My name is Ali Winston, former show biz screen writer, prop designer, researcher, and now, for the past couple of years, owner of the Sierra Pines B&B, located in the foothills and below the Lake Tahoe area. As for how that job fell into my lap involves a long story where my great aunt who was part of the golden Hollywood years fled the glitter and glamor life after an affair gone wrong with Cary Grant to start a new career in the hospitality business. When she died, no one was more surprised than me to learn I’d inherited the B&B, along with two quirky but totally loveable employees, the Bellwether siblings. But that’s old news. What’s on my mind currently is the Sierra Pines Spring Fling Festival. How I’m supposed to juggle running the B&B, keeping it afloat by creating loads of promotional gimmicks to attract guests, and helping with activities at the festival has been troubling me. But I’m a member of SPACA, the Sierra Pines Alliance of Cultural Activities. We do it all!

The festival has been planned perfectly, thanks to our alliance president, Florence Greeley. She’s a perfectionist who enjoys dishing out orders, but she gets the job done. This event gives lots of business owners the chance to promote and sell their products which benefits them as well as the town residents. And I love the way the school district is participating. Such a thrill that my good friend, Lyla Lane, who happens to be our elementary school’s art teacher, plans to run a face painting booth at the festival. Even more exciting to the students is how the school board president, Melvin Renville, is scheduled to give a speech and then honor the contest he’d created and lost—have his face painted as the character Ursula from Little Mermaid. Who knew the student body could pull off raising all that money for the fundraiser? Of course, we had heard the rumor that some philanthropist, who shall remain anonymous, donated a large sum to reach that goal.

What nags at me, though, is how lately, the Bellwethers, Gladys and Ollie, are acting, literally snapping at each other. Totally unlike them. They’re what you’d call kindred souls, each supporting and comforting the other, and they think alike, siblings who could end each other’s sentences. I don’t know what is troubling them, but I fear their quarrels will affect our guests, maybe send them packing. That can’t happen. So while I’m dealing with that issue, in walks Florence, asking, or should I say pleading, for a favor. A famous actress has undergone face surgery to shave ten years off her life—no surprise there, right? Problem is her agent wants to hide this from the fans who naively seem to believe their stars are eternally youthful. Good grief. So, I agreed to provide her a room at our B&B for a week or two while she recuperates. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that she’s not your typical diva who inflicts everyone with the Hollywood drama divas typically dish out. However, I’m the gracious host who will try my best to keep the peace and make everyone welcome at our cozy establishment. We’ll see how this plays out.

I can tell you now, it would’ve taken a powerful crystal ball to foresee what would happen by the end of the day. I certainly couldn’t have predicted the dreadful events that occurred. Otherwise, I might have done something, anything, to prevent school board president, Melvin Renville’s tragic demise. Yes, you heard me. Tragic demise. Poor Lyla. She only wanted to do her part and paint his face, transform him into the character Ursula. This “Poor Unfortunate Soul” did indeed become a victim of unfortunate circumstances. Who knew the face paint had been switched out for one that contained peanut oil? Who knew that Renville was allergic and would go into anaphylactic shock when Lyla applied that paint and then die from it?

Well, one thing I do know. I must help prove my good friend Lyla had no intention of murdering Renville. Even though she’d had the perfect opportunity and weapon, i.e. the lethal paint, she’s not a killer. So what if Renville had told her the previous day that school budget cuts would eliminate the art program and her job? Sure, it looks bad, especially to Sheriff Sterling (yeah, the guy who I’m romantically involved with). That alone gives her a strong motive, he’d tell me. But I won’t listen to reason because I know my friend. She wouldn’t hurt anyone. She’s a victim in this crime. She’s been framed, and I’ll prove it. With a little help from those flowergrams that mysteriously keep showing up and seem to provide clues in their cryptic messages, I will discover who murdered Melvin Renville.

Blooming with Murder, A Sierra Pines B&B Mystery Book #3
Genre: Cozy
Release: March 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Spring is blooming in Sierra Pines, and everyone’s busy preparing for the annual Spring Fling Festival. Ali Winston takes her B&B guests for a tour, and their first stop is the face painting booth. Local school board president, Melvin Renville, is there to honor a bet he lost to the student body by having his face painted. However, things turn tragic when he has an allergic reaction and ends up dead. No one is more surprised than Ali’s best friend and art teacher, Lyla Lane, when it’s discovered her face paint contains peanut oil, an ingredient Renville was highly allergic to. Lyla insists she’d never use store-bought paint, only homemade because in teaching elementary school, she’s aware many kids have food allergies.

Ali suspects someone wanted Renville dead and cleverly framed Lyla for the crime. The question is who had motive and the opportunity to pull off such a daring deed? Of course, rumors spread, and fingers point at Lyla when word gets out that Renville had notified her, merely hours before his death, that the art program and her job would be cut next year. Talk about a motive to kill. With Sheriff Sterling painting Lyla as his prime suspect, Ali is determined to help her friend by discovering the true killer and to keep spring blooming in Sierra Pines.

About the author
Kathryn Long is a native Ohioan who spends her days plotting murder and writing mysteries. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime as well as of International Thriller Writers. She’s actively involved in the writing and publishing worlds and stays up to date on her social media platforms. Kathryn lives with her husband and furry friend Max in the quiet suburbs of Green, Ohio. The B&B series also includes Boarding with Murder and Snowed Under Murder. Inspiration for the storyline comes from her classic movie obsession, particularly Arsenic and Old Lace, and her love for Cary Grant. Kathryn also writes the “Paint By Murder” mystery series under the name Bailee Abbott.

All comments are welcomed.