Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Once Upon a Seaside Murder (A Beach Reads Mystery) by Maggie Blackburn. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
As the holidays approach, bookstore owner Summer Merriwether learns a dark secret in this second volume of Maggie Blackburn’s Beach Reads mystery series.
Once Upon a Seaside Murder (A Beach Reads Mystery)
by Maggie Blackburn
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Once Upon a Seaside Murder (A Beach Reads Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Brigid’s Island, NC
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books (October 12, 2021)
Hardcover : 336 pages
There’s no place like home for the holidays, even if home is sleepy, beachside Brigid’s Island, NC. During this season for giving, the town wakes up to a welcome throng of shoppers–and Beach Reads is no exception. But bookseller Summer Merriwether’s Christmas cheer turns to cringing fear when she uncovers a deadly secret about her late mother–a secret someone will kill to keep.
When the local library hosts a cozy mystery panel discussion, Summer learns that one of the authors on the panel based her book on an actual murder that shook Brigid’s Island thirty-five years before. Worse, she soon learns that her dearly missed mother, Hildy, took a disturbingly deep interest in the case, going so far as to collect clippings and keep a journal of the dark doings. This doesn’t jibe with Summer’s memories of her usually cheery mother at all.
Tidings get worse when Summer learns of her long-lost biological family’s involvement in the crime…and still worse when the life of the book’s author is threatened. With the help of Hildy’s plucky book club, Summer puts her scholarly smarts to work on protecting the cozy author and solving the decades-old murder.
But this ghost from Christmas past may still be deadly in the present, and if she can’t find the killer, Summer’s future will be brief.
Author Interview
Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!
Thank you for having me.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I live in the small town of Waynesboro, Va. I have two daughters off pursuing music careers.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been telling stories since before I could write.
Did you always want to be an author?
I always wanted to write, but I didn’t care if it was article or books. This is just where my path led me.
What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?
I enjoy the puzzle aspect of mysteries, but not the gore of some of them.
Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre?
I read very few cozy mysteries. I have a few favorite authors I do read from the genre. But I’m careful because I don’t want to inadvertently use something from another cozy.
What are you reading now?
Timepiece: A Dublin Memoir
Do you have a favorite place to write?
My bed!
What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?
Pillows and a cat, sometimes two.
What is the first book you remember reading as a child?
Curious George.
What was one of your favorite books you read as a child?
I loved the Trixie Beldon Mysteries.
Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?
I like physical books the most. But I read e-books, too. I’m running out of space in my apartment for books and ereaders are great for travel.
If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?
Scotland.
What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?
This is a tough one! I think early on, it was my education as a journalist. But as I’ve gotten older, life experience has informed my writing the most. I’ve always wanted a mentor, but alas…
Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing?
I have a lot of author friends and we support one another emotionally, I suppose, but rarely with writing-related issues—more like publishing business issues. Do you belong to any writing groups? I belong to Sisters in Crime.
Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?
I’m working on the third story in my Buttermilk Creek series, which is published under the name Mollie Cox Bryan. It will be the final book in the series and I’m wrapping it up without a murder. There will be a mystery, but not a murder.
Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!
About Maggie Blackburn
Maggie Blackburn is the pen name of Mollie Cox Bryan. She writes cozy mysteries with edge. She’s the author of several bestselling mystery series. She’s recently released a novella mystery series: The Victoria Town Mysteries. Her book, “Goodnight Moo,” has been shortlisted for a Fresh Fiction Reader’s Choice Award. Her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award and as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman’s World. She makes her home at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley, Va.
Author Links
Website http://www.molliecoxbryan.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/molliecoxbryanauthor/
Twitter https://twitter.com/molliecoxbryan
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/molliebryan/
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound
Enter the giveaway
Once Upon A Seaside Murder TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 14
I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
Novels Alive – GUEST POST
October 15
View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 16
Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 17
Nellie’s Book Nook – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – SPOTLIGHT
October 18
Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE
October 19
FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST
October 20
Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 21
Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST
My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
October 22
Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
Novels Alive – REVIEW
Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT
October 23
BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
A seaside town sounds like a great setting for a cozy mystery!
I love seaside towns. Fresh seafood can’t be beat.
Thanks for having me!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping!