Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books probably don’t need any publicity. If you’re a fan, you’re waiting for Past Tense, the 23rd book in the series. You know you can order a signed copy through the Web Store, don’t you? https://bit.ly/2z4duCD

So, I’m not going to give you the description of Past Tense. Instead, I’ll share the short video from Random House in which Lee Child describes the book. And, then there’s a teaser book trailer as well. Enjoy!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvAtS0Wp1nY&w=560&h=315]

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYTTlxAUYk&w=560&h=315]

And, you can watch Lee Child discuss his book, The Killing Floor, on the BBC World Service in January.

BBC_WS_World_Book_Club_Lee Child

In December, Dana Stabenow will launch a new series with the first Eye of Isis mystery, Death of an Eye. Release date is December 6, and Stabenow will be at The Poisoned Pen on Saturday, December 8 at 2 PM, appearing with Laurie R. King and Leslie Klinger. You can pre-order a signed copy of Death of an Eye through the Web Store. You can also order copies of Stabenow’s other books. https://bit.ly/2F9m0Bq

It may seem a little early to discuss this gorgeous book, but it’s never too early to mention an author will be appearing at the Poisoned Pen. Here’s the description of Death of an Eye.

Alexandria, 47BCE: Cleopatra shares the throne with her brother Ptolemy under the auspices of Julius Caesar, by whom Cleopatra is heavily pregnant with child. A shipment of new coin meant to reset the shaky Egyptian economy has been stolen, the Queen’s Eye has been murdered and Queen Cleopatra turns to childhood friend Tetisheri to find the missing shipment and bring the murderer to justice.

*****

The other reason to write about Death of an Eye right now? She just wrote a wonderful post for her own website, and she’s allowing us to share it. Dana Stabenow will now tell everyone why she’s writing about Cleopatra in her post, “Why Cleopatra?” https://stabenow.com/2018/10/29/why-cleopatra/

Thank you, Dana.

Lynn Cahoon is one of the Kensington Books authors who will be participating in the Kensington Cozy Convention on Saturday, November 3 from 1 to 5 PM. If you don’t get the chance to get there, Cahoon’s books, along with others by the Kensington authors, are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2D72b0U

Lynn was kind enough to take time from her schedule to sit “In the Hot Seat” and answer questions. Thanks you, Lynn.

Lynn, Would you introduce yourself to readers?

I’m an Idaho native who followed my own romance hero out to the outskirts of St. Louis a few years ago. We live in a little town on the Mississippi River, filled with historic sites. My favorite color besides silver is blue. Silver and blue together is amazing.  I am owned by two Pomeranians, Homer and Demon and a cat named Thor. My favorite book is a toss-up between Illusions (Richard Bach) and The Stand (King). My husband would say my favorite film is any of the Harry Potter series since I’m always watching them. They are my feel-good fall back viewing pick. I have to say my favorite scent is of anything baking ““ pie, bread, cookies, quick breads. Yum.

I write the Tourist Trap mystery series, the Cat Latimer mystery series, and the Farm to Fork mystery series.

Would you introduce us to Cat Latimer?

Cat Latimer is a native of Aspen Hills, Colorado. She went to school at Covington and was swept off her feet by Michael. After she graduated, she was offered a professor position at Covington College and they bought the old Victorian. When she catches him cheating, she divorces him and moves to California where she teaches and writes paranormal young adult novels. When Michael dies, Cat gets the house in the will so she moves back to Aspen Hills to open the writers retreat.

Tell us about Of Murder and Men, without spoilers, please.

Of Murder and Men is the third book and has two mysteries in one. The series started out with the reader finding out more about Cat’s and now deceased ex-husband. This book develops that mystery as well as finding who killed Shauna’s almost fiancé before she gets convicted of the crime.

The next in the series, Slay in Character, will be out at the end of November. What can you tell us about that book?

Slay in Character starts out with Cat and Seth taking the writer guests for the retreat to a local western ghost town. One of the guests is actually working the summer at the tourist attraction as a saloon girl. When her friend is killed at the saloon, Cat and the gang try to solve the mystery before anyone else dies. I love the cover for Slay.

Tell us about your other mystery series, and your other life as Lynn Collins.

Tourist Trap was my first mystery series. I had been published in romance two years before the first TT came out (Guidebook to Murder.) Guidebook hit the NYT list and the USA Today list a few months later. Now, 9 books later (plus 6 novella’s publishing in 2018 and 2019), I’m still loving writing the South Cove, California set series. The next full length will come out late 2019.

The Farm to Fork series launched this year. Set in my home state of Idaho (and a fictionalized version of my home town), I pair my love of good food with my love of mysteries in this series. Writing Who Moved My Goat Cheese was like going home.

Lynn Collins is my romance side. I have two series published under the pen name. One is a contemporary western set in northern Idaho (The Castle View Romance series) and the other a paranormal suspense series of novellas set in the St. Louis area with a witch out of water heroine (The Council series). 2019 will see the re-release of The Bull Rider series under Collins.

Would you tell us about your publishing journey? Every author’s experience is different.

I started writing short stories and taking classes in the MFA in Creative Writing in 1998. Then I divorced my first husband and started dating. My practical side shut me down due to the cost of the program and I figured I’d write someday.  In 2007, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Being faced with the reality that someday might never come, I ramped up my writing.  I studied, wrote, found my amazing mentor, wrote, joined a writer’s group, and wrote more. I had two manuscripts on an editor’s desk at HQ for a couple years. When one of those projects got a final no, I told my husband I was going to send it out one more time.  I sold the first bull rider story a week later. In 2012, I sold six romances. In 2013, I sold three cozy mysteries to eKensington (which is now Lyrical Underground.) Since that time I’ve sold the Cat Latimer series and the Farm to Fork series.

What has been the most exciting moment of your career as an author?

Meeting my editor for the first time in NYC at the National RWA conference. It was then that I realized this dream was actually real. And I have to say Bouchercon in New Orleans was pretty special too.

What did you read as a child or teen that made you want to write?

Everything? But I knew I wanted to work in story when I read A Wrinkle in Time. That book took me away from a bad situation and gave me hope. Of course, I read the mandatory (for band kids) Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I fell in love with fantasy with Robert Jordon’s Wheel of Time books.

What’s on your TBR (To Be Read) pile right now?

Everything? LOL. I have several books on my floor waiting to come to the top as we speak. Lisa Gardner’s Find Her, Molly MacRae’s Plaid and Plagiarism, Sara Rosett’s Magnolias, Moonlight and Murder. And I have a couple of Stephen King books downstairs by my reading chair trying to get into the rotation.

Name an author or book that you wish had received more attention.

Great question. A hard one, but great. I really enjoy JR Ripley’s cozy mysteries. And he’s such a card in real life, it’s hard not to hear his voice while I’m reading. I have to say, I’ve met such lovely people who are also authors, I wish all of us got more attention. I loved Lisa Unger’s Ink and Bone. I wish Robyn Carr had continued the Thunder Point series. There are just too many to list.

 

Thanks, Lynn. Lynn Cahoon’s website is https://www.lynncahoon.com/

If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries, mark your calendars for Saturday, Nov. 3. The Poisoned Pen will be hosting a slew of cozy mysteries writers from Kensington Books. The event takes place from 1-5 PM at the bookstore. There will be swag gift bags for all attendees, and book raffles. Expect two panels with a break in between. If you can’t make it to the event, you can order the authors’ books through the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

You’ll want to try to attend, though. Just check out the list of authors and books.

Tamara Berry signs Séances Are for Suckers ($26)
Lynn Cahoon signs Of Murder and Men ($7.99)
JC Easton signs Staged 4 Murder ($7.99)
Jessica Elliott signs Murder Flies the Coop ($26)
Dianne Freeman signs A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder ($26)
Cheryl Hollon signs Shattered At Sea ($7.99)
JR Ripley signs Die, Die Birdie ($7.99)
Kym Roberts signs Lethal Literature ($15)
Rosemary Simpson signs Lies That Comfort and Betray ($15.95)

If you’re planning to be in Scottsdale at The Poisoned Pen between Nov. 9 and the 18th, you might want to plan on some other events while you’re visiting. Scottsdale Public Art offers Canal Convergence during that time frame.

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2018 CWA Dagger Awards. The Crime Writers Association has been presenting the Dagger Awards for over fifty years. Here’s the list of this year’s winners. Don’t forget to check the Web Store when looking for books. https://store.poisonedpen.com/

The CWA Diamond Dagger – Michael Connelly

The CWA Gold Dagger – Steve Cavanagh – THE LIAR

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger – Attica Locke – BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD

The John Creasey Debut Dagger – Melissa Scrivner Love – LOLA

The CWA ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction – Thomas Harding – BLOOD ON THE PAGE

The CWA Historical Dagger – Rory Clements – NUCLEUS

The CWA Short Story Dagger – Denise Mina – NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT, BLOODY SCOTLAND

The International Dagger – Henning Mankell – AFTER THE FIRE – tr Marlaine Delargy

The CWA Debut Dagger – Winner – Bill Crotty – THE ETERNAL LIFE OF EZRA BEN SIMEON

Highly Commended – Joseph James – RIVERINE BLOOD

The final Dagger Award goes to a favorite Poisoned Pen Press author, who also happens to be popular in libraries. “The Dagger in the Library is a prize for a body of work by an established crime writer that has long been popular with borrowers from libraries. It also rewards authors who have supported libraries and their users.” The winner of this year’s –

The CWA Dagger in the Library – Martin Edwards.

Congratulations, Martin!

If you’re a fan of Deborah Harkness’ All Souls’ Trilogy, you’ll want to watch her recent book event in which she discusses Time’s Convert. Or, doesn’t discuss Time’s Convert because she makes it clear to the audience that there will be no spoilers. You’ll appreciate the humor in the event. You can watch it now.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd2BgJbHtzM&w=560&h=315]

You can order copies of Harkness’ books, including signed copies of Time’s Convert, through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2PTnENl

Here’s the summary of Time’s Convert.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, a novel about what it takes to become a vampire.

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus’s deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

Fast-forward to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylor–the young employee at Sotheby’s whom Marcus has fallen for–is about to embark on her own journey to immortality. Though the modernized version of the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable than they were in the eighteenth century. The shadows that Marcus believed he’d escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both–forever.

A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution, Time’s Convert channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that made the All Souls Trilogy instant bestsellers to illuminate a new and vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries.

The current Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen is Tana French’s The Witch Elm. The standalone novel, and other books by French, are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2OfmU8p

Here’s the description of The Witch Elm.

“Tana French’s best and most intricately nuanced novel yet. . . Get ready for the whiplash brought on by its final twists and turns.” –The New York Times

A brilliant new work of suspense from “the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years.” (Washington Post)

From the writer who “inspires cultic devotion in readers” (The New Yorker) and has been called “incandescent” by Stephen King, “absolutely mesmerizing” by Gillian Flynn, and “unputdownable” (People), comes a gripping new novel that turns a crime story inside out.

Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who’s dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life – he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family’s ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden – and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.

A spellbinding standalone from one of the best suspense writers working today, The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we’re capable of, when we no longer know who we are.