping my great Uncle Tony on his cattle ranch outside of Shadow Bend, Missouri while my leg heals and I’m able to return to duty as a U.S. Marshal. I was wounded in the line of duty and the docs are real sure that I’ll ever be able to pass the physical exam for active duty again, but I have to think positive. Being a U.S. Marshal is all I ever wanted to do.

That is until I met Devereaux Sinclair. The first time I laid eyes on her, I thought she was beautiful and smart and sexy, but she was also the principal suspect in a murder case. Which is how I got involved. Her grandmother, Birdie, and Uncle Tony, had a thing in high school. Then he went off to fight the Korean War, went MIA, and Birdie married someone else. But Uncle Tony has always had a soft spot for Birdie—maybe more—who knows? He sure isn’t talking. Anyway, Birdie asked Tony to ask me to help Devereaux prove she was innocent, and since Tony has been more a father to me than my own ever was, I said yes.

Devereaux wasn’t sure she wanted my help, but she couldn’t deny she needed it. She also couldn’t deny the chemistry between us. Neither could I, but I knew I was leaving Shadow Bend as soon as I healed and I was pretty damn sure she wasn’t the type of woman who’d be happy with a casual affair. So I tried to keep my distance.

Even when we ended up in the honeymoon suite of a fancy hotel, I did my best to keep my hands off of her—but I won’t go into what happened then. I will tell you that I didn’t succeed, and once I touched her—wooie!

You can read all about it in Little Shop of Homicide, which debuts March 6th.

How about you? Was there ever someone you were pretty sure was the one, but life got in the way?

New Year, Old Resolutions

by Mimi Shafer, owner of Lambspun knitting shop, and

Kelly Flynn's good friend from the New York Times Bestselling

Knitting Mysteries, UNRAVELED, 9th in the series, June 2011

Hello, Everyone! I asked Kelly if I could post today about New Year's resolutions. It's been on my mind. . .well, our mind. . .ever since Burt and I had the courage to step on the scale three days after New Year's. Oh, my goodness. . .what a shock! Burt and I both knew we'd indulged ourselves way too much with all the holiday food, but we had NO idea how much!

We tried to keep ourselves in check but it's SO hard when all these scrumptious goodies sitting around. Aunt Helen's Gingersnaps (made by Kelly), Pete's Pecan Pie, Ruth's Blueberry Pie (made by Megan), And this sinfully delicious chocolate mint fudge that kept turning up. I have NO idea who made it, but it kept appearing everywhere. Just like the Pumpkin Bread, Cranberry Orange Nut Bread, Coconut Cherry Macaroons, Cinnamon Rolls, and. . .all topped off with Burt's Wassail, of course.

Goodness. . .after all that, it's no wonder we gained weight. How about you folks? Did you gain weight over the holidays? Which treat was your "downfall?" Share with us. We'll never tell. :)

Good Fortunes to you!

By Lizzie Turner

From A KILLER READ by Erika Chase, coming this April.

Okay, so we’re in 2012 now and one week down. I know it’s not too late to talk about New Year’s resolutions but like most people I know, if I make them, I break them. So, I’ll just pass on that. And, it’s really hard to talk about all my friends in the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society without giving away too much of the story. You won’t be able to read that until April this year. Unless, of course, you sneak on over to Erika’s website and read the first chapter which is posted there.

But that doesn’t help my problem. What to say, without saying too much. I guess I could tell y’all that we had this planning session just before the new year, with take-out Chinese on the menu. And, of course, we all had to check out our fortune cookies. I saved them because who knows when you’ll need some words of wisdom, right? So, here’s what they got:

Molly Mathews – To love is to forgive. (Right on the nose!)

Sally-Jo Baker – One who admires you greatly is hidden before your eyes. (Hmmm)

Andie Mason – The only people who never fail are those who never try. (Get it, Andie?)

Bob Miller – Closed mouth gathers no feet. (No comment.)

Stephanie Lowe – Soon life will become more interesting. (Yeah, in about 3 months!)

Jacob Smith – A good time to finish up old tasks. (uh-huh!)

Mark Dreyfus – Help! I’m being held prisoner in a Chinese bakery. (Is he always on duty?)

And for me – Change is happening in your life so go with the flow. (Bring him on!)

I truly do hope all your New Year’s resolutions and fortunes do come true. What are some of them?

A Killer Read by Erika Chase is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Publication date is April 3, 2012. Visit Lizzie and her friends at www.erikachase.com