Title: Cookies & Capers
Author: Lucinda Race
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Book Blurb:
A brand new cozy mystery series coming in 2023 from Lucinda Race. If you love cozy mysteries, you’ll want to sign up for Lucinda’s newsletter to be the first to read the blurb and more.
Excerpt:
I stood in front of the old wood and glass door as I pocketed the keys to the Cozy Nook Bookshop. Aunt Mimi had signed her bookstore over to me. She said it felt like giving me her baby. But I loved the shop as much as my aunt did. We had worked together for the last twelve years. After attending the University of Maine, I had a degree in history and education. I had always wanted to be a teacher, but jobs were scarce and after substituting for a few years, I moved back to my hometown of Pembroke, Maine, and Aunt Mimi hired me as soon as I unpacked my suitcase.
Spending time with my aunt, learning the business, had been the best experience. I offered to buy the shop when she wanted to retire, but she wouldn’t hear of it. As long as she had free books for life, and her long-term boyfriend Nate, she said it was a fair deal. From my point of view, I had built-in backup for years to come.
Now that I was the bookshop owner, Aunt Mimi was no longer coming in every day which meant her cat, Phoenix, wasn’t either and the space felt empty without a kitty lying in the window or skulking about as kitties do. I was off to the Pembroke Animal Palace to see if I could find a match.
It was a short walk in the bright noonday sun. The spring air from the ocean carried a tang of salt, but the breeze was refreshing. I waved to one of my best friends, Gage Erikson, as he drove past in his police-issued sedan. My heart fluttered in my chest.
He was a detective on the force. Not that we had much crime in our small seaside town. But one of these days I was going to get brave and tell him I had been carrying a torch for him since we were in ninth grade. What’s the worst thing that could happen? We’d still be best friends, right?
I continued down the brick sidewalk, waving to William North from the Sweet Spot Bakery. He was sweeping the area around the small bistro tables in front of the bakery. William was wearing a large pristine white apron and a wide smile. A deep inhale confirmed my suspicion. He was baking cookies. My mouth watered. I did a half turn and went back to where he was finishing up. “Good morning, William.” I bobbed my head in the shop’s direction. “What is that tantalizing smell?”
He held open the brightly polished glass door. “One of your favorites, Lily. Chocolate chip and pecan cookies. Can I interest you in one before you continue on your mission?”
I gave him a side-look. “Mission?”
He chuckled. “Over the years my Lulu had said you had two speeds, strolling and purposeful. Just now it was purposeful so hence you’re on a mission.”
“I’m going to the shelter, hoping to find a kitty. The shop is lonely now that Phoenix is home every day with Aunt Mimi, and I think a cat napping in the window adds an air of serenity to the place.”
“Unless you’re allergic.”
He had a point, but I was not willing to be deterred. I smiled. “I’m always happy to deliver to a customer.” I leaned over the glass bakery case, like a kid pressing her nose against the candy case. “You made sugar cookies too and frosted them?” I sighed. I was going to need to exercise more if he continued to bake all my favorites. He was smiling at me as I looked up. “Are the chocolate pecan ready?”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “I have a tray cooling in the back.”
“Then can I have one of those and a sugar cookie, but to go?”
With a flick of his wrist, he snapped open a white bakery bag and called over his shoulder. “Jerilyn, would you please bring out the last batch of cookies?”
I heard a muffled, coming, and smiled. “It’s good that Jerilyn stayed on.” I said nothing about his beloved wife Lulu. Rumor had it she was ill and not doing well.
He nodded. “It is. She’s a hard worker and excellent with the customers.”
Jerilyn bustled in from the back room carrying a large stainless-steel tray. It was lined with parchment paper and cookies the size of the palm of my hand. It was going to taste so good with a hot cup of tea later.
William put two in the bag, along with two sugar cookies, and then he handed it to me. I paid for my cookies and thanked him. “Stop by the shop later. You might just get to meet my new fur baby.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He grinned and crossed his arms over his rounded midsection. “You’re more like your aunt than you realize. Ever since she opened that bookshop, she’s had a cat, too.”
I paused, tucked the bakery bag in my tote, and with my hand on the door, I turned and gave him a wide grin. “And now it’s time I carry on the tradition.” With a jaunty wave, I called, “Wish me luck.”
Download the first three chapters of this brand-new cozy mystery series coming in 2023:
What makes your featured book a must-read?
This is my first foray into the cozy mystery genre, and I want to connect with readers, especially those who love cozy mysteries. The series kicks off in 2023 and I have big plans. I’m launching a four-book cozy mystery series as well as starting a podcast for cozy mystery readers. Join me in the adventure!
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $15 Amazon US or Amazon Canada gift card
Open Internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or CA account to win.
Runs October 12 – October 19, 2022.
Winner will be drawn on October 20, 2022.
Author Biography:
Award-winning and best-selling author Lucinda Race is a lifelong fan of romantic fiction. As a young girl, she spent hours reading romance novels and getting lost in the hope they represent. While her friends dreamed of becoming doctors and engineers, her dreams were to become a writer—a romance novelist.
As life twisted and turned, she found herself writing nonfiction but longed to turn to her true passion. After developing the storyline for The Loudon Series, it was time to start living her dream. Her fingers practically fly over computer keys she weaves stories about strong women and the men who love them. Lucinda lives with her two little dogs, a miniature long hair dachshund and a shitzu mix rescue, in the rolling hills of western Massachusetts. When she's not at her day job, she’s immersed in her fictional worlds. And if she’s not writing romance novels, she’s reading everything she can get her hands on.
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