Wednesday, December 7, 2016

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Literally Dead
by Lois Winston

The mystery was put together very well… I thoroughly enjoy the humor she adds to her cozy mysteries.
~A Date With A Book
The writing conference, with its range of characters, was the perfect backdrop for the story and it was nearly as fun to learn about the behind-the-scenes of the writing and publishing world as it was to read the book.
~I Read What You Write
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Literally Dead (An Empty Nest Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Self Published (September 30, 2016)
Paperback: 218 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1940795386
E-Book ASIN: B01LWCW5C1
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Synopsis

After her last disastrous episode as an amateur sleuth, Gracie Elliott is back. The budding romance writer has spent the past year crafting her first novel. Her hard work and determination pay off when her manuscript wins the Cream of the Crop award, a contest for unpublished writers, sponsored by the Society of American Romance Authors. First place entitles her to attend the organization’s annual conference, normally open only to published authors.
With husband Blake in tow, a starry-eyed Gracie experiences the ultimate fan-girl moment upon entering the hotel. Her favorite authors are everywhere. However, within minutes she learns Lovinia Darling, the Queen of Romance, is hardly the embodiment of the sweet heroines she creates. Gracie realizes she’s stepped into a romance vipers’ den of backstabbing, deceit, and plagiarism, but she finds a friend and mentor in bestselling author Paisley Prentiss.
Hours later, when Gracie discovers Lovinia’s body in the hotel stairwell, a victim of an apparent fall, Gracie is not convinced her death was an accident. Too many other authors had reason to want Lovinia dead. Ignoring Blake’s advice to “let the police handle it,” Gracie, aided by Paisley, begins her own investigation into the death. Romance has never been so deadly.
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About The Author


USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.

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Purchase Links

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I loved this book so much I really couldn't put it down. The concept was brilliant and the characters were funny, quirky, mean and backstabbing. It does  sound a bit like a soap opera doesn't it? I thought the title of the book was a great take on words. It is time to take on the world of publishers and those wonderful authors who write romance novels.

Gracie Elliot's dream has come true. She is off to the Society of American Romance Authors to receive a very important award. She is so pumped and just knows this could be her big break. Her husband Blake accompanies her on the trip. I laughed so hard when I read how the hotel rooms were decorated. Can you say disco era? I can tell you right now I dream to be invited to an author's conference. To meet all the authors and be presented with tons of free books would be a dream come true. Well ok Gracie gets to live out my dream, but boy was I jealous as she hung out   with authors and ate dinner with them.

The author did an amazing job of describing the inside of the publishing world and the authors were a hoot . There is the snooty I'm better than everyone else author who swooped into the banquet room . I'm sure I could hear boos coming from people at the tables. She is a famous author but she is not well liked among her peers. Then we have the authors who want to be Gracie's best friend. Why have they taken such an interest in her? Is it because her husband looks like a cover model? Yes that was quite funny as ladies all wanted Blake on their next cover. What does Blake do when he realizes women are talking about him?

Gracie is the kind of character I would hang out with. She is down  to earth , humble and a bit of a klutz. It is just her luck to almost get hit by a body flying down from the staircase she is on. Who did Gracie find dead ? The gossip really takes off as people at the conference start with their whispers and suspicious fingers pointing at each other. There is plenty of suspects and surprises to keep readers entertained. I loved the writing style that was quick, funny and made me feel like I was right there at the conference. Get ready for a fun and exciting cozy mystery that will keep you on your toes and give you a behind the scenes of the author world.

I was given a copy of this book from The Great Escape Book Tour. The review is my own opinion and I was not compensated for it.

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Tour Participants
December 1 – A Date with a Book – REVIEW
December 2 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – INTERVIEW
December 3 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 4 – Community Bookstop – INTERVIEW  
December 5 – Queen of All She Reads – SPOTLIGHT
December 5 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW
December 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
December 7 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
December 8 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 9 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 10 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST, SPOTLIGHT
December 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
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