On-line and In-person Events for the Release of A BASKET OF TROUBLE!

Today I am appearing both on-line and in-person to promote the release of A Basket of Trouble, the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series. My on-line appearance is at the Savvy Authors blog, with an article about "Engineering a Mystery," that I hope will be informative for both mystery writers and readers. Please check it out!

My in-person appearances are taking place in Colorado Springs, CO, today, the setting for the book. Here's where I'll be:

Wednesday, November 13, 2013, 10:00 – 12:00 AM
Visit with Mystery Book Club, public welcome
Briargate Community Library
9475 Briar Village Point, Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Wednesday, November 13, 2013, 3:00 – 6:00 PM
Signing
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
795 Citadel Drive East, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 

I hope to see some Colorado Springs friends and readers at these events!

Release Day for A BASKET OF TROUBLE!

Yippee!! Today is the official release day for A Basket of Trouble, the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer series. It takes place in Colorado Springs, CO, and features horseback riding and hippotherapy. Follow the link for the book blurb, reviews, excerpts, discussion questions, and "buy me" links.

A Basket of Trouble has hit ALL FOUR of the big 4 review publications (Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly)!! Only one other release of mine has hit all four, and that was the first in a series, Deadly Currents. Needless to say, I'm very pleased with the reception that A Basket of Trouble is receiving from reviewers so far. Just to whet your appetite, here's a pull quote from the latest review by Library Journal:

"Groundwater’s third series entry (after To Hell in a Handbasket) is an action-packed cozy that successfully weaves in her small business and disability awareness."
  -- Library Journal, November 1, 2013

A Basket of Trouble is widely available in bookstores (If it's not on the shelf, order it!), libraries (If it's not on the shelves, request it!), and from on-line retailers, including: Indie Bound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and direct from the publisher, Midnight Ink. Do you have any mystery readers on your holiday gift list? This book, and the first two in the series, A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Handbasket, might be perfect for them. If you'd like signed bookplates or business cards to go with your gifts, contact me at my website, and I'll arrange to send them to you.

I'm visiting a number of blogs next week to promote the book, and I'll post links here to those guest articles as they go live.  In the meantime, here are a couple of recent interviews with me (the first one was posted yesterday) that were done for the release:

Lisa K's Book Reviews

The Big Thrill 

I'm also still visiting the Barnes and Noble mystery book club through Saturday and responding to reader questions there, and my Goodreads Giveaway contest is still running until the end of today.

I hope you'll celebrate this release with me by lifting a glass of your favorite beverage and wishing me luck. Buying a copy for yourself wouldn't hurt either! ;-)

Library Journal Weighs In With a Great Review for A Basket of Trouble!

A Basket of Trouble, the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer series, officially debuts on November 8th, though many retailers already have the book in stock and are shipping copies.

A Basket of Trouble will be publishing a review for A Basket of Trouble in their November issue today that ends with the following pull quote:

"Groundwater’s third series entry (after To Hell in a Handbasket) is an action-packed cozy that successfully weaves in her small business and disability awareness."
  -- Library Journal

That means this book has hit ALL FOUR of the big 4 review publications (Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly)!! Only one other release of mine has hit all four, and that was the first in my other series (RM Outdoor Adventures), Deadly Currents. Needless to say, I'm very pleased with the reception that A Basket of Trouble is receiving from reviewers so far.

And, please check out my interview that was published today in The Big Thrill on-line magazine put out by the International Thriller Writers! The interviewer has some very interesting questions for me to answer. Go HERE.

A Mystery Lover's Gift Basket Recipe for Halloween Giving

Just in time for Halloween, I thought I'd share with my blog readers my gift basket designer character's (Claire Hanover) recipe for a mystery lover's gift basket.

Recipe for a Mystery Lover's Gift Basket

Color scheme: black, red, and either white or gray

Container: black-painted basket, bucket or box, with a lid or handle sticking up, from which you hang fake spider webbing

Stuffing: dried Spanish moss or red-dyed tissue paper, shreds, or wood shavings

Contents:
- Mystery books such as those in the Claire Hanover gift basket designer series: A Real Basket Case, To Hell in a Handbasket, A Basket of Trouble
- CD of eerie music such as Mystery Movie Scores or Mystery Sound Effects
- Pocket-sized mystery party game or travel Clue game
- Movie DVD: Clue, Mousetrap, an Alfred Hitchcock or Sherlock Holmes movie, or a movie collection (such as Mystery Classics: 50 Movie Pack)
- Chocolate or bubble gum coins or other mystery-related chocolate shapes such as blood drops, knives, or guns (Chocolate Pen is a sample vendor)
- And a selection from the following list:
     -- Magnifying glass
     -- Pair of play handcuffs and/or sheriff's badge
     -- Rubber knife
     -- Glasses, nose, mustache disguise
     -- Spy Gear toys from Wild Planet
     -- Skull-shaped/logo item(s): tea-light candle holder, squeeze ball, notepad, drinking cup (see Oriental Trading's Halloween collection)
     -- Bottle of stage blood from a costume or makeup supply store, or make your own (see How To)

Do you have any more ideas for creative ingredients to add to a Mystery Lover's Gift Basket?