  Miranda and the D-Day Caper by Shelly Frome Publisher: Boutique of Quality Books (March 1, 2020) Category: Cozy Mystery | Tour dates: May-June, 2020 ISBN: 978-1945448577 Available in Print and ebook, 338 pages Book Description: On a sparkling spring morning in the Blue Ridge, small-town realtor Miranda Davis approached the tailgate market, intent on dealing with her whimsical cousin Skip’s unexpected arrival from New York. It turns out that Skip was on the run and, in his panic, grabbed his beloved tabby Duffy, recalling that Miranda had a recent part in solving a case down in Carolina. His predicament stemmed from intercepting code messages like “Countdown to D-Day,” playfully broadcasting the messages on his radio show over the nation-wide network, and subsequently forced to flee. At first, Miranda tried to limit her old childhood companion’s conundrum to the sudden abduction of Duffy the cat. But the forces that be were hell-bent on keeping Skip under wraps by any means after he now stumbled close to the site of their master plan. Miranda’s subsequent efforts to decipher the conspiracy and somehow intervene placed both herself and her old playmate on a collision course with a white-nationalist perpetrator and the continuing machinations of the right-wing enterprise, with the lives of all those gathered for a diversity celebration in nearby Asheville and a crucial senatorial vote on homeland security hanging in the balance. You met Miranda Davis in Shelly Frome’s ‘Moon Games’ now she has a new mystery to solve! Buy Links: Amazon| BarnesandNoble| Indiebound
Crime Fiction and the Imaginary Cameraman by Shelly Frome Although it’s never been spelled out, I feel there’s something filmic at play in good crime fiction. Along with the basic factors, it’s as if there’s also an imaginary cameraman at work looking for something interesting to shoot--zooming in, tracking, taking in the entire scene with a wide angle lens, etc. For example, while working on “Miranda” there was a point where I simply summed up her long-lost cousin’s predicament. On second thought, I took a closer look: “Look,” Miranda said, “I hate to break it to you, kiddo, but the facts are the facts. Cindy at the motel swore it was a guy on a motorcycle who snuck into your room at the crack of dawn. Then tossed your cat into an airport rental where he crawled up by the rear window as the car took off. The upshot is, right-wing pundit Russ Mathews damn well was the driver. He’d obviously flown all the way down from New York to keep you under wraps one way or another.” As Skip sat there in the passenger seat in stunned silence, she couldn’t help but notice a white compact pulling in a few rows back of the entrance to the ER. It could very well have been that selfsame Toyota Corolla airport rental. And here is a better example when I wanted to zoom in on the whole conversation: Glancing around, taking his sweet time, making sure no one was within earshot, Skip said, “Okay. Like I indicated, I was filling in, got a break on a prestige AM station. Soon enough, I started doing riffs on Russ Mathews, that stocky right-wing pundit.” “Whatever. Go on?” Getting more anxious by the second, his lanky body beginning to twitch, Skip said, “So, when opportunity knocks, you seize the day. Right?” “Out with it. I am still waiting.” Scrunching forward this time, Skip said, “Okay. One night I started to wing it. No more of this ‘Yup, it’s midnight, folks. Some of these homespun Indiana tales should ease you right off to sleep.’ I was antsy. I’d had it with Russ who’d signed off that night right before me, sounding more and more like some fear monger back in the day.” “And what day was that?” “World War Two. When Shep Anderson was on the radio back home telling kids Jack Armstrong the all-American boy was on the lookout for U-boats lurking off the New Jersey shore.” More glancing around on Skip’s part. More checking the flow of visitors coming and going. Getting antsy as well, Miranda said, “Will you get on with it? Is there an upshot in our future? ” “I’m coming to it,” Skip said, looking right at her this time. “Right after my kazoo rendition of I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash, I lean into the mic and say, ‘Guess what? Ole Russ Mathews must be on to something. I’m talking the plot against America.” All told, what’s gratifying about this approach is the feedback I’ve generally received from readers. Take a response from Moon Games, my last foray into the cozy genre. A lady mystery buff from the Heartland wrote “I was taken by so much going on I had to keep alert, like a moviegoer who didn’t want to slip out to the concession stand and miss seeing something.” Of course, seeing the unfolding tale from a movie perspective is no guarantee of success. However, employing it as part of your writing arsenal surely helps to keep the reader engrossed.  About Shelly Frome Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels, cozy mystery novels, and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media’s Black Mountain News. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, Murder Run, Moon Games and The Secluded Village Murders. Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Miranda and the D-Day Caper is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Website | Facebook | Twitter  Giveaway Miranda and the D-Day Caper by Shelly Frome This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of print or ebook however, print is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners. (This giveaway ends July 1, 2020,midnight pacific time. ) Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only. To Enter, Click on HERE! 
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