Callas, roses, daisies, murder, carnations, mums, kidnappings, corsages, bouquets, mayhem . . . Whew. Sorry. I ran out of breath. But that’s my typical day.
As you can see, I’m not your typical florist.
I own a cozy little flower shop named Bloomers – well, okay, the bank owns it. I just pay them a ransom every month – where we sell not only floral products but also coffee, tea, and the best scones in the northern hemisphere, made by our very own British tea expert, Grace Bingham, who runs the coffee-and-tea shop within Bloomers. Lottie Dombowski also works there. She used to own Bloomers until her husband’s illness forced her to sell. She has quadruplet teenaged boys. Can you imagine? But that’s another story in itself.
Two doors down the street is the Down the Hatch Bar and Grill, owned by the hottest male in town, Marco Salvare, whose very presence causes women of all ages to drool. Sidewalks around town get pretty disgusting when Marco’s around. But he’s mine, all mine, which I still marvel at. At which I marvel? Anyway, why would a sexy guy choose a short, busty, freckled redhead with a temper and a wacky family?
My guess is that it’s because we both hate bullies and injustice with a passion, especially when it appears in the guise of cops or prosecutors. Seriously, I was almost accused of murder! Marco, being a former Army Ranger and cop, is now a private investigator, which helps me out quite a bit as I seem to be a trouble magnet. Believe it or not, we make quite a team. I get us into sticky – okay, dangerous – situations, and Marco gets us out of them. Most of the time. But since he’s reading this over my shoulder, I won’t tell about the time the tables were turned. (Cough)
So if you love great, page-turning mysteries, a little romance (we meet in book one, Mum’s the Word, and things happen from there) and a lot of laughs, come on down to Bloomers and meet the rest of the Flower Shop gang. We’re on the town square in New Chapel, Indiana. You can’t miss the bright red-and-white striped awning. And have we got stories for you! Fourteen and counting. I’ll even give you a discount on flowers – unless you also need a killer caught, in which case, the price will be a bit higher.
Thanks to Penguin, I have one (1) copy of SEED NO EVIL to give away. Leave a comment to be included in the giveaway. Contest ends August 16; US entries only per publisher’s request.
From Dru: Congratulations to Kate as “Seed No Evil” has made the New York Times extended Bestsellers List.
Meet the author
Kate Collins is the author of the national best-selling Flower Shop Mystery series. Her latest mystery, SEED NO EVIL, #14 in the series, hits the shelves on August 6, 2013. Her books have made the New York Times Extended Bestseller List, Barnes & Noble best-seller lists, the Independent Booksellers lists, as well as lists in Australia and England. All of Kate’s mysteries are available in print, digital, and large-print editions both in the U.S. and in the UK. Kate’s historical romances are also available in digital format at Amazon, B&N, and other e-book sellers. For more information visit Kate at: www.katecollinsbooks.com. Kate loves for fans to visit her on her Facebook page, too.
Books are available at retail and online booksellers.
Wonderful series. I look forward to reading this.
Even the “day in the life” is interesting and fun to read. Count me in, please….Dee
Wow another new series! Thanks!
I’m in the market for a new series and this one will do nicely. Sounds like fun! Thanks for the review!
Thank you for the chance to win this. his is a fun series to read.
sounds really funny and interesting, I would love to win
I don’t know if I can enter for this one but I REALLY hope I can. This is one of the greatest series in the world of cozy mysteries!! Some other series get to book #14 and they all sound the same. Not this one!! Congratulations, Kate!!
This book sounds awesome, thanks for the chance to win it !
This is a series that just continues to get better as time goes on.
This is one of my favorite series.
Great series – would love a copy of SEED NO EVIL.
Abby Knight is a inspiring and funny character, Thanks to Kate Collins for the Flower Shop mysteriess
A redhead with freckles? How could he resist?
These are the cutest cozies that Kate writes, and I picked one of the previous Flower Shop books when we were on vacation in Saratoga New York earlier this week. The writing is great and the author seems to know how to get the reader to keep interested more than some others do. Would absolutely love to get the newest book in the series for sure. Thank you so much for doing this great interview, Kate and thanks to you too, Dru.
Cynthia
I’m a big fan of Kate’s books. I’d love to win this one.
A delightful series! Eager to read the latest.
I’m off to look for the other 13 in the series. Please include me in the draw. Thanks. judydee22002@yahoo dot com
Don’t enter me in the drawing as I have this book on pre-order for my Kindle. This is a great, fun series. I have been reading it for years, loving the mysteries and following Abby and Marco’s relationship as it grew. I’m looking forward to reading this new addition
This is a terrific series, I look forward to reading this book in the series. Would love to win it.
I haven’t read this series yet, I have now added it to my tbr list. This sounds like a fun series. Thanks for the chance to win.
Love this series. Thanks for the chance to win.
I adore Abby and Marco and can’t wait to find out what they are up to!
I can’t wait to read this new installment!
I like the idea of a flower shop setting because my grandparents had a flower shop and I have fond memories of all the flowers and wonderful smells in the shop. I’d love to read this book.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Love the series and look forward to reading Kate’s latest!
Thanks for commenting. Thanks Kate for providing us with 14 years of Abby and her friends.
Contest is closed.
This cozy series is exceptional. I’m looking forward to reading the latest of Abby and Marco’s adventures.
Thanks for letting Abby speak her mind, Dru. She can get insistent at times, but I love her, so I let her have her way. Thanks for all the wonderful comments here, too. I hope everyone who picks up the book for the first time will love it!
I love this series. I want to buy all the books to continue to re-read all of them. Love it…….
I do love page turning mysteries with a little romance.