Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan

My father always advised me to hang around with people smarter than me (not hard at all!) and I've carried that over to: hang around with people who are not only smarter, but have more creative energy, and it will rub off! Just one of the reasons I love to talk to JOANNA CAMPBELL SLAN, our own Agatha nominee for Paper, Scissors, Death, and one of the founding sisters of KillerHobbies. Joanna does everything times ten and does it all well. I'm happy to announce her special blog today, just a couple of days before she wows everyone at Malice Domestic and then again when Cut, Crop, & Die debuts in June. -- Camille Minichino (Margaret Grace)

Paper, Scissors, Death is the first book in a series about Kiki Lowenstein, a woman who believes she's only ever been good at two things: scrapbooking and getting pregnant. Her comfortable “soccer mom” life turns upside down when her husband, George, is found naked and dead in a hotel room. The autopsy shows George died of natural causes, but Kiki refuses to believe it. To complicate matters further, Kiki discovers George has “borrowed” a half a million dollars from his company. As she sells everything they own, she vows to uncover the truth behind George’s death.

To support herself and her eleven-year-old daughter Anya, Kiki takes a job at St. Louis’ premier scrapbook store, Time in a Bottle. She figures it’s the perfect cover for snooping around. Kiki’s not worried about the killer targeting her. After all, she’s a mom—and moms are invisible, right?

But Kiki quickly learns George had a secret life, and now that shadowy world endangers her and her child’s happiness. The murder of George’s old sweetheart makes Kiki a prime suspect—she could wind up making scrapbooks behind bars! Supported by her loyal friends, along with a little help (and a lot of stomach flutters) from the dashing Detective Detweiler, Kiki sheds her mousy housewife image and emerges as a woman of great courage.

Paper, Scissors, Death is funny like Janet Evanovich, romantic like Nora Roberts, and full of the joy of women’s friendships like Debbie Macomber. The book includes scrapbooking tips, and a coupon for 50 free digital prints from Snapfish.com

I was told that a book about a housewife would never sell. (Okay, I’m still laughing about that!) But as a motivational speaker to women’s groups and as a scrapbooker, I’d met some pretty remarkable women. So, I created a protagonist who embodied the best of what I admired along with a heaping tablespoon of flaws. I wanted to show how ordinary women will act in extra-ordinary ways to protect and defend those they love. And that’s exactly what Kiki Lowenstein does. Which is why readers really identify with her.

I’m the author of eleven other books, including seven scrapbooking technique books. In 2002, I founded The Best of British Scrapbooking Contest, the first international scrapbooking talent competition, which today is administered by ScrapBook inspirations Magazine. I’ve taught scrapbooking on cruise ships, in England, online and in the U.S. However, I was very careful to create a book that would appeal to crafters and non-crafters alike!

To celebrate being nominated for an Agatha, I’ve had buttons made that say, “Get Kiki!” (This is not to be confused with "Get kinky!" okay?) I’ll be passing them out at the conference.

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clue word: scissors

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Now you have all five clue words (or you can go look them up by viewing past posts). Send them and your name/postal address to SaveTales@aol.com

Put MALICE in the subject line. We'll select one lucky person to win a complete set of autographed Best First Novels. The drawing will take place first thing (for me that's 9:30 a.m. CST) on Monday, May 11. Be sure to add your mailing address to your entry so I can get these out to you right away!