Winnie Archer and A Murder Yule Regret, book seven of the Bread Shop Mysteries
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner + Rafflecopter Giveaway
A Murder Yule Regret
Freelance photographer and Yeast of Eden bakery assistant Ivy Culpepper has just scored the job of a lifetime shooting the Dickensian dress-up X-mas party thrown by It Girl film actress Eliza Fox . . . until an unwanted guest appears.
A holiday costume party in the sleepy coastal town of Santa Sofia could be just the boost Ivy needs for her fledgling photography business. At the party, Ivy enters a Victorian fantasy come to life, all courtesy of the fabulous Ms. Fox. Ivy gets to play shutterbug while hanging with Scrooge, Marley, the Cratchits, and more classic Dickens characters. But what begins as the best of times turns out to be the very worst for one of the party guests—a tabloid journalist with more enemies than Ebenezer himself.
When the man’s body is found sprawled across the jagged rocks below the house, the fingers begin pointing at Eliza. Meanwhile, Ivy gets roped into helping prove the starlet’s innocence. Her festive photos are now official evidence—and the Ghosts of Christmas Present could mean the party for Eliza is over, once and for all.ance photographer and Yeast of Eden bakery assistant Ivy Culpepper has just scored the job of a lifetime shooting the Dickensian dress-up X-mas party thrown by It Girl film actress Eliza Fox . . . until an unwanted guest appears.
A holiday costume party in the sleepy coastal town of Santa Sofia could be just the boost Ivy needs for her fledgling photography business. At the party, Ivy enters a Victorian fantasy come to life, all courtesy of the fabulous Ms. Fox. Ivy gets to play shutterbug while hanging with Scrooge, Marley, the Cratchits, and more classic Dickens characters. But what begins as the best of times turns out to be the very worst for one of the party guests—a tabloid journalist with more enemies than Ebenezer himself.
When the man’s body is found sprawled across the jagged rocks below the house, the fingers begin pointing at Eliza. Meanwhile, Ivy gets roped into helping prove the starlet’s innocence. Her festive photos are now official evidence—and the Ghosts of Christmas Present could mean the party for Eliza is over, once and for all.
To purchase A Murder Yule Regret click on any of the following links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound
A Murder Yule Regret (A Bread Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Publisher : Kensington Cozies (November 30, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 149673355X
ISBN-13 : 978-1496733559
Digital ASIN : B08Y69YZKB
Winnie Archer — The Interview
Tell us about Ivy Culpepper, the amateur sleuth in your Bread Shop Mystery Series:
I’d love to! Ivy was born and raised in Santa Sofia. She and Miquel Baptista were high school sweethearts, but a misunderstanding tore them apart. Ivy ends up leaving, attending UT Austin in Texas, and marrying Luke Holden. They eventually divorce and after Ivy’s mother unexpectedly dies, Ivy gives up her photography business and comes back to her hometown.
She meets Olaya Solis, owner of the artisan bread shop, Yeast of Eden. Olaya seems to know what Ivy needs more than Ivy does. This is how Ivy gets involved with the bread shop. She becomes an apprentice to Olaya, learning the ins and outs of traditional break making.
A Murder Yule Regret is book seven, anything readers should know about the first six?
If a reader jumps into book seven without having read the previous books in the series, it will be fine! The threads of Ivy and Miguel’s relationship, along with Emmaline Davis and Ivy’s brother, Billy, and even Owen’s, Ivy’s father, develop over the course of the series, but each book is a stand-alone mystery.
I love a good holiday cozy. What about the holidays says murder to you?
Haha! I love the holidays, in general. I have great memories of my childhood holidays. My mom did a great job of making them feel special, and I’ve continued that with my own kids (who are now 19 though 29!). Capturing that in a holiday cozy is so much fun. It feels nostalgic and magical.
The murder is a necessary evil. Then again, I’m not sure I could write a book without a murder in it!
How do you like to celebrate? Are you doing anything special this year?
We have an annual tradition of hosting a tamale-making party, called a tamalada.
We invite friends and family over, teach anyone who doesn’t already know from past tamaladas, how to make the tamales, then we proceed to make dozens upon dozens upon dozens. We generally average anywhere from 8-12 dozen, depending upon how many people we invite. Last year, with the pandemic, it was just our immediate family.
We eat pozole, then have the tamales when they’re done cooking, then we just enjoy each other some more with talk and karaoke and games!
You also write the Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series and the Book Magic Mysteries under the name Melissa Bourbon. What’s your process like for keeping your characters and the voice of each series separate?
The set up for each series is so different from the next, and by the end of the first book, I really know who each character is and what makes them unique. They all have different reasons for doing what they do (ie: getting involved in crime solving), and they all have such different backstories, which are important to varying degrees. That also helps keep their voices distinct.
What are you working on now?
The 8th Bread Shop book, Bread Over Troubled Water, is done and with my editor. It will be out next year.
Right now I’m finishing Murder Through an Open Door, the 3rd Book Magic mystery. I love this series so much! If it’s new to you, start with Murder in Devil’s Cove. The new one releases on February 1.
Check out our interview and my review of Murder in Devil’s Cove by clicking the link here.
Words of Wisdom for Writers
Gosh, after so many years writing, I have a lot to share. So much so that I have created WriterSpark Writing Academy for aspirating fiction writers. The first course, 30 Days to Craft Your Novel is up for pre-sale right now, and officially launches on January 1st, 2022. I am SO excited about this endeavor. It’s close to my heart and fulfills my desire to teach.
If I have to pick one bit of wisdom to share with aspiring writers, it’s Carpe Diem! Let go of fear and doubt, and seize the day.
Check it out: https://writersparkwritingacademy.teachable.com/
Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom and your latest novel with us! I look forward to having you back next year!
Author Pet Corner!
We have a pug (Bean), a chug (Dobby), and a brand new puppy (Piper!).
Winnie Archer
Winnie Archer is the nationally bestselling author of the Bread Shop Mystery series, and the Magical Dressmaking Mystery series written as Melissa Bourbon.
A former middle school English teacher, lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and the youngest of their five children.
She can be found online at MelissaBourbon.com.
To learn more about Winnie Archer/Melissa Bourbon click on the following links: Kensington & Facebook
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Visit all the Stops on the Great Escapes Book Tour for Winnie Archer!
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November 29 – Reading Authors Network – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE
November 30 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST
November 30 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
December 1 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
December 1 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
December 2 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 2 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
December 3 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 3 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
December 4 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
December 5 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
December 5 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
December 6 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
December 6 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 7 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, RECIPE
December 7 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 8 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
December 9 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
December 9 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
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
