Nothing Like a Good Sale! PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY at .99!

Just wanted to let y'all know that in celebration of our release of Cherry Tucker's #3, HIJACK IN ABSTRACT, my publisher, Henery Press put #1 PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY on sale for .99 cents through Sunday. Happy birthday to Cherry Tucker!

The Cherry Tucker Mystery Series:
PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY 
An Amazon and Barnes & Noble best seller.
Currently ranked #1 in Amazon Books Mystery/Cozies and #1 in Kindle Cozy/Crafts and Fiction/Humor, #12 overall in Nook, and
#1 in Kobo for cozy mysteries and #10 for women sleuths.

.99 cents for:
Kindle
Nook
Kobo

(Also available in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through retail)

HIGH-OCTANE ACTION WITH QUIRKY, DOWN-HOME CHARACTERS...

"An entertaining mystery full of quirky characters and solid plotting...Highly recommended for anyone who likes their mysteries strong and their mint juleps stronger!” - Jennie Bentley, New York Times Bestselling Author of Flipped Out

“Reinhart is a truly talented author and this book was one of the best cozy mysteries we reviewed this year…We highly recommend this book to all lovers of mystery books. Our Rating: 4.5 Stars.” – Mystery Tribune

In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge -- but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival. As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Between ex-boyfriends, her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.

* Winner of the Dixie Kane Memorial Award * Nominated for the Daphne du Maurier Award and the Emily Award *

Hijack in Abstract, A Cherry Tucker Mystery #3

An Amazon Best Seller in Kindle Cozy Crafts & Hobbies, Cozy Books, and Kindle Humor.

At $4.99 for:

Kindle 

Nook

Kobo

(Also available in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through retail).

HUMOR, HIJACKINGS, AND A HANDFUL OF HUNKS…

“The fast-paced plot careens through small-town politics and deadly rivalries, with zany side trips through art-world shenanigans and romantic hijinx. Like front-porch lemonade, Reinhart’s cast of characters offers a perfect balance of tart and sweet.” – Sophie Littlefield, Bestselling Author of A Bad Day for Sorry

 

“Reinhart manages to braid a complicated plot into a tight and funny tale...Cozy fans will love this latest Cherry Tucker mystery.” – Mary Marks, New York Journal of Books

With a classical series sold and a portrait commissioned, Cherry Tucker’s art career is in Georgia overdrive. But when the sheriff asks Cherry to draw a composite sketch of a hijacker, her life takes a hairpin as the composite leads to a related murder, her local card-sharking buddy Max Avtaikin becomes bear bait and her nemesis labels the classical series “pervert art.”

Cherry’s jamming gears between trailer parks, Atlanta mansions, and trucker bars searching for the hijacker who left a widow and orphan destitute. While she seeks to help the misfortunate and save her local reputation, Cherry’s hammer down attitude has her facing the headlights of an oncoming killer.

Still Life in Brunswick Stew, A Cherry Tucker Mystery #2

An Amazon and Kindle Best Seller

At $2.99 for:

Kindle

Nook

Kobo

(Also available in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in retail)

DELIGHTFULLY SOUTHERN, SURPRISINGLY EDGY, DELICIOUSLY UNPREDICTABLE

“Cherry Tucker finds trouble without even looking for it, and plenty of it finds her in Still Life in Brunswick Stew…this mystery keeps you laughing and guessing from the first page to the last. A whole-hearted five stars.” – Denise Grover Swank, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author 

“The hilariously droll Larissa Reinhart cooks up a quirky and entertaining page-turner! This charming mystery is delightfully Southern, surprisingly edgy, and deliciously unpredictable.” – Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony and Macavity Award-Winning Author of The Other Woman

Cherry Tucker’s in a stew. Desperate and broke, Cherry and her friend, Eloise, spend a sultry summer weekend hawking their art at the Sidewinder Annual Brunswick Stew Cook-Off. When a bad case of food poisoning breaks out and Eloise dies, the police brush off her death as accidental. However, Cherry suspects someone spiked the stew and killed her friend. As Cherry calls on cook-off competitors, bitter rivals, and crooked judges, the police get steamed while the killer prepares to cook Cherry’s goose.

99 Cent #Sale for PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY

Y'all! Portrait of a Dead Guy is on sale on Kindle for 99 cents as well as the other Henery Press titles through the holidays.  Click for the link for Amazon Kindle, Kobo and for Barnes & Noble Nook.

Here's a gift to yourself that won't take a chunk out of those gift cards you received in your stocking!

Southern Speak & Christmas Cookies

This post is a reprint from one I did for Petit Fours and Hot Tamales, but it includes a Christmas cookie that can be made without baking, something that was necessary for me while living in Japan. Only 3 ingredients, too, all of which can generally be found overseas (I had a hard time getting chocolate chips but could get sweet baking chocolate which works in this recipe). Enjoy!

And by the way, PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY is part of the Henery Press Holiday Sale for ebooks. For a short time, find it for 99 cents for Kindle, Nook, and on Kobo!

THE USE OF SOUTHERN

I love figures of speech, idiomatic expressions, and interesting pairings of words.  The South is famous for the creative turn of phrase, but in my Midwestern hometown, we like to toss interesting words together, too.  I moved to Georgia sixteen years ago.  Since that time, I’ve adopted some local vernacular.  Y’all is just too convenient not to use. Shopping carts are now buggies and instead of sick, I’m feeling puny.

Mid-westerners are less prone to hyperbole and similes, but they do like metaphors.  Metaphors are replacements for something we’d rather not say aloud.  Actually, much of what we think is better not said aloud.  I grew up hearing so-and-so was “three sheets to the wind.”  I kept picturing my mom’s laundry line until I learned what it actually meant.  My mother would accuse me of having “champagne taste on a beer budget”.  One of our neighbors looked “ridden hard and put away wet”.  I often had to “eat crow”.  Still tastes bad…

However, my favorite figure of speech is the Southern spiritually back-handed compliment of blessing someone.  Basically it means we don’t have to say a person is an idiot behind their back. “Poor Bill, bless his heart, he got the short end of the smart stick.”  This means Bill’s not just dumb, he’s one fry short of a Happy Meal.  We can be sweet and still say our minds!

My Cherry Tucker mysteries take place in a small, rural Georgian town.  Naturally, the prose is full of metaphors and similes, something you’re told not to use as a writer.
However, if you’re familiar with small, Southern towns, you would know that people don’t speak directly.  Where’s the fun in that?  You have to talk around the subject and take your time doing it.  I use some familiar sayings in Portrait of a Dead Guy and Still Life in Brunswick Stew, but I also make up some of my own, which is great fun.

Here’s a short selection of my favorites from Portrait of a Dead Guy:

“They paired up better than sausage and biscuits.”
“It wasn’t that Wanda was flashy, she just shopped above her raising.”
“There wasn’t much more to say unless someone started handing out shots of Jack with a Loretta Lynn song on the jukebox.”
“Casey couldn’t find ambition if it drew her a map and hired a sherpa.”

Because it’s the Christmas season AND because Larissa is our Guest Chef today in the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales’ kitchen, she is sharing one of her favorite recipes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLESS YOUR HEART STAINED-GLASS CHURCH WINDOW COOKIES

This is a Christmas tradition in my mother’s house and was my favorite cookie as a child. During the holidays,  you will always find foil-covered log rolls in my mother’s fridge.  Ask her for one and she’ll cut you a thick slice of marshmallowy-chocolate goodness. The colored marshmallows surrounded in a ring of chocolate looks like a stained-glass window.

1. 1/2 c margarine or butter (or as my mom calls it, oleo)
2. 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
3. 10 oz package (2 c) colored marshmallows, small size
4. Powdered sugar
5. 3 pieces of wax paper about 10-12 inches each.

• Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar over each of the three pieces of wax paper to cover. The sugar helps to keep the chocolate from sticking.
• Melt chips and margarine in a microwave (of course, mom does hers over boiling water on the stove). 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring between, until all the chips are melted and smooth. Pour marshmallows into the melted chocolate and mix to cover.
• Pour marshmallow mixture evenly between the three pieces of wax paper. When pouring, make an even layer length wise.
• Form into log rolls by rolling the wax paper. Fold paper on the ends and along the length to secure the log roll. Wrap in foil and chill until hard.
• Slice as needed and keep refrigerated. They will last six months. (“Well, if you forget them,” mom writes)

PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY

Blurb:
In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge.  But commissions are scarce.  So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small-town rival.

As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject.  Her rival wants to ruin her reputation, her ex-flame wants to rekindle the fire,  and someone’s setting her up to take the fall. Mix in her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.

Buy Links: PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY:
Amazon Kindle     B&N Nook     Kobo   Amazon Paperback     B&N Paperback

Have any Christmas cookies that are easy to make overseas? Please share!

Winner, Winner! Mystery We Write Tour Ends

Winner, Winner! Who's Getting Chicken for Dinner? 

It's Cheryl/cmgren!

Congratulations! Be sure to email me at reinhartlarissa @ gmail . com (no spaces) with your name and address so I can send your ebook card for PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY! I'm so excited to send out this little guy. You'll be the second ever to receive one! (I had a newsletter subscriber win one last week, see larissahoffman.com) And although these cards have been around for music and shops, this is brand new for individual books!

Thanks so much for following the tour! 

And if you didn't win, I just found out that Henery Press is having a Hen House Holiday Sale on all their ebooks! You can get PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY for .99 on Kindle and Nook today and soon to be on sale on Kobo. That's 80% off!

If you're looking to get one of these ebook cards to hand out as gifts, go to Henery Press website and click on contacts. Shoot them an email and find out where to get them!

(Winner chose by Random Line Picker).

A Day in the Life of Cherry Tucker

From A Day in the Life of Cherry Tucker on Dru's Book Musings.

Hey ya’ll, and thank you Miss Dru for having me on your literary blog. Which is a little strange, considering I’m an artist and all, but hey, book people like art, too, right? 

If any of you readers are in the market, I’m a portraitist. I live in Halo, Georgia, but don’t let the small, Southern town fool you. I’m classically trained. Even went to school at SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design. Could have probably moved on to the big city lights of Atlanta and had a studio or something, but I choose to move back home. My family -- minus the ones that are dead or run away -- still lives there and somebody’s got to keep an eye on them. But selling art in a small town is as formidable as selling freezers to eskimos. Halo likes to buy their art from the guy hawking velvet paintings in front of the Piggly Wiggly. I do get some commissions. I did a nice portrait of Snug the Coonhound for Terrell. You might have seen that. I’ll paint most anything if it keeps me from working the night shift at the Waffle House. So if any of y’all are interested let me know.

Actually, I just heard through the prolific Halo grapevine that the Bransons (Not just a Branson. The Bransons. Like in JB, Central Georgia’s King of Ford Dealerships and catfish restaurants) wants a portrait of their son, Dustin. Actually it’s Miss Wanda, JB’s wife, who wants the portrait of her stepson. Which would make sense except Dustin’s dead. Murdered actually. No surprise to us locals who have know that thug-wannabe was destined for the county jail or an early grave since preschool. But a coffin portrait does make an odd choice for a memorial. Gives me the heebie-jeebies, but a commission is a commission, and it’s not like I’ll have to ask Dustin to sit still. Considering he’s dead and all.

However, word is that JB offered the commission to his niece, Shawna Branson. Yeah, that ---, well, you know the type. An Amazonian, flame-haired, femme fatale who steals boyfriends, cupcakes, and reputations. That girl can’t paint her own nails, let alone a portrait. She just wants to prove she’s better than me. So I’m going to paint the best dang portrait of a dead guy I’ve ever done just to show the Bransons what qualifies as quality art. Of course, it’s the only portrait of a dead guy I’ve ever painted, but who’s counting? 

And another little problem that popped up is dead Dustin’s stepbrother, Luke Harper, who just waltzed back into Halo after taking off for the military. You probably haven’t seen that tall, dark drink of water for seven or eight years. At least I haven’t, not since we broke up. Yeah, he’s hot enough to steam shrimp and acts the southern gentleman, but don’t let that business fool you. The man’s an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Particularly about his reasons for asking around about his murdered stepbrother. The man’s better at skulduggery than the Pentagon.

But what I’m dying to find out is what that foreigner, Mr. Max Avtaikin, is doing in Halo. Rumor has it -- and in Halo, rumor is as close to fact as you’re gonna get -- that he’s got something to do with the proliferation of gambling going on in town. And by gambling I mostly mean poker. Some may say I hold a grudge against the poker population because it ruined my near-miss marriage with my other ex, Todd McIntosh, but they’d be wrong. Todd’s poker addiction saved us from making the mistake of our lives, i.e. getting hitched in Vegas. I just wish I could convince Todd of that fact.

So what to do first today? Convince the Bransons to give me the commission to paint their murdered son? Dodge two ex-boyfriends in one small town? Head to my Grandpa’s farm where I’d have to run from a goat in order to get to my sister’s homemade fried chicken? Hunt down an illegal poker ring? Or stay home an embellish some clothing with my Bedazzler?

Small towns have got more going on than you’d think.

PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY released this week! Available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle; Barnes and Noble in paperback and Nook; and on Kobo for other e-reading devices.