This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kirsten Weiss will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
A killer stalks her sister.
A mysterious painting holds the key.
Can Maddie unravel the mystery before Melanie meets a deadly fate?
When Maddie and Herb attend a curation class at the upscale Domus Vinea museum, the mood turns darker than a gothic portrait after Maddie’s opera-singing sister, Melanie, discovers the museum director’s body. Now, with a cunning killer targeting Melanie next, Maddie must act fast.
Racing against time, Maddie and friends investigate a gallery of suspects, including a dashing vintner with a haunted painting that may hide a deadly secret. If Maddie can’t crack the case, and fast, her sister’s life could end in one fatal stroke.
A Deathly Display, the latest in the Paranormal Museum series, blends quirky sleuthing, small-town chills, and paranormal thrills with a dash of humor. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries!
Grab A Deathly Display and start reading this hilarious whodunit!
For readers who crave a cozy mystery about a woman finding belonging through small-town wine-country sleuthing and the gentle absurdity of everyday hauntings. Perfect if you like breezy pacing, light supernatural quirks, and warm humor over gritty tension—think vintage charm, quirky neighbors, and just-enough chills to keep pages turning without losing sleep. Book 11 in the series.
Read an Excerpt
Stuffing the brochure into the pocket of my navy hoodie, I walked to the window. The gentle blues of twilight streamed through it, making a trapezoid on the museum’s wooden floor.
A narrow, carved piece of wood stuck out beneath the sill. There appeared to be two wooden hinges at its base. It was another door. Curious, I pried the top open.
The slender strip of wood popped off the wall. I caught it before it could hit the floor and froze, squatting, door cradled in both hands. Horrified, I gaped at the piece of carved wood.
“You broke it,” Herb hissed. “You broke the house on our first visit!”
“I didn’t break it. It fell off.” Frantically, I tried to work the door back into the hinge.
“What are you doing?” Bran asked from behind me.
Heart pounding, I spun to face him and hid the slim little door behind my back.
“Are you hiding something behind your back?” Bran cocked an eyebrow. Now, he looked like an angry Roman general, the trimmed stubble on his jaw more threatening. Not even his jeans and blue button-up eased the effect.
I blinked, sweating. He’d caught me like a kid elbow-deep in a cookie jar.
Talking with author Kirsten Weiss about A Deathly Display
What is your latest book about?
A Deathly Display is book 11 (!) in my Perfectly Proper
Paranormal Museum series. On it’s face, it’s a classic cozy mystery – a body is
discovered at a swanky museum event, and the more the heroine, Maddie, digs
into it, the higher the stakes. But it’s also a book about love, and sisters,
and discovering that you weren’t the person you used to be.
Taking the story from a concept to a
published book is a long and involved process. How does that usually work for
you?
I can usually
publish a book in six months when I’m working through my authors’ cooperative,
misterio press (which is much quicker than traditional publishing). It takes me
about a week to get the concept out and some basic plotting. Then I spend
roughly 6-8 weeks writing the first draft. I’ll set it aside for a month or so
while I work on something new, and then I’ll edit it for another six
weeks(ish). Then there’s some back and forth with my misterio editors, and
then… we publish!
Which of your books would you recommend
for readers to choose first if they’re new to you and your books?
I would start with book 1 in the Paranormal Museum series: The
Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum. You don’t have to read the books in
order – each is a complete mystery with no cliffhanger endings. But the
characters progress throughout, and a lot of people like to read them in order
for that reason.
Do you have a favorite personal
development or writing book you would recommend?
Revising Fiction, a Handbook for Writers
by David Madden has immediately actionable techniques to employ. It’s helped me
a lot. But since you ask… I’ve also come out with my own Cozy Mystery Writer’s
Toolkit, with fillable PDFs and worksheets as well as a beat-sheet for a
full-length cozy mystery novel.
Tell us something fun or interesting
about you.
I’m teaching myself to read old English! If you’d like to
give it a try, there’s this great book called Osweald Bear, which teaches you
to read old English by using the progressive language model. The chapters in
the story start out so simple you can pretty much figure them out, and then get
progressively harder. And no, I have no good reason for doing this, but reading
the book feels like deciphering a code and it’s a terrifically fun puzzle
(possibly because I love reading cozy mysteries as much as I love writing
them).
What have you learned throughout your
writing process?
If it’s not fun, it’s not good writing. And if I’m rushing,
it’s not fun.
What has inspired you to become a writer?
I wanted to be a cozy mystery writer since I was a kid and
read my first Nancy Drew… followed by Sherlock Holmes stories, followed by
Agatha Christie novels… But it wasn’t until I was in my mid-forties that I
seriously pursued that dream. I’m so glad I did!
How do you keep your ideas fresh and
avoid traveling over well-worn territory?
When I plot my mysteries, I think about the subplots first.
How are the heroine’s finally laid plans about to be disrupted by the murder?
What chaos will it cause in her life? Only once I understand that do I begin
plotting the actual murder.
What trope have you not written yet but
want to?
That’s a good question! I don’t usually think in terms of
tropes—at least not when I’m first working on the book concept. They’re
something I usually add toward the end of my plotting—what spice can I add that
the readers will enjoy? So I honestly can’t think of any trope I’m dying to
write!
Do you have a specific writing process?
I fall somewhere between a plotter and a pantser. Usually,
I’ll only roughly plot out the first half of the book before I start writing. I
need some structure to make sure the clues and red herrings line up and there
aren’t any plot holes. Then once I’ve reached the end of my plotting, I’ll plot
the next chapter right after I’ve finished writing the last, and start on it
the next day. This gives me more room to play and see what comes up.
Do you have a favorite author and/or
favorite book?
So many! Lately I’ve gotten into Japanese cozy mysteries. I
just finished My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru Konishi, and I’m
working my way through the Food Detective series by Hisashi Kashiwai. The
latter is a wonderful example of using food as a gateway to memory.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I
recently got married, and I’ve found married life takes up a surprising amount
of time. No regrets! ;-)
Kirsten Weiss writes laugh-out-loud, page-turning mysteries, and now a Tarot guidebook that’s a work of experimental fiction. Her heroes and heroines aren’t perfect, but they’re smart, they struggle, and they succeed. Kirsten writes in a house high on a hill in the Colorado woods and occasionally ventures out for wine and chocolate. Or for a visit to the local pie shop.
Kirsten is best known for her Wits’ End, Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, and Tea & Tarot cozy mystery books. So if you like funny, action-packed mysteries with complicated heroines, just turn the page…
Website: http://www.KirstenWeiss.com
Twitter: http://www.x.com/SBPM_Museum
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirstenweissauthor
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kirstenweissauthor
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KirstenWeiss-Writer
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243649538-a-deathly-display
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4p2g97b
Apple Books: https://bit.ly/4nIZMuW
B&N: https://bit.ly/4oL69zv
Google Play: https://bit.ly/43i6bWH
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3WDUrtY
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-deathly-display-a-small-town-murder-mystery-a-perfectly-proper-paranormal-museum-mystery-book-11-by-kirsten-weiss
Universal Book link: https://books2read.com/u/3J1MPQ
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