Meet Cynthia St-Pierre

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The Fashionista and the Vegetarian


What does every self-respecting amateur detective need?

A sidekick.

In A PURSE TO DIE FOR, Gina Monroe is the central character. She’s the one with an eye for fashion and a nose for weather. Both senses help her gather clues when bodies start to pile up.

But it takes two to match wits à la Holmes and Watson, Poirot and Hastings. That’s where Becki Green comes in. She’s an artsy-fartsy, tree-hugging vegetarian. With her cross-eyed half-sister Anne, she runs a design shop called Beautiful Things. She’s married to the Chief of Police of Black Currant Bay and she’s been active in solving crimes there in her own right.

Gina has known Becki her entire life. They’re family in a convoluted sort of way. They definitely love each other. In A PURSE TO DIE FOR, a family funeral brings them together again in Langdon Hills. The subsequent deadly events point to their future together as an unexpected but effective crime-solving pair.

Instead of listening to me gossip about this fashionista and this vegetarian, get to know Gina and Becki in A PURSE TO DIE FOR. And why not peek at Becki’s veggie recipe blog at vegetariandetective.blogspot.com?

Becki has given me license to share one of her favourite dishes.

Thai Green Curry

1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp lemon grass paste (Gourmet Garden Lemon Grass Herb Paste is nice)
1 chilli, seeded and chopped
2 tbsps sunflower oil
zest of 1 lime
small bunch of cilantro, chopped
14-oz can light coconut milk
2 rounded tbsps brown sugar
2 rounded tsps (for 2 cups) vegetable bouillon powder
2 cups green beans
2 carrots, sliced diagonally
1 red pepper, sliced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 cup snow peas
1 bunch basil
1 14-oz can baby corn
3/4 lb firm tofu, cubed

Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass paste and chilli in 1 tbsp of the sunflower oil until fragrant. Blend with the lime zest, cilantro, light coconut milk, brown sugar and vegetable bouillon powder to make the green curry sauce. Sauté the green beans and carrots in the remaining tbsp sunflower oil. When the green beans and carrots start to soften, add the red pepper, mushrooms and snow peas. When the vegetables are almost tender-crisp, add the green curry sauce and bring everything to a simmer. Stir in the basil leaves, baby corn and tofu, and simmer until the corn and tofu are heated through. Serves 4.

Cynthia St-Pierre
vegetariandetective.blogspot.com
fashionationwithmystery.com
twitter.com/stpierrecynthia
A PURSE TO DIE FOR Amazon link

Lancelot's Lady by Cherish D'Angelo FREE August 3/4

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Lancelot's Lady by Cherish D'Angelo

A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down.
When palliative care nurse Rhianna McLeod is given a gift of a dream holiday to the Bahamas from her dying patient, billionaire JT Lance, Rhianna has no idea that her 'holiday' will include being stranded on a private island with Jonathan, an irritating but irresistibly handsome recluse. Or that she'll fall head over heels for the man.
Jonathan isn't happy to discover a drop-dead gorgeous redhead has invaded his island. But his anger soon turns to attraction. After one failed marriage, he has guarded his heart, but Rhianna's sudden appearance makes him yearn to throw caution to the wind.
To live fully in the present, Rhianna must resolve her own murky past, unravel the secret that haunts JT, foil the plans of a sleazy, blackmailing private investigator and help Jonathan find his muse. Only then can Rhianna find the love she's been searching for, and finally become...Lancelot's Lady.
Book Details:
FREE Kindle edition - August 3/4
Editorial Reviews:
"Romance, mystery, danger, black-mail, and twists and surprises, this tale contains them all… Despicable intentions threaten every character in this finely crafted tale of sweet tension…Lancelot's Lady is a non-stop adventure combined with the agonizing struggle to not give in to the magnetism between them. Enticing. Fun." ―Midwest Book Review
"From the cold rocky shores of Maine to the extravagant mansions of Miami to a lush tropical island in the Bahamas, Cherish D'Angelo takes her heroine through a series of breathtaking romantic adventures that mirror the settings, often in surprisingly ironic ways. A page turner in the best possible sense." ―Gail Bowen, author of the award-winning Joanne Kilbourn series
"Cherish D'Angelo has got that mythical "voice" down to a fine art." ―Jennifer L. Hart, author of River Rats
"Lancelot's Lady is riveting. It holds on and won't let you go! Cherish D'Angelo's descriptive powers are amazing. She summons up scenes like genies from bottles!" ―Susan J. McLeod, author of Soul and Shadow
Available at:

Meet Chris Redding

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Most writers will tell you that they can’t not write. I know. Double negative. But it’s true. We can’t just stop writing.

My husband has been a pilot for years. He doesn’t do it as a job, but as a hobby. He’s been flying airplanes longer than he’s been driving a car. He cleaned bathrooms at an airport in exchange for lessons. He once thought he’d never get to fly again. In some ways it was the end of the world for him.

I told him that is how I would feel if I never got to write again.

Writing is as much a part of me as breathing.  Though I think about writing more than I do about breathing.

I don’t know about how others feel. I can’t speak to that. After I write I feel as if I’m cranking on endorphins. I’ve been a runner in the distant past. I swam for exercise and still walk, but none of those activities give me the same high as writing.

That probably sounds odd. Oh well. It’s the reality of my existence. Maybe I’m a writing junkie. Always looking for that next fix. How illicit I have now made my writing.

When I don’t write for more than a few days, my head gets odd. The stories must be written down. If I don’t, then I begin to bump into walls. I unload the dishwasher and put things in the wrong places. I even lose sleep, which to me is worse than not eating. And I love to eat.

Writing is also a large part of my identity. Those rare times that I have thought about quitting, I could not imagine what I would fill that part of my life with if I did. I think I would have eventually come back to writing.

Meet Catherine Astolfo

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Fact and Fiction: Writing a Mystery Book by Catherine Astolfo

Writing mystery books is more difficult than it might appear. Only highly intelligent people can do it. Keeping all the clues straight requires an entire box of cue cards. Or a night’s worth of napkins from the pub. Or writing on the wall with washable markers. (Those were washable, right?)

There’s an old adage that says, “Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.” Writers can’t get all the research right every time, can we? I mean, sometimes the situation cries out for a manipulation of the facts.

In my first book, The Bridgeman, I portray an old-fashioned lift bridge and the person who manages it. I had to actually go and look at a bridge to see how that worked. My protagonist throughout the series, the Emily Taylor Mysteries, is a school principal in a small town. (Luckily, I was one in my other life.) When the caretaker is murdered in the school, I have to explain how the education system would handle such a thing. Then there is the puppy mill: for this section, as difficult as it was, I wrote about the experiences of my niece as a veterinarian’s assistant.

In Victim, I had to do a lot of reading about Ojibwa folklore and philosophy. Legacy returns to the school and its processes with Emily’s handling of a very dysfunctional family, plus there are tidbits about the effects of fire, inquests, and hypnosis. The research! My fourth book, Seventh Fire, discusses a wrongful conviction and how these tragic mistakes happen. My Forensics for Dummies and Criminal Investigative Failures are well thumbed.

There must be enough fact even in fiction. You can see why only highly intelligent people can write a mystery. (Or is that fiction?)

Find the links to all four Emily Taylor Mysteries here:

Visit Catherine at her website any time:



Meet Anna Patricio

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INSPIRATIONS FROM ANTIQUITY by Anna Patricio

Hardly anyone knows about Asenath, the Egyptian priestess who married Joseph the dreamer. Thus when writing my novel on her, I felt free to stretch my imagination to no end. I did, however, derive inspiration not only from Genesis (obviously) but also from some interesting tales outside the Biblical narrative.

One such tale would be Joseph and Asenath, which apparently dates to 1st century Alexandria. This story is like a fantasy; it involves Asenath seeing an angel who looks like Joseph and partaking of sacred honey which some “magical” bees feed her.

In my novel, I wanted to give a nod to this story but wasn’t sure how. When going through the last draft with my editor, she suggested that for a certain garden scene, I replace the butterflies with bees. I really like butterflies, but I also saw this as the perfect opportunity to acknowledge Joseph and Asenath. I wholeheartedly agreed.

In my novel, I took liberties with Asenath's parentage as well. I got the idea from a Jewish folktale which has Asenath as Dinah's daughter. Apparently, some folks didn't like the idea of Joseph marrying outside his people. Hence they made up a story in which Asenath was secretly Hebrew.

According to this tale, Asenath was born as a result of Dinah’s unfortunate incident at Shechem, where the latter was violated by a prince. After Dinah gave birth to Asenath, her brothers abandoned the baby in the wilderness.

The infant Asenath was rescued by an eagle who took her to the temple at Heliopolis. There, she was adopted by the high priest. Many years later, Joseph would recognise his long-lost niece by a medallion she wore which was engraved with Hebrew letters.

When writing on a little-known character, there truly is no limit to how you can imagine his or her life!


ASENATH is available in both ebook and paperback at Amazon.
For those in Sydney, Australia, the paperback edition is also available at  Abbey's Bookshop (across Queen Victoria Building in the city).

Website / Twitter / Facebook

Shadow of Innocence by Ric Wasley FREE July 28-30

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In the turbulent, exciting year of 1968, "Mick" McCarthy and his pretty, petite but tough-as-nails lover, Bridget Connolly, are thrown into a tangled maze of dark secrets, drugs, sex, rock & roll...and murder.
Blair Prentiss Vanderwall, the beautiful, pampered, pseudo-hippie daughter of a wealthy socialite family summering in Newport, Rhode Island, is found dead on a beach and the last person to be seen with her is the cousin of Mick’s army buddy, Smitty.
Backed by the last few bucks from McCarthy & Son Private Investigations, Mick and Bridget fire up Mick's motorcycle and head to Newport to retrace the last weeks of Blair's life, from the marble mansions of Newport to the free-flowing, free-love hippie crash pads and smoke-filled bars on Cape Cod, and backstage at the Newport Folk Festival.
As the shadows in Blair's life begin to take on a terrifying persona, threatening all who seek to shine a light on the mystery, Mick and Bridget must ask the real question―not who would have loved to wring Blair Vanderwall's pretty little neck...but who wouldn't.

FREE Kindle edition - July 28-30
Editorial Reviews:
"Colorful and exciting. Wasley is well versed in the 1960s New England music scene (he was a folksinger and rocker), and he is able to make us feel as though we are in that time and place." ―Booklist
“Here's a recipe for a page-turner: Take a moment of high American drama―the tumultuous year of 1968. Add some cool New England locations―Harvard Square and the Newport Folk festival. Throw in a wisecracking Boston detective. No, wait...make that a whole family of Boston detectives. Let Ric Wasley cook it all up for you. Then sit down and enjoy. You'll be glad you did.”  —William Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Back Bay
"P.I. Michael Prescott McCarthy, half Irish and half Boston Brahmin, and his partner Bridget Connolly go to Newport, RI, to rescue the cousin of his Vietnam army buddy. A killer in the tony resort is murdering people in vicious ways...Wasley uses his knowledge of music and personal experience in the Sixties to bring a certain reality to this tale." ―Library Journal
"If you enjoy mystery, there's plenty to go around, action too, and if you're into sixties music the scenes will resonate all the more." —Art Tirrell, author of The Secret Ever Keeps
Available at:

New release: A Purse to Die For by Melodie Campbell & Cynthia St-Pierre

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What’s more treacherous than navigating a pack of society matrons at a designer sale? 
Stalking a killer…
When fashionista and television celeb Gina Monroe goes home to attend the funeral of her late grandmother, the last thing she expects to encounter is murder. And the reading of the will is anything but fashionable as unanswered questions arise. Who is the dead woman in the woods behind the family house? And why is she dressed in Milano designer clothes?
With help from her cousin Tony and Detective Rob Dumont, Gina investigates the not-so-model citizens around her. When another murder occurs, a pattern slowly emerges and Gina wonders if her grandmother's death wasn't so natural after all.
Book Details:
ISBN: 978-1-926997-71-1 (Kindle ebook); $3.99 US; July 12, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-926997-72-8 (Trade paperback); $14.99 US; , 2012
Language: English
Editorial Reviews:
"Page-turning pace, fascinating characters, sly wit, and a plot that will keep you guessing." —Janet Bolin, Agatha-nominated author of Dire Threads
"Fast-paced suspense, charismatic characters, and dialogue to die for. Brisk plotting with a deadly twist at the end." —Lou Allin, author of She Felt No Pain
"Campbell and St. Pierre have style in the way they present, develop and portray their characters. This novel grabs hold of you from the get go with its cast of wacky and malicious relations. A delightful novel with complex relationships and a series of shocking secrets. The authors have a knack for wonderful turns of phrase, which are one reason why this novel is a delight to read. Then there is one mystery after another and suspense building to an unforgettable conclusion. Campbell and St. Pierre create a delectable concoction of savoury and unsavoury characters, sex, delicious humour and suspense. This winning combination can't help but delight readers." —Garry Ryan, Lambda-nominated author of Malabarista
"An old fashioned murder with modern sensibility; stylish characterization, and delicious plot; artistically woven." —Rebekkah Adams, author of Front Porch Mannequins
Available at:

Cheat the Hangman by Gloria Ferris FREE July 12-14

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WINNER OF THE 2012 BONY BLITHE LIGHT MYSTERY AWARD! 

Lyris Pembrooke unearths a terrible family secret in the old mansion she recently inherited. Investigating the tragedy, she delves into the psyche of a damaged WWII soldier, aided by her irrepressible spirit guide and the family psychic.
After inheriting Hammersleigh House from her eccentric great-uncle Patrick, Lyris Pembrooke makes a grisly discovery in the tower room of the Georgian-style mansion―the mummified remains of a child.
To uncover the mystery, Lyris is aided by family psychic Aunt Clematis and Leander, a spirit guide with an attitude, who prefers hanging out with Winston Churchill and John Lennon. While nurturing a new relationship with Blackshore’s Chief of Police, avoiding her controlling ex-husband’s demands, hosting this year’s family reunion and engaging in a psychological battle with the mansion's butler, Lyris is taxed to her limits.
During an oppressive summer heat wave, a tear in the gossamer veil that separates past and present forces Lyris to finally accept her psychic destiny. Driven to find out who murdered little Tommy Pembrooke sixty-eight years ago, she begins a journey back in time.
FREE Kindle edition - July 12-14
Editorial Reviews:
"A refreshing and chilling paranormal mystery you won't want to miss." ―Jeff Bennington, author of Reunion
"A dazzling blend of the bizarre and the domestic, horror and humour, nostalgia and intrigue." —John Moss, author of Reluctant Dead
"Satisfying and romantic…an excellent, enjoyable read!" ―Catherine Astolfo, author of the Emily Taylor Mysteries
"Entertaining and well written...No wonder it was shortlisted for Canada’s Unhanged Arthur Ellis Award." ―N.A.T. Grant, author of Race Without Rules
“A powerful, layered story told with clarity, pizzazz, and humour.” ―Eileen Schuh, author of Schrödinger’s Cat
Available at:

Asenath by Anna Patricio FREE July 10/11

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Two Destinies...One Journey of Love
In a humble fishing village on the shores of the Nile lives Asenath, a fisherman's daughter who has everything she could want. Until her perfect world is shattered.
When a warring jungle tribe ransacks the village and kidnaps her, separating her from her parents, she is forced to live as a slave. And she begins a journey that will culminate in the meeting of a handsome and kind steward named Joseph.
Like her, Joseph was taken away from his home, and it is in him that Asenath comes to find solace…and love. But just as they are beginning to form a bond, Joseph is betrayed by his master’s wife and thrown into prison.
Is Asenath doomed to a lifetime of losing everything and everyone she loves?
FREE Kindle Edition - July 10/11
Editorial Reviews:
"High adventure and passionate love amid the turbulent world of Ancient Egypt." ―Mirella Patzer, author of THE BLIGHTED TROTH
"A captivating love story." ―Lee Harmon, author of REVELATION: THE WAY IT HAPPENED
"A true clash of cultures and religion with love as the bridge to happiness." ―Haley Elizabeth Garwood, author of THE WARRIOR QUEEN series
"Absorbing and well researched…beautiful." ―Diana Wallis Taylor, author of JOURNEY TO THE WELL
"An intriguing look at an almost-forgotten woman of the Bible." ―India Edghill, author of QUEENMAKER
"Transports you to an ancient land of mystery and breathes vibrant life into a little-known figure from a well known story." ―Bruce Judisch, author of A PROPHET'S TALE
"A compelling read." ―Deborah Galiley, author of POLISHED ARROWS
"A beautiful, tightly woven story of many colors, both epic and intimate in scope." ―Susan J. McLeod, author of SOUL AND SHADOW
Available at: