I'm happy to introduce you today to my writing partner, Joyce Proell, for the Chocolate Martini Sisters Mysteries. We've been friends since I lived in Minnesota. She's the perfect co-author. Tell us a little about yourself, Joyce.
As I got older, I drifted to Agatha Christie and Dorothy L.
Sayers’ stories featuring the clever Lord Peter Wimsey. Robert B. Parker’s
Spenser and Tony Hillerman had my interest. For a time, I focused on British
mystery authors like P.D. James, Anne Perry, Elly Griffiths, Anne Cleves and
Martha Grimes, reading each book upon publication. I read American authors who
set their series in England. Even Nordic Noir received its share of attention, as
did historical mysteries and the lighter stories of M.C. Beaton and Elizabeth
Peters. If you’ve not read her Amelia Peabody series, you’re missing out. Her stories,
usually set at an archeological dig in Egypt are bright and funny. Deborah
Crombie, Elizabeth George, Charles Todd, Jacqueline Winspear, C.S. Harris,
Victoria Thompson, Kate Morton, Charlaine Harris, Rhys Bowen are just a few of
my favorite mystery writers. A practical person might wonder where I found all
the time to read.
I wonder, too. Maybe I’m a fast reader. In truth, I love mystery—dark
or light, historical or contemporary, serious or funny. The sub-genre doesn’t
really matter. Finding the killer does. Once the crime puzzle is set, I race to
the end. And if by chance, I figure out who did it before the principal
character does, I feel a great sense of satisfaction.
So it wasn’t a big jump that after writing two romances, I glided into
romantic suspense with my Cady Delafield series. When my dear friend and fellow
writer, Brenda Whiteside approached me with a series proposal about two sister
sleuths, I got excited. The premise is fashioned after Brenda and her sister’s
respective birthday dinners and always includes a Chocolate Martini. Thus, it
made sense to title the series The Chocolate Martini Sisters. In the stories, the
bond between the sisters, Emma and Nic, is as important as the murder. They are
as diverse as they are similar. Nic is creative, intuitive and impulsive. Emma is
analytical, fact-driven and careful. They are each other’s best friend and
equally enjoy solving a caper. They are all about solving a mystery.
Candy, Cigarettes and Murder is the first in this series. I hope you are intrigued and excited to read about the lively sisters and their perplexing capers. I certainly had a blast writing about them.
It’s a birthday weekend with the gift of
murder.
When Sisters Emma and Nic check in at the storied Dulce Inn for a relaxing, birthday weekend, they don’t expect a madhouse of temperamental artists or getting entangled in two murders. Using their love of all-things mystery, and despite a surly detective who stands in their way, can the Chocolate Martini Sisters tackle the caper, unsnarl the web of secrets, lies, and vengeance to catch the killer?
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BOOK LINKS:
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN96RS4G/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71969141-candy-cigarettes-and-murder
Joyce Proell is the award-winning author of Amaryllis, Eliza and the Cady Delafield mysteries: A Deadly Truth, A Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth. Along with her husband and little dog, Nellie, she lives in Minnesota in her very own little house on the prairie. She loves to hear from readers.
Visit her website at www.joyceproell.com orhttps://www.facebook.com/JoyceProellAuthor.
It's so cool that you two work so well together in creating a book! I don't know if I could do that. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and really could not tell where one author left off and the other began. Good job, gals! :)
ReplyDeleteThat makes us so happy to hear! We do have fun. If you would post your review on Amazon, that would be super!
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