funny

Sticks and Standing Stones Can Break My Bones by Nhys Glover

A hunky enforcer for a crime boss fleas to the peace of the Yorkshire Dales to escape the voices in his head. A shy, over-weight ghost whisperer might be the only one who can help him. But she has problems of her own, not the least of which is a gateway to the underworld at the bottom of her garden that has just released an invisible dragon to wreaking havoc on the area.

Pineapple Lies by Amy Vansant

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Growing up in one of Florida’s fifty-five plus communities, Charlotte never expected life to be wild. Golf cart racing with her surrogate mothers Mariska and Darla was about as nutty as life got…until she found the hot pawnbroker’s mom buried in her backyard.
Talk about making a lousy first impression.
Armed with nothing but her wits, Pineapple Port’s questionable cast of characters and a growing crush, Charlotte is determined to solve the mystery of Declan’s mother’s murder.
Hey, at least this guy’s skeletons aren’t in his closet.

Targeted Age Group:: adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
The book is based on a fictionalized version of my mother-in-law's neighborhood. Those people are living the dream and they're all nuts in the most wonderful ways, for instance…she insisted I name her character Mariska.

Juicy Jersey by Lizz Lund

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Juicy Jersey by Lizz Lund

Summertime, and the living is… not as easy as Mina had hoped. But, she finally has a full-time job, working alongside her new boyfriend, Jack (that is, Chef Jacque, when they’re at Squirrel Run Acres.) That’s good, right? Except that poor Mina and Jack have been working together a lot lately–specifically fourteen hour shifts in a sizzling kitchen–for months.

When tempers flare hotter than fat on a fire, Jack steps up and splurges for a romantic get-away to Cape May Point, New Jersey. All is forgiven and soon sunset beaches wink from the distance, until Mina’s stuck with dog sitting duties for Jim, her buddy Bauser’s three-legged dog. Complicating the canine conundrum is Bauser’s last minute plea to deliver Jim to a client location, in Bumville, New Jersey. No biggie, except that Bumville lies in the polar opposite direction from Cape May. And Vito and Miriam also happen to be visiting the client–who is none other than Vito’s niece, Helena Pryzchntchynzski. Oy.

Further jeopardizing their journey through Jersey is Jim’s discovery of Babette Bernstein. Her murder launches a connect-the-dots of corpses that ripples dangerously around Mina and Jack. Oh–and the kidnappings, plural–are a little scary, too.

Will Mina and Jack escape the bad guys? Will they survive their first vacation together? More importantly, will they finally have one?

If you’re in the mood for funny fiction, a cast of chatty pets, and unsolved murders–read on. Juicy Jersey packs a roller coaster ride of murders, mayhem and mojitos. Come root for Mina, boo the bad guys and nibble a nosh, courtesy of the author’s recipes in the back of the book, vetted by Lund’s real-life favorite chef, her husband, Chef Andrew.

Dying Before “I Do” by Judy Fitzwater

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Jennifer Marsh is back in DYING BEFORE “I DO”!

Love and murder: two words that should never go together. But when Jennifer and long-time beau Sam Culpepper finally decide to tie the knot, murder rears its ugly head to intervene. Now Jennifer has more to contend with than choosing colors and flowers for the most important day of her life. She and Sam must thwart whoever is bent on keeping the secrets of an old kidnapping case. One man is dead, and young reporter Teague McAfee is next in line. Jennifer finds herself embroiled in a twisty tale of love gone wrong, while dodging her friends who are determined to give Jennifer and Sam the perfect wedding.

This 7th installment in the delightful JENNIFER MARSH MYSTERIES is sure to satisfy fans of the series. All of Jennifer’s writer friends–Leigh Ann, Teri, April, and Monique–plus Emmie Walker and Muffy are back to help Jennifer plan her wedding and solve the mystery as bullets, arrows, and poison threaten to derail it.
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Targeted Age Group:: general

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Dying Before “I Do” is the seventh in The Jennifer Marsh Mystery Series. Readers asked me to write another in this cozy mystery series, and I was very happy to once again find myself in Jennifer Marsh’s world. Jennifer is an unpublished mystery writer with a group of zany writer friends who are always willing to jump into the fray to help Jennifer solve whatever crime she’s currently involved in. In this book Jennifer and long time beau are finally getting married. The mystery part of the book, which involves an old kidnapping case, started out with my usual “what if” inspiration. Why are people suddenly dying and in danger over something that was over and done with four years ago? What if the kidnapping was more complicated than it at first appeared? I love mysteries that challenge me to write them and this was one of them.

To Catch a Creeper by Ellie Campbell @ecampbellbooks

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Cathy is riding high in her brand-new job at a (surprisingly bitchy) top London advertising agency working with best friend Rosa. But when Rosa’s pregnancy goes amiss and enemies sabotage her new career, she finds herself leading a chaotic double life of lies and deception, hiding a shameful secret from all, especially husband Declan who appears in the throes of a nervous breakdown. Meanwhile she’s agreed to unmask the notorious Crouch End Creeper, a burglar terrorizing their neighbourhood. Little does she know that her meddling, assisted by fellow mothers (the Wednesday Once Weeklies) and the Neighbourhood Watch, will lead their dangerous opponent to murder. And that it’s not only the tall elegant transvestite who is placing herself at risk…

Targeted Age Group:: 25-65

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Lots of things. With How To Survive Your Sisters we wanted to explore the dynamics between four sisters, their similarities and differences, the way they can drive you crazy one minute and be your best friend the next. In When Good Friends Go Bad we were imagining what it would be like to meet your old schoolfriends again and how you would get along, what you’d still have in common – especially if you discovered one of them had betrayed you in a significant way. Our third novel Looking For La La was inspired by a postcard someone sent to Pam’s husband, proclaiming passionate love and signing herself La La. We got a kick out of using it as the first chapter of our novel. To Catch a Creeper follows on from Looking for La La, although it is a stand alone novel. We intend it as the second book in a The Crouch End Confidential Mystery series – but it totally stands alone if someone hasn’t read the first. We love human interest stories, the dynamics of relationships and we love using humor to get our point across. And also because life is basically funny.

The Devil Drinks Coffee by Destiny Ford @AngCorbett

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A cow suicide, a revolving door rescue, and the birth of a bright purple pig are starting to make Kate Saxee wonder if taking a job in her small hometown of Branson Falls, Utah, was such a great idea. As The Branson Tribune editor, Kate covers local news, which, more often than not, involves her accident-prone mom. Nothing truly newsworthy has ever happened in the quiet town until local teen Chelsea Bradford turns up dead in a Branson Falls lake.

The police rule Chelsea’s death an accident, but Kate suspects there’s more to the story—and she’s not the only one. Two of Branson’s most eligible bachelors are determined to help her solve the crime—among other things. But the small town social network is faster than Twitter, and gossip about Kate’s love-life is quickly branding her the Branson Falls hussy.

As Kate learns more about Chelsea, she discovers that plenty of people are trying to cover up the real story behind the girl’s death—including Chelsea’s parents. Now Kate has to juggle work, men, her mom’s most recent disaster involving a low-speed John Deere Combine chase on the freeway, and fend off the Mormons heaven-bent on saving her soul—all while solving Chelsea’s murder. Dealing with this is going to require a lot of coffee, chocolate frosted donuts, Neil Diamond’s greatest hits, and a slew of words not on the town approved imitation swear list.

Targeted Age Group:: 18+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I wanted to write a funny mystery/romance about living in a small Utah town.