Guest Post - Amanda Cooper

Amanda Cooper is a pseudonym for Victoria Hamilton, the national bestselling author of the Vintage Kitchen and Merry Muffin Mystery series.  The third book in the Teapot Collector Series is out and we are tickled to have the author join us.

Brown Betty, the Modest Queen of Teapots!

When I talked to my older sister at Christmas, in December, she told me excitedly that her husband gave her a Brown Betty teapot, which she knew about from reading my books! How cool is that? Even though she doesn’t drink much tea, she was excited about it.

And well she might, for what she had in a genuine Brown Betty is the descendant of a little piece of tea drinking history.

But why are Brown Betty teapots so popular, and how has the ‘brand’ endured for so long? Here are some interesting facts about true Brown Betty teapots according my research on this website, Tea In England: http://teainengland.com/2012/10/a-potted-history-of-the-brown-betty-teapot/ and others.

1 – A Brown Betty teapot is brown because of the Rockingham glaze. However, the style of teapot also comes in a blue glaze. According to The English Tea Store online, some call the resultant teapot a Cobalt Betty. Doesn’t quite have the same ring!

2 – No one is quite sure why it is called a ‘Betty’. Denise, of the Tea In England website, speculates it is because so many servants, who made the tea, were named Elizabeth and thus ‘Betty’. However… I think it is much more likely that the alliteration just sounded right.

3 – What makes it the very best for steeping tea – I have learned that ‘steeping’ is the correct term, rather than the more common ‘brewing’ tea, as you don’t use heat under the teapot - is apparently the shape of the pot and the red clay from which it is made.

So if you want a piece of tea drinking history, you must have one of these storied pots. However… don’t be fooled by imitations! Not all little brown teapots are Brown Betty teapots. The real deal will say, on the bottom, ‘Cauldon Made In England’, or ‘©Original Betty’.

Happy tea swilling, dear readers!

~::~

About The Grim Steeper:

The national bestselling author of Shadow of a Spout invites readers back to the Finger Lakes town of Gracious Grove for more tea and murder... Mid-October in the charming Finger Lakes town of Gracious Grove means it’s time for the annual Fall Fling Townwide Tea Party. The highlight of the festivities is a roaming tea-tasting, which includes a stop at Auntie Rose’s Victorian Tea House. Sophie Taylor would like to share her enjoyment of the event with her sort-of boyfriend, English teacher Jason Murphy, but Jason’s dean has accused him of falsifying grades to help an athlete at the local college. Steamed and stressed, Jason shows up the night of the party with bags under his eyes. But the dean shows up under Sophie’s Japanese Maple later that night, murdered, and now Jason is suspected of far worse than fudging grade reports. It’s up to Sophie, her Nana, and their friends the Silver Spouts to pore over the clues to find out who really decided to teach the dean a lesson.

Social Media Links: 
Amanda Cooper/Victoria Hamilton Mysteries: http://www.victoriahamiltonmysteries.com
Amanda Cooper/Victoria Hamilton Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaHamilton Teapot Collector Mysteries Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amanda-Coopers-Teapot-Collector-Mysteries-296605927102353/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/vintagekitchenm/teapot-collector-mysteries/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MysteryVictoria - or - @MysteryVictoria

THANK You Amanda Cooper aka Victoria Hamilton!  Delightful tidbits on tea.  I love teas personally, Earl Gray is my favorite.  

So Many Books, So Little Time

I have fallen behind on reading again.  I know I am not alone in this predicament.  I had several books lined up and sadly probably won't get to them.  But I hated the thought of not sharing them with you since they seem great...if I only had the time.  So here are some interesting books that I still hope to get to, but you might want to look into further.

Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent  
"Only a woman with an iron backbone could succeed as an undertaker in Victorian London, but Violet Morgan takes great pride in her trade. While her husband, Graham, is preoccupied with elevating their station in society, Violet is cultivating a sterling reputation for Morgan Undertaking. She is empathetic, well-versed in funeral fashions, and comfortable with death's role in life--until its chilling rattle comes knocking on her own front door.

Violet's peculiar but happy life soon begins to unravel as Graham becomes obsessed with his own demons and all but abandons her as he plans a vengeful scheme. And the solace she's always found in her work evaporates like a departing soul when she suspects that some of the deceased she's dressed have been murdered. When Graham's plotting leads to his disappearance, Violet takes full control of the business and is commissioned for an undertaking of royal proportions. But she's certain there's a killer lurking in the London fog, and the next funeral may be her own. 

Equal parts courage, compassion, and intrigue, Christine Trent tells an unrestrained tale of love and loss in the rigidly decorous world of Victorian society. "

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman (Lady Montford

Mystery #1) by Tessa Arlen  
"Lady Montfort has been planning her annual summer costume ball for months, and with scrupulous care. Pulling together the food, flowers and a thousand other details for one of the most significant social occasions of the year is her happily accepted responsibility. But when her husband's degenerate nephew is found murdered, it's more than the ball that is ruined. In fact, Lady Montfort fears that the official police enquiry, driven by petty snobbery and class prejudice, is pointing towards her son as a potential suspect.

Taking matters into her own hands, the rather over-imaginative countess enlists the help of her pragmatic housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson, to investigate the case, track down the women that vanished the night of the murder, and clear her son's name.  As the two women search for a runaway housemaid and a headstrong young woman, they unearth the hidden lives of Lady Montfort's close friends, servants and family and discover the identity of a murderer hiding in plain sight.

In this enchanting debut sure to appeal to fans of Downton Abbey, Tessa Arlen draws readers into a world exclusively enjoyed by the rich, privileged classes and suffered by the men and women who serve them. Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman is an elegant mystery filled with intriguing characters and fascinating descriptions of Edwardian life—a superb treat for those who love British novels."

The Midwife's Tale (Midwife Mysteries #1) by Sam Thomas  
"It is 1644, and Parliament’s armies have risen against the King and laid siege to the city of York. Even as the city suffers at the rebels’ hands, midwife Bridget Hodgson becomes embroiled in a different sort of rebellion. One of Bridget’s friends, Esther Cooper, has been convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to be burnt alive. Convinced that her friend is innocent, Bridget sets out to find the real killer.

Bridget joins forces with Martha Hawkins, a servant who’s far more skilled with a knife than any respectable woman ought to be. To save Esther from the stake, they must dodge rebel artillery, confront a murderous figure from Martha’s past, and capture a brutal killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. The investigation takes Bridget and Martha from the homes of the city’s most powerful families to the alleyways of its poorest neighborhoods. As they delve into the life of Esther’s murdered husband, they discover that his ostentatious Puritanism hid a deeply sinister secret life, and that far too often tyranny and treason go hand in hand."

I hope these are interesting to you and perhaps you find another series to enjoy.  They are in my TBR list, but you can jump in now.

Guest Post - Diane Vallere

Welcome the author of The Material Witness and the new Costume Shop mysteries.  I reviewed the debut novel in the new series (click here).  She will share more behind the new series, which I think you will find fun and interesting.

Growing Up With Costumes 

My parents gave me a long brown wig for my seventh birthday. It’s unclear how they knew that this would be an awesome present for a second grader, but I remember being delighted beyond my wildest dreams. One summer day, while my mom and dad were lounging out back of our house, I dressed up in my yellow dance leotard, a yellow, pink, and light blue maxi skirt, the long wig, and my mom’s oversized sunglasses and then went out back to join them.

I was surprised by how hard they laughed.

Throughout my growing-up years, costumes came and went. Sometimes they were in the form of inherited clothes from a great grandparent that were inappropriate for every day but possible for Halloween (a long, full black skirt with layers of netting underneath—perfect for a witch costume, a pair of baggy men’s pants from the forties—perfect for a hobo). Sometimes they were styles that went out of fashion but were relegated to the box of paint clothes (a pair of denim bell bottoms that were printed with seashells). Sometimes they were items made by my mom (a blue and white checkered dress inspired by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz). I didn’t play dress up to be someone else, I played dress up because I was figuring out who I was.

As I got older, I started to develop my own sense of style. In the eighties, that meant neon, fishnet, and a punk-meets-preppy vibe. Clothes that others would have thought of as costumey felt completely normal to me. Thrift shop purchases mixed with sweaters worn backwards, two different colored shoes, men’s vintage tuxedo jackets and my mom’s bowling shoes became “me.” I went from being a quiet wallflower to having an identity.

Fast forward to today. Many of my outfits have names: there’s the Amelia Earhart (sage green leather dress with cargo pockets), the Coco Chanel (black boatneck sweater, wide leg pants, tons of pearls and a white camellia), my Chinatown suit (ivory pants and blazer). My black crocheted poncho makes me feel like Batman and I have no less than five dresses to choose from if invited to a luau. Like Margo in A DISGUISE TO DIE FOR, to me, costumes are clothes—or should I say clothes are costumes? Either way, I love getting dressed in the morning!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

THANK you for that great post!

Special Notice - Non-fiction book of interest

This is not mystery or suspense related, which makes this a "special" notice!  I just wanted to share this new book out in kindle with print book coming soon.  The Little Wine Guide (http://littlewineguide.com/) for all those who are newbies to wine or get easily confused by all the wine jargon and hoopla.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Basic Wine Types
Chapter 2: What's in a Number
Chapter 3: Glassware and Bottle Shapes
Chapter 4: To Chill or Not To Chill
Chapter 5: Wine Store Visit
Chapter 6: Restaurant Wine Presentation
Chapter 7: Wine Lingo
Chapter 8: Throw Your Own Wine Tasting
Chapter 9: For the Casual Dining Wine Server
Chapter 10: Winemaking Overview
Chapter 11: The Vines: A Brief History of U.S. Vineyards
Chapter 12: Fun Tidbits About Wine
Chapter 13: Conclusion
Chapter 14: Further Reading

Order the eBook today on Amazon (click here.)

Here is the book trailer!

Review - A Disguise to Die For

The author of the Material Witness mystery series has a new series and this is the debut novel.  Check out this great concept for a mystery series... a costume shop owner who is more at home wearing disguises than regular clothes.  What a great idea for an amateur sleuth.  Find out more about this new series from an established mystery author.

Author: Diane Vallere

Copyright: Feb 2016 (Berkley) 304 pgs

Series: 1st in Costume Shop Mystery series

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy

Main Characters: Margo Tamblyn, raised in the family costume shop, Disguise DeLimit.

Setting: Modern day, Proper City, Nevada

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Margo Tamblyn, a Vegas magician's assistant, returns home to Proper City to lend a hand at the family costume shop when her father has a heart attack.  She plans on staying a little while to make sure her dad learns to take it easy, hoping her Vegas job will be there when she returns. Margo quickly gets her first big order. Spoiled, wealthy nuisance Blitz Manners needs forty costumes for a detective-themed birthday bash in 24 hours.  Margo manages to get the costumes together, but in the middle of the party, Margo’s friend and party planner Ebony Welles is caught brandishing a carving knife over a very dead Blitz. 

For Margo, clearing Ebony’s name is critical, since she was the closest to a mother she had growing up. The cute guy disguised as Charlie Chan at the party takes an interest in Margo, but it appears he also has a relationship with the police detective Nichols who thinks Ebony is the killer.  Plus, Ebony seems to have a secret in her past she is fighting to keep a secret. Additionally, we have an "upstart" party planning company that is trying to cut into Disguise DeLimit's business.

Margo is resourceful and gutsy, but what do you expect from a gal who gets sawed in half on stage! She is quirky herself, wearing costumes for her everyday clothes.  Jerry, her father, is a kick and is reevaluating his life after the heart attacked.  Ebony is soft-hearted but very private and her secrets aren't helping her case.  Takenouchi (Tak) Hoshiyama is a unique potential romantic match and I definitely want to see more of his character.  Kirby is the shy kid that works part-time at the costume shop and makes a great addition to the cast.  

Proper City, a small town where costume parties are a competition among neighbors to outdo each other, brings a whimsical touch to the story. The plot is a standard whodunit complicated with the suspects all in disguise.  There was plenty going on to keep the pages turning.  The killer reveal snuck up suddenly I felt, but provided some good tension. The wrap-up provided some closure and feel good moments, but I would have liked something with Tak included at the end.

I enjoyed this debut novel for the costume shop mystery series. It provides an interesting, bright, and quirky sleuth, in an eccentric town with well thought-out plots.  

Rating: Excellent - Loved it, it had a good grip on me! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list 

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