In an old Victorian in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Amish country, Daisy Swanson and her aunt Iris serve soups, scones, and soothing teas to tourists and locals—but a murder in their garden has them in hot water . . .
I am excited to announce the release of a new cozy mystery series from Kensington Books. Daisy's Tea Garden Mysteries begin with the publication of MURDER WITH LEMON TEA CAKES this week. Daisy's Tea Garden, a Victorian house in downtown Willow Creek, has become a town gathering place. Daisy and her Aunt Iris are the proprietors.
I created the fictional town of
Willow Creek and located it in beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with its Amish buggies, manicured gardens, fertile
farms, hex signs on barns, delicious baked goods and home-grown food,
handcrafted quilts and cottage industries. This area embodied all the
feelings that I want my readers to have when enjoying DAISY’S TEA GARDEN
Mysteries—a strong sense of home, belonging, friendship and warmth.
Setting the series in a small town in Lancaster County was taking a step back in time to when
values, home and hearth mattered.
My sleuth,
Daisy Swanson, is a widow with two teenage daughters—Violet (aka Vi) and Jasmine (aka Jazzi). Daisy’s mother Rose named her
two daughters Daisy and Camellia. Rose’s sister’s name is Iris. Flower names
are a family tradition. Since Daisy likes to garden, she followed the
tradition. By the way, Daisy and her daughters
adopted two cats—Marjoram and Pepper!
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| Marjoram is modeled after my own feline, Miss Paddington! |
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| Pepper is modeled after my companion feline, Zoie Joy. |
Daisy and her daughters live in a renovated barn which she transformed into a unique home when she returned to the area after her husband's untimely death.
I hope you enjoy the new series and add this new cast of characters to your list of cozy mystery favorites.
NOW AVAILABLE
MURDER WITH LEMON TEA CAKES
DAISY'S TEA GARDEN MYSTERIES, Book 1
Daisy, a widowed mom of two teenagers, is used to feeling protective—so when Iris started dating the wealthy and not-quite-divorced Harvey Fitz, she worried . . . especially after his bitter ex stormed in and caused a scene at the party Daisy’s Tea Garden was catering. Then there was the gossip she overheard about Harvey’s grown children being cut out of his will. Daisy didn’t want her aunt to wind up with a broken heart—but she never expected Iris to wind up a suspect in Harvey’s murder.
Now the apple bread and orange pekoe is on the back burner while the cops treat the shop like a crime scene—and Daisy hopes that Jonas Groft, a former detective from Philadelphia, can help her clear her aunt’s name and bag the real killer before things boil over . . .
Now the apple bread and orange pekoe is on the back burner while the cops treat the shop like a crime scene—and Daisy hopes that Jonas Groft, a former detective from Philadelphia, can help her clear her aunt’s name and bag the real killer before things boil over . . .
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USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. This award-winning and bestselling author will have her 100th novel released in 2018. At present she is working on two mystery series for Kensington Books--Caprice De Luca Home Staging cozies and Daisy's Tea Garden mysteries. From time to time, she also writes romance for Harlequin Special Edition.
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| Karen and Zander |
Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks and does watercolor paintings rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.
Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below.
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©2017 Karen Rose Smith
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