The Next Big Thing

Release Day Revealed

The lovely and amazing Jen Tucker, author of The Day I Wore My Panties Inside Out and The Day I Lost My Shaker of Salt, tapped me for the blog post, THE NEXT BIG THING.

Be sure to check out Jen's books! 

Thank you, Jen! Now. . .here is more about my upcoming December release!

What is the title of your book?

 Strung Out To Die, A Divorced Diva Mystery

How did you come by the idea? 

I've been writing cozy mystery for over two years now, and I love the genre. Cozies are set in small towns, and there is usually a craft involved: quilting, cooking, knitting etc....and there hasn't been a beading one since 2007. I co-owned a beading company for five years and it was a perfect fit. Now...the divorced divas are a whole force to reckon with on their own! I was driving by my church one day and there was a sign in the yard: DIVORCED? MEETING HERE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

Then it clicked! How funny would it be if there was a group of women who meet at the bead shop that come up with all sorts of ways to kill their ex-husbands. . .pretending of course *wink wink*

I wrote a short mystery story where the characters are introduced to readers, BEAD OF DOUBT.

What genre does your book fall under? 

It's definitely a Cozy Mystery. It has the women sleuthing, small town, and beading theme, plus a cute pig, Willow. Everyone loves a cozy animal.

Can you give us the blurb for STRUNG OUT TO DIE?

Holly Harper's life is finally getting back on the right track after her divorce from "what's his name." She and a group of divorcees have formed a strong bond plotting creative ways to get back at their exes and created a self-help group known as The Divorced Divas where their meetings are held in Holly's bead store, The Beaded Dragonfly.

It’s no secret that Holly’s ex husband, Sean Harper, and the wealthiest bachelor in Swanee, Doug Sloan, don’t get along because Sean is constantly fixing all of Doug’s shoddy handy man work. Plus all the Divas would love to get their claws in some of Doug’s money.

When Doug ends up dead on the floor of The Beaded Dragonfly with a string of cat eye beads around his neck, it’s up to Holly to figure out whose framing her.

Will your book be self-published or traditional? 

I own my own publishing company: MagiCal Press!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I've been told by beta-readers and my editor that the Divas remind them of Fern Michael's series The Sisterhood. WHAT AN HONOR! BUT...my Divas are a bit more cozy.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

I was writing it for my then agent and I write pretty quickly, so it took me two months.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? 

It's funny, heartwarming, and a little romance! 

Each of the Divas have a different quirky characteristic to them that keep them fun to read about. They all have different personalities, different financial levels, and ages range from 20-60. 

In the back of the novel, I have included beaded bracelet patterns anyone would enjoy making.

You have really amazing covers! Tell me about them.

OH! I'm so very lucky to have the amazing and talented Laura Morrigan (lauramorrigan.com) on my publishing team! We work very closely with each series, and novel to get the perfect fit/picture. 

We haven't completed the cover for STRUNG OUT TO DIE, but I can tell you. . .it's going to be fun!

You have an amazing STREET TEAM! Since you started yours, I've seen so many authors start one, but you are blazing the trail for authors! 

I'd like to thank all my amazing readers! I'm super close to them. I started my STREET TEAM because I wanted to give back to them. In this economy, I still can't fathom how a reader takes time out of their busy day to sit down for five minutes and get lost into my crazy made-up, make-believe word! It's truly is an honor to me. I'm so grateful for them!

STRUNG OUT TO DIE  will be released December 18, 2012

I'm passing "THE NEXT BIG THING" torch to two amazing authors! I hope you check them out!

AJ Lape debut  YA novel, GRADE A STUPID, just released! Be sure to check out all on-line book sellers to get your ebook copy or print copy today! 

A. J. lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two feministic daughters, an ADD dog, a spoiled hamster, and an unapologetic and unrepentant addiction to Coca-Cola...and sweets. Sweets of any kind, really...the prerequisite being they pile on the pounds.

Check out AJ's blog!

AND

Barbara Silkstone is a fellow mystery writer among other genres! Her books are laugh out loud funny with amazing plots and hilarious characters! You can find Barbara's books at any online book seller!

Barbara Silkstone is the best-selling author of The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters ~ Wendy and the Lost Boys ~ London Broil ~ The Adventures of a Love Investigator, 527 Naked Men and One Woman ~ Zo White and the Seven Morphs ~ Criminally Funny Fables - Boxed Set.

Silkstone's writing has been described as "perfectly paced and pitched - shades of Janet Evanovich and Carl Hiaasen without seeming remotely derivative. Fast moving action that shoots from the hip with bullet-proof characterization." 

Check out Barbara on her Facebook page!