Guest Post-Author Elena Hartwell

                                                  

The Life of a Novelist, When it Rains it Pours 

by Elena Hartwell

To say it has rained a lot in Western Washington this year is an understatement. It’s the first week of April and the rain gauge at my house in North Bend shows just under twenty-seven inches since the start of the year. That’s a lot of water. When it rains, it pours.

Did you know the original expression, “it never rains but it pours,” was from England and considered negative? It meant bad things happen in clumps. But then in 1911, the Morton Salt Company came up with a solution to salt clumping together from any amount of moisture in the air by making finer grains and adding a small amount of an anti-clumping agent. Their clever ad team came up with, “when it rains, it pours” – meaning even when the rain is coming down, our salt still pours. That’s why the little girl on the label stands in the rain under an umbrella. It became a positive expression in the US.

Yet here we are over one hundred years later and most people consider the expression negative again, even in the United States.

Personally, I’ve always thought it was contextual. Sometimes good things happen all at once and sometimes bad.

Writing is a lot like that expression. When it rains, it pours, sometimes in a good way, some times not so much.

As a playwright, a single play of mine would get produced at different theaters with different outcomes. One production might earn stellar reviews, while another got bashed by the local press. I’d be touted as a brilliant voice in theater in one state and read, “don’t quit your day job” in another.

When it rains, it pours.

  

Available:

Amazon        Barnes&Noble       NOOK     KINDLE     Ibook   KOBO         

 also available from Audible

Connect with Elena

Webpage – http://www.elenahartwell.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ElenaHartwellAuthor/

Twitter –  https://twitter.com/Elena_Hartwell

Blog – http://www.arcofawriter.com

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3975429.Elena_Hartwell,

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/emhartwell/

Book Review-Two Heads Are Deader Than One-By Elena Hartwell-Giveaway

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Drawing will be held April 21
Open to U.S. residents only

About the book 

Private Investigator Eddie Shoes is enjoying a rare period of calm. She’s less lonely now that Chava, her card-counting mom from Vegas, is sharing her home. She also has a new companion, Franklin, a giant dog of curious ancestry.

Hoping for a lucrative new case, Eddie instead finds herself taking on a less promising client: her best friend from her childhood in Spokane. Dakota has turned up in Bellingham in jail, where she is being held on a weapons charge. Eddie reluctantly agrees not only to lend her friend money for bail but to also investigate who is stalking her. Soon after Dakota is freed, she disappears again, leaving Eddie to answer to the local cops, including her ex-boyfriend Chance Parker. Has Dakota been kidnapped? If not, why did she jump bail? What are Eddie’s business cards doing on the bodies of two murder victims?

And I thought

A good read.  I was kept interested from page one all the way to pg.  270. 

I enjoyed the ride as Eddie follows clues, stumbles onto dead people, stalkers and . . .

 mysteries clues that point back to her.  Leaving her ex Detective Chance Parker scratching his head as he struggles to 'play by the book' while dealing with Eddie's penchant for 'keeping a few secrets'.

Along for the journey is Eddie's eccentric mother 'Chava' and Eddie's dog Franklin who is one big boy!  A cross between an Irish Wolf Hound and a Tibetan Mastiff who is happy to follow along with Eddie as she investigates leads.  

As Eddie tries to discover what her friend Dakota is hiding and how the accidental death of a high school friend plays into the present she is bombarded with the clues old high school photo's and Eddie's business cards are left for the police to find and question Eddie's involvement.  

There are a lot of characters in the story which might make it a struggle to keep up with what is going on but the author does 

and great job of weaving details and people together making a 

'Who Dun It' that mystery lovers will want to read!

I enjoyed reading 

Two Heads Are Deader Than One and I look forward to 

reading book one One Dead, Two to Go.

I appreciated that the author provided a note:

The Silenced Victims

I received a complimentary copy from Great Escapes Tours

This review will appear on retail sites where the book is 

available. 

This review will appear on My Reading Journeys and 

Good Reads.  

Available

Amazon   B&N 

About the series

            Book 1

About the author 

After twenty years in the theater, Elena Hartwell turned her dramatic skills to fiction. Her first novel, One Dead, Two to Go introduces Eddie Shoes, private eye. Called “the most fun detective since Richard Castle stumbled into the 12th precinct,” by author Peter Clines, I’DTale Magazine stated, “this quirky combination of a mother-daughter reunion turned crime-fighting duo will captivate readers.”

In addition to her work as a novelist, Elena teaches playwriting at Bellevue College and tours the country to lead writing workshops.

When she’s not writing or teaching, her favorite place to be is at the farm with her horses, Jasper and Radar, or at her home, on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River in North Bend, Washington, with her husband, their dog, Polar, and their trio of cats, Jackson, Coal Train, and Luna, aka, “the other cat upstairs.” Elena holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Connect with the author

Webpage – http://www.elenahartwell.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ElenaHartwellAuthor/

Twitter –  https://twitter.com/Elena_Hartwell

Blog – http://www.arcofawriter.com

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3975429.Elena_Hartwell,

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/emhartwell/

Book Review-Cat Got Your Cash-By Julie Chase

About the book (provided by Great Escape Book Tours)

Lacy Marie Crocker’s whimsical pet couture has gained a following in New Orleans’s cozy Garden District, and word of mouth has traveled all the way to her favorite fashion designer, Annie Lane. Lacy’s thrilled when Annie schedules a private session at her home to discuss a companion line for her evening wear, but when Lacy arrives for the appointment, she enters the kitchen to two mewling Siamese cats–and one very dead Annie.

Lacy takes the kittens home to care for them until they can be properly claimed by Annie’s family or friends, but after a busy day of work, she returns home to find them missing. And when Lacy learns the cats are set to inherit Annie’s fortune, she begins to wonder if the killer was after the kittens all along. Now Lacy will stop at nothing to save the Siamese and find justice for Annie–if the killer doesn’t sink his claws into her first.

Luckily, Lacy has the help of handsome NOLA PD homicide detective Jack Oliver to help her catch the cat-napper before its too late in Cat Got Your Cash, the endearing second Kitty Couture mystery from Julie Chase.

And I thought  Scratch that.  Before I tell you what I thought I have to share who I choose to Chat With A Character over  a bowl of milk.....

I was most intrigued with Lacy's cat Penelope followed closely by the family cat named Vodoo the 4th.  But you have to read the book to learn about Vodoo all I will tell you is the story takes place in New Orleans. Now back to Penelope the Robot vacuum riding cat.  Penelope goes almost everywhere with Lacy.  When they are in the shop Kitty Couture; Penelope can be found spending the day riding the vacuum!  What a fun and crazy cat.  She doesn't like other kitties trying to take over her territory her ride.  Even if they are foster kitties!

Penelope seems to have a life filled with fun, excitement and love she is one pampered girl.   I would love to sit and have a chat with Penelope if I could get her off that vacuum for a moment! 

And I thought...

Once again I stand in doubt as to how to describe my thoughts/feelings about Cat Got Your Cash.   So I ask you...

Can you describe a Cozy Mystery as delightful?

Maybe. Maybe not.  But that is the word I would use to describe this fun and quirky story.  I was totally delighted and intrigued.

Admittedly I wasn't sure how I would feel.  I mean seriously the story takes place in a specialty shop for cat clothes where your greeted by a cat riding a vacuum.  

Delightful

Everything about the story was fun.  I enjoyed meeting and getting to know the characters as they went through their days and tried to unravel the mystery of  Who Dun It.  

And then there was the romantic triangle.   Lacy has feelings for the handsome police detective who recently inherited millions or is it billions?  Detective Oliver tends to hide his feelings leaving Lacy not certain where she stands with him. But he always seems to answer her calls.  And comes running when Lacy is in trouble. 

 But all is well as crime and finding dead bodies thrust them together.  

Then there is Chance Hawthrone and old flame that left town to be play volleyball. Hello?  He was running away from a law career.  Chance decides to return home and 'lawyer up' and chase Lacy.  Maybe his name should have been Chase.  He hides in the wings and jumps at chances to see Lacy. 

Just sayin'

I'm rootin' for the detective.

Cat Got Your Cash is a fast paced keep you on the edge of your seat as Lacy and friends try to discover the real mysteries without becoming the next victim.  

There is a long list of suspects . . .  Ryan the drug dealing addict brother of the deceased, Josie the P.A. and Ryan's girlfriend,  then there's a blogger who steals the orphaned kitties that Lacy is fostering.  Not to mention the X-husband who will stop at nothing to get the kitties back.   

I enjoy a good Cozy Mystery.  I love a great Cozy Mystery.

Cat Got Your Cash definitely falls in the  Great category.

I received a complimentary copy of Cat Got Your Cash.

This review will appear on retail sites where you can buy the book.

This review will appear on Good Reads and My Reading Journeys.

Available

Amazon     B&N     BAM!    IndieBound

Other books in the series

  Click here to visit authors site. 

About the author  

Julie Chase is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Julie is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC). She is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyons Literary Agency.
Julie also writes as Julie Anne Lindsey. Learn more about Julie at http://juliechasebooks.com/

Connect with the author ... 

Webpage: http://juliechasebooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JulieChaseAuthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14957369.Julie_Chase

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulieALindsey                                                                            Click here to visit the tour and read more reviews and author interviews. 

                                                                    

                                                                    

Book Spotlight-Season of Hope- Giveaway

About the book (provided by I Read Book Tours)

When Amanda Jarvis prays that a special friend will move into the vacant house near her isolated mountain home, she isn't upset when God sends a boy instead of a girl. But Amanda's not the only one receiving unexpected answers to her prayers. After fleeing with his mother from an abusive father, Tyler Armstrong finds much-needed love and acceptance with Amanda’s family over the next ten years.

​As high school graduation nears, Tyler is shocked when one carefree afternoon with Amanda churns up an inner turmoil he would have never imagined; he’s crushing on his best friend. And for the first time in his life he’s hiding a secret from Amanda. Convinced the timing is all wrong, Tyler pushes his feelings aside as he and Amanda prepare for the future. He will soon begin training to pursue his dream of becoming a Navy Seal, while Amanda makes plans to spend the summer in Manhattan with her aunt and then return home to the community college.

​When Amanda’s summer job catapults her into a modeling career, she readily accepts the much-needed distraction. Tyler’s impending deployment is turning her world upside down. Along with the fact that she’s falling for her best friend. And, for the first time in her relationship with Tyler, she’s hiding a secret, too.

​Phoebe Garrison, Amanda’s controlling aunt, is thrilled when she is given the power to act on behalf of her underage niece. Bored with her Fortune 500 advertising agency, becoming Amanda’s manager is just what she's been looking for to rekindle her aspirations. But as Tyler becomes aware of Phoebe’s obsession to push Amanda into supermodel status, tensions rise. As the three of them become entangled in a mass of concealed ambition and desire, each will make decisions that will send ripples of turbulence across their futures.

Buy the book

Amazon  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Children's Book Review-Gertrude and Toby Meet the Wolf

About the book (provided by ebooks for Review)

Gertrude the goat and Toby the tortoise are going fishing at Trout Lake for their Friday adventure. While at the lake, they see a little boy being dragged off by a hungry wolf! They follow the wolf and rescue the little boy, but the wolf doesn't give up. He goes after them, determined to get his lunch back!

And I thought...

Gertrude and Toby meet the Wolf is the 3rd book in the 

Fairy Tale Adventure Series. 

It's a delightful retelling of  The Three Little Pigs story with a modern twist.

All the characters including Gertrude and Toby are delightfully illustrated by Jim Heath.  

The story begins with Gertrude and Toby making plans to spend the day at the lake fishing. Their plans go awry when the wolf 

stalks a little boy when he can't find the 3 pigs.  Gertrude and 

Toby comes to the rescue and saves the day for everyone.  

This was a cute and fun story.  

Parents of younger children may wish to preview.   

I receive an e version of the book so I can't make comment 

as to the paper back or hard copy version. 

Based on other books I've seen and read as a preschool teacher I would be likely to buy the hard cover copy and read the story to my grandchildren.  

I received a complimentary copy from EBooks for review.

This review will be posted on Amazon and Good Reads.

Available

Amazon

Happy Homemaker Monday-My Plans For The Week

The Weather-Cooler this week.  Rainy for a few days.  

On My Reading Pile-

 ,  

Quite a collection.  I'll be reviewing this month.

Favorite Blog Post-

Oh my goodness.  Is this not precious?  I have it pinned to copy 

for the party at Our Holiday Journey.  Visit Rooted In Thyme to read the post. Click Here.  Click here to visit Our Holiday Journey.

One Of My Simple Pleasures-

Dinner or lunch out.  I just love eating out.  It's not about the not having to cook because I love cooking but I just love going out and enjoying a meal at a restaurant.

On The Menu This Week-

Monday-Korean Beef, Egg Rolls,Oven Steamed Rice

Tuesday-Fettuccine Alfredo, Salad, Garlic Bread

Wednesday-Mexican Chicken/Rice, Refried Beans, Guac

Thursday- Kid Friendly Sloppy Joes, Onion Rings, Salad

Friday-Pork Chops, Green Beans, Cracker Barrel Potatoes

In The Garden- I have 3 tomato plants that needed to be transplanted.  I put two in garden.  I think one isn't going to survive.  I guess I waited too long.  

Cucumbers are ready to go to the garden.  The Cowboy made me a pvc pipe Tee Pee to grow the Cucumbers and Squash.  The yellow squash is ready to go outside too.  Spinach is growing and will be ready to harvest soon.  I transplanted Zinnia's and then realized they don't like being transplanted but I think the survived.

Looking Forward To This Week- An appointment tomorrow

night with a new family to clean their house.  Should be an easy one a 13 and 16 year old boy.  The couple has been married

22 years.  I am needing one my client to fill up my week.

Looking Around The House- Easter/Spring decorations.   I love bunnies so I always have bunnies surrounding me.

From The Camera-Bunnies surround me...

On My To Do List-

• Finish junk journals and mail
• Fold fabric to tidy and organize my shelf
• Plant,go to Feed Store and buy more
• Clean refrigerator

Something Fun To Share-

Here in June/July 

Devotional/Scripture

from my Simple Sunday post . . . 

Source

Thank you dear ones for coming over and visiting.  I love sharing my plans for the week with you.  

I hope you've been blessed and inspired by your visit.  
Linking with 
Happy Homemaker Monday
The Art Of Homemaking 
and a few others the list ins on my parties page

Have A Good Week

Book Review-Dying on the Vine-By Marla Cooper

About the book...(provided by Great Escapes Tours)

When wedding planner Kelsey McKenna goes to the Wine Country Wedding Faire, the last thing she expects to do is take on new clients. After all, she’s just there to help out her friend Brody and maybe score some free cupcakes. But when a young couple in a pinch asks for her help, she just can’t say no.

There’s only one problem: they’d been working with Babs Norton, the self-proclaimed Queen of Wine Country Weddings—and things did not end well. Kelsey wants to make sure there are no hard feelings, but unfortunately she never gets the chance. When she goes to Babs’ office, she finds the wedding planner dead on the floor.

Babs’ high-strung assistant Stefan knows exactly who killed Babs: Kelsey. At least, that’s what he very publicly accuses her of at Babs’ funeral. When Kelsey decides to do a little sleuthing to clear her name, she uncovers a myriad of secrets and lies. And when a second wedding planner is attacked, Kelsey begins to wonder if she might be next.

Set against the stunning backdrop of California wine country, Marla Cooper’s Dying on the Vine is a mystery brimming with gossip, wine, and, of course…murder.

And I thought....
Delightful new author and series for me.  Dying On The Vine was a fun read from page one.  
And suspenseful almost immediately.  
I enjoyed the banter between Kelsey and her friend Brody throughout the story.  
When Kelsey goes from witness to possible murder suspect she becomes determined to clear her name and get back to business and 'stay in business.    Brody is quick to help and suggests a 'Suspect Board' which  gets Laurel Kelsey's assistant involved in investigation.  And Kelsey in a little hot water when a client 
discovers it and His name!

Rumors fly about Kelsey and her business practices.  As crimes and accusations against Kelsey seem to pile up the three search out leads sneaking and snooping around the crime scenes finding evidence that the police seem to over look.  

Not only was I kept intrigued with the mystery I was intrigued with who Kelsey might end up in a romantic involvement with.  
There is the 'good cop' who is very nice looking.  Then there is Luke the winery business manager.  And then Brody introduces her to Jake.  Hmm.  There are some interesting bachelors in the mix giving the reader a fun few hours of reading enjoyment. 

I rate Dying On The Vine as one of my top favorites.  

And then there's the list of suspects from the very disgruntled father of the bride, to Bab's (the victim) assistant, along with Miles the winery owner and ultimately his brother Luke who falls off the list  of eligible bachelors.  

It becomes a race against time as Kelsey and the gang search for the murder and run for their lives!

I am looking forward to reading the series beginning with book 1
Terror In Taffeta and future installments in the 
Destination Wedding Murder Series.

I received a complimentary copy of Dying On The Vine from 
Great Escape Book Tours.
This review will appear on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and 
Good Reads.
This review will appear on My Journey Back and be linked at blog parties.  

Coffee with a character... I am not sure I can choose just one character or sub character to enjoy a little chat with!
I was infatuated with Brody and Laurel and of course Kelsey. 
So I think I would just like to sit and maybe have a glass of champagne or maybe a few quarts of ice cream and discuss how to solve a murder with all three.

Available...

Amazon  B&N

About the author...

As a freelance writer, MARLA COOPER has written all sorts of things, from advertising copy to travel guidebooks to the occasional haiku. But it was while ghostwriting a nonfiction guide to destination weddings that she found inspiration for her current series starring destination wedding planner Kelsey McKenna. Originally hailing from Texas, Marla lives in Oakland, California, with her husband and her polydactyl tuxedo cat.

Connect with the author...

Webpage – www.marla-cooper.com

Blog: www.chicksonthecase.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marla.Cooper.Author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kindacozy