by Diana Orgain | May 31, 2021 | iWitch, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? From I Wanda put a Spell on you Chapter Two CHUCK I’ve been looking for someone–no one in particular–just someone … anyone, who could reverse the curse. And I found her. Call it luck or call it fate, but I found her. I sit in the corner of her café, watching her as she happily darts back and forth from customer to customer. It is opening night of Listen: It’s Old Fashioned, and half of the town is excitedly filling up the joint. That’s my girl. For the past month, I’ve been living as this woman’s pet. Her cutesy little doggie, Wanda. Not tonight, baby! I’m all man, tonight. No fur, no doggie drool, no panting, no dog breath, no fleas, no ticks, no strange and unrelenting desire for someone to scratch me behind the ears! Not tonight, folks! I am me once more. Penny, the young niece of one of my darling Maeve’s friends, sits in the window seat near my table. She keeps whispering to that stupid cat of hers and occasionally glancing my way and giggling. I smile. Making nice. The girl thinks I’m a hero for bringing her cat up here to the café. I suppose it’s nice to be adored even by a little fan, so for now I’ll smile and wave whenever she glances over. The cat, whom I unaffectionately call Fuzzball, hops out of the little girl’s lap and comes over to my table. “So what are you going to do, Wanda?” Fuzzball asks me, hopping up into the chair across from me. I grumble to myself...
by Diana Orgain | May 31, 2021 | iWitch, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss part one of Chapter One? From I Wanda put a Spell on you Chapter One Continued . . . Maeve took a moment to observe her work. The café was popping, and she could feel the incredible energy vibrating through her veins. Suddenly the sultry voice of Nina Simone filled the café, and Maeve felt electricity jolt her upright. The song, Feeling Good, played through the music system, and Maeve relaxed. Yes, that’s exactly how she felt: Good The atmosphere in the café was exactly as she’d imagined it. The crowd settled into their booths and tables, people were chatting and actually listening to each other and to the music. She took a deep breath, giving herself a moment to soak it all in. It was hard to believe that her work and effort had at last paid off. Things were looking great for the first time in a long time for Maeve, and that soothed her nerves. The door to the café opened, and a group of young men entered. There were four men, all with their hair buzzed short in proper mili‐ tary style. One of them, the one coming straight up to the counter, seemed very familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him. “Maeve O’Dare?” he asked with a charming smile as his buddies fought to find seating. “Yes?” she asked. He put out his hand, and Maeve shook it. “Nathan Whittaker,” he said. “Did you say Whittaker?” she questioned. “I did,” he said, resting his elbows on the counter across from her. “You’re Nadine’s brother?” she asked. “I saw your picture on...
by Diana Orgain | May 30, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter One There was a spring in Leo Lawson’s step as he walked the hay-bale-filled passageways of the Fall Festival at Magnolia Falls. Today was the day. He was finally going to ask Mona out. He’d known her since they were kids. Because she was his sister’s best friend, he’d always figured their relationship couldn’t ever be more than platonic. But the time had come. He couldn’t stand the torment anymore. He had to ask her. All around, the sights and sounds and smells of the Fall Festival tugged at him. Homemade pies. Locally brewed beer. Handcrafted furniture. The tangy scent of barbecue hit his nostrils, and his stomach rumbled. But no—he would not be lured away by Bandit Bob’s BBQ or their fine pulled-pork sandwiches. He was a man on a mission. He headed straight to the Jammin’ Honey booth, where both Mona and his sister would be. Over the top of a hay bale, he spotted a colorful cowgirl hat that could only belong to Mona’s eccentric Aunt Bee. Abort! He couldn’t do this with Aunt Bee here. She was wonderful, but she had a way of commandeering the room—and was never, ever shy about expressing her thoughts. GRAB YOUR COPY OF MURDER AS SAVORY AS BISCUITS HERE Leo spun on his heel to make a run for it, but Aunt Bee had spotted him. She grabbed his elbow. She sure was fast on her feet for an octo‐ genarian. “Leo! I knew you’d make it. Have you had a chance to grab our latest coupon?” Aunt Bee ran...
by Diana Orgain | May 27, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? Did you miss part one of Chapter Three? From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter Three Continued… “See,” Mona said quietly. Leo couldn’t help but agree with her. This wasn’t a vicious dog. If it had attacked, it must have been severely provoked. The dog willingly followed Mona down the trail, and she spread her picnic blanket across Leo’s back seat and coaxed the dog into the car. He hoped the picnic blanket would be enough and that he wouldn’t find bloodstains on his seats later, but he didn’t breathe a word of that concern to Mona. “Hey,” he said as he made the first turn. “Can you call ahead and let the vet know we’re coming?” “Great idea!” She dialed, and after a brief conversation, she hung up and said, “They’ll see us as soon as we get there.” Sure enough, they were ushered to an exam room as soon as they brought the dog in. The vet swept into the room, and Leo was struck by his gentle demeanor. But the vet cast a suspicious glance at Leo and Mona. “I understand we have a stab wound?” the vet asked. “That’s right,” said Mona. “On his front leg.” The vet bent down and scratched the dog’s chin, then inspected the stab wound. “Blood on his fur too,” he murmured. He looked up at Leo and Mona. “What happened?” “We’re not sure,” said Leo. “I’m a detective. We found the dog at a crime scene, and I’m taking care of him while the case is under inves‐ tigation.”...
by Diana Orgain | May 27, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter Three Not exactly the way I was hoping our first date would go,” Mona said under her breath, looking anywhere except at the body in the brush. Leo nodded, sighing heavily. He’d just gotten off the phone with dispatch, and they were sending a crime-scene unit. The dog whined, not budging from the man’s side. Yup, this year sure had brought a whole spree of bad luck to the town of Magnolia Falls. Their small community hadn’t seen a murder in ten years, and then an arsonist had burned down Mona’s store, killing someone in the process. Just a few months later, a pair of selfish siblings had murdered two people in a bid to keep themselves from being disinherited, and Leo’s sister Vicki had been caught up in the middle of the investigation. And now he’d found a body in the woods. The dog pushed his nose into the man’s face and whimpered mournfully. “Come here, boy,” Leo said, worried the dog was going to contami‐ nate the crime scene. The dog whined again and limped over to Leo. “Is he hurt?” Mona asked. Leo bent down next to the retriever. Its face was covered in blood. From the dead man, maybe? The dog had been sniffing around him quite a bit. But upon further examination, he found a stab wound in the dog’s front right leg. “He’s been stabbed,” Leo said. “The man?” Mona asked. “The dog.” “You poor thing!” Mona cried, kneeling. The dog’s tail thumped half-heartedly. While Mona...
by Diana Orgain | May 27, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss part one of Chapter Two? From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter Two Continued… He scooched closer to her until their hips touched. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and she stiffened, suddenly going quiet. His breath hitched. Had he misread her signals? Did she not want him to touch her? Mind racing, he released her. “I’m—” A loud rustling in the bushes stopped him short. Leo jumped to his feet as a golden retriever tore out of the brambles. “What on earth!” Mona shrieked. The dog wailed loudly and charged at them. Was that blood on its fur? Was it rabid? Had it been attacked by something? Instinctively, Leo stepped between Mona and the dog. He regretted taking off his boots. Trouble never seemed to be far away; a string of bad luck seemed to have stalked the town of Magnolia Falls recently. The dog barked and whined mournfully. “He’s hurt,” Mona said, moving toward the retriever. GRAB YOUR COPY OF MURDER AS SAVORY AS BISCUITS HERE “Hold up, hold up,” Leo said. “Don’t touch it.” The dog barked at them sharply, then tore off back into the woods. Leo and Mona glanced at each other. A moment later, the dog’s snout poked through the bushes, and it barked again, as if beckoning them. “He wants us to follow him,” Mona said. “You stay here,” he told her, tying his laces. “Not on your life,” she said, sticking her feet into her boots. “I’m going with you.” “You’re stubborn.” Mona snorted. “You like it.” He swallowed. She was right....
