Saturday, June 23, 2018

There's Trouble in Appleton!

I'd like to welcome Tobias (Toby) Lee Gibson and Amy Sanderson to our Stitches Thru Time Blog today for an interview on Carole Brown's upcoming 4th book in her Appleton, WV Romantic Mystery series: Toby's Troubles.

Carole: Toby, can you tell us what you do?
Toby:  I'm co-owner (with my sister Caroline--whose story is told in book three) of Undiscovered Treasures, a shop filled with antiques, collectibles. and junk.

Carole:  That's fascinating, and I know Caroline's cover made me want to delve right into your shop! Will you give us a clue of what the problem is in your book?
Toby:  Sure. To begin with, there were several break-ins in the middle of the night. I jokingly called the person a "ghost".  He/She didn't steal anything at first. But when things began getting out of hand--breaking into my friend's flower/landscaping business and making a mess, then kidnapping her--well that didn't go over so good with me. I figured if this was to be settled, I needed to dig in and find a few clues.

Carole:  Do I get a hint of romance with this Amy?
Toby:  Maybe. I can't give away all the secrets of the book, but she is a very good friend who puts up with my dilly-dallying. She's smart, owns her own business, and is beautiful.

Carole:  I see I won't get much more from you right now, so I'll ask Amy a few questions. Amy, give me a hint of what the story is about. Toby mentioned break-ins...
Amy (laughs):  Several break-ins. It's an exciting time, and Toby and I, with the help of our town police chief, do our best to find out what's going on. There's a missing treasure chest, a stolen van, a head injury, suspicious new visitors in town, a kidnapping that Toby's already mentioned, and (sigh) my sister comes home.

Carole:  You don't sound too excited about your sister's return...
Amy:  I'm not. She's spoiled, wild and trouble. Those three words describe her perfectly.

Carole:  Toby, can you tell me one thing about Amy not many would notice?
Toby:  Just one?  She loves lilacs. Oh, and one more: she has hazel eyes, which means green and brown, right? But sometimes, rarely, the color blue will shine through. Not often, and only at special times...

Carole:  And I don't think you'll tell me about those special times, will you?
Toby:  Nope.

Carole:  Amy? What about you? Can you share a not-so-well-known item about Toby?
Amy:  Love to!  He's a regular jokester and doesn't like for people to see that he's a gentle soul, and everybody loves him. He spends time after shop hours with our church's youth group and the community theater, which he worked hard to get off the ground. It's a huge success.

Carole: Sounds like the perfect place to live. Can you tell me--either one of you--when does your book release?
Toby and Amy together:  July, this year!

Carole: And it will be on Amazon, right, for us to buy?
Toby: Yep. Here's Carole's author page where you can see all her books: 


Carole: do you have a blurb for us?
Amy:  Sure. Here it is:

Toby's Troubles Blurb
Everyone loves Toby Gibson. A co-owner of Undiscovered Treasures, a unique shop of antiques, collectibles, and junk, Toby is friendly, generous to a fault, the director of the local plays in Appleton and supports his church's youth functions. But the minute his sister, Caroline and her new husband, take off for their honeymoon, a “ghost” begins to haunt the shop—or maybe it's just an intruder. If so, Toby has no idea for what the thing is looking. To add to his troubles, he suspects Amy, not only is bidding for the property he's wanted forever but is in love with him. And he's not interested.

Amy Sanderson who owns the only flower shop in Appleton—Bloomin' Life—is drawn into capturing Toby's “ghost” when her own business is damaged by a destructive intruder. Having loved Toby since a teenager, she's more than willing to join forces with him. But she has no interest in being his best friend or a sister to him. And if she has to resort to schemes of outbidding him at his frequent auction attendances to get his attention, then so be it. She can be just as stubborn as the man who's determined to ignore her love.


In between the break-ins, destruction of property, thefts and personal competitions against each other, Amy and Toby work together to find the thief who seems so determined to find a valuable item, he'll stop at nothing.  


Carole:  Thank you, Amy and Toby, for joining me today! Oh, one last question. Who's your favorite author?
Toby and Amy, chorusing together:  Carole Brown, of course! We carry all her books in both of our shops. 

A Question for Readers:
If you could shop in such a shop as Undiscovered Treasures,
what would you search for?
Anything in particular?




About Carole:

Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons? 


Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/


5 comments:

  1. When my friend Pat comes to visit we always hit the thrift stores.
    She looks for clothes and I look for books. I volunteer in the church library and have for almost 40 years, hence me looking for books.
    I always say that, "Today's Trash" is "Tomorrow's Treasure".

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  2. I just like to browse in a thrift/junk store. :-) Enjoyed the interview!

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  3. Thank you, ladies! I like both your answers and do the same. :)

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  4. I love to shop Goodwill and yard sales. Books, clothing, old dishes and home decor are some of my favorite things to look for.

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  5. A fun interview. When I'm browsing in a thrift/junk store I look for peach and blue items.

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