Hiya, book peeps!
I hope you’re all keeping safe and healthy during these trying times. When the world is scary, I don’t know about you, but I turn to books for community and connection.
The timing of this post couldn’t be better, as I’m thrilled to share with you a delightful cozy mystery entitled KILLER CHARDONNAY written by my fellow 2020debuts author and friend, Kate Lansing! Consider this your next great quarantine read!
KILLER CHARDONNAY is the first installment of the Colorado Wine Mystery series, which is wonderful because that means more great books to come! I had the pleasure of reviewing an ARC of Kate’s book and I tore through it in a weekend. I didn’t want to put it down, it’s THAT good! (Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50966672-killer-chardonnay#other_reviews)
I can see this story as a movie or TV series already. I hope there are some producers listening! Kate is extremely talented and a wonderful person to boot. In addition to writing, I love that we also share a passion for running and often watch the same shows, most recently His Dark Material (a-ma-zing!) and Schitt’s Creek (lmao).
I hope you enjoy discovering more about Kate and her work! It’s more important than ever for us to support authors debuting and promoting work during these uncertain times, as well as local booksellers. Just this weekend, a favourite indie bookstore in my neighbourhood sent out an SOS to help them survive the month, and I’m pleased to report that our community responded in kind. I hope you’re able to show some book love and pre-order Kate’s book, and support your local indies as well!
Stay safe and happy reading!
AK: Tell us a little about yourself.
KL: I’m a book nerd, runner, math geek, and foodie who lives in Denver, Colorado with my husband, 3-year-old daughter, and chair-napping tabby cat named Maple.
AK: What’s the premise of your book?
KL: Killer Chardonnay is the first book of my cozy mystery series about a young winery owner named Parker Valentine who expertly pairs wine with solving murders in picturesque Boulder, CO.
AK: What inspired you to write it?
KL: My husband and I have enjoyed tasting wine together for nearly a decade, and at one point even harbored a daydream of owning a winery. This story was a way for me to vicariously fulfill that fantasy in combination with one of my other passions: mystery writing!
AK: What are you most looking forward to this debut year? And conversely, what are you most nervous about?
KL: I’m most looking forward to seeing my book in the wild—nonchalantly strolling past it at my local library or bookstore—and, of course, cheering on my fellow debut authors! Thinking about people actually *gulp* reading my book is probably what I’m most nervous about, even though THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT!
AK: What authors do you admire and/or have influenced your development as a writer? Please feel free to add specific books, we love recommendations!
KL: I read a broad range of genres and have been inspired by so many authors. To name a few: Dame Agatha Christie (a prolific writer as fascinating as the mysteries she crafted!), Sarah J. Maas (her Throne of Glass series blew my mind), Stephen King (truly a master storyteller), Sophie Kinsella (her voice is amazing in every book but I especially adore her standalones), Barbara Kingsolver (love how she weaves themes of natures into every one of her novels), and I could just keep going…
AK: What are you working on now?
KL: Hard as it is to believe, I just started drafting Book 3—tentatively titled Mulled to Death!
AK: What question do you wish I had asked, and answer it!
KL: Ooh, what a fun question! How about—What is the most challenging part about writing mysteries?
I’ve always viewed writing mysteries as playing a game with the reader. As the writer, I want to surprise the reader with whodunit but in a way that’s fair, that gives all the puzzle pieces ahead of time to assemble. Clues, suspects, and the general obfuscation of events are all part of the game. But readers are savvy, so believe me when I say, it’s easier said than done!
BOOK INFO:
Release date: May 26, 2020
Synopsis:
Parker Valentine has always dreamed of opening her own winery in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado. But she gets more than she bargained for when a food and wine critic unexpectedly shows up at Vino Valentine on opening day. A negative review could be fatal for her business, and not only does he seem to hate her chardonnay, he also collapses and dies shortly after drinking it.
Although Parker hoped that the attendees would put a cork in it, soon her winery is at the center of a social media firestorm. With #killerchardonnay trending online, Parker’s business is in danger of closing, and she has no choice but to investigate the murder herself.
To restore her reputation, catch a killer, and keep her struggling business open, Parker needs only one thing: some good proof.
Where To Get Your Copy:
Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621060/killer-chardonnay-by-kate-lansing/9780593100189
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/killer-chardonnay-kate-lansing/1133313986?ean=9780593100189
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=killer+chardonnay
Let’s Get Social:
Website: http://katelansing.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lansingkm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kmlansing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lansingkm/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7162275.Kate_Lansing
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-lansing
Publisher’s website: https://www.penguin.com/publishers/berkley/
Anita Kushwaha, Author 
Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Anita, and for your kind words about Killer Chardonnay!! I’m so very happy we’ve connected over the past year <3 And I LOVED reading the story about your local bookstore–it's amazing what a community can do when we all pull together! :-)
The pleasure was mine, Kate! Thanks so much for taking the time and I can’t wait for you book to be out in the wild! Hopefully by then all this uncertainty will be behind us! I’m so so happy we’ve connected too! xoxo