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Home Fries and Alibies book tour includes a fun character interview. Meet a character from the book, leave a comment for the author, share on social, subscribe and shop Sarandipity’s. Thanks for being here!
Book Details
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – New York
Publisher : Beyond the Page Publishing
Publication date : September 23, 2025
Print length : 178 pages
ISBN-10 : 1966322275
ISBN-13 : 978-1966322276
Digital ISBN-13 : 978-1966322269
ASIN : B0FN8G8H1G
When a belligerent woman moves in across the street, café owner Gia Morelli has to call off
the welcome wagon and call in the homicide squad . . .
When a nasty new neighbor moves into their peaceful community, Gia and everyone else in the
neighborhood is ready to blow a fuse. The spiteful woman has quickly made a nuisance of
herself, complaining to and about everyone there. Then she makes the grave mistake of falsely
claiming Gia’s dog tore up her yard, and Gia goes ballistic, telling the woman to back off . . . or
else. It was an impulsive move for Gia, but someone else decides an even more extreme
approach is called for, and silences the woman—permanently.
Unnerved by the thought of a murderer living in her neighborhood, Gia begins digging into the
victim’s life to figure out who would have wanted her dead. She soon discovers that the woman
was not only malicious but was blackmailing people in the community. Even more surprising is
that nearly everyone in the neighborhood has something to hide. Dead-set on rooting out the
culprit, Gia has to determine who stood to lose the most if their secret was revealed, unaware that
she’s perilously close to losing her own life . . .
Character Interview
Describe yourself.
My name is Gia Morelli, and I am the owner of the All-Day Breakfast Café in
Boggy Creek, Florida. I would consider myself an introvert, but I’ve begun to come out of my shell
since moving to Florida, and I’ve made some truly great friends.
What makes you laugh?
Watching my best friend Savannah get the best of her cousin, my fiancé,
Detective Hunter Quinn. I truly enjoy that.
Are you afraid of anything?
Critters! And living in a rural area of Florida, where I regularly come
across alligators, racoons, snakes, bears, armadillos, and spiders the size of my hand, that is a real
problem.
Do you have a special talent or gift?
I like to think I have a gift for cooking. Breakfast, to be specific.
I’m not much good at other foods, but having worked the breakfast shift in a busy New York deli for
years, I developed a knack for breakfast meals.
Do you have a secret?
Until recently, I would have said no. But, considering someone is setting out
to blackmail me, they apparently think I do.
Tell us about your family.
Since my mother passed away when I was young, my father tossed me out the day I graduated high school, and my ex-husband is, well, my ex, I could say I have no family.
But since moving to Boggy Creek, that has changed. My best friend, Savannah, is more a sister than a
friend. And my fiancé, Hunt, is my world. But it seems I’ve also accrued an extended family—Leo,
Savannah’s husband; Trevor, who owns Storm Scoopers, the ice-cream parlor down the road from my
café; Earl, my very first customer; Cole, who works grill for me; my waitresses, Willow and her
mother, Skyla; and Cybil Devane, an older woman with an uncanny ability to understand people.
Who is the most important person in your life?
That probably shouldn’t be a difficult question to answer, but it is. So, I’ll have to say, it’s a tie. My fiancé, Hunt, is amazing. And we are so close. I never thought I would love anyone, or more importantly, trust anyone, after my divorce. But Hunt’s patience and kindness broke through my hardened heart. But then there’s Savannah. She has been my best friend for years. She’s helped me through the most difficult times in my life, and she is there for me always, no questions asked. Well, okay, maybe a few questions, but the answers never deter her from standing by my side.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
I can’t say either of these is my most embarrassing, but they definitely both land at the top of the list. First, standing on the bathroom counter, screaming, and having half the Boggy Creek Police Department come running because I saw a spider had me blushing. And then there was the time Hunt found Savannah and I hiding under a murder suspect’s bed because my cell phone rang. I wasn’t embarrassed to be caught in the house, but I should have been smart enough to turn off the phone. At least, I learned from that experience—turn off your ringer while snooping.
What do you do for fun?
As much as it surprises me, I love kayaking with my friend, Trevor. I never expected I would enjoy paddling down a snake-and-alligator-invested river through a remote area of the Ocala National Forest in a tiny little kayak, but I love it. I’ve never experienced anything more peaceful.
If you could change anything about your life what would it be?
I honestly wouldn’t change a thing.
My life is perfect. Um… except maybe the fact that I seem to keep stumbling over bodies.
Tell me about your author.
I love my author. She’s always there for me, even when I wake her up in the middle of the night and insist she get up and write down the direction I’ve decided my story should go.
Do you like the way they write you?
Since I mostly guide the way my stories go, I’d have to say yes. Although, I do wish she could make me a little more courageous when it comes to critters.
Author Details
Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small
island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, the All-Day Breakfast Café
Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest, the Mini-Meadows
Mysteries, set in a community of tiny homes in Central Florida, and the Coffee & Cream Café
Mysteries, which take place in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, New
York.
Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded
in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives
with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with
family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born
and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a
member of Sisters in Crime.
Author Links
Newsletter: http://lenagregory.us12.list-
manage.com/subscribe?u=9765d0711ed4fab4fa31b16ac&id=49d42335d1.
Website: http://www.lenagregory.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lena.gregory.986
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/LenaGregory03
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14956514.Lena_Gregory?from_search=true
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lenagregoryauth/
Purchase Links
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 23 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
September 23 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 24 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
September 24 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 25 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
September 26 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
September 26 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
September 27 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
September 28 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
September 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
September 29 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 30 – My Books and Crafts – SPOTLIGHT
October 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
October 2 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
October 2 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
October 4 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
October 6 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
Excerpt
Chapter One
“What’s the point in closing the café and taking a day off if we don’t do something fun?”
With her elbows propped on Gia Morelli’s kitchen table and her chin resting in one hand,
Savannah Mills Dumont ran the tip of one long, glitter-tipped, sky-blue nail around the rim of
her Blondes Have More Fun coffee mug and pouted.
Thor, Gia’s Bernese mountain dog, dropped his massive head onto Savannah’s lap, rolled his
soulful brown eyes toward Gia, and sulked.
“Oh, knock it off. Both of you.” Gia stood from where she sat between the two of them and
crossed the terra-cotta tile to the counter. If she was going to deal with both her best friend and
her traitorous dog moping at the crack of dawn, she was going to need more coffee. She filled
her mug then held the pot up toward Savannah, who shook her head moodily. Ugh. She turned
and leaned back against the countertop, inhaled deeply the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee,
and took a sip.
It wasn’t like she had any specific plans for the day, other than to relax and enjoy twenty-four
stress-free hours without punching a time clock, rushing around like there weren’t enough hours
to fit in everything she had to get done (which there weren’t), and fielding complaints from
cranky customers. She sighed. In all fairness, most of her customers weren’t cranky, just the
select few who, despite their chronic complaints, still kept returning to the All-Day Breakfast
Café. Perhaps negativity was just a hobby for them. Her gaze flicked back to Savannah and Thor.
Savannah fluttered long, thick lashes that framed big blue eyes Gia had no hope of saying no
to. “Okay, fine. What is it the two of you want to do?”
Thor lifted his head and barked once.
Savannah perked right up, straightened in her chair, and offered a sly grin. “Whatever you’d
like.”
“I’d like to go to the nursery for some flowers and plant a garden out front,” Gia reminded
her.
“Oh, please, sugar.” Savannah waved her off with a flick of her hand. “You’ve been saying
that for months, and you and I both know it’s not going to happen.”
“It might.” Especially if Savannah kept insisting it wouldn’t. Nothing like a little pessimism
for motivation. Besides, she’d heard gardening was a great stress reliever. And, having lived
most of her life in New York City, she’d never had the opportunity to give it a try.
“Uh-huh.” Lifting one perfectly sculpted brow, Savannah shifted her long blonde hair behind
her shoulder, hooked an elbow over her chair back, and pinned Gia with a knowing look. “And
what happens the first time you kneel down and find a snake in the weeds? Or a bear lumbers
across the yard? Or Rocky Raccoon, apparently your newest pet, stops by for a visit?”
“Okay, that’s not fair.” It wasn’t her fault she hadn’t had the heart to get rid of the little
varmint after the first time she’d paid a pretty penny to have someone catch him and release him
elsewhere. Then, the following day, she’d found him leisurely hanging out on his favorite moss-
covered oak branch above her garbage pails, staring at her with an amused look that said, Ha ha,
sucker, I’m not that easy to get rid of. But the reminder had her second-guessing the idea of a
garden . . . again. The chances of her planting and caring for a garden without running into some
critter or another were slim to none.
Not that she didn’t adore her home in Rolling Pines, she did. The development on the
outskirts of the Ocala National Forest in Central Florida was what Savannah had called rural
when she’d first found the beautiful little Spanish-style ranch Gia now called home. But it was
more like the center of some prehistoric forest—at least, it was to Gia, who’d spent most of her
life surrounded by concrete and steel. Of the thousand or so one-acre lots the community
boasted, only about half of them had been cleared and built on. That left a lot of swampy forest,
home to an abundance of wildlife—bears, coyotes, armadillos, alligators, venomous snakes,
huntsman spiders—and that was the end of that. A shiver tore through her. There was nothing
Gia feared more than spiders.
Savannah grinned.
“Okay, okay, point made.” It was Gia’s turn to sulk.
“So . . .” Having won the argument, as usual, Savannah sipped her coffee. “What do you feel
like doing? Now that I take it gardening is out?”
Gia pinned her with her harshest glare. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you no one likes a smart
aleck?”
“Come to think of it . . .” She laughed, the sound musical in the small kitchen. “You may
have mentioned it once or twice.”
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 23 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
September 23 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 24 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
September 24 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 25 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
September 26 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
September 26 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
September 27 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
September 28 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
September 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
September 29 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 30 – My Books and Crafts – SPOTLIGHT
October 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
October 2 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
October 2 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
October 4 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
October 6 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
Giveaway
Prize – $25 Amazon Gift Card
Thank you so much for having me and for sharing the release of Home Fries and Alibis!