Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for A Poetic Pox: A Lady Librarian Mystery by Samantha Larsen. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
A Poetic Pox: A Lady Librarian Mystery
by Samantha Larsen
A Poetic Pox: A Lady Librarian Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – 1786, England
Publisher: Dreamscape First
Audible.com Release Date: July 22, 2025
Listening Length: 8 hours and 18 minutes
Author: Samantha Larsen
Narrator: Marni Penning
1786, England
It is the twelve days of Christmas, and Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop is happily juggling her duties as a new mother and a librarian to Catharine, the Duchess of Beaufort. Her employer receives a mysterious letter from an old paramour, the Marquess of Harwood, who is the biological father of Catharine’s son. He promises to leave his estate and fortune to Beau if he can see the boy before he dies.
Her elder son, Thomas Montague, has a terrible cold, so Catharine asks Tiffany to accompany her and Beau. When they arrive at the dilapidated abbey, they discover a dead body—only it isn’t the marquess, but his valet! Lord Harwood is alive, but unconscious with suspicious-looking pox marks on his hands. Tiffany wonders if the marquess is really dying, or if it is all poetic revenge? Especially when she discovers the secrets that haunt Rosedean Abbey.
Between breastfeeding and dirty diapers, Tiffany must discover who killed the valet and attempted to murder the marquess before anyone else dies.
©2025 Samantha Larsen (P)2025 Dreamscape First
Character Interview Lady Detectives and Breast-Feeding
Newspaper Reporter: Mrs. Lathrop, you are a librarian. Have you ever read a story about a breast-feeding detective before?
Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: Alas, I have not. It seems as if lady detectives are either young and unmarried, or older women. Mothers are often overlooked, I’ve found. Especially mothers of young children. We are definitely busy taking care of our children, our homes, and in my case, I also have a profession that requires a great deal of my time. I have recently catalogued the entire Astwell Palace Library with a new Austrian system of little cards. A card-catalogue. What an innovation. 1787 is such an exciting time to be alive.
Newspaper Reporter: Does nursing change how you are able to sleuth?
Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: Of course it does. I often feel like I am on the clock. Detection and interviews have to be done between feedings. And if you take too long, your body reminds you. The sensation of milk coming in can be painful and if your breastmilk leaks through your underclothing and gown, it can be very embarrassing.
Newspaper Reporter: Does nursing help your detective skills or abilities in any way?
Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: I believe that it does. You have to stop, sit down, and stay still while you are feeding your baby. It requires time and attention. But it also gives you a unique time for reflection. Every four or so hours, you snuggle your little one close and go over the evidence and discrepancies between what people say and what they actually do. I have found it to be invaluable.
Newspaper Reporter: Why do you think that there aren’t more books, or any that I can think of off the top of my head, about breast-feeding amateur detectives?
Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: That is a very good question. I think that there are stigmas about a woman’s body; or the fact that society sexualizes a woman’s body. In my detective stories, I try to normalize a woman’s monthly menses, childbirth, and breast-feeding, because they are exactly that—normal. There is no need for shame or coyness. For too long women, especially mothers, have been expected to be invisible particularly while feeding their children. We are supposed to be tucked away and covered. I for one, am tired of being overlooked. And I am certain many mothers of young children feel the same.
Newspaper Reporter: Mrs. Lathrop, what can we expect in your latest book, besides breast-feeding?
Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: The story is during the Twelve Days of Christmas: Christmas to January 5th. The darkest and coldest days of the year. There is a very twisty mystery set in a haunted abbey that is falling to bits. No spoilers, but there is a sweet romance and a tragic history. And a murder, of course—that is positively poetic revenge.
About Samantha Larsen
Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, having tea parties, and chauffeuring her four kids. She teaches World Literature at Brigham Young University. Her young adult fiction books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections and her historical romances are published around the world. She also writes murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen that Publisher’s Weekly called “wildly enjoyable.”
Author Links
Website www.SamanthaHastings.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samanthahastingsauthor/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaHastingsAuthor
X https://x.com/HastingSamantha
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-hastings
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A Poetic Pox TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 21 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
July 21 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
July 22 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 23 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
July 24 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 25 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 26 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
July 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 27 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
July 28 – Review Thick And Thin – REVIEW
July 29 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 30 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
July 31 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
July 31 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 1 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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