​Matter of Inquiry is taking the week off, but don't miss the interview on my fantasy blog with Kath Boyd Marsh's middle grade characters, Bubbles and Smush. They're talking about their anthology of adventures for those 9-12 (and others young of heart!).
​
Link to their character interview: 
allyshields.com/blog/character-interview-from-mg-fantasy-by-kath-boyd-marsh

MISadventures of Bubbles and Smush
Genre: middle grade (9-12)
 
Bubbles and Smush were never supposed to be perfect heroes, but after all, it’s the MISadventures that make life so exciting…
While life seems peaceful on River Wiz Tech, when Cl’rnce the Dr’gon Co-Primus doesn’t show up for his visit, Bubbles overhears that Cl’rnce may be in trouble and the two Barforami cousins are off and running, or waddling, or swimming very fast to the Wizard Technological School and Knights Academy for adventure after adventure.
No more lazy floating. Each new day seems to bring a new adventure—from finding closet monsters, foiling a poisoning, dealing with pirates, learning to fly, to helping a baby dr’gon get a banshee to give her singing lessons.
Not that any of those adventures go smoothly! Featuring 5 brand new stories, Bubbles and Smush, once again, will bumble their way to success…or will they?
Here is the list of stories, the first three were previously published as ebooks.
 
1.      Closet Monsters
2.      Trick or Treats
3.      Dragon Rescue 
4.      Hungry Pirates 
5.      Dr’gon-Sitting Fetch 
6.      Dr’gon Twin 
7.      When Barforami Fly 
8.      Banshee Singing Lessons 

Buy Link:   https://amzn.to/3ZbKwMK

About the Author:
An enrolled descendant of the Karuk Tribe of California, I enjoyed a forty-year investigative career in law enforcement and private and corporate investigations. I attended the Institute of American Indian Arts, earning an MFA-Creative Writing.
As a corporate and private Investigator, I conducted investigations throughout the Americas and Asia. For about five years, I kept my investigative skills honed by volunteering as a Missing Person investigator at a California Police Department.
My short stories and poems have been published in numerous anthologies. My debut novel, The Mona Lisa Sisters, was released in 2020. Robbers and Cops followed in 2022. New Liberty-A Hector Miguel Navarro Novel, the first in the series, will be out shortly.

Something unique that isn’t in your regular bio: “My father was exceptional, and his skills led to a unique experience in my teens. Dad was a horseman, a good part of his life. Pop even rode with the 11th Calvary, the Blackhorse Regiment, up to and into World War II. 
Pop bought three wild donkeys in my fifteenth year, and we trained them to be pack animals. Pop made the saddles and all the equipment needed by a beast of burden. We spent over three weeks on the John Muir Trail and more weeks in the backcountry of California. In all my years, I’ve never met a man like my Pop.”
 
You can contact me at:
Email              gdcramer@outlook.com
Blog                 https://gdcramer.com/george-cramer-blog/
FaceBook      https://facebook.com/george.cramer.56211
LinkedIn         (99+) George Cramer | LinkedIn
Amazon           Amazon.com: George Cramer: books, biography, latest update

The Brooklyn North Murder
Genre: Mystery
Rating: PG-13

A hi-flying investor determined to make sleepy Morgansburg NY a tech hub, vanishes from the middle of a lake during a triathlon. Mary Watson, a university librarian and computer genius, has to solve the mystery with the help of her Artificial Intelligence program “Doyle.”

Buy Links:
The Cloak and Dagger: 
​https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-brooklyn-north-murder-erica-obey/18583571?ean=9781940442457
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-North-Murders-Novel/dp/1940442451
 
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-brooklyn-north-murder-erica-obey/1142642951?ean=9781940442457
​
​Excerpt:

Custody of the eyes. Up until now, it had been an abstract concept I had associated with the medieval and theology sections of the library where I worked. Now, it was a practical challenge. Who knew how hard it could be not to look at the tiny red Speedo being worn by the man who had pulled me close for our Triathlon Team Photo?
​
Only a year ago, this triathlon had been the Morgansburg Annual Fun Run that had consisted of a single lap of Battlefield Bluff. Now it was the Billings Sprint Challenge Series, and had apparently attracted the combined populations of Brooklyn and Poughkeepsie via a social media campaign that had pronounced it one of the ten summer events in the Hudson Valley not to be missed. The transformation – excuse me, rebranding ­– was also the reason why I was shivering by the edge of an icy lake at the ungodly hour of eight in the morning, trying not to examine the all too evident assets that a hedge fund manager named Cam Billings was scarcely hiding beneath an entirely indecent red Speedo.

I was not wearing a swimsuit – or even a wetsuit, as the other competitors were. I had managed to weasel my way out of the swim by claiming a rotator cuff injury, and so was wearing running tights and a reasonably warm wind shirt. It’s not that I can’t swim – a summer camp instructor who fancied herself a Navy SEAL had made sure of that. But that statement only holds true if you consider the dog paddle a recognized stroke of the U.S.A. Swimming Association. I’m not particularly good with bicycles either. But as the hot tech star destined to transform Morgansburg, N.Y. into the next Silicon Valley, I was expected to represent De Sales College, and so I was taking on the last leg of the College Relay Team. All that was required of me was the same brisk shuffle around Battlefield Bluff as last year’s Fun Run.

Paul Morgan flanked me as we locked arms for the camera. He was wearing a pair of bicycling shorts that did little more to disguise his assets than Cam’s had. But I didn’t have to imagine what lay beneath that thin, Lycra barrier. Paul and I had dated during our first year at Yale, back in the days when having sex seemed to be the done thing.  Victorian brides were taught to lie back and think of England on their wedding. I lay back and rehearsed conjugations and declensions in my head in order to pass the time. Our relationship fizzled out somewhere around the Greek Middle Voice.

That didn’t stop him from grabbing me in a bear hug as he said, “Look, after the swim, I need to be ready to tag in at the changing area. So can you go ahead and get some video of Cam when he comes out of the water for our real time followers?”

“Real time followers?” I grumbled to Doyle. “Who would really sit down and watch this in real time on their phone? My mother?”

“I regret to inform you that Helen Watson is not among the 12,467 subscribers to the Sprint Series webcast,” Doyle informed me.

“It was a rhetorical question.” My mother was not what you’d call a doting parent. When I presented her with a copy of my published dissertation, she had asked, “What do you want me to do with this?”
The response I squelched was unprintable.

Okay, so I was complaining to my phone. Pretty weird, I suppose – at least if you’ve been living off the grid for the past five years. Some people talk to Siri. Some talk to Alexa. Hell, my ninety-year-old grand-mother binge drinks Cosmopolitans with them while they cheat at online bridge. So, sue me if I talk to Doyle.

Granted, Doyle was different from those virtual assistants he dismissed as “the Code Girls.” For one thing, the Girls simply crawled the web and retrieved information. Doyle didn’t crawl. He extrapolated. Or as Doyle would put it, the Code Girls were artificial intelligence; he was the real thing. I’m not quite so sure. For one thing, I’m the one that programmed Doyle. I know where the bodies are buried – or to put it in programmer-speak, I am aware of a few significant glitches that need working out. Primary among them is the fact that Doyle is a complete and utter ass. 

​About the Author:
 
Erica Obey is the author of The Brooklyn North Murder, the first full-length Watson & Doyle mystery, as well as five other novels set in the Hudson Valley, including the award-winning The Curse of the Braddock Brides. Erica is the Past President of the MWA-NY chapter, and a frequent reviewer and judge. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and published academic work on female folklorists before she decided she’d rather be writing the stories herself.
 
Something unusual/unique that isn’t in your regular bio: "I can show you how to make Christmas ornaments out of egg cartons and old copies of the Reader’s Digest. (Okay, I didn’t grow up in Lake Woebegon, but it was close.)"
 
Author Contacts:

Website: www.ericaobey.com 
FB/IG: @Erica Obey (personal), @EricaObeyAuthor (page) 
Twitter: @EricaObey

Ballroom Blitz
Genre: romantic suspense/ cozy mystery
PG-13
 
In the glamorous world of ballroom, love and dancing do not always mix.

Professional dancer Anita Goodman has learned that lesson the hard way. With her studio and her reputation on the line, she has to take a chance on the last person she ever wanted to partner with: her best friend.

Patrick O’Leary has loved Anita since high school, but he has languished in the Friend Zone for long enough. He will take this last chance to prove to her that love is greater than winning.

Neither of them realize that conquering their rising attraction won’t be their biggest obstacle. Someone does not want them to be together, and will stop at nothing to get their way.

Love, dance, and danger. It’s a Ballroom Blitz.
 
Buy Links:
books2read.com/u/3yV6r6

About the Author:

Natalie Cross writes romances and cozy mysteries featuring main characters who accept each other as they are, and love deeply.
She lives in Los Angeles, where writing is an acceptable way to avoid sunburn. Natalie is mom to two lovely young munchkins who despise brushing their hair and eat way too much cake. She is unapologetically terrible at taking selfies.
 
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “I love musical theater. I can sing/recall a sizeable portion of the Sondheim musical catalog, as well as most musicals released in the late 90s/early 2000s. My aunt and I once saw the original Scarlet Pimpernel musical three times in one weekend…”
 
Author Contact Links:
Website: www.nataliecrosswrites.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nataliecrosswrites
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nataliecrosswrites
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/nataliecrosswrites

Aria for Murder (A Julia Kogan Opera Mystery)
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Romance Rating: 2-3
 
Excitement mounts as the moment arrives for brilliant young violinist Julia Kogan's debut in the orchestra of the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera. But the high-stakes milieu of this musical mecca is rocked to its core when, during an onstage murder scene, Julia's mentor, a famous conductor, is assassinated on the podium. Thrust into the investigation when her closest colleague in the orchestra is named chief suspect, Julia teams up with opera-loving NYPD detective Larry Somers to solve the murder. In the process, they are shocked to discover the venerable opera house is rife with a web of secrets, intrigue, and lethal rivalries. But all bets are off when Julia suddenly finds herself the real killer's prime target.
 
“A ruthless and clever killer haunts the Metropolitan Opera and the hidden recesses of Lincoln Center. Violinist Julia Kogan, a rising star in the pit, must unmask the murderer or become a victim herself. Erica Miner’s richly satisfying Aria for Murder delivers a compelling mystery, replete with devious characters, glorious music, and plenty of behind-the-scenes dirty laundry. A musical and dramatic triumph. Bis! Encore!”—James W. Ziskin, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award-winning author
 
“Erica Miner, the Agatha Christie of the opera world, continues the genre with a wickedly wonderful…brand new thriller, Aria for Murder…This is simply brilliant writing. Bravissima!”
—Richard Stilwell, international opera star
 
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Aria-Murder-Julia-Kogan-Mystery/dp/1685121985/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1669763489&sr=8-1

EXCERPT:

Prologue
 
Chi è morto, voi, o il vecchio?
Che domanda da bestia! Il vecchio.
 Who’s dead, you or the old man?
What an idiotic question! The old man.
 —Mozart, Don Giovanni, Act I
  
Collateral damage. Sometimes it just can’t be avoided.
 That was what his partner had told him. When you’re trying to kill someone, other people can get in the way. It’s not planned. It just happens. Though the Metropolitan Opera’s orchestra pit was the largest in the world, when the orchestration of an opera was vast, as in Wagner or Strauss, things could get quite crowded for the one hundred or so musicians squeezed together there. Tonight’s Verdi was no exception. Grand opera at its loftiest, with plenty of brass, extra strings, and the like. He would do his best to hit his target precisely. But it wasn’t an exact science. And if, under pressure, he was slightly off, well...
Tanto peggio, as they say in French.
He chortled to himself. Everyone in the Met knew “tanto peggio” was Italian, not French.
He salivated with anticipation as he lovingly cleaned his VAL Russian sniper rifle with its special bronze-bristled brush, and oiled and lubricated the ammunition chamber with the fine-spray One Shot gun cleaner and a cotton swab. He picked up the last tiny fragments of powder residue with an alcohol patch threaded through a needle attached to the brush. Then he polished the entire instrument with one of his special-order McAlister microfiber gun cleaning cloths. 
If you look after your firearm, when the time comes, it will look after you. 
A vintage model, no longer available, the VAL was precious, but not because of its monetary or historic value. It was his own personal Stradivarius: a thing of beauty, a state-of-the-art example of genius in design at its time, and still as reliable as ever. He knew that the cartridge of this rifle, with the immense power contained within its barrel, was capable of forcing a bullet to explode at a higher speed than a mere handgun: the kind of velocity he needed to accomplish his goal. 
Lord knows I need something dependable—and powerful. 
No one knew he kept the VAL right inside the opera house, practically under everyone’s noses. To head off the possibility that they might install metal detectors at the Met—which everyone seemed to be doing these days—he had found the perfect hiding place for his beloved firearm, in a far-off corner away from prying eyes. It remained there, at the ready, just in case he needed it. No one was aware of its existence, let alone its hidden location. 

About the Author:
A former violinist with the Metropolitan Opera, I am an award-winning author, screenwriter, arts journalist, and lecturer based in the Pacific Northwest. My debut novel, Travels with my Lovers, won the Fiction Prize in the Direct from the Author Book Awards, and my screenplays have won awards in a number of recognized competitions. Aria for Murder, the first in my Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series, released on Oct. 28, 2022.
 
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio. “To my knowledge, I’m the only former Met Opera musician who is writing operatic mysteries.”
 
Author Contacts:
https://www.facebook.com/erica.miner1/
https://twitter.com/EmwrtrErica
https://www.instagram.com/emwriter3/

BODY SNATCHED
Genre: Cozy Mystery
PG-13
 
What’s worse than losing a body from a funeral home? Losing two. But mortician and amateur sleuth, Lily Reynolds has a hunch. The new visitor in town, Rick Drakon, may have charmed his way into her life but she’s not fooled by his smooth talking ways. Problem is, Rick is a long-time friend of Lily’s new husband, Detective James Rivers.
While James is busy convincing her to look elsewhere, Lily embarks on a dangerous path toward uncovering the truth. Will this case come between the couple or will Lily find herself closer to evil than ever before?   
 
Excerpt:
 
Black River reminded James of one thing: murder.
Hidden in dense foliage, the river stretched out far beyond his view and also happened to be a perfect spot to dump a body. He had no doubt there had been many missing people over the years who wound up weighed down by rocks at the bottom of the river until their flesh disintegrated into nothing.
His boss, Donald Abrams had a bad habit of telling him about their worst cases, probably to freak him out. The sicko with the garden of people floating upright like weeds was particularly gruesome. The chills he got from that one made the hairs on his neck stand up. However, since Manorview’s crime rate was low, James wasn’t entirely sure if the stories were folklore or not.
“Congrats on your last case. I heard you’re a big boss detective now,” Rick said as he reeled in his empty line.
 James impaled a worm on his hook and swung the line out into the water. “Thanks. I wouldn’t say big boss though. More like maybe I’ll get to keep my job.”
 “Have you ever caught anything here?” Rick asked.
 “No, but I hear there’s trout.”
And bodies.
 
Buy Link:
 
https://books2read.com/u/3LVx5X

:About the Author:
 
When Ana Diamond isn't writing about tough gals finding love in unexpected places, she’s at work by day in the medical field. She writes romantic cozy mystery novels with feisty strong women and alluring men who can’t resist them. Her books are fast paced, entertaining and heartfelt all at once.
Ana is a 2020 Tara Contest Finalist for Body Conscious and 2015 Melody of Love contest finalist. She lives in New York with her husband, two children and two needy but wildly entertaining kitty cats.
Something unique about me: “I was born in Brazil.”
 
Author Contacts:
 
https://twitter.com/AuthorDiamond
https://www.instagram.com/anadiamondauthor/ 
https://www.tiktok.com/@anadiamondauthor 
https://www.facebook.com/anadiamondauthor

Killer in the Kitchen – A Chesapeake Bay Mystery
Genre: cozy mystery
Rating: PG-13
 
Murder is on the menu -
A celebrity chef poisoned
A bay town reeling
A sleuth pursued

Real estate rule #2: How to sell a house fast – offer a drop-dead kitchen.

When real estate pro Helen Morrisey’s bombshell daughter, Lizzie, a popular home shopping network host, invites her to meet an internationally famous chef, Helen jumps at the chance.  What woman doesn’t want to shake hands with a celebrity and do a little shopping at the same time? 

Even more intriguing, this culinary superstar is about to sell his waterfront mansion and it’s her opportunity to talk business. After all, he couldn’t choose a sharper agent than Helen, could he?  That’s a job that comes to a dead halt when she walks onto the TV kitchen of Cooking with Roberto to find his blood dripping bright red into his signature dish and her daughter collapsed beside him.
 
Detective Joe McAllister arrives to take charge and is none too pleased to find Helen asking his questions. Their on again, off again, romance might sour when she ignores his warnings. 

Undaunted, Helen calls on the personalities and special skills of her Detection Club of famous sleuths to stir this investigation pot. It doesn’t take long before the explosive ingredients of off-camera jealousy, competition, and nasty rumors create a recipe for disaster.  Helen has to solve Roberto’s murder before more tempers boil over and they all get burned.
 
Buy Links:
Order now Amazon
Order Barnes and Noble
Order at Independent Bookstores 

About the Author:

Judy L. Murray is an Independent Publisher IPPY Silver Medalist, a Silver Falchion Award Attendee Winner for Best Cozy, and an Agatha Award Nominee for Best First Novel with her debut Murder in the Master – A Chesapeake Bay Mystery published by Level Best Books. Killer in the Kitchen is second in the series due for release September 2022. A Philadelphia real estate broker and restoration addict, Judy has worked with enough delusional sellers, jittery buyers, testy contractors, and diva agents to fill her head with back-office insight and truth versus gossip. 
 
She began her professional writing career, after graduating in newspaper journalism from the S.I. Newhouse at Syracuse University as a reporter and magazine columnist. She holds a Master’s in Business from Penn State University. She lives atop a cliff on the Chesapeake Bay with her husband. They're buffeted by winds in winter and invaded by family and dogs in summer. Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime Chesapeake Chapter and Mystery Writers of America. 
 
Murder in the Master - A Chesapeake Bay Mystery introduced Helen Morrisey, a quick-tongued, gutsy, and mature woman long on loyalty and short on romance. A mystery story addict, Helen’s approach to solving problems was to call on the talents of her favorite, strong-minded female detectives within her own Detection Club, much like Agatha Christie formed in 1930.

Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “My maiden name is Casanova, like the famous Spanish lover. My grandparents came from Madrid.”
 
Follow her at www.judylmurraymysteries.com to receive her newsletter. Friend her at Judy L Murray Author on Facebook. Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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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