Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Who, Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and Aphrodite. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
A heated argument on a nearby boat followed by a loud splash . . .
Who, Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and Aphrodite
by Charlotte Stuart
Who, Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and Aphrodite
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Taylor & Seale Publishing
Number of Pages: 250
Who, Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and Aphrodite is a mystery set in an urban boating community in Seattle. Bryn Baczek lives on a sailboat in a small marina with her cat, Macavity, and a series of short-lived goldfish.
When a neighbor she doesn’t like becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, she reluctantly seeks evidence to prove him innocent. She ends up being threatened by the victim’s abusive boyfriend, betrayed by a close friend, and can’t resist using subterfuge to enter a secured building to search the victim’s office.
Although she shares what she learns with a charming detective, she is one step ahead of the police in identifying the murderer . . . a step that puts her in a dangerous face-to-face confrontation.
My review of Who Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and Aphrodite
I know! You’re saying, “What’s with the title?” Well, all of these (fog bows, fraud, Aphrodite) play a part in this very funny follow-up to Why Me? Chimeras, Conundrums and Dead Goldfish. If you have no idea what a fog bow is you’re in good company! I didn’t either, but now I do; furthermore, you will too once you read this humorous cozy mystery book by Charlotte Stuart.
Once again, Bryn finds herself caught up in a mystery when she hears fighting by her neighbor’s boat followed by a big splash! When she confronts her neighbor about this argument, he’s got a perfectly weird explanation that has to do with an Aphrodite bust and some misunderstanding. He tells her that she heard Aphrodite being thrown overboard. Is that true? Does the fact that the other person involved in the argument is now missing after auditing a nonprofit. Is there fraud involved? Will there be more dead goldfish? What’s a fog bow? You’ll find out when you read this delightful cozy mystery!
I still love the characters in this book. Bryn is really close to a couple of neighbors, her landlord, and maybe a police officer….she’s not sure about that… I really enjoy reading about Bryn’s living situation too. It would be cool to live on a boat with my cat…for a little while at least! Living on a boat would be cozy! Hopefully you’d get some good neighbors who will come to your rescue (and feed you) like Bryn’s BFF and partner do at the drop of a hat.
This mystery was crazy (again) and fun to solve with Bryn! The clues are all there, but you’ll have to look hard! You can read this as a stand-alone, but I think you’ll enjoy it more if you read the first book.
If you’re looking for a new cozy mystery book and series, you’ve got to give Charlotte Stuart’s Who, Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and Aphrodite a read! I think you’ll enjoy the crazy situations Bryn gets herself into as well as her goldfish drama. Enjoy!
Guest Post: A Glimpse Behind the Marketing Curtain
Most authors say the same thing—they love writing and hate marketing. The rule of thumb is that an author should spend at least 40% of their day on marketing. That means authors who hate marketing would be spending almost half of their working life on something they find disagreeable. To be honest, I’m in that category.
Some experts on marketing claim the 40% rule isn’t the gold standard. They suggest that you pick two or three marketing tools and pursue them regularly. When I published my first mystery in 2019, I didn’t even know what a “marketing tool” was. I wasn’t on social media. I didn’t have an email list. And I didn’t belong to any writing groups. In just over a year, all that has changed. Although it hasn’t been easy. Based on my experience, here’s a glimpse behind the curtain . . .
Sacrificing your privacy to social media is hard for an introvert like me. But there are benefits. By reaching out to potential readers, I also reconnected with people from my past. One seldom deliberately loses contact with people; life simply has a way of moving you around like a piece on a chessboard. I love seeing the name of a former colleague pop up on my screen. And I’m building an email list one name at a time.
The other thing I’ve enjoyed is becoming involved with groups of authors and readers. Before 2019, except for book clubs, I didn’t know these organizations even existed. One upside of the pandemic is that mystery-focused groups throughout the United States have opened up Zoom meetings and webinars to non-members. I’ve definitely benefited from these educational and networking experiences.
Since this post is on a blog as part of a virtual book tour, perhaps this is the point at which I confess to loving virtual book tours. I enjoy responding to questions posed by bloggers, writing guest posts and engaging with readers. I’ve particularly enjoyed writing posts from a character’s point of view. It’s given me insights into the characters that I’ve created!
But marketing isn’t all beer and skittles as the saying goes. You have to contend with Amazon Algorithms, figure out the best way to launch and promote a book, swallow your pride and ask for reviews, decide how much you are willing to pay for ads, and learn to convert your Word documents into a mobi or epub. You also need to research podcasts, produce audiobooks, and create YouTube videos. Then there’s learning about blogging, MailChimp campaigns, taglines and loglines, editing tools . . . on and on it goes. Just when you think you are getting a handle on things, someone says, “Hey, have you tried . . .?”
I can’t tell you how many webinars on marketing I’ve attended in the past year. Or how few tools I feel I’ve mastered—frequently after much floundering and the occasional oath. The next step for me is to put together a marketing plan that only requires an hour or two a day so I can spend the rest of my time writing. I truly believe you need to squeeze as much joy out of each day as you can. A little pain is acceptable. But I want my life to revolve around the joy. That’s why I write humorous mysteries.
Well, I’m glad you write them! Thanks for sharing this with us! ~ Christy’s Cozy Corners
About Charlotte Stuart
In a world filled with uncertainty and too little chocolate, Charlotte Stuart, PhD, has taught college courses in speech communication, was a management consultant and a VP of HR, and has enjoyed time spent sailing and commercial salmon fishing in Alaska. Her current passion is for writing mysteries with a dollop of adventure and a smattering of humor. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys watching herons, eagles, seals and other sea life from her Vashon Island home office.
Author Links
Website: www.charlottestuart.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/quirkymysteries
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlotte.stuart.mysterywriter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19305587.Charlotte_Stuart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clzstuart/?hl=en
Purchase Links – Amazon
Enter the giveaway
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
June 28
I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
June 29
Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 30
Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 1
Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST
July 2
Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
July 3
StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 4 – OFF
July 5
Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 6
Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 7
Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, GUEST POST
July 8
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 9
Literary Gold – REVIEW
July 10
Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 11
Ebook addicts – REVIEW
Thank you, Christy, for giving your readers a chance to learn about my latest Macavity & Me mystery!
Charlotte
You’re welcome! Thank you for stopping by today!
It looks like a good read.