Henny Penny Farmette

Today’s blog will be a short one–I’m tracking down the foxes that showed up on my front porch after snagging a chicken from my neighbor’s hen house.  The foxes stood on my front porch late last night. My hubby saw them and thought they were cats. He checked on our chickens to make sure they were safe and called me.

I am house-sitting and pet-sitting for a relative who lives a mile away. This means I am running back and forth between the two properties, while trying to blog, do farming chores, and clean.

But today is special because it is the official release day for THE MURDER OF A QUEEN BEE, the second cozy mystery in my Henny Penny Farmette series. So I’m taking an extra hour or two here and there to blog and post publicity.

Enter the Goodreads giveaway to win a copy of Lester’s newest offering

I’m thrilled that already the book is garnering praise from industry publications like Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, and Booklist. Additionally, it is creating buzz in the cozy mystery and new fiction blogosphere.

Goodreads has a giveaway for three autographed, hardbound copies of THE MURDER OF A QUEEN BEE. The giveaway drawing runs from midnight September 29 through midnight August 6. See more at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28439447-the-murder-of-a-queen-bee

Happy birthday/release day to my second novel, and good luck everyone entering the drawing. I hope you like ex-cop turned farmette owner Abigail Mackenzie’s newest adventure involving the murder of her herbalist friend Fiona and Fiona’s links to a New Age cult.

I love it when the reviews start rolling in for one of my novels . . . in this case, THE MURDER OF A QUEEN BEE. Here’s a highlight of the Booklist review to be published in that magazine’s September 1, 2016 issue:

“Framed with details of beekeeping, herb growing, and living and working on a small farm in California, this charming cozy also includes well-drawn, engaging
characters and a promising new romance for Abby.”–Sue O’Brien

The first two novels in the Henny Penny Farmette series from Kensington Publishing.

For more than a century, Booklist magazine has been and continues to be the go-to resource for American librarians (see, http://www.ala.org/offices/publishing/booklist/).

As libraries develop and evolve their collections of all types of library materials for virtually every genre and age group, they depend on reviews that Booklist provides. As an author, I appreciate having positive reviews from respected publications such as Booklist and Kirkus as well as other media in their respective platforms. As a cozy author, I also appreciate the exposure my novels get on blogging sites and other social media platforms.

*           *           *

Publisher’s Weekly, a major industry magazine that reviews books had this to say in its August 29, 2016 issue regarding THE MURDER OF A QUEEN BEE by Meera Lester (Kensington HC/October 2016/978-1-61773-913-2)

“Lester ticks all the boxes…This one is for lovers of cozy mysteries that are heavy on the cozy.” – Publishers Weekly

I’m also thrilled that Kirkus Review (see, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/), a valuable industry-firsts reviewing resource since 1933, has offered a review of my forthcoming novel, THE MURDER OF A QUEEN BEE that includes an excellent plot summary and this take-away quote about my protagonist ex-cop Abigail Mackenzie:

“Abby naturally finds it hard to concentrate on murder while she’s trying to decide what to do about Clay and her newfound attraction to Jack.  The second from Lester (A Beeline To Murder, 2016) is long on romance, sweet tips, and honey recipes. . . . [and] mystery, too.”

The Murder of a Queen Bee, byLester, Meera
312 p. Kensington, hardcover,  $25. (9781617739132)
E-book,  $11.99. (9781617739149).

These novels are available through online retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books, and Walmart as well as from traditional bookstores everywhere.

See, http://tinyurl.com/hxy3s8q

Now available in mass market paperback, this debut novel launched the Henny Penny Farmette series of mysteries and sold out its first press run.

See, http://tinyurl.com/h4kou4g

The second cozy mystery in the Henny Penny Farmette series, available Sept. 27, 2016, is now available on Net Galley (netgalley.com) for professionals and readers who write reviews.