Nancy Para | An Interview with Nancy J Parra aka Nancy Coco

Hi, Nancy, and Welcome.

Thanks for having me.

You’re welcome. You have a few books coming out this Spring. Can you tell us about them?

Yes, I have three actually. The end of April, OH SAY CAN YOU FUDGE – the third in the Candy-Coated Mystery series with Kensington comes out. This story takes place on Mackinac Island on the 4th of July. The book begins with a bang as Allie, fudge maker and amateur sleuth, gets a call from the pyro tech in charge of the island’s three firework shows asking her to meet him at the warehouse where the fireworks are stored. She discovers him dead just before the entire warehouse goes up in smoke. Allie must scramble to find a new pyro tech or the Mackinac Island’s Star Spangled Fourth will be ruined.

The first week of May, FLOURLESS TO STOP HIM arrives. The third in the Gluten-free Baker’s Treat series, It’s Christmas time and we find protagonist Toni Holme’s brother Tim implicated in his best friend’s murder. Toni must choose between helping her brother prove his innocence and saving her bakery.

The first week of June, BODICE OF EVIDENCE arrives. This is the second in the Perfect Proposal series. Pepper Pomeroy, owner of Perfect Proposals, discovers the owner of a wedding dress shop stabbed to death in the alley behind her shop. Pepper steps in to help figure out who the killer is while helping her sister plan her wedding and getting her fledgling proposal planning business off the ground.

Wow! That’s a lot of murder and mayhem.

*laughs* Yes it is, but it’s also fun who dunnit puzzles.

Everyone wants to know how do you come up with your ideas?

I put myself in the protagonist shoes and look at her community, friends, and family. Then I throw a dead body into the mix and give her a compelling reason to investigate. After that, it’s a matter of following clues and finding the killer before it’s too late.

Have you ever killed off anyone you knew in your books?

Ha! No. You’d be surprised, though, how many people ask if I would kill them off in a novel. I certainly am surprised.

With three books out this Spring, is there anything else on your plate for 2015?

I have an e-novella coming out the end of October. It’s part of the Candy-Coated series, but this one is told from the point of view of Allie’s best friend Jenn. I think it’s a lot of fun.

Our last and most important question. Will there be recipes?

Of course! There is nothing better than fudge for the holidays, except maybe gluten- free cookies.

Thanks for stopping by, I know I’ve got these titles on my preorder list.

Thank you! I hope you enjoy them.

About Nancy J. Parra

Best known for writing “…strong stubborn heroes and plucky heroines who aren’t afraid to go toe to toe with them,” (Shelley Mosley, B?ooklist Magazine), Nancy currently has 3 cozy mystery series -the Gluten-free Baker's Treat Mystery Series and the Perfect Proposal Mystery Series with Berkley and the Candy Coated Mystery Series with Kensington-and a total of 15 books in print. Praise from readers and booksellers made All Fudged Up - by pen name Nancy Coco a 2013 National Bestseller.

Nancy Lives in the Midwest with her Bichonpoo affectionately known as Little Dog on social media. Nancy loves to hear from readers.

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About BODICE OF EVIDENCE

The author of ENGAGED IN MURDER returns with her second Perfect Proposals Mystery. This time Pepper Pomeroy discovers that shopping for the dream wedding dress can be a nightmare…

Pepper’s new wedding proposal planning business, Perfect Proposals, seems like a perfect fit. If only shopping for her sister Felicity’s bridal gown could be so simple.

After a long day of lace, tulle, and tears, Pepper, Felicity, and their mother pull it together to try one last bridal boutique. Maybe they’ll be surprised. And indeed they are—when they enter a deserted shop and soon discover the owner of the boutique slain in the alley out back.

Distressed by their proximity to the crime, Pepper vows to unveil the killer. As difficult as it is to draw a pattern from the clues, it’s still easier than finding Felicity’s perfect wedding gown. But as the killer begins to feel hemmed in, Pepper may be the one brought to her knees…