A Long Time Coming #giveaway

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News Flash: Our three giveaway winners, courtesy random.org, are Jane, Kathy Dennis, and Meghan. Congratulations, ladies, and please check your email!

Edith/Maddie, writing from north of Boston and close to getting my second vaccine shot, yay!

A year ago, plus nine days, Murder at the Taffy Shop released. It’s my second Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, and was my second in a special deal Kensington Publishing struck with Barnes & Noble for a few new series.

See the sticker? Murder on Cape Cod was the program’s guinea pig in a deal that released the book solely in paperback, solely from B&N, for one year. It sold well the first year, and then got a big new boost from being available from Amazon and Kobo, as an ebook, an audiobook, and a new paperback edition.

I’m delighted that Murder at the Taffy Shop goes to wide release on March 30, at long last (yes, the sticker has the date wrong). Sure, the double boost is great. But I also have so, so many avid fans who only read on Kindle, or only on audio.

Audiobook cover

Or who can’t afford B&N’s postage for one book and don’t live near a store. For over a year, few of us have been going inside stores at all, anyway, except to pick up food and medicine. Those fans are geared up for a fun read and are glad the wide release is imminent.

And now the book will be available for independent bookstores to stock, too. If you pre-order it from my local indy and want a signed copy, just add a note in the order form and I’ll run over to sign before Jabberwocky Books sends it. Or write to me via my web site and I can send you one of my spiffy new bookplates, endorsed and signed!

Here’s the blurb (again):

Cape Cod bicycle shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida and her mystery book club find a certain accusation of murder quite the stretch . . . 

When your mother is an astrologist and your dad is a minister, you learn to keep an open mind. Which is just what Mac loves to do—exercise her mind by puzzling out fictional clues in the mystery novels she reads and discusses with her Cozy Capers Book Group. 

But now Mac’s friend Gin has found herself in a sticky situation. After wealthy genealogist Beverly Ruchart is found dead outside Gin’s taffy shop, the candy maker becomes a person of interest. When it’s revealed that Beverly was poisoned the night Gin brought a box of taffy to a dinner party at Beverly’s house, she’s bumped to the top of the suspects list. It’s up to Mac and her Cozy Capers crime solvers to unwrap this real-life mystery. But this time they might have bitten off more than they can chew . . .

I really love writing this series. It’s a hoot (not literally) to include Mac’s African gray parrot as a character. The setting is beachy and evocative of amazing coastal light and village intrigues. The cozy mystery book club is an extra fun boost.

Murder at the Lobstah Shack comes out in November- not on an exclusive – and I’m a about ten thousand words into writing book four, Murder at a Cape Cottage.

I still have three copies of the exclusive version of Murder at the Taffy Shop lying around. To celebrate next week’s wide release, I’d love to give them away.

And tonight I’ll be discussing A Changing Light, my April-release Quaker Midwife Mystery, over at Joanna’s Readers Facebook group from 6-7 EDT. Hope you can join us!

Readers: What’s your favorite taffy flavor? Favorite beach town?

Published by Edith Maxwell

Agatha Award -winning author Edith Maxwell writes the historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Beyond the Page) and short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Country Store Mysteries series, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries (all from Kensington Publishing). She lives north of Boston in an antique house with her beau and cat Martin, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook.

94 Thoughts

  1. Congrats on freedom, Edith! I’m not a taffy eater. I always thought salt water taffy had salt in it, which I think I would love, but when I discovered it didn’t, I lost interest. But I loved Murder on Cape Cod, and I’m sure I’ll love Taffy, too.

  2. It’s been so long since I had taffy, but I remember loving it as a kid. Not sure I could give you a favorite flavor now.

    Congrats again on the book and the wide release.

  3. Love the peanut butter taffy. We spent our summers in Marshfield, MA, which is still my favorite beach town. There was a candy store there and we used to go and watch them pull the daddy. Congratulations on the book release!

  4. I hate spell check!!! It should read “pull the taffy”. How embarrassing!!

  5. A small littlle village next to where I was raised would have a celebration every 4th of July. They called it Mardi Gras and there would be rides, food stands and games of chance. One thing I was always fascinated by was the portable salt water taffy stand. I loved watching the taffy being stretched and cut into the bite-size pieces. Of couse I would always buy a box of the assorted to take home with me to share. My favorite flavor was always the peppermint which was vanilla taffy with streaks of pepperment taffy running through it. It was like two treats in one.

  6. I have loved visiting Seaside, OR. And I do love taffy too, I like cinnamon in particular. Thanks!

  8. Ooooh taffy, love it! Remember Abba Zabba taffy bars, with peanut butter in the middle? My favorite is the vanilla, but all flavors work! My favorite beach town is Boothbay Harbor, Maine – the little shops and boats are fun to see.

  11. Yes, it’s also a long time coming for your avid fans (like me) who live outside the US to get book #2. I did buy your first B&N Cozy Capers book since I was on vacation in the US and bought it at a B&N store.

    Never tried eating any taffy. I had too many broken fillings and braces caused by me eating sticky candy, so I stopped.

    As for a beach location, I had been inundated with photos of 3 previous Hawaii vacations, so any of those beaches will do.

  13. Not a beach person, but Coney Island is nice. I think vanilla is my favorite taffy flavor. I enjoyed Murder at the Taffy Shop.

  14. LOVE your books! Can’t wait for the opportunity to read both “A Changing Light” and “Murder at the Lobstah Shack”.

    My favorite flavor is licorice, but I can’t think of a flavor I don’t like. I have very fond childhood memories of going to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California.

    Since I’ve already read it, not entering the contest to give someone who hasn’t the wonderful chance to read it. However, I did share it everywhere to spread the word. 🙂
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

      1. My Dad was a military man – Army. We were stationed at Fort Ord, CA for 9 years. He retired from there in 1967 after I finished the 9th grade.

  15. I’m not a huge fan of taffy. I love going to the Outer Banks of NC. JL_Minter(at)hotmail(dot)com

  17. I loved Murder on Cape Cod and I look forward to reading Taffy Shop! I appreciate you writing about the process, as I’ve been wondering about those “B&N exclusive” books that pop up. I wonder if it’s truly helpful to B&N as a business practice or not. I’m not a huge fan of salt water taffy, but my favorite beach is Cape May, NJ.

    1. You’re welcome, Shanna. The arrangement might have been helpful, but they’re not doing it for book three, so maybe not. I have friends who have been going to Cape May every year for decades. I’d like to visit there one day.

  18. Congrats on the wide release, Edith! And best wishes for continued success with the series. 🙂

  19. Congratulations on your book release!!!!
    My favorite taffy favorite is banana.🥰 my favorite beach town would be Fort Walton Beach Florida.
    Absolutely love your book cover and sound. Very good!!!

  20. Favorite taffy flavors are chocolate, molasses, and peanut. I have an appointment for a COVID shot Wednesday and I don’t know which one it will be. It would be lovely if it were the Johnson & Johnson so I only needed to make the one trip.

  21. Congratulations on the wide release! I haven’t had taffy since I was a kid and I don’t remember what flavor it was. Now it would probably pull out all my poor old teeth.

  22. My favorite taffy flavor is strawberry. I also like beach plum. Seaside Heights, New Jersey is my favorite beach town.

  25. Favorite taffy flavor is Raspberry Chocolate. Can’t really give a favorite beach since I live in Colorado, and we don’t have typical beaches. When I lived in Washington state the best beach would be near Point Defiance.

  27. Congrats on the wide release, Edith/Maddy. I know what a relief that can be. I love salt water taffy. Favorite flavor-licorice of course!

  28. We used to get salt water taffy at Atlantic City when I was a kid. I don’t eat it anymore but I liked the fruit flavors

  30. I love cinnamon flavored fatty. My favorite beach town is Seaside, OR. I would love to win a copy!

    1. I love cinnamon flavored fatty. My favorite beach town is Seaside, OR. I would love to win a copy! Taffy, auto correct!!

  31. Favorite beach town is Sandwich, MA and favorite taffy is Banana.

  32. I always liked peppermint or chocolate taffy, but I recently saw a listing for movie popcorn taffy that sounds delish!
    Favorite beach…Bermuda beaches are so lovely. One vacation there was not enough, I want to go back! 😉

  33. I don’t think that I have ever had any type of taffy. That may be something that I have to correct one of these days. As for favorite beach town? Well it almost has to be Daytona Beach. I remember going there with family and friends when I was young and loving it! I so want to go back. Ah well, someday. Thanks for the chance to win.

  34. I can’t remember the last time I had taffy! As for favorite flavors I would have to say chocolate or peanut butter. Corpus Christi is my favorite beach town.

  35. I love saltwater taffy. Most flavors, although I’m particularly partial to licorice and/or peppermint. I have to be very careful when I have it due to dental work.
    Favorite beach town? When I lived in California, it was Pismo Beach, hands down. Such a fun place. Here in the Pacific Northwest, I really love Long Beach. I love the boardwalk.

  36. Used to go down the NJ shore when I lived in NJ…loved the strawberry salt water taffy…esp. at the Boardwalk shops in Atlantic City!

  37. Fantastic on the wide release! Really looking forward to reading both-would sure love to win one!! I love Hilton Head Island-my favorite place to explore, always find something new!!

  39. I’d say my favorite would be chocolate with banana second. That would be more from eating BB Bats taffy candy as a kid more than pulled taffy though.
    As far as favorite beach town, I’ve only been to one beach, Ormond Beach in Florida, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I loved seeing the ocean sunrises and sunsets and walking in the sand! We really didn’t even go into town .

  40. As a disabled person, I do not get to go to real beach towns. I love to read about all of them. I can picture myself on the beach, enjoying the water and son. I love chocolate taffy. God bless you.

  41. I really enjoy this series. My favorite flavor of salt water taffy is Key Lime. As far as beaches go, I love the Fort Walton Beach/Destin area.

  42. Congratulations Edith!
    Peanut butter taffy was always my favorite taffy when I was a kid. Unfortunately as an geriatric adult my partials just can’t chew it anymore 🙁.
    Surf City USA, Huntington Beach, California is a good place to go!

  43. Has to be the banana flavor at the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk in CA!

  44. My favorite flavor is peanut butter and my favorite beach town is Pensacola here in Florida.

  45. I’ve always wanted to read this series. Looking forward to the wide release!

  46. News Flash: Our three giveaway winners, courtesy random.org, are Jane, Kathy Dennis, and Meghan. Congratulations, ladies, and please check your email!

  47. Molasses or Vanilla Pulled Taffy are both kinds I made as a child. It’s a blast to pull with buttered fingers and is good yet messy.

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