New Release by Jim Bronyaur

Up at sunrise to enjoy the quiet of a sleeping household, Eve Bailey gets her coffee, prepares breakfast for her three children, and has a spare tie ready knowing that her husband, Ben, will definitely spill something on the one he is wearing. Their oldest daughter, Delaney, is one game away from moving onto the soccer championships, their son, Cody, skipped school yesterday, and innocent 7 year old Penny is trying to communicate with her goldfish. Eve’s days are that of a typical stay at home mom.

Her typical day changes drastically after she drives Cody to school as part of his punishment for skipping school. Cody’s creepy science teacher, Mr. Jackson, approaches Eve to let her know that her check for Cody’s field trip had bounced. Knowing it had to be an error, Eve heads to the bank to figure it out. While in line, she chats with her mother in law who works at the bank. Then she notices Janet, another bank employee and self-made town outcast, acting very strange at the back counter.

Eve’s concern grows when she is leaving the bank and sees Janet open the gas tank door and then drives away. Against her better judgment, Eve follows Janet. What happens next is something unheard of in quiet Marysville, Pennsylvania.
Janet is murdered in front of Eve’s eyes, and the police find drugs in her car.

Murder and drugs? It doesn’t make sense. Eve is now a witness and determined to disprove the “drug deal gone wrong” theory.

Can she convince the police that she knows who the killer is, save her family, and make it to Delaney’s big soccer game in time?
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The Minivan Mom Mystery Series is a creation from horror, thriller, and mystery writer, Jim Bronyaur.

Jim has had over a hundred pieces of fiction published and won Best Horror Short Story for 2010. His site is www.JimBronyaur.com. You can reach Jim on Twitter @JimBronyaur

For those who want to stay up to date with the Minivan Mom Mystery Series, or any of Jim's latest and upcoming projects, email him at JimBMystery@gmail.com!

If you enjoy horror or thrillers, be sure to check out Jim's other books here on Amazon including Within the Walls (part one), The Failed, The Devil's Weekend, and more!

Don't miss his next crime series, featuring one of the most interesting characters you'll ever meet: Johnny Cooper. The first book of the Johnny Cooper crime series is titled "Nice Day For a Red Wedding" and is scheduled for an April 2012 release.

Is your artistic work being pirated?

Sometimes it isn't a mystery.  Piracy of artist's work is big business, and those responsible rake in the money without giving any thought to the actual owner of the work, or sharing in the profits.  I received the above this morning from a friend in an email linking me to the site.  Although eBoor.com also has a link for the DCMA law enacted, and state that they take it seriously, and that all you have to do is file a complaint following their instructions and that your material will be immediately taken down--their complaint process contains one major flaw.  IN ORDER TO COMPLAIN YOU HAVE TO JOIN THEIR SITE!

Joining a site that has stolen my work in order to complain about that theft did not leave me all warm and fuzzy inside.  Thoughts of identify theft immediately came to mind.  I'm not sure what all information is required to "join" their site, but was truly uncomfortable in giving out information such as my name, email address, website information, or even being on line with these people.  Computer hackers are good.  Could it be that the few minutes it takes me to fill out their registration form allows them access to much more than just the information I'm giving?  Of course, it's possible.  And any business person selling material and familiar with the DCMA knows that in order to sell copyright material they need the owner's permission.

For some of us with books, the damage can go even further.  It's clear that not only have they pirated my work--they pirated the description from my Amazon site.  It is the only place they could have gotten that description word-for-word.  Sacred Secrets is a "Select" book, meaning that I'm under contract with Amazon for 90 days that the book will not be offered for sale, or for free anywhere in digital form during the term of my contract.  This piracy has placed me in the position of possibly being in violation of my contract with Amazon, which could result in the loss of royalties from my sales. 

And perhaps it could go even further.  Without joining the site and paying to download your work, you really have no clue whether the work being offered is a quality work. What if someone retyped it and it's full of typos or formatting errors?  What if someone who would have loved your work and purchased future books reads this and thinks "well, it could have been a good book, but the author is a horrible writer so I'm never going to buy anything else by them."

What can you do if you find your work is being pirated?  Fill out a complaint with the Internet Crime Unit of the FBI if you're an American Citizen.  Contact your personal attorney.  File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and last--not least, if you're under contract with Amazon, a publisher or any other entity--notify them immediately.  And when you complain, push for prosecution.  Not just for yourself, but for all artists.  We can end the threat of piracy, but not until we make the punishment more damaging than the benefits.  If piracy sites are making hundreds of thousands of dollars off artists' work, and I only get my work removed without any other penalty, then the rewards of their piracy outweighs the punishment.  Don't just complain--and never join a site that clearly has no problem with using unauthorized information--let your voice be heard loud and clear--DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Great Books and Old Fashion Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

My mother made this as a treat for us when I was a child, but used chocolate gravy instead of rum sauce.  We often were angry with dad as it was difficult to get those day old biscuits.  He loved mom's biscuits and gravy a little too much.

3 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups crumbled day old biscuits
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 ts. nutmeg
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tblsp. grated lemon rind

Combine eggs and milk, stir well.  Add bread, sugar, raisins, butter salt and lemon rind. Stir gently, put in greased 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Put in pan of water, bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Rum Sauce

3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/ Tblsp. corn starch
1/3 cup rum
1 Tblsp. butter

Cook and stir until butter melts. Serve warm.  Yield about 1 and 1/2 cup

Yummy!

Looking for a great book to read on a cold winter's night?  Or are you stuck in an airport, doctor's office and wanting some fresh and new?  Take a look at these 5 star mysteries.  You won't regret it.

For fans of Kay Hooper, Tami Hoag or Heather Graham, or if you love TV shows like Criminal Minds, The Mentalist or Medium--download a sample and check out these Five Star Mysteries!

Police procedurals and Crime fiction!

Cruel Justice by Mel Comley - Reviewer says: Just how does one handle being a detective on a case which takes up most of your time while maintaining a relationship with a husband and preteen? Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins hasn't figured that out and it's placing a severe strain on her relationship with her husband Tom and daughter. I pretty much like everything about DI Simpkins and her partner DS Pete Childs. As DI Simpkins tries to solve this case of a serial killer, she struggles for semblance of a family life. She means well but it's not working out well. There is tension in her marriage, tension between herself and a coworker, tension in tracking down this ruthless killer, and tension of another sort. Cruel Justice is a fast-paced tension novel taking place in the UK.

Impeding Justice by Mel Comley - Reviewer says: Impeding Justice by Mel Comley is a fast paced action packed book that I really enjoyed and was totally engrossed in. With Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins as the heroine and the Unicorn as her evil nemesis, the action is non-stop. The other characters were a great supporting cast and played an integral part in the story. When the Detective Inspectors daughter gets pulled into this force of evil you will be on the edge of your seat! This book has all the twists and turns you would expect from a really great story. I would recommend this book to everyone, it was great!

Final Justice by Mel Comley - Reviewer says:  I really enjoyed this sequel to Impeding Justice. Lorne is just as feisty as ever, but it's the three-dimensional properties of this character that drew me in. Her fears and vulnerabilities are a pleasant change from the stereotypical crime fighting heroines one finds in the genre'. And the Unicorn, Baldwin, is an antagonist that any reader will love to hate. The boat scene made me want to kill him myself, slowly! Excellent character development and a fitting conclusion. Well done.

Toxicity by Libby Hellmann - Reviewer says: I loved this book from the instant I started reading. The novel was intense, beautifully written, intrigue and spellbinding. I did NOT want to stop reading it and completed it within a day. I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for an entertaining, intense literary piece.

Easy Innonence by Libby Hellmann - Reviewer says: Very 'real' story with true-to-life details. Kept me reading & hooked right to the end - the author does a masterful job of interweaving and giving just enough details to entice. Many characters to keep straight (thank goodness for Kindle's search feature) and it could use a once-over by a good editor, mostly for punctuation. But any flaws are happily overlooked while enjoying a great, character-driven story.

Double Back by Libby Hellmann - Reviewer says: I am a huge Hellman fan, and I can say that, as always, her latest novel does not disappoint! Partnering the two female protagonists from her previous novels together in Doubleback was, in my opinion, a stroke of genius, and leaves one anxiously waiting to learn if they will star in her next novel. The book is a great read; fast- paced, action -packed, not predictable and not to be missed!

I Love Mysteries