Review - Charms and Chocolate Chips

Finishing up the month of paranormal books is the newest from the Magical Bakery series.  I reviewed the prior book, Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti (#2) (click here) as well as interviewed the author (click here.)

Author: Bailey Cates

Copyright: November 2013 (Signet Publishing) 336 pgs

Series: 3rd in Magical Bakery Mystery series

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Paranormal Cozy

Main Character: Katie Lightfoot, co-owner of the Honeybee Bakery

Setting: Modern day, Savannah GA

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Katie has been volunteering at the Georgia Wild Conservation group.  Showing up to volunteer, she finds the director, Autumn Boles murdered and a strange origami bat in red paper clutched in her hand. This clue suggests that the Fegan Swamp, with reported sightings of an exstinct maroon bat, are central in the murder...which means that Steve Dawes' father could be involved as he is attempting to purchase and develop the land as a golf course.  Since Steve chose to join with his father and the Dragoh all-male druid group, Katie has avoided Steve.  On top of this, Katie's mother makes a surprise visit to try and patch the strained mother-daughter relationship.  Her mother has some magical surprises of her own.

Katie is a common sense character I can relate to. I like her level-headed outlook and gusto for life.  Declan, the firefighter boyfriend, is tested in this book regarding how well he can accept who Katie really is.  Steve Dawes makes it clear that he wants to remain friends if that is the only way he can be in Katie's life.  Steve is the wildcard still in the deck who works magic by Katie's side and understand that side of her.  Mary Jane, Katie's Mother, added great depth to the Katie and I hope to see her more in future novels.  Wren Knowles, Mimsey's granddaughter and the new head of Georgia Wild Conservation, was timid at first and began to blossom.
The "Book Club" members' cohesiveness is tested as well: Lawyer Jaida who specializes in tarot, Bianca is wealthy and works with moon magic, Cookie is the free spirit who uses Voodoo, matriarch Mimsey uses a crystal ball plus color & flower magic, and Aunt Lucy is a hedge-witch working with plants.

Fegan Swamp and the eerie Cypress tree were great settings, but other than Katie's mom taking a tourist bus through Savannah there is still now distinguishing the location from any southern town.  I find it interesting that Savannah is supposed to be a good sized city of 131,510 people, you get the sense of a much smaller town in this book. 

The plot is a solid cozy concept and plays out logically. There are a few misdirects for surprises.  The pacing kept my interest easily.  The climax had some excitement, but the prior book had such a hard-to-follow climax it seemed not as big as it could have been.  The wrap-up tied loose ends but no real cliff hangers.

This series produces another rock solid hit with mystery and magic in a dynamic combination.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 



With the holiday season fast approaching, there will be family gatherings and potlucks aplenty.  Try this recipes out.

Crumb-Topped Apple Slab Pie

Prep: 45 mins     Bake: 40 mins 375°F
 

Ingredients

    2 1/4  cups  all-purpose flour
    3/4  teaspoon  salt
    2/3  cup  butter-flavored shortening
    8 - 10  tablespoons  cold water
    2/3  cup  sugar
    1/3  cup  all-purpose flour
    1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
    3 1/2  pounds  tart cooking apples (such as Rome Beauty or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (10 cups)
     Crumb Topping

Directions

1. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with 18-inch-wide foil, extending the foil up over the edges of the pan; set aside. For dough: In a large bowl, stir together the 2-1/4 cups flour and the salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cold water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon cold water at a time, until all of the flour mixture is moistened. Using your fingers, gently knead the dough just until a ball forms.

2. Preheat oven to 375F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 19x13-inch rectangle. Wrap it around the rolling pin; unroll it into the prepared baking pan. Ease dough into the pan and up the sides, being careful not to stretch it. Trim dough to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pan. Fold dough edge over and flute as desired.

3. In an extra-large bowl, combine sugar, the 1/3 cup flour, and the cinnamon; add apples. Toss lightly until apples are coated. Spoon apple mixture into dough-lined pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle with Crumb Topping (pan will be full).

4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender. If necessary to prevent overbrowning, cover top with foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking. Cool slightly in pan on a wire rack.

5. Serve warm or cool completely. Cut into rectangles. Makes 25

Crumb Topping
Ingredients

    1  cup  quick-cooking rolled oats
    1  cup  packed brown sugar
    1/2  cup  all-purpose flour
    1/2  cup  butter
    1/2  cup  pecans

Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together quick-cooking rolled oats, packed brown sugar, and all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until topping mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped pecans.

Review - A Potion to Die For

This is a brand new series from the author of the The Wishcraft Mysteries.  We were fortunate to interview the author, Heather Black (click here.)  This new series is centered around a potion making witch in the small southern town that caters to weddings as an industry. 

Author: Heather Blake

Copyright: November 2013 (Signet) 336 pgs

Series: 1st in Magic Potion Mysteries

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Paranormal Cozy

Main Characters: Carly Bell Hartwell, owner of Little Shop of Potions

Setting: Modern day, Hitching Post, Alabama

Obtained Through: publisher for an honest review

Carly finds a local lawyer, Nelson Winston, dead in her potion shop, clutching one of her potion bottles.  Then Coach Floyd Butts runs his truck into her house clutching one of her potion bottles, declares loudly she poisoned him and then passes out. These incidents put a serious crimp on her business.  

Then she has the man she nearly married, twice, back in town investigating the incidents.  To add to her personal life is her rival, cousin Delia, who tends towards hexes where Carly specializes in love potions hounding her for the family secret potion ingredient.  Carly has her "witchy sense" to guide her as she begins asking a few questions to help the investigation along while she still has a potion business left.  This has the standard cutesy small town with mostly a tourist industry set in the south for a standard cozy mystery.  Carly lives in a family house that should be condemned thinking she can renovate the entire house herself. 

Carly is conflicted and stubborn, but ethical. Ainsley, BFF and mother to three hellion children is too preoccupied  to add to the story much.  Sergeant Dylan Jackson is the man Carly almost married twice and is the standard policeman romantic interest. He is her biggest weakness and her biggest fear since she is still healing on that subject.  The "Odd Ducks" consist of Carly's Mother - the flamboyant Veronica Fowl - who runs a chapel, Aunt Eulalie, Aunt Hazel, and Aunt Marjie who all three run boarding houses.  Because what one of the three sisters does, they all must do whether they all want to our not.  They are eccentric with a capital "E."  Deceased Grammy Adelaide has left a secret potion ingredient and the family grimoire that is passed down through the generations to only one family member.  This is why Carly and cousin Delia are more competitors than typical family.  Carly has the secret ingredient and grimoire and Delia desperately wants them.  Delia is perhaps the most layered of the characters and is the breakout star.

Hitching Post is a town that survives on weddings as their industry.  It was an average small southern town.  The plot is average for a debut and cozy.  There is the annoying typical chastising of the sleuth to stay out of everything.  The pacing significantly picks up in the second half.  The climax was eventful and tense, so that was satisfying.

This debut for a new series has many typical and standard elements, from the small touristy southern town to the romantic interest being a policeman.  The paranormal elements are soft touches and the book was roughly 65% lite romance, 45% cozy mystery for an enjoyable, albeit predictable, diversion.

Ratings: Good - A fun read with standard cozy elements.

Dracula cake

Here are some Halloween party treat ideas

Please pardon the company pitch at the end of both videos.

Easy outdoor decorating ideas

Author Interview - Victoria Abbott

Victoria Abbott is a collaboration between the always very funny and creative artist, photographer, and short story author, Victoria Maffini and her mother, Mary Jane Maffini, award-winning author of three mystery series and two dozen short stories.  Mary Jane Maffini's latest series, the Charlotte Adams mysteries, has five books featuring this professional organizer from New York State. Book five, The Busy Woman's Guide to Murder won the Romantic Times 2012 award for Best Amateur Sleuth.  Please welcome the mother/duaghter writing duo of Victoria and Mary Jane Maffini (aka Victoria Abbott.)  

I reviewed the first book, The Christie Curse, in this new series (click here.)

P.S.  If you are looking for the Spooktacular Blog Hop, that is two posts down.

Why do you write? Do you love it or love having done it? What motivates you?
Yes to both. We love to write when it’s going well, ahem, but always love having written. We want to write the kind of books we have fun reading and we enjoy being part of the book world, meeting readers, booksellers and other authors. There’s no life like it!

What is your routine when you're facing your next novel?  Do you start your next mystery with the killer, the victim or a plot idea?
We usually start with one of the authors from the Golden Age of Detection as each book in the book collector mysteries will focus on one of them and their body of work. We began with the great Agatha Christie in The Christie Curse, moved on to Dorothy L. Sayers in The Sayers Swindle (December 2013) and now are having fun with Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe books for The Wolfe Widow. Once we have the series, we brainstorm a plot or situation that can link that body of work with our characters, preferably in a perilous way.

Do you outline the plot or some variation of that (a little/a lot of detail, a strict 3 act structure etc.) before sitting down and writing?
We don’t really outline but are starting to do story lines in order to make it easier to have the same vision.  MJ has 13 books in three series and never outlines, but writing together makes it more important to have a shared concept.  Working together, we leave the detail until the writing stage and lots of it to the rewriting stage.  We do try to have an unexpected plot turn one quarter through and another one three quarters through. We have to keep the readers surprised, and sometimes ourselves too.

What do either of you and Jordan Bingham have in common? How are you different?
Victoria and Jordan have lots in common, including a fondness for pugs, antiques, vintage clothing, second hand stores and some crazy relatives. They share a sense of humor as well.  Victoria is an artist but she would give anything to have that job of Jordan’s!  MJ shares Jordan’s love of collecting and lying around reading stacks of books.  Like Jordan, we both value our friends.

Jordan Bingham is a fun, strong character, and the rest of the crew with the uncles is great as well.  What is your process for developing a character? Do you use pictures, a worksheet or just let the character(s) tell you about him/herself as you write?  How do you handle minor characters?
We are pretty organic with the characters. They seem to take shape themselves. We don’t use pictures, although we should as sometimes we have different ideas of what they look like. Compromises ensue. We do discuss them a lot and find ourselves laughing out loud. We maintain a bit of a bio on each of the main characters as a good back story can add a lot of texture to a book and it’s good to keep your facts straight.

Do you have anything special you do before writing, particular music or a special room/location that helps you get in the zone and write?
MJ needs quiet uninterrupted time in her office.  She hopes her dogs are reading this and getting the message about not barking to go outside and then immediately barking to come back in. Baroque music can help her with concentrating when the going gets tough.  Victoria needs a vat of coffee and a pug snuggled up beside her.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing and how long does it take you to write a book?
Each book is in the hopper for quite a while before we start to write. There’s a lot of background reading, discussion and research in a series like this.  Once we start we have to move fast. Where does the time go? It takes about six months to finish a book.  We try to write every day, although there’s lots of competition from the research and promotion side of the business.  We like to blog and to visit book clubs, do signings and attend conferences and that takes time.

How does the collaboration work, do you somehow split the writing?  How do you get the final work to be cohesive?
Much of the collaboration is in conversation. We have to brainstorm plot and scenes. We are best on the phone as we don’t distract each other.  We will identify scenes that need to be written to advance the plot and decide who will write them.  Victoria does all the dream sequences, the texts and the phone calls. MJ likes that kitchen stuff and the meals. We flip a coin for scenes with the uncles.  Having a unified voice is important and we have to add at least an extra draft to make sure that the book reads as though it was written by one person.

How did you pick your setting and how do you like to interject a sense of place?  Do you use places that you know well for your settings?
Our editor wanted New York State for the series. We found a location that seemed perfect and invented a fictional version of it.  We do a lot of research on the real place and its history. Google earth is great and so are websites.  We try to have detail in the houses, streetscapes, businesses and landscape. We worked hard on the detail for the Van Alst mansion even down to the interior floor plan.

What in your background prepared you to write mysteries?
Victoria claims to have been raised by a mystery writer. In turn, MJ claims to have been a librarian. Both Victoria and MJ were part of Prime Crime Mystery Bookstore in Ottawa, Ontario and that involved total immersion in the wonderful world of crime fiction.  But they both believe that reading and loving mysteries is the best preparation for writing them.

In literature (not your own) who is your favorite mystery/suspense character?
Victoria has a fondness for Grandma Mazur and Lula, while MJ in currently madly in love with Archie Goodwin and, although this will sound strange, Chet the Dog from the Chet and Bernie mysteries. She’s not kidding about this. Probably therapy will help.

Which author has influenced or inspired you the most?
Victoria finds David Sedaris inspiring because he breaks all the rules so amusingly.  MJ has a lot of trouble narrowing it down. She finds the genre inspiring and important and also believes that mysteries appeal to our need for justice and also that cozy mysteries celebrate relationships and the ability of women to step up and do what needs to be done in tough situations. What’s not to love?

How did you get your first break to getting published? Was it at a writer's conference or mailing a query letter?
MJ sold Speak ill of the Dead: a Camilla MacPhee mystery, her first Canadian book back in 1998.  After many a query and contest, she met a lovely publisher at a conference. The publisher had just started RendezVous Press, a Canadian mystery line and agreed to read the manuscript. She went on to buy eight of MJ’s books in two series.  Victoria got her start in the short story anthology Fit to Die with her story ‘Down in the Plumps’.  Did you know a Walmart changing room could be such a dangerous place?

What's the one thing a reader has said that you've never forgotten and perhaps found startling?
Yes: Have you ever killed anyone? We answered ‘no’. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
 
If your Book Collector mysteries were to be made into a movie, who would you cast in your top character's roles?
Well as they say, go big or go home.  We think Jennifer Lawrence has the right combo of edge and appeal to play Jordan.  And since we’re thinking big, Cloris Leachman as Vera and Jason Segel as Officer Tyler “Smiley” Dekker.   Then Dean Norris from Breaking Bad (add ginger hair) as Uncle Mick.  We could go on …

Tell us about your next book in the series - or next

project?  What is your biggest challenge with it?
We are beavering away on the third in the book collector’s series. The Wolfe Widow will come out in September 2014.  After Christie and Sayers, we have moved back ‘across the pond’ and are exploring the works of Rex Stout in this adventure. Vera Van Alst, the crotchety collector, has a fascination with the eccentric detective Nero Wolfe, while Jordan (and MJ too) has a crush on Archie Goodwin.  Rex Stout wrote more than 80 books, and although we read many of the Nero Wolfe books years back, it’s a challenge to reread enough of them to get a good feel for the series. The good news is that the series stands the test of time and the books are still fast-paced and witty. The big challenge with a series is keeping it fresh and not telling the same story over again. You have to keep what readers like about your characters and yet let them grow and change. Good thing it’s fun.

Do you have a newsletter or blog for readers to stay informed of your news?
We do have a free e-newsletter with news, contests and more. Send us an email detect(at)rogers(dot)com or follow the link on our websites www.victoria-abbott.com and www.maryjanemaffini.com and we’ll add you to the list.  We blog the second and fourth Saturdays of each month over at the very delicious www.mysteryloverskitchen.com and one of our characters blogs on the 30th of each month on www.killercharacters.com. That’s a great place to get a taste of an author’s work.

Thanks so much for interviewing us. It was lots of fun to be here.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


THANK YOU M.J. and Victoria for a great interview.  I enjoyed getting an idea of how a collaboration works.  I love the answer to what author inspires you and I agree about the genre's portrayal of women.  Readers, what struck you in the interview?

Review - Bled and Breakfast

If you are looking for the Spooktacular Blog Hop, it is the previous entry, so scroll down and join the fun.  Today is a review of the second book in a paranormal mystery series.  I reviewed the first book in the series, Blood Bath, and Beyond (click here) and also interviewed the author (click here.)  So let's see how the second book compares to the debut.

Author: Michelle Rowen

Copyright: June 2013 (Signet) 336 pgs

Series: 2nd in Immortality Bite Mystery series

Sensuality: Adult themes

Mystery Sub-genre: Paranormal amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Sarah Dearly, Newbie vampire and recently married to a master vampire

Setting: Modern day, Salem Massachusetts

Obtained Through: Personal purchase

The Ring cut their honeymoon short and send Sarah and master vampire husband, Thierry to Salem, Massachusetts to investigate several master vampires disappearing.  Sarah has barely been in Salem a half hour before she, and she alone, sees the ghost of a famed old Salem witch hunter. Thierry meets another vampire in town, Owen, to begin his investigation.  But, it isn't until Owen is struck "dead" before their eyes by an invisible hand, leaving only a stain on the sidewalk, that they realize they are facing a dangerous master witch who can kill remotely.  Then things get personal when Thierry faces the ultimate count down himself. 

Sarah Dearly might get labelled impulsive, but she is tenacious and sees good in people.  This book she finds out not all people deserve her trust.  Thierry de Bennicoeur -- ever secretive about his past, divulges he doesn't feel comfortable with Sarah knowing his uglier self from the past.  I think he is slowly opening up, but change comes slowly after a few centuries.  Owen, the vampire Casanova, is slightly charming but mostly a sleazy opportunistic womanizer.  He is a central player in this story.  Heather, the young owner of the B&B is a cast out witch because she doesn't seem to have much power, is either a great actress and liar, or an innocent.  Her familiar is a frog called Hoppy.  Hoppy even has some surprises of his own. 

Salem shines in the scenes of the past that are sprinkled into the mix, playing up its history to give a real sense of the town.  The plot was better than I expected from the cover blurb.  The ticking clock ratchets up the suspense for a page-turner and several twists keep the reader guessing. The killer confrontation was superb and tense.  The wrap-up completes the book nicely, clearing the deck for the next adventure.

This is a delightful mix of suspense, paranormal elements, and a murder mystery - with a thread of second chances woven throughout to give an exhilarating and satisfying novel.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

Cemetery Chocolate Cake

Bloody Finger Cupcakes

Spooktacular Giveaway Blog Hop

If you are joining us as part of the Spooktacular Giveaway Blog hop, look around and stay for awhile.  We celebrate everything mystery and suspense here - no doubt you can find something of interest!

GIVEAWAY PRIZES:

We are celebrating Halloween here at Mysteries and My Musings with a giveaway for the third year!  One prize to a winner, 9 winners!

 

Pall in the Family by Dawn Eastman

Bled and Breakfast by Michelle Rowen

A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry (review here)

The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy by Heather Blake

A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake

Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti by Bailey Cates
(review here)

Woof at the Door by Laura Morrigan
(review here)

Murder on the House by Juliette Blackwell
(review here)

Tarnished and Torn by Juliette Blackwell
(review here)

Entry for giveaway lasts until October 31 6:00 p.m. (MST).  U.S.  entries only please.
 
The publisher will be shipping the books to the winners.

How to enter:

*** First, you must be a member (follower) of this blog.***

All entries are to be in the comments for this post.

I will accept entries for this giveaway until 6:00 p.m (MST) on  Oct 31, 2013.    I shall notify the winner via the email address you provide to get your mailing address and have the prize sent directly to you.

IF you are a member of this blog, you only need to leave a comment with your correct email.

BECOME a member of this blog if you aren't already and enjoy the celebration of all things mystery and suspense.

Other participating blogs: