A Cup of Tea And A Cozy Chat With Laura Bradford Author of the upcoming book 30 Second Death

Today I am sharing a cup of tea and a cozy chat with Author Laura Bradford. Today we chat about her second in series by called   30 Second Death.

This book is out in a few days and is the second in the Tobi Tobias Mystery Series. Here is a bit from our interview earlier this week.... 

KMOT: When you are writing what sustains you, Coffee, Tea or something Else?

LB: Chocolate! Heavy amounts of Chocolate....

KMOT: How long is the writing process for you, do you take breaks between them, or are you constantly writing?

LB:  The writing process is several months long for each book. I go from book to book (across series) so I'm always writing.  But I'm actually taking this summer off for the first time in a decade and I'm so excited about it!

KMOT: What as the inspiration for your setting? 

LB: The setting of 30 Second Death is St. Louis, where I lived for 17 years. And as far as the advertising backdrop, I've always been interested in jingles and commercials.

KMOT: Do you love Theater and if so what is your favorite play?

LB: My oldest daughter is an actress so I see plays with her all the time.  My favorite Broadway musical was Anything Goes. 

KMOT: What would you like my readers to know about the Tobi Tobias Mystery Series? 

LB: The Tobi Tobias Mysteries are fun--laugh out loud fun at times. Yes, there's murder, but there's also a cast of characters that are very relatable. So if you're looking for a fun mystery, these are definitely worth checking out.

To help an old friend, Tobi Tobias gets a third-rate thespian a part in a commercial, and learns that in the advertising business, bad acting can lead to murder . . .When Tobi Tobias opened her own advertising agency, Carter McDade was there for her every step of the way. A brilliant hairdresser, Carter has just landed his dream project: doing hair and makeup for a theatrical production of Rapunzel. But the dream turns into a nightmare when he runs into Fiona Renoir, a cruel, talentless starlet who won’t let Carter touch a hair on her head.To get Fiona out of Carter’s hair, Tobi hires the difficult actress for a bit part in her latest commercial. But true to character, Fiona is a terror on set, and Tobi is starting to think she’s made the biggest mistake of her life. But things get even worse when Fiona drops dead in the hairdresser’s chair, and the only suspect is the man left holding the tainted hair dye, Carter McDade. And unless Tobi can prove his innocence, he’ll never do hair in this town again.

Thank you so much Laura for joining us here today and sharing about your upcoming book.

Learn more about Laura Bradford by clicking here.
Order your copy now for the July 11th release of 30 Second Death from Amazon by clicking here. 

There is a great giveaway and you can enter for one of Laura's books click here for your chance to enter. 
Thank you reader for joining me here today for a cup of tea and a cozy chat! I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Protocol By Kathleen Valenti

I was sent Protocol by Kathleen Valenti to read and review. Protocol is definitely not a cozy mystery more of a suspenseful thriller but with a happy ending. It is fast paced and full of surprises. It is an erie conspiracy thriller with a scientific edge. Good friends and a dream job do not always end up with happy endings, this book is sophisticated and will keep you on the edge of your chair.

Freshly minted college graduate Maggie O’Malley embarks on a career fueled by professional ambition and a desire to escape the past. As a pharmaceutical researcher, she’s determined to save lives from the shelter of her lab. But on her very first day she’s pulled into a world of uncertainty. Reminders appear on her phone for meetings she’s never scheduled with people she’s never met. People who end up dead. 

With help from her best friend, Maggie discovers the victims on her phone are connected to each other and her new employer. She soon unearths a treacherous plot that threatens her mission—and her life. Maggie must unlock deadly secrets to stop horrific abuses of power before death comes calling for her.

This book is out September 5th by Henery Press you can pre order it now on Amazon by clicking here.
Thank you for joining me here for a cup of tea and a suspenseful thriller mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

You're Invited To A Summer Facebook Party For Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge

Today I am very excited to invite you to a Summer Facebook Party For Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge! This is the second book in the Maddie Hatter series and I am honored to co-host this event on Wednesday July 26th from 5-7pm with my business Beyond The Bookmarks.  

This two hour event will feature some fun interactive games, recipes, including a free pattern and tutorial for  a steampunk themed Tea Holster craft shown above, I just know you are going to want to make yourself!  Author Jayne Barnard has kindly agreed to do  two Q& A sessions as well.  We also have some great prizes to share. This party is in celebration of book two but I think you may want to know a bit about Maddie Hatter first!

So who is Maddie Hatter?  Miss Maddie Hatter, renegade daughter of a powerful Steamlord, is scraping a precarious living as a fashion reporter when the story of a lifetime falls into her lace-gloved hands.Baron Bodmin, an adventurer with more failed quests than fingernails, has vanished in circumstances that are odd even for him.While he is supposedly hunting the fabled Eye of Africa diamond in the Nubian desert, his expeditionary airship is found adrift off the coast of England. Maddie was the last reporter to see the potty peer alive. If she can locate the baron or the Eye of Africa, her career will be made.Outraged investors and false friends complicate her quest, and a fiendish figure lurks in the shadows, ready to snatch the prize . . . at any price.Mystery, adventure, danger, suspense, and more in a lively steampunk setting. 

You can read my review on the first book in the series Maddie Hatter and the Deadly Diamond by clicking here.

find out more about Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge by visiting Jayne Barnard's author page when you click here. 

I would love for you to click here to find out more about this upcoming event ! 
We hope you will join us! 

Thank you for joining me here for a cup of tea and a Beyond The Bookmarks Facebook Event announcement. I hope to see you there!
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Cate Dean's Ghost of A Chance

Happy 4th of July Dear Readers! I hope you have a safe and happy holiday...

Wonderful cozy and brilliant meet-cute! I just finished Cate Dean's Ghost of a Chance and fell in love, a book that I bought. What a wonderful paranormal cozy this is and I can not wait to read the next. This doesn't read like a paranormal cozy but it is brilliant. Loved it! Not your average cozy either. With an American main character living in England, I was not sure what I could expect but I really enjoyed this storyline and character. She has a wonderful best friend, shop and new life, as well as unexpected joy and excruciating pain. This is a very good read and a series I will add to my favorites for sure.

The first book of a fun cozy mystery series ~ with a touch of supernatural.Welcome to Holmestead, England ~ where an American ex-pat, an archaeologist, and murder turn this picture postcard village upside down.Maggie Mulgrew runs The Ash Leaf, an antique shop in the quaint village of Holmestead, England ~ which has nothing to do with Sherlock, thank you very much. She sells her goods to disappointed tourists, and locals who appreciate her eclectic taste.Professor Pembroke Martin is hunting down an artifact that had been stolen by a former assistant ~ a hand-blown apothecary jar that is the center of an old ghost story. His search leads him to Holmestead, and a stubborn, fascinating American who has acquired the box that once contained the rare jar.When the missing jar turns up, clutched in the hand of the very dead local historian, Martin becomes the prime suspect. With his future on the line, Martin turns to Maggie for help, and they join forces to find the real killer.

I truly enjoyed Ghost of a Chance and hope that you will too. You can find it on Amazon by clicking here.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Three Amigos Summer Reading Club Week 3

This weeks theme is Patriotic Themed books and I am very patriotic, however I am not American.

 If you are new to my blog I am Canadian, living on the West Coast and proud of my heritage and country. I have a great fondness and love for my sisters in the USA and all the wonderful readers I have south of the 49th parallel line.  On Saturday we just celebrated our 150th Birthday here as as the Country of Canada, so we are still pretty young.

 In our house we celebrate Canada Day July 1st, it is a celebration much like the 4th of July, we have parades, picnics, BBQ and more. In our family we celebrate the 4th of July as well, we have lots of our family are American and living in the States... but let's get to my book for this week! 

Casket Cache is a book I read late last year and I really enjoyed. It is set in Canada, near Niagra Falls and I was surprised at how much I loved this book and series. Who knew I would find a book about a Funeral Director to be so comforting and so wonderful?

Funeral homes are supposed to be quiet... Jennifer Spencer inherits her uncle’s funeral home. Her move to the Niagara Region into the apartment above the Home went well, but in the first week alone, someone breaks into the funeral home. Then, Jennifer finds cash in a casket, a lot of cash. Certain it has something to do with the break-in, she’s unable to convince the police and winds up on their list of suspects. But Jennifer has families to serve and funerals to arrange; that is her number-one priority. Someone sinister and dangerous wants the cash back; that’s their number-one priority and Jennifer Spencer, funeral director, is in the way. A cozy mystery with heart, compassion, and humour. “CASKET CACHE presents us with the perfect balance of light and dark: a delightful small town with a local murder. It does this and also takes a step further by setting the action in and around Spencer Funeral Home, blending compassionate descriptions of care families receive in their time of need with the inside scoop on coroner’s calls, casket selection rooms and funeral processions. 

  Janice J. Richardson does an amazing job with this mystery and with this series. I challenge you to read this book! Click here to find it on Amazon.com

I would love for you to read it so we can discuss it! 

I loved book two as well and am anxiously awaiting book three! 

There are some really fantastic cozy mysteries written by some talented big named Canadian Authors who are actually Canadian but only a handful of cozies actually set here! 

I do hope you will give this Canadian based cozy series a try! 

On to what my Amigos have in store for you! We love hearing from you so when you visit to see their selections please leave them a comment and say hello! 

Click here to see what Mary has chosen for her book this week. 

Click here to see what Lisa has chosen for her book this week. 

Wishing you all the best as you celebrate this week from my family to yours! 

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a Three Amigos Summer Reading Club Suggestion. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Cat About Town by Cate Conte

This weekend I finished Cat About Town a new book by Cate Conte. This is a lovely first in series for a cozy mystery, cat book lover like me. The main character Maddie James comes home to attend her grandmother's funeral and finds things are not quite as she left them, out of sight out of mind. Staying with her Grandfather who is the town's old police chief, Maddie finds out that someone has been threatening her Grandfather and trying to force him to sell the family home. I loved the relationship between Maddie and her grandfather in this mystery. I also love how JJ her cat factors into this story. This is a sweet cozy mystery with some adorable twists. I am really looking forward to seeing where this series goes and what will happen next in this Cat Cafe Mystery Series. This book is out August 1st so keep your eyes out for it or pre order on Amazon by clicking here.

Maddie James has arrived in Daybreak Island, just off the coast of Massachusetts, eager to settle down and start her own business―and maybe even fall in love. When a stray orange tabby pounces into her life, she’s inspired to open a cat café. But little does Maddie know that she’s in for something a lot more catastrophic when her new furry companion finds the dead body of the town bully. Now all eyes are on Maddie: Who is this crazy cat-whisperer lady who’s come to town? If pet-hair-maintenance and crime-fighting weren’t keeping her busy enough, Maddie now has not one but two eligible bachelors who think she’s the cat’s pajamas . . . and will do anything to win her heart. But how can she even think about happily-ever-after while a killer remains on the loose―and on her path?

You can find out more about this series and book by clicking here.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup June 24th To July 1st Happy Canada Day From My Table To Yours!

Happy Canada Day! Today is Canada's 150th Celebration and we are starting our day early with a parade and then a large BBQ with family and dear friends. July 1st is not only the day Canadians celebrate Canada's Birthday it is also the day I moved to the province I live in now, actually I moved here 40 years ago today!

On my table this week I have had some lovely reads and in my cup today I have a special blend from Murchie's Tea to celebrate Canada's 150th. It is a blend of black and green tea with a hint of maple. It is a lovely blend I hope they keep in stock for years to come.

I will start the book part of my post by talking about the Summer Whodunnit Mystery Set of 6 Cozy Mysteries I bought on Amazon this week. Only two of the authors are known to me and I love discovering a great new author, book and series.

Reading Cate Conte's Cat About Town a new series and one I hope to share the review of tomorrow. I like a good mystery with a great cat and this book is shaping up to be just that!

Body on Baker Street by Vicki Delany is one I very much enjoyed, this one is out in September and is the second in the series.

I had Even Witches Get The Blues on my table this week a light paranormal fantasy story I found on Facebook and downloaded from Amazon.

Toast and Jam! This is the cookbook of the year for me, it would be hard to wow me with a better book at this point. I liked it so much I have ordered a copy for myself to have, hold, keep and make! There is a peach and green tea spread I am looking very much forward too along with so many more. I have already begun to hoard jars.

Sunday I shared Canadian Author Judy Volhart and her second in series Ice Whine and Irish Cheddar, this is the perfect book to read in the hot summer! It is out now and should go on your summer reading list for sure!

Also arrived but I have not yet started is a book by Kathleen Valenti! I will share more on this in the coming weeks!

Monday was the second week in our Three Amigos Summer Reading Club and we are all hoping you enjoyed our weekly suggested books and I am looking forward to sharing our next selections with you on Monday. We all love hearing from you so please leave us a comment below our posts, share them on social media and with all your friends.

Thank you for joining me here today for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery week in review. I wish you and yours a very happy and safe Holiday weekend.
I too would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com