A Guest Blog with Laura Childs,

A Guest Blog with Laura Childs, New York Times

bestselling cozy writer and author of GLITTER BOMB,

a New Orleans Scrapbook Mystery.

I can’t quite get over the fact that Glitter Bomb is book #15 in my New Orleans Scrapbook Mystery series. The characters, the settings, the plots are just so much fun to write that it feels more like I’m just launching this series.

Of course, the grand dame city of New Orleans is a character unto itself. We’re talking Southern gothic glamour, haunted cemeteries, world class cuisine, bad behavior, and – wait for it – Mardi Gras!

Yup, Mardi Gras takes center stage in Glitter Bomb as scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand and her BFF Ava Grieux (the glamazon) gear up for a week of parades, parties, beignets, and beads. But as they’re held spellbound by the raucous Pluvius parade as it rolls through the French Quarter, the enormous King Neptune float explodes right before their eyes and sends a plume of glitter soaring high into the night sky. The float shudders, hundreds of lights pop like cheap cheeseburgers, and riders are flung from the rapidly disintegrating float. A local hedge fund bigwig is also bounced off – and then found dead, buried under a suffocating layer of gold glitter.

Carmela’s ex-husband Shamus is also tossed from the float, but the police soon eye him as a key suspect due to a bad investment he made. Of course, Shamus (cad that he is) pleads with Carmela for help. As Carmela reluctantly launches her own shadow investigation to try and clear Shamus, she’s forced to dodge the watchful eye of her fiancée Detective Edgar Babcock.

And it wouldn’t be a Glitter Bomb of a book if I didn’t bring in crazy elements like haunted cemeteries, a bizarre funeral, fashion show, high speed sports car chase, and a fancy cocktail party at the zoo topped off by hungry alligators – proving that New Orleans is definitely a favorite go-to spot for visitors as well as readers.

And does Carmela finally get an engagement ring from her long-standing boyfriend turned fiancée? It’s all answered in the very last chapter.

Carmela’s dogs, Boo and Poobah, turn out to be star characters as well. They adore living in her French Quarter apartment and taking walks down Royal Street and Bourbon Street, and hanging out at the Café du Monde where they definitely beg for beignets.

This is a book that practically wrote itself over the space of four months – I felt like I was just pulled along for the ride. And I’m equally thrilled that every single chapter features a scary, shivery scene, plenty of outrageous humor, craft tips, and spectacular New Orleans recipes! There’s no filler, it’s all thriller, and a paean to the exciting and crazy world of the Big Easy!

BIO

Laura Childs is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of the Scrapbooking Mysteries, Tea Shop Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Recently, Book Riot named her mysteries to their list of “25 of the All Time Best Cozy Mystery Series.” In her previous life Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, enjoys travel, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Thanks for a great guest post, Laura!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Laura will give away a copy of GLITTER BOMB to one lucky commenter!

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Winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  Don’t forget to mention all you’ve done in your comment. Good luck! US entries only please! Contest ends midnight, October 4!