For some reason I thought I had reviewed a Miranda James book before, but apparently I had not. Sometimes I read books and don't get the review written and posted. I'm pretty sure I've read her Cat in the Stacks before. Does that happen to you?
In case you weren't aware, Miranda James is the pseudonym of American author Dean James. He uses the pen name when writing thriller and mystery novels. Dean also uses other pseudonyms such as Jimmie Ruth Evans and Honor Hartman.
Please welcome author Miranda James to M&MM with our guest post!
Why Does It Have to Be a Cat?
By Miranda James
When I talk to people who aren’t conversant with cozy mysteries, or even mysteries in general, one of the first questions I hear is “Why do you have a cat in your books?” The simplest answer is that I have cats, and I love having them around. Why shouldn’t an amateur detective have a cat for the same reason?
Most cozy mystery fans love their animals: cats, dogs, rabbits, hedgehogs, lizards, llamas, and other kinds of critters. They love reading about characters who share their love of our multi-footed friends in the animal kingdom. Frankly, how a character in a book treats animals tells me a lot about that person. A character who neglects his or her pet in any way is not anyone that I want to spend time with. I wouldn’t do it in real life, either.
Cats, in particular, have quirky personalities. (I love dogs, too, but I haven’t had a dog in a long time, so I’m writing about cats.) I have four cats, a female and three males. All are rescues, and all have been spayed or neutered. Sometimes I feel like I’m living with four toddlers. Each cat has a distinctive personality. Pippa, my calico, is the queen of the rodeo. Toby, my gentle giant, is the most affectionate – and demanding of food – of the herd. Ernie, the smallest, has the biggest personality and thinks he is the king of the jungle. Bert, Ernie’s litter mate, is timid and easily spooked.
I could easily create human counterparts to my four cats. They run an interesting gamut of personality types. Pippa is imperious, often aloof, and talkative. Think Anna Wintour on four legs. Toby is easygoing, definitely in the sidekick mold, like Dr. Watson or Captain Hastings. Ernie could be Peter Wimsey, forever dashing around, very smart, and climbing on shelves. Bert is the Beaker Muppet of the bunch. He actually squeaks a lot for no apparent reason.
My sleuth, Charlie Harris, a widowed librarian, rescued a cat that turned out to be a Maine Coon. Because of the cat’s loud purr, Charlie named him Diesel. Diesel has lots of personality, and readers enjoy him a lot. I think pets enrich our lives on a daily basis, and I see no reason my fictional sleuth shouldn’t have his enriched by such a marvelous feline.
About the Author
Miranda James is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries and the Southern Ladies Mysteries.
Please welcome Amy Pershing to M&MM blog. She is a new author with the equally new Cape Cod Foodie cozy mystery series. My review will be coming shortly.
The Eternal Mystery of Weird Holiday Food by Amy Pershing
Holiday food traditions – we all have them. Whether we like them or not. You mess with your mother’s Christmas cookie recipes at your peril. You serve Uncle Harry’s oyster stew, even though it makes your kids gag, because you love Uncle Harry. You stuff dates with chunky peanut butter as an appetizer (really?), because your husband (whom you also love, even though during the holidays that’s sometimes hard to remember) made them with his mother on Christmas day “to help out.”
In my latest Cape Cod Foodie mystery, An Eggnog to Die For, my heroine, Samantha Barnes, wants to honor her Italian grandmother on Christmas Eve with the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes. Except Sam wants to make it a Feast of the Five Fishes. As she puts it, “Okay, so traditionally it’s seven fishes or even twelve. But times have changed. The holidays are stressful enough. Christmas Eve should be fun.”
Now, you may think that eating five, or seven or, god forbid, twelve fishes in one sitting to be, let us say, a bit odd. But it pales beside this (highly subjective) list of other peculiar holiday food traditions:
1) Pfeffernuse: I begin with the worst offender of the Christmas cookie obsession -- the pfeffernusse. First of all because it is impossible to spell. Or say. And second, because a key ingredient is pepper. In what cookie world does that make sense? Also, my husband claims that because the cookie is virtually coated with powdered sugar, “before you can even eat it, you breathe that stuff in and then choke to death.”
2) Eggnog: As the author of a novel with eggnog in the title, I have gotten an earful from my readers about the great eggnog debate, yae or nay. I’m pleased to say most are yae. Mostly because it is dessert masquerading as a before-dinner drink, as Sam points out in the book:
“I wish I’d made enough for two glasses each,” my mother said, smacking her lips in a decidedly un-regal fashion.
“No way,” I admonished her. “First of all, I’m not killing everyone’s appetites with what is essentially dessert in a glass and second of all, two rum cocktails and we’d never get this tree trimmed.”
“Nonsense,” Helene put in from her seat on the sofa next to my mother. “Drink up.”
I’m with Helene.
3) Latkes: On the plus side of holiday foods, we have the Hannukkah starter of latkes –potato pancakes fried in oil and served with sour cream. Yum. But I’d never quite understood why so much of the traditional Hannukkah foods are cooked in oil until researching this piece, when I discovered that it symbolizes the Second Temple oil that miraculously lasted eight days. Not that I’m complaining about all that frying. I’d eat an old boot if it was deep-fried.
4) Roast Goose: With so many choices for the centerpiece of the Christmas day feast – roast beef, turkey, even ham – why would you go for roast goose? I mean, aside from the fact that roast goose is delicious. My mother once decided to cook a goose for Christmas, only to come back into the kitchen to
a waterfall of goose fat streaming from the stove. That’s right – a five pound goose releases more than four cups of melted fat. So unless you want to drain the roasting pan every half hour for two hours, you might want to stick to a nice dry turkey.
5) So many desserts: Let’s start with panettone, the very dry northern Italian “cake” that comes in its own cardboard carrying case. I think it is no accident that one food historian called panettone “one of the infamous holiday sweets.” On the “infamous” list I would also include fruitcake, which is soaked in alcohol or other liquors to keep it from molding. Need I say more? Along the same lines, we have the Christmas pudding (aka figgy pudding), which I confess I love, mostly because you set it on fire. Nothing odd about that. And finally we come to my absolute favorite holiday sweet, Hannukah gelt, those little chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil. Golden chocolate. Perfect.
I’m sure you all have your own Weird Christmas food traditions. Celebrate them! They carry with them generations of family lore and love. (And remember, you can always give Aunt Ida’s fruitcake to a neighbor.)
Amy Pershing is the author of the Cape Cod Foodie Mystery series, including A Side of Murder -- which Elizabeth Gilbert called “the freshest, funniest mystery I have ever read” -- and An Eggnog to Die For -- which Kirkus Reviews called “a winner for both foodies and mystery mavens." She’s here today to talk about An Eggnog to Die For and to explore what on earth our pets must think about our holiday traditions.
The author of the Ice Cream Parlor mysteries has a new series, Books and Biscuits mysteries featuring a bookstore and soulfood cafe. I will be reviewing the new debut book soon. Abby Collette is our guest author today. Please give her a big welcome.
Fiction & Food by Abby Collette
Good food, like good books and good friends is something we savor. All of those make up the stories of our lives and fill the spaces in our memories. We smile whenever we recall them, but the eating of good food often evokes special times and special people.
And good food starts with recipes—those handed down or hand created from the heart. It’s not just peach cobbler, it’s the peach cobbler that your grandmother taught you to make. Or a recipe that you picked up while traveling on a road trip cross country or across the ocean and those for each seasons. The dishes we made to commemorate the good times, milestones and celebrations.
That’s what I love about including recipes in my books. After all, a good book should offer a reflection of life, and how could I do that without including great food? The recipes are those enjoyed by my characters but are also there for the delight of my readers. I don’t include food just as a social transaction to add beats to my story but to make my characters more real and part of the world you enter when you open one of my books. I put on the page the actions of my characters as they conjure up the recipes and the process—slicing juicy plums, scooping out fresh vanilla. And although I am leading the reader through the clues to solve the murder of my mystery, it is worth stopping the story to share with my readers. I want all to enjoy with my characters the swirling smells inhaled, the pleasures that delight their taste buds and the delectable goodies their eyes take in. Immersing the readers in their five senses and to let them into my characters life to participate in all aspects of my story.
So, the next time you pick up one of my stories, enjoy the good food while your reading and then try out one of the recipes after you’ve done. Then let me know how it all turned out.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thank You Ms. Collette for joining us today! I'm looking forward to your book. I'm looking forward to your recipes!
Please welcome the author of the Baba Yaga series, Veiled Magic series, and also the new Catskill Pet Rescue series.
Series Inspiration by Deborah Blake
I am often asked where I get the inspiration for my books. The answer to this is different for every book, of course, but for the Catskill Pet Rescue Series, I didn’t have to look very far from home.
The series as a whole was inspired by a local rescue organization I’d done a little volunteer work for. It was started by one woman who was determined to help all the animals who fell through the cracks of the other shelters in the area. It started on a shoestring, and still is mostly a volunteer run mission filled with people dedicated to the wellbeing of cats, dogs, and the occasional something else. Two of my four cats came from them (including Diana, who was a foster fail—remind me that I am not a good fit for fostering, since I want to keep them all).
So the first book in the series, Furbidden Fatality, tells the story of how Kari, the protagonist, ends up buying a rundown shelter after she gets a freak lottery win and a bossy little black kitten. The second book, Doggone Deadly, follows Kari’s adventures with her best friend Suz, a six-foot tall, gay, lavender-haired dog groomer.
The look of the character was inspired by Megan Rapinoe, the dynamic Olympic soccer player, but the character herself was inspired (loosely, of course, since this is fiction, and she is neither six feet tall, gay, nor lavender-haired) by my own best friend, Ellen. Ellen is both a dog groomer and the dog warden of her local rural municipality, and has been my secret weapon for dog information throughout the series.
When I was looking for an intriguing setting for Doggone Deadly, I remembered that Ellen, as a member of the area’s Kennel Club, has taken part in a number of yearly dog shows. These events drew competitors and judges from all over the country and could be surprisingly cut-throat. What better place to set a murder? She was even able to lend me a program book from one of the shows, which ended up featuring in the story, as well as helping me figure out a number of plot points.
It turns out that if you are an author, it pays to have interesting friends. In fact, I might go so far as to say it is doggone vital.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
THANK You Deborah for that delightful insight into your inspiration for the newest addition to your Catskill Pet Rescue series.
I am delighted to have DP Lyle as our guest author today. From his bio: "He is the Amazon #1 Bestselling; Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Silver Award winning; and Edgar (2), Shamus, Agatha, Anthony, Scribe, USA Today Best Book Award (2), and Foreward INDIES Book of the Year nominated author. He has worked with many novelists and with the writers of popular television shows such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Diagnosis Murder, Monk, Judging Amy, Peacemakers, Cold Case, House, Medium, Women’s Murder Club, 1-800-Missing, The Glades, and Pretty Little Liars."
DP Lyle writes the Jake Longly thriller series, Cain/Harper thriller series, Dub Walker thriller series, Samantha Cody thriller series, and Royal Pains books (TV show tie-in novels), plus several non-fiction books on forensics and a few anthologies.
The OC, the 5th in Jake Longly series, just released. DP Lyle provides us with an introduction of Jake in his post. Please welcome DP Lyle to M&MM!
Who is Jake Longly? by DP Lyle
Jake Longly is the protagonist of my comedic thriller series (DEEP SIX, A-LIST, SUNSHINE STATE, RIGGED, THE OC). He’s an ex-pro baseball pitcher with an overpowering fastball until a rotator cuff injury ended his career. He then purchased Captain Rocky’s, a bar/restaurant on the sand in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
His major life goals now are running his bar and chasing bikinis. Worthy goals for Jake. His father Ray feels otherwise. Ray has some murky background in the US military world of black ops and now runs a P.I. firm in Gulf Shores. He can’t understand why Jake won’t work for him and is constantly trying to drag Jake into his world.
From SUNSHINE STATE:
Here’s the deal. Ray thinks I’m a wimp. Has for years. The best I can remember it began around the time I left major league baseball. For several years, I pitched for the Texas Rangers. Could really bring the heat. A hundred miles an hour. Zip, pop. Loved that sound. Loved that the catcher would often shake his hand out after snagging one of my fastballs. That was me. Jake Longly, baseball stud. Everybody said so. Even the ESPN folks.
Not so Ray. He never actually used the word wimp. Pussy. That’s the one he preferred. Four weeks ago being his most recent assessment.
~ ~ ~
Jake has an ex-wife. who he affectionately calls Tammy The Insane. We met her at the beginning of DEEP SIX, Jake #1. Jake has been roped into doing a stake-out of an adulterous woman who happens to live a few doors down from Tammy and her now husband attorney Walter Horton. Tammy takes issue with Jake being near her home.
From DEEP SIX:
I recognized the grating voice even before I looked up into the face of my ex. Tammy’s the name; crazy’s the game. I’d lost four good years listening to it. Mostly whining and complaining, sometimes, like now, in a full-on rage. She had a knack for anger. Seemed to need it to get through the day.
She gripped the five iron with both hands, knuckles paled, cocked up above her shoulder, ready to smash something else. If history offered any lesson it was that she might graduate from the side window to the windshield and so on until she got to me. Tammy didn’t have brakes. Or a reverse gear.
Cute according to everyone, except maybe me, she was a beach-blond with bright blue eyes, a magic smile, and a perfect nose. Some plastic surgeons were gifted. Expensive, but gifted. I knew. I’d paid for the nose.
But cute Tammy had a short fuse. She could go from zero to C4 in a nanosecond.
~ ~ ~
Jake has a girlfriend. Nicole Jamison. Insanely beautiful, but no bubble-headed bleach blonde. Not even close. Smart, clever, tough, and she doesn’t suffer fools well. They met the same night Tammy The Insane shattered Jake’s Mustang window.
From DEEP SIX:
I raised one hand to shield my eyes from the headlamp glare. The car, a shiny new red SL Mercedes, rolled to a stop. The deeply-tinted window slid down, revealing a young woman. Her straight blond hair hung like silk curtains to her shoulders and framed a face that could grace the cover of Vogue. Definitely not what I expected.
“That was interesting,” she said.
“You saw that, huh?”
She laughed. Soft, almost musical. “Hard to miss a woman beating the hell out of a classic Mustang with a golf club.”
I looked back up the street, from where she had come. “You live around here I take it?”
She brushed a wayward strand of her from her face. “Just back around the bend.”
“You on a beer run or something?”
Another soft laugh. “Heading out to see a friend.”
“A little late, isn’t it?”
“He’s a bartender. Doesn’t close up until one. But he’s not nearly as interesting as this.”
“Bet he’d be happy to hear that.”
She shrugged. “He’d get over it.”
I reeled in my first response—that a woman as beautiful as her probably didn’t have to worry too much about pissing him off. No one would put her on the road for being late. Instead, I smiled.
“So what was that about?” she asked.
“My ex. She’s insane.”
“Obviously.”
“I’m Jake,”
“Nicole.”
~ ~ ~
Jake has a best friend—-Tommy “Pancake” Jeffers. Big doesn’t cover it. He’s six-five and 275, with unruly red hair and crazy computer skills. He also knows how to handle any confrontation.
From A-LIST:
“Good day gentlemen,” he said, smiling. A true salesman. Probably would do well with aluminum siding. Or as a midway barker.
We introduced ourselves, Ray saying we were P.I.s and needed to ask a few questions to which Rag Man said, ““I don’t got to talk to you.” His head swiveled up and down the street. Like he didn’t want to be seen talking to us.
“No, you don’t,” I said. “But we’d appreciate it.”
“Go appreciate something else,” he said.
“It’s about your business,” Ray said.
“I ain’t got no business.” Another glance up the street. “I suggest you move along. Get out of my face. Might not be healthy for you white boys to hang around here. Know what I’m saying?”
I love watching Pancake work. It’s a true work of art. Mostly he’s a gentle giant, wouldn’t hurt anyone. Even go out of his way to avoid trouble. Then there were times he did stuff that made you stare in disbelief. Even if you’d seen it before.
This time, he simply grabbed Rag Man’s arm and tossed him into the alley. Just like that. Like a kid having a tantrum and tossing a doll across the room. Rag Man rolled and bounced a couple of times but to his credit quickly scrambled to his feet. Pancake was on him. He poked his chest with a finger. “No, I don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Hey dude, you can’t do that.”
“I’m just getting started.” Pancake palmed his chest, pressing him against the wall.
~ ~ ~
And now we come to the 5th in the series: THE OC.
Jake and Nicole are headed to Orange County, CA for a little R&R. Of course, it doesn’t work out that way.
From THE OC:
“She likes you.”
“Everybody likes me.”
“Yeah, but she likes you in that I-want-to-sit-on-your-lap way.”
“So do you.”
“Hmmm. Sounds like a plan.”
“These seats aren’t that big.”
Okay, a little perspective here. I’m Jake Longly, ex-pro baseball player, restaurant/bar owner, and lover of women. Well, the one sitting next to me anyway. That would be Nicole Jamison. Funny, smart, and insanely beautiful. Sometimes annoying. Actually, she excels at that.
We were seated in first class, Row 5, Seats A and B, on an American Airlines flight into Orange County, California’s John Wayne Airport. The OC, baby.
We had started out early this morning in Gulf Shores, Alabama, where my restaurant Captain Rocky’s sits on the sand, and where we both live. This trip was in part a vacation from—I’m not sure from what. I work very little. My manager Carla Martinez runs the joint so I have essentially zero to do. Except hang out with Nicole and Pancake. Nicole is my girlfriend, or whatever. We haven’t yet decided what we are. Let’s say, she likes me. See? I told you everybody likes me. Tommy “Pancake” Jeffers is my best friend. All the way back to when we terrorized the neighborhood as kids. He likes hanging out at Captain Rocky’s too. Mainly because the food and drink are free.
My god, that boy can eat. Gnaws on my profits. If there are any. I’m never very sure since Carla rarely tells me. I don’t worry too much about it since the place is always packed. Also, I share the profits with her, so I figured that if we were bleeding out she’d let me know.
Nicole, besides being smart and hot, and at times snarky, also writes screenplays. That’s the other reason for our trip to the left coast. Her new film was teed up to begin shooting in three weeks. Her other two screenplays had been minimalist productions, indies that made it to a couple of small film festivals. This one was on an entirely different level. It would be shepherded by her uncle Charles Balfour, the A-list producer and CEO of Regency Global Productions, RPG for short. He’s the driving force behind the multi-billion dollar Space Quest series. Yeah, billion with a B.
Me and Uncle Charles go way back. I’ve never actually met him but I’ve spent many a night in the home he owns near Gulf Shores. That’s where Nicole lives. Or hangs out anyway.
Nicole also lives in The OC, in a Newport Beach condo, but she’s rarely there. For the past year or so, that’s how long we’ve been together, she’s mostly stayed in Uncle Charles’s mega-mansion very near my Gulf Shores home.
“These seats aren’t that small,” Nicole said.
“There’s no leg room.”
“That’s because you have long legs.”
“You don’t?”
She laughed. “If memory serves, you do pretty well in tight spaces.”
I looked at her “I’ll let that one slide by.”
The flight attendant returned, smiling, saying, “Can I get you anything?” Her gaze locked on me for a beat too long. Her name tag said she was Maryanne.
“I think we’re good.” I smiled back.
She moved on down the row.
Nicole elbowed my ribs. “See? What’d I tell you?”
“Maybe she’s using me to get to you?”
“Could be. Maybe I should be glad you have the aisle seat,” Nicole said.
“Pancake’s better at running interference. He’s built for it.”
“In this situation, I think you’ll do fine.”
~ ~ ~
I invite you to jump into Jake’s world. Lot’s of crime, craziness, and fun.
Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of two ongoing series: the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery and murder; and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries, featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors' closets, but murder victims, too. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries has brought the Fixer-Upper Mysteries to TV in a series of movies starring Jewel and Colin Ferguson. A native Californian, Kate worked in television production for many years before turning to writing.
9 Things You Definitely Don't Know about James Bond Author Ian Fleming The Bibliophile Mysteries are modern-day murder mysteries that are motivated by a rare book in the care of bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright. Before writing each book, I do a lot of research and learn fascinating information about the rare book in question, its author, and the times in which the book was published. The most fun part for me is that the themes of the present-day story reflect those of that rare book. For example, while Brooklyn was working on a first-edition of Journey to the Center of the Earth, she found a body in a wine cave (Ripped from the Pages). When she found an 18th-century cookbook and journal, the murder victim was a celebrity chef (A Cookbook Conspiracy). In my latest Bibliophile Mystery, The Book Supremacy, Brooklyn finds a signed first-edition James Bond novel in a book stall in Paris. She's on her honeymoon with her devilishly handsome British security expert husband, so of course the book she finds has to be The Spy Who Loved Me. Most of the action in the story takes place in a San Francisco spy shop, echoing the fun, fast-paced James Bond themes. I include as many juicy details from my research as I can without bogging down the story, but invariably there are tidbits I just couldn't work in. Here are 9 things you definitely don't know about James Bond author Ian Fleming. (Unless you're a member of my mailing list, in which case you know a few of these because I like to share interesting research facts in my newsletters. You can join at KateCarlisle.com.) 1. The original M in his life was his Mum, whom he called M. (One senses a snotty teenager's sneer.) 2. John F. Kennedy became a superfan after meeting Ian Fleming at a party in Washington DC. Not long after, JFK listed From Russia with Love as one of his top 10 favorite books for a piece in Life magazine, propelling the James Bond books to the bestsellers lists in the US. 3. Fleming also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Clearly, he was always into unique cars loaded with gadgets. 4. The name of the character James Bond came from an American ornithologist because, Fleming said it was the dullest name he could think of. (Why he couldn't just make up a boring name, I don't know.) FYI, "dull" is not the criteria I used when naming Brooklyn Wainwright. 5. Fleming was 31 when he joined Naval Intelligence. His codename was 17F. Which does not possess quite the same cachet as double-0-7. 6. He started writing the first draft of Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel, in February 1952 and finished it in March. I confess, it takes me longer than a month to write a book, which is why I only release two per year. (One Bibliophile Mystery and one Fixer-Upper Mystery.) 7. A true bibliophile, Fleming founded a literary journal exclusively dedicated to book collecting, The Book Collector, which is still published today. 8. Fleming wrote a short story called "James Bond in New York," but instead of doing any top secret spy missions while in the Big Apple, Bond visits his favorite shops and restaurants. (Sounds exciting, doesn't it?) Fleming did this as a concession to American publishers who didn't want to publish his book of essays titled Thrilling Cities because Fleming was somewhat less than thrilled with NYC. 9. Fleming wrote all of his James Bond books at his home in Jamaica, which he named GoldenEye, after one of the operations he oversaw in British Naval intelligence during WWII. And in case you knew all of those, here's an interesting Fleming-related fact about Sting, the rock-star frontman for The Police: Sting wrote 'Every Breath You Take' while vacationing at Fleming's estate in Jamaica—at the same desk. The lyrics certainly do sound like they're the soundtrack for a spy novel. Every breath you take Every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take I'll be watching you Did you catch "bond" in there? Do you think that's a coincidence? I don't. To help celebrate the release of The Book Supremacy and its spy shop setting, I'm giving away handy little Bibliophile Mystery magnifiers, with lights and styluses. (Styli?) The giveaway will start on June 13. Join my mailing list so I can email you a reminder when the contest starts or, if you're reading this after June 13, head over to the Secret Room at KateCarlisle.com to see if the contest is still running. So tell me, was I right when I said you definitely wouldn't know these facts about Ian Fleming? What is your opinion of James Bond? Do you get that view from the books, the movies, or both? ABOUT THE BOOK SUPREMACY:
In the latest in this New York Times bestselling series, San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright investigates a mysterious spy novel linked to a string of murders... Newlyweds Brooklyn and Derek are enjoying the final days of their honeymoon in Paris. As they're browsing the book stalls along the Seine, Brooklyn finds the perfect gift for Derek, a first edition James Bond novel, The Spy Who Loved Me. When they bump into Ned, an old friend from Derek’s spy days, Brooklyn shows him her latest treasure. Once they're back home in San Francisco, they visit a spy shop Ned mentioned. The owner begs them to let him display the book Brooklyn found in Paris as part of the shop's first anniversary celebration. Before they agree, Derek makes sure the security is up to snuff—turns out, the unassuming book is worth a great deal more than sentimental value. Soon after, Derek is dismayed when he receives a mysterious letter from Paris announcing Ned’s death. Then late one night, someone is killed inside the spy shop. Are the murders connected to Brooklyn's rare, pricey book? Is there something even more sinister afoot? Brooklyn and the spy who loves her will have to delve into the darkest parts of Derek's past to unmask an enemy who's been waiting for the chance to destroy everything they hold dear. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THANK You Ms. Carlisle for joining us today! I loved the James Bond tidbits. Can't wait to read the book.
Our guest today is Victoria Thompson, author of the bestselling Gaslight Mystery Series and the Counterfeit Lady novels. Her latest Gaslight Mystery, Murder on Trinity Place, releases on April 30. Victoria Thompson is the bestselling author of the Edgar ® and Agatha Award nominated Gaslight Mystery Series and the Sue Grafton Memorial Award nominated Counterfeit Lady Series. Her latest books are Murder on Trinity Place and City of Secrets, both from Berkley. She currently teaches in the Master’s Degree program for writing popular fiction at Seton Hill University. She lives in Illinois with her husband and a very spoiled little dog.
Party like it’s 1899! The first book of the Gaslight Mystery series was set in 1896, and after 22 books, we were approaching the end of 1899, so I thought it would be fun to show the turn of that century. Remember all the hoopla surrounding the most recent “turn of the century” in 1999? Y2K had many of us in a panic with predictions that computers would somehow cease working when the date rolled over to the year 2000. Planes would fall from the sky. Elevators would plunge to the basement. Life as we know it would end. Then the date rolled over and nothing happened! Except for lots of parties and celebrations for the beginning of a new century. Y19HUN? What, I wondered, was going on in anticipation of 1899 becoming 1900? Surely, people were excited and perhaps a bit apprehensive about something in those days, even though they didn’t have any computers back then to malfunction. So I researched it and guess what? In 1899, people had decided that the new century didn’t really start in 1900. They felt that 1900 was actually the last year of the Nineteenth Century! They did celebrate New Year’s Eve that year, but no differently then they had all the other 99 New Year’s Eves of that century. The big celebration for the beginning of the new century was held on New Year’s Eve 1900. What a disappointment! But… Human Beings will always be contrary. Human nature being what it is, not everyone agreed about this, and some people still thought 1900 was the first year of the Twentieth Century. Would those people try to convince everyone else they were right? Of course they would! And would they be annoying when then did so? Yes, indeed. Perhaps even so annoying someone would want to murder them! Which is how Murder on Trinity Place begins. A man who has been trying to convince people they are wrong about the start of the new century is found dead on New Year’s morning. Was someone so annoyed with his arguments that they murdered him? Or was something else going on? Frank and Sarah are on the case. Frank and Sarah Malloy are asked to solve the case by their very superstitious neighbor, Mrs. Ellsworth, because the victim is the father of her new daughter-in-law. (Can we all take a moment here to lament the fact that the English language has no easy way to describe your relationship to your child’s in-laws? “My daughter-in-law’s parents” is so unwieldy. But I digress.) Since Mrs. Ellsworth once saved Sarah’s very life, they cannot refuse, and they begin an investigation that leads them to some very surprising places. Did you believe all the hype about Y2K? Did you stay up to make sure your computer would still function after midnight? Or did you think it was all a big hoax? ********** Murder on Trinity Place
The devil's in the details when a respected man is found murdered near historic Trinity Church, in the exciting new novel from the national bestselling Gaslight Mystery series... As 1899 draws to a close, Frank and Sarah Malloy are ready to celebrate the New Year--and century--at Trinity Church when they notice Mr. Pritchard, a neighbor’s relative, behaving oddly and annoying the other revelers. When Frank tries to intervene and convince Pritchard to return home with them, he refuses and Frank loses him in the crowd. The next morning Sarah and Frank are horrified to learn Pritchard was murdered sometime in the night, his body left on Trinity Place, mere steps from the incident. Frank and Sarah must search Pritchard's past for a link between the new crimes…and old sins. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Thank you Ms. Thompson for guest posting. Y2K was a very real issue in my job at the time (Department of Defense) and we had many contingencies in place which actually were used. It wasn't a hoax in our case.
Please welcome Mariah Fredericks to the blog today. Mariah Fredericks was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives today with her family. She is a graduate of Vassar College with a BA in history. She has written several novels for young adults; her novel Crunch Time was nominated for an Edgar in 2007. A Death of No Importance was her first mystery for adults (Jane Prescott Mysteries) set in the Gilded Age. Her second in the series, Death of a New American, is just released and I will be reviewing shortly.
Writing About the Gilded Age People sometimes ask what drew me to the Gilded Age as the setting for a historical mystery series. Was it the opulence? Edith Wharton? The elaborate facial hair? My answer would be yes…and no. Like any devotee of period drama, I relish the spectacle of the past. But for me, the mansions of Newport, the Poiret gowns, and Tiffany lamps are only truly fascinating when you look at the cruelty that existed alongside the beauty. The Gilded Age is an astonishingly violent time; a few decades after the Civil War, Americans are still slaughtering one another in large numbers through assassination, anarchist bombings, and working conditions that cost tens of thousand of workers their lives in tragedies like the Triangle Factory fire and the Ludlow Massacre. And it’s that contrast that makes the Gilded Age a wonderful time to set a murder mystery. So much rage! So many possible motives! One of the most famous crimes of the Gilded Age was the murder of Stamford White, who was shot by the unhinged Harry K. Thaw. Thaw claimed he had killed White in order to avenge the ravishment of his wife, Gilded Age beauty Evelyn Nesbit. It was a sensational trial, pitting a wealthy famous family against a wealthy famous architect. The country was riveted by the lurid vision of the secret lives of great men, especially Nesbit’s testimony of how White had “seduced” her when she was just a teenager. It had sex, scandal, and celebrity, and the rich guy got off lightly, serving his shortened sentence in a mental asylum under fairly luxurious circumstances. At first glance, the White murder doesn’t seem to have much to do with labor strife—until you look at the economic arc of Evelyn Nesbit’s life. Solidly middle class, the Nesbit family fell on hard times when Evelyn’s father died. Her mother went to work at a department store. 14-year-old Evelyn and her 12-year-old brother also worked there, doing twelve hour shifts, six days a week. It didn’t take the family long to figure out Evelyn’s face and body could earn much better wages, first as an artist’s model and then as chorus girl. This led to the attentions of wealthy men, notably Stamford White. And one evening when Mrs. Nesbit had agreed to be elsewhere, White took Evelyn to his apartment, drugged her and raped her. She would continue with White for a time before marrying a mentally unstable man who beat her with a rawhide whip, shot one man and attacked another. After the trial, the Thaws divorced. While Nesbit would eventually build a life teaching art in California, she was often economically insecure, battling addictions to alcohol and morphine, and attempting suicide in 1926. There are easier ways to make a living. The Jane Prescott novels are told from the perspective of view of a servant, someone close to power but too powerless to be worth noticing. And so she hears and sees a great many things. Jane is an excellent maid: loyal, intelligent, and resourceful. She appreciates the beauty of the Poiret gowns. But she also sees what she calls “the tarnish, the wrinkles, and the dirt.” And when the Stamford Whites and Harry K. Thaws commit crimes, she takes the side of their victims. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THANK YOU Ms. Fredericks for sharing with us. The Gilded Age is a cautionary era and it is good to remember it. We tend to romanticize it because of the massive wealth and forget about all the horribly downtrodden. Which makes for a great setting for murders!
Julia Buckley is a Chicago mystery author. She writes the Writer's Apprentice Series and the Undercover Dish mysteries, and is soon to launch a new series with Berkley Prime Crime. A DARK AND STORMY MURDER was recently named "a noteworthy traditional mystery" by WRITER'S DIGEST, and her novels THE BIG CHILI and CHEDDAR OFF DEAD have both been translated into Japanese. She lives near Chicago with her husband, four cats, and a mischievous Labrador named Digby. She has two grown sons. She is a lifelong reader and a writer since around age six, when she started a notebook of poems. Please welcome her to the M&MM.
The Story of Wally We’ve all visited those lovely little resort towns that sit on lakes or rivers and make wonderful escapes when we’ve had too much of urban life. In my Writer’s Apprentice novels, Blue Lake is just such a town, and like any real vacation escape, its streets are lined with storefronts. Every one of these doors leads to new stories, fascinating lore, interesting people. One of the first places Lena London discovered when she came to town in Book One (A Dark and Stormy Murder) was a hardware store called Bick’s. In the slightly musty lobby of this eccentric and whimsical place stands a giant Grizzly bear who holds a sign that says “Bick’s is Best.” For a year, Lena walks in and out of Bick’s to pursue various purchases or to mail letters in the ancient post office at the back of the store, but only in Book Four (Death Waits in the Dark), does Lena learn the story of the Grizzly. His name was Wally. Wally, in life, had been a fixture at the Riverton Zoo, a couple hours from Blue Lake. Beloved by all of Riverton and by zoo visitors from far and wide, Wally enjoyed a long life and formed a loving bond with his caretaker. When the bear died of old age, his keeper asked to have Wally preserved in the hopes of keeping some part of his majestic bear alive for posterity. The man received permission and Wally became a work of taxidermy, similar to the fellow pictured here (from Wikimedia Commons). Through a series of events that are made clear in the book, Wally makes his way to Mr. Bick, and for years he has stood guard in the lobby of Bick’s Hardware. Lena learns this information and feels neglectful—she has passed Wally so many times, but she had never learned his story. With each door she enters in Blue Lake, Lena learns more about the people—and the animals—who populate her town. In the latest installment, she also learns a great deal about the past. Her employer, the suspense novelist Camilla Graham, is confronted by a woman who threatens to reveal “Graham family secrets” if Camilla does not come clean. Unfortunately, Camilla has no idea what the woman means, and everyone in the Graham family is dead. She and Lena must come together to find out secrets from the past before someone sullies the family name of Camilla’s dear deceased husband, James. As they search, they find dark secrets—and death. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
THANK You Ms. Buckley for joining us. This is her second guest post with us, check out her prior post about Mary Stewart (click here). Here is a short interview with Ms. Buckley: https://youtu.be/blp2GSCGHV0
Part 2 of the interview https://youtu.be/RE_dVxDfaI8
Part 3 of the interview https://youtu.be/d3WzMaudX4s
I have read and reviewed two of Jennifer David Hesse's Wiccan Wheel cozy mystery series, the 3rd Yuletide Homicide (click here) and the 5th Mayday Murder (click here). I am tickled to have her guest post today about featuring an often misunderstood belief system in her cozy mysteries. Ms. Hesse is the author of the Wiccan Wheel Mysteries, a cozy mystery series published by Kensington Books. Born and raised in Central Illinois, Jennifer earned her undergraduate degree as an English major from Eastern Illinois University and her law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. After an eight-year stint in New York, she now makes her home in Chicago with her husband and daughter. When she’s not writing, or working her day job as an environmental lawyer, Jennifer enjoys yoga, hiking, and movie night with her family.
“How will my books be received?” Should authors worry about how their books will be received? The obvious answer is: Of course! Authors all want their books to be well-received. We want to be liked, highly reviewed, and successful. Duh! But another camp might say: Don’t worry about it. Just write your story. Tell the tale in your heart without regard for how it will be received. There’s validity in both points of view. Writers really shouldn’t obsess over what readers will think. They have no control over it anyway. Still, doubt and angst are very common among author types. First time authors, especially, worry about how their books will be received. For me, I had double the concern. My debut book series features a main character who practices Wicca—an often misunderstood belief system. I wondered how my books would be viewed by folks who knew very little about Wicca. Would they find it threatening or weird? Might they even find it antagonistic to their own beliefs? I’d heard of some books receiving one-star reviews simply based on the subject matter. Quelle horreur! But that wasn’t really my biggest concern. On the flip side, and more importantly, I wondered how the books would be received by actual, real-life Wiccans. Wicca has been an officially recognized religion in the United States since 1986. And it’s been practiced in its modern form since at least the mid-twentieth century. In a nutshell, Wicca is an earth-based religion in which practitioners recognize the divine in nature and work with the elements to connect with sacred energy. (The five lines that form a pentagram represent earth, air, fire, water, and spirit.) It’s a peaceful religion, guided by the principle: “If it harm none, do as you will.” In fact, because it’s such a life-affirming path, where practitioners take responsibility for their own growth and actions, it can be particularly offensive to Wiccans for anyone to associate them with anything evil or negative. Yes, most Wiccans call themselves “witches.” But there’s no “devil worship” in Wicca. Satan doesn’t even exist in Wicca. Beyond the outdated fear of “evil witches,” there’s also an unfortunate tendency for some to view Wicca as frivolous or kooky (especially in the media around Halloween time). But this form of spirituality is just as valid as anyone else’s. It’s nothing to be made fun of. Knowing all this, I wanted to write Keli, my Wiccan heroine, as realistic as possible. And I definitely wanted to be respectful. Luckily, I think I succeeded. I’ve released five books so far, and I continue to receive positive feedback. I’ve heard from many witches, Wiccans, and Pagans, who enjoy the books. Several have commented that it’s refreshing to see someone like themselves in the pages of a cozy mystery. And many have said that they can relate to Keli’s concerns and struggles around keeping her faith private. As for non-Wiccans, I’m happy to say I’ve gotten positive reviews from them too. In the cozy mystery genre, authors really do need to consider their readers’ expectations. (For example, there shouldn’t be any graphic violence or overt sex in a cozy mystery. Even strong language should be kept to a minimum.) Cozy fans are in it for the puzzles and light suspense, the quirky characters and element of fun. But cozy readers are smart too. I’ve heard from many who have said they’ve enjoyed learning about a spiritual practice they were previously unfamiliar with. By the same token, some have noted they’re glad there’s not so much Wicca as to be distracting from the main story. After all, these books are first and foremost mysteries—not religious textbooks. Of course, you can never please everyone. Some readers like more romance or humor in their mysteries; some want less. In the end, the author has to go with her gut and just tell the story that wants to be told. Funny enough, early on I did receive one critical email from a reader. She felt it was unrealistic for a vegan to eat bar food and drink a rum and coke. Ironically, that part was probably the most realistic thing I wrote! Of course, vegans are as diverse as Wiccans. Everyone is different. Yet we’re all human. And that’s a good thing for us all to remember. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THANK You Jennifer for joining us today. Thank you for your series being unique in many ways. Variety is the spice of life, and I like variety in my mysteries. Jennifer can be found online at: Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Goodreads || Amazon || Newsletter
A warm welcome to each and every guest, grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me. This is a blog for mystery, suspense, and thriller lovers.
Monday's: musings on the mystery genre, some author interviews, book giveaways, blog tours, mystery related games or trivia, even an occasional mystery/thriller movie review depending on what I scare up.
Julienne's ideal resort management career may come to an abrupt end when a celebrity pastor dies at the buffet table.
Nailed: Resort to Murder Mystery II
Julienne is snow bound in the middle of the Rocky Mountains with a killer striking at will.
SPIKED: Resort to Murder III
Julienne must solve the murder of a private investigator found with her business card on his dead body.
ARROWED: RESORT TO MURDER IV
It all began when a dying man with an arrow in his chest grabs her ankle.
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I’m a Colorado gal who loves the mountains and low bug population but hates the snow and cold. I have been a book worm from second grade and my first venture into writing stories was fourth grade.
I love pretty much all mysteries and those with a paranormal angle in particular. I look forward to sharing my adventures in reading with you.
