Giveaway: Carol Ann Newsome

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Winner TBA

I had great fun in Chicago and sharing a booth at The Bookcon 2016 with Carol Ann Newsome who writes the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries. So, of course, I bought all her paperbacks and had her autograph them for me.

Then I convinced her to give away her first two paperbacks – A Shot in the Bark and Drool Baby – to a lucky reader of this blog. Whoot!

FYI – The ebook for A Shot in the Bark is also available for free on Amazon, iTunes, B&N, and Kobo. Then, if you sign up for Carol Ann’s mailing list, she will send you the second book for free as well!!

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C. A. (Carol Ann) Newsome writes the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries, a series of fun, romantic suspense/mystery novels inspired by and centered around her mornings at the Mount Airy Dog Park with two former street urchins named Shadda and Chewy (Chewbacca Wonderpup, Master of Confusion), along with a furry piranha named Gypsy Foo la Beenz (see picture at left).

A life-long lover of fiction, Carol turned to books and audiobooks during her decade-long recovery from a head injury. Years of immersing herself in popular fiction lead to imagining the book she wanted to read, and wondering if she could write it. The result was the first book in her mystery series. You can find out more about Carol on her website or Facebook page.

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GIVEAWAY

To enter to win the two gorgeous paperbacks pictured above all you need to do is comment below and let me know:

What is your favourite breed of dog and why?
Bonus entry: share a picture of your dog on Carol Ann Newsome’s Facebook Page (mention that you’ve done so in your comment below, along with your username if it’s different). Tag the photo with these hashtags: #dogparkmysteries #liaandersonmysteries #MCDgiveaway

Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Each comment will be assigned an entry number. ONE winning entry will then be selected via random number generator. One entry per person (plus bonus entry if applicable). Please make sure to fill out a valid email address in the comment form. Email addresses are not collected for any purpose other than notifying the contest winner.

If you haven’t commented on the blog before, or you comment from a different IP address, the comments are moderated. So don’t worry if you don’t see your entry right away. I will approve it, then assign it an entry number.

Contest closes SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2016 at 8 p.m. PDT.

Unexpected treats

So this insanely gorgeous crystal pen holder just showed up in the mail. <3 It’s a sneaky gift from writer friend, C.A. Newsome. <3

When Carol Ann asked for my mailing address last month I assumed she needed it because she’s doing all the heavily lifting for the booth we’re sharing at Bookcon in Chicago next May.

Sly, Carol Ann! And, thank you so much! Now the nib of my Parker fountain pen won’t dry out in-between writing sessions!!

Now, what little gift should I send Carol Ann in return? Some chocolate perhaps? 😀

Writer Wednesday: C.A. Newsome and her Perfect Chocolate

Perfect Chocolate by C.A. Newsome

The main character of my Dog Park Mysteries is a starving artist. Lia’s idea of economy is to practice the best nutrition she can to stay healthy, something I’ve pursued most of my life. Her/my culinary endeavours frequently appear in the books.

I love this chocolate because it is so easy to make. It’s great brain and mood food, and much more satisfying than store bought. If you make the darker version, I find that one one of these is enough to satisfy. – Carol Ann Newsome

½ Cup Coconut Oil, melted

½ Cup Raw, Local Honey

¼ Tsp Sea Salt (Celtic or other unrefined salt, to taste)

2 Cups Raw Cacao Powder

30 Mini Paper Baking Cups

Optional: nuts and dried fruit of choice. This version contains dry-roasted, salted almonds and dried cherries.

If your kitchen is chilly, set your coconut oil on a trivet over the pilot light on your stove until it turns liquid, then measure out ½ cup into a large mixing bowl.
Use the same cup to measure out your honey, and add it to the oil along with the salt. (The oil residue keeps the honey from sticking.)
Stir in the cacao powder, ¼ cup at a time. You should end up with a big ball of chocolate that clings to itself and has the consistency of dense frosting.
Take a fork (I like to use a shrimp fork) and place a glob into each of the mini baking cups
Optional: Press nuts and dried fruit into the top of each candy if desired.
Place the cups in the refrigerator until they harden. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to eat them. You can set them on a cookie sheet for this step, then place in a plastic container after they set. Or you can do what I do and save those 6 ounce clamshells they pack berries in at the grocery store. Those are perfect for storing these.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Variation: for a darker chocolate, cut the honey to ¼ cup. You may have to “force” the cacao in. This chocolate will be stiffer.

Um, where is my coconut oil? I desperately need to be making this right now!! – MCD

Synopsis: Starving artist Lia Anderson makes a new friend at her seasonal job scoring academic proficiency tests. Desiree is a sassy, fun, pocket-sized sex-pot and owner of a larcenous beagle named Julia. Desiree also has a secret admirer who leaves her tiny figurines sculpted from twisted aluminum foil.

The friendship falls afoul when the pair discovers a secret connection in their past, a secret Lia’s detective boyfriend, Peter Dourson, kept from her.

When Desiree is murdered, Lia not only winds up with the woman’s kleptomaniac beagle, she also inherits her stalker. On the outs with her beau and with the police on the wrong track, Lia will have to rely on her wits and her friends if she wants to stay alive.

MCD note: Sneak Thief is the fourth book in the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries. You can find all the books on Amazon, B&N, iTunes, and Kobo. Note for the Amazon links: simply change the .com to .ca or .co.uk to get redirected.

Author Bio C.A. “Carol Ann” Newsome is an author and painter living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her two rescues, a lab/chow mix and a mini schnauzer. They can be found every morning at the Mount Airy Dog Park, home of the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries. Connect with Carol Ann on her website.

Writer Wednesday – C. A. Newsome

Let’s welcome author C. A. Newsome to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! I haven’t had a chance to read any of Carol Anne’s books yet, but her mystery series is getting a lot of buzz!! It averages 4 stars out of 197 reviews on Amazon – NICE!!

Made by C. A. Newsome

I began researching brain foods after a head injury in 2001. Food has an enormous impact on your ability to concentrate, as well as your levels of energy, your mood and your health. After years of experimentation, I’ve settled on the following recipe as the best way for me to start my day. This recipe makes about one quart. You can serve it up as breakfast for two, or do what I do and have half for breakfast and half for lunch.

My main character shares many of my food quirks. Her boyfriend, Peter, prefers Pop Tarts. He refers to the following recipe as Lia’s Pond Scum Smoothie. – C.A.

Lia’s Pond Scum Smoothie
Put 1 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen) in your blender
Add enough chopped kale to fill the rest of the blender without packing (I use pre-washed, chopped kale. Baby kale has a lovely texture and milder taste, but it’s expensive and doesn’t last as long in the fridge).
Add 12 ounces water or almond milk
Blend.
Add 1 banana and 1 avocado
Blend until smooth, adding additional water or almond milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Option: Add a Tablespoon of green powder.
Option #2: 1-3 Tablespoons ground chia seed for extra fullness, protein and Omega 3s

Green powders are a great way to supplement. Chlorella and spirulina are excellent brain foods. I make my own green powder, combining 4 ounces each cracked cell chlorella and spirulina with 2 ounces each of wheatgrass powder and barley grass powders. I put these in a glass quart jar, then close the lid and gently roll the jar around until they combine. – C.A.

I’ve been doing a green smoothie every morning in 2014 so far – yes, an actual New Year’s resolution – so I’m totally looking forward to trying Carol Anne’s recipe. Also, her main character, Lia, has “food quirks”? I think MANY of my characters could relate – LOL.

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A Shot in the Bark

Synopsis: Would you recognize a serial killer if you met one? Talked to one every day? Artist Lia Anderson doesn’t, and neither does anyone else who frequents the Mount Airy Dog Park.

When Lia’s boyfriend, Luthor, dies violently, Detective Peter Dourson is assigned to the case. Peter penetrates the close-knit group of dog lovers with the help of Viola, the dead man’s dog. The more he learns, the more he is convinced that someone is not who they seem. As the investigation uncovers Luthor’s secrets, Lia struggles to make sense of her feelings about Luthor and her growing attraction to Peter. Meanwhile, a killer hides in plain sight and anyone can become a target.

AMAZON – iBOOKS – BARNES & NOBLE

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C. A. (Carol Ann) Newsome writes the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries, a series of fun, romantic suspense/mystery novels which are inspired by and centered around her mornings at the Mount Airy Dog Park with her trio of rescues (rowdy hooligans).

A life-long lover of fiction, Carol turned to books and audiobooks during her decade-long recovery from a head injury that occurred when she and her bike were struck by a car. Years of immersing herself in popular fiction lead to imagining the book she wanted to read, and wondering if she could actually write it.

She is also an artist with an M.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati. You’ll see portraits of some of her favorite four-footed friends on the covers of her books. She enjoys creating community-based public artworks. As an artist, she is best known for her New Leaf Global Good-Will Guerrilla Art Project.

Her other interests include astrology, raw food and all forms of psychic phenomena. She likes to sing to her dogs. The dogs are the only ones who like to listen.

Catch up with Carol Ann online at her website. Pssst, she’s been known to do LOTS of giveaways!!