Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours–Back Stabbers

November 1, 2018October 31, 2018 bmary82222 Comments

I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author Julie Mulhern and her new release Back Stabbers. This is the eighth book in her The Country Club Murders Mysteries Series.

Back Stabbers (The Country Club Murders)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Henery Press (October 23, 2018)
Kindle Edition, 253 pages
ASIN: B07G5KX6Y4

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N Kobo BookBub

All Ellison Russell wanted was an update on her stock portfolio. Instead, she found her broker dead.

With an unexpected out-of-town guest at her house, Ellison is too busy for a murder investigation. Only this time, Detective Anarchy Jones wants her help, and she can’t deny the handsome detective. Can Mr. Coffee supply her with enough caffeine to keep her brain sharp and everyone else happy?

Juggling bodies (one, two, three, four), two-faced friends, her social calendar, and a cat (yes, a cat) is taxing but Mother might be the biggest challenge of all.

With a killer drawing closer, can Ellison put together the pieces or will she be the one getting stabbed in the back?

Julie Mulhern is the USA Today bestselling author of The Country Club Murders. She is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean–and she’s got an active imagination. Truth is–she’s an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions.

Author Links

Website – www.juliemulhernauthor.com

FB – https://www.facebook.com/juliekmulhern/?ref=hl

Twitter – https://twitter.com/JulieKMulhern

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573907.Julie_Mulhern

When did you know that you wanted to be an author? What things, if any, influenced that decision?

I knew when I was a child that I wanted to be an author. Life got in the way but I made my way back to the thing I most loved to do, telling stories and creating characters.

With so many cozies being written today, what makes your books stand out from the crowd?

The Country Club Murders are set in the 1970s which is fairly unique among cozies.

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Do you work from an outline or plot or do you just see where the characters take you?

A little bit of both. I usually know exactly where I’m going, I just don’t know how I’m going to get there.

Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you do anything special to get those reviews?

I do read my reviews. And, on Goodreads, I like the positive ones. I’ve never responded to a negative review.

I don’t like sushi. You could take me to the best sushi restaurant in the world, and I wouldn’t rave about it. Reviews are subjective. I keep that in mind when I see one and two-star reviews.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Use more sunscreen, exercise more often, and skip kissing that one deeply green frog.

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Do you think that the cover plays an important part in someone buying your book(s)? Who designs your book covers?

I do think book covers can catch readers’ eyes. My covers are provided for me by Henery Press.

Please give us an insight into your main characters. What do you think makes them special?

My heroine is Ellison Russell, a widow with a teenage daughter. If she wasn’t a widow, she’d be a divorcée—she committed the unforgivable sin of earning more money than her late husband. Ellison is learning to own her power as a woman in a rapidly changing world.

What have you learned about yourselves since becoming an author?

I’ve learned I think better in the morning than the evening. A lot better.

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Do you write full-time or part-time?

I write full-time.

What do your plans for future projects include?

Right now, I’m working on the 9th Country Club Murder. When I turn that in, I’ll begin work on the 3rd Poppy Fields Adventure. And I have a new idea that is making me happy. I can’t wait to work on it!

What do you think the hardest part of writing is? What is the easiest?

Sometimes the words won’t come. Sometimes the plot is in a hopeless snarl. And sometimes writing is magic.

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What type of books do you like to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?

I love books with humor and mystery and plenty of action. My favorite authors include Gretchen Archer, JB Lynn, Jana Deleon, and Deborah Coonts.

What is the one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

My daughters tell me I’m not funny. At all. I hope my readers disagree.

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Website: http://www.juliemulhernauthor.com

Blog: thestilettogang.blogspot.com (second Mondays)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliekmulhern/

Twitter: @juliekmulhern

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Mulhern/e/B00OTXALJO/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1538444251&sr=1-2-ent

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573907.Julie_Mulhern

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To enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway, click on the link below:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792780/?widget_template=56d5f80dbc544fb30fda66f0

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 22 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

October 23 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

October 23 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

October 24 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW

October 24 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 25 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST

October 25 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

October 26 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 27 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST

October 28 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

October 29 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

October 30 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW

October 30 – Girl with Book Lungs – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 31 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 31 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

November 1 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

November 1 – Books Direct – SPOTLIGHT

November 1 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 2 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 3 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST

November 3 – Jane Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 4 – Readeropolis – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

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Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours–Death, Diamonds, and Freezer Burn

November 1, 2018October 31, 2018 bmary82224 Comments

I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author Tricia L. Sanders and her new release Death, Diamonds, and Freezer Burn. This is the second book in her Grime Pays Mysteries Series. I have read both of the books and I thought they were great.

Death, Diamonds, and Freezer Burn (Grime Pays Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Soul Mate Publishing, Inc.
Release Date – October 24, 2018

An unwelcome visitor, an unrequited love, and a dead body create chaos in a middle-aged woman’s plan for a productive summer.

Despite a looming divorce, an empty checkbook, and a struggling cleaning business, Cece Cavanaugh is determined to land on her own two feet. Adamant about staying a safe distance from the handsome detective who has her fantasizing about violating the morals clause in her prenuptial agreement, Cece dives headlong into her work.

Even though she has no free time to spare, Cece finds herself guilted into cleaning a hoarder’s home. Her discoveries in the condemned house are too shocking to ignore. Diamond-laden pachyderms, a secret cache of money, and a dead body lure Cece into launching an investigation that places her in direct contact with the one person she’s desperate to avoid–hunky Detective Case Alder.

With clues in hand, Cece runs down leads and eliminates suspects one by one. Her conclusion and brave accusation put a friend’s life in peril forcing Cece to hatch a plan to outsmart the killer. A daring move could either save Cece and her friend or lead to their demise.

The characters are well rounded and well developed. I think Cece is very funny, very smart and can handle more than she thinks she can. I like the fact that Cece is older and more mature and has a family. She has the same worries that many of us have, such as having grandchildren (she fantasizes about that!!!). I liked her friend Angie, who is a cop and her other friend, Carla. And Nancy, an acquaintance of Cece, stole the show, in my opinion. I also really enjoyed the bickering and banter between Cece and Alder, the detective who has feelings for Cece.

The writing style flows smoothly and I felt it defined the characters very clearly through their actions and words. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and she pulled me into the story right from the beginning. I really loved the beginning of each chapter, where we got an inside look at someone’s thoughts.

The mystery was well written and moved along at a nice pace. There were plenty of suspects to consider and clues to analyze and it was not easily solved.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I am already looking forward to reading the next one.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book and provided my honest review.

Tricia L. Sanders writes cozy mysteries and women’s fiction. She adds a dash of romance and a sprinkling of snark to raise the stakes. Her heroines are humorous women embarking on journeys of self-discovery all the while doing so with class, sass, and a touch of kickass.

Tricia is an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, so don’t get between her and the television when a game is on. Currently, she is working on a mystery series set in the fictional town of Wickford, Missouri. Another project in the works is a women’s fiction road trip adventure.

A former instructional designer and corporate trainer, she traded in curriculum writing for novel writing, because she hates bullet points and loves to make stuff up. And fiction is more fun than training guides and lesson plans.

Author Links

Website: www.triciasanders.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authortricialsanders/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tricialsanders

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/tricialsanders/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXRJSRSmTjg

Newsletter Sign Up: https://mailchi.mp/23a87d715dc3/tricia-l-sanders-sleuthscoop

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When did you know that you wanted to be an author?

All my life. I used to rewrite the ending of books I’d read when I was a kid.

What things, if any, influenced that decision?

My mother always read to me, and I think that is where I got my love for books.

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With so many cozies being written today, what makes your books stand out from the crowd?

My characters are older, they’ve experienced a lot of “life.”

Do you work from an outline or plot or do you just see where the characters take you?

I definitely have an outline, but I’m not so rigid that I won’t let my characters explore. Some of my best character moments have been when I let my characters run with a scene.

Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you do anything special to get those reviews?

Indeed. No, never. Not really, but when someone says they’ve read my book, I will ask if they’ve left a review and encourage them to do so, if they haven’t. In fact, I encourage readers to leave reviews on all the books they read. It really helps authors know if we are on the right track with our stories.

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What advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t wait so long. Get the words down on paper and keep writing. There is never, ever going to be a perfect moment, so get on with it. Now!

Do you think that the cover plays an important part in someone buying your book(s)? Who designs your book covers?

Yes, I’ve taken some flack for my book covers, but I like them as I think they reflect my story. My stories aren’t crafty or culinary, so I feel that the objects on my covers give a picture of what the details are. Rae Monet Designs, Inc.

Please give us an insight into your main characters. What do you think makes them special?

Cece had a less than desirable upbringing, so when she finds comfort, she’s willing to settle for less than an ideal marriage, until her husband crosses the line one too many times. She doesn’t want to go back where she came from, so she’s forcing herself to build a better life for herself and her daughter. Detective Alder had a crappy first marriage, but he’s settled into a peaceful bachelorhood and is comfortable and content with his situation until Cece Cavanaugh sticks her nose into his investigation. He finds himself intrigued with the sassy woman and willing to step outside his comfort zone. They share the same values. Both want to be cautious in their approach to each other. Cece is headstrong and believes in justice, so she’s willing to stick her neck out to help a friend. Detective Alder wants nothing more than to solve his case and move on to the next, but when Cece enters the picture he finds himself falling into a role where he’s the protector.

What have you learned about yourselves since becoming an author?

I’m a horrible procrastinator. No, actually I knew that, but it’s become more apparent and frequent since I’ve been writing more. But I’m learning some tricks about myself to keep from getting derailed.

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Do you write full-time or part-time?

I’m at my laptop most days, so as full-time as that makes it. I don’t have a job other than writing.

What do your plans for future projects include?

I have two more cozy series that I’m starting. I just finished a prequel for the Mattie and Mo Mysteries and I have a Tropical Cozy series I’m starting with a mother/daughter team. And there’s Book 3 and 4 of the Grime Pays Mystery series which are in progress.

What do you think the hardest part of writing is? What is the easiest?

Hiding all the clues in the mystery

For me, it’s writing dialogue, I love when my characters talk.

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What type of books do you like to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?

Mysteries, suspense, women’s fiction and some dystopian. Harlan Coben, Mary Kay Andrews, J. A. Jance, Susan Albert Wittag, Kristen Hannah, the late Anne George

What is the one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

I hate marketing, so if you can pass the word of mouth about my books, I will be forever in your debt.

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