TOP TEN HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR COZY MYSTERY LOVERS

 By Nancy Jill Thames 

For those of you who like to do their holiday shopping online as I do, here are some great gift ideas for readers on your list. All books are G-Rated and contain no profanity - just good stories! Books are in a series but can be stand-alone.

FOR ADDED FUN, TEDDY (JILLIAN'S SIDEKICK AND SLEUTH-DOG) APPEARS IN EVERY BOOK ALONG WITH A NEW FRIEND OF HIS OWN

1. If you want to give your reader an ocean side stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel with all the amenities (plus a little gossip), give them a copy of
"Murder in Half Moon Bay." $8.09

2. For readers who enjoy gorgeous sunsets or insight into endangered species, a mystery set at The Sanctuary Spa Camelback Mountain might make a good gift. Give them a copy of

 "The Ghost Orchid Murder." $10.79

3. To experience a bit of early California history in the Bay Area along with a heart-warming story, give them the Christmas adventure of 

"From the Clutches of Evil." $7.99

 

 

4. Does your reader like whale-watching, Waikiki Beach, or perhaps a cruise to Catalina Island? Then they  might  enjoy 

"The Mark of Eden." $8.99

 

5. For a visit to San Diego complete with Jillian's family reunion at a five-star oceanfront hotel you might want to give a copy of 
"Pacific Beach." $8.09

 6. For Christmas lovers and those on your list who enjoy a bit of romance "Waiting for Santa" might be just the thing. $8.09

7. A London adventure awaits in "The Ruby of Siam" and ends with Jillian's wedding. What happens afterward will have to wait until 2014 when the final book "The Long Trip Home" launches. $8.09

 















 


8. Besides "Murder in Half Moon Bay" as a free e-book gift, another suggestion is "A Cup of Cozy," a free e-book gift on Amazon and Smashwords to you from the authors of Cozy Mystery Magazine.




 







9. If you can't decide which book to buy for those on your list consider giving them the entire series. (Around $60.) They'll love reading about the adventures of Jillian and her sidekick, Teddy, as they help solve homicides which fall across their path. Amazon.com






10. For yourself, when you purchase  paperback copies for those on your list, use the Kindle MatchBook program (new on Amazon) to purchase the e-book versions of the Jillian Bradley mysteries for half-price.  (Only $1.99 each.) Amazon.com


There you have it! Ten holiday gift ideas for everyone who enjoys a good whodunnit, cozy mystery, or animal mystery. Happy shopping, dear readers!

  See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill 

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames has published Christian fiction since 2010. The author of seven books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List. In addition, she won first place in her church's 4th of July celebration for her chocolate cream pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers' Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW),  CenTex Chapter-ACFW, and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales. She resides with her husband in Leander, Texas.

CONTACT INFORMATION jillthames@gmail.com

 

Time for a Tea Party!

By Nancy Jill Thames

You are cordially invited to a tea party! Pretend you're wearing a frilly dress and a lovely hat. I welcome you to my virtual home and usher you to a virtual table set with a pink tablecloth, fresh flowers and my best china. After we're seated, I pour a little milk into your floral teacup, then the tea and ask how many sugars you like. One lump or two? I hand you the steaming cup of tea. After I pour mine, we select a few sandwiches from the tiered tray along with  raisin nutmeg scones that I baked fresh this morning. We split the scones and dob with strawberry jam and mock Devonshire cream. For dessert, chocolate dipped strawberries and cake. More tea? We chat only of pleasant things like books we've been reading, movies we've watched recently and perhaps share a fond memory or two. 

At the tea party my friend gave today, we talked of our first boyfriends. Our children and grandchildren listened with rapt attention! I hope you have had times where you've shared tea with someone. If not, it has been my pleasure to share this first one with you. I raise my cup to you cozy mystery readers!

Have a great weekend!
See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill 

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her chocolate cream pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers' Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, ACFW CenTex Chapter, and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales. CONTACT INFORMATION jillthames@gmail.com

 Nancy Jill is busy working on Book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London.

Enjoy Book 1 MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY on your ereader for free!

Amazon Paperback $8.09

 Kindle FREE!

Barnes and Nobel Paperback $8.99 

Nook FREE!

FREE on Smashwords and Kobo!

Starting A Book Club

I've really enjoyed going to book clubs and meeting all the ladies. I thought some of our readers might want to start one of thier own. Here are some suggestions to starting one. I've added a couple of pictures of clubs I've been to.

 

 

How to Start a Book Club - 10 Easy Steps

By Molly Lundquist

So you want to start your own book club? Terrific! Book discussion groups are great ways to make new friends, keep in touch with old ones, discover new books, and have meaty conversations. To help you get organized, simply follow these 10 steps and you'll be on your way!

1. Decide what kind of a club you want to be-do you want to be seriously academic with a heavy emphasis on book discussion and minimal social chat? Or do you enjoy the social bonding aspect of a book club-food, wine, personal sharing-and want to keep discussions shorter, light and fun? Probably, it's somewhere in between the two.
2. Decide what kind of books you want to read-do you enjoy reading the older classics or contemporary novels? Challenging works or somewhat lighter? Perhaps poetry, plays, or nonfiction-history, biographies, travel stories, current events. What about specific genres-detective/mystery, romance, inspirational, science fiction or fantasy? Perhaps you're eclectic-you like a variety of genres.
3. Choose three friends who share similar reading tastes and ways of approaching book discussions-that's important. You all want to be on the same page, so to speak. Each one of the three should ask one or two others, for a total of 7-10 members. It doesn't matter if you don't all know each other; in fact, it's more fun if you don't. And start small-you can always add new members when you want, though it's good to stop at 16, a maximum number for most book clubs.
4. Choose when and where to meet. Once you all get together, pick a day and time of the month that works with everyone's schedule. Some clubs meet in the evenings, after work; others on weekends. Those who are at home with children, or retired, find midmornings or lunchtime best. The most important thing is to establish a schedule and try to stick to it.Then, of course, decide where you want to meet. Most clubs meet in each others' homes or restaurants. Others find rooms in local libraries, Y's, or other more public places. Or you may decide to become a library-sponsored group, in which case you will always have a good source of fresh new members.
5. Decide about food. There will be food, right? Of course. Do you want just appetizers or desserts...or do you want full meals? And who prepares the food-does every member bring a dish...or does each member cook once a during the year? Maybe it's brown bag lunch or a potluck supper. Think, too, about having themed food to match your book-feature food from Afghanistan when you read A Thousand Splendid Suns. Look for Book Club Recipes on the web to give you ideas.
6. Decide how to select your books. Most clubs use one of two basic methods-voting or rotation. The voting begins with members making book suggestions, followed by discussion, and then a vote. The process can be as formal or informal as you want. The rotation system means that every member gets a month to choose a book. Both methods have their strong suits...and their drawbacks. Choose two or three books at a time so members can read at their own pace. Many clubs choose all their books for the year at one meeting, but that ties clubs into a rigid schedule...and it's unfair to members who had to miss the one meeting.
7. Give yourselves a name. And be creative: some of my favorites are The Happy Bookers...or First, the Food Book Club...or The Brooksville Book Babes.
8. Send out monthly reminders for every meeting. Don't rely on peoples' memories. Use email, phone or postcards, so make sure you keep an up-to-date contact list.
9. Keep a journal. It's a nice way to keep track of all the books you've read and what you thought of them. You might include photo highlights of special meetings or trips to hear an author speaker.
10. Give back to the community. Collect dues and donate books to your local library, or sponsor a scholarship for youngster in a literacy program. Schedule reading times for nursing homes patients.

 

 

 



 

 

HAPPY READING!

 

 

 

: Deborah Malone’s first novel Death in Dahlonega, finaled in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Category Five writing contest! Deborah was also nominated for 2012 Georgia Author of the Year in First Novel category. She has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, for the historic magazine “Georgia Backroads.” She has had many articles and photographs published, and her writing is featured in “Tales of the Rails,” edited by Olin Jackson. She is a member of the Georgia Writer’s Association. As a current member of the American Christian Fiction Writer she has established a blog where she reviews Christian Fiction.  



 



12 Cozy Mysteries of Christmas Contest!

12 Cozy Mysteries of Christmas – Nancy Drew

Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve loved to read. Especially Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon. By the time I graduated High School, I had almost a complete set of Nancy Drew mystery books, eagerly awaiting each Christmas morning to see whether I’d receive another one.

Christmas, with all its surprises, is much like a mystery to me. What’s in that package? Will they like the gift I’ve bought them? So many clues to follow. With a mystery story, the wonderful entertainment of a ‘whodunnit’ can last much longer than one day. With each turn of the page, your mind races: Will the culprit catch them before they solve the crime? Will the character be injured? What happens next?

Your heart beats along with the main character’s as you try to figure out who the guilty party is before the hero or heroine. Much like a Christmas present, you sigh when it’s over and realize what a wonderful gift you’ve received.

‘Tis the season for a great whodunnit!

If you love cozies as much as we do, then you’re in for a holiday treat! From December 12 – 23, we’re giving away one cozy mystery EVERY DAY!

So light the fireplace and grab a cup of hot cocoa, because you just may have a free cozy mystery coming your way!

HOW TO ENTER

There are two ways to enter:

1. Create a Pinboard entitled My 12 Cozies of Christmas. Fill it with 12 Spyglass Lane titles that either you want to read, or have already read and love! Be sure to use the #12CoziesofChristmas hashtag in the description of each pinned book cover. One pinboard will automatically enter you in each daily drawing!
2. Tweet about Spyglass Lane mysteries. Simply Tweet about the giveaway or one of your favorite Spyglass Lane Mysteries or authors and include the #12CoziesofChristmas hashtag along with the www.spyglasslanemysteries.com link. You may Tweet as many times as you want each day! Only Tweets sent out the day of the giveaway will be considered for that day’s drawing.

Follow us on the Spyglass Lane blog, Twitter @SpyglassMystery or Facebook for the latest info on the 12 Cozies of Christmas giveaway! Each day, we’ll reveal which Spyglass Lane cozy mystery we’ll be giving away.

GIVEAWAY INFO

1. Each day, we will reveal which Spyglass Lane mystery will be given away that day
2. A “giveaway day” runs from 12AM EST to 11:59PM EST.
3. There will be one winner per day
4. Winners will be announced the following morning
5. A Pinboard (see rules above) counts as one entry each day of the giveaway. Tweets (see rules above) only apply to the day in which they were originally Tweeted. For example, if you send 10 Tweets on Thursday the 13th, you will be entered 10 times in that day’s drawing. But those Tweets will not apply to the next day’s drawing.
6. Winners will be chosen via Randomizer.org, with Tweets and Pinboards each assigned a unique number
7. Winners will be announced via our blog, Twitter @SpyglassMystery or Facebook. Winners will be contacted via email or social media. If a winner does not hear from Spyglass Lane, they may contact us at SpyglassLaneMysteries (at) gmail (dot) com.
8. Winners will receive their prize in the form of a Smashwords coupon that they can redeem at Smashwords.com. Smashwords accommodates all ereader devices, though it may require the device to be directly connected to a computer for proper download.
9. The same person may win more than once!
10. There is no entry limit
11. Participants are expected to play nice! Inappropriate behavior (including but not limited to foul language, bullying, trolling, arguing) will not be tolerated and Spyglass Lane reserves the right to exclude such people from these and future giveaways