A Cup of Tea and a Cozy Mystery

Hello, everyone. Today I wanted to share about Old Country Roses China. According to Macy's this pattern is the most popular pattern in the world! It's no wonder. The lovely pink, red and yellow roses are suited to any season. Rimmed with gold, this china is truly stunning! The first cup and saucer in my collection was handed down from my Aunt Louise who knew I loved to collect them. 

Soon, after being inspired by a photo on Pinterest, I searched online until I found this cup and saucer in the Avon shape. I simply couldn't live without it!

And then, I had to purchase the tea set because I needed an extra creamer for a party I was hosting. The set was less expensive than the creamer alone. 

I don't know what makes your heart go pitty-pat, but for me it's beautiful dishes. The Jillian Bradley Mystery Series has afternoon tea in every book. Some say I use too many descriptions of food and clothes but writers write about who they are and what they do. If you love beauty like me along with a good mystery free of anything unpleasant except perhaps a murder here and there, you may want to check them out.

Thank you for joining me this week. I pray you stay safe and sound in the days ahead.

 Try Book 1 in the series as a Free eBook!

Amazon

Apple

Kobo

BN

Smashwords

Amazon International Links

All Jillian Bradley wants is to spend a quiet weekend by the ocean and enjoy her afternoon tea. But a startling discovery draws Jillian and her garden club friends into solving a mystery that threatens her life and changes her future. "Murder in Half Moon Bay," Book 1 in the Jillian Bradley Mystery Series, introduces Jillian's little companion Teddy, a Yorkie who falls prey to danger but rises to become a sleuth dog in the next book.

See you in my books!

~Nancy Jill

COVID-19 What is Going to Happen Now?

When I lay down at night, my mind whirls with thoughts of the day:

How long will our food last?
If my husband gets sick, will I?
Will hospitals overflow with virus victims?
Will we have enough medicine to get through this virus if we catch it?
What about those losing jobs?
In essence, what is going to happen now?

No one knows.

But I can begin to see good things emerging:

The environment in Italy is clearing of pollutants due to less traffic. Wild life is returning.

Children, home from school, are with their parents.
Parents are spending less time on their cell phones and tending to their family’s needs.
Many businesses are finding ways to give back to the community.
Less time is being spent commuting.
Many are cooking again because they have to and some are enjoying it!
Families are drawing closer together.
Older parents are receiving attention.
Neighbors are stepping up to help the elderly and those at risk.

You can probably think of more. 

I also believe our country will become more self-sufficient, which is a good thing.
We as a nation have endured hardships in the past. We have also revived and learned valuable lessons along the way. 
Yes, the worst may be yet to come. Let us hold onto our faith, our values, and most importantly, each other. For then we focus on what we can do each day instead of wondering what is going to happen tomorrow. #FlattenTheCurve

~Nancy Jill

What Inspires Me To Write

When I was a little girl living in California my family would travel to Arkansas to visit my grandparents. It was a little long drive, so my parents would tell stories. Sometimes they would even make them up, like “The Dog With Radar Ears” or “How to Find a Good Wife.” That was my first inspiration along with reading every book I could put my hands on.

After I got married my husband and I traveled on his business trips and I kept diaries so I could remember details. The first trip we took to great Britain and France I fell in love with afternoon tea and good coffee. I brought the customs home with me. Those travels and afternoon tea inspired me to put them in books, again, so I could remember.

It all started when we had to get rid of Sandy, our daughter’s pet rat that we all loved dearly. To help soften the sad news I wrote a story called “The Sacrifice” explaining how detrimental the rat’s allergens were to my husband. After I wrote that story I discovered something. I liked to write!

In 2001, Murder in Half Moon Bay was my very first attempt at writing a novel. I loved reading murder mysteries but was burned out with the authors I had been reading, so I decided to write a mystery of my own. 

My inspiration for Jillian Bradley and her Yorkie companion came from staying at The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay for four days where my husband and I were attending an off-site board meeting for his company. With time on my hands I began creating a murder mystery based on the hotel and inspired by different people I met. I began taking notes of the surroundings and used my imagination to create a protagonist that might be a guest at a gardening conference. I used my husband's name Ted for her little dog, Teddy, since I would have her be a widow.

After writing 12 chapters I shared the plot with my 14 year old daughter and was told how dumb it was and that nobody would ever read it. Discouraged, I ltucked it away for 8 years until one day our son suggested I write a blog.

I began with Camp Grandma Fun but decided to publish my manuscript one chapter at a time for feedback. A newspaper called The Half Moon Bay Review became interested in the story and wanted an interview. Now I was really inspired to finish my book.

A few months later I self-published “Murder in Half Moon Bay” and put it on the market. I included afternoon tea and created the character of Teddy, an intelligent little Yorkshire terrier who is the protagonist’s inseparable companion. And people bought it!

My son inspired me to write the second book using the setting of our next conference in Scottsdale, Arizona called The Sanctuary. He suggested writing about a murder centered on an endangered species since the protagonist is a garden columnist. “The Ghost Orchid Murder” now initiated the series of 11 books and a collection of six short stories to come. 

I must add that my husband and I enjoyed collaborating on plots and I credit him for much of my inspiration.

I hope you enjoy the reads. Stay safe. #FlattenTheCurve

 

~Nancy Jill Thames

Can Cozy Mysteries Stir the Imagination or Touch the Heart?

Authors are often loath, like some actors, to review their own work. We are too critical and want to constantly edit or rewrite. But when we achieve a stirring of the imagination or touch the heart we succeed in our craft.

 Yesterday I read a short story I'd written a few years ago called "Raven House."

Scene of the Crime

As writers often do I'd created an unlikable victim and the handful of possible murderers. When I read the story again, surprisingly, tender elements emerged creating moments that were heart touching indeed. Without giving too much away, one character finds forgiveness and freedom from guilt, as the main character, Jillian Bradley, sees an opportunity for reconciliation. In another instance a different character finds true contentment in spite of overwhelming odds his life has dealt. 
   Can a cozy mystery stir the imagination or touch the heart? This one did.

   "Raven House" is included in The Jillian Bradley Short Story Collection along with "Teddy Saves Christmas," another heartwarming tale, "Final Performance," not your average Nutcracker
presentation, "Lawrence Buys a Gift," a story full of imagination, "Birthday Bash," with a blast from Jillian's past, and "Sweets, Treats and Murder," a rather grisly story revolving around Valentine's Day. The candy shop is cozy, but not the actual murder. I do apologize.

      Amazon Paperback

    Apple

    BN

   Kobo

    Smashwords

See you in my books!

~Nancy Jill Thames
https://nancy-jill.blogspot.com/

It’s a Wonderful Life

When I was a little girl I really only remember two Christmases. The first was when I was eight. Santa brought me a bride dress for my doll and a chalkboard that said, “Merry Christmas from Santa.” My mom had made the dress from an old satin formal of hers because we had very little money for gifts. I’ll always believe in Santa Claus!

The other Christmas was the morning we four kids tore into our packages Santa brought, but I remember how haggard my mom looked, as if the gifts had been a financial burden they couldn’t afford. I was ten. Still, we never went without and we all grew up and lived fairly happy lives.

   Now as we are retired and have grandchildren I realize what a wonderful life God has blessed us with. He has allowed us to be neither rich nor poor. We have everything we need or want to the point of having to tell our children no more gifts! We’ve run out of room! But we will always have room in our hearts for the Christ child who is the very one making our lives so richly blessed.

  May you have a wonderful Christmas this year as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.

                       

~Nancy Jill Thames

Cozy Mystery Lovers Gift Ideas!

Hello, dear readers! 

I hope this holiday season finds you and your family well and safe. With traveling more to grown children's homes for the holidays, I'm toning the decorations down a bit. Anyone else experiencing this change of events?

The next thing to start thinking about is gifts and what to give. Last year my son gave me a mystery anthology and I’ve loved reading the stories. I count a new book as a definite treat!

If you'd like to give a friend or a loved one a gift that keeps on giving, the Jillian Bradley mysteries might be a good choice. Rated G with no profanity or offensive scenes, they are the perfect gift choice for readers on your list. Books range in price from $7.99 to $11.99 for paperbacks and FREE to $3.99 for eBooks. Not bad when you consider one can purchase the entire series for under $99.00 + tx and s/h. (Amazon Prime members enjoy free s/h!) 

Besides the 10 book series, there are short stories about Jillian and Teddy included in "The Jillian Bradley Short Story Collection."

Here is a complete list of books and buy links:

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

SMASHWORDS

KOBO

APPLE

Whatever gifts we give and receive, may we be reminded of the greatest gift of all - Jesus, God's only begotten Son. 

Happy Holidays!

~Nancy Jill

God has blessed me beyond even my wildest imagination, always guiding my life, giving me a loving husband, four wonderful children, and a number of precious grandchildren. I hope you enjoy the Jillian Bradley mysteries - they are works of love.

To stay in touch please visit these sites.

Twitter - @NancyJillThames

Blog - Author Nancy Jill Thames, Queen of Afternoon Tea
Pinterest - mystriterdva
Blog - Cozy Mystery Magazine
Goodreads - Nancy Jill Thames
Facebook
LinkedIn-Nancy Jill Thames
jillthames@gmail.com

Getting Ready for the Holidays

Hello everyone! With the cold weather setting the mood for the holiday season coming up, I just had to share my new favorite (and easy) for cranberry sauce. 

And with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner and for many of you Black Friday, too, I've decided to offer my first book "Murder in Half Moon Bay" as a free gift. You can download it now to read later when you're ready for a break during the hectic holidays. (Or January perhaps?)

Amazon
    AppleBooks
      Barnes and Noble
Kobo

All Jillian Bradley wants is to spend a quiet weekend by the ocean and enjoy her afternoon tea. But a startling discovery draws Jillian and her garden club friends into solving a mystery that threatens her life and changes her future.

"Murder in Half Moon Bay" Book 1 in the Jillian Bradley Mystery Series, introduces Jillian's little companion Teddy, a Yorkie who falls prey to danger but rises to become a sleuth dog in the next book.

Please feel free to share this offer with anyone who might enjoy a cozy mystery. Thank you! 

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving full of blessings with friends and family this year.

Cabernet Cranberry Sauce

Recipe

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill 

When I Grow Old

As I age one thing is certain-I only have today. Just today to do what’s important. For me, making a cozy home for my husband and me is the thing I care about most. 
   Around the holidays now, instead of trying to plan around our children’s families, I have laid out a plan to bake and cook meals for only the two of us. Extra cookies and candies will be gifts for neighbors and my husband’s friends at the golf course. Special meals will be shared as luncheons for friends.
   Because I’m older the holiday decorations are put up as soon as Halloween is over and not taken down until after New Years. Since it takes us four days to decorate I want to enjoy the festive atmosphere for more than one month!
  Today I baked these White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookies. I found the recipe on Pinterest. If all goes well, I’ll be making ten kinds of homemade cookies, four homemade candies, three special desserts (four if I can find persimmons), seven appetizers, and five holiday meals. All for my husband and me and our friends. 
   Yes, we’ll be with children on the holidays but they’ll be cooking their own special recipes. Perhaps they’ll make one or two of mine. But if they don’t, it’s quite all right. 
   Happy Holidays!

~Nancy Jill Thames

   

Chili Hot Dogs to Die For!

If you love hot dogs as much as I do, you may enjoy this delicious recipe. It’s adaptable to your tastes, of course. When we were first married a tradition was started by having chili hot dogs every Sunday night during the cold months on a cozy little table in front of the fire. Whenever we eat them now we’re reminded of those fond times.
Our son recently shared his method for making them now for his family, so I’m sharing it with you!


Yummy Chili Hot Dogs

INGREDIENTS

8 hot dogs
8 hot dog buns
1 can of chili
1/2 an onion, diced
cheddar cheese
mayonnaise
mustard
sweet relish

 DIRECTIONS

• Line inside of hot dog buns with mayonnaise and sweet relish. (I know this sounds crazy, but the mayo did something magical to the bread! It stayed super soft and yummy!)
• Evenly add mustard (I added ketchup too). Fill with hot dogs and squish into a 13×9″ baking pan.
• Top hot dogs with chili, cheese, and diced onion. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

See you in my books!

~Nancy Jill Thames

Autumn’s Sweet Whisper

This week finally feels like Autumn here in Texas, despite an awful tornado touching down in North Texas where my grandsons live. Still, today the air is cool and crisp as Autumn should be.
   With the change in seasons the appeal for a nice cup of something warm and soothing seems a necessary part of the afternoon, along with a good book to read. I love books! Even if I never purchased another one I have enough to last a lifetime. 
  Currently my husband, daughter, and I, are reading through the Redwall Abbey series-22 books in all. They're full of adventure, good versus evil, and lovely descriptions of food enjoyed by the goodbeasts in the stories. I even have the Redwall Cookbook for added inspiration. The books are appropriate for any age.
   If you're looking for books that are more mystery than adventure and are cozy and clean please checkout our Cozy Books page and give them a try. If you enjoy them, good reviews are always appreciated.

My new teapot and cup and saucer this year serving Grandma's Pumpkin Spice tea from East Anora, NY.

Happy Autumn!

Nancy Jill Thames

Rest Your Body While Improving Your Mind

Just as a vacation is supposed to reinvigorate, reading will improve your mind while you relax, unless, of course, you are reading something bloodthirsty or vile, which I'm sure none of you lovely readers do. And even at that, the news reports say nightmares are good exercises to help get us out of difficult situations. Great! 
   Every afternoon after completing my chores, I look forward to laying on the sofa, cuddled in a micro fleece throw, with phone, newspaper, and current book in hand. When I'm finished (after about three hours) I rise, make a cup of tea, and eat a small supper. I'm rested just enough to make it though the movie du jour with my husband. 
   I believe this routine contributes to good health and a happy disposition. Some exercise their bodies. I like to exercise my mind.
   For some good cozy mysteries that probably won't give you nightmares, check out our Cozy Book Page.
   Enjoy!

See you in my books!

~Nancy Jill Thames

Choose Books Wisely-Good or Great?

For some GREAT books check our 

           Cozy Books page.
           Have a great day, dear readers!

~Nancy Jill Thames 

Welcome to Our Blog!

We love hearing from our readers! Please visit us at  Cozy Mystery Magazine on Facebook to leave comments about our blog articles. 

And if you'd like to be notified by email when our latest articles appear, please sign up to follow our blog.

Fingerprints, Bonanza, and the Chinese

One night, hubby and I were watching Bonanza—an episode we’d seen several times. (If you’re not familiar with Bonanza, it’s a vintage cowboy-ish television show set in the 1860s. You can read about here.) In this episode, Little Joe Cartwright was arrested for murder, but at the end of the show, he was proven innocent in court.

So, what does this have to do with cozy mysteries? Well, it wasn’t law enforcement that helped prove Little Joe innocent, it was Hop Sing, the Cartwright trusty cook. Like a good sleuth, he used his own wits to prove that Little Joe didn’t handle the murder weapon by demonstrating how fingerprints work. And what was fascinating to me about this was that Hop Sing claimed that people in his country had been using this technique for years. 

The first time I saw this particular Bonanza, I asked, “Really? Are they for real?” Everyone knows fingerprints weren’t used until Sherlock Holmes. (Just kidding.) But seriously, I did wonder if the writers of the show made this up, or if they had facts to back up their story. 

Out came my trusty laptop. I looked it up, and the writers of Bonanza didn’t disappoint me. China, in fact, had a lengthy history of using fingerprints (and hand prints).

The earliest example comes from a Chinese document entitled “The Volume of Crime Scene Investigation—Burglary”, from the Qin Dynasty (221 to 206 B.C.). The document contains a description of how hand prints were used as a type of evidence. Chinese officials pressed their fingerprints into clay seals to seal documents. And when the Chinese began to use silk and paper for documents, they used hand prints as a means to make contracts legal. In 851 BC, Abu Zayd Hasan, an Arab merchant in China, witnessed Chinese merchants using fingerprints to authenticate loans.

That means that though the story of Hop Sing, Little Joe, and the fingerprints was fiction, it could have happened. I just love cool historical facts, especially when they involve crime solving.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

I’ve discovered a new-to-me British cozy mystery series from the BBC called Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. The show aired on the BBC from 1996 through 1998. I watch it for free on Acorn TV, which I access through Amazon Prime for a small additional monthly fee. (My husband would argue that if I’m paying a monthly fee, the shows aren’t really free. Sigh. Must my bubble really be burst?)

Anyway, Hetty, played by British actress Patricia Routledge, is a retired pensioner who decides to become a detective after solving her first mystery, which (of course) she just stumbled into. To the chagrin of her husband Robert, after her first successful case, she gets business cards printed and takes out an ad in the paper to advertise her new detective business. Robert is irritated by her chosen new profession, especially when it bites into the family budget, but he often helps her investigate. Along the way, she gains a slightly delinquent teenaged sidekick name Geoffrey who becomes like a family member. Their relationships are entertaining and grow in warmth as the series continues.

Hetty is no-nonsense, bold, and forthright, but she’s also kind. She’s known to give hugs and make sure people have food to eat. I enjoy the interactions between her and other characters. She often refers to her “little grey cells,” which is a phrase Hercule Poirot used. Here’s a typical Hetty-like quote: “This is a real puzzle. Something's gone arsy-darsy somewhere.”

I'm enjoying it more with each program. The first few episodes were a little odd. The conclusions weren't as satisfying as they might have been. No one was arrested and carted away in handcuffs, which my cozy author self would prefer. But episodes are getting better. And the best thing for me is the shows are gentle, with no blood and gore. No creepy factor. Sometimes there’s not even a body. No terrible language. No awkward sexual stuff. And no bad language. I did have to turn on the subtitles because some of the British accents make the dialogue hard for me to understand.

All in all, I really like the series. We're going to watch all of them.  

I’d love to hear comments from our readers who have watched this series. Comment on our Facebook page: Cozy Mystery Magazine

Interview with Author Roseanna White

Roseanna is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author, with numerous books to her name. I had the pleasure of meeting her recently when she taught a session at a writers’ conference I attended. The timing couldn’t have been better—she was my next planned author interview in Cozy Mystery Magazine’s series about Guideposts continuity mysteries. Without further ado, here’s Roseanna!

Congratulations for the publication of “Greater Than Gold,” the fourth book in Guideposts mystery series, Secrets of Wayfarers Inn. I just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it. I liked the way you incorporated a real event (the Marietta Sternwheel Festival) into your story. 

The mystery in this book was based on a lost treasure—jewelry. I know you write a lot of historical fiction, and I’m sure that entails much research. Was the idea of lost jewelry based in any way on a true historical fact that you happened upon, or perhaps a story that you came across in your historical research? I did notice in your note to the reader at the end of the book that you love treasure stories.

I do indeed! But actually, this treasure plot was one the team at Guideposts had already come up with as they conceived the series—but I was super excited when I saw it fell to me to write it! I do love treasure stories and have written several books that incorporate that theme. So when it came time to figure out the missing treasure for Greater Than Gold, I dug a bit into Southern history but mostly used my imagination to try to figure out what treasure might have been found by an antique elevator…and what effect it could have on the people who found it years later.

This mystery series is a collaborative process from beginning to end, which isn’t the traditional model for writing a book. What was your favorite part or parts about the collaboration?

It’s been so much fun to get to know the other authors and brainstorm together! We created a blueprint of the inn based on the descriptions in book 1 and what we all needed for our stories, which was fun. And I’ve just loved the group-effort of everything from naming characters to ironing out plot points so that they remain consistent with everyone else’s stories. It’s a challenge, but one that has proven fun.

How does writing in a collaborative fashion like this impact your own writing, if at all?

It hasn’t really had a great impact on how I write my solo novels…though balancing these books with my other releases requires a lot of dedication and prioritizing, and I’ve been so blessed to have a family who supports me in this busy season!

What is your favorite thing about writing for this series?

That would have to be the friendships forged behind the scenes with the other authors. The stories themselves are fun too, of course, but I’ve really appreciated getting to know this amazing team.

What is your favorite thing about the location? Have you visited Marietta, Ohio? Studied more about it?

I have been to Marietta, though it was many years ago. I actually applied to Marietta College back in the day! It’s only about 2 hours from where I live, so I have a basic familiarity already with things like climate and landscape. Google Maps has been a huge help refreshing my memory and filling in the blanks though. (How did people write books before the internet??)

You are a very busy person. In addition to writing numerous books, you design book covers, homeschool your children, and help your husband with his publishing company, WhiteFire Publishing. Can you tell us a little bit more about your other pursuits?

Yes, I believe in keeping busy. 😉 Between my writing, editing, designing, and homeschooling, I really don’t have a ton of what you would call free time, LOL. But I do enjoy knitting, reading (of course!), and baking when time permits. This year those extras have been rather lacking as I spend so much time writing, but I enjoy them when I can!

Please tell us about your other recent book releases, where our readers can contact you and find you online.

My current historical series, Shadows Over England, was just completed September 4 with the release of An Hour Unspent (following book 1, A Name Unknown and book 2, A Song Unheard). The series follows a family of thieves from London into the opening months of World War I, as they accept jobs from a mysterious man to aid England in the war. It’s been an incredibly fun series to write, as I learned how arts played a role in the war and explore themes like heritage, prejudice, and identity and combine them with things like books, music, and clockmaking.

I also just released an audiobook of A Heart’s Revolution—originally published as Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland in 2011. I re-released the paperback with the new cover and title in March and was excited to bring it to listeners as well.

Blog: https://roseannamwhite.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoseannaMWhite/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/roseannamwhite/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roseannamwhite/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoseannaMWhite

Website: http://www.roseannamwhite.com