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!!!

 

Dying for Devil's Food is out!!!

Jenn McKinlay: Book birthdays are the best birthdays to have! This week not only are we celebrating Lucy's release of A DEADLY FEAST with Key Lime Pie but also my eleventh Cupcake Bakery Mystery with Devil's Food Cake!!! Woo hoo! 

Available May 7th!!!

     Bullies. No one likes a bully. When I started writing Dying for Devil’s Food and I knew Melanie Cooper was going to be confronted with the opportunity to face down her old nemeses, I had to think for the first time about why her school tormentors were they way they were. What made them so vicious and mean? This is Character Development 101 – figure out your character’s motivations because no one is a jerk for no reason. At least, I hope not.

     Cassidy Havers and Dwight Pickard were the two students most responsible for Mel’s misery in high school. Cassidy nicknamed her “Melephant” and did everything she could to torture Mel about her weight, her looks, and her shyness. But why? Why would someone go out of their way to make another person so miserable?

     I didn’t have much of a frame of reference for this because I was pretty lucky in school in that I can’t remember being bullied. Oh, sure, at six feet tall, I was teased just like the kid with the sticky out ears, the girl with the super thick glasses, and the boy who was so skinny he looked like he was made of string. But while I was teased for my height I never felt bullied, not like Mel did, so what made Cassidy so mean to her?

     “Hurt people hurt people.” I read this sentence in a discussion about bullying awhile ago and it’s always stuck with me. It’s true, a person who is hurting will strike out and hurt other people. Knowing this, I thought long and hard about why Cassidy had wanted to hurt Mel so much back in high school. To my surprise, this added all new twists and turns to the plot that I hadn’t expected but was delighted to explore. I’d say more, but I don’t want to give away too much.

     The other element of the story that surprised me was a surprise reconciliation with one of her former bullies. When one of her former tormentors grudgingly helps Mel track down the killer, it was an opportunity for the characters to discover each other beyond the persona of bully and victim. But after so much pain, could two people actually find friendship? Again, I can’t say too much but how does a person forgive someone for making them miserable during the most vulnerable years of their life? You’ll have to read the book to find out! 

     Here’s a longer description of Dying for Devil’s Food to whet your appetite: Melanie Cooper has zero interest in catering her fifteen-year high school reunion, but Angie insists it's only right that they bask in the success of Fairy Tale Cupcakes--and Mel's engagement to the delicious Joe DeLaura is the cherry on top!

Everything is going better than expected until Cassidy Havers, resident mean girl and Mel's high school nemesis, picks a fight. No longer willing to put up with Cassidy's bullying, Mel is ready to tell the former homecoming queen to shut her piehole and call it a night. But as Mel and Joe prepare to depart, Cassidy is found dead in the girl's bathroom, next to a note written in lipstick that points right to Mel--making her the prime suspect.

Now, Mel must follow the clues to find the real killer and keep her reputation from being frosted for a crime she didn't commit.

How about you Reds and Readers, do you go to reunions? Were there bullies when you went to school? Do you think you can ever forgive a bully?

12 Mysteries of Christmas + Giveaway By Kate Carlisle

JENN McKINLAY: Yay! Yay! Yay! Today, my guest is one of my very favorite writers, my plotting partner, and all around gal pal the one the only...Kate Carlisle! And she has a super fun holiday blog post to share for those of us struggling in the gifting arts. Take it, Kate!

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, featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors' closets, but murder victims, too. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries has brought three of the Fixer-Upper Mysteries to life in a series starring Jewel and Colin Ferguson. Watch for Kate's cameo in the second film!

I love a Christmas mystery. I even wrote one—Deck the Hallways. I don't know what it is about the holidays and murder that just seem to go together… Maybe all that Christmas muzak sends people over the edge.

To be truly satisfying, a Christmas mystery needs more than just to be set during the holiday season. It needs to be filled with cozy Christmas elements. The spirit of the season (murder notwithstanding). These 12 Mysteries of Christmas will fill your heart with joy. . . and your stocking with homicide!

Six Cats a Slayin' by Miranda James

Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel, are busy decking the halls for the holidays when an unexpected delivery and a shocking murder conspire to shake up the season.

Deck the Hallways by Kate Carlisle (aka, me)

Someone's been slayed! If contractor Shannon Hammer can't nail the real culprit in the St. Nick of time, her dad will wind up in the clink...

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie

The holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder—and the notoriously fastidious investigator is quickly on the case.

How the Finch Stole Christmas by Donna Andrews

When Meg's family stages a production of A Christmas Carol, the show must go on, even if the famous—though slightly over-the-hill—actor who's come to town to play the starring role of Scrooge has brought a sleigh-load of baggage and enemies with him.

White Colander Crime by Victorian Hamilton

The Heritage Society is re-creating a perfect Victorian Christmas—until good tidings go bad... At the end of a long day of festival fun, food columnist Jaymie Leighton discovers the body of local woman who predicted her own murder.

Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany

In Rudolph, New York, it’s Christmastime all year long. But this December, while the snow-lined streets seem merry and bright, a murder is about to ruin everyone’s holiday cheer.

Wreath between the Lines by Daryl Wood Gerber

The holidays are cookbook shop owner Jenna Hart's favorite time of year, until the friend of a friend is murdered with a Christmas tree star.

Not a Creature Was Purring by Krista Davis

Innkeeper Holly Miller finds it ruff staying cheerful over the holidays when the dead body of a beloved businessman turns up in the pet-friendly town of Wagtail, Virginia.

'Twas the Knife before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost

When a body turns up in a larger-than-life candy bowl filled with peppermints on the Mistletoe, Maine town square, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect.

Death with All the Trimmings by Lucy Burdette

The only snow in Key West this Christmas is Hayley Snow, food critic for Key Zest magazine, who is not getting time off for the holiday…or time off from murder.

A Midwinter's Tail by Bethany Blake

Nothing gets professional pet sitter Daphne Templeton into the Christmas spirit more than the town’s annual Bark the Halls Ball. . . until the founder of a national chain of pet care franchises is found murdered, and Daphne's friend is the prime suspect.

A Holiday Yarn by Sally Goldenbaum

Holiday time is magical in Sea Harbor, as the Seaside Knitters turn winter yarns of deep reds, greens, and golds into gifts. But when murder comes to this small New England town, they must set aside their needles to pursue justice—and restore joy to the season.

Let's have some fun today! Give a little murderous twist to the title or lyric of a Christmas song, turning it into a great title for a Christmas mystery novel. For example: Rudolph, the Red-Handed Culprit. Everyone who plays this little reindeer game with me will be entered for a chance to win a signed copy of Deck the Hallways. (Please note: it's not enough just to post a generic comment. You need to play the game.)

ABOUT DECK THE HALLWAYS

Read chapter one for free at http://katecarlisle.com/deck-the-hallways.php

Someone's been slayed! If contractor Shannon Hammer can't nail the real culprit in the St. Nick of time, her dad will wind up in the clink...

Even at Christmastime, Shannon is more spackle than sparkle, which is why she leaps at the chance to transform a grand old Victorian mansion into ten charming apartments for homeless families. Filled with the spirit of the season, all of Lighthouse Cove turns out to help—including her best friends, a troupe of far-from-angelic Santa Claus impersonators, and her father, Jack.

But their merriment is soon dashed by a heated scuffle between Jack and the miserly president of the bank who's backing the project. When the man is murdered, all eyes are on Jack, and visions of prison time dance in Shannon's head. Now, she needs to pull off a crime-solving miracle, before her father's Christmas goose is cooked...

JENN: What about it, Reds and Readers? Dazzle me! What's your murderous twist to the title or lyric of a Christmas song? 

A Multiple Series Mash-Up by Jenn McKinlay

What are the perks to writing multiple series? Oh, there are so many. Over the past eight years, I have written five different mystery series. Two under the pseudonyms Lucy Lawrence and Josie Belle and three under the name Jenn McKinlay, which is my actual name. The three under my name have nothing in common. Nothing. Except somewhere along the line I started putting in crossover mentions or Easter eggs, as they’re called in the trade, for readers to find like an inside secret for those that have read more than one of my series.

The Mash-Up

How did it start? I’m not really sure. One day, I decided to have Scarlett Parker’s parents from the London Hat Shop mysteries buy a house in Briar Creek, the setting for the Library Lover’s mysteries. And in the Cupcake Bakery series, I have them looking at Vegas showgirl hats designed by a London milliner, which of course is Viv, the proprietor of Mim’s Whims, from the Hat Shop mysteries. Theses random mentions were a hoot to write and I got a lot of positive feedback from the readers who’d read all three series.

And now you’re wondering what does this have to do with Death in the Stacks? Well, because my hat shop series ended, I thought it would be hilarious to have the London characters visit the library and its community as a last glimpse at them before they departed for good…maybe. Of course, once I jumped on that train then I had to have the cupcake bakery characters do a walk on as well. It was crazy trying to give all of these characters equal airtime. And in fact, I couldn’t. But they are all there and they are all in the scene for the murder which I had the best time writing. It felt exactly like introducing your best friends and having them all hit it off, you know, over the discovery of a dead body.

   

On Sale TODAY!!!

DEATH IN THE STACKS: 

Lindsey Norris and her staff are gearing up for the Briar Creek Library’s annual Dinner in the Stacks fund-raiser. The night of dinner and dancing is not only a booklover’s dream—it’s the library’s biggest moneymaker of the year. But instead of raising funds, the new library board president is busy raising a stink and making the staff miserable.

Although Olive Boyle acts like a storybook villain, Lindsey is determined to work with her and make the event a success. But when Olive publicly threatens the library’s newest hire, Paula, Lindsey cracks like an old book spine and throws Olive out of the library.

The night of the fund-raiser, Lindsey dreads another altercation with Olive—but instead finds Paula crouched over Olive’s dead body. Paula may have secrets, but Lindsey and the rest of the crafternooners know she’s not the one who took Olive out of circulation. As the plot thickens, Lindsey must catch the real killer before the book closes on Paula’s future . . .

How about you, readers? Do you enjoy having characters from an authors other series do a pop in, or are you a purest and want no crossovers in your fiction?

Welcome the NEW RED!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Hear that? See that? It’s the Triumphal March from Aida. It’s a stadium-full of people cheering. It’s ticker tape billowing from Manhattan skyscrapers.  It’s the Rose Parade, the Mardi Gras, Bastille Day, Oktoberfest and Fashion Week. Okay, we’re happy and we’re celebrating.

Ta DAH! We have a new Red.

Who? Hey. We’re suspense writers. So read her interview and see how soon you can guess!

Title of your autobiography?

NEW RED: You Think I’m Kidding…. But I’m Not. (I asked my husband what it should be and, according to him, I say this a lot. And now—since I told him I’m writing this for the Jungle Reds—he’s launched into a rendition of “Jungle Boogie.” Oh my.

Book you wish you had written?

NEW RED: I Capture the Castle, by Dodee Smith. Or maybe I just want to live there? It’s about an eccentric family that lives in a dilapidated castle in England in the 1930s. Would love to have artist’s model Topaz dye all my clothes green, be best friends with daughters Cassandra and Rose Montmain, swim in the moat and flirt the Cotton boys, and, of course, write in a castle turret.

Movie you would see again and again?

NEW RED: Amélie, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and starring Audrey Tatou. The film is quirky and funny and sad and gorgeous and, most of all, gentle with humans and our many foibles. And the soundtrack is wonderful as well.

Exotic drinks--yes? No?

NEW RED: Yes! But I don’t think cocktails necessarily need to be exotic to be good. Our favorite cocktail bar is Clover Club in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn — it feels like a 1930s lounge, with a stamped tin ceiling, leather furniture and Billie Holiday songs playing. The cocktails are amazing, both classic and newly created. And owner/doyenne Julie Reiner is from Hawaii, so there are some authentic Tiki drinks on the menu as well. 

When in history would you choose to visit? (Reds, this question includes a BIG HINT...)

INEW RED:  know everyone would think the 1940s, given my novels, but I’d really love to visit New York City in the 50s and 60s —see New York City Ballet; go to the Russian Tea Room and maybe catch sight of George Balanchine, Igor Stravinsky and Suzanne Farrell; and, of course, wear adorable hats and gloves

Eeelia or Ellia?  (HUGE CLUE!)

It’s Eeelia. And it’s not even a real name — apparently it was made up by some immigration official at Ellis Island who couldn’t figure out how to write the family’s actual last name, which was Egliotti.

HANK: Okay, now you know!  Welcome to Susan Elia MacNeal!

What you said when you hit the New York Times bestseller list:

 SUSAN:  “Holy cats!” (Except it might not exactly have been “cats”…)

What are you working on now?

SUSAN: Working on the copyedits for The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent (Maggie Hope #4) and delighted to report it’s scheduled to be released in June 2014.  Can’t say much (because my editor will kill me) but it takes place in Scotland, London, and Washington D.C. in the fall of ’41, leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I’m under contract now for Maggie Hope books #5 and #6, so I’m also researching and outlining #5, The First Lady’s Confidante. I’m happy to be able finally to write African-American characters. My mother-in-law just moved in with us (she prefers Black to African-American though, and really doesn’t mind Negro at all) and told me if I have any questions, I should “have my people call her people.” (She lived in New York City during World War II and remembers the blackout, knitting socks for soldiers, and being terrified a German U-boat would attack from the harbor.)

Pizza or chocolate?

SUSAN: Chocolate. Always chocolate.

Kids? Pets? Husband? Garden?

SUSAN: One kid — Matthew Wallace MacNeal, age eight going on forty-two. This year, he’s into reading Harry Potter, watching Monty Python, fencing, and basketball. (For anyone who read the ballet piece, he’s given up ballet, but because he wanted to move on and try other things, not because of social pressures.)

Two cats. One is Xander, a grey tuxedo who’s basically a tiny, grumpy Ed Asner in a fur suit. The other is tabby kitten Lola, who’s a lot like Goldie Hawn from her Laugh In days.

Husband, yes — Noel MacNeal and we’re just about to celebrate our fourteenth wedding anniversary! He’s a puppeteer who’s worked with Jim Henson and Frank Oz, and works on Sesame Street and with the Muppets. He starred in the shows Eureeka’s Castle, Bear in the Big Blue House, Oobi, and Between the Lions.

His first book is 10-Minute Puppets with Noel MacNeal, and his second book, BOX! Castles, Kitchens, Costumes and other Cardboard Creations is coming out this November 5. 

Mother-in-law Edna MacNeal also currently lives with us. She calls her walker “Precious,” her iPhone “son of Precious,” and her Kindle “Grandson of Precious.” Every day at 6 p.m. we watch Match Game (the one from the 70s with Richard Dawson—I DVR it on the Game Show Network).

No garden, alas — we live in a condo. Do window boxes count? I have portulacas (aka moss roses) in ours, because they are 1) bright and cheerful and 2) impossible to kill.

Do you watch TV? What?

SUSAN: I’m a huge fan of Game of Thrones. Also, Breaking Bad (what an ending!), Girls, Mad Men, Orange is the New Black, Scandal, and Homeland. And everything by Joss Whedon. As a family, we really love Once Upon a Time.

Can you sing?

SUSAN: You know, I studied classical music when I was younger and sang soprano in a first-rate choir and did a lot of Schubert, Mozart, and Vivaldi solo pieces as well. Lots of musical theater in both high school and college, too —classics like Cole Porter and Rogers and Hammerstein, and works by contemporary composers such as Stephen Sondheim. (These days though, it’s mostly jazz standards in the shower….)

Best concert you've ever seen?

SUSAN: One summer during college, a friend of mine and I snuck into Artpark, which is an amazing concert hall right on the Niagara River gorge in Lewiston, New York. It has outdoor seating, so we went into the back, sat on the grass and looked up at the stars as legendary opera diva Leontyne Price sang Gershwin’s “Summertime.” I’ll never forget it.

Secret talent?

SUSAN: Mixing cocktails. I could match martini-making skills with Nick and Nora Charles anytime.

HANK: Two things. No, three. One, I had a cat named Lola.

Two, I had no idea about the singing thing! I just asked because I can’t sing.

Three—let’s welcome Susan Elia MacNeal (her bio is below!) to Jungle Red—and one lucky commenter will win one of her fabulous books!

More about Susan! 

New York Times-bestselling author Susan Elia MacNeal is the author of the Maggie Hope Mystery series from Bantam/Random House. She is the winner of the Barry Award, and her books have been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, and Dilys Awards.

The first novel in the series is Mr. Churchill's Secretary. It won the Barry Award and was nominated for the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for Best First Novel and the Mystery Readers International's Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel. It was also nominated for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association's 2013 Dilys Award for "the mystery title of the year that booksellers have most enjoyed hand-selling," Mr. Churchill's Secretary was also declared one of Suspense Magazine's Best Debut of 2012, Deadly Pleasures's Best Paperback Original of 2012, and chosen as one of Target's "Emerging Authors" series.

The sequel, Princess Elizabeth's Spy, was a New York Times bestseller and chosen by Oprah.com as "Mystery of the Week" and one of "7 Compulsively Readable Mysteries (for the Crazy-Smart Reader)," as well as Target's "Emerging Authors" series. It was nominated for the Macavity Award's Sue Feder Historical Memorial Award.

His Majesty's Hope made the New York Times- and USA Today-bestseller lists and was chosen as one of Target's Emerging Author Series.

Book #4, The Prime Minister's Secret Agent, will be published in spring of 2014 and Susan is under contract for books #5 and #6.

Susan graduated cum laude from Wellesley College, with departmental honors in English Literature and credits from cross-registered classes at MIT. She attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course at Harvard University.

Her first job was as an intern at Random House for then-publisher Harold Evans, before moving her way up the editorial ladder at Viking/Penguin and McGraw-Hill, then becoming an associate editor at Dance Magazine.

Her writing has been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, Fodor's, Time Out New York, Time Out London, Publishers Weekly, Dance Magazine, and various publications of New York City Ballet. She's also the author of two non-fiction books and a professional editor.

Susan is married and lives with her husband, Noel MacNeal, a television performer, writer and director, and young son in Park Slope, Brooklyn.