Looking For A New Cozy Mystery?

Welcome to Ashland, Oregon, home of the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the setting for Ellie Alexander’s debut mystery MEET YOUR BAKER.

(On a personal note, I feel very drawn the the Shakespeare Festival as it sounds like it has a Faerieworlds flare to it.)

MEET YOUR BAKER is a culinary mystery centered in the fictional bakeshop, Torte, with a mother/daughter pastry duo. It includes original handcrafted recipes. Meet Ashland!

In Ashland you’ll find an eclectic community of artists, outdoor adventure seekers, college students, farmers, retirees and a constant stream of tourists. At nearly 2,000 feet in elevation, its Mediterranean summers make it the perfect spot to watch Shakespeare under the stars or hike one of the surrounding peaks. In the winter, Ashland becomes home to ski enthusiasts with nearby Mt. Ashland, and plenty of backcountry trails. ​

You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a charming English village with Ashland’s Shakespeare-inspired pubs, restaurants and shops.

Meander through Lithia Park where you’ll pass ancient trees, grassy patches and picnic benches, and wild deer. Be sure to get a glimpse of the towering Oregon Shakespeare Festival buildings, and stop to drink from Lithia’s mineral spring fountains.

Take Shakespeare’s stairs to “the bricks” where theater lovers and actors gather before performances.

Finally, end your day with a sweet treat at one of Ashland’s many divine bakeshops.

Be sure to check out the blog tour that is filled with reviews, interviews and guest posts by the author! The tour starts January 5th and runs through the 16th. Check out the schedule!

About MEET YOUR BAKER:

Welcome to Torte—a friendly, small-town family bake shop where the treats are so good that, sometimes, it’s criminal…

After graduating from culinary school, Juliet Capshaw returns to her quaint hometown of Ashland, Oregon, to heal a broken heart and help her mom at the family bakery. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is bringing in lots of tourists looking for some crumpets to go with their heroic couplets. But when one of Torte’s customers turns up dead, there’s much ado about murder…



"Sure to satisfy both dedicated foodies and ardent mystery lovers alike."

―Jessie Crockett, author of Drizzled with Death

The victim is Nancy Hudson, the festival’s newest board member. A modern-day Lady Macbeth, Nancy has given more than a few actors and artists enough reasons to kill her…but still. The silver lining? Jules’s high school sweetheart, Thomas, is the investigator on the case. His flirtations are as delicious as ever, and Jules can’t help but want to have her cake and eat it too. But will she have her just desserts? Murder might be bad for business, but love is the sweetest treat of all…

"Alexander weaves a tasty tale of deceit, family ties, delicious pastries, and murder.” ―Edith Maxwell, author of A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die　

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Book Depository | Kobo

About the Author:

Ellie Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter to learn more.

Links: 

Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway:

Paperback copy of Meet Your Baker, Chai Tea, designer baking liners and a Starbucks gift card.

Open to US addresses only.

Ends 1/6/15

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This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

Candace Candace's Book Blog & CBB Book Promotions http://www.candacesbookblog.com

A Quick Christmas Update

A lot has happened since my last post in November. But first I will tie up my loose ends.

I am not a NaNoWriMo winner. Meaning I did not write 50k new words last month. But as of now I am finished with my first draft of Ensared and am currently working on draft two.

Also as you can see I did not share my cover. I was going to organize the reveal myself but I am to busy so I am in the process of organizing one with a promoter. I will post the sign up sheet as soon as the details are ironed out.

As for the now. I will be taking another break from the blog until after Christmas. Life is just to busy for me. Apart from the regular holiday madness I am also coping with the loss of my family matriarch.

My grandmother, Dorotha Christensen passed away last week. She was an amazing woman. I was very close to my grandmother and miss her immensely. I could write forever about the amazing things she had done in her lifetime but I fear the internet is not big enough to hold all of the memories and feelings I could share.

So I will end with this. Call your grandma, mom, dad or any member of your family and tell them that you love them. Because as hard as it is to admit, they will not be there forever. I have the satisfaction of knowing that my last words to my grandmother were, "I love you, Grandma."

It's NaNoWriMo Time!

All right, here we go. It's the time of year where we lock ourselves away from the family, increase caffeine levels and kiss our lives goodbye. It's NaNoWriMo!

As a former winner I realize  how taxing and intense it will be. I think I am far enough removed from the last experience to remember just how hard it was. But I also remember how proud I was of myself when I completed the 50,000 words in one months time.

In order to give my novel its best chance I will be signing off from all social media until December 1st. My first post when I return will be the book summary and cover reveal. My plan is to  publish by April 2015. I can share this though...

My novel will be book two in The Legends Of Elyndia series. Are you ready for the title...Ensnared.

New To My Shelf

It's no secret that I am a cover junkie. So I pretty much decided I was going to buy this book without even knowing what it was about. But as luck would have it, it's full of magic and mystery, two of my favorite things.

I am halfway done reading Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White and I am really enjoying the story. Check back next week for the review.

I bought The Iron Trial because it was penned by one of my favorite authors, Cassandra Clare. I love all of her books and I anticipate that I will enjoy this one as well.

I know that a lot of people have noted similarities between The Iron Trail and Harry Potter and I am fine with that. I loved Harry Potter and stories about kids going to magic school. So bring it on!

Just Finished Reading...Ruin and Rising

Yes, I realize this is not a pic of Ruin and Rising. :)

*This is more about my thoughts on the series as a whole, not just Ruin and Rising.*

There is something very comforting about reading books in a series. When you start the second and third books you are already familiar with the characters, the world, and the writer’s style. It’s like slipping into a favorite pair of jammie pants and cozying up under the snuggie. 

I just finished reading Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo and I have to say I am very pleased with how the YA Fantasy trilogy wrapped up. It has been at least a year since I read Seige and Storm but I easily slid back into the Grisha’s land of Ravka. Alina, our brave heroine, grew right in front of our eyes. She started out a mere orphan in a war torn land and progressed into powerful Sun Sommoner in a very believable way.

This well thought out story was written in a way that ties everything together and everything that happens is for a reason. As a writer this series is an excellent example of how back story and secondary characters, if done properly, enhance a story without bogging it down.

There was humor, joy, hilarious banter and even a fare share of sad; everything a good story should have. I would love to go into depth about the emotions I have over Alina, Mal, and Nikoli, but it would spoil the plot for those who have yet to read these fantastic novels. And for those of you who have already read it, you know what I’m talking about.

So as the story came to a close and the depression began to take hold I clicked through to the final pages of the book to find a note from the author about her next series. *joyously claps because now all is right in the world* It’s a story that takes place in the island country of Kerch, located west of Ravka in the True Sea. There we will meet Kaz Brekker, “thief and gang leader often called Dirtyhands”. I have no idea when we will be graced the upcoming release, but I can already tell you that I will be first in line to buy it.

The Scandinavian Santa Book Blitz and $25 Amazon GC Giveaway

Thank you for stopping by The Scandinavian Santa book blitz. This yuletide tale was written by Victoria Lindstrom, and illustrated by her husband, Michael Lindstrom. Make sure to check out the giveaway below!

Publication date: Sept 16th 2014
Published by: Deeds Publishing
Genre: animal fantasy, Christmas.


Journey to the enchanted land of Scandinavia, where, nestled in the Nordic Forest, lives Santa Swanson. Each winter, this nephew of St. Nicholas has his own Christmas Eve delivery to make—but what that is and to whom has long been hidden. With the help of two mischievous flying polar bears, Gunnar and Ludvig; a rescued golden eagle, Lars; and a host of other whimsical creatures; Santa Swanson prepares for his annual sleigh ride down Viking Valley! Delight in this yuletide adventure complete with a fanciful ice skating party, a rustic holiday feast, and an unexpected reunion with Santa Swanson's famous uncle. In the midst of all this wonder, the forest friends learn a heartwarming secret from a Christmas angel revealing the magic of generosity.

Available to purchase from Amazon and Apple Ibooks.
You can add it to Goodreads.
Visit Victoria's website.

Victoria Lindstrom was born in Southern California and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. In 2014, her first book, The Scandinavian Santa, was published with artistic contributions by her husband and fine artist, Michael Lindstrom. Prior to becoming a full time writer, Victoria earned a degree in Dental Hygiene from Clark College in Vancouver, WA. She and her husband live in Washington State where they are active advocates for the arts in their community.

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A Soul To Take Blog Tour and Author Interview with Emily Taylor

Today at Words Escape I would like to introduce you to the soon the be released A Soul To Take, and the author, Emily Taylor. I was lucky enough to score an interview with Emily, so please, sit back and enjoy! (see below for book details)

Thank you for stopping by Words Escape Me, Emily! After reading the summary of A Soul To Take I immediately knew I wanted to read this book. Can you tell us where you got your inspiration to create this intriguing story with demons, government conspires, and Agent Elixia Albelin?

Hey, and it’s my pleasure!

It all began when my friend introduced me to an anime called Black Butler when I reached highschool, and yes, my Sebastian is a tribute for those familiar. But I also have to give credit to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Baccano which gave me the idea of homunculi and immortality.

These ideas sat in the back of my head for quite a while as I was working on other novels, so it wasn’t until late highschool that I started researching. There was so much to learn and it was all quite interesting. For an example, scientists at one point believed they had found the precise weight our ‘soul’. Turned out, the results were inconclusive and sloppy—but still. As a writer, we can ignore that bit.

After that, I started bringing certain events together that I wanted in my novel, including a serial killer that was based off a real French soldier back in the 1400s. Quite disturbing history there.

Then I graduated, and I had written half the first book by then, and I was just so excited by this demonic world I had created. I remember sitting with my friend on her bed during schoolies (Australian Graduating Holiday Thingy), just fan girling about the relationship between the two main characters.

I had been wanting to create this relationship type for a while. I didn’t want the gushy ‘love at first sight’ so many novels have now a days where the other main love interest is ‘so perfect’. The same went for my other stories, where the main love interests were still, well, boys or young adults.

Elixia’s “soul mate” isn’t a boy. He’s slightly older then her, mentally wise, and therefore more mature—or at least tries to be. He has a lot of responsibilities, and while he loves Elixia, she can’t be his priority. I found this dynamic fascinating, and apparently other people did too, which was awesome.

If you could have dinner with four of your favorite fictional characters, who would be at your table?

Oh wow. First four that come to mind: Howl, Kate Daniel, Tyrion, Will Graham, and Sabriel.

That’d make for an interesting dinner.

If you could spend a weekend at a writing retreat with any author, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

Stephen King. I feel like I’d learn a lot from him.

Now I assume that your protagonist, Elixia is very skilled when it comes to slaying demons. What would be your favorite way to ward off a demon attack?

If you don’t want to be killed by a demon, the best way to save your skin is by not pissing them off to begin with. If by chance you missed that step, running is always a good option—or if you like Elixia—shooting them in the head. Good old decapitation is good too. I like exploding personally.

To help us get to know you better I have a few This or That’s. Here we go!

Sam Winchester or Dean Winchester

Dean.

Ask me that when the series first started, and I would have said Sam, but nope. Dean all the way.

Chose of weapon for impeding zombie apocalypse, gun or machete?

Machete!!

Guns too loud and need ammo.

Actually, does the person, Machete, count? I wouldn’t even need a weapon then, he’ll be the ultimate hahah.

Disneyland or The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Argh. Harry Potter!

Chocolate or Skittles

Chocolate, please.

Thank you Emily!

Thank you for having me :]

I absolutely love this cover!

Now Available For Pre-Order!

ABOUT A SOUL TO TAKE

Dying is the least of Elixia’s worries.

The world has changed. Demons are no longer legend, but part of life, integrated into our society . . . or so the Government claims. Things are never that simple, though, and neither side favors the new union. Agent Elixia Albelin knows the dark nature of demons firsthand, and will do everything in her power to protect the innocent from their wrath.

But when a mission from the Agency goes sour, Elixia finds herself in a predicament. Murdered, with her last living family-member kidnapped, her only hope is an offer from the very thing she despises: a demon. It’s no ordinary demon offering the contract, though, and his motive for such a deal is unclear. But if she’s to discover the truth and save her sister, she must commit the greatest taboo for an Agent:

Sell her soul.

Now, Marked and shackled to the terms of the contract, she must try to uncover the mystery of her sister’s abduction before her new “owner” comes to claim what is his. Her past may hold answers, but what happens when her investigation finds something far more sinister? Something not even the demons can condone?

Besides writing, Emily Taylor currently studies Music Technology at her state’s Conservatorium and recently helped on Respect Cat Production’s feature film, In a Corner, as a Script Advisor.  After great success on InkPop and Figment, A Soul to Take is her first formally published work. You can see more from Emily on Facebook and Twitter. 

Stacking the Shelves #3

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by http://www.tyngasreviews.com. Anyone can join in!

This week I got two new books. First up I got Four by Veronica Roth. I must admit I have only read Divergent and Insurgent, and will NEVER read Allegiant. I know the ending and I do not want to waste my life on that book. That being said, I hope I can follow along with Four's stories. I am hoping that most of the scenes from his point of view are from the first two books.

Second I got The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo, from Audible. Over the years I have heard nothing but great things about this book and I finally decided to see what all the fuss is about. Of course I have seen the movie, but books are always better than the movie.

A side note for aspiring authors. When Kate was submitting to agents she received close to 400 rejections. She later went on to win a Newbery Award for The Tale of Despereaux and a Newbery Honor for Because of Winn Dixie.

What's new to your shelf?

Forever Kind of Love Bog Tour and Givewaway

Today on Words Escape Me I'm excited the share Clara Stone's latest release, Forever Kind of Love. Before you go make sure enter the giveaway below.

Life’s. Little. Surprises.

The last thing seven-year-old Carrigan "Ace" Casper foresaw was an eight-year-old Heath Lovelly walking into her life the day her mother died. From that moment on, Heath sticks by her side, slowly becoming her strength, her confidant, and her entire world. What she doesn’t know is, she's his saving grace, too.

Ten years later, Ace is handed another crippling challenge that threatens everything in her almost perfect life. Only, this time, she doesn't turn to Heath, hiding the truth instead. But Heath knows Ace too well and won't back down easily. He's ready to do whatever it takes and will stay by her side until she accepts that their love is the kinda love worth fighting for.

Will he be her forever triumph or her unexpected downfall?

Two lives. One story. And an unexpected journey to falling in love.

*** Follow this book's Story board at: http://pinterest.com/pkanaparti/forev... ***
**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content.

GENRE: Mature YA Contemporary Romance.

My thoughts~

Forever Kind of Love is brought to us with the dual point of view between Ace and Heath. This story is about two people who struggle with there everyday life while trying to live with the inner turmoil of being in love with basically their best friend. Ace is a very likable character and one that I grew to deeply care about. I have to say my favorite point of view was Heath's. I loved being in his head and hearing all of his thoughts about Ace and how he wishes he could be her.   

If you are a fan on contemporary romance I suggest you add this to your TBR list.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Kinda-Love-Clara-Stone-ebook/dp/B00MPVIJE6/
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-kinda-love-clara-stone/1120138096?ean=2940150421110
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/forever-kinda-love
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/forever-kinda-love/id892819361

Clara Stone lives in the beautiful city of Boise, ID.  Unlike what most believe about Idaho, it’s more than a sack full of potatoes. When she’s not writing, you’ll catch Clara reading YA and NA books, mostly romance, and enjoying time with her family. She is a proud CW TV addict.

She also writes YA paranormal romance under the name Priya Kanaparti. She is published through Reuts Publications.


Get in Touch with Author Clara Stone!

Email:
pkanaparti2004 @ gmail . com

Snail Mail:
P.O Box 2652
Eagle, ID 83616

Connect on Social Media with Author Clara Stone:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pkanaparti

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7857676.Clara_Stone

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

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