The Stakes are High

Let’s all welcome Judi Lynn today. She’s a long-term blogger/author friend, and she has a new book to tell us about today. Please check it out, maybe consider it for your summer reading list. Before you leave make sure to use those sharing buttons. All of us struggle to get the word out and a click or two is pretty simple.

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I’ve been a fan of C.S. Boyack for a while now—his blog: Entertaining Stories | Just a fiction writer, trying to reach the world. (wordpress.com), his posts about writing on Story Empire: Suspension of Disbelief | Story Empire (wordpress.com), and his many wonderful books: Amazon.com: C. S. Boyack: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle. So, I’m happy to be his guest today to promote my cozy mystery, THE STEAKS ARE HIGH.

This is the second book in my Karnie Cleaver series. Karnie works in her family’s butcher shop with her parents, brother Chuck, Aunt Aida, and Aida’s son and daughter. They not only work together, but they get together every Sunday for suppers. They like each other. That led me to write a story that focused on family dynamics, the good and the bad. When Karnie married Matt Roeback, Chuck’s best friend, his family is close, too. And she inherited his two kids, Chelsea—almost three—and Jackson—five. When Matt’s ex-wife left him, Chelsea was only six months old and doesn’t remember her mother. Jackson doesn’t want to. They’re both ready to have a woman who loves them. So was Matt. And I wanted to show how all of them bonded as a family in this book.

I also wanted to show that even when people love each other, sometimes the need to do your own thing can cause chasms. Karnie’s older brother, Porter, left the butcher shop and moved to Florida soon after he graduated high school and never looked back. He was always their parents’ golden boy who could do no wrong. He’s handsome, smart, and maybe a little too into himself. He didn’t come home for weddings and rarely answered phone calls. Until now. But when he gets into trouble, home looks better than it once did. Karnie and Chuck aren’t jumping up for joy when he wants to return to the family business, but their parents greet Porter with open arms, their prodigal son returned.

And then there’s the mystery. And it emphasizes relationships this time, too. Farley Rawlins is the victim, and people would line up who disliked him. He and his wife can barely tolerate each other, but she stays with him. Why? He’s such a pain, she doesn’t want to bother with one court battle after another to get rid of him. Then there’s his mistress, Cecilia, who’s not happy because he’s left her for someone else. Not his wife. And there’s the myriad of people who rent from him, and he’s threatening to throw them all out so that he can raise his rents.

I also wanted to show the hardship of parents who have kids with special needs. Don’t get me wrong. They love their kids with all their hearts, but they always worry what will become of them once they’re gone.

I enjoyed writing this book. I didn’t even fuss through the messy middle (and that’s unusual for me). And I thank Craig for helping me promote it. If you try it, I hope you like it.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Steaks-Are-High-Cleaver-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0B6D731ZD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31Y3GUAIWDOR7&keywords=the+steaks+are+high%2C+judi+lynn&qid=1657829492&sprefix=%2Caps%2C53&sr=8-1

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Judi Lynn lives in Indiana with her husband, a bossy gray cat, and a noisy Chihuahua.  She loves to cook and owns more cookbooks than any mortal woman would ever need.  That’s why so much food sneaks into her stories.  She also loves her flower beds, but is a haphazard gardener, at best.   

My blog & webpage:  http://writingmusings.com/ 

My author Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/JudiLynnwrites/ 

Twitter: @judypost 

On BookBub at Judi Lynn with a link to Judith Post (for my urban fantasies): https://www.bookbub.com/authors/judi-lynn

Galactic Cruise Lines, on Lisa Burton Radio

Hold on to your hats everyone. You've found Lisa Burton Radio, the only show in the universe that interviews the characters from the books you love. I'm your host, Lisa the robot girl, and with me in the studio today is Henri, the Executive Chef on Galactic Cruise Lines' ship the SS Malpais.

What you can't see, is that Henri is an Alturan. He's nearly seven feet tall, and is a cephalopod type lifeform. I'm talking tentacles all over the place, and three eye-stalks. We've been enjoying a cup of Alturan tea before the broadcast, and he's really an interesting person. “Welcome to the show, Henri.”

“Hello, Lisa. It’s good to be here. I hope you enjoyed the Bascula tea I brought. It can cause hallucinations in some species, but not Alturans. I hope it doesn’t affect you adversely.”

“Oh, don't worry about that. I don't think robot girls can get hallucinations. Now, my bio says that one of your best friends is in security for the cruise line, and that he's an Elf. I find that fascinating. How did you two meet?”

“Baudwin Llewellyn isn’t just in security, he’s Galactic Cruise Lines Chief Sleuthhound. He’s a top notch investigator. We’ve been friends for years. I’m not sure I can even remember exactly where we met. I think some friends introduced us when we were all hanging out at a suit fighting match.”

“That sounds fascinating, Henri. What's a suit fighting competition, and do you hold those on the ship too?”

“We haven’t yet hosted a suit fighting competition on the Malpais, but I may suggest that to Kat when I get back to the ship. Suit fighting features two competitors remotely controlling robots that fight each other. It used to be popular mostly with young men in the robotics community, but recently Retired General Marta Aymar, the wife of Prince Lucien of the Ventos Prime elves, made it to the league finals. Since then, the sport has become much more popular and has attracted a lot of young female fans and participants.”

“That's terrible. Those poor robots. You did get the memo that say's I'm a robot didn't you?”

“I don't believe those robots are sentient like you. They are merely remote controlled equipment.”

“Alright, back to the interview. My bio says you met in the Elf Marines, an organization similar to the French Foreign Legion. Are you sure you don't remember?”

“As I said, Chief Llewellyn and I have been friends a long time. Did you have questions about what it’s like to be a chef on a cruise ship?”

“Sorry, Henri. Let me make it up to you with this Nutribar. I picked up the anchovy flavor, I hope it's alright.”

“Thanks Lisa. We Alturans love our nutribars. This is delicious.”

“There, all better. Well if it wasn't the Elf Marines, maybe you met Chief Llewellyn at Zed23, during your spy days.”

“Zed23. Right. Do I look like James Bond to you? I’m a chef not a spy, definitely not a spy. I’m famous for my wombat stew and triple chocolate cake. Those are two of the most popular dishes on the Malpais.”

“That's part of what makes you so interesting. With all your diverse background, you still had the time to work up a five star recipe for wombat stew. I'd think wombats are hard to come by in space.”

“Not really. I can use either Mathusian or Malturan wombats in my stew. I’m not sure which is better. I’m happy to use either. Well truth be told I’m happy cooking. It doesn’t matter what or where.”

“Every boy needs a hobby, and it looks like you found a way to make yours pay the bills. Here, have another Nutribar and tell us about the murders that occurred aboard the Malpais.”

“It is dreadful to think about, isn’t it? Sometimes people die on the ship just because their time has come, but if it was murder then that’s a whole different level of awful. I’m not aware of any incidents like that on the Malpais.”

“You might find this interesting, but I reached out to Baldwin Llewelyn and Ren Listripan, both deeply involved in cruise line security, and they don't seem to know anything about murders on the Malpais either. Somehow, these passengers turned up dead, but that seems to be the only available fact.”

“The Malpais has been hosting these competition cruises this year. They’ve been great fun. We had a ballroom dance one, an acapella singing one, and my favorite the baking competition. We’ve had some excitement during the competitions, but everyone has enjoyed them. Of course, not everyone agrees on who should win in any competition. I certainly had my favorites during the baking, but you know what they say, one species’ dessert is another’s poison.”

“When I spoke with Baudwin Llewellyn he mentioned that you’re cooking all the food for his upcoming wedding. He’s marrying the Malpais’ associate cruise director Kat Mitchell, right?”

“That's right, Lisa. I’m very excited. Both Baudwin and Kat are dear friends and I’m glad to play a role in their bonding.”

“I’ve heard that there will be royalty at the wedding.”

“General Royce Aymar of the EMEF is going to be Baudwin’s best elf for the ceremony and his wife is Queen Losira. It should be a wonderful celebration.”

“It's been an honor having you here, Henri. Let's have another cup of that wonderful tea, and maybe another Nutribar. Any last thoughts for our listeners?”

“Being a chef on a Galactic Cruise Lines ship is exciting. I’ve made good friends on the ship and I enjoy cooking for so many different species.”

“Henri is a recurring character in Jo Carey’s Galactic Cruise Lines series.

“Don't forget to click those sharing links on your way out. I know Henri will appreciate it, and you will too when your character appears on a future Lisa Burton Radio.”

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Galactic Cruise Lines – This series is basically the Love Boat in space. Set on a galactic cruise line spaceship, this series will follow assistant cruise director Kat Mitchell and other crew members, like Alturan Chef Henri, as they travel the League of Planetary Systems on themed cruises where murder is afoot (or a tentacle, or a paw…) Cruises feature various competitions in the style of Earth reality shows circa 2005.

Category: Space Cozy Mystery

Jo Carey writes faced-paced, character-driven stories in a variety of genres from medical thrillers to space operas and cozy mysteries. Her novels are action-packed tales that often feature strong female leads surrounded by plenty of hunky male heroes. Jo's stories always include healthy doses of humor and romance.

Quote from Jo: “I write what I like to read–stories with happy endings and appealing heroes and heroines.”

Some of Jo's books are set in the League of Planetary Systems, a universe created by Frank and Jo Carey as the setting for many of their books. Each Book in the League can be read as a standalone novel, but if you'd like to read all of the LPS books in order you can find the sequence at

 

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Geocaching with a side of murder

Regular readers will recognize D. S. Nelson, who’s been here many times before. She’s the author of the Blake Hetherington mysteries, which is a series of cozy mysteries. I’ve read a couple of these, and thoroughly enjoyed them. I think you will too. DS is having coffee with Delilah, one of her characters in this scene.

‘Geocaching is treasure-hunting for the cool.’ Delilah said, scraping the last of her breakfast onto her fork.

We were sitting in the Food Shangri La Cafe. I was nursing a cup of chicory coffee, not sure if I was enjoying it our not. Without caffeine, Delilah’s rapid conversation can be hard to keep up with.

‘And if I’m not a geocacher I’m a muggle, is that right?’ I replied.

‘Right,’ Delilah said eating the last of her Eggs Shangri La and reaching down beside her chair to rummage in her bag.

The eggs did look good. I was about to order some myself but before I could catch Carla Osman’s eye, Delilah pushed a leaflet across the table towards me.

‘Here. This’ll tell you the basics,’ she tapped at it and I looked down at the leaflet: ‘A Guide To Geocaching In Tuesbury’.

 

She tutted at me. ‘You’d think as Blake’s amanuensis you’d know more about this stuff DS!’

‘Blake keeps me pretty busy,’ I was irritated. ‘I’m on my way to the library to get some books out, but you called and wanted to meet for coffee.’

‘No need to get huffy,’ Delilah smirked at me, she knows how to wind me up. ‘This’ll save you some time, then. I better get back over the allotment. I want to check on my strawberries.’

Relinquishing a smile, I replied, ‘See ya later. Thanks for leaflet.’

‘You’re welcome. Thanks for breakfast.’

I rolled my eyes. I was picking up the bill again then.

The wind chimes jangled as Delilah left the cafe, unhooked her Jack Russell, Bertie’s lead from the peg outside and crossed the road to the allotments.

Delilah was great at keeping an investigation going when Blake got cold feet but boy could she be smug.

I took another sip of the bitter coffee, wincing at the taste.

‘Urgg’.

It was an involuntary noise that did not go unnoticed by the cafe proprietor. I busied myself reading the leaflet. There was a lot I still had to learn about geocaching. Delilah’s right, as Blake’s author it was high time I tried geocaching and Tuesbury would be the perfect place for treasure hunting.

To find out more about geocaching in Tuesbury and help the next Blake Hetherington mystery become a reality go to: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/a-deadly-orientation/

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Bio: D S Nelson is a writer of murder, mystery and intrigue. She lives in a quixotic village in the South Downs, UK, surrounded by plenty of inspiration for her novels. Her introduction to murder came from Agatha Christie. Her inquisitive Miss Marple of St Mary Mead and very Belgian Poirot with his ‘little grey cells’, captured her imagination from a young age. With a passion for the crime genre, in particular detective fiction, D S Nelson’s writing includes cosy crime novels, novelettes and short stories. She is often inspired by the world around her, nature, history and of course people. She is currently working on the Blake Hetherington mystery series, the first six of which are now available on Kindle with novels in the series also available in paperback.

Amazon author page

Website

Twitter: @WriterDSNelson

Facebook: WriterDSNelson

Instagram: WriterDSNelson

Note from Craig: Delilah Delibes appeared on the very first ever episode of Lisa Burton Radio. Maybe you want to learn even more about her, and the books of D. S. Nelson.

Make sure you follow her links. We are doing a blog swap today I’m talking about the inspiration behind one of my short stories on her blog.

 

Lisa Burton Radio, with Delilah Delibes

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first ever, premier episode of Lisa Burton Radio. This is the show where we feature the characters that make books come alive. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl.

I have special guest Delilah Delibes, who appears in the Blake Hetherington Mysteries.

Our sponsor today is Live and Let Bee, by D. S. Nelson. Let’s go to the phone. Hi Delilah, you’re on the air with Lisa Burton.

“Hi Lisa, I’m so excited to be on your show, thank you so much for inviting me. You’ll have to excuse the state of my hair; I’m on a dig at the moment. Oh, wait … you can’t see me, right? Oops … (laughs)”

“It sounds like you have a pretty exciting life, Delilah. You’re an archaeologist who gets to travel all over the world. Tell us about how your archaeological experience helps you solve murders.”

“I know! I love it! I’m not sure Rob does though, that’s my boyfriend. He’s a police sergeant and he hates me getting caught up in situations. Like the one last year on Salderk. We were on a remote island, I was bored out my head; of course I was going to get involved and as you say, being an archaeologists means I’m hardly afraid of a dead body or two. I might even be able to help. The past often holds the key to the present. Blake thinks a young lady like me shouldn’t be interested in murder, but he’s just as bad. It doesn’t take much encouragement to get him on the case too.”

“That’s really interesting, Delilah. So you and Rob live in different towns. Is this a long distance relationship, or are these more like country villages that are close by each other? How serious are you two?”

“Oh not far at all, about thirty minutes. I live in a little village just outside Tuesbury, that’s where Blake lives, and then Rob lives in the next town, Bestall. Rob and I have been dating for about two years. He’s a great guy; a little serious sometimes but he keeps me grounded.

“At the wedding we went to last Summer I wanted him to wear a tie that matched my wonderful fascinator and dress. It was a really plain dress though, why D S couldn’t have found something with a little more, you know je ne sais quoi; seriously! It’s always about the hats with her though. Rob wasn’t sure about the whole tie thing at first but I think it’s important for us to look right together.

“He wanted me to move in with him last year after the incident with Bertie and that crazy Cartwright brother Jay, he’s in prison now. Exes, right Lisa? Seriously sheesh, the guy just wouldn’t give up. Rob’s a sweetie but I like my space. I haven’t been away on a dig for a while now. I’m getting itchy feet and it’s good to be able to come and go as I please.”

“So you’ve identified him to the world as your boyfriend. That makes perfect sense. It’s too bad your author couldn’t come up with a better dress to go along with your fascinator. When I’m traveling incognito, I sometimes wear some terrible things. That’s why I suit myself the rest of the time.

“We have something else in common too. There are days when my pet rabbit, Bunny, feels like my only friend. I’m sure our listeners would love to know about Bertie. Animals are so important in stories.”

“Bertie’s my world, a feisty little Jack Russell terrier. He’s a little star and often steals the show. He saved Blake’s life last year, during that business when the models went missing from Tuesbury’s model village! I was so proud of him, barked his little heart out he did. I think it convinced Blake to keep Prince. That’s Blake’s adopted dog. They get on like a house on fire.”

“That’s so amazing that he knew and tried to get help. The phones are lighting up, it looks like some of our listeners have questions for you.

“Hello, you’re on the air. Do you have a question for Delilah?”

“This is Wandsworth Prison. You are receiving a call from prisoner, Jay Cartwright. Do you accept the charges?”

“Of course.”

“No!”

“Hi Jay, you’re on the air with Lisa and Delilah. Do you have a question for our guest?”

“Delilah, hey doll, I heard your voice and I just had to ring in. Why don’t ya’ll dump that sap Claringdon, I know ya love me… (sound of phone being pulled away) .. hey … wait … I … Delilah, Delilah …. ya’ll said ya’d wait —

” That was kind of uncomfortable. Sounds like it was an unauthorized call. What’s he in for, Delilah?”

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry Lisa, I told you, the guy just won’t give up. I swear I never said I’d wait for him. He’s a lunatic, his whole family are. Criminals the lot of them. That’s so embarrassing.”

“I’d get an injunction! Let’s try our luck with another caller. Hello, you’re on the air with Lisa and Delilah.”

“Hi Lisa, this is Rob. Delilah, is that you? Are you OK. I just heard that nut on the radio. Just ignore him, I know it’s not true. You’re doing great sweety, I love you.”

“Er, Rob, you know you’re live on air right?”

“What? Oh –” <click>

“Oh, that’s so cute. He said he loves you, and he did it over the air.”

“Er, Yeah. Cute … yeah … I got an offer of a dig in South America, I’m wondering if I should go, it might help with the next case.”

“Thank you, Delilah for being the first guest ever on Lisa Burton Radio. I hope if you go on that trip that you’ll consider taking Rob with you.”

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D S Nelson is a writer of murder, mystery and intrigue. She lives in a quixotic village in the South Downs, UK, surrounded by plenty of inspiration for her novels.

Her introduction to murder came from Agatha Christie. The inquisitive Miss Marple, of St Mary Mead, and very Belgian Poirot, with his ‘little grey cells’, captured her imagination from a young age.

With a passion for the crime genre, in particular detective fiction, D S Nelson’s writing includes cosy crime novels, novelettes and short stories. Her writing is often inspired by the world around her, nature, history and of course people. She is currently working on the Blake Hetherington mystery series, the first five of which are now available on Kindle.

Her influences include, Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, Arthur Conan Doyle, Simon Brett and Peter Robinson.

Website: www.dsnelson.co.uk

Twitter: @WriterDSNelson

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriterDSNelson

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/WriterDSNelson

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Note: Thanks to the generous efforts of one of our fans we now have a hashtag. Please use the #LisaBurtonRadio hashtags on any tweets you share.

Time for a new Blake Hetherington Mystery

I've read a few of these books, and they keep getting better and better. Let D. S. Nelson entertain you with her newest release called Live and Let Bee.

Live and Let Bee is the sixth Blake Hetherington mystery and the second novel in the series.

‘Honey is sweet, but the bee stings’ and Blake Hetherington knows this only too well. Blake is a gentleman in modern times; a milliner with mystery solving thrust upon him. Delilah is an enthusiastic archaeologist with an unhealthy interest in murder; DS Rob Claringdon is her beau. This unlikely trio is at the heart of a quirky, amusing and quintessentially English, murder mystery.

 

‘Live and Let Bee’, finds our heroes on a remote feudal island to celebrate a wedding, but after two mysterious deaths, are they able to resist investigating a case that involves warring honey farms, Russian oligarchs and a dark family secret?

‘Live and Let Bee’ is available to pre-order on Kindle via the links below and is officially released on Kindle and in paperback on the 2nd March 2016.

 

Amazon.com:

Amazon.co.uk:

Paperbacks are available via amazon and direct from www.dsnelson.co.uk, within the UK.

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D S Nelson is a writer of murder, mystery and intrigue. She lives in a quixotic village in the South Downs, UK, surrounded by plenty of inspiration for her novels.

Her introduction to murder came from Agatha Christie. The inquisitive Miss Marple, of St Mary Mead, and very Belgian Poirot, with his 'little grey cells', captured her imagination from a young age.

With a passion for the crime genre, in particular detective fiction, D S Nelson’s writing includes cosy crime novels, novelettes and short stories. Her writing is often inspired by the world around her, nature, history and of course people. She is currently working on the Blake Hetherington mystery series, the first five of which are now available on Kindle.

Her influences include, Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, Arthur Conan Doyle, Simon Brett and Peter Robinson.

You can find her at the following locations:

Website: www.dsnelson.co.uk

Twitter: @WriterDSNelson

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriterDSNelson

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/WriterDSNelson

 

How about some free reading

My friend, D. S. Nelson, is the author of the Blake Hetherington Mystery series. I've read one of these, and finished it in one session. She gets bonus points for that at my house. I really enjoyed it, and must return to the series soon.

She also has a great blog, and has recently been writing about making her own hat. Lisa the robot even visited her this year to talk about her hats. This is because Blake Hetherington is a milliner by trade.

Today she's here to offer you a great jumping on point for her books, and it's absolutely free.

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First of all I'd like to say a big thank you to Craig for having me over to tell you all about the new Blake Hetherington Mystery. It's great to be here!

I've been writing murder mysteries for four years and the Blake Hetherington Mysteries began in 2013. Blake Hetherington is a gentleman in modern times; a milliner with mystery solving thrust upon him. Delilah is an enthusiastic archaeologist with an unhealthy interest in murder; DS Rob Claringdon is her beau. This unlikely trio is at the heart of this quirky, amusing and quintessentially English, murder mystery series.

The first three adventures feature hats, allotments and voodoo, all in the fictional village of Tuesbury where Blake lives. After a year away from the mystery writing, it's time Blake returned and he'd love to meet you all. Now's your chance to fall in love with a new mystery series and it's absolutely free!

The Visitors Book, is a Blake Hetherington mystery short that will be serialised in eleven parts. It's a newsletter exclusive and it starts on the 14th of December running until the 24th December 2015.

So what's it all about?

Visiting his family in Devon, Blake Hetherington is supposed to be relaxing, but murder just seems to follow him. Picking up the paper in the Bellevue Hotel he discovers the local mayor has died in a fishing accident. The mayors' wife is a family friend and is convinced her husband has been murdered. It isn’t long before Blake is tasked with unravelling the mystery. Why would a man concerned with the environment be catching sea bass out of season? What's an environmental student doing staying in an expensive spa hotel like the Bellevue? And what was the meeting about in the hotel conference room? Can Blake discover the truth that lies in The Visitors Book?

To receive the instalments, absolutely free, all you have to do is sign up to my newsletter here. ( http://eepurl.com/OWBLv)

For murder, mystery and millinery, Blake's your man and to find more of his stories you can download them on Kindle from the US (http://amzn.to/1MWEzeB) and the UK (http://amzn.to/1gXmKv1). Blake's looking forward to meeting you.

Thanks again for having me Craig. I better get back to the editing!!!

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I don't know about you guys, but I'm in. A segment per day sounds like fun to me. Check out her other social media sites here:

Website: www.dsnelson.co.uk

Twitter: @WriterDSNelson

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriterDSNelson

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/WriterDSNelson