Please welcome guest Kate Carlisle with #book #giveaway

Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of two ongoing series: the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery and murder; and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries (as seen on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries), featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors' closets, but murder victims, too.

Kate’s Latest Fixer-Upper Mystery is Shot Through the Hearth, is out now.

Kate is offering a giveaway below.
 

One of the things I love best about traditional mysteries is the homeyness of them. When you pick up a book from a beloved ongoing series, it feels like you’re visiting friends or family. You learn which characters have moved, who’s dating, and who’s up to the same old antics. (Incorrigible!) They’re often set in a small town or a close-knit community, to add to this homecoming feeling. Murder notwithstanding, they’re comfort reads.

No wonder they’ve become known as cozy mysteries.

Each Fixer-Upper Mystery novel has these homey elements—small town setting, familiar characters—and also a larger, self-contained plot that makes the story enjoyable on its own, even for readers who are new to the series. (Then, of course, they can go back and binge-read the earlier books.) 

In Shot Through the Hearth, contractor Shannon Hammer has been hired by local tech billionaire Rafe Nash to restore his Victorian farmhouse. Rafe has invited environmental scientists from all over the world to Lighthouse Cove for a conference with a lofty goal—to save the planet.

In this snippet from the book, Rafe tells Shannon about his plans.

He sat forward in his chair, getting into the subject. “We’ve got an eco-fisheries expert whose passion is tide pools. And another, my friend Julian Reedy, is a world-renowned plant expert who is determined to prove that plants can communicate with humans.” He grinned. “Oh, and wait ’til you see the Stephanie vine. She’s this huge, fast-growing plant that moves and grows in reaction to human pheromones. She’s extraordinary.”

“Wait,” Carla said. “Stephanie is . . . a plant?”

“Yeah. You’ll see. It’s very cool. And another buddy, Arnold Larsson, is a pioneer in the field of smart mice studies.”

Mice? I shivered. One of my deepest, darkest secrets was that I was deathly afraid of mice. But I wasn’t about to mention it here and now.

“And Shannon, I would love to display some of the tiny houses you’ve been building. They’re perfect for people who’re looking to step away from the grid and leave a smaller carbon footprint.”

Unfortunately for Rafe, things won’t go exactly as planned, and soon he’ll be more interested in saving himself than in saving the planet.

In honor of the cozy mystery genre and the upcoming holidays, I’d love to share my recipe for Cauliflower Au Gratin. It’s a perfect Thanksgiving side dish recipe—or an any old night side dish recipe, for that matter—and it’s much lower in carbs than, say, scalloped potatoes.

Cauliflower Au Gratin

1 head of cauliflower, cut roughly into 1-inch chunks

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 packet of Italian seasoning

8 oz shredded Swiss cheese, divided

1 clove of garlic, minced

½ cup onion, diced

¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

A sprinkling of nutmeg (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine soup, Italian seasoning, ¾ cup cheese, garlic, onion and parsley. Mix well. Stir in cauliflower to coat.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Add cauliflower mixture. Top with remaining cheese and, if desired, a sprinkling of nutmeg, preferably freshly grated. Bake for 30 minutes. Cauliflower will be al dente, so if you prefer it softer, you might want to cook a little longer.

Just look at how cheesy and delicious this is! Yum!

 

I hope you’ll have as much fun reading Shot Through the Hearth as I had writing it. You can read chapter one for free at https://katecarlisle.com/shot-through-the-hearth.php. Please let me know what you think! You can reach me via my website or at www.facebook.com/katecarlislebooks 

ABOUT SHOT THROUGH THE HEARTH: 

Contractor Shannon Hammer is measuring murder motives in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of A Wrench in the Works and Eaves of Destruction... 

Shannon's good friend and retired tech billionaire, Raphael Nash, is loving his new retired life but he can't stay unoccupied for too long. He's started the Marigold Foundation that helps fund small companies and individuals who do humanitarian work around the world. It's an exciting time in Lighthouse Cove as Raphael hosts the first ever global conference inviting big thinkers from every area of industry to give presentations on eco-living.

Raphael's old business partner arrives in town with a grudge and a plan to steal him away from his important new passion project. Shannon knows her friend has no intention of giving up Marigold and is proud of Raphael for sticking to his guns. But when his former associate winds up dead, all signs point to Raphael.

It's up to Shannon to hammer out the details of the murder before her friend gets pinned for the crime...

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2U55a1K

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2HKrHud

BN: http://bit.ly/2YaPtFr

IndieBound: http://bit.ly/2CwAEnI

GIVEAWAY

Kate is offering a giveaway A HIGH-END FINISH 

plus a Fixer Upper measuring tape to one commenter.   

Leave your email in case you win so she can contact you.  

What are the "homey" elements you love in a cozy mystery?