Killer Acorn Pie

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my readers in America (and anyone else getting into the holiday spirit whether it be Christmas, Yule, or any other special occasion to help light up these chilly winter months)! In my house, this weeks kicks off the official beginning of the holiday season. Already, my hubby and I are thawing our bird and preparing the ingredients for wild rice stuffing, home made cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and even an English Walnut Pie! Yummy! We will also be putting up our tree this week the help light up the snowy month ahead.

Another great way I love to celebrate the holiday season is with a tasty murder mystery! So, those of you who get an extra long weekend this week, I have a treat for you. My latest holiday themed cozy mystery is hitting Kindle today for only 99 cents!

This latest one combines the traditions of Thanksgiving with a phenomenon that seems to be popular among so many families right now. Escape Rooms! One friend of mine in particular even ran a home made escape room for Halloween this last month. This book is dedicated to her! (You know who you are 😁)

I also took inspiration and ideas from my college days and sprinkled them into this book, since much of the story takes place on a chilly campus during the quiet week of Thanksgiving when most of the students are off seeing family. For me, Thanksgiving week in college was one of my favorites because I usually stayed behind. I loved walking around campus and seeing just how silent it was in the snow. The quad in the book as well as the layout of the buildings is lifted right from my own campus experience.

Here is a picture to give you an idea of the winter wonderland Idaho could turn into during the cold months. Those were good and happy days for me, especially when I was married to my hubby.

All in all, this is one of my favorite and most nostalgic books I've written, and I truly hope you find it an enjoyable read this holiday week. I'm also very excited about my next book set during the week of Christmas as well.

To learn more, check out this book blurb from Amazon:

Ever make a misguided decision?

Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year at Pies and Pages, and shop owner Bertha Hannah is trying to bring in even more customers by offering free tickets to a local holiday themed escape room put on by the community college. While not exactly sure how escape rooms work, Bert knows that teens, college students, and families especially seem to love them.

However, when one of Bert’s employees comes in telling of how her friend died in the same escape room they’re promoting, the sale backfires. Worse yet, Bert’s detective boyfriend Harry Mannor seems to think Bert’s employee may have had something to do with it.

With sales on the decline and a murderer on the move, Bert rushes to prove her young friend’s innocence before it’s too late.

This book will spice up your holiday, buy now, while it’s hot!

You can pick up your copy of Killer Acorn Pie on Amazon for only 99 cents or Kindle Unlimited for Free. 

Scary Movie Night With Carolyn (Week #4)

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Happy Halloween,  weekend #4! In case you missed the last three week's posts, throughout the whole month of October 2018, I have be en sharing some of my all time favorite FREE public domain horror movies with you--my readers! 

What does that mean, exactly? That means that you can watch the movie right here, right now on the internet! 

 

Join me for "scary movie night" this final weekend before Halloween for my all time favorite public domain horror flick! Then, throughout the weekend you can feel free to chat with me about the movie either here on the blog or on my Facebook page! 

The last movie in this marathon is the best of the best. House on Haunted Hill from 1959. It is another Vincent Price movie (he's my all time favorite horror actor) and I watch every single year. It became a tradition many years ago when I was still young. Back then, we would rent the movie on VHS tape from our local grocery store rental shop, pop some popcorn, and scare ourselves silly!

I've already mentioned my love of "Old Dark House" movies, but none is better than this. It is the perfect horror movie formula. A bunch of strangers get locked in a creepy old mansion overnight. There are bleeding walls, severed heads, secret passageways, hidden rooms, and of course . . . murder. 

 

So, without further ado, enjoy with me this weekend watching one of the spookiest and best public domain horror movies around: House on Haunted Hill!

 

 

 

Perfectly Pumpkin Killer

TRICK-OR-TREAT! Do I have a treat for you! The latest book in my Pies and Pages cozy mystery series is out now on Amazon Kindle for only 99 cents and for free on Kindle Unlimited!

Those of you who follow me on social media will know all of my recent woes about visiting the dentist. Many of you jokingly said I should include a dentist in one of my books . . . and so I have, thanks to all of your advice. And what better time to include a dentist than in a spooky Halloween mystery (at least I find visiting the dentist a little scary).

When I was at the dentist this past month, I laid there with my mouth wide open while the dentist and his assistant worked away. Meanwhile, they chatted it up about the local Haunted Houses they were going to visit and what they might dress up as for Halloween.

Well, that got me thinking about tons of story ideas, and I dressed up the dentist in my story as a vampire! Of course, as luck would have it, there is a murder with a "vampiric" touch.

How much torturous pain can you stand?

Pie shop owner Bertha Hannah loves Halloween, but not when she has a toothache. Forced to stop eating candy, pie, and all her other favorite sweets, Bert finally gives into one her her biggest fears . . . and goes to see a dentist. Too add to her already skyrocketing stress level, she has committed to making a batch of pies for the Halloween Charity Carnival being held at the local amusement park.

Bert’s excruciating holiday goes from bad to worse when she stumbles upon a body, the murder of which seems to be somehow oddly connected to her visit to the dentist and she begins to wonder what sort of fiend is running around the streets of Culver's Hood this Halloween.

Will she be able put together the clues and solve the case, or will she be next to ‘donate’ blood?

You can pick up Perfectly Pumpkin Killer for only 99 cents right now on Amazon Kindle. Please enjoy it and Happy Halloween!

Halloween Waffle Murder

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I am proud to announce my latest cozy mystery novella--Halloween Waffle Murder, the tenth and final book in the Wicked Waffle Cozy Mystery series.

Yes, it's true. The waffle series is coming to an end. For those of you who have been reading the books since the first entry in Diner of the Dead, this will be a bitter sweet moment to be sure.  I know it was for me.

As I wrote the final words of this book, I couldn’t help but feel a great sense of overwhelming gratitude. This series, along with the Diner of the Dead books before it, was my first excursion into professional full-time writing. I’d worked in the publishing industry before this as a publicist and editor, but my passion had always been as a creative writer. (After all, that was what I studied so intently in college, how to make it as a career writer.)

Ultimately, this success and the ability to write thirty books staring diner owner Sonja and her boyfriend/husband Frank is thanks to you the readers. You have supported me through this long learning process.  I can’t thank you enough. Additionally, my publisher Summer Prescott has been a patient and enthusiastic teacher to this novice apprentice. Thanks, are in order for Gretchen Allen as well, who was with me during much of this writing process as a top-notch editor and publicist. 

In the end, finishing this book was bittersweet. In some ways, I’m sad to see Sonja’s adventures end. However, I feel like it is time for a change, time for Sonja and her crew to step into the shadows, and for me to take a break as well to concentrate on other projects. 

And don’t worry, you never know what future stories Frank and Sonja might surprisingly pop up in, even if it’s in different roles or capacities. Also, get ready for some bigger spooky surprises in store in the coming months. I've had a lot of exciting project ideas swimming around my notebook for nearly two years and I'm ready to jump right in. 

 You can pick up Halloween Waffle Murder for only 99 cents right now on Amazon Kindle. Please enjoy it and Happy Halloween!

A Harvest of Murder

Nothing quite says Autumn like brewing your favorite hot drink (coffee, tea, cider), cuddling up in a toasty sweater of blanket, and reading a good murder mystery. At least, I know that is how I feel.

This last week since Autumn began has been a crazy one. On the Autumnal Equinox, my husband and I went hiking in the forest near our home. It was chilly and the leaves had just begun to turn. We encountered many wonderful creatures including a frog, a toad, snails, and even . . . a snake! Eek!

Throughout this past week, I've been running errands and doing chores like crazy. I've hardly had a free moment to write! Going to the dentist twice, recovering from said dental procedure, going to the DMV twice, and more. I even got a new pet fish named Blue, who I adore. So, imagine how grateful and excited I was to end this week on a high note by having my first book of the season released! (It really has been a wonderful week, all things considered.)

Therefore, it is my pleasure and joy to announce the release of A Harvest of Murder, the fourteenth book in the Pies and Pages cozy mystery series staring Bert, my favorite character to write!

This time, Bert is volunteering for a historic autumn festival that features all sorts of wild west facts, foods, and games. Of course, as always, a body turns up to ruin the weekend and it falls on Bert's shoulders to get to the bottom of things. Add in a stolen antique saddle and a autumn rain storm and you've got quite the mystery!

You can pick up A Harvest of Murder now on Amazon Kindle for only 99 cents! Please enjoy the book and leave a review! 

-Carolyn