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  • Guest Post: Murder Most Lovely by Hank Edwards and Deanna Wadsworth

Today I am so pleased to welcome Hank Edwards and Deanna Wadsworth to Joyfully Jay. Hank and Deanna have come to talk to us about their latest release, Murder Most Lovely. Please join me in giving them a big welcome!

 

In Murder Most Lovely: Lacetown Murder Mysteries Case One, the main characters are Michael Fleishman and Jasper “Jazz” Dilworth. Michael is the mortician of the small lakeside town of Lacetown, and also the county coroner. He is in his early forties, enjoys reading murder mysteries, and loves his cat, Mr. Pickles Furryton the Third. Jazz is in his late forties, but tells people he’s only 41, and is very outgoing with a “large personality,” which suits him well since he’s a hair stylist, and a damn good one at that!

Before we started writing the book, we knew we wanted something different to offer the readers. We exchanged a lot of texts and Facebook messages as we brainstormed just what the story would be about. The occupations were settled on pretty easily. We hadn’t heard about a mortician and a hair stylist teaming up to solve murders! Plus there was a connection between the occupations, no matter how creepy some people might find it. Many times a hair stylist is asked to do a final set for a client who has passed away.

After the occupations were settled on, we decided to go all in and make the guys even more original: they would be older, and not really the gym-body-ready-to-party types. We really wanted characters that readers could relate too.

Michael is 41, and quite shy and reserved. He is fit but not overly so. Jazz is 48, but lies and says he is 41 LOL. Jazz has a bit of a paunch, loves food and like every hairdresser, loves his sugary coffee drinks. In the story Jazz even says “Run for fun? Who dropped those people on their heads?” And Michael loves a man with “a little meat on his bones.”

The real life attraction between these two regular guys is perhaps all the more exciting as life experience has stripped them of superficial expectations. When Jazz and Michael do finally come together, it’s not about who’s hot and who has some mind blowing body, rather a desire built upon genuine connection and attraction.


Blurb

A killer at a small-town literary festival. Bumbling drug dealers. A kidnapped cat. Starting a romance among all this chaos might be the death of them.

Michael Fleishman is excited to meet his favorite mystery writer, Russell Withingham, at Lacetown’s Literary Fest. He is not expecting to cross paths with sexy hairdresser Jasper “Jazz” Dilworth—or become embroiled in a real-life mystery. As Lacetown’s only mortician and the county coroner, Michael is called to his first murder scene and is shocked to recognize the victim—Russell’s young lover.

Jazz only wanted to confront his ex, Russell, over his cheating. Instead, he meets the adorably awkward Michael and becomes a murder suspect. Soon Jazz is teaming up with Michael to clear his name. Along the way, they are helped and hindered by Michael’s sassy assistant, Kitty, the grumpy Sheriff Musgrave, Russell’s creepy PR rep, Norbert, and Michael’s lothario grandfather, who likes his manhattans strong and his women saucy. And of course, Mr. Pickles Furryton the Third….

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Bios

Hank Edwards has been writing gay fiction for more than twenty years. He has published over thirty novels and dozens of short stories. His writing crosses many sub-genres, including romance, rom-com, contemporary, paranormal, suspense, mystery, and wacky comedy. He has written a number of series such as the suspenseful Up to Trouble, funny and spooky Critter Catchers, Old West historical horror of Venom Valley, and erotic and funny Fluffers, Inc. No matter what genre he writes, Hank likes to keep things steamy and heartfelt. He was born and still lives in a northwest suburb of the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan, where he shares a home with his partner of over 20 years and their two cats.

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Read about the Town of Superstition, Hank’s YA series written as R.G. Thomas on Amazon

 

Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and adorable cocker spaniels. She has been penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010 and served multiple as President of the Rainbow Romance Writers in 2017. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. An avid reader, she also loves gardening, cooking, music, and dancing. Often she can be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.

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Check out Deanna’s young adult alter ego, K.D. Worth Amazon | Twitter | BookBub