DYE, DYEING, DEAD ON SALE

For a limited time, the first "Nameless, Texas" novella is on sale at Amazon for only $1.99 this week (regular retail is $2.99). If you're a fan of Aunt Jewel, Jeremy, Kendra and the other quirky folks who live in the small Texas town just outside Austin, you'll enjoy this first longer novella in the series.

http://www.amazon.com/Dye-Dyeing-Dead-Nameless-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00M0DADFW

And while you're there, also check out the other short stories in the series.

Also available Now in E-book and paperback at these Online Retailers:
SMASHWORDS
APPLE
BARNES & NOBLE
KOBO
PAPERBACK


Happy trails!

bobbi c.

Readers love DYE, DYEING, DEAD

Two great 5-Star Amazon reviews for my new "Nameless, Texas" novella, DYE, DYEING, DEAD:

A Delightful Mystery, August 27, 2014
 

"A great read, perfect for summer reading, or a cool, rainy fall day. As a native Texan, I found much of the dialogue familiar and fun. The characters are broadly drawn, but definitely true to the Lone Star mystique. If you're hankering for an engaging mystery with an entertaining cast of characters, this will more than fill the bill. Dying to see what Chukran has up her sleeve next for the folks in Nameless, Texas."

A Romp, October 5, 2014
 

"What a romp! With quirky characters, secrets large and small, a town with a personality all its own, and a solid plot, I found myself smiling more often than not when reading Dye, Dyeing, Dead. I hope more books about Kendra, Aunt Jewel, and Nameless, Texas are coming soon."

 

Thanks, y'all!

 

bobbi c.

First (great!) Review for DYE, DYEING, DEAD

 Dear friends,

The first review of my new mystery novella, DYE, DYEING, DEAD, was published this morning in the Kings River Life magazine. I love reviews like this, because it confirms that readers "get" my characters and what I'm trying to do with the story.

And the fact that the reviewer, Cynthia Chow, is a librarian is icing on the cake. :-)

Stop by before August 23rd and leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of the paperback! 

 http://kingsriverlife.com/08/16/dye-dyeing-dead-by-bobbi-a-chukran/

"After the end of her marriage and equipped with a college degree that usually requires additional doctorates to insure employment, the chance to live with her aunt was a godsend for folklorist Kendra Harper. The contrast between Austin and tiny Nameless, Texas was a bit of a shock, but it gives Kendra the chance to research and write about ghost stories and local legends. When Kendra isn’t at a cemetery photographing tombstones, she helps Aunt Jewel with gardening classes. The most recent is the prophetically titled Dyeing with Plants workshop.

The class for the Nameless Garden Club has a rocky start as the ladies arrive fully dressed for a formal Southern Tea and bring along their own heckler. Eula-Mae Bunch spends the entire workshop denouncing the need for natural dyes while praising cheaper manufactured versions. Aunt Jewel finally kicks Eula-Mae out. The next time the abrasive woman is seen, she’s a corpse.

Jewel’s neighbor declares he witnessed Jewel kill Eula-Mae which means the sheriff isn’t going to look too hard in any other direction. Knowing how gossip can damage a reputation, Kendra and her best friend Jeremy Clifford conduct their own investigation to discover who among Eula-Mae’s many enemies was finally pushed over the edge. The fact that Eula-Mae was on a righteous march to censor the library certainly doesn’t make her any more sympathetic.

As a novella, the pace moves quickly while still fleshing out the characters of Kendra and her closest friends. Readers may spot the clues and the identity of the murderer far ahead of Kendra, but she has the task of weeding through numerous suspects, none of whom are shedding a tear for Eula-Mae. The tone remains light with Jeremy encapsulating most of the humor with his eccentricities and Spock ears. Kendra has a low-key romantic relationship with a deputy and even Aunt Jewel may have a potential beau on the horizon which makes this a very funny and romantic blend of Southern charm and mystery."

Thank you, Cynthia, and thank you Lorie!

bobbi c.

FINAL cover reveal for DYE, DYEING, DEAD

Dear friends,

After getting some comments on the previous cover here last Sunday, I re-designed it and everybody seems to love this one much better. I do, too. It looks more contemporary to me although there's still the rough wood of the house behind the text.

The book will be in e-book format first, then paperback a little later. For an e-book cover, it's good. It pops out, the text is easy to read, etc. For a printed book, I think it will work well, too. It might have to be re-sized a bit. BTW, this is a very low-resolution photo for web use. Another one will be used for the actual printing.

The good thing about having a print shop, publishing, graphics design background is that I can do my own covers when I want to. I recently wrote a short article for Lois Winston, author, that will be on her blog at the end of July about how I use my photography to inspire stories. This particular photo was the side of a former garage out in the Texas Hill Country. I've used it before on my cooking with herbs booklet, too.  Except the beauty of using Photoshop is that I can "paint" the wall to change the color if I want to. :-)

More news as it happens---tentative publication date is August 15th.

Happy trails from Nameless, Texas. :-D

bobbi c.