Featured Book for September: AIR TIME by Hank Phillippi Ryan

[becke_davis]

You know, I was thinking it was relatively quiet here, but you've had WELL over 1,000 views in two weeks -- that's FANTASTIC! Congratulations!

[Hank_Phillippi…]

Hi All!

Another great and hilarious day--gave a speech this noon to the Cambridge MA Chamber of Commerce--what a smart and savvy group! We talked about television, and mystery, and the mystery of television.

Worked the rest of the day on our next TV story--can't tell you about it quite yet!

Tonight, the North Attleboro MA Library--a Sisters in Crime panel. Wonderful. At every event, there's always some special thing that happens or someone special to meet.

And hurray, sInce it's Thursday, it's Jonathan's night to make dinner. (This is a very good thing, you all. J handles dinner every Thursday. It's fantastic.)

And now we are going to watch Project Runway, one of my favorite shows. Anyone else a fan?

More author guests tomorrow!

xoox Hank

http://www.HankPhillippRyan.com

xoxo Hank

[Hank_Phillippi…]

FIne. I made a typo in my own website (above). Time to sleep.

xoxo Hank

http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com   (But you know that...)

[Hank_Phillippi…]

Hey all! Happy Friday!

Today I'm off to sigh AIR TIME at a brick and mortar Barnes and Noble--the beautiful store in Boston's Prudential Center! (See you there at noon?) And tonight after work, the Library in Salisbury MA.  Come visit!

How would you like to own your very own bookstore? I bet that’s the dream of many readers…and the inimitable Lorna Barrett writes the Booktown Mysteries, set in lovely southern New Hampshire. (She's an amazing person: charming, hilarious, wonderful, and a terrific writer. She was one of the first people I connected with when I entered mystery world--and she's had some wild success--and certainly more to come. I wish you could meet her in person--she's an absolute doll.)

  Her newest is: Bookmarked for Death

Bookmarked for Death (Booktown Series #2)  

Once a struggling town, Stoneham, New Hampshire is now enjoying a renaissance--thanks to booksellers like Tricia Miles, proprietor of Haven’t Got a Clue. It’s a great place to find a good mystery to read--or to solve ….To celebrate her bookstore’s anniversary, Tricia Miles hosts a book signing for bestselling author Zoë Carter.  But the event takes a terrible turn when the author is found dead in the washroom.  Before long, both police and reporters are demanding the real story.  So far, the author’s obnoxious assistant/niece is the only suspect. And with a sheriff who provides more obstacles than answers, Tricia will have to take matters into her own hands--and read between the lines to solve this mystery….

You may have read book one in her series…the NYT bestselling Murder is Binding!.

Murder Is Binding (Booktown Series #1)  

 Stoneham, New Hampshire, was a dying town until community leaders invited booksellers to open shop. Now, its streets are lined with bookstores--and paved with murder…

When she moved to Stoneham, city-slicker Tricia Miles was met with friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met with friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased--and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries--and hunt down someone who isn’t killing by the book…

The next book in the series, Bookplate Special, arrives November 3rd. 

Visit Lorna at her website:  www.LornaBarrett.com or her blog www.LornaBarrett.blogspot.com   Now--Lorna has a personal secret…and I wonder if any of you knows what it is!! Questions for Lorna?

Xoxo Hank

http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com

[becke_davis]

Hank - have fun at your book signing! Since B&N stores have free WiFi, it would be fun if people from your booksigning got on their computers and talked to us live! I'm on a deadline so I'll be away for awhile, but I'd love to hear from anyone who buys your books today!

[becke_davis]

---

Hank_Phillippi_Ryan wrote:

Hey all! Happy Friday!

Today I'm off to sigh AIR TIME at a brick and mortar Barnes and Noble--the beautiful store in Boston's Prudential Center! (See you there at noon?) And tonight after work, the Library in Salisbury MA.  Come visit!

How would you like to own your very own bookstore? I bet that’s the dream of many readers…and the inimitable Lorna Barrett writes the Booktown Mysteries, set in lovely southern New Hampshire. (She's an amazing person: charming, hilarious, wonderful, and a terrific writer. She was one of the first people I connected with when I entered mystery world--and she's had some wild success--and certainly more to come. I wish you could meet her in person--she's an absolute doll.)

  Her newest is: Bookmarked for Death

Bookmarked for Death (Booktown Series #2)  

Once a struggling town, Stoneham, New Hampshire is now enjoying a renaissance--thanks to booksellers like Tricia Miles, proprietor of Haven’t Got a Clue. It’s a great place to find a good mystery to read--or to solve ….To celebrate her bookstore’s anniversary, Tricia Miles hosts a book signing for bestselling author Zoë Carter.  But the event takes a terrible turn when the author is found dead in the washroom.  Before long, both police and reporters are demanding the real story.  So far, the author’s obnoxious assistant/niece is the only suspect. And with a sheriff who provides more obstacles than answers, Tricia will have to take matters into her own hands--and read between the lines to solve this mystery….

You may have read book one in her series…the NYT bestselling Murder is Binding!.

Murder Is Binding (Booktown Series #1)  

 Stoneham, New Hampshire, was a dying town until community leaders invited booksellers to open shop. Now, its streets are lined with bookstores--and paved with murder…

When she moved to Stoneham, city-slicker Tricia Miles was met with friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met with friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased--and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries--and hunt down someone who isn’t killing by the book…

The next book in the series, Bookplate Special, arrives November 3rd. 

Visit Lorna at her website:  www.LornaBarrett.com or her blog www.LornaBarrett.blogspot.com   Now--Lorna has a personal secret…and I wonder if any of you knows what it is!! Questions for Lorna?

Xoxo Hank

http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com

---

Lorna - I'm so glad you could join the party! These books sound fabulous, I'm definitely going to read them. Something about the combination of mysteries and books hooks me every time. Hank has a real talent for bringing in authors who write intriguing mysteries. Unfortunately, her party is wreaking havoc on my book-buying budget!

[dhaupt]

Lorna, how nice to meet you. Gosh it's a a readers wish come true to own a bookstore, I can't wait to get you know your novels.

[becke_davis]

I think I mentioned this earlier, but if Hank or any other authors here want to post excerpts, you are welcome to do that, as long as they are G-rated. Also, if you have book trailers, I can put those in here for you.

[Hank_Phillippi…]

HI FROM LORNA BARRETT!

She's out of town for the weekend.. but she'll be back Monday.. Meanwhile...here's the latest from her!  

LORNA:    Thank you, Hank, for all the wonderful things you've said about my books.  You're a gem!  And thank you to the readers (waving to Debbie) who've said they've give my Booktown Mysteries a try.  The next installment is coming up fast--November 3rd.  It's called BOOKPLATE SPECIAL.  Here's a taste:

The kinder folks of Stoneham might call Pammy Fredericks a free spirit. The less kind, a freeloading thief. Tricia has put up—and put up with—her uninvited college roommate for weeks. In return, Pammy, has stolen $100, among other things. But the day she’s kicked out, Pammy’s found dead in a dumpster, leaving loads of questions unanswered. Like what was she foraging for? Did her killer want it too? To piece the case together, Tricia will have to dive in head-first.…

I hope those unfamiliar with my work will check out my web site:  www.LornaBarrett.com

Lorna

Bookplate Special (Booktown Series #3)  

[becke_davis]

I'm going to visit one of my favorite Barnes & Noble stores today - the one in West Chester, Ohio -- and I'll see if I can find Lorna's books there. Although my TBR pile might crash through the floor if I add more books to it! I've been so busy with my day job this week, I haven't read as many books as usual. And yet, I've managed to add several books to the TBR pile anyway!

[becke_davis]

I have my copy of MURDER IS BINDING in front of me! The others I ordered online, and those haven't arrived yet. Thanks for recommending all these great authors, Hank!

[Hank_Phillippi…]

AH, Becke--and all the readers! Again, it's part of my plan for world domination by mystery fans! So join our happy band...

Anyway--one of the first people I met --isn't that true, LIz?--in mystery world was a felow GUPPY. What's a guppy you ask? Anyone out there know? (A mystery guppy, not a little fish guppy.)

Anyway, Liz is a New York City psychotherapist whose debut mystery from Minotaur was DEATH WILL GET YOU SOBER.

 Alafair Burke, author of Angel's Tip  (And one of my complete personal favoirtes--do you kno

Death Will Get You Sober  w her boks? They are TERRIFIC!) says:  With humor and heart, Zelvin writes about the challenges of sobriety and the beat of New York City with impressive accuracy. Death Will Help You Leave Him is a terrific read."

In SOBER, Bruce LKohler woke up in detox on the Bowery and realized he had to change his life. Investigating the death of a detox buddy he cared about more than he expected to kept Bruce sober and reunited him with his best friend Jimmy, the computer genius, and Jimmy's girlfriend Barbara, the addictions counselor and world-class codependent.

DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM, second in the series featuring Bruce and his friends, will hit stores on October 13.

 

Death Will Help You Leave Him  

When a friend becomes prime suspect in her abusive boyfriend's murder, recovering alcoholic Bruce Kohler has to juggle an investigation, his sobriety, a crush on the bereaved girlfriend, and the lure of his compelling but destructive ex-wife, who's on her own collision course.

Liz's series includes three short stories, one nominated for an Agatha award, one published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and a third to appear in the 2009 holiday crime anthology THE GIFT OF MURDER, to benefit Toys for Tots.

Liz also does on line therapy--is that right, LIz? Any questions? (And isn't that a great cover on book 2?)

see you soon!

Hank

http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com

[ElizabethZelvin]

Hank, thanks so much for inviting me to share the fun. I'm enjoying glorious weekend weather on Long Island. I was amazed to be able to swim in the ocean yesterday. It's probably the last oasis of calm for me before the launch of DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM. The book will hit stores (and preorders will presumably be sent) on October 13. I'll spend the day (and some of the next) driving from New York City to Indianapolis, where I'll get to celebrate at Bouchercon with about 400 mystery authors and over a thousand mystery-loving readers. When the convention ends, I'll start on my book tour--back through Ohio and Pennsylvania, then to New York for my local launch party on Tuesday October 27 at Partners & Crime in Greenwich Village (you're all invited!). And most of November, I'll be on the road too. I'll get to visit a lot of North Carolina this time and hope to get as far south as Atlanta.

When I wrote DEATH WILL GET YOU SOBER, I knew my topic--alcoholism and recovery--would hit a hot button with many readers. One third of American families have been affected by someone's drinking. I want people to know that DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM, the second in the series, is NOT about booze. It's about bad relationships, which I figure a lot more folks know something about from their own experience than they do about alcohol problems. It is about recovering people and how they live their lives--with a few murders thrown in, of course. Bruce, my protagonist, is still sober. His sidekick Barbara, is still a world-class codependent. (Put the cork in the bottle, sure--two million sober alcoholics in AA have done it. Stop trying to help and minding other people's business? Forget it!) Barbara and her boyfriend Jimmy are still okay, but everybody else in the story, including Bruce, is struggling with how to let go when someone's bad for you and why you can't just throw the bum out when things get ugly.

Here's my book trailer video for DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM: a one-minute labor of love and a whirlwind tour of New York:  Zelvin, Death Will Help You Leave Him .

And while I've got your attention, let me mention the holiday crime anthology, The Gift of Murder, also due out in October. It's to benefit Toys for Tots, and I've got a story about Bruce in it, "Death Will Trim Your Tree."

To learn more about me and my work, please visit my website at  www.elizabethzelvin.com

and you're also welcome on my blog with other mystery writers at Poe's Deadly Daughters

[becke_davis]

Welcome, Elizabeth! I've resigned myself to the fact that my TBR pile is going to topple during Hank's month with us. She's introduced us to a lot of great books/authors, yours among them! I love your titles and I agree with Hank -- that second cover is fabulous! I would definitely pick that up if I saw it on display in a bookstore. Or, say, on a thread at the Mystery Book Club. (sigh)

[becke_davis]

Dead Connection (Ellie Hatcher Series #1)

 

Angel's Tip

 

Dead Connection

 

Close Case (Samantha Kincaid Series #3)

 

Missing Justice (Samantha Kincaid Series #2) 

Hank , since you are already sharing your spotlight, I'll add Alafair Burke's books, too. I have to admit, they are in my TBR pile(s), but I haven't read them yet. I've been reading her dad's books for years, though, and I hear hers are absolutely wonderful.

Judgment Calls (Samantha Kincaid Series #1)

[Hank_Phillippi…]

Hi All

Just back from a wonderful signing at a brick and mortar B&N in Framingham MAssachusetts! We sold out of PRIME TIME--so that means we made lots of new pals.

There's always someone, though..one guy came up to me at the signing and said--Hey, I see you all the time on TV!  I said, well, that's  wonderful. He said: You know, you look a lot better in real life than on TV. Yes, I said, I hear that sometimes. But, I continued, it's better than looking good on TV and not in real life, right?

He nodded, thinking about that.

Then he says--how come the anchorwomen on your station never put makeup on their necks?

(I'm sorry, but Eeeew.  You see why I had to write books revealing what it's really like to work in TV!)   

I just also got the first shipment of a fantastic new tote bag--made especially for the Charlie McNally Mysteries...the first five people who mail me though my website and mention this bookclub--I'll send you one!

More to come..hope you had a great Sunday..and that your foorball team won. (Ours...didn't)

xoxo Hank

http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com

[becke_davis]

"Then he says--how come the anchorwomen on your station never put makeup on their necks?

(I'm sorry, but Eeeew.  You see why I had to write books revealing what it's really like to work in TV!)  "

EWWWW!

Good grief. I can see the title of your next book, after Drive Time: Book Signing Time -- or Book Signings Are Murder! 

[Hank_Phillippi…]

OH, great idea, Becke! I just finished Angel's Tip, and really enjoyed it! HIghly recommended!

And hey Liz! Thanks for visiting--your schedule sounds crazy! But wonderful. And I'm looking  forward to seeing you at Bouchercon!  Love to hear your tales from the road.

My husband is reading David Levien's newest...he read City of the Sun, the first one, and highly recommends that, too! (Sorry Becke! I know your pile is tipping...)

City of the Sun 

ANd I just finished Brad Parks' Faces of the Gone--they had asked me for a blurb--and I was thrilled to give one! Look for the book very soon..

Faces of the Gone 

Dont forget to  email me-and maybe win a Charlotte McNally totebag! 

xoox Hank

http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com

[becke_davis]

Hank - do you want to post a note about that on my Facebook page?

If I post about it on Twitter, what would you like me to say?

[dhaupt]

Good Monday morning all,

Hi Hank, next time I read one of your posts I'b better not have just taken a big gulp of coffee. It just goes to show you that it does indeed take all kinds to make the world go round.

And Becke I like the new title and story line idea you gave Hank, maybe she could collaborate with Lorna and have it happen in her bookstore.

 I haven't done the tweeting thing yet I suppose I'll have to give in and be seen there too.

Have a great day everyone.