Who Do, Voodoo? Welcome Rochelle Staab!

Today we're happy to invite Rochelle Staab to join us here at the Pensfatales -- Rochelle's debut novel, WHO DO, VOODOO? has been garnering praise left and right. Leave a comment (with your email address, please) for a chance to win a copy of her new book, and a nifty pen!

Rochelle's a hoot in person, too, though as we always say...what happens at the Bouchercon bar, stays at the Bouchercon bar...

In Who Do, Voodoo? psychologist Liz Cooper dismisses the supernatural until her best friend discovers mysterious tarot cards tacked to her front door—the same cards drawn in a tarot reading the night before a death two years earlier. Liz teams up with an occult expert to track the harasser, a journey that leads them to murder and a voodoo curse, challenging Liz to question logic and set aside her doubts to unravel otherworldly secrets—or risk being outwitted by a cunning killer.

Happy Holidays! Thank you, Pens Fatales, and especially Juliet Blackwell for inviting me here to talk about presents and my new novel, Who Do, Voodoo?

Today is Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Thousands of people are flooding the malls (the streets, parking spaces, freeways, and check-out lines) to shop. Heading out with a list to scour for bargains is a noble and fearless move, and hurray to those who braved the crowds this morning and are already home wrapping presents while sipping spiked eggnog.

Me? Just pass me the nog. I’m already so far behind on the holidays that I’m double tasking and creating my list of presents as we speak. As a book lover and a writer, I like turning people on to my favorite novels. Books are the presents that keep on giving long after the tinsel is in the trash. And with a little coupling, books create presents with a fun theme.

For example, my recently divorced and overworked friend Beth would love Sophie Littlefield’s A Bad Day For Scandal wrapped with a 2012 calendar For Women Who Do Too Much.

A pink tool kit and a copy of Juliet Blackwell’s Dead Bolt would be perfect for Marcia, my femme fixer-upper cousin who swears there’s a friendly ghost in her house.

Best friend Trish just took up knitting, so a great present for her would be Rachel Herron’s Wishes and Stitches tucked inside a new knitting bag.

Niece Mandy loves vintage clothing. How fun to pop Juliet’s Hexes And Hemlines into an antique clutch as a holiday present.

The theme theory works for guys and eReaders too. My nephew Matt likes politics, golf, and his Kindle so I think I’ll wrap up a box of golf balls with a note that Pete Morin’s political thriller Diary of a Small Fish will be delivered to his eReader on Christmas Day. Neighbor Brant likes jazz and mystery, making him a perfect combo for a Michael Connelly Harry Bosch novel plus a John Coltrane CD (one of Bosch’s favorite jazz musicians.) Steve is a hockey nut, so I can tuck a pair of tickets into one of Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar novels.

And if anyone asks for my novel, Who Do, Voodoo? I may add a batch of brownies, a Bell, Book and Candle DVD, or a deck of tarot cards to the present for fun.

Ah, I feel better already. Pass the nog again, will you?

Do you have any clever ideas for good book/gift combos? Comment below for a chance to win a copy of Who Do, Voodoo? and a nifty Who Do, Voodoo? pen. US residents only.

Rochelle Staab, a former award-winning radio programmer and music industry marketing executive, blends her fascination with the supernatural and her love for mystery in Who Do, Voodoo? the best-selling first novel in her Mind for Murder Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime. Bruja Brouhaha, the second novel in the series will be released in August 2012.

Visit Rochelle at www.rochellestaab.com, or on
Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads

PRAISE FOR WHO DO, VOODOO? --

"The first in the Mind for Murder mystery series set in Los Angeles grabs your attention from the start with creepy tarot cards, voodoo priestesses and cursed spell books. A fresh and entertaining premise for a new series that is cleverly plotted and executed."
 —RT Reviews (4 stars)

Let Staab's debut cast a spell over your readers with its spirited pace, likable heroine, and Los Angeles backdrop. VERDICT: Staab sets her fairly sophisticated blend of the occult in a flashy West Coast locale for great escape reading. Fans of Juliet Blackwell and Rebecca M. Hale will get a kick out of this one. ~ Library Journal

“Didn't need my crystal ball to see into the future of this wonderful debut. A sexy, funny, and engaging whodunit set in Tinsel Town, Who do, Voodoo? is a winner.” ~ Lesley Kagen, NY Times Bestselling author of Good Graces

"A spellbinding blend of voodoo and tarot traditions, Who Do, Voodoo? is a superlative supernatural mystery." ~ Cleo Coyle, author of the national bestselling Haunted Bookshop and Coffeehouse Mysteries

“Whoo hoo! Smart, sophisticated and utterly spellbinding. This magical mystery is captivatingly clever, completely charming, and compelling from its irresistible beginning to its unpredictable end. (Who do loves it? I do!)” ~ Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony and Macavity winning author