Thursday, December 12, 2024

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: The Rare Books Cozy Mysteries by Daphne Silver - DAY ONE

The Rare Books Cozy Mysteries by Daphne Silver Banner

THE RARE BOOKS COZY MYSTERIES

by Daphne Silver

November 25, 2024 - January 3, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

 

CRIME AND PARCHMENT

 

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume knows this much… an ancient Celtic manuscript shouldn’t be in a Maryland cemetery. But that’s exactly what her brother-in-law claims.

Last year, Juniper saw the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells in Ireland. She learned how their bejeweled covers were stolen centuries ago, never to be seen again. So how could they have ended up in Rose Mallow, a small Chesapeake Bay town? Being Jewish, the Book of Kells might not be her sacred text, but as a rare books librarian, the ancient book is still sacred to her, making it important to Juniper to find out the truth.

Rose Mallow is the same place where Juniper used to summer with her sister Azalea and their grandmother Zinnia, known as Nana Z. Ever since Nana Z passed away, Juniper’s avoided returning, but her curiosity is greater than her grief, so she heads down in her vintage convertible with her rescue dog Clover.

Juniper discovers that her sister Azalea has transformed their grandmother’s Queen Anne style mansion into the Wildflower Inn, backing up to the Chesapeake Bay. Although Juniper isn’t much of a cook, Azalea has kept their grandmother’s legacy alive, filling the house with the smells of East European Jewish treats, like sweet kugels and tzimmes cake. Will coming back here feel like returning home or fill Juniper with a deeper sorrow? Can she apologize to her sister for not being there when she was needed most?

 

THE TELL-TALE HOMICIDE

 

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume lands her dream job: creating a new museum in her Chesapeake Bay town of Rose Mallow, Maryland. But on her very first day, she makes a shocking discovery - a dead man clutching a book by Edgar Allan Poe, stolen from the collections!

As Juniper gets closer to cracking the coded message hidden inside the book, she realizes someone is desperate to keep its literary secrets buried… even if that means burying her too.

Dressed in her signature vintage style with rescue pup Clover by her side, the fearless bookworm must hunt down the culprit before becoming the next victim. But can she solve the case without jeopardizing a budding romance with her boss, the dashing Leo Calverton? And can she help her sister Azalea perfect their grandmother's legendary blintz recipe before the Rose Mallow Festival?

A delightfully deadly page-turner, The Tell-Tale Homicide continues the charming Rare Books Cozy Mystery series by Agatha award-winning author Daphne Silver. Fans of Kate Carlisle and Jenn McKinlay will love tagging along with the whip-smart, book-loving Juniper on her adventures.

Series Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Series:The Rare Books Cozy Mysteries
Series Links: Amazon | Level Best Books

Read an excerpt from Crime and Parchment:

CHAPTER 1

My 1965, robin’s egg blue convertible backfired as I parked in front of the Wildflower Inn. The noise set off Clover barking in the backseat. Not exactly the quiet homecoming I’d hoped for. I jumped out of my Karmann-Ghia – or “KG” as I’d nicknamed her – to check under the hood, hoping I wouldn’t need to get the roadster serviced yet again. No idea where that money would come from.

A screaming, ranting madwoman poured out of a neighboring house. Maybe in her late seventies, she brandished a large umbrella. I dropped the hood to find the umbrella pointing at me. Clover – all twenty pounds of him – jumped out and started growling.

“Easy, boy,” I said.

“You shoot something off, Missy? Here to cause trouble? Because I’m on the board of the Friends of the Rose Mallow Police.” the woman said. She wore a perfectly fitted Mamie Eisenhower pink skirt suit with enormous pearls – straight out of the 1950s. Her white bouffant billowed around her head. She reminded me of a researcher I’d helped earlier that day at the Library of Congress. That woman had been a murder mystery author looking for books about early detectives. This woman looked like she wanted to murder someone – namely me.

Suddenly I remembered her: Cordelia Sullivan. She was my late grandmother’s arch-nemesis. After my Nana Z had moved to Rose Mallow, they’d competed to be the president of almost every board in town. Nana Z had called it a “friendly rivalry to garner the most civic goodwill,” but I don’t think Cordelia saw it that way. To her, the Blume family were – and always would be – outsiders in her perfect Chesapeake Bay town.

“What’s going on?” My sister Azalea appeared on the wraparound porch of the Wildflower Inn. Although I was two years younger at twenty-eight, she looked like my twin, except that her hair was much longer and darker than my slanted bob. She pushed her bangs back and brought a hand up to her forehead when she saw me. “Juniper? What on earth are you doing here?”

“Well, I…” My words faltered. I’d spent the past hour driving and trying to figure out how to tell Azalea about why I’d finally returned, but every time I tested the words out loud, they failed. Clover had listened with confused curiosity before giving up and falling asleep.

“You know there’s a noise ordinance,” Cordelia said as she waved her umbrella around. Clover barked at the offending instrument. However, I think he wanted to play with it more than anything else. Occasional growling aside, he’s not exactly attack dog material.

“Yes, Mrs. Sullivan. Not until 10 p.m., and it’s not even 8 o’clock yet.” Azalea’s exasperated voice led me to suspect that she’d had this conversation more than once.

“Hmph. I plan on taking your ‘halfway house’ to the zoning board. What a travesty to do to our pristine historic district. You know I’m president of the Rose Mallow Historical Society.” Cordelia wagged a finger at my sister. I closed my eyes before rolling them.

“Mama! Mama!” A young bundle of legs and a mop of nearly black hair appeared next to Azalea on the wraparound porch. I couldn’t believe how big Violet had grown. She was almost four years old now.

She latched onto Azalea’s legs and held on tightly. I wanted to run up to my niece and smother her in hugs and kisses, but I wasn’t sure how I’d be received. Clover apparently did too because he took off after her. The little girl squealed with laughter as he covered her in licks.

“Go inside, Vi. It’s past your bedtime,” Azalea said. She turned to us. “I don’t have time for this. As you can see, I have a young child requiring my attention. Plus, I have a house full of guests. Mrs. Sullivan, it sounds like you have a plan in place to handle my zoning and noise issues. I’ll leave you to it. And Juniper, if you’re here, then let’s get you inside.”

Violet ran inside, letting Clover follow. I took that as a positive sign, so I grabbed my suitcase from the trunk and followed quickly, as Cordelia monitored us. Her umbrella remained held out in the air. She reminded me of Don Quixote in pearls.

“You’ve done an incredible job restoring the place,” I said as I walked across the perfectly manicured lawn. Azalea had recently converted Nana Z’s Queen Anne style mansion into a boutique hotel. After so many years away, I hadn’t been sure what to expect.

She eyed me with uncertainty. I could tell she was debating whether to chew me out for not being here for any of the work, let alone the hotel’s grand opening earlier in the spring. But my sister is much better at maturity than I am.

“It’s been a journey. Not an undertaking for the faint of heart. Repairing that turret alone had me almost give up and put up the for sale sign.” Azalea pointed up to the three-story round tower protruding from the side of the house. As a kid, I used to pretend Nana Z’s home was a castle and fought many dragons racing up that tower.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I said ‘Almost,’” she replied with a laugh.

“I love how bright the yellow siding is. I bet that color really pops in the morning against the Chesapeake Bay.” I walked up the stairs to the wraparound, past garden beds bursting with purple coneflowers and Black-Eyed Susans, Maryland’s state flower.

“You know what’s funny is how much I hated canary yellow when we were little. Every time we came here, I’d always wished Nana Z’s house was more like Cordelia Sullivan’s with her dark greens and rich reds. But now that Nana Z’s gone, I couldn’t stand to change it,” Azalea said.

“But it’s such a cheery color. Why would you want something so drab as Cordelia’s place? ” I asked. As a kid, Cordelia’s house had been as scary as the owner. Losing a ball into her yard meant it was never coming back. Neighborhood kids claimed her house was haunted.

Azalea shrugged. “Yeah, the yellow’s growing on me.”

“You kept this mess?” I said when I spotted the clunky clay mezuzah on the doorpost. I’d made the case at Jewish day camp as a kid. Inside was a tiny parchment scroll inscribed with biblical verses in Hebrew. The painted clay design was supposed to be a bunch of zinnias in honor of Nana Z’s first name, but it looked more like a lumpy mud puddle than a bright firework of flowers.

Azalea shrugged with a smile. “Oh, there are a few of my own masterpieces on some of the other doors inside. Maybe I’ll get Violet to make some new ones.”

The inside was as exquisite as the outside. I don’t think my memories did the place justice. The stained glass above the front door also sported Black-Eyed Susans, while those above each window featured a different native wildflower.

Azalea had kept our grandmother’s lush red carpets with ornate gold and white floral patterns. Polished mahogany inset panels gleamed from the walls. A staircase with beautifully carved spindles fed into the large lobby.

On the left was a parlor that Azalea had turned into the registration space. On the right was the library, overflowing with leather-bound books. It was in this room I had discovered my love for stories and books as a child. I wouldn’t have become a rare books librarian at The Library of Congress without Nana Z’s library. I sighed, wishing things were going better there. Nana Z would have been proud of me, but my job had become so difficult since I lost that promotion to Greyson. A little birdie had told me not to expect another chance for a long time, which meant I was stuck with someone Nana Z would have described as a “shlemiel.”

A narrow hallway disappeared between the registration area and the staircase, which led back to the dining room and kitchen. I remembered how those overlooked the back garden, public boardwalk, and the Chesapeake Bay. I could imagine how ornately she’d decorated the upstairs bedrooms.

Clover sniffed at everything in sight. I monitored him, but he was having a grand time exploring. Just not too grand of a time. I tried sending the message to him telepathically. He lifted his nose at me, as if to say, “Who, me?”

“I love that you hung some of Nana Z’s watercolors,” I said. My eyes grew misty as I gazed at her paintings of native flowers, including dwarf crested irises, ironweed, columbine, and, of course, the rose mallow for which the Maryland town was named. I shook my head, pushing the grief down deep.

A teenager hunched over a thick book sat at the registration desk. She had long, bluish-green locs that looked beautiful against her sepia brown skin. Her large glasses were rimmed in a matching turquoise color. She looked up from the book and said, “Sorry, Azalea. Vi got away from me.”

The teen didn’t seem alarmed, but then again, neither did Azalea. I wondered if this happened frequently. Maybe Vi was a regular escape artist. Nana Z would have been pleased. I held back my smile.

“I’m Juniper, Azalea’s sister,” I said to the teen as I extended my hand.

“You have a sister?” she asked Azalea with a look of surprise. Then she recovered, shook my hand, and said, “I’m Keisha Douglass. I’ve been helping Azalea with the Wildflower Inn. But, uh, we’re all booked up tonight.”

“I’ll figure it out,” said Azalea. “Although giving me some sort of a heads up you were finally coming would’ve been nice, Juniper.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I smiled awkwardly. Clover raced over to the desk to check out Keisha. The desk was higher than him, so he couldn’t quite see atop. Fortunately, she came around to pet him. “Oh wow! A dog? We’re allowing dogs now?”

I turned to check with Azalea, who massaged her temples. She breathed deeply but then simply shrugged. Great. Not only had I shown up out of the blue, but I hadn’t checked to make sure pets were allowed. I was pretty sure I knew the root cause of her sudden headache. I smiled sheepishly.

“No worries, Keisha. Clover’s the exception to the no dogs rule. Vi’s fine. I’m going to put her to bed,” Azalea said, as she ushered the bouncing kid down the narrow hallway and turned abruptly right before the kitchen. Unsure of what to do, I followed. There was a small sitting room there, which she had reconfigured into a bedroom. It was a tight space. Azalea caught me staring. “It’s a temporary solution. I’m still working on updating the Carriage House in the back garden. Once I’m finished, Vi and I will move there.”

Vi ran around the room, fighting Azalea’s attempts to return her to bed. My sister paused mid-chase and said, “This may take a bit. You know where the kitchen is. Why don’t you go there, start a kettle of tea, and I’ll meet you there when we’re done? I was getting ready to pull a kugel out of the oven anyway.”

That was my sister, always gently commanding, whether it was an unruly neighbor, an energetic preschooler, or me, the surprise guest. I thought of her like a duck. Above the water, she appeared to be smoothly sailing along, but below, it was a mad fury of management to keep everything afloat.

“A kugel?” I asked with excitement. Nana Z had made plenty of the baked noodle casseroles each summer. Sometimes they were savory, but more often, they were sweet, made with lokshen, or egg noodles, and various cheeses.

Azalea looked pleased. “I’ve been trying to perfect her recipe. You’ll have to tell me what you think.”

I knew immediately she meant Nana Z. As we headed down the hallway, I caught the aroma of the decadent noodle pudding. I could already detect the cinnamon she’d used. My eyes watered slightly at the memories the smell produced.

The kitchen was both familiar and new. No longer was it the 1890s meets 1970s chic that Nana Z had employed. Azalea had replaced most of the yellowed appliances with updated stainless-steel, upgraded the laminate countertops to granite, and removed the harvest gold wallpaper to paint the in vogue “greige” along with a matching subway tile backsplash. Someone had been watching a lot of HGTV. But it was still Nana Z’s kettle on the stovetop, her handcrafted cookie jar on the counter, and a variety of favorite teas in the same cabinet location. Being here felt like being at home, but only if that home had been completely renovated when you weren’t looking.

The view out back remained the same, looking past a blooming garden of blue hydrangeas and the small Carriage House, to the public boardwalk separating the garden from the Chesapeake Bay. On good days, you could make out the shoreline on the Eastern Shore. Being early June, the sun was beginning to set beyond the Bay’s edge, so the view became a Tonalist painting with its atmospheric blues, grays, and browns.

Clover found an embroidered tea towel to play with. I tried pulling it away from him, but he decided that meant the game was afoot. I dug into my suitcase and found his food. I borrowed a couple of low rimmed bowls to fill with his dinner and water. He quickly abandoned the towel for something to eat.

According to the timer, the kugel still had a few minutes left in the oven. I caught the kettle before it whistled and filled up two mugs. Given the abundance of Darjeeling black tea, I assumed it was still Azalea’s favorite and prepped it for both of us. Within a few minutes, she came in, plopped down on an empty seat, and dropped her head to the table. I sat up in alarm, afraid that my cool as nails sister might be about to cry.

***

Excerpt from Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver. Copyright 2023 by Daphne Silver. Reproduced with permission from Daphne Silver. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Daphne Silver

Daphne Silver is the Agatha Award winning author of the Rare Books Cozy Mystery Series. Her first novel, Crime and Parchment (Level Best Books, 2023), won the Agatha for Best First Mystery Novel. Her latest book, The Tell-Tale Homicide, comes out November 2024 from Level Best Books. She’s worked more than twenty years in museums and symphonies and has the great fortune of being married to a librarian. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing and painting. She lives in Maryland with her family. Although she’s not much of a baker, she won’t ever turn down a sweet lokshen kugel.

Catch Up With Daphne Silver:
www.DaphneSilver.com
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BookBub - @daphnesilverbooks
Instagram - @daphnesilverbooks
Facebook - @daphnesilverbooks

 

 

Review of Crime and Parchment, Book One in the series:

5 stars!

Intriguing mystery and family drama on the trail of the ancient literary artifact. 

Crime and Parchment is the first book in author Daphne Silver’s promising Rare Books Cozy Mystery series featuring Library of Congress rare books librarian Juniper Blume, her sister, Azalea, and the fabled jewel-encrusted gold covers of the ancient Book of Kells. 

The story unfolds from the point of view of the main character, Juniper Blume, a young rare books expert and librarian at the U.S. Library of Congress. After years away, she finally returns to her grandmother’s home in Rose Mallow, Maryland, after her soon-to-be ex-brother-in-law contacts her and claims to have found the lost covers of the renowned Book of Kells, which have been missing for over 1,200 years. Her homecoming is quite emotional when she and her dog, Clover, show up unannounced at her Nana Z’s former home, now the Wildflower Inn, her sister’s fledgling boutique hotel. The sisters’ reunion is not a joyful one and exposes the heartbreak they both have experienced since the death of their beloved grandmother. Azalea is at her breaking point and reveals a lot of what she’s been going through during Juniper’s long absence: adjusting to motherhood and life with her precocious and almost four-year-old daughter, restoring and converting the large family home, and her pending divorce from her childhood sweetheart, Rory Walsh.

 The mystery kicks off quickly but unexpectedly with Rory’s failure to show up for his scheduled meeting with Juniper and her subsequent discovery of the body of a local girl at the location instead. Word spreads immediately through the small town, and naturally, everyone equates Rory’s disappearance with guilt that he’s the murderer. 

Coincidentally, a film crew staying at the Wildflower Inn is in town to document the announcement of the search for the same Book of Kell’s artifacts by the star of the television show, Professor Treasure Hunter, Orson Bradford. As it turns out, Juniper and Bradford have a history. He’d made a pretty clumsy and public pass at her at a high-profile professional conference where they’d both been speakers the previous year. When he sees her at his press conference, he immediately approaches her to apologize for his past behavior and appears interested in forging a future working relationship. However, it is his friend, the current head of the local founding family in Rose Mallow, Leo Calverton, who piques Juniper’s curiosity. 

With Juniper under scrutiny by the police as the person who discovered the murdered woman and the sister-in-law of the missing Rory, it becomes critical that she find the real killer and, hopefully, Azalea’s missing spouse. The resolution is exciting and surprising, and the ending proves to be full of promise for future additions to the series. 

I recommend CRIME AND PARCHMENT to cozy mystery readers.




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Cover Reveal: The Seer by Raquel Y. Levitt


Historical Fiction / Paranormal Fiction

Date Published: March 11th, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing


In 1890s Missouri, secrets are a matter of survival.

Clairvoyant Sarah Richardson screams as her older sister Katherine is forced into a straightjacket and thrust into a carriage bound for the St. Louis City Lunatic Asylum. She is devastated to learn Katherine has been blamed for her inadvertent role in an abused woman’s murder. Now, too frightened to speak up, she hides the truth that it should have been her in that carriage. 

Sarah’s mounting guilt becomes too much, and she heads to St. Louis, determined to regain her sister’s confidence and prove herself worthy of forgiveness.

While working to heal their relationship, Sarah meets a timid housewife who tries to hide her bruises. When troubling psychic visions of the woman begin to affect her, she sees an opportunity to atone for her past mistakes. Desperate to do whatever it takes to make things right, Sarah embarks on a perilous journey that may cost her everything—including her own life.


About the Author

Award-winning author Raquel Y. Levitt holds an MFA in creative writing and a master’s degree in English. Her short stories have been published in various anthologies and literary journals and reflect her passion for writing about strong women finding their voice and their power. She is a world traveler, an amateur nature photographer, and a collector of cool rocks. Raquel and her husband live, work, and play in the Texas Hill Country and Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. The Seer is her debut novel.

 

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RABT Book Tours & PR

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: A Basket Case (Maddie Sparks Mystery, #2) by Lesley A. Diehl

 

A Basket Case (Maddie Sparks Mystery Series) by Lesley A Diehl

About A Basket Case

 

A Basket Case (Maddie Sparks Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting - Upstate New York
Publisher: Camel Press (November 12, 2024)
Paperback: 250 pages
ISBN-10: 1684922208 / ISBN-13: 978-1684922208
Digital ASIN: B0D4MWFWSP

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Maddie Sparks believes she has found the perfect balance in her life-Zack, the man she loves, a book she loves writing and volunteer work at a local museum with a granddaughter she adores. An old flame from Zack's past arrives and drives a wedge into Maddie and Zack's romance, her writing stalls and someone murders the museum's director just as the museum is about to return a collection of Native American artifacts to the Onondaga and Oneida nations. Standing over the dead body of the museum director is an Indigenous man from neither group who insists one of the baskets in the collection belongs to his family. The authorities believe he is the killer, but Maddie does not. With her love life on hold, Maddie and her granddaughter set out to identify the killer, but their search reveals thefts at the museum and a two-hundred-year-old family secret that is the key to the motivation behind the killing. When Maddie uncovers the history behind the feud over the basket, she knows the identity of the killer, making Maddie his next target.

Click to Purchase!


About Lesley A. Diehl


Cows, Lesley learned growing up on a farm, have a twisted sense of humor. They chased her when she herded them in for milking, and one ate the lovely red mitten her grandmother knitted for her. Determining that agriculture wasn’t a good career choice, instead, she uses her country roots and her training as a psychologist to concoct stories designed to make people laugh in the face of murder. Unusual protagonists appear in many of Lesley’s works including Desdemona the crime-fighting potbellied pig, a hobo turned county sheriff and Lesley’s zany back-home-on-the-farm relatives (The Killer Wore Cranberry, all six anthologies). She is the author of several cozy mystery series (The Eve Appel Mysteries, Laura Murphy Mysteries, The Big Lake Murder Mysteries, and her newest, Maddie Sparks Mysteries, featuring a senior sleuth and her rescue cat). Her cozy mysteries have won several Readers’ Favorite Awards and a short story Sleuthfest Award. Find out more at www.lesleyadiehl.com


Review:

4 stars!

Intriguing double mysteries and complex personal relationships combine for a compelling story. 

A Basket Case is the second book in author Lesley A. Diehl’s intriguing Maddie Sparks Mystery series. Still, newcomers to the series can easily pick up, catch up, and enjoy it as an introduction or standalone. When a director at the museum where Maddie’s granddaughter is completing a college internship and she is volunteering is murdered right before completing the turnover of Native American artifacts to local tribes, Sara’s boyfriend’s father, a well-known Native American activist and a claimant to one of the museum’s holdings is accused of the crime. Maddie, convinced he didn’t do it, enlists her defense attorney son, Richard, to represent the man in the white justice system and her love interest, former local sheriff Zack Montgomery, to investigate and find the real killer. 

Maddie and Zack had grown serious and close over the summer; however, when he returns from a trip to visit his adult daughter, Amy, he shows up not only with her but with Mary Sanders, a woman with whom Zack apparently had a long history, one Amy has decided he should rekindle. Maddie is stunned when Zack bows to his daughter’s wishes and moves his things from Maddie’s place into the B&B where Amy and Mary are staying. Knowing Amy is fighting a battle with drug addiction and needs her father’s support, Maddie tries to understand his actions and, though heartbroken, goes along with the situation. Maddie and Zack’s interactions are awkward and hard to watch unfold, especially with Mary stirring the pot every chance she gets. Zack comes across as weak and indecisive in his handling of his relationships, but he’s being torn apart by his need to be there for his daughter and be with the woman with whom he’s already fallen in love. His blindness to Mary’s toxicity and lack of the skills his daughter needs goes on way too long, and there are consequences. 

The situation at the museum is also more complex than originally imagined. There is evidence of a very toxic work environment with ongoing incidents of harassment, racism, and misogyny, and  pieces from the museum’s collections are suddenly going missing, with forged lookalikes left in their place. Sara discovers the discrepancies and shares her concerns with her grandmother, but their knowledge may have put them in the crosshairs of a killer. Although clues are hard to come by, Maddie and her friends are able to piece together enough plausible hypotheses to conduct an investigation, though with so much going on in the story, their efforts were scattershot for much of the book. The difficulties in the various personal relationships really distracted everyone: Maddie, Zack, and even Sara, who had to deal with her protective parents and being in a mixed race relationship. However, red herrings come and go as plot twists complicate an already intricate case but guaranteed my attention and entertainment until the final resolution.

I recommend A BASKET CASE to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy a more mature set of sleuths, strong female protagonists, relationship-heavy plots, and behind-the-scenes looks at museum operations.



Tour Participants


December 6 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
December 7 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
December 8 – Rebecca M. Douglass, Author – REVIEW
December 9 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
December 10 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read - REVIEW
December 12 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 13 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
December 14 – Reading Authors Network – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 14 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 15 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
December 16 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
December 17 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 18 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
December 19 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST


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Book Blast & Giveaway: Voices From Beyond by Fran Lewis

Voices from Beyond by Fran Lewis Banner

VOICES FROM BEYOND

by Fran Lewis

December 9-13, 2024 Book Blast

Synopsis:

Voices from Beyond by Fran Lewis

As the book unfolds, each person you meet is given a chance to repent or suffer the mirror's unique form of hideous justice. Be careful doing wrong because the mirror waits for you...

Here are seven stories that will bring chills down your spine and make you wonder: what lies behind the stones? Who lives here? Each voice you will hear has been silenced by the evil of others. Rosie and many others in the camps were tortured and enslaved, and not allowed to speak out at all. Bertha’s voice was never heard by her aunt, who used her for cooking, cleaning, and even servicing men for money.

Next is a teacher who believed that children should be seen and not ever heard, and their opinions were off limits. Sarah Jones knew the secret that her cousin Benita was hiding, and what she had done to her mother. Sarah would bide her time and take on not only Benita but others, too. This is the story of how Sarah Jones decided to fight back. But did she succeed?

Finally, there are several who have wronged so many, and these last three remain behind stones that barely stand straight, where their names are engraved but covered with mud and soil so that no one will ever give them the honor of saying a prayer over them or mourning their deaths. These three come from different walks of life: one is a lawyer, another an accountant, and the third a judge. What are they guilty of? Read their stories as they tell them, and you decide if their fates were just or not, as they blackmailed and threatened so many whose voices, you’ll learn, were silenced in fear.

Within this world, many gain wealth by taking what belongs to others. There is a catch to this, as I will decide the fate of each person as they spend time in my special mirrors facing what they have done. If they show remorse, they have one fate. If not, they will belong to me!

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thriller
Published by: Royal Flush Publishing
Publication Date: October 28, 2024
Number of Pages: 60
ASIN: B0D1QM7Y9Z
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads

 

Author Bio:

Fran Lewis

Fran worked in the NYC Public Schools as the Reading and Writing Staff Developer for over 36 years. She has three masters degrees and a PD in Supervision and Administration. Currently, she is a member of Who's Who of America's Teachers and Who's Who of America's Executives from Cambridge.‬‬‬

Fran is the author of more than 14 titles including three children's books. She has written several books on Alzheimer's disease in order to honor her mom and help create more awareness for a cure. These include Memories are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey; Ruth’s Story and Sharp as a Tack and Scrambled Eggs Which Describes Your Brain?. She also wrote A Daughter’s Promise about her walk through the disease with her mother. ‪Fran is the author of the Faces Behind the Stones series, a middle school series featuring stories growing up in the Bronx with her sister and MJ magazine. Voices from Beyond is her latest book which was preceded by Mirror Image, What If?, Population Zero, and Accusations.‬

Catch Up With Fran Lewis:
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X - @franellena
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Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Review Tour & Giveway: Stellar Heir (Stellar Heir, #1) by Scott Killian

 

STELLAR HEIR
Stellar Heir, Book One
by
Scott Killian

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
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Science Fiction
Publication Date: October 8, 2024
Page count: 392 pages

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SYNOPSIS:

Jael Ked’Korhva hadn’t anticipated becoming the galaxy’s most wanted.
 
He hadn’t planned on picking up a strange alien artifact, either, but once it was clasped around his wrist, Jael was granted extraordinary abilities. His senses were heightened, his reflexes faster, and he could now regenerate from damage that would spell the end for others, which was a boon, considering he was just a derelict scavenger.
 
That was until forces from every corner of the stars wanted Jael’s artifact for themselves, and they’ll stop at nothing to take it back. What initially appears as a boon swiftly transforms into a weighty charge. Yet, it's a charge Jael accepts without hesitation, understanding the catastrophic potential should the relic fall into the wrong hands.
 
Prodded onward by visions of an ancient ally and a mysterious enemy, Jael becomes a pivotal piece in a vast interstellar play of power and dominion.
 
An action-packed space opera, perfect for science fiction fans of Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio or The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey.

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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

Jael’s world shifted, reality melting away as the woman’s touch transported his consciousness across the vastness of space. The galaxy unfurled before him, countless stars and vibrant worlds. 

A creeping darkness emerged from the fringes, seeping into the cosmic fabric like spilled ink. Jael watched in horror as the void engulfed entire star systems, extinguishing their light with terrifying efficiency. 

Planets that once teemed with life withered under the encroaching shadow. Lush forests crumbled to ash, oceans boiled away, and sprawling cities crumbled into dust. The screams of billions echoed across the vacuum, abruptly silenced as the darkness consumed them. 

Stars flickered and died, snuffed out like candles in a gale. Nebulae collapsed, their swirling colors fading to a dull, lifeless gray. The galaxy’s spiral arms now resembled dark skeletal fingers reaching into nothingness. 

As the last remnants of light faded, Jael found himself suspended in an endless, inky void. The darkness was not still, but writhed and pulsated. Shapeless entities, darker than the blackness surrounding them, twisted and coiled through the emptiness. 

The woman’s voice echoed in his mind, “This is the future that awaits if you fail. The enemy comes, and with it, the end of all things.” She moved in close and placed a hand on his cheek. “Find me on Dusrist before it is too late.” 

As the woman began to fade, behind her, another figure began to materialize. A shadow Jael hadn’t thought about in years. 

Jael’s breath caught in his throat, his heart pounding against his chest. The figure’s face slowly came into focus—a sharp jawline, weathered by time and countless wars, gray, ashen skin, a tell-tale sign of genetic alteration and eyes that Jael would never forget. Those predatory, multi-pupiled eyes that had haunted Jael’s nightmares since he was a child.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Scott Killian grew up in California, where he consumed every bit of sci-fi and horror media he could find. Delving deep into the works of Thomas Harris, Stephen King, and H. P. Lovecraft, to name a few, those dark portals in his mind were opened, and his obsession with the macabre began. Storytelling, in any form, is his greatest passion. Scott can be reached via email at saltnsulfurpublishing@gmail.com. 

 

REVIEW:

5 stars!

Outstanding beginning for this fresh, action-packed space opera. 

Steller Heir is the first novel in author Scott Killian’s new science fiction adventure series of the same name, and it was absolutely a thrill-a-minute, hit-the-ground-running debut! Great characters, witty dialogue, amazing alien beings, a compelling mission to save ALL, and vivid imagery that made me feel I was there all combined to deliver an exciting epic of a space opera. 

Jael Ked’Korhva is the main character and the young captain of the scavenger ship, Zigzagunda. Along with his humanoid simian sidekick, Goni Tinge, they scour space for items of value. However, a mysterious bracelet, an artifact from the ancient past, once clasped around Jael’s wrist, changes everything. Not only is every pirate, mercenary, and alien death squad on their trail to get the power of the artifact for themselves, but it has shown Jael the future fate of the galaxy should he fail to stop what’s coming. 

I enjoyed Jael’s narrative so much. He’s witty, smart, and relatable, and Goni is entertaining with his banter, enthusiasm, and single-mindedness on a couple of issues, such as food. I loved their interaction, camaraderie, and relationship with the Zigzagunda, especially the banter and rivalry with Goni. The action sequences are tense and easy to follow because they are so well choreographed. Descriptions are fluid and easy to visualize. The author’s alien beings are diverse, imaginative, and often horrifying in their extreme physical strangeness and interactions. 

The plot goes from 0 to 60 from the very first chapter, and there’s little downtime; the tension just keeps building. Told from multiple points of view, readers follow the action from the different angles of the story. The good guys, on occasion, stray left and right of what’s moral but who you can’t help rooting for from the start. Then, there are the bad guys, the VERY bad guys. And yet, there are those you won’t be able to categorize yet – are they going to fall on the side of good or evil? Thankfully, the second book in the series is shown to be scheduled for publication in March of 2025 because there’s so much more story left to unfold. 

I recommend STELLAR HEIR for science fiction readers who enjoy space opera action and adventure.


TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

November 19: The Reading Addict
November 19: Country Mamas With Kids
November 26: The Faerie Review
November 26: The Avid Reader
December 3: Of Books and Bookish Things
December 3: Our Town Book Reviews
December 10: fundinmental
December 10:Guatemala Paula Loves to Read

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The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.




Blurb Blitz & Giveaway: The Vicious & The Virile VII by Luki Belle


THE VICIOUS AND THE VIRILE VII
by
Luki Belle


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
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Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
Publication Date: August 5, 2024
Page count: 785 pages


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SYNOPSIS:

A collection of short horror stories, The Vicious and The Virile VII offers a captivating combination of unique and varied short stories emblematic of the dark fantasy genre.
 
Karan Lloyd Hamilton: when touring a fictitious national park in India a wealthy American couple, Judas and Priscilla Hamilton are attacked by tigers and get physically separated. The mortally wounded wife, pregnant with male twin, dies giving birth in the wilderness to healthy babies. Only one twin is found and returned to Judas who survived the attack. The grieving father returns to America with his newborn and the corpse of Priscilla. The boy, Karan Lloyd Hamilton, grows up to be a Wall Street investment banker. He bears a physical scar from his traumatic birth which has transformed Karan into a predator by night in the streets of Manhattan. 

Kartik Shiv Yuvarajan: the second twin boy of Judas and Priscilla Hamilton did not die but was taken by the mystical tribe of the national park. The tribe hides the baby until he is stolen and given to a tour guide of the park, Arjun. Afraid of the consequences of taking the baby to the American embassy, Arjun adopts the child, gives him the name Kartik Shiv Yuvarajan and then returns to his ancestral village. Kartik bears a similar mark upon his body like his twin Karan. This mark brings about strange physiological changes in Kartik and leads to unexpected events that threatens his life in the village. Arjun must now decide whether to let Kartik know of his identity or whether to flee once again with the teenager. 

Hounds of the Monks: a warrior flees with his family to save his daughter from the lustful, cruel king of the land. When the king’s army gives chase to bring back the young girl, the warrior separates from his wife and daughter to protect them. Mother and her girl seek shelter in a monastery only to realize that the holy surroundings may be equally dangerous. 

Desert Frogs: a film producer with her adolescent twin sons and a film crew travel to a fictitious nation, Gapharkh, to shoot a few scenes in the country’s legendary desert. A civil war is imminent in Gapharkh between the military regime and the nomadic tribe of the desert. Unexpected connections quickly form between the twin boys and the nomads while the war heats up in the backdrop as the film crew rushes to complete their work. Discovering that there was a dark motive behind allowing the foreign film crew to shoot in the desert, the producer desperately tries to escape Gapharkh with her sons and her crew. 

Stolen Princess: Rosemarie, a young woman rescued from prostitution, finds herself alone and homeless when her husband is lost at sea and her in-laws throw her out of her husband’s home. Rosemarie’s fate momentarily worsens when she is raped and almost killed but, miraculously, she is saved by strange old women who take Rosemarie to a secluded, enchanting island. The heavenly place seems like freedom until Rosemarie realizes that there are sinister forces around her who intend to keep her captive in the isle. Rosemarie’s past may be her only salvation. 

Bastard of the Mist: Angeline a young widow, arrives at a remote and beautiful rehabilitation center for veterans to work as the assistant of the institution’s co-founder. Angeline is supernaturally gifted. Her dark powers clash with evil forces that exist in the forests surrounding the institution when she discovers a sinister plot by her employer Professor Kvalish, a man with a mysterious past. An unraveling thus begins and threatens the existence of everyone at the rehabilitation center. 

Nature’s Call Girl: in a futuristic Earth a global war is ongoing between humankind and nature. Here, a fictitious country Parakrytheon, has built a nation devoid of plant and animals with artificially created weather to protect its humans from natural predators. On a fictitious island Kamin, humans live harmoniously with nature and beast. This place has the resources that Parakrytheon needs to defeat its natural enemy. Twin brothers Hagaath and Laksha, and their sister Kamina, are the means to this end.

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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

Excerpt from Story 3 - “Hounds of the Monks” 

The doors of the monastery noisily opened as though the hinges had not been used in the longest time and lacked grease. Shamini slowly stood up and called to her daughter, but Zehera had fainted. Shamini was about to stoop down again when through the open wooden doors appeared a hooded monk in a brown garb, holding a thin candle in the grip of his bare palms, his arms cloaked under the bulky sleeves of his robe.
 
Shamini could not see the monk’s eyes which were covered under the garb’s hood. From the light of the candle’s flame, she saw that the person was a man, from his chiseled jawline, mouth, and chin.
 
“Holy monk…please help my daughter…please help us…there are hounds chasing us…please we are fleeing danger…” Shamini said frantically as she knelt beside Zehera.
 
“Zehera…my girl…Zehera…get up…look…we are safe…look!” Shamini nudged her daughter, gasped momentarily thinking the worst, then hastily put her ear against Zehera’s chest to listen; her daughter’s heart was still beating with life.
 
“She needs food and water!!” Shamini exclaimed and looked up desperately at the monk who was quietly standing by the door. She tried to lift up Zehera in her arms but lacked the strength to do so.
 
The door opened wider on its own and now Shamini could see a large rectangular empty room behind the monk.
 
The place was mostly dark except for at the far end, on the other side of the chamber, in front of an arched entrance, stood two more monks in hoods, holding tall candles in their hands.
 
“You may enter woman” said a deep youthful voice of the monk who stood by the monastery’s open doors.
 
“My daughter…” Shamini said in an exhausted tone still trying to lift up Zehera.
 
“Brothers!” the monk called loudly over his shoulder while placing the candle in his hands by the foot of the doors.
 
Quietly then the monk lifted Zehera in his arms and turned around.
 
“Go with my brethren” the monk said as he carried Zehera with him into the large rectangular room behind him.
 
“She is bleeding and badly injured! The dogs bit her…she has fainted…”Shamini said anxiously while following the monk. The other two monks were approaching her from the other direction, and they blocked her path.
 
“Your daughter is in holy care. Have faith” said the second monk.
 
“You woman must come with us” said the third monk “Your body is weak and your soul needs salvation.”
 
Their voices sounded almost like the first monk to Shamini, their tones were hypnotic. They stood around her,
 
hooded and taller than her. Their breaths smelled sweet, the fabric of their garbs exuded a flowery freshness, their lips bore faint smiles. Shamini watched as the first monk with Zehera, disappeared through the dark arched entranceway.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Luki Belle works in the media industry. In addition to The Vicious and the Virile VII, she is the author of three other novels: The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste, The Sexy Seven Supernaturals,and Shakti of the Illuminated Lotus.

Storytelling has been a fixture since Luki's childhood when she would listen to stories told by her grandparents, parents, sisters, and cousins reading to her from diverse cultural fiction books. Paranormal characters existing as and amongst humans-while exalting in their mystical powers-have always fascinated Luki. She loves to explore magical, futuristic, fantastical, and ancient realms in her stories where her human and supernatural characters are thrust together, and their conflicted and tormented natures collide.


TOUR PARTICIPANTS

December 2: The Avid Reader
December 4: Sandra's Book Club
December 4: Long and Short Reviews
December 5: Fabulous and Brunette
December 6: Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
December 9: DS Dehel
December 10: Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
December 10: Kenyan Poet
December 11: Westveil Publishing
December 11: It's Raining Books
December 12: FUONLYKNEW
December 13: Literary Gold

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The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

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Monday, December 09, 2024

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway - Boomsters: An Unexpected Adventure by David Marks

BOOMSTERS by David Marks Banner

Boomsters: An Unexpected Adventure

by David Marks

November 18 - December 13, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

BOOMSTERS by David Marks

In the heart of Chicago, where shadows conceal secrets and organized crime reigns, one retiree embarks on an extraordinary journey.

David Blazen didn't know what to expect from retirement. Witnessing a murder that police are calling a suicide definitely was not how he planned to spend his "golden years."

With a strong need to know what happened to the victim and why, David attends the funeral, where he discovers an unusual cast of characters in attendance: the FBI, the frontrunner candidate for Mayor of Chicago, disciples of Chicago's two dirtiest crime lords, and dozens of police officers.

David begins to investigate why all these people cared about the victim and why no one was calling it a murder. In his search for truth and justice, he gets caught in a web of contentious situations, each filled with a mixture of humor and suspense.

The further his investigation goes, the more he realizes he shouldn't be asking who killed the victim or why it was being covered up. As David ultimately is confronted with becoming a criminal himself, the real question he has to ask is how much bad can he justify in the name of good?

As one reviewer said, "This book has the many twists and turns that a great mystery will throw at the reader. It is a fun read, witty, and suspenseful with many surprises turning up throughout the story. If you think you have this story figured out, you don't!"

All net proceeds from this book will be donated to nonprofit organizations benefitting senior veterans.

BOOMSTERS is the 2024 BIBA® Cozy Mystery Winner!

 

Praise for BOOMSTERS:

"We’re all searching for purpose and fulfillment in our lives, and this crime fiction adventure is both heartwarming and inspiring. An action-packed and surprisingly poignant yarn about a man’s search for himself as he enters his golden years."
~ Kirkus Reviews

"This book had me hooked from the first page. One of those diamonds of a book you cannot put down. A real true page turner. It has many laugh out loud moments that are hilarious. Very well written that keeps you thoroughly entertained. The ending of this book will leave you speechless. This is my top read so far this year and I highly recommend it. I love the author's imagination on this one."

"If you enjoy a variety of characters that you'll love (and a few you'll love to hate), laughing when you probably shouldn't (and definitely when you should!), a storyline pushing the boundaries but real enough to root for the good guys, this book is for you!"

"This book takes readers on a wonderful, amusing and unexpected journey that leaves you wanting more at the end of every chapter. I could not put this book down once I started reading it."

"From start to finish, Boomsters offers suspense, action, and laughs. The reader becomes enthralled in a world of challenges, excitement, and mystery as they follow Detective Blaze in this next era of his destiny. This is a truly gripping, thrilling, and quirky story that transcends generations. Highly recommend for a feel-good read."

"Sharp satire, zany, utterly improbable things happen but underneath it (is) a profound insight into human interactions and the way the world works."

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery, Detective Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Cozy Mystery, Action Adventure, Thriller
Published by: Wheatmark
Publication Date: August 2023
Number of Pages: 536
ISBN: 9798887470801
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Wheatmark

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1

BOOMSTERS

“We are gathered here today before God and in the company of loved ones to celebrate life,” Rabbi Rabinowitz said. “The life of—” He paused. “The life of—” Another pause. Finally, he pulled a notecard from his pocket. “We are here to celebrate the life of Melvin Weinberg.”

I adjusted my tie as I leaned toward Mary. “More like celebrating his death,” I said. She rolled her eyes as she listened to the rabbi.

“Melvin, or Mel, as most of you probably knew him, was a husband and a father, a man whose life was cut short at the age of fifty-six. The world will not be the same without him.”

“Yeah, it will be safer now,” I whispered to Mary, who responded with an elbow to my left kidney. “What? Clearly this rabbi never met Mel.”

Candidly, I had never met Mel either, but I was confident I knew more about him than any of the two hundred or so people at the funeral. My guess was most were here not because Mel would be missed but because so many people wanted to confirm he was dead.

When you’re in your seventies like I am, you become familiar with funerals and the certain routine that comes with them, but it was easy to see nothing was routine about this one. Sure, the rabbi forgot the dead man’s name, but now he was extolling Mel’s virtues. Mel had no virtues. He was a murderer, a rapist, and a gambler. You can’t live life as a jerk and die a mensch. Clearly the rabbi was officiating as a favor to someone.

But that wasn’t all that was off. Those in attendance were also peculiar. First, a half-dozen FBI agents patrolled the room. Sarah Cutler—the woman expected to be Chicago’s next mayor—was sitting in the front row for all to see. Scattered throughout were members and employees from the West Coast Club, a fitness center I’ve worked out at for more than twenty years and a place I know Mel was no member of.

Then there was the crowd in the back row. On one side sat associates of Tony Santori, the head of the notorious Italian crime family. Santori expanded his family’s corrupt and dishonorable reign from New Jersey to the Midwest six years ago, and although he wasn’t in attendance, his presence was certainly felt. On the other side were members of the Deli Boys, a pack of Jews who’d owned Chicago’s streets for decades, at least until Santori arrived. Solomon Feldman was their leader, though he, too, was not present. A line of uniformed Chicago police officers blanketed the room’s back wall, there primarily to keep the peace between the two families.

Keep the peace? At a funeral? Like I said, the whole scene was bizarre. Then again, I guess it was fitting for the unique set of circumstances surrounding Mel Weinberg’s death. Why they were there was a legitimate question, as was this: As a retired businessman who spent fifty years selling trinkets like light-up Christmas necklaces and pens that sang “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” what the hell was I doing there?

To answer that question, I needed to take a step back.

-----

David Blazen is my name, born soon after World War II ended at eight pounds and who cares how many ounces. Growing up, I loved to watch Saturday morning television, where Superman stood for justice and Captain America defended our country from evil. All the shows I gravitated toward appealed to me because they focused on doing the right thing, no matter if the hero was a rifleman or a collie. I liked when bad people were caught and justice prevailed. When I couldn’t find the right story on our black-and-white TV, I’d find it in my piles of GI Joe comic books. Before I fantasized about girls, I dreamed about being GI Joe.

The best education I got came from my World War II-veteran dad, a navy man who was the smartest person I knew, even though he never made it past fifth grade. From him I learned how to be human. His motto was simple: “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”

I went to Wright Junior College in Chicago, but saying I went there is a loose term. I only showed up when I wanted, which wasn’t often. I wanted to learn to be a salesman, so when I wasn’t in class, I was practicing my craft. At that time, I sold personalized pens. I decided I learned all the school could teach me three months into my freshman year when I sold Wright Junior College ten thousand pens emblazoned with the school’s name on them.

After my brief stint in college, I started my own business. I sold creative impulse merchandise of all kinds—things people decide they can’t live without, like an extendable back scratcher or holiday-themed ice trays. Those who knew me then would call me creative and fast-paced, and I would agree. I had a zest for being zestful. My creativity was not stymied by what others did or what books said, only by the limits of my imagination. Every day, I challenged my brain to think outside the norm.

I got married to an incredible woman, and we raised four incredible children. I lost her to cancer far too young, before she could see any of our ten adorable grandchildren.

I retired after five decades at the helm of my company and issued my declaration of independence—I call it that because I truly felt independent for the first time in my life. No parents or teachers telling me what to do. No customers to worry about. No colleagues to manage. When I got that gold watch at my farewell party, it wasn’t just a sign of gratitude; it meant I was on my own.

The irony was I didn’t have anything to do; who cared what time it was?

When people asked about my retirement plans, I joked I’d figure something out, but really I didn’t have a clue. One advantage was I wouldn’t be completely alone. My girlfriend, Mary, retired from her forty-year business career the day after I left mine, and we entered this new world enthusiastic to travel, relax, and enjoy our lives with one another, like those hokey life insurance commercials with aging couples hugging on a boat, grateful to have time together.

It took us four days to realize we didn’t like boats and there was only so much hugging to do.

We went from leadership positions where others counted on us for direction to spending virtually every waking minute together. It used to take only one of us to squeeze the tomatoes at the produce counter, but now it’s a two-person event complete with discussion and, in most cases, a concession on my part. I was no dummy, though; bigger decisions would be needed at the avocados. What used to be short trips now became extended outings. Lunch was another discussion, followed by a compromise. Everything we did was a discussion, then a compromise.

The one thing we agreed on was we needed a new plan.

***

Excerpt from BOOMSTERS by David Marks. Copyright 2024 by David Marks. Reproduced with permission from David Marks. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

David Marks

David Marks launched DM Merchandising, a wholesale marketplace for business owners, in 1988. He spent 30 years relying on his creativity in the hopes of developing the world’s greatest impulse products. He retired in 2018, thrilled for a new chapter in life, only to discover his creativity had hit a brick wall. One day he was an innovative workaholic with a team of more than 200 employees, the next day he found himself with no forum to exercise his mind.

Desperate to do something creative, he imagined a fictitious character facing the same traumatic reality of retirement. Inspired by watching crime stoppers on TV, David began pondering the question of how much bad could be justified in the name of good. With no clerical staff and limited typing skills, he put his thumb to work and began tapping out a story on his iPhone. A book was never the goal. The exercise was simply meant to help keep his mind sharp. But in the process, Boomsters was born.

Catch Up With Our Author, David Marks:
Boomsters.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @david_marks

 

 

Review:

5 stars!

An absolute laugh riot of mystery, suspense, and that little bit of retirement reality. 

Boomsters is a new mystery by debut author David Marks, himself a retiree who has spectacularly followed up on that common vow to someday write a book! The story grabbed me from the start with its humor, surprising, twisty plot, and underlying realism of what it can be like when retiring after a long and active career that mattered. 

When David Blazen retired, he and his girlfriend, Mary, who was doing the same, had a vague plan of spending quality time together and traveling. While she slips comfortably into her new life, David quickly finds himself at loose ends; he feels like their togetherness is peaking and soon discovers he can only spend so much time at his gym people-watching before someone complains he’s creepy. A creative mind with a knack for observation and deduction, a taste for the vintage PI television shows of his youth, and an ingrained belief in truth, justice, and the American way, he impulsively decides to become a private detective. Without any real preparation, he jumps in with both feet, eventually finding trouble with a capital “T.” 

David is engaging and likable, but the people who know him question his choices and sanity and are dragged along on his adventure. And for me, it was Blazen’s, or BLAZE’S, personable narrative, humorous delivery, and sparkling dialogue that really set it apart from the average mystery. I laughed out loud and couldn’t help compiling a mental list of friends I needed to share this with.

His voice energizes the plot, as do the unforeseen twists and mounting suspense. The city of Chicago, its history, and its reputation for crime and criminal organizations provide the location for the story. The author’s descriptions are vivid and evocative, creating clear images of the settings, people, and actions. 

The book literally weighs in at over 500 pages, and I admit the length was daunting initially. However, once in the story, the pages flew by: I needed every page. So, don’t let its tome-like appearance intimidate you; like BLAZE, jump in with both feet. 

I recommend BOOMSTERS to readers of mystery, thrillers, and suspense, especially those who appreciate a lot of humor in their stories.


Tour Participants:

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