Bøger af Lois Winston

Ever since her husband died and left her in debt equal to the gross national product of Uzbekistan, magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack has stumbled across one dead body after another-but always in work-related settings. When a killer targets the elderly nasty neighbor who lives across the street from her, murder strikes too close to home. Couple that with a series of unsettling events days before Halloween, and Anastasia begins to wonder if someone is sending her a deadly message.Knitting and crochet projects included.

Two years ago Nori Stedworth fled the conservative mentality of both her parents and Ten Commandments, Iowa for Manhattan. She loves her new life-until one devastating afternoon that culminates with the arrival of her mother-complete with luggage, craft supplies, and a crisis of her own. Mom is suffering from middle-age meltdown. Her only identity is as a wife and mother, but her husband is a workaholic, and her daughter is halfway across the country. Grandchildren would give her life new purpose. Nori copes by resurrecting Gertie, her childhood imaginary friend, whose acerbic wit pushes Nori out of her comfort zone and into the arms of a way too good-looking radio station manager-much to mom's dismay. She has other plans for her daughter. But when mom's quirky crafts land her on TV, life for both Stedworth women takes an unexpected turn, and they learn it's never too late to listen to your inner voice.Craft project included.

In this novella sequel to the award-winning Talk Gertie To Me, two years have passed since the happily-ever-after that isn't doing so well. Nori Stedworth has moved in with the love of her life, Mackenzie Randolph, much to her parents' displeasure. They're coping as best as parents from Ten Commandments, Iowa can. They want Mac to make an honest woman of their daughter, and that means nothing short of marriage. Mac is all for exchanging I do's. He's even bought the ring, but before he can pop the question, an explosion hurls him and Nori right into the middle of a murder investigation. Gertie, Nori's alter-ego, can't help but lend her acerbic wit to the twists and turns as the town is turned upside down in the search for a murderer and arsonist, and yet another scandal envelopes the not-so-pious residents of Ten Commandments.

Overdue bills and constant mother vs. mother-in-law battles at home are bad enough. But crafts editor Anastasia Pollack's stress level is maxed out when she and her fellow American Woman editors get roped into unpaid gigs for a revamped morning TV show. Before the glue is dry on Anastasia's mop dolls, morning TV turns crime drama when the studio is trashed and the producer is murdered. Former co-hosts Vince and Monica-sleazy D-list celebrities-stand out among a lengthy lineup of suspects, all furious over the show's new format. And Anastasia has no clue her snooping has landed her directly in the killer's unforgiving spotlight.Mop doll and Christmas string doll ornament craft projects included.

Over the years Lois Winston has given workshops and talks to several thousand aspiring writers. As a literary agent, she's listened to hundreds of pitches and read through tens of thousands of query letters and manuscript submissions. Being both a published author and a literary agent gives her a unique perspective on publishing. She knows what it's like to be the writer whose only desire is to sell a novel, and she knows what it's like to have to crush someone's hopes with a rejection letter. It wasn't until she started sending out those rejection letters that she began to have a better understanding of why so many writers receive them.What she's come to realize is that most manuscripts are rejected by agents and editors for one or more of ten basic reasons. Writers have control over some of these reasons but not all of them. This book will discuss these ten reasons and how writers can control more of their destiny by not falling prey to them. Whether your goal is to be published by a legacy publishing house or you plan to self-publish, this book contains invaluable information about self-editing, grammar, punctuation, point of view, telling vs. showing, passive vs. active writing, dialogue, narrative, voice, style, hooks, query letters, and synopsis writing.

Winner of the 2008 Winter Rose Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction, the 2008 More Than Magic Award, and the 2008 Laurie AwardLife has delivered one sucker punch after another to Emma Wadsworth. As a matter of fact, you could say the poor little rich girl is the ultimate poster child for Money Can't Buy Happiness - even if she is no longer a child.Billionaire real estate stud Logan Crawford is as famous for his less-than-platinum reputation as he is his business empire. In thirty-eight years he's never fallen in love, and that's just fine with him - until he meets Emma.But Emma's not buying into Logan's seductive ways. Well, maybe just a little, but she's definitely going into the affair with her eyes wide open. She's no fool. At least not any more. Her deceased husband saw to that. Besides, she knows Logan will catch the first jet out of Philadelphia once he learns her secrets.Except things don't go exactly as Emma has predicted, and when Philadelphia's most beloved citizen becomes the city's most notorious criminal, she needs to do a lot more than clear her name if she wants to save her budding romance with the billionaire hunk someone is willing to kill for."If you like your romance with a lot of sass and trouble, you'll like LOVE, LIES AND A DOUBLE SHOT OF DECEPTION by Lois Winston. This is a romance novel for the smart and sassy crowd."-Gainesville Daily Register"...a contemporary romance with a whole lot of twist and turns...keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next."-Bookreporter.com"...surprisingly dark and serious romance."-Booklist"A story fit for the tabloids snares the reader and makes this book as addictive as that first mocha latte. I couldn't put it down and kept going back for more." -Fresh Fiction

In this fourth installment of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, Anastasia and her fellow American Woman editors are steaming mad when minutes before the opening of a consumer show, they discover half their booth usurped by Bling!, their publisher's newest magazine. CEO Alfred Gruenwald is sporting new arm candy-rapper-turned-entrepreneur and Bling! executive editor, the first-name-only Philomena. During the consumer show, Gruenwald's wife serves Philomena with an alienation of affection lawsuit, but Philomena doesn't live long enough to make an appearance in court. She's found dead days later, stuffed in the shipping case that held Anastasia's decoupage crafts. When Gruenwald makes cash-strapped Anastasia an offer she can't refuse, she wonders, does he really want to find Philomena's killer or is he harboring a hidden agenda?Decoupage craft projects included.

What do most authors have in common, no matter what genre they write? They love desserts. Sweets sustain them through pending deadlines and take the sting out of crushing rejection letters and nasty reviews. They also often celebrate their successes

USA Today Bestselling AuthorWhen nine-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister Zoe are snowed in for days with nothing to do, their complaints land them in every guy's worst nightmare--the kingdom of Vermilion, a land where everything is totally pink! At first Jack is mistaken for a spy from the neighboring kingdom of Cobalt, but Zoe convinces Queen Fuchsia that they're from New Jersey and arrived by magic.Queen Fuchsia needs a king, but all the available princes in Vermilion are either too short, too fat, too old, or too stupid. Jack and Zoe suggest she looks for a king in Cobalt, but Vermilion and Cobalt have been at war since long before anyone can remember. Jack and Zoe decide Vermilion and Cobalt need a Kitchen Table Mediation to settle their differences. So they set out on an adventure to bring peace to the warring kingdoms--and maybe along the way they just might find a king for the queen.Without being preachy, The Magic Paintbrush addresses the issue of differences, in this case, a kingdom that is all pink at war with a kingdom that is all blue for longer than anyone can remember--so long that no one even knows what started the feud. It takes two children from another land to point out to the rulers of both kingdoms the benefits to getting along and how we're really all the same inside.

Winner of the 2024 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Comedy Wherever crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack goes, murder and mayhem follow. Her honeymoon is no exception. She and new husband, photojournalist (and possible spy) Zachary Barnes, are enjoying a walk in the Tennessee woods when they stumble upon a body on the side of a creek. The dead man is the husband of one of the three sisters who own the winery and guest cottages where Anastasia and Zack are vacationing. When the local sheriff sets his sights on the widow as the prime suspect, her sisters close ranks around her. The three siblings are true-crime junkies, and thanks to a podcaster who has produced an unauthorized series about her, Anastasia's reputation for solving murders has preceded her to the bucolic hamlet. The sisters plead for her help in finding the real killer. As Anastasia learns more about the women and their business, a host of suspects emerge, including several relatives, a relentless land developer, and even the sisters themselves. Meanwhile, Anastasia becomes obsessed with discovering the podcaster's identity. Along with knowing about Anastasia's life as a reluctant amateur sleuth, the podcaster has divulged details of Anastasia's personal life. Someone has betrayed Anastasia's trust, and she's out to discover the identity of the culprit. Craft project included.

When an elderly man shows up at the home of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack, she's drawn into the unsolved mystery of the greatest art heist in history. Boston mob boss Cormac Murphy has recently been released from prison. He refuses to believe Anastasia's assertion that the man he's looking for doesn't live at her address and attempts to muscle his way into her home. His efforts are thwarted by Anastasia's fiancé Zack Barnes. A week later, a stolen SUV containing a dead body appears in Anastasia's driveway. Anastasia believes Murphy is sending her a message. It's only the first in a series of alarming incidents, including a mugging, a break-in, another murder, and the discovery of a cache of jewelry and an etching from the largest museum burglary in history. But will Anastasia solve the mystery behind these shocking events before she falls victim to a couple of desperate thugs who will stop at nothing to get what they want? Crafts projects included.

When Cassandra Davenport applies for a job at www.savingtheworld.us, she expects to find a 'green' charity. Instead, she becomes the newest member of a covert organization run by ex-government officials. Dubbed the Mom Squad, the organization is the brainchild of three former college roommates-attorney general Anthony Granville, ex-FBI agent Gavin Demarco, and tech billionaire Liam Hatch-all of whom have lost loved ones at the hands of terrorists. Financed by Hatch, they work in the shadows and without the constraints of congressional oversight, reporting directly to Granville. Demarco heads up one of the six groups that comprise the new operation. He hires Cassandra as the newest member of his New Jersey based team. In the course of monitoring possible terrorist threats, the Mom Squad discovers a link to Cassandra's ex-husband. Before she's fully trained, Cassandra is thrust into a world where her ex may be involved with radicalized terrorists bent on killing as many Americans as possible.And while they're saving the world from an imminent attack, what in the world will Cassandra do about all that sexual tension simmering between her and her new boss?

This anthology includes three Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mysteries, companions to the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series.CREWEL INTENTIONSCrafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack receives a desperate phone call from former American Woman fashion editor Erica Milano. Erica is now in Witness Protection and living under a new identity in Western Pennsylvania. But someone is stalking her, and Erica has compelling reasons why she can't go to the police or notify her Witsec handlers. Anastasia is the only person she can trust to help her, and she knows Anastasia won't let her down. After all, Erica once saved Anastasia's life. But will Anastasia be able to return the favor before the stalker strikes?MOSAIC MAYHEMSo much for a romantic getaway...When cash-strapped mom and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack is offered an all-expense paid three-day trip to Barcelona, her only worries are whether her passport is still valid and arranging care for her semi-invalid mother-in-law during her absence. However, within hours of landing in Europe, she finds herself staring down the barrel of a gun and needing to convince a Spanish crime syndicate they've got the wrong person. Why do people on both sides of the Atlantic keep trying to kill this pear-shaped, middle-aged single mom, and magazine crafts editor? PATCHWORK PERILAfter rescuing her elderly neighbor Rosalie's quilts from a rainstorm, crafts editor Anastasia Pollack discovers Rosalie unconscious at the bottom of her basement stairs. Rosalie's estranged niece Jane arrives to care for her during her recovery, but Rosalie suspects Jane's motives are less than altruistic, going so far as to accuse Jane of trying to kill her. Is Rosalie's paranoia a result of her head injury, or is there something more to her accusations? And can Anastasia uncover the truth before it's too late?

After her last disastrous episode as an amateur sleuth, Gracie Elliott is back. The budding romance writer has spent the past year crafting her first novel. Her hard work and determination pay off when her manuscript wins the Cream of the Crop award, a contest for unpublished writers, sponsored by the Society of American Romance Authors. First place entitles her to attend the organization's annual conference, normally open only to published authors.With husband Blake in tow, a starry-eyed Gracie experiences the ultimate fan-girl moment upon entering the hotel. Her favorite authors are everywhere. However, within minutes she learns Lovinia Darling, the Queen of Romance, is hardly the embodiment of the sweet heroines she creates. Gracie realizes she's stepped into a romance vipers' den of backstabbing, deceit, and plagiarism, but she finds a friend and mentor in bestselling author Paisley Prentiss.Hours later, when Gracie discovers Lovinia's body in the hotel stairwell, a victim of an apparent fall, Gracie is not convinced her death was an accident. Too many other authors had reason to want Lovinia dead. Ignoring Blake's advice to "let the police handle it," Gracie, aided by Paisley, begins her own investigation into the death. Romance has never been so deadly.

Book One in the Empty Nest Mystery seriesAn homage to Dashell Hammet's Thin Man movies with a modern day spin on Nick and Nora Charles When her career is outsourced to Asia, fledgling romance author and empty-nester Gracie Elliott wants a job that will allow her time to write. So she opens Relatively Speaking, becoming a wing woman to the senior set. Since her clients need several hours each morning to find their teeth, lube their creaky joints, and deal with lower GI necessities, and they always turn in after the early bird specials, she has plenty of time to pen her future bestsellers. Gracie deliberately avoids mentioning her new business venture to husband Blake until after she signs her first client. Blake joins the company as a not-so-silent partner, tagging along to make sure Gracie doesn't cause a septuagenarian uprising. When Client #13 is found murdered in the parking lot behind the Moose Lodge, Gracie knows, no matter how much Blake protests otherwise, she can't wait around for the police to find the killer if she wants to save her livelihood.

Life is looking up for magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack. Newly engaged, she and photojournalist fiancé Zack Barnes are on a winter cruise with her family, compliments of a Christmas gift from her half-brother-in-law. Son Alex's girlfriend and her father have also joined them. Shortly after boarding the ship, Anastasia is approached by a man with an unusual interest in her engagement ring. When she tells Zack of her encounter, he suggests the man might be a jewel thief scouting for his next mark. But before Anastasia can point the man out to Zack, the would-be thief approaches him, revealing his true motivation. Long-buried secrets now threaten the well-being of everyone Anastasia holds dear. And that's before the first dead body turns up.Craft projects included.

Two and a half weeks ago magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack arrived home to find Ira Pollack, her half-brother-in-law, had blinged out her home with enough Christmas lights to rival Rockefeller Center. Now he's crammed her small yard with enormous cavorting inflatable characters. She and photojournalist boyfriend (and possible spy) Zack Barnes pack up the unwanted lawn decorations to return to Ira. They arrive to find his yard the scene of an over-the-top Christmas extravaganza. His neighbors are not happy with the animatronics, laser light show, and blaring music creating traffic jams on their normally quiet street. One of them expresses his displeasure with his fists before running off.In the excitement, the deflated lawn ornaments are never returned to Ira. The next morning Anastasia once again heads to his house before work to drop them off. When she arrives, she discovers Ira's attacker dead in Santa's sleigh. Ira becomes the prime suspect in the man's murder and begs Anastasia to help clear his name. But Anastasia has promised her sons she'll keep her nose out of police business. What's a reluctant amateur sleuth to do?Christmas craft projects included.

With massive debt, a communist mother-in-law, a Shakespeare-quoting parrot, and a photojournalist boyfriend who may or may not be a spy, crafts editor Anastasia Pollack already juggles too much in her life. So she's not thrilled when her magazine volunteers her to present workshops and judge a needlework contest at the inaugural conference of the New Jersey chapter of the Stitch and Bake Society, a national organization of retired professional women. At least her best friend and cooking editor Cloris McWerther has also been roped into similar duties for the culinary side of the 3-day event taking place on the grounds of the exclusive Beckwith Chateau Country Club. The sweet little old ladies Anastasia is expecting to meet are definitely old, and some of them are little, but all are anything but sweet. She's stepped into a vipers' den that starts with bribery and ends with murder. When an ice storm forces Anastasia and Cloris to spend the night at the Chateau, Anastasia discovers evidence of insurance scams, medical fraud, an opioid ring, long-buried family secrets, and a bevy of suspects. Can she piece together the various clues before she becomes the killer's next target? Crafting tips included.