Mystery with a Splash of Bourbon from the Derby Rotten Scoundrels is an anthology that celebrates Kentucky's finest spirit: Bourbon. Ranging from historical adventure to gritty realism, the eighteen crime stories included in this anthology are all fermented in the history and culture of Kentucky bourbon, distilled through the imaginations of our authors. Interwoven with the stories are articles covering the history of bourbon, from Prohibition, moonshining, and medicinal alcohol, to profiles of distilleries and the booming Whiskey Row district in downtown Louisville.

Who Are the Derby Rotten Scoundrels?
The Scoundrels are an eclectic group of writers (and readers) who get together to share their writing. The group was formed in 1992, starting as primarily a reading club. Over time, they became more focused on writers, especially new writers, and how to help them hone their skills and get published. The founders of Mystery and Horror, LLC were among those writers. 

The tour stops are below. Check them out for interviews, reviews, and guest posts, and be sure to stop by our promo page at Escapes with Dollycas for a number of ways to get additional entries for our giveaway!

Join us next week to read interviews with the authors - and the characters!
​More to come soon...

Reserve your copy for a tasty bite of WWII noir with plenty of action! A young detective, searching for a missing girl, stumbles into a hornet's nest of homefront German sympathizers. Release date is 4/20/2020. 

If you are a reviewer and are interested in reviewing this book, contact us directly for an e-ARC or to request a print ARC. 

​Cincinnati, 1942. The secret to being a grifter is changing up the con so the rubes don’t realize they’re being taken. Kissy Lisbon’s spent years honing her skills as a con-woman, but as the war in Europe drags on, things get tough in the Queen City. Her new scheme: hiring herself out as a private eye. Her first client has a missing daughter, the missing daughter has a German boyfriend, and the German boyfriend has friends in all the wrong places. Following a lead sends Kissy careening headlong into a whirlwind of stolen money, American Nazis, and bleeding corpses. When an old flame from Kissy’s past shows up wearing a shiny new detective’s badge, she’s less than thrilled, but together they scour the city for answers. As the bodies start to pile up around her, Kissy is in a race to save the missing girl, her country, and her very life.

B. David Spicer graduated from Ohio University, earning a BA in English. His first name is Brian, but he thinks B. David sounds more artsy and pretentious. He’s had short stories in more than a dozen anthologies, including Cosy Crime from Flame Tree Press, Out of Phase and Wicked Deeds: Witches, Warlocks, Demons & Other Evil Doers from Sirens Call Publications, Strangely Funny II and III and VI from Mystery and Horror, LLC, and Pernicious Invaders and From the Corner of Your Eye from Great Old Ones Publishing. Big Shots and Bullet Holes is his first novel. He lives in Ohio and owns more books than ought to be legal.

We are pleased to present Murder at the Million Dollar Pier, the second book in the Three Snowbirds mystery series. It will be available for sale on September 27th, and you can preorder the book on Kindle now. Scroll down to see its excellent cover, designed by Patty G. Henderson at Boulevard Photografica, and to learn more about the story. 

Curtis A. Deeter is a writer of fantasy, science-fiction, and horror, who typically weaves comedy into his stories. He works a mundane government job in Ohio, so storytelling has always been integral to maintaining his sanity. When he is not writing or reading, he can be found at the local brewery enjoying the tunes and sampling the brew.  
A small press is working with him to publish his debut novel, Morning Blood in Mio. It's a comedic, supernatural murder mystery. The date of release is still tentative.

You have a wistful writing voice (I'm thinking about "Itsuki’s Snowflake"). What do you like about the genres you write in?
I find myself bouncing back and forth between genres, and I love it because there are so many different stories to tell in so many different ways. Each new project is a learning experience. As far as being wistful goes, I think we all tend to look at our pasts at the things we've let slip away and ask "what if?" Great material is born from those places.

Can you tell us a little about your writing process?
For the most part, I try to write short stories in one feverish sitting. That way, the original essence and voice of the piece stays consistent. Novels, I'm still figuring that process out. It generally starts with a handwritten draft and gets shelfed until I'm ready to finish it.

How do you select the names of your characters?
Most of my characters are named randomly. I essentially use a name as a placeholder to get the story out. More often than not, those names stick.

Tell us more about Humbert and Miriam, the heroes of "In a Silent World."
Humbert and Miriam were inspired by my now wife's old neighbors. They were a team of paranormal investigators who were quite ... over the hill. I don't know why, but I found it hilarious and couldn't stop thinking of the possibilities. I have a whole list of standalone shorts and half a novel written about them.

What's your next project?
My next project is a local literature and arts community centered around the focal point of a monthly e-zine called Of Rust and Glass. While my novel is with the editor, I'll be focused on that.

Cheryl Zaidan is a full-time marketer, part-time writer and hardcore dreamer who enjoys creating fictional characters just so she can do bad things to them. 

When did you know you wanted to become a writer?
I'm a lover of words so I suppose it was inevitable. I've always enjoyed writing both fiction and non-fiction and have done quite a bit of freelance writing in the past. I have to admit, I used to love writing short stories, but for awhile my creativity was stalled. It wasn't until I decided to stop censoring my imagination and embrace the weird, that the words started to flow again.

The main characters in your story are male. What's the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
Oh boy, I love writing characters that are nothing like myself regardless of sex. It's so much fun to get into somebody else's head, embrace their mannerisms, their dialect etc. even if they ARE fictional. I also like a lot of diversity so whether they're male or female, they come from different places and all walks of life. Poor hapless Rufus who I wrote for this story was a blast to create, although the spellchecker didn't like his language sometimes. I still can't convince Microsoft Word that "ain't" is what I meant to write.

What is the most difficult part of your creative process?
Sitting down and actually doing it. I just started writing and submitting in earnest late last year and it's been fun, but it took longer than I'd like to admit to get a little serious about it. Also I only write when I feel like it and don't force myself when I don't. That goes against all the rules that tell you that writers must write everyday, but hey, my muse only works part-time. 

What is your current project and can you share a little of it with us?
I'm working on a writing site/blog at www.CherylZWrites.com and I'm also planning on editing one of the many, many novels I've written during National Novel Writing Month. I'm a big proponent of that program. 

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Well, working. But also reading, yoga, watching horror movies, listening to music and bugging friends and family.

What's next for Cheryl?
Cheryl's next story is called "Ugly Eyes" and will be featured in the ezine "The Asylum Diaries – Autopsy."