LET'S GET COZY TWICE! DOUBLE HOLIDAY MYSTERIES TO WIN!

 

 

GIVEAWAY ENDED 
THE GINGERBREAD BUMP-OFF 

A Fresh-Baked Mystery

BY LIVIA J. WASHBURN

ABOUT THE BOOK:

 A Christmas killer has been icing Phylis Newsom's friends in the sixth Fresh-Baked mystery.

Not only will Phyllis Newsom's house be featured in the annual Christmas Jingle Bell Tour of Homes, she also has a Christmas Eve bridal shower and a New Year's Eve wedding to bake goodies for. But like her tasty treats, she rises to the occasion.

Before the tour gets under way, Phyllis makes a gruesome discovery on her porch: someone has tried to kill her friend. As Santa's naughty list gets longer, Phyllis tries to catch a half-baked killer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I have been a professional writer for 30 years. Received the Private Eye Writers of America award and the American Mystery award for my first mystery, WILD NIGHT, and was nominated for a Spur by the Western Writers of America for a novel written with my husband, James Reasoner. We live in a small Texas town near Fort Worth, where I am constantly experimenting with new stories and recipes. Signet has published six books in my fresh baked mystery series, A PEACH OF A MURDER, MURDER BY THE SLICE, THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE KILLER, KILLER CRAB CAKES, THE PUMPKIN MUFFIN MURDER, and THE GINGERBREAD BUMP-OFF.Coming: THE WEDDING CAKE KILLER, (Fresh Baked Series) Nov. 2012. Kensington has published three of my literary tour mysteries, FRANKLY, MY DEAR, I'M DEAD, HUCKLEBERRY FINISHED, and KILLER ON A HOT TIN ROOF, Nov. 2010. Coming: FOR WHOM THE FUNERAL BELL TOLLS Feb. 29, 2012. Harlequin published my paranormal romance, THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR (by Livia Reasoner) WITCH GOT YOUR TONGUE was published small press July 2011. Coming sequel, A PECK OF PICKLED WARLOCKS, July 2012.

To read more about the author Livia J. Washburn, visit her website "bio" HERE. (It is really interesting!)

 MRS. JEFFRIES  & THE

MISTLETOE MIX-UP

 A Victorian Mystery 

BY EMILY BRIGHTWELL

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Ring in the season with another Mrs. Jeffries tale of holiday homicide.

Under a bundle of mistletoe, art collector Daniel McCourt lies with his throat slit, a bloody sword next to his body. Inspector Witherspoon is determined to solve the case-preferably before the eggnog is ladled out on Christmas Eve-but of course he will require assistance from the always sharp-witted housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, who has a few of her own theories on why McCourt had to die by the sword.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

"I was born in West Virginia, as the middle sister to Nanette and Linda. My parents moved the family to Los Angeles in the early sixties, and I graduated from Pasadena High School. After my high school years, I went to California State University at Fullerton and earned a Degree in American Studies.
 

On a visit to England in 1975, I met the Englishman who would become my husband, Richard. We were married in May 1976 and lived outside London. We returned to California in September 1977.
 

In 1988 I decided to launch a new career as a fiction writer. Although I was working in the shipping industry, and enjoyed my job, I wanted to explore my long-held desire to write! My life-changing decision was greeted with some trepidation by my husband! Oh, the English are so enthusiastic about their spouses trying something new!
 

I began by writing romances and became a member of the Romance Writers of America - Orange County chapter. After my entry in the "unpublished authors" contest run by this chapter was announced as a finalist - I was delighted, but the New York editor who read my entry was scathing in her criticism. I was crushed for a day or so, but it hardened my resolve to continue writing. It was my very next proposal that my agent sold to Silhouette and it was published under my pen name of Sarah Temple. I was thrilled - a published author! KINDRED SPIRITS was the published title but I always preferred my own working title :"BOUQUET OF WILD FLOWERS".

I wrote two more Special Editions for Silhouette but I preferred other kinds of fiction so when I was as if I would be interested in writing a Victorian mystery series for Berkley - I jumped at the chance to explore my love of mysteries. I called my brother-in-law, Robert, who lives in London and he found old,original London newspapers from the 1880s and a host of books on Victorian households. These books and newspapers were priceless guides to my understanding of the real Victorian world of Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries. That is why The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries is dedicated to him. I have also written some Young Adult novels,which are no longer in print - as Cheryl Lanham - using my maiden name - which were fun to write because teenagers are so emotional and it was great therapy to switch from the lives of a Victorian household involved in solving murders to the angst of a contemporary California teenager! By some strange quirk of events, the Young Adult books sold really well in Norway - translated into Norwegian, I hasten to add. Sales in the United States were not as dramatic and the series was cancelled.

I quit my part-time job in October 2010 so I could write full-time.  I live in southern Orange County.  My children, Matthew and Amanda, are now grown up and have left home so there is now just me, my husband, and a black cat called "Kiwi". It is so much easier to write when you are not playing "Mom" every day as well. I look forward to writing more Mrs. Jeffries books and, maybe, start another series of mysteries. I feel very blessed to have such loyal fans"....in her own words, from Emily Brightwell's website. 

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD FOLKS AT

OBSIDIAN AND BERKLEY PRIME CRIME

 WITH PENGUIN BOOKS, I HAVE ONE COPY

OF EACH NOVEL (A SET OF TWO)

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT THE GINGERBREAD BUMP-OFF and MRS. JEFFRIES AND THE MISTLETOE MIX-UP THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THESE TWO BOOKS, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT LIVIA J. WASHBURN'S WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT EMILY BRIGHTWELL'S WEBSITE HERE 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

  GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, NOVEMBER 30

   GOOD LUCK!