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Elizabeth McKenna

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Elizabeth McKenna

Tag Archives: Historical

A Necessary Death by Terri Karsten – Book Tour and Giveaway

13 Saturday Jun 2026

Posted by Elizabeth McKenna - Author in Book Tour

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cozy mystery, Giveaway, Historical



A Necessary Death

by Terri Karsten

About A Necessary Death

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A Necessary Death

Historical Cozy Mystery

Setting – A tavern in Colonial Pennsylvania (1764)

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wagonbridge Publishing

Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 15, 2025

Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages

Paperback

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1953444202

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1953444202

Digital

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1953444219

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FLDWVCJW

With Penelope Corbitt in the kitchen, the tavern will never be the same.

Penelope Corbitt can turn a lump of meat and a bit of flour into a mouth-watering pie or make a tasty meal of cabbage and vinegar. But all her skill can’t save her family in the spring of 1763, when she loses everything to pay off her missing husband’s debts. Walking a tightrope between the freedom of poverty and the confines of propriety, she must accept her stingy brother-in-law’s reluctant charity to keep her family fed and her children close. The miserable journey north from Philadelphia is interrupted when the coach crashes in the mud. Penelope and her children are stranded at a run-down tavern. Penelope doesn’t think things can get worse.

Then she finds a dead man.

About Terri Karsten

Living in the shadow of the Mississippi River bluffs, Terri Karsten has been a writer and educator for many years. She grew up in sunny San Jose, California, playing amid the cherry orchards that soon gave way to houses. In her search for education and adventure, she lived in Iowa and Wisconsin, Mexico and France, before settling into a hundred-year-old house in Winona, Minnesota. She spends most days in her tiny office, surrounded by books, papers, and good memories.

With more ideas than time, Terri writes a bit of everything, ranging from historical fiction novels to picture-book folktales to dozens of short stories and articles in magazines, encyclopedias, and newspapers.

When she is not writing, Terri loves poring over old cookbooks and recreating dishes from long ago, especially medieval, Renaissance, and colonial foods. Always ready for the next adventure, she enjoys camping, hiking, and traveling. Her latest goal is to visit National Parks in every state. Only 13 states to go!

Author Links

  • Webpage: https://terrikarsten.com/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrikarsten
  • Substack: https://historicalcookery.substack.com/
  • GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7343260.Terri_Evert_Karsten
  • Purchase Links – Amazon B&N

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

June 4 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

June 4 – Salty Inspirations – RECIPE

June 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 5 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

June 6 – Sarandipity’s – SPOTLIGHT

June 6 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW

June 7 – Deal Sharing Aunt – RECIPE

June 7 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 8 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – RECIPE

June 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

June 9 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

June 9 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT

June 10 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

June 11 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 11 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

June 12 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

June 12 – Angel’s Book Nook – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 13 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

June 13 – Rebecca M. Douglass, Author – REVIEW

Click here to enter the giveaway.

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Murder Under a Bitter Moon – Book Tour and Giveaway

29 Wednesday Apr 2026

Posted by Elizabeth McKenna - Author in Book Tour

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Tags

cozy mystery, Giveaway, Historical


Murder Under A Bitter Moon:
A 1930s Mona Moon Historical Cozy Mystery

by Abigail Keam

About Murder Under A Bitter Moon


Murder Under A Bitter Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Historical Cozy Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery
15th in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Worker Bee Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 20, 2026
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0F92Y5XB7
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Mona Moon adores Kentucky Derby week, enjoying all the festivities. She is hosting a ladies’ tea and a Derby breakfast herself. The celebration at Moon Manor will include her former professor and mentor, Dr. Beryl Farris. Mona is delighted to have an old friend visit, but is concerned when Dr. Farris confesses that someone has been threatening her. Worried, Mona assigns Pinkertons to protect the professor.

The night before the Kentucky Derby race, Mona is preparing to attend Ed Bradley’s famous Derby Ball. The entire Mooncrest Farm is aflutter with excitement and gaiety for the upcoming event. Celebrities, politicians, and prominent citizens will be enjoying shrimp grits, burgoo, cornbread, country ham, and mint juleps while dishing the latest gossip at this yearly event. Mona’s anticipation is dashed when she discovers Dr. Farris is missing! And Mona fears the worst!

About Abigail Keam

Award-winning author Abigail Keam writes the Mona Moon Mystery Series—a rags-to-riches 1930s mystery series, which weaves real people and events into the story. “I am a student of history and love to insert historical information into my mysteries. There is an addendum at the end of the mystery to give more information. My goal is to entertain my readers, but if they learn a little something along the way—well, then we are both happy.”

Miss Abigail currently lives in a metal house with her husband and various critters on the Palisades bordering the Kentucky River.

AWARDS

2010 Gold Medal Award from Readers’ Favorite for Death By A HoneyBee
2011 Gold Medal Award from Readers’ Favorite for Death By Drowning
2011 USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books List of 2011 as a Finalist for Death By Drowning
2011 USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books List of 2011 as a Finalist for Death By A HoneyBee
2017 Finalist from Readers’ Favorite for Death By Design
2019 Honorable Mention from Readers’ Favorite for Death By Stalking
2019 Murder Under A Blue Moon voted top ten mystery reads by Kings River Life Magazine
2020 Finalist from Readers’ Favorite for Murder Under A Blue Moon
2020 Imadjinn Award for Best Mystery for Death By Stalking 2022 Finalist in Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalist for Best Historical Category – Murder Under A Full Moon
2022 Finalist the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical Category – Murder Under A New Moon
2022 Death By Chance: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalist for Best Cozy Mystery
2022 Top Ten Mystery Novel by Kings River Life Magazine for Murder Under A Bridal Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery
2022 Top Ten Mystery Novel by Kings River Life Magazine for Murder Under A British Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery

THE MONA MOON MYSTERY SERIES
1930s Historical Mysteries
Murder Under A Blue Moon I
Murder Under A Blood Moon II
Murder Under A Bad Moon III
Murder Under A Silver Moon IV
Murder Under A Wolf Moon V
Murder Under A Black Moon VI
Murder Under A Full Moon VII
Murder Under A New Moon VIII
Murder Under A English Moon IX
Murder Under A British Moon X
Murder Under A Bridal Moon XI
Murder Under A Western Moon
Murder Under A Honey Moon
Murder Under A Cold Moon
Murder Under A Mystic Moon

Author Links
Official Site Facebook Instagram Pinterest Amazon TikTok

Purchase Links – Amazon B&N Kobo Google Books

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 22 – Connie‘s History Classroom – REVIEW

April 23 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

April 23 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

April 24 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT

April 24 – Salty Inspirations – SPOTLIGHT

April 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

April 25 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 26 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT

April 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 27 – Sarandipity’s – SPOTLIGHT

April 27 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – SPOTLIGHT

April 28 – Cozy Up With Kathy – SPOTLIGHT

April 28 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 29 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

April 29 – deal sharing aunt – SPOTLIGHT

Click here to enter the giveaway.

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Fried Chicken Castañeda by Suzanne Stauffer – Book Tour and Giveaway

13 Friday Mar 2026

Posted by Elizabeth McKenna - Author in Book Tour

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cozy mystery, Giveaway, Historical


Fried Chicken Castañeda
by Suzanne Stauffer

About Fried Chicken Castañeda

FRIED CHICKEN CASTANEDA COVER 3
Fried Chicken Castañeda
Historical Culinary Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Las Vegas, New Mexico, in June 1929
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Artemesia Publishing, LLC
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 6, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
Paperback
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1963832051
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1963832051
Digital
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1963832242
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DZC47WJQ
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At the Castañeda Hotel you’ll find romance, gourmet dining, bootleggers, and murder!

Bored with her conventional middle-class life, Prudence Bates escapes Cleveland by heading west to qualify as a Courier for the Southwestern Indian Detours. On the California Limited she meets Jerry Begay, a charming Navajo school teacher. They feel an instant rapport, but he’s headed for Gallup, so it’s but a brief encounter.

In Las Vegas, New Mexico Prudence is befriended by Castañeda Hotel Harvey Girls Martha and Anne and desk clerk Clara. They take Prudence under their wing and invite her along to dances and the local hot springs.

Four days later, Martha’s brother, Tom, is found murdered. Was it because of his bootlegging activities? Or his amorous relationship with Liz Kearney, daughter of the richest man in the area and rumored mob boss? And was that really Jerry Begay whom Prudence saw meeting with Tom in secret the day before he was killed?

Following in the footsteps of her favorite fictional detectives, Tommy and Tuppence, Prudence is determined to solve the murder. But one wrong step and she may end up in the sights of the bootleggers.

About Suzanne Stauffer

After 20 years as a librarian and 20 as a professor of library science and library historian, Suzanne Stauffer has moved on to a third career as a mystery novelist. She currently lives in Albuquerque with her Australian husband and brown and white spotted rat terrier dogter, Treme. Her debut novel, Fried Chicken Castañeda (Artemesia Publishing, May 2025), won the CIPA EVVY Bronze Medal in Mystery/Crime/Detection and the New Mexico Book Award for Cozy Mystery.

Author Links
Blog https://couriersseries1926.blogspot.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/couriers1926/
Substack Newsletter Amuse-Bouche https://smstauffer.substack.com/

Purchase Links: Publisher Amazon B&N Bookshop.org

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 2 – deal sharing aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 2 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 3 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

March 4 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 5 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 5 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT

March 6 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

March 7 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

March 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 8 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 9 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 10 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

March 11 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 12 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, RECIPE

March 13 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

March 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 14 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

March 15 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW

March 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
_________

Click here to enter the giveaway.

__________
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Want to Book a Tour?
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