Do you love subscription boxes? I do. I think it stems in part from the joy and
excitement of receiving mail when I was growing up. You know how it is—when
you're a child, all mail is addressed to your parents. And then the day comes
when you—yes, you—get a card addressed to you. Or maybe it's a magazine or a
letter. Whatever it was, it was good. You weren't old enough to get scary
mail—bills, IRS letters, family reunion invitations—yet.
[Although I did get unhappy mail from the Humane Society once. My friend Buffy
and I lamented the fact that we had no money to send and no way—other than
prayer—to help that poor monkey with the hand over her eye. I've never forgotten
that monkey. Where were you, Sarah McLachlan, when that monkey needed you? Sorry
for the digression…]
Fast forward to adulthood when mail becomes mundane. Now when you get something
"good" in the mail, it's usually something you've ordered. It's seldom a
surprise…unless, like me, an item sometimes takes so long to arrive, you forget
you ordered it. That's where subscription boxes come in.
I get the quarterly box Fab Fit Fun, the monthly Sephora Play, and I got myself
a three-month subscription to the Thrill Club mystery box (a box with two
mysteries and a DVD). When a box arrives, some things are great, some are meh,
and some are downright enigmatic. For example, in a recent Fab Fit Fun box, I
received a charcoal toothpaste. I looked it up online to read reviews. The
reviews for the toothpaste were mostly good, but there were photos of people
using the product and their mouths were completely black. You couldn't even see
their teeth! I discussed this with my son and said, "I don't know whether I want
to try this or not." He said, "I'll use it…and then I'll come into your room and
scare you." I laughed and replied, "I'd already planned on doing that to
you if I use it!" So, you see, even things you're unsure about can be fun.
Given my love of subscription boxes, it was probably inevitable that I would
create a launch celebration box for my latest release, Honey-Baked
Homicide. The box contained a signed paperback copy of the book, a cozy
scarf, candy, tea, and a few other goodies. Hopefully, the box brought lots of
happiness.
Because I want one of you to get some happy mail too, I'm giving away a copy of
HONEY-BAKED HOMICIDE and
a cozy scarf to one lucky reader. Sorry, but this giveaway is limited to U.S.
readers due to postage costs.
Down South Cafe
#3
The owner of a delightful Southern café tastes the sharp sting of
suspicion in this delectable comfort food mystery . . .
It's fall in Winter Garden, Virginia, and business at Amy Flowers' Down South
Café has never been better. So when struggling beekeeper Stuart Landon asks Amy
to sell some of his honey, she's happy to help. The jars of honey are a sweet
success, but their partnership is cut short when Amy discovers Landon's body
outside the café early one morning.
As Amy tries to figure out who could possibly have wanted to harm the
unassuming beekeeper, she discovers an ever- expanding list of suspects—and
they're all buzzing mad. She'll have to use all of her skills—and her Southern
charm—to find her way out of this sticky situation...
Mystery Cozy [Berkley
Prime Crime, On Sale: December 5, 2017, Mass
Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781101990827 / eISBN: 9781101990834]
What is your favorite subscription box or one you'd like to try? Win a cozy scarf and copy of HONEY-BAKED HOMICIDE (US only)
4 comments posted.
I wouldn't mind trying one of the meal boxes, like what Blue Apron offers. But I especially like the idea of a mystery subscription box! I'd never heard of the Thrill Club until you mentioned it. Sounds intriguing.
(Marla Bradeen 6:51pm December 11, 2017)
I would like a subscription box of romance novels and assorted K-cups of flavored coffee.
(Cheryl Castings 11:34am December 12, 2017)