Please welcome Lois Winston to Killer Hobbies today. Not only does Lois write a kick-butt mystery series, she's now partnering with 9 other authors to offer you all a killer deal! Tell us about it, Lois!
I started out writing romance. My first
published, Talk
Gertie to Me, was
women’s fiction with a strong romantic element. One of the two female
protagonists was a crafts maven, a Midwest version (in other words, kinder and
gentler) of Martha Stewart. My second published book, the romantic suspense Love, Lies and a Double Shot of
Deception,
featured a heroine who was a doll designer.
When I began writing, I was told, “Write what
you know.” I knew crafts. I designed crafts projects for craft book and craft
magazine publishers and needlework kit manufacturers. So when an editor told my
agent that she was looking for crafting mysteries, my agent suggested I try my
hand at writing mystery. I fell in love with the genre and have never looked
back.
Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery
series, debuted in 2011. To date there are five full-length books in the series
and three mini-mysteries. A lot has changed in the publishing world in the past
five years, though, and awhile back I made the decision to walk away from my
publisher. However, that didn’t mean I had decided to walk away from Anastasia.
I’m still getting her into trouble with dead bodies and still including craft
projects in each book. I’m also finding new ways to introduce her to new
readers.
One of those ways was to get together with a group of nine other
authors to publish Sleuthing Women: 10 First-in-Series Mysteries, an ebook collection of full-length mysteries featuring murder and
assorted mayhem by ten critically acclaimed, award-winning, and bestselling
authors. Each novel in the set is the first book in an established multi-book
series—a total of over 3,000 pages of reading pleasure for lovers of amateur
sleuth, caper, and cozy mysteries, with a combined total of over 1700 reviews
on Amazon, averaging 4 stars. Titles include:
Assault
With a Deadly Glue Gun,
an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery by Lois Winston—Working mom Anastasia is
clueless about her husband’s gambling addiction until he permanently cashes in
his chips and her comfortable middle-class life craps out. He leaves her with
staggering debt, his communist mother, and a loan shark demanding $50,000. Then
she’s accused of murder…
Murder
Among Neighbors, a Kate
Austen Suburban Mystery by Jonnie Jacobs — When Kate Austen’s socialite
neighbor, Pepper Livingston, is murdered, Kate becomes involved in a sea of
steamy secrets that bring her face to face with shocking truths—and handsome
detective Michael Stone.
Skeleton in a Dead Space, a Kelly O’Connell Mystery by Judy Alter—Real
estate isn’t a dangerous profession until Kelly O’Connell stumbles over a skeleton
and runs into serial killers and cold-blooded murderers in a home being
renovated in Fort Worth. Kelly barges through life trying to keep from angering
her policeman boyfriend Mike and protect her two young daughters.
In for a Penny, a Cleopatra Jones Mystery by Maggie Toussaint—Accountant Cleo faces
an unwanted hazard when her golf ball lands on a dead banker. The cops think
her BFF shot him, so Cleo sets out to prove them wrong. She ventures into the
dating world, wrangles her teens, adopts the victim’s dog, and tries to rein in
her mom…until the killer puts a target on Cleo’s back.
The Hydrogen
Murder, a Periodic Table Mystery by Camille Minichino—A
retired physicist returns to her hometown of Revere, Massachusetts and moves
into an apartment above her friends' funeral home. When she signs on to help
the Police Department with a science-related homicide, she doesn't realize she
may have hundreds of cases ahead of her.
Retirement
Can Be Murder, A Baby Boomer Mystery by Susan Santangelo—Carol Andrews dreads her husband Jim’s
upcoming retirement more than a root canal without Novocain. She can’t imagine
anything worse than having an at-home husband with time on his hands and
nothing to fill it—until Jim is suspected of murdering his retirement coach.
Dead Air, A Talk Radio Mystery by Mary Kennedy—Psychologist Maggie Walsh moves from NY to Florida to become
the host of WYME's On the Couch with Maggie Walsh. When her guest, New
Age prophet Guru Sanjay Gingii, turns up dead, her new roommate Lark becomes
the prime suspect. Maggie must prove Lark innocent while dealing with a killer
who needs more than just therapy.
A Dead Red Cadillac, A Dead Red Mystery by RP Dahlke—When her vintage Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the
police ask aero-ag pilot Lalla Bains why an elderly widowed piano teacher is
found strapped in the driver’s seat.
Lalla confronts suspects, informants, cross-dressers, drug-running crop dusters, and a crazy Chihuahua on her
quest to find the killer.
Murder is a
Family Business, an Alvarez Family
Murder Mystery by Heather Haven—Just because a man cheats on his wife and makes Danny DeVito look
tall, dark and handsome, is that any reason to kill him? The reluctant and
quirky PI, Lee Alvarez, has her work cut out for her when the man is
murdered on her watch. Of all the nerve.
Murder,
Honey, a Carol Sabala Mystery by Vinnie
Hansen—When
the head chef collapses into baker Carol Sabala’s cookie dough, she is thrust
into her first murder investigation. Suspects abound at Archibald’s, the swanky
Santa Cruz restaurant where Carol works. The head chef cut a swath of people
who wanted him dead from ex-lovers to bitter rivals to greedy relatives.
If you haven’t yet met Anastasia, here’s your chance to get
to know her, along with some of her fellow sleuths. I can promise you crafts,
laughs, and killers galore (but no gore,) along with sleuths engaged in various
other professions, from a professor to a baker, to a radio talk-show host and
much more.
Buy
Links
Nook--
Bio: USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois
Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction,
children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma
Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews
dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series,
“North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is an
award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws
much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her
experiences in the crafts industry. Visit
Lois/Emma at www.loiswinston.com and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts &
Crafty Killers blog, www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. Follow everyone on Tsu at www.tsu.co/loiswinston, on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/anasleuth, and onTwitter at https://twitter.com/Anasleuth. Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.MyAuthorBiz.com/ENewsletter.php?acct=LW2467152513
15 comments:
Lois,
I enjoyed reading your route to Anastasia! Publishing has indeed changed in the last five years, and I have no idea what will happen to it in the next five years. I've never been an official craftsperson, but I've always enjoyed arts and crafts projects for friends and family. I think that's why I respond so well to your series ((smile)). Anyway, I'm glad you thought up the idea of 10 first-in-series books, and I'm honored to be part of the collection.
How nice to be among friends! As a Killer Hobbies alum, I'm always lurking. Thanks for the visit from Lois and Anastasia!
A great blog! I have no crafts, although maybe Norman qualifies as one. He is a work in progress. But I do love reading about them, especially in mystery books. And my situation with my first publisher is similar to yours. Thanks for including me in the 10 First-in-series. This is a blast!
Thanks for stopping by, Maggie, Camille, and Heather! I'm thrilled that you're all part of Sleuthing Women.
All of my favorite authors in one anthology. I've read all of these books but I purchased it anyway. Such a deal!
Loved hearing about the geniesis of a series. I'm not clever enough to do crafts in real life but I do enjoy crafting mysteries. I've learned a lot about hobbies I'd otherwise know nothing about. I'm pleased to be associated with such talented people.
A true supporter, Cynthia Sample! Thanks.
I am really enjoying this opportunity to learn a little more about each of my cohorts.
Thanks for posting the short descriptions of each book in the set. That pushed me over the edge of decision, and I just bought it. Most of these are new to me, and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone's work.
Llyn K.
Cynthia and Llyn, sending you cyber kisses for your support!
Jonnie, I know for a fact that you're very clever. I've read your books. ;-)
Vinnie, I agree. Doing a blog tour about Sleuthing Women has had the added benefit of all of us getting to know each other better.
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