Summer Book Deals

Summer reading provides a welcome escape from life’s turmoil. Here are some suggestions for you to replenish your reading basket while the hot sun beams down and storms stir on the horizon. 

MYSTERY MARATHON GIVEAWAY

Searching for your next favorite mystery? Look no further! A group of bestselling authors is offering a FREE selection of books, available for a limited time. This includes my Bad Hair Day series starter, Permed to Death. Get your free books now while the offer lasts: https://books.bookfunnel.com/mysterymarathon/py0y0ec2i7

Mystery Marathon Giveaway

 

BEACH READS BOOKISH EVENT

I’m excited to join the Beach Reads Bookish Event sponsored by N. N. Light’s Book Heaven. Check out all the fun titles July 23-28, including my book Killer Knots that’s on sale for $0.99, AND enter to win a $20 Amazon gift card at https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/post/killer-knots-brbe

Beach Reads Bookish Event

DID YOU KNOW? 

If you’re a KoboPlus subscriber, you can read the Bad Hair Day Mysteries for free at https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/the-bad-hair-day-mysteries

Kobo Plus Subscribers Read for Free

 

My first four titles are available as Audiobooks. Start listening here: https://www.audible.com/author/Nancy-J-Cohen/B000APL5DG

 

What are some of the books you’ve read so far this summer that you would recommend?

 

June 2024 Special Offers

It is with a sad heart that I share the news that my husband passed away last month. While adjusting to his loss, I am slowly getting through all the tasks that need to be done. In the early morning hours, I’ve once again been working on my latest mystery. This brings me comfort and a sense of normalcy. It also means I am ready to return to the writing community.

Here are some current promotions that you might find appealing:

Booklovers Bench Monthly Giveaway

Enter June 1-22 to win Two Free Books from Booklovers Bench in our June giveaway, including my title STAR TANGLED MURDER, just in time for the July 4th holiday – https://bookloversbench.com/contests/win-two-free-books-june-2024/


Wedding Themed Books

Check out these books with a wedding theme, including my title SHEAR MURDER, at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Celebrate Weddings Bookish Event. Be sure to enter the giveaway to win an Amazon gift card – https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/post/shear-murder-cwbe

 

FREE First-in-Series Mystery

FREE First-in-Series Cozy Mystery! Hairstylist Marla Shore is giving grumpy Mrs. Kravitz a perm when her client dies in the shampoo chair. If that isn’t enough to give her a bad hair day, handsome Detective Vail suspects Marla of poisoning the woman’s coffee creamer. Delve into small-town secrets, colorful characters, plot twists, and suspense in this series starter. https://books2read.com/PermedtoDeath


Kobo Plus Subscribers Read Free

Did you know the Bad Hair Day Mysteries are all Free on Kobo Plus? Kobo readers, get started reading this fun cozy mystery series now – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/the-bad-hair-day-mysteries

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That’s all for now. I may post from time to time but it’s going to take me a while to get our household in order. It’s spring-cleaning time, not only for clothes and accessories but also for the knickknacks, kitchenware, towels and linens, and other things that are no longer needed.

When’s the last time you’ve cleaned out your closets?

Flash Giveaway June2023

I’m trying something new and will be doing a flash giveaway for an advance reading copy of Keeper of the Rings, one of my earlier sci-fi romances. It’s Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone when an archaeologist and her mysterious protector search for a stolen sacred artifact on a distant planet. If you’d like a chance to win in exchange for posting an honest review on Amazon (and anywhere else you post), please leave a comment below. U.S. Residents only, please. Winner will be contacted by email and announced here in one week.

Excerpt from Keeper of the Rings

Leena followed him toward a recess in the wall. Vines dangled from overhead like a curtain, as though warning trespassers to stay away.

Her breath hitched at the familiar sight of two stone helixcats, their faces partially eroded. They stood as sentinels on each side of the entrance.

“I’ll go first,” she said. “I’m familiar with these temples.”

Her discerning glance observed a gap farther inside. She squeezed through the narrow opening into an interior passageway. The walls glowed with a strange luminescence that thankfully provided illumination. She watched her footing as she made her way along, with Taurin at her heels. As the walls closed in on them, a musty odor entered her nose.

She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Don’t stray from the path. This temple might have hidden dangers.”

“Now you tell me.” His voice sounded loud in the confines of the tunnel.

“Maybe that’s why the excavation stopped,” she suggested. “The early explorers might not have been able to get past the obstacles. Grotus’s men wouldn’t have had much more success.”

Halting as she came to a wide archway, Leena glanced at the floor of the room past the arch. It consisted of a patchwork of evenly-shaped stones. At the other end of the cavernous room was another open archway flanked by two huge stone statues. But what made her emit a soft cry was what she saw in between.

“What is it?” Taurin said, peering over her shoulder.

“Nothing good.” Leena pointed to the bones littering the chamber ahead.

****

Have you ever explored a scary place? 

Win an ARC of KEEPER OF THE RINGS, a thrilling sci-fi romance mixed with myth & mystery #scifi #romance #giveaway Share on X

Orlando Reads Books FB Party

Orlando Reads Books Group Facebook Event – TONIGHT

Join me TONIGHT for some fun posts & giveaways at 6:00 – 7:00 pm EST at https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrlandoReadsbooks
Be sure to join this group ahead of time. I am being introduced tonight in an author takeover as a prelude to this conference next year.

Orlando Reads Books

 

OrlandoVoyager Magazine

Check out my feature interview in OrlandoVoyager Magazine at http://orlandovoyager.com/interview/check-out-nancy-j-cohens-story/

 

Booklovers Bench

Enter Here Dec. 1 – 18 to win a free book at Booklover’s Bench 

Mysteries with Humor Giveaway

First in Series Mysteries with Humor Giveaway

If you like reading humorous mysteries, Enter Now to win 45+ First in Series Mysteries with Humor AND a brand new eReader from BookSweeps.

 

I am offering PERMED TO DEATH, book #1 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries, in this giveaway. Please share with your friends!

 

OTHER GIVEAWAYS

LAST DAY! Oct. 1 – 18 Booklovers Bench
Enter to win a free book at Booklover’s Bench https://bookloversbench.com/contests/win-a-free-book-oct-2022

Oct. 7 – 31 A Scary Good Giveaway
Enter to win a $400 Amazon eGift Card from The Kindle Book Review https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/a-scary-good-400-giveaway/

A Scary Good Giveaway

Oct. 7 – 31, 2022 BOO A Scary Good Giveaway

What: $400 Spooktacular Giveaway of (1) $400 Amazon eGift Card
When:  October 7 – 31, 2022
Where: https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/a-scary-good-400-giveaway/

 
Enter Oct. 7 – 31 to win a $400 Amazon eGift Card from The Kindle Book Review, the number one site for Reader Giveaways. If you love reading, enter now at https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/a-scary-good-400-giveaway/

P.S. Don’t forget to enter our drawing for a free cozy mystery at Booklover’s Bench.

Upcoming Events Oct 2022

Please join me for these exciting upcoming events. Be sure to stop by our Booklover’s Bench party tonight for fun and prizes. If you’d like to attend the writing workshop, register now!

Cozy up to Autumn Book Party TONIGHT online at 7:00 – 8:30pm
Cozy Up to Autumn Book Party with Terry Ambrose, Nancy J. Cohen, Debra H. Goldstein, Cheryl Hollon, Diane A.S. Stuckart, Maggie Toussaint, and Lois Winston. Fun & Prizes!

            

 

Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
“Characters and Conflict” Writing Workshop with award-winning author Nancy J. Cohen via Zoom. Register Here.

How do you create memorable characters that readers will remember? In this workshop, award-winning author Nancy J. Cohen will discuss how to develop your protagonist and secondary characters, use dialogue, add conflict, and follow genre conventions in regard to plot. Examples of conflict as the engine that drives your story will be given. You will feel confident in being able to create your own main characters and devise subplots for the recurrent cast in a series.

 

Oct. 1 – 18 Booklover’s Bench Monthly Book Giveaway 

Enter to win a free book at Booklover’s Bench 


Coming Soon:

Oct. 7 – 31 BOO A Scary Good Giveaway
Enter to Win a $400 Amazon Gift Card
Details TBA 

Oct. 17 – 26 First in Series Mysteries with Humor
Details TBA

Winner Takes All – February 2022

Looking for some great new cozy mystery reads? Enter Now to Win 7 free books from Booklovers Bench in our 9th Anniversary Celebration Giveaway!

Here’s what you can win:

BB Feb22

Lois Winston – Paperback (U.S. only) or ebook Revenge of the Crafty Corpse
Nancy J. Cohen – Signed mass market paperback  (U.S. only) Shear Murder
Debra H. Goldstein – Paperback (U.S. only) or ebook Four Cuts Too Many
Cheryl Hollon – Signed paperback (U.S. only) Draw and Order
Diane A.S. Stuckart – Hardcover (U.S. only) Peachy Scream
Maggie Toussaint – Paperback (U.S. only) or ebook Lindsey & Ike Mysteries, the Complete Novella Set
Terry Ambrose – Paperback (U.S. only) or ebook Mystery of the Eight Islands

Dates to enter are Feb. 1-18 so get your entry in now. Bonus entries available! Check out our other features while on the site, such as our Let’s Talk weekly blog and On the Bench group posts.

Win 7 free cozy mysteries from Booklovers Bench in our 9th anniversary giveaway! #cozymystery #giveaway Share on X

Planning a Sequel

When you’re writing a series, how do you know what comes next? Book One lays the groundwork, introducing the setting, characters, and premise for the entire series. How can the second book build on this beginning?

Planning a Sequel

That depends on if your stories are more episodic or serial in nature. For whodunits, we’re more episodic with a different murder mystery to solve in each book. The crime is the focus of the plot, like exploring a new planet on each episode of Star Trek.

But this is only your main character’s external conflict. What about their internal angst? Here’s where you can introduce a serial element. By this, I mean an overarching thread that isn’t solved in book one. This thread deals with the protagonist’s struggle to overcome obstacles to achieve her ultimate personal goal. Each book should evolve from this core inner conflict.

In my Bad Hair Day series, hairstylist sleuth Marla Vail progresses in her dating life and matures to overcome past traumas and to embrace a happy future. But once your character fulfills her destiny, you’ll have to throw in another wrench to clog the wheels. This means that when one thread is tied up, you’ll need to introduce another source. Each story should evolve from the personal issues introduced in the previous story as well as any external problems that remain.

   First Four

A romance series is more likely to feature spinoffs, or a new set of protagonists per book. These stories might take place in the same town or share a theme, thus adding a commonality. i.e. A missing object must be found or something bad will happen. Each book would then focus on the protagonists revealing a new facet to this mystery, perhaps leading to another clue. It would reflect on their inner journeys as well. This is in addition to whatever external conflict is affecting their relationship.

Or in a science fiction series, perhaps the evil galactic warlord must be stopped. The heroes have many adventures along the way, making friends and enemies as they seek to end the tyranny or to prevent a worse threat from emerging.

Drift Lords Series

Think of Harry Potter. Readers know he’ll have to face Lord Voldemort someday. Meanwhile, he has other villains to defeat. Along the way, he has to find the courage and power to defeat his mortal enemy.

Your cast of secondary characters can provide plenty of opportunities for sequels based on their goals and conflicts and interaction with the protagonist. Give one a prominent role in the next story and focus on this person’s problems. Your hero gets involved because she cares about this character. She’s also grappling with some aspect of her own personal struggle to overcome.

It all goes back to the writing advice that your main characters must grow and change. What would normally happen next in this person’s life?

Planning a Sequel #amwriting #writingtip Share on X

Figuring out what to write next hasn’t been a problem for me. The biggest obstacles have been time and marketing decisions. What about you?

GIVEAWAYS

Booklover’s Bench

Enter Here to win a free book from Booklovers Bench

BB January 2022

King’s River Life Magazine

Leave a comment on my guest post “Keeping a Series Fresh” for a chance to win an ebook copy of STYLED FOR MURDER. 

Audiobook Giveaway

Audiobook Giveaway April 23 – 30

Audiobook Contest

Win 20+ Thriller & Crime Fiction Audiobooks from Ryan Zee’s BookSweeps.

I’ve teamed up with over twenty authors to give away a huge collection of thriller and crime fiction audiobooks to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a brand new eReader to the Grand Prize winner! Oh, and did I mention you’ll receive FREE ebooks just for entering? AND you can win my audiobook edition of PERMED TO DEATH, #1 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries. Click Here to Enter: http://bit.ly/crimeaudio-apr18

Reader Votes Needed!!!

Daily Voting at the 2018 ABR Audiobook Listener Awards

Murder by Manicure Audiobook is a 2018 ABR Audiobook Listener Award Finalist! Click Here for the Mystery category and scroll down to cast your daily vote for Murder by Manicure. http://bit.ly/2EtgoWg

MurderbyManicure (640x640)

RONE Awards – Vote for Audiobooks April 30 – May 6

Murder by Manicure Audiobook has also been nominated for a RONE Award sponsored by InD’tale Magazine. Reader voting in the audiobook category will take place April 30 – May 6. Register at http://www.indtale.com so you are eligible to vote. Be sure to click the verification link you receive via email.

How to Listen to Audiobooks

If you’re not sure how to listen to audiobooks on your current devices, go here for instructions: https://www.audible.com/howtolisten

Why to Listen

• A story can come to life in a whole new way when read by a professional narrator.
• You can listen while working out, driving, or doing chores around the house.
• If you have trouble reading due to vision problems, you can listen to a story instead.
• If you buy the ebook along with the audiobook, you can switch devices using Whispersync and never lose your place!

Get Started Now with my page on Audible: https://adbl.co/2gMlVw1

Thanks for visiting. Be sure to enter the BookSweeps giveaway and to cast your vote for Murder by Manicure audiobook. No obligation necessary, but please help spread the word.

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