Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder the latest mystery by Valerie Burns
Author Interview + Book&Author info + Author Pet Corner + Rafflecopter Giveaway!
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Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder
In this delectable new cozy mystery series, social media maven Maddy Montgomery’s perfectly ’grammable life has come undone, and she’s #StartingOver in a tiny town with one giant problem—a killer on the loose . . .
When Maddy Montgomery’s groom is a no-show to their livestream wedding, it’s a disaster that no amount of filtering can fix. But a surprise inheritance offers a chance to regroup and rebrand—as long as Maddy is willing to live in her late, great-aunt Octavia’s house in New Bison, Michigan, for a year, running her bakery and caring for a 250-pound English mastiff named Baby.
Maddy doesn’t bake, and her Louboutins aren’t made for walking giant dogs around Lake Michigan, but the locals are friendly and the scenery is beautiful. With help from her aunt’s loyal friends, aka the Baker Street Irregulars, Maddy feels ready to tackle any challenge, including Octavia’s award-winning cake recipes. That is, until New Bison’s mayor is fatally stabbed, and Maddy’s fingerprints are found on the knife . . .
Something strange is going on in New Bison. It seems Aunt Octavia had her suspicions, too. But Maddy’s going to need a whole lot more than a trending hashtag to save her reputation—and her life.
Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder (A Baker Street Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Michigan
Kensington Cozies (August 30, 2022)
Paperback : 272 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496738225
ISBN-13 : 978-1496738226
Digital ASIN : B09MZTN6YC
To purchase Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder, click on any of the following links: Amazon, Apple, Books-A-Million, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, Google Play, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Target & KOBO
Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder — Author Interview with Valerie Burns
Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder features social media maven Maddy Montgomery. What did Maddy love about her social media world (which has gone terribly awry!).
Social media provides a platform for people to express their views to the world. Maddy can upload pictures, post snarky comments, and through likes/follows build a following with people across the globe she’s never met.
Her followers fill a void that she is missing in her life.
Tell us about New Bison, Michigan:
New Bison, Michigan is a small, sleepy resort town on the shores of Lake Michigan. It’s 70 miles from Chicago, but you wouldn’t know it to look at it.
Who are the Baker Street Irregulars?
Octavia Baker owned Baby Cakes Bakery in New Bison, Michigan. She was also a huge fan of mysteries and especially of Sherlock Holmes. She and her friends used to meet on Sundays and puzzle out the tough mysteries that Sheriff April Johnson had to figure out.
English mastiffs are amazing dogs. What drew you to including that breed in your new series?
English mastiffs are amazing dogs. They’re enormous, and in movies, they are often portrayed as vicious. However, I have two friends who owned English mastiffs, who told me a different story. Their dogs were goofballs who were misrepresented.
Personally, I own two small poodles, but I wondered what it would be like to own a dog that topped 200+ lbs. Including a mastiff in my book allows me to experience the joy of owning a big dog with none of the problems.
As an established author with multiple series, what do you love about mystery series? Any favorite series you love to follow?
I’ve loved mysteries for a long, long time. I got hooked on Agatha Christie at a young age and then devoured everything I could find that was even remotely similar.
I love the puzzle. I love how mystery authors create an engaging tale while dropping clues and red herrings. I love pitting my brain against that of the author as I try to figure out which clues are important and which ones are meant to throw me off the scent. Solving puzzles is what I love about reading and writing mysteries.
I love a LOT of mystery series. A few of my favorites are The Gaslight Mystery series by Victoria Thompson, Mrs. Jeffries Mystery series by Emily Brightwell, Nero Wolfe Mystery series by Rex Stout, all books by Agatha Christie.
I also enjoy the Gethsemane Brown series by Alexia Gordon, Sarah Blair Mystery series by Debra H. Goldstein, and Kinsey Milhone series by Sue Grafton. My shelves are full of mysteries, but those are just a few of my favs.
What are you working on now?
At the moment, I’m writing the 4th and final book in my RJ Franklin Mystery series.
It’s been hard since the first book in this series was the first book I ever finished. It wasn’t the first book I got published, but it was the first book I wrote. I struggled to find an agent, and a publisher. I also got a ton of rejections. Yet, I continued on. It’s the series that is closest to my heart because it is set in a fictionalized version of my hometown. It’s also the only book with a character based on a real person, Mama B, Mrs. Ella Bethany. She was my godmother and someone I wanted to honor in my books. I’ve struggled with lots of emotions as I bring this labor of love to a close.
Final words of wisdom for aspiring writers:
Write. If you want to write, do it. Don’t wait until you hit the lottery, the planets line up, or your ship comes in. Make time in your life and put pen to paper or hands on the keyboard and write.
And, don’t give up.
Some of the most successful authors were rejected (a lot). Rejections don’t mean your work isn’t good. It might not be good, not every book that makes it to publication is Noble Prize-worthy. Writing. Yet, you never know what will resonate with readers.
Author Pet Corner!
Valerie Burns — Author of Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder
Valerie (V. M.) Burns is the author of the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series. Her first book, The Plot is Murder, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Debut Novel. She is the author of the Dog Club Mystery Series, the RJ Franklin Mysteries, a three-time finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and an Edgar Award-nominated short story.
Her newest series, Baker Street Mysteries, will release later this year, and her Pet Detective Mystery series will release in 2023. Valerie is on the board of Sisters in Crime and the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She is also a member of Dog Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, and International Thriller Writers.
She is a manager for a Fortune 100 company and a mentor in the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie currently lives in the southeastern United States with her two poodles. Readers can visit her website at vmburns.com.
To learn more about Valerie, click on her name, photo, or any of the following links: Bookbub, Facebook, GoodReads, Instagram, Twitter
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Visit all the Stops on the Tour!
August 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
August 22 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
August 23 – The Mystery Section – GUEST POST
August 23 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 24 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
August 25 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 25 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 26 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
August 26 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 27 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST
August 27 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 27 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 28 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 28 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 29 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
August 29 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
August 30 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
August 30 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 31 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
August 31 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 1 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW
September 2 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
September 2 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
September 3 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 4 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator 2020
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery 2020
The Foundation of Plot, a Wait, Wait, Don’t Query (Yet!) guidebook.
