Book Fair & Foul by Erika Chase: Guest Author, Review & Giveaway

I can’t believe that book #4 in the Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries has been born. It seems like just yesterday I was thrilled to hold the advance reading copy of the first book, A Killer Read in my hands. That was quite a journey getting to that spot, something that has now been repeated three more times.

Writers often say that the process is similar to giving birth. It’s true, especially if you’re on a nine month cycle, as many are. That’s nine months to produce a completed manuscript, ready to go and in the hands of your editor on the appointed date.

Those nine months are filled with highs and lows. Starting with anticipation at producing something new, going on a journey with old friends and new motives. You feel exhilarated. Anything is possible and the future looks bright.

Then come the lows, those times you think you won’t be a good “mother”, you’re unable to grab onto that bright future, often called the time of writer’s block. This doesn’t have to me a major occurrence of months like is often touted on writer’s rescue sites. Even one day of being unable to pick up the thread of your story and re-immerse your creative side can cause great trauma. But this too will pass.

So, you’re back on track. Eating healthy, getting enough sleep and proper exercise. The creative juices are flowing and the end is within sight. In fact, wait for it – you’ve finished the first draft. Great excitement and relief. However, that’s the equivalent to false labor pains. Get back to work. It’s not ready for the world.

But, trust me, it does happen. Several more drafts and the birthing process is complete. Congratulations, it’s a manuscript. And this one you’ll feel proud to send to your editor.

And, just like giving birth, as soon as you’ve calmed down a bit and settled into a routine, you’ll be wanting to start all over again. And like any good mom, you’ll have enough love all your output.

Each book has held a special place in my heart. While writing them, I’ve been drawn into a community of friends, now my friends, in a town that although fictitious, has also become real to me. I look forward every time to revisiting this place, these people, and helping them sort through their lives. And of course, the latest murder.

My deepest wish is that the reader enjoys this journey as much as I do.

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About the book: For the mystery book lovers of Ashton Corners, burial plots tell the most intriguing stories.

The members of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society are all chipping in as Molly Mathews, now owner of the bookstore the Book Nook, prepares the first annual Mystery Book Fair. While gossip circulates about the guest authors, club member Lizzie Turner is unpleasantly surprised to see a certain book publicist make an appearance. It seems Lizzie has a history with Ashley Dixon—a chapter of her life she’d rather leave closed.

But when someone gives Ashley a death sentence, Lizzie becomes the prime suspect in a murder mystery she can’t put down. Now Lizzie and her fellow book buffs have to read between the lines of the publicist’s past and catch the real killer before Lizzie is written off for good.

Tortie Shorties

Book reviews that are short and sweet...just like Truffles!

The first annual Mystery Book Fair is the setting for the latest in Erika Chase's wonderful Ashton Corners Book Club mystery series. Molly Mathews is the new owner of bookstore A Novel Plot, and with the help of the other members of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society has invited four mystery authors to the fair, and they all have their fair share of secrets. An unplanned for guest is publicist Ashley Dixon, a former college roommate of Lizzie's. They have unresolved issues from the past, and end up having a very public argument at the end of the fair. Lizzie finds herself a prime murder suspect when Ashley's body is found in a coffin outside the White Haven Funeral Home, and Lizzie's cell phone is at the scene.

This series is one of the coziest of the cozy, with a southern-fried atmosphere and a cast of characters that have come to feel like friends. The relationships between the "book club cohorts" drive the series, and the mystery is light, but kept me guessing until the end. The very last scene contains a cliffhanger that will definitely have me picking up book #5!

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Friday, August 8th for the chance to win a copy of Book Fair and Foul. (US entries only, please.)