Tuesday, April 25, 2017

"Bed and Breakfast and Murder" by Patti Larsen

GUEST POST and GIVEAWAY
Bed and Breakfast and Murder
(Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries Book 1)
by Patti Larsen


Bed and Breakfast and Murder is the first book in the Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries by Patti Larsen and is currently ON SALE for only $0.99. Also available: Chocolate Hearts and Murder and Fame and Fortune and Murder.



Bed and Breakfast and Murder is currently on tour with Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. The tour stops here today for a guest post by the author, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.


Description
A cozy murder mystery series to die for!
I tried not to look down the mouth of hell staring back at me from inside the glaringly pristine outer ceramic shell of the Fiona Fleming hasn't lived in Reading, Vermont in over a decade, her escape from small town living leading her to New York City and a life of adventure. An adventure that has left her with no career, an ex who cheated on her and zero plans for the future. And then, in the shocker of a lifetime, Fee's grandmother wills her a bed and breakfast. Awesome! It's the fresh start she's been dying for. Or is it?
Petunia's might seem like a refuge from her cheating ex and so-called life in the big city, but being accused of murder within two weeks of arriving back in her hometown? That's anything but charming. Can she uncover the truth before the handsome new sheriff puts her behind bars instead of asking her to dinner?


Excerpt
I tried not to look down the mouth of hell staring back at me from inside the glaringly pristine outer ceramic shell of the white throne, my throat catching, stomach doing half flips and a rather impressive rollover routine that would have gotten at least a 9.5 even from the Russian judges. Instead, I forced myself to smile and swallow and remind myself the elbow length yellow rubber gloves grasping the handle of the standard issue plunger were all that stood between me and Pooageddon.
Suck it up, Fee. Big girl panties and adulting and all that.
“At what point,” I waved the dripping plunger, wincing as droplets of yuck flew, “did I think owning a bed and breakfast was going to be glamorous and romantic?”
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]


Praise for the Book
"Fiona jumped right up there on my list of favorites!" ~ Renee Bremer
"Another winner in a new genre from my favorite author." ~ Surfinloui
"... one of the few authors I can buy immediately without even reading a synopsis or review beforehand." ~ Michelle Kennedy
"I didn't know what to expect, but I was blown away (which I should not have been, having read everything else she has written) at the brilliant mind that has created such a great story." ~ iisk8
"Patti Larsen totally kills it writing in this genre. I loved this book almost as much as her Hayle coven books. It has everything you need for the perfect cozy mystery. Spunky heroine, quirky pet, eccentric characters, hot hero, and of course the mystery. She kept me guessing right up until the end. I am hooked and am so grateful that she writes fast and I won't have to wait long for the next in the series." ~ Angie Bartley


Guest Post by the Author
The Pet Sidekick
When I developed the concept for the Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries, I knew instinctively I wanted to include a pet sidekick that Fee could have long conversations with. Someone to sleep next to her and keep her warm, who loved her unconditionally and yet created enough issues in her life that their mutual existence was never perfect.
As a pet mom myself, the internal debate was on. Of course, it wasn’t that the two most common house pets I dealt with - dogs and cats - had to be the end all of choices. Perhaps a lovely parrot or a snake? A chinchilla? Even a potbellied pig? But I came back, ultimately, to the pair of loveable creatures I share my home with.
And the age old battle waged - cat or dog?
I’ve long been a cat lover and mom to multiples at a time. In fact, right now, we have six. I adore them all with their beautiful soft coats of a variety of colors, their peculiar personalities - from our most loveable, Romeo, who insists everyone pet him, to our utter jerk, Simon, whose name says it all. And I have a cat bestie in another series, the demon Persian Sassafras, so I was familiar with the concept.
But this was a non-paranormal cozy series that required someone a bit more demanding of focus and attention. And recently my husband and I decided to stray from the kitty side of the street and adopted our first pug, Jelly Bean. Followed a year later by his little sister, Lula Bug.
Our lives have been enriched and made more frustrating by the addition of that pair of fawn clowns who alternate between bounding around in comical joy to begging for food in an endless attempt to eat one more bite. Bean is about 90% a good boy and my dog through and through. His sister, on the other hand, is her father’s daughter and makes me crazy. I still wonder if, had we found her first, I’d have adopted two after all. Regardless, we love them with all our hearts and so, when it came time to decide who Fee Fleming would call her sidekick, I was torn.
Until, as Fee’s life evolved on paper and her voice grew stronger, I looked down into the soulful and bugging eyes of my darling Bean and smiled at his tongue-lolling, farty, and snorting little self. And Madam Petunia the Fourth was born.
I’m sure Fee won’t hold it against me.

About the Author
Patti Larsen is an award-winning author with a passion for the voices in her head. Now with over 80 titles in happy publication, she lives on the East coast with her patient husband and multitude of pets.







Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win ebook copies of the first three books in the Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries series.

Links