Melissa Bourbon Ramirez Books In Order

Publication Order of Bread Shop Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Deadly Legends Books

Publication Order of Foxy Ladies Mystery Books

Publication Order of Lola Cruz Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Magical Dressmaking Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Pippin Lane Hawthorne Mystery / Book Magic Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Spellbound Books

Publication Order of Picture Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Trouble In Tumbleweed Mysteries Books

Melissa Bourbon Ramirez otherwise known as Melissa Bourbon is a mystery and cozy mystery author from Longhorns North Texas. Melissa was born in California to a Silicon Valley executive father and a very talented watercolor artist for a mother, which perhaps explains her artistic predilection. As the only daughter, she had the privilege of having that special relationship with her brothers, her mother, and father. As such, she understands all about the unique father and daughter and daughter and mother relationships that she writes about in all her novels. When she was in the sixth grade her father was transferred to Northern California and some of the most important things in her life such as college, kids and starting a family are rooted there. She moved to Texas with her husband in 2008, had a transitory stretch in Colorado before deciding to settle in North Carolina. Melissa published her first novel “Living the Vida Lola” of the “Lola Cruz Mystery” in 2008 that went on to spawn six more titles by 2020. She also started writing the “Magical Dressmaking Mystery” series in 2011. With her children mostly grown, she takes dance lessons and explores the state’s attractions with her husband and their three dogs.

Melissa Bourbon had quite an interesting journey to publication though she had always been interested in writing. When she went to college, she decided to major in French before she realized that she loved English better. She got one of the biggest boosts in confidence when her professor told her she had a captivating style. However, that confidence was broken when a grad student who was charged with teaching creative writing told her that her story was bad and gave her a C-minus. However, she went on to graduate from college and the passion for a career in writing remained strong. During this time, she got married to Carlos her boyfriend from college and the two moved to San Francisco where he had a job as a school administrator while she taught Language Arts in middle school. She decided to take a hiatus from her teaching job when she had two kids and another on the way. Needing something to keep herself sane while she was staying at home, she started penning the manuscript for a young adult historical fiction novel. The novel was never published as she put it on the back burner once she had her third child. She eventually started writing short stories and lucked out when one of her novels was published. But it was a false dawn as she could not sell another short story no matter how hard she tried. Melissa would not give up and could not stop writing and started an informal writing group with a friend where they would encourage each other. This time decided to write a novel for adults, something with swearing, love, mystery, and sex.

It was an eye-opening, fun and liberating experience and she had her first draft within six months. Just like she knew when she met her husband Melissa Ramirez knew she had hit the jackpot with her new niche. The manuscript for “Living the Vida Lola” was accepted for publishing and was released in 2008. The publishing of that debut novel opened the doors and made her second career as a professional author possible. She now has more than twenty titles in the “A Magical Dressmaking Mystery” series, the “Lola Cruz Mystery” series, and the “Bread Shop Mystery” Series, which she writes as Winnie Archer. She also has several more projects in the works including a light paranormal romance, romantic suspense titles inspired by Mexican legends, “The Flight of the Sunflower” that is a picture book that she has written as Melissa Bourbon, and a writers’ marketing resource book.

Melissa Bourbon’s debut novel “Living the Vida Lola” introduces Lola Cruz that has just been promoted to full-fledged detective after a successful stint as an intern. She loves working for Manny Camacho who is the owner and founder of Camacho and Associated. Her boss is a former muy Caliente police officer with a Lara Croft look-alike girlfriend and a mysterious ex-wife. Lola’s first case is not the easiest as she has to locate a woman that went missing but they suspect she does not want to be found. The case is hard but her already chaotic life becomes even more complex since she also has to help plan her cousin’s quinceanera while dealing with old fashioned attitudes on career women from her family. Meanwhile, her high school crush Jack Callaghan just came into town and things get even more interesting. Nonetheless she takes it all in her stride until the woman she was looking for turns up dead and she worries that the case may not have been as simple as she had believed. She soon finds herself entangled in the unethical and possibly illegal activities of some tattoo parlor, a man with road rage, and local politics. But she is a black belt in kung fu and combined with her tenacity and smarts she believes she can face anything thrown at her.

“Hasta la Vista,” Lola! the second novel of the Lola Cruz Mystery series opens to Lola coming home to find a horde of relations in mourning. It turns out that they are mourning her death and she could not be more surprised. According to the news, a private investigator named Lola Cruz had been discovered killed in an alley and everyone believed it was her. Before she can start talking, a cop enters the house and explains that the woman found murdered had carried a driver’s license that indeed matched Lola’s details. In all the chaos Lola has to deal with the mixed signals from Jack Callaghan that seems more committed though more confusing than ever and at the same time avoid an unsavory boyfriend that just will not give up. Her parents have also asked her to help as a waitress in their Mexican restaurant even as she is investigating the identity of the murdered woman that had somehow stolen her identity. Could there be somebody that wants her dead or is someone after the mysterious woman? The novel is full of twists mixed in with some romance between Jack and Lola and other workmates and family.

Misa Ramirez’s “Bare-Naked Lola” is set on a hot October afternoon where Lola just got to work. A few moments later, three beautiful women and a man walk in. Her boss then calls her into his office and asks her to showcase her rump. It turns out that the couple wants to hire a private investigator as they need someone to look into the menacing letters that the Sacramento Royals dancers had been getting. Given that Lola has the exquisite Latin curves, her boss believes that she can work undercover as a dancer despite never having been a professional dancer or been involved in cheerleading. Nonetheless, she is determining to make it work and is soon putting on skimpy costumes, getting her boobs lifted with tape and keeping her things in a locker room. She is embarrassed and nervous but things will only get more complicated when one of her new buddies on the dance team turns up dead. Lola digs into the investigation that leads her to a nudist colony where there is sure to be more embarrassment. Just what are her boundaries?