#SaturdaySpotlight is on Maureen (ML) Bonatch & Magic, Mimosas & Mistletoe!

Good Morning,

I'm pretty much done with my Christmas shopping. How about you? While you're taking a break, please enjoy this week's All Christmas thru Christmas feature with Maureen (ML) Bonatch and her cozy mystery Christmas book, Mimosas & Mistletoe!

Marissa Hale is excited to visit her friend Grace’s new Inn. But the twinkly lights attached to the inheritance are frightful, and finding a dead body in the poinsettias resembling one of Santa’s fabled elves is not delightful. The death of Grace’s aunt was already suspicious, is someone trying to scare Grace into selling the Kringle Inn? 

Grace’s bloodline is the magic mainline for keeping the yuletide spirit alive, and losing the Inn could mean the end of Christmas. The clues to both deaths may reside with the spirits of the Inn, but Marissa’s dog is the only one who can see them.

Does Marissa stand a ghost of a chance of solving this mystery to save Christmas?

Magic, Mimosas & Mistletoe is the high-spirited third book in the Charmed Cocktail Cozy mystery series. If you like ghost mysteries with holiday slaying, you’ll love M.L. Bonatch’s festive read!

Buy Magic, Mimosas & Mistletoe to cheer your holiday spirit today and all year!

Excerpt:

 “Have you ever met an elf?” I threw out the question to distract her from dwelling on our current situation. Part of me really wanted her to say she had. My disdain for the Christmas holiday had started when other kids mocked me for clinging to what many considered to be childish beliefs for years longer than most.

“An elf? I don't know. I can't say I ever met one,” Grace said.

The small glimmer of hope squelched within me. I wouldn’t go through that humiliation again. Beliefs of elves,Santa, and flying reindeer were stories for children, not for anadult witch who should know better. 

Finally, a police officer arrived in the small lobby. “It took him long enough,” I said. The casual attire didn't confirm the man's profession, but the flash of a badge clipped to the waist of his pants and the collective sigh of relief from the staff did.

I stood. “Finally, someone who can confirm that this is a crime scene.”

“We don't know that yet, Marissa. Don't jump to conclusions. It's like you look for trouble.” Grace closed her eyes and leaned back against the cushion.

A response was unnecessary; Grace knew I excelled at jumping to conclusions, and I couldn't help it that trouble usually found me.

M.L. Bonatch believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and caffeine and wine are essential for survival. When she’s not doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, she’s a mom to twin daughters, exploring the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby and dancing as much as possible. She writes paranormal cozy mysteries as  M.L. Bonatch, urban fantasy, paranormal romance and other genres as Maureen Bonatch.

Find out more about Maureen and her writing by visiting her Website, Bookbub, Bookbub2, or Amazon Author Page, Twitter or Facebook. Sign up to receive her newsletter and get a free story!

Check out Maureen's previous visits to our blog Here and Here.

Magic, Mimosas & Mistletoe sounds like a really cute read, Maureen. Thanks for sharing. Good luck and God's blessings with it.

Hope you enjoyed another week of Christmas books friends and that you'll check back for more as this feature will go on through Saturday Dec 31st.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT

#TuesdayTreasure: Special Guest Post by Maureen Bonatch

Good Morning Friends,

As we roll on toward the end of 2015 and the holiday season officially begins with Halloween, I thought today would be a great time to introduce you to Marueen Bonatch while she shares with us something she treasures....

A Labor of Love

As the summer winds down and the first thoughts of fall tickle the corners of my mind, there’s one thing I treasure more than the changing colors of the leaves and the shadow of a promise of the autumn crisp air… tomatoes.

Not just any tomato, mind you, garden tomatoes. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the tomatoes you see in the store, the ones that never seem quite as red. That lack firmness, and when you cut them they reveal mushy centers or bleached flesh… those aren’t real tomatoes. Those imposters could never live up to the taste of a fresh, garden tomato.

Around June I’ll start asking my father, and father in law, how soon I should expect a garden tomato. Knowing darn well that I usually have to wait until well into July, or maybe even August. I get impatient because there’s nothing like that first tomato after long months of deprivation. Then they start coming in droves. I make my best effort to ensure none of them are wasted since I know; it’s feast and then famine.

I don’t garden myself. I’ve never tried. One reason being that despite having a mother who grows beautiful flowers and a father who gardens, I have what I refer to as a black thumb. Most things I try to grow die. Houseplants shudder at the thought of taking up residence. The other more important reason that I’ve never attempted to grow my own tomatoes, is because both my father and father in law are stellar gardeners. They provide me with my bounty of tomatoes and I don’t take it for granted.

But it’s more than the tomato itself that I treasure. Because I’m sure, if I scoured the stores and farmer’s markets I might, just might, be able to find a home grown garden tomato somewhere. I treasure knowing my father and my father in law have grown these tomatoes. They’ve taken their time, and love, for months to nurture the little seedlings into plants. Painstakingly caring for them through unpredictable weather and fending off wildlife clamoring to have the garden as their lunch.

Almost anybody can start a garden (well, maybe not me, lol) but not everybody can be a gardener.  I’ve encouraged my husband to learn the gardening secrets these two wonderful men in my life have honed into a science. These tricks of their skillful trade are as precious as that cherished family recipe. These gardens, these tomatoes, are the fruits of a labor of love.

* * * * * * *

Although tomatoes are not on my list of favorite foods, I'm sure anyone who gardens and loves them will agree with Maureen!

 Maureen realized later in life everyone didn’t have characters telling stories in their heads, or weren’t envisioning magic and mayhem within the everyday. This, and long walks in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania spawned a love of writing.

Therefore she’s chased other interests, though none-the-less-daring, but closer to the ground, such as belly-dancing, becoming a self-proclaimed tequila connoisseur, fulfilling her role as biker babe to her alpha hubby and surviving motherhood to twins (so far).

Penning stories boasting laughter, light suspense and something magical in the hope of sharing her love of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary world.   

Find out more about Maureen's world by visiting her Website, Amazon Author Page, Blog and connect with her on Facebook, Good Reads, Pinterest and Twitter or sign up to receive her newsletter!

She's a witch hunting a spell. 

He's hunting witches and falling for her.

Carman has worn out more towns and last names than impractical shoes protecting the secret of her magic blood. But when a friend goes missing, and another is infected with a deadly spell, Carman must choose. Expose her magic blood by curing the spell—or stop the infection from spreading by killing the source…the grandmother.

Magic bounty hunter Dylan has scoured libraries of banned magic paraphernalia seeking a method to distinguish genuine witches from impersonators. He suspects unorthodox librarian Carman might hold this information tighter than the hair he’s dying to unleash from her bun. With a past as hidden as his sleeve of tattoos, Dylan discovers he’s been used to gain Carman’s trust and their passion risks more than mixing mortals and magic.

Fun Facts about Grandma Must Die:

The inspiration for the church/library and the town in the story are located along a bike path the author frequents.

A church that now operates as a bar the author has visited inspired the interior of the church/library in the story.

 The heroine, Carman, is obsessed with sexy, stilettos.

No real Grandmas were harmed in the making of this fictional story. In real life everyone loves Grandmas (unless, of course, they’ve been infected with a nasty spell). 

Sound like a really cute story!

Grandma Must Die can be purchased at The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.

Hope you enjoyed today's treasure. Stay tuned weekly for more!

Until next time....take care & God Bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight: Karen McCullough and Detectives Dilemma

Good Morning and Welcome to another edition of Saturday Spotlight!

Whew...I am SO happy to see the sun shining this morning! It has been rainy, cloudy and gloomy... F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!

Today it is my great pleasure to introduce to you Ms. Karen McCullough, author of Magic, Mystery, and Romance!

Karen McCullough’s wide-ranging imagination makes her incapable of sticking to one genre for her storytelling. As a result, she’s the author of more than a dozen published novels and novellas, which span the mystery, fantasy, paranormal, and romantic suspense genres. A former computer programmer who made a career change into being an editor with an international trade publishing company for many years, she now runs her own web design business to support her writing habit. Awards she’s won include an Eppie Award for fantasy; three other Eppie finals; Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards, and an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Links to find and follow Karen: 

Website: http://www.kmccullough.com

Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kgmccullough/

Although Sarah Anne Martin admits to pulling the trigger, she swears someone forced her to kill her lover. Homicide detective Jay Christianson is skeptical, but enough ambiguous evidence exists to make her story plausible. If he gives her enough freedom, she’ll either incriminate herself or draw out the real killers. But, having been burned before, Jay doesn’t trust his own protective instincts…and his growing attraction to Sarah only complicates matters.

With desire burning between them, their relationship could ultimately be doomed since Sarah will be arrested for murder if they can’t find the real killer.

Excerpt from Chapter 1

The crash of something hitting the floor jerked her awake.

Sarah lay for a moment, listening, wondering what might have fallen, but not yet alarmed enough to drag herself out of bed and investigate.

An even louder thunk shook the house. She jolted upright in bed. Something had hit the floor again--something heavy. She reached for the bedside clock and pressed the button to illuminate the face. One-thirty. Vince might still be up. Maybe he’d bumped into something. She hoped it was nothing worse. She kept telling him to follow the doctor’s orders and lose weight. At fifty-three, he already had heart problems.

The thought of him lying on the floor after a heart attack or stroke goaded her up and out of bed.

She snagged her robe off the chair and rushed out of her bedroom. A light shone at the opposite end of the hall that ran nearly the entire length of the house. In the past year, Vince had been having more trouble sleeping and often stayed in his study, working or watching television into the early hours of the morning.

The door to the room stood open, but she didn’t see him at first when she rushed in. Papers lay scattered across the floor, drawers hung open from the desk, and one sat on its side on the floor as well.

“Vince?”

“Over here. I--” His voice wavered and broke.

She spotted him on the far side of the room from the door. He was on his feet and two men flanked him. Hoods concealed their features, and they both wore dark, nondescript clothes. Each held a gun, one pointed at Vince’s head, the other turned in her direction.

Sarah froze. Her breath stuck in her throat, and her stomach clenched into a tight knot. “What--? What’s going on? Vince?”

His normally florid complexion had a gray cast, and his shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, my dear. These gentlemen have--”

“Shut up,” one of the two ordered.

She didn’t realize there was a third man in the room until he stood beside her. Sarah backed away, but he grabbed her arm and held her in place. He squeezed the arm so tightly it hurt when she tried to wrench it away.

 Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Detectives-Dilemma-Karen-McCullough-ebook/dp/B00OA9WFQY/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-detectives-dilemma-karen-mccullough/1120500707?ean=9781616506520

Publisher's Site: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/31106?category=313166

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-detective-s-dilemma-2

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thedetective039sdilemma-1652593-152.html


Sounds like an intriguing read! I certainly hope you've enjoyed this spotlight. Check back weekly for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlights...Oh and watch for those Rocking Romances!

Until later...take care and God Bless!
PamT