Please welcome Julie Howard!  She’s a sister Rose (published by The Wild Rose Press) and has a yummy new release: Sea Salt Lavender for Aphrodite, part of our publisher’s One Scoop or Two summer series.  She’s here to tell us all about her love for ice cream and this fun read, which you can snap up for only $1.99.  Take it away, Julie!

After a mild, damp spring, summer laid down its gauntlet last weekend with our first hundred-degree day. I opened the freezer to a welcome rush of frigid air and reached for the ice cream. An ice cream bar, vanilla covered in a crisp chocolate nutty shell, to be exact.

That’s this week’s treat. Next week it’ll be a different flavor. I’ve never been a plain vanilla kind of gal. I need variety. Strawberry, peach, coffee, chocolate chip, mango, mint chip, mocha, and daiquiri. I’ve tried strawberry with black pepper, bourbon, and green tea. Going ice cream tasting is sort of like wine tasting, right? Somebody offer ice cream flights, please!

My love of this sweet treat is the reason I knew exactly what kind of food truck my heroine in my latest book would have. Rosella Rivers is a former pastry chef-turned-entrepreneur who now sells unique flavors from the truck she parks each day at the beach boardwalk. Chocolate eggplant, anyone? (Okay, that one wasn’t a success for her.)

After the murder of an acquaintance, she falls head over heels with the detective who investigates the case. He’s lactose intolerant. What’s a girl to do?

Sea Salt Lavender for Aphrodite is a light, cozy mystery that evokes soft lapping waves, seagulls, and warm sand between your toes. I hope you enjoy!

A little more about the book:

Rosella Rivers enjoys the perfect life, loving her new ice cream food truck business featuring exotic flavors. But her beach view parking space is not so lovable when she finds an acquaintance stabbed to death in the boardwalk bathroom.

Detective Mark Pruitt knows murder is bad for small-town Olympus Bay. He must find the suspect before he strikes again. When he first sets eyes on Rosella, the only witness, he is smitten. However, there’s no time for romance when danger lurks. 

Together he and the lovely ice cream maker must discover the killer before he turns his sight on Rosella.

A peek between the pages:

The echo of a drip-drip-drip resonated from within. Rosella glanced around, wishing a man would pass by, someone she could send inside on her behalf. On this side of the structure, though, the beachfront was hidden from view and the building backed by sand dunes. Unless someone needed to use the facilities, they wouldn’t approach.

“Mick?”

A distant chime from the town clock made her heart sink. Ten a.m. Opening time. She had to get back to her truck. A fresh round of anxious yips sounded. She scooted to the corner of the building and peeked toward her truck. Aphrodite stood at attention, straining at the leash. The dog barked twice at spotting her and renewed efforts to break free of the tether.

She returned to the doorway. “Mick, I’m just going to step inside since I’m a little bit worried, just to make sure you’re okay. Let me know if I shouldn’t come in.” No response sounded. “All right, coming in.”

The odor hit her first. Heavy, sweet, sickening. Then her eyes registered the scene. Mick lay face down in the middle of the tile floor, a steady stream of deep red blood winding its way toward a drain.

Buy the book:

Amazon | B & N | Apple Books

More about Julie:

Julie Howard is the author of the best-selling Wild Crime and Spirited Quest series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Now she edits an online anthology, Potato Soup Journal, and spends many delightful hours writing her books.

Where to find her:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub | Twitter

Thanks for joining us today, Julie.  Wishing you all the best with your new release!  🙂