Fleece, Navi, Dead: Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series by Joanna Campbell Slan | Author Interview

Thanks for sharing!

Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Fleece, Navi, Dead: Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series by Joanna Campbell Slan. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

The BIGGEST Kiki book yet!
Introducing the Miss Fits, ordinary women who do extra-ordinary things!

Fleece, Navi, Dead: Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series

by Joanna Campbell Slan

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Fleece, Navi, Dead: Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series
Cozy Mystery
16th in Series
Setting – Missouri
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Spot On Publishing (October 31, 2021)
Number of Pages: EST. 320

Every holiday season, Kiki Lowenstein plans 12 days of classes, her Holiday Craft Extravaganza. And every year, it nearly kills her.

This year is no exception. As the holiday season approaches, Kiki over-schedules herself and winds up running herself ragged. To make life even more stressful, she must fend off a stalker, a man determined to possess the object of his affection. But that’s only one problem.

Kiki’s ace full-time employee, Clancy, has HUGE decisions to make. How do you put aside your hurt and disappointment when you’ve been betrayed? Why should you upend your whole life because of another person’s mistake? Is it selfish to think of yourself first? As Clancy ponders questions, Kiki stands on the sidelines, knowing this is not her choice to make. And yet…Kiki feels Clancy’s agony.

Meanwhile, both of Kiki’s older kids are having problems with teachers. Kiki wonders, “At what point does being an involved parent tip over into being a helicopter parent?” There’s also a staff shortage that leaves Kiki in the lurch, both at home and at the store. Kiki might have found an answer to that dilemma when a mysterious woman applies for a job. Her name is Nona, and she claims to be an old friend of an old friend. But is she?

Nona seems too good to be true. Sadly, that might be the least of Kiki’s problems with the woman. Because Nona isn’t what she seems to be. Nona is a Miss Fit.

Author Interview

Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I grew up in a little town in Indiana, but I had a library card, so I traveled in time and space whenever I could.

How long have you been writing?

For as long as I can remember. Honestly, I can remember not being able to write.

Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?

I dreamed of being an author. I loved telling stories, and as soon as I understood what an author was, that became my dream. I chose the mystery genre because I needed a pattern to follow, and there is that with mysteries. A crime happens and it needs to be solved.

Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?

I read almost every genre. I’m very eclectic in my reading habits. I’m currently reading The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder.

Do you have a favorite place to write?

My home here in Florida. I love looking out at the flowers and palms and the ocean.

What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?

Always something to drink. Right now, it’s iced tea. Usually a lot of pencils and pens, and a big screen monitor.

What is the first book you remember reading as a child? What was one of your favorite books you read as a child?

Fun with Dick and Jane. Charlotte’s Web was one of my favorites as a child.

Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?

I enjoy all three. I listen to audiobooks while I’m crafting or doing housework. I like physical books for reference or patterns. I read e-books the rest of the time.

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?

I lived in the UK for a year, and I’d be happy to go back there. My series—The Jane Eyre Chronicles—was set in the UK, and my time there gave me great insight.

What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?

Probably my little sister Jane. She’s a huge reader, and she’s always coming to me with ideas. We talk a lot about writing.

Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing? Do you belong to any writing groups?

Yes, I have a lot of friends in the business. I turn to them for advice and help.

Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?

I’m finishing Jingle Bells and Empty Shells: Book #7 in the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series. Cara Mia is dealing with her ex-husband’s withdrawal of financial support for their son who’s entering his second semester of his sophomore year at college. Her ex had promised to pay for Tommy’s college education, but he’s decided he won’t. Cara is kicking herself. She sold the family business on contract because a former employee wanted to buy it. Now that man is saying he can’t make payments. She bought The Treasure Chest to keep her grandfather from losing his business. It seems to her like all she’s done is make bad decisions. Of course, she hasn’t but…that’s Cara. She beats herself up a lot.

The book goes to the editor on Monday for release before Christmas.

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!

About Joanna Campbell Slan

Joanna Campbell Slan is an Award-Winning, National Bestselling, and USA Today Bestselling author. Her personal essays appear in five of the New York Times Bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and one was adapted as a television segment for the PAX TV network. Joanna has penned seven scrapbooking technique books, and she has written for Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers, and PaperKuts magazines. Joanna has traveled around the world to teach scrapbook journaling.

Joanna has also written more than 30 works of fiction. RT Reviews has called her “one of mystery’s rising stars.” Her first mystery in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series—Paper, Scissors, Death—was shortlisted for the Agatha Award. Joanna’s series featuring Charlotte Brontë’s classic heroine Jane Eyre began with Death of a Schoolgirl, which won the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence for historical romantic suspense. As the editor and publisher of the Happy Homicides anthologies, Joanna has been on Amazon’s list of Top 100 Mystery Authors.

Joanna’s college textbook—Using Stories and Humor—has been endorsed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s speechwriter as his favorite resource and has been endorsed by Toastmasters.

The Public Relations Society of America honored Joanna with a Silver Anvil (their highest award) for her work on the first FarmAid. Joanna has been accredited by PRSA as a professional public relations practitioner. She is a certified teacher of Zentangle® and certified in Personal Profiles. Slan founded the Best of British Scrapbooking and Cardmaking contest.

In her past life, Slan was a television talk show host, an adjunct professor of public relations at Illinois State University, a sought-after motivational speaker, and a corporate speechwriter. Sharing Ideas Magazine named Joanna “one of the top 25 motivational speakers in the world.” She has spoken in Australia, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and all over the United States, to audiences of all sizes.

Joanna is married to David Slan, CEO of Steinway Piano Gallery-DC and Steinway Piano Gallery-St. Louis, and a professional poker player. The Slans have one son, Michael, and a daughter-in-law, Chelsea Edwards. They live with their Havanese puppy Jax on Jupiter Island, Florida.

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