Getting to know Jessie Hewitt

I’m pleased to have Jessie Hewitt, the main character in Cindy Blackburn’s Cue Ball Mystery Series, visiting with us today. I love the series and I’m sure you will too!

Patricia: Jessie, what’s your occupation and how did you come to choose it?

Jessie: People tell me I choose interesting jobs. Back in my younger days I made a living as a pool shark. But somewhere along the line, I got old. How did that happen? I still love a good game of eight ball, but nowadays I make my living writing steamy romance novels. Why? My mother. Mother’s always been a huge romance fan, so when I decided to try writing, she asked me to try romance writing. It worked! Mother loves my books!

Patricia: What are your favorite things to do when you’re not working?

Jessie: I shoot pool, of course! It helps me unwind, it helps me think, it helps me, period! My favorite place to play is my friendly neighborhood bar The Stone Fountain. My friends Candy and Karen usually join me, and my favorite pool-playing buddy is Kirby Cox. Bless his heart, Kirby can’t play to save his life, but he’s so enthusiastic.  Oh, and now my cat Snowflake is scolding me. She reminds me my other favorite way to unwind is to play with her.

Patricia: What are your favorite TV shows and/or movies? What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?

Jessie: I don’t watch much TV. I have a seriously outdated twelve-inch black and white. But I do love music—good old fashioned rock and roll. You know, The Beatles, The Stones, the Doors, The Who. You get the picture. Luckily that’s what they play over at The Stone Fountain!

Patricia: Are you married or involved in a serious relationship? Tell us about that.

Jessie: Must I talk about Wilson Rye? Okay, okay. My beau the cop and I keep getting more and more serious. Of course we also drive each other nuts. More and more. I’d suggest you read The Cue Ball Mysteries for the lowdown on my love life. FOUR PLAY, the fourth Cue Ball Mystery might have some surprises in the Jessie’s love life category.

Patricia: What’s your favorite color and why?

Jessie: Yellow. I love yellow flowers especially. You’ll find many of them in my rooftop garden—marigolds, hibiscus, daisies. And all the brick walls in my condo are covered with paintings of yellow flowers. Why yellow? Why not! It’s cheery!

Patricia: Do you like to travel? If so, what are some of your favorite places to go and/or what was your favorite vacation? Have any of your travels involved solving a mystery?

Jessie: Wilson and I went to Hawaii not too long ago. What a fantastic place! You can read about our trip, and the murder we solved while we were there in THREE ODD BALLS! And I have another trip planned real soon. In FIVE SPOT Wilson and I are going to travel to the world’s largest romance writers conference. Can’t wait to see all my friends and colleagues, but why do I know Wilson and I will find a new murder that need solving?

Buy links:
http://www.amazon.com/Playing-with-Poison-ebook/dp/B009D99R0I/
http://www.amazon.com/Double-Shot-Humorous-Romantic-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B009P3KYV8
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Odd-Balls-Humorous-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00AD9JEAU
http://www.amazon.com/Four-Play-Humorous-Romantic-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00H4OUWGW

Cindy Blackburn has a confession to make—she does not play pool. But that pesky detail didn’t stop her from writing the Cue Ball Mysteries, starring Jessie Hewitt, pool shark extraordinaire. Four books and counting, Cindy loves giving Jessie trouble, both in and out of the pool room. A native Vermonter who hates cold weather, Cindy divides her time between south and north. During colder months you'll find her in South Carolina, but come summer she'll be on the porch of her lakeside shack in Vermont. When Cindy isn't writing she likes taking long walks with her cute hubby John or cuddling with her cute cat Betty. Cindy’s favorite travel destinations are all in Europe, her favorite TV show is NCIS, and her favorite color is orange. Cindy dislikes vacuuming, traffic, and lima beans. Oh! And Cindy’s working on a new series. Please look for Unbelievable, the first Cassie Baxter Mystery, coming this summer!

Learn more about the Cue Ball Mysteries at www.cueballmysteries.com

A Mother's Love

 A mother's love can come from our own mother or, as in this excerpt from Desperate Deeds, it can come from someone who may not be our natural mother but who is always there for us.

     

          Olivia felt so helpless. It wasn’t often that she was at a loss for words but this was one of those rare times. She didn’t know what she could say to Ann to help to ease her pain. What could you say to a woman whose child was missing? That was a parent’s worst nightmare! She hoped her being there would be enough to comfort the woman she’d come to think of as her daughter. Ann’s been through so much. Why did this have to happen?

     “Ann, would you like a cup of tea? It might help you to relax.” The second the words were out of Olivia’s mouth, she realized how ridiculous they sounded. Relax? There was no way Ann would relax until she held her little boy in her arms again.

     Ann looked at her through red-rimmed eyes. “No, Liv. Thank you. I . . . . I can’t right now.”

     “Well, tell me if you change your mind or if there’s anything else I can get you.”

     “I will.”

     Olivia saw that Ann was shivering. She reached behind Ann and pulled the afghan from the back of the sofa. “Here, Ann, put this around your shoulders.”

     Ann gave her a weak smile as she wrapped the afghan around herself and pulled it up to her chin. “I love this afghan. Nana gave this to me when I was a little girl. She said it was for my hope chest. I remember I had to ask her what a ‘hope chest’ was.”

     “Well, it’s beautiful.” Olivia ran her fingers along the edge of the afghan. “It’s so soft and I love the color. Sage green, isn’t it?”

     “It is. Actually, I used this color as the inspiration for decorating the whole room.”

     Olivia smiled. “Well, you did a great job. It matches the green in your sofa perfectly. Did your grandmother make it herself?”

     “Yes. She could knit, crochet, sew and she taught me how to do all of that.”

     “She must have been a great teacher because I’ve seen some of the things you’ve made and they’re incredible. All your own curtains and bedding, the kids’ Halloween costumes. Amazing!”

     Ann nodded. “I owe all of that to Nana.”

     An idea suddenly occurred to Olivia. What if she could get Ann to keep talking about her grandmother? That might help to take her mind off of the immediate situation. “From what you’ve told me, I gather your grandmother was quite a woman. I mean, besides her sewing skills.”

     “Oh, she was! She was a strong and determined woman. I don’t know what would’ve happened to Marnie and me after our parents died if it hadn’t been for Nana. We didn’t have any other family. I guess we would’ve had to go into foster care and we might even have been separated. That would’ve been awful.”

     “Sounds like you were lucky to have her.”

     “Oh, we were. I don’t know if I ever told you this but, after my mother and father were killed in the car crash, Nana sold her house in Dayton and moved in with us. She gave up her friends, all of her church and social activities, everything, to take care of us. She made a wonderful home for Marnie and me. She always put us first. That’s the kind of person she was.” She cleared her throat. “I still miss her every day.”

     Ann began to sob. “Oh, Olivia, I didn’t think it was possible to miss anyone more than I miss Nana. But I miss my little boy more!”

      Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, my stepmother, Helen, and my ex mother-in-law, Marion!

Mystery of the Month: Mission Impastable

Gina and Alli, best friends since 2^nd grade, have a rocky start-up to their personal chef business when their first customer, Gina’s boss at her day job, ends up poisoned. Since they are the prime suspects, Alli sets out to clear their names. She finds there are many who wanted the dreaded “Dragon Lady”, her nickname at the hospital, out of the way.

Perhaps she was murdered by her abused administrative assistant, or the former CEO ousted when she was hired, or the antique dealer who sold her a jade dragon, or maybe by her husband who might have a gambling problem.

Along the way to solving the mystery, Alli confronts abandonment pain from her past. When she unmasks who killed the hospital CEO, she also deals with a threat to Gina’s family. Alli does what she must to get the murderer in jail despite the angst she suffers from the revelation.

Buy Link:

http://amzn.to/1eYJ4AY

Sharon Arthur Moore

Bio:

After 39 years as an educator, Sharon Arthur Moore "transitioned" to the life of full-time fiction writer. She's an intrepid cook, game-player, and miniatures lover. She experiments and creates new dishes all the time. Too bad if her husband likes a dish; she may be unable to replicate it.

She writes culinary mysteries, women's fiction, historical fiction, short stories, plays, paranormals (under the pen name River Glynn), and erotic romance (under the pen name Angelica French). The first book in the culinary mystery series, Mission Impastable, just came out. Prime Rib and Punishment is the second book in the series that should be out by year’s end.

Sharon has lived in every region of the country except the Pacific Northwest and loved every single one of them. Her current favorite region is the desert Southwest. She is married to the most extraordinary man and claims four children, one daughter-in-law, a grandson, and yellow lab Maudie.