Mystery of the Month: Dying for a Dude

When Laurel McKay agrees to perform with the Sassy Saloon Gals during Hangtown’s annual Wagon Train parade, her greatest fear is a wardrobe malfunction. Before she can lace up her corset, a 150-year-old skeleton turns up on her grandmother’s property. Did Laurel’s great-great-grandfather murder his mining partner? Gran insists not and wants Laurel to prove it.

Then the body of a prominent citizen is discovered dangling above a Main Street hotel shortly after Laurel’s ex-husband decked him. When her detective boyfriend throws her ex in jail for murder, Laurel, with the help of her zany friends and her family must find the real killer.

Juggling two kids, a new boss, a wilting romance, and two murder investigations would be enough to turn any woman into a chocolate addict. Extra pounds are the least of Laurel’s worries as she and her Mustang-driving octogenarian grandmother try to unearth some long-buried secrets before the killer adds their names to Hangtown’s bloody history.

Buy links:

Amazon   http://tinyurl.com/DyingforaDudeKindle

Nook   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dying-for-a-dude-cindy-sample/1120637140?ean=2940150381506

Kobo    http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dying-for-a-dude

 Cindy Sample

Cindy Sample is a former mortgage banking CEO who decided plotting murder was more entertaining than plodding through paperwork. Her national bestselling humorous mystery series, described as Erma Bombeck meets Agatha Christie, features single soccer mom, Laurel McKay. The series, set in the California gold country includes Dying for a Date, Dying for a Dance and Dying for a Daiquiri, both finalists for the LEFTY Award for Best Humorous Mystery.  Dying for a Daiquiri was also a finalist for the 2014 Silver Falchion Award for Best Traditional Mystery. Her recent release, Dying for a Dude provides the wildest ride yet! 

You can contact her at: 

www.cindysamplebooks.com

www.facebook.com/cindysampleauthor

Why I love being a Writer - Part 3

While it's very exciting to start writing a new book, it's also very satisfying to type "The End" on a manuscript. Months of research, writing, rewriting and editing have come to an end. I always breathe a sigh of relief as I send a book off to my publisher. I can relax for a while, at least until it's time to go through my book with the editor, to choose a book cover and to begin to promote the book. 

But, my mind is free! No more writing in my head even when I'm not at my computer. A respite from jotting down ideas when I'm in the bathtub or driving in my car. Because that's what we writers do. When we're in the midst of writing a novel, it's constantly with us. Day and night. If that sounds like a bad thing, let me assure you that it's not. In fact, it's one of the joys of writing. But we all need a break once in a while, even from the things we love.

And I do love the process of creating. It all starts with a single idea. It could be something as simple as a snippet of conversation overheard in a restaurant, an expression on someone's face or, as in my case, the sight of an old Victorian when I went for a walk one day and wondered what would happen if those walls could talk.

That single idea begins to grow until, eventually, it blossoms into a complete manuscript. I send it out, sigh and then another idea takes hold of me and the process begins all over again. And, I wouldn't have it any other way!







 

Why I love being a Writer - Part 2

Last week, I wrote my first post on why I love being a writer and I talked about the fact that writing, even more so than reading, offers me an escape from my everyday world. This week I'd like to talk about the art of creating and what a wonderful means for self-expression it is.

Imagine this. Five writers sit at a table. I give each of them the same list of characters and the same plot and I ask them to write a story using that information. I'm sure you know what will happen. Each writer will write a totally different story in a totally different way. They'll each use their own imagination and their own voice to do that and the end result will be five stories that bare little resemblance to each other.

Why? Because, like our fingerprints and our DNA, each of us is unique, one of a kind, and our writing styles will reflect that. Each writer pulls from his or her own experience and knowledge to create a story that no one else could possibly write. And, it isn't just about the experience and knowledge we each have. It's also about our  individual perceptions of and reactions to those things, all of which makes the art of creating a beautiful and exciting adventure. 

The books we write are pieces of us. There's nothing more satisfying to me than creating a story (and the characters who will live it) that is unlike what anyone else on the planet has written or could write. I wish I could say that everyone who reads my books will love them but, of course, that's not true because our reading tastes differ too. Some people will enjoy and appreciate my books and others won't. But I write them in my own distinctive way, the only way I can.

I've heard that, when you find the thing you're most suited to do in life, you'll feel as if you've come home. When I write, I'm home.

Why I love being a Writer - Part 1

I've always loved to read and I've spent countless hours with my nose stuck in a book. I'd say "it doesn't get any better than that" but it does. Because creating a story and the characters who will live that story is the ultimate joy for me. I love being a writer! 

So, here it is early January in Cincinnati. Now, keep in mind that I am NOT a Winter person. Looking out the window across from my desk as I type this, I see bare trees, gray skies and a dreary landscape. And, it's cold out there. But, like reading, writing offers me a way to escape. When I close the drapes and immerse myself in my current WIP (work in progress), Mistaken Identity, everything changes.

Suddenly, it's a hot, sunny July day on the beach at Fripp Island, South Carolina and all of my senses are evoked. I can almost hear the waves crashing to shore, see the seagulls soaring through the bright, blue sky and feel the warm sun on my face. I've been transported to another place. All of my day to day problems, including the weather, are gone. I've escaped!
 
The Temptations pretty much summed it up. "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May."

Of course, there are lots of other reasons why I love being a writer and I'll talk about them in future posts. If you're reading this and you're a writer, what do you like most about being a writer?

The Year of the Tiger

Patricia Gligor

I recently discovered that I was born in one of the years designated as "The Year of the Tiger." I couldn't help but smile when I read that and here's why.

When my first book was accepted for publication, my mother asked me what pen name I was going to use. When I told her I intended to use my "real" name, she reminded me that Gligor is frequently  mispronounced and/or misspelled. "I think you should use a simpler name, one that readers will remember," she told me.

But I was adamant. However, as much as we all hate to admit that our mother is right, time has proven her point. My name has been mangled on more than one occasion and I cringe every time that happens. Still, I stand by my decision and I decided to end this year and to start the new year by setting the record straight.

My last name is Gligor. It's my maiden name, which I took back after my divorce several years ago. In Romania, where my paternal grandfather was born, our name was pronounced Glee-gore but in the Americanized version Gligor rhymes with tiger. (Now you know why I was smiling.)

I hope you'll stop in to visit with me in the months ahead. If you have a suggestion for a topic you'd like me to write about, please let me know. And, as always, I welcome and appreciate your comments.

Happy New Year!

New Release: Murder the Tey Way

Professor Lexie Driscoll is discussing Josephine Tey's books at a Golden Age of Mystery book club meeting when her sister Gayle arrives, terrified for her life. She had witnessed her boyfriend's murder and fears the murderer is coming after her. The next morning a man's body is found lying in Lexie's backyard. Gayle takes off, and Lexie is worried that her sister may have murdered the man, believing he's been sent to kill her. Determined to learn the truth, Lexie investigates. She discovers the book club members have secrets and hidden vices that lead to more murders and unexpected revelations.

Buy link for paper and eBook editions on Amazon:

http://tinyurl.com/n6z973o

 

Marilyn Levinson

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and books for kids.
 Murder the Tey Way is the second book in her Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mysteries. Many readers have praised Murder a la Christie, the first book in the series. Untreed Reads has brought out new e-editions of her Twin Lakes mysteries: A Murderer Among Us, awarded a Suspense Magazine Best Indie, and Murder in the Air. Uncial Press e-publishes her ghost mystery, Giving Up the Ghost, and her romantic suspense, Dangerous Relations. All of Marilyn's mysteries take place on Long Island, where she lives. Her books for young readers include No Boys Allowed; Rufus and Magic Run Amok, which was awarded a Children's Choice; Getting Back to Normal, & And Don't Bring Jeremy.


You can visit Marilyn at:

www.marilynlevinson.com

Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/K6Md1O
Murder a la Christie: http://amzn.to/1c1byHd

Murder the Tey Way: http://tinyurl.com/n6z973o