Advent Calendar - Day 20 A VERY SPECIAL GIVEAWAY

 WELL, THIS IS EMBARRASSING. TWO POSTS WENT UP YESTERDAY. That was obviously a mistake. So I'm reposting this today because otherwise I'm going to be short a post. ARGHHHHH. Sorry about that! 

Good morning! I have something different in the way of giveaways today. I think it's a very cool gift, but who knows? 

Anyway. I've decided to gift 5 subscriptions to my Patreon at the Murder, My Sweet (that's the $5.00) tier for one full year.

What do you get to access at that tier? Well, it's changed over time (and will continue to change) but as of right now:

• Access to one chapter a week of a story written specifically for Patreon - starting in February 2025 (project to be determined).

• A minimum of one rough draft chapter a month of What Lies Beneath (Mystery at the Masquerade from Jack's POV)

• Bonus materials such as story snippets, character interviews, artwork (not including Monday Man Art), deleted scenes, holiday codas/epilogues, character notes, etc.

• Sea Change - Murder at Pirate's Cove (first book in The Secrets and Scrabble series retold from Jack's POV). The final version will be collected in an edited epub exclusive to Patreon members who subscribe at this tier following your 1st month anniversary   

• The edited and formatted digital editions of each Secrets and Scrabble cozy mystery published during your subscription period (I don't know that I'm writing any S&S next year, to TBH).

How do you get your name into the running for a gift subscription? Obviously, I'd like these to go to genuine fans. So comment down below about any one of my books that really means something to you.  Tell me why you love that particular book. I'll give it a week and then randomly select from the responses I like best. Because the membership will begin on January 1st, there's a shorter window to respond. I plan to send out the winners their gift links on December 30th.

Now, I should also mention that I'm currently running a 50% discount on a one year subscription to Patreon. Those discounts apply to four tiers, beginning  at the $20.00 tier. You cannot have previously subscribed to Patreon, I believe, though if you're there as a free member, I think you can use the discount code. That code is 38CE0. It expires December 31st. 

It's actually a really nice deal though, because you can participate at the $20.00 tier with all its rewards, for the price of the $10.00 tier! For a full year! 

(This is the first year Patreon has offered creators these kinds of tools for promotion, so we'll see how it goes. Which is my vague way of warning that there's no guarantee I ever do any of this again.)

Anyway, if a gift membership sounds like fun to you, comment about which of my books means the most to you below! 

Advent Calendar Day 21 - A Giveaway!

 

Happy Solstice!

This giveaway has no geographic restrictions. Today I'm giving away 3 print copies of ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS.

In 2012 I began a holiday tradition of writing Christmas codas for some of my -- and your -- favorite stories. I ran the codas on my blog and left them up there for readers to enjoy all year round. Eventually readers began asking if the codas could be collected, formatted, and made available for purchase. 

I thought that was a fun idea, so I did that very thing. The codas were edited, some expanded a bit, formatted and collected in two digital collections along with a few recipes for cocktails and dishes that were either featured in the original works or added (IMHO) a final comment or insight into the era or the characters or their relationship.

This print collection contains the two digital collections, meaning codas from 2012 - 2017. I've just about got enough codas to do a third digital collection, which I plan to put together after this year's holiday codas. At that point I believe I'll have written a holiday coda for nearly every one of my stories! 

Anyway, to win one of these three copies, just comment below on which of my character pairings are your favorite--and why that is. 

Advent Calendar Day 10 - A Giveaway

 

Good morning! Or, contrariwise, Good evening! 

How is the holiday season going for you so far? The SO is currently sick, and I'm living in fear I'm going to catch it. Granted, I'm writing this on the 4th of December, so by now I might have caught his cold and even maybe recovered from it. Fingers crossed I don't catch it at all. 

Anyway.

I have another giveaway! This one is without geographic restriction. It's aimed primarily at readers who are new to me (trying to get a little something for everyone in here). 

I'm giving away 50 downloads of Hide and Seek. 

Just click to download. You don't need a code and you're not signing up for anything.

Hide and Seek is a standalone novel set during the Christmas season, though it's not really a Christmas story. I suspect I will once again not have time for a Christmas story this year, though I had one in mind. It's called The Gumdrop Kid, and one of these days I'm surely going to have the time to write it.

In the meantime, this is a first come, first serve giveaway. No password or signup required. 

Advent Calendar Day 6 - A Giveaway!

 GOOD MORNING! 

Happy Wednesday. We're halfway through the week. What the what? 

Today I thought I'd do a giveaway. This first giveaway will be US only because the price of shipping is kind of prohibitive.

Anyway, I'm giving away one large size version of our LGBTQAI Holiday Winter Blanket. It's basically a soft and light reading blanket, very nice for cuddling up in a chair and a good book. 

(By the way, the mockup shows the design cut off, but it's not cut off in real life.)  

Anyway, what do you have to do to be in the running for this giveaway? Basically, comment below and share one thing you're really looking forward to this holiday season. We could all use some happy thoughts and positive forward thinking. That's it. In a week or so, I'll get the Office Elf to randomly draw a name for the comments below. 

Good luck! I look forward to reading your plans for a holly jolly holiday season! 

Advent Calendar Day 17

 EIGHT, COUNT 'EM EIGHT DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I'm working on some codas, so hopefully I'll have one ready to go for you soon! 

In the meantime, I thought I'd share the audio of one of my very favorite (own) Christmas stories. It's a nutty little short called "The Boy Next Door," and it's narrated by the always terrific Kale Williams.

You can listen right here.

Advent Calendar Day 16

 

Good morning!

How is your holiday season going? I HAVE ALL MY HOLIDAY SHOPPING COMPLETE. The final gift was for my 10th grade journalism teacher, the former Ms. Matsukado. I hadn't heard from her for a while, so I was a little bit worried. But then she popped up in my in box, and all's right with the world.

Anyway, that's my good news. What's yours?

Oh. More good news!

Fatal Shadows: The Collector's Edition goes live everywhere today

For some reason Amazon can't seem to figure out that this is a different edition from the original, so it's linked it with the original (wrong) paperback and the (wrong) audio, although the hardcover is correct. I was hoping that they'd sort it out by the time it went live, but nope.

Anyway, if you want the final Adrien English short story it is EXCLUSIVELY in the Collector's Edition.  :-D  Along with all the interviews and codas and artwork and so forth.  

Since I haven't done any giveaways in the calendar this year, I thought I'd gift five copies of the digital edition to youse guys. To be entered in the giveaway, share your favorite quote from any of the books in the AE series down below.  Next week I'll randomly select five people from the comment section. 

****OH! BOTH THE HARDCOVER AND SOFTCOVER ARE ON SALE ON AMAZON AGAIN!!!

Advent Calendar Day 6

 

So This is Monday. ;-) 

So This is a giveaway. Though it's really for those of you who are newer to my work or just never got around to picking up the Christmas stories. 

The thing is, mystery and suspense are my passion, no question, but there's just something about Christmas stories. The SO teases me about my loathing for "heartwarming," but every hardboiled dame has a sentimental streak, and I'm no different. I like puppies and hot cocoa (pref with brandy) and old fashioned Christmas cards with sparkly glitter that somehow ends up on your cheeks for the rest of the day. I don't deny it. 

I like writing Christmas stories, so take that.  

Enywhoo I'm giving away 200 copies of The Dickens with Love, (which is possibly my all time favorite Christmas story), on Prolific Works. Click here. The password is happyholidays1 (space and case sensitive) and it would be super  nice of you if you signed up for my newsletter (you can always unsubscribe). 

What the Story is About...

Three years ago, a scandal cost antiquarian book hunter James Winter everything that mattered to him: his job, his partner, and his self-respect. But now the rich and unscrupulous Mr. Stephanopoulos has a proposition. A previously unpublished Christmas book by Charles Dickens has turned up in the hands of an English chemistry professor by the name of Sedgwick Crisparkle. Mr. S. wants that book at any price -- and he needs James to get it for him. There's just one catch. James can't tell the nutty professor who the buyer is.

Actually, two catches because the nutty Professor Crisparkle turns out to be totally gorgeous -- and on the prowl. Faster than you can say "Old Saint Nick," James is mixing business with pleasure -- and in real danger of forgetting that this is just a holiday romance.

Two hundred copies, and when they're gone, they're gone. So get 'em while the gettin's good.

And when you've read the story, here's the coda I wrote for James and Sedgwick. 

Advent Calendar - Day 1

 

Happy Holidays! 

Yep, through wind or rain or sleet or pandemic, the holidays are back. With a vengeance. Well, no. Hopefully NOT with a vengeance. We've had plenty of that already, thankyouverymuch. 

No question this has been one weird-ass year. And I'll be honest, my cup is not one-hundred-percent brimming with holiday cheer. Not yet. But I'm getting there. Day by day, snowflake by snowflake, I'm working my way toward Joy. Because really, there is LOT to be joyful for this year. Even if you have to stop and think about it. Hard. Sometimes. Sometimes it's been hard. But we're still alive. If you're reading this, you're still alive, and that's something. A starting point? However, I know some of us have had a HORRENDOUS time of it. So maybe, just maybe, I can do something to help that.

Because that's really the goal of this little "Advent calendar." To say thank you to my readers and to share a little bit of holiday fun.

So here is the now (probably familiar) drill. Every morning through Christmas Day there will be something  posted to this blog to start your day off with a smile.

Maybe I'll share a favorite holiday song or a lovely photo or a vintage cartoon or a cocktail recipe or maybe I'll give something away. Speaking of giveaways. Last years giveaways did not go out until last week, so some of you may have puzzled over receiving some oddball holiday items from Ebay or Etsy. THAT WAS ME. THAT WAS ME SENDING YOU YOUR PRIZE IN TIME FOR **THIS** YEAR'S HOLIDAY! I know what you're thinking--I think it too--but after all, a surprise delayed is a...evenmore surprising surprise. Right? The good news is I've ALREADY bought my vintage goodies for this year, so the prizes will go out much, much faster.

Some days we'll have fiction--sometimes from me or maybe from one of our talented contributors. Other days we'll have art, a poem...one thing for sure, every day I'll have some small little "gift" for you to enjoy.

And if you're feeling creative or inspired and would like to contribute something to this year's calendar, that would be terrific! Don't be shy. You can reach me right through my website or on Facebook. You'd be very welcome! 

Otherwise, there really is nothing for you to do but show up and enjoy--well, and to participate occasionally in so far as letting contributors know you're enjoying our efforts. (I'll be honest, it's a wee bit disappointing when we get 2800 views and only two comments. ;-))

But anyway, we're all doing the best we can. And the best I can do is this small attempt to say... 

Thank You! 

Thank you for your support throughout the year(s) whether it's through buying my books, contributing to my Patreon, writing reviews, sending me such kind letters, or simply spreading your enjoyment of my stories on social media. It all means so much. (And that's the truth.)

So here we go! Happy Holidays and may 2020 end with love, laughter and lots of happy surprises! Thank you--sincerely--for being here.

Comment below as to what you are most looking forward to this holiday season, and you'll be automatically entered into a drawing for a (vintage) small and kooky holiday-themed planter.

Advent Calendar - Day 21

Good morning! Today we're doing something completely different. The fiendishly talented (emphasis on fiendish) Haldis came up with an idea (I KNOW, I KNOW, ) for a fun little version of a kind of Mad Libs game based on a scene from one of my Christmas stories.

So I'll let Haldis explain it in her own words, but basically you make a list of words using Haldis's list as your guide, paste your list into the comments section below, and then on Monday I'll post two or three versions of the actual scene using the replacement words from the submissions.

The prize will be... Hmmm... I'm not sure yet! We'll have to see how this turns out. But there will be some kind of prize. I'll give it some thought before Monday.

Anywhoooooo, here's Haldis:

A terrible thing has happened, Dearest Fanyons, and I need your help. Some of Josh’s wonderful, amazing words have vanished from one of her Christmas stories and I need your imagination and creativity to replace them. I have every faith that you are up to the task! Good luck!

Here is the list of what we need:

Noun

A food

A food

Verb

Plural Noun

Noun

Verb

Name #1

Name #2

Noun

A Number

Verb

Plural Noun

Noun

Adverb

A food

Body part

Adjective

Noun

Verb

A Food

Body part

Verb

Adjective

Adjective

The new completed story will be posted on Monday after all of the words have been replaced.

Advent Calendar- Day 15

Teaser by Johanna Ollila

Wow! Here we are on the 15th day of the month. December is half over and the year is nearly gone.

Today we're going to bring back one of our--okay, one of MY--favorite Advent Calendar activities, and that's picking quotes from my books that I can use as teasers.

So maybe this is more a gift to me than to you. :-D It's always so interesting though to see what lines really resonate with readers. Sometimes it's a line I love too and sometimes it's a line I never thought much about. But either they give me something to hang a bit of promo on! I love making teasers, I love matching art to words.

So today's "game" if you will, is to share some of your favorite lines from your favorite JL stories. You can pick any story you like, but if you're looking for inspiration, I don't have any teasers from the first two All's Fair books, or from Strange Fortune or The Darkling Thrush or most of the short stories or the novellas. There's a lot of un-mined teaser territory to choose from.

And the giveaway today are three mugs--they're nice! they're not plastic!--with the Bedknobs and Broomsticks "logo." The winners will be randomly chosen from your submission/comments below.

 I'll leave this one open for a bit so that everyone who wants to has time to participate!