Showing posts with label Giveaway and Guest Post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giveaway and Guest Post. Show all posts

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran's Mumbo Gumbo Murder Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Giveaway and Guest Post

 

I am so excited to have Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Giveaway and Guest Post.

Thanks Laura and Terrie and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Mumbo Gumbo Murder Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Laura and Terrie!

Character Guest Post by Carmela Bertrand,
main character in Mumbo Gumbo Murder
by Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran

Well, it’s Jazz Fest again in New Orleans. That means all sorts of jazz concerts, parades, parties, and delicious food. And, lucky me, most of the festivities take place just a few blocks from my cute little scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter.

But there’s a problem. (There always is, isn’t there?)

The other night my BFF Ava Grieux and I went to watch a parade put on by the folks who run the Beastmaster Theater. It was a strange and spooky parade, populated by masked ninja-like people wearing oversized puppet costumes of skeletons, wolves, and vampires.

Now Ava is the proprietor of a voodoo shop (think tarot cards, amulets, and saint candles), so she’s kind of used to things that go bump in the night. But I have to confess I was a little freaked out. That’s why we cut over to Royal Street where all sorts of food vendors had set up booths. I’m always up for a po-boy sandwich, beignets, or a bag of kettle corn, but this night we decided to quench our thirst with amaretto daiquiris served in plastic geaux cups. We ambled along, enjoying the food vendors, fortune tellers, musicians, street artists, and bead and t-shirt sellers until we came to Dulcimer Antiques, the quaint little antiques shop that our friend Devon Dowling owns. As we approached, we heard a horrifically loud crash, as if the front window had just exploded!

I dashed over, screaming for help, pleading with someone to call 911. And then I made the mistake of peeking inside. As dark as the interior was, I could tell the place had been utterly trashed. Thousands of dollars of precious antiques were smashed to smithereens. And then when Devon’s little pug Mimi started barking hysterically, I crawled in through the broken window and found poor Devon, laying lifeless on a Persian rug.

I didn’t know if he’d been shot, stabbed, or clubbed. Or if he was still alive. Anyway, the police arrived along with the EMTs. And as they worked on him, they finally gave Ava and I the very sad news that Devon was dead – that he’d been stabbed in the ear with an ice pick!

Since Mimi the pug was the only witness, I decided to take her home with me and see if she could possibly identity or sniff out Devon’s killer. That meant carrying Mimi to Devon’s memorial service and sneaking her into a few other places.

But it’s been tough. Because by running my own shadow investigation, I’ve uncovered a whole lot of potential suspects. There’s Devon’s greedy landlord who wanted him to vacate so he could take the building condo, Devon’s young assistant, a fat cat art collector, and the mysterious (but strangely attractive) president of the Vampire Society.

So right now I’m a bundle of nerves as I try to sift through all the clues, interview all sorts of people who definitely don’t want to talk to me, and try to find a new home for Mimi. Sound impossible? Well, it’s the toughest murder mystery I’ve ever tried to solve. And, believe me, I’m been pulled into more than a few. This is New Orleans, after all, where strange things happen on a routine basis!

All my best,

Carmela Bertrand







Mumbo Gumbo Murder (A Scrapbooking Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
16th in Series
Berkley (October 1, 2019)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0451489578
ISBN-13: 978-0451489579
Digital ASIN: B07M75KVSB




A shocking murder strikes a sour note during Jazz Fest in the latest New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

It’s Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and the giant puppets from the Beastmaster Puppet Theatre are parading through the French Quarter. Some are very spooky and veiled, others are tall and gangly, like strange aliens.

As the parade proceeds, Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava, follow behind, down Royal Street and past the food booths. Suddenly, they hear a terrible crash from Devon Dowling’s antiques shop. They rush inside to find Devon collapsed with blood streaming down the side of his face. Has he been shot? Stabbed? 911 is hastily called, and the police and EMTs show up. After the police examine Devon’s body, they tell Carmela and Ava that their friend was murdered with an icepick. They’re shocked beyond belief — and now Mimi, Devon’s little pug, is left homeless.

Carmela and Ava are determined to catch the murderer, but the list of suspects is long. How long do they have before they find themselves on the killer’s list? 

About The Authors







Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links

Webpage – http://www.laurachilds.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31






Recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer awards, Terrie Farley Moran is the author of the beachside Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series; co-author of Laura Childs’ New Orleans scrapbooking mystery series; and has published numerous short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly Magazine and numerous anthologies.

The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren who reside in New York and Florida.

Terrie’s Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrie.moran.9

Blog: www.womenofmystery.net

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23186092-terrie-moran

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792943

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/mumbo-gumbo-murder-a-scrapbooking-mystery-by-laura-childs-and-terrie-farley-moran








 

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Ellie Alexander's A Crime of Passion Fruit Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Giveaway and Guest Post

 


I am so excited to have Ellie Alexander here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight.

Thanks Ellie and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your A Crime of Passion Fruit Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Ellie!




A Crime of Passion Fruit (A Bakeshop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
St. Martin’s Paperbacks (June 27, 2017)
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1250088079
E-Book ASIN: B01MRU56AS








Torte ― everybody’s favorite small-town family bakeshop ― is headed for the high seas, where murder is about to make a splash.

Jules Capshaw is trying to keep her cool as Torte gets set to make its transformation from quaint, local confectionary cafĂ© to royal pastry palace. Meanwhile, Jules’s estranged husband Carlos is making a desperate plea for her to come aboard his cruise ship and dazzle everyone with her signature sweets. She may be skeptical about returning to her former nautical life with Carlos but Jules can’t resist an all-expense-paid trip, either. If only she knew that a dead body would find its way onto the itinerary.

Now, instead of enjoying tropical drinks on deck between whipping up batches of sea-salted chocolates and flambĂ©ing fresh pineapple slices in the kitchen, Jules is plunged into dangerous waters. Her investigation leaves her with more questions than answers: Why can’t anyone on board identify the young woman? And how can she help Carlos keep passengers at ease with a killer in their midst?  Jules feels like she’s ready to jump ship. Can she solve this case without getting in too deep?

Guest Post

Thanks so much for having me on as a guest today. Your blog pretty much summarizes my life. My name is Juliet Montague Capshaw, but please, please call me Jules. I’m a hopeless romantic, pastry chef, and as of late an amateur sleuth. I never anticipated stumbling upon murder. When I returned to my beloved hometown of Ashland, Oregon a while ago I thought I would be able to focus on nothing more than rolling out pie crusts and whipping mounds and mounds of silky buttercream. Ashland seemed like the perfect place to disappear into pastry and forget about the life that I had left behind.

Our little hamlet is nestled in the valley near the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon. We’re not far from the California border and are a destination for theater and adventure lovers of all types. In addition to a variety of outdoor sports and recreation opportunities, Ashland is also home to the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The festival originally began with a small theater troupe who performed Shakespeare’s works in the park every summer. It has grown over the year to encompass an entire complex right in the heart of our bustling downtown plaza. Actors in the company preform hundreds of shows on the famed Elizabethan outdoor stage as well as modern productions and musicals on the indoor stages. Whether you’re in the mood for a whimsical fairytale like Cinderella or a serious classic, like Othello.

A visit to Ashland feels like stepping back in time. Our community embraced the theater and designed the shops and restaurants on the plaza to resemble an old English village. The PCT trail, made famous by Wild, cuts through Ashland which means that there are always hikers and explorers passing through. As well as college students from Southern Oregon University and a plethora of actors, writers, and artists. It really is quite an idyllic place to live.

Our family bakeshop, Torte, sits in the center of all the action. Locals come in for an iced cold brew with coconut milk and a slice of our lemon strawberry pie. They cozy up at one of the tables or booths in the dining room and catch up on all the gossip. My mom, Helen, is known as Ashland’s unofficial therapist. People tend to spill their secrets while noshing on a slice of our buttery sweet bread.

I suppose one of the reasons that I’ve found myself mixed up in a handful of murder investigations is because I can’t stomach the thought of harm coming to anyone I know or love. When I left the cruise ship where I had worked as a pastry chef for over a decade and my husband, Ashlanders welcomed me home with open-arms. They didn’t pry or ask questions about why I had returned home. They nibbled on cinnamon scones and made me feel like family. It’s my duty to return the favor and protect them.

Being a pastry chef gives me a unique perspective. People tend to open up more when they’re eating something sweet. I have to admit that I’ve enjoyed the thrill of tracking down a killer on Ashland’s quaint streets. Only I didn’t expect that when I decided to take off for a week at sea that murder would follow me on board.

I agreed to help run the pasty kitchen on board the Amour of the Seas for a week. I figured it would be a chance to get some closure with my husband, and say “Bon Voyage” to the life I used to know. However not long after we pulled away from the dock I stumbled upon a woman’s body. So much for tropical baking, suddenly I was on a new case.





About The Author

Ellie Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research.

Author Links

Web: http://www.elliealexander.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elliealexanderauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bakeshopmystery

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_alexander/

Purchase Links

Amazon B and N IndieBound

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792546

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/crime-passion-fruit-ellie-alexander-2







Saturday, March 11, 2017

Winnie Archer's Kneaded To Death Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Giveaway and Guest Post

 


I am so excited to have Winnie Archer here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Giveaway and Guest Post.

Thanks Winnie and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Kneaded To Death Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Winnie!

Guest Post

I’m not sure when it started, but at some point during my writing career, I began to think of my muse, or muses as the case may be, as something really tangible that I could summon at will, or that would betray me by being absent when I needed her/them most. It may be a silly analogy, but it works for me.

The thing is, these muses? They come and go. When life gets too busy, they vanish. I’d begun to think of them as fickle girls, but I’ve changed my tune. When I recharge and do something creative or cleansing, voila! They return to me. I’ll never look at them in quite the same way or take for granted the beauty of having them on the job, fully engaged in my creative process, or the power of their insight.

I have new respect for my muses and what they offer through song, practice, and memory.

It often takes a big shake up and the absence of something to really appreciate what you have. That’s how it happened for me. You know what they say about absence making the heart grow fonder and all that. It worked. We moved, I took a new teaching job, things got complicated, and my creative energy was depleted. My muses left, I was melancholy, but then, in a twist, they returned with a new light for me to follow.

How very poetic, I know.

I’m not a metaphysical girl. My feet are firmly planted on the ground. Let me be clear, I don’t, like, sit around thinking about cliches and how they apply to my life. But cliches are cliches because there is truth in them and sometimes that truth is more palatable when taken in a pithy dose. The absence of my muses is what helped me recognize them in the first place. It also helped me appreciate the creative energy they bring into my writing equation.

Basically, creativity cannot be summoned on demand. There are times when it simply dries up. Writer’s block, people call it. The muses just up and leave.

If I’m on overload and completely unable to feel creative energy flow into me, I know it’s time to step away, time to let myself be open to other creative forces. When I take some much needed time away from my project, whatever it is, recharge and allow my mind to open up and let fresh ideas in, I’m able to see things in a new way. The muses come back.

I’ve started planning ways to bring creativity into my life. Ways to keep the muses on my side. Sewing. Drawing. Photography. Cooking. Crafts. These things fill my soul. I let them slip away when life is busy, but now I work hard to actively bring them back — or to never let them go by the wayside in the first place.

So my muses (I call them Lola, Harlow, and Ivy, named for my three heroines), are alive and well, ever-present, and an important part of my creativity. They make me happy, and they help me bring my stories to life.

Here’s a toast to you, muses!




Kneaded to Death
(A Bread Shop Mystery)

Cozy Mystery
New Series
Kensington (February 28, 2017)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496707727
Kindle ASIN: B01GBAG7KO







Everyone swears by Yeast of Eden, the Mexican bread shop in town. But tonight, the only thing on the menu is la muerte. 

Struggling photographer Ivy Culpepper has lots of soul-searching to do since returning to seaside Santa Sofia, California. That is, until the thirty-six-year-old enters a bread making class at Yeast of Eden. Whether it’s the aroma of fresh conchas in the oven, or her instant connection with owner Olaya Solis, Ivy just knows the missing ingredients in her life are hidden among the secrets of Olaya’s bakery.

But Ivy’s spirits crumble when a missing classmate is suddenly discovered dead in her car. Even more devastating, the prime suspect is Olaya Solis herself. Doubting the woman could commit such a crime, Ivy embarks on a murder investigation of her own to prove her innocence and seize the real killer. As she follows a deadly trail of crumbs around town, Ivy must trust her gut like never before — or someone else could be toast!





ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The indefatigable Winnie Archer is a middle school teacher by day, and a writer by night. Born in a beach town in California, she now lives in an inspiring century old house in North Texas and loves being surrounded by real-life history. She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with both yoga and chocolate, adores pumpkin spice lattes, is devoted to her five kids and husband, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.

Visit Winnie online:


WinnieArcher.com

Winnie Archer is the pseudonym for national bestselling author Melissa Bourbon. Learn more at http://melissabourbon.com.

Twitter @MelissaBourbon

Purchase Links:

Amazon B and N

Giveaway

 http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792488

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/kneaded-death-winnie-archer









Monday, November 14, 2016

Pearl R. Meaker's The Devil's Flood Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt, Giveaway and Guest Post

 


I am so excited to have Pearl R. Meaker here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Guest Post and Giveaway.

Thanks Pearl and Goddess Fish Promotions for allowing me to join The Devil's Flood Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Pearl!





THE DEVIL'S FLOOD
by Pearl R. Meaker
GENRE: Cozy Mystery

BLURB

Can a house vanish without a trace? What is the "super booze" that's available at clandestine drinking parties in Golden County? When mummified bodies show up at an archeological dig and a young man gets shot in a duel at a party, can Emory and Madison find the answers in the midst of a flood year?

Excerpt

“Okay.” Kate said, pulling her phone out of a pocket as Jairus and the crew gathered around me where I stood watching the rescue team go in after my husband. “Here’s a shot of Dr. Crawford.” She held the phone in front of me. “He’s still conscious and managed a little wave, but I’m glad the rescue team is heading in.”

I glanced at the photo. Jebbin lay in a pool of light on what looked like a pile of bedding heaped on a rough wooden floor. His glasses had fallen off. He never looks quite right without them, and
I could tell he was hurting. Probably feeling a bit nauseous as well. In spite of it all he wore a wan grin and had lifted a hand in greeting.

Kate swiped the screen.

In the sharp glare of her phone’s flash a mummified man sat on the floor, his back against a wall. There was a dark stain spilling down his chest from a hole near where his heart would be.

“There’s one part of the company Dr. Crawford mentioned he had.”

She swiped again. “Here’s the other.”

This mummy lay on its back. The flash showed a stain that flowed from his chest and down his side to form a hardened puddle on the floor.

“Which one’s my Grandpa?” Melva gasped.






AUTHOR Bio and Links

Slightly quirky, always creative, Pearl R. Meaker has been an artist, singer and craftsperson her whole life. Although she's always had stories in her head, they didn't come out to play with others until the advent of home computers with their ease of making corrections and moving bits around.

After several years of writing fanfiction in the world of Tolkien's Middle-Earth, she took a couple of writing courses and dove into writing original works of fiction, and The Emory Crawford Mysteries were born.

When not playing with story ideas you can find Pearl playing with yarn either knitting or crocheting, doing other arts and crafts, bird watching and photographing nature, playing bluegrass fiddle (her husband plays banjo) or relaxing with her hubby on the sofa watching mystery shows on Netflix.

Oh - and reading all sorts of books, but especially cozy and other types of mysteries!

The books in The Emory Crawford Mysteries Series are reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries, which is why Pearl has chosen to characterize her stories as "murder genteel."

Links

Website: http://www.pearlrmeaker.com

Blog: https://pearlrmeaker.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PearlRMeaker

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PearlRMeaker

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/PearlRMeaker/

Buy Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Flood-Pearl-R-Meaker/dp/1987857577/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471951201&sr=1-1&keywords=the+devil%27s+flood

B and N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devils-flood-pearl-meaker/1123854200?ean=9781987857573

Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-devils-flood/9781987857573-item.html?ikwid=The+Devil%27s+Flood&ikwsec=Books&ikwidx=0

GIVEAWAY

Pearl R. Meaker will award a randomly drawn commenter a $25 Amazon/BN GC.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1968

Guest Post

5 Recipes I Wish I Hadn’t Tried and Other Kitchen Disasters

Emory’s cooking and food in general, are an important part of The Emory Crawford Mysteries Series. Sometimes, the dishes in the stories are ones I have made over the years for my family and still make now that it’s just my hubby and me at home. And some of the recipes in the books, I’ll confess, I’ve never made and am hesitant to even try making them – like the Indian dishes that Deepti Chatterjee makes in The Devil’s Flood.

At this point in my journey with Emory and Jebbin, I don’t know about any of Emory’s culinary catastrophes. I’ll have to ask her about them, but for now I invite you to come with me to revisit some of the low spots in my own cooking experience.

1) Instant Vanilla Pudding with Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

This one should have been awesome, but it tasted horrible. I was still a newly wed and thought this would be a great new dessert for my sweets loving man. I had no recipe, I mean really – who needs a recipe for adding chocolate chips to vanilla pudding! And yet, whether it was because it was instant pudding or because it was a generic brand, or that the chips should have been added just before eating, it tasted icky. I’ve never had the courage to try the idea again.

2) Bacon Goulash

I make a dish called Spam Goulash that my mom’s side of the family ate often during WWII. It’s incredibly simple – Spam, elbow macaroni, chopped onions and a couple cans of tomato soup.

Again during our first year of marriage, I thought since I usually fried the chunks of Spam in a little bacon grease, why not just fry some bacon up really crisp and use it instead. It sounded yummy – except the bacon absorbed enough of the tomato soup to end up mushy.

Not nice.

3) This recipe disaster happened later in our marriage when we had two children

who had both been strongly admonished to not complain about the new dish I was trying.

The moussaka was the soggiest, most disgusting thing we’d eaten in ages. I finally asked everyone if it tasted as bad to them as it did to me and they enthusiastically agreed. We went to Burger King for dinner.

4) Within the last couple of years there was this fish dish.

I got the recipe from a healthy diet cookbook and everyone on the company’s online site said it was fantastic. I made it just for myself first, and it didn’t taste all that well, but I’d fiddled a bit with the recipe so it didn’t make as much, since it was only me eating it. So I made it again when my hubby would be home and made it exactly to the recipe.

It was still horrible and got run down the garbage disposal.

5) There’s one kitchen disaster I recall.

I was taking a 8x8 glass baking dish of Chicken Enchiladas out of the oven and had one of those premonition things happen – kind of a dĂ©jĂ  vu vision but of something yet to come. Just for a flash of a second before it happened, I knew I was going to drop it all.

And I did.

Gooey, cheesy enchilada and glass were all over the floor just when everything was ready to pop out of the oven to serve. (There was another 13x9 lasagna pan full, so we wouldn’t go hungry). I had a huge mess to clean up – and keep the cats out of.

So there you have it, five of my kitchen failures and messes.

Can you come up with five of your own?

Monday, August 10, 2015

Linda Bond's Cuba Undercover Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Giveaway and Guest Post



I am so excited to have Linda Bond here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Linda and Pump Up Your Book Promotions for allowing me to join your Cuba Undercover Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Linda!

Guest Post

Reality versus Fiction by Linda Bond

Both difficult when it comes to writing about Cuba


As a TV reporter, I have traveled to Cuba twice. Both trips were inspirational and I fell in love with the Cuban people and their Culture. I also fell in love with a Cuban American. But, reporting there was not easy. Either time – back in 1998 and more recently in 2011. First, securing the proper paperwork from the Cuban government was difficult. In 2011, you needed a license from the Cuban government to report in their country. I arrived at the International Press office on a Friday and it was closed. Getting the license took days, but I kept trying, and I am thankful I did. On the third day in Cuba, in the Plaza of the Revolution, my photographer and I were stopped by a police officer. He asked to see that license. I can’t even imagine what might have happened if we had not had it.

Another source of frustration: the Internet. Couldn’t find Wi-Fi in most places, and even in the nice hotel in Havana where we stayed, it took hours to send video back to the United States. I hope that has changed with the developing technology.

And on both trips, I never could line up a government official to speak to me.

All that aside, I’m glad for the opportunity to visit that magical country.

When I decided to write a fiction novel about Cuba, I knew part of the conflict in the story would be the continued tension between our countries. And just as I sold the manuscript to Entangled Publishing, President Obama opened up a dialogue with Cuba and the conflicts began to change. Travel restrictions were lessened, embassies were to open, and more business would be allowed to take place. Wow. The changes happened so quickly I could barely keep up. I had to re-write the book three times!

As a journalist, I’ve been so married to facts for so long, it was hard to let go of the book. Finally I had to realize this is a work of fiction. It won’t represent the changing face of Cuba-America relations completely and readers will have to suspend some disbelief.


But what is real on both accounts is the love of family. I hope that is what you take away from Cuba Undercover.

Thank you for reading,

Linda Bond







Title: Cuba Undercover
Author: Linda Bond
Publisher: Entangled: Select Suspense
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: Kindle

His revenge will change her life forever


Cuban-American TV reporter Rebecca Menendez's success comes from playing by the rules. When she's kidnapped by a fierce and intensely handsome man who needs her help, however, all of those rules seem pointless. Nothing could have prepared her for being taken hostage or the irresistible reward if she complies: information about her long-thought dead father.

Antonio Vega has spent almost every day of his adult life dreaming of revenging his father's death. With his sister's life and freedom in jeopardy, Antonio isn't taking any chances. But once Rebecca and Antonio are in Cuba, they're immersed in a world of corruption, deceit, and betrayal. It's a deadly game and there are no rules.

ORDER INFORMATION

Cuba Undercover is available for purchase at


amazon
BN
koboAvailable on iTunes
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PUYB Meet the Author


Linda Bond loves to read. She started with those great Nancy Drew books. Remember Nancy Drew and ‘The Secret of the Old Clock?” How about ‘The Mystery of the 99 Steps?’ She really liked smart, gutsy heroines, even at a young age. In high school, Linda discovered historical romances by authors like the great Kathleen Woodiwiss. She read at least three books a week. So many her mother actually called a conference with her teacher, worried, and overwrought that her innocent little girl was reading those trashy romance novels.

What was she learning? Linda’s teacher just looked at her mom and said, “Your daughter reads three books a week?” Linda’s mother said, “Yes, at least. And I don’t know what to do.”

“Let her read,” Linda’s teacher responded. And, so she did.

Harold Robbins and Jackie Collins took Linda out of her high school hallways and into the glamorous Hollywood Hills.

John Grisham, James Patterson, and Harlen Coben can still keep Linda up all night. Turning pages, ladies, turning pages.

Linda lives for a good romantic thriller. Which is probably why she’s a reporter. She’s addicted to the rush of adrenaline that comes with finding and crafting a great story.

Each day Linda writes about someone’s unique life. In Linda’s world, 400 words must carry the weight of 400 pages. Linda writes a dreaded synopsis every single day - under deadline.

Now, Linda is retraining herself to do just the opposite. She’s punching up her pages with powerful passages. With each new chapter, Linda smiles, because she loves to tell a story.

It’s really as simple as that.

The best way to really know Linda Bond is to read what she writes. That’s where the real fun begins.

For More Information

Visit Linda at her website
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Divider 9PUYB Giveaway

Linda is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

Terms and Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.

One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to Amazon

This giveaway begins July 14 and ends on August 11.

Winners will be contacted via email on August 12.

Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2015/07/01/pump-up-your-book-presents-cuba-undercover-virtual-book-publicity-tour