Former Manhattan fashion designer Harlow Jane Cassidy has a gift for creating beautiful dresses.  But when Harlow becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, she’ll more than her sewing skills to unravel the mystery…

Business is booming at Harlow’s custom dressmaking boutique, Buttons & Bows, even with the presence of her great-grandmother’s ghost hanging around the shop.  But thanks to the fast approaching Margaret Moffette Lea Pageant and Ball, Harlow has her work cut out for her when Mrs. Zinnia James hires her to make her granddaughter’s pageant gown.

With the debutant ball getting the whole town of Bliss, Texas into a tizzy, Harlow knows her dress has to be perfect.  But when a local golf pro is found stabbed to death with dressmaking shears, the new deputy thinks Harlow and Mrs. James conspired to commit the crime.  Now Harlow has to finish the dress on time and clear her name before the next outfit she designs is a prison jumpsuit…

Connect with Melissa

Website: MelissaBourbon.com

Facebook: Author Misa Ramirez/Melissa Bourbon

Twitter: @MelissaBourbon

Goodreads: Misa Ramirez / Melissa Bourbon

ENTER TO WIN one of 5 copies of A FITTING END before it releases on Feb. 7th!!

A Fitting End comes out on Feb 7th, and Bare-Naked Lola, book 3 in the Lola Cruz Mystery series, comes out in April.  Read on to learn about Lola!

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Q. You are Latina by marriage, and have one daughter and four sons. To what extent did your family influence your decision to make your protagonist Latina? How important was it that Lola identifies with her Latina roots?

A. Lola was greatly influenced by my love of my husband’s native culture.  He’s first generation Mexican-American.

The more I thought about Lola, the more I wanted to develop her as a woman straddling two cultures.  I wanted her to be a character that lived the basic type of life that my own children do.  They are Americans, but the Mexican culture infuses certain parts of their lives, most fundamentally through their experiences and relationships with their aunts, uncles and cousins who have similar upbringings and backgrounds.

I created Lola  to be a non-stereotypical Latina, someone like my daughter, who’s smart and strong, who loves her family for who they are, and who is not afraid to live the life she chooses, even if that life is different than the one her parents want for her.  As for my boys, I wanted to show them some behind-the-scenes elements of a strong woman and how she can be uncompromising, loving, and so much more.

Q. One of the most compelling aspects of the book was the heat between Jack Callaghan and Lola. Despite her overwhelming attraction to Jack, Lola is determined to remain true to herself at all costs. Why was it important for you to create such a dynamic between the two of them?

A. I love the idea of Lola finding love, but she has to find it on her terms.  Living the Vida Lola is really half mystery / half romance.  The romance, though, is an ongoing situation with a larger arc than one book.  Lola has to find a way to balance her personal goals, her family, and her values with the man she loves and his expectations. Also, how her romance with Jack develops or doesn’t develop directly influences her mystery-solving.  It ups the stakes for Lola because she’s not just fighting for the people she’s working for; she’s also fighting for her own future, even as it’s still developing.

Lola–just like me, and my daughter, and all women out there–is about so much more than love and a man!  Love makes everything sizzle, but Lola has to find happiness with herself first and that was essential to me.

Q. The Cruz family is very close; what was the inspiration behind this closeness?

A.  When I first married my husband, I was enthralled [and sometimes overwhelmed!] by his family–he’s one of seven who are close in age and are all strong personalities.  I came from a small [two brothers] family so the Ramirez family gatherings were unusual to me–like parties every weekend!

Carlos’s sister, Gloria, has become my best friend, and I see her as my sister–as much as if we were blood.  Her two boys are my oldest boys’ greatest friends. That type of sibling/friendship, as well as the inherent closeness and respect, were the very things I wanted to try to capture and highlight in the Lola Cruz Mystery Series [though, of course, Lola’s family is entirely different than my husband’ Carlos’s!].

Q. Families portrayed outside of the Cruz clan in the book are riddled with problems:  parents abandoning children and husbands abandoning their wives. Why this contrast?

A.  In a way, Lola’s family is the “ideal”.  It has its problems like any other family, but this doesn’t affect Lola’s love for them.

Jack Callaghan’s family, by comparison, is different. The contrast between his family and Lola’s hopefully illustrates that despite the dysfunctions Jack grew up with and his own personal failures, he still recognizes the value of family [through la familia Cruz].  That is part of his attraction to Lola.  She embodies the values he didn’t have growing up, and that he wants to create in his own life.

As to the others, well, it’s a mystery, and death and mysteries and such stem from dysfunctions!

Q. What is next for Lola?

A. Oh, Lola has SO many great adventures coming up!  In Bare-Naked Lola, book three in the series, Lola investigation leads her to a nudist resort.

I’m planning a cover reveal for Bare-Naked Lola, so if you want to participate, I’d love it!  Email me at misa@misaramirez.com

Connect with Melissa

Website: MelissaBourbon.com

Facebook: Author Misa Ramirez/Melissa Bourbon

Twitter: @MelissaBourbon

Goodreads: Misa Ramirez / Melissa Bourbon

Pat Wade
Linda Pepa
Carol-Lynn Rossel

Tonya will be contacting you!  If you didn’t win, remember, you can buy Color Me Love on Amazon for just $.99!

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Tonya Kappes is one of my very best friends and I’m thrilled to be able to feature her on Books on the House this week!

About Olivia Davis Mysteries (Splitsville.Com, book # 1)

About Color Me Love

Olivia Davis is back, still breaking hearts with her breakup service SPLITSVILLE.COM. Olivia’s best friend, Erin, has opened a matchmaking business, Color Me Love, where Olivia sits behind a two-way mirror making love connections by matching up their auras. With love in the air, and Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Olivia is determined to figure out why everyone in Park City has lost their marbles, while figuring out how to get a date with one of the potential clients for Color Me Love.

Enjoy this mini-mystery featuring our favorite paranormal sleuth, Olivia Davis. This is a prequel to the next Olivia Davis Paranormal Mystery, coming summer of 2012.

Connect with Tonya

ENTER TO WIN a copy of COLOR ME LOVE!

A Note From Tonya:

I’m so excited to be finishing the final touches on the second novel in The Olivia Davis Paranormal Mystery Series. In the mean time, I have been getting a lot of reader mail asking when it is going to come out. I had a great little sub-plot that will make a great introduction to the second novel, and just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Color Me Love is an Olivia Davis Paranormal Mini-Mystery that introduces you to new characters in the series. Olivia is still breaking hearts with her on-line breakup service, Splitsville.com, but also matching up couples based on their aura colors. There may even be a little matchmaking of her own when she sees an aura even she can’t resist.

Happy Reading!

About Tonya Kappes:

“I write fun humorous fiction, some with romance and some with a little mystery.
More than anything I love to connect with readers! I’m a huge fan of them and LOVE getting to know them. I love to make readers smile, and remember not to take life to seriously. KARMA plays a big role in my life, and I believe in being kind to everyone, even if they aren’t kind back.  I’m addicted to coffee, McDonald’s Diet Coke, and Red Hots Candy!

I’m an elite blog member at The WoMen’s Literary Cafe (womensliteraycafe.com).
The WoMen’s Literary Café (welcoming both men and women) is an online community that bridges the gap between readers and authors, with the sole mission of promoting great literature. The WoMen’s Lit Cafe offers helpful promotions to authors, reviewers, bloggers, and editors by creating avenues to bring them together under one umbrella in an easily navigable venue.

When I’m not writing about quirky characters and even quirkier situations, I’m busy being the princess, queen and jester of my domain which includes my BFF husband,  three teenage boys and two dogs.

Why write a book with beading elements? Once upon a time, I was the proud co-owner of a very successful beading company, Beadnicks LLC.”

Ann Cole

Jennifer Beyer

Patricia Wheeler

If you didn’t win this week, fear not!  Banshee Charmer is now available for purchase.   Pick up your copy today and enter the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency!

ENTER TO WIN a copy of BANSHEE CHARMER!

When she’s sent to a crime scene and finds her second dead woman in as many weeks, half-banshee detective Kiera “Mac” McLoughlin is convinced a serial killer is on the loose. Incubi are extinct, her boss insists. But what else can kill a woman in the throes of pleasure? When her partner is murdered after using witchcraft to locate the killer and Mac is thrown off the case, her frustration turns to desperation.

Certain the killer is an incubus, Mac works behind her department’s back to chase down slim, sometimes perilous leads. While the killer eludes her, she does discover handsome Aidan Byrne, an investigative counterpart from the enigmatic Otherworld Enforcement Agency. Mac typically runs her investigations fast and hard, but with Aidan at her side, she’s running this one “hot” as well. But Aiden knows more than he’s letting on—something that could shatter their blazing romance and add Mac to the killer’s growing body count…

About Tiffany

Tiffany Allee currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver, and is happily engaged to a secret romantic. She spends her days working in Corporate America while daydreaming about sexy heroes, butt-kicking heroines, and interesting ways to kill people—for her books, of course. Her nights are reserved for writing and bothering her fiancé and cats (according to them). Her passions include reading, chocolate, travel, wine, and family.

Find out more about Tiffany at her website, TiffanyAllee(dot)com.

Lynn Steinmayer
Gwen MacNaughton
Elisa Varey

Heather will be sending you your book!

If you didn’t win, enter again another week for another book!  And pick up your copy of It Takes A Witch now!

ENTER TO WIN A FREE COPY OF

IT TAKES A WITCH!

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It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake

Darcy Merriweather has just discovered she hails from a long line of Wishcrafters-witches with the power to grant wishes using a spell. She’s come to Enchanted Village to learn her trade but finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation…

About Heather:

Heather Blake grew up in a suburb of Boston, and enjoys going “home” in her novels. As a young mother, she tried her hand at writing novels and hasn’t looked back. Currently, Heather lives in the Cincinnati area with her family, and is currently hard at work on her next novel.

Find Heather on the Web:

Website: www.heatherblakebooks.com

Blog: www.booksbyheather.net

Facebook: Heather Blake author page

Twitter: @booksbyheather

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11018878-it-takes-a-witch

Buy:

MysteryLovers

Indiebound

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

IT TAKES A WITCH!

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Dear Readers,

I have to admit ideas for novels pop into my head continuously. From there, it’s a matter of picking out the plots and themes and hooks that might actually be worth the time to write down. Because even though I think a book about a sarcastic meter maid might be fun to write, it might not translate too well in the publishing world.

So when I had the idea for a fairy godmother series, I let it sit for a day or two before I actually started writing. It was a plot for a couple of sister to move to a magical village and learn that they’re actually fairy godmothers who can grant wishes.

And while I loved that idea, it wasn’t working so much for anyone else. The fairy godmothers just didn’t fit. I, however, wasn’t ready to give up on them completely. A tweak here and a tweak there and my godmothers became…witches. More specifically, Wishcrafters—witches with the ability to grant wishes using a spell.

The funny thing is that I barely had to change anything. It was as though my subconscious knew all along that the characters were witches, and was taunting me. I’d even had the book set in Salem, Massachusetts, already.

Sometimes I hate how smug my subconscious can be.

And it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me that this was the direction the book took. When I was little, two of my favorite shows were Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie—and I think the humor and lightness of It Takes a Witch, the first book in this series, reflects that.

I love these characters. This village. The magic. And I hope you will fall in love with Darcy Merriweather, her sister Harper, their dog Miss Demeanor (aka Missy), and with the whole village of colorful characters in It Takes a Witch, too.

Best witches,

Heather

About Heather:

Heather Blake grew up in a suburb of Boston, and enjoys going “home” in her novels. As a young mother, she tried her hand at writing novels and hasn’t looked back. Currently, Heather lives in the Cincinnati area with her family, and is currently hard at work on her next novel.

Find Heather on the Web:

Website: www.heatherblakebooks.com

Blog: www.booksbyheather.net

Facebook: Heather Blake author page

Twitter: @booksbyheather

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11018878-it-takes-a-witch

Buy:

MysteryLovers

Indiebound

Amazon

Barnes and Noble