A Perfect Bind, the latest cozy by Dorothy St. James
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Rafflecopter Giveaway + Author Pet Corner!
A Perfect Bind
Librarian Tru Beckett, ardent defender of the printed word, is about to find out that keeping murder checked out of her beloved library is much harder than she thought…
Tru Beckett succeeded in building a secret book room in her now bookless library, where book lovers from lovely Cypress, South Carolina, can rejoice in the printed word. Now she’s working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her “real job” upstairs in the bookless technology center.
The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who seems intent on breaking into her secret book-filled sanctuary and creating chaos. The nasty interloper doesn’t steal anything, but brutalizes the books, damaging them and knocking them off shelves.
A patron of the secret book room tells Tru that there have been creepy goings-on at the library for years, especially in the basement where the secret book room is located. He’s heard rumors of a poltergeist that haunts the library, determined to scare off readers.
Tru is certain it’s hogwash, but she’s at a loss to think of who might be vandalizing the beautiful books she fought so hard to protect. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, Tru is certain that it’s not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby Dewey Decimal will need to uncover.
To purchase A Perfect Bind, click on any of the following links: Amazon – Penguin Random House – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound
A Perfect Bind (A Beloved Bookroom Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher : Berkley (September 28, 2021)
Hardcover : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593098609
ISBN-13 : 978-0593098608
Digital ASIN : B08SJLRBJN
Dorothy St. James — The Interview
A Broken Spine was the first book in your Beloved Bookroom Mystery series. Before we talk about The Perfect Bind, what should we know about Trudell Beckett and her hidden library?
Trudell Becket is the assistant librarian, working for the public library in the small Southern town of Cypress in South Carolina. Tru—as her friends call her—loves books. Books were her lifeline when she was a teen and her parents were going through an ugly divorce. The town leaders, hoping to attract high-tech industry and jobs to their town, decide to invest in the library. They turn it into a high-tech bookless library.
Tru is horrified by this! She’s found so many great books simply by wandering through the stacks. A computer screen cannot do the same. She decides she must act.
As the printed books are being carted away, she takes many of the books and takes them to the library’s basement where she opens a secret bookroom. Patrons who can be trusted to keep a secret (the same people who can be trusted with a family recipe) are invited to come to the library. For the other gossipier patrons who cannot be trusted, Tru carries a tote bag of books around with her, loaning out her books to them.
The town starts to see her like a modern-day Robin Hood, but with books.
What makes Tru so certain it’s not a poltergeist vandalizing her beloved library?
A poltergeist? Really? Tru is too pragmatic to believe in ghosts. Besides which, she’s worked at the library her entire adult life. She’s never seen or witnessed a ghost before. She’s not about to start believing that one is causing her trouble now.
That said, the more the books get tossed around in the secret bookroom for apparently no reason, the more she’ll start questioning that perhaps, perhaps ghosts could exist.
Tell us about Dewey Decimal:
Dewey Decimal is Tru’s tabby cat with a strange marking that looks eerily like a skull on the top of his head. He snuck into the library one night when she was sneaking into through the backdoor to move the books to the basement. She ended up adopting him.
Or perhaps he adopted her?
She brings him to work with her. He hangs out in the basement bookroom and entertains the patrons. He seems to love books as much as Tru does, and he seems to know more than anyone else about the troubles that are happening at the library. It’s a shame that he cannot talk.
The Perfect Bind is set in Cypress, South Carolina. Tell us about the community.
Cypress is a small fictional town located in the foothills of South Carolina. It’s in the middle of the state where it’s awfully rural. Time seems to stand still in this part of the state.
In some areas, buildings haven’t been updated since the 1950s. It’s an area that is both quaint and, yes, in need of new industry. Cypress’s town leaders weren’t wrong in trying to attract higher paying jobs. They’re tired of seeing their children move away after graduating from high school.
Cypress is named for the cypress trees that grow in and around the town. They give the area a gothic feeling. Tru has always enjoyed that.
The town is also located on the banks of Lake Marion, a lake that was constructed in the 1940s to provide electricity to the rural parts of the state via a hydro-electric dam. The fishing is great in the town.
There are many wonderful shops, several restaurants. Y’all should come visit. I think you’ll fall in love with the place. Tru sure loves her hometown and cannot imagine living anywhere else.
You also write romance novels, tell us about your work as Dorothy McFalls:
As Dorothy McFalls, I write Regency romances and romantic suspense novels. I also have a few paranormal suspense novels available. I started out my writing career writing cozy mysteries, but I was still learning the craft. I then wrote several romances and found some success writing them. I do enjoy the romance genre! But my heart has always been in writing cozy mysteries.
I haven’t written a romance in a while now, but there are stories that keep playing around in my mind. I might go back and write a few more. But not right now. I’m busy with other projects.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on several projects. I hope to have the fifth Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery out to readers in 2022, The Trouble with Truffles. Just when Penn thought it was safe to go back into the dating pool, she discovers her new beau, Harley Dalton, has been keeping a secret from her, a secret that is so terrible she can barely believe it’s true: He likes to dress up as his favorite sci-fi characters.
I’m also working on a nature-based women’s fiction that takes me back to my wildlife biology roots. It’s thrilling and a little exciting.
Finally, I’m plotting out ideas for the fourth book in the Beloved Bookroom Mystery series. With any luck, Tru will be back protecting her precious books for years to come. Book 3, Book Clubbed to Death is written and will be released in the fall of 2022. The Cypress Arete Society is the town’s oldest and most respected book club. When Tru is invited to speak to the club about the library, its modernization, and her efforts to bring printed books to the reading public at one of the book club meetings, she arrives early to the meeting to find the book club president lying on the floor dead. All the evidence points to Detective Jace Bailey’s mother, Hazel, the host for the meeting. Tru jumps in to help Jace investigate and prove his mother’s innocence.
Final words of wisdom for aspiring writers:
If you want to write, write. Don’t worry if it’s not good enough. Don’t worry if you have enough talent or not. YOU CAN DO THIS. Everyone has a story to tell. The craft of writing is something anyone can learn as long as she takes the time to study it. YOU CAN DO THIS. Learn your craft. Write your story. It will be wonderful.
Fabulous advice. Thank you for joining us to chat about your latest release!
Author Pet Corner!
Our oldest is Suki. She’s a longhaired cat with Siamese markings.
She is one of the friendliest cats you’d ever meet. She loves being around people. She loves playing with our small dog, Panda.
She expects to get a treat at bedtime. We feel lucky to have her in our life.
Rosie is our former foster puppy that never left the house. She was skittish and is one of those dogs born with a nervous personality that will never really improve. We fostered her. She was adopted out. And swiftly returned.
After that happened, we made the decision to give her a forever home in our house. We’ve since discovered that she has several medical issues that probably contributes to her behavior troubles. But she tries to be friendly. But she has a personality like Eeyore’s. She’d rather be in a room by herself.
And we love her for it.
Panda (our pandemic puppy) is our newest addition to our furry family.
He’s a chihuahua-yorkie mix. And look, he has blue eyes just like Suki!
He sings when he’s happy, which brings us endless joy. He wants to be the center of attention. He sleeps in my daughter’s room and keeps her company.
He’s the kind of dog that you look at and smile. And we’ve needed all the smiles we can get lately. He’s a blessing.
Adorable animals! Thank you for sharing them with us.
Dorothy St. James, author of A Perfect Bind
Dorothy St. James is the author of the White House Gardener Mysteries and the Southern Chocolate Shop Mysteries.
She lives in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with her sculptor husband.
Dorothy is a member of Mystery Writers of America (MWA) and the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sister’s in Crime (SInC). This is her second Beloved Bookroom Mystery.
To learn more about Dorothy, click on her name, photo, or any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
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A Perfect Bind – Visit all the stops on the Great Escapes Book Tour!
September 28 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST
September 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
September 29 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
September 30 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
September 30 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 1 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 1 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
October 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
October 2 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
October 3 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
October 3 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 4 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 4 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 5 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
October 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
October 7 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 7 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST
October 8 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT
October 8 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
October 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 9 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT
October 10 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 10 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 11 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
October 11 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite bookstores and on-line retailers.
For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator 2020
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery 2020
Thank you for having me on your blog today! I love talking about my books and my writing
A pleasure to have you visit with us! Best of luck with your latest book.