Chorus Lines, Caviar, and Corpses - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

The book's tagline says: Kick up your heels for the first Happy Hoofers Mystery! If you like cozies, then you'll enjoy this one. Five middle-aged tap-dancing women are hired as the entertainment on a Russian Volga River cruise. But the boat is definitely not a luxury liner. Since this is a cozy, there's a murder or two involved, of course. The book also includes several recipes (Beef Strogonoff - yum!) as well as travel tips. But best of all, the main characters are likable, believable, and just plain fun! 

Book Beginning:

"Keeping On Our Toes"
      It all started when Mary Louise decided we needed to exercise. We are five close friends, who've all managed to stay fit over the years. Still, when we moved into our fifties, we knew we had to watch what we ate and become more active. 
      We considered all the ways there are to exercise. What we really loved was dancing, especially tap dancing, so we took a class and worked out some routines. Before long, we were asked to perform at a local senior center ... and then at a community service luncheon... and one gig led to another.

The Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
     The inspector wrote three pages of notes. They were in Russian, of course, so I couldn't even read them upside down. I was getting nervous.

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Length: 304 Pages
Amazon Link: Chorus Lines, Caviar, and Corpses

Coming in February 2015 is the next book in the Happy Hoofers Mystery Series: Flamenco, Flan, and Fatalities
Link for Pre-Order: Flamenco, Flan, and Fatalities

                            

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
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Thank You, Susan Santangelo!

Almost always when I'm drafting a post for Teaser Tuesday, First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros, Book Beginnings on Friday, or The Friday 56, I contact the book's author and let them know that one of their books will be featured. I offer them the opportunity to participate by responding to readers' comments on the post itself, as well as mentioning my post on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else they want. Some authors are interested; others aren't.

I understand. Maybe I've chosen to post about their book on a day when they have another commitment. Or maybe they have something in their real life that takes precedence. We all have to prioritize. I just think it's fun when an author shows up and answers questions and comments. Don't you?

So that's why I'm sending out a gigantic THANK YOU to Susan Santangelo. She accepted my invitation to participate in yesterday's post and graciously spent a lot of time responding to people who left comments. I enjoyed reading her comments and sincerely appreciate her involvement.

Best of luck for your upcoming release, Susan. Funerals Can Be Murder is Book 5 in the Carol and Jim Andrews Baby Boomer Mystery series and is scheduled for release on October 7; but it's available for pre-order on Amazon right now ($3.99 in ebook formats).

And by the way, many other authors have also contributed to posts in the past. A big thank you to all of them too!

Retirement Can Be Murder - Teaser Tuesday & First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros

Combine a cozy mystery with Baby Boomers and you've got a winning mix as far as I'm concerned! I just finished reading Retirement Can Be Murder, and I had a great time getting to know the main character and her friends. The author has a terrific sense of humor, poking fun at the concerns that everyone faces as retirement age nears. I can sure relate! 

First Paragraph(s):
"The hardest years of a marriage are the ones following the wedding."
      Here's an amazing weight-loss tip for all the women in America: an out-of-body experience makes you look thinner. Forget about vertical vs. horizontal stripes. I'm telling you, an out-of-body occurrence does the trick. Plus, it can be quite a pleasant sensation to look down and see a movie starring...you. What's not to like?
      Of course, there's a down side to my weight-loss tip. Out-of-body experiences are triggered by a traumatic event, like the panicky phone call I'd just gotten from Jim, My Beloved Husband of 36 years, telling me he'd found his retirement coach, Davis Rhodes, dead at his kitchen table.

Teaser (from 5% on my Kindle):
I admit it's crazy to talk to my dogs all the time the way I do, but they're good listeners and I can trust them to keep a secret. They always agree with me, too.
(By the way, her English cocker spaniels are named Lucy and Ethel.) 

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Length: 231 Pages
Amazon Link: Retirement Can Be Murder
Other Books by Susan Santangelo: Amazon Author Page

Synopsis:
      Retirement Can Be Murder is the first in the Baby Boomer mystery series featuring Carol Andrews and Her Beloved Husband Jim as they navigate a rocky road toward their golden years.
      Carol dreads Jim's upcoming retirement more than a root canal without Novocain. She can't imagine anything worse than an at-home husband with time on his hands, and nothing to fill it, except interfering with the day-to-day activities of the household and driving her crazy. Until Jim is suspected of murdering his retirement coach.

  

Share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you are reading. Here's the link: Bibliophile By The Sea

Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please! Here's the link: Should Be Reading

Quilt Trip: A Southern Quilting Mystery - Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday 56

What happens when a group of women (all quilters) are trapped for days inside a creaky old home during an ice storm? No electricity, ghosts, a pantry with limited food, and... murder?

I enjoyed this sweet cozy mystery - maybe because I'm a quilter and Southern, or maybe because it was a fun escape.

Book Beginning:
     Beatrice Coleman looked in horror at her neighbor Meadow Downey. "You mean we're not even invited? We're gate-crashing?"
     They were in Meadow's aging green van and Meadow was speedily driving them to a home just slightly outside their town of Dappled Hills, North Carolina.

Friday 56 (at 56% on my Kindle):
Sometime in the middle of the night, they were all awakened by a piercing scream from upstairs. The fire had burned out and the library was completely dark.

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Number of Pages: 305 Pages
Amazon Link: Quilt Trip

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Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and Friday 56. 

   Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts  

   (sponsored by Rose City Reader)

   Find other Friday 56 bloggers here 
   (sponsored by Freda's Voice)