Tea Party Tuesday ~ Meet Lawrence Rivers

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday! Sorry I'm a day late but I have had little time to write between watching the grand kids and helping my mom move. Let me pour you a nice cup of tea and we'll chat about what's going on in Jillian and Teddy's world.

Please have some snacks. 

As some of you may already know, the authors of COZY MYSTERY MAGAZINE have published our second holiday anthology. We'll be offering "A CUP OF COZY 2" free each Wednesday until the week of Christmas as a way of saying thank you for your readership. I hope you enjoy the story I wrote introducing strategic planner Lawrence Rivers, who, like Jillian Bradley, is also a  dog lover and amateur sleuth. Lawrence is the husband of Jillian's new Horticultural Society friend, Vivian.

Besides six short holiday mysteries, you'll find lovely holiday menus and recipes I think you'll enjoy.

Free on Amazon Kindle!

As we begin the holiday season, I hope and pray each of you will think of the reason for the season - the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

~Nancy Jill

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

From our house to yours!

~Nancy Jill

Tea Party Tuesday ~ Getting Ready for the Holidays

Hello everyone - welcome to Tea Party Tuesday! Please join me for a nice cup of tea and some refreshments. Don't these jam tarts and pecan tassies look delicious?

With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner and for many of you Black Friday, too, I've decided to offer my first book "Murder in Half Moon Bay" as a free gift. You can download it now to read later when you're ready for a break during the hectic holidays. (Or January perhaps?)

Download Your Free Gift Here!

All Jillian Bradley wants is to spend a quiet weekend by the ocean and enjoy her afternoon tea. But a startling discovery draws Jillian and her garden club friends into solving a mystery that threatens her life and changes her future.

"Murder in Half Moon Bay" Book 1 in the Jillian Bradley Mystery Series, introduces Jillian's little companion Teddy, a Yorkie who falls prey to danger but rises to become a sleuth dog in the next book.

Please feel free to share this offer with anyone who might enjoy a cozy mystery. Thank you! 

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving full of blessings with friends and family this year.

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill 

Tea Party Tuesday ~ Celebrating Our Veterans

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday! Let me pour you a nice cup of tea and we'll begin our chat. Milk? Sugars?

Today is a great opportunity to thank those men and women in uniform for their service to our country and in our communities.
Thank you to those in the military, police, and firefighters, We appreciate your protection and watch care over us - day and night.

Cranberry Apricot Cheesecake Bread

My father was a command pilot of B-52's in the Air Force. How well I remember him being on alert for days on end, staying by the red phone in case our country was attacked.

Please have some cake - I especially love the cheesecake part.

My brother Hank flew RF 4 fighter jets in the Air Force, while my brother Tom served as a country sheriff until his retirement. Our son Mark served in the Air Force as well. Our niece Mi Chelle also serves as a police officer. Our family thanks you all!

Speaking of recipes, our new anthology "A Cup of Cozy 2" has all sorts of delicious recipes from our Holiday Menu selections. Included are my recipes for Beef  Bourguignon and Chocolate Cinnamon Torte featured in my New Years Ever Buffet menu.

In the anthology, I've written a debut story called "Lawrence Buys a Gift." Here's an excerpt from a recent review:

"Lawrence Buys a Gift" 5 stars. The title for my review is "Tea Anyone?". A couple has an amateur detective in for tea and the husband recounts his part in the solving of a murder. The housekeeper, Louise, is run ragged bringing in the goodies for the tea and keeping an eye on the menagerie of pets!

Available on Amazon Kindle only $2.99

Hope you enjoy the new book.
Have a wonderful week - Cheers!

~Nancy Jill 

Cover Sneak Peek at Book 9 "Murder at Mirror Lake"

Simply had to share - Book 9 "Murder at Mirror Lake" is Coming Soon!!!!! Very Soon!!!

Coming 2014!

  When Jillian and her garden club friends decide to take a fall color tour in New England, they have no idea the resort they choose as home base will soon be a setting for murder. And more than one. 

  Who killed the hotel's head chef in his own kitchen and why? His cuisine was excellent but his personality left a bad taste. Together with Jillian's Yorkie companion Teddy, and the help her garden club, Jillian works with Lake Placid's top gun Police Chief Mark Taylor in uncovering the killer.

Please stay tuned, reader friends.

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill 

Tea Party Tuesday ~ A TV Series On the Horizon?

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday! Let me pour you a nice cup of tea. Milk? Sugars? My heroine and I take three sugars. I know, it's excessive, but it does taste good! 

Excessive is a word I now refer to when describing the voices in my head. They're constantly suggesting new characters and plots. All I can do to quiet them is create a title and register the ISBN numbers. Yesterday, the voices told me to write Book 11 "Murder at the Met," a story about the murder of a virtuoso in New York City.

What I need is a screenwriter!

Do you know of any? Please comment if you do. I think Jillian and Teddy's adventures would be fun to watch!

Please have some refreshments. And let me reheat your tea.

Of course I do have help from my husband and son who whisper plots in our everyday conversation. They're incorrigible! Especially my son, Michael, who will even go so far as to give me a pendant with a key on it for my birthday with a card that says, "Here is a key Jillian finds. What does it unlock?"

I love them. But little do they realize that if and when a screenwriter comes knocking, I'm pointing him or her in the direction of my voices. 

Cheers! 

~Nancy Jill

Tea Party Tuesday ~ Tea at the Empress Hotel

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday, everyone! This photo on Pinterest made me stop in my tracks -- isn't it wonderful?

Let me pour you a nice cup of tea. Milk? Sugars?

When I went to the photo site, I found it was taken by a lovely Russian travel agent who lives in Victoria, Canada -- setting for Book 10 "Murder at the Empress Hotel" coming 2015, so I simply had to post.

From the shiny silverware to the garnishes, I believe I've chosen well. My early family (we had two sets of children thirteen years apart) and both sets of grandparents made the trip to Vancouver Island from Sacramento, California, up the Pacific Coast. We took the ferry across to reach the island, and that afternoon we enjoyed famed afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel. It was a wonderful experience.

I read they serve on average 500 teas everyday. Amazing!

The hotel is so renown that recently a man bought it without even seeing it, on reputation alone. It will certainly be fun to use as a setting. 

Let's try the finger sandwiches - they look delicious! And I think I'll take a scone, too. Please help yourself.

I pray as fall ushers in, we all stay healthy and safe. 

Cheers! 

~Nancy Jill

The photo is from the setting in 

Book 9 "Murder at Mirror Lake." 

Watch for it soon!

(Don't you love the shoe bomb?)

Tea Party Tuesday - Fall ~ A Perfect Time for Tea

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday - I'm so glad you've joined me. Let me pour you a nice cup of tea.

Milk? Sugars? Do have some snacks.

Now that the kiddies are back in school, many of us can sit back and relax. Days are shorter, nights are longer, and things seem cozier in general.

To me, fall and winter are never long enough. Sitting by a crackling fire sipping tea, well, it doesn't get any better for a lot of us.

Especially if you're a reader!

This fall two new books are coming on the market that I think you'll enjoy.

"A CUP OF COZY 2" is the latest anthology from the authors of Cozy Mystery Magazine. You'll not only find cozy holiday stories showcasing our styles, but also holiday menus and recipes from each author.

Book 9 "Murder at Mirror Lake" is also due to launch. Jillian and her garden club friends take a fall trip to upstate New York only to find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation of an executive chef. A fun whodunnit that will keep you guessing until the end.

Lots of great reading coming up! I can't wait.

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill

Tea Party Tuesday * A Toast To Betas

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday! I would like to raise a toast to my wonderful 
Beta Reader Team: 
Barbara Babcock
Tom Biggs (my wonderful brother)
Deborah Fox Belissio
Roxanne Day
Sid Frost
Brenda Burke Johnson
Donna Montgomery (who's been with me from the very first book!)
Gale O'Brien
Michelle Tucker Reed
Maxine Rohde
Shanan Shepherd
Ted Thames (my sweet husband) and
Karen Timmermann

These eagle eye readers will take the rough draft of Book 9 "Murder At Mirror Lake"

and make notes of suggested changes to enhance the work. Their input is invaluable to an indie author such as myself. As a thank you, I'll be sending them a signed copy when the book is hot off the press. Betas such as these often write the first reviews, helping to successfully launch a book.

So a huge thank you, Betas, as we begin this undertaking. Your input is most appreciated.

                     Cheers!

                    ~Nancy Jill

 

Tea Party Tuesday * Special Guest Leslie Matthews Stansfield

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday! We're delighted today to have a special guest, author Leslie Matthews Stansfield, known as Lee by her friends. It's such a delight to have you join us today. Let me pour us some tea and we'll get started. Milk? Sugars? Please help yourself.
Thank you, Nancy Jill. It's a pleasure to be here.
Please have a sandwich. We have several kinds to try.
Thank you. They look delicious.
Please tell us about your new book, which I understand is part of a series.
 My new book, Mr. Tea and the Bobbin’ Body, is the second in the Madeline’s Teahouse series.  The series involves two sisters, Karen and Terry Sutter, who turned their childhood home into a teahouse after the death of their mother Madeline.   
What a wonderful idea!
They have a possibly psychic macaw named Mr. Tea who is prone to make outrageous comments.  
How fun.
 In this book, the sisters are involved in a high school reunion that suddenly turns deadly when one of the guests, a former football player, is found bludgeoned to death in the swimming pool. Terry's boyfriend, Detective Greg Mullins, and his partner, Tom O'Hara, are on the case. 
 Sounds full of mystery.
When another body turns up, Terry and Karen, along with two loveable seniors, Uncle Henry and Aunt Rose, who live next door, put their heads together to try and find the common thread. What they uncover is a terrifying story of brutality, revenge, deceit and old secrets that won't stay buried. 
Oh, my! I'm sure readers will find it fascinating.
Please have a pastry. I have to confess I bought these at a bakery.
They look wonderful!
Lee, it has been a pleasure to have you as our guest today. We look forward to reading your books!
Thank you for the invitation.
And best success with your Madeline's Teahouse series.
Thank you, Nancy Jill.

We'll see you next week! For more information on Lee, please read her bio and follow the links to purchase her books.

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill

LESLIE MATTHEWS STANSFIELD is the author of Mr. Tea and the Traveling Teacup, the first book in the Madeline's Teahouse series, and Mr. Tea and the Bobbin’ Body.  She is also the author of a previous book, Windsor Locks, on the town she lives in. She grew up in Delmar, New York, and credits her friends with developing her imagination. Leslie is a graduate of University of Hartford and received her Masters' degree from the University of Phoenix in Educational Leadership. She is a math tutor in a public school.  She is currently working on her third book in the Madeline's Teahouse series. She has four children and eight grandchildren and lives in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LeslieMatthewsStansfield?ref=hl

Website:  http://lesliematthewsstansfield.weebly.com/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/866190.Leslie_Matthews_Stansfield

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Leslie%20Matthews%20Stansfield&sprefix=Lesli%2Caps

Publisher:  http://cozycatpress.com/