Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Crazy Cozy Blogfest - oh dear!



...and take part in the Crazy Cozy Blogfest by going and seeing all the entries - we're celebrating the wonderful Elizabeth Spann Craig and the delicious Tartlette - aka Alyse Carlson aka Hart Johnson who are launching new books today. Elizabeth is an old hand at this and we are thrilled to see this new series of hers . This is the maiden voyage for our Tartlette!

Here is my entry into their crazy contest - hope you enjoy it! The rules were simple - do a blurb about a cozy you're pretending to write - keep it short and zany.

Battle Fever - a Dreamy McFadden Mystery

When Dreamy McFadden loses her job as handy-hint columnist for the Daletown Times she is devastated. The wife of Dreamy's boss used Dreamy's stain-removal formula before the bugs were worked out. The heritage lace tablecloth was ruined.
Dreamy's cousin Beryl is home for a visit and  taking every opportunity to gloat over her job as a time-management guru in Toronto. In a panic of competitiveness Dreamy takes on a job that no one else will touch - co-ordinater for the hundredth anniversary of the War of 1812 for the Daletown Living History Society. Dreamy enters the world of fanatics who insist that everyone in the re-enactment of the famous battle be wearing the right boots and firing the correct muskets. Oddly, Dreamy's former job dealing with such things as how to make squirrel-proof feeders from old salad bowls and how to get rust stains out of old sinks makes her a natural for this work.
All goes swimmingly until the day of the dress-rehearsal when Bernard Pips falls over quite dead from his own musket exploding. Beryl is making sure everyone thinks that this is another Dreamy cock-up so Dreamy decides she will have to find out who had been tampering with the weaponry. The RCMP constable assigned to the case thinks this is a bad idea but Dreamy convinces him when she shows him how to fix his motorcycle saddle with crazy-glue. Is there romance in the air or is it just Battle Fever?


And Here Are the Real Blurbs to Elizabeth and Alyse's books:

 Quilt or InnocenceBeatrice has a lot of gossip to catch up on—especially with the Patchwork Cottage quilt shop about to close. It seems that Judith, the landlord everyone loves to hate, wants to raise the rent, despite being a quilter herself… But when Judith is found dead, the harmless gossip becomes an intricate patchwork of mischievous motives. And it’s up to Beatrice’s expert eye to decipher the pattern and catch the killer, before her life gets sewn up for good.

Elizabeth Spann Craig: Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin/Berkley (as Riley Adams), the Southern Quilting mysteries (2012) for Penguin/NAL, and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink. She blogs daily at Mystery Writing is Murder, which was named by Writer's Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers for 2010 and 2011.

As the mother of two, Elizabeth writes on the run as she juggles duties as Girl Scout leader, referees play dates, drives carpools, and is dragged along as a hostage/chaperone on field trips.

Links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Indie Bound
Mystery Writing is Murder
The Azalea Assault
Cam Harris loves her job as public relations manager for the Roanoke Garden Society. It allows her to combine her three loves, spinning the press, showing off her favorite town, and promoting her favorite activity. She's just achieved a huge coup by enlisting Garden Delights, the country's premiere gardening magazine, to feature the exquisite garden of RGS founder, Neil Patrick. She's even managed to enlist world-famous photographer Jean-Jacques Georges. Unfortunately, Jean-Jacques is a first-rate cad—insulting the RGS members and gardening, goosing every woman in the room, and drinking like a lush. It is hardly a surprise when he turns up dead. But when Cam's brother-in-law is accused and her sister begs her to solve the crime, that is when things really get prickly.

Alyse Carlson: Alyse Carlson is the pen name for Hart Johnson who writes books from her bathtub. By day she is an academic researcher at a large midwestern university. She lives with her husband, two teenage children and two fur balls. The dust bunnies don't count. This will be her first published book.

Links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Indie Bound
Confessions of a Watery Tart


19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jan - Oh, I like that setup for your story! And you've chosen an interesting character name, too! Yes it's a good 'un all right!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Quirkily cozy! Cozily quirky! :) Love the details like the stain-removal formula and the anniversary of the War of 1812. Can Dreamy help me with my squirrel/bird feeder problem? I have a feeling that Bernard's demise was *murder!* Hope Dreamy finds true love in the meantime. I love it, Jan--thanks so much for being part of the blogfest!

Mason Canyon said...

You have a hint of mystery, romance, danger, history, and intrigue all rolled up with humor - love it. Dreamy sounds like a fun protagonist I'd like to read more about.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

T. Powell Coltrin said...

This IS great. I love the names you've chosen too. So clever.

Teresa

Unknown said...

I love the premise set in Canada. And the names, fantastic.

Hart Johnson said...

Okay, you could totally write that! That's a realistic set-up! Seriously! I love the tension between cousins and those reenactment fanatics are a fabulous cast! Thank you so much for participating, Jan!

Carol Kilgore said...

I can see lots of twists and turns in here. Good job!

Unknown said...

So much fun! Loved this, "squirrel-proof feeders from old salad bowls and how to get rust stains out of old sinks makes her a natural for this work."....Dreamy...LOL!

Maryellen said...

Battle Fever sounds like a hit! and I love the name Dreamy...

Anonymous said...

So many twists and turns. I love it that Dreamy is right in the middle of all that action. Funny hints.

Sylvia said...

LOL at the Crazy-glue!

I have to agree with the other commenters. This looks like a really fun and great book to read!

Have a wonderful day,
Sylvia @ Playful Creative

Carrie-Anne said...

This sounds like a really great premise for a book, and I love that it revolves around a historical society.

Tara Tyler said...

excellent piece! lovely read!

Helena said...

Any pitch that uses the words squirrel feeder, cock-up and crazy glue is a book after my own heart. Throw in some battle re-enactors and you've got a hit.

Anonymous said...

I like this! Love the re-enactment setup especially. Cool way to off somebody!

Gwen Gardner said...

Oh I think love is definitely in the air! Well done:)

Liza said...

Fun and funny! You made it feel real with the detail in the handy hints!

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

Oh my gosh, that is so much fun! I can just picture her as she calmly solves problems of stains or authenticity in an unruffled manner.

I would love to buy your book.

Kathy M.

Anonymous said...

This fun, quirky pitch was a joy to read.