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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

BLINGING IT UP WITH GUEST AUTHOR NANCY WARREN

Can you imagine if your mother borrowed something like this and wore it all over town?
Nancy Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 70 novels and novellas. She’s been nominated for the Rita award by Romance Writers of America three times, was the answer to a crossword puzzle in Canada’s National Post newspaper, and was featured on the front page of the New York Times. Learn more about Nancy and her books at her website. 

Mothers and Daughters and Fashion, Oh, My!

Why is makeup and fashion so seemingly easy for some people and so darned difficult for others? I have a daughter who was born with fashion sense. Literally born with it. She’s been my style consultant since she was about thirteen years old. Those who’ve known me a long time say I’ve been looking a lot better since Emma grew old enough to say, “No, Mom,” roll her eyes and actually fix me. Bless her. She is the only person I’ve ever known who dreams about putting outfits together.

As a writer, one of the really fun things I get to do is to put myself in the skins of characters who are entirely different from me. My amateur sleuth Toni Diamond is such a woman. She’s all about style and makeup. She’s a big-haired Texan with a big personality to match and she sells makeup to women through home parties and by giving free makeovers. Lady Bianca cosmetics not only keeps her in the bling and flashy outfits that would have my daughter locking me in the house if I attempted to wear them, but her job also puts Toni in the paths of a lot of different kinds of people, some of whom end up dead! There are three novels in the Toni Diamond mystery series so far.

I was very excited to be asked to join some other really fun cozy mystery authors for Happy Homicides, a collection of novellas out in time for the holidays. In my story, Toni’s mother, Linda Plotnik, who also sells cosmetics for Lady Bianca, gets a bit caught up in the law of attraction and decides the best way to bring really expensive jewelry into her life is to borrow some from her local jeweler and wear it to the Christmas party she hosts in her trailer park home.

Since Linda’s not exactly keeping quiet about her fabulous bling and insists on wearing it everywhere, Toni’s worried that something will happen to the fabulous necklace, her mother, or both. Naturally, something does!

I love these characters so much. I hope you will, too. A Diamond Choker for Christmas is just one of thirteen fun and fabulous holiday cozies. The collection is only 99 cents.

A Diamond Choker for Christmas
One of the novellas featured in Happy Homicides

In order to borrow an extremely expensive diamond and sapphire necklace to wear at Christmas party, Toni Diamond's mother Linda offers her home as collateral. But the necklace is stolen right off her neck, and Toni has to solve the crime or her mother will be homeless for the holidays!  

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