Dead in the Alley
Genre: traditional mystery/second chance romance
Rating: PG-13
 
When Bay Bishop’s husband was found in the alley behind their Northern Michigan restaurant, she lost not only the partner in her dreams of establishing the best fine-dining establishment in the area but the man she thought was the love of her life.

Now she’s a suspect.

The detective who shows up on her doorstep turns out to be the high-school boyfriend who broke her heart. Faced with uncomfortable truths and new beginnings, Bay must chart a course to prove her innocence and create a new future.



Trailer link: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFJr0w76Pc/aA6B5CGu07A_oXWf3mqXuw/watch?utm_content=DAFJr0w76Pc&utm_campaign=share_your_design&utm_medium=link&utm_source=shareyourdesignpanel
 
Podcast about Dead in the Alley: https://tgwolffcom.wordpress.com/2022/08/07/dead-in-the-alley-chapter-1-and-review/
 
Buy links:
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Alley-Sharon-Michalove/dp/1736918753/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Sharon+Michalove&qid=1660859452&sr=8-1
​
Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Alley-Sharon-Michalove-ebook/dp/B09P8QWC31/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1660859452&sr=8-1

About the Author:
Sharon grew up in suburban Chicago but after spending most of her life in a medium-sized university town she moved back to Chicago in 2017. She loves music, theater, travel, hockey, and cats, and less elevated activities like eating doughnuts and sampling gins and single malts. 
 
Besides writing mysteries, she is the author of the romantic suspense series, Global Security Unlimited, and several short stories.
 
Something unique/unusual about me: “Two of my specialties as a historian are the history of polar exploration—I will be traveling to Antarctica in 2023—and food history. Readers say that my books make them hungry.”
 
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.sharonmichalove.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdmichaloveauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sdmichalove
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073761707861
Amazon author page: http://amazon.com/author/sdm_romance_and_more
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2128144.Sharon_D_Michalove?from_search=true&from_srp=true
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sharon-michalove

​I'm away from the blog this week! Won't you visit me on Anatasia Pollack's Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog? We talked about every thing from pet peeves to writing techniques.  Join the fun by following this link:  anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/2022/08/an-interview-with-historicalregency.html
​If you leave a comment, I promise to get back to you! :)

​Fascination with the Regency-era in England (officially 1811-1820) isn't new - just ask the fans of Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer - but shows like Bridgerton have certainly increased the interest. For those who cannot get enough of the era through film or books, the number of societies dedicated to all things Regency have enjoyed a growth spurt, including those dedicated to providing fans with their own Regency experiences.
I was curious where like-minded people might mingle and what events were out there. After I spent some time wandering around the web, the following is just a small sample of what I found.

If live events are on your wish list, check out the websites below:

• RegencyDances.org - Join a society that teaches Regency-era dances: https://www.regencydances.org/societies.php
• Check out the next Regency Ball near you: https://www.regencydances.org/events.php
• Nothing to wear for the big dance?  You might want to start by looking at the gowns and patterns on many of the Pinterest sites: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/326581410459574048/
• Once you have an idea what you want, learn how to make your own ball gown at https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/fashion-to-make/sew-a-regency-gown
• No time to make your own? A Google search can show you many sites where you can peruse period costumes already made (I found this one via a search - https://recollections.biz/clothing/Regency.html - and know nothing about it. Fun just to look.)  
• Still need shoes? You'll find them on Esty.com (https://www.etsy.com/search?q=Regency%20shoes) along with any other accessories you - or a male companion - might need.

Even if you aren't interested in your own historical clothes or attending live events, wandering around the various websites is not only informative but a fascinating way to spend a few minutes...or hours back in the early 1800s!

Excerpt:  
​Excerpt setting: Lady Anne Ashburn and her 17-year-old cousin are waiting to hear the doctor’s report on their ailing great-aunt.
 
“Will she be all right?” Georgina blurted. “I was all at sixes and sevens, never having taken care of a sick room before.”
“I know you were a great comfort. And now that the doctor is here, he will know just what to do.” Anne put an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Come, sit down, and tell me what has transpired. When did she take ill?”
As they sat close together on the edge of the bed and discussed their aunt’s illness, Georgina relaxed, and they shared a quiet laugh over Aunt Meg’s determination to keep playing Whist late Friday night until she won.
“There you are,” Anne said. “Auntie has simply done too much. She refuses to accept it is that time in life when she should slow down just a trifle. I daresay this is one of those passing ailments.”
“I hope so.” But Georgina’s troubled expression returned, her gaze fixed on her lap. She sighed repeatedly, which Anne interpreted as her cousin wanted to tell her something but was holding back. She waited.
When Georgina decided to speak, her voice was unsteady, halting. “Um, I am afraid it was more than the card game. Or even the late hours. She has been, well, worried, and I guess it is my fault.”
“Why? What have you not told me?”
Georgina raised rounded eyes, studied Anne with a frown, and then dropped her gaze again without saying a word.
Anne stifled an impatient sigh. Despite the four-year difference in age and the width of two country shires that separated their homes, they wrote each month or two and visited when they could. Georgina often shared her troubles with Anne as she might with an older sister, and Anne was fully aware of the girl’s faults. As Georgina’s parents had no other children, they had indulged her to the point she was rather spoiled, impulsive, and often thoughtless.
By nature, Georgina had a very good heart, but it got her into scrapes more often than not, such as her rescue of an eight-year-old waif from the Leicester city streets and taking him home with her. The child’s prostitute mother reported a kidnapping, embarrassing Georgina’s family, and after the constables returned the boy to his mother, her father’s valet discovered an expensive pair of cuff links and a gold watch were missing.
Anne had held out hope that her cousin’s recent engagement to Lord John Bennington—an event highly approved by her family— would mature her, but by all accounts, it had not. The girl’s present demeanor was a guilty look Anne had seen before.
 “Georgina,” she repeated, softening her voice to conceal her rising apprehension. “What is amiss?”
“Everything.” Tears welled-over and trickled down her face. “I have ruined it all.”