Thursday, May 16, 2019

Book Hooks - Chaos at the Compound - #MFRWhooks, MFRWAuthor

Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current WIP or previously published book by possibly new to you authors.


 Chaos at the Compound is the second book in the Cookie Cutter Cozy Mystery Series. 


BLURB


Connie Acosta is officially a resident in the fifty-five and older community her best friend Sara Mazza lives in. Her baker's kitchen is almost complete and she has met Vic, another resident who is crazy about her. Meanwhile, Sara finds herself in the mist of a love triangle with Vic's friend Jack and Warren, a police officer at the local station.
When Sara received a call from her friend at the clubhouse saying there is a dead body floating in the outdoor pool, the women rush there to check things out, getting themselves involved in another investigation, especially when Sara finds a few blue pills scattered in the grass that she didn't turn into the police.
Who said seniors can't get into trouble and fall in love again.
EXCERPT


After a long cold snowy winter and a chilly spring, the clear blue sky and warm weather of late spring brought all the residents back from their winter homes. The leaves popped out on the trees just like the snow had on the branches. Flowers of different colors began sprouting out throughout the community, just waiting for the deer to find them. Bunnies and chipmunks came out of hibernation and were out every morning like clockwork, searching for food.

       Connie Acosta walked out onto the deck with her cup of coffee, taking all of it in. Watching the bunnies hopping around the back in full sight was one of nature’s delights and this morning was no different. Since moving in with her best friend Sara Mazza, her life had turned around. Her divorce was final and she had to decide on what to do with her house on Staten Island. Maybe now was the time for her to sell her house and buy her own place in the community.

       “Good morning.” Sara walked onto the deck and sat across from Connie. “It feels like summer.”

       “I know and I’m loving it. The best part is how quiet it is here. It makes my thinking become so much clearer.” Connie sipped her coffee. “That’s why I’m contemplating that maybe it’s time for me to find my own house, giving you back your privacy.”

       Sara stood. “No. I won’t hear of it. We have our business to build. There’s no time to start packing and unpacking. I think what we need to do is transform my house into a workstation for both of us.”

       “And how do you plan on doing that?”

       “My idea is to make the sunroom into my studio. I can put tables around the room to put the platters to dry and buy a worktable to put in the center of the room with storage room on either side for my paints. I saw the table I wanted in an antique store on route nine, and they deliver.”

       “That’s wonderful. It takes care of your workspace, but what about mine. I really need a double oven to get at least two trays in at a time.”

       “And I figured that all out last night.” Sara leaned to her side and took out a piece of paper from her pajama bottoms. She unfolded the paper and placed it on the table for Connie to see.

       Connie lifted the paper off the table to get a closer look at it. “What are you planning to put an extension on the house?”

       “Nope. That’s where the garage comes in to play. If we take half the garage, you can have a big stove and plenty of space to lay out your cookies.”

       “Yeah and freeze my ass off in the middle of the winter.”

       “And I have that all figured out too. My neighbor used to be a contractor. He said we can put a wall up to separate the other half of the garage from the kitchen, and he would insulate and sheetrock, making it into your own kitchen.”

       “When did you have time to talk to your neighbor?”

       Sara laughed. “Last night. He’s always up late because he takes his dog out at one o’clock for the last time before he goes to sleep.”

       “What scares me is that you have your neighbor’s schedule down to a science. I think you’re turning into a true senior citizen.”

       “Never. There are people who live here in their late eighties and bounce around like they are teenagers, so keep your thoughts buried.”

       “Thank God for that.” Connie smiled. “So when do you want to start?”

       “Immediately. I thought we’d have an early dinner, stop at the antique store and then go look at the ovens.”

       “That works. I have an idea of what type of oven I’m looking for. I can’t believe this is going to actually happen. This has been our dream since we were kids.”

       “Dreams do come true.“

       The phone rang. Sara reached into her pajama bottoms and answered. “Hello.”

       Connie watched Sara’s expression change from smiling to her mouth opening wide as she walked back into the house. Connie thought back to her first day she arrived when Sara told her a wild goose chase story about missing pictures in the clubhouse, which mysteriously reappeared. Connie thought it was a joke until she witnessed it with her own eyes. The whole incident helped her to forget about her ex-husband who had humiliated her in front of all her friends, cheating on her, having babies with multiple women, and topped it off by selling enhancement drugs to the kids on the football team in order to win games and championships, putting the players’ health at stake.

        “You’re never going to believe this,” Sara said, closing the screen door behind her and leaning against the deck.

       “Did something happen?” Connie moved her chair into the sun, turning toward Sara.

       “Hannah at the clubhouse just called and told me she just got to work and discovered a body face down in the pool.”

       “No way. I’m assuming the person is dead.”

       “Yes. The police are down there right now investigating. What do you say? Are you in?”

       “And what exactly are we going to do?”

       “We are going to find out who it is and why he’s dead. I can’t believe someone would jump into the pool and drown in three feet of water.”



KAREN'S SOCIAL MEDIA








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