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A Mystery Book Duet to Read on Galentine’s Day

By Alison Bunis

As I’m sure you know, today is everyone’s favorite female friendship holiday. That’s right―happy Galentine’s Day! How are you celebrating? Sitting in a cozy room with all your female friends while you each read a book? Though I suggested that, my friends opted for a more classic going-out-to-dinner-together-style celebration.

For the uninitiated, the delightful holiday of Galentine’s Day was invented by Leslie Knope on the television show Parks and Recreation in 2010. That year, Leslie told viewers that although February 14th is about romance, she makes February 13th about celebrating the awesome ladies in her life. The amazing idea has caught on, and now Galentine’s Day is everywhere you go. Stores have sales on girl-power and female-friendship related items. Late night shows do gal-pal related segments. Celebrities post pictures of themselves on their Galentine’s Day outings.

opens in a new windowPlace holder  of - 3Naturally, we at Forge don’t want to be left out. We’ve scoured our list to find the perfect gal-pal mystery books to celebrate this esteemed holiday, and we’ve hit on a winning pair: opens in a new windowDesign for Dying and its sequel, opens in a new windowDangerous to Know, by Renee Patrick.

Seriously, if you haven’t read them what are you waiting for? They’re set in Los Angeles during the 1930s, aka Hollywood’s Golden Age, and one of the heroines is a fictionalized version of real-life designer Edith Head, who was the inspiration for the visual appearance of the character Edna Mode in The Incredibles. Edith’s partner-in-crime-solving is Lillian Frost, a plucky, fast-talking girl who had dreams of stardom, but is now just another department store salesgirl. When the pair meet in Design for Dying, a party girl’s murder has landed Lillian on the suspect list and put Edith’s job at Paramount Pictures in jeopardy. So of course, the two team up to solve the case themselves, and in the process they forge a fantastic friendship.

opens in a new windowImage Placeholder of - 57Their adventures continue in Dangerous to Know, where Edith and Lillian deal with career challenges, see the war clouds gathering over Europe, run into the likes of Jack Benny and Marlene Dietrich, and unravel intrigue extending from Paramount’s Bronson Gate to FDR’s Oval Office. All while dressed to the nines, of course―this is Hollywood, after all.

So come on, make Leslie Knope proud: tell your gal pals you love them, grab a couple books, and read about ladies celebrating ladies.

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Design for Dying ebook is now on sale for $2.99

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The ebook edition of Renee Patrick’s opens in a new windowDesign for Dying is on sale for only $2.99!* Catch up with Lilian Frost and Edith Head before the sequel,  opens in a new windowDangerous to Knowcomes out April 11th.

About Design for DyingLos Angeles, 1937. Lillian Frost has traded dreams of stardom for security as a department store salesgirl . . . until she discovers she’s a suspect in the murder of her former roommate, Ruby Carroll. Party girl Ruby died wearing a gown she stole from the wardrobe department at Paramount Pictures, domain of Edith Head.

Edith has yet to win the first of her eight Academy Awards; right now she’s barely hanging on to her job, and a scandal is the last thing she needs. To clear Lillian’s name and save Edith’s career, the two women join forces.

Unraveling the mystery pits them against a Hungarian princess on the lam, a hotshot director on the make, and a private investigator who’s not on the level. All they have going for them are dogged determination, assists from the likes of Bob Hope and Barbara Stanwyck, and a killer sense of style. In show business, that just might be enough.

The first in a series of riveting behind-the-scenes mysteries, Renee Patrick’s Design for Dying is a delightful romp through Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Buy Design for Dying here:

opens in a new windownook opens in a new windowebooks.com opens in a new windowImage Placeholder of google play- 60 opens in a new windowibooks2 91 opens in a new windowkindle opens in a new windowkobo

This sale ends June 2nd.

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On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events for May

Design for Dying by Renee Patrick

opens in a new windowDesign for Dying by Renee Patrick opens in a new windowToo Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer opens in a new windowOver Your Dead Body by Dan Wells

opens in a new windowTor/Forge authors are on the road in May! See who is coming to a city near you this month.

Fred Chappell, opens in a new windowA Shadow All of Light

Friday, May 13
opens in a new windowCity Lights Bookstore
Sylva, NC
6:30 PM

Sunday, May 14
opens in a new windowGreat Expectations Books
Rutherfordton, NC
5:00 PM

Susan Dennard, opens in a new windowTruthwitch

Tuesday, May 24
opens in a new windowBarnes & Noble
Deptford, NJ
6:30 PM

Ada Palmer, opens in a new windowToo Like the Lightning

Monday, May 16
opens in a new window57th Street Books
Chicago, IL
6:00 PM
In conversation with David M. Perry.

Monday, May 30
opens in a new windowMain Point Books
Bryn Mawr, PA
6:00 PM
Also with Jo Walton and Fran Wilde.

Renee Patrick, opens in a new windowDesign for Dying

Monday, May 2
opens in a new windowMurder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM

Tuesday, May 3
opens in a new windowPoisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

Friday, May 6
opens in a new windowVroman’s Bookstore
Pasadena, CA
7:00 PM

Tuesday, May 17
opens in a new windowMysterious Bookshop
New York, NY
6:00 PM

Kristen Simmons, opens in a new windowThe Glass Arrow

Tuesday, May 10
opens in a new windowJoseph-Beth Crestview Hills
Crestview Hills, KY
7:00 PM
Also with Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

Jo Walton, opens in a new windowMy Real Children

Monday, May 30
opens in a new windowMain Point Books
Bryn Mawr, PA
6:00 PM
Also with Ada Palmer and Fran Wilde.
Dan Wells, opens in a new windowOver Your Dead Body

Tuesday, May 3
opens in a new windowWeller Book Works
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM

Tuesday, May 10
opens in a new windowJean Couteau Cinema
Sante Fe, NM
7:00 PM
Also with Stephen Graham Jones.

Fran Wilde, opens in a new windowThe Jewel and Her Lapidary

Monday, May 30
opens in a new windowMain Point Books
Bryn Mawr, PA
6:00 PM
Also with Ada Palmer and Jo Walton.

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How to Dress for a Murderer

opens in a new windowDesign for Dying by Renee PatrickWritten by Renee Patrick

In our novel opens in a new windowDesign for Dying, Lillian Frost, a New Yorker transplanted to Hollywood, teams up with costume designer Edith Head in 1937 to solve the murder of an up-and-coming starlet. Lillian is a character of our own creation, but fans of classic Hollywood will surely recognize the name Edith Head.

Edith (we hope she’d forgive the informality) remains a legend to this day. Nominated for 35 Academy Awards during her career she took home eight statuettes, more than any other woman. Over an almost 60-year career she designed costumes for films as varied as Double Indemnity, Sabrina, To Catch a Thief and Vertigo. Stars like Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Stanwyck, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly wore her creations on screen and off. Her public persona remains iconic; the large glasses, brunette bangs and stern expression were an inspiration for Edna Mode in the 2004 Pixar film The Incredibles.

“Nothing is deader than last year’s high style.” – Edith Head

In researching late 1930’s movie production we read histories of costume design, swooning over coffee table books showcasing page after page of glamorous gowns. We watched movies from the era wondering how secretaries and nurses could afford satin lingerie and mink wraps. (Answer: realism was not a goal for movie studios appealing to Depression-era audiences.) We learned everything we could about how a costume designer in 1937 would approach her work.

The real Edith Head was more difficult to get a bead on. Biographies of the designer contradict each other. Turning to Edith’s own accounts of her life didn’t clarify matters; in her books The Dress Doctor (1959) and How To Dress For Success (1967) she embellished the story of her life. More fascinatingly, she also provided fashion advice for the average woman.

“Divorce yourself from styles that do not suit you, even though your soul yearns for them.” – Edith Head

Some of her counsel reads like the artifacts of a bygone era. An appendix in The Dress Doctor includes suggestions on what the busy woman should wear for her various activities, like attending dog races (sport dress, hat optional), skeet shooting (frontier trousers, visored cap) and grocery shopping (“Many women wear pants for marketing, even in cities — very few should.”).

At other times her guidance has the no-punches-pulled common sense we tried to bring to our fictionalized Edith. Who could argue with maxims like: “It isn’t those who spend the most money who are the most smartly dressed.”? And surely there are people today who would benefit from her counsel to the aspiring executive: “On the way up … distinction without flamboyance should be your credo.”

Edith’s philosophy of costume design was straightforward. “The story is your Bible,” she wrote in The Dress Doctor. “First and above all, what kind of character are we dressing?” The book sparkles with stories of a perfectionist Marlene Dietrich spending days working with Edith to create the wardrobe for Witness for the Prosecution, consummate actress Bette Davis throwing herself on the fitting room couch to ensure each dress for All About Eve would stand up to the action and Gloria Swanson delivering homemade whole wheat bread to the studio while Edith labored over the costumes for Sunset Blvd.

Stories like these brought Hollywood’s golden age to life and ignited our imaginations. As far as we know, the real Edith Head didn’t solve any murders, but with such a clear-eyed view of human nature she’d have made a terrific detective.

Buy Design for Dying today:
opens in a new windowAmazon | opens in a new windowBarnes & Noble | opens in a new windowBooks-a-Million | opens in a new windowiBooks | opens in a new windowIndiebound | opens in a new windowPowell’s

Find out more about Renee Patrick on Twitter at opens in a new window@RPatrickBooks and on her opens in a new windowwebsite.

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New Releases: 4/19/16

Here’s what went on sale today!

opens in a new windowDesign for Dying by Renee Patrick

opens in a new windowDesign for Dying by Renee Patrick Los Angeles, 1937. Lillian Frost has traded dreams of stardom for security as a department store salesgirl . . . until she discovers she’s a suspect in the murder of her former roommate, Ruby Carroll. Party girl Ruby died wearing a gown she stole from the wardrobe department at Paramount Pictures, domain of Edith Head.

Edith has yet to win the first of her eight Academy Awards; right now she’s barely hanging on to her job, and a scandal is the last thing she needs. To clear Lillian’s name and save Edith’s career, the two women join forces.

Unraveling the mystery pits them against a Hungarian princess on the lam, a hotshot director on the make, and a private investigator who’s not on the level. All they have going for them are dogged determination, assists from the likes of Bob Hope and Barbara Stanwyck, and a killer sense of style. In show business, that just might be enough.

opens in a new windowDust Up by Josh McGoran

opens in a new windowDust Up by Josh McGoran  Detective Doyle Carrick is awakened in the middle of the night by frantic banging on his front door, a sound followed by gunfire. Ron Hartwell, a complete stranger, is dying on his doorstep.

A halfhearted investigation labels the murder a domestic dispute, with Miriam, Ron’s widow, the sole suspect. When Doyle discovers the Hartwells both worked for a big biotech company, he suspects something else is going on, but it’s not his case. Then, in a run-down North Philly hotel, Miriam tells him her story.

As Doyle follows her back to Haiti, and uncovers a web of deceit, intrigue and mass murder. Giant biotech corporations are working to topple the Haitian government. One is spreading a deadly allergy that will make the competitor’s most popular product virtually poisonous and put millions of lives at risk.

To prevent this, Doyle must enlist the help of his most dangerous enemies, and question everything he ever knew about himself and what it means to be a cop.

opens in a new windowThe House of Daniel by Harry Turtledove

opens in a new windowThe House of Daniel by Harry Turtledove Jack Spivey’s just another down-and-out trying to stay alive, doing a little of this and a little of that. Sometimes that means making a few bucks playing ball with the Enid Eagles, against teams from as many as two counties away. And somethimes it means roughing up rival thugs for Big Stu, the guy who calls the shots in Enid.

But one day Jack knocks on the door of the person he’s supposed to “deal with”—and realizes that he’s not going to do any such thing to the young lady who answers. This means he needs to get out of the reach of Big Stu, who didn’t get to where he is by letting defiance go unpunished.

Then the House of Daniel comes to town–a brash band of barnstormers who’ll take on any team, and whose antics never fail to entertain. Against the odds Jack secures a berth with them. Now they’re off to tour an America that’s as shot through with magic as it is dead broke. Jack will never be the same—nor will baseball.

opens in a new windowKnights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson  opens in a new windowThe Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson

The Knights of Crystallia is the third action-packed fantasy adventure in the Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series for young readers by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. These fast-paced and funny novels are now available in deluxe hardcover editions illustrated by Hayley Lazo.

NEW FROM TOR.COM:

opens in a new windowThe Emperor’s Railroad by Guy Haley

opens in a new windowThe Emperor's Railroad by Guy HaleyGlobal war devastated the environment, a zombie-like plague wiped out much of humanity, and civilization as we once understood it came to a standstill. But that was a thousand years ago, and the world is now a very different place.

Conflict between city states is constant, superstition is rife, and machine relics, mutant creatures and resurrected prehistoric beasts trouble the land. Watching over all are the silent Dreaming Cities. Homes of the angels, bastion outposts of heaven on Earth. Or so the church claims. Very few go in, and nobody ever comes out.

Until now…

NOW IN PAPERBACK:

opens in a new windowBriar Rose by Jane Yolen

opens in a new windowSkies of Ash by Rachel Howzell Hall

opens in a new windowWhere by Kit Reed

NEW IN MANGA:

opens in a new windowMagical Girl Apocalypse Vol. 7 by Kentaro Sato

opens in a new windowMy Monster Secret Vol. 2 by Eiji Masuda

opens in a new windowThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz & The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum; Art by Kriss Sison

opens in a new windowSee upcoming releases.

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Sneak Peek: Design for Dying by Renee Patrick

opens in a new windowDesign for Dying by Renee PatrickLos Angeles, 1937. Lillian Frost has traded dreams of stardom for security as a department store salesgirl . . . until she discovers she’s a suspect in the murder of her former roommate, Ruby Carroll. Ruby died wearing a gown she stole from the wardrobe department at Paramount Pictures, domain of Edith Head.

Edith has yet to win the first of her eight Academy Awards; right now she’s barely hanging on to her job, and a scandal is the last thing she needs. To clear Lillian’s name and save Edith’s career, the two women join forces in opens in a new windowDesign for Dying by opens in a new windowRenee Patrick.

Chapter 1

THE HEM OF the dress was drenched in blood. I could only hope no one would notice.

“If a romantic afternoon listening to the Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl is in your plans, try this stunning gray worsted suit that will ensure his eyes are on YOU, not the stage. A nipped-in waist and mauve accents bring out the natural beauty that any lover—music lover, that is—will appreciate.”

A graceful model strolled a platform in front of fifty Los Angeles ladies of leisure. Tremayne’s fall fashion show brought them to the department store to lunch, browse, and with any luck spend thousands. Every shopgirl had been pressed into service in the backstage frenzy of last-minute alterations. Some of us were better at it than others. Still bleeding from where a needle had pierced me, I pushed the next beauty forward and dragged myself clear of traffic.

Read More »

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On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events for April

opens in a new windowA Shadow All of Light by Fred Chappell opens in a new windowA Voice from the Field by Neal Griffin opens in a new windowEvery Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

opens in a new windowTor/Forge authors are on the road in April! Here is the info on all of our upcoming author events. See who is coming to a city near you!

Charlie Jane Anders, opens in a new windowAll the Birds in the Sky

Wednesday, April 13
opens in a new windowThe Delancey – Writers With Drinks NYC
New York, NY
7:00 PM

Friday, April 22
Copperfield’s Books
Petaluma, CA
7:00 PM

R.S. Belcher, opens in a new windowThe Brotherhood of the Wheel

Saturday, April 2
Barnes & Noble
Norfolk, VA
2:00 PM

Saturday, April 9
College of William and Mary Bookstore
Williamsburg, VA
12:00 PM

Marie Brennan, opens in a new windowIn the Labyrinth of Drakes

Saturday, April 9
Borderlands Cafe
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Tuesday, April 12
University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM
Also with Todd Lockwood.

Fred Chappell, opens in a new windowA Shadow All of Light

Tuesday, April 12
St. David’s School – Performing Arts Center
Raleigh, NC
7:00 PM
Books provided by Quail Ridge Books.

Friday, April 15
Malaprops
Asheville, NC
7:00 PM

Tuesday, April 19
Regulator Bookshop and Cafe
Durham, NC
7:00 PM

Saturday, April 23
McIntyre’s Books
Pittsboro, NC
2:00 PM

Thursday, April 28
Greensboro Central Library
Greensboro, NC
7:00 PM

Alan Gratz, opens in a new windowThe Dragon Lantern

Thursday, April 21
opens in a new windowMurder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM
Tor Teen Night: Also with P.J. Hoover and David Lubar.

Neal Griffin, opens in a new windowA Voice from the Field

Friday, April 15
Readers’ Realm
Montello, WI
1:00 PM

Friday, April 15
The Volume One Gallery
Eau Claire, WI
7:00 PM

Saturday, April 16
Mystery to Me Bookstore
Madison, WI
7:00 PM

Sunday, April 17
Arcadia Books
Spring Green, WI
2:00 PM

Wednesday, April 20
Neenah Public Library
Neenah, WI
2:00 PM
Fox Cities Book Festival

Thursday, April 21
The Reader’s Loft
Green Bay, WI
6:00 PM
Also with Patricia Skalka.

Leanna Renee Hieber, opens in a new windowStrangely Beautiful

Sunday, April 24
Word Bookstores
Brooklyn, NY
2:00 PM
Also with Sunil Patel and Keffy Kehrli.

Tuesday, April 26
Barnes & Noble
West Chester, OH
7:00 PM

Wednesday, April 30
Morris-Jumel Mansion
New York, NY
5:30 PM

Glen Hirshberg, opens in a new windowGood Girls

Saturday, April 2
Dark Delicacies
Burbank, CA
2:00 PM
Also with Joe R. Lansdale.

P.J. Hoover, Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life

Thursday, April 21
opens in a new windowMurder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM
Tor Teen Night: Also with Alan Gratz and David Lubar.

David Lubar, opens in a new windowCharacter, Driven

Thursday, April 21
opens in a new windowMurder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM
Tor Teen Night: Also with Alan Gratz and P.J. Hoover.

Seanan McGuire, opens in a new windowEvery Heart a Doorway

Monday, April 4
opens in a new windowBooksmith
San Francisco, CA
7:30 PM

Saturday, April 23
opens in a new windowBorderlands Cafe
San Francisco, CA
6:00 PM

Renee Patrick, opens in a new windowDesign for Dying

Saturday, April 23
opens in a new windowSeattle Mystery Bookshop
Seattle, WA
12:00 PM

Sunday, April 24
opens in a new windowEagle Harbor Book Co
Bainbridge Island, WA
3:00 PM

David C. Taylor, opens in a new windowNight Work

Monday, April 11
opens in a new windowBook People
Austin, TX
7:00 PM
Also with Stuart Woods.

Tuesday, April 12
opens in a new windowPoisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

Tuesday, April 19
opens in a new windowBrookline Booksmith
Brookline, MA
7:00 PM

Dan Wells, opens in a new windowThe Devil’s Only Friend

Friday, April 8
opens in a new windowThird Place Books – Ravenna
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Our Third Bouchercon – But Renee Patrick’s First

Renee Patrick
By Rosemarie and Vince Keenan

In 2010, we finally decided to take the Bouchercon plunge. Why that year? The convention was held in San Francisco, a city we’ll visit at any opportunity. Even better, serving as toastmaster was our friend Eddie Muller, novelist and founder of the Film Noir Foundation.

Within minutes of checking into the hotel – as seen in the movies Freebie and the Bean and High Anxiety! – we ran into people we’d only met online and fell in with them as if we’d been close for years. It turns out knowing the toastmaster is like having a backstage pass. Eddie was in the thick of the proceedings and pulled us along in his wake, introducing us to everyone. Two longtime mystery fans couldn’t have asked for a better first Bouchercon experience. We would definitely be back.

We didn’t have the same exclusive entrée in 2011 St. Louis – and we quickly discovered it didn’t matter. Stepping into the hotel bar it was as if the Bay Area party hadn’t ended, with many of the same friends eager to welcome us back and plenty of new friends to meet.

With great reluctance, we chose to sit out the next two Bouchercons, although thanks to Twitter we could follow the action in Cleveland and Albany. (Pro tip: sipping a cocktail at the same time helps to conjure the appropriate atmosphere.) The decision was a difficult but necessary one. We had work to do. We’d come up with a novel idea of our own.

It’s not just a love of mysteries that we share. We’re also both obsessed with classic movies (and Rosemarie has a thing for fashion). We combined these interests in Design for Dying. In 1937 Hollywood, an aspiring actress turned department store salesgirl must team up with legendary costume designer Edith Head to solve a murder. All the ladies have going for them are assists from various silver screen luminaries and a killer sense of style.

With a pair of Bouchercons under our belts, we had picked up plenty of pointers from expert panels, made connections within the publishing industry, and assembled an army of friends to turn to for support and advice. That history made writing our first novel much easier.

Long Beach marks our return to Bouchercon, only this time will be different for us. We’re thrilled to announce that Tor/Forge Books will publish Design for Dying under our pen name Renee Patrick in April 2016, with a sequel to follow in 2017.

Perhaps at a future Bouchercon Renee Patrick will sit on a panel and sign some books. In Long Beach, it will be enough for Rosemarie and Vince to catch up with friends, share the good news, and take care of some business. We’ll be meeting our agent and our editor in person for the first time. Bouchercon is the perfect place to move relationships out of the virtual world and into the real one. Trust us, we’ve done it before.

Meet Vince and Rosemarie Keenan and many other great Forge authors at the hospitality suite on Friday afternoon, where there will be coffee, author signings, and fun giveaways!

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