Collecting can be murder — Diane Vallere — #bookgiveaway

Diane -- Barbie Collection CollageWe’re celebrating the upcoming release of my third Food Lovers’ Village mystery, BUTTER OFF DEAD (July 7—save the suspense and pre-order it now!), with a glimpse of some of your favorite authors’ prized collections.

Today, we’re peeking into Diane Vallere’s not-so-secret obsession!

“You may have heard me say that I write about shoes, clues, and clothes…well, this little lady had something to do with that. yep, I’m a Barbie fan. I didn’t always collect them, though. One day I was wandering the aisles of Toys R Us (long story) and ended up in the Barbie aisle. The first in the seasonal series, Autumn in Paris, was marked down to $20. I was in my early thirties at the time, but I felt like a child, standing there, holding the box, staring at this little doll. Sure enough, she went home with me, and slowly I started collecting more. Several of these were gifts, and I’m totally fine with that. There used to be more, but space limitations forced me to streamline my collection. They all used to reside in a box in a closet until a pipe burst and ruined the packaging (blog post about that traumatic event here). Now I enjoy the sight of them every day!

PS: the background of the photo is officially called Barbie Pink, otherwise known as Pantone 219. I even used that color in my 2015 mailing!”

SuedeToRest_final cover CrushedVelvet_cover

 

After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, Diane Vallere traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. SUEDE TO REST, the first book in the bestselling Material Witness Cozy Mystery Series, was a Lefty/ Best Humorous Mystery nominee. CRUSHED VELVET, book two, comes out August 4. Diane is the current president of Sisters in Crime Los Angeles, and co-chair of the 2015 California Crime Writers Conference. She also writes the Mad for Mod Mysteries and the Style & Error Mystery Series. Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since. Connect with her on her website, on Facebook, or Twitter.

Leslie says: I’ve still got my original Barbie from 1963, in the case, plus the raft of handmade clothes that came with it, courtesy of a church fundraiser. Diane and I would love to hear about yours!

Leave a comment on my Facebook page or blog for a chance to win a SIGNED copy the SUEDE TO REST, first in the Material Witness series from Berkley Prime Crime/Penguin Random House. Ruff the Cat will choose a winner at random—check back in the morning to find out!

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Butter Off Dead (final)And today on Killer Characters, Erin is telling you a little about BUTTER OFF DEAD and the Food Lovers’ Film Festival!

(Hint: if you subscribe to the blog, you’ll receive the posts by email and you won’t have to hunt for them on FB.)

(This contest is not sponsored or endorsed by Facebook.)

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The winner of DEATH IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES by Kathy Aarons is…

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From the back cover: “Whether it’s to satisfy a craving for chocolate or pick up the hottest new bestseller, the locals in charming West Riverdale, Maryland, are heading to Chocolates and Chapters, where everything is to die for…”

Catch up with author Kathy Aarons on Facebook or Twitter, or at www.KathyAarons.com

Ready to hear who won the signed copy of DEATH IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES by Kathy Aarons? Cheers to… TARYN LEE!

Please send your mailing address to me at leslie (at) lesliebudewitz (dot) com by May 30 to claim your prize. Or else my supervisor will stare at me until I pick another winner!

Butter Off Dead (final)cat on desk#butteroffdead

Photo: Ruff the Cat, aka the Supervisor, the model for Mr. Sandburg in my Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries.

BUTTER OFF DEAD, July 2015 (available for pre-order now!)

Collecting Can Be Murder – Susannah Hardy – #bookgiveaway

China CatsWe’re celebrating the upcoming release of my third Food Lovers’ Village mystery, BUTTER OFF DEAD (July 7—save the suspense and pre-order it now!), with a glimpse of some of your favorite authors’ prized collections.

Today, a peek behind the scenes with Susannah Hardy, author of FETA ATTRACTION, first in the new Greek to Me Mysteries.

“Over the years I’ve collected lots of stuff: Nancy Drew books, Talking Heads and B-52’s CDs, shotglasses, bad boyfriends, and Hazel-Atlas Moroccan Amethyst dishes, to name a few. But my latest collection is Shafford redware black cats. I inherited one sugar and creamer from my mother-in-law, and then I got another set from her sister, and now I’m starting to get a little obsessed with them. Are they cute? Creepy? I can’t decide. All I can say is I can’t pass a tag sale or flea market without looking for these things.

Elvira

And here’s a picture of my real-life black cat, Elvira. She’s small but mighty, a ferocious rodent slayer, and she’s the real reason I love the china cats. Not that there are any cats in my book FETA ATTRACTION–the Bonaparte Bay Board of Health frowns on them in a restaurant.”

Connect with Susannah and read more about her books on her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter @susannahhardy1

Leave a comment on my Facebook page or blog, for a Feta Attraction Coverchance to win a signed copy of FETA ATTRACTION. Ruff the Cat will choose a winner at random—check back in the morning to find out!

(Hint: if you subscribe to the blog, you’ll receive the posts by email and you won’t have to hunt for them on FB.)

(This contest is not sponsored or endorsed by Facebook.)

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The winner of FATAL RESERVATIONS by Lucy Burdette is …

Fatal Reservations

Follow the (mis) adventures of Hayley Snow, a 20-something food critic for Key Zest magazine, in Key West, Florida, in the Food Critic mysteries by Lucy Burdette.

Ready to hear who won FATAL RESERVATIONS? Cheers to… AGNES ZELGERT!

This book will be out July 7. The author will mail a signed copy to the winner when it’s available—the rest of you can strike one thing off your to-do list by pre-ordering it now!

 

Please send your mailing address to me at leslie (at) lesliebudewitz (dot) com by May 30 to claim your prize. Or else my supervisor will stare at me until I pick another winner!

Butter Off Dead (final)cat on desk#butteroffdead

Photo: Ruff the Cat, aka the Supervisor, the model for Mr. Sandburg in my Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries.

BUTTER OFF DEAD, July 2015 (available for pre-order now!)

Collecting can be murder — Kathy Aarons — #bookgiveaway

Kathy Pottery with truffled to death lee 2We’re celebrating the upcoming release of my third Food Lovers’ Village mystery, BUTTER OFF DEAD (July 7—save the suspense and pre-order it now!) with a glimpse of some of your favorite authors’ prized collections.

Today, a peek behind the scenes with Kathy Aarons, author of the Chocolate Covered Mysteries, which debuted with DEATH IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES and continues with TRUFFLED TO DEATH, out June 2 (and available for pre-order now!).

One reader commented last week that “our collections define us.” Turns out, they also influence our characters—and our stories.

“When Leslie asked about any collections I have, my first thought was that I didn’t really collect anything. But then I realized that my husband and I have a nice assortment of pottery, thanks to my generous in-laws who live in North Carolina. Many of the local potters are famous for their artistry, and we’re lucky enough to have several pieces.

Kathy - truffledIn TRUFFLED TO DEATH, second in the Chocolate Covered Mystery series, chocolatier Michelle Serrano falls in love with a centuries-old clay bowl that held chocolate long ago. The bowl is being displayed at Chocolates and Chapters for a reception celebrating the donation of Maya art to the local museum.

Then the bowl and other artifacts are stolen, and Michelle’s business partner, Erica Russell, is accused of the theft. When someone winds up dead, they are drawn into the investigation that includes international art trafficking, family secrets, and betrayal.

Kathy Death-is-like-optYou can follow me on Facebook or Twitter or at www.KathyAarons.com

To win a copy of  signed copy of  DEATH IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES, leave a comment on my Facebook Author page or blog. Ruff the Cat will choose a winner at random—check back in the morning to find out!

 

 

 

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(Hint: if you subscribe to the blog, you’ll receive the posts by email and you won’t have to hunt for them on FB.)

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The winner of THE DAY SHE DIED by Catriona McPherson is…

Day She Died (2)

Suspense in the Scottish countryside by the award-winning author of historicals set in 1920s Scotland and stand-alone suspense …

Ready to hear who won THE DAY SHE DIED by Catriona McPherson? Cheers to…DARLENE!

Please send your mailing address to me at leslie (at) lesliebudewitz (dot) com by May 30 to claim your prize. Or else my supervisor will stare at me until I pick another winner!

Butter Off Dead (final)cat on desk#butteroffdead

Photo: Ruff the Cat, aka the Supervisor, the model for Mr. Sandburg in my Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries.

BUTTER OFF DEAD, July 2015 (available for pre-order now!)

Collecting Can Be Murder – Lucy Burdette – #bookgiveaway

LucyWe’re celebrating the upcoming release of my third Food Lovers’ Village mystery, BUTTER OFF DEAD (July 7—save the suspense and pre-order it now!), with a glimpse of some of your favorite authors’ prized collections.

Today, a peek at the shelves of Lucy Burdette, author of the scrumptious Key West Food Critic series.

Fatal Reservations“Luckily, I don’t collect things. Except, ummm, books. Does that count? My latest obsession is fiction and memoir centered around food and cooking. The photo shows a small piece of my library (not even counting cookbooks and cozy culinary mysteries!) I have convinced myself that this is all done in the name of research, because I start each chapter of my Key West food critic mysteries with a culinary epigraph. Here’s an example of the gems I’ve found: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” Manuel Rouvelas”

Find Lucy at www.lucyburdette.com, @lucyburdette, or www.facebook.com/lucyburdette

Butter Off Dead (final)

 

Leave a comment on my Facebook page or blog, for a chance to win a signed copy of FATAL RESERVATIONS, out July 7 (and available for pre-order now!). Ruff the Cat will choose a winner at random—check back in the morning to find out!

(Hint: if you subscribe to the blog, you’ll receive the posts by email and you won’t have to hunt for them on FB.)

(This contest is not sponsored or endorsed by Facebook.)

#butteroffdead

 

The winner of AN EARLY WAKE by Sheila Connolly is …

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Take a trip to Ireland with Sheila Connolly and her County Cork Mysteries…

Ready to hear who won the signed copy of AN EARLY WAKE? Cheers to…ABBY FABIAN!

Please send your mailing address to me at leslie (at) lesliebudewitz (dot) com by May 30 to claim your prize. Or else my supervisor will stare at me until I pick another winner!

Butter Off Dead (final)cat on desk#butteroffdead

Photo: Ruff the Cat, aka the Supervisor, the model for Mr. Sandburg in my Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries.

BUTTER OFF DEAD, July 2015 (available for pre-order now!)

The Saturday Writing Quote — Ursula LeGuin

edited pgeThis past March, I met readers at bookstores, in classrooms, libraries, and homes, and at a convention in Missoula, Bigfork, Seattle, Portland, and Billings. Though the trip was tiring, the encounters were energizing. Because a story is meant to be read, to be shared. Only then does it fulfill its purpose, become truly itself.

“The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story.”

– Ursula K. Le Guin

Collecting Can Be Murder – Catriona McPherson – #bookgiveaway

Cat's dressesWe’re celebrating the upcoming release of my third Food Lovers’ Village mystery, BUTTER OFF DEAD (July 7—save the suspense and pre-order it now!), with a glimpse of some of your favorite authors’ prized collections.

Today, we’re peeking into Catriona McPherson’s closet…

“This is the inside of my wardrobe. Well, one half of a shared wardrobe. The other side is much duller: shirts, trousers and a single kilt. I think seventy one dresses counts as a collection by anyone’s reckoning. In fact, a friend happened to see inside my wardrobe recently and said – after a long pause – “it’s not a disorder because you wear them”.

 

Dandy Ballroom

 

I’ll take that. And it’s true; I do wear them. There are only three in here that still have their tags on: a floor-length, red-carpet-worthy gown (Ross Dress For Less, natch); an ill-considered brown thing with a bustle (life’s bad enough without wearing brown and frankly my bottom doesn’t need the help of a bustle either); and the dress I’m going to wear on my 50th birthday in October, when this year’s Fit For Fifty campaign has left me svelte and able to slip into it. If not, I’m sure I’ll find something to throw on.”

Connect with Catriona (the o is silent) on her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter @catrionamcp

And if you love dresses, watch for her next historical, DANDY GILVER AND THE UNPLEASANTNESS IN THE BALLROOM. (The British version, DANDY GILVER AND THE FATAL FOXTROT, will be out in July in the UK, from Hodder & Stoughton.) She says: “The frocks are to die for.” Takes a Scot to refer to a dress as a frock and not sound silly.

Day She Died (2)But she also writes stunning standalones. Leave a comment on my Facebook page or blog for a chance to win a SIGNED copy the THE DAY SHE DIED, nominated for the 2015 Edgar and Anthony Awards. Ruff the Cat will choose a winner at random—check back in the morning to find out!

cat on desk

(Hint: if you subscribe to the blog, you’ll receive the posts by email and you won’t have to hunt for them on FB.)

(This contest is not sponsored or endorsed by Facebook.)

#butteroffdead