Tag: mystery

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Blog Tour

The Shadow on the Bridge Blog Tour-Promo Post

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Shadow on the Bridge

‘You must forever watch your back,’ I spoke the words clearly, though he could not hear me. ‘Come what may, I shall avenge my brother’s death.’’

Now: When Sarah’s summoned by her godmother to remote Norfolk, she doesn’t want to go. Crossing the bridges where the two rivers meet, said to be haunted by the ghost of a little boy, a large Tudor house looms in front of her. And Sarah’s instantly reminded her of the summer when she last visited. The summer she would like to forget. Which left her unable to ever move forward… Can a person ever recover from the loss of a sibling?

1571: Anne Howard, newly-made countess of Arundel, has also lost a sibling. And been dragged from the relative safety of her home in remote Norfolk to London, by her overbearing, manipulative, new father-in-law Thomas Howard; the very person she suspects of killing her beloved only brother. The Howards have greater secrets than this though. Secrets that will lead Anne to a tragedy that will echo down the ages…

When Sarah finds a mysterious book of poems in a hidden chamber of her godmother’s house, she is drawn into Anne’s story. Perhaps the mystery will take her mind off her own loss? But – as the flood waters begin to rise under the bridges – is Sarah laying ghosts to rest, or bringing truths to the surface that should stay beneath?

A completely haunting, gripping historical novel, perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, and Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon a River.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/shadowonthebridge

Author Bio –

Growing up in Surrey, Clare always dreamed of being a writer. Instead, after gaining a degree in history and an MA in women’s studies she accidentally fell into a career in IT. After spending many years as a project manager in London, she moved to Norfolk for a quieter life and trained as a professional jeweller. Now, finally writing full-time, she lives with her husband and the youngest two of her six children.

Facebook: @claremarchantauthor

Twitter: @claremarchant1

Instagram: @claremarchantauthor

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/ClareMarchantNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/clare-marchant

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Blog Tour

Blog Tour for The House of Light and Shadows by Lauren Westwood

ABOUT THE BOOK

The House of Light and Shadows

An atmospheric and captivating old-house mystery, layered with romance and secrets.

Secrets lurk in the shadows at Rookswood House…

When Kate goes to look after her estranged sister’s children in their creepy old house, she takes a photo of what seems to be a ghost. Frightened yet intrigued, Kate undertakes to uncover the secrets of the house and the two mysterious sisters who lived there over a hundred years before.

But like the illusions of light and shadow in the sisters’ strange and disturbing Victorian post-mortem photography, Kate discovers that all is not what it seems. Someone – or something – has their own plans for Rookswood House – and for Kate.

With a potential developer circling around, her teenage niece in danger from an unseen force, and new love on the horizon, Kate must unravel the secrets and lies of her own and Rookswood’s past before she loses everything she holds dear.

If you like historical mysteries by Eve Chase, Rachel Burton and Harriet Evans, you’ll love Lauren Westwood.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/LightAndShadows

MY THOUGHTS

I really enjoyed engaging with the story. Brilliantly written. I feel as though I was one of the characters in the book experiencing this for myself. The author brings the story to life as I could vividly imagine every scene played out in my head.

The characters are believable and the descriptions of the House of Light and Shadows incredible. Taking place in two time periods but yet seamlessly combined.

The long-forgotten mystery brought to life was every bit as intriguing as the modern-day time period. I need to read more of this author right away.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Author Bio –

Lauren Westwood is an author of emotional women’s fiction and intelligent romance novels.

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: @Lwestwoodbooks

Twitter: @lwestwoodwriter

Instagram: @lwestwoodwriter

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/LaurenWestwoodNews

Thank you for stopping in. I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend.

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Blog Tour for Welcome to Pennycress Inn by Sarah Hope

ABOUT THE BOOK

Welcome to Pennycress Inn

Laura wants to shake things up. She’s thirty-eight, and has been living in her parents’ house since her divorce last year. Her siblings seem to have got their lives together: successful careers, happy marriages, beautiful children.

Laura’s determined to prove herself. And buying the beautiful Pennycress Inn in the idyllic Cotswolds village of Meadowfield could be just the way to do it.

But getting the inn ready for its first guests proves easier said than done! With crumbling walls, dangerous woodwork and loose roof tiles, not to mention unfriendly locals and even errant sheep, Laura soon fears she’s made the wrong choice.

Luckily a friendly face is on hand in the form of gorgeous chef, Jackson. But is he too good to be true? And just why are the villagers so against her?

Can Laura turn her life around and get the fresh start she longs for at Pennycress Inn?

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/WelcomeToPennycress

MY THOUGHTS

Welcome to Pennycress Inn is the start of a brand-new romance series from Sarah Hope, an author I can recommend as I’ve read her books before.
A nice light read but it does have some important bits in it too. A book that’ll have the afternoon zipping by before you know it. I was engrossed in it, loved the characters and the setting of the English countryside is magical.
This left me with a smile on my face and I can highly recommend it. Can’t wait to read the others in this new series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

VISIT OTHER BLOGS ON THE TOUR

MEET THE AUTHOR

Author Bio –

Sarah Hope is the author of many successful romance novels, including the bestselling Cornish Bakery series. The first book in her new series with Boldwood, The Wagging Tails Dogs Home, is set in a fictional Cornish village and will be published in May 2023.

Social Media Links – 

Facebook: @HappinessHopeDreams

Twitter: @SarahHope35

Instagram: @Sarah_Hope_Writes

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SarahHopeNews

Bookbub profile: @SarahHope

Enjoy your weekend. Thank you for stopping in.

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Cozy Mystery holidays

A Dark and Snowy Night (Seaside Knitters Society Book 5) 

338 pages Kensington cozies September 27, 2022 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s holiday season in the picturesque, coastal town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts! But in USA Today bestselling author Sally Goldenbaum’s latest Seaside Knitters Society mystery, the knitting club sleuths will have to take a break from crafting cozy Christmas gifts to investigate a murder at the Mayor’s holiday party.

Winter in Sea Harbor is a feast for the senses. This year, the Seaside Knitters have a sackful of obligations in addition to their usual Christmas preparations. Izzy is so overloaded with knitting classes that she hires an extra salesperson. Cass, juggling the stresses of running her lobster fishery, has finally found a nanny for her active toddler. Molly Flanigan seems practically perfect in every way—until she suddenly disappears, taking Cass’s beloved rescue mutt with her . . .

Meanwhile, the holidays are kicking off in style at the mayor’s holiday party with a celebrity chef catering the event. An additional treat for Ben and Nell Endicott at the festive affair is reconnecting with a dear college friend, Oliver Bishop. But it’s not just reunions and the appetizers that are to-die-for. Before the partygoers can toast the beginning of Sea Harbor’s festive season, the chef—and young wife of the Endicotts’ old Harvard friend—is found dead in the snow . . .

Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and Cass must uncover the pattern to these mysteries to remove suspicion from those they love, bring a murderer to justice—and keep Sea Harbor’s holiday magic from vanishing into the chill winter air . . .

MY THOUGHTS

Now I’ll fully admit I’m not a knitter. My grandmother tried teaching me crochet years ago and I couldn’t get the hang of it, she was so good at it. Now I wish I had made more of an effort in it. While I don’t knit, I do appreciate this book is full of knitting lingo and it sounds like such a fun hobby to take up. A nice pattern is also included in this book.


Really enjoyed the atmosphere in this one, cozy Christmas mystery beautiful decorations, knitting in front of the fireplace during the knitting class but……… watch out! A murder has been committed and the instructors of this tourist’s attraction town, Sea Harbor, Massachusetts are trying to solve who the murderer was at an important holiday party.

Hitting all the high notes I enjoyed doing a little armchair sleuthing along with our solve it ladies. I’ve enjoyed reading this series, well written and thought-out clues placed amongst ordinary life so you may not catch them at first. I’ll be continuing on with this series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Sally Goldenbaum was born on the shores of Lake Michigan, in Manitowoc, WI, to a homemaker mother and a ship-building father. She and her husband raised their three children in landlocked Prairie Village, KS, but in 2019 they made a huge move, downsizing from a large Kansas home to a condo in Gloucester, a seaside town on Cape Ann, MA–which happens to also be the home of the USA Today best selling Seaside Knitters Mystery series. She can now share walks along the ocean with Izzy, Nell, Birdie and Cass–her fictional friends.

Visit her website at sallygoldenbaum.com

or her Facebook author page–https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sally-Goldenbaum/27082346139?ref=hl

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Cozy Mystery

A Treacherous Tale: The Cambridge Bookshop Series

282 pages St. Martin’s Paperbacks August 23, 2022 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lately, Molly has been feeling that she might have fallen into a fairy tale: she’s reinvigorated the family bookshop Thomas Marlowe—Manuscripts and Folios, made friends in her new home of Cambridge, England, and is even developing a bit of a romance with the handsome Kieran—a bike shop owner with a somewhat intimidating family pedigree.

Having recently discovered The Strawberry Girls, a classic children’s tale, Molly is thrilled to learn the author, Iona York, lives nearby. But while visiting the famous author at her lovely cottage in nearby Hazelhurst, an old acquaintance of Iona’s tumbles off her roof to his death.

Then, when one of Iona’s daughters—an inspiration for the original Strawberry Girls—goes missing, Molly begins to worry this story might be more Brothers Grimm than happily-ever-after. Especially after Molly learns about the mysterious long-ago death of Iona’s husband and co-author of The Strawberry Girls…could past and present crimes be linked? Molly must put the clues together before someone turns this sweet tale sour.

MY THOUGHTS

This is the second book in the Cambridge Bookshop series.
Ever since discovering cozy mysteries a few years ago I’ve been on a roll with them and like them more than just regular mysteries.


Set in an English bookshop and you can’t go wrong there.
Molly and her mother come over to England to help her aunt run the bookstore.
Molly enjoys life abroad with a new boyfriend, Kieran owner of a local bike shop.


Excited about running the bookshop Molly invites a local author to speak. While visiting the author’s house to finalize plans a body is discovered and a girl goes missing.


Enjoyed the plan Molly put together to help solve the mystery. Whimsical and nostalgic with an engaging plot.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own

MEET THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Penney is the author of the Apron Shop Series and the Cambridge Bookshop Series, both from St. Martin’s Press. She is also the author of women’s fiction and mysteries for Annie’s Fiction and Guideposts.

Now living in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, she pens novels and tries to grow things. Elements that often appear in her novels include vintage everything, past/present mysteries, historic houses, and the arts. Oh, and usually a very cool cat.

Visit her website at http://www.elizabethpenneyauthor.com to learn more.

Categories
Cozy Mystery

Public Anchovy #1: A Deep Dish Mystery (Deep Dish Mysteries Book 3) 

316 pages St. Martin’s Paperbacks December 26, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Public Anchovy #1 is the third book in Mindy Quigley’s delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

While Geneva Bay’s upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah’s love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.

But Delilah’s hopes of perfecting a new “free-from” pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.

MY THOUGHTS

Though this is book three in the series it is my first read of the Deep-Dish mystery series. I will be going back and reading the others in the series very soon.


Geneva Bay’s pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is doing a fundraiser at a swanky mansion the upper crust is attending. All is going well until a distraction is caused by a need to change the pizza recipe to accommodate dietary restrictions.


Chef O’Leary’s cat stows away in a mixer box and so we’re treated to its presence the whole story through. With cat like accuracy, we don’t get much out of the cat as far as listening but when it’s time to eat and shenanigans are to be found you know that cat is involved.


With a heavy storm happening and the generator not kicking on the lights not working lead to the atmosphere of suspense with a body found at the mansion where all the staff are trapped because it’s unsafe to leave. A cat and mouse game as the suspense mounts and then another body is found. Kept me guessing right til the end as I wouldn’t have suspected the suspect or the reason for it either.


I’m excited to try the gluten free pizza crust recipe for my daughter who has this food restriction. There are many recipes included, and I am going to try a few others as well. The descriptions of the foods sound so yummy. Looking forward to reading more in this series soon.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Mindy Quigley is the author of two cozy mystery series. Her most recent, the Deep Dish Mysteries (St. Martin’s Press), has been featured in Parade, Woman’s World, and Kirkus Reviews.

Mindy’s non-writing career has been stranger than fiction, taking her from the US to the UK, where she worked as the personal assistant to the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep, and as project manager for a neurology research clinic founded by the author J.K. Rowling.

She lives in Virginia, with her Civil War history professor husband and their children.

Enjoy your day and have a slice of pizza. 🙂

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First Line Friday

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted at Reading is my Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature A Corpse Among the Carolers by Debra Sennefelder a book published in November of this year. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to read it soon.

276 pages November 12, 2024 Beyond the Page Publishing

First Line

Food Blogger Hope Early always gets a hearty holiday laugh knowing that the weeks leading up to Christmas are as frantic as they are festive.

Would you want to continue on with reading this? I probably would just based on the adorable cover alone. You’ve got to love Beagles.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hope Early is fully immersed in the spirit of the Christmas season, until the sounds of joyful carolers are silenced by the words “Ho-ho-homicide” . . .

Food blogger Hope Early always gets a hearty holiday laugh from knowing that the weeks leading up to Christmas are as frantic as they are festive. But in spite of everything she has to do, the one thing she always has time for is the annual Jingle Bell Stroll, a night when the community gathers to sing their hearts out and enjoy each other’s company. This year’s caroling feels especially heartwarming, until the final note lands with a thud when Hope finds the body of the man who’d volunteered to play Santa, a knife plunged into his back.

With virtually the whole town present at the caroling, the list of suspects seems endless. It doesn’t take long, though, for both Hope and the police to turn a sharp eye on the victim’s bitter and vindictive ex-wife, along with his new wife, who may have been after his money. Then Hope unearths a clue that suggests the dead man may have been hiding a sordid past and connections to unseemly characters. But as she closes in on the killer, they’re determined to wring her neck before she can ring in the new year . . .

Includes tasty and toasty holiday recipes!

About the Author:

Debra Sennefelder lives and writes in Connecticut, where she shares her home with her family and slightly spoiled Shih Tzu. An avid reader across a range of genres, mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. She’s the author of the Food Blogger Mysteries, the Resale Boutique Mysteries, and the Cookie Shop Mysteries. When she’s not writing, she’s either baking or reading. To learn more, visit her on the web at debrasennefelder.com.

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Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Book 4)

353 pages Kensington Cozies July 25, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

The latest installment in Darci Hannah’s delicious Beacon Bakeshop Mystery series set in small-town Beacon Harbor, Michigan, featuring a baker heroine who lives in the local lighthouse with her beloved Newfoundland dog, Wellington.

Lindsey prefers to keep her bakeshop’s Halloween decor light and autumnal, rather than gruesome and ghoulish. But everyone knows her lighthouse home is haunted. Some intrepid teens have even tried to break in to witness the resident ghost themselves. Dreading Halloween night, Lindsey reluctantly allows her influencer and podcaster best friend, Kennedy, to host a live ghost hunting investigation in the lighthouse, conducted by a professional team. Protective of her ghost, Lyndsey is understandably nervous about what they might uncover . . .

The segment is uneventful—until things take a terrifying turn. The team freaks out. As Kennedy joins the mad dash outside, she bumps into what looks like the prankster teens’ creepy clown costume hanging from a tree. But when Lindsey’s dog, Wellington, begins to whine, they make a grim discovery: the clown is no dummy. It’s a corpse.

Now Lindsey and company will need to keep their cool if they want a ghost of a chance to solve the murder—and see another Halloween . . . 

MY THOUGHTS

I’m really enjoying this series. It’s a cozy mystery culinary delights series.
This is the fourth book in the Beacon Bakeshop series.


Beacon Harbor, Michigan’s residents are looking forward to a Halloween weekend filled with fun events including a pumpkin contest and a podcaster catching ghostly happenings at the lighthouse, to hopefully prove it’s haunted.

Full of Halloween themed decorations more on the cute side rather than scary one can’t help wondering what the horrifying decoration is that seems so lifelike until it’s determined it truly is real.

Could those pesky teens who are trying to break into the lighthouse to record the ghost be the responsible party?
Will this prove to be too much excitement for Lindsey and her canine companion this Halloween evening?

I enjoyed the atmospheric lighthouse with its creepy vibes as it was being explored. The book kept me reading late as I had to see how things would end. This is a great series and I’ll be adding to my collection as I read more of it.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Cozy mystery author, Darci Hannah, is a native of the Midwest and currently lives in a small town in Michigan. Darci is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. When Darci isn’t baking for family and friends, hiking with her furry pals, Ripley and Finn, or concocting her next cozy mystery, she can be found wandering around picturesque lakeside villages with her hubby, sampling baked goods, and breaking for coffee more often than she should.

Darci’s books include:

MURDER AT THE BEACON BAKESHOP 1st in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series (Kensington 2021), CHERRY SCONES & BROKEN BONES (Midnight Ink 2019), CHERRY PIES & DEADLY LIES (Midnight Ink 2018), THE ANGEL OF BLYTHE HALL (Ballantine Books 2011, 2nd edition by Piffle & Bombast 2016), THE EXILE OF SARA STEVENSON (Ballantine Books 2010)

You can learn more about Darci and her books at http://www.darcihannah.com

Connect with Darci on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDarciHannah

Have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping in.

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Can’t Wait Wednesday

CAN’T WAIT WEDNESDAY

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

I really enjoy holiday books, so much so that I read them year round when I get a chance. Unfortunately, I don’t get a chance to read them as much as I’d like to as I have other reading commitments. So, let’s get on with it. I am looking forward to:

A Corpse Among the Carolers by Debra Sennefelder publication date  Nov 12 2024

Book 7 of A Food Blogger Mystery

Description

Hope Early is fully immersed in the spirit of the Christmas season, until the sounds of joyful carolers are silenced by the words “Ho-ho-homicide” . . .

Food blogger Hope Early always gets a hearty holiday laugh from knowing that the weeks leading up to Christmas are as frantic as they are festive. But in spite of everything she has to do, the one thing she always has time for is the annual Jingle Bell Stroll, a night when the community gathers to sing their hearts out and enjoy each other’s company. This year’s caroling feels especially heartwarming, until the final note lands with a thud when Hope finds the body of the man who’d volunteered to play Santa, a knife plunged into his back.

With virtually the whole town present at the caroling, the list of suspects seems endless. It doesn’t take long, though, for both Hope and the police to turn a sharp eye on the victim’s bitter and vindictive ex-wife, along with his new wife, who may have been after his money. Then Hope unearths a clue that suggests the dead man may have been hiding a sordid past and connections to unseemly characters. But as she closes in on the killer, they’re determined to wring her neck before she can ring in the new year . . .

Includes tasty and toasty holiday recipes!

About the Author:

Debra Sennefelder lives and writes in Connecticut, where she shares her home with her family and slightly spoiled Shih Tzu. An avid reader across a range of genres, mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. She’s the author of the Food Blogger Mysteries, the Resale Boutique Mysteries, and the Cookie Shop Mysteries. When she’s not writing, she’s either baking or reading. To learn more, visit her on the web at debrasennefelder.com.

Is this one on your radar and will it be getting a read this holiday season?

Have a wonderful day and thank you for stopping in.

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Into the Starlight: (Three Sisters Facing Mystery and Romance in the 1880s Texas Hill Country)

362 pages July 16,2024 publish date Revell publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

After more than a year in Europe, Joanna Vaughn returns to Sweetwater Crossing, her dreams of becoming a concert pianist shattered. As if that weren’t enough, her husband, whom she married after a whirlwind courtship, has died. The only thing sustaining her on the journey back to Texas was the thought of her childhood home. But to Joanna’s dismay, she’s changed so much that the place she once loved no longer feels like home.

After his fiancée married his partner and both blamed him for a patient’s death, Dr. Burke Finley believes it’s time for a change. A quick trip with his almost-aunt Della Samuels to Sweetwater Crossing turns into an extended stay to discover what happened to his uncle and her would-be husband. But the beautiful and musical Joanna makes it more than bearable.

As the two join forces to help Della, there is no denying the attraction felt on both sides. But ghosts from the past are coming to call–and threatening to destroy any chance at happily-ever-after.

Get swept away by this emotional tale of family, friendship, and the kind of love that overcomes every obstacle.

MY THOUGHTS

Into the Starlight brings the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series to an end. There are three books in this series, and this just may be my favorite. In each of the books we see some characters from the other books which makes for a nice read when you are familiar with the characters.

Joanna Vaughn returns to Sweetwater Crossing after more than a year in Europe. Not only are her dreams of becoming a concert pianist shattered but things really are on a downward spiral for her. Her short-lived marriage is over in what seems like an instant as her beloved has died.

Looking forward to forgetting about it all and relaxing in her childhood home back in Sweetwater Crossing doesn’t feel right either. She has changed so much in her time away it no longer feels like home.

Dr. Burke Finley is devastated. One of his patients has passed and he feels responsible for their death. A little getting away from the stress is what he needs and he and his Aunt Della visit Sweetwater Crossing trying to figure out what happened to his uncle and her would be husband.

Joanna and Burke spend time in each other’s company to help Della figure out what happened years ago.

An absolute page turner, this one had me intrigued as I read. Mystery, suspense and romance are abound in this emotional and with a very surprising ending book. I enjoyed this so much and greatly look forward to seeing what the author publishes next.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With both parents avid readers, it’s no surprise that Amanda Cabot learned to read at an early age. From there it was only a small step to deciding to become a writer. Of course, deciding and becoming are two different things, as she soon discovered. Fortunately for the world, her first attempts at fiction, which included a play for her fifth grade class entitled “All About Thermometers,” were not published, but she did meet her goal of selling a novel by her thirtieth birthday. Since then she’s sold more than forty novels. When she’s not writing, Amanda enjoys sewing, cooking and – of course – reading.

I hope your day has been great. Thank you for stopping in.