Brian here: "Murdermobile 4: The Fall Will Kill You" is published on Kindle, and its Halloween theme is just in time for autumn reading. Based on a plot roughed out before my dear wife departed, this is the satisfying final voyage for Portland's magenta bookmobile. To celebrate, or to entice you in if you've not yet joined the ride, the original "Murdermobile" is free on Kindle through Wednesday. More details to come about the latest story; watch this space!
THIS UPDATE is long overdue, dear fans of Hester, Nate and Pim. It was just something I couldn't bring myself to write until now. Almost two years ago, in April 2021, my best friend and beloved partner, in life as well as publishing, died of breast cancer. Barbara was diagnosed in May 2016. Thanks to a combination of traditional and nontraditional medicine and her own almost indomitable willpower, she lived five more years. Four of those years were quite good. We retired to our island, took some wonderful trips, and she and I continued to collaborate on the Murdermobile series, publishing the Christmas-themed mystery "Iced, with Sprinkles" just four months before her passing. (Click here to read Barbara's obituary.) Before I lost her daily corporeal companionship and the enjoyment of her lovely smile and lively sense of humor, we had solidly begun plotting out a fourth book. I've resolved -- more than once -- to complete and publish that final Portland Bookmobile Mystery. It's tough to do it on my own, and not as much fun. Even as her illness progressed, Barbara was solidly involved in plot and characterization. But Nate and Hester live on in my mind. They're like imaginary friends, and I find some solace in revisiting them as I type away in my writing hut on the rocky knoll behind our San Juan Islands cabin. When the plot takes an interesting new twist or a good red herring presents itself, I feel Barbara looking over my shoulder. It's slow going, but I'm gaining ground on it. I'll keep you posted. Thanks to everybody who has read and enjoyed our books. It made Barbara happy, and that made me happy. Gratefully, Brian Cantwell DON'T SAY WE NEVER GAVE YOU ANYTHING. Or gave you a good deal, anyway. Starting Tuesday, December 8, you can get the Kindle version of our new Christmas-themed mystery, "Iced, with Sprinkles," for the bargain price of 99 cents. Don't wait long, though, or the price will hop to $1.99 a day or two later, then $2.99, and then back to the regular price of $3.99 (which is still a screaming good deal for hours of cozy holiday entertainment, right?). Happy reading! FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, was the first parade night for Portland's annual Christmas Ships (CLICK FOR VIDEO LINK), which play a central role in the plot of our new yuletide murder mystery, "ICED, WITH SPRINKLES." They're running the parades despite the pandemic, urging spectators to stay safe, mask up and stay socially distanced. If you're in the region and need a dose of holiday cheer, don't miss it. Here's a link to the schedule.
YOU'VE READ "MURDERMOBILE," but haven't quite gotten around to the memorable hijinks of our sequel, "CORPSE OF DISCOVERY"? Carpe diem, while it won't cost you a dime. We're running a giveaway promotion of the Kindle edition December 1-3, just in time to get you hooked again on Nate and Hester so you can forge ahead into the holidays with their newest, Christmas-themed adventure, "ICED, WITH SPRINKLES." In fact, go to our new Portland Bookmobile Mysteries series page on Amazon (linked here) and you can order all three with a few quick clicks. P.S. They're all available in handsome paperbacks, too, if you're looking for a gift for your favorite mystery reader. Get the set! IT'S READY FOR YOU: the 2020 model of the magenta "Murdermobile." Grab the keys and blast off in a cloud of blue exhaust. Or just grab an eggnog, a Christmas cookie (or two) and curl up with the latest edition to our Portland Bookmobile Mysteries family, "Iced, with Sprinkles," just published in November 2020. Hester, Pim and Nate are back, as the bookmobile takes a new careen into mayhem during Portland's coziest time of year. There's a new team member aboard the book bus, and quirky new characters ranging from a crusading newspaper columnist to a bunch of crusty old salts who live on their boats on the Willamette River. There's plenty of jolliness to go around, until one of the skippers ends up circling the drain. Order today, in e-book or paperback. Just click here. TO BUILD EXCITEMENT among new readers in advance of next month's release of our first-ever Portland Bookmobile Yuletide Mystery, first-timers can board the "Murdermobile" without paying a nickel. Tell your friends: We're staging an Amazon giveaway of the Kindle e-book. The chills and thrills on the magenta book bus are perfect for Halloween season, and readers will be in the mood for a cozy holiday sequel, coming November 14. (But why wait, you can pre-order on Amazon today.) We hope new readers enjoy the ride. -- Barbara and Brian P.S. Look for a Kindle Countdown sale on Book 2, "Corpse of Discovery," next week, starting at just 99 cents. And pre-order now for our holiday-themed Book 3, "Iced, with Sprinkles." SOMETIMES LIFE JUST CATCHES UP WITH YOU and you wander away from the things you love to do. Our lives have seriously evolved since we published our second Portland Bookmobile Mystery, "Corpse of Discovery." Day jobs got busier. Health issues intervened. Then retirement came along and we relocated to a cabin on a tiny island in Washington's beautiful San Juans. We've both pursued other writing projects and continue to do so, but we've kept coming back to talk about Hester McGarrigle, Nate Darrow and Ethel Pimala, the principals in the Murdermobile mysteries. We agreed that it's like being a kid with imaginary friends. We just can't let them go. Now we're dodging a pandemic, have lots of at-home time on our hands, and have realized that a quarantine is the perfect time for imaginary friends. So Nate, Hester, Pim and the bookmobile have rolled back into our lives. And in the midst of all this stress in the world, like Auntie Mame and her charge, Patrick, we decided we "need a little Christmas, right this very minute." So we're in the thick of writing a cozy holiday mystery we're calling "Iced, with Sprinkles." Hint: Pim's beautifully iced Christmas cookies play a starring role. We're having loads of fun. We promise it on Amazon by November. -- Barbara and Brian OK, so the new "Murdermobile" sequel has been on your summer reading list for a few weeks but you just haven't gotten around to punching the BUY button? Now's the time. To help push through the dog days of summer (and yes, a dachshund plays a starring role in this story), we've put "Corpse of Discovery" on a KIndle Countdown. It's on sale! Buy before Sunday for just 99 cents. And if you're still not quick enough with the BUY NOW button, you still have a couple days after that before it returns to the full retail of $2.99 (at which price you're still getting away with. ahem, murder). Plop down the beach towel, slather on the sunscreen, and happy reading. -- Barbara and Brian We're thrilled that we had almost 3,000 takers in our May Day giveaway of "Murdermobile." Thanks for your interest if you're one of our new readers. If you enjoy the story, we cordially invite you to write a review on Amazon -- it takes 5 minutes -- or vote with your pocketbook and buy "Corpse of Discovery," the next story in our series, which published this week. (Do you like how we worked that in? We thought it was subtle.) cheers! -- B.B. |
AuthorBrian and Barbara are the B.B. in B.B. Cantwell. Here we'll share occasional updates on coming stories, plus general observations on the good, the bad and the ugly in the process (mostly the good). Please feel free to join in with a comment or question. Categories
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