Cozy New Releases

  Internet Problems unable to load phos or links today. 

All these titles are available on Amazon. 

I will add photo and links when I am able . 

The Case Of The Unfortunate Fortune Teller 

by Cathy Ace 

A fortune teller claims she’s being targeted by someone who’s out to harm her and retains the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency to gather evidence she can take to the police. But, when a body is discovered, Carol, Christine, Mavis, and Annie must scramble to rescue their agency’s professional reputation…and it becomes clear that their client kept critical information from them. 

Coyle (Cozy Mystery)
As much as master roaster Clare Cosi adores coffee, the landmark shop she manages won’t survive if she doesn’t sell enough of it. So when the Village Blend’s customer traffic grinds to a halt, she turns to her staff for creative ideas, and the Writer’s Block Lounge is born. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Scone Cold Dead 

by Maddie Day 
Robbie is just weeks away from giving birth. While her husband Abe scrambles to get the house ready for their baby’s arrival, Robbie makes last minute arrangements to keep her shop and restaurant, Pans ’N Pancakes, up and running when she’s on maternity leave. And it seems Robbie and Abe aren’t the only ones grappling with anxiety—a stranger is causing a stir in town and Robbie’s Aunt Adele appears unusually preoccupied at the baby shower . . .F

The Gatsby Gambit 

by Claire Anderson-Wheeler 

Greta Gatsby has at last graduated from her stifling finishing school, is on the brink of turning twenty-one, and hopes to finally have her own legendary summer with her brother and guardian, Jay, at his West Egg mansion. Orphaned along with him some years before the war, Greta has seen her fortunes rise on the high tide of his entrepreneurship, even as she has remained in the shadows of his life—too young to join his late-night soirees or infamous summer parties and too shy to trade banter and barbs with his cadre of new friends. 

Death in the Dressing Room

 by Simon Brett 

Carole Seddon, a very respectable retired woman living in the English seaside village of Fethering, doesn’t care for the theatre. But her neighbour Jude counts the job of actress among her many and varied past careers. So when Jude attends the closing night of a new play based on a classic TV sitcom, Carole is interested – but only because she suspects the leading man, Drake Purslow, is one of her scandalous friend’s ex-lovers.

The Chow Maniac 

by Vivien Chien 

When Lydia brings Lana onto the case, three of the members of an elite Asian order known as the Eight Immortals have already been murdered. Each member of the order holds one item that represents their immortal counterpart, and someone is dying to get their hands on them all. Lydia’s client insists he—and only he—knows who will be next and wants the murderer captured before there is another victim. 

Fudge and Marriage 

by Nancy Coco 

June is always beautiful on Mackinac Island, which is why Allie chose this month for her wedding to police officer Rex Manning—definitely Mackinac Island’s finest in more ways than one. But if her mother has her way, that’s the last choice Allie will get to make. Allie’s the furthest thing from a Bridezilla—but it looks like she has a Momzilla on her hands. Why else have her mother and extended family shown up a full two weeks before the nuptials to drive Allie to dizzying distraction? 

No Roast for the Weary

 by Cleo Coyle 

As much as master roaster Clare Cosi adores coffee, the landmark shop she manages won’t survive if she doesn’t sell enough of it. So when the Village Blend’s customer traffic grinds to a halt, she turns to her staff for creative ideas, and the Writer’s Block Lounge is born. 

Scone Cold Dead

 by Maddie Day 

Robbie is just weeks away from giving birth. While her husband Abe scrambles to get the house ready for their baby’s arrival, Robbie makes last minute arrangements to keep her shop and restaurant, Pans ’N Pancakes, up and running when she’s on maternity leave. And it seems Robbie and Abe aren’t the only ones grappling with anxiety—a stranger is causing a stir in town and Robbie’s Aunt Adele appears unusually preoccupied at the baby shower . . 

Waters of Destruction 

 by Leslie Karst 

After a vacation of a lifetime in Hilo, Hawai‘i, retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have decided to move permanently to the beautiful – if storm-prone – Big Island. The couple are having fun furnishing their new house, exploring their new neighborhood and playing with their new little dog, Pua. But while they’ve made good friends with local restaurant manager Sachiko and her partner Isaac, they can’t help but feel a little lonely. 

Dead Post Society 

 by Diane Kelly 

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are no strangers to murder. After all, they’ve encountered corpses on their properties before. But this is the first time they’d decided to take a chance on a property where two suspicious deaths have already occurred. Most buildings on the former boarding school property will be repurposed for an upscale retirement community, but the developer has no use for the headmaster’s house given its violent history. The headmaster and his wife were killed there decades earlier, their deaths remaining unsolved to this day.   

Written Stone

 by Paige Shelton 

When Delaney wins a special Hidden Door Festival invitation to artist Ryory Bennigan’s studio, she isn’t sure quite what to expect. What she finds is an elusive fellow obsessed with the Picts—complete with his own versions of their blue tattoos and vibrant red hair—recreating the stones they left behind. She also meets a visiting paleontologist, Dr. Adam Pace, from the University of Kansas attempting to sell an artifact that might just explain what the Picts’ language really sounded like.   

 

Amber Royer Guest Posr

 

Research Trip to Japan

 

When we went to Japan in September, we arrived at Haneda one day before our boat was supposed to sail for the cruise I was lecturing on. Even though we were tired from the flight, we didn’t want to chance being late for getting aboard the boat, so we basically had one night to do research for Vanishing Into the 100% Dark. I’d been in Tokyo before, and my husband and I follow a lot about Japanese culture, including watching Japanese-language dramas (and yes, selected anime), reading translated Japanese mysteries, and watching Japan-based YouTubers. So we talked a friend into going with us on a train to the area where the hotel that inspired the fictional one my characters stay at is located. I also wanted to see the giant 3-D cat billboard. (Don’t judge – I love cats and I’m that big of a nerd.)

 

We went down there, I took my pics, and our friend took us downstairs to a basement restaurant she’d looked up so we could all have ramen.

 

That all may seem like a lot of effort for the amount of time we had, but I think the experience lent depth to the scenes when I wrote them. The book is told from a visitor’s perspective, so those first impressions really do count. And I’ve had several reviewers praise the research that went into the book.

 

Here’s a collage from our trip, which taught me tons of nuanced things about Japan. We even went to a sushi museum! I had no idea how many regional specialties there are.

 

Of course, some of my research was done using Google maps plus my own imaginations, as many of the buildings in the story are loosely based on the type of architecture I saw in the area. I hope the setting and culture elements blend in seamlessly so you can enjoy the story! 

More at the authors website and blog 

Click Here

 

Amber Royer's Characters That Cook

 

In A Shot in the 80% Dark, 

blogger Tam Binh and Carmen, the Pastry Chef at Greetings and Felicitations spend some time in the kitchen coming up with fun, fusion desserts. They’re also making coffee, so one of them decides to take the spices meant for the café de olla and use them to flavor a cake.

Honeycomb Cake

This Vietnamese-style honeycomb cake may have an untraditional flavor profile, but it maintains the traditional “honeycomb” structure that comes from the gloss of the tapioca flour, with the air pockets that are maintained by cooling the cake upside down. (As otherwise it might collapse in on itself.) The eggs are handled gently in the preparation stages as well, to allow for the most height in the cake.

vegetable oil, for greasing the pan

1 c. coconut cream

¼ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. espresso powder

¼ tsp. clove

¼ tsp. anise

3/4 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

5 eggs, at room temperature

1 c. tapioca starch

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

3 oz. dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of an 8 inch round cake pan and place it in the oven to heat up.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the coconut cream, salt, espresso powder, clove, anise, and sugar. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook for one minute on high. Add the vegetable oil and mix to combine. Set aside.

Crack the eggs into a separate bowl. crack the eggs. With a pair of scissors, cut the egg yolks into small pieces. Pour the eggs into the bowl with the coconut mixture.

Sift together the tapioca starch, rice flour, cream of tarter and baking soda. Slowly add the tapioca mixture to the egg mixture, constantly whisking gently.

Carefully remove the cake pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Press the cake mixture through a sieve, directly into the hot cake pan. Holding the pan with oven mitts, tap it on the counter a couple times to release air bubbles. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, set up a cooling station, using two cooking racks with a gap between them to allow the cake to cool upside down at least three inches above the counter.

Take the cake out of the oven and immediately rest it upside down on the cooling station. Allow to cool for 40-50 minutes, or until lukewarm. Flip the pan over, and remove the cake from pan.

In a small bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring at ten second intervals. Drizzle the chocolate over individual cake slices and serve.

Chicken Chorizo Stew by Mateo

 

Mateo’s Chicken and Chorizo Stew

In 70% Dark Intentions, Felicity interacts with an international team of researchers who have come to Galveston to research local plants and animals. One of them takes a job at her shop – and then promptly goes missing. But not before giving Felicity a bowl of this stew, with is a classic Spanish dish. Make sure you are using Spanish chorizo – which is a hard, sliceable sausage packed with paprika – rather than Mexican chorizo, which is soft. This does get a bit greasy as it cooks, so be prepared to skim the fat off the top.

6 bone-in chicken thighs

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. Spanish chorizo, sliced

1 large yellow onion, sliced

2 red bell peppers, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. dried parsley

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 bay leaves

1 c. white wine

2 ½ c. chicken stock

2 Tbsp. orange juice

1 tsp. orange zest2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

3/4 c. green olives, pitted and sliced

Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken thighs.

Place the olive oil in a large Dutch over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add half of the chicken thighs, and brown them, turning during cooking (approximately 8-10 minutes). Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining chicken thighs.

Add the chorizo to the Dutch oven. Cook the chorizo until it releases a bit of the fat. Then add the onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bell pepper is softened and the onion turns translucent. Add the garlic, parsley, thyme, paprika, cumin, and bay leaves. Cook for an additional two minutes, then remove the chorizo and vegetables and set aside.

Add the white wine to the Dutch oven, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, and then add the chicken stock, orange juice, orange zest, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir until the mixture is uniform, then return the chicken, chorizo and vegetables to the Dutch Oven.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then the heat to medium low. Cover the Dutch oven and cook for an hour, or until the chicken is tender, stirring occasionally.

If the sauce is still thin after, remove the chicken and increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce thickens. Skim the extra grease off of the surface. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the sliced olives and stir to combine. Heat the stew through, then serve warm, either over rice or with a side of crusty bread. 

Visit Ambers blog for more about the book ...

Click Here

 

Characters That Cook fest Pastry Che

 

Characters Who Cook

 

Hi! I’m Carmen, the pastry chef for Greetings and Felicitations. I batten down the ship here at the shop whenever Felicity goes off with Logan or Arlo or Dawn to investigate clues. What? Yes, I do think it is unusual how Felicity keeps getting caught up in solving cases. I think at some point she just leaned into it.

 

Honestly, I don’t mind running things when she’s gone. I have a great deal of latitude with what I do here. I bake daily specials according to whatever strikes me that day, and the customers love to come in and see what’s new. And I’ve done a cookbook for the shop. I’m actually working on a second one right now. In a minute, I have to get on the computer, so I can do a virtual cooking session with a YouTuber Felicity met in Japan. Even though she’s caught up in solving a murder case there, she’s still finding time to work on the business!

 

Check out one of the recipes I’m about to make for the cook-along!

 

Ginger Miso Shortbread Cookies

 

1 c. butter, softened

⅔ c. granulated sugar

2 teaspoon orange extract

4 Tbsp. miso paste

2 tsp. powdered ginger

2½ c. all-purpose flour

 

Place the butter, sugar, orange extract, and ginger in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium high speed until the butter mixture is light and fluffy. Add the miso and beat until incorporated. Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined.

 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough evenly in half, and shape each one into a rectangular block (appx. 2” wide, 1” thick, and however long it ends up being). Wrap each block in cling wrap and chill for at least an hour.

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

Unwrap one block of dough. Cut it into ½” thick slices. Repeat with second block. Place the slices onto the baking sheets, with 1” spacing. Use a toothpick to poke two rows of six holes on each cookie. Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the cookies turn golden brown around the bottom edges. (The tops will be pale.) Transfer the baking sheets to a cooking rack and let sit for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Teaser Tuesday

 

The Newest Sleuth in Galveston just wants to make chocolate! 

Visit Authors Amber Royer blog 

Click Here

https://www.jigsawexplorer.com/online-jigsaw-puzzle-player.html?url=aHR0cDovL2FtYmVycm95ZXIuY29tL3dwLWNvbnRlbnQvdXBsb2Fkcy8yMDIyLzA3L2JlYWNoLXN0b3JlLXNjYWxlZC5qcGc~

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BjskRSCo9/

Main Character Monday Feat Felicity of the Bean to Bar Mysteries by Amber Royer

 

This week our feature is Author Amber Royer and her Bean to Bar Mysteries. 

Amber shares the characters today. 

Let' meet Felicity . . . 

Hi! I’m Felicity Koerber, owner of Greetings and Felicitations, a craft chocolate shop in Galveston, Texas. I opened my shop to become a hub for the local community. It has become that, but not in the way I had imagined. I got involved in solving a whole string of murders, including one that happened at my grand opening party. I’ve been through a lot since them – including finding love again, which as a widow I never thought I would do. But tada! I’m engaged. Just look at that ring. (Of course, I proposed to him, and if you don’t want any spoilers on how that happened, you should look for the story in Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark, which is the sixth chronicle of my adventures.) 

 

I’ve also rekindled old friendships and built new ones, which is how I wound up here, in Japan, with a whole group of people supporting my chance to exhibit at a chocolate festival in Tokyo. My fiancé is here, of course, but so is the blogger – now podcaster – who I felt was the bane of my existence when he first started writing about me in his blog. But I dunno. Ash grows on you after a bit, and we’re actually friends now. That’s happened with a number of people. I’ve learned to be more nuanced in how I deal with confrontation, and to give people more of a doubt. Which is why I’m trying to be patient with the fellow exhibitor at the chocolate festival who seems to have taken an instant dislike to me. Maybe she has a reason I don’t know about, and I can work to smooth it out?

 

Of course, that’s not nearly as important as solving the latest crime I’ve found myself in the center of. The minute we landed at the airport, some jerk stole my phone. And later, when I followed him trying to demand it back, I found him dead. Only, then his body vanished. And very few people believed me when I explained what had happened. Thankfully, my friends at least believe. I’ve got to figure out what happened and soon!

 

In case you’re curious: I love Cajun food! One side of my family is Cajun (the other side is Italian) so I know how to cook a lot of it, and I’m spoiled by having a Cajun restaurant across the street from me. I like sushi too, and I’m looking forward to trying new foods in Japan. I used to be a physical therapist, which comes in handy from time to time for the whole amateur sleuth thing. And I am definitely a beach girl, though I have traveled to both mountains and rainforests. I love going new places!

I hope you enjoy my story! 

. . . Join us all week as we spend time in Amber"s world of Chocolates and Coffee.