Cold Brew Corpse, a Coffee Lovers Mystery by Tara Lush
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Rafflecopter Giveaway + Author Pet Corner!
Cold Brew Corpse
Espresso bar owner Lana Lewis returns in Tara Lush’s second Coffee Lover’s mystery, a stimulating read that fans of Cleo Coyle and Laura Childs will savor to the last drop.
It’s a steamy September, and business is brisk at Perkatory, the hottest coffee shop in Devil’s Beach, FL. Much of the clientele pours in from Dante’s Inferno, the hot yoga studio next door. But the bright, sunny Gulf Coast days turn decidedly dark-roast when the body of the studio’s owner turns up in a nearby swamp.
Between running Perkatory and training Stanley, her golden Shih Tzu puppy, reporter-turned-barista Lana Lewis is too busy to go sleuthing. But when the editor of the local paper asks her to write about the murder, Lana’s dreams of getting back into journalism start to percolate.
Lana discovers that the yogi has a nefarious past and her share of mug shots, so grinding her way through the suspect list is a large task. She learns that the victim was fatally beaned by an SUV before she was dumped in the swamp. But was the killer one of her students? An envious yoga teacher? Or a local photographer who seems to know too much?
But no one tells Lana Lewis what to do. Hunting the caf-fiend who killed the yogi puts Lana and Chief Noah’s relationship–and Lana’s life–in very hot coffee.
To purchase Cold Brew Corpse, click any of the following links: Amazon, Apple, Barnes&Noble, Kobo & Penguin Random House
Cold Brew Corpse: A Coffee Lover’s Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Florida
Crooked Lane Books (December 7, 2021)
Hardcover : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1643857886
ISBN-13 : 978-1643857886
Kindle ASIN : B08Y8DJVGJ
Other Digital ISBN-13: 9781643857893
Interview with Tara Lush — Author of Cold Brew Corpse
Cold Brew Corpse is the second book with Lana Lewis as amateur sleuth. Anything you’d like readers to know about book one, Grounds for Murder?
Both books can be read as standalones, but for maximum enjoyment, it’s best to read them in order! Book one details the reasons why Lana is back home in Devil’s Beach. Most importantly, it introduces a key character: Stanley the Shih Tzu. He is one of Lana’s many sidekicks, and it’s worth reading Grounds for Murder just to read his origin story.
Tell us about Devil’s Beach, Florida and Perkatory:
Devil’s Beach is based loosely on several places in my home state of Florida. One is Sanibel Island on Florida’s Gulf Coast, and another is Gulfport, Florida, a small city near where I live.
Gulfport is filled with artists, hippies and other new age types, and has many cute cafes in the historic downtown similar to Perkatory. I like to think of it as Old Florida, something that a lot of people don’t realize exists.
My Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise cross, Wyatt, is the love of my life. How are things going for Lana with Stanley?
Things are going pretty well with them! They love each other in Cold Brew Corpse, but Stanley is still a young puppy. Lana takes him to puppy kindergarten and Stanley isn’t exactly compliant.
This is my experience with Gigi, my own Shih Tzu, by the way!
What should readers know about Chief Noah?
Chief Noah is a kind and gentle man who comes from a law enforcement family in Tampa. He’s Cuban-American, and moved to Devil’s Beach to be chief. The laid back island lifestyle appeals to Noah, and in an upcoming book he might change professions. He’s also enamored with Lana, who is a bit chaotic. Noah’s quite organized.
He also loves dogs.
You are an award-winning environmental journalist, tell us what that has entailed and what draws you to that work?
I am no longer a reporter—I became a full time author in March of 2021, much to my happiness and sanity. I was a reporter for 30 years, and did a lot of work on the BP Oil Spill in 2010. I draw a lot from my days in news in my books, and a lot of Lana’s observations about the news industry are based on reality. I loved being a reporter because I was nosy, and now I just am equally as nosy about my characters and fictional murder.
What are you working on now?
I’m waiting to hear about another cozy series from a publisher, and working on a romance — I write romance under my real name (Tamara Lush). Hopefully later in 2022 I’ll start the fourth Coffee Lover’s Mystery! (The third will be published in October 2022).
Words of Wisdom for aspiring writers:
Read widely. Read often. Read in your genre, and read narrative non-fiction, where a lot of great writing exists.
Author Pet Corner!
Tara Lush
Tara Lush is a Florida-based author and journalist. She’s an RWA Rita finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow, and the winner of the George C. Polk award for environmental journalism.
She was a reporter with The Associated Press in Florida, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters, and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations under the name Tamara Lush.
Tara is a fan of vintage pulp fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, 1980s fashion, tropical chill, kombucha, gin, tonic, seashells, iPhones, Art Deco, telenovelas, street art, coconut anything, strong coffee, and newspapers. She lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband and two dogs.
To learn more about Tara, click on her name, photo, or any of the following links: FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM & GOODREADS
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January 4 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
January 4 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
January 5 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
January 6 – The Mystery Section – RECIPE
January 6 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
January 7 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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January 8 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 8 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
January 9 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 10 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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January 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
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January 12 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
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January 14 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST
January 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
January 16 – ebook addicts – SPOTLIGHT
January 17 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite bookstores and on-line retailers.
For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator 2020
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery 2020
I loved this author interview! Thank you for the book love!
So great to have you back on my blog! Congrats on the new book.
Wonderful interview.
Thank you for visiting!