Spotlight on Susie Black's DEATH BY JELLY BEANS

My guest today is cozy mystery author Susie Black, whose latest release, Death by Jelly Beans, will be available Sept. 4. It’s #5 in the Holly Swimsuit series with these clever cartoon covers. 

Let’s dive in with the set-the-tone Blurb:

Mermaid Swimwear President Holly Schlivnik discovers the Bainbridge Department Store Easter Bunny slumped over dead and obnoxious swimwear buyer Sue Ellen Magee is arrested for the crime. Despite her differences with the nasty buyer, Holly is convinced the Queen of Mean didn’t do it. The wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to nail the real killer. But the trail has more twists than a pretzel and more turns than a rollercoaster. And nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent on revenge.

Love this delicious Tag Line: 

“Brings a whole new meaning to the rabbit died.”

Now for a sample to whet our appetites:

Death by Jelly Beans Excerpt

I dragged my eyes over to the throne. The Easter Bunny sat slumped over with his chin resting on his chest and his body listing to the right. Good grief. A double-whammy. Not only did he dip into the jellybeans again after being warned not to, but he fell asleep on the job in a booze-infused slumber.

Why should I give a flying fig about the jerk who bowled me over without an apology, let alone helping me up? Yet a stab of unexpected pity pierced my heart. I checked the time. Still a few minutes before my command performance. Maybe rouse the poor guy and give him a chance to concoct another story Sue Ellen might buy unless the security cameras sealed his fate.

I laid my messenger bag on the library table next to the throne and gently shook the rabbit’s left shoulder. Nothing doing. I shook him again. This time a bit harder. I put my lips next to his ears and implored him. “Pedro, wake up.” Zilch. Geesh, how much booze did the guy chug? Or maybe booze isn’t the culprit. Perhaps the guy had a late night before or he is just one helluva sound sleeper? Oddly, he wasn’t snoring, but I attributed it to his neck bent down and his head dangling over his body.

I shook him again and got nothing for my trouble. His chest wasn’t rising and falling. Good gravy. Was the guy breathing? I passed my hand over the costume's mouth opening, but one so small I couldn’t tell. I clasped a paw to check for a pulse, but the heavy gauge costume fabric was too thick to detect one.

I checked my watch. No more time to crap around trying to help this idiot or I’d be late for my meeting. Despite my efforts to rouse him, the guy hadn’t so much as twitched. Annoyance coupled with dread tied my stomach in knots. I panned the department. No one was around except the rabbit and me.

The Goddess short-changed me in the height department but compensated by blessing me with a deep voice and a strong set of pipes. I put my lips next to his ear and shouted loud enough to wake the dead. “PEDRO, WAKE UP!”

I grabbed the rabbit by the shoulder and shook him with all my might. The guy didn’t move an inch. I grasped his arm tightly and yanked it hard trying to right him. Good grief. The bunny was stiff as a board. I might as well try bending a steel beam.

I let go of his shoulder and the rabbit slid off the throne. He crashed headfirst into the library table. Along with my messenger bag, the jellybean jar bounced off the edge of the table and fell onto the cement floor. My messenger bag survived the ordeal, but the jellybean jar broke into a zillion pieces. Jellybeans scattered all over the place. The bunny bounced twice and flopped unceremoniously face-down into a pile of jellybeans.

The concept of shouting loud enough to wake the dead?  Trust me, it’s a pile of hot hooey. I didn’t need an MD after my name to make this diagnosis. Pedro Conejo was as dead as the proverbial doornail. When the first responders arrive, they’re gonna close the swimwear department for who knows how long. This ought to put a nice crimp into the Easter promotion. And who gets to break the good news to Sue Ellen? None other than yours truly.

She’s not gonna be a happy camper. Naturally, I burst out laughing.

Love this! Love your character’s voice. First person is a challenge, but you’ve nailed it.

The book comes out September 4^th, but you can preorder it here:

Death by Jelly Beans Buy Links:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-by-jelly-beans-susie-black/1145804565?ean=2940186124580

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212700868-death-by-jelly-beans?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=PWl56Hmfkz&rank=1

https://www.bookbub.com/books/death-by-jelly-beans-holly-swimsuit-mystery-book-5-by-susie-black

Amazon.com : Death by Jelly Beans

Want to know more about the fabulous Susie Black? Here’s her Author Bio:

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries. 

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

Looking for more?

Contact Susie at:

Website: www.authorsusieblack.com

E-mail: mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

Looking for that perfect swimsuit for your next beach vacation or cruise? Check out her Swimsuit Fit Guide here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7lerp4cy1al2j0l/CHOOSING%20THE%20RIGHT%20%20SWIMSUIT.pdf?dl=0

Susie Black Updated Social Media Links 8-16-23

Book Bub: www.bookbub.com/authors/susie-black

Facebook:    https://facebook.com/TheHollySwimsuitMysterySeries

Good Reads: Search results for "Susie Black" (showing 1-9 of 82 books) | Goodreads

Instagram:   Susie Black (@hollyswimsuit) • Instagram photos and videos

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/authorsusieblack-61941011

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/hollysusie1_saved/

Twitter:    http://twitter.com/@hollyswimsuit

Let’s all wish great sales for Susie Black’s latest mystery!

My Guest Today: C.E. Brown, YA Urban Fantasy Author

My guest today is author C.E. Brown whose latest release is SEEING GRAY, a YA Urban Fantasy, published by The Wild Rose Press. 

I have to include her bio right away because I love what she says about her cats.

Author bio:

C.E. Brown has lived most of her life in the Pacific Northwest, close to family and friends. She loves to travel, always searching for magical places to help inspire creativity. C.E. attests that she has a very patient and understanding husband, a wildly creative son, and three crazy cats—one steals her shoes, another steals her food, and the third is a sweetly neurotic old man who can’t decide if he’d prefer to be pet or left alone. C.E. didn’t find her passion for writing until she began wrangling kids as a school counselor, but then the writing bug bit and she’s been writing ever since.

I’m always curious about how and why authors become authors and what inspires them to choose a genre. C.E., what made you decide to write in the young adult genre?

I work in schools and enjoy writing about teens and wanted to make sure I touched on topics in my book that aren’t always talked about, like losing a loved one. Zoey, the main character in Seeing Gray, is drawn into the magical world by grief and her need for vengeance against the demon who killed her mother. It’s a world she’d always wanted to be a part of, but was kept hidden from by her parents.

Having taught teens myself, I get where you are coming from. The coming-of-age story, whatever genre it takes shape in, is a terrific bridge to adulthood for these young people.

Tells us about your book Seeing Gray.

Back of the book blurb:

    Celestials have been killing Seers for centuries, as prophesy states that a Seer will overthrow Celestial rule. Worried for Zoey’s safety, her parents forbid her from registering as a Seer and interacting with the Celestials, Fae, and Demons who hide among humankind. Zoey is forced to wear a necklace that hides magic from her and conceals her magic from them.
    Witness to her mother’s murder at the hands of a Demon, Zoey vows to track down her mother's killer and make him pay. Embracing her magic, Zoey is brought deeper into the mythical world by an unlikely ally and wonders if perhaps her parents were right to keep her out of it.
    Will she avenge her mother’s death, or will she meet the same untimely fate?

Excerpt:

    My heart stopped. Hidden in the shadows was a large shape. No, not large—massive. Hunched over, it was a tight fit under the bridge. The two yellow eyes were set in a mud-brown face with a huge potato nose. Floppy ears topped the head, and an immense belly protruded, as well as two curved tusks. I opened my mouth to say something, and no sound came. I swallowed. A low growl came from under the bridge, shaking the ground I was sitting on. I slipped and slid a few feet before catching myself, my side now covered in mud and my foot stuck in a squelching pile of goo. I hoped it was mud. It smelled awful. I somehow had kept hold of my notebook, but my pencil was long gone. I scrambled up the hill half crawling, fingers digging into the grass, terror making me shake. When I was at the top of the hill, I ducked back under the fence and then stopped, notebook pressed to my chest, and waited. No sounds came from behind me. Hands trembling, I shoved my notebook into my bag, grateful it had remained slung over my shoulder.
    No pursuit, no more growls. Should I go back? I debated, but the growl made me think that might be a bad idea. He or she had clearly not wanted me there. Was I breaking some sort of rule and invading its territory? The troll had just appeared. Had they come through a portal? Maybe they were just passing through.
    So, trolls. They exist. Check. I’d have to draw it when I got home and record what I knew. God, I wish I wasn’t such a scaredy-cat. Before Mom died, the sight of the troll wouldn’t have terrified me. I used to love to See strange creatures when I caught a glimpse. Now, anything larger than a cat sent my heart racing into overdrive and made me break out in a cold sweat. Not a full-blown panic attack, but close. Damn it. Gritting my teeth, I reached into my bag and grabbed the brownie I’d saved from lunch. Everyone liked brownies, right? I ducked under the fence, put my bag on the ground, and crept back down the hill.

Wow, trolls! What a hook. I see Kirkus Reviews was hooked too.

"Over the course of this novel, Brown presents a thrilling coming-of-age adventure story in a compelling urban fantasy setting...Excellent worldbuilding conjures an ideal backdrop for plenty of action and misadventures...A fast-paced fantasy with a bold lead character and a well-developed fictional world." - Kirkus Reviews

Tell us a bit more about your writing journey.

I’ve always loved writing, but was unfocused. When COVID hit, I suddenly had two extra hours a day since I no longer had to commute to work. I decided to use that time to write. I wrote three books before I was convinced by a friend to submit my latest book, Seeing Gray, to the PNWA Unpublished Young Adult contest where I placed third. I received a publishing contract for Seeing Gray, and have now written six books, although some are still unedited. I usually write in the evenings after my son goes to sleep. Most of my books are YA Urban Fantasy, but my latest is a MG Fantasy that I wrote for my son since I wouldn't let him read Seeing Gray (he's in elementary school). We were walking over a bridge and he asked me to write him a book about a troll and his dog, so I did.

Family, work, writing—what else rounds out your life?

When I’m not reading or writing, I have always enjoyed the arts. I recently tried glass blowing and paint pouring (finished projects are on my Instagram @cebrownauthor), and like to color and draw. I also enjoy cake/ cookie decorating and taking nature photos. When I had more time, I also did Taekwondo and earned my second-degree black belt. While I am no longer practicing, my son recently started up and I am loving watching him learn.

Last bit, links to C.E. Brown’s fascinating new release and her socials.

Buy Links:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble
BooksAMillion

Social Links:

Website  

Instagram 

Goodreads

BookBub

Kirkus Review

Seeing Gray sounds like an amazing read, and it’s available now! Wishing C.E. Brown the best of luck with this new release.