Author Snapshot

Cozy is the Word

 For some reason, a line from a favorite movie song, “Grease is the Word” (thank me for that earworm!) came to mind as I started writing this. But hey, as far as mysteries are concerned, cozy really is the word. There was a debacle a while ago with a publisher chopping its cozy list, but that proved to be foolhardy as readers just love their cozies! (And I saw mentioned online that publishers are opening up to more cozies again!)

So, this time around I asked a couple favorite authors to share news on their latest cozy offerings.

 

 

Author and Agatha nominee Kaye George will have everyone craving their favorite candies with Revenge is Sweet, first in the Vintage Sweets series from Lyrical Press. The book, now on pre-order, releases March 10. Tally Holt has opened a new candy store with a vintage twist in the picturesque tourist town of Fredericksburg, Texas… but there’s no sugar-coating a nasty case of murder . . . https://kayegeorge.wixsite.com/kaye-george

About the Book: Tally Holt has poured her heart, soul, and bank account into Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, specializing in her grandmother’s delicious recipes. Tally’s homemade Mallomars, Twinkies, fudges, and taffy are a hit with visiting tourists—and with Yolanda Bella, the flamboyant owner of Bella’s Baskets next door. But both shops encounter a sour surprise when local handyman Gene Faust is found dead in Tally’s kitchen, stabbed with Yolanda’s scissors.

George says she enjoyed writing the series as it’s set in a favorite place.

“It gives me a chance to revisit an area I love,” she says. “Fredericksburg itself has a unique history including being the birthplace of Admiral Nimitz, the place where many religious German farmers settled, and home to many Hill Country wineries. It’s also a big grape-growing district. Those disparate elements blend to create a diverse, vibrant vacation destination.”

And, she adds, it’s also a place that offers good personal memories.

“One Thanksgiving, when my husband and I still lived in Texas, all of our children found it was their turn for visit the other side of the family and we found ourselves alone,” she recalls. “So we took off for another trip to Fredericksburg and had a ball. This only made me fonder of the place.”

First Line:

Tally Holt opened her eyes to the startlingly close orbs of her big Maine Coon cat, Nigel.

Author Camille Minichino has taken an entirely new approach to her writing with her latest book, Mousse and Murder (written as Elizabeth Logan), first in the new Alaskan Diner series. (Pre-order, releases May 5.) http://www.minichino.com/

About the Book: When Chef Charlie Cooke is offered the chance to leave San Francisco and return home to Elkview, Alaska, to take over her mother’s diner, she doesn’t even consider saying no. After all–her love life has recently become a Love Life Crumble, and a chance to reconnect with her roots may be just what she needs.

Determined to bring fresh life and flavors to the Bear Claw Diner, Charlie starts planning changes to the menu, which has grown stale over the years. But her plans are fried when her head cook Oliver turns up dead after a bitter and public fight over Charlie’s ideas–leaving Charlie as the only suspect in the case.

The fun of this series is that she’s taking an entirely different approach, Minichino says.

“My first four mystery series were inspired by me, that is, careers or hobbies I’ve had—physicist, miniaturist, math teacher, postal worker,” she explains. “Even most of my short stories have been connected in some way to my past—a nun, a concession worker on a boardwalk. But for this new series, (her 26^th through 28^th novels!), I’m breaking away from that pattern, and actually writing fiction! Yes, it was my publisher’s idea.”

The cover also is hints at a new-to-her element: “How about a cat in Alaska?” my editor said. (As most of you may know, editors don’t ask, even when there’s a question mark at the end of their sentences. They tell.) “Sure,” I said.

“I’ve never owned a cat,” Minichino admits, “but apparently every one of my friends has and they were only too eager to help me out with stories. Thus, an orange tabby, Eggs Benedict, Benny for short, was born. (He has his own Pinterest page, by the way. You can check out ‘Benny the Orange Tabby’ at www.pinterest.com.”

Turns out, the cat may be the best part of the book, or at least got the most attention, she jokes.

“It’s funny to have my critique partners argue over whether Benny can or cannot do a certain thing, eat a certain thing, sound a certain way,” she says. It’s not much different from other research, such as when you ask a question of experts in police procedure, for example, and you get a ‘yes’ from three or four, and ‘no’ from three or four others. The good news is you’re free to do what you want!”

A funny example she shares is “one friend insists her cat eats corn on the cob, while it’s still on the cob. She demonstrates with her own hands and mouth. Another friend insists no cat would or can do that. I’m still deciding.”

Excerpt:

I called up the number of my best friend, Annie Jensen and got voicemail. Too bad. But a useful offshoot of the failed attempt to contact Annie came to me. Thanks to the orderly arrangement of my contacts list, I had a stabbing reminder of a meaningful action I needed to take, one long overdue. Jensen was immediately after Jamison on my screen. I gritted my teeth and highlighted Ryan Jamison, my ex‑fiancé, and one of the reasons I’d fled San Francisco. Ryan, the SF Bay Area lawyer who saw greener pastures with one of his paralegals and neglected to inform me in a timely fashion. I hit DELETE and felt a shiver of glee, as if I’d punched him in the gut, but without the assault charge.

 

Other Book & Story News:

 

Both Kaye George and Camille Minichino also have stories in the new anthology, Mid-Century Murder from Darkhouse Books.

George’s story, “Life and Death on the Road,” was inspired by the time her little brother ran away from home and joined a traveling carnival, similar to the fictional version but with slightly less violence.

“He called our dad in the middle of the night from a neighboring state (our parents were frantic and had no idea where he was),” she says. “My little brother was afraid of his co-workers and begged my dad to come get him—which he did!”

Story Excerpts:

Davy lay awake, rigid, unable to relax. On his back on the thin mattress, his arms stiff at his sides, his shoulders tight, his eyes wide open in the darkness. The words of the Head Carny echoing through his young brain.—”Life and Death on the Road” by Kaye George. https://kayegeorge.wixsite.com/kaye-george

 We travel down the road to Las Alamos, New Mexico where engineers and scientists work to develop ever bigger and better atomic bombs. It’s a long way from Brooklyn Heights, and Lorna is willing to do anything to return.—“Lorna” by Camille Minichino. http://www.minichino.com/

 In the not-so-cozy category, USA Today Bestselling Author Jean Rabe’s thriller, The Bone Shroud, was chosen as the winner in the adult category of the 2019 Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project. The winning books are judged and chosen by librarians across the state in recognition of excellence in independent publishing. The award was presented at the Illinois Library Association annual conference in Tinley Park, Ill.

Set in Italy, The Bone Shroud features an archivist from the Chicago Field Museum and some interesting links to the infamous Attila the Hun. The judges likened it to “Dan Brown in flavor.”

If you like your mysteries a little edgier, Rabe also is working on book four in her Piper Maxwell mystery series, The Dead of Jerusalem Ridge, set to release in late June. Stay tuned for the cover reveal soon!

About the Book:

Sheriff Piper Blackwell’s three-day vacation with her old Army buddies takes a deadly turn. At the same time, a blatant hate crime along a country road vexes the rest of her department. Their forces divided, Piper and her deputies have two cases to solve before tensions boil and threaten the rural fabric of Spencer County Indiana. Only eight months on the job, the young sheriff is taxed to her limits, and she questions her ability to stay in office.

The most recent and third book in the series, The Dead of Summer, has the sheriff investigating an accident involving a carnival ride at the local Indiana county fair along with a grisly murder. You can also get acquainted with the young sheriff with books 1 and 2, The Dead of Winter and The Dead of Night. Check out her website for more details, www.jeanrabe.com .