Jenn McKinlay

Cozy Mystery Week: Jenn McKinlay

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This Cozy Mystery Week and Jenn McKinlay is the author of today’s blog post.

Jenn McKinlay is the author of several cozy series (The Cupcake Mystery, Library Lover’s,  and Good Buy Girl’s- written as Josie Belle). Over the summer, I discovered the Cupcake Mysteries and really enjoyed the characters of Melanie, Angie and Tate- liked their friendship, the way they talk about movies. The books have an easy-going vibe, fun, light-hearted and Jenn McKinlay writes funny lines for her characters. The Cupcake Mystery books are quite enjoyable. For fans of cupcakes, childhood crushes, and best friends- this is the cozy series to try.

After spending the summer reading the Cupcake Mysteries and enjoying them (but being disappointed that the next Cupcake book was not coming out till April 2013), I found Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lover’s mysteries. Lindsey is a librarian and Beth is her best friend. The town is Briar Creek, a small-ish coastal town. Some of the women in town have Craftafternoon Club (a combination of knitting and discussing books–generally a classic book.) The people in town are friendly, interesting, and one in particular is quite charming. There is a charming connection developing between Lindsey and Sully. For fans of library series, knitting talk, and book clubs- Library Lover’s is the cozy for you.

The Good Buy Girl’s series is a series about women who enjoy being thrifty, getting good deals on things from clothes to food, and enjoy each other’s company- the Good Buy Girl’s are great. Currently still reading the first book in the series- I’m enjoying the series, thus far. The 2nd book will be released on Dec 31, 2012.

Each of the book series Jenn McKinlay writes are funny, interesting, and really great. If you’re a fan of cozy books, give Jenn McKinlay a try.

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

Literary Friday ya’ll..

It’s been a week- people- have had some sickness in the family (been spraying Lysol like it’s my BFF), perusing my brother’s wedding pictures, and beginning to get crafty for our holiday pictures.

But today’s Friday and it’s time to relax and anticipate the weekend:

1. Deep South Magazine will have Tweet chat with Janis Owens, author of American Ghost, from 1-2 pm CST TODAY. Be there and use #southernlit to participate!

Deep South Magazine and their weekly #literaryfriday- early reveal of Erika Robuck’s new book cover Call Me Zelda (it’s a great cover!), National Book Awards and news about Gillian Flynn and a new book deal!

2. A couple of giveaways that I posted about yesterday are still going on- How to Eat a Cupcake and The Mermaid Collector are being given away by 2 other blogs that I like to read. For more information on the giveway, read my post HERE.

3. On Black Friday- Amazon will have 25 Kindle Books on sale! While the complete list is not known, Kimberly Brock’s The River Witch will be $1.99 on Black Friday. Buy it. Read it. Devour it. You’ll gain a new appreciation for pumpkins, unconventional families, and stories that help a person heal.

4. I’m reading Alison Pace’s You Tell Your Dog First– and I love Carlie and Alison. Carlie is quite the little dog and while I cried the first few chapters of the book thinking about my recently deceased, Zeke, I will say that Carlie and her antics have put a smile on my face in the latest chapters I’ve read. I’m not finished yet, but so far- this books is heartfelt, heartwarming, and an ode to dog lovers everywhere- and a love song to Carlie.

5. My #fridayreads are Alison Pace’s You Tell Your Dog First & Erika Robuck’s Hemingway’s Girl.

6. My #payitforwardwithcozymystery is Jenn McKinlay and her Library Lover’s cozy series. Recently discovered them and I love them! Check them out if you like good cozy books with great settings and characters!

Happy Reading and have a great weekend!

Literary Friday ya’ll….

Today is Friday- #literayfriday and I’m so glad 🙂

Tomorrow I’ll be shopping at Mistletoe Marketplace and painting later that night- creativity is good for the soul.

But today, today it’s all about #literayfriday- some good stuff, some #giveaways, some news, even some early announcements about Black Friday shopping for readers 🙂

1. Deep South Magazine and their weekly #literaryfriday: Brad Pitt and New Orleans, National Novel Writing Month, Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones made another reading list besides Deep South Mag’s Summer Reading List, book festivals and much, much more.

Also a #giveaway- a sweet Cafe Du Monde giveaway! Meanwhile, Back at Cafe Du Monde: Life stories about Food will be given away November 16.

2. Cozy Mystery Reviews is celebrating Young Adult Vintage Mysteries Weekend. Check back often for reviews, giveaways and more.

3. For Black Friday shoppers and readers, Kimberly Brock’s book, The River Witch, will be on sale Black Friday for Kindle. Trust me there will be no better way to unwind after eating too much turkey, doing too much shopping, and enjoying some pumpkin pie than reading The River Witch. And if you are enjoying some pumpkin pie- you may start to feel a kinship to Damacus- but to understand that- you have to read the book! Got a reader in your life, but doon’t want to give the book early- want to save it for Christmas day? That’s fine! Buy it on Black Friday at the low price and send it as a gift- you can then choose the delivery day you want! Easy-peasy!

4. #fridayreads- mine is Nightshade on Elm Street by Kate Collins. What are you reading for #fridayreads?

5. Finished Jenn McKinlay’s Books Can be Deceiving– while I did not enjoy it quite as much as I enjoy her Cupcake cozy books- I did think it was good. Totally worth a read.

6. It’s getting closer to Christmas picture time- because I absolutely adore pictures- this year I’m beginning to work on some Christmas ideas to make our pictures a bit more special. Cricut, a glass of wine and pinterest- let the creativity flow!

Have a happy #literaryfriday- and if you read some great books- please come back and share!

 

 

WWW Wednesdays (July 11)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

 

My answers:

What are you currently reading?

Currently reading Hitched by Carol Higgins Clark. Light mystery- enjoyable.

What did you recently finish reading?

Recently (over the weekend) I finished Buttercream Bumpoff, Death by the Dozen, and Red Velvet Revenge (all by Jenn McKinlay). In the past week- Wrecked and Cursed by Carol Higgins Clark, The Diary of Darcy J. Rhone by Emily Giffin,  Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay, and Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Have way too many options- A Teeny Bit of Trouble by Michael Lee West, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, or The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March are the top 3 I’m considering.

A weekend of reading

While the temperature was a billion degrees this weekend, I spent time reading and hydrating with water. It was a fairly enjoyable weekend!

I read Cursed by Carol Higgins Clark and finished The River Witch by Kimberly Brock. I also began (and have a good chunk read) of Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay.

Cursed– my first Carol Higgins Clark book. She’s attempting to write in a similar style to her mother, Mary Higgins Clark, style. Not a bad book, but not edge of my seat like a MHC book, either. It was in the realm of light and fluffy mystery- but enjoyable.

The River Witch– I don’t want to give to0 many details as I’m planning on writing a blog post on it exclusively; but it was good. Magical. Mystical. Read!

Sprinkle with Murder– it’s a cozy that is right up my alley. I love a good cozy AND I love cupcakes. Win-win.

Other weekend notes: People Like Us– good, bit depressing at times; but ultimately a good movie. A tough subject matter, emotions all over the place.

Sad to report because company was over for Sunday, I did not get my Drop Dead Diva fix. Must catch it on Hulu!