Murder at Rudhall Manor by Anya Wylde: Excerpt & Giveaway

About the Book: A murder and a theft have been committed at Rudhall Manor. A box of jewels has vanished and Lord Sedley, a lusty old aristocrat, has been stabbed six times in the chest.

It is all very mysterious, and the Sedley family and the servants have decided that Miss Lucy Anne Trotter, a recently employed governess, is to blame for the unfortunate events.

The legendary and wickedly handsome Marquis, Lord William Adair, learns of the matter and decides to uncover the truth.

Lucy, however, has little faith in blue blooded creatures—even if they possess dashing good looks— and, accompanied by two naughty pugs and a moody raven, decides to investigate and unmask the killer herself.

But the hunt for the killer turns out to be far more complicated than she anticipates—what with snooty servants, warts in odd places, mixed up love affairs, agitated chickens and dreadful disguises ruining her plans.

Soon she begins to wonder if, for once, she is in over her head….

About the Author: Anya Wylde lives in Ireland along with her husband and a fat French poodle (now on a diet). She can cook a mean curry, and her idea of exercise is occasionally stretching her toes. She holds a degree in English literature and adores reading and writing.

You can purchase Murder at Rudhall Manor on Amazon.com

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Monday, June 23rd for the chance to win an e-copy of Murder at Rudhall Manor.

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Excerpt: 

"I will be good, Miss Summer. I truly will."

Miss Summer pushed the list away. "Will you?" she asked sceptically. "Or rather, can you be good for an extended period, Miss Trotter? I suppose I cannot tie you to the chair you are currently warming and keep you here forever …."

Lucy nervously shook her head.

"It won't be easy," Miss Summer warned.

"The world is full of dangers," Lucy agreed. "I will be careful."

"It won't be easy," Miss Summer repeated firmly, "for the world to adjust to your presence. England will have to shift around, make space, adapt a little, stand on its toe nails and stay alert to able to absorb someone like you … It may happen … Miracles are not unheard off."

Lucy fixed her eye on a white speck on the table.

Miss Summer rummaged around in her desk drawer. "Your mother's sister regretted the fact that she couldn't take you in after your parents died in the fire, but she had eleven grimy ones of her own. Here." She handed a deep red pouch to Lucy, "She left you some money. She wanted me to give it you when you were old enough. I would have preferred waiting a little longer before giving it to you, but age seems to define wisdom for some fools."

Lucy jingled the pouch. It wasn't much but at least it was something.

"It may be enough to buy you a dress," Miss Summer said jerking a round dimpled chin towards the pouch. "Now, for the last time, Miss Lucy Anne Trotter, are you certain you want to go to Blackwell and take care of the children in Rudhall Manor?"

"I won't change my mind, Miss Summer."

"Well, then, that is that."

"Yes, that is that."

"That is final?"

"It is."

"You will not be allowed back once you leave, Miss Trotter. You are aware we have responsibilities, many mouths to feed—"

"I understand."

"I see … This is goodbye then."

"Yes," Lucy said in a voice thick with emotion. "Goodbye, Miss Summer." She paused near the door and looked back at her beloved teacher. "And, Miss Summer …"

"Yes?"

"Thank you … for everything."

"You are welcome, child. Now repay me by behaving like a well-mannered young lady for the rest of your life."

"I shall try my best, Miss Summer."

"For Lord Sedley's sake, I truly hope so."

Lucy nodded and left the room. She closed the door and leaned back against it.

After a brief moment, one dark brown eye opened just a touch and looked right and then left.

The corridor was empty.

Her ears strained and twitched.

All was silent.

Her lips curled up at the corners, and then as if a bee stung her on the arm, she jerked and came alive. Her arms flapped, her legs hopped and skipped, her head shook from side to side, pins flew and the thick brown locks loosened and knotted themselves together.

She did not notice when the door opened behind her and Miss Summer came out, nor did she notice when the nearest room emptied and a group of sixteen year olds abandoned their stitching to come and watch her.

Nor did she stop when a distant dinner bell peeled through the orphanage because at this beautiful moment Miss Lucy Anne Trotter was busy doing the happy dance of freedom.

International Box Day 2014

As a kitty blogger the man in brown shorts brings me lots of items to review in really cool boxes...this one just arrived today!

Here are a few of our favorite shots from the past several months:

We are participating in Sparkle the Designer Cat's International Box Day Link Up.

Take Your Pet to Work Week

Truffles: Hey, everybody! Did you know that this is Take Your Pet to Work Week? It was created back in 1999 by Pet Sitters International (PSI) to celebrate the value of pets in the workplace and encourage pet adoptions.

I thought it might be interesting to take a peek at where Mommy hangs out during the day when she's not at home catering to my every whim. Um, Mommy...kind of messy, isn't it?

Melissa: Guilty as charged. Haven't you noticed our house is on the messy side, too? That's just how I roll.

Truffles: You know what else I see...or rather don't see? Why is there a very large picture of Tara on your desk, as well as a small one and a couple pictures of Sashi, but not even one of me??? Where is MY picture???

Melissa: Guilty again. I guess I've just been too busy working on our blog to get an 8x10 made.

Truffles: You mean in almost a whole year you've never once wanted to look at my picture when you've been away from home???

Melissa: Don't be silly! I've got tons of pictures of you on my phone, and even a few printed out and tucked inside my weekly planner! But you're right, I'll get a picture of you on my desk right away.

Truffles: Promise?

Melissa: I promise.

Truffles: Poster-sized?

Melissa: We'll see, sweetie.

Meet Henrietta the Cat from Tonya Kappes' Checkered Crime (w/Giveaway)

Most of my days were spent hanging out down on the banks of the river, mainly in the tall brush, but still, the sun would beat down bright on the water, warming a few sun spots for me to roll, stretch, and close my eyes.

Teenagers liked to come down there. I could never really figure out what they were doing. They would strip off their clothes, toss them in the dirt, and jump in the river.

Sometimes I would sneak down and watch them, but most of the time I would make my way through the brush, over the rocks, and into the food they would leave right there for me to take.

Just as I would finish eating, the sun would come out. With my belly full, I would dart back over to my secret spot for a long afternoon nap.

One day, something changed for the teenagers. They did their normal stripping of the clothes, but they stood there looking at each other. I had never noticed before, but they didn’t look the same. Within minutes they were throwing their clothes back on. This meant they weren’t going to leave the food where I could get my share.

One called the other Derek, Derek called the other Laurel. A couple weeks went by until Derek and Laurel came back. This time it was much later in the day and they brought cans of nasty beer. Something I wasn’t interested in. Surely they had brought some food. They had every other time, so when they weren’t looking, I tiptoed over behind them.

“Derek! I’m keeping her.” The one called Laurel grabbed me before I knew what was happening.

The two of them argued, but Laurel wasn’t letting go. They took me from the banks of the river to a place home where a ton of kids lived. It was great. I was being fed and pat, carried and cuddled. When they all curled up and went to sleep, which there was no sun spot—it was dark, scary, I was sad. I cried and cried until someone named Trixie scared me too death. This one called Trixie told Laurel that I had to go back where Laurel found me and that cats weren’t allowed in the orphanage. At first I was happy to go back to my little spot on the bank of the Kentucky River, then Laurel cried saying how much she loved me. She picked me up calling me Henrietta. I wasn’t crazy about the name, but she loved me!

Someone loved me.

No one had ever loved me.

I purred, I rubbed against Laurel, I meowed. Trixie said I could stay as long as Laurel took care of me.

Did she? There aren’t too many places Laurel goes with out me. Now that she moved out of the orphanage, she did everything to make me happy. I had a leash that I had to wear so I could go into places like the coffee shop, the bank, and even the dollar store. One of the activities I really enjoyed was riding in her car. The dashboard had the best sun light which created the best sun spot for me to curl up. I wasn’t crazy about the big guy that jumped in the back of Laurel’s car. He was demanding and told her he needed her to drive him around. She seemed happy because he gave her a lot of money. To me he was scary. He called himself Trigger Finger Tony which didn’t make sense because he was missing that finger. I did notice that when he held the gun over the front seat, making me and Laurel a little nervous.

Laurel. She’s tough. She didn’t flinch a bit when he showed her the gun. Well. . . she didn’t flinch a bit when the other guy jumped in and showed his gun too.

I love Laurel. She’s one tough cookie, but I’ve always got my eye on those men and where Laurel goes. I will always make sure she’s safe.

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Blurb: Laurel London is one tough cookie. Orphaned and with one heckuva checkered past, she’s grown street smart and no one is going to tell her different, even if it means getting tangled up with the wrong side of the law. After terrorizing Walnut Grove, Kentucky all her adolescent life, she’s back and she’s ready to go on the up and up. Make something of herself. Prove the citizens of Walnut Grove wrong and make them admit she’s somebody.

But when mobster Trigger Finger Tony Cardozza jumps in the back of Laurel London’s car mistaking it for a taxi, she’s up to her ears in no good. 

Recently fired and checkbook in the red, when Trigger offers to pay Laurel large wads of cash to drive him where he needs to go and keep her mouth shut, she’s all in. That is, until FBI agent Jax Jackson jumps in the back of Laurel London’s car threatening to take her to jail for her past crimes if she doesn’t cooperate with the FBI by going undercover to help bring down the mob. 

Laurel finds herself battling the past and good vs evil and she’s not sure which is more deadly.

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Friday, June 20th for your chance to win a copy of Checkered Crime. Winner's choice, print or ebook.

About the Author:

Tonya Kappes

SOUTHERN SMALL TOWN MYSTERIES

“Full of wit, humor and colorful characters, Tonya Kappes delivers a fun, fast-paced story that will leave you hooked!” Bestselling Author, Jane Porter

“A GHOSTLY UNDERTAKING is hauntingly good read with authentic Southern charm." -Heather Webber Author Heather Webber

“Tonya Kappes strings together the perfect blend of family, friends, and fun.” Author Misa Ramirez

Tonya has written over 16 novels and 4 novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Best known for SOUTHERN SMALL TOWN MYSTERIES charged with emotion and humor, and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, two very spoiled schnauzers and one ex-stray cats in northern Kentucky and grew up in Nicholasville. Now that her boys are teenagers, Tonya writes full time but can be found at all of her guys high school games with a pencil and paper in hand. Come on over and FAN Tonya on Goodreads.


Become a member of Tonya’s STREET TEAM! It’s a gathering place of readers who love Tonya Kappes novels and Tonya gives away monthly prizes! To sign up for Tonya’s STREET TEAM, newsletter, view book trailer, and upcoming news, check out Tonya’s website, Tonyakappes.com.

And be sure to stalk her on Facebook and Twitter!

You can purchase her novels at:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Createspace (print)

Riverfront Cats' Johnny Walker: A #HillsPet Success Story

Historically, the first thing a veterinarian would recommend if a pet needed to lose weight would be to reduce the amount of food they receive and increase their activity level. Have you ever tried to get a cat to exercise? If it's not their idea, it's simply not happening. 

Over the past few months I've had the privilege of introducing you to an amazing new product: Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution, clinically proven nutrition that activates your pet's metabolism to burn fat and regulate appetite. While eating Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution, an overweight pet's metabolism changes to act more like that of a lean pet. Weight loss is achieved while at the same time pets still feel full and satisfied. The product line includes wet food, dry food, even treats, making it easy to achieve weight loss success without depriving your pet of a thing. A veterinarian supervised in-home feeding study was recently conducted with over 300 overweight pets. Without strict protocols or precise measuring, 88% of the pets lost weight in just 2 months in the comfort of their own homes.

Since Truffles is a long, lean purring machine, I don't have first hand experience with this food, but 10 of my fellow pet bloggers have had the amazing opportunity to give their pet a new lease on life by helping them lose weight without all the lifestyle changes that were required in the past.

Today I'm so excited to be sharing the story of Johnny Walker, owned by Christine Michaels of the Riverfront Cats blog. JW has quite a story to tell. He was tossed out on the street when his pothead owner had to move out of his father's penthouse condo and decided he no longer wanted the responsibility of a pet. Thankfully he found Christine as she was out feeding her community cats and she adopted him. As the only all black cat in her home, it broke my heart to hear that Christine's other cats treated him like a black sheep, not allowing him to play, eat, or nap with them, so he turned to food for comfort. When his belly started flopping from side to side, JW's vet suggested it was time he lose a couple pounds.

JW has been on Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution since April, and while he's been cheating a bit on his diet (another of Christine's cats knows how to open pantry doors, thus allowing JW a midnight snack), his diamond collar now fits more loosely and easily slides off without undoing the buckle, so it certainly sounds like he's on the right path!

I'd like to thank Christine and Johnny Walker for sharing their cat weight loss story, and for kindly allowing us to use their beautiful photos.

Do you have any real life cat weight loss stories? Please share them on Hill’s Facebook page! Like any great weight loss solution, seeing is believing. Although many pets are just beginning their Metabolic weight loss journey, let’s celebrate by seeing all those healthy pets!

This post is sponsored by Hill’s and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Prescription Diet Metabolic Food, but Mochas, Mysteries and Meows only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Review/Author Interview: Harlee Hugs by Randi Portnoy

I recently had the opportunity to read a darling new children's book, Harlee Hugs by Randi Portnoy. It is beautifully illustrated and obviously written by someone who loved her pet very, very much. It would be a wonderful addition to the library of a child just beginnning to discover the joy of reading, or maybe even one who has just found a new furry best friend!

Harlee Hugs tells a story that rhymes,
About a black Labrador mix and all his good times!
Come read about Harlee from the time he was a pup;
Read what he learned to do as he grew up!
Every pet is unique, with its own personality.
Read about Harlee and all he meant to me!

Author Interview

What made you decide to write Harlee Hugs?
I had begun writing soon after Harlee passed, then I picked it up again when I was going through chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. I loved that dog, that member of my family so very much and I wanted to write about the things we did together.

Please tell us about the real-life Harlee.
Harlee was a black lab mix we (I was married at the time, Harlee lasted longer than my marriage, I always like to say) found the first time we visited North Shore Animal League on Long Island. He had huge paws and so we knew he would be big, and that is what we wanted. As a child I always wanted a black lab but could never have one in the apartment complex. And now here was Harlee, eight weeks old and licking my face, I could never have put him down. He was easy to train, very smart, and very big, but a lover not a fighter. He weighed around 100 pounds when he was full grown. Harlee had lots of surgeries during his 14 years, one was life threatening but he survived. I took him everywhere I went, love me love my dog I used to say. He liked other animals, dogs, cats, guinea pigs and of course 2 legged ones as well. 

What are some things that everyone, kids included, can do that will benefit animals in need?
First, adopt from an animal shelter, there are so many dogs, cats, that need good loving homes. I did volunteer work at North Shore Animal League, they can always use help at any and all shelters. Donations of money, food, blankets to an animal shelter are items that are needed. Schools should teach Humane Education beginning in Pre-K, children need to learn how to be humane if parents are not teaching them, and yes educate the parents as well.

Do you currently have any special fur babies in your life?
Not at this moment, too much on my plate.

I understand you've done volunteer work at animal shelters and sanctuaries. Do you have any unforgettable moments that you would like to share?
I was in the puppy room at North Shore Animal League, very early in the morning, cleaning up puppy poop and one puppy got out of the cage, there I was chasing him around the room, the hardest thing to do was put him back in his cage. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah had 22 of the pitbulls rescued from the home of Michael Vick. I was able to see one of them in his own run since he could not be around other dogs, yet, it was so sad to see him just back away from any human going towards the gate that surrounded him. I hope by now he has been rehabilitated.

What message do you hope readers walk away with after reading your wonderful story?
Having a pet is adding to the family, it is not just a pet. One has to devote time and love to training, one has to be patient and kind to all living creatures, not just dogs. Every animal is different and unique, just like people are different and unique.

Cat's Meow Mews & Mailbox #40

Cat's Meow Mailbox is inspired by the great weekly recap book memes (Mailbox Monday, Waiting On Wednesday, It’s Monday! What are you reading? and Sunday Post)

This week was dedicated to trying to save my beloved 20 year old television. It's been doing weird things picture-wise for over 6 months and last weekend it was worse than ever. I thought for sure that it was done for and even reluctantly started looking for a new one. Then I decided to call a local television repairman that kept my previous TV running longer than it ever should have, and in 30 minutes he had the problem diagnosed and fixed! He gave it a tune up, said the picture tube looks beautiful, and said it should be good for another 20 years! I could have kissed him!

I had a bit of Facebook drama this week too. A so-called friend, twice in one day, called for the outlawing/banning of an entire group of dogs based on their ignorant belief that they are "monsters". I called her out on it, told her exactly how I felt, and she unfriended me. No loss on my part. I don't wish to associate with people who hold such beliefs.

How was your week?

Last week on Mochas, Mysteries and Meows:
* Meezer Colors Day: Rockin' the Tortie Colors with Pride!
* Anything for a Mystery by Cynthia Hickey: Guest Author & Giveaway
* Pet Naturals of Vermont Hip & Joint for Cats
* Thread End Book Tour with Amanda Lee: Truffles Meets Angus! (w/Giveaway)
* Maltipoos are Murder Book Tour with Jacqui Lane: Guest Author & Giveaway
* Caturday Art: Happy Father's Day!

For Review Consideration:

       

Bought:

 

NetGalley: