Giveaway of How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue

Books & cupcakes? Yes, please! Meg Donohue is giving away a copy of her book How to Eat a Cupcake and is also giving away cupcakes in honor of National Cupcake Day on December 15.

To find out the information on the giveaway, check out Meg Donohue’s website for all the ways to enter this great giveaway. And if you win- don’t be stingy with the cupcakes- share with friends and family. Cupcakes make the world a happy place.

Cupcakes and books- I’ve got nothing else to add to that load of good stuff!

 

 

Getting ebooks signed?!

As a lover of books, when I find out an author is nearby I like to go and get my book signed. It’s always nice to meet the author, talk about the book a bit, maybe pick up an extra copy or 2 for friends. When I got a Kindle, I was always hesitant about buying a book on Kindle, then finding out the author will be nearby because then I’d have to buy the book twice- after all, how is a author going to sign an ebook?

However, thanks to an article on She Reads- I found out that there is a solution to this problem (and it’s not buying the Kindle version for convenience and the hardback for signing!)

How To Get Your Ebooks Signed by Your Favorite Author– while some may still prefer to have an actual book signed- for people who prefer ebooks, this is a way to be able to have favorite authors sign books.

Cozy Mystery Week: Ellen Byerrum

CozyMysteryWeek-12-150x150

In honor of Cozy Mystery Week- a different cozy author will be discussed daily. Today’s is Ellen Byerrum, Crime of Fashion author.

Meet Lacey Smithsonian- a fashion reporter for the Eye Street Observer uses “fashion clues” to help solve crimes in the Washington, DC area. With the help of her friends, Stella and Brooke, Lacey finds herself solving crimes that leave the police scratching their heads.

In Lacey’s first book, Killer Hair, an up and coming hairstylist is found dead with a terrible haircut. The police think it’s suicide- but Lacey knows (because of the fashion clues) that a hairstylist does not kill herself with a hair cut like that. As Lacey probes further- she finds that the answer may be part of the Washington political set.

Each book finds Lacey using fashion clues to solve crimes, her friends Stella and Brooke, and a man named Victor Donovan that makes Lacey’s knees go weak. Another character is Lacey’s aunt’s trunk- filled with fashion designs from the 40’s- a fashion period that Lacey adores. The book also has Lacey’ s fashion columns for the Eye Street Observer- funny commentary on the fashion of Washington, DC and how to survive in a sea of blandness.

Ellen Byerrum has 8 Fashion Crime Mysteries published- her 9th book (Veiled Revenge) will be released February 5th, 2013.

 

 

Cozy Mystery Week: Lucy Burdette

CozyMysteryWeek-12-150x150

In honor of Cozy Mystery Week, a different cozy author will be discussed. Today’s author is Lucy Burdette, author of A Key West Food Critic Mystery series.

In the Key West Food Critic series, Haley Snow is the main character. Haley is a “foodie”, believes in going by to see the tarot card reader, and is a recent transplant to the Key West area- after following a boyfriend who broke her heart shortly after her move.

In Appetite for Murder– the reader meets Haley, a young woman who is trying to become the food critic for a Key West lifestyle magazine. Too bad that her boss would be Kristen, the woman she finds her boyfriend in bed with. But Haley knows food critic jobs are few and far between- and she likes the Key West area- so she tries to make the best of a potentially bad situation by applying for the job. Then Kristen is murdered and Haley is a prime suspect! With the help of Eric (Haley’s therapist friend), her tarot cards, and sheer determination to prove that she is not the killer- Haley does manage to find the killer. But does she land the job?

Death in Four Courses lets the readers know that Haley did in fact land her dream job. To make things even dreamier, there is a food conference happening in Key West and Haley had tickets to attend with her mother- who is down for a visit. At this food conference, Haley will get to rub elbows with some “foodie” people that she’s dreamed of meeting, and hopes to have a great time and network some. When the keynote speaker, Jonah Barrows, body is found by Haley- she finds herself in hot water with the police again. However, she is not the suspect- since her friend, Eric, is. Haley’s determined to prove that Eric could not be the killer- even if it appears that there was a very good motive. Haley’s mother decides to tag along while Haley investigates, writes her food critic articles, and has flirtatious (but slightly awkward) run-ins with the cute Detective Nate Bransford. Is Haley able to help clear Eric? Read to find out!

Reading A Key West Food Critic Mystery series is like going on vacation. The description of the food, scenery, location is wonderful. Haley is a delightful character- and the chemistry between her and the Detective is simmering. Lucy Burdette makes Key West sound like a great place to visit (or live!) and the food descriptions are fantastic.

The next installment of A Key West Food Critic Mystery is Topped Chef– to be released May 7, 2013.

 

Cozy Mystery Week: Joanne Fluke

 

CozyMysteryWeek-12-150x150

In honor of Cozy Mystery Week- December 1-8, a different cozy author will be discussed.

Joanne Fluke, author of Hannah Swensen Mysteries, has 17 books in the series (the 18th will be released Feb 2013). Joanne Fluke has also written a cookbook of Hannah’s recipes.

In the debut book, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, the reader meets Hannah Swensen and the cast of characters of Lake Eden, Minnesota. Hannah is the oldest Swensen daughter and owns a a shop in town called The Cookie Jar.  Other characters: Delores (mother), Andrea (Hannah’s sister), Bill (Andrea’s husband & local law), Norman (son of Carrie- Delores’s best friend), Mike ( newly transferred local law).

In Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, Hannah discovers the body of Ron Lasalle- a delivery man for Cozy Cow Dairy (also a beloved local legend for his football days) in an alley- Hannah is dismayed for 2 reasons: finding the body and the fact that her cookies were scattered around the crime scene. Hannah decides to investigate, partly to keep the reputation of her cookies intact, partly to help Bill get a promotion, and partly because Hannah wants to know what happened to her friend Ron.

Through the “invisible coffee server”trick, Delores’s gossip line, and other connections- Hannah finds suspects and eliminates some as well. Will Hannah find a suspect that can’t be eliminated? Will Bill get the promotion he’s been wanting?  To find out, read the book!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder is a charming debut. Hannah and the town of Lake Eden, Minnesota make the reader feel warm and happy. The way a cozy should feel.

As the books progress in the series, Hannah is pursued (and begins to date) two men: Norman and Mike. Over the last few books, there has not been much progress with either relationship- and the cozy series has lost some of it’s initial charm. If new to the series, do begin with the first book (Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder) and work from there.

Literary Friday ya’ll….

Friday- end of the month. Tomorrow is December 1- which means 24 days till Christmas day. So line up those pictures with Santa, listen to some Christmas music, and enjoy the holiday season.

1. Deep South Magazine took last week off from their #literayfriday post due to the holidays-but is back up and running for this week. Included in today’s #literaryfriday is how to donate a new or used book to victims of Hurricane Sandy, a review of The Cutting Season (a book on DSM Fall/Winter Reading List), links to the “Best of 2012” book lists, and news that Robin O’Bryant’s Ketchup is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves is 99 cents for November 30, 2012 (TODAY Only!)

2.Robin O’Bryant– author of Ketchup Is A Vegetable has been hosting giveaways all week to say “Happy Birthday, Ketchup!” If you haven’t won a giveaway, have rotten luck, dislike Facebook- whatever the reason-do not despair- Robin’s book Ketchup is 99 cents today! Sit back with a copy of Ketchup is Vegetable, a glass of wine and prepare to laugh until you cry!

3. Tomorrow, December 1, at Lemuria Books- Peggy Sweeney-McDonald will be signing copies of Meanwhile, Back at Cafe Du Monde: Life Stories about Food. I plan on attending and will be doing a blog post about the event later next week.

4. What are you reading for #fridayreads? I’m reading Peach of a Murder by Livia J. Washburn. Not just loving it, but attempting to give it a fair shake!

5. I just finished Broken Harbor by Tana French- and while from the jacket cover description I expected to LOVE it, I was at times not loving it. It took some turns that I wasn’t digging. But, it was still a pretty good book. If you’ve read Broken Harbor, let’s discuss!

6.December 1-8 is Cozy Mystery Week! If cozy mysteries are your type of books- then join Jenn’s Bookshelves for Cozy Mystery Week! Cozy Mystery Reviews will also be celebrating Cozy Mystery Week- giveaways, recipes, authors dropping by!

7. If you’re a fan of Cleo Coyle Coffeehouse Mystery Books (like I am!) the wait for the newest book in the series is not much longer! December 4 Holiday Buzz will be released! Yay!

8. Be sure and stop by She Reads today- Man in the Blue Moon is being discussed all day over there!

9. Oh and if you love Pinterest (and come on- who doesn’t?) check out Deep South Mag’s Pinterest page!

Happy Reading!

 

 

Village Blend…..

Village Blend- the home of Clare Cosi (also her workplace!) Village Blend has been home to many people over the years- artists, writers and more- it’s a landmark in the Coffehouse Mystery series.

Cleo Coyle uses the letters in the alphabet to make beautifuly descriptive sentences to not only describe Village Blend, but to make the reader practically see Village Blend in their minds. After reading a book of hers, I always wish I could go to a place like Village Blend for coffee and treats.

Village Blend is not only a landmark in the Coffeehouse Mystery series- it’s essentially as much as a character as Clare. It’s the place where the characters gather for work, for investigating, for hanging out- it’s the kind of place that a cozy needs in the series. Familiar, comfortable, enjoyable.

Now if there was only a Village Blend close to me- I could be so happy reading books and drinking coffee!

 

The Theme Song to Man in the Blue Moon by Michael Morris

Don’t forget tomorrow Novemeber 30th- all DAY long She Reads will be hosting their online book club discussion of Michael Morris Man in the Blue Moon. It’s all day long, so feel free to stop in anytime- ask a question, make a comment, find out what other people are thinking of Man in the Blue Moon!

Before the online discussion tomorrow, read the article about Michael Morris Man in the Blue Moon theme song. Find the song and listen to it- see if the music takes you to era of Man in the Blue Moon.

Links for Michael Morris Man in the Blue Moon and the She Reads Online Discussion:

Man in the Blue Moon

The Theme Song for Man in the Blue Moon

A Room of His Own: The Writing Space of Michael Morris

New Online Discussion Schedule

Come- join She Reads for the November  discussion of Michael Morris latest book- Man in the Blue Moon!

Thankfulness…..

I’m not doing the whole Facebook “Day #: I’m thankful for these things”- not because I don’t believe that it’s a good idea, but mainly because the people who really know me already know the things that I’m thankful for. But for the people who read my blog- you may not know some of the things I’m thankful for- so here goes:

1. Books- without books (whether it’s real books or e-books) a world without books would be a sad place.

2. Photos- I’m the girl with the camera. Always. I take tons of pictures. Why? Because one day- when I’m sitting around in elderly years I want to be able to look back and see the proof that life rocked. Maybe it wasn’t always all glittery and sunshine, rainbows and unicorns- but hopefully the pics will show that life was good more than it wasn’t.

3. Journals- I don’t keep one in particular, I have a few different that I write in. 99% of what I blog, tweet, facebook, etc about is ME. The real me. The me that I want to be recognized, understood, loved, etc- however; there are times when I need a place to write that only I’ll see. Maybe self-doubt is creeping in, maybe I’m unsure if anyone will understand- but mostly I worry that someone will dismiss my thoughts/worries. This is when a journal comes in handy.

4. Erin from Deep South Mag. Ever since she started following me tweets from my first SPQ wkend, a great twitter friendship has formed. When I finally got to meet her over the summer- it was so weird putting a face to a person that I’ve “known” for over 2 years. Erin- thank you for all you have done- the encouragement with my blog, book recommendations, and more. xoxo

5. Robin O’Bryant- could be considered at the center of much good news. Through her, I found out about Joshilyn Jackson coming to Turnrow Books for luncheon book signing. So I went- got to meet Joshilyn Jackson and Robin O’Bryant- then the girl sitting beside me started talking- her name was Keetha and surprise- we live in neighboring towns. Finding someone that lived near me to talk books with was nice- then joining Keetha and her book club worked out even better. Keetha introduced me to Books on the Nightstand podcasts, and told me about Booktopia in Oxford. So I signed up and met even more ladies who rock: Dawn, Michelle, Jana, Cathy, Jennifer, and Suzanne (these are just a few of the wonderful Booktopia people I met). Not to mention the Booktopia authors- Susan Gregg Gilmore and Ellen F. Brown are tops in my book for how they acted towards me and the sweet gift they gave me! But back to Robin being at the epicenter of this- after seeing Robin rave about Kimberly Brock’s book The River Witch- I knew I had to read it-and we started following each other on Twitter. Which led to me getting to know her and becoming part of She Reads Blog Network- and finding another group of people to talk books with.

5. Various authors such as Erika Marks, Erika Robuck,Nichole Bernier Jenn McKinlay, Lucy Burdette, Cleo Coyle, and Alison Pace. xoxo to all you ladies for responding to social media, for writing great books- books that make you think, transport you to another time, a book that is like a warm and cozy sweater- just makes you feel good and happy.

6. Deidre (aka Yankeefan2975) a Twitter friend that is up to date on Days of Our Lives, books and movies. She makes the Twitter fun!

7. Naturally,  family and true friends 🙂 They make life good!

8. Zeke, my beautiful dog. He was great, he loved me and he instinctively knew when a hug or doggy grin was needed to brighten the day. I still miss him every day; but at least not as much as I did when he first passed away.

xoxo

Confessions and Giveaways…

With so many great bloggers out in the internet world, finding and reading them can be hard. I’d been hearing for sometime about this one blogger- Jen of People I Want to Punch in the Throat- but for multiple reasons had not made it to her blog to see what the fuss was about. Even after Robin O’Bryant- the author of the humorous Ketchup is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves– I still meant to read Jen’s blog, but just had not. Yesterday, though, Robin posts a link to Jen’s book Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat and I bought it for 2 reasons: 1. becasue it was 99 cents! and 2. Becasue I’d been meaning to check her out, and I adore people who can be real about the holidays (because let’s face it: if there isn’t at least 1 person at your holiday get together that you don’t want to punch in the throat- then you must be on some good meds or have the tolerance of a saint- I’m just saying.) So back to the book- bought it, begin reading it, loving it. The story of the McDonald’s toy was worth the 99 cents alone! Also included is the story of Elf on the Shelf that went viral and made Jen a big deal- while I don’t have the Elf on the Shelf (no kids)- I can feel the pain of the mom’s who have to deal with the Elf.

Currently, Spending Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat is still 99 cents- it’s a Black Friday special- so I’ll assume that at the end of Cyber Monday, the price will go back to original. Do yourself a favor- buy this book. Have a laugh. The holidays are coming up y’know- having something funny in your life will make any holiday dysfuncion seem so much easier to handle.

For the giveaways, back to Robin O’Bryant. Her book Ketchup is a Vegetable:And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves turns a year old this week. So Happy Birthday, Ketchup! In honor of the birthday and becasue Robin is just that kind of nice- she’s giving away 10 copies of Ketchup this week on her Facebook page- go “like” her for more details about the giveaways. Also, one day this week she plans on Ketchup being marked down to a low, low, low price- the book is hysterically funny- Robin’s got a way with words- and the stories about the girls; well they are great. Robin is the kind of person you want to be BFF with if you have kids or even are thinking of having them!

Ketchup is Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves is book that mom’s to be should read, women getting married should probably be given it as well. Even single girls find it funny (I loved it!)

A quick wrap up of other thoughts:

1. Reading Tana French’s Broken Harbor– I’d been loving it, then some chapters started to drag, and back to loving it (I think)- There is a section of the storyline that if it does not get resolved in the good way or becomes very relevant to the storyline- I’m not going to be pleased. Overall, I’ve been enjoying the book, though.

2. Read Notorious Nineteen yesterday. Not bad, however, nowhere as near as good as the first several of the Stephanie Plum series. At this point- even though I’m a Cupcake fan- I don’t care who she picks. I feel that the series either needs a big shake-up or ending.

3. A Peach of a Murder by Livia J. Washburn- a gift from my brother- he picks out different cozy books for me to read as part of my birthday gifts. Usually he has good taste- he’s introduced me to Cleo Coyle and others- this one, though, is dragging. Will finish it, but can’t say that I’ll pick another in series.