FATAL FIRST EDITION -- Jenn's Release Day!

BUY TODAY!

JENN McKINLAY: How much do I love this cover? Let me count the ways... 

As ever, Heathcliff the dog is featured and now Zelda the cat is as well. Maybe that's how you can determine the longevity of a cozy series. How many of the amateur sleuth's pets are on the cover? 

The artist Julia Green is always amazing and when I told the art department that the opening of the book is a murder on a train and that a train set with the dog would be cool...well, they delivered. I mean look at that cover. It's fabulous!

This book is my homage to Patricia Highsmith's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN mashed up with Agatha Christie's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. This mysteries really make you want to try train travel, don't they? 

But truly the entire plot came about when I decided it would be fun to have my characters meet up with the characters of my plot group buddy Kate Carlisle, author of the NYT bestselling Bibliophile Mysteries. Her amateur sleuth Brooklyn Wainwright is a professional bookbinder and it just felt like my librarian Lindsey Norris needed to meet Brooklyn. Of course, I spent months teasing Kate that I was going to kill off her characters (I could never, I adore Brooklyn) but when it was time to submit the manuscript, I sent Kate the relevant pages and she approved the cameo. Not gonna lie, it was a blast to write another person's characters, especially since I'm a super fan as well as a friend of Kate's.

Hey, here's a thought the Reds should all scramble books and write each other's mysteries...aaaaand, they all just keeled over in horror! LOL.

But seriously, what do you think about cameos of characters from other author's series, Reds and Readers? Yay or Nay? 

ABOUT FATAL FIRST EDITION

People are dying to get their hands on a rare, valuable book in the newest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Plot and the Pendulum. Briar Creek Library director Lindsey Norris and her husband, Sully, are at a popular library conference in Chicago to hear book restoration specialist Brooklyn Wainwright give a keynote address. After the lecture, Lindsey looks under her seat and finds a tote bag containing a first edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, inscribed to Alfred Hitchcock. Brooklyn determines the novel is one of a kind and quite valuable, so Lindsey and Sully return the book to the conference director, not wanting to stir up any trouble. But just hours after the pair boards the train back to Connecticut, rumors that the Highsmith novel has gone missing buzz amongst the passengers, and they soon find the conference director murdered in his private compartment. And worse—the murderer planted the book in Lindsey and Sully’s room next door, making them prime suspects. Now, they must uncover the murderer and bring them to the end of their line, before they find themselves booked for a crime they didn’t commit. Featuring a cameo by a beloved character from the New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile series!

The Stolen Legacy: The Shocking True Story of Book Theft that Inspired a Novel by Kate Carlisle

Jenn McKinlay: I am delighted to have my dear friend and plot group buddy here with us today to share what inspired her latest (and greatest!) bibliophile mystery! Woo hoo!

Kate Carlisle: We mystery writers are a warped lot. We have to be—we put ourselves into the minds of people who do some pretty awful things. You know, like murder.

Yet, I can still be shocked by real-life villainy. Archivist and supposed booklover Greg Priore stole eight million dollars of rare books and ephemera from the antiquarian library he managed. It gets worse. With an X-acto knife, Priore cut out the heart of many precious books, removing maps and illustrations to sell to unwitting private collectors. How could he????

For almost 20 years, Priore fenced stolen goods through a rare book dealer. Both men pled guilty to their crimes.

The ending of the story—the sentencing—is perhaps the most shocking part. Zero jail time. Just a few years of house arrest followed by probation. (The judge explained to the New York Times that they weren’t incarcerated because of the coronavirus pandemic.)

Full story: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/theft-carnegie-library-books-maps-artworks-180975506/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/20/us/Carnegie-library-theft-schulman-priore.html

When I read that story, I was as shocked and as disgusted as the rest of the book-loving community. But I was also inspired. (I told you we writers are warped!)

In my latest Bibliophile Mystery, The Twelve Books of Christmas, twelve rare and valuable books have mysteriously gone missing from the library of Castle MacKinnon, in Oddlochen, Scotland. Bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright flies with her husband Derek Stone to Scotland to attend the holiday wedding of dear friends and to find the missing books. When she arrives, she’s disturbed to discover that the castle library is locked, and that the only person with a key is the librarian under whose watch the books went missing.

Unfortunately, as Brooklyn and Derek search the castle for the missing books, they come across something far more sinister—the body of a murder victim. Could the death and the book thefts be connected?

I’ll be at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ on Saturday, November 5 at 2 pm, with Hannah Dennison and Michelle Hoffman. We’d love to see you there! If you can’t make it in person, you can purchase a signed copy of The Twelve Books of Christmas here: http://bit.ly/3JeFQj3

GIVEAWAY

For a chance to win a $25 gift card to Poisoned Pen Bookstore*, tell me about a favorite holiday tradition—any holiday! 

*The giveaway is open internationally, but if the winner is outside the US, the prize will be a $25 gift card to the bookstore of his or her choice, as long as it can be purchased online with a US credit card.

BUY NOW

ABOUT THE TWELVE BOOKS OF CHRISTMAS

The first ever Christmas mystery in the beloved New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series!

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright and her hunky security-expert husband, Derek Stone, face a locked-room murder mystery during the holidays in Scotland.

In the middle of a wonderful Christmas holiday in Dharma, Brooklyn and Derek receive a frantic phone call from their dear friend Claire near Loch Ness, Scotland. The laird of the castle, Cameron MacKinnon, has just proposed to her! They plan to be married on New Year’s Day, and they want Derek and Brooklyn to be their witnesses. And while they’re visiting, Claire hopes that Brooklyn will be able to solve a little mystery that’s occurred in the castle library—twelve very rare, very important books have gone missing.

Once in Scotland, Brooklyn starts working on the mystery of the missing books but is soon distracted by all of the thumping and bumping noises she’s been hearing in the middle of the night. You’d think the Ghost of Christmas Past had taken up residence. But when one castle employee meets an untimely end and a guest is killed by an arrow through the heart, Brooklyn and Derek know this is not the work of any ghost. Now they must race to find a killer and a book thief before another murder occurs and their friends’ bright and happy future turns dark and deadly.

Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of two ongoing series: the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery and murder; and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries (as seen on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors' closets, but murder victims, too. Kate’s latest book is The Twelve Books of Christmas, Bibliophile Mystery 17.

When Life Becomes a Sitcom by Jenn McKinlay

Sometimes life really does feel more like a sitcom written by Larry David (Seinfeld/Curb Your Enthusiasm) than real life. In my case, it happened at Bouchercon and guest starred Eriq La Salle (unbeknownst to him).

Opening scene: After enjoying pre-dinner cocktails/mocktails with this crew of miscreants (i.e. my plot group buddies and their spousal units)...

Don and Kate
Charlie, Paige, Jenn, and Chris (aka Hub)

...we made our way to the elevators to go to dinner. The doors opened and there was Eriq La Salle with another conference goer. Of course, everyone is super chill and says nothing but silence makes extrovert me itchy, so I felt compelled to tap Eriq's arm and say, "I loved you on ER."

He smiled and said, "Thank you."

Silence returned and then someone in my crew (I think) said, "ER? When were you at the ER? Why were you at the ER?"

Naturally, I felt compelled to explain, "No, he was on the show ER. You know, created by Michael Crichton, took place in an emergency room."

To which Eriq, looking at the floor, said, "Feeling really uncomfortable now."

I was confident he was joking and I was on a roll, so I kept going. "Remember? He played a doctor."

The crew chatted about the show amongst ourselves (okay, mostly me) for a bit until Eriq said, "I'm right here. You know I can hear you, right?"

We all laughed and Hub joked, "Sorry, as soon as the doors open, I'll get her out of here."

"Please." Eriq sent him a mock desperate look.

Of course, we thought that was hilarious. When the elevator stopped, I thanked Eriq for being so kind and he took my hand in his and said, "It was really nice to meet you."

Now this would have been a perfect meet and greet at a conference of 1700 attendees where I would most likely never bump into the same person twice, but we were living in a sitcom, so the story doesn't end there.

My friends teased me mercilessly and hilariously that after I accosted Eriq in the elevator every time he came into a room that I was in, he would see me and bolt. I joined in and when I saw Eriq across the book room, in the lobby, or at a Guest of Honor interview, I pretended to wave to him and then continued the pretense that he saw me (he didn't) and did a quick pivot to get away from me. All good self-deprecating fun! 

Now because I'm a slacker and a baseball fan, I dipped on the banquet and went to the Padres game instead (they won!!!). I also ate my body weight in hot dogs, tacos, ice cream, peanuts...you get the idea. (Hey, calories don't count at conferences especially when you're walking 18K steps per day)! After the game, Hub and I rolled back to our room and were ready for bed by 9:00 PM. Hardcore partiers, I know!

The banquet was still going, however, and I got a text from Paige telling me I couldn't go to bed because they had something for me. I waited for a bit but then texted back that I absolutely had to crash. I was thinking whatever goodie bag they had grabbed for me could wait. Paige then called (yes, actually called) and said, "Just come down to the main floor. Really quick. Trust me."

Y'all, I was in my pajamas! But I love my plot group besties so I put on pants and my baseball hat and threw on a sweatshirt over my jammie top and went downstairs. 

In short order the crew (Paige, Charlie, Kate, and Don) arrived, with the addition of Leslie Karst who was now in on the joke, and they handed me Eriq La Salle's book LAWS of DEPRAVITY. This cracked me up, because it was the perfect gift. 

BUY HERE

Then they told me to open it. Apparently, Paige and Charlie scored the book and then randomly bumped into Eriq (because, of course they did!). They asked him if he remembered the incident in the elevator to which he replied, "Oh, I remember."

Eriq very graciously signed it with Charlie's suggested inscription  "thanks for making me uncomfortable" which obviously made me howl with laughter. Truly, the best inscription I've ever received.

Now this really should be the end of the tale. Is it? No, of course, it isn't! While we were laughing and chatting on the far side of the hotel away from everyone, who should walk by? Yes! Eriq La Salle! What are the odds?!

I held up the book and yelled, "Hey, Eriq, thanks for the book!" 

He grinned and strode toward me and said, "Jenn, can you read what I wrote? I was running out of room."

I replied, "Oh, yeah, I can read it." We both laughed and then I said, "You know we have to take a picture now."

And he said, "Of course."

So we did. End of episode.

Sitcom Jenn and guest star Eriq - What a great guy!

Now, everyone, go buy his books!!! He has two out in the Martyr Maker series, Laws of Depravity and Laws of Wrath, with a third, Laws of Annihilation, on the way in October. 

So, tell me, Reds and Readers, have you ever found yourself living a sitcom or had a celebrity meeting that just went sideways -- in a good way? 

What We're Writing - Fatal First Edition by Jenn McKinlay

 We have some winners!!!

Diana, you are the winner of Rhys's giveaway of The Paris Assignment! You can email her with your email address at authorrhysbowen at gmail dot com 

Celia, you are the winner of Lucy's giveaway of the paperback of A Dish to Die For ! You can email her with your address at raisleib at gmail dot com

Congratulations!!!

JENN: I'm not writing so much as doing page proofs on FATAL FIRST EDITION. I found a massive error on page 77, so I'm trying to correct it and not change the page layout. What a dope! I knew I needed to fix it during copyedits and somehow I missed it. Argh!

Anyway, here is the newly finalized cover! YAY! 

FEBRUARY 2024

As you can probably deduce, there is a train involved. Even better than that--what could be better, you ask?--well, the opening of the mystery takes place at an archivist conference and the guest speaker is none other than Brooklyn Wainwright from Kate Carlisle's bestselling Bibliophile mystery series. 

Coming October 24th

Yes, Kate gave her permission. In my mind, I love to believe that Brooklyn and Lindsey are as good of friends as Kate and I.

Here's a snippet from their meeting: 

     Lindsey tried not to be nervous as she approached the famed book restorer. She’d read articles about Brooklyn Wainwright and watched online videos where she discussed her various projects. She was everything Lindsey had hoped to be when she’d been in library school, studying to be an archivist. 

     “Excuse me, Ms. Wainwright,” she said.

     Brooklyn turned away from Standish and gave Lindsey her full attention. “Hi, how can I help you?”

     “I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a book here that I was hoping you’d take a look at?” Lindsey used up speak, turning it into a question so that she didn’t sound demanding. She held out the bag and the man beside Brooklyn took it before Brooklyn could. 

     “Really, Derek?” Brooklyn asked the man but he ignored her and opened the bag, peeking inside.

     “Yes, really, darling,” he said. Lindsey noted his British accent and immediately warmed to him as he reminded her of their friend Robbie Vine, also Brit, back home in Briar Creek. “If I’ve learned one thing whilst being married to you, it’s that books can kill.”

     Sully turned to Lindsey with his eyebrows raised. “He’s not wrong.”

     Lindsey glanced at Brooklyn and in that moment she knew she was right and they really were kindred spirits. Not just in their love of old books but also in the men they’d married. 

     “It’s clear.” Derek handed the bag to Brooklyn. 

     “Thank you,” she said. She took the book out of the bag holding it gently just as Lindsey had. 

     She examined every bit of it, cloth cover, edges, and spine, and when she opened it and read the inscription, she gasped. “This could be worth a fortune. It’s a first edition with what appears to be the original dust jacket and it’s in amazing shape. It’d go easily for several thousand but the inscription, if authenticated, makes it an extremely rare collectible for both fans of Highsmith and Hitchcock. The bidding war at an auction for this book could be off the chart.”

     Henry Standish who’d been speaking with one of the conference volunteers, identifiable by the lanyard and badge that he wore, joined them. “Thank you again, Brooklyn, always a pleasure. Our next speaker is here, however, so…”

     He made a shooing motion with his hands. Well, that was abrupt. 

     Brooklyn and Derek exchanged an amused glance. She put the book back in the bag and handed it to Lindsey. “It appears to be in excellent condition. You have quite a treasure there.”

     “It’s not mine,” Lindsey said. “I found it under my seat.” Henry glanced between them clearly impatient for them to depart. Lindsey held the tote bag out to him. “Do you have a lost and found for the conference?”
     “Yes, of course. You can check with the registration staff,” he said. “I’m sure they have one set up right there by the main doors.”

     He began to walk, ushering them like a flock of ducks across a busy road.

     “I’ve only taken a quick glance at the book and I’d need more time to be certain, but I think that book is very valuable, as in tens of thousands of dollars,” Brooklyn said. “Potentially even more than that.”

     Henry stopped ushering. “Excuse me?”

     Brooklyn nodded. “First edition, excellent condition, and inscribed by the author to a famous movie director? We’re talking big money.”

     “And probably a murder,” Derek muttered under his breath. “In fact, I think we need to go so you don’t get involved in yet another life threatening situation.”

     “Me?” Brooklyn put her hand on her chest, the picture of innocence.

     “Sound advice,” Sully said. He and Derek exchanged a look of complete understanding. “We should go to.”

     “But the book,” Lindsey and Brooklyn protested together.

I had so much fun writing Kate's characters into the mystery, although I did tease her and tell her I was going to kill them off - LOL!!! I know, I'm a terrible friend. Also, I would never. I love Brooklyn and Derek!

So, how about it, Reds and Readers, do you enjoy it when characters from one series pop up in another? 

A Whisper Is Worth a Thousand Words By Kate Carlisle, author of Dressed to Drill

Jenn McKinlay: Yay!!! Today one of my very favorite authors is here. The fabulously creative, imaginative, and talented Kate Carlisle to talk about her brilliant new book DRESSED TO DRILL. And trust me when I tell you, you'll want to listen to this!

Kate Carlisle: Shh. Do you hear that? 

 Whatever “that” is you’re hearing is a sound wave. Sound is an interesting thing because although it’s invisible, it behaves as a physical thing. It moves; it vibrates; it bounces. Sound is energy. 

While I was doing research for my latest Fixer-Upper Mystery, Dressed to Drill (available in paperback, ebook and audiobook), I learned about a fascinating acoustic phenomenon known as a whispering wall, or a whispering gallery. When a sound wave hits a flat wall, it reflects back from that wall at the same angle at which it hit, just as light does. But when that sound wave hits a curved wall or domed ceiling, it can travel along the curve, making even a whisper audible across the room. 

A few famous examples of this include: 

Gol Gumbaz Mausoleum, India

St. Paul’s Cathedral, England

Grand Central Station, New York

That’s not a naughty boy being punished; that’s a tourist talking quietly to his girlfriend, who’s listening from the opposite corner of the bustling train station.

The whispering wall is such an amazing phenomenon that I, of course, had to use it in a book, and Dressed to Drill gave me the perfect opportunity. In it, contractor Shannon Hammer is renovating the beautiful Victorian Gothic Lighthouse Cove church and turning it into a world-class art museum.

In this scene, Shannon and her crew are being given a tour of the church by the museum director: 

     We watched them walk toward the altar and beyond to the back wall. Then Madeline and Wade began a quiet conversation about the latest restaurants they’d been to. And we could hear every word! 

     “Whoa!” Sean said. Carla began to laugh. “You guys, we can hear every word you’re saying.” 

     “Good,” Madeline said. “The shape of the dome and the arched wall behind us create a phenomenon that some scientists call ‘whispering walls’ or ‘whispering arches’. It’s fascinating and a little eerie, don’t you think?” 

     I turned around and gave my crew a meaningful look. “Did everyone see what happened? Do you understand what it means?” 

     No spoilers here, but suffice to say that the whispering wall will play a critical role as Shannon investigates the death of a young woman who is murdered within the church’s hallowed halls. I’m excited to—pardon the pun—to hear what you think about Dressed to Drill.

BUY NOW

ABOUT THE BOOK

Contractor Shannon Hammer’s new project renovating an old church reveals some old sins when a body is found on the premises in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle. 

     While Shannon Hammer is thrilled to attend the premiere of the movie based on the latest book by her boyfriend, Mac, she can’t wait to trade her killer heels for work boots and start her next renovation project in Lighthouse Cove: a quaint Victorian church that has seen better days. And it will see them again—as an art museum—if Shannon, her talented crew, and her sister, Chloe, have anything to say about it. 

     However, on the first day of demolition, work comes to a screeching halt when they stumble upon the body of a beautiful young woman in one of the chapels. Who killed the assistant artistic director? Suspects crawl out of the woodwork as fast as Shannon can restore it. The church is hiding a century of secrets dating back to the days when smugglers wreaked havoc on the California coast. But it’s a more recent secret that leads to murder. Shannon and Mac will use every tool in their toolbox to nail down the truth before any more lives are sacrificed.

Tell us, Reds and Readers, what is one of your favorite sounds? What is one of your least favorite sounds?

Be Thankful. . . or Else! By Kate Carlisle, author of Absence of Mallets

Jenn McKinlay: Have you read the Fixer-Upper mysteries yet? Honestly, with titles like Eaves of Destruction, A Wrench in the Works, and Shot Through the Hearth...how can you resist? They're genius, I say, pure genius. Number 9 in the long running series -  Absence of Mallets - drops on Dec 7th! Don't miss it! And now here's Kate to talk about the series and her plans for turkey day!

Kate Carlisle: Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I sure am! My deadline is the week before, so I anticipate that I will be in relaxation mode after months in the writing cave. Of course, it’s easy for me to look forward to it, since the most work I’ll do in the kitchen is to open a bottle of wine.

 

Thankful for restaurants!

Did you know that the national holiday of Thanksgiving is due in large part to the efforts of one strong and determined woman?

 

Thankful for strong women!

 

In 1863, after a decades-long campaign by Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of a ladies’ magazine, Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving. (Yes, right in the middle of the Civil War!)

 

Thankful for Abraham Lincoln!

 

So although we all think of the first Thanksgiving when the Plymouth settlers and the Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn feast, the first national celebration was during Victorian times. And I’m thankful for that because it provides me with a smooth segue into talking about my next book, Absence of Mallets, because Lighthouse Cove, the fictional town where my Fixer-Upper Mysteries are set, is known for its Victorian architecture.

ORDER TODAY

So I thought I’d round up some idyllic Victorian Thanksgiving cards to share. (Thankful for public domain!) I imagined entertaining you with charming illustrations of flowers and cherub-cheeked children. I was surprised by the dark theme I uncovered.

 

 

Ah—there are the cherubs, fresh from the scene of the crime. It’s always the ones you least suspect.

 

All this has me feeling very thankful for readers, and for being here today. (Thanks, Jenn, for inviting me!) So I’m going to give away a Fixer-Upper Mystery measuring tape to one lucky commenter. For a chance to win, tell me something you’re thankful for. +1 bonus entry for also telling a joke!

ABOUT ABSENCE OF MALLETS

Contractor Shannon Hammer steels her nerve to pin down a killer in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from the New York Timesbestselling author of Premeditated Mortar. . . .

 

Shannon could not be happier that her hunky thriller-writing boyfriend, Mac, has moved in, and it is a good thing they are living together because they are both busier than ever. Mac is hosting writing retreats at his now vacant lighthouse mansion, while Shannon and her crew build Homefront, a quaint Victorian village of tiny homes for veterans in need. Mac’s latest guests are proving to be a handful though, and Shannon has heard some grumbling from the luminaries of Lighthouse Cove about her latest passion project. But nothing can throw a wrench in their plans except a malicious murder.

 

When one of Shannon’s new friends is found brutally bludgeoned with a mallet near the lighthouse on Mac’s property, the couple hammers out a suspect list and searches for a motive. As they drill deeper for clues, more violence strikes and a new victim winds up in a coma. The pressure is on, and Shannon and Mac will have to move fast to find an unhinged killer dead set on demolishing anyone who gets in their way. . . 

 

SHOP NOW

The Poisoned Pen Bookstore – https://bit.ly/aom-pp 

Murder by the Book – https://bit.ly/aom-mbtb 

Mysterious Galaxy – https://bit.ly/aom-mg 

Mystery Lovers Bookshop – https://bit.ly/aom-mlb 

Bookshop.org – https://bit.ly/aom-bkshp 

Amazon - https://amzn.to/3jn05MV

Apple Books - https://apple.co/3iqDgsB

Barnes & Noble - https://bit.ly/aom-bn

Kobo - https://bit.ly/aom-kobo 

Books as Wish Fulfillment by Kate Carlisle, author of The Little Black Book

Jenn McKinlay: She's here! She's here! My amazing plot group buddy and partner in all manner of shenanigans is here to share the latest on her upcoming release The Little Black Book (which is FANTASTIC)!!! Yay! Everyone, please welcome the amazing Kate Carlisle!

Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of two ongoing series: the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery and murder; and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries (as seen on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors' closets, but murder victims, too.

Kate: My husband and I love to travel. I’ll confess that the freedom to travel was a big part of why I wanted to be a writer. (And the tax write-off for research trips didn’t hurt!)

Right about the time the pandemic hit in March 2020, I was starting to work on the book that would become Little Black Book. Like so many other people, we’d had to cancel a trip, and planning future trips felt impossible with so many unknowns. I think that’s why I wanted this story to be an adventure, even more so than usual. I wanted to get away from COVID, to get out of my mind, out of my house, out of my life.

ORDER NOW

Writing Little Black Bookwas my escape, and I hope reading it will be an escape for you. As bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright and her British security expert Derek Stone follow the clues discovered in a first edition of Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca,the action takes them from San Francisco to the wine country commune where Brooklyn grew up and all the way to a castle on the shores of Loch Ness.

 

In essence, there are four settings in Little Black Book to take you out of your mind, house, and life: San Francisco, Dharma, a luxurious private jet, and Scotland. As a bonus, I’ve included one recipe from each of the four locales at the back of the book, plus a fifth recipe to tie them all together. I’ve included one of the recipes below to whet your appetite, but first. . . 

 

ABOUT LITTLE BLACK BOOK 

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is on the case when a rare edition of Rebecca leads to murder in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series.

Brooklyn and her hunky husband, security expert Derek Stone, have just returned from a delightful trip to Dharma, where the construction of their new home away from home is well underway, when a little black book arrives in the mail from Scotland. The book is a rare British first edition of Rebecca, and there’s no return address on the package. The day after the book arrives, Claire Quinn shows up at Brooklyn and Derek’s home. Brooklyn met Claire when the two women worked as expert appraisers on the television show This Old Attic. Brooklyn appraised books on the show and Claire’s expertise was in antique British weaponry, but they bonded over their shared love of gothic novels.

Claire reveals that during a recent trip to Scotland she discovered her beloved aunt was missing and that her home had been ransacked. Among her aunt’s belongings, Claire found the receipt for the package that wound up with Brooklyn and Derek. Claire believes both her own life and her aunt’s are in danger and worries that some complications from her past are coming back to haunt her.

But just as Brooklyn and Derek begin to investigate, a man who Claire thinks was following her is found murdered, stabbed with a priceless jeweled dagger. With a death on their doorstep, Brooklyn and Derek page through the little black book where they discover clues that will take them to the shadows of a medieval Scottish castle on the shores of Loch Ness. Under the watchful gaze of a mysterious laird and the irascible villagers who are suspicious of the strangers in their midst, Brooklyn and Derek must decode the secrets in Rebecca to keep their friend’s past from destroying their future....

Savory Cheese Scones

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp garlic salt

2 Tbsp sugar

8 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 egg

1-3 Tbsp cold milk, divided

2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/8-inch pieces

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

2 Tbsp fresh chives

Whisk or sift together the flour through sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt and egg, then put in the fridge until you're ready for it.

Cut the butter pieces into the flour mixture until it resembled wet sand. Stir in the cold yogurt/egg mixture. The dough is meant to be crumbly, but if it won't come together at all, sprinkle with one tablespoon of cold milk and stir again. If it still won't come together, sprinkle with one more tablespoon of cold milk. Fold in half the grated Parmesan, all of the cheddar and all of the chives. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball of dough, and then into a round disk, about 3/4-inch thick by 9 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the disk into 12 wedges. Put 1 Tbsp cold milk in a small dish and brush top of each scone with milk. The sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake about two inches apart until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Do you love to travel? What dream trip would you like to take, if money were no object? 

Learning Something New about an Old Friend by Kate Carlisle

Jenn McKinlay: How lucky am I have to have both of my plot group buddies releasing books this month? Today, we're celebrating Kate Carlisle's fabulous addition to her Fixer Upper Mystery Series, the one that the Hallmark Mystery channel made into a TV series! PREMEDITATED MORTAR came out on Dec 1st and it is FANTASTIC! But before I spoil it, here's Kate to tell you more about it.

 

Kate Carlisle is the New York Timesbestselling author of two ongoing series: the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery and murder; and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries (as seen on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors' closets, but murder victims, too. Kate’s newest book is Premeditated Mortar.

 

Have you ever discovered something about an old friend that was so surprising that it changed your perception of them? I don’t mean anything sinister, like they poisoned their first-grade teacher. I’m talking about things such as you found out that your strait-laced, twinset-wearing, PTA president friend used to ride Harleys. Or your friend who eschews makeup and all things girlie was once queened Miss Rutabaga. Or your crotchety next-door neighbor was once a child actor in a popular TV show.

Maybe that only happens in California.

One of the reasons I love reading—and writing—long-running mystery series is because we get to know more and more about the characters as the series goes on. We discover new facets of characters, which makes them all the more real to us.

 

For writers, it’s tricky, because we have to stay true to the characters. We can’t reveal something about a character that contradicts something readers already know to be true. Not without a plausible explanation of the discrepancy that doesn’t invalidate the events and motivations of earlier books. That makes readers feel betrayed.

The way around this is to withhold details of a character’s past unless it’s relevant to the story. That gives writers more freedom in books to come.

AVAILABLE NOW!

In Premeditated Mortar, readers will learn something new about Shannon Hammer’s best friend Jane. (If you haven’t read the Fixer-Upper Mysteries yet, not to worry. You can jump in with Premeditated Mortar without feeling lost. The mystery is self-contained.) All the way back in book two, This Old Homicide, Jane’s last living relative was killed. But I didn’t go into a lot of detail about why she was raised by her beloved uncle Jesse or what happened to her parents. Now, in Premeditated Mortar, readers will discover Jane has a very personal and poignant connection to the abandoned asylum outside of Lighthouse Cove. And a very special reason why she’s determined, with Shannon’s help, to bring joy back to the rundown building by turning it into the premiere luxury hotel in Lighthouse Cove.

With loads of humor throughout.

Here’s a little sneak peek from Premeditated Mortar to show you the kind of friendship Shannon and Jane enjoy. Shannon’s boyfriend Mac has just discovered her behind a half-demolished wall, where she was pushed by unseen hands.

 

“Is she here?” a woman cried out.

 

I groaned out loud. That was Jane. She was going to kill me. 

 

“Tell her I’m not here,” I muttered.

 

Mac laughed. “Sorry, babe. You’ll have to tell her that yourself.”

 

“Damn it,” I grumbled.

 

“Shannon! Oh my God, she’s not moving.” She sobbed. “Is she alive?”

 

“Of course I’m alive, I groused.

 

“Good,” Jane said. “Because I’m going to kill you.”

 

I sighed. “I know.”

AVAILABLE NOW!

Where can you get your hands on Premeditated Mortar? At any bookstore or ebook retailer. To make it easy for you, here are a few links:

 

Amazon - https://amzn.to/39pZqUC

Apple Books - https://apple.co/2PKCKGW

BN - http://bit.ly/3awhht9

Bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/32kjsxE

Google - http://bit.ly/2wsdDlC

Indiebound - http://bit.ly/3cFMk82

Kobo - http://bit.ly/38m4RCP

Murder by the Book - https://bit.ly/33yFQE2

Mysterious Galaxy - https://bit.ly/32zlbjO

Poisoned Pen - https://bit.ly/2FBAtMf

Share an interesting fact about yourself that might surprise people who don’t know you well. I’ll start—for years, I worked in television production. Okay, your turn! I’ll choose five random commenters to receive a Fixer-Upper Mystery measuring tape!!!