Today I’ve got a great treat for you. Fellow Wild Rose and One Scoop or Two sistah JULIE HOWARD is here, talking about her addition to the fun series, Sea-Salt Lavender for Aphrodite.
Don’t you just love the cover!!??
I’m going to turn it over to Julie to tell you all about it..Julie...
Thank you, Peggy, for hosting me and my latest release on your blog today. I’m very excited to see this new book come out. As you know, it’s part of the One Scoop or Two series published by The Wild Rose Press just in time for summer reading.
I like to think of these books as “beach reads,” although I’m not sure how many of us will have an opportunity to go to the beach this year. Regardless, we can bring the beach to us. Isn’t that the beauty of reading books – they take us to new and different or favorite places in our imaginations. Reading this series is one way of going to the beach without getting sand in every crevice.
The central coast of California is one of my favorite places to go. It’s usually less crowded, has interesting rock formations, and has great tidal pool areas. I’ve never been one to lay on a beach. I love to stroll right at water’s edge and let the waves lap at my ankles. I watch for whales and seals and those little sandpiper birds that dart about and peck at tiny morsels at the shoreline. I set this book in a fictional central coast town and, all the time I was writing, my imagination gave me a mini-vacation to this favorite place of mine.
I’m a little sorry to be done with the story, but now more than ever am looking forward to the day when I can truly visit the central coast in person. I can almost taste the salty air.
Here’s more about this new release:
Sea-Salt Lavender for Aphrodite
A case of murder with sweet complications
Rosella Rivers enjoys the perfect life, loving her new ice cream food truck business featuring exotic flavors. But her beach view parking space is not so lovable when she finds an acquaintance stabbed to death in the boardwalk bathroom.
Detective Mark Pruitt knows murder is bad for small-town Olympus Bay. He must find the suspect before he strikes again. When he first sets eyes on Rosella, the only witness, he is smitten. However, there’s no time for romance when danger lurks.
Together he and the lovely ice cream maker must discover the killer before he turns his sight on Rosella.
Excerpt:
The echo of a drip-drip-drip resonated from within. Rosella glanced around, wishing a man would pass by, someone she could send inside on her behalf. On this side of the structure, though, the beachfront was hidden from view and the building backed by sand dunes. Unless someone needed to use the facilities, they wouldn’t approach.
“Mick?”
A distant chime from the town clock made her heart sink. Ten a.m. Opening time. She had to get back to her truck. A fresh round of anxious yips sounded. She scooted to the corner of the building and peeked toward her truck. Aphrodite stood at attention, straining at the leash. The dog barked twice at spotting her and renewed efforts to break free of the tether.
She returned to the doorway. “Mick, I’m just going to step inside since I’m a little bit worried, just to make sure you’re okay. Let me know if I shouldn’t come in.” No response sounded. “All right, coming in.”
The odor hit her first. Heavy, sweet, sickening. Then her eyes registered the scene. Mick lay face down in the middle of the tile floor, a steady stream of deep red blood winding its way toward a drain.
You can get your copy here: Amazon // Nook // Ibooks
A little about Julie Howard
Julie Howard is the author of the best-selling Wild Crime and Spirited Quest series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Now she edits an online anthology, Potato Soup Journal, and spends many delightful hours writing her books.
You can connect with Julie here:
Website // Facebook // Goodreads // Amazon // Bookbub //
Peggy Jaeger, Author 