FOCUS ON BOOKS--Join us every third Wednesday of the Month
Hello and welcome to FOCUS on BOOKS, the latest series sparked by my love of reading, we will dive into the fascinating, familiar, and new worlds created by authors. Every third Wednesday, join us for a celebration of storytelling—spotlighting books, conversing with guest authors, and sharing my personal reading recommendations. Giveaways, surprises, and games will add to the fun.
My love of reading sparked the series, FOCUS ON BOOKS. While the purpose is to offer an opportunity for author friends to shout about their books, I am delighted to meet new-to-me authors and discover their books. The best part is introducing writers and sharing their stories with you!
This month, my guest is a dear friend, Susan Bernhardt. We were with the same publisher early in our careers, and we "newbies" have continued to stick together all these years. I was infatuated by her first cozy mystery in the series, The Ginseng Conspiracy. Who knew Wisconsin, which is the location for her stories, is a top provider of Ginseng in the USA?
I always look forward to an entertaining read with many twists. The action takes place in a small town populated with delightful characters and some really rotten villains. However she changes the location when Kay takes her family on a cruise in Paradise Can Be Murder. You know there has to be mystery and murder on the boat!
Congratulations Susan on your new release!
What sparked the idea for your 7th book in the series?
What sparked writing this mystery was to give my followers of this series pure entertainment. Many readers know Kay, Elizabeth, and Deirdre intimately and I wanted to write for them another exciting, thrilling, and fun mystery to read. That's it. There are many surprises in REPERCUSSIONS that will leave the reader with their mouths wide open.
Repercussions by Susan Bernhardt Cozy mystery--Released September 17
In this edition, readers are taken to Sudbury Falls where Deirdre's tea room becomes an overnight sensation, a
favorite go-to place in Sudbury Falls. Her scones are the talk of the town.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth (Kay's friend) starts seeing
copycat murders from her mystery novels everywhere.
Phil (Kay's husband) and his band get a new gig at The Purple Orchid, a dodgy
nightclub downtown, where they try out their new drummer to a standing-room-only crowd.
When a murder takes place and there are absolutely no
suspects at all, the new Chief of Police, along with Kay and company are stumped. Is this the perfect crime? Will
the murder go unsolved?
Yet another humorous and thrilling Kay Driscoll adventure.
Welcome back to Kay's world.
Click here to download the eBook now or order the paperback version from Amazon.
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ABOUT SUSAN:
Susan's town in northern Wisconsin was an inspiration for
the quaint setting of her Kay Driscoll novels. Like Kay Driscoll in her cozy mysteries,
Author Susan Bernhardt
Susan is a
retired nurse who volunteered at her local free clinic. She also writes the Irina Curtius mysteries that
take place in Manhattan.
She lives with her husband, William, and has two sons.
An avid reader of mysteries, Susan is a member of Sisters in
Crime, Inc. and the Wisconsin Writers Association.
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THE KAY DRISCOLL AND IRINA CURTIUS MYSTERIES
Cozy Mysteries by Susan Bernhardt
Thanks for stopping in today.
Please share this blog with a reader who enjoys cozy mysteries.
Meeting authors all over the country and the globe was an unexpected perk after publishing my first book. What a joy to meet my writerly friends via the Internet. We are "cyber pals" like "pen pals" in another era, making friends online rather than meeting in person. Oh how I wish I could meet everyone in person, but I'm happy keeping in touch through email, DM, ZOOM, etc.
The next perk--I discovered how generous and kind authors are to each other. Rather than being competitive, writers share information about the publishing industry and writing tips.
This week, I am thrilled to have two of my author friends as guests and share their brand-new releases. Please welcome these fantastic storytellers, Jacqui Murray and Susan Bernhardt, to the Focused on Story Blog! (I can hear the applause now.)
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NATURAL SELECTION by Jacqui Murray
Jacqui just released Natural Selection, Book 3 in the Dawn of Humanity Trilogy. Be sure to watch the heart-pounding book trailer for this book below.
Jacqui, Please tell us about your latest release, Natural Selection.
Natural Selectionby Jacqui Murray Book 3 in the Dawn of Humanity Trilogy "A perfect book for fans of Jean Auel and the Gears."
Thank you, Janet, for hosting me this week.
This novel is the conclusion to Lucy's journey. She and her tribe leave their good home to rescue former tribe members captured
by the enemy. Lucy's tribe includes a mix of species--a Canis, a Homotherium,
and different iterations of early man. In this book, more join and
some die, but that is the nature of prehistoric life, where survival
depends on a combination of our developing intellect and our inexhaustible will
to live. Each species brings unique skills to this task. Based on true events.
Set 1.8 million years ago in Africa,
Lucy and her tribe struggle against the harsh reality of a world ruled by
nature, where predators stalk them and a violent new species of man threatens
to destroy their world. Only by changing can they prevail. If you ever wondered
how earliest man survived but couldn’t get through the academic discussions,
this book is for you. Prepare to see this violent and beautiful world in a way
you never imagined.
Click here to read about the who, what, where, when and why in Jacqui's book, The Quest for Home in the Crossroads Trilogy.
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About Jacqui Murray
Jacqui Murray
Jacqui is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. The trilogies in Man vs Nature are The Dawn of Humanity and The Crossroads Trilogy.
Not only does Jacqui write these amazing trilogies in the prehistoric fiction genre, but she is also the author
of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to the United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics.
Click the links below to connect online with Jacqui
The Neighborhood by Susan Bernhardt #6 in The Kay Driscoll Mystery Series Cozy Mystery
Thank you, Janet, for helping me get the word out about the newest book in the Kay Driscoll Mystery Series.
BACK OF THE BOOK:
A new City Planner and his "Stepford wife" move into Kay Driscoll's neighborhood. The city of Sudbury Falls has a planning committee headed by this newly hired city planner intent on building a dam in the Sudbury River. The purpose, to create a lake for waterfront property featuring high-priced, luxury condominiums that the locals could never afford.
An uproar arises among the citizens who are passionate about the natural beauty of the Sudbury River. A newly formed Sudbury River Protection Society attracts Kay Driscoll and her friends with their “Save the River” movement.
When a murder occurs in the neighborhood, the unexpected happens. Chief Kirk asks Kay for her help in investigating the crime. What is up his sleeve? In the meantime Elizabeth's ex-husband shows up at her book signing after a five-year absence, Deirdre has a community feng shui-inspired May Day celebration at Planetary Herbals, and Janey goes on her first date.
Welcome back to Kay's world.
Click here to download the eBook or order the paperback copy of The Neighborhood.
ABOUT SUSAN
Susan's town in northern Wisconsin was an inspiration for the quaint setting of her Kay Driscoll novels. Like Kay Driscoll in her cozy mysteries,
Cozy Mystery Author Susan Bernhardt
Susan is a retired nurse who volunteers at her local free clinic. She also writes the Irina Curtius mysteries. She lives with her husband, William, and has two sons, Peter and David.
An avid reader of mysteries, she is a member of Sisters in Crime, Inc. and the Wisconsin Writers Association.
Her published works include:
A Manhattan Murder Mystery (An Irina Curtius Mystery),
Dress to Kill (An Irina Curtius Mystery Book 2),
The Ginseng Conspiracy (A Kay Driscoll Mystery Book 1),
Murder Under the Tree (A Kay Driscoll Mystery Book 2)
Murder by Fireworks (A Kay Driscoll Mystery Book 3),
Paradise Can Be Murder (A Kay Driscoll Mystery Book 4),
Murder Misunderstood (A Kay Driscoll Mystery Book 5)
When not writing, Susan loves to travel, bicycle, kayak, and create culinary magic in her kitchen. She works in stained glass, daydreams in her organic garden, stays up late reading mysteries, and eats lots of chocolate.
Click here to discover all of Susan's books on her Amazon Author Page.
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Thank you, Jacqui and Susan, for stopping by and meeting my readers. Wishing you great success with your new releases!
Quill pen
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Founded by authorAlex J. Cavanaugh, theInsecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. To find out more, click this link: Insecure Writer’s Support Group
The purpose of the group is
* to share and encourage.
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August 3 question - When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?
Readers of genre fiction have expectations when they begin reading a story. I did not know that when I first began writing. I write cozy mysteries. The "rules" for this special kind of tale in the mystery genre are:
**The protagonist is a smart, strong woman determined to solve the mystery. However she is not in law enforcement, but usually has a connection to someone who knows about crime like a detective, policeman or Private I (Eye?).
**The location is in a quaint town and often the main character has pets.Pastor Christine in Dangerous Sanctuary has a cat, a pig and a kangaroo.
**The cozy mystery is more of a fun, entertaining read rather than hard-core, gory crime scenes
**No open-door bedroom scenes. However, according to cozy-mystery.com, a spicy scene seems to be more acceptable to readers these days.
**The fast-paced plot is filled with twists and turns and has to have red herrings and surprises so readers can enjoy unraveling the mystery.
**As with any story ending, the author has to tie up all the loose ends with believable explanations.
As long as these criteria are met, I think there's lots of room to play with and have fun writing original ideas anytime.
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