Blog Tour Review of Dearly Departed by Tristi Pinkston; Also an Interview with Tristi

Ida Mae Babbitt has done her community service and is a reformed woman - no more

law-breaking for her. But when Arlette's granddaughter Eden discovers a mystery in a fancy nursing home, Ida Mae - with the

perfect excuse of a broken wrist and a broken ankle - checks herself into the place. After all, it is for the greater good. Soon she's buzzing around in her motorized wheelchair, questioning the residents a

nd swiping

files from the office. She's bound and determined to get to the bottom of this case. But can she solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim?

From funeral crashers to wheelchair races, to hiding in closets and hogtying the bad guys. These are just some of the very funny things that happen in Dearly Departed. The reader picks up this ne

w book, in the Secret Sisters Mystery Series, and they won't be putting it down anytime soon. Ida Mae Babbit is at it again! She is finding herself in predicaments that people her age should never be in. With her fiesty spirit and her perchance for solving a good mystery, there is no stopping her and her trusted friends Arlette and Tansy. Arlette's grandaughter, Ede

n, takes center stage as she is talked into trying to solve a murder in a fancy nursing home. Eden's friend and co-worker, Kevin, use their super sleuth newspaper reporter skills to find out who dunnit. Along the way there are hints of romance as Kevin likes Eden, but her heart is still with Ren, now a missionary. Even Ida Mae meets someone w

ho shows interest in her and this tickles her pink. (My own Grandma Hall use to say that all of the time!)

Tristi Pinkston is at her best, as she let's her natural humor pour out in the pages of Dearly Departed. Everyone who picks up this book will have a blast reading it. I do recommend that you read the first book in the series entitled Secret Sisters. This book could stand alone on it's own

fabulous feet, but you learn so much more about each character if you read book number one.

I had some extra things I wanted to know about this book and future books in the series. So I bring to you my interview with author Tristi Pinkston.

1. Was it hard coming up with ideas for Dearly Departed? Or did you have this book

planned out when you wrote Secret Sisters?

I didn't have it planned out to start. I knew I wanted to keep writing about these little ladies, but I didn't have any of the plots planned out. They just came to me one at a time as I went along.

2. Do you have a fun time writing about Ida Mae and her adventures?

Oh, man, I've had the time of my life. These characters have brightened up my life in ways I can't even begin to explain.

3. Will we see a lot more romance in the next book in the series? Will Ida Mae's friendship with George turn into a romance?

Well, I don't want to give away too much, but I will say that certain seeds have been planted and we will see them start to sprout in the next book.

4. Will Arlette and Tansy take bigger roles in the plot next time? Will we see more

of Hattie?

Arlette and Tansy will always play strong supporting characters, but we won't see Hattie again until a brief appearance until book #5.

5. Have your plans changed for how many books you are going to write in the

Secret Sisters series?

Not at this point. I had originally envisioned five, and that seems to be where we landed. Of course, if sales were to do outrageously well on books 1-5, maybe we'd change it up a little. :) I am currently writing a spin-off series, though.

Thank Tristi!!

Guess What? You can win a copy of Dearly Departed from the publisher, Walnut Springs Press. You only have until March 6th to enter if you haven't done so already. Read all of the information down below.

Ida Mae Babbitt rides again!
Ida Mae Babbitt may be a reformed woman, but trouble
just can't stay away.
Follow the blog tour for Dearly Departed by Tristi Pinkston and learn
about Ida Mae's latest adventure.

We will be giving away THREE copies of Dearly Departed . One

GRAND PRIZE winner will win this fun

scrapbooking pack.

It's easy to enter.

1. Visit the fabulous reviews and leave a comment letting us know why you're excited to read Dearly Departed. Remember to include your email address.

2. For an additional entry become a follower of Walnut Springs Pressblog, Tristi's blog, or any of the fabulous reviews blog. Leave a comment letting us know who's blog you now follow.


3. If you tweet about the blog tour, or post about it on your blog or facebook, leave the link in the comments section and you'll receive an additional entry for each post.

Good Luck! Entries close at midnight (MST) on March 6th.






February 16th
Starcrossed Book Reviews (Nichole Giles)

Febraury 17
Inksplasher (Karlene Browning)

February 18
Heather Justesen

February 21
Elizabeth Mueller

February 22
LDS Women's Book Review (Shanda Cottam)

February 23
Rachelle Writes (Rachelle Christensen)

Sometimes Hard But Oh So Worth It (Kimberly Coates)

February 24
Fire and Ice (Heather Gardner)

February 28
Cheryl's Book Nook (Cheryl Koch)

March 1
JDP News (Joyce DiPastena)

March 2
LDS Forever Friends (Teri Rodeman)

March 3
Why Not? Because I Said So (Sheila Staley)

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. In no way did this influence the review given.