Review Copies - Muffin But Murder and Tempest in a Teapot

ANOTHER UPDATE May 29th: Thank you to everyone who contacted me about ARCs. I really appreciate the enthusiasm from readers, and will probably do this kind of thing again if I have ARCs and/or extra books. Stay tuned and watch this space

I have, at this point, contacted everyone to whom I can send books. If you haven't received an email, I wasn't able to send you a book. However... I will be participating in a few giveaways, and will keep you all updated where I'll be. I have a couple coming up on release day at Fresh Fiction and Mystery Lover's Kitchen, BOTH with giveaways, as well as other places, so enter and keep your fingers crossed!

~::~

UPDATE: I expected I'd get lots of requests, but I have been swamped by lovely readers wanting to review Tempest in a Teapot and Muffin But Murder. I have a limited number, and have begun mailing them out, but have not contacted everyone to whom I am sending a book yet. I have so many wonderful requests that I am going to reserve a couple of copies and from those to whom I can't send out a book, I'll do a random draw or two. Or three.

So please be patient with me, as I sort out all the requests over the next week.

From time to time authors are sent gifties from their editor... boxes of delights that we are free to do with whatsoever we will. Last week I received a heavyish box from the UPS gal. It held some large print copies of my Vintage Kitchen Mystery books, but mostly, it held Advanced Review Copies (aka ARCs) of Tempest in a Teapot (June 3rd, 2014) and Muffin But Murder (July 1st, 2014)!


There are a LOT of copies.

So... I am looking for readers who also review, or readers who would like to review... or, well, readers. I'll be frank; I'm looking to publicize my books. If you like the novels, I'd love you to review it/them, share your review, and/or talk about it on social media.



Here's what I'm doing.


If you would like a copy of one or both, I'd love to hear from you. From past experience I know I will receive a fair amount of letters requesting a copy, and I'll have to narrow it down somehow, so it would interest me to know what copy you want, and why you want it. OR if you're a reviewer, you can tell me who you review for and send me a link to a review you're proud of. I'm always interested in reading reviews of mystery novels, doesn't have to be cozy!! I'll be choosing a few folks from every category.

Just for the fun of it, I took pics of the ARCs, some with my cat, Poodle, who seems bored by the whole affair, though he was purring non-stop.

So, email me at: victoria (at) victoriahamiltonmysteries (dot) com and let me know if you'd like one or both, and why. Do you just love cozy mysteries? Do you read and then pass on all of your books? Do you review for a blog, or on Amazon? If so, send me a link; I do love reading reviews!! I won't be able to send books to everyone, but I look forward to sending some out, maybe to you! I'll let you know if I'm sending one and ask for your snail mail address then.

Please feel free to SHARE this post with anyone you think may be interested!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Spring Into a New Series!

Finally, after a long deadly winter spring has sprung, the sun is shining and baby birds are fledged. We actually had a robin's nest over the porch light this year, and the babies have already flown the roost, but not before one had a close call in my cat's mouth! Luckily, I saved its life, locked the cat up, and Robin Mama and Papa taught their little baby to fly.

And speaking of new beginnings and fresh life, I have a new mystery series beginning too! Introducing... the Teapot Collector Mysteries that I am writing as Amanda Cooper! For some reason tea and mystery seem to go together. There is nothing better, to me, than to curl up with a wonderful mystery and a cup of tea. And if you have tea, you MUST have a teapot!

Tempest in a Teapot:

Sophie Freemont Taylor, failed restaurateur, chef and teapot collector, is at loose ends in Manhattan until she decides on the spur of the moment to return ‘home’ to Gracious Grove, a town in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Though not her real home town, it is where she finds respite at her grandmother’s establishment, the same place where Sophie fell in love with teapots, Auntie Rose’s Victorian Tea House. Her grandmother, Rose Freemont, aka ‘Nana’, welcomes her with open arms and twenty nine year old Sophie settles in to find her groove cooking again, even if it is ‘only’ tearoom fare. At the same time she reestablishes friendships with her childhood buddies Dana and Cissy, and her first love, Jason Murphy.

Life in Gracious Grove is never boring, but is not usually as spirited as it becomes when there is a murder at the tearoom next door, the establishment of cranky octogenarian Thelma Mae Earnshaw. Thelma has nursed a six decade long grudge against Nana, who she claims stole her beau, Harold Freemont, also known as Sophie’s grandfather and Nana’s late husband. But despite Thelma’s irascibility, Sophie feels compelled to help figure out who killed a local socialite with a baked goody at Thelma’s tearoom, Belle Époque. It’s unnerving that it occurred so close that Sophie heard the hubbub surrounding the murder by poison! Too soon the danger strikes close to home with an attack on her Nana, and Sophie races the clock to figure out what is going wrong in the pretty little town of Gracious Grove.

I will be doing lots of promotional visits online as Tempest in a Teapot comes out June 3rd. So far, here is my schedule:

June 3rd:

Fresh Fiction - What’s New Tuesday - Giveaway! Link to come, so check back on the 3rd!

Mystery Lover’s Kitchen - about the new book and a giveaway too! Link to come! 

June 5th:

Dru’s Musings - A Day in the Life of Sophie Taylor - Giveaway!! Link to come^.

June 6th:

Read Your Writes - A Q&A about the new book and series.

And I'm thrilled to death that Tempest in a Teapot is going to be the June book under discussion in the Cozy Mystery Book Reviews book club on Facebook. She's having a lovely giveaway, too! Here's a link to the event!
https://www.facebook.com/events/283907028437652/?notif_t=event_description_mention  

Here are my three release dates in 2014:

For more on Tempest in a Teapot and the Teapot Collector Mysteries, visit the series’ Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amanda-Coopers-Teapot-Collector-Mysteries/296605927102353

Slowing down to hurry up...

I've been extremely busy lately. On my plate right now are: Book deadline, April 1st; typeset edit, due February 24th; copyedit, due February 24th, Regency manuscript to clean up, due... sigh... whenever I can get it done; promotion, all the time.

I'm not complaining. I LOVE what I do and I'm so lucky I get to do it for a living. So VERY lucky. And even more that readers seem to like what I write. I never dreamed this all was possible.

But the schedule is tight, super tight.

I noticed a pattern, though, that I had to stop. Ever heard the phrase 'the hurrieder I go the behinder I get'? It's a quote from something, isn't it? Maybe someone will know.

Anyway, that was me. I noticed this the dozenth time I sat down at my desk, tasted my coffee and realized I hadn't put any sweetener in it, which necessitated a trip back to the kitchen for the sweetener. I was making two trips instead of one almost every time because I was preoccupied with the work and forgot what I was doing.

So now... I am slowing down and focusing on each step of what I am doing. I do the Keurig thing, put in sweetener, and milk, stir and ahhh... coffee is right, and I don't have to make a second trip every time.

Slowing down to hurry up.

It's February... finally!!!

How has your year been so far? I'm happy to report so far I've been healthy and busy with writing, editing etcetera!

It's going to go on as it has started too... it's going to be a busy year for me, and I love it!

I have three books coming out this hear.

Tempest in a Teapot

I'm so looking forward to book 1 of the Teapot Collector Mystery series, Tempest in a Teapot. I am writing as Amanda Cooper, but it's still li'l ole me! I had a lot of fun writing Tempest, and I'm looking forward to reader reaction to Sophie, Rose, Pearl, the Birman cat and Auntie Rose's Victoria Tea House in Gracious Grove, a town set near Lake Seneca in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York!

Coming June 3rd, 2014

Muffin But Murder

Then there is Book 2 of the Merry Muffin Mystery series, Muffin But Murder... I love writing these books so much, and I do hope you all look forward to traveling back the the quirky town of Autumn Vale, New York, and Merry Wynter's castle! It's autumn in Autumn Vale, and Merry will have some more yummy recipes for muffins and other good foods!

Coming July 8th, 2014











And last but not least, I am excited about Book 4 of the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series, No Mallets Intended. I've written trilogies before,but I've never had a series extended, so this is extremely rewarding! Come venture back to Queensville, Michigan and visit with Jaymie, Valetta and all the rest of the Queensvillians!


November 4th, 2014



See you all soon, as I gear up for a 2014 book promotion onslaught!

Bloggers... let me know if you'd like me to guest blog. I'll also be doing some giveaways over the year, so check me out on occasion!

Happy 2014!

Two blog day!!

Hey, all...

I'm in two places at once today...

This, of course, is my regular day at Killer Characters, but I have a wonderful secret to share about... well, check it out...

Killer Characters - Season Readings

And I'm at Dru's wonderful blog with A Day in the Life of Jaymie Leighton, and she is hosting a giveaway!

Day in the Life of... Jaymie Leighton

So come on over and check it out!

Freezer I'll Shoot Blog Tour

Hello, everyone! Fall has fallen, the Canadian turkeys have all been gobble, gobble, gobbled down, and I am looking forward to the release of Book 3 of the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, Freezer I'll Shoot.

So I will be on blog tour from November 2nd, until... well, mid to later in November. There will be chances to win a prize package from Lori, at Great Escapes Blog Tours.

Here is the blog tour calendar so far!

The blog tour page is here: http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/upcoming-tours/new-tour-freezer-ill-shoot-by-victoria-hamilton/

November 2 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Review, Interview, Giveaway

November 3 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review, Interview, Giveaway

November 4 – My Recent Favorite Books – Review, Giveaway

November 6 - Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Guest blog and Review

November 7 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – Review, Interview, Giveaway

November 8 – Queen of All She Reads – Review, Giveaway

November 9 – A Chick Who Reads – Review, Interview

Great Escapes Blog Tour Prize Package

November 10 – Kaisy Daisy’s Corner – Review, Giveaway

November 10 - Mystery Lovers Kitchen - NOT an official stop on the Great Escape Tour - EXTRA giveaway!!!

November 12 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – Review, Giveaway

November 13 – Community Bookstop – Review, Giveaway

November 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review, Giveaway

November 15 – Mochas, Mysteries and More – Review, Giveaway

November 21 - A Day in the Life of Jaymie Leighton - Dru's Book Musings - Giveaway! (separate from the Blog tour giveaway!)

 So... I hope you'll join me, and I will update here when I have more information!Until then... have a fun fall!All the best,Victoria Hamilton

Fresh Fiction Today... check it out!

Hello, everyone!

It's almost autumn. Nights are getting noticeably chillier and the days are shorter. Canadians are already looking forward to Thanksgiving, which is the second Monday of October.

I am - with regret - winding down my blogging and promotion of Bran New Death. Why am I a little sad? This series is special to me because it is written in first person, like most of my favorite series to read. It was a dream of mine to write a mystery in first person, and with the character of Merry Wynter I have been able to do just that.

I have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback, and can officially say that Bran New Death is a national bestseller. It made it to #3 on the Barnes & Noble mystery list, #35 among paperbacks overall.

So today is one of my very last blog stops for Bran New Death. I am at Fresh Fiction, writing about... how I juggle writing three series!

Funny story about this: on September 4th I got an automated email saying I needed to send in my Fresh Fiction guest blog entry for... wait for it... September 4th! I had messed up, I thought, a hideous idea to me because I am reasonably well organized and had them down for September 19th. I just hate making that kind of mistake because it means I let someone down.

I had a VERY busy day that day - company coming from out of town and cooking and cleaning still to do - but I sat down and dashed off a quick blog, and sent it to them with a million effusive apologies, hoping they'd still be able to do it. I checked back often over the day, thinking I had blown it big time.

The next morning I got a lovely email telling me I was right about my day being September 19th, and that it was just a little mix-up.

BIG sigh of relief.

I had a chance for a redo... I could rewrite my hastily written blog if I wanted. But when I reread the blog, I thought... I'm just going to let it stand. It expresses completely how fortunate I feel having three mystery series!

So here is the link, and I would love it if you would drop in an read about how I juggle three mystery series. BTW, it doesn't say much about HOW I do it, I realize, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Fresh Fiction - Bran New Death

Where in the World is Autumn Vale?

There are good points and bad points about creating a fictional universe, and one of the bad points is, no one is quite sure where the heck this fictional universe is, in the real world.

Well, here you go. Autumn Vale, New York, scene of much of Bran New Death, is a tiny, quirky little town about forty to forty-five minutes south of Batavia, New York. And if you're wondering where Batavia, New York, is, then I have spotted it on a map!

Hope this helps!!

Happy release day to myself and many of my Killer Character sisters!

The Bran New Death Tour Begins!

Bran New Death

I am so excited... I feel like I've been waiting for forever for this book to come out, and now it's finally here. To celebrate, Lori at Great Escapes has helped me put together a blog tour, 14 dates as well as a few more of my own doing. And it starts today!!!


But the great news for you all is the chance to win! Over all, I am giving away two prize packages consisting of a signed copy of Bran New Death (or another of my books, if you already have it!) plus a cute book tote that has the right message - Cozy up to a good mystery! - on it, and a pen with the same message!

Show your cozy pride with a pretty tote and pen! Here is the tour link: http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/new-tour-bran-new-death-by-victoria-hamilton/

So, here are the dates: please note that I am updating every day so these links will take you to my exact guest blog or review as it is posted!

August 30 - ChloeGets A Clue – A really fun interview!

August 31 - Brooke Blogs – Review & Guest Post

September 1 - Michelle'sRomantic Tangle – Review

September 2 - Cozy Up WithKathy – Review & Interview 

September 3 - StoreyBookReviews – Review

September 4 - Books-n-Kisses  - Review & Guest Post 
September 4 - Cozy Wednesday at Escape with Dollycas!

September 5 - Booklady'sBooknotes Review & Interview

September 6 - Melina's BookBlog  - Review & Guest Post

September 7 - Musings andRamblings – Interview

September 8 - A Chick WhoReads – Review

September 9 - readalot – Review

September 10 - Girl lost in abook - Review

And: Dru's Book Musings: https://notesfromme.wordpress.com/2013/09/10/merry-wynter/

September 11 - Mochas,Mysteries and More  - Review & Guest Post

September 12 - My RecentFavorite books – Review

September 13 - Socrates' BookReview Blog – Review

And a couple of my own dates (not part of the giveaway tour)...

September 19^th – Fresh Fiction AND Writerspace

Come visit!

Come on over to Mystery Lovers Kitchen today and learn more about Bran New Death, AND get a great recipe for bulk muffins... makes dozens!

http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2013/08/Bran-New-Death-Victoria-Hamilton-Muffins.html?showComment=1376839243822#c6820183470889016117