eBook Deals: Barkery & Biscuits Series and Sommelier Mystery Series

Everyone loves a deal; for a limited time, grab these eBooks while they're on sale!

For a limited time, the eBook versions of the first three books in the Barkery and Biscuits Mystery Series by Linda O. Johnston and the first two books in the Sommelier Mystery Series by Nadine Nettmann are on sale!

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Happy #NationalPetDay!

 

For so many of us, our pets go beyond an animal presence in our lives; they are our children, extended members of our family who bring our soul love and nourishment. To celebrate our pets this National Pet Day, I wanted to take a look at some of our fabulous books that celebrate the bonds we have with our pets--even as they help us solve crimes!

The Barkery & Biscuits Mystery Series, by Linda O. Johnston

Read if you like: Recipes for homemade pet treats (and human treats!), Joanna Fluke, and cozy mysteries with dogs

Join veterinary technician Carrie Kennersly, owner of the new Barkery & Biscuits Dog Bakery, as she and her canine companions navigate the mysteries of murder.

The latest release in the series, Pick and Chews, is now available for pre-order!

Looking for more Linda O. Johnston mysteries that feature dogs? Check out the Superstition Mystery series!

The Dog Days Mystery Series, by Jamie M. Blair

Read if you like: Recipes for homemade pet treats, books that make you laugh out loud, and cozy mysteries with dogs

Join Cameron Cripps-Hayman and the rest of the Metamora Action Agency as they solve crimes, aided by their canine companions.

The latest release in the series, Fatal Festival Days, is now available for pre-order!

The Downward Dog Mystery Series, by Tracy Weber

Read if you like: Yoga, German Shepherds, and cozy mysteries

Join yoga instructor Kate Davidson, her German Shepherd Bella, and boyfriend Michael as they solve murder after murder.

The latest release in the series, Pre-Meditated Murder, is available now.

The Animals in Focus Mystery Series, by Sheila Webster Boneham

Read if you like: Photography, animals of shapes and sizes, and cozy mysteries

Join animal photographer Janet McPhail and her cadre of animal companions as they solve murders.

The latest release in the series, Shepherd's Crook, is available now.

Bonus! Available in November:

The Tarot Cats Mystery Series, by Diane A.S. Stuckart

Read if you like: Tarot, talking cats, and cozy mysteries

When her own life is threatened with a double dose of danger, Ruby begins to wonder if she's being played for a fool. Luckily, she has Aphelia and Brandon—sibling black cats with a talent for tarot—and a feisty pitbull friend who all lend a paw in collaring the culprit before Ruby finds herself taking her final cat nap.

The first release in the series, Fool's Moon, is available for pre-order now!

New Releases - October 2016

Don't miss Midnight Ink's October Releases!

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Now available from Midnight Ink, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Indiebound and your local bookseller!

Guest Post: Linda O. Johnston - Unlucky Charms

Guest Post: Why Cozies?

by Linda O. Johnston

I'd like to introduce author Linda O. Johnston to Midnight Ink's blog! Her forthcoming release, Unlucky Charms, will be hitting bookshelves, and she would like to take a moment to share why she loves writing her wonderfully entertaining cozies so much. 

Why Cozies?  Lots of Reasons!

            I'm a writer.  A novelist.  I make things up and love it!  Currently, I write two cozy mystery series and two subgenres of romance.  I enjoy them all--and I especially love writing cozies.

            Why?  For many reasons. 

            First, in a cozy mystery series, I create a protagonist I enjoy working with and hope to work with for a long time to come.  They often have similarities to me.  What!  Am I writing about myself?  Not really.  But I'm a superstition agnostic like Rory Chasen, who's featured in my Superstition Mysteries.  Do I think all superstitions work?  No, at least not necessarily.  And some have opposite interpretations--black cats, for example.  They're supposedly bad luck here in the U.S. but good luck in other parts of the world.  And there are many people here who love them despite their bad reputations and even find them to be lucky.

            But... well, I do cross my fingers a lot, and knock on wood, and try to keep track of other superstitions, even if I don't necessarily believe they'll come true.

            On the other hand, my protagonists aren't always like me at all.  I also write the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries, where Carrie Kennersly is a veterinary technician who owns both a bakery for people treats, and a barkery where she sells some of the healthy dog treats she's developed.  Now, once upon a time I wanted to be a veterinarian but decided against it when I realized that I would have to cut animals open, even to save their lives.  And these days I'm not much of a cook, although I used to do a lot more.  But I love what Carrie does, even though I don't aspire to it.  Although why someone in her position winds up having to solve murders... well, that's the nature of cozies!

           

            My first cozy series was the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries.  Kendra was a lawyer who lived in the Hollywood Hills with her tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lexie.  At the time, I was a lawyer, and I still live in the Hollywood Hills, plus my older Cavalier is a tricolor named Lexie... But fortunately I was never accused of an ethics violation while practicing law, nor do I stumble over dead bodies.

            More things I like about writing cozies?  I get to kill people off--figuratively, of course.  But if someone harms me in some way, someone resembling them can wind up dead in my novels.  That happened recently...  

            Then there are the love interests.  Unlike in the romances I also write, a relationship in a cozy series can take some time to develop and even change.  No sex on the page in cozies, but readers can use their imaginations about what happens in the bedroom.

            I can figure out interesting ways to kill people, too--such as incorporating superstitions.  Then there are the friends and sidekicks I enjoy creating, such as Martha Jallopia, who owns the Lucky Dog Boutique in the Superstition Mysteries.  Rory winds up running her shop after Pluckie, her lucky black and white dog--another superstition-- saves Martha's life.

            Perhaps most important of all to me are the pets I incorporate, mostly dogs, like Pluckie in the Superstition Mysteries, and Biscuit in the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries.   The love interests also have to have dogs, or they wouldn't be love interests.  And of course my romances often include dogs, too.

            Not all cozies include pets, though those that do seem popular.  There are other themes, and that's another fun thing about cozies: they usually have themes, like superstitions or the barkery, or restaurants or particular types of food, or special locations, or other things the protagonists like or do for a living... or dogs or cats.

            So, yes, I enjoy cozying up with cozies, both to read--and, most especially, to write.  Hope you like them, too!

***

Unlucky Charms is Available Now!

Rory Chasen, manager of the Lucky Dog Boutique in Destiny, California, hopes her new line of good-luck doggy toys will be a hit, especially the stuffed rabbits with extra-large feet. The timing of the line’s debut proves ill-fated, though, as several local shops—including Rory’s—are ransacked and vandalized with spilled salt and other unlucky charms.

The most likely culprit is disgruntled real estate agent Flora Curtival, whose issues with the town give her a motive. But after Flora is murdered and one of Rory’s toy rabbits is found with the body, Rory needs all the luck she can get while trying to determine just who killed the superstitious vandal.

Linda O. Johnston (Los Angeles, CA) has published over forty romance and mystery novels, including the Pet Rescue Mystery series and the Pet-Sitter Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime. She also writes the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series for Midnight Ink. You can visit Linda at www.LindaOJohnston.com.

***

Visit Linda's titles at www.MidnightInkBooks.com.

Fifteen Fun Facts: Linda O. Johnston

This week, Midnight Ink presents Fifteen Fun Facts about Linda O. Johnston, author of the Superstition mysteries. Her latest, Knock on Wood, was released earlier this month.

1. I'm a cynophilist.

2. I'm addicted to Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

3. I met my first Cavalier on the London Underground on my first trip to London.

4. Unsurprisingly, my favorite mysteries to write, and to read, contain pets, particularly dogs.

5. I wrote two cozy mystery series starring dogs and other pets before I started the two series I write for Midnight Ink: the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter series, and its spinoff Pet Rescue Mysteries.  The two series I write for Midnight Ink are the Superstition Mysteries and the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries.

6. I happily live in Los Angeles but considered myself a displaced Pittsburgher for years.

7. My current Midnight Ink release, KNOCK ON WOOD, is my forty-first published novel.

8. I also currently write romance novels--paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne and romantic suspense for Harlequin Romantic Suspense.

9. I'm a happy wife, mother, grandma and dog mom.

1o. I'm a chocoholic.  Dark chocolate?  Yum!

11. J'ai étudié le français pendant douze ans quand j'étais une jeune fille, mais I don't really speak French now.  (I almost got that correct on my own,  although I did double check it.)

12. I used to really enjoy writing  and negotiating contracts when I was a practicing real estate attorney and consider contracts another form of fiction.

13. I love to do crossword puzzles.

14. My first published novels were time travel romances.

15. My first published fiction was a short story in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Award for best first mystery short story of the year.

Knock on Wood is available online and in bookstores now!

Midnight Ink | Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Your local bookstore

Visit Linda online.

Four Superb Mysteries Are Out Today!

Don't miss Midnight Ink's latest releases!

"Fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder will savor the facts . . . Ernst does an exceptional job of sharing the kinds of character details that cozy readers relish."

—Booklist on Death on the Prairie

"Captivating."

—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Question of the Unfamiliar Husband

"Features likable characters and an immersive plot to keep cozy fans turning the pages."

—Library Journal on Knock on Wood

"A woolly tale sure to delight both animal lovers and mystery fans."

—Sparkle Abbey, author of the Pampered Pet Mysteries, on Shepherd's Crook

Now available from Midnight Ink, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, and your local bookseller!

First Line Friday #15: Bite the Biscuit

Now available from Midnight Ink, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, and your local bookseller!

Here's Carrie!

An essay from Linda O. Johnston

I would like to introduce you to Carrie Kennersly, featured in the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries. The first in the series, Bite the Biscuit, is a May release.

Carrie, a dog lover, veterinary technician and more, recently bought a bakery in the town of Knobcone Heights, California, and converted it into two shops. One is Barkery and Biscuits, where she bakes and sells healthy gourmet treats for dogs. Next to it is Icing on the Cake, where she bakes and sells delightful human desserts. 

Carrie's proud of both, especially the Barkery. There, she prepares dog treats that she developed as a vet tech, while having her own dog Biscuit, a golden toy poodle-terrier mix, hang out with her in the shop. In Icing, she uses some of the former shop owner's favorite recipes, purchased along with her store.

Although most people in town are happy about the new stores, Myra Ethman, wife of a member of one of the town's preeminent families, is not. She considers it competition to the pet supply store she bought for her husband to keep the wealthy man occupied while she runs a lakeside resort. At Carrie's store opening party, Myra insults Carrie and her products--and guess who's a major suspect when Myra is murdered that night. Carrie must clear her name while running her stores and still working part-time as a vet tech.

So, yes, Carrie is one busy lady. And she—and Biscuit—have more stories to come, too.

Bite the Biscuit is available online and in bookstores now!

MAY RELEASES!

Take a look at these FANTASTIC spring reads!



Bite the Biscuit
By: Linda O. Johnston 
A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery #1

"Kicking off a cozy new series, prolific Johnston blends mystery and romantic intrigue."—KIRKUS REVIEWS

Come to Harm
A Novel
By: Catriona McPherson 
 "[McPherson is a] master of psychological thrillers."
—KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW)






 







Murder with a Twist
By: Tracy Kiely 
A Nic & Nigel Mystery #1
"Witty, droll, and hilariously spot on."—Hank Phillipi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, 
Macavity, and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author

The Final Reveille
By: Amanda Flower 
A Living History Museum Mystery #1
“History and Civil War buffs will enjoy the historical details woven through the mystery, and Kelsey and the secondary characters are well drawn and sympathetic. This one will appeal to readers who enjoy contemporary cozies with a history frame.”—BOOKLIST

May 2015 Books Available Now!

Don't miss Midnight Ink's latest releases!

"[McPherson is a] master of psychological thrillers."

—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on Come to Harm

"Even teetotalers will enjoy these Martinis."

—Kirkus Reviews on Murder with a Twist

"Recipes for both dogs and humans add enjoyment in this clever cozy that will taste just right to fans of both foodie and pet mysteries."

—Booklist on Bite the Biscuit

"This one will appeal to readers who enjoy contemporary cozies with a history frame."

—Booklist on The Final Reveille

Now available from Midnight Ink, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, and your local bookseller!

Celebrating Women's History Month #1: The Cozy Protagonists

Here at Midnight Ink Headquarters, we find that the best way to celebrate Women's History Month is to talk to our authors whose books feature strong female protagonists. Every day this week, return to this blog to find out more about the ladies portrayed in our various series and stand-alone releases this year!

Linda O. Johnston

Linda O. Johnston writes the Superstition and Barkery & Biscuits mysteries for Midnight Ink. She has published over thirty-five romance and mystery novels, including the Pet Rescue Mystery series and the Pet-Sitter Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime. She lives in California. Visit her online at www.lindaojohnston.com.

Rory Chasen, protagonist of the Superstition Mysteries, is a superstition agnostic... like me.  After losing her beloved fiancé when he walked under a ladder, she traveled to the town of superstitions, Destiny, California, to determine if they're real.  She's still not sure, but her strength lies in her ongoing determination to find out.  Her lucky dog Pluckie beside her, she runs the Lucky Dog Boutique.

In Knock on Wood (October 8, 2015), her closest friend is accused of murder.  Rory, who faced similar circumstances in Lost Under a Ladder, will do all she can to confront the applicable superstitions and clear her friend.

Carrie Kennersly, protagonist of the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries, loves animals, like me. As a veterinary technician, she has devoted her life to them.  But she is also an entrepreneur at heart and jumps at the opportunity to buy a bakery and convert half into a barkery for healthful dog treats she has developed.  

In Bite the Biscuit (May 8, 2015), Carrie opens her new stores.  Soon thereafter she is accused of murdering a nasty member of the town's most elite family, owner of a local pet store, who criticizes Carrie's new venture.  Carrie must clear herself . . . and keep on cooking.

Tracy Weber

Tracy Weber is the author of the Downward Dog mysteries, a certified yoga therapist, and the founder of Whole Life Yoga in Seattle, where she lives with her husband and a horse-sized German Shepherd. Weber is a member of Sisters in Crime, The Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and the Dog Writers Association of America. Visit her online at www.tracyweberauthor.com. 

Kate Davidson is a yoga teacher who suffers from unfortunate—and often embarrassing—anger management issues. She’s smart, fiercely loyal, and independent to a fault. Her strengths, when unchecked, become her weaknesses.  She’s so independent that she doesn’t accept help; she’s so loyal that she helps others when it would be smarter not to; she firmly believes in the ethics she teaches, even when she fails to live up to them. Kate interests me because she makes mistakes, falls flat on her butt, and gets back up again.  Isn’t that the true definition of courage?

Kate faces many challenges in A Killer Retreat (January 8, 2015), including being the primary suspect in a murder investigation. But her biggest challenge is always getting out of her own way. Kate’s a work in progress, but she’s growing!

Steve Hockensmith with Lisa Falco

Steve Hockensmith is the author of the Tarot Mysteries (Midnight Ink), the Edgar-nominated Nick and Tesla mysteries (Quirk), and the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies novels Dawn of the Dreadfuls (Quirk) and Dreadfully Ever After (Quirk). His book Holmes on the Range (Minotaur Books) was a finalist for the Edgar, Shamus and Anthony Awards for Best First Novel. Visit him online at www.stevehockensmith.com.

Lisa Falco received her first tarot deck at the age of eight years old. She holds degrees from both Northwestern University and Cal State University Northridge. She is also the author of A Mother's Promise for Illumination Arts.

It was Lisa’s idea to write about a female tarot reader who helps her clients through the cards. I [Steve] added Alanis’ dark back story—that she was raised by a sociopathic con woman—and made her the series’ skeptical, wisecracking narrator. So Alanis is a hybrid: spiritual yet worldly, well meaning yet cynical. That blend makes her a complicated character—and one who refuses to conform to the limits (be unthreatening, be “nice”) that are sometimes imposed on female protagonists. In Fool Me Once (August 8, 2015), Alanis is trying to balance those opposing sides of herself, and it’s not only difficult . . . it’s deadly!

Maddy Hunter

Maddy Hunter draws inspiration from disastrous vacations that have spanned three continents to fuel her Passport to Peril Mystery series. The first six titles are available from Pocket Books; books seven and eight are available through Midnight Ink Books. The first in the series, Alpine for You, was an Agatha Award finalist and a Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. Hula Done It?, Pasta Imperfect and Top O’ the Mournin’ were named to the Independent Mystery Bookseller’s Association bestseller list. For more information, visit www.maddyhunter.com.

Emily Andrew Miceli leaped from my imagination as a fish out of water who trades in her stage-acting career for that of a tour escort for Iowa seniors. I thought her misadventures abroad with her quirky companions might be amusing. What I didn’t know was that despite a barrage of life-altering setbacks, Emily really likes herself, is incredibly resourceful, and has a kind heart. These qualities are what make her strong. The challenge she faces in From Bad to Wurst (December 8, 2015) is to nab a killer while being distracted by nonstop emergency room visits, psychic disharmony, and musical disasters. Uff-da!  

Return to this blog tomorrow to hear from our new series authors: Gigi Pandian, Loretta Ross, Elizabeth Perona, Deirdre Verne, Amanda Flower, and Tracy Kiely!

Q&A with Linda O. Johnston

This week, we sat down with Linda O. Johnston, author of Lost Under a Ladder.

Midnight Ink: How long have you been writing?

Linda O. Johnston: All my life! I recently remembered a high school Advanced English assignment I completed way back when in which I was supposed to do my own Chaucer-like verse form. I always collected ideas for assignments but this one was particularly special. If I kept it in written form I haven't found it yet, but it began, "Five bodies in the morgue lie still."

MI: What influence have other authors had on your writing?

LOJ: I loved reading Mary Stuart, Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt as a child. Their stories enthralled me and made me want to try writing my own romantic suspense and mystery stories.

MI: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing? 

LOJ: Lawyering. My law license is currently inactive since I'm writing full-time, but I enjoyed writing and negotiating contracts. They're just another form of fiction, after all. And if not lawyering or writing, I'd do more to help rescue endangered pets. But I really enjoy writing . . . 

MI: If you have a job outside of writing, what is it?

LOJ: As I mentioned, I was a transactional lawyer for many years. I specialized in real estate. I haven't practiced law for several years, though.

MI: What is/are your favorite thing/s to do when you’re not writing or working?

LOJ: Following my dogs' orders. And when I'm able, I visit with my grand-toddlers, who live in another state.

MI: Who is your favorite mystery sleuth and why?

LOJ: My favorites are always my own sleuths! I adore Rory Chasen from my Superstition Mysteries and her determination to come to terms with superstitions . . . and murders. I loved Lauren Vancouver from my Pet Rescue Mysteries because of her determination, too—to save animals. And then there was Kendra Ballantyne, from my Pet-Sitter mysteries. Kendra was a lawyer, like I was. She lived in the Hollywood Hills, like I do. And she had a tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lexie, as I do! Of course, I've fortunately never tripped over dead bodies like Kendra . . . 

MI: Do you have a favorite murder case from a book (either yours or another author’s)?

LOJ: Nope, no favorites. They're usually whatever I happen to be reading . . . or writing.

MI: What was your inspiration for the Superstition Mysteries?

LOJ: I happened to be knocking on wood one day in the hope that a wish I'd just made would come true—that I'd come up with an idea for yet another fun mystery series. It occurred to me nearly immediately: I'd just come up with that idea!

MI: How does the Superstition Mystery series compare to your past works?

LOJ: The similarities to my past cozy mysteries (I also write romances) include the fact that I love having my mysteries feature pets, especially dogs. In this case, Rory Chasen winds up running the Lucky Dog Boutique, so there are plenty of dogs involved, as well as superstitions about them. Differences include the fact that, instead of setting this series in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, as my earlier mystery series were, I invented the enjoyable superstition-centered town of Destiny, California. But like the protagonists in my earlier series, Rory doesn't especially want to solve murders yet finds that she has to, because her friends and close acquaintances keep becoming primary suspects.

MI: Tell us about Rory Chasen (and Pluckie)!

LOJ: Rory is an avowed animal lover who used to be an assistant manager at a chain pet store in the Los Angeles area. Her world was rocked when her beloved fiancé Warren walked under a ladder and died a few minutes later when he was hit by a car. Rory doesn't really believe in superstitions, and yet she needs closure. Are superstitions real? She has to go to Destiny, California, a town that's all about superstitions, to find out.

Of course she takes her beloved black and white spaniel-terrier mix Pluckie along. And a short while after they reach Destiny Pluckie insists that Rory go into the Lucky Dog Boutique—where they find its owner, Martha, lying on the floor in a back room. She's ill but well enough to know she'll be fine since she'd been on her way to a business meeting—and seeing a black and white dog on the way to a business meeting is good luck!

Rory and Pluckie run into a lot more superstitions in Destiny, yet Rory remains skeptical. She also remains in town, still seeking answers—and soon winds up helping to solve a murder where Martha is the main suspect.

MI: Do you have a favorite superstition?

LOJ: I do knock on wood, as well as crossing my fingers. Who doesn't? But it's also a lot of fun to me if I happen to find a heads-up penny or even another coin on the ground. 

MI: Do you have a pet? Tell us about him/her.

LOJ: I have two pets, Lexie and Mystie, both Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Lexie, the older one, is a tricolor, and Mystie's a Blenheim (auburn and white). They have me very well trained, and I'm always at their bark and call. I obey them well—a lot better than they obey me.

Linda with Mystie (left) and Lexie (right)

MI: If you don’t have a pet, do you have a favorite animal?

LOJ: I do have pets, and my favorite animals remain dogs. I love 'em all, although my very favorites for a very long time have been Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. In fact, I'm addicted to Cavaliers. 

MI: What food could you live off of for the rest of your life?

LOJ: Dark chocolate! They say these days that it has some qualities that are good for you . . . 

MI: Do you have a favorite recipe?

LOJ: I'm working on some for my Barkery and Biscuits series, but although I used to cook more I take easier routes these days, including using my Crock-Pot. My personal people favorites are entrees like casseroles that contain mushrooms.

MI: What’s your favorite part about being an Inker?

LOJ: So far I've really loved the Inker community of other authors, who are all delightful and supportive and caring. Then there are my editor and publicist—also very friendly and supportive. Plus, I love the book covers. And the anticipation of starting this new series as well as a second series that will start next year: Barkery and Biscuits. In fact, there's a lot I enjoy about being an Inker!

Lost Under a Ladder, the first Superstition Mystery, is now available online and in bookstores!