A manipulator. A fatal plan for revenge. A Hush at Midnight: Secrets, Scandals and a Recipe for Murder a Thriller by Marlene Bell Book Tour with Guest Post & Giveaway
of
A Hush at Midnight
By Marlene Bell
Tour Begins November
4
Book Summary
Celebrity chef Laura Harris dwells
on the horror of finding her mentor’s body in the groundskeeper’s disheveled
bed—pillow and bedding half covering her open eyes—purple bruising around her
mouth. A grisly snapshot in time revealing the Texas woman’s last moments
during her attack. The elderly matriarch from the small town of Stenburg has
left the physical world, and Laura is shattered.
She is catapulted headlong into
the pursuit of a casual executioner, one bold enough to come
and go from the crime scene with
ease, dropping bizarre crumb trails designed to mock the
deceased. But Laura herself
doesn’t go unnoticed. As she digs deeper, she is followed and
bombarded by warnings to leave the
state.
When the victim’s attorney informs
Laura that she’s to inherit the entire Stenburg fortune, the
last act of kindness has made
Laura the main person of interest in the investigation.
Message by message, Laura is
methodically taunted by someone so deranged and driven
they’ll do whatever it takes to
dislodge Laura from Texas – permanently.
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing (October 1, 2024)
Print length: 350
pages
Purchase a copy of A Hush at Midnight on
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hush-Midnight-Secrets-Scandals-Recipe/dp/B0DG8K4CQD
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-hush-at-midnight-secrets-scandals-and-a-recipe-for-murder-by-marlene-m-bell
You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217568383-a-hush-at-midnight
WOW Tour – A Wonderful World of Words
A HUSH AT MIDNIGHT – “Tales from a
sheep ranch.”
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Thank you
for my most favorite topic to talk about! Sheep ranching over 42 years has had
so many ups and downs, it’s hard to choose a few tales…
When I met
my husband, Gregg, in 1979, he had a few blackfaced sheep and raised lambs strictly
for the table. He’d put his sheep showing days behind him as a teen when he
took a job with a utility as a line worker.
Fast forward
a few months after we were married, had moved from his Tracy ranch, and had
taken residence in yet another smaller ranchette; we received word that we were
about to move once again for a promotion. A terrible storm had hit the Bay Area
and he was called away to lead an electric crew to the damage. We had a butcher
on the way to slaughter five six-month-old lambs, and it was up to me to stand
by and watch the proceedings. There are things to look for when animals are
butchered for consumption. Nothing I’d ever done before. I’d been trained by
Gregg on how to check the organs, but I wasn’t prepared to watch the lambs take
their last breaths without Gregg, all who were named by me. Each lamb had their
own personality.
To make
matters worse, the butcher did the most unthinkable thing. He left the heads
attached to the hides strewn out to dry on pallets. We’d asked for the hides
because we planned to have them tanned. Their lifeless faces—known by me. It
was tough, but I got through that most traumatic event. My first indoctrination
into the real world of raising butcher lambs.
I came away
from that experience with a simple truth: “Never name an animal you plan to
eat.” Lesson learned. From that point forward, we only named the sheep we planned
to keep back as breeding stock.
I was a city
girl who loved animals, lizards, insects, you name it. When I married Gregg, the
sheep opened up an entirely new world to me. Through years of moving and
various promotions, we eventually landed in Bakersfield, California where we
were able to build our numbers of sheep once again. Through many local contacts
in that first year, I met a woman through the Woolgrowers Women’s Auxiliary.
Most of these women were wives of the Basque commercial sheepman grazing
thousands of sheep on the hillsides of the Tehachapi mountains and desert
regions of California.
My new
friend, Virginia, raised five breeds of sheep and showed them at county fairs.
We quickly became fast friends as I trucked up and down the state showing our
sheep alongside hers. Thus, beginning my national sheep-show career. The same
sheep showing road my husband had traveled twenty years earlier became my goal
as well. This opened the doors to taking our breeding sheep to shows and sales
across the country in the 1990s.
During
several sessions with our 4H club members who had purchased their lambs from us,
I was asked to write a book on raising sheep. I took it as a dare and did just
that. I loved the experience so much; the venture went a bit farther, and in
2018, my first work of fiction hit the market as book #1 in my Annalisse
series, STOLEN OBSESSION.
My love of
sheep has led me to this writing venture I’m on with my latest novel, A
HUSH AT MIDNIGHT. I always say, “Things happen for a reason.” We
came to Texas in 2012 with 120 head of Horned Dorset sheep and we still have
sheep to this day, although we raise another breed. Katahdin hair sheep are
more our speed to keep us from the backbreaking work of shearing and enjoying
our sheep more.
**Thank you
for the opportunity to talk to your readers. I hope you enjoy my new mystery, A
HUSH AT MIDNIGHT!
About the Author
Marlene M. Bell has never met a sheep she didn’t like. As a
personal touch for her readers, they often find these wooly creatures visiting
her international romantic mysteries and children’s books as characters or
subject matter.
Marlene is an accomplished artist and photographer who takes
pride in entertaining fans on multiple levels with her creativity. Marlene’s
award-winning Annalisse series boasts Best Mystery honors for all installments
including these: IP Best Regional Australia/New Zealand, Global Award Best
Mystery, and Chanticleer’s International Mystery and Mayhem shortlist for
Copper Waters, the fourth mystery in the series. Her children's picture book,
Mia and Nattie: One Great Team!, written primarily for younger kids, is based
on true events from the Bell’s East Texas sheep ranch. The simple text and
illustrations are a touching tribute of belonging and unconditional love
between a little girl and her lamb.
You can follow the author at:
Website: https://www.marlenembell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlenembell
X/Twitter: @ewephoric
Tour-wide Giveaway:
There will be three winners for this giveaway
The Grand Prize is:
*An autographed proof copy of A Hush at Midnight
* Vintage collectible
hardcover book with dust jacket: Wildflowers Across America by former First
Lady, Ladybird Johnson
* A one-pound bag of
wildflower seeds
* $50 Amazon gift
card
Second and Third prizes will be autographed copies of A Hush
at Midnight.
Blog Tour Calendar
November 4th @ The Muffin
Join WOW as we celebrate the launch of Marlene Bell's blog
tour of A Hush at Midnight. Read an interview with the author and enter to win
a copy of the book
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
November 5th @ Boys' Mom Reads
Author Marlene Bell shares the beautiful blooms of Texas,
several which appear in her latest mystery A Hush at Midnight.
https://karensiddall.wordpress.com
November 6th @ Journalling Joy
Author Marlene Bell is sharing a guest post with her
thoughts on being an independent author.
https://www.saharsblog.com/
November 7th @ Book Reviews from an Avid Reader
A Hush at Midnight: come for the review, stay for the
giveaway!
www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com
November 8th @ Michelle Cornish
Don't miss today's review of the Texas mystery A Hush at
Midnight.
https://michellecornishauthor.com/blog/book-reviews
November 9th @ Silver's Reviews
Read an interview with Marlene Bell's latest sleuth. Plus, a
chance to win books and prizes in A Hush at Midnight giveaway.
https://silversolara.blogspot.com
November 11th @ Reading Is My Remedy
Have fun with a taste of Texas compliments of author Marlene
Bell
https://readingismyremedy.wordpress.com/
November 12th @ Author Anthony Avina
Need a helping hand? Marlene Bell shares her advice for new
writers.
http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com
November 13th @ Finished Pages
Have you ever wondered about the challenges of writing a
mystery series? Author Marlene Bell writes about her experience writing the
Annalisse series.
www.FinishedPages.com
November 14th @ Knotty Needle
Searching for a new mystery? Read Judy's review of A Hush at
Midnight by Marlene Bell.
http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com
November 16th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion
Learn more about Marlene Bell in today's interview.
https://bootsshoesandfashion.com
November 18th @ Life According to Jamie
Learn what Jamie thinks of the mystery A Hush at Midnight.
https://lifeaccordingtojamie.com/
November 18th @ Lit World Reviews
Learn author Marlene Bell's tips on Building an Advanced
Reader Team and read a review of her latest mystery: A Hush at Midnight.
https://litworldinterviews.com/
November 20th @ Create Write Now
Writing journeys are often surprising. Marlene Bell traces
her journey with From Mail Order Entrepreneur to Published Author.
https://www.createwritenow.com/journal-writing-blog
November 21st @ Words by Webb
Jodi shares her thoughts on Marlene Bell's latest book: A
Hush at Midnight.
www.jodiwebbwriter.com/blog
November 22nd @ A Storybook World
Forget about staying in your lane. Author Marlene Bell tells
the advantages of writing in multiple genres.
https://www.astorybookworld.com/
November 25th @ Chapter Break
Learn more about mystery author Marlene Bell and her latest
book A Hush at Midnight.
https://chapterbreak.net
November 26th @ What Is That Book About
Enter to win Marlene Bell's newest mystery: A Hush at
Midnight.
https://www.whatisthatbookabout.com/
November 29th @ Word Magic
Need some Thanksgiving fun? Relax with a good book: A Hush
at Midnight by Marlene Bell.
https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com
November 30th @ A Wonderful World of Words
The spotlight's on A Hush at Midnight with author Marlene
Bell posting Tales from her Sheep Ranch
https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/
December 3rd @ Writer Advice
Look behind the curtain at an author's life with mystery
writer Marlene Bell.
December 5th @ Some Thoughts - Everything Creativity
Kaecey will be interviewing Marlene Bell, author of the cozy
mystery A Hush at Midnight.
https://www.kaeceymccormick.com/blog
December 8th @ Some Thoughts - Everything Creativity
Kaecey will be reviewing A Hush at Midnight.
https://www.kaeceymccormick.com/blog
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