Series: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery
Paperback: 152 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 8, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1503015630
Synopsis
Kelly pulled into the harbor parking lot next to the pier and noticed that Amber’s car wasn’t in its usual place and there was no sign of her. She was usually standing at the door of Kelly’s Koffee Shop, waiting for Kelly to open up. Wonder what that’s all about, she thought. The local residents of Cedar Bay come to Kelly’s Koffee Shop for breakfast, lunch, and lots of gossip. Kelly serves it all up as she works to solve the murder of the high school Homecoming Queen. The townspeople can’t believe what has happened in their sleepy little Oregon seaside town. She identifies five prime suspects, but which one did it? Follow Kelly, her boxer dog, Rebel, and her boyfriend, Mike, the county sheriff, as they try to determine who the killer is in a murder that’s shocked the town.
Kelly’s Coffee Shop is a mouth-watering cozy mystery with recipes
Guest Post
The Road to Kelly’s Koffee
Shop
It
pretty much started with this little guy! I love dogs and I love to cook. A
cozy mystery incorporating those two things felt like a natural thing for me to
do. The problem was that no one else wanted me to write about dogs and food.
Here’s
why. I’ve published several books in the suspense and mystery genres which have
done well. Blue Coyote Motel, Coyote in Provence, and Cornered Coyote were all
award winning, bestselling books. The thinking by my mentor and others was –
“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In other words, don’t change the genre
because you’ll lose your reader base.
Their
point was valid, but for one year I kept thinking about writing a cozy mystery.
Early last October my husband I took a vacation through Bryce Canyon National
Park, Zion National Park, and Sedona. Our son and daughter-in-law flew in from
Seattle to spend some family time. I remember getting my iPad out early one
morning while I was drinking coffee in bed in the hotel. I sketched out Kelly’s
Koffee Shop and decided to write it when I got home. I started it the day after
we returned and it just flowed. The characters dictated where the story was
going and Rebel, based on my boxer dog above, was a big part of the book, along
with family recipes which I included in the book.
So against
the advice of mentors, I published the book, did some social media on it, and
that was it. I’d done what I wanted to do – write a cozy mystery A week later
it was on the Hot New Releases in Animal and Culinary on Amazon. Since then
it’s consistently been at the top of the cozy lists! I started doing a Happy
Dance and writing the next book in the series. Since my other books had done
well, but not this well, I didn’t encounter any resistance when I told the
naysayers that I was writing a new book, Murder at Jade Cove, with Rebel, a
couple of puppies, and more food. This book did the same thing that Kelly’s
did. Climbed right to the top of the charts!
Naturally,
the characters told me they needed more exposure, so I began writing White
Cloud Retreat which continues the story of Kelly, the amateur sleuth who owns
Kelly’s Koffee Shop, the county sheriff she’s engaged to, Mike, Rebel, and a
cast of quirky characters. Dogs, teens, boomers, and lots of food figure into
the novels.
People
always ask where I get my recipes and ask me if I really cook those things.
Yep! Our family has always liked to eat and when my husband was a California
Senator, we entertained a lot in our home. I did all the cooking. I think one
of my favorite memories was when someone asked my husband if they could have
the name of the caterer because they’d like to use the caterer. They couldn’t
believe it when my husband told them it was me. While I’ve never worked in a
restaurant, I’ve taken a lot of cooking classes.
While
I’m not one of the characters in my books, per se, a lot of the experiences and
places I’ve been are. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Rebel this year,
but we just bought a new little boxer puppy who will be joining us on Valentine’s
Day. Rather appropriate I think! And what are we naming her? Why, Kelly, for
Kelly’s Koffee Shop, of course!
Hope you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed the
write. And here’s our new Kelly! How cute is she???
About the Author
Dianne lives in Huntington Beach, California with her husband Tom, a former California State Senator, and is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post.
Her other books are available below:
Author Links
Contributor: Huffington Post
Purchase Link
Following the acclaimed debut of The Enemy Inside and its sequel, Broken, comes the stunning conclusion to the ‘Edge of Darkness’ series by investigative journalist Vanessa Skye, Blood Lines.
Vanessa Skye has always had a love of words and spent her school years writing poetry, speeches, and fictional essays.
is available January 8, 2015, by Midnight Ink.
