GUEST BLOG: Researching for Rest, Relax, Run For Your Life by Katherine H. Brown Plus Giveaway!

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Good morning. Thank you for having me, today. I’m Katherine Brown, author of the Ooey Gooey Bakery cozy mystery series.

One question that readers often have is whether or not the author has ever been to or experienced the same places or things as characters in their books. I wanted to take a moment to tell you a funny story about my research for Rest, Relax, Run for Your Life.

As I began to brainstorm the ideas for this book, the thought of a spa day or weekend came to mind. What better setting than a place normally reserved for peace and relaxing to insert some chaos or creepiness into, right?

The only problem with that thought, a girly-girl I am not. I’d barely had a dozen pedicures at a regular nail salon and had no experience with any type of spa or spa treatments. I have an excellent imagination and decades of reading under my belt, so I knew I could come up with something decent. However, I began telling my husband, frequently, that I felt a long spa day would be justified research expenses for the book.

He didn’t agree, lol.

I had a full-time office job at the time and we were in the process of getting custody of my stepdaughter. As they say, life happens. The notebook with this particular book idea, and so many others, got shoved into my desk. Spas didn’t cross my mind again for quite some time.

Now, things finally slowed down enough in our lives to take a belated anniversary trip to Mexico. We chose to stay at an all-inclusive resort. Funny, not everything was included, only specific restaurants; however, it was a wonderful and relaxing time anyway. One thing we didn’t know until we arrived at the resort was that it was part of a timeshare company.

Some of you are saying, “Ohhhh” right about now.

That’s right. We arrive and they immediately scheduled us for a tour and meetings. If we take the meetings, they say, and hear about the opportunity to sign up with this timeshare company, we will get a big freebie amenity at the end, our choice of a water activity or a full spa experience.

My husband wanted the water activity.

I painted a colorful picture (I argued and begged) for the spa experience instead; after all, we were there to relax, and what better way than a massage and whatever else was offered?

It was so fun! And free! Hundreds of dollars worth of services, free. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve never been back to another spa. And, there were certain things that I wouldn’t choose to repeat. Like the steam room. I thought I was going to pass out, literally, before I even sat down because the steam was so thick it felt like it was choking me. That experience 100% made it into the book when I got back home and pulled out Rest, Relax, Run for Your Life to try again.

Another unexpected thing about our spa day: they split my husband and me up! We were sent separately to the steam room, the dry sauna, and the rinsing showers in between. Thankfully, we did have our massages at the same time and were brought together for the jacuzzi time period.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience and one that so many aspects of made it into the book. Research, if only it could always be so fun!

(For those who are wondering, I’m currently trying to make a case for staying in a castle somewhere. You know, for continued research. Heeheehee. Wish me luck!)

About The Book

Ooey, Gooey Bakery Mystery: Book 1
Publication Date: March 1, 2019

Rest Relax Run For Your Life Two best friends & a bakery!

Piper and Samantha are in heaven. Well, close. More like a long weekend at the O Heavenly Day Spa.

A few mysterious notes start appearing everywhere, things get uncomfortable. As spa treatments go awry things get dangerous. A threatening message convinces Piper and Sam that they have to find out who is behind all of these disasters. When the smoke alarms go off and the spa erupts into panic, the chaos separates the friends and Piper stumbles into trouble. Will someone help her before it is too late?

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About The Author Katherine H. Brown is a Texas author with a love of reading and chocolate chip ice cream. Book lover and weaver of words, Katherine always has several projects going at one time but is most recently occupied with a new baby born April 2020. Katherine loves to hear from readers and often gets input from them through newsletter polls to help choose character names or book titles.