Guest: Cheryl Hollon

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Liz here, and I’m so happy to welcome back our friend Cheryl Hollon, who’s releasing her next book in the Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery Series. Take it away, Cheryl!

By Cheryl Hollon

Delighted to be here again for another new release! Thank you, Liz, for letting me brag about my newest release. All the Wicked Cozy Authors have been such a great support to me – you are truly awesome.

Another new release. Did you notice how casually that rolled off the tongue – er, screen? Yep, the fourth book in the Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery Series will release on November 28, 2017. This is an important book for a select group of cozy mystery readers. Why? Because this cadre of readers will pick up a new author only if there are at least four books already published. Why? Most new cozy mystery contracts are for a 3-book deal. For various reasons, some don’t get extended beyond that third book. I am now a new member in the Four Books Published Club with two more in the works. I couldn’t be more delighted.

Etched in Tears_MM.indd

Another new release. That phrase has made me realize that I am now officially a professional author. I have a series of books that I love sitting on shelves in bookstores. The last two years have been full of rewards, surprises, and challenges. The biggest reward has been meeting readers who enjoy their visit with Savannah, Edward, Amanda, Jacob, Suzy, Rooney, and Snowy. The surprise has been how much I love to write. I didn’t expect the splendid sense of wellbeing that it provides. The challenges are centered around keeping on top of looming deadlines as well as the administrative side of running a small business as a sole proprietor.

What aspect of reading or writing a series surprised you? Tell us below and be entered for a chance to win a signed ARC of Etched in Tears!

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Each book in the Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery Series highlights a particular skill within the broad category of glass art. Savannah Webb will teach and participate in each skill area exploring and expanding her knowledge of the craft, along with her assistant, Amanda Blake. As a subject matter expert consulting with the St. Petersburg Police Department, her close associations within the art community and the unusually keen observation skills of her apprentice, Jacob Underwood, combine to solve crimes. Edward Morris, boyfriend and the British owner of the pub next door, fills out the investigation posse with more than moral support accompanied by coffee and scones. The craft topics for the third book in the series are etching glass and slumping glass to make dishware.

The cover art for Etched in Tears (Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery #4) is an image of my favorite museum with the magnificent droopy bench in front. That’s where the body is discovered, so as research, I had to slump myself over the bench to see if it was feasible. I considered it a triumph to get strange looks at an art museum that specializes in surrealism.

 

You can read more about Savannah in Etched in Tears, the fourth book in the Webb’s Glass Shop Mysteries, published by Kensington Books. Available for pre-order at your favorite book vendor. It releases on November 28, 2017.

About Etched in Tears:

When a famous glass artist is murdered at his own exhibit, deadly secrets are put on display, and it’s up to glass shop owner Savannah Webb to see through a killer’s cover.

 Celebrated glass artist Dennis Lansing is returning to St. Petersburg, Florida, for an exhibit at the world-renowned Salvador Dali Museum. His unique style of embedding document images into his art is at the vanguard of contemporary glasswork. But as Savannah’s first boyfriend and a former apprentice to her father, Dennis’s return home has her reflecting on the past—a trip down memory lane that takes a dark turn when Dennis is found murdered at the museum with an old reference letter from her father in his pocket. A search through her father’s records sheds new light on Dennis’s history, but it seems his present life wasn’t so transparent either. Now, with a gallery of suspects to consider, it’s up to Savannah to figure out who fits the mold of a murderer.

Meet the author:

Author Hollon PhotoCheryl Hollon writes full time after she left an engineering career designing and building military flight simulators in amazing countries such as England, Wales, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and India. Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, she combines her love of writing with a passion for creating glass art.

You can visit Cheryl and her books at:

Newsletter signup at:  http://www.cherylhollon.com

Like her:  https://www.facebook.com/cherylhollonwriterFollow her:  http://www.twitter.com/cherylhollon

 

Published by Cate Conte / Liz Mugavero

Cate Conte writes the Cat Cafe Mysteries and the Full Moon Mysteries. As Liz Mugavero, she writes the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries, the first of which was an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. She lives in the Boston area with her rescue pals.

48 Thoughts

  1. Welcome, Cheryl! And congratulations on the new book. I did not know that factoid about our readers, and I’m awfully happy I made it to book four and beyond with my several series.

    1. Thank you Edith. You’re such an energizer bunny! I hear on Facebook that you’ve started writing your 19th book — or is it your 20th? Wow, just WOW!

  2. Hi Cheryl,
    Don’t know if you remember me but we met at Magna Cum Murder a couple of years ago. I love your books and rushed right over to Amazon to preorder this new Savannah Webb mystery . . . and got a message saying I’d already pre-ordered it! 😃 I can hardly wait to receive and read it.

    Congratulations on breaking the three book barrier!

    Hugs,
    Pearl

    1. I do remember you! Magna Cum Murder was the first conference I went to that included readers. I was a bit shocked to talk about my series to people (not related to me) who had read my books. SOOOOOO much fun. Thank you for pre-ordering ETCHED IN TEARS!

    1. I am so proud to join this club. It is a precarious, addictive, and amazing business to be writing this stories. I won’t stop now because I’ve found my tribe of supporters to help me through the challenging bits. THANKS!!!

  4. I just finished a Netgalley copy of this last night. Great continuation of the series. I found myself looking up info on Dali, the museum in St petersburg and Spain. Thanks for your series.

    1. Thanks, thanks, thanks! One of my obsessions (note that I said one) is to make the books enjoyable as both a standalone and to readers who read the books in order. It’s a delicate balance, but when I get it right — ahhhhh!

    1. So lovely to be back with the Wickeds. This cover is my favorite. Your first cover, of course, will always have a special place in your heart, but ETCHED IN TEARS hits it out of the park.

    1. There’s a lot of luck involved in the entrance fee to this club. One of my writer friends described it this way: I work hard so that when the Lucky Bus pulls up, I’m ready to get on. Lovely.

  7. It’s always a surprise to me how you can take a some times minor character in one book and then develop a whole new book around them. The way it’s done usually makes very much sense and opens your eyes that there are different stories of the same thing through different eyes. Several times after reading a book in the middle or end of a series I want to go back and read the first one just because now all the characters seem more real to me.

    Can’t wait to read Etched in Tears. Would love to be the fortunate one selected to win a copy. Thanks for the chance!

    1. The opportunities for character growth are terrific in a small business within a close community. I like throwing challenges at the characters so that they learn something in each book. Good Luck in the giveaway!

    1. Thanks, I didn’t even know it was a thing until it came up on one of the mystery loops I follow.

  9. I like it when I can watch a character grow in a series, especially if this is true not just of the main character.

  12. Congratulations on the new release and making the 4 book club! As A reader I am thriller with the continued success of such a great series and characters! Thank you for bringing it to life!

  13. I love all your books, but I am having a hard time getting them for my husband who is legally blind as an audio book. We like to read/listen to the same books. Love you Liz!!

    1. I want to clarify, downloadable audio from the library. He is hooked up with the NY Public library.

    2. I hear this from other readers as well. This is a decision that my publisher makes — not me. It wouldn’t hurt to drop Kensington Books a note. My publicist is Claire Hill, chill@kensington.com Let her know.

  14. Hi Cheryl! This is my favorite cover too. I’ve read all of the others (not in the proper order but they all made perfect sense anyway) Congratulations on book four. See you around the neighborhood!

  15. I wasn’t aware that some people won’t start a series until four books are published. I can name a bunch of great books I would have missed out on if that were the case.

    I know I don’t list the books series in order on my blog unless there are four books in the series, but I will start any series that interests me as soon as I can.

  16. Before I started writing, I wouldn’t dream of starting a series with anything but the first book. Now, I’ll pick them up in any order. Time is short. Reading time is precious.

  17. So happy for you & all of us that there will be more books in this wonderful series. I am always amazed at how the characters become like friends & family. It is so hard to wait for the next new book.

    1. Thank you so much for your support. Readers make writers and I am so pleased to share my Glass Shop family and neighborhood. By the way, I just turned in SHATTERED AT SEA (Book #5) to my editor for publication in September 2018. Yay!

  21. Welcome and Congratulations on the new book ! I am so excited to read it. i love glass work

  23. I like the Florida setting. My aunt used to live in Coral Gables so we visited various places in southern Florida. Also like learning about glass.

  24. My husband and I visited the Seattle area years back and went to a Dale Chihuly exhibit. The glass pieces were gorgeous and I have been a fan of blown glass since then. What a happy time for you to produce your fourth book with a fifth one waiting in the wings. Continued best wishes for many more!

  25. I really enjoy seeing the plot develop as I read a book and wondering what drove the author to approach the plot in that way. Thanks for hosting Cheryl and her latest book on your blog.

  26. Congrats on book #4. I can’t imagine waiting until a fourth book is published to start reading a series. As Mark said, so much would be missed! I’m really looking forward to reading Etched in Tears. And I, too, love the cover!

    I went to a Chihuly exhibit many years ago. I had never heard of him before, but, WOW, what a great discovery. And that experience makes your books all the more interesting. Thanks for teaching me something new once again.

  27. I am excited to learn about this series as I am a glass artist and mystery lover! I will start with number 1 and work my way up. There are so few books that have glass in the background, I love it! Thank you!

  28. I enjoyed the first three books in this series and look forward to reading this next one.

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