New Large Print Mystery (Barbara Colley)

Wash and Die, Book 7 in Barbara Colley's popular Charlotte LaRue Mystery Series, is now available in large print!

Charlotte LaRue, owner of New Orleans’ Maid for a Day cleaning service, is swept into jeopardy when an uninvited guest arrives on her doorstep...

As the saying goes, "No good deed goes unpunished." Charlotte LaRue knows she should take a broom and chase Joyce Thibodeaux off her front porch. Once married to Charlotte’s tenant Louis Thibodeaux, Joyce is fresh out of detox for her alcoholism and has no place to go. She swears she’s clean and sober and will find her own place in a few days. She pulls on Charlotte’s heartstrings...and soon she’s staying in Charlotte’s guest room.

Charlotte survived Hurricane Katrina, but Joyce proves to be an ill wind of a different kind. Soon a valuable gold watch left to Charlotte by her father is missing, and worse, a stranger is watching the house. Charlotte knows she has to show Joyce the door, but she never gets the chance. Instead her beloved parakeet Sweety Boy vanishes, her living room gets trashed, and Joyce ends up in the middle of the mess...stone cold dead.

Now Charlotte is on the list of murder suspects along with Louis, who’s been out of town on business...or has he? Finding the answers means doing a little snooping herself. Grabbing her mop she’s starting with the hospital where Joyce last stayed: a place with skeletons in its closets and a bucket full of clues that just might lead to a killer.

Read an excerpt at BarbaraColley.com. Large print release date: May 16, 2008.

Coming Soon from Shari Anton...

Magic in His Kiss (Warner, July 2008) is the eagerly awaited third book of Shari Anton's 'Magic Trilogy'.

Visit Shari's freshly updated web site at sharianton.com for a chapter preview and more details about this exciting series.

Author News: Pamela Ford

The Sister Switch by Pamela Ford is a 2008 Golden Quill Finalist!

It’s the beginning of the end of her ordinary life . . .

What single mother Nora Clark knows about style would fit on the head of a pin. Yet with her identical twin begging her to cover a personal shopping assignment and save a bank balance sinking like the Titanic, she wriggles into her sister’s minis and does what she has to do.

But backtracking on her borrowed stilettos seems like the smarter move, when her sister’s "client" turns out to be a surgeon at the hospital where Nora works in real life.

The attraction between Nora and Erick is undeniable, but what will happen once he discovers the truth about her lies?

Visit pamelaford.net for an excerpt.

New Author Contests for May!

Tell Lori Handeland your favorite book settings and you'll be entered to win an autographed book from this award-winning author of the Nightcreature Novels. Enter by: May 31 at midnight (USA EST).

Next, visit Shari Anton's freshly updated site where one lucky winner will receive a personally autographed copy of her upcoming release, Magic in His Kiss, plus a special bonus gift from Shari. Entry deadline: July 31 at midnight (USA EST)

New Release: Fallen by Erin McCarthy

New Orleans, 1880s. Sent to watch over the decadent city, the angel Gabriel loses himself in the liquid pleasure of absinthe. So when his mistress, Anne, is murdered — and all evidence points to him — a foggy Gabriel cannot be sure he didn't do it. His penance: to be forever denied love. Should he seek pleasure with a woman, she'll know the depths of despair.

New Orleans, today. Hoping to unlock that unsolved mystery, forensic scientist Sara Michaels, Anne's great-great-granddaughter, meets the ageless, tormented Gabriel. To work together would mean suppressing their mutual attraction — he can't allow himself to touch Sara, for her own sake.

And for Sara, already familiar with the dangers of addiction, Gabriel poses the ultimate threat to her self-control. But can the desire burning between them turn into their salvation — or lead them both to destruction?

Look for FALLEN, a darker paranormal novel by Erin McCarthy, available today from your favorite bookseller!

Erin McCarthy on RomanceNovel.tv

Watch Erin McCarthy tell about getting 'the call' on RomanceNovel.tv.

...and she cooks, too!

Author Barbara Colley's Charlotte LaRue Mystery Series features a New Orleans maid service owner who's often called on to clean up more than just her clients' homes. Whether it's a dead body or simply a missing piece of jewelry, Charlotte seems to have a knack for solving mysterious crimes, a trait that amazes those who know and love her, but a trait that also constantly frustrates and aggravates the police. In Wash and Die, book 7 in the series, Charlotte herself is on the list of suspects. Find out more by visiting Barbara Colley and while you're there, treat yourself to a peek at the recipe page for some authentic southern cookin' and New Orleans treats.

New This Week: Mothers of the Year (Lori Handeland)

Every woman comes to motherhood in her own way...

In Mommy for Rent by Lori Handeland, it's when a Rent-a-Mommy job for the Mother's Day Picnic turns into the real thing.

In Along Came a Daughter by Rebecca Winters, it's the day a daughter goes to work for her dream mom...and then has to wait for her dad to fall in love.

In Baby Steps by Anna DeStefano, it takes a troubled little boy to help a woman take baby steps toward a loving future with her husband.

Three stories of mothers' joy, laughter ... and exasperation! Look for Mothers of the Year at your favorite bookseller starting April 8th. Just in time for Mother's Day!

Author appearances this weekend...

Eclectics.com authors Erin McCarthy and Laura Joh Rowland will attend the fifth annual Writers’ Jubilee Jambalaya this weekend (Saturday, April 5, 8 a.m.- 6 p.m.) at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive in Houma, Louisiana. Tickets are $35. Visit the library for more information.

Author Contests

Eclectics author Lori Handeland invites you to answer a question and be entered to win an autographed copy of Mothers of the Year from Harlequin Superromance, which contains her novella "Mommy for Rent." Entry deadline: April 30 at midnight (USA EST)

Next, hop on over to Shari Anton's site where one lucky winner will receive personally autographed copies of her novels, Midnight Magic and Twilight Magic, plus a special bonus gift from Shari. Entry deadline: April 30 at midnight (USA EST)

Earth Hour with Bookshelf Cat...

At 8 pm on March 29th, 2008, lights and non-essential appliances will be turned off all around the world for one hour, demonstrating how simple actions can make a real difference when everyone participates. Even one light makes a statement and you can make a difference! At Eclectics, we'll be telling ghost stories by the light of Bookshelf Cat's glow-in-the-dark eyes. How 'bout you?

Visit Earth Hour and on Saturday night, flick off!



Bookshelf Cat will be sharing Earth Hour stories aboard the Friday Ark this weekend.

Drake's Back! Read Episode 5 for free...

Part Five of the online serial by Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love is online now at The Impalers Vampire Band web site.

Drake: Tales of a Lusty Pirate is free to download, so go ahead...get Impaled! (Mature content. If you're under 18, get Demonized, instead!)

Bunny? What bunny?

I don't see a bunny.

Do you see a bunny?

Happy Easter and joyful springtime greetings from Eclectics and the Bookshelf Bunny Cat (who absolutely did not authorize this photo).

Hop on over to the Friday Ark for more spring frolicking.

Number 1 on the New York Times list!

Congratulations to Eclectics author Victoria Alexander, whose novel The Perfect Wife is currently the #1 mass market paperback on the New York Times Bestseller list! The book is #4 on Publishers Weekly bestseller list and #65 on the USA Today list.

When the Earl of Wyldewood meets Sabrina Winfield, he thinks he's found the ideal match. Graceful and genteel, the elegant blonde will look simply exquisite displayed on his arm. And a lady like Sabrina will undoubtedly occupy her time with proper matters, leaving him free to pursue his own pleasures . . .

But beneath Sabrina's delicate beauty lies the most infuriatingly stubborn, wildly adventurous woman the earl has ever met. She's nothing like the perfect wife he had imagined. And before long, all he can think of is quieting her biting wit (with his kisses), putting an end to her outlandish schemes (with his own carefully planned seduction), and doing everything in his power to become the perfect husband.

Visit Victoria Alexander for a preview.