Tag Archive for: Holly Price series

Judge a Cover

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Don’t judge a book by the cover. 


How many times have you heard that bit of advice? 

Of course, it’s usually a reference to a person, but sometimes it actually refers to a book. I know I’ve scrolled through online retailers, glancing at covers to see if it might be a story I’d enjoy. 

I’m having new covers created for the novellas in my Holly Price series, partly to set them apart from the “main” story line, but also because it’s fun. And with the way 2020 is going, we need all the fun we can find. 

Step one in the process was reading all about current ideas and trends in cover design until my head spun. Then it was a matter of researching cover artists and wearing out my fingers and eyeballs perusing their websites and galleries. (Note to self, this is supposed to be fun.)

But I found several I liked! Score! 

The difficult part is deciding which cover to use. I asked my newsletter peeps – and of course, it was a tie. 

Head. Desk. 

So all you lovely website followers and Facebook gurus, weigh in! 

Double Down cover

Green cover for Double Down Fancy cover for Double Down



Cover 1 – Keep it the same as the rest of the series 

Cover 2 – Is Maddie the gold-digger the Kaufman clan claims? 

Cover 3 – Is Maddie an ice queen like Malbec Mayhem’s Sofia appears to be? (This one is going to need a frame…)

Leave me a comment about your favorite! 

Thanks! 

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She’s hard at work on the sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, which was recently presented with the Claymore Award. 

Calling Our Readers

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Calling Our Readers

By Cathy Perkins

The days leading up to a new release are always hectic for an author. Add in a nerve-wracking pandemic, wrenching racial and political crises, and life can feel downright overwhelming. Other members of our group have posted thoughtful discussions about this turmoil and I hope you will read through those posts and think about their words. Whatever your personal beliefs are, may you be a force for change, a positive note in the chaos. 


Ready for an escape? Without further ado, I bring you Calling for the Money! 

Cover of Calling for the MoneyHolly Price has it all—or
does she?

Holly
finally has the dream job at the top of her field, the money and prestige she’s
worked so hard to attain. But when a friend disappears while Holly is working a
make-or-break career assignment, she’s drawn into another criminal
investigation. A ruthless con ring will stop at nothing to extort its victims
and her friends are directly in their cross-hairs.

While
she’s searching for her missing friend, behind the scenes she’s wrestling with
a backstabbing boss, a hurtful family situation, and the devastating worry
she’s made a massive life choices mistake. When the gangsters target Holly,
however, facing certain death has a way of making her reevaluate her life.

Now
Holly must confront her painful past in order to redefine her future…and hope
she lives long enough to see it.
Available at all major online retailers: https://books2read.com/CallingForTheMoney

Note, each book in the Holly Price Mystery Series is a standalone
novel or novella. Although these books can be read individually, they are best enjoyed
chronologically.

Holly Price Mysteries:

So About the Money

Double Down

In It for the Money

Calling for the Money

Malbec Mayhem

Ode to a Library

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Ode to a Library

By Cathy Perkins

When was the last time you visited your local library? 


Libraries have been around for a long, long time. The earliest
libraries date back to 2600 BC. Yes, that’s Before
we started counting time forward a couple of thousand years ago in the Western World. While we’ve ditched
hundreds of ideas and customs as passé,
in the digital age libraries are still in style. More than in style, they’ve
adapted to the rise of ebooks and audiobooks. In fact, there are several great
ways you can access my books from your local public library without leaving the
comfort of your favorite reading chair. How great is that?!
My books are available to libraries via Overdrive, a
leading digital distribution platform. Overdrive supplies the industry’s
largest catalog of eBooks, audiobooks, streaming video and periodicals to
38,000 libraries, schools and retailers worldwide. (Here’s the OverDrive link for So About the Money  https://www.overdrive.com/media/2496957/so-about-the-money)

Other upcoming services
include Bibliotheca, an
up-and-coming library-oriented option for acquiring digital content. Your
library can request an author’s book through this program as an alternative—or in
addition to—OverDrive. 
These digital access programs mean anyone with a library card can remotely
check out an ebook or audiobook if your library owns a copy of the book. After
a reader borrows a particular title (say, my Holly Price novel So About the Money), it automatically
goes to their reading device through OverDrive. Since “my” libraries are forty-five
minutes and two hours away by Interstate, browsing through my phone is a lot
easier than driving to the physical building! Instead, the requested book shows
up on my e-reader in moments.
If you’re new to OverDrive you can sign up HERE. Signing up is a quick process and allows you to customize your
experience by choosing your preferred genres. You can even opt-in to receive
book recommendations. You need a library card to access books using OverDrive.
I have two library cards (yes, more is better 😉 ) and both libraries appear in my OverDrive account.

Now that I’ve piqued your interest, here are several ways that you
can take advantage of this terrific library resource.

OverDrive recommends the Libby app for public library users. I admit, I eyed the
app skeptically at first. Why mess with what’s working beautifully for me? Libby
is a free app that streamlines the virtual borrowing process and lets you get
those books from the library straight to your device. Best of all, Libby is
compatible with Android, iOS, or Windows 10, and is one of the easiest ways to
access library books on your devices.  

The original OverDrive
app may be a better option for you if your library isn’t public,
if you are using an older device, or you want to read on your computer (Windows
or Mac). This app also has some great features to personalize your reading
experience, such as adjustable font size (which I love for reading in bed at
night without reading glasses), highlighting favorite passages, and a bookmark
function.

 

Sounds pretty neat, doesn’t it? Now before you start borrowing my
entire Holly Price Mystery Series, here are a few things about how
requesting ebooks from the library system works:
1.    The
authors’ and publishers’ responsibility is to make books available to the
libraries. We have no control over whether your library will stock my books,
unfortunately. Wish we did!
2.   
If your local library doesn’t stock my books, sometimes simply
asking your librarian to get them for you will be enough. Librarians are
resourceful people! Once requested, the library can request a book for purchase
or loan through Overdrive or Bibliotheca.
3.   
You need a library card to use your library, whether you are reading
ebooks or listening to audiobooks on your devices, or physically checking out “tree
books” from the library. Ask your local library about their card policies. (For example, one of my library cards is free. I pay an annual fee to use a larger regional library since I live outside their city limits.)
4.   
While OverDrive is available at most public libraries, there are
still some libraries that are not connected to the program. You can check to
see if OverDrive is available at your library HERE.

Wrapping up


Libraries are a great way to keep on top of your TBR pile without
breaking the bank. At my libraries, I hunt for new to me authors or download favorite
authors when the publisher prices the ebook at $14.99 (yikes!) 
Digital loans are eco-friendly. No trees harmed in their production. 😉
And an additional benefit? No late fees! (Yay!) Not through
reading/listening to the book at the end of the loan period? Simply request it again.
So grab your library card and find out how easy it is to enjoy a slew of library books (including all of mine!) from the comfort of your sofa. 

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She’s hard at work on sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, which was recently presented with the Killer Nashville Claymore Award. 


Power Heels

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By Cathy Perkins

Aloha from Kauai, where none of us have worn shoes this week other than
swim fins! 😊

This month on the blog we’re celebrating friends, fellow authors, and a fun new logo—a red stiletto high heel. We’ve considered themes from fashion, to
movie tie-ins and dancing, with numerous steps in between. Scroll through the
posts if you’ve missed one.

I’ve thought about heels a lot over the past few weeks while I
considered what they represent to me. While many images came to mind, my first
impression is the suits and high heels that were part of my professional
personae for so long. A west coast transfer changed the heels requirement—telecommuting
tends more to fuzzy slippers and flip-flops. The professionalism expectation,
however, never wavered.

I think that professionalism is one of the things that drew me
to this blog. Each member of The Stiletto Gang approaches her stories in a
different way, reflecting our personality and experiences, as well as how we
want to tell a story. All of us are committed to bringing the best possible
experience to our readers.

Holly Price, the protagonist in my amateur sleuth
series, knows her heels and suits are excessive in her hometown, but to her they represent
professionalism and commitment to clients—and to her family. (She’s saving
the family business.) We’ll leave political discussions of powerful women for another day. Of course, part of me just loves the red high heels on the cover of
So About the Money, book one in the series.

To celebrate the newest book in the series—In It For The Money—book
one (So About the Money) is on sale this weekend!

Enjoy!

So About the Money romps through eastern Washington with its rivers,
wineries, Native American casinos, and assorted farm animals. Add in some
wicked fun chemistry between the CPA amateur sleuth & a local detective and
Holly Price better solve the case before the next dead body found beside the
river is hers.

 Amazon   Nook   Kobo   iBooks   

Prizes!

We’re celebrating our new logo with a giveaway!
Readers who comment on one of the Red Shoes blogs in September and October are
entered to win either an Amazon or Starbucks $10 gift card. Join in
the fun! The winner will be announced on our November Clicking Our Heels
blog.

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She’s hard at work on The Body in the Beaver Pond, which was recently presented with the Claymore Award. 

In It For The Money

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By Cathy Perkins

In It For The Money releases next week. After several related-world novellas, it was fun to climb back into Holly’s head–and heart.

This latest addition to the Holly Price Mystery Series definitely plays to my tag line–Mystery with a Financial Twist; Trust issues, Family Bonds. A CPA and amateur sleuth, Holly gets drawn into both her family’s and clients’ crises. In these stories, she usually has to figure out “why-dun-it” in addition to “who-dun-it?”

The books in the series combine mystery, a touch of humor, and a chunk of relationship issues that generate some interesting emails. (Note, JC is an imaginary character, but I love that you love him.)


Holly Price traded her professional goals for personal plans when she agreed to leave her high-flying position with the Seattle Mergers and Acquisitions team and take over the family accounting practice. Reunited with JC Dimitrak, her former fiancé, she’s already questioning whether she’s ready to flip her condo for marriage and a house in the ‘burbs.

When her cousin Tate needs investors for his innovative truck suspension, Holly works her business matchmaking skills and connects him with a client. The rockcrawler showcasing the new part crashes at its debut event, however, and the driver dies. Framed for the sabotage, Tate turns to Holly when the local cops—including JC—are ready to haul him to jail. Holly soon finds her cousin and client embroiled in multiple criminal schemes. She’s drawn into the investigation, a position that threatens her life, her family and her already shaky relationship with JC.

 

Amazon      Nook     Kobo     iBooks

To celebrate the release of In It For the Money, book 1 of the series – So About the Money is on sale for only 99 cents!  Enjoy the romp across Washington state!


When Holly Price trips over a friend’s dead body while hiking, her life takes a nosedive into a world of intrigue and danger. The verdict is murder—and Holly is the prime suspect. Of course, the fact that the sexy—and very pissed off—cop threatening to arrest her is JC Dimitrak, Holly’s jilted ex-fiancé, doesn’t help matters.

To protect her future, her business…and her heart…the intrepid forensic accountant must use all her considerable investigative skills to follow the money through an intricate web of shadow companies, while staying one step ahead of her ex-fiancé. She better solve the case before the real killer decides CPA stands for Certified Pain in the Ass…and the next dead body found beside the river is Holly’s.

Amazon 


An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.

Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She’s hard at work on the next book in the Holly Price series.

Focus on the Good Stuff

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What can you say about a year that’s a Rooster in the
Chinese calendar? Whose Pantone color of the year kinda looked like slime?

Thank goodness it’s over?



The year was the pits in too many ways, with too many people
focused on the things that divide us rather than looking for common goals,
values or ideas. 

So today, I want to focus on the good stuff.

2017 held wonderful times for my family – a wedding, a new
baby, and I chose to retire early from a career I’ve enjoyed for years. All of
these are thresholds to new adventures, new stages of life.

I can’t wait to see what 2018 holds – even if it’s the Year
of the Dog and the color is purple.

What about you? What was the best thing that happened during
2017?



To celebrate all the good stuff, So About the Money will be on sale next week. Book one in the Holly Price series, the story romps through eastern Washington with its rivers, wineries, Native
American casinos, and assorted farm animals. Add in some wicked fun chemistry
between the CPA amateur sleuth and a local detective and Holly better solve
the case before the next dead body found beside the river is hers. 


       Amazon       Nook        Kobo        iBooks      




An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd. 
She’s hard at work on the next book in the Holly Price series, which might be Still About the Money. 


Ready to Double Down?

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“Double Down” used to
mean a calculated gamble – and maybe it still does. The technique certainly can
increase the odds of winning. These days the term can mean anything from a bold
decision to an increased resolve to stick to a position. Of course, it can also
be a media euphemism with huge political overtones about certain
statements, but that’s a different discussion.

What do the words have to do with books?

Lots!  DOUBLE DOWN, a story set in the Holly Price mystery series world, is my newest release.


While this story was fun to write, I have a couple of confessions to make:  
People always ask authors where we get our story ideas. Confession #1 – The premise for this story was a given. A group of us challenged
each other to write a story where luck changed the protagonist’s life.  Of course, for a mystery writer this means someone is likely to die. That isn’t the life changing event. 

Really. 
Characters are as
important as the plot in my stories. My heroine, Maddie Larsson, leapt onto the page. The
inspiration for Maddie came from a friend’s daughter—a single parent who works
in a casino as a blackjack dealer. Maddie’s determination to forge a stable
life for herself and her son draws the admiration of one of the casino’s gamblers, attention that
changes her life for the better but also threatens to ruin—or end—it.
I wrestled a bit with the male lead character. So many readers
wanted to see JC Dimitrak’s side of events (JC is the hero in So About the
Money, book 1 in the series) I decided to put him in charge of the
investigation. Maybe he was a little too charming since my beta readers …well, telling you would be a spoiler.


Confession #2 – I
didn’t know anything about gambling. Honestly, I don’t understand the
attraction but clearly it’s a popular pastime. Fortunately I had a willing
“resource” (aka my friend’s daughter) to teach me the basics and give me
insight into the dealers’ world.

Take all that and place your bets – DOUBLE DOWN releases
October 23rd
Murder isn’t supposed
to be in the cards for blackjack dealer Maddie Larsson. Busted takes on a new
meaning when her favorite customer, a former Poker World Tour champion, is
murdered. His family claims—loudly and often—Maddie is the gold-digging
murderer. She better prove she’s on the level before the real killer cashes in
her chips. 
If the victim’s body
had been dumped five hundred yards up the road, Franklin County Sheriff’s
Detective JC Dimitrak wouldn’t have been assigned to the Tom Tom Casino murder
case. Instead, he’s hunting for suspects and evidence while dealing with a
nemesis from the past and trying to preserve his own future. He better play his
cards correctly and find the killer before an innocent woman takes the ultimate
hit.
Special release week pricing! 
Amazon       B&N      Kobo      iBooks  
An award-winning author of financial
mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth
stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond
height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with
her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.

Find out more or sign up for her newsletter at http://cperkinswrites.com 

Actions Speak Much, Much Louder Than Words

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I picked up a new craft book (aren’t all
authors addicted to improving their craft?) that has me excited about writing
again. Part of my funk over the winter had been that writing seemed yet another
job – with a long list of Must Do tasks – and like most of you, I had too many
balls in the air already.
I wanted to buckle down and just write the damn
book. I actually had people contact me and ask when the next in the Holly
Price/ So About series would release—which should make me feel happy rather
than pressured. Right?
Anyway, I stumbled over two books titled The
90-Day Novel. 
Okay then! 90-days! Score! (Is this where
I admit it takes me a year to write a novel?)
The first craft book was a disappointment. It
contained a very summarized rehash of things we’ve all heard a million times.
Set your turning points, make the index cards, park your butt and go.
Yawn. 
The other one, by Alan Watt, hit the note I
needed to hear. Step back and consider the possibilities, he recommended. What if…? 

What are you afraid of? Your heroine probably has the same fears. Can you work
with that? Lots (and lots) of 5 minute writing drills occurred during the first
week, but none of it needed to appear directly in the book. I was encouraged to
scribble images, scenes, scene-lets, ideas, whatever. No pressure, because
nobody was going to read or critique it. It was playing with words, which I
hadn’t done in ages. It was diving into what I was passionate about—and how
that drives my story. 
And through the process, the dilemma, which is
the root perception cause of the
problem (which is what your protag thinks
she’s trying to solve) evolves. I realized “trust” is the emotion I needed to
tap into and now, everything else is falling into place. The conflicts between
all my characters really come down to that one, very basic emotion. Trust is
crucial for a relationship. All relationships. Relationships between friends,
family, lovers.
Trust is what happens when actions speak much,
much louder than words. You can’t make
someone trust you. From Holly’s perspective, when others’ actions are
undermining her trust in them, going with what she believes is the right thing to
do will show others she’s trustworthy—and hopefully won’t get her killed. 
I started this craft book adventure in
connection with my own 100×100 challenge (a friend who’s 300 days in inspired
me). The 100×100 challenge is to write at least 100 words every day for 100
days. Three weeks into in, I’ve filled half a spiral notebook. And the scenes,
plot, and subplots are coming into focus. 
How’s
your writing going this summer?

Cathy
Perkins is currently working on Book Two in the Holly Price/So About series. So
About the Money was blessed by readers and booksellers with the Award of
Excellence – Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements. 

A spin-off in that
series, Malbec Mayhem features one of the secondary characters and is available
now.