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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle Release Party Mega Giveaway

LRC's Roast Mortem Publication Release Party Mega Giveaway

WHAT:  A Party To Celebrate the Release of Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle

HOSTED BY:  Lori's Reading Corner

WHERE:  Book Blogs Across The U.S.A 

      WHEN:  August 3 - 16, 2010

Clare Cosi, manager and head barista of the landmark Village Blend coffeehouse, has perfected the pulling of steaming hot espressos. But can she keep New York’s Bravest from getting burned?


After the firefighters of Ladder Company 189 pull Clare’s friends out of a blazing café, she happily comes to their rescue. As a favor to the men, Clare visits their firehouse kitchen to teach them the finer points of operating their newly donated espresso machine. But as she gets to know these fearless few, more than their coffee turns out to be hot. Somebody’s torching cafés around the city, and firefighters are beginning to die in suspicious ways.


Believing the two events are related, Clare investigates, staking out a five-borough bake sale and sniffing out clues in the pizza joints of Brooklyn. Then her detective boyfriend, Mike Quinn, is pulled into the fire of a false accusation and Clare is desperate to put out the flames. But will she be able to come to Mike’s rescue before someone tries to extinguish her?


"Coyle's strong 9th Coffeehouse Mystery pays tribute to New York City firefighters." ~ Publishers Weekly

A Note from Cleo Coyle


My husband and I have been living and working in New York City for over twenty years. Our Coffeehouse Mysteries—a unique blend of crime, romance, humor, and action—are set here, too, around a landmark Greenwich Village coffee shop called the Village Blend.

Through eight books now, our quirky town has fueled us with strange-but-true ideas for characters and plotlines from criminal to culinary. For the ninth entry in our series, we drew inspiration from yet another local source: New York’s Bravest.

It’s hard not to admire New York firefighters (and I’m not even going to flash you with the annual hunks in hardhats calendar). Oh, sure, they can be as cranky and crazy as the rest of us. After all, most of them actually like running into burning buildings. But I think of them more as knights in bunker gear.

Every day, these men and women beat back a new fire monster, rescuing citizens from the jaws of its wreckage. Their firehouses look like castle strongholds. Even their symbol is a knightly one—the Maltese Cross. “Every firefighter works in courage,” states the FDNY, “a ladder rung away from death, willing to lay down his life for you.”

Now that’s the stuff of heroes and (crazy or not) heroes inspire writers. In fact, the very idea of running into a burning building to save an innocent victim struck me as the perfect analogy for what Clare Cosi does in our Coffeehouse Mysteries.


A divorced single-mom in her forties, Clare is a coffee shop manager by day, an irrepressible snoop by night. When something is wrong, she considers it her mission to right it—and arson that leads to murder is as wrong as it gets.

At the start of Roast Mortem, an unknown arsonist begins torching cafés around the city. When an FDNY ladder company comes to the rescue of Clare and her co-workers, she returns the favor by rescuing these fearless few from some seriously bad coffee. Then her new firemen friends begin dying in suspicious ways, and Clare finds reason to believe their deaths are connected to the “Coffee Shop Arsonist.” Unfortunately, an overly-flirtatious member of the FDNY stands in her way. This strapping captain clearly has something to hide. But as Clare starts to dig deeper, someone threatens to extinguish her.

If you've never read a Coffehouse Mystery, don't let that stop you from picking up a copy of Roast Mortem. You can certainly enjoy it as a stand-alone novel. If you’ve been a fan of the series, this is one you won't want to miss because this is more than just another murder mystery for Clare Cosi. The events of the story trigger highly personal consequences that keep her reeling until the very end.

Read with joy!
~ Cleo



CLEO’S TASTY RECIPES

Like Cleo’s previous Coffeehouse Mysteries, Roast Mortem has a culinary theme and includes delicious recipes of foods mentioned in the story. CLICK HERE to get a sneak peek at the book’s recipe section, partly inspired by some firehouse kitchen favorites.

And speaking of firehouse kitchens, Cleo invites you to meet some real FDNY firefighters as they prepare the most important meal of the year—Thanksgiving Dinner. (Video courtesy of YouTube)


WIN FREE COFFEE!
Sign up for Cleo’s FREE
E-newsletter and you will be entered in all of her weekly coffee drawings. Just send an email to VillageBlend@aol.com that says “Sign me up”

To find out more about Cleo
or download her free bonus recipes, visit her virtual coffeehouse at: Coffee House Mystery

Praise for Cleo Coyle’s
Coffeehouse Mysteries…

“Clare and company are some of the most vibrant characters I've ever read. Coyle is also a master of misdirection and red herrings. I challenge any reader to figure out whodunit before Coyle reveals all”
—Mystery Scene

Starred review. “Coyle's Coffeehouse books are superb examples of the cozy genre because of their intelligent cast of characters, their subtle wit, and their knowledge of the coffee industry used to add depth and flavor to the stories...Highly recommended for all mystery collections.”
—Library Journal


CLICK HERE to read Roast Mortem’s
Prologue and First Chapter.

Bonus excerpt below…


First came the sound, a monumental whoosh followed by a hissing roar. The white-hot concussion rippled through the air, the cafè's front window exploded outward, and the blast washed over me.

My eyes had been at keyhole level while I worked that stupid, stubborn lock, and the force of the firebomb knocked me right through the doorway.

Sprawled on my back on the debris-strewn sidewalk, I turned my head, stared at the carpet of glass shards. Blood was pumping through my system so fast I could barely recognize voices yelling, a car horn beeping.
I was unhurt. Small scratches maybe, a few bruises, a little bleeding—big deal—I was okay otherwise, and I focused on throwing off the shock.

Wheezing and coughing, I got back on my feet. Smoke rolled out of the cafè, the noxious fog billowing upward in a succession of black, misshapen balloons. I scanned the sidewalk for my beer-filled barista.

“Dante!” I shouted, rushing back to the doorway. “Dante!”

Flames painted the cafè’s walls, spilling their colors onto its tables. The searing light in the urban night would have been beautiful if it weren’t so deadly.

“Dante! Answer me!”

Smoke stung my eyes. I gritted my teeth, swiped at my cheeks, peered harder into the chaos.
Up front, the heavy marble espresso bar counter appeared undamaged. But in the rear of the shop, the embroidered fabric that had masked the utility room was a raging curtain of flame. Finally I spotted him—or, rather, his big, black Diesel boots—sticking out amid a cluster of overturned tables. Taking a deep breath (and praying to God it wouldn’t be my last), I went in....

Roast Mortem: A Coffeehouse Mystery
Now Available in Hardcover
from Berkley Prime Crime




How the giveaway will work

I've decided to try this little experiment where we will cross promote this giveaway across the blogosphere while at the same time spreading the word about the release of Roast Mortem. If this is the success I hope it is, I will be be hosting at least one per month and maybe two.

Lori's Reading Corner will be the Grand Hostess for this giveaway.  All U.S.A. book bloggers out there are welcome to join. Each blogger will host the same contest on their site. After your contest is set up you will come back here and place a link to your contest in the Linky below. 

Non-bloggers -- enter each contest from the links below.

You MUST be a follower of both Lori's Reading Corner and of Lori on Twitter - @lorisbookblog to host this contest.   

You MUST use the same promo info in your contest as I have here, including linking to Cleo's site, Coffee House Mystery.  The design lay out is, of course,  up to you. 


You MUST collect the following information from the entrants in your contest ~

         * Name
         * Email address
         * Mailing address (so that the prizes may be sent right out)
         * Mailing to the USA ONLY ** NO PO BOXES
         * 18 years or older

         * You may also include the option for additional entries for such things as ~ following your blog, following my blog, following you and/or me on Twitter, signing up for Cleo's newsletter, or following Cleo on Twitter or Facebook.  (Links must be left to verify tweets,blogs etc. An example of one of my forms with some of these items may be found HERE).

Each person may enter the contest ONE time per blog (although if you add the additional entry options, they could have up to X amount of entries just on your site.)  HOWEVER they may enter the contest on as many blogs as they wish in order to increase their chances of winning.

When the contest is over, each host will choose one person from those that have signed up on their blog and come back here to my blog. I will have a google document set up where each host will then put their name, their blog name, and the email and mailing address of the entrant they chose to be a finalist to win one of six (6) amazing prizes.  AND, don't you hosts worry - there is a GRAND prize,  just for one of you!!  The blog hosts will have 72 hrs to submit their entrants before the winners are chosen.

PRIZES PRIZES PRIZES     



MEGA Prize ~ awarded to one HOST of the giveaway



 Grand Prize ~  awarded to ONE entrant


 Runner-up Prize ~  awarded to five (5) entrants

* 1 Personally inscribed copy of Roast Mortem (Coffee House Mystery) by Cleo Coyle   
* 1 Firehouse Cookbook
* 1 Gimme! Coffee 12 oz Latte cup and saucer
* 1 Bag of Cops coffee (regular or decaf, their choice!)



To enter my giveaway fill out this form.
+1 for following Lori's Reading Corner.
+1 for following my blog.
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