Poisoned by the Pier Release - Interview with Mrs. Moto

Please welcome the wonderful Ellen Jacobson and the incredibly smart, adorable Mrs. Moto!

An Interview with Mrs. Moto—The Feline Star of Poisoned by the Pier

Readers sometimes tell me that their favorite character in my Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mysteries is Mrs. Moto, a calico Japanese bobtail cat. And that makes total sense—because she’s utterly adorable! In fact, I think I could write an entire book just about her. Who needs a plot when you have a cat in your book?

As part of the celebration for the release of the latest book in the series, Poisoned by the Pier, I asked Mrs. Moto if she wouldn’t mind being interviewed. After all, she’s become quite the cozy mystery celebrity. Here’s what she had to say.

Interview with Mrs. Moto

1 – Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My humans, Mollie and Scooter McGhie, adopted me (you can read more about that in Murder at the Marina). We live on a sailboat at the Palm Tree Marina in Florida. I spend my days chasing lizards, visiting people on their boats, napping, and making sure my humans always have plenty of cans of Frisky Feline Ocean’s Delight on board. Oh, yeah, I help solve mysteries.

2 – What role do you play in solving the murder mysteries?

Mollie would be lost without me. Sometimes, a clue can be staring her in the face, but she won’t see it unless I point it out to her. People have said that I’m the best clue-finding cat in the business.

3 – Star Wars or Star Trek?

While Data has a cat, Spot, in Star Trek: The Next Generation, I’m going to have to go with Star Wars. Mollie likes Star Wars too. So much in fact that her cake baking competition and pet costume competition entries in the Coconut Cove Boating Festival are based on the original movie. You’ll have to read Poisoned by the Pier to find out more.

4 – Do you like sailing?

Like many other Japanese bobtail cats, I love the water. Unfortunately, our boat needs repairs, so we haven’t been out on her yet. But I do manage to sneak aboard other boats and go out sailing.

5 – How did you get the name Mrs. Moto?

I have black markings around my eyes which resemble eyeglasses. The owner of the marina, Ned Schneider, said that they reminded him of the lead character in the old Mr. Moto movies starring Peter Lorre who played a detective. And I’m kind of a feline detective, so it works.

6 – What else do you want us to know?
 

That I like to have my belly rubbed. Also, you should read my books. The book covers read “The Mollie McGhie Sailing Mysteries,” but they really should say “The Mrs. Moto Mysteries.” I’ll need to do something about getting that sorted out. But, first it’s time for another nap.

 Poisoned by the Pier Now Available!

Poisoned by the Pier, the third book in the Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery series, is now available in ebook, paperback, and large print.

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google Play

When Mollie's husband signs the two of them up for an extreme diet, she's not amused. When someone ends up poisoned by a cake, things get even worse.

While she tries to identify the killer, Coconut Cove’s annual boating festival is in full swing. In between getting ready for her first sailing race and cheating on her diet, Mollie and her cat, Mrs. Moto, uncover clues, interview suspects, and do their best to avoid rutabagas.

Can Mollie nab the killer before someone else is poisoned?

If you like quirky characters, adorable cats, and plenty of chocolate, you'll love this cozy mystery. Pick up a copy of Poisoned by the Pier and laugh out loud from the first page to the last.

New to the Series?

If you're new to the series, you might want to start with Murder at the Marina. Now is the perfect opportunity as the ebook is on sale for 99c/99p for a limited time.

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google Play

About the Author

Ellen Jacobson lives on a sailboat with her husband and an imaginary cat named Simon. When she isn't working on boat projects or seeking out deserted islands, she writes cozy mysteries and sci-fi/fantasy stories.

Connect with Ellen on her Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub | Blog

You can also sign up for her newsletter for updates about new releases, current projects, sales and promotions, and other fun stuff.

Seven Summer Reading Freebies!

I've gone a little bonkers with all this summer fun. But in a good way! I'm off soon to spend a week by the lake reading. Glorious peace and calm and books!

I want you to have some blissful reading time this summer too. So I've set up a schedule to provide you with seven free ebooks!

Relax and enjoy.

June 21st - 25th - Of Blood and Sorrow (Book #1)

June 25th - 29th - Dark Dawning (Totem #1)

June 26th - 30th - Silent Whispers (Totem #2)

June 28th - July 2nd - Ghost Dancer (The Paramours #1)

July 1st - 5th - Cloak of Snow (Totem #3)

July 5th - 9th - Big Yearning (The Sasquatch Susies #1)

July 10th - 14th - Loose Corset (Dice & Debauchery #1)

Windy Hollow release day & giveaway!

Tara had a long journey to get this book published!

WINDY HOLLOW
Beast World MG Fantasy Series, book #3
by Tara Tyler
Available NOW!

In BROKEN BRANCH FALLS, Gabe and his friends go on a quest to save their school, blowing up all the rules, and discover their origins.

Then they go to CRADLE ROCK and meet some real live humans, scaring them into attack mode. The Beasts realize they have to spread the truth ASAP.

Now, school's out, and Gabe is ready for a break from all the drama...

Gabe and his friends fly over the Great Sea for the wedding of the century: a dragon prince and a beautiful harpy. But Gabe can't relax on this vacation. Besides competing in rigorous wedding events, he overhears the nearby human village WINDY HOLLOW is in danger from an evil human scientist and a vengeful were-ogre experimenting on beasts. Gabe and his friends risk crossing the mountains to help, despite several warnings. 

Maybe he's going too far this time, but he's in too deep to quit. It's do or die, hopefully not die!

Paperback ~~~ Ebook

Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over the US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her husband and one boy left in the nest. She has two series, Pop Travel (sci-fi detective thrillers) and Beast World (fantasy adventures), plus her UnPrincess novella series where the maidens save themselves. She's a commended blogger, contributed to several anthologies, and to fit in all these projects, she economizes her time, aka the Lazy Housewife—someday she might write a book on that... Make every day an adventure!

website: Tara Tyler Talks

twitter: @taratylertalks

facebook: Tara Tyler - Author

Instagram: taratylertalks

newsletter: tara tyler news

Check out the WINDY HOLLOW Release Blog Tour schedule:

6/20 - Heather Holden - How does she Create such Awesome Art?
6/22 - Ellen Jacobson - Interview
6/24 - Patricia Lynne - Keeping Magic Alive
6/26 - MJ Fifield - Fantasy World-Building
6/30 - SA Larsen - Special Newsletter & a Vlog?!
7/1 - Tara's IWSG post with updates and a Special Guest!
7/3 - Alex J. Cavanaugh - IWSG Day - Fantasy Movies
7/4 - Tonja Drecker - Kids in Books
7/8 - Christine Rains - Levels of Romance
7/10 - Heather M. Gardner - Binge Watching TV
7/15 - Tyrean Martinson - Hiking!
7/17 - Julie Flanders - Gotta Have Friends

And of course, there's a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Give yourself a Yuletide gift in June!

FREE for 5 days only!

"Another fantastic tale from Morena Silver, and perfect for the festive season... in fact, I'd read this all year round."

"I just loved it❣️ Period. Full. Stop.
Rarely to you have a RH that is just one book and not a series that can feel complete,without lots of things missing, and I never felt that here."

"While this is a reverse harem and does get steamy at times, there is an engaging, fantasy story running right along with the romance. It's a good balance, not letting one overpower the other."

Wickedly It Begins Blitz & Giveaway

One fateful night will change their lives forever.

Seeley is born a hunter. God’s warrior. She’s endowed with inexplicable gifts to slay creatures and demons threatening human’s. Alongside her guardian angel, Ezekiel, she will face unimaginable trials and tribulations.

Jack Chase was born an orphan. Kicked from foster home to foster home, he lands with a couple who worships Satan. He succumbs to their diabolical rituals, and learns he also has extraordinary talents. Wealthy, Asa Trebane, and leader of the Black Order of the Cult locates this teenager he’s heard much about. He takes Jack under his wing and into his home.

A mysterious pull leads Jack to Seeley. A pull neither of them can resist.

Buy the book here!

Mark it to read on Goodreads.

AUTHOR BIO:

Cathrina Constantine is the Best Selling author of Don't Forget To Breathe. Her book won Readers' Favorite International Book Award for 2015. New Apple Medalist for 2016. Literary Classics Gold Award. Literary Classics Seal of Approval. Her Paranormal Fantasy, Wickedly They Come has been awarded the 5 Star Seal from Reader's Favorite. Tallas from her dystopian series received Literary Classics Silver Award and Literary Classics Seal of Approval.

Cathrina resides in Western New York. I am blessed with a loving family and forever friends. My world revolves around them.

I grew up in the small village of Lancaster, NY, where I married my sweetheart. I'm devoted to raising 5 cherished children, and now my grandchildren.

I love to immerse myself in great books of every kind of genre, which helps me to write purely for entertainment, and hopefully to inspire readers. When not stationed at my computer you can find me in the woods taking long walks with my dog.

Author links:

https://twitter.com/cathconstantine

http://cathrinaconstantine.blogspot.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/wickedly333/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7179953.Cathrina_Constantine

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hoosier Dad is here!

Sarah Andrews can hold her own in a courtroom, but when it comes to love, she’s 0-3 and Rich Cooper was her biggest loss to date. 

Hoosier Dad is available!

 Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / kobo.com

Elizabeth is a mom, a wife, and the caretaker of far too many pets, all of whom her children swore they'd take care of. But they went off to college leaving fur babies in their place. She is a multi-published author of women's fiction and romance. 

Blog / Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Leaves of Fall Release Day - First Draft vs. Final Draft guest post & a giveaway

I'm happy to welcome the awesome Patricia Lynne to my blog today to celebrate the release of her newest YA book, Leaves of Fall.

First Draft versus Final Draft

The first draft of Leaves of Fall was written way back in 2011 or 2012. I don't remember the inspiration behind the story or why I set it aside. It never left my mind, though. When I opened it again in 2018, I knew there was a lot of work that needed to be done. Here are a few of the changes it went through to get to the story you can read today.

1: Names
The first draft I went a little weird with names. I had parents naming their kids weird things. Rudyard was Highway and his little brother was Rug. At the time, my thinking had been parents were naming their kids exact location they were born. For example, Rug was born on a rug. Weird, I know. I scraped that idea and went with parents naming their kids after places from their past. So Highway became Rudyard and Rug was Canyon after the Grand Canyon.

Trees also got name changes. At first, I just named them all random tree names, but beta readers and editors found it jarring. When they heard the name, they thought of that tree and not the tree character.

Not all names changed. Armory, Mini, Pine, and Oak's names stayed the same. Birch, Silver, Alaska, Dahoon, and River all had different names. I changed Birch's the last because I was fond of the first name: Maple. I considered changing him to a Maple tree, but I wanted the unique appearance of birch trees for his character.

2: Dahoon and Pine
Dahoon and Pine weren't in the first draft at all. Very few trees were. Most of the interactions Armory and Birch had were with other people. Some of those interactions made no sense, though, so they were cut. I'm very glad for this because I adore Dahoon and Pine. They're so laid back and easy going.

3: Miracle
One huge difference between the first and final draft was a character called Miracle. Armory meets her after she is kidnapped. Miracle is a small child and she goes with Armory and Birch on the journey to get Armory home. I tried putting her in as I rewrote, but found it stopped the story and I realized she had to go.

4: Communities and Nomads
I waffled between what to call the groups of humans that lived in this post-apocalyptic world. Communities started as tribes, but that was cliche, so I switched to families. My editor suggested communities at one point and since I found using families a bit confusing at times I went with that. Nomads were outlaws at first, but I switched to nomads since that was the lifestyle they adopted. They just aren't lawful about it.

Blurb:

Armory was born into a post-apocalyptic world torn apart by war between man and nature. Trees are the enemy. But when she’s kidnapped by nomads and taken far from her home, a tree nymph is the one who comes to her rescue.

Birch promises he can get Armory home. He says not all trees wanted a war. Armory has no choice to trust him if she wants to see her family again.

Together, they trek across the ruins of America, meeting both human and trees who want nothing more than the fighting to stop. But the hatred between the two may be too deep to heal. Armory isn’t sure her friendship with Birch will be enough to convince the human race to take a chance on peace. Birch has a plan, though. He’s just not sure he’ll survive.

Snag on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or Smashwords for $2.99. (or 99cents if the pre-order price hasn't changed yet. ^_~)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Patricia Lynne is the author of Young Adult Paranormal, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi books. She actually never set out to become a writer, and in fact, she was more interested in art and band in high school and college On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head and began learning all she could about writing. That was the start of it, and she hasn't regretted a moment. When she's not writing, she's watching Doctor Who or reading about serial killers. She's an avid knitter. One can never have too much yarn. She writes New Adult Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi Romance under the name Patricia Josephine.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow.

Find Patricia around the web.
Website - http://www.patricialynne.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/plynne_writes
Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/plynnewrites/
Patreon -  https://www.patreon.com/patricialynne07
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/635444.Patricia_Lynne
Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01EM6YLAW
Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/patricialynne