Category Archives: Tule Mystery

Author HL Marsay Drops In to Discuss Dorothy Peto AND Today’s Release of “A DEATH IN CHELSEA”

February 27, 2024 · Posted by Tule Publishing

This week sees the release of A Death in Chelsea, the second book in my Lady in Blue Mysteries series. These stories follow the fictional adventures of Dorothy Peto, who was one of the first women to become a police volunteer during the First World War, so I thought I would share a little more information about her and the other women who helped form the Women Police Volunteers (WPV).

Dorothy Peto

Dorothy Olivia Georgiana Peto was born in Hampshire in 1886. Her family was wealthy and well-connected and her father was a successful landscape artist. She was educated at home and had dreams of becoming a novelist until war broke out in 1914. Deciding to make herself useful, she joined the voluntary police patrols in Bristol and Bath (although in my stories she is based in London). Despite her work training other women volunteers, when the war ended, she struggled to find a position with the regular police. Eventually, she was made director of the ten female police officers in Liverpool.

In 1930, she transferred to the Metropolitan Police and became the first attested female superintendent. She formed her own branch of women police officers and insisted they should interview any woman charged with indecency and take charge of cases covered by the Children and Young Persons Act of 1933, especially those involving child abuse. When she retired in 1946, the number of female police officers at the Met. had grown from fifty-five to two hundred. In her later years, she returned to Hampshire and died in 1974.

Nina Boyle

Constance Antonina Boyle, known as Nina, was born in Kent in 1865. When her two brothers went to fight in the Boer War, she followed them to South Africa and worked first as a nurse and then as a journalist. It was while she was in Johannesburg that she first became interested in women’s rights.

When she returned to England, she joined the Women’s Freedom League and continued working as a journalist. She often wrote about how women were unfairly treated by the courts. Her protests at the Marlborough Street Magistrates Court led to her being arrested several times.

When war broke out, she campaigned for women to be allowed to join the police. Her request was refused, so she joined forces with Margaret Damer Dawson to form the WPV in 1914. However, she left the organization only a year later following disagreements about enforcing curfews on women. She spent the rest of the war working as a nurse in the Balkans.

After the war, she travelled to Russia but what she saw there turned her against communism and to the right politically. When she returned to England, she attempted to stand in the Keighley by-election (the first woman to do so). Although her name didn’t appear on the ballot paper, her efforts meant women were allowed to stand in the General Election in December 1918. She also worked with the Save the Children Fund and began writing mystery and adventure novels featuring strong female characters, with titles such as “Out of the Frying Pan” and “Good Old Potts!”. Nina died in London in 1943. The Nina Boyle Memorial Prize was established in her name and is offered by the Royal Holloway University to either a History or Social Policy Student.

Margaret Damer Dawson

Mary Damer Dawson was born into an affluent Sussex family in 1873. Her father died when she was a young woman, leaving her independently wealthy. She used her money to fund various charities especially those concerned with anti-vivisection and campaigned against animals performing in circuses and being killed for meat. She also created a home for foundlings and was a talented pianist.

In 1914, she founded the WPV with Nina Boyle. It was Margaret’s money that financed the patrols. She had a close personal and professional relationship with Mary Allen. The two women lived together and when Nina left the WPV, Mary became Margaret’s second-in- command. When Margaret died in 1920, aged just forty-seven, Mary was the main beneficiary named in her will. The house Mary and Margaret shared at 10 Cheyne Walk now has a blue plaque to commemorate her and a birdbath dedicated to her memory stands in the garden nearby. It is inscribed with the following quote, “He prayeth best who lovest best all things great and small”.[9]

Mary Allen

Mary Sophia Allen was born into a large and wealthy family in 1878. Although she was close to her sisters, she argued with her father, who was very traditional and against the emancipation of women. Mary left home in 1908 and joined Mrs. Pankhurst’s WSPU. She was imprisoned three times for breaking windows. During her incarceration she went on hunger strike and was force fed twice.

When war broke out in 1914, she joined the WPV and became close to Margaret Damer Dawson. She was seen as slightly eccentric as she preferred to be addressed as Robert or Sir.

Following the end of the war and Margaret’s death, Mary continued to wear her Women’s Police Service uniform. She was increasingly drawn to far-right politics. She met Hitler and Mussolini and joined the British Union of Fascists. The British government became concerned by her activities and when the Second World War broke out, she was banned from travelling more than five miles from her home in Cornwall and was not allowed to use a car, telephone or wireless. After the war, she continued to campaign for animal rights until she died in 1964.

All four of these amazing women were awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire). None of them ever married or had children.

I hope you enjoy reading “A Death in Chelsea” to learn more about these inspirational women.

About the Author.

H L Marsay grew up binge-reading detective stories and promised herself that some day, she would write one too. A Long Shadow was the first book in her Chief Inspector Shadow series set in York. Luckily, living in a city so full of history, dark corners and hidden snickelways, she is never short of inspiration. She has also written The Secrets of Hartwell Trilogy and The Lady in Blue Mysteries. The Chief Inspector Shadow Mysteries have recently been optioned for television.

When she isn’t coming up with new ways to bump people off, she enjoys drinking red wine, eating dark chocolate and reading Agatha Christie – preferably at the same time!

THE REPLACEMENT: Melinda Di Lorenzo Talks New Release and Author Name!

February 15, 2024 · Posted by Tule Publishing

What’s in a name? A rose by any other…yeah, you’ve heard that one before, right? Well, let me tell you a little story about my one and only regret as a professional writer. Yep. It’s my name.

Why, you might ask? It’s a perfectly good name. Not too common. Even a little romantic. And I don’t disagree. But if I could go back in time and change one thing about my career, it would be changing my name. Actually, it would be changing my names, plural. Why, you ask? It’s simple. I would love to have separated my genres (women’s fic, rom com, rom sus, mystery, YA, and thriller) by author name. I’ve thought about this so much that I even have names picked out non-existent pseudonyms for each one. For both women’s fiction and YA, I would keep Melinda Di Lorenzo. For my rom com stories, I would choose Minnie Read (my nickname and my maiden name, and which I think is super cute). My rom sus and mystery, I’d go with M.A. Read (my initials and maiden name). And finally, for my mystery and thrillers, I’d become M.D. Lorenzo because it makes me sound like a doctor. Sort of. ;)

But alas, I’m not a time traveler. And I think having only one regret in a decade and half of work isn’t too shabby, anyway. Which means my latest thriller, The Replacement (OUT NOW!), will be the real me, Melinda Di Lorenzo.

About the Author.

Melinda Di Lorenzo is an Amazon bestselling author, whose additional work includes titles for The Wild Rose Press, Amazon Encore, and Harlequin. She writes in a range of romance genres, from heart pounding heat, to nail biting suspense, to gutsy adventure.

Melinda lives on the beautiful coast of British Columbia, Canada, with her amazing and quirky daughters and her handsome hero of a husband. When she’s not writing, she can be found curled up with (someone else’s) good book, on the running trail, or at the soccer pitch.

SOMEONE ROTTEN RIDING THE RAILS: Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Kris Bock!

January 30, 2024 · Posted by Tule Publishing

The Accidental Detective humorous mystery series: A witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty.

Book 6: Someone Rotten Riding the Rails

Kate’s ready to blow the whistle on these crime families . . .

Former war correspondent Kate Tessler has solved multiple murders since returning to her childhood home in Arizona to heal after a bombing injury. Now Detective Padilla approaches Kate with a proposal: Two Russian mob families have arranged the marriage of their children and hired a scenic railroad for the wedding. The FBI wants eyes and ears on that train, but anyone who infiltrates the wedding must be above suspicion.

An Arizona newspaper will send Kate on assignment to cover the wedding, with Kate’s sister Jen posing as her photographer. Meanwhile, tech genius Mackenzie will oversee the dining car, while the seniors who make up the “Coffee Shop Irregulars” will pose as the passenger services agents who work each car.

Kate and her eccentric sidekicks are only supposed to observe and record anything suspicious, but that plan is quickly derailed. The groom disappears – from the moving train – and a search turns up a dead body but not the missing groom. The mob families aren’t about to call in the police, so it’s up to Kate and friends to uncover the truth before their whole mission goes off the tracks.

This story has roots decades in the past. When I was in my twenties, my parents moved to Saudi Arabia, where my father worked as an economist for an oil company. My brother and I joined my parents in various places for the winter holidays. One year that was Egypt as part of a tour group of Americans living in Saudi Arabia. We took a boat down the Nile for several days, stopping at various places to tour archaeology sites. Many people in the group already knew each other, and we quickly got to know them.

Which of course turned my mind to murder. Okay, that group was a lot of fun, but writers generally have a muse – or maybe it’s a little devil – whispering in their ear, “What if…?”

What if someone was murdered on about traveling down the Nile? No, what if someone disappeared from a boat in the river? How would that happen and why and who would be the suspects?

I never wrote a book set on a Nile river boat, but I did come across my notes while pondering my next Accidental Detective story. Arizona doesn’t have a lot of large bodies of water, of course. The only riverboat tour I know of, the Dolly Steamboat, has lake tours of about three hours, but I wasn’t sure how I’d make that work.

Arizona does have the Grand Canyon Scenic Railway, and wouldn’t that be a fun setting for a mystery?

My editor commented, “What a cool idea paying homage to Murder on the Orient Express and yet in Arizona.” But honestly, that hadn’t occurred to me! And I haven’t ever read Death on the Nile either, so while this might seem like an Agatha Christie homage, it wasn’t intended that way.

In any case, I had a ton of fun researching this story. My husband and I took the train from Williams, Arizona as a daytrip with three hours at the Grand Canyon rim. I grabbed our car’s passenger services agent, Craig, and asked questions such as “What would you do if a group claimed one of their party was missing?” and “Where could someone hide a body on the train?” He was a big help and didn’t even report me to any authorities!

Writing the novel was fun too, and I hope readers will enjoy it just as much.

Learn more or purchase The Accidental Detective humorous mystery series.

About the Author.

Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. In the Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. This humorous series starts with Something Shady at Sunshine Haven. Find The Accidental Detective Series in ebook or print on Amazon US, Amazon UK, or at Tule Publishing with links to all retailers.

Kris’s Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series follows a Texas ranching family that wins a billion-dollar lottery. Who wouldn’t want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves. The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Learn more at www.krisbock.com. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter to get a free Accidental Detective mystery story, a free cat café novella, and more.

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romantic comedy newsletter to get a short story preview, or find the books at Amazon US or All E-book retailers.

Find Kris: Website

Photo one: The Grand Canyon Scenic Railway at the depot.

Photo two: View from the train window.

Photo three: Kris Bock on the train with her husband.

Photo four: Passenger Services agent Craig and a singing cowboy entertainer.

Photo five: The “Sheriff” after the train is “robbed by bandits.”

A STOLEN SHADOW: Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author H L Marsay!

January 25, 2024 · Posted by Tule Publishing

A Stolen Shadow is set in January, a few weeks after A Christmas Shadow ended. The opening chapters include Shadow and Jimmy watching a performance of the pantomime Snow White. Unfortunately, the production does not go according to plan and Prince Charming is poisoned at the beginning of the second act.

Pantomimes have been popular in the UK for centuries. They are a form of family entertainment and are traditionally staged at or just after Christmas. They are usually based around a fairy tale or folk story such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk or Robin Hood and feature familiar characters including a pantomime dame (a middle-aged man in drag) and a pantomime horse or cow (two actors in an animal costume). There are musical numbers, dancing, slapstick comedy, lots of jokes and double entendres.

Audience participation is a big part of pantomime. Sweets are often thrown from the stage, and those watching are encouraged to join in with singing songs or to boo and hiss whenever the villain appears and call out phrases like, “He’s behind you!”. Whenever a character says “Oh yes it is,” the audience responds with “Oh no it isn’t.”

As readers of other books in the Chief Inspector Shadow series can probably guess, Shadow is not a fan of the pantomime. However, their popularity shows no sign of waning, particularly when famous actors are given a starring role. Recently, Sir Ian McKellen played the dame in a touring production of Mother Goose and this year, Dame Judi Dench stars in her first pantomime as the talking mirror in Snow White at Bury St Edmunds. So, love them or loathe them, it looks like pantomimes are definitely here to stay.

About the Author.

When she isn’t coming up with new ways to bump people off, she enjoys drinking red wine, eating dark chocolate and reading Agatha Christie – preferably at the same time!

KILLER CLOSE TO HOME: Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Carol Light!

January 11, 2024 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Killer Close to Home is the third book in my Cluttered Crime mystery series about Chicago professional organizer, Crystal Ward. Her latest client is her backyard neighbor, Roscoe Tremaine, who’s recovering from a broken hip and preparing to move into assisted living. A widower and something of a curmudgeon, Roscoe’s been a friend to Crys and her husband, Rick, especially when a shooting left Rick paralyzed. Roscoe’s only family—his brother, two nieces, and one great-niece—don’t see him often…by choice. When he summons them to his house, he asks Crys to stay to meet them. To her surprise, he announces he’s changing his will to disinherit his nieces and giving ten thousand dollars each to Crys and his caregiver, Wink Keller.

That night, Roscoe’s house explodes. Although the cause is soon confirmed to be a gas leak, Crys begins to suspect that it may not have been an accident. Wink is fortunate to have survived the blast, but now he’s out of a job. The explosion also has another casualty. Trying to get out of bed to help, Rick falls and dislocates his shoulder, which requires surgery. Crys hires Wink to help her husband during his recovery.

Soon mysterious “gifts” begin appearing on the Wards’ front porch. What at first seem like childish pranks turn into vandalism and worse. Crys must learn more about the dysfunctional Tremaine family, a new neighbor overly anxious to be her friend, and Wink to stop a killer close to home before she becomes the next victim.

I’m often asked where I find my ideas, and the answer is everywhere! News stories are particularly helpful. Years ago I read about a woman who started a business delivering dead flowers and bouquets of black roses. Her clients included soon-to-be divorced spouses, victims of unhappy breakups, or others wanting to express their angry feelings in flowers. That feature story stuck in my memory and gave me an idea for one of the items found on the Wards’ front porch.

Another news story about a house that blew up provided inspiration for a cause of death that could look like an unfortunate accident. One of the worst gas explosions in recent U.S. history was in my former hometown, Indianapolis, in 2012. Much larger in scope than the one in my story, the Richmond Hill explosion killed two people, injured seven, and left twenty-seven homes uninhabitable. The owner of the house where the explosion originated and four others were convicted on multiple charges, including felony murder and deliberately causing the blast to collect insurance money. I couldn’t bear to destroy Crys’s house, not with so much else going on in her life in this book, so I scaled down the blast. Fortunately, my research led me to an article about an explosion similar in size to Roscoe’s that (oddly enough) had also occurred in Indianapolis. Maybe it’s good that I moved to Florida, where we only have to deal with hurricanes, sink holes, alligators, pythons, black bears, and heat stroke. Then again, maybe not!

I hope you’ll enjoy Killer Close to Home. Characters you’ve met in the first two books, Room for Suspicion and Deadlier Than Fiction, return to offer Crys support and comic relief, including Maggie, Mitch, and Connie, although you don’t have to read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one. If you prefer to listen to books, I’m excited to announce that all three Cluttered Crime mysteries will be released in audiobook format in February and March 2024. The fourth book, No Room to Hide, will be published June 6, 2024 and will also be available as an audiobook.

Wishing you all a happy new year and hours of reading pleasure in the coming year!

About the Author.

Carol Light is an avid reader and writer of mysteries. She loves creating amateur sleuths and complicating their normal lives with a crime that they must use their talents and wits to solve. She’s traveled worldwide and lived in Australia for eight years, teaching high school English and learning to speak “Strine.” Florida is now her home. If she’s not at the beach or writing, you can find her tackling quilting in much the same way that she figures out her mysteries—piece by piece, clue by clue.

THE BODY IN SEVEN DIALS – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author H L Marsay!

October 11, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

The Body in Seven Dials is the first book in my new series, The Lady in Blue Mysteries. It is set during the First World War and focuses on the band of suffragettes who created the Women Police Volunteers, which eventually led to women being allowed to join the regular police. The main character is Dorothy Peto, who went on to become the first female superintendent at the Metropolitan Police.

During a Zeppelin raid, Dorothy discovers the body of a young woman and is convinced this death is linked to that of a famous actress, who was found dead in a theatre dressing room. However, she struggles to convince the Scotland Yard detectives that the two cases are connected.

Although the crimes Dorothy investigates are completely fictitious, she does interact with real historical figures, including leading members of the WPV such as Margaret Damer Dawson, Mary Allen and Nina Boyle, as well Asquith, McKenna and other politicians of the day.

It was easy to decide where the story should start. The action begins at Marlborough Street Police Court, where the notorious magistrate, Frederick Mead is presiding. Dorothy is there noting down the many injustices women experienced at the hands of the male dominated legal system, something members of the Women’s Freedom League spent hours doing.

However, I needed somewhere equally atmospheric to end the story. The Houses of Parliament maybe? Trafalgar Square? Or perhaps the docks in the East End, so badly damaged by the Zeppelins? Then I stumbled across Brompton Cemetery. There are over two hundred thousand people laid to rest there including Reginald Warneford VC, the first airman to shoot down a German airship in 1915 and Adelaid Neilson, a poor Yorkshire mill girl who found fame and fortune on the New York stage. Both these remarkable people sounded as if they could have walked into the pages of my book. Also, the cemetery was close to Earls Court where many Belgian refugees were living at the time and the sweeping colonnades and avenues of lime trees were the perfect backdrop for Dorothy to finally catch up with the murderer.

So, Brompton Cemetery it was. And where better to end a book featuring suffragettes than at the final resting place of Emmeline Pankhurst.

About the Author.

H L Marsay always loved detective stories and promised herself that one day, she would write one too. She is lucky enough to live in York, a city full of history and mystery. When not writing, the five men in her life keep her busy – two sons, two dogs and one husband.

SOMEONE MURDEROUS AT THE MIDNIGHT MOTEL – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Kris Bock!

October 2, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

When Kate Tessler left her celebrated career as an international war correspondent after an injury, she didn’t expect to dabble in detective work in her Arizona hometown alongside her sister, Jen. The duo is all in, but earning their PI license proves tricky. They need all the practice they can get, so when Jen’s college friend asks them to investigate suspicious activity at a motel he inherited, they take the job.

It sounds easy enough, with Kate and Jen planning to relax while they surveil the motel. But when Kate’s hot flashes wake her in the middle of the night, she wanders outside to cool off and stumbles over a dead body. Soon they’re caught up in their toughest—and most dangerous—case yet. Kate and Jen have no clue who they’re dealing with, and can’t trust anyone at the motel or the local police force they suspect of corruption.

Good thing they have their eclectic senior sidekicks to share the undercover work. But when they finally break the case, Kate needs to ensure she and Jen can survive the damage.

“I LOVE this series. It’s so funny but…murderous & the mystery is not messing around.” – author Sinclair Jayne

Learn more about the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series and get the links to all retailers or buy directly from Tule.

I started writing this series when I was 48. Kate is “facing fifty” (actually by this book she is fifty) which means dealing with midlife challenges. Like me, Kate has aging parents and worries about saving for retirement. Our bodies don’t heal as well as they once did. In fact, they may develop sudden pains from basic activities like opening a jar or getting out of bed.

And then there’s perimenopause. I was awake at 4 AM one night, wandering the house, trying to cool my body and quiet my mind. And then I started thinking …

What if you were at an English country house party and got up in the night to wander after a hot flash and found something wrong? (Can you guess the kind of books I’d been reading?) Or for a more modern version, maybe a resort with common areas or a hotel with an internal courtyard. Say you had to explain that you stumbled on the scene of a crime because of insomnia due to hot flashes. That would be unpleasant in real life – but a great mystery premise.

So I sent Kate and her sister Jen to a hotel on a case that seemed simple and quickly raised the stakes as Kate stepped into the courtyard to cool down and discovered … Well, no spoilers here. Let’s just say I originally suggested the tagline “No one warned her hot flashes could lead to death… “

I hope you’ll join Kate and Jen on their adventures and maybe find some laughter along the way. Because we are never too old to find humor in life’s challenges.

About the Author.

Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. In the Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. This humorous series starts with Something Shady at Sunshine Haven. Find The Accidental Detective Series in ebook or print. You can buy the books directly from Tule Publishing and also find links to other retailers.

Kris’s Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series follows a Texas ranching family that wins a billion-dollar lottery. Who wouldn’t want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves. The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Learn more at Kris’s website. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter to get a free Accidental Detective mystery story, a free cat café novella, and more.

Fall Into Our October 2023 Releases! (Plus Enter the Giveaway!)

October 1, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Read more about our new releases for October!

GIVEAWAY: We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the October releases. Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month.

Someone Murderous at the Midnight Motel by Kris Bock
(Tule Mystery)

Release Date: October 2, 2023
The Accidental Detective, Book 5

She didn’t anticipate a career change at fifty…

Forced to leave her celebrated career as an international war correspondent after an injury, Kate Tessler now dabbles in detective work in her Arizona hometown. She and her sister, Jen, need to take any job offered if they want to become true PIs. When Jen’s college friend asks them to investigate suspicious activity at a motel he inherited, it sounds like a free vacation with a little surveillance thrown in.

But when Kate’s hot flashes wake her in the middle of the night, she wanders outside to cool off and stumbles over a dead body. Soon they’re caught up in their toughest—and most dangerous—case yet. Kate and Jen can’t trust anyone at the motel or the local police force they suspect of corruption. Good thing they have their eclectic senior sidekicks to share the undercover work.

The lies pile up, the villains multiply, and the motel is hiding more secrets than they ever imagined. When they finally get a break in the case, Kate needs to ensure she and Jen aren’t collateral damage.

The Texas Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by Debra Holt
(Texas Born)

Release Date: October 10, 2023
Texas Heritage, Book 4

All they need for Christmas is a second chance nudge…

Sixteen years ago, MacKenna Davidson was a runaway bride, and she never found the courage to face her jilted fiancé and family back in Burkitt, Texas. Then her sister’s nuptials set off the very chain of events she’s feared: a sense of homecoming she can’t untangle.

Matteo Montez survived MacKenna once, and he refuses to fall for her again. But he has no choice except to team up with her when a fellow attorney informs them that a mutual friend has passed and named Matteo and Mackenna as her children’s guardians. How can he crush these little angels’ hopes for a family, especially at Christmas?

Mackenna is willing to work with Burkitt’s hottest bachelor to build a picture-perfect holiday, as long as her heart doesn’t get involved. Because she, too, has secrets that prevent her from picking up her past. But Christmas is a season of surprises and even a miracle or two—especially when Mackenna and Matteo have a guardian angel rooting for their happiness.

The Body in Seven Dials by H L Marsay
(Tule Mystery)

Release Date: October 11, 2023
The Lady in Blue Mysteries, Book 1

Inspired by the remarkable life of Dorothy Peto, the Metropolitan Police’s first female superintendent.

In 1914, the idea of a female police officer is dismissed as absurd, but to a small group of determined women, not impossible.

With men departing to fight for king and country, women have new opportunities at home. Dorothy Peto and her fellow suffragettes propose forming the Women’s Police Volunteers to assist police keep order. At first, the suggestion is derided, yet the force is stretched thin. As Dorothy and her friends train and organise to help refugees fleeing the war and guide terrorised Londoners to shelter during the Zeppelin raids, the ‘ladies in blue’ gain a grudging acceptance.

During one nightly bombing raid, Dorothy discovers the body of a beautiful, Belgian refugee in Seven Dials. Convinced the woman was murdered before the bombs fell, Dorothy’s determined to investigate even though the battle-scarred Scotland Yard Inspector remains skeptical of her ideas and enthusiasm. As the list of suspects grows—a British aristocrat, a Belgian gangster and a wealthy German industrialist—Dorothy must outwit the killer, and even some within the WPV.

Clued In Christmas by Mia Heintzelman
(American Heart)

Release Date: October 12, 2023
Love & Games, Book 3

Nadia Sikes usually loves the holidays—cozy game nights, snowy mountain girls’ trips, hours decking the halls at Love & Games. But when her two best friends and co-owners find love, all she wants is to tuck away her heart and make it through the season.

Quietly handsome bookstore owner and single dad Micah Hamilton is determined to a) build lasting Christmas memories with his little girl and b) avoid Nadia. When his daughter asks to attend the holiday festivities at Love & Games, though, Micah is forced to introduce the woman who broke his heart, to his child she never knew existed.

The scene would drive anyone to plot their romantic reunion…and someone does. Between turkey dinners, tree decorating, and mistletoe kisses, mysterious notes begin showing up at the game store. As Nadia strings together clues, motives, and suspects for this twisty whodunit, she and Micah are blindsided by the return of their desire.

Is it a mistake to lose themselves in each other again? Or will a Christmas miracle bring them back to where they belong?

Merry Christmas, Montana by Elsa Winckler
(Montana Born)

Release Date: October 16, 2023
The Millers of Marietta, Book 3

She doesn’t believe in miracles, but maybe this holiday her son’s Christmas wish will change her mind.

Single mom Riley O’Sullivan isn’t one to complain, but with her closest family members now settled in Marietta, Montana, while she still calls Portland home, finding good help isn’t as easy as it used to be. With Christmas approaching, Riley and her young son Dylan are excited to be in Marietta with family for the holidays; but she certainly doesn’t need maddening Mitch Miller coming to her rescue, awakening her senses, or making Dylan ask questions about what dads do.

Mitch Miller left his successful financial career behind him when he moved to Marietta with his two sisters. He’s not looking for love, but Riley captivates him like no other woman ever has. She thinks he’s an overprotective grinch–with good cause–but it’s clear to everyone Riley and Dylan could use a little Christmas magic and he’s willing to help. It’s not as if he’s offering his heart.

Perhaps all it will take to bring them together is the Christmas wish from one special little boy.

Once Upon a Christmas Beauty by Kyra Jacobs
(American Heart)

Release Date: October 17, 2023
Bourbon Falls, Book 2

This Christmas will be one for the books if they can open their eyes to the possibilities…

Mia Brooks-French threw everything she had into her marriage…until she walked in on her husband and his assistant. Now she’s shifted her focus to being the best mom possible to her sixteen-year-old daughter, her classroom of third graders, and her family’s struggling bookstore. Even Christmas is shaping up to be a challenge this year.

Unfortunately, businessman and bestselling author Alex Wellingham didn’t get the memo. This Christmas, he’s decided it’s finally time to go after the girl he’d firmly locked away in his memories. But Mia isn’t ready to let college bygones be bygones or risk her heart a second time.

His surprise trip to Brooks Books in flames, Alex accepts help from Mia’s sister, Delaney. The duo concocts a tale guaranteed to buy Alex time with Mia and the bookstore a featured guest for an upcoming charity event. But when snowflakes begin to fly and the fibs snowball, can Alex and Mia wake up and decide if this second-chance romance is the real gift of the season?

A Match by Christmas, by Jami Rogers
(American Heart)

Release Date: October 19, 2023
The Evergreen Brothers, Book 3

It’s going to be a merry Christmas—but only if they survive the wedding first.

Tuck Evergreen’s annual holiday plans are uncomplicated: return to Melody, Wyoming, for a few weeks, catch up with his family, then fly home to New York City. After all, Tuck promised his late father that he’d always honor his dreams of living in the Big Apple. But this year, he’s the best man in his brother’s wedding—which means he must tangle with the maid of honor, social media influencer Elle Morrison, daily.

Elle hasn’t enjoyed being around Tuck since he dissed her on Christmas three years ago. She’s done a great job of ignoring him since. But when the wedding couple falls ill just days before their I dos, it’s up to Elle and Tuck to finish pulling the event together.

Tuck despises public attention while Elle has made a career out of it. Thankfully, their rocky start quickly turns into a smooth friendship. Can they move past their differences to find their happily ever after, even as the secrets surrounding them begin to crumble?

Christmas in River’s Edge by Nan Reinhardt
(American Heart)

Release Date: October 23, 2023
The Weaver Sisters, Book 3

You can go home again…

After a painful divorce from her high school sweetheart, triplet Jenny Weaver returns to River’s Edge with her young son. While happy to be reunited with her sisters and working at the family’s marina, she has no intention of jumping into the dating pool, especially going into the holidays. Then Gabe Dawson, once a shy nerd who tutored her in history classes, arrives home transformed into a handsome hunk who makes her pulse race.

Archeologist and history professor Gabe Dawson thought he’d long ago outgrown his teen crush on Jenny. Back in town for a few months to help his mom post surgery, he can’t resist reaching out to Jenny. She’s as beautiful, warm, and funny as he remembered and soon Gabe is reconsidering his future.

Gabe is determined to seize this second chance, but can he convince a very wary Jenny that a globe-trotter is ready to come home for good this Christmas?

Christmas in Crickley Creek by Laurie Beach
(Southern Born)

Release Date: October 24, 2023
Crickley Creek, Book 3

She doesn’t need gifts under the tree this holiday season. What she longs for is a second chance.

Emma Shea Abernathy is fully aware of her social role: marry well, live extravagantly, and, most of all, exhibit perfection. And it started with saying “I do” to future governor Trent Broadway.

With her carefully crafted life in full swing, she knows she’s made a big mistake. Leaving it all behind, she hides out at her great-grandmother’s beach house in Crickley Creek. There, she discovers a secret room containing a well-preserved 1920s Prohibition speakeasy–and some surprising information about the women in her family. This leads to a new plan: to become a woman who acts contrary to what is expected. In other words, a Firefly Girl.

The problem is, no one else embraces her change of heart, especially her first love, Scruggs Willingham III. He still refuses to forgive her for marrying someone else. Despite the olive branches she extends throughout Crickley Creek, it appears she’ll spend Christmas alone.

Until a rare Christmas snow brings the one miracle she needs: the freedom to accept herself.

Her Cowboy Christmas Hero by Jeannie Watt
(Montana Born)

Release Date: October 26, 2023
Return to Keller Ranch, Book 4

She’s never had a true family Christmas….

As a child, Alex Woodson appeared to have it all, yet her life was an illusion. Now independent, Alex returns to the one place she was briefly happy—Marietta, Montana and starts an interior painting business. Her first client is the Keller Ranch. When Cade Keller unexpectedly arrives home, Alex promises herself she can ignore her former high school crush, who barely knew she existed. But the handsome cowboy is up in her business, flirting and tempting her with holiday activities she’s always dreamed of.

After leaving his job as an oil rig operator, Cade heads home to the family ranch for Christmas and to re-think his career. Seeing the former Woodson princess painting his family’s home is a distracting mystery he intends to solve. But the more time he spends with Alex, the more he’s intrigued.

Cade tells himself he’s just being neighborly by inviting Alex to join his family for their holiday traditions, but he’s lying. He’s falling hard—unfair with his uncertain future. Alex is wary, knowing life is never a fairytale.

A Poinsettia Paradise Christmas by Janine Amesta
(American Heart)

Release Date: October 30, 2023
Love in El Dorado, Book 2

This Christmas a lump of coal might just turn into a diamond….

Natalie Gonzalez-Torres has never been a fan of Christmas. As the manager of her family’s coffee shop, she avoids all the holiday kitch. But this year, her uncle assigns her to run a coffee cart at Poinsettia Paradise tree farm to prove she’s ready to become a full partner. The assignment feels like a lump of coal in her non-existent stocking, until a Christmas tree farmer helps uncover her inner elf. Too bad she’s already given up on finding love.

Mason Lavigne bursts with expansion and improvement ideas for his family’s Christmas Tree Farm, but his dad still still sees him as a kid. This Christmas, Mason’s determined to prove his worth, especially after his dad mentions he’s thinking of selling. With his stress off the charts, helping Natalie is a bright light this holiday season as long as Mason’s not distracted from his mission by her sparkling eyes and quick wit. They both have something to prove but doing it together might be more than they can resist.

Meet Tule Publishing’s First 10 Mystery Authors as Part of our #Tule10 Anniversary!

September 30, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Tule Publishing has hit a milestone 10 years and we’re celebrating all month long with showcasing some of our first 10’s! Learn more about our first 10 authors, meet our first 10 cowboys, and maybe find yourself wrapped up dreaming of the holidays with our first 10 Christmas stories!

We are so thankful for each of you for continuing to put your faith in us to continue bringing you amazing reads. You are a crucial part to our success and we couldn’t have made it to our 10th anniversary without you! We hope you stick around all month for more celebratory blogs and are looking forward to another 10 years – cheers!

Meet Tule Publishing’s First 10 Mystery Authors

Meet CJ Carmichael

USA Today Bestselling author C. J. Carmichael has written over 45 novels in her favorite genres of romance and mystery. She has been nominated twice for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, as well as RT Bookclub’s Career Achievement in Romantic Suspense award, and the Bookseller’s Best honor.

She gave up the thrills of income tax forms and double entry book-keeping in 1998 when she sold her first book to Harlequin Superromance. Since then she has published over 35 novels with Harlequin and is currently working on a series of western romances with Tule Publishing. In addition C. J. Carmichael has published several cozy mystery series as an Indie author.

When not writing C. J. enjoys family time with her grown daughters and her husband. Family dinners are great. Even better are the times they spend hiking in the Rocky Mountains around their home in Calgary, and relaxing at their cottage on Flathead Lake, Montana. Visit C.J.’s website at http://CJCarmichael.com

Meet Jane Graves

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jane Graves has written twenty-two contemporary romance novels. She has received Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award, the romance industry’s highest honor, and is the recipient of two National Readers’ Choice Awards, the Booksellers’ Best Award, and the Golden Quill, among others. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

Jane lives in the Dallas area with her husband, a highly organized engineer who keeps their lives in order because one of them has to. Her hobbies include daydreaming, avoiding exercise, and drinking cheap wine.

Meet Leslie Marshman

Award-winning suspense author Leslie Marshman is (finally) putting her psychology degree to good use, getting inside the heads of her characters and figuring out what makes them tick. She writes novels that feature kick-ass heroines, the heroes who love them, and the bad guys who fear them.

Leslie called Denver home until she married a Texan without reading the fine print. Now she lives halfway between Houston and Galveston and has learned to embrace the humidity. Her household includes two miniature poodles named Harley and Davidson, and a three-legged box turtle named Stumpy.

If she’s not at her computer making things up, you’ll probably find her camping at a lake, a fishing pole in one hand and a book in the other.

Meet Nancy Robards Thompson

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Nancy Robards Thompson has worked as a newspaper reporter, television show stand-in, production and casting assistant for movies, and in fashion and public relations. She started writing fiction seriously in 1997. Five years and four completed manuscripts later, she won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart award for unpublished writers and sold her first book the following year. Since then, Nancy has sold 30 books and found her calling doing what she loves most – writing romance and women’s fiction full-time.

Meet Candace Havens

Bestselling and award-winning author Candace Havens has had more than thirty novels published. She is one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities from George Clooney to Chris Pratt. She does film reviews on Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS.

Meet Katherine Cowley

Katherine Cowley’s debut novel, The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her Mary Bennet spy series continues with the novels The True Confessions of a London Spy and The Lady’s Guide to Death and Deception.

Katherine loves history, chocolate, traveling, and playing the piano, and she has taught writing classes at Western Michigan University. She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with her husband and three daughters.

Meet H L Marsay

Meet Winter Austin

Winter Austin perpetually answers the question: “were you born in the winter?” with a flat “nope,” but believe her, there is a story behind her name.

A lifelong Mid-West gal with strong ties to the agriculture world, Winter grew up listening to the captivating stories told by relatives around a table or a campfire. As a published author, she learned her glass half-empty personality makes for a perfect suspense/thriller writer. Taking her ability to verbally spin a vivid and detailed story, Winter translated that into writing deadly romantic suspense, mysteries, and thrillers.

When she’s not slaving away at the computer, you can find Winter supporting her daughter in cattle shows, seeing her three sons off into the wide-wide world, loving on her fur babies, prodding her teacher husband, and nagging at her flock of hens to stay in the coop or the dogs will get them. She is the author of multiple novels.

Meet Melinda Di Lorenzo

Melinda is an Amazon bestselling author, whose additional work includes titles for The Wild Rose Press, Amazon Encore, and Harlequin. She writes in a range of romance genres, from heart pounding heat, to nail biting suspense, to gutsy adventure.

Meet Kaz Delaney

Award winning YA & children’s author, Kaz Delaney, and her alter ego, have currently sold 73 titles between them over a 26 year career.

Her books have won many awards, among them the prestigious Aurealis Award for best paranormal and ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association) awards. Her novel ‘Dead, Actually’ (Allen & Unwin) was nominated for a Davitt Award, (Best crime novel, Sisters In Crime) in the YA section. Dividing her time between teaching and writing, Kaz formerly tutored Creative Writing for CSU’s Enrichment Program as well as teaching and creating courses for the Australian College of Journalism.

Having always had a love of cozy mysteries, Kaz is having so much fun writing her Hart of Texas Mystery Series for Tule Publishing, that she worries it’s not legal!

With their family grown and gone, Kaz lives with her wonderful husband at beautiful Lake Macquarie, Australia, a place she describes as a strip of land between the ocean and lake. Like Rosie, Kaz loves to bake and grow vegetables and unlike Rosie, manages to make a mess of every crochet task she undertakes.

. . . . . . . . . .

Thanks for stopping by to meet the first 10 mystery authors of Tule Publishing! Here’s to a great year of #Tule10!

DEADLIER THAN FICTION – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Carol Light!

September 7, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

You probably won’t like Don Shirley when you meet him in the opening scene of my latest mystery, Deadlier Than Fiction. I don’t blame you. Don is LOSING IT, and the target of his ire is the protagonist of my Cluttered Crime mysteries, Crystal Ward, a professional organizer who is helping her client, Barb Shirley, convert her grandchildren’s playroom into an adult space that both Barb and Don can enjoy. Crys’s session is going well until Barb’s husband appears, red-faced and screaming at Crys about the old, dusty novels she’s donated to a charity.

No, Don’s not at his best in this scene, but when you understand what’s at stake for him, I hope you’ll have a little compassion for the man.

When I create characters, I picture their physical appearance, sometimes finding a picture on the internet that matches the image I have of them. Next, I decide what their key personality traits and values are. However, characters really start to have more dimension when I consider their relationships, both past and present. Who were their parents? Do they have any siblings? Who most influenced them to become the people they are today? Are they married and what is that relationship like? Who are their friends and who are their enemies? Many of the background stories I create are never shared with readers, but they help me to understand what drives my characters and whether they play well with others—or not.

Back to Don Shirley, the red-faced husband having a major meltdown and yelling at poor Crys. Don’s relationships are really to blame for that moment, not that I’m excusing his behavior. Don and Barb, who are long married and busy with careers, don’t communicate much about household matters. It would have helped Crys if they’d consulted about the book collection before Barb okayed the donation. But why should they? The bestsellers from the seventies had sat undisturbed in a bookcase for years. Then there’s Don’s relationship with his older brother, Bob, whom he both idolizes and fears. The strong bond between the two brothers has ensured that a deadly secret is kept for decades. Those dusty books? They’re hiding more than bestselling plots. Add into the relationship mix Bob’s greedy wife, some old elusive buddies of his, ex-cons that Barb is employing to do yard work… Like entwined cords, these relationships start to unravel even faster than Crys can untangle them, leaving more mayhem behind than an Arthur Hailey disaster novel.

Meanwhile, Crys has her own relationship issues, especially with her husband, Rick. A detective with the Chicago Police Department, Rick was paralyzed five years ago when he was struck by a bullet that damaged his spine. He struggles with the idea of his wife going into strangers’ homes and makes her promise to keep him informed and not protect him by keeping her problems to herself. Crys is agreeable, but she is also ready to take her business, Organizing Chicago, to a wider client base by advertising on the internet and social media. Unfortunately, Rick isn’t yet onboard for that step. The more Crys finds out about the Shirley’s, the more concerned—and curious—Rick becomes. Unless Crys can convince him to become a more active partner in both her business and sorting out this mystery, their relationship will continue to be a battle of wills.

Relationships. We can’t live without them, and in mystery novels, they can be deadly. I hope you’ll enjoy reading Deadlier Than Fiction and will continue to follow Crys and Rick in the Cluttered Crime mystery series.

Even if you never do like Don Shirley.

About the author.

Someone Murderous at the Midnight Motel by Kris Bock (Tule Mystery)

The Texas Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by Debra Holt (Texas Born)

The Body in Seven Dials by H L Marsay (Tule Mystery)

Clued In Christmas by Mia Heintzelman (American Heart)

Merry Christmas, Montana by Elsa Winckler (Montana Born)

Once Upon a Christmas Beauty by Kyra Jacobs (American Heart)

A Match by Christmas, by Jami Rogers (American Heart)

Christmas in River’s Edge by Nan Reinhardt (American Heart)

Christmas in Crickley Creek by Laurie Beach (Southern Born)

Her Cowboy Christmas Hero by Jeannie Watt (Montana Born)

A Poinsettia Paradise Christmas by Janine Amesta (American Heart)

Someone Murderous at the Midnight Motel by Kris Bock
(Tule Mystery)

The Texas Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by Debra Holt
(Texas Born)

The Body in Seven Dials by H L Marsay
(Tule Mystery)

Clued In Christmas by Mia Heintzelman
(American Heart)

Merry Christmas, Montana by Elsa Winckler
(Montana Born)

Once Upon a Christmas Beauty by Kyra Jacobs
(American Heart)

A Match by Christmas, by Jami Rogers
(American Heart)

Christmas in River’s Edge by Nan Reinhardt
(American Heart)

Christmas in Crickley Creek by Laurie Beach
(Southern Born)

Her Cowboy Christmas Hero by Jeannie Watt
(Montana Born)

A Poinsettia Paradise Christmas by Janine Amesta
(American Heart)