Jane Reads: Picked Off by Linda Lovely | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway

I'm currently reading Picked Off, and really enjoying it so far. I think you'll enjoy it also. It's exciting, fun and entertaining — an excellent follow-up to Bones to Pick.

Picked Off by Linda Lovely

Series: A Brie Hooker Mystery, #2

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Publisher: Henery Press
Hardcover: 270 Pages
ISBN: 978-1635113457

Paperback: 268 pages

ISBN: 978-1635113426

e-Book File Size: 568 KB
ASIN: B07B9K3FJ9
Amazon | B&N | BAM! | IndieBound

The Blurb

It’s been seven months since Brie Hooker, a vegan, moved to Udderly Kidding Dairy to live with her feisty Aunt Eva, a confirmed carnivore.

But tonight there’ll be no family feud over dinner entrees.

Udderly’s hosting a campaign fundraiser for Eva’s best friend, who hopes to be South Carolina’s next governor. The candidate’s son, a pro quarterback, is flying home for the wingding. And Brie’s eager to get a close-up view of the cute tush she’s admired on TV, even though she’s reluctantly sworn off even more tempting local beefcake.

The campaign fundraiser promises to be a huge success until a pitchfork attack turns the goat farm into a crime scene — again.

To protect her friends, Brie puts her sleuthing skills to work. Will she live long enough to find out who’s behind a vicious assault, a kidnapping, blackmail, and murder?

The Guest Post

Goats Plus Love: Therapy, Yoga, Laughs

Have you ever visited a goat farm? If not, don’t waste a minute more. What a treat! Nanny goats/does are curious, friendly, and nimble. Kids — baby goats — are adorable bouncing bundles of energy. And despite bad press, billy goats (luckily) are only odoriferous during rutting season. Wethers — billy boys fixed when they’re babies — make loving pets and superb therapy companions.

My visits to Split Creek Farm, a local goat dairy located between Anderson and Clemson, South Carolina, inspired the setting for the fictional Udderly Kidding Dairy, home to my humorous Brie Hooker Mystery series. The visits and additional research also offered me insights into cheese-making, goat-breeding, and goat history and mythology.

Split Creek is home to more than 400 goats. The herd is protected by Great Pyrenees guard dogs. Border Collies herd the does to their milking stations and try to keep the kids out of trouble. The farm’s other animal residents include a donkey, egg-laying hens (and of course, roosters) of varied feathered species, and pot-bellied pigs.

Split Creek’s owners and workers obviously love all the animals and go to incredible lengths to protect them and make sure they enjoy their lives. The dairy sells many different kinds of award-winning goat cheese, and — my favorite — goat fudge. Although they let some of their goats go to good homes, they never eat the goats they breed. Public outreach is one of this farm’s charms. It hosts many events to educate children (and adults) about farming, animal husbandry, and cheese-making. They hosted my book launch for Bones to Pick.

One of its newest and most fun programs is goat yoga. I’ve participated in two classes. A goal of goat yoga is to help participants relax in harmony with nature. But, for me, it was more playing with goats and enjoying their antics while doing familiar and new stretches in positions that awakened muscles I didn’t know I had. (Full disclosure: I’d never done yoga before, and haven’t been tempted since. If goats aren’t involved, I’m not interested.)

Before our yoga class began, students were given strict instructions. One, we couldn’t pick up the kids. If we held them wrong and they squirmed, their intestines could twist, causing sudden death. Second, no touching until we sanitized our hands to prevent transferring germs to youngsters who’d yet to fully develop immune systems.

Of course, the kids who joined us had no such instructions. They frolicked, chewed on our shoestrings, nibbled on our ears, ran under our arched backs, pranced on our mats, and gave each other merry chase while Twigs, the frustrated Border Collie, tried to keep them in check.

Another wonder is Split Creek’s gift of five therapy goats to Ashley Addiction Treatment, a rehabilitation facility in Maryland that once helped Sandra Coffman, a member of Split Creek’s human family.

Sandra, a former alcoholic, fell in love with the goats on her first visit to Split Creek. She says taking care of goats helped her regain something that had been missing for her. And she felt caring for goats could be good therapy for others battling addictions. It appears she was right. The rehabilitation facility believes the program will be a long lived success.

What of the myths that paint goats as evil?

Spend any time around goats and you know it’s a bad rap. Like the characters in PICKED OFF, I find goats lovable.

The Author

About Linda Lovely

Linda Lovely finds writing pure fiction isn’t a huge stretch given the years she’s spent penning PR and ad copy. Linda writes a blend of mystery and humor, chuckling as she plots to “disappear” the types of characters who most annoy her. Quite satisfying, plus there’s no need to pester relatives for bail.

Her newest series offers good-natured salutes to both her vegan family doctor and her cheese-addicted kin. She’s an enthusiastic Sisters in Crime member and helps organize the popular Writers’ Police Academy. When not writing or reading, Linda takes long walks with her husband, swims, gardens, and plays tennis.

Find Linda on the web at

The Giveaway

Click here for the Rafflecopter to enter to win
(1) ARC of Picked Off (winner’s choice of paperback or ebook if US, ebook if outside US) plus $25 gift certificate to Amazon!

Follow the tour, to read other Guest Posts, plus Author Interviews and reviews.

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 15 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

May 15 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW

May 16 – Laura's Interests - REVIEW

May 16 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST

May 17 – The Power of Words – REVIEW

May 17 – Readeropolis – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 18 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 18 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST

May 19 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

May 20 – T's Stuff – AUTHOR INTERVIEW