About the Book
Genre: Cozy Mystery, #5 in A Queen Bee Mystery Series
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
Release Date: February 2014
Synopsis from Goodreads:
The latest Queen Bee Mystery in a series that's "a sweet treat for cozy mystery fans." (Fresh Fiction)
Beekeeper Story Fischer has stocked the shelves of her market, The Wild Clover, in preparation for the influx of produce-crazy tourists about to invade Moraine, Wisconsin. In fact, with the apple cider and caramel apple stand on Main Street and the corn maze out at Country Delight Farm, the whole town is ready for the swarm.
But when a self-proclaimed witch moves into town, the neighbors are all abuzz with questions. Is the quirky newcomer a good witch or a bad one? Story thinks Dyanna Crane is perfectly nice, albeit a little eccentric. But after an entire coven shows up for a new moon ritual—and one of the witches ends up dead in the corn maze—Story must comb through both fact and fiction, before anyone else is murdered under the cover of magic…
Author Guest Blog
Dreams Really Can Come True
I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to work for Berkley Prime Crime. The New York publisher excels at publishing theme-based mystery series with wonderful covers, and I wanted to be part of their family. Luckily, I had an agent at the time. We brainstormed.
“A wine series?” I suggested, mainly because I absolutely love wine, and the research would be such fun.
“Berkley already did one,” she told me. “How about a fairy godmother protagonist?”
“Uh…sorry, but I don’t know a thing about fairy godmothers. What else do you have?”
She was one smart agent. “What do you like?” she asked. “You know, what are your passions?”
I thought about that then answered, “Animals, flowers, anything having to do with being outdoors, cooking.” I paused. So did she. We both knew that the bookshelves were brimming with cats and dogs and culinary series, and there probably wasn’t any room for more.
“Birding?” I suggested.
“Already done.”
Well, where the heck was I going to fit in?
“How about a craft? Do you do an unusual craft?” she asked. “All the most popular ones are already contracted, so it would have to be really original.”
I shook my head, feeling pretty defeated.
But my agent wasn’t a quitter. “I’ve always thought,” she said, infusing the sentence with magic, “that a beekeeping series could work.”
That was it! I’d been reading about the plight of the honeybee. I could show the cozy reading world that there was a vast difference between a sweet little honeybee and a nasty old yellow jacket. Plus, the concept had all the ingredients that I love - animals, flowers, honey (as in cooking), and I could write in lots of nature. It was so me!
Excited, I wrote up three chapters and an outline. Story Fischer and her hometown of Moraine, Wisconsin came to life. Along with a grocery store she owns and an interfering mother, a snoopy woman living next door, a hot cop who rides a Harley, and a K-9 police dog (see, I managed to get that dog in there, too).
Berkley came back with a contract offer to write three books in the Queen Bee series. I had been accepted into the family.
Beewitched is book five in the series. If you haven’t been introduced to beekeeper Story Fischer yet, you can start wherever you like, because each can stand alone. Welcome to my dream come true.
BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!
How would you like to win a paperback copy of Beewitched by Hannah Reed? Thanks to Berkley, I have one paperback to giveaway to one lucky winner.
Just a few simple rules...
1) You must fill out the form below.
2) US Residents Only
3) For an extra entry: Follow this blog
4) For an extra entry: Follow me on Twitter
5) For an extra entry: Follow me on Goodreads
6) For an extra 2 entries: Post this giveaway on your blog.
7) For an extra 2 entries: Tweet about this giveaway.
8) For an extra 2 entries: Like one of my reviews on Amazon.
9) For an extra 2 entries: Leave a comment for the author.
The giveaway begins on February 11th (midnight est) and ends on February 18th (midnight est).
The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.
Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I really need to read more books like this
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun book. And I love anything with witches.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week.
*sigh* another I can't enter being in the UK! (but drat it another series to add to my large "to read" pile!)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great series.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds captivating and unique. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI have read 3 books of this series and like it. Betty
ReplyDeleteIt must be hard to keep coming up with different themes for cozies. Beekeeping is a new one to me! Can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteBees are such interesting little creatures--I'm glad that a cozy series is showing interest in them.
ReplyDeletesuefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Congrats to Hannah on the new release! I can't believe we are up to five stories for Story! Love this series!
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds good. I'm adding it to my TBR pile.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting story with witches. The book sounds really good, and I'd love to read it. Thanks for having the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThank you for always sharing the best cozies with me. I do appreciate your reminding me to look for the good reads in life.
ReplyDeleteGreat guest post! This sounds like a great book in a fun series.
ReplyDeletethis series is in my TBR pile!!!
ReplyDeletecannot wait to start reading it!!!
thank you for the giveaway!!
this series is in my TBR pile..........
ReplyDeletecannot wait to start it!!
thank you for the giveaway!!