Aired Jul 27, 2021
🐝🐝🐝 ⒹⒺⒶⓉⒽ ⒷⒺⒺ ⒸⓄⓂⒺⓈ 🐝🐝🐝
With her Let It Bee honey boutique buzzing along nicely, life is as sweet as nectar for Wren Johnson—until she takes a morning walk along the Pacific beach with her Havana Brown cat, Everett, and stumbles upon the body of Agnes Snow, the cranky queen of the local craft fairs, stiff as driftwood. More unfortunate? Clutched in the victim’s fist is a label from Wren’s homemade beeswax-and-honey lip balm. Which makes Officer Jim Hampton focus his dreamy-blue Paul Newman eyes on Wren as suspect number one. With fabulous feline support from Everett, Wren must comb the town for clues and clear her name before someone else gets stung.
YouTube Livestream Hosted by Angela Maria Hart and Ben
Angela: It makes me so happy when I see them pop up like that.
Ben: You know they’re already there hanging out waiting for us to start talking I always loved it.
Angela: It’s so sweet, it’s seriously like, the love of this cozy community is just amazing it makes me so happy we are live, there we go.
Ben: Hi.
Angela: Hi. Welcome to tonight’s book club. I love how as soon as we do this, that’s exactly when the emails like let’s do a little digging and I thought I thought I’d already exited out of it so.
Ben: Yes, we’re ready to talk.
Angela: I am so excited because Ben is back, you all I love him, he is one of the sweetest human beings on just the face of the earth he is so amazing. And he just told me he’s gonna be going to study for his master’s in library sciences and you’re going to be the perfect library and like, library to go hang out with you.
Ben: That’s what I want to hear. Thank you.
Angela: So if you guys are not already following him, because he’s so positive on his Instagram and Twitter. You got to do it because he’s just, he’s awesome, I love him. So I’m giving you the shout-out for tonight I’m like, welcome back Ben.
Ben: Thank you. I always an honor to be here with you so thank you so much I’m excited for tonight.
Angela: Oh my goodness. I love a background too. He’s got this. He’s so prepared. It just looks so cool, the best I could come up with was my Etsy like my little fake flower for the bee that was I could get.
Ben: I love that it’s on the books so, I love that the little bee.
Angela: I wanted to do something in honor of this but it’s so funny because I’m not EpiPen allergic to bees that I am allergic to bees so I don’t have a lot of bee paraphernalia to decorate the apartment with.
Ben: That’s understandable, it’s understandable.
Angela: This mug is from Sweetwater decor it has, those [inaudible 01:52].
Ben: That is cute those little bees.
Angela: But now I feel like I got to get some more like honey theme Bee products going after this. I know, so our book of, so it’s the Oregon Honeycomb Mystery Series. So, we have Death Bee Comes Her, and I’ve been using the bee emoji I’ve been loving doing this, so now we have next month, it’s going to be books, books can be deceiving, so maybe I can use the book instead of, you know.
Ben: The Little book stack.
Angela: Oh my goodness the comments are all popping up. Welcome to tonight’s Livestream you guys are so amazing for being here. You have been posting so many photos for our book of the month and I swear, I start getting teary-eyed with happiness, because I’m like, my gosh, they’re reading their postings. So, thank you so much for joining us tonight I cannot begin to express just how much you guys mean to me, I really can’t. This is just amazing to see the turnout like this, I hope you guys like the book. Where do you want to start? Because we were talking off-camera. There’s a lot to unpack with this book so where would you like to start?
Ben: I guess the beginning, I guess we can start like finding the body right away.
Angela: Can we also acknowledge I’m just going to say that the cozy companion is a cat Everett. The body was found by the cozy companion this cat is a sleuth because he also finds the second body. So while we have a protagonist run, I’m kind of saying Everett’s the sleuther of the body.
Ben: He’s doing most of the work, good for him.
Angela: Yes, so I’m giving Everett a little extra shout out there a little high five to his paw. You got to love how I’m trying to figure out, like how do you Everett high five? Because I didn’t know about his cat breed either so.
Ben: Me either, yes.
Angela: I was like between, the comments I’ve been seeing are the bees in the store where she has a wall that has the clear glass so people can see the bees at work and the cat, like those, seem to be the two most popular comments that I’ve been seeing the last couple of days, so.
Ben: Yes. I had to look up Havana Brown because I had not heard of that breeding and they look so cute though and yes.
Angela: Hey, my gosh, you guys are so cute with the comments it’s going to be hard to keep up with them. Yes, thank you. Okay, other people are agreeing Everett is the sleuth Everett was the hero of the book. We never actually found out one of the things when Wren was hidden or not hidden, but stuck in the shed. Everett was there too, right? As he escaped, he was the sleuther who knew how to get out.
Ben: Yes. I’m pretty sure, they were like a raccoon, but I was like, no, he was meowing. It sounded like him, I mean, we didn’t hear it, but it read like his Meow.
Angela: I’m hoping it was the Meow. So, I read it first, then I listened to the audio because again, I love you guys so I was putting together the envelopes for the bookmarks and stickers because I got new stickers, I was putting a couple of them in the envelopes, we got the little new stickers and so I put on the audio so I could listen to it as I did that and I was like, I’m getting so cozy right now we got the cozy swag, got the cozy book. And so I’m listening to it and the author did the same Meow and go, okay because then she would change it up for the other cats and the other things. So I’m going it seemed like it was Everett.
Ben: Yes, he had things to do so.
Angela: Yes. I love how we’re already getting in there, who put a cat in the box?
Ben: That’s so rude. It’s so rude.
Angela: I’m not going to lie I was genuinely concerned about this cat. So, Nancy Coco is a cozy mystery writer she has other series and she knows the cozy mystery rules, what readers want. But I did get nervous going okay, she knows not to kill the cozy companion she knows not to get rid of the cat, but I was still worried about the cat.
Ben: I was a little worried too.
Angela: I knew he knew not to do that, but at the same time there was that little nagging because they had gotten the warning pin to the door about the hanging cat. I’m going, my gosh is Everett, okay and so I’m going please don’t break the cozy mystery rules and hurt the companion, please don’t do that so I’m like thank you, Nancy Coco, you didn’t break my heart so.
Ben: We’re okay.
Angela: My goodness so many things are popping up. Yes, it’s so funny so you all have been voting for the next batch of books and the next one is going to be Class for you in some murder for September because everyone wants the back-to-school theme. And it was funny with, I tried to have the other options that you guys had requested in regards to Halloween because people wanted the paranormal, and right now for October, the paranormal book seems to be winning. And so because you guys are voting on October and this one was the Halloween theme book I’m calling, this is an interesting connection here this one works out for you guys.
Ben: Yes.
Angela: I know it’s one of those it’s hot outside, it’s the middle of summer, but I want my pumpkin spice now.
Ben: Yes, exactly. What only like a couple more weeks until PSLs are out, so?
Angela: Well, Starbucks has been doing the shortages they’ve been out of so many things I don’t know if you’ve experienced that or if you guys in the common section are Starbucks aficionados, but they’ve been out of so many different things that my store I’m kind of going, when you get your supply chains, please have your pumpkin scone, I want that.
Ben: Pumpkin scone.
Angela: My goodness. Yes, I think the Halloween season added something to this so I’m glad you guys seem to agree with that. I saw someone mention the Halloweentown movies I loved that that was part of the narrative.
Ben: Yes, I hadn’t talked about those movies for a while so that made me kind of happy. I was all about them growing up, watching every time they were on.
Angela: My goodness. I think that was one of the reasons why I ended up getting Disney plus because I got the free trial and then they popped up on the feed and I’m pretty sure I just got so excited as I’m trying to like, hold it back, it’s like, my God Halloweentown like a fan girl. And what’s her name? The lead actress has an Etsy store and so someday I’m going to get one of the sweatshirts. It says something about “Nobody wants to be ordinary” it has the key phrase from the movie I’m going to get that someday that’s going to be mine. Halloweentown is awesome.
Ben: I didn’t know she had an Etsy store okay I’d look this up, this is okay.
Angela: I love that movie and that entire series; I don’t understand the fourth one how they got the different actresses.
Ben: We don’t talk about that one it’s okay.
Angela: No, I’m kind of going, stop after the third one.
Ben: Yes. It’s unfortunate and stopped after the third one.
Angela: Yes, I know right. It’s the same thing with Game of Thrones that canceled it before you know with that and what was other people The 100 that same thing happened.
Ben: Just unfortunate.
Angela: I’d rather say that than deal with the aftermath. This one, we have a second book coming out we just looked it up together as we were off-camera. So, the second book in this series is out March 29th, 2022 so people were talking about the loose ends in this series so hopefully, it’ll be answered in book two.
Ben: Hopefully, we need answers so yes.
Angela: And the reason why I’m starting there is that when we find the body, I feel as if I still have questions when we find the body with Agnes. So we have Wren who was walking her cat on a leash, which I think is hysterical and amazing, one of my notes is how this cat does not seem like a cat.
Ben: No, it’s pretty much a dog cat kind of like he’s, yes.
Angela: He’s got the leash he wants to go to the beach; he likes it when it was raining that was the one that made me write that in my notebook. I’m thought, okay, this is where you’re going into the cat hall of fame right here because my mom had a cat when I was growing up and that thing, no, like even if water spilled on the floor, she would not put her paw there. So Everett was just amazing so Everett founded the body, but the body had the lip balm label from Wren store but we never out what happened to that lip balm or her purse or why she wasn’t wearing a jacket?
Ben: Yes, why wasn’t she wearing a jacket?
Angela: Yes, it was one of the things that she referenced when she found the body going, a woman her age should be wearing a puffer jacket or something like this and we never found out about that.
Ben: Well, yes. You never found out how it tampered with either, I’m still…
Angela: Yes, I saw people are talking about Everett; I had to look up the breed because I couldn’t picture that one in my head. I don’t know that much about cats I have a dog as you can hear him barking underneath little yipping. So, I know more about dogs than even cats, but now I am kind of falling into the fandom for the Havana cats that seems like an amazing breed.
Ben: Yes.
Angela: You want to try the lip balm? Everett was a quirky character.
Ben: Yes.
Angela: So, we were talking a little bit though off-camera, when she finds the body, the first person who comes upon her is Jim, your favorite person in the world.
Ben: I know I was telling you off-camera how I did not like Jim at all. I don’t know, I know he has beautiful eyes what was it? Paul Newman eyes, but I did not care for him at all.
Angela: So, she finds the body and he immediately wants her to be a person of interest at this poor thing. So, Wren, our protagonist is leading lady sleuth finds the body and because the lip balm was involved, she is the prime suspect.
Ben: Why would you murder your like clientele? I never get that that’s bad for business. Well, not too bad because remember that one lady who was buying all the lip balm up, because…
Angela: That was one of my unanswered questions. Did she ever get her inventory?
Ben: Did she get it back and did that lady buy all that lot up, she was going to pay for it.
Angela: It was like $500 it was going to [inaudible 12:17], I was genuinely concerned. My goodness, so she’s the leading suspect and I honestly thought her aunt would’ve been sort of this, like you could have flipped this so the aunt was the sleuther of the story because the aunt is the nemesis, the rival that, I’m going to compete against you for our random crafting sewing competition for our church, I don’t even know what competition they were competing in, but they were competing in crafting and I kind of thought she was the more likely suspect, but Wren was the suspect that the police were going with.
Ben: It just makes zero sense and I just remember there was a scene where, we’re jumping ahead, but when she was being lined up and then they wanted to arrest her, but then like they didn’t have enough evidence. I was like, I’m sure you would’ve figured that before you had her lined up to me it just seemed like she was just pegged for the killer and he just was not letting go of that at all.
Angela: I love the comments popping up, he’s the love interest he’s trying, but he was lacking he was falling short for me. With the lineup and everything else, it was just cringy when he ever took, so I was mad on her behalf he goes to her store and says to people who are shopping and don’t have goods in their cart, you got to leave them, just drop whatever you have you got to exit we’re closing down the store. He was directly impacting her income what was going on? Her name in the town, he put her in the squad car and did the head thing she said about trying to put her in there, he didn’t do her any favors across the board.
Ben: He was practically dragging her to his car like she’s going to bolt or something; it’s a small town where is she going to go?
Angela: I was so mad on her behalf and then when she visits her apartment later, or the, at least the flat above the shop, it’s a mess, it’s completely just clothing all over the place. They flip the bed because they wanted to look under the mattress and mean the thing was disheveled. And so his team did that he didn’t make sure they cleaned up, he didn’t make sure that she came home to something that didn’t feel like her home had been violated.
Ben: Yes. It was violated they could have casually looked and like, you don’t have to fling stuff or like pull stuff out of doors and just throw on the ground like it’s…
Angela: So, what was up with the random college friends she went on three dates with then he disappeared…
Ben: Yes, Conrad.
Angela: I just saw the question and it went away. I saw this was the first cozy mystery where the character set up a murder board that is in my notebook because I love that I was so excited, I’m going, this is just like I get [inaudible 15:09].
Ben: That’s what I was thinking about too.
Angela: I was fangirling I’m going, my gosh; this is what they do in Hallmark mysteries.
Ben: I love her murder board, I love it.
Angela: Alright and I love that the friend, the worker, as the kids who are in elementary school so the reason for the murder board as they already had all the crafts there.
Ben: Yes. Just lucky like that was the last reason.
Angela: I don’t have kids, but I could probably do a murder board.
Ben: Same here.
Angela: I don’t need the excuse of having kids in elementary school, I could probably do it, but it was just so funny. I thought that is great that they did that because I’m with you, you read Cozy Mysteries and you, as the reader might be doing it yourself, like, okay, this is so and so here’s a motive, but usually, in the book, they don’t do that so, yes the first time for me, I’m pretty sure too.
Ben: It was a nice touch I liked it a lot.
Angela: And so you guys’ going at that, I know that little tangent moment, but the Conrad relationship I think I mentioned this when we were just chatting off-camera. So, the college crush, this guy, he comes into town that she’s definitely kind of having that, yes I remember you I was crushing on you when you had a girlfriend and then as soon as she needs him because everyone thinks she’s the killer. He abandons her, he just is like, hey, good luck, peace out so I’m not rooting for him as the love interest either.
Ben: He’s like, this is drama got to go.
Angela: Other people are thinking the same thing. Okay and so this is my other question she said it twice because they did go out the first time when she was in the zombie makeup and then they had an actual date where they did that little dot of, he might have kissed her goodnight. And he does introduce her to the son, but he didn’t mention he had the son and she says on the two dates, how they caught up and how they were totally in sync again. And she learned all about what his life had been like, clearly, he didn’t tell you all about his life if he didn’t mention his child.
Ben: That is a big part of his life and that’s probably something he should have mentioned, right away, at least in the first hour, I would think like, it’s your kid.
Angela: That’s not exactly the surprise, people lie about their height or weight or something you don’t lie about having a child.
Ben: No, you don’t.
Angela: There are things like the usual things that people talk about, but the kid should not be surprised that is a human being. I know she went on her date with the zombie makeup. I thought that was great because he called her pretty and she’s going, how do you know I’m pretty? How did he know she’s pretty? I love how we just spiraled with so many different things [inaudible 18:00] we were talking when I asked you where you wanted to start with the beginning. So one of the things that happened at the beginning, and then we had a second occurrence that went way different was Josie with our 9 1 1 operator, the friend who disappeared for a solid chunk of the book and then reappeared then went away again and then came back. So the first time with the 9 1 1 call, because naturally when you call 9 1, 1, you’re going to talk to your former best friend, and then the second time she calls Josie has her turn the dead body, swipe her hand into his mouth to try and make an airway passage and then she’s just about to tell her to do CPR when the cops come in. Is that an actual protocol thing that they have you doing?
Ben: I don’t know, I don’t think so. Didn’t they tell you just not to touch the body or not to move anything? I would think that would be the protocol.
Angela: I was kind of suspicious of Josie because of that I was wondering what was going on with this because the first time she’s on 9 1, 1 with doing the dispatcher thing, that’s not how it played out, she didn’t tell her to do any of those things. And so, the reason why I mentioned that is that when we were talking about starting the beginning, she’s just sort of on the phone with her.
Ben: Yes, she’s like, hey, how’s it going, you started working at the dispatch? I’m like, there’s a dead body here, like mention there’s a dead body.
Angela: They were talking about her clothing she like [inaudible 19:24] country club and then the second time around, hey you going to put your finger in his mouth, you going to do this different. So, I wasn’t sure what was going on with the Josie storyline so we meet Josie, and yes. Even max was like, what’s going on there? The other thing was, so we were talking about this before I wanted this guy to reappear just because I thought it was funny. So, we had a surfer dude EMT who’s just in love with her chocolate sound, he just, her chocolate, the candy every time he’s he opens his mouth and the…Because clearly when there’s a dead body, you’re talking about your favorite candy. And so he wanted a discount on the candy when he came to the store, I kind of wanted him to come back to the store and give us information about something, I wanted to see the surfer dude again, just throw [inaudible 20:09].
Ben: Hopefully next time there’s a dead body hopefully he’ll appear again. He’s a fun little side character.
Angela: My gosh, yes. Josie I kind of thought like there was something suspicious going on there. Okay I thank you so much, you guys are validating what I was…because that never came up nobody suspected her and she did what she asked I’m sorry but if I see a dead body, I’m not putting my finger in his mouth.
Ben: No, if there’s a pool of blood and the body’s laying down, I’m just going to be like, yes, that person’s probably dead I don’t need to…
Angela: I’m not going to be doing that I’m going to be screaming my head off, calling 911 repeatedly. I’m going to be going downstairs, like alerting the neighbors to go get help in case the murder is still nearby, again, I’d be grabbing a knife just in case the murderer’s still there she’s doing the weird windpipe thing.
Ben: So, we talk about why they were there when they found the dead body too.
Angela: Everett again is our sleuther. Yes, would you like to, please go?
Ben: Okay. So, you’re sneaking into this house looking Everett because Everett went missing this time, not that other time, but and okay I just want to know why weren’t wearing gloves if you’re being sneaky?
Angela: That’s one of my notes, asks about his ski mask and didn’t think about a glove.
Ben: That’s the thing because that comes into play fingerprints later they find I’m like, you’re touching things, you never were there before so of course they’re going to find your fingerprints and of course it’s gonna pin you for more things. So, they were investigating Snow’s residence and they found Mr. Snow so he was the second body.
Angela: I lost my mind with that because apparently, they fingerprinted everything in that house, he goes, and there are three sets of fingerprints. So we know that one of them was Agnes the victim, the second one because they brought her down I’m assuming somewhere along the way they had her fingerprinted, even though we didn’t learn about that. I’m just going to assume that’s how they knew it was Wren unless she had some childhood indiscretion we never knew about. And then he’s assuming the third set belongs to the aunt she was married, why didn’t you assume that the third set might have belonged to the husband?
Ben: Why wouldn’t his fingerprints be anywhere? I guess if he never touched that book, but…
Angela: I was just kind of curious how he assumed that the aunt is the one, but how many things did they fingerprint? What are their teams doing? Because they turned her entire apartment upside down, they’re turning their house upside down. How many people are employed in this small-town police department?
Ben: A lot because I saw someone comment how fast it was too. I’m like, yes, I would think it would take a while to process this all like, no yes, there it is. How fast?
Angela: Okay everyone’s with you the gloves should be obvious, yes. I lost my mind because the aunt is asking about, should we wear ski masks or would that draw too much attention? You remember ski masks but you don’t remember gloves.
Ben: If you have a murder board, I feel like you would know to wear gloves.
Angela: Okay. Thank you. We have another question that is in my notes. Who sent the envelope of the powdered sugar? Does anyone know?
Ben: I don’t know.
Angela: When we had our big revelation with the killers, we’ll talk about that in a second. Neither of them talked about how they kind of framed her, neither of them talked about steel and Everett or put a cat in a box when you think. I want to know more about this same thing with the hairpin, which one of them did that I needed a little bit more information about what the killers did.
Ben: Yes. They didn’t wrap them up, I guess you’re left to guess what they did, but they didn’t explicitly say they did all those things so unless someone else is running around doing these things too and.
Angela: So yes, someone else is acknowledging the police department thank you. Loose Ends galore, you got to kind of know that Mildred was one of the killers or at least involved with the plot because as soon as she, I identified Wren as having spoken to Agnes, when she died, handing her the murder weapon of the lip balm, nobody, but the killer or someone involved with the killer [inaudible24:48] fire. You kind of knew like Mildred was involved to some degree we didn’t know about the husband or potential other killers, we didn’t know about that second murder yet, but when she identified Wren she was kind of a given, right?
Ben: Yes. I’m still trying to think if I had a blackmail book, well, I would leave it in a safe wouldn’t you like, just not have it laying around I don’t know.
Angela: Again, I have another question about that because she wasn’t doing anything wrong she was making crafts and selling them. [Inaudible 25:24]. I am so blown away by that, because the same thing with this, having a separate bank account and the husband being blown away by that? Because she has a separate office of crafts, not in her home she has a separate office downtown in the main area of the city or town, or however, you want to say it, she has her own separate office that seemed pretty professional and legitimate to me like you couldn’t be selling the craft.
Ben: Legitimate, yes.
Angela: Why is this such a surprise?
Ben: Yes, why would the assumption just be blackmail? Is this…
Angela: To me of course, if she’s that talented because she’s even going to teach a class at the local…
Ben: The craft store, yes.
Angela: The local Michael’s store. I don’t know if they gave the name of the store, but clearly, this woman is talented so of course, she’s selling the things she’s making. How is that such a shock?
Ben: Yes. And why would you think she’d be cheating with your husband and then murder her without confronting her?
Angela: I thought it was hysterical the way she goes and she just laughed at me yes, because it was so absurd that’s [inaudible 26:32] laughing at you about your affair.
Ben: Yes, they are like, sure.
Angela: I do want to know, I kind of thought there was something that could have been, a little thread that could have been pulled upon because with Agnes always knowing what Elosie was going to do, that would’ve been interesting. Like, maybe she planted something on her laptop, to see what her keystroke is doing or something like that. I could kind of want to see something in regards to Agnes doing something to warrant being a victim because we never really got the sense that she deserved it in any way, shape or form.
Ben: No, not at all, yes. It just seems like a misunderstanding on Mildred’s part and unfortunately, that ended like that it’s just sad.
Angela: I mean, again, no nobody ever deserves this, one of the things that tend to have with Cozy Mystery is, is it’s usually this horrible person who’s upsetting everyone in town and making so many enemies then you never know which suspect it is. You get to follow that sort of mystery and this lady never seemed to do anything to warrant having a suspect of, of course [inaudible 27:36]. The most were the garden club with wanting to stay president.
Ben: I would’ve liked that turn, if it was for that reason that would’ve been fun, but.
Angela: I wanted them to pull on that thread with the garden club because it’s alluded to like, what’s going on with the garden club. I mean, maybe that’s in the second book because there are a lot of mysterious things with a garden club member.
Ben: I want to know more yes.
Angela: Especially with Rhonda, apparently the woman who went to the outer president was she’s a big bold personality so, Rhonda was a potential suspect of, maybe she’s the murderer, but nothing ever came Rhonda so maybe book two.
Ben: Maybe book two.
Angela: Yes.
Ben: Oh, Mildred.
Angela: Who needs a craft cabin? Okay, so everyone with the comments everyone’s going to be in the same place. Okay. “My daughter wants to mention wasn’t it crazy that Wren was jumping on rooftops to escape her house?”
Ben: Yes.
Angela: She does have a great point. I just saw the other comment I’m like she does. She’s like if Everett can do it so can I.
Ben: Everett’s a cat, Wren.
Angela: I’m sorry but Max can do things in this house he’s very agile, I’m not going to attempt to jump up and down the coach the way he does and kill myself.
Ben: Don’t do that.
Angela: There was that thing on Heroes, a very throwback type of reference where one of the heroes, was able to see something and then replicate it. That’s not something that most people can do just because you see someone who something doesn’t mean you can do it so try to act like the cat I very much would not try and…
Ben: If I try to jump on the roof, I would fall so yes I’m not going to, I’m not that agile as a cat.
Angela: I just saw this comment.
Ben: “She’s a cat woman.”
Angela: I think the aunt is the cat woman what did she have, three cats, and then she wanted to put them in a basket for her Halloween costume.
Ben: I guess, like a bag packer.
Angela: I honestly love the fact she was housing the Havana cats, I thought that was amazing. I think the aunt is the cat woman because even she said she was wearing clothing with a cat embroidered into it.
Ben: I need that, yes.
Angela: Oh my goodness. I love how I’m like, I don’t even know where I am in my notes. So, Everett was in the box, at least we’re going to assume it was Everett in the box.
Ben: Yes. I’m assuming it was Everett.
Angela: How did they get Everett? So this is my question with did Everett leave? Did they scoop him up or did someone go in and grab him to put him in the box? How did they get Everett? And when he was supposed to testify, which I think is I don’t even [inaudible 30:38].
Ben: That was the best scene, let’s have Everett testify.
Angela: And she kept saying it.
Ben: She was repeating it over and over and I was like, she’s going to be the lady, like, my cat knows the killer.
Angela: You watch Psych, right?
Ben: No, I have not watched Psych.
Angela: Okay, In the first season they’re trying to get in on a murder and he claims the cat saw the killing, therefore, the cat was the one who was his, again he’s the fake psychic. He’s like the cat is my link to the murder and so he’s running around, he calls him the little boy cat. He is like, little boy cat says this and so he’s putting him in the front seat car for some reason I just got a flash of that episode someday you’ll watch and you’ll get it.
Ben: I’ll have to watch it and I’ll be like, Angela, that’s it but yes, she kept on repeating. He’s going to testify I was like, he’s a cat though Wren.
Angela: But he didn’t respond to the guy.
Ben: No, he was just lying there, like curled up and he was like…
Angela: I thank everyone in the comments, thank you. I asked on Instagram for people I think someone had the same note, so I don’t want to mispronounce. So Jeja JEJA Admire of words and coffee she had that in the Instagram question. She’s like, we have to talk about Everett was supposed to testify. I just want to give her a shout because I don’t know how your cat is supposed to. I mean, he can’t exactly do the swear-in when he goes to the court.
Ben: I would’ve loved that.
Angela: I don’t know because she said it multiple times, I’ve heard of stories there was an episode of Monk where the monkey didn’t like bald men because a bald man killed, killed his master but again, they’re not relying on the monkey to be the hardcore evidence.
Ben: No, oh Everett. No, but I didn’t think that much about it, I’m guessing they just scooped him up and took him and put him in that box, I don’t think I don’t see him wandering off on his own, so.
Angela: But how did they get him? Because he was upstairs in the apartment I’m pretty sure, right?
Ben: I guess if she didn’t lock the door, they could have snuck in because remember I think Jim mentioned to make sure the door was locked and she’s like, I don’t lock it during business hours. So, maybe they snuck in and grabbed him and put him in a box.
Angela: So you just reminded me of the other thing that kind of drove me a little batty. So, the lawyer and the cop were saying, you got to have someone with you 24/7, I don’t need anyone 24/7 and then the second that someone’s not with her when she goes to the bank to drop off the money. That’s when something happens so I’m like, please lock your door, please stay inside. Why are you doing this to me, Wren? You suspected the lawyer.
Ben: Yes.
Angela: It seemed like he regretted taking your case. He probably did because she’s calling him at 6:00 AM, he just has to roll out of bed, how many times did she say I have to call my lawyer?
Ben: A lot and he’s doing it pro bono so he’s doing it for free.
Angela: So that was again, one of my questions. Why is he doing it pro bono? Because it has to do with something quote-unquote political, but…
Ben: It was with the Snow family, I got the sense that they didn’t like them and that’s why they’re doing it, but maybe I’m wrong.
Angela: I wanted more information on why they were doing this pro bono because that was very suspicious and weird to me.
Ben: It was weird and I was like, yes. He probably regretted though, all the phone calls.
Angela: Because even one time he made reference and I caught it and I sort of loved it. He’s like, yes, I got to go talk to a paying client now bye. Because at least if he was a love interest or something, you could kind of understand why he was going out of his way but I didn’t get the love interest vibe from him.
Ben: No.
Angela: Even though she said he was handsome, other people were like…
Ben: He was handsome, yes.
Angela: Yes. I love how I just found it and it’s an entire page in my notebook. Why is he doing this pro bono?
Ben: He must have regretted that after the third or fourth come on call.
Angela: So this is random, so I thought he was a fun character so even though I didn’t like him, it was entertaining to me. I love Porsha so again, my thought process was, here’s a character I enjoy it, I enjoy Porsha. So, this isn’t a tangent though, but I loved her I thought she was adorable.
Ben: Yes, she brought all the energy I needed so, her costume she was Wednesday Adams, she was also…
Angela: Marisha.
Ben: Marisha yes.
Angela: She was the Bride Chucky or something.
Ben: Bride of Chucky yes. She was Bride of Chucky yes. I that everyone in town was dressed up and then you had when Wren got called in for the lineup everyone had to like clean their faces up because everyone was like, the hour of makeup she to waste it’s just…
Angela: I would’ve been so mad because it was only in the middle of the day and she’s going, I still have to go back to work.
Ben: And they could have done it later on it’d been nice, it’s a small town. You could have waited for everyone to be off of work and then do that.
Angela: Again, Jim and they were prepared for the makeup too [inaudible 36:03] stations. I don’t think have the creams and the face cloth like that just go out to CVS and buy that for them.
Ben: So, they knew they were inconveniencing them, which is rude. It’s so rude you could have waited a couple of hours so they were done with work and then been like, okay, come in.
Angela: Again, it’s a small town, they’re not going anywhere.
Ben: Yes, exactly.
Angela: I don’t know I love that though, what was the zombie one? Because she was just Dorothy, she was zombie Dorothy.
Ben: Yes. I think she was zombie Dorothy.
Angela: Oh my goodness’s so cute.
Ben: And costume. So, about that friend of mine that was just casually mentioned, and then nothing happened with her.
Angela: I just saw this comment because I completely agree doing a full face of makeup is a lot. I do not know how you would have the energy to do that for an entire Halloween town week. Kudos, if this is an actual thing occurring somewhere in Oregon, like honest to goodness, I don’t even do the full face of makeup I do that like what twice a month maybe I could never do like seven days in a row my goodness.
Ben: It’s a lot of work. So, waking up early just to do your makeup and then…
Angela: I honestly, I don’t know how she would do that because that seems, I also don’t know how you’d be creative enough to do seven days of costumes because [inaudible 37:24] you’re trying to figure out one.
Ben: By day two or three, I’d be like; okay I’m going to find something else to do.
Angela: So yes, it did seem like she was only sleeping a little bit because they had her do the timeline of, oh yeah. I was awake till 1:00 AM doing the candles and then I woke up at six or seven or something. I’m going, that’s not your whole eight hours of sleep there.
Ben: No, that’s…
Angela: I was like how much caffeine? Because she wasn’t the one drinking coffee, Porsha was the coffee drinker and so Gin, so she wasn’t going down the café.
Ben: Wren was just on her natural own energy.
Angela: I love Porsha I thought she was so cute and I made a little random note, this has nothing to do with anything, but I just thought she was so sweet when she was passing out candy and when the kid says trick or treat, she’s like, I want to trick and the kid goes, I have no idea what you’re talking about. She’s like, I want to trick, for some reason I got the biggest kick out of her in her dialogue whenever she said something or had a scene, I just loved her there was just something so endearing.
Ben: She just had this good natural energy, which I appreciated because I feel like Wren was high and low a little bit, she kind of grounded everyone so.
Angela: I thought she had kind of that again, she was the one who had the murder board she kind of had that incentive you’re still going to go sleuthing, you’re still going to look into this. I think she had that agency that the protagonist sleuther usually has so I kind of got to give her credit on that side.
Ben: She was in the true-crime too, right? I think she mentioned that yes.
Angela: Yes, I just got the biggest kick out of her because went above and beyond too with helping out with this store because Wren, I don’t know what was going on, because the store was supposed to open at 10 she said that multiple times, but I don’t know how that store was open at 10 because she was all over the place.
Ben: No, and then it would keep been closing like how are they…
Angela: I just saw this pop-up. Wren is a Mess. I mean, what was it? She mentioned at one point she had the business plan. I’m like; I do not see you as a planner at all because she mentions selling stuff online. I’m going, you can’t even have inventory for your store right now, what are you talking about selling online?
Ben: Yes, that’s way too ambitious but sure.
Angela: I mean, granted, I would love for that to be the case I think the whole idea of bees being a part of the environment and being crucial is super important. I would love for this to be an actual thing where she sells online, but she seems so far away for that to even be an idea. I wasn’t following her logic a lot of it because I love the idea of the bee wall, which sounds awesome and part of me would be fascinated and also, scared and horrified because I would be like, if this thing gets out, I’m going to get hurt. But she said it wasn’t producing honey or it wouldn’t produce honey for a long time so, she seems like she was working towards stuff, she wasn’t there yet. She was kind of getting there, she’s working progress.
Ben: Yea, starting yes.
Angela: Hey welcome. Yes, I mentioned you a little earlier I was how you were the one who mentioned Everett was the one who was supposed to testify. Shout out, coffee comment. Yes, there are indeed some cozies mysteries where you’re going you have a job? Do you make money? How do you exist?
Ben: Sometimes I push that aside I’m like, it’s okay they’re solving the murder. But sometimes you’re like, what is happening with your store? Especially having all your product taken from the cops and then no comment about it coming back and like…
Angela: Well, so we also have to talk about the other potential suspect with she’s a candle shop maker, but people don’t put up candles, and then she decides she wants to sell her candles in her store. What is going on there?
Ben: It was her name Diana, Denise I forget her name.
Angela: That sounds about right.
Ben: I think it was with the D I think yes.
Angela: We meet the girl at the crafting store who’s the cashier checkout girl, we meet her and then we never see her again. We meet the surfer guy who’s the AMT we have never seen again.
Ben: I’m going to keep on bringing Frankie up too but that friend of mine, Frankie, who or the good witch outfit.
Angela: Yes. So, what’s going on with her. S she wants to buy the store next door, she wants the exact next store building.
Ben: I hope that’s in book two, I hope as she pops up there.
Angela: That seems like it’s a recipe for disaster If you want your school nemesis to be [inaudible 41:58].
Ben: Linda, Okay. Colleen mentioned to Linda that’s yes.
Angela: Colleen is always on her game.
Ben: She’s on it. Thank you, Colleen, where did Diana come from? I don’t know.
Angela: She might have been the cashier checkout girl, I lose track of names after a certain point when there’s like one too many characters that you never see again. That happens a lot with Cozy Mysteries where they’ll introduce someone just to have that little, here’s a little piece of information to move you along with the mystery. And then you’re going, is this person important? How do you come back into play and you miss out on two other characters who just popped up in the meantime?
Ben: Yes, questioning that. Linda okay yes.
Angela: You think she’s buying them, that would be fun. I love that that would be interesting. That was actually of those I’m trying to remember if there’s an actual book in the series with it because I’m picturing the movie with Allison Sweeney when she did the Hannah Munson series for hallmark movies and mysteries, the girl opened a bakery, but she was selling store-bought because she didn’t know how to bake. You just reminded me of that, [inaudible43:03] that would be intriguing.
Ben: It would be.
Angela: We did meet a lot of people at the craft store.
Ben: It was busy.
Angela: Because I don’t think we ever met the manager lady again either, did we? She gave all this Intel and then she went away.
Ben: Yes, I think she was just casually there and then just like Josie, just popping in, popping out and…
Angela: So you and your reference to Frankie. So, can we talk about how Frankie was never in town but all of a sudden it was, but it was also conveniently dressed as her counterpart. Yes. So, she dressed as Glenda to the good witch and she’s the actual bat, that was perfect timing I think Nancy Coco, I was trying to do something there with that.
Ben: That scene, I love that scene.
Angela: I wonder the next story she’s like, I’m not going to dress it as Glinda I’m Barbie.
Ben: She should have, she should dress up like Glinda and done much better and been like this is how you do Glinda.
Angela: I kind of admit part of me is curious about this because Wren was the bad one and that usually it’s supposed to be the other way around. I’m just saying if you’re going for imagery and symbolism in my library of science, this guy here knows that.
Ben: I’m glad you mentioned the I didn’t even think about that it makes perfect sense now yes.
Angela: If she tried to say something does Wren have a mischievous side I don’t know about?
Ben: She has a past we haven’t heard much about so.
Angela: We know nothing about her past really because she just seems like she kind of dropped into the local town because she says she was there for high school for three years. And then she went to college, she did some sort of beekeeping apprenticeship, which is…
Ben: That’s pretty awesome.
Angela: But she did a year or something else as well. So she going to be in her late 20s is… I was going to say the dog’s going to bark, I heard someone in the hallway make a noise. I’m like, he’s going to bark at someone but she doesn’t seem to have that community roots. I love Porsha, I don’t know how that hookup happened in regards to, she made a reference to her needing flexible hours and that’s how their friendship came into being but other than the person who works for her, she doesn’t have a lot of people nearby who she can turn to, or even just who recognize her. Granted, I live in the city, so the people at Starbucks, know my name because it’s on the cup but you recognize people, so even if you don’t know names, you’re like, hi, how are you doing? Just have that passing but she didn’t have any of that.
Ben: No, she had no roots at all. No!
Angela: She wasn’t there. They said she was only in town for a little bit but she was there long enough. I’m curious as to what she did to warrant that meeting.
Ben: That nemesis.
Angela: Especially if it’s the prom queen if you’re going to get on someone’s bad side, don’t make it be the most popular person in your grade.
Ben: I hope she does buy that shop next to her, it would be awesome.
Angela: Well, I’m wondering though, if she’s dressed as Linda, maybe she has a good side, maybe something is going on there.
Ben: Maybe Wren wronged her and she’s just holding onto that grudge years and years later.
Angela: Granted, I got to admit I’m in my late twenties, there are still people from high school I would not want to see her talk to. I’m going, to be honest with you, I founded a book club; clearly, I’m the bookish sword, I was not prom queen but I wouldn’t want to see some people. I understand that but I’m not going, oh my nemesis.
Ben: Well, to call them out in a coffee shop.
Angela: She was legitimately provoking and there was an argumentative vibe going on there. You couldn’t at least pretend because then Porsha’s the one who says let’s kill them with kindness and I’m going, she already did the opposite of that.
Ben: We can’t come back from that.
Angela: What was this one? Oh yes, people in town were friendlier than the last one. I don’t know if you read Amanda Flower’s book last month ‘Farm to Trouble’.
Ben: Farm to Trouble.
Angela: I just fumbled over that. I tweeted and post about that book for an entire month straight and then I messed up the title but last month they were so mean to the protagonist, at least this month they still went to the story, even though she was a suspect.
Ben: Yes.
Angela: I’ll give you that one.
Ben: I mean her, yeah. She start a business even though she was a prime suspect and her store was closed down a lot too. So people were still coming.
Angela: It reminded me of, so you know how people hate-watch something like; I hated this book, I’m going to watch the movie now anyway because people were walking by her store looking in like what’s going on there and then I almost felt as if they were guilt trips into buying stuff.
Ben: If you make eye contact, well I guess I got to buy something now.
Angela: I thought that was great because there’s nobody outside except for walking by my store, so they’re intrigued by something. This town was nicer, granted the bar was low though in comparison the last time that poor heroin, honest to goodness if Amanda Flower wants to keep her in that town, I wish her the best because that was awful. This time around at least they welcomed her, they let her get her business off the ground. Alicia, she had people to turn to last month, that poor thing I know she’s a fictional character but I feel bad for her.
Ben: True, Wren had Porsha and her aunt and…
Angela: Josie who I suspected
Ben: Well, and then also there’s her reporter friend, Alicia.
Angela: What was going on there because she ditched her, she stood her up when she was in the lineup but did she ever tell her why she stood her up?
Ben: I don’t think she did. I think Alicia was just another character thrown in there too like the $500, yes.
Angela: I need to know that because I love how I’m trying to figure out how to say this politely because there is this weird obsession that people have with murder, just go to Netflix and see what they have in regards to true crime, it’s horrifying at the same time like those things are trending most of the time.
Ben: Most of the time, all the podcasts and everything poured into it.
Angela: There’s this weird intrigue surrounding murder history and I again, Jack the ripper is still famous and there are still adaptations and everything else and so those people were intrigued. They did not want to buy her inventory; we never find out if she gets her inventory back.
Ben: No, and that’s like $500 plus whatever else they took too, it’s just…
Angela: They said they took a third of her inventory and those things are handmade, everything at the store is handcrafted that’s not exactly something you can replace overnight.
Ben: No, and if you’re a small business being closed, like days in a row she was closed, it’s just terrible.
Angela: I blame Jim.
Ben: Jim. I don’t like him as a love interest and as a cop either.
Angela: He was the love interest but I just didn’t get that vibe because he was so weird with her.
Ben: He was so mean I was like, how can he be a love interest, that’s terrible; No!
Angela: Because again, I’m romance genre. I’ve been doing my dissertation on the romance genre for years now, I know romances. They are the ones where it’s going, even though you’re my secretary and I don’t want you to be in my life because I’m so attracted to you, I’m going to keep you here regardless because I have those feeling, I don’t want you to go anywhere. I could have understood if he was keeping her in the case. He wanted to keep her close because he is intrigued by her, he wants to get to know her more but he didn’t even give me that.
Ben: No, there were no enemies to love her thing that was not going on. He was just mean and he was just doing the things to put her out of business too. I feel he could have gone easier ways of doing things and not have jeopardized her business.
Angela: Comments are popping up, there are so many comments. So every month I go through the comments and then I’ll randomly select the winner for the giveaway; this month it is Live and Let Chai, Bree Baker, and it’s just thanks to Poisoned Pen Press. But I never see all the comments live and then when I go back and read them, I am going, I can’t believe someone mentioned this, I should have said that one. So I love your comments, I’m going to get to read them all later, so if I don’t see them right now, I apologize but I know you guys are commenting like crazy and it’s amazing and I love it so much.
Ben: I love it, I love that.
Angela: So I’m going to try and go back up a little bit, but it is hard to follow all of them because you guys are commenting a lot, but I love that.
Ben: The wedding candles are exactly what happened with those.
Angela: That lady was so cute but the thing is she’s in the middle of talking to her, making a connection, trying to figure out do you want mason jar, do you want this? Then all of a sudden she passes the girl off to Porscha and walks away.
Ben: So bye.
Angela: We have never seen her again.
Ben: No, and it was 30 miles away too, it wasn’t like it was in town.
Angela: Other people are wondering the same thing like what happened to this wedding? Yes, thank you, this is a good part too because she heard glass being broken and she said they were throwing things into garbage bags. You’re handcrafted, perfectly placed inventory, you’re just getting tossed about…
Ben: Would they not be nice and put it in a box, I don’t know.
Angela: Well, I mean just to hear the crashing and I’m also very germophobic and sensitive to things like if I put something down, I want to make sure I find it exactly where I left it. And so when she went back into her home and saw it completely torn apart, I would’ve been crying, I would’ve been traumatized by that; so I give her a lot of credit with this one. I think that there could have been a lot of an emotional backlash or things to be explored there but the fact that the core part of her home and her store, the two things she spent the most time in and working on…
Ben: Like when they didn’t need to, they could have done it nicely. I feel you don’t need to tear someone’s place apart.
Angela: Thank you, I forgot about this. Jim came to her house and made coffee without permission, there’s a sense of entitlement there, Jim. I forgot about that one. We’ll just blame Jim for everything.
Ben: Exactly.
Angela: I mean because Matt on the phone said don’t let them start doing anything; she’s like too late, they’ve already started and she didn’t put up a fight. They were [cross-talking 54:30].
Ben: No, and they took her work laptop, they took a lot of things from her.
Angela: That was in my notes because she had to go get a secondhand one; that’s rough that had all of her information. I mean they…
Ben: What are they going to find on there?
Angela: I felt uncomfortable with them taking the laptop, I could understand if they went through the store because again that’s where…
Ben: All her stuff is, like all the stuff to make poison would be there, I guess.
Angela: The laptop was up in her apartment that just seemed like a little much to me.
Ben: I feel like WarWren would have certain things to get to like would a judge be like would I take the laptop. I don’t know but thinking too much into this; mostly because I don’t like Jim, so I’m like, no.
Angela: So I didn’t feel the connection between Jim and Ran, thank you, Regina. Chris, what was it the aunt said, send them your dry cleaning bill. That’s true.
Ben: Have the cops pay for that loan like a laptop; gosh.
Angela: Wait, we’re not going to get to find out about the wedding candles; that’s sad. I’m worried about that bride, I don’t think she got her candles.
Ben: It was an unusual time for the business.
Angela: Jim feels he can get away with anything because he was Paul Newman’s eyes.
Ben: Those eyes, everything can happen for him.
Angela: There’s a scene; I’m trying to remember which part in the book or where it occurred in the book but she stands up to him and there’s that frustrated, anger and she goes, I felt a spark. I’m going, you did, you felt a spark. She had to tell me she felt a spark because I didn’t sense that tension between them, I didn’t get that vibe at all, the fact that she had to clarify, I felt a spark maybe…
Ben: I do not like this, I don’t want them together, she needs to find someone else.
Angela: Can we also just talk about the fact how he thought, what’s her name? Betsy, is that the sister’s name? So Ben had a sister and he thought the sister might have been the killer because their parents passed away and Ben that’s the husband’s name, right? Because I know you.
Ben: Is it Bernie?
Angela: It begins with B.
Ben: I think it’s Bernie.
Angela: I just got Ben on my mind because you’re so awesome.
Ben: I don’t have a sister.
Angela: No, So what’s the sister’s name? I forget her name.
Ben: Is it Betsy? I think it’s Betsy.
Angela: I thought it was, I could be wrong. It’s very possible.
Ben: Throw away character.
Angela: Well, we never see her again after the cast.
Ben: Betty! Betty, thank you, Stephanie.
Angela: You guys are awesome, I love you guys.
Ben: They’re on it.
Angela: Thank you so much, so he thinks that she’s the killer and so naturally he wants her to go hang out with her, turn on the phone or record her and he’s telling her not to do any sleuthing, but then he wants her to go sleuth with the potential killer because that’s what you do with someone who you have a crush on or send them arms way.
Ben: Sure, let’s do that.
Angela: So can we just talk about that for a second, what was going on?
Ben: I don’t know, it just seemed like a wrong scene.
Angela: Thank you for knowing the name was Betty, she did seem perfectly nice, she did seem very polite in the cafe, I had no problems with her. I thought she was nice.
Ben: That was the same cafe with Frankie; that’s right.
Angela: You just kept picturing Bernie Sanders. I swear the last meme treatment where he had the mittens and the chair that is now ingrained in my brain. I don’t know what it is about that meme but every time I hear his name, now that is the first thought I have.
Ben: Because you can just feel it.
Angela: Jim is not a good detective, I don’t think he’s a good detective either because the two people who you call amateur slew to tell them not to get involved, they figured out within the span of what? Two pages that she was not the killer.
Ben: He could have easily asked her questions, I don’t know why he was just pulling Ran into the station all the time. He could have easily pulled Betsy station too.
Angela: Such a weird tonal shift asking for WWren’s help, thank you.
Ben: That was such a weird scene.
Angela: This is cute, we need a Bernie Sanders cozy series.
Ben: Yes.
Angela: That would be amazing. I’ve always been entertained by him, he also has great one-liners. There could be [inaudible 59:36].
Ben: I can see his series in Vermont, it would be perfect with him.
Angela: That’d be amazing, I love how I’d read that. Last month, it came up with one of the side characters she was into birdwatching, I’m like, I would read the bird watching, we found a couple of mysteries, I would go read them, I want someone to write one, I need more information on this. Now we’ve got the Bernie Sanders, we’re coming up with all the cozy mysteries, so the cozy writers watching, you got to have a notepad on you.
Ben: We will gladly read them, so, please!
Angela: I just found my note about ski masks because again, I was so upset like you remember ski masks.
Ben: But not gloves, you have a murder board and do not remember to bring gloves.
Angela: I love how I flip the page and his name is right at the top; goodness, well, that’s one of the things though too, I’m not going to blame Nancy Coco. But I think that’s one of the things for readers, they always tell you for the writing side of things to not have the same letter for characters because people will get confused, maybe that’s why because the Betty, Bernie
Ben: Bernie, yes.
Angela: Is there another B in there somewhere, probably because on Instagram, so hooked on cozy mysteries and then mystery man; I know you’re here, I saw you pop up. They also mentioned we needed to talk about the loose ends and there were so many questions, so what were the other loose ends? Are there any other questions around the loose ends because there were quite a few of them.
Ben: They were a lot.
Angela: I’m still hung up on the hat-pin because first of all, where did that come from? We never find out which one of the killers put that there, did anyone figure out the hat-pin thing? That was my loose end where I’m like, I need to follow this thread, I know it’s hanging there but is there another spool somewhere.
Ben: You know that I’m also about Everett being locked up in the box, I’m still confused about that whole scene too. I get they wanted to find the arsenic in there but by putting them in the box, why don’t just have them in there. I don’t know, it’s just so weird.
Angela: Yes, you were hung up on the Everett threat. I am still so concerned about that cat again, I knew that Nancy Coco knew cozy mysteries and she knew not to kill the cat but I was still concerned about this cat.
Ben: I was very worried.
Angela: As I pause, I think that there’s something about animals in general because animals are so innocent and sweet. They are but with cozy mystery readers, there’s an affinity and an extra warmth. So the fact that there was a hanging cat as an image for her warning, that’s hard because that’s uncomfortable and sad and just awful.
Ben: Well, and they know she has a cat too. You are going to remember the lady walking her cat around the town like you just had a different warning and not have put that.
Angela: I see, this is what I mentioned before off-camera because again, I have a dog, he is my baby, I love him so much, If he ever went missing I would tear this apartment building inside and out, I would not be doing anything until this.
Ben: That’s what I was worried about too, I was like, why isn’t she looking for him right now, he’s missing.
Angela: She posted something on social media or their local town message board or something. I would be out there with a flashlight, I would be yelling the name. I would havea [inaudible 1:03:20] drive on. My goodness, she also goes to work the next day and she is still [inaudible 1:03:25].
Ben: I would’ve put flyers up, I would’ve been casing the town looking for him everywhere; not just, no.
Angela: I would’ve not; she went back to her normal life when this was occurring. Again, I want to know wherever it was in between because there was no way he was in that box for X amount of time.
Ben: No.
Angela: Nancy Coco would’ve lost the cat at that point, so we’re missing you between then; I have questions, yes; thank you. That was one of my other ones, I mentioned this before off camera if I saw someone I would call 9 1 1, I wouldn’t give you my phone and walk away. I have so many photos of my dog on there. I have all my contact, who was just going to randomly have an extra phone to leave behind.
Ben: No one.
Angela: So do we know how the aunt got the cell phone?
Ben: I don’t think so.
Angela: Because I love how everyone’s asking the same question, we’re all on the same wavelength. So Michelle, Monique, Marc’s cell phone is this supposed to come up in two, like this Goodwill ambassador in town who’s just seeing things and randomly helping but how do you have an extra spare phone to just toss to someone?
Ben: I like the idea though, a random person helping out.
Angela: So where are the other two bodies that were supposedly referenced? Why did they say they were four bodies? I’m sorry, someone is editing.
Ben: Yes, that must be a typo.
Angela: I’m sorry.
Ben: Unless other crimes are happening that we don’t know about in this small town.
Angela: I would not be surprised.
Ben: All the police forces are digging through all her lip bombs and stuff and not…
Angela: I also want to know personally, if there are other 9 1 1 operators besides showing.
Ben: There have to be at least two people.
Angela: So the other question was who locked her in the shed and was that explained, and then you’re asking about the other two bodies. There are a lot of loose ends here, so I’m not sure if you guys have the answers or not, because I was curious. Were you talking about the cats? I was focused on the cats, the cats were cute.
Ben: All the cats.
Angela: So you guys are assuming it was Mildred; again, if someone had my dog, I would go anywhere they were, I don’t care if there’s a beware or a danger sign or whatever I’m going there. And so they lock her in the shed and I got to admit Porsha again, she’s my girl you call her Porsha and Porsha asked why didn’t you call 9 1 1.
Ben: Why didn’t you call 9 1 1 and then the whole phone, going in and out.
Angela: I thought that was amazing, Porsha was like why didn’t you just call 9 1 1, why are you calling me.
Ben: Choices, Wren.
Angelo: That’s what you guys are talking about because they wanted to do the murder-suicide with the husband and wife duo who loved each other to do that. Oh,
Ben: Okay.
Angela: That didn’t feel like a very cozy mystery that was dark. I am in love.
Ben: That was real.
Angela: I also want to just throw out there how this woman was very topsy-turvy, she’s mad at him for having an affair but yet she wants to die with him because she loves him so.
Ben: No.
Angela: I’m pretty sure they were arrested and I’m hoping maybe…
Ben: I’m pretty sure they were arrested.
Angela: Maybe in Book 2, they’ll say Mildred was the one, we’re adding on to her sentencing because she also kidnapped and we also have this because we’re adding on to that, so maybe you will clarify a little bit of something. I’m glad Everett won your heart.
Ben: I’m glad too.
Angela: Again, I mentioned this before I am allergic to not the EpiPen allergic, but the one time I was stung, I had to go to the doctor’s and they had to give me the cortisone shot because my legs swelled up three times its size. It was my calf muscle, it was horrifying and so I’m also allergic to cats. The animal fur versus hair, they got to have hair; Max is my dog, the Mauliste has hair. So again, with the cats, I have to take a chance on these sometimes too, so I’m right there with you.
Ben: I’m glad Everett is a good ambassador; a cat so.
Angela: He’s a great representation, he’s the type of cat that makes me want a cat like a little brother or sister. So we have the two killers, so the second killer Eloise figured that out, she knew who the second killer was, she knew that it was Mildred’s husband.
Ben: She did the key.
Angela: He killed Bernie and this is my question about Jim. So apparently Bernie figured out very quickly that Mildred was the killer and that is why the husband killed him. How did Bernie figure out that she was the killer very quickly?
Ben: I don’t know.
Angela: I wanted to know more information; he killed him because he figured it out. So again, Wren doing her sleeping was not the best idea.
Ben: Because he confronted them. Why didn’t he go to the police, is what I want to know?
Angela: What evidence did he have? How did he figure it out?
Ben: That has to be some evidence, right?
Angela: How did they get in the house? How did he die? We all know there’s blood, but we don’t know if there was, did they ever tell us that?
Ben: No, I would just assume it was a gunshot, but it could have been anything, I guess.
Angela: So they’ve been married for how long? And she didn’t even ask him about this affair; the lack of communication.
Ben: She could have easily asked him and they would’ve solved everything, I feel like, and then poor Mrs. Snow didn’t have to pass away.
Angela: Again, when she was confronted with Mildred and lost her mind asking Agnes about the affair, Agnes was laughing because she thought it was so absurd. And so she laughing at her because she’s going, I’m the evil witch, therefore I enticed him. She was laughing because it was so crazy to her.
Ben: That’s outrageous. I’m sure it was an outrageous laugh and not like ha-ha.
Angela: I love this, so Bernie was the best sleuth except he got murdered.
Ben: Unfortunately.
Angela: I mean, because he’s murdered what; like halfway through the book, so he figured it out very quickly somehow. I would love to know how because with Wren we were all over the place, we were with Rhonda, we were at the craft store wanting to knit socks, which I don’t think ever knit.
Ben: Just everywhere with her.
Angela: I haven’t read the Fudge books; I’ve heard good things about them though. I think I was going to read them; I have the Christmas one I believe it’s book seven or eight in the series and I wanted to read it and then I got busy and I forgot about it, but it sounded great. She is supposed to be a great cozy mystery writer, so I’m sure that the other books are the ones I think she started out writing too. So I’m pretty sure there’s a lot to those books to enjoy, especially because it’s one of those long-going series, so there’s a lot of people who enjoy it. I love this one, they must have had other marital problems If she never…
Ben: It just seems like a question you would ask your husband if you thought like an affair or I don’t know, it just doesn’t make sense.
Angela: Well, how did she get the key too?
Ben: I think she threw it outright?
Angela: The Denver iniquity.
Ben: I think it got thrown out the window or something.
Angela: She’s so sweet, she was one of the former guest hosts, if you guys are not following Christine, she’s awesome, I love her. So I got to say it’s still a well-written book; again, even if there are loose ends, I’m going to say I still enjoyed it, I liked the book. I’m going to say I’ll give her three and a half stars, I enjoyed it. It’s not going to make my top 10 list but I enjoyed it.
Ben: It was a fun ride, it was a little wild and that’s why I enjoyed it.
Angela: It was one of those things you’re going, Wren I just thought I was never a huge fan of the show, but I’ve seen every episode, which is so ridiculous that I phrase it that way. But how I met your mother, there was the episode where like honey because she would say and believe with the naivety. And so this is what I felt with Ran where I’m like honey that’s what I would do with her. I’m like honey.
Ben: If I didn’t like it as much as I did, I wouldn’t find all the potholes. Do you know? I just want to know more and hopefully, the second book will answer some of those. and like,
Angela: I think that’s part of it too. I liked the surfer dude, loving the chocolate candy, I wanted him to come back.
Ben: I like Porsha, I’m going to come back for her and aunt Louise. I’ll come back for them because I enjoy them as a character.
Angela: Everett too, I’m going to come back for Everett.
Ben: Everett’s a given, I’ll come back for Everett.
Angela: Everett is adorable. Last month with adorable huckleberry, I believe that was the dog’s name with the pug; that character was my favorite character. He didn’t have a line of dialogue because he is a pug but he was my favorite character, so I might just come back for Everett. He might be my number one reason to come back because he was so freaking cute.
Ben: It’s so adorable.
Angela: And the thing is Max is all white with his white fur because he’s Maltese so that would be perfect like yang if I had the cat with the dark Anna Brown chocolate.
Ben: Chocolate cat and little Max.
Angela: I put some thought into this if I have that on the top. You go crazy a little bit because, with cozy mysteries, I don’t want to call them hokey; that’s the wrong word but you want something where it’s like, wait for a second, what?
Ben: No, I was engrossed and I was I got to keep on reading, I can’t stop this; I need to know what’s going to happen.
Angela: You want the rug to turn, be pulled out from you a little bit because you want to be surprised, you want the mystery if you can’t predict it. That’s great writing, something is going on there; again, I figured out Mildred because she pointed out Wren in the lineup, which was a red flag; hello?
Ben: Yes
Angela: I didn’t know it was a second killer, I didn’t know it was her and the husband.
Ben: That took me by surprise, yes.
Angela: Especially because Eloise said it was him and when people say that within those 10 pages, it’s not.
Ben: It’s proven it’s a red herring, it’s not that person.
Angela: Thank you, so Anna has the nice word; it can’t be. You want some things where you’re going, this character is very quirky. This person would not exist in the real world and if they did, you would be like, do I talk to you or do I just keep walking? I love that sort of thing; you get to enjoy things that you wouldn’t get to enjoy normally. I wouldn’t want to see, talk about crazy, marrying crazy with a small town. How did two people that nuttier-butter find one another in this small town?
Ben: Gosh!
Angela: I don’t know how crazy found crazy, but my goodness; I love how I’m looking down. I’m pretty sure we went through all of my notes.
Ben: And I looked at mine too, I’m pretty sure.
Angela: This is another one, I love plot twists just not missing plot. I’m doing the Christina Aguilar or she’s like…
Ben: But it’s a couple of things I feel she just pulled a couple of things, some of those loose ends and like, I don’t know.
Angela: This is amazing, I want to see if she’s still wearing the green jacket she bought in high school but that was so funny. It’s a fake leather jacket, so I have the faux leather jacket that my mom bought me when I was a freshman in high school and at the time I was like, what is this jacket? Why would I wear this? Now I love it and I wear it all the time; again, it’s not wearing it all the time but in fall I wear it. That’s what it reminded me of I’m like, I have something in common with Wren, I got excited by that. When you say you have something from high school that still fits people like, sure.
Ben: True.
Angela: I like this comment: My daughter and I decided it was a double red herring because the suspects were the murderers. I like it, that’s true, that’s a good way of phrasing that as well. What’s the backstory with the lawyer and his dad about the snow. I wanted to know those details too, I think there’s more to Matt because Matt is also doing very well financially. According to her, he looks like he stepped out of a GQ. What cases is he representing in this small town?
Ben: I don’t know. All you’re told about is something political and nothing’s told about this snows and unfortunately, they’re both dead now.
Angela: They’re both dead now. We’re never going to know.
Ben: I feel we’re never going to know now.
Angela: So again, I don’t think Agnes did anything to Warrant, I don’t. The only thing that came up was aside from her being the president of the garden club for an infinite amount of time, she threatened candle lady with having some ugly sculpture put in front of her store. And because the husband’s mayor, he has the power to put whatever, whenever, wherever. And so other than that, they seemed to be on the up and up for the most part but I was perplexed about putting something ugly in front of someone’s store making it so no one wanted to go in there. I wasn’t sure about that like how ugly would this sculpture have to be?
Ben: It must be horrible.
Angela: They did that to somebody, but someone else has something from high school. You thought there would be more to that too. So I think that might be in book two hopefully I’m hoping that this is a three-book series whereby the end well, I’m not saying I want her to end at book three, but if she plotted it out for three books or by the end of the book, all of your little loose ends are tied together. They all are answered. We find out there’s a fair with hat pins and we find out something over there. I still want to know about that hat pin.
Ben: It’s just such a detailed thing that to not have anything comes of it.
Angela: And it was a real Pearl in the pin.
Ben: But if that’s worth something, why are you going to be just casually throwing away? I guess like…
Angela: That’s why I’m pausing going, if there’s a real Pearl wouldn’t you keep that; that’s money.
Ben: And if Mildred had a fancy hat with a hatpin in, it would make sense, but she didn’t.
Angela: I do think that it is nice though, I feel you want to craft after this book a little bit. It does make the straight ugly. Why would you just put an ugly sculpture? How ugly is the sculpture supposed to be? I don’t understand.
Ben: It’s just so hideous and it’s a small town, so you’d be going by it all the time too. I don’t know, it feels like you would do yourself wrong.
Angela: The most I can think of, and this is going to sound horrible, it’s going to be a freshman art project where like this is their trial and error learning about art. But even then some of those things turn out cute because it’s endearing and sweet.
Ben: No, that would be endearing. It would be like…
Angela: I can’t see them making something so ridiculously ugly; everyone’s like, no, I shall never go to the store ever again and also there’s a store right next to her, the storefront I should say is open and vacant, so couldn’t you just move in there?
Ben: I don’t know because it’s such a small town, you would be going by it all the time too. It’s not a huge city where you can miss that whole section.
Angela: I just saw this, so Jim was convinced every teenager in the world was pranking.
Ben: Just as access to hat pins like every teenager. No!
Angela: Every teenager has a Pearl hat pin; I also want to know this is just me being overly analytical because this is what I do. So when you say there’s a hat pin, how did this person get the hatpin there? Were they wearing a hat? Was it in the hat? Because if this is a hat pin, are you going to stick yourself with it? This is where people roll a tank comes into play.
Ben: So I’m just assuming, they printed this out, and then they’re okay. I need to pin something to it, so it stays on the door and they open the drawer and they’re like hat pin, and then like that would have one lane around just casually.
Angela: I just saw the comment and I know exactly the episode of monk you’re talking about. I love how I know her name off the top of my head, Layla was Monk’s love interest for one episode and her mother was visiting from a fictional country, which very much looks like Russia. It sounds like Russia, you’re talking like you have a Russian accent a little bit, but we’re going to pretend this is a fictional place. And so she has the hatpin and that’s how she stabbed the guy in the neck maybe it could have been the hatpin was used for something that would’ve been awesome. At least that would’ve had a reason for it being there and being so specific because otherwise just using a thumbtack would’ve made sense.
Ben: It would’ve made perfect sense; tape, thumbtack. Get off my lawn.
Angela: Again with the reference with Paul Newman, it does give him that older vibe, even though he’s not.
Ben: Probably around her age, I would guess the maybe early thirties.
Angela: It does sound very stars Halloween; that’s true too. Again with the quirky cast of characters there, I’m trying to figure out who the Taylor Doy is maybe that was Bernie.
Ben: Bernie.
Angela: Please tell me you understood the Taylor Doy…
Ben: I do understand; Gilmore girls, yes.
Angela: I like this, my fanfiction is that Mildred stole a hat pin from Agnes’s craft house.
Ben: Okay.
Angela: I like this and now I’m thinking when they had that whole, they found Angus’s I almost want to call it her layer; Angus’s layer of crafting.
Ben: Craft layer.
Angela: You know a little box set up or see them and they’re sticking out like that would’ve been cute if you figure out like this is where it came from maybe that was there in a draft and maybe it just didn’t get in. In the next version of the book that will be answered. When I say version, I should have said reprint.
Ben: Reprint, yes.
Angela: You want to visit the town; it sounds like a cute town. I also got funny with the Twilight references as Max lose his mind.
Ben: I did say during Halloween town week, I would love to be there to see everyone dressed up.
Angela: I’m trying to bribe him with treats now he’s just looking at me throwing it at him maybe that was part of it; it was supposed to be the red herring to try and throw suspicion.
Ben: I’m going to [inaudible1:24:08].
Angela: I love how she notices all those little details.
Ben: So observant.
Angela: I agree, so this is my question; why was she crafting so secretive? I would love to know why this woman who crafts and is willing to teach classes on crafting didn’t want people to know she was selling her crafts.
Ben: Yes, that makes zero sense.
Angela: I could understand if I almost felt as if two sentences or something could have tied up or answered that question. She didn’t want people to know because then everyone would be asking for orders or she wants people to know because she doesn’t want to get bombarded and she doesn’t want people to know because she doesn’t want all these orders to come in or she going to be an amateur. That’s how she ends up in the competitions because she needs her [cross-talking 1:25:00].
Ben: If she was a pro then she couldn’t be in there that makes sense.
Angela: I think you could have answered that in just a very short little way. I think that would’ve been very easy to answer but we just didn’t get that.
Ben: So you’re left wondering why she was keeping it secret, to begin with.
Angela: Again, that was one of my questions, so I gave that some thought, so that’s why I had that on the tip of my tongue because there had to be a reason and I’m pretty sure; again, Nancy, Coco, I get the impression she’s very methodical. So, I’m pretty sure she had a reason but it wasn’t apparent right from the get-go and I think it probably has to do with the fact that she’s an amateur status because apparently, her entire house had that one room that was just all awards from top-talk, award. So to me, I’m thinking she needed to maintain the amateur status that’s what I’m going with. She was selling to the whole town.
Ben: Yes, she was.
Angela: Was she not trying to leave a paper trail? Was that the whole thing about the money you couldn’t use?
Ben: I guess so.
Angela: Because she had the crafting done off the property. If you have an office somewhere that signals professionalism to me; you brought the book specifically, that’s so cool.
Ben: I like that.
Angela: See now you got to bring in the book and be like this is where it happened. That always makes me so happy when people are at the places written that book references; get the warm fuzzies as a book Instagram person. I am trying to remember what book it; I remember. So I went to Fort’s theater because I live in DC and so I brought one of the books that had to do with Lincoln and so I’m holding up the book, taking a photo and people are walking by me, like why is this woman taking a photo of a book but you still got to do it. More fuzzies for people who take photos of books at places, especially when other tourist’s locals are looking at you like what’s going on with your book? You guys are so sweet with these comments; I am so amazed and blown away. You guys are on the game with the details knowing the names of characters and everything else.
Ben: Thank you for being so helpful.
Angela: You guys are so sweet, I love you guys; I do. It was on Friday because I posted it on Friday, so I did an impromptu and I’m going to be announcing the giveaway winners. So originally I was like do a bookmark giveaway and so now I put together little envelopes, practically they’re full right now. So everyone’s going to get a little bit different. Yes. Some of them have vinyl stuff, everyone has at least a couple stickers per log or the fun or, some people are getting buttons. I’m trying to mix it up but everyone’s going to be getting something for the giveaway. But you guys, the reason why I’m just bringing this up is that you guys are so sweet with your comments and I needed that on Friday. And so you guys are just this bright ray of sunshine in the world with your comments and positivity and you love the term cozy crew; it is true.
Ben: That’s why I love this cozy crew so much everyone just feels like a cozy family, we’re a group, we all found each other.
Angela: I mean, with the comments you guys are so sweet and you’re amazing. love it when you say cozy crew, I think that’s in your Instagram bio.
Ben: It is, yes.
Angela: Every time I see it, I smile. So I just want to thank you guys for your comments because you guys are amazing. I know we haven’t been able to see all of them but you guys are just so great. I love how total tangent because I was going to say if you guys have any other thoughts to please comment now, because I know it’s getting late in the evening and I’m sure my voice is probably sounding a little bit hoarse than normal, but if there are any other thoughts about the book questions, please comment. Again, every single comment counts as a giveaway entry for Live and let Chai, thanks to Poison Pen Press.
Ben: You get that in a buck.
Angela: Bree Baker very talented aka Julian Lindsay and then I wrote all the stuff down because I didn’t want to forget. And then the giveaway for August, I know it’s Libby Klein, it was so funny because I set up the giveaway and then her book won for September. So she’s doing the giveaway in August and then in September, we’re reading her book. I’m going, timing that perfect within a day it happened; within a day.
Ben: Stephanie is very right; we need a cozy crew shirt.
Angela: So one of my notes as I did update the link tree, so the link tree is the Instagram bio you can click on that. So there is swag with mugs I do believe there are sweatshirts with the book club logo, but I can see, because again, I don’t want to like infringe on anyone else’s thing if there isn’t anything, I will make one for you.
Ben: Yes.
Angela: Right now, so what I did was, again, I overthink things and I try and do it so everybody, depending on where they are, what they like, whatever has access so there are the three different story links. So there’s The Society Six, there’s Dazzle and there’s Tee spring and I know Tee spring has a lot of sweatshirts, that I designed, I should say, not just sweatshirts in general. So I just that I designed, so I know that one has ones that say sleuth on it and so things. So I’ll go see if there’s a cozy crew, if not, I’ll do that for you.
Ben: That’d be awesome.
Angela: You guys are so sweet with the comments, again, if you guys tell me you want something, I will do it, I will look at it because that was one of my notes. I had that written down. I specifically updated the link tree because someone mentioned it. So again, it’s in the notebook I love how the things just flow and it’s so easy to tell you guys this because someone asked me to include the YouTube link and the backlist of previous reads because they didn’t know what books we’d already read for the club. So, I updated the link tree so if there is something you need to be included for the link tree, or just want something referenced or clarified, please ask because I try and consider your comments because if someone said they wanted that, I put it on the link tree just for them. So if you have questions, just let me know. So if you want a cozy crew, I can look into that and see what I can do.
Ben: You are the best Angela, so thank you so much.
Angela: I mean, why say is my honor, it is. I’ve got all emotional on the phone with my mom I’ve kind of, happy tears. I’m like, I see that they’re posting photos and I love you, I’m doing the happy tears. Like they’re posting the photos of Death Bee Comes Her every single time I see someone post the photo I’m like, my gosh, they’re a part of this club I created, I mean, it is seriously, my honor and absolute privilege. So I, again, you guys are taking time out of your lives to talk about books and celebrate Cozy Mysteries and be here tonight and comment I am just, I am blown away by that. That’s why, again, I was going to surprise you all with the bookmark giveaway, I was going to include three for everybody, but now I’m putting aside all these finals, I can’t help myself. I just want to like, keep giving you everything because you deserve it you guys are just so amazing. I really can’t help myself because you guys deserve it. It is my absolute honor to just be a part of this it is.
Ben: Same here, every time I’m just so happy, like to found this space, just with everyone here, it’s just amazing.
Angela: I know I love how you got emotional every time went away by how just it’s honestly, spectacular it’s just, I get emotional because it is amazing to me. Again, I wouldn’t wish my dissertation experience on anybody and so again, Friday was an off day for me because of lingering feelings, so Thursday, I had a meeting it didn’t go well. So Friday there was sort of that lingering feeling and then I end up on Instagram and you guys turned what would have been a bad day into an amazing day with your comments and positive. And so, instead of crying with sadness, I’m like, this is so great you guys are so amazing flipped it all because of you.
And so, while I’m talking about how amazing you guys are, you guys I’m so blown away by the number, again, like the participation. So, there are over a hundred votes for the September read, which is officially Class Reunions Are Murder by Libby Klein. And so right now you can vote for the October book on Twitter, and it’s the pinned tweet so I want to make it as easy as possible…he’s trying to bury a bone in an apartment. That’s going to be interesting, so right now, the October poll it’s the pinned tweet I want to just make it super easy to find. I also included the links to the good reads links for each of the books. So the four options are wine and punishment, which I think is a great point I love that.
Ben: It’s So amazing.
Angela: Sarah Fox, she did part in 12 days of Cozies last year, and she was so sweet and I loved emailing her. And so I kind of, again, it don’t when I’m still going to read this book because I just love her as a person so is her work. The other book we’ve read is Juliet Blackwell before so Secondhand Spirits I’m pretty sure right now, that’s in the second place. One Poison Pie by Lynn Choon’s currently in the lead and I’m pretty sure that one has the paranormal coziness three Halloween vibe you guys are looking for.
Ben: We need those, yes.
Angela: Again, I was having the best time watching this number poll because the first and second place it was tied, what four different times winning by a single percentage, I honestly didn’t know what was going to win. And then the last option is Caught Dead Handed by Carol J. Perry. So, please vote for your favorite choice because clearly, every vote counts, what that September poll I was doing screenshot after screenshot, because it would be the same percentage down to the decimal, how’s that happen?
Ben: It was close. I kept on checking on it too, just to see and I was like, dang, it was super close.
Angela: And then the next, again, I don’t need to like look around like, oh, I’m ignoring you he went under the nightstand, I’m pretty sure he’s trying to bury the bone under my nightstand.
Ben: That makes sense.
Angela: He’s five pounds, he can fit anywhere.
Ben: I love him.
Angela: The one time was when he got behind the bookcase I’m like, well, please just back out, please back up because I can’t reach you and there are so many books, I can’t lift this thing. So, hopefully, Max will be good for us tonight. Anyway, so the last Tuesday of the month is book club last three nights, but the second Tuesday of the month is cozy corner chat night. So you guys get to chat with your favorite Cozy Mystery authors and soon-to-be favorite Cozy Mystery authors, so the next one is going to have Emmeline Duncan, Esme Addison, and Eve Calder, mark your calendar. I’m excited to read Esme Addison’s, I haven’t read it yet, but the one with the hex, with the mermaids, with the history, I’m excited to read that book.
Ben: That’s a good book I read it. So I hope you enjoy it, and you have to tell me how much you liked it so, yes.
Angela: I’ve heard great things about it and so I know Emmeline Duncan, we had one of her books, the latest, it was like it was a coffee cozy mystery, again has been on my to-be-read list for the longest time.
Ben: Fresh Brewed Murder is amazing So I read that too, I was like Oregon, Oregon again, amazing it was…
Angela: I was going to say, so I got to read these books before the next cozy corner chat, but I was so happy that these authors had books that I know you guys have read and enjoyed. And so that just again, warm, fuzzy feelings that I can connect you guys with these authors, not for this chance. Again, I love the fact that it’s across platforms I’m trying hard to do that because I know that there are Cozy Mystery readers who are either people who have mentioned death or other people who are blind. And so I’m trying to make sure that other options are depending on your capabilities. So if you obviously can’t listen to the live stream, which I’m working on transcripts for, by the way, I’m trying to transcribe these and have the transcripts done so you can always look back. So that’s a work in progress, I’m trying to work on that, but if you can’t listen or take part with the audio, or I want you to be able to do the text-based activities, so I’m trying hard to make sure there’s something for everybody.
Ben: I love that. I love that experience it’s nice.
Angela: I’m trying hard I want to make sure again, it’s Cozy Mystery they’re supposed to be fun, they’re supposed to be lighthearted. Everyone should be able to enjoy that, everyone should be able to stop by cozies and be able to enjoy the sleeping fun. So, I want to make sure that there’s something for everyone, this is another attempt to try and offer something. So I hope you guys enjoy the next chat. So basically what you’ll do is you have the hashtag, hashtag cozycornerchat, and you can tell you the authors with their Twitter handles and ask the questions and they will talk about their writing, latest reads, whatever you ask, they willanswer. And then I mentioned, so the next it’s, again, I think it’s so funny the next giveaway for Libby Klein for next month’s live stream is going to be Beauty Expos Are Murder. So, that’s the giveaway book for the August live stream and then tonight is Live and Let Chai and then I already mentioned updating the link tree. So, I am the planner to the nth degree. I don’t even know what type of planner I am. This is why when Wren was talking about things, I’m like, you don’t know planner.
Ben: That’s what I love about you, Angela you’re very thorough and that’s good.
Angela: Thank you, I try again. So funny, I’ve been working on 12 days of Cozy since literally January, I’m trying so hard to make sure that there’s something for everybody and there are things to be enjoyed. So, I updated the link tree, but I’ll post the links again, I do not expect you to answer right away or whatever. I just want people to be able to know, here are the links, you can look at them, you can get an idea. So, right now I have new Google interest forums, I don’t know what he is doing, but I love my dog. So we have a Google interest forum for Cozy Mystery authors for future cozy corner chats. So if there’s an interested author, there are dates for them to look at, if you want to send that to your favorite author, or you are a cozy author, I have a Google interest forum for you.
And then for readers, we have the 2022 YouTube post interest Google forum, so you can just look up the day it’s got an idea just to see what I ask on the questionnaire, whatever that Google interest forum is there. And so I just wanted you to know that there again, just for you to consider I’ve been working on it. It will happen. I’m convinced, once you see the link that I’ve been working on, you’ll understand why it’s taken me so long because I’ve been working hard and integrating links to that…for the Cozy Mystery readers, I should go back. So, I have a Google interest forum for book club members.
So if you are a sleuther for the Cozy Mystery book club, I wish you to be able to submit your information so I can feature you on the Cozy Mystery book club website. So, I’m creating a link for the book club members, I’m slowly working on this and the reason why I say slowly is that I asked the questions of who is your favorite Cozy Mystery author, your first cozy. So I had been linking all of the books and recommendations to the author websites [inaudible 1:40:40], books that have been mentioned into images some people have referenced three books. So I go on Canva I have the three books with their covers and I try and make images, so it looks pretty.
Ben: No, I felt terrible if I did that.
Angela: No, this is what I enjoy doing again, you guys are such a bright spot and so this becomes the fun activity I look forward to doing it is. So, I’ve been working hard and trying to make this the best link I can and so I’m just mentioning it again because I’m sure there are other Cozy Mystery book club members who are new, who are still taking part, but I have this link I will reshare it on Twitter. So you don’t have to do it, this is optional and I have an option to include a profile photo you don’t have to, I can always include the book club logo or per lock or something there is no pressure you don’t have to do it either, it’s just something I wanted to offer. So, if you want to connect with the sleuther whose name you saw pop up in a live stream, you have their information there just in case.
Ben: I love that. I can’t wait to see this, I love it.
Angela: It’s one of those, it’s a work in progress so I just wanted to mention, I have that link available on the link tree and I’ll reshare it on Twitter. So there is 2021, 12 days of Cozies author interest forum, the 2022 YouTube interest forum, YouTube post interest forum wow, that is going to be a tongue twister, and then the future cozy corner shot author interest forum. So, I’ve been working on things there’s always something going on behind the scenes. I updated the link tree, I mentioned that and I mentioned it before, but I’ll mention it again. The second book in the series for Death Bee Comes Her is a matter of high and death and it’s being published on March 29th, 2022 that is the final page of my notebook. So, those are all of my notes but if you have questions about something, please let me know because I will try and answer it that’s my capability.
You guys are so amazing with the comments, things pop up my, gosh, you guys are so sweet. Thank you so much for joining us tonight and it is my pleasure, to be able to make something that people enjoy and take part in it is just such a privilege, it is amazing and it just makes me want to do even more. When it comes to you guys, I just want to keep offering things, I have the freebie page that I made I don’t even know why I call her freebie page, everything I do is free. But I have this freebie page and so I’m like, maybe I can add something else, maybe I can add something else. And then I looked at the freebie page somebody else has where it’s like one thing to download I’m like I have like, what 12.
Ben: You go all out and they love it so.
Angela: So yes, I just want to keep doing more for you guys, if there’s ever anything you guys think of, please let me know.
Ben: I know and I see someone mentioned 12 days of Cozies and I can’t wait again because that’s my favorite time of year.
Angela: Well, so far I have 13 authors confirmed and I have some big-name authors that I’m pretty sure you guys recognize as I’m pulling up my forum again, I have the little thing I’m like, should I tell you, should I give you a little like. So, Jack Clayton, who’s one of my faves she’s always, whenever I do something, Jackie’s there, every time I do something, she’s like, I will join. So [inaudible 1:43:52] Jackie but I know you guys are Winnie Archer and Melissa Bourbon fans so he’s one of my authors.
Ben: Okay.
Angela: Mary Oneplus, she did one of the cozy corner chats she is going to be doing for 12 days of Cozies, Cynthia Khan, who I adore is going to be doing it for the first time, so I have some good author so…
Ben: You have good…yes. This is exciting okay.
Angela: Just to give you a little tidbit of what’s going on, again, I’ve been working with other authors, but just to name a couple. So they’re authors who are participating and if other authors want to sign up, I am open to it. I will be reaching out to other authors too and if they did it last year, I’m going to be asking them if they want to do it this year, I try and make it as easy as possible for the authors. And I’m also trying to make it so that again if they don’t have a Twitter, they can use Instagram if they have vice-versa. So I’m trying to make things accessible across platforms, I want that to work for the readers and the authors too.
Ben: Always, always so considerate. I love it.
Angela: I hope you can participate too. I’ve been working on it hard that there’s going to be something for everyone across platforms across time so I hope you can find something that works for you, Crystal.
Ben: Always so much fun, I can’t wait.
Angela: I’m hoping that it lives up to the hype because I’m talking about it in the summer and also we have, what is it? Christmas in July everyone’s home…
Ben: That’s on my mind too so.
Angela: I was like, we’re talking about it now so you got you’re in the headspace, but yes, I will do my best to make sure that it’s a good celebration for you all so fingers crossed. But yes, so hopefully if you guys have any other questions or thoughts that come up please feel free to email message me on Instagram, Twitter I will get back to you. And obviously, we need to thank my guest host for tonight because he is amazing, I adore this guy, he is so sweet and you were so on the game. I get the biggest kick out of talking to you, I adore this guy I do adore Ben. He’s such a little bright ray of sunshine, if you go read his posts on Instagram and Twitter, you’re just gonna smile because he’s just so amazing and sweet adore him, [inaudible 1:46:07] please do.
Ben: I always have so much fun and the first time I co-host with you, I was like, I know Angela forever, this is like, I’m not nervous, every time I feel like, it’s just like catching up with a friend. So it’s like, I love it.
Angela: You are, honestly, there’s something about this cozy community where it’s like, I read people’s comments I’m like, my God. I feel I do it’s one of those, I recognize the names it’s so funny too. I’m going to be, I’m trying to figure out how to say this. So again, it’s a Google interest forum for book club members and it’s so funny when I see someone’s name in here, I’m like, I have never seen you participate with anything. know people’s names and so someone just wants to end up on the website. So, I know the names I recognize the user handles, people who participate I feel like I do know you and it’s just such a privilege when I get to feel as if, my gosh, so-and-so’s here they’re back, they’re reading this book, I know they didn’t like this book, but hope they’re enjoying this one. So yes, with Ben, it was one of those reading the comments back and forth, commenting back and forth, again, if you were the librarian, I would just go to hang out with you.
Ben: Well, I hope so. Yes, it’s just such a great community and I feel so connected with everyone, especially when people join in, they’re like, hey, welcome back and it’s so sweet to see that.
Angela: My mom watched the live stream and she’s like, is Ben coming back. She’ll ask me about you she’s like; he’s so sweet how’s he doing? [Inaudible 1:47:42] he popped up on Twitter is so sweet. So like again, I’m talking about you guys to my parents.
Ben: I love it, your mom.
Angela: You guys are in my life, I’m not kidding, I’m not exaggerating it’s true. And I love how it’s like mama’s heart approved, mama’s heart stamp of approval.
Ben: I love it.
Angela: I don’t know why I was calling my mama heart with that but when it comes to YouTube, I’m like mama’s heart. It does an awesome job, I wish I had some sort of like soundboards so I could do like the clap noises, it only just me it sounds sad but all the [inaudible 1:48:16], what is it that they do, the snaps?
Ben: The snaps, yes.
Angela: I was like, where’s Max’s barking in an agreement when I need him too.
Ben: He’s busy digging that hole.
Angela: But I know, [inaudible 1:48:30] here and he doesn’t have the bone so I know it ended up somewhere, I don’t know where, but somewhere. So, I’m going to have to find the bone to take care of this little guy. But thank you guys so much for being here for reading this book I am just blown away when I see the photos on Instagram and when you guys comment on Twitter, it’s seriously it’s just amazing. All the warm, fuzzy feelings, and I mentioned it before, but if you did take a photo, let me know or send me your mailing address because I will send you some book clubs, swag. So, I’ll be sending some bookmarks your way as a way to thank you for taking part in the book club and sharing your photo because I’m always blown away when I see those photos to know that people are taking part in something, I created an organized, it is just the best feeling in the world. And so that’s just my way to say thank you for being a part of the club. So send me the mailing address I’m sorry, but US only because I used actual post-it stamps.
So, I will be working on something for international Coz Mystery, I know you guys here Coz Mystery sleuther’s. What I thought I would do is I would do either book depository or Barnes noble gift card or something so I can do just the email gift card sort of situation, I’m going to do that for you all. I just don’t know for what or for when but It will happen, I am thinking about you international readers, but so if you did take a photo, let me know, and I will make sure that this comes your way. But other than that, I think I gave you guys all my notes there was so much to talk about with this book. Was there anything else you wanted to add quickly before we say anything else?
Ben: No, I think that was it you covered everything I had to, it was a lot.
Angela: Oh my gosh. And so I just want to say thank you guys for watching and being here tonight. Again, I think after Friday, I’ve always had this connection with you all, but I am just so appreciative of every single one of you. I do mean it when I say you guys mean the world to me do so. Thank you for reading this book and being here and celebrating Cozy Mysteries and I already gave him a shout-out, but he deserves a second one so shout out to Ben for joining me because he was awesome and I adore him. So, thank you guys for doing this and being here, please keep reading next month. Where to go it’s over here somewhere next month it is Books Can be Deceiving, I love how now we have more books on the list that we can prepare for it so please get your copy, start reading it, enjoy it. Hopefully, you love it and we can chat about it next month I’m looking forward to reading this myself I’ve had this on my to-be-read list for years. So I think that it is amazing that this book I’ve wanted to read, I get treated with you, I feel honored that that’s the case.
Ben: Okay. I haven’t read it either so I’m excited to read it too.
Angela: I’ve heard good things and people enjoy her as an author. So I have very high hopes for this book. Thank you guys for joining. Thank you to Ben and please stay safe happy and healthy. And happy reading and sleuthing.
