A CHOCOLATE IS ANNOUNCED

Bean to Bar Mystery, #7

By Amber Royer

Cozy Mystery / Culinary Mystery / Women Sleuths

Publisher: Golden Tip Press

Pages: 277

Publication Date: June 25, 2024

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SYNOPSIS

Felicity Koerber is finally getting her life together.  She has a fiancé, her bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand has become a gathering spot for the community, and she is ready to embrace whatever the future holds.  She’s ready for another launch party – despite the disaster at her grand opening, when she’d first gotten involved with solving a murder.  And this time she’s embracing her status as a sleuth.  She’s hosting a murder mystery weekend to celebrate the new Mystery Flavor line of craft chocolate bars.  She’s held a contest to choose the attendees, who will all stay at her aunt’s flip hotel and enjoy the island.  It’s all supposed to be perfectly random – only, Felicity starts to uncover connections between her guests.  When one of them winds up murdered, Felicity has to keep her aunt from becoming the main suspect.

The killer is very clearly calling Felicity out, leaving clues that mean little to anyone other than her.  But that doesn’t narrow down the suspect pool.  Her guests are there because they love the true crime podcast she’s been featured on.  And she can’t decide whether the killer wants her to catch them – or just wants to taunt her.

Meanwhile, Felicity is also playing host to her future in-laws and discovers that her fiancé’s sister, who is also a cop, is very competitive.  Can Felicity hold her own and make a good impression, while keeping her business together and her aunt out of jail?  And can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?   

Satchmo the retired police dog turned therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and one of the guests brings along a ferret named Cheeseburger, who keeps showing up in the most unexpected places.

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Top Ten Ways to Ruin a Mystery Weekend

Top Ten list for A CHOCOLATE IS ANNOUNCED by Amber Royer

In my newest Bean to Bar Mystery, A Chocolate is Announced, my protagonist Felicity hosts a murder mystery weekend at the hotel her aunt is in the process of flipping.  Of course, everything goes horribly wrong. 

Mystery weekends are something between a party, a play and a game.  There are so many moving parts, it would be easy for something to go wrong.  And in a book, it’s best if everything goes wrong.  So what are my top ten ways to ruin a mystery weekend?

10. Show up early and ask lots of questions to the folks trying to get everything set up.  This is sure to put them in a bad mood when dealing with the guests that arrive on time.  This happens to Felicity – before she’s even had her coffee.

9. Bring a pet, without asking permission.  Everyone is bound to love your little snookums, right?  Nobody will be allergic to or frightened of your pet, right?  Well . . . not always.

8. Bring your laptop and phone.  You can spend your down time working on something else.  That won’t annoy anyone at all, even if you don’t really engage with what’s going on.

7. Show up drunk.  It’s bound to be 5 o’clock somewhere.  Especially in a beach town like Galveston, where my Bean to Bar stories are set.

6. Take pictures and video of everything, without permission, even during parts of the event that are clearly scripted, and post it immediately.  (Felicity has to set ground rules about this one.)

5. Criticize the food.  Imply that it’s unappetizing and unsafe.  Even if someone winds up being poisoned on sight, you shouldn’t just blame the buffet.  So go ahead and make everybody paranoid.

4.  Steal things.  Nothing will turn people against each other like making them suspect that someone is a thief.

3. Invite extra people.  Or even better, manipulate the guest list so that you replace the people who should have been invited with people who know and dislike each other.

2. Make it impossible for everybody to leave.  Otherwise, how can they be fully annoyed by all the steps you’ve taken to ruin the fun.

1. Commit an actual murder.  This is sure to overshadow whatever lame mystery was scripted for the weekend.  Congratulations!  You have become a genuine villain.  Look forward to being caught by a LARPer or armchair detective.

Of course, not all of these steps are likely to be committed by the same person.  Which leaves Felicity with a large pool of suspects, and a lot to deal with as she sifts through the clues.  It was a fun book to write.  I hope you enjoy the read!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach.

Amber and her husband live in the DFW Area, where you can often find them hiking or taking landscape, architecture, and wildlife photographs.

If you are very nice to Amber, she might make you cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, of course! Amber blogs
about creative writing technique and all things chocolate at http://www.amberroyer.com.

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THE GHOST OF WHISPERING WILLOW

Second Edition by AMANDA M. THRASHER

Children’s Horror / Fantasy / Magic / Chapter Book

Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press

Page Count: 246

Publication Date: January 9, 2024

SYNOPSIS

Stewart sees a ghostly figure out of the corner of his eye. He and his friend, Andy, begin a ghost investigation that leads to an adventure of a lifetime.  Coming face-to-face with a ghost, the boys make a decision to join forces with a group of girls, who have encountered a ghost of their own. The kids soon find that the ghosts that they’ve encountered are in imminent danger and need their help. Can the kids devise a plan to help the ghost in time? Will they be able to reunite a ghost with his lost family? Complete with a ghost village and a feud, this story takes on a life of its own.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Amanda M. Thrasher was born in England and moved to Texas, where she lives with her family. She writes YA, general fiction, middle grade, early reader chapter, and picture books. She is the founder and CEO of Progressive Rising Phoenix Press.

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A BEGGAR’S BARGAIN

The Bargainer Series, Book One

by

Jan Sikes

Historical Fiction / Literary Fiction

Publisher: Fresh Ink Group

Date of Publication: March 12, 2024

Number of Pages: 324 pages

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A shocking proposal that changes everything

Desperate to honor his father’s dying wish, Layken Martin vows to do whatever it takes to save the family farm.

Once the Army discharges him following World War II, Layken returns to Missouri to find his legacy in shambles and in jeopardy. A foreclosure notice from the bank doubles the threat. He appeals to the local banker for more time—a chance to rebuild, plant, and harvest crops and for time to heal far away from the noise of bombs and gunfire.

But the banker firmly denies his request. Now what?

Then, the banker makes an alternative proposition—marry his unwanted daughter, Sara Beth, in exchange for a two-year extension. Out of options, money, and time, Layken agrees to the bargain.

Now, he has two years to make a living off the land while he shares his life with a stranger.

If he fails at either, he’ll lose it all.

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Author Interview with Jan Sikes

Where did your love of [books, writing, reading, and/or storytelling] come from?

I always love answering this question because it takes me back to my childhood. I can still remember the excitement I felt when I first learned to decipher words in the Dick and Jane readers. It’s a love I’ve never lost.  I never planned on becoming an author. I just loved to read. But I had a true story that begged to be told and I realized one day I would have to write it, or else I’d have to tell the entire story to someone else. That began my writing journey.

How long have you been writing?

Long before I ever tackled writing a book, I wrote poems, songs, and short stories. I published my first full-length novel in 2013.

What kind(s) of writing do you do?

Besides working on books, I have an active blog that I enjoy creating new content for. I regularly blog twice a week and depending on if I have a guest or book reviews, it can turn into three times a week. But one of the most fun and satisfying writing jobs I’ve ever had was interviewing music artists and writing features for Buddy Magazine (The Original Texas Music Magazine). I’d say the most unique artists I ever interviewed was Kinky Friedman. He has no filters.

What was the hardest part of writing this book? 

The hardest part of writing this book was staying true to the time period. I wasn’t born until the fifties, so I did a lot of research to make sure I kept it authentic. A good example is what they called their meals back then. It wasn’t breakfast, lunch, and dinner like we do now. It was breakfast, dinner, and supper. So, I had to keep on my toes and not write lunch. That word didn’t become widely used until the 1960s. When I was growing up, we called them breakfast, dinner, and supper. Little details like that help keep the story on track for the time period.

In researching this book, did you learn any unexpected, unusual, or fascinating information?

I took a trip to Missouri two years ago to conduct hands-on research for this book. I spent hours in the Dade County Library looking at old newspapers from the ‘40s via microfiche. One of the most interesting articles I found was a plea from President Harry S. Truman calling for all households in America to dedicate one day per week to have no meat. Even though the war was over, there were still shortages and the country was rebuilding.

Did you first experience rejections when submitting this manuscript for publication?

I queried agents for A Beggar’s Bargain for one full year and only got generic rejections that said the story didn’t fit what they were looking for. I swear they all use the same form letter. That’s when I decided to switch gears and go with a hybrid publisher, which has been a unique experience.

What projects are you working on at the present?

I am currently working on the second book in The Bargainers Series, A Noble Bargain. It differs totally from A Beggar’s Bargain, introducing new main characters. The story begins in Arkansas, and because of drastic circumstances, they start out on a road trip to St. Louis, Missouri. The car breaks down at Layken Martin’s farm and that intertwines the characters. I am close to halfway through the new story. Then, there will be a third book, and I don’t have a title for it yet.

Jan Sikes writes compelling and creative stories from the heart.

She openly admits that she never set out in life to be an author, although she’s been an avid reader all her life. But she had a story to tell. Not just any story, but a true story that rivals any fiction creation. She brought the entertaining true story to life through fictitious characters in an intricately woven tale that encompasses four books, accompanying music CDs, and a book of poetry and art.

And now, this author can’t put down the pen. She continues to write fiction in a variety of genres and has published many award-winning short stories and novels.

Jan is an active blogger, a member of Story Empire, a devoted fan of Texas music, and a grandmother of five. She resides in North Texas.

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