Download or read book Decoupage Can Be Deadly written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2013-11-15 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anastasia and her fellow American Woman editors are steaming mad when minutes before the opening of a consumer show, they discover half their booth usurped by Bling!, their publisher’s newest magazine. CEO Alfred Gruenwald is sporting new arm candy—rapper-turned-entrepreneur and Bling! executive editor, the first-name-only Philomena. During the consumer show, Gruenwald’s wife serves Philomena with an alienation of affection lawsuit, but Philomena doesn’t live long enough to make an appearance in court. She’s found dead days later, stuffed in the shipping case that held Anastasia’s decoupage crafts. When Gruenwald makes cash-strapped Anastasia an offer she can’t refuse, she wonders, does he really want to find Philomena’s killer or is he harboring a hidden agenda? Keywords: women sleuths, amateur sleuth mystery, cozy mystery, crafting mystery, crafts & hobbies, murder mystery, pet mystery, workplace mystery

Download or read book Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2015-01-28 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Anastasia Pollack’s husband permanently cashes in his chips at a roulette table in Vegas, her comfortable middle-class life craps out. She’s left with two teenage sons, a mountain of debt, and her hateful, cane-wielding Communist mother-in-law. Not to mention stunned disbelief over her late husband’s secret gambling addiction, and the loan shark who’s demanding fifty thousand dollars. Anastasia’s job as crafts editor at American Woman magazine proves no respite when she discovers a dead body glued to her desk chair. The victim, fashion editor Marlys Vandenburg, collected enemies and ex-lovers like Jimmy Choos on her ruthless climb to editor-in-chief. But when evidence surfaces of an illicit affair between Marlys and Anastasia’s husband, Anastasia becomes the prime suspect. Book of the Year nominee, ForeWord Reviews Readers' Choice Award nominee, Salt Lake City Library System Keywords: women sleuths, amateur sleuth mystery, cozy mystery, crafting mystery, crafts & hobbies, murder mystery, pet mystery, workplace mystery

Download or read book Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries Boxed Set written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2015-03-12 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first two books in the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series: Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun--When Anastasia Pollack's husband permanently cashes in his chips at a roulette table in Vegas, her comfortable middle-class life craps out. She's left with two teenage sons, a mountain of debt, and her hateful, cane-wielding Communist mother-in-law. Not to mention stunned disbelief over her late husband's secret gambling addiction, and the loan shark who's demanding fifty thousand dollars. Anastasia's job as crafts editor for a magazine proves no respite when she discovers a dead body glued to her office chair. The victim, fashion editor Marlys Vandenburg, collected enemies and ex-lovers like Jimmy Choos on her ruthless climb to editor-in-chief. But when evidence surfaces of an illicit affair between Marlys and Anastasia's husband, Anastasia becomes the number one suspect. Death by Killer Mop Doll--Overdue bills and constant mother vs. mother-in-law battles at home are bad enough. But crafts editor Anastasia Pollack's stress level is maxed out when she and her fellow American Woman editors get roped into unpaid gigs for a revamped morning TV show. Before the glue is dry on Anastasia's mop dolls, morning TV turns crime drama when the studio is trashed and the producer is murdered. Former co-hosts Vince and Monica—sleazy D-list celebrities—stand out among a lengthy lineup of suspects, all furious over the show's new format. And Anastasia has no clue her snooping has landed her directly in the killer's unforgiving spotlight.

Download or read book Patchwork Peril written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2014-04-23 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The third novelette to the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series. After rescuing her elderly neighbor Rosalie’s quilts from a rainstorm, craft editor Anastasia Pollack discovers Rosalie unconscious at the bottom of her basement stairs. Rosalie’s estranged niece Jane flies east to care for her during her recovery, but Rosalie suspects her motives are less than altruistic and even accuses Jane of trying to kill her. Is Rosalie’s paranoia a result of her head injury, or is there something more to her accusations? And can Anastasia uncover the truth before it’s too late?

Download or read book A Stitch to Die For written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2015-07-07 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The adventures of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack continue in A Stitch to Die For, the 5th book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Lois Winston. Ever since her husband died and left her in debt equal to the gross national product of Uzbekistan, magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack has stumbled across one dead body after another—but always in work-related settings. When a killer targets the elderly nasty neighbor who lives across the street from her, murder strikes too close to home. Couple that with a series of unsettling events days before Halloween, and Anastasia begins to wonder if someone is sending her a deadly message.

Download or read book Crafty Crimes written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2014-05-15 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An anthology of three Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mysteries, companions to the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series. Crewel Intentions Crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack receives a desperate phone call from former American Woman fashion editor Erica Milano. Erica is now in Witness Protection and living under a new identity in Western Pennsylvania. But someone is stalking her, and Erica has compelling reasons why she can’t go to the police or notify her Witsec handlers. Anastasia is the only person she can trust to help her, and she knows Anastasia won’t let her down. After all, Erica once saved Anastasia’s life. But will Anastasia be able to return the favor before the stalker strikes? Mosaic Mayhem So much for a romantic getaway...When cash-strapped mom and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack is offered an all-expense paid three-day trip to Barcelona, her only worries are whether her passport is still valid and arranging care for her semi-invalid mother-in-law during her absence. However, within hours of landing in Europe, she finds herself staring down the barrel of a gun and needing to convince a Spanish crime syndicate they’ve got the wrong person. Why do people on both sides of the Atlantic keep trying to kill this pear-shaped, middle-aged single mom, and magazine crafts editor? Patchwork Peril After rescuing her elderly neighbor Rosalie’s quilts from a rainstorm, crafts editor Anastasia Pollack discovers Rosalie unconscious at the bottom of her basement stairs. Rosalie’s estranged niece Jane arrives to care for her during her recovery, but Rosalie suspects Jane’s motives are less than altruistic, going so far as to accuse Jane of trying to kill her. Is Rosalie’s paranoia a result of her head injury, or is there something more to her accusations? And can Anastasia uncover the truth before it’s too late?

Download or read book Mosaic Mayhem written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2013-08-05 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second novelette to the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series. So much for a romantic getaway...When cash-strapped mom and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack is offered an all-expense paid three-day trip to Barcelona, her only worries are whether her passport is still valid and arranging care for her semi-invalid mother-in-law during her absence. However, within hours of landing in Europe, she finds herself staring down the barrel of a gun and needing to convince a Spanish crime syndicate they’ve got the wrong person. Why do people on both sides of the Atlantic keep trying to kill this pear-shaped, middle-aged single mom, and magazine crafts editor?

Download or read book Revenge of the Crafty Corpse written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2015-09-02 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anastasia Pollack’s dead louse of a spouse has left her with more bills than you can shake a crochet hook at. Teaching craft classes at her mother-in-law’s assisted living center seems like an easy way to supplement her meager income. But when Lyndella Wegner—a 98-year-old know-it-all with a penchant for ruffles and lace—turns up dead, Anastasia’s cantankerous mother-in-law becomes the prime suspect in her murder. Upon discovering that Lyndella’s scandalous craft projects—and her scandalous behavior—made her plenty of enemies, Anastasia sets out to find the real killer before her mother-in-law ends up behind bars.

Download or read book Death By Killer Mop Doll written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2015-01-28 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Overdue bills and constant mother vs. mother-in-law battles at home are bad enough. But crafts editor Anastasia Pollack's stress level is maxed out when she and her fellow American Woman editors get roped into unpaid gigs for a revamped morning TV show. Before the glue is dry on Anastasia's mop dolls, morning TV turns crime drama when the studio is trashed and the producer is murdered. Former co-hosts Vince and Monica—sleazy D-list celebrities—stand out among a lengthy lineup of suspects, all furious over the show's new format. And Anastasia has no clue her snooping has landed her directly in the killer's unforgiving spotlight. Keywords: women sleuths, amateur sleuth mystery, cozy mystery, crafting mystery, murder mystery, pet mystery, crafts & hobbies, workplace mystery

Download or read book Top Ten Reasons Your Novel is Rejected written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2012-11 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the years Lois Winston has given workshops and talks to several thousand aspiring writers. As a literary agent, she’s listened to hundreds of pitches and read through tens of thousands of query letters and manuscript submissions. Being both a published author and a literary agent gives her a unique perspective on publishing. She knows what it’s like to be the writer whose only desire is to sell a novel, and she knows what it’s like to have to crush someone’s hopes with a rejection letter. It wasn’t until she started sending out those rejection letters that she began to have a better understanding of why so many writers receive them. What she’s come to realize is that most manuscripts are rejected by agents and editors for one or more of ten basic reasons. Writers have control over some of these reasons but not all of them. This book will discuss these ten reasons and how writers can control more of their destiny by not falling prey to them. Whether your goal is to be published by a legacy publishing house or you plan to self-publish, this book contains invaluable information about self-editing, grammar, punctuation, point of view, telling vs. showing, passive vs. active writing, dialogue, narrative, voice, style, hooks, query letters, and synopsis writing. Key words: writing research, authorship, grammar & punctuation, editing & proofreading, composition & creative writing, publishing & books, writing skills

Download or read book Definitely Dead written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2014-06-30 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An homage to Dashell Hammet’s Thin Man movies with a modern day spin on Nick and Nora Charles. When her career is outsourced to Asia, fledgling romance author and empty-nester Gracie Elliott wants a job that will allow her time to write. So she opens Relatively Speaking, becoming a wing woman to the senior set. Since her clients need several hours each morning to find their teeth, lube their creaky joints, and deal with lower GI necessities, and they always turn in after the early bird specials, she has plenty of time to pen her future bestsellers. Gracie deliberately avoids mentioning her new business venture to husband Blake until after she signs her first client. Blake joins the company as a not-so-silent partner, tagging along to make sure Gracie doesn’t cause a septuagenarian uprising. When Client #13 is found murdered in the parking lot behind the Moose Lodge, Gracie knows, no matter how much Blake protests otherwise, she can’t wait around for the police to find the killer if she wants to save her livelihood. Keywords: murder mystery, amateur sleuth, female protagonist, humorous, contemporary, romance, dating, comedy

Download or read book Love Lies and a Double Shot of Deception written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2013-08-14 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life has delivered one sucker punch after another to Emma Wadsworth. As a matter of fact, you could say the poor little rich girl is the ultimate poster child for Money Can’t Buy Happiness — even if she is no longer a child. Billionaire real estate stud Logan Crawford is as famous for his less-than-platinum reputation as he is his business empire. In thirty-eight years he’s never fallen in love, and that’s just fine with him — until he meets Emma. But Emma’s not buying into Logan’s seductive ways. Well, maybe just a little, but she’s definitely going into the affair with her eyes wide open. She’s no fool. At least not any more. Her deceased husband saw to that. Besides, she knows Logan will catch the first jet out of Philadelphia once he learns her secrets. Except things don’t go exactly as Emma has predicted, and when Philadelphia’s most beloved citizen become the city’s most notorious criminal, she needs to do a lot more than clear her name if she wants to save her budding romance with the billionaire hunk someone is willing to kill for. 2008 Winter Rose Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction 2008 More Than Magic Award 2008 Laurie Award Key words: vengeful, contemporary, paparazzi, billionaire, murder, crafts & hobbies, second chance

Download or read book Lost in Manhattan written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2012-07-25 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One by one members of the Montgomery family have died in tragic accidents. Photographer Sarah Montgomery is the last surviving member of the aeronautics dynasty. After the death of her beloved grandfather, she accepts the fact that her husband never loved her and initiates divorce proceeding. On the way home from the lawyer’s office, Sarah is hit by a cab. Days later she awakens in the hospital and has no idea who she is. Industrialist Trent Caldwell harbors guilt over his wife’s death. A passenger in the cab that struck Sarah, he now feels responsible for her injuries. When no one steps forth to identify the woman in the hospital, he arranges for Mrs. Kearn, his housekeeper, to care for her in his home. Seeing in Sarah someone who just might draw Trent out of the darkness he’s succumbed to since his wife’s death, Mrs. Kearn sets about playing matchmaker. But the Montgomery family deaths weren’t accidents. Someone harbors a deadly secret and using skills perfected as a youthful IRA operative, has systematically eliminated the family out of a need for revenge. Realizing Sarah’s true identity, the assassin now has one more kill to make in order to fulfill a promise made long ago. Keywords: vengeful, urban, amnesia, billionaire, second chance, murder, love triangle

Download or read book Talk Gertie to Me written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2015-04-02 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two years ago Nori Stedworth fled the conservative mentality of both her parents and Ten Commandments, Iowa for Manhattan. She loves her new life—until one devastating afternoon that culminates with the arrival of her mother—complete with luggage, craft supplies, and a crisis of her own. Mom is suffering from middle-age meltdown. Her only identity is as a wife and mother, but her husband is a workaholic, and her daughter is halfway across the country. Grandchildren would give her life new purpose. Nori copes by resurrecting Gertie, her childhood imaginary friend, whose acerbic wit pushes Nori out of her comfort zone and into the arms of a way too good-looking radio station manager—much to mom’s dismay. She has other plans for her daughter. But when mom’s quirky crafts land her on TV, life for both Stedworth women takes an unexpected turn, and they learn it’s never too late to listen to your inner voice.

Download or read book Four Uncles and a Wedding written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2012-07-13 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Polly Faith Harmony is the ultimate ecumenical love child. Born to former hippies turned millionaire entrepreneurs, she’s one part Jewish, one part Catholic, one part Episcopalian, and one part Unitarian—hence her name. Could have been worse. Her Flower Power parents might have named her Polly Esther. Aside from her joke of a name, her great-uncles, one from each side of the family, are all members of the clergy, not to mention golfing buddies and best friends. To keep harmony in the Harmony household, Polly has grown up alternately attending all four houses of worship. When Polly’s feminist mother decides it’s about time her daughter settles down and starts providing her with grandchildren before her biological clock runs out, she enlists help from the four uncles. Polly and her friend Joni have penned The Top 10 Reasons to Call it Quits After the First Date, but Polly soon finds that thanks to her interfering relatives, the list is growing at an alarming rate. Worse yet, she learns that loving relatives on a mission will stop at nothing. Finalist TARA First Impressions Award Key words: chick lit, romantic comedy, family life, second chances, wedding, holidays, humorous

Download or read book Hooking Mr Right written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2012-06-23 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can a butt-ugly alley cat named Cupid bring together two people driven apart by secrets and lies? After writing a doctoral thesis that exposed fraud in the pop-psychology genre, thirty-two year old professor Althea Chandler sacrifices her professional integrity to save her family from financial disaster. She secretly becomes best-selling romance guru Dr. Trulee Lovejoy, self-proclaimed expert on how to catch a man, even though Thea's a miserable failure when it comes to relationships -- especially those with the opposite sex. Burned by a failed marriage, Luke Bennett finds himself pursued by Dr. Lovejoy toting women after a gossip columnist dubs him New York's most eligible bachelor. When he at first mistakes Thea for one of the women out to snare him, sparks fly, but the two soon find themselves battling sparks of a less hostile nature, thanks in part to that alley cat. Luke believes he's finally found an honest woman. Unfortunately, Thea is anything but honest. She's got more secrets than the CIA and a desperate gossip columnist out to expose her. Cupid definitely has his work cut out for him. • Finalist Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award • Winner of the PASIC Book of Your Heart Award • Winner of the Great Expectations Award • Winner of the Jasmine Award • Winner of the Heart of the Rockies Award Keywords: humor, recipes, chick lit, billionaire, pets & animal care, cats, culinary

Download or read book Finding Hope written by Lois Winston and published by Lois Winston. This book was released on 2012-07 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hope Morgan was always the good girl, doing what her conservative parents expected: she gave up her dream of going to college, became a secretary right out of high school, and married the boy next door. When Hope is suddenly widowed, she finds the courage to pursue her own dreams. Twelve years later, after working full-time and going to school at night, she obtains her degree and is offered a position at a prestigious architectural firm. That’s when her long-exiled libido decides to resurface, and Hope finds herself falling head-over-heels for Ben Schaffer, her married boss. What Hope doesn’t realize is that Ben’s marriage is less than ideal. Within days of Hope starting her new job, Ben’s wife walks out on him and their three-year-old triplets–the same day the nanny lands in the hospital. When Ben can’t find a last-minute replacement, Hope agrees to step in as a temporary nanny–not the best decision she’s ever made, given her raging hormones. Ben is fighting a battle with his own hormones, but an office romance is the last thing he needs or wants. However, he and Hope are no match for three very determined three-year-olds on a mission to find a happy ending. Finalist Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award (as Liberating Hope) Key words: award-winning, secret baby, comedy, workplace, love triangle, wealthy, second chance, triplets