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Hello Sunday Saloners!!!  Another week has flown by and am very disappointed in my reading, or I should say lack of.  But the big news is the new look, which was unveiled yesterday.  So, what do you think?  Like, dislike, like the old look better, any suggestions, etc., etc.  Would love to know your thoughts.  And now to my week.

Reading:  This is awful, and I’m quite embarrassed to say, that another week has gone by and I still haven’t finished my current read.  Not because it’s not keeping my interest and/or is an awful read.  Quite the opposite.  It’s because I haven’t had the time to really sit and read, for a few reasons.  I have spent a lot of time in front of the computer, busy with blog to-dos and organizing tours.  Plus my DH, took some time off this past this week and since he isn’t a reader, doesn’t understand the concept when one has a book in hand, it means conversation can’t take place lol.  It was like he had a GPS implanted for when I would pick up my book lol.  Plus I haven’t rectified or found the solution to be able to read while wearing my CPAP mask (for sleep apnea).  

Blogging:  I did have a productive week computer wise.  Drafted up a lot of future posts for showcases, giveaways and work for Partners In Crime Tours.  I also spent a wee, some, more time than I should have, on shopping.  If only my favorite sites didn’t send me emails with great bargains, I might have had more time for reading lol.

Real Life:  Exciting week for deliveries.  Haven’t had one of these weeks in a while.  Between the mail and UPS, I received some great books, which I will share tomorrow.  I think it is so funny how excited I get when I see that big brown truck stop in front of my house.  It’s like Christmas morning lol.  The holiday was a quiet day.  I was hoping to spend the day reading on my reading float with a frozen mudslide but my DH wasn’t able to vacuum the pool due to a broken hose so I spent a couple of hours reading in my ac’d reading room, the only day this week while the hubby was out.  And I did have that planned frozen mudslide lol!!!!

So how was your week?  How was your holiday?  Did you get a lot of reading done?

…..of Clean Break by David Klein

35 Karen Leave a Blog Post Comment

An email has been sent to the winner and she has 48 hours to respond with her mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.

For a while, well quite a while, Gina, from Hott Books and Hott Designs, has been itching to give me a new look.  And lately I have been thinking that since I am coming up on my 3 year Blogiversary, I also wanted a change, for a  modern, book themed looking blog.   And that’s exactly what I told Gina, along with some color choices, and voila!!!…my new blog.  I saw the final look at the same time you did!!  So…be honest….what do you think?  I know I love it but there will be some tweaking along the way, so would really love your input for ideas.

I think she did an extraordinary job!!!!!  Knowing her work, she does the graphics for my Partners In Crime Tours tour banners, I knew that she was going to do a fantastic job, and she did!!!  She also asked for your input, since it really is for you, how you feel when you visit, what you like or don’t like when looking at it, because as you know, as editors of a blog, we work behind the scenes.  It’s  our followers that see the actual blog look so I want you to like what you see when you visit.  So let us know what you think!!

Gina:  Fantastic job, Thank you so much for all the work you put into designing the new look.  I truly do love it!!  Your work is amazing!!  And if anyone is thinking of changes for your own blog,  click on her design button on the left sidebar.

P.S.  If by chance you have my old blog button on your blog, don’t forget to grab the new one.  Would greatly appreciate it!!!!!

Happy Saturday!

It’s taken me years, but I’ve finally gotten CMash to commit to a new blog design. So, now the poor girl must bow to my every whim while I completely take over.

So, don’t freak if, for a few hours the site looks a bit messy… I’m sure even Monet’s works looked a bit odd before they were done.

If you have any questions or something looks truly disastrous, please, let me know: gina at hottbooks.com

Question for you!!  What’s better than a good mystery?  Well, if you are like me, then it would be a good mystery and chocolate!!  And those were the 2 words I saw when Carissa contacted me about today’s author.  Plus there will be two (2) separate giveaways, a Grand Prize, which the publisher, Attica Books is sponsoring and a giveaway here!!!  Make sure to follow all directions for both!!  So have a seat, grab your box of chocolates and please help me give a warm welcome to author,  Luba Lesychyn!

LUBA LESYCHYN

Soon after finishing her graduate studies in history, Luba landed on the doorstep of Canada’s largest museum, the Royal Ontario Museum where she worked for more than 20 years. Moving from positions in the education and programs departments to the museum’s consulting branch, she concluded her career in the office that managed the museum’s recent controversial architectural renovation. After leaving the museum, Luba worked for several years in an administrative and research capacity for a private museum consulting firm with offices in Toronto and London. She currently works in the educational sector and teaches yoga in her home town of Toronto.

Theft by Chocolate is Luba’s debut novel though she has been amusing people with her writing since the age of eight. Her love of chocolate precedes this age and she has been in and out of chocolate rehab for most of her adult life. When not writing or looking for her next chocolate fix, Luba can be found in dance classes, trekking to remote waterfalls in the mountain rain forest in Puerto Rico, running through the streets of Paris or any other number of calorie-burning activities that help offset her chocolate intake.

GUEST POST

Inspired by True Events – Really!

            I had long completed the first draft of Theft By Chocolate when I had a chance encounter with an individual that would send me back to my computer to completely reconfigure the plot of my sassy museum mystery about a capricious woman of a certain age looking for chocolate, love and an international art thief in all the wrong places. While working as an executive assistant at a city college in an office that was managing the construction of a new campus, I happened to mention my writing to a security consultant working on our project.

In particular, I brought up the fact that I had worked for the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto for the greater part of my career and that I had drawn on my experiences at the museum for inspiration for the story that revolved around a heist. The consultant’s eyes widened almost to the size of saucers and he whispered to me, “We need to have a chat about this.” Somewhat taken aback, but intrigued to the max, I suggested we get together sooner than later to have our “chat.” I was already a third of the way into a major rewrite of the novel and I did not want to delay our discussion.

Within a week we sat down at a table of a retro diner where “my informant” proceeded to tell me his family had worked in the security industry for decades and that he had insider information about the infamous opal collection theft that had taken place at the Royal Ontario Museum in the late 1980s (my employment at ROM started after the theft had taken place). It was common knowledge that the thief was never identified nor apprehended and that the jewels had eventually turned up in a black market in Hong Kong.

What was not common knowledge, as the security consultant continued to share with me, was that the thief had used an ingenious technique that stunned the security industry around the world. The culprit managed to circumvent what was considered state-of-the art technology in its day, a technology that was being used universally, not just in museums and art galleries, but in banks and businesses. International law keepers realized it wouldn’t be long before thieves around the world heard about the daring robbery and how it was executed. Basically, the planet’s riches, both great and small were suddenly at risk.

It was this piece of information and some additional material gleaned from rare newspaper articles about the theft that formed the crux of the final version of Theft By Chocolate. My work is fiction and includes characters derived from my imagination, but the real events provided a strong backbone upon which I was able to add imagined flesh. Still, the mysterious and unique real-life theft continues to haunt me. I may just have to put on an investigative journalist’s hat some day to determine whether, after more than three decades, some new information might be uncovered which could shed new light upon the events that shaped Theft By Chocolate.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mystery, Mayans and Mayhem: looking for chocolate, love and an international art thief in all the wrong places.

Chocolate addict Kalena Boyko wasn’t prepared for this. Heading to work at Canada’s largest museum as an administrator, she hoped for quiet and uninterrupted access to her secret chocolate stash. Instead she’s assigned to manage the high-profile Treasures of the Maya exhibition with her loathed former boss Richard Pritchard.

With no warning, her life is turned inside out and propelled into warp speed as she stumbles across an insider plot that could jeopardize the exhibit and the reputation of the museum.

After hearing about a recent botched theft at the museum and an unsolved jewel heist in the past from security guard and amateur sleuth Marco Zeffirelli, Kalena becomes suspicious of Richard and is convinced he’s planning to sabotage the Treasures of the Maya exhibition. Her suspicions, and the appearance of the mysterious but charming Geoffrey Ogden from the London office, don’t help her concentration. The Treasures of the Maya seem cursed as problem after problem arises, including the disappearance of a key artifact – the world’s oldest piece of chocolate…

THANKS TO AUTHOR, LUBA LESYCHYN, I HAVE ONE (1)
EBOOK EDITION TO GIVE AWAY. OPEN TO ALL.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO THE
CMASH BLOG GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY SPONSORED BY ATTICA BOOKS:

Theft By Chocolate Giveaway at Every Blog Stop

Please leave a comment below and your email address to be entered to win an ebook copy of Theft By Chocolate, the new release by Luba Lesychyn. In five days, a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Available in any ebook format. Remember to write your email address in the comments so that you can be contacted if you win!

$150 Gift Certificate Giveaway of Grand Prize on July 31st

Do you love chocolate as much as Kelana, the heroine in Theft By Chocolate? Here’s your chance to indulge in $150 US worth! The Giveaway Grand Prize is a gift certificate to a delectable chocolate online retailer. Winner chooses from one of three sites: http://www.chocosphere.com/, http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/ , or http://www.dlea.com.au/. To be eligible for the Grand Prize, enter the Rafflecopter below. Remember to sign up for Luba’s email announcements (worth five entries). On occasion she’ll send out exclusive announcements for special events, blog posts, giveaways and free swag! On July 31^st, the winner will be chosen at random and notified via email.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: ARE YOU A CHOCOHOLIC?
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE?*

*EBOOK EDITION–OPEN TO ALL*

**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

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If you are a regular follower of my blog, then you know that I love a great mystery.  So when Amy from Sapphire Star Publishing contacted me regarding today’s guest and after reading the synopsis of his book, I wanted to hear more.  Please join me in welcoming Gary Kassay to the CMash blog!!

GARY KASSAY

Gary Kassay, author of the Duke Becker Series, is a former member of the NYPD Transit K-9 Unit. Besides a career as a Police Officer, he has been the owner of a commercial photo company, an X-ray tech for humans and animals, and a TSA employee. He now resides in Casper, Wyoming with his wife Raella, three dogs, and one black cat.

When Gary is not working on the next installment of his Duke Becker series, he enjoys spending quiet times with his wife, reading, and when there isn’t snow on the ground, a good round of golf.

 GUEST POST

First I would like to thank Cheryl Masciarelli for allowing me to do a guest blog.  It is greatly appreciated and couldn’t have come at a better time.  Yesterday was the release of the first in the Duke Becker Series, Murder in Silence. My publishing company, Sapphire Star Publishing has been fantastic and I hope that you will check out the book.  Many of my ideas for plots and characters come from experiences and people that I have met.  Then there is the other way.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
Edgar Allan Poe

I dream every night, nights when I fall into a deep sleep, which is rare, nights when I am aware that I am in bed sleeping and yet dreaming and nights when I lay awake, my mind still forming dreams. Sometimes they are very soothing, happy dreams of times past, people I have known and loved or so ridiculous that I actually laugh out loud, (as I have been told by my wife). These dreams are far and few between and they never lead to anything more than a smile and waking in a good mood.

It is the other dreams that visit upon me in the dark that affect me in many ways. Some are so disturbing that I wake from them in a cold sweat, my breath catching within my chest, fear sitting next to me in the dark. The worst of these are the dreams within a dream. I wake, upset and scared of something that my mind has conjured up, only to find that I am actually still within the dream world. Then upon waking, again, I lie in the dark trying to ascertain if I am finally really awake this time, or still in the clutches of my mind. Although quite frightening, these dreams sometimes give me inspiration on plot lines for future books.

Then there are the dreams that are so real, so descriptive in detail that even after waking I can remember most of them, even long into the day. These sometimes are frightening, sometimes pleasant, sometimes leaving me wondering about my sanity. There are times when the impossible happens…such as flying or defying other things in the real physical world. In any case these are my favorite dreams and the ones that give me the most ideas for future plots, characters and stories.

I wonder how many others, including the man whose quote appears at the top of this blog, have had their dreams lead them along, inspire them as well as frighten, or disappear upon waking like fog once the sun warms the air. In any case, I am very happy to dream and lucky to remember some of them. I look forward to my dreams, even the frightening ones because they lead me to places I would never have visited.

The world of Inspector Duke Becker, the detectives in his squad in the Special Investigations, Homicide unit, Dr. Elizabeth Cunningham and of course our murderer have come from a combination of dreams, experiences and people I have met.  If you enjoy it then I will know that my dreams…even the scariest ones, are well worth it.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Two police officers have been brutally killed by having their throats ripped out, but the wound appears to have been done with surgical precision. With no witnesses, no forensic evidence, and two bizarre clues to follow, the case falls to Inspector Duke Becker, head of the high profile Special Investigations Unit, Homicide.

Becker and his squad must find the killer before more cops are murdered. The case will lead Becker on a wild chase through the streets of New York City, back over 15 years into the past and to a cover-up that will rock City Hall.

Along with his brash, wildly dressed young partner, Jimmy Nova, the beautiful Michelle Goldman, Augie “Doggie” Rivera, and the Mutt and Jeff team of Bobby Green and Joe Robinson, Becker will need to enlist his boyhood friend in charge of CSU, Manny Velez.

Add a ruthless newswoman known to the NYPD as “”Wicked Witch Wilson” and a new love interest for Becker in the gorgeous and brilliant Dr. Elizabeth Cunningham, Becker is about to embark on the most difficult and dangerous case in his 20 plus years. Will Becker and his squad be able to catch the killer before more cops die or will the killer have the last laugh?

THANKS TO AUTHOR, GARY KASSEY, AND AMY FROM
SAPPHIRE STAR PUBLISHING, I HAVE TWO (2) EBOOK
EDITIONS OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY. OPEN TO ALL.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: FROM READING THE

SYNOPSIS, DO YOU THINK THE KILLER GETS

CAUGHT OR HAS THE LAST LAUGH?*

*OPEN TO ALL–EBOOK EDITIONS*

**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

a Rafflecopter giveaway