Cozy Cat Press Authors Take Tour of Canadian Libraries

KELOWNA, British Columbia - May 22, 2015 - PRLog -- In 2003, friends Andrea Taylor and Heather Shkuratoff visited the downtown Kelowna branch of the Okanagan Regional Library and began discussing ideas for a cozy mystery series. Before they left the building, the duo had created an imaginary town set in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s complete with a cast of characters. Under the pen name Barbara Jean Coast, Taylor and Shkuratoff co-wrote and published “Strangled by Silk”, followed by “Death of a Beauty Queen”, the first two in a series coined Poppy Cove Mysteries and published by Cozy Cat Press.

The writing team based in Kelowna will tour Okanagan Regional Libraries branches throughout the region this summer to share their tales.

“The stories revolve around the comings and goings of the social set in an exclusive seaside town, modeled after Santa Barbara and thus the pen name, with a bit of murder and mystery thrown into each book”, explained Shkuratoff in an interview. “The main characters own a dress shop called Poppy Cove, at a time when custom fashion was glamourous and revered in society, yet commonplace in everyday life.”

Their third book, “A Nate to Remember”, is currently in the process of being released on Amazon and Kindle, with trade paperback copies available locally in July. The writers plan to create approximately 10 books in the Poppy Cove Mystery series.

“We are also thinking about another series set at an Okanagan winery during modern times with characters distantly related to those from Poppy Cove,” added Shkuratoff.

Getting an original work completed and published by a reputable firm took time, but now writing has become the main career priority for the duo. Their advice for aspiring authors seeking to get their work published and in the hands of readers is to take every opportunity to “Say yes first and panic later!”

The book tour will kick off at the Peachland branch of the Okanagan Regional Library on Wednesday, May 27 at 5:30 p.m., with ten other dates throughout the library system during June and July. For more information, visit orl.bc.ca