A Tea Party Review of Murder & Moonflowers by Leslie Leigh

It's lovely to have you join me for tea today. Please help yourself to some refreshments while I pour out. 

   I've been busy writing the last chapters of my new book "Murder at the Empress Hotel" and can't wait to finish the story.   In the meantime a few books have crossed my path. I wanted to share about one I enjoyed reading called "Murder & Moonflowers" by Leslie Leigh because I liked the way the heroine Melissa Michaels serves tea to her customers. Of course!

   The author has a good grasp on herbal medicine and this shines forth as the mystery unfolds. The plot centers around the death of a rather ill customer with no apparent cause of death - until Melissa hooks up with a handsome private detective from out of town. Their escapades into ferreting out the facts keep the read interesting and suspenseful at the same time. 

   I hope you'll download a free copy soon. Thanks Leslie Leigh for a great mystery! Click the link to get yours now. Have you read any good mysteries lately? I'd love to hear about them.

Free on Amazon Kindle

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill

Tea and Mystery!

❤️BE MY VALENTINE!❤️

"MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY" a $3.99 value is my FREE gift to you now through Sunday, 2/15/15.  Head for adventure!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️                          

 Amazon Kindle

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

Special Pre-Holiday Gift - "A CUP OF COZY 2"

Please Enjoy a FREE Special Pre-Holiday Gift for You on Kindle! 
From my fellow authors at Cozy Mystery Magazine.

We hope you enjoy the new holiday mysteries, menus, and recipes
from all of us to all of you.

This offer is for one day only! Wednesday, 12 am to midnight!

Thanks for taking a look at our second edition of
A Cup of Cozy.

Amazon.com

Happy Holidays!

~Nancy Jill

Justice - Jillian Bradley Takes it Personally

When asked, "What are your books about?" I often say, "In six words or less - Gardening columnist and Yorkie solve homicides."

True. But intrinsically speaking in all of the books Jillian Bradley seeks justice.





 
Justice for her conference associate and those Jillian finds murdered in connection in Book 1 "Murder in Half Moon Bay."

Justice for her colleague suspected of murder and for the victim's mother in Book 2 "The Ghost Orchid Murder."


Justice for an amnesia victim caught in a crime web in Book 3 "From the Clutches of Evil."

Justice for victims suffering from grief in Book 4 "The Mark of Eden."

Justice for Jillian's nephew arrested for the murders 
of a mother and daughter and justice for them in Book 5 "Pacific Beach."

Justice for several victims killed around Christmas Eve in Book 6 "Waiting for Santa."

And justice for a swindled victim, the death of her husband, and the murder of a London police officer in Book 7 "The Ruby of Siam."

 







To get started in the series Book 1 "Murder in Half Moon Bay" is free on Amazon, Nook, Kobo, and Smashwords. Books 2-7 are only $3.99. Not a bad price for reading stories about justice. Please visit the Books page to order.

I hope you'll give the books a try and cheer Jillian and Teddy on as they seek justice along their journeys.

Have an awesome week, dear readers!

~Nancy Jill

Enjoy the Weekend - Read a Free Book!

How many of you carry workloads through the weekend? Been there - done that. But here's what I've found: BURNOUT! For me, anyway, when I take off and have a little fun on Saturday the work stress leaves me alone. Bye-bye! And when I worship on Sundays, my spirit is renewed for the week. 

I hope you'll take some time this weekend to enjoy the fruit of your labor. And if you're a believer, take time to worship. 

By the way - you can have some fun for free by simply downloading Book 1 MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY. See you on Monday!

~Nancy Jill

Enjoy Book 1 MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY on your ereader for free!

Amazon Paperback $8.09

 Kindle FREE!

Barnes and Nobel Paperback $8.99

Nook FREE!

FREE on Smashwords and Kobo!

Ever Have One of Those Days? Weeks? Months?

By Nancy Jill Thames

So,  Book 7 THE RUBY OF SIAM was supposed to be launching by today, July 1st. "So where is it?" You may ask. The answer? Lying in chapter piles on my dining room table with little yellow sticky notes telling me how many comments from my editor need addressing. One chapter has 20! Egad! My editor is one of those cerebral writers who's in love with language and envisions herself as an artist with words. And yes, she is a wonderful writer. But me? I just want to TELL THE STORY!

Except there's more to it than that.

First, an author has to 'show' readers what's happening. We must 'show' characters  because otherwise you the reader will have no idea who they are! Not as easy as it sounds. Especially when I just want to TELL THE STORY!

"Patience." My editor says. "Give us an image here of what we're seeing."

But I just told you what you're seeing!

"I know." She replies as if talking to a child. (Which I feel like - an author child anyway.)

So, I take a chapter, run through the suggestions and rewrite the paragraph. Unless you're an author you have no idea how long this takes. And guess what? It has to be done otherwise you'll always know in your heart IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER!

Not only am I trying to launch THE RUBY OF SIAM but I'm going back and improving the first six books. Editor number three is the killer-diller with mileage in the writing business and a Chicago Style Handbook at her fingertips. She also doesn't allow me to get away with anything like mixing point of view or extra commas. Nope!

And now it's another Monday. I have six books to print off for editor number three to proofread, a Meet the Author Event at the library to see to for July 13th (my birthday), homework for editor number two's writing class on Diving into Character, and collecting goodies for Camp Grandma I'm doing for a week with my two granddaughters in California week after next. Sigh. Not to mention ramrodding two more Meet the Author Events for fall.

Get this: I'm not really complaining. I've never had so much fun in all my life. This morning over coffee my husband says, "You're a career woman now." I had to stop and think a moment letting the phrase sink in. He's right! I hope in spite of whatever challenges you are facing in your work life or at home, you'll gather the strength, courage and fortitude to get the job done! Now back to those edits...

May your week be a good one!

See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill 

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her chocolate cream pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild, the American Christian Fiction Writers, CenTex Chapter of ACFW and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales. CONTACT INFORMATION jillthames@gmail.com

 Nancy Jill is busy working on Book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London.

Enjoy Book 1 MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY as an ebook for free!

Amazon Paperback $8.09
Barnes & Nobel Paperback $8.99
 Kindle FREE!
Nook Book FREE!
FREE on Smashwords and Kobo!

Time to Relax, Have Fun, and Learn!

By Nancy Jill Thames

Wow! The weekend is here again. Sure I'm going to relax a little, like always. I'll sleep in, linger on the porch with my coffee, and play a few games of Rummikub. Saturday afternoon, however, I'll attend a writing class on Character Creation, given by talented creative writing major, Jennifer Steen. Jenny has published short stories, formed a publishing company called Inkception Books, and written a play for a performance in Scotland this summer. Yes, she's a dynamo and plenty of fun. She's also a member of our Leander Writer's Guild, which met last Tuesday evening. I can't say enough good things about being an integral part of our local writing community.

I want to thank all of you for reading my books. Sales have soared since I've offered Book 1 for free on all platforms. Book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" is on it's final rewrite and should launch within the next two weeks. If you're interested in the news about Paula Deen, you may want to hop over to Cozy Mystery Magazine and check out the post I wrote. I do feel sorry for her and for the pain racism still causes. 

May your weekend be a good one!

See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill 

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales. CONTACT INFORMATION jillthames@gmail.com

 Nancy Jill is busy working on Book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London.

Enjoy Book 1 MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY as an ebook for free!

Amazon Paperback $8.09
Barnes and Nobel $8.99
 Kindle FREE!
Nook Book FREE!
FREE on Smashwords and Kobo!

I LOVE THE WEEKENDS!

I believe God designed weekends for us to relax or have fun part of the time, rest for another part, and worship Him for the other. Whenever I get one of these facets out of balance, the new week goes kaflewie! (Anyone care to spell this differently?)

While I wait for my editor to return my manuscript for Book 7 THE RUBY OF SIAM, this weekend my hubby and I will be celebrating our 45th anniversary early, since he's out of town next weekend. 

We live in an awesome destination point, so we'll stay downtown Austin and dine at Truluck's - a restaurant that reminds me of one you'd find in downtown New York or Manhattan. The weather will be warm, so on Saturday, we just plan to have brunch at the South Congress Cafe and take in a movie at a dinner theater later. I'm good with that! What a blessing to have been married all these years to the most wonderful man I know.

I hope you have a nice weekend planned  - relax, have fun, rest, and if you're a believer - I'll be joining you in worship and praise.

See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill 

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales. CONTACT INFORMATION jillthames@gmail.com

 Nancy Jill is busy working on Book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London.

Enjoy Book 1 MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY as an ebook for free!

Amazon Paperback $8.09
Barnes and Nobel $8.99
 Kindle FREE!
Nook Book FREE!
FREE on Smashwords and Kobo!

How I Became a Murder Mystery Writer

Paperback $8.00
Kindle FREE!
Nook Book $2.99
FREE on Smashwords and Kobo!

This week  I spoke to The Leander Writer's Guild on How To Write A Murder Mystery. Nice to give back to fellow authors. 

In 2001, Murder in Half Moon Bay was my very first attempt at writing. I love reading murder mysteries but was burned out with the authors I had been reading, so I decided to write a mystery of my own. The timing was not conducive to complete my story, due to raising a second family, until October 2009. The Half Moon Bay Review showed an interest in my blog, featuring chapters from the manuscript I'd begun as a way to finish the book, and wanted to do an interview. I agreed, wrote the final chapters and published the book as an indie author in June of 2010. Since that time, I have written five additional books in the series, with two more on the way. 

   My inspiration for Jillian Bradley and her Yorkie companion came from staying at The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, where my husband and I were attending an off-site board meeting for his company. I began taking notes of the surroundings and used my imagination to create a protagonist that might be a guest at a gardening conference. I used my husband's name Ted for her little dog, Teddy, since I would have her be a widow. As I continued to travel with my husband, I found more settings to write about, and continue to dream up scenarios for Jillian and Teddy to solve mysteries. Writing is a new journey for me, but it's turning out to be a rewarding one. 
Have a good day, dear readers.

See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill 

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren in two states, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales.

 Nancy Jill is busy working on book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London.

CONTACT INFORMATION

jillthames@gmail.com

 

Just for Fun

See if you can match the first sentence in each book to its title. 

Good luck!

1. Caroline was playing innocently in her own front yard with her new puppy when the car struck her down.  2. The invitations had gone out a few days ago to three of my dearest friends in the world.  3. Daisy Larsen bustled.  4. Warmed by the fire, Teddy had fallen asleep on the sofa.  5. Madison looked about nervously toward the back of the house, hoping and praying that no one would notice their departure.  6. The gun discharged during the struggle, and the bullet struck his heart.  

A. "FROM THE CLUTCHES OF EVIL"

B. "WAITING FOR SANTA"

C. "THE GHOST ORCHID MURDER"

D. "MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY"

E. "PACIFIC BEACH"

F. "THE MARK OF EDEN" 

To win, leave your answers in a comment and follow the site. First one to guess all six correctly wins an e-book of their choice (including an upcoming copy of Book 7 "The Ruby of Siam") in the Jillian Bradley Mystery Series. Winner announced next Monday. Thank you for playing! 

See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill 

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren in two states, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales.

nd. Nancy Jill is busy working on book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London.

CONTACT INFORMATION

jillthames@gmail.com