Connie Shelton
AUTHOR

Connie Shelton

Mysteries & Thrillers | Fiction

Having fun with my writing, and connecting with readers--that's what being a mystery writer means to me. And I LOVE what I do!

It began in 1985 when I started writing my first novel, without much clue how to go about it. Two years and 500 pages later, when I finally typed 'The End,' I felt a huge rush of excitement. That book took third place in the Southwest Writers competition and began making the rounds of publishers. I simply started writing my second, and then my third books.

After publishing ten of my Charlie Parker mysteries, I decided to branch out with a new cozy mystery series and I created the character of Samantha Sweet. One of the ways in which I earned a little extra pocket money during my high school years was to bake and decorate cakes--hence, a career for Samantha based on my own experiences.

In 2009 I switched publishers and was off on a new adventure, seeing all of my books made available for Kindle as e-books were just beginning to take off in the book world. It's been an exciting time in publishing--high points for me were reaching #1 on Amazon a few times and the Top 50 on the USA Today bestseller list. I'm loving the way e-books allow me to personally connect with readers all over the world via my newsletter and my website at connieshelton.com.


* * *

Besides writing the Charlie Parker and Samantha Sweet mysteries, Connie is an award-winning essayist. Her work has been published in both small and major anthologies, including Chicken Soup For the Writer's Soul, and her short stories have won several prizes. She has also been a commercial hot air balloon pilot and holds the women's world altitude record for size AX-4 balloons. She has been featured in Who's Who and The World Who's Who of Women.

She and her husband live in northern New Mexico with their two dogs, Daisy and Missy, who became stars of their own series of children's books.

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Best Sellers

    • Sweet Masterpiece

    • Samantha Sweet Series, Book 1
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Andrea Bates
    • Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4 out of 5 stars 278
    • Performance
      4 out of 5 stars 235
    • Story
      4 out of 5 stars 233

    Samantha Sweet breaks into houses for a living - all perfectly legal as a caretaker for the USDA. But her real dream is to open her own pastry shop, 'Sweet's Sweets'....

    • 4 out of 5 stars

    • Picky, I know I'm Picky.

    • By Judy King on 03-02-16

    Regular price: $17.49

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Sweet's Sweets

    • Samantha Sweet Series, Book 2
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Andrea Bates
    • Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 131
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 116
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 114

    Sam is working hard to get her new pastry shop, Sweet's Sweets, open for business, when she's assigned a new property to care for as part of her contract with the USDA....

    • 4 out of 5 stars

    • Muffins, Mystery, Murder

    • By Debbie on 05-13-16

    Regular price: $20.29

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Sweet Payback

    • Samantha Sweet Series, Book 8
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Andrea Bates
    • Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 48
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 40
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 41

    Revenge is often a cold dish, but in the tiny northern New Mexico town of Sembramos emotions are running decidedly hot....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • Fun Book! Exceptional performance!

    • By CHARLY£BEE on 07-12-18

    Regular price: $20.29

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Bitter Sweet

    • Samantha Sweet Series, Book 5
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Andrea Bates
    • Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 66
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 56
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 57

    Is there a serial killer in Taos? It’s the height of the wedding season at Sweet’s Sweets and Sam has all she can do to stay ahead of the rush of bakery orders....

    • 4 out of 5 stars

    • Saying I Do . . . To Murder

    • By Debbie on 11-19-18

    Regular price: $20.29

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Deadly Gamble

    • Charlie Parker Mystery, Book 1
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Lynda Evans
    • Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4 out of 5 stars 123
    • Performance
      3.5 out of 5 stars 104
    • Story
      4 out of 5 stars 103

    This series looks sharply at those who perceive themselves as the rich - the elite, and revolves around expensive cars, clothes and posh country clubs....

    • 3 out of 5 stars

    • Needs work

    • By beatrice on 07-23-12

    Regular price: $17.49

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Sweet Holidays

    • Samantha Sweet Series, Book 3
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Andrea Bates
    • Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 89
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 77
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 78

    It's Christmas and a chocolatier shows up at Sweet's Sweets, offering to create a special line of hand-dipped chocolates for Sam's customers, offering to work for no pay....

    • 4 out of 5 stars

    • Wooden Box and The Chocolate Maker

    • By Debbie on 11-16-18

    Regular price: $20.29

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Balloons Can Be Murder

    • A Charlie Parker Mystery, Book 9
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Rebecca Cook
    • Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 16
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 11
    • Story
      4 out of 5 stars 11

    Three days before the start of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, balloon pilot Rachael Fairfield walks into the offices of RJP Investigations.....

    Regular price: $20.29

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Sweet Somethings

    • Samantha Sweet, Book 9
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Andrea Bates
    • Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 47
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 44
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 44

    Two things are weighing on Samantha Sweet's mind this summer - organizing the Sweet Somethings chocolate festival and tracking down information....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • I love these real down to earth small town stories

    • By Tara Phillips tp_virtual_asst on 07-06-18

    Regular price: $17.49

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Spooky Sweet

    • Samantha Sweet Series, Book 11
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Andrea Bates
    • Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 53
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 40
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 40

    Samantha Sweet’s Sweets bakery is taking on a whole new dimension. It’s almost Halloween, and her pastry shop is bursting at the seams. She needs extra employees, but there is no place to put them. Right before the witching day, she comes upon a large Victorian house....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • Great book

    • By Licre47 on 11-11-18

    Regular price: $6.99

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Sweet Hearts

    • Samantha Sweet Series, Book 4
    • By: Connie Shelton
    • Narrated by: Andrea Bates
    • Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 82
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 69
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 68

    Things are crazy at the bakery, as Sam tries to replicate the magical chocolates that the quirky Romanian chocolatier introduced at Christmas-time....

    • 4 out of 5 stars

    • Cold Case, Warm Hearts

    • By Debbie on 11-30-18

    Regular price: $20.29

    Free with 30-day Trial

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