Agony of the Leaves - Laura Childs

Agony of the Leaves

by Laura Childs

If Murder’s Your Cup of Tea . . .

The opening of Charleston’s Neptune Aquarium is a major event, and Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, SC, has been hired to cater tea, scones, and finger foods for the private party of big buck donors.  But when Theodosia slips away to view the Ocean Wall exhibit, she discovers the body of a man, tangled in a net, drowned in this state-of-the-art tank.

To make matters worse, the victim is Theodosia’s former boyfriend Parker Scully.  The EMTs on the scene say he drowned, but Theodosia spots defensive wounds on his hands and realizes someone wanted him dead.  Even though the police aren’t keen on her theory, Theodosia chases down a raft of suspects that include a shady lawyer, an extravagant lady restaurateur, and an aquarium board member.  Complications ensue when Theodosia is also tapped to compete in a charity scavenger event, cater a tea luncheon at her Aunt Libby’s plantation, and host a Chado ceremony at the Heritage Society.

This clever amateur sleuth’s investigation leads her from high tea into high drama and a surprise cemetery shocker at the end!  So cozy up for a smart good read, then enjoy the recipes for Charleston Pecan Brownie Bars, Honey Bee Scones, and Sweet Potato Butter.

BIOGRAPHY

Laura Childs is the author of  14 Tea Shop Mysteries, 10 Scrapbook Mysteries, and 3 Cackleberry Club Mysteries.  Her books have been named to the USA Today and The New York Times Bestseller Lists, and have been featured selections in the Literary Guild’s Mystery Book Club.  She is a former Cleo Award-winning ad writer and CEO of Mission Critical Marketing.

WEBSITE
http://www.laurachilds.com

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtCSYWUiS98

PURCHASE
Amazon
Barnes and Noble


OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED
Tea Shop Mysteries
Death by Darjeeling
Gunpowder Green
Shades of Earl Grey
English Breakfast Club Murder
Jasmine Moon Murder
Chamomile Mourning
Blood Orange Brewing
Dragonwell Dead
The Silver Needle Murder
Oolong Dead
The Teaberry Strangler
Scones & Bones
Agony of the Leaves

Scrapbook Mysteries
Keepsake Crimes
Photo Finished
Bound for Murder
Motif for Murder
Frill Kill
Death Swatch
Tragic Magic
Fiber & BrimstoneSkeleton Letters
Postcards from the Dead

Cackleberry Club Mysteries
Eggs in Purgatory
Eggs Benedict Arnold
Bedeviled Eggs
Stake & Eggs (December 2012)

PUBLISHER
Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN 978-0-425-24553-8

Nice Girls Don't Bite - Joan Sween

Nice Girls Don't Bite

by Joan Sween

When "Transylvania Nasty" collides with "Minnesota Nice" the outcome is hilarious. In this novel, which is definitely intended for laughs, not chills, Erleen and Louise, antiques dealers from the land of Garrison Keillor, come back from a buying trip to Romania to discover they got more than they bargained for. 

"We can't be vampires! There's no such thing as vampires!"

"I absolutely refuse to go all crazy and look mean and bite people!" 

"How are we supposed to put on makeup if we can't see ourselves in mirrors?" 

After the first shock, they begin to cope like sensible down-to-earth Minnesotans, vowing to lead normal lives, never reveal what they are, and never ever to bite anyone. Then they stumble onto a bank robbery, a murder, and a kidnapping. Attempting to free their kidnapped friends, they confront a Norwegian crime lord whose Colombian partners decide they are witches—"Brujas! Brujas! But after putting ineffectual bullets through the ladies, the Colombians change their minds—"Vampiro!" Reluctantly, Erleen and Louise realize they must behave like "real" vampires in order to put a stop to an international drug ring. Which they do—but without ever biting anyone. 

BIOGRAPHY

In Joan's pre-teen years, she wrote short stories about fairies, and learned to play the piano accordion.  Her father was a construction engineer; they moved a lot. The accordion was easier to move than a piano.  As a teenager in high school she was in the class plays and wrote pep skits.  Pep skits taught her about mystery writing–the home team, like justice, always had to triumph.  In college she was in a multitude of plays, wrote poetry, edited the college newspaper, and got engaged 16 times. 

She credits her wacky rites of passage as excellent background for writing a novel about perfectly nice ladies who refuse to behave like vampires She's a member of  Sisters In Crime, former Regional Vice-president of Literary Managers & Dramaturgs of the Americas, and founder of Minnesota Writers’ Alliance.  Her other books can be found on Amazon.com and her plays with Eldridge Plays & Musicals. Joan lives in Rochester, MN, with two cats who are exasperating and a husband who is wonderfully supportive.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Feb 10-12, 2012, premiere of Joan's play, "The Magic Flounder," produced by Matchbox Children's Theatre in the Historic Paramount Theatre, Austin, MN.

May, 2012, book signing sponsored by Minnesota's antiques newspaper, The Old Times at the Prime Promotions Antique Show at the St. Paul State Fairgrounds.  Exact date TBA.

WEBSITE

http://joansween.com

PURCHASE 

Amazon 

Plays may be found by searching at: http://www.histage.com/searchplaycategories.asp 

OTHER BOOKS

Dealer's Choice:  A collection of humor columns on antiques and collectibles.

Deathblow:  A detective novel with a serial killer.

Southern Surrender: A one-act farce.

Murder By Accident: A full-length farce.

Julie Kramer - Minnesota Author

MISSING MARK

by: Julie Kramer
ISBN: 978-038552-4773

TV reporter Riley Spartz pursues a curious story of a bride left at the altar and finds herself caught in a dangerous missing-person case.

When Riley sees a want ad reading “Wedding Dress for Sale: Never Worn,” her news instincts tell her that the backstory might make an intriguing television sweeps piece.

The groom, Mark, last seen at the rehearsal dinner, never showed up for the wedding, humiliating his bride, Madeline—and her high-strung, high-society mother—in front of 300 guests. His own mother, eager to spare him further embarrassment, waited weeks before filing a missing-person report and then learned how difficult it is to get police, or the media, interested in missing men.

Now Riley is up against a boss who thinks that finding a famed missing fish will net the station higher ratings, a meth cartel trying to assassinate a K-9 dog because of his powerful nose for drugs, and a neighbor who holds perpetual garage sales that attract traffic at odd hours.

When her missing-person case leads to a murder investigation, Riley discovers a startling motive for Mark's disappearance—and a TV exclusive guaranteed to win the ratings . . . if she lives to report it.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Julie Kramer grew up on the Minnesota-Iowa State Line on a farm that's been in her family for 130 years. But instead of farming corn or cattle, she decided to farm news and went into journalism. She worked for nearly 20 years at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis where she used to run their investigative unit. Now she does freelance network news producing.

Her debut thriller, STALKING SUSAN, won the Minnesota Book Award for genre fiction, and Best First Mystery at the Romantic Times Awards. It was also a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and is a nominee for both the Anthony and Barry Awards for Best First Novel.

She lives with her family in White Bear Lake, MN.

OTHER BOOKS:
Stalking Susan (2008) Now out in paperback!

WEBSITE:
http://www.juliekramerbooks.com/

JULIE'S AUTUMN MINNESOTA LIBRARY TOUR

Tuesday, September 1, 6:30 pm
White Bear Lake, MN
White Bear Public Library
4698 Clark Ave.
speaking & signing

Saturday, September 19, 1:00 pm
Ortonville, MN
Ortonville Public Library
412 NW 2nd Street
speaking and signing

Tuesday, October 6, 7:00 pm
St. Paul, MN
St. Paul Public Library, Rice Street Branch
1011 Rice St.
speaking & signing

Sunday, October 11, 2:00 pm
Rochester, MN
Rochester Public Library
Coffee House Author Series
101 2nd St SE.

Tuesday, October 20, 6:30 pm
Hopkins, MN
Hopkins Public Library
22 11th Ave. N.
speaking and signing

Thursday, October 29, 6:30 pm
Shakopee, MN
Scott County Library
235 S. Lewis Street
speaking and signing