Virtual Vacations Are the Best!

Oh my gosh! We've been having the best time on our FREE Facebook Cozy Krew page and the Kenni Lowry Mystery Series website on our virtual vacation in and around Cottonwood!

A free and fun vacation is the best! Be sure to check them out over the weekend.

Happy Release Day!

Grab your copy today!!

Emma Lee Raines sees dead people

Proprietor of the Eternal Slumber Funeral Home, Emma Lee can see, hear, and talk to ghosts of murdered folks. And when her high school nemesis is found dead, Jade Lee Peel is the same old mean girl—trying to come between Emma Lee and her hot boyfriend, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, all over again.

There’s only one way for Emma Lee to be free of the trash-talking ghost—solve the murder so the former prom queen can cross over.

But the last thing Jade Lee wants is to leave the town where she had her glory days. And the more Emma Lee investigates on her own, the more complicated Miss Popularity turns out to be. Now Emma

Lee will have to work extra closely with her hunky lawman to get to the twisty truth.

It's a Family Tradition

Growing up around the holidays in my home was so much fun. We had a huge family Thanksgiving and on the Friday after we'd have leftovers. It was the best! 

After we'd have the big leftover lunch, my dad would drag out the fake Christmas tree that was tied together with twine and the big box of ornaments while my mama made cookies and apple cider. The Chipmunks along with Frank and Dean sang throughout the house those amazing old Christmas songs. 

It'd take us at least an hour to sort the branches of the tree by the rubbed off colors that were painted on the wire stems. Then we had to plug those in while fluffing them. It'd take another hour just to do that. Then came the lights! Of course they were all balled up and we had to untangle them to plug them in and find the ONE bulb that was out so we could replace it so the rest would work. After we finally got the lights on and the ornaments on, dad put on the angel. The very last thing we did was take a family photo. 

It seemed like a lot of work, but it was making fun memories of fighting, arguing and me saying how different I'd do it when I grew up. 

Throughout the years, the same tradition took place. It was awesome. Of course when I had children, I knew we had to continue it. And we do! 

Now that my boys are grown, they still get excited about going to Granny and Grandaddy's to put up the tree. I'm huge on family traditions throughout the year and I'm beyond thrilled my grown children are just as much into it as I am.

We are missing a couple of grandchildren this year due to work but there's still plenty of family traditions to go!

What is one tradition you used to do or do now? 

Leave a comment to be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card. Be sure to leave your email address in your response! I'll pick a winner next week!

Rock Opera

By most of my posts during the holidays (Valentine's included!), you can tell I'm a big on traditions. Some of these traditions were started by my mom and passed along through me.
Cake for breakfast on birthdays are big as well as notes in lunch boxes etc. . .


Putting up my parent's Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving is something I've done since I was baby and now passed down to my children, their grandchildren, throughout the years. Even now that four of the six grandchildren in college, they all come home to put up granny and granddaddy's tree!

There is a tradition that my mama and I do that I look forward to every year!
ROCK OPERA!!!
 Huh??

Everyone and their brother knows the famous Christmas songs of the Trans Siberian Orchesta (TSO for short).





BUT they aren't just a Christmas song band. They are actually considered ROCK OPERA. They are so awesome! I mean flames and fireworks awesome!
Every year my mama and I go. I love it when people have no idea the rock and roll part of the three hour program and kinda freak out because they had no idea it was a real rock show.

TSO now does the whole Christmas show part (which is a nice story for children to go along with the music along with falling snow.) for the first hour and a half while they do the other rock stuff for the last hour and a half.

Mama and I make a night of it. We go out to supper and go to the show. We have the best time! I love it!

Do you have a favorite holiday tradition? Or have you gone to see TSO? Leave a comment and be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
Enjoy~

Death Becomes Us Cozy Mystery Book Club

Before I started writing, which was in my mid-thirties, I belonged to a book club. We had so much fun. We'd show up, grab a drink and catch up with each other for the next twenty minutes while we wait on everyone to get there.

We had so much fun discussing the books and the anticipation of what book was going to be picked next. It was a lot of fun. But like a lot things....time, children, and life happened and our book club had a hard time meeting.

Writing is my full time job and I have a hard time finding time to read. It's been a challenge for me. I have to carve out one or two days a month to do nothing but read. Then what. . . .I want to discuss the book, but my two dogs, Charlie and Scooter, don't have much  to say.

Then it hit me! I wanted to start an online book club that featured cozy mysteries. I'm so excited with the interest. I decided to have it on Facebook. I know some people aren't on Facebook, but a lot are and it's such an easy place to be and come together as a group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/403108960079286/

If you aren't on Facebook, I beg that you join. It's easy and free! There is so much community over there and discussing books are one of them! We love books right?! Join Death Becomes Us Cozy Mystery Book Club on Facebook! We'd love to have you!

Do you belong to a book club? If so, what is your favorite thing about going? Leave a comment (with your email address) to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Winner will be announced on Friday!

Last week's blog winner is PENNEY!

Happy Thanksgiving

Since it's Thanksgiving week and we are all ready to stuff ourselves full of great food, I'm including a breakfast casserole I make ahead of time for Thanksgiving morning and let it cook while I start the Thanksgiving feast food. My kids and husband love it.

Ingredients:
1 package (16 oz.) of bulk ground sausage. I like a little spice to mine so I get a mild or hot sausage.

1 onion (chopped or you can buy a bag of the frozen already chopped)

1 red pepper (chopped or you can buy a bag of the frozen already chopped)

3-4 cups frozen square hash browns

2 cups cheddar cheese

3/4 cups Bisquick (I use gluten free Bisquick because Eddy is gluten free and it's the same measurements)

2 cups of milk

6 eggs

Optional black pepper

Directions:
I preheat my oven to 400
Spray a 3 quart baking dish ( 13 x 9 inches) with cooking spray
Over medium heat, cook the chopped onion and red pepper along with the sausage until the sausage is cooked with no pink. Drain the meat. Add the meat mixture, frozen hash browns, and 1.5 cups of the cheese in the baking dish.
In a bowl, combine the milk, Bisquick, eggs, and pepper (optional). Pour over the sausage mix in the baking dish.
Bake for around 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over top and bake another five minutes or until the cheese has melted. I'm a big believer in letting the food stand for 5-10 minutes after taken out of the oven. Enjoy!


What food are you looking forward to eating around your Thanksgiving table? Leave a comment to be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card.
Happy Thanksgiving!

You can find this recipe along with  many others in 

SCENE OF THE GRIND

BOOK 1

Pre-Order your copy of Scene of the Grind, the first book in a new coffee mystery, A KILLER COFFEE MYSTERY SERIES.



After a bitter divorce, Roxanne Davis (her friends, though few call her Roxie) has moved back home to Honey Springs, Kentucky where she's opened the tourist lakefront town's first coffee house, The Bean Hive. 


With the excitement of the Bean Hive opening and rush of business, Roxie is moving on with her life until she finds that one of her best customers, Lilia Walters, was found dead after eating one of Roxie's best-selling doughnuts after Roxie's aunt Maxine gave Lilia as a peace offering.


Gossip in Honey Springs is as hot at the coffee served at the Bean Hive and Roxie has to uncover who is behind the murder not only to save her shop, her aunt, but her life.

Happy reading!! ~ Tonya

Tonya Kappes

USA TODAY Bestselling Author has two Schnauzers, Scooter and Charlie!

Friend me on Facebook here. * Follow me on Twitter here.

Learn about my books here.

Congratulations to last week's blog winner Margaret Devine! Please email me Tonyak11@yahoo.com to claim your prize.

Fa-la-la Time Of The Year

This is the time of year that I find myself going to more craft shows, more concerts, and more weekends spent with friends who like to do those things.
In a couple of weeks I'll be going to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra with my mom. It's a lot of fun and I'll talk about that in a couple of weeks along with some real cool pictures.

It's the fun and creative crafts that really grab my attention. And Pinterest isn't helping either! I am a member of a mega church and it's really big. In order to really get to know people, we have small groups.

My small group is called the Creative Crafty Chicks. We meet every Tuesday and I love it. We have the best time. We have snacks and craft. I'm not a very crafty person but they are and are so good about letting me join. They quilt and paint and all sorts of stuff, while I can talk and tell stories. Hahahhaa!

Anyways, some of us have been to some craft fairs or on Pinterest and finding fun holiday crafts to make. This week we made these cool wine bottles. Mine are the snowmen.

How fun is that? It's a great group and I can't wait to share all the fun stuff we make!

What about you? Do you find yourself going to more craft fair or making fun seasonal crafts this time of the year?

Leave a comment and be entered to win the weekly $5 Amazon GC giveaway.

You can check out the new Killer Coffee Mystery Series debuting on January 27, 2017! 

SCENE OF THE GRIND

BOOK 1

Pre-Order your copy of Scene of the Grind, the first book in a new coffee mystery, A KILLER COFFEE MYSTERY SERIES.



After a bitter divorce, Roxanne Davis (her friends, though few call her Roxie) has moved back home to Honey Springs, Kentucky where she's opened the tourist lakefront town's first coffee house, The Bean Hive. 


With the excitement of the Bean Hive opening and rush of business, Roxie is moving on with her life until she finds that one of her best customers, Lilia Walters, was found dead after eating one of Roxie's best-selling doughnuts after Roxie's aunt Maxine gave Lilia as a peace offering.


Gossip in Honey Springs is as hot at the coffee served at the Bean Hive and Roxie has to uncover who is behind the murder not only to save her shop, her aunt, but her life.

Happy reading!! ~ Tonya

Tonya Kappes

USA TODAY Bestselling Author has two Schnauzers, Scooter and Charlie!

Friend me on Facebook here. * Follow me on Twitter here.

Learn about my books here.

Southern Fried Cover Reveal!

I'm so excited to show you the cover of Southern Fried, the second book in the Kenni Lowry Mystery Series. Isn't it amazing?
The wire around the cast-iron skillet is barbwire that is very important to the mystery. I'm beyond so excited for this book!
It's releasing April 2017 and I'm beyond thrilled for you to come back to Cottonwood, Kentucky and visit.

The first book in the series, Fixin' To Die is now available, so if you haven't read it, be sure to before Southern Fried comes out.
Dianne Jessie, a Krew Member, won a NAME THE BOOK contest on my Krew Member page on Facebook.
I'm reaching out again! To you!!

Dead and Breakfast is my current working title on the third Kenni Lowry Mystery Series book. I just found out that another mystery author has named her book Dead and Breakfast that will be out next year before this one. I'm asking you for your help! I'm looking for something VERY specific. A play on words with a southern twist that has to do with murder. The setting is at the Inn, a bed and breakfast in Cottonwood.

Leave a comment to help me name the book! I will announce the winner next week! And when you leave a comment, you will be entered to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card! Winner announced next Tuesday!

Head down, fingers moving and GO!

Have you heard of Nanowrimo?

National November Writing Month is what Nanowrimo stands for. 

Every year I look forward to this event every November. I write every day of the year. So it really shouldn't be a big deal if I participate in Nanowrimo, but it is!

There is so much hubbub for writers the entire month. 

The Nanowrimo website has links and writer's forums that get you motivated. Trust me, writing is a very lonely job. All day long I sit on my hinny and sit in front of my computer. It sounds like a lot of fun when in reality, it's difficult. You have to be disciplined to be a writer. 

I turn off my cell phone, I turn off social media, and I set the timer on my watch so it reminds me to get up and move. 

Mentally writing exhausts me.

My mind is always going with characters talking to me, deadlines looming, blogs to get written, readers to communicate with and there is literally no one to vent to about these things. Of course my husband is an amazing listener, but he still doesn't get it. He tells me, "you're living the life," only because I'm home and can do all the home things that need to be done.

I LOVE MY JOB! 

I'm not complaining. I'm only trying to show you just how lonely writing truly is. 

Nanowrimo is like a holiday for me. 

The website starts in October with guest authors, tips and tricks, even recipes to keep you writing. I guess most writers don't write every day. I do because I like a routine. They post inspirational videos! I love it.

During the month, Nanowrimo has a winners badge. How do you win? They provide you with a word count ticker. A novel by definition is a 50,000 word document/story. So in order to win Nanowrimo, you have to write at least 50,000. That's a little over 1,600/day. I'm used to writing between 3,000-5,000 words a day so it's not a problem for me to win the badge.

It's the bringing writers together once a year for a long month event is what gets me pumped. There is even a local meet up for writers who are participating and I love that! It's a month of inspiration that lasts me all year long.

What about you? Do you have something you look forward to every year that inspires you? Leave a comment and be entered to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment. xo

A Charming Death is FREE this weekend!!

Spend Halloween weekend in the magical village of Whispering Falls in this #FREE #cozymystery! A #mustread! http://amzn.to/2fdClNm