#levelbestbooks

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A Spy in Saigon: A Kat Lawson Mystery by Nancy Cole Silverman #Spotlight #Giveaway - Great Escapes Book Tour @nancy.cole.silverman.2025

I am pleased to shine my spotlight on A Spy in Saigon: A Kat Lawson Mystery by Nancy Cole Silverman About A Spy in Saigon A Spy in Saigon: A Kat Lawson Mystery Mystery 4th in Series Setting - Vietnam Publisher ‏ : ‎ Level Best Books Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 25, 2025 Paperback Print length ‏ : ‎ 230 pages ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8898201173 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0G2THCGQB The truth will set you free – or it will kill you. Kat Lawson’s new undercover assignment has turned deadly. A trip to Vietnam to write a travel feature for Journey International while making a drop to deliver cash and passports for a top-secret operation has gone awry. Kat has a choice to make and a target on her back. She can live with a secret, or she can reveal a truth that puts her in the crosshairs of an enemy sworn to kill her. With the lives of trafficked children at stake in a country where agents and double agents trade secrets, Kat must choose between the acceptance of a truth that will forever change her life or living a lie that will save the lives of others. Great Escapes Praise for A Spy in Saigon: A Kat Lawson Mystery by Nancy Cole Silverman A Spy in Saigon reads like a real-life story. I highly recommend this page-turning mystery for its realistic characters, authentic descriptions of the Vietnam War, detailed settings, and suspenseful mystery with lots of twists! ~Christy's Cozy Corners Stars: 5 out of 5 A Spy in Saigon is an engrossing story with a strong sense of time and place. If you want to start your year with a bang, pick up this book today. ~Carstairs Considers This was a fast-paced espionage story that I enjoyed. The characters were well drawn, and the plot was skillfully written. I am now going to read the first three books in this series, because I want more Kat Lawson. ~Carla Loves To Read Five Stars A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman is five stars. Kat Lawson’s adventures are so wonderfully written and have the perfect combination of history, mystery, and espionage. I recommend them to all mystery readers. ~Baroness' Book Trove About Nancy Cole Silverman After 25 years in news and talk radio, Nancy Cole Silverman retired to write fiction. Her crime-focused novels have attracted readers throughout America, and her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. Silverman writes the Carol Childs and Misty Dawn Mysteries (Henry Press) and the Kat Lawson Mysteries (Level Best Books). For more detailed information, visit www.nancycolesilverman.com Author Links Website     Facebook  Purchase Link - Amazon Find all of Nancy's Books HERE. TOUR PARTICIPANTS January 5 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT January 6 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW January 6 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT January 7 - Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT January 8 – Carstairs Considers – REVIEW January 8 – Sarandipity's – AUTHOR INTERVIEW January 9 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW January 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST January 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR GUEST POST January 12 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT January 12 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW  January 13 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – SPOTLIGHT January 13 – Hall Ways Blog - SPOTLIGHT January 14 – Boys' Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT January 15 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW January 16 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT January 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT January 18 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today! Want to Book a Tour? Click Here Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Escape With Dollycas. Read the full article

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Special Guest - Lida Sideris - Author of Murderous Means: A Southern California Mystery #AuthorGuestPost / #Giveaway - Great Escapes Book Tour - @lidasideris

Murderous Means: A Southern California Mystery by Lida Sideris

I am thrilled to welcome Lida Sideris to Escape With Dollycas today! The Role of Sidekicks By Lida Sideris

In the first book in my Southern California Mysteries, MURDER & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS, my heroine, Corrie Locke, a young lawyer working for a movie studio, takes on the challenge of solving a mystery on her own. People waited on the sidelines to help, but she wasn’t interested. Toward the end of Book #1 though, things change and Corrie develops a crew of sidekicks.

With each new installment, these sidekicks become more and more ready to help: Michael: her best friend since junior high, he’s smart, cute, and works as an assistant dean at a tech college in Los Angeles. He handles tech issues, culinary issues, but isn’t great when it comes to using weaponry. Veera: Corrie’s legal assistant at the movie studio, she’s a former parking lot security guard who’s well connected in the security world, which comes in handy. She’s also a night law school student, when she’s not assisting Corrie at her day or night job. James: a hunky assistant district attorney, his skills match Corrie’s when it comes to case-cracking. There’s some heat between them, which she tries to fight off, knowing they’re too similar to make a successful go at it. Or can they?

By the time book #5 comes around, GAMBLING WITH MURDER, Corrie has a new sidekick: her mother. Mom was dead set against Corrie’s P.I. work in the beginning of the series. After all, look what happened to Corrie’s dad. But, when Corrie asks her to help in book #5, Mom instantly agrees, which takes Corrie by surprise. The next thing you know, Mom becomes a sidekick, too, displaying surprising skills. While writing the series, I discovered that Corrie isn’t the only one with sidekicks. We all have them! And they’re every bit as talented as hers. I think neither she nor I regard these important players in our lives as sidekicks. We regard them as friends. What traits do we need in our sidekicks (real & fictional)? - Loyalty

Dogs make excellent sidekicks, by the way. Their support is unwavering. - Trust – you can count on them to act in your best interest. - Skills that are often helpful (and that we don’t have). - Good listeners. Just being able to talk through a situation may help move life along in the right direction. - They show up when needed. We don’t always reach out when we should or maybe we’re unable to. Corrie’s sidekicks often show up and lend a hand to move things along faster. For instance, a sidekick may provide enough of a distraction so that Corrie can get back on her feet and handle matters. In my real life, I have a sidekick that manages to find me no matter how large a crowd I may be lost in. He has me on his radar, which I deeply appreciate. Sidekicks aren’t ordinary people/animals in our lives (or in our fictional stories). Their very presence kicks our lives to a whole other level; one that makes our experiences more palatable and exciting. They’ve got our backs. Thank you, Lida, for visiting today! Keep reading for information about Lida's new book, Murderous Means. 

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Special Guest - Audrey O’Connell from Secrets Don't Sink: A Chattertowne Mystery by K. B. Jackson #CharacterGuestPost #Giveaway - Great Escapes Book Tour @kbjacksonauthor @KateBJackson

Secrets Don't Sink: A Chattertowne Mystery by K. B. Jackson

I am happy to welcome Audrey O’Connell to Escape With Dollycas today!

I’m often asked how I got myself into this mess. You know, how did I find myself knee-deep in a small-town murder investigation fueled by secrets long submerged? I’d say it started with what brought me back to my hometown of Chattertowne, Washington in the first place, but that’s only part of the story. The truth is it goes way further back than that. If I believed in reincarnation, I might think my sister Vivienne is the second-coming of my great, great grandmother Frances, aka Aunt Fanny. Frances passed away when my mother was about ten years old, but her reputation lives on. She’d insisted her grandchildren call her Aunt Fanny—not Grandma, Granny, Nana, or Meemaw—likely a way to offset any hesitancy men might have for dating a grandmother. My Gramma May once said Frances was immature and had an underdeveloped sense of self. She was not a fan of her mother-in-law. My childhood was filled with admonitions about falling into the ensnarement of feckless men like Randolv “Swede” Lundquist and Egbert Doughty, two of Fanny’s four husbands. She’d managed to become both a powerful matriarch and cautionary tale, and at times I’ve wondered if Viv viewed those exhortations to avoid unscrupulous lotharios as a challenge rather than a deterrent. None of these stories about Aunt Fanny came from my mother, of course. Despite her ominous warnings to Viv and me about the innate untrustworthiness of men—my long-suffering father excluded—all the details of our family history were shrouded in mystery and shame. I pieced bits of it together from conversations with Gramma May over the years as she tippled sherry every afternoon, as well as from the newspaper archives at Chattertowne Library. My curiosity of this fabled woman I’d never known but who dwelled in my family tree was intensified by my mother’s unwillingness to share the information. Family secrets are a funny thing. If we know them, we might be able to anticipate what pitfalls lie dormant in our DNA to offset our ancestor’s propensity for making certain choices. Instead they are passed down to us in a combination of genetic lottery and incognizant behavioral patterns. Not to say we’re powerless to the 23 pairs of chromosomes we’ve received, congenitally destined to repeat the mistakes and misfortunes of those who came before us because each of us is the result of a random combination of them and result definitely vary. Take Vivienne and me. I’m a five-foot six-inch hazel-eyed ash blonde with what my easily disappointed mother euphemistically refers to as “large bone structure.” Viv is a petite 5’2 with golden eyes, high cheekbones, and hair the color of champagne satin. Her pixie-like beauty stops men in their tracks. I’m often asked to help my friends move. With few exceptions I tend to be a rigid rule-follower. I’ve always believed rules are there for a reason, while Vivienne hasn’t met a rule she didn’t want to break. We were raised in the same family, under the same roof, with the same two parents. We are not the same. I was slowly working my way through the ranks of The Oregonian and attempting to have a modicum of a social life in Portland when my mother phoned to say Viv had “gone off the rails. Again.” I wanted to hang up and pretend the call had never come through, but I did not. I could not. At 27-years-old Viv should be beyond needing a babysitter but I’ve had an outsized sense of responsibility toward her ever since she nearly drowned as a toddler on my watch. As a result I developed a crippling case of aquaphobia—especially tough when growing up in a riverfront community—while Viv has continued lived her life with abandon, unscathed by the incident. I could’ve said no. Deep down I understand I could’ve said no to coming back home to clean up Viv’s mess. Maybe someday I’ll learn to say it, but that day has yet to come, especially when it comes to my baby sister. And while five additional years of life experience hasn’t yielded enough wisdom to overcome my own proclivity for rejecting nice guys and being drawn to ones who will break my heart or—at the least—make me want to change my phone number, my sister tends to elevate her poor romantic choices to another level entirely. Her most recent incident involved getting caught in flagrante delicto with her (now former) boss in the office stairwell by another employee who decided minor extortion was preferable to reporting the relationship to human resources. The result was termination for all three, a fine and a little jail time for the coworker, and a two-bedroom apartment Viv could no longer afford on the money she makes at her back-up gig singing and waitressing at a nightclub called Nautilus. So, that’s how I ended up back in Chattertowne, living with Viv in her dingy apartment, writing for the not-so-glamorous Coastal Current Newspaper, and dodging messages from my married conspiracy theorist ex-boyfriend. Who could have predicted he’d be found floating dead in the marina, and I’d be the one facing my greatest fears in order to solve his murder and rescue my sister once again? Thank you, Audrey, for visiting today! Keep reading for more info about Secrets Don't Sink starring Audrey O’Connell! 

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Special Guest - Ruth J Hartman - Author of Butterfly Betrayal: A Seneca James Mystery #AuthorInterview #Giveaway - Great Escapes Book Tour

Butterfly Betrayal: A Seneca James Mystery by Ruth J Hartman

I am delighted to welcome Ruth J. Hartman to Escape With Dollycas today!

Hi Ruth, Please tell us a little bit about yourself. My husband and I live in rural Indiana with our three spoiled cats. We love to hike on a nearby trail, read, and watch old movies on TV. What is the first book you remember reading? Three Little Kittens. I still have it! What are you reading now? The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden What books have most inspired you? I love reading and re-reading any mystery by Mary Higgins Clark. She started writing books way back in the 50s, but her stories are still gripping to this day.

What made you decide you wanted to write mysteries? Part of it was because I read so many mysteries, but I’d spent years writing romances and felt I’d come to the place where I needed a new challenge, so I wrote my first mystery about a dental hygienist (Ring of Death) and loved it so much I kept writing! Do you have a special place where you like to write? We built a small enclosed porch on the back of our house. I love to write in there. Actually, I’m sitting there, now. There are large trees with bird feeders right outside the windows, so the cats and I love to watch them eat and play in the trees. Where do the ideas for your books come from? My first mystery came from my time working in a dental office as a hygienist. After that, I explored different ideas of where a mystery could happen. I have a series that takes place in a cat café, one that surrounds the life a of mobile pet groomer, a series about a bookshop, and my most recent series takes place at a butterfly farm. Is there anything about writing you find most challenging? Coming up with new story ideas within a series can be a challenge. Also, editing!! Some editors don’t require very many changes, but others want a lot! It can be frustrating sometimes, but the books are always better after the editor makes suggestions. What do you think makes a good story? For mysteries, there needs to be a fun background, like where the story takes place and what the protagonist does for a living. And all of my books have a least one cat in them. For the cat café and the cat groomer mysteries, they each have lots. Also, making sure that the killer isn’t someone the reader might expect.

Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you? I think that Ellie Warren, the owner of the cat café in my Kitty Beret Café Series is most like me. She’s friendly and funny, but also caring and clumsy. When cats are involved, she goes the extra mile to make sure the kitties are safe, loved, and well cared for. What makes your books different from others out there in this genre? I think it’s the cats angle. There are many other authors who write with cats in their stories, but sometimes the cats are only in the background. In my stories, the cats help the protagonist search for clues and discover the identity of the killer. They make the stories more fun! What’s next on the horizon for you? Butterfly Betrayal (Book 1 in the Seneca James Mysteries), was just released on November 21 and I have another book coming out on February 6th, Murder She Meowed (Book 2 in the Bookshop Kitties Mysteries). Also, I’m working on book 4 in my Kitty Beret Café Series, Claws and Conflict. Thank you, Ruth, so much for visiting today! Keep reading for more information about Ruth's new book, Butterfly Betrayal. 

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Christmas Lights and Cat Fights: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner #Spotlight / #Giveaway - Great Escapes Book Tour @HeatherWeidner1

I am delighted to shine the spotlight on Christmas Lights and Cat Fights: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner

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Crime and Parchment: A Rare Books Cozy Mystery by Daphne Silver #CharacterGuestPost / #Review / Giveaway @daphnesilverbooks 

Crime and Parchment: A Rare Books Cozy Mystery by Daphne Silver

I am delighted to welcome Clover Blume to Escape With Dollycas today! Crime and Parchment Character Post: Clover Blume, Rescue Dog Extraordinaire! In Crime and Parchment, readers think the story centers around Juniper Blume, a rare books librarian who finds books and bodies where they don’t belong. But I’m here to set things straight. The story is really all about me - the rescue dog extraordinaire Clover! Since I don’t get to talk in Crime and Parchment, except for a few well-timed barks and growls, I figured I’d take over this character post to share things from my perspective. I’m twenty pounds of soft white fur, always ready to play, explore, and protect my people. Honestly, I love Juniper. She’s a great human. We go on great walks together, especially up and down the boardwalk overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, and she always brings me back the best doggie treats from the nearby Purple Oyster Coffee Shop. She should bring me more. I mean, I’m a growing dog. If you go visit the Purple Oyster, can you grab a few more treats for me? Please? Ever since moving to Rose Mallow, Maryland, I have found my new bestie in life: the almost four-year-old Violet Blume. I mean, Juniper is still my human through and through, but even she can’t keep up with the energy and fun of a kid like Violet. Sure, she’s Juniper’s niece and her sister Azalea’s daughter, but she’s my best friend! We love to play all over her family’s Wildflower Inn. Someone told me that the house is over a hundred years old. I wonder what that is in dog years? Violet and I have gotten in trouble a few times, although I don’t know why. What’s a few crayon scribbles on the wall? Or stealing a couple of her mom’s delicious baked goods? Azalea - Juniper’s sister - is even better at baking than they are at the Purple Oyster! I really hope you’ll come out and visit us. I love making new friends, especially if they bring me something yummy. Then maybe you can play with Violet and me! Sounds like a deal? Let’s shake on it, assuming you don’t mind shaking a paw. Thank you, Clover, for visiting today! Keep reading for my thoughts on Clover's, I mean Daphne's new book!

About Crime and Parchment

Crime and Parchment: A Rare Books Cozy Mystery Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - The fictional town of Rose Mallow, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay Level Best Books (November 21, 2023) Print length ‏ : ‎ 226 pages Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CKVBLPCY

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume knows this much… an ancient Celtic manuscript shouldn’t be in a Maryland cemetery. But that’s exactly what her brother-in-law claims. Last year, Juniper saw the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells in Ireland. She learned how their bejeweled covers were stolen centuries ago, never to be seen again. So how could they have ended up in Rose Mallow, a small Chesapeake Bay town? Being Jewish, the Book of Kells might not be her sacred text, but as a rare books librarian, the ancient book is still sacred to her, making it important to Juniper to find out the truth. Rose Mallow is the same place where Juniper used to summer with her sister Azalea and their grandmother Zinnia, known as Nana Z. Ever since Nana Z passed away, Juniper’s avoided returning, but her curiosity is greater than her grief, so she heads down in her vintage convertible with her rescue dog Clover. Juniper discovers that her sister Azalea has transformed their grandmother’s Queen Anne style mansion into the Wildflower Inn, backing up to the Chesapeake Bay. Although Juniper isn’t much of a cook, Azalea has kept their grandmother’s legacy alive, filling the house with the smells of East European Jewish treats, like sweet kugels and tzimmes cake. Will coming back here feel like returning home or fill Juniper with a deeper sorrow? Can she apologize to her sister for not being there when she was needed most? Dollycas's Thoughts Juniper Blume has not returned to Rose Mallow, a small Chesapeake Bay town, since grandmother Zinnia had passed away. She has thrown herself into her work at the Library of Congress working with rare books. It was through her job that she was able to travel to Ireland last year to see the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells and learn about its history including the fact that the bejeweled covers were stolen centuries ago. So when her brother-in-law, who is separated from her sister, Azalea, contacts her saying he has information that the covers are in Rose Mallow, she is pretty surprised. Juniper decides to try to put her grief aside and check out her brother-in-law's claim. When she arrives she sees her sister has been busy. Their grandmother's Queen Anne style home has been made into the Wildflower Inn as a tribute to the woman's love of flowers and a way to keep her legacy alive. Juniper quickly realizes she has really let her sister down by staying away. Will she be able to mend fences with her sister? Will her heart be able to handle this homecoming? Is there any way the Book of Kells covers are really here in Maryland? Ms. Silver has introduced some complicated characters in this first Rare Books Cozy Mystery. Juniper loves the idea of working at the Library of Congress but her new boss is driving her crazy. Her sister, Azalea has a lot on her shoulders, a pending divorce, raising her precocious almost 4-year-old daughter Violet, and running The Wildflower Inn. Her soon-to-be ex-husband, Rory works at a car dealership but somehow knows about a 1,200-year-old book. Keisha Douglass is a 17-year-old who helps Azalea at the inn and with Violet. Clover is Juniper's canine companion that quickly becomes Violet's best friend. And I can't forget the "screaming, ranting, madwomen", also known as Cordelia Sullivan and her granddaughter Whitney. We also meet several other residents of Rose Mallow and people brought into the story due to the notion that the missing covers of the Book of Kells may be there somewhere. I did enjoy the way these characters continued to grow within these pages, especially Juniper. The tension between her and her sister is palpable but gets better as the story continues and is still a work in progress. The author has written a compelling mystery. A meeting in the cemetery leads to a dead body, a missing man, and a rain-soaked diary. This all sets Juniper off on an intriguing mission and she isn't the only one digging. The missing man could have all the answers but she knows she needs to focus and use her skills as a librarian to follow each clue no matter how minor. Keisha even lends a hand in the investigation. Juniper also makes a new friend. Azalea doesn't approve but he may have the information that she needs at his fingertips. I really liked tagging along with Juniper as she did her best to make sense of it all when the police dropped the ball. Her A-Ha moment really shook things up. I was really surprised by the dangerous and terrifying plan she came up with to out the killer. Ms. Silver did a good job of setting each scene, especially during the showdown.  She also described the beautiful area of Chesapeake Bay, the small town of Rose Mallow, and the Wildflower Inn so well. I would love to travel to the area. I can see the author drew on her life experience to hit all the right historical notes throughout the book.  With my Irish heritage, I was Googling the Book of Kells as soon as I finished her story and her Author's Note so I could see actual pictures and learn more about it. She really piqued my interest with this story. Crime and Parchment sets this series off to a very enjoyable start. With several threads to follow I was captivated the entire way. I am keen to see what the author has in store for her characters next.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

About Daphne Silver

Daphne Silver is the author of the Rare Books Cozy Mystery series. She’s worked more than twenty years in museums and has the great fortune of being married to a librarian. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing and painting. She lives in Maryland with her family. Although she’s not much of a baker, she won’t ever turn down a sweet lokshen kugel. Author Links Website   Facebook    Instagram   GoodReads Purchase Link

Amazon  Book Excerpt My 1965, robin’s egg blue convertible backfired as I parked in front of the Wildflower Inn. The noise set off Clover barking in the backseat. Not exactly the quiet homecoming I’d hoped for. I jumped out of my Karmann-Ghia – or “KG” as I’d nicknamed her – to check under the hood, hoping I wouldn’t need to get the roadster serviced yet again. No idea where that money would come from. A screaming, ranting madwoman poured out of a neighboring house. Maybe in her late seventies, she brandished a large umbrella. I dropped the hood to find the umbrella pointing at me. Clover – all twenty pounds of him – jumped out and started growling. “Easy, boy,” I said. “You shoot something off, Missy? Here to cause trouble? Because I’m on the board of the Friends of the Rose Mallow Police.” the woman said. She wore a perfectly fitted Mamie Eisenhower pink skirt suit with enormous pearls – straight out of the 1950s. Her white bouffant billowed around her head. She reminded me of a researcher I’d helped earlier that day at the Library of Congress. That woman had been a murder mystery author looking for books about early detectives. This woman looked like she wanted to murder someone – namely me. TOUR PARTICIPANTS November 22 – Novels Alive – REVIEW November 22 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST November 23 – Thanksgiving U.S. November 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST  November 24 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT November 24 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT November 25 – Ruff Drafts – RECIPE November 25 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT November 26 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT November 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT November 27 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW November 27 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW November 28 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST November 28 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT November 29 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW November 29 – Lady Hawkeye - SPOTLIGHT November 30 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT November 30 – Diane’s Book Journal – SPOTLIGHT a Rafflecopter giveaway Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today! Want to Book a Tour? Click Here

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Read the full article

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Special Guest - Leigh Stratton - Author of Realm of Ice and Shadow - #AuthorInterview / #Giveaway - Great Escapes Book Tour - @leighstratton1 @leighstrattonauthor

Realm of Ice and Shadow by Leigh Stratton

I am delighted to welcome Leigh Stratton to Escape With Dollycas today!

Hi Leigh, Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I grew up in a small town on the south shore of Eastern Long Island, but I recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of Central Florida. I live with my husband, daughter and son-in-law, two sons, and four dogs. In addition to the two fantasy series’ I’m currently writing, I also write inspirational romantic suspense and cozy mysteries, work as a freelance editor, and homeschool my thirteen-year-old son. In my spare time, which is rare, I enjoy spending time with my family, walking (while taking pictures of scenery and wildlife), and reading. What is the first book you remember reading? I remember reading a picture book called So Big when I was around three. I must have read it often, because I can still remember some of the words. What are you reading now? I am currently reading Sarah J. Mass’s Throne of Glass series and loving it! What books have most inspired you? I’ve probably been most inspired by the Lord of the Rings books and the Harry Potter series. Losing myself in them inspired me to create worlds of my own. Do you have a special place where you like to write? I most often write in my library, where I can close the door and have quiet, a typical writer’s cave. But I love taking a notebook outside to write by the pool or the garden. It’s so peaceful. Where do the ideas for your books come from? Everywhere! I think of ideas all the time. I can be having a conversation with someone, and all of the sudden an idea will strike. Sometimes while I’m reading or watching TV I’ll get an idea. Since I write them down on whatever is handy at the time, I often have piles of Post-it notes, receipts, even napkins with story ideas jotted on them beside my computer. Is there anything about writing you find most challenging? The most challenging thing for me is getting that first rough draft down on paper. Other than that, the most challenging aspect of writing is finding the time to do so. What do you think makes a good story? I think the most important thing is to keep it interesting, keep the plot moving forward, keep throwing hurdles up for the characters. I tend to enjoy reading and writing stories with more action.

Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you? Yikes, that’s a difficult question. I am not at all adventurous, and yet my characters tend to be. Half the things they do, I would never even dream of. I think if I had to choose one, I’d say Ryleigh. Only because she is extremely maternal toward her younger sister, Mia. What makes your books different from others out there in this genre? I think Realm of Ice and Shadow is a bit different because it takes place in both a medieval-style fantasy world, with swords and dragons, but some of the characters come from the modern world. Mia, Ryleigh’s younger sister, is appalled when she realizes she can’t bring her cell phone to Cymmera with her. What’s next on the horizon for you? My current goal is to somehow get through writing the ten or so books I have contracted over the next two years. I have two more YA fantasies due to release next year. I enjoy writing cozies, and I’m hoping to continue with all four of my current series’ as well as adding one more which I’ve begun plotting. I also write an inspirational romantic suspense series, which I’d like to continue. In addition to that, I’d love to write a YA fantasy series about the seven deadly sins. Thank you so much for having me and for sharing the release of Realm of Ice and Shadow! Thank you Leigh so much for visiting today! Keep reading for more info about Realm of Ice and Shadow.

Realm of Ice and Shadow Young Adult Fantasy 1st in Series Level Best Books, Level Elevate (November 7, 2023) Number of Pages 210 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CKV9K5PG

Seventeen year old Ryleigh Donnovan is certain her life is cursed. Nothing ever goes smoothly, and her first job interview is no exception. An earthquake rocks the building, sending Ryleigh on a frantic search for her younger sister, a search which lands her in the hospital. Terrified they'll push her for answers she can't afford to give, Ryleigh flees with a mysterious stranger. Jackson Maynard is about to be ordained as a Death Dealer, a warrior for the Kingdom of Cymmera, but first he must pass one more test. When he fails to acquire the human girl the prophet has chosen, he's forced to stand trial for treason. Banished from his realm, he seeks out the girl from the vision, Ryleigh Donnovan, and together they embark on a journey to save his dying kingdom. Great Escape Praise for Realm of Ice and Shadow by Leigh Stratton Realm of Ice and Shadow is a unique fantasy tale about other realms, hidden heritage, and a prophecy to save a kingdom. I really enjoyed the story, characters, setting, and the author's writing style. I was pulled into the book and kept engaged by descriptive scenes, wonderfully written and imperfect characters, and a mystery I just had to figure out. ~Sapphyria's Books  5 stars! Exciting and immersive fantasy with strong characters and creative world-building! Realm of Ice and Shadow is the first book in author Leigh Stratton’s suspense-filled romantic fantasy series, Kingdom of Cymmera, and I was quickly immersed, I recommend REALM OF ICE AND SHADOW to readers of suspenseful young adult fantasy, fantasy, romance, and suspenseful romantic fantasy. ~Boys' Mom Reads!

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Murder in Trastevere: A Roman Holiday Mystery by Jen Collins Moore #GuestPost #Giveaway @jennifercollinsmoore Great Escapes Book Tour

Murder in Trastevere: A Roman Holiday Mystery by Jen Collins Moore

It is my pleasure to welcome Jen Collins Moore to Escape With Dollycas today! The Barbarians of Rome by Jen Collins Moore

The Roman Empire has long been a passion of mine. As a teenager I could rattle off all the emperors between Augustus and Domitian. (Well, all except the three who were assassinated in quick succession in a single year. Their names never stuck.) I studied archaeology in college and still remember a little Latin. So when I first began travelling to Rome, my interest was in the ancient. I was more interested in the Coliseum and the Forum than in the Vatican or Borghese. But it’s hard to visit (and write about) the city without appreciating the Renaissance. That’s the period that came after the Dark Ages, during which Rome had fallen into decay along with the rest of Europe. Then, amid a new interest in classical philosophy, literature and art, the Catholic Church commissioned artists to return the city to its grandeur.  Much of the city’s feel today is thanks to the urban planning and architecture of those visionaries. But as much as they appreciated Classical ideals, the artists and their benefactors weren’t interested in preserving the artifacts of Ancient Rome. Far from it. The ultimate collapse of the Empire was interpreted as proof of God’s will against a pagan civilization, so preservation wasn’t exactly high on their list. Visitors to Rome during the Dark Ages (I’m still baffled by who these tourists could have been) reported seeing marble reliefs and sculptures throughout the city. One tally reported: - 424 temples - 304 shrines - 80 statues of gods made of precious metal - 64 statues of gods made of ivory - 22 equestrian statues - 36 triumphal arches - 3,785 bronze statues Think about that. Those are huge numbers long after the barbarians sacked the city. And there’s nowhere near that number of antiquities left. So what happened? The city’s best preserved ancient building—the Pantheon—survived because it was turned into a Christian church in the Seventh Century, protecting it from the looting, or, more generously, scavenging, that occurred later. Other monuments were less fortunate. Stones taken from the Colosseum were reportedly used to construct Pope’s palaces and churches around the city, including Il Palazzo di Venezia, San Marco, La Scala Santa and Palazzo Farnese. And the others? Marble from that temples, shrines, and statues was burned for the high-quality lime it produced, which was then used to create new works of art. There’s something poetic about it, but for the antiquarian in me, also tragic.

One of the joys of writing the Maggie White Mysteries is getting to go down into research rabbit holes that might end up in a single line of dialogue. In this case, one of my favorite characters in Murder in the Piazza, Eloise Potter, lectures guests on the painting tour about the Renaissance’s transformation of marble back into limestone. I hope you find it as entertaining as I did. Thank you, Jen, for visiting today! Now keep reading for more info about Jen's Murder in Trastevere!

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