Welcome Author Carlene O’Connor

Please welcome author Carlene O’Connor back to the blog. Carlene joins us today to celebrate the release of two Irish-themed books. Murder at an Irish Chipper, the tenth book in Carlene’s Irish Village Mystery series, was released on February 20. And, for Saint Patrick’s Day, which is coming up fast, the collection, Irish Milkshake Murder, which also includes novellas by Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland.

I blurbed Murder in an Irish Village, the first book in Carlene’s cozy series, and have been a fan ever since.

Welcome, Carlene!

Musings on Saint Patrick’s Day

March is approaching and with it Saint Patrick’s Day. I’m thrilled to have two new offerings for the occasion, Murder at an Irish Chipper, and Irish Milkshake Murder. I do love Paddy’s Day, although I have yet to spend one in Ireland. But I spent many in New York City where the celebrations were mighty. My Irish friends often comment on how Americans often go all-out on the day—and of course we certainly do. In New York City I eventually learned to stay clear of the pubs on Saint Patrick’s Day, as it’s not for the faint of heart. But everyone can enjoy the parade. Despite how chaotic the celebrations can become, I do love the exuberance and celebration of all things Irish.

In my new release, Murder at an Irish Chipper, I take readers to the real seaside town of Lahinch, Ireland on the west coast. It’s a beach town, and I hope to visit it myself someday. Irish chippers are fish and chips shops and can be found in every city and town in Ireland. If you go, you must stop into a chipper!

In Irish Milkshake Murder I take readers to the Aran Islands, also on the west coast, a place I was fortunate enough to visit many years ago. If you find yourself in Galway City, (or many places on the west coast of Ireland), you can find out where to catch a boat to the Aran Islands. I promise it will be a trip you won’t soon forget.

It was there that I saw a lone cow sitting cliffside with the Atlantic Ocean thrashing in the background and I thought to myself, “What a great setting for a murder mystery.” I wasn’t even writing murder mysteries back then, let alone murder mysteries set in Ireland. Looking back, I feel like it was the first whisper from the Universe about the life I would one day be living. Or maybe there is something magical about Ireland itself, and it was the fairies whispering to me.

Either way, I couldn’t be more grateful to combine my two loves—writing and Ireland, and it all started with a lone cow on the Aran Islands. For those of you who can’t travel, or are between trips, I hope reading one of my mysteries will transport you to the Emerald Isle and infuse you with the love of the Irish and Ireland. And in advance, Happy Saint Patrick’s day to all!

Readers: How do you celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day? Out and about? Corned beef and cabbage, reading a good Saint Patrick-themed book, or something else?

About Carlene O’Connor

Carlene O’Connor is the USA Today bestselling author of The Irish Village Mysteries, Home to Ireland Mysteries, and the new County Kerry Mystery series. Her mysteries have been translated into German, Estonia, and UK markets thus far and the Irish Village Mysteries have been optioned for television. Readers are encouraged to get in touch via Facebook, Goodreads, Book Bub, or through the contact form on CarleneOConnor.net. An admitted wanderer, Carlene spends as much time in Ireland as possible.

About The Murder of an Irish Chipper

Fans of M.C. Beaton and Rhys Bowen, prepare for a delectable page-turner that mixes the charm of the Emerald Isle with the irresistible allure of a classic cozy whodunit. Siobhán and Macdara Flannery’s plans for a romantic honeymoon by the sea crumble like battered cod when they discover a dead body in the local fish and chip shop. This charming village harbors secrets beneath its culinary delights, but even a crafty killer is no match for these cunning sleuths.

Siobhán’s brother Eoin’s new family restaurant, The O’Sullivan Six, is so close to opening—but waiting on the necessary permits plus the heat of July in the village of Kilbane in County Cork is driving everyone a bit mad. Macdara Flannery comes to the rescue with a plan—take a holiday by the sea and stuff themselves with fish and chips to support the struggling business of the aptly named Mrs. Chipper.

But when they arrive, a crowd is gathered in front of the closed shop: a local fisherman with a fresh cod delivery, a food critic, Mrs. Chipper’s ex-husband who’s opening a competing fish and chips shop directly across the street, and a repairman to fix the vent for the deep fryer. With Siobhán and Macdara as witnesses, a local handyman gets the locked door open, only to find the proprietor lying dead and covered in flour at the base of a ladder, its rungs coated in slippery fat. Clearly this was not an accidental tragedy . . .

Even as the local garda take over the murder investigation, Siobhán and Macdara can’t help themselves from placing their long-delayed honeymoon on hold—at least until they can help apprehend an elusive killer.

About Irish Milkshake Murder

Raise a glass for St. Paddy’s Day but keep a shamrock handy because some of these minty milkshakes are made with murder!

IRISH MILKSHAKE MURDER by CARLENE O’CONNOR
In advance of their St. Patrick’s Day wedding, Tara Meehan and Danny O’Donnell are off to the Aran Islands with their bridesmaids and groomsmen for a joint hen and stag party. The weekend kicks off with the ferry trip to Inis Mór, as the passengers enjoy boozy milkshakes on board and entertainment from a pair of famous Irish-dancing twin brothers. But faster than Tara can say “Oh, Danny Boy,” a murder shamrocks the boat as someone’s spiked shake turns out to be their final round. Stuck in a rural island cottage, while a storm rages outside, Tara must find the Celtic killer before her luck runs out . . .

MURDER MOST IRISH by PEGGY EHRHART
St. Patrick’s Day is drawing near in Arborville, New Jersey and the folks at Hyler’s Luncheonette are getting into the holiday spirit with a new, limited-time, Irish-themed menu item–a festive green milkshake appropriately named, “The Leprechaun.” It’s a hit, until a patron is felled by one of the frothy concoctions during a sheep parade through the town. Now, it’s up to Pamela Paterson and her Knit & Nibble knitting club pal, Bettina Fraser, to catch a murderer and put a stop to the sheer madness . . .

MRS. CLAUS AND THE LUCKLESS LEPRECHAUN by LIZ IRELAND
Spring in Santaland means two things: the elves have more leisure time and iceball season is in full swing! To celebrate, April Claus’s friend, Claire, whips up some minty milkshakes for her bustling ice cream shop, Santaland Scoop. But when the St. Paddy’s promotion makes one elf the target of a decidedly unlucky strike, Mrs. Claus and her friends must figure out if the attack was a failed hit job, a crime of passion, or an extremely unfortunate accident . . .