Today, I’m so pleased to host author Darci Hannah, who’s latest book Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop, first in a new series, was released on February 23rd. Darci is giving away one copy each to two lucky U.S.-based commenters below. If you haven’t heard about it yet, once you read the description, you’ll be as excited about it as I am.
Take it away, Darci!
A huge thank you to Barbara Ross, and all the wonderful Wicked authors for inviting me to their blog. It’s such an honor getting to share my passion for cozy mysteries as well as my enthusiasm for my newest cozy, Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop, with you. This is the start of a new series for me, and I’ve managed to pack all my favorite elements into this one—a stunning lighthouse on the shores of Lake Michigan, delicious baked goods, an adorable Newfie named Wellington, an untimely murder, and a resident ghost! Oh, and plenty of humor. Can’t forget the humor. I don’t know about you, but laughter is about the only think keeping me sane these days.
You might be asking yourself, “Wow, um… that’s a lot to pack into a little cozy mystery.” To which I would reply, “It is. And I apologize. It just kind of happened that way.”
You see, and this is in no way an excuse, but I started my writing career in historical fiction. My first novel, The Exile of Sara Stevenson, was set in a remote Scottish lighthouse on Cape Wrath. The novel had a gothic flair. It had a mystery in it as well, and, ‘spoiler alert’, a ghost story. I learned a lot writing that novel, and it really sparked my passion for old lighthouses. Living in Michigan, we do have quite a few lighthouses to explore—124 to be exact. Yet of all the lighthouses I’ve visited since living here, the one that really spoke to me was the Point Betsy Lighthouse in Frankfort, Michigan. The setting was not only romantic but also spectacular. And it had a plethora of lighthouse lore. Really, the moment I saw it I knew it would make the perfect setting for a cozy mystery. Lucky for me, when I set out to start a new cozy mystery series, the old lighthouse popped into my head and taunted, “Go ahead. Write me a story.”
Now, as for ghosts, all I can say is that if you’ve climbed as many winding lighthouse stairs as I’ve climbed, you might begin to believe in the local lore too. It also helps to have a brother who, as a hobby, was a paranormal investigator.
Although I have a healthy amount of skepticism regarding ghosts, there’s just something about the unknown that intrigues me. Naturally, when my main character, Lindsey Bakewell, purchases a Michigan lighthouse on the internet (which, by the way, you really can do!) I figured it would be haunted. (Aren’t all lighthouses haunted?) Enter Captain Willy Riggs, whom I modeled after a picture of one of the first keepers of the Point Betsey Lighthouse. Unbeknownst to Lindsey, he’s never left. Wait until Lindsey finally figures that one out!
Weaving baking, humor, and dogs into the mix was a given for me. I love to laugh, love to bake (I sometimes make baking videos to entice readers to try a recipe!), and love dogs. Years ago, my husband and I had a Newfoundland. I still love the breed but I now have Ripley and Finn. They’re the best. Shedding, yes, but not so much drool. And let me tell you, they love the fact that I bake. Ripley and Finn have happily sampled some of my best flops!
Readers: What’s your favorite lighthouse? And does it come with a ghost story? Do tell! Two lucky U.S.-based commenters will receive a copy of Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop.
About Darci
Darci Hannah is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. When Darci isn’t baking for family and friends, hiking with furry pals, Ripley and Finn, or working on her next cozy mystery, she can be found wandering around picturesque villages, sampling baked goods, and breaking for coffee more often than she should. To connect with Darci, please visit: www.darcihannah.com
Sorry, I prefer to stay up-river where we do not need lighthouses.
Hey, I’m good with that too! So many beautiful places in Michigan! Hope you have a good bakery there:-)
As long as I can remember I’ve been drawn by lighthouses. I’ve visited several in Maine and Massachusetts and a few other places too. I like reading books about them also. Plus the views are amazing. My father in law was an auxiliary for the Coast Guard in Chatham, MA for 20 years where there is a nice lighthouse that I have to visit almost every time we are up visiting. Thank you for this chance at your giveaway. pgenest57 at aol dot com
I love that you visit lighthouses too! I saw the Chatham lighthouse a few years ago (so beautiful!) but didn’t get to walk around it. If I ever get back there I will. Thanks!
Welcome, Darci. The new series sounds fun! One of my characters on Cape Cod lives in a lighthouse with his little daughter. It’s not haunted yet – but that could happen.
Thank you, Edith! So thrilled to be here. Cape Cod is the perfect place for a lighthouse cozy. So beautiful there. And when your lighthouse does become haunted, lol, maybe Lindsey Bakewell will visit and compare ghostly lightkeeper stories with your character!
My grandparents took us too a few of the lighthouses in maine in the 70’s but I don’t remember having a favorite.
Maine lighthouses are so majestic! I fully understand. It’s nearly impossible to have a favorite!
So many lighthouses in Maine! Probably my favorite is at Pemaquid Point just because I visited it so many times growing up. There’s just something about climbing it and looking out at the ocean.
Welcome and congrats on the book! No lighthouse stories here, unfortunately.
Thank you, Liz! And no worries. Thanks for posting!
My favorite lighthouse is the one in Cape Henry, because I live in VA Beach. I was going to say Assateague, but the mosquitoes are so bad there we couldn’t get near it. Congrats on the book! Can’t wait to pick it up!
Thanks, Kristin! I’ve never been to Cape Henry. I think I’m going to have to next time I’m in VA. Oooo, and those terrible mosquitoes. I don’t blame you for not visiting Assateague!
Oh, I love lighthouses! Murder at the Beacon Bookshop is definitely on my TBR! My favorite lighthouse was the one at Bill Baggs State Park in Key Biscayne Florida. When I was in college it wasn’t open to the public but determined students could still enter-if you get my drift. The light was gone but the steps were iron and still in place. We used to climb them and watch the sunset from the walkway around the light. Was it haunted? Only in our imaginations.
I love your lighthouse story and your college adventure! Umm, I too might have visited lighthouses that weren’t opened to the public. I bet the sunsets in Key Biscayne were amazing! Thank you for sharing that!
Welcome to the blog and congratulations on the new series! I love Point Vicente lighthouse in Palos Verdes, California and the Nubble Lighthouse in York, Maine. But actually I’ve never met a lighthouse I didn’t love.
Hi Sherry! Thank you! And I know what you mean. Every lighthouse and the setting it’s in makes it different, and special. Would love to see the lighthouses in CA!
Although we’ve traveled to Michigan many times, it was when we were younger and for much different events. I didn’t acquire my love of lighthouses until we took a bucket list time to Maine during the fall season. We slowly went up the entire coastline before exploring the interior part of the state. Stopping to explore the lighthouses was at the top of our to do list. The one I loved the most was West Quoddy Head Lighthouse where we actually stayed in the old Coast Guard quarters. We were there the during an eclipse which made it extra special for us since we were at a place in total darkness and at the eastern most point in the United States. Although many of the lighthouses in Maine have claims of being haunted, West Quoddy Head isn’t one of them. However, I will say that it almost felt like you could feel all the past residence of the Guard Quarters.
“Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop” sounds amazing and is on my TBR list for sure. I was immediately drawn to the cover because of the lighthouse. Thank you for the fabulous opportunity to win a copy!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Oh, what an amazing trip and an amazing experience! Now I have to put Maine lighthouses on my bucket list too! Thank you for sharing that with me!
This book sounds wonderful! I love the cover. I guess I don’t have a favorite lighthouse. I’ve never even seen one. I guess that’s something else for the bucket list.
Thank you, Carol! And no worries. If you read MURDER AT THE BEACON BAKESHOP it will be like a virtual trip to a lighthouse–with baked goods. It’s like two trips in one. So you have that to look forward too, lol!
It sounds like a wonderful new series to dive into! I visited Frankfort, MI probably about 30 years ago! It was such a beautiful place and I have a vivid memory of seeing the artist, Gwen Frostic’s beautiful artwork! Thanks for bringing that memory back to me!
Ooohhhh … My husband and I love lighthouses. I’m drawn to cozy titles with lighthouses on the cover or in the storyline. We are hoping to make a western Michigan lighthouse run in September … this will be one of the stops! Our favorite lighthouses are (Nauset in MA our first on our honeymoon) and Little River in Maine (loved staying on the island!). We have been drawn to the Great Lakes on our last two lighthouse trips (Duluth and eastern Wisconsin/Door County). I’ll have to check out your other books, too! Thank you for the opportunity to win one! Added to my “to read” list! Have a great day! Heidi
Thank you, Wendy! I’m so glad you got to visit Frankfort and had such wonderful memories of that town. You just might find a few similarities between Frankfort and Beacon Harbor:-)
Oh, your book sounds so fun! I will be near my Barnes and Noble on Wednesday and will stop by and buy it. Just finished Shucked Apart by Barbara Ross and need a new read. I live in Frankfort, IN but it is nowhere near a lighthouse.
My favorite lighthouse on Cape Cod is Nauset Light in Eastham, mostly because it is kind of dumpy and cute. I just checked its history and no ghosts reported, but if there is one, I hope he looks like Captain Willy Riggs! No need to enter me in the contest because (as you know) I’ve already read the book and LOVED IT.
I don’t know any lighthouses. I think they are neat in paintings but I’ve never seen one in person. I would definitely want any lighthouses that I visited to have a haunting story to go with it!
Does a fictional lighthouse count? If so, I’ll pick the lighthouse in Pete’s Dragon. (The real movie, obviously, since they didn’t include a lighthouse in that horrible excuse for a remake.)
My favorite lighthouse is the Barnegat Lighthouse on Long Beach Island NJ. The kids and I have climbed to the top of “Old Barney” many times. The view from the top is spectacular.
Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse in Nova Scotia – one of our stops when visiting friends in the area
I have never been to a lighthouse , but I have seen a beautiful light house in Calif. it is the one on Seal Point. I read a book with a lighthouse in it and that one did include a ghost, the book is fiction and I really enjoyed reading that book, it is Evening in the Yellow Wood. Your book sounds like a great read and I love the book cover! Have a Great week and stay safe.
I loved the lighthouse at Assateague. I am petrified of heights so I hung inside LOL, but my husband and daughter loved it.
I love lighthouses!! My favorite one is at Maine – Pemaquid Lighthouse. I always wanted to go see it but it’s way back East. I live in California.
Your book sounds very good and a new series for me thank you
Penney
I’m so excited for this book! I have been fascinated by lighthouses since I was a little girl in the Midwest watching Shirley Temple in “Captain January”. They lived in the lighthouse which sounded so intriguing. I look for lighthouses everywhere I travel. West Quoddy Head lighthouse in Lubec Maine is my favorite!
This sounds like a great book! I have read all of Eva Gates Lighthouse series, and anticipate the next addition.
I love lighthouses, but have only been in a few, mostly on the coast of Washington state. Even though I grew up near Lake Ontario my Mom would rent a cottage on Lake Ontario during the last two weeks of August.
I now live in Denver, CO and miss hearing the sounds of waves sooo much that when we went back east for a visit 2 years ago I took a video of the waves, just to watch and listen to the sound whenever I needed to. I am trying to talk my husband into moving back east sooner, where we plan to live near Lake Erie.
I’m adding this to my “want to read” list.
I don’t have a favorite lighthouse, but I have always been interested in the shipwrecks of the Great Lakes. Perhaps I’ll be able to visit a lighthouse there someday.
While I’ve seen lighthouses on my travels, I don’t have a favorite. But, ooh, baked goods! I’m in! Stay safe and well.
Assateague is my fave, so far. I have to tell you that when I was reading the part of this post about the ghost Captain, I immediately thought of “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.” Love that movie.
I’m sorry to say that I’ve never actually been to a lighthouse, but your book sounds like it has all the ‘ingredients’ I enjoy in a cozy mystery and I’d love to read it!
I don’t have a favorite lighthouse. But I’ve been in the round one at the inner harbor in Baltimore
I live in Toledo, Ohio. We have a lot of lighthouses along Lake Erie also. I am handicapped and have not been in a lighthouse. I love seeing them as we drive by. We have seen a few in Michigan also. Your books sounds fabulous. We used to go to Frankenmuth, Michigan once a year. It is a fabulous place.
I’ve never been inside a lighthouse, but they have always fascinated me when I see them. Now I have a new item to add to my bucket list (and I have crossed off most of the things, so I’m looking for a new adventure.) I love all the elements included in this book, so am really looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the chance to win it.
My favorite is Peggy’s Cove. We were on vacation and the whole family saw it!
I would love to win a copy
I like The Twin Lights in Rockport, Ma. You can see them from Gloucester’s Good Harbor Beach and from walks along Atlantic Ave. they’re like two stalwart friends through thick and thin. I’ve never heard of haunting or ghosts there- but who knows?!
I have always loved lighthouse! I have only been to one in Maine. I would love to go find more when I retire in a couple years! Thanks for the chance.
I love lighthouses!! I remember my parents taking me to one in Maine as a little girl. So beautiful!
Thanks for the chance!
I hope to visit some soon! The first one would be your book!
Michigan, lighthouses, and baking mystery? Sign me up! I don’t currently have a favorite light house, but I have been wanting to visit The Marquette Harbor Lighthouse and Maritime Museum. There are so many lighthouses here in Michigan, I would love to take a tour one day!
I’ve been to the Outer Banks of NC many times and I love all the lighthouses there. I’ve been up in a couple of them, although I’m not sure they allow that any longer due to safety concerns.
I’m from Michigan and there lots of lighthouses in Michigan. Some of my favorites are Big Red in Holland, the Grand Haven Lighthouse on Lake Michigan. Another one of my favorites is the Whitefish Lighthouse on Lake Superior.
I haven’t visited any lighthouses yet, unfortunately, but I really think the main character has a great first name!😉