Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series, Short Story Collection, Volume 1

by Joanna Campbell Slan

(This story collection follows Tear Down and Die, Book #1 in the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series, and it precedes Kicked to the Curb, Book #2) Cara Mia Delgatto is a divorced mom and a savvy entrepreneur. While struggling to adjust to her new life on the Treasure Coast of Florida, Cara quickly recognizes that she isn’t the only person in the Sunshine State who occasionally gets a bad case of the blues. Drawing on the strength of her new-found friendships, Cara manages to turn sour lemons into key lime pie. Readers have called these stories “delightful” and “heart-warming.” Several are also available individually, but they have now been grouped together with more stories for a savings of more than $2.99. Titles include: Cara Mia Delgatto and the Haunted Flamingo, Cara Mia Delgatto and the Thanksgiving Gift, A Day in the Life of Cara Mia, plus Kiki and Cara Mia’s Holiday Celebration. Also comes with two recipes and two craft tutorials. Total word count is 60,622. Email address for special bonus file is included in this collection.

Genres: Cozy

211 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2015

About the author

National bestselling and award-winning author Joanna Campbell Slan was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but she grew up in a small town in Indiana. After graduating from Ball State University with a degree in journalism, she worked as a newspaper reporter, a newspaper ad salesperson, a television talk show host, a college teacher, a public relations professional, and a motivational speaker. In that capacity, she was named by Sharing Ideas Magazine as “one of the top 25 speakers in the world.”

Slan's work has appeared in five of the New York Times Bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and one of those became a television show. She is the author of nearly 80 books, nonfiction and fiction, including Death of a Schoolgirl, which won the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence.

Joanna's personal essays have appeared in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and one was made into a television program on the Pax Network. The college textbook Joanna wrote—Using Stories and Humor: Grab Your Audience—has been praised as an invaluable resource by Benjamin Netanyahu’s speechwriter and endorsed by Toastmasters, International.

RT Book Reviews has called Joanna “one of mystery’s rising stars.” Her first novel—Paper, Scissors, Death—was an Agatha Award finalist. It features Kiki Lowenstein, a spunky single mom who lives in St. Louis. The sixth book in that series will be released Summer 2013.

Kirkus Reviews has said, “Slan’s mysteries are most valuable for the well-developed characters and the issues they raise.” RT Book Reviews has said, “Kiki is so darn entertaining that she’ll keep readers hooked.” A series of short stories featuring Kiki are available on Kindle.

Joanna’s newest series—The Jane Eyre Chronicles—began with Death of a Schoolgirl (Berkley) and continues with the release of Death of a Dowager. The series features Charlotte Brontë’s classic heroine Jane Eyre as an amateur sleuth.

As “Lila Dare,” Joanna has penned the fourth book in the Southern Beauty Shop series—Wave Good-bye.

Joanna is married to David Slan. The Slans live on Jupiter Island, Florida.

Website: www.JoannaSlan.com

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/JoannaCampbel...

Twitter: @JoannaSlan

Reviews

[Jennifer Reese Rohr]

I was slow to finish this one but as usual Joanna does not disappoint. As an ex-batter wife myself I love these men actually getting there due and the women being safe.

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three novellas from the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery series. While these books can stand on their own they are probably better read once the reader knows the characters. I read them after I read the full novels and still loved them. Ms Slan's characters connect with the reader and the plots are intriguing and show heart.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the short stories of Cara's adventures. I had read the full length novels and these rounded out my collection nicely. I'm looking forward to my next Joanna Campbell Slan adventure.

[Cheryl Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of short stories. I like her character development and how she manages to weave multiple stories together. I find the main characters to be people I can enjoy and find pleasure in their "growing" and changing.

[Brian Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice

A nice collection of short stories giving a little more depth to the characters of Cara and her friends while telling some nice holiday themed tales.