Eager to shake up her drinks and her life, mixologist Pepper Revelle jumps at an invitation to join the elite Bohemia Bartenders. Leader Neil thinks she’ll be the perfect advance gal for his team at a colorful cocktail convention in her hometown of New Orleans, but the job turns out to be more bananas than a drunk monkey. Setting up the key tasting for their distiller client, she and Neil discover their whiskey has gone dangerously bad. But how? And was this shocking poisoning more than an accident?
Lucy Lakestone is an award-winning author who lives on Florida’s east central coast, among the towns that serve as an inspiration for the hot romances of her Bohemia Beach Series and the jumping-off point for the Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries. She’s been a journalist, photographer, editor and video producer but prefers living in her imagination, where the moon is full and the cocktails are divine. Learn more at LucyLakestone.com.
After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it’s a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver’s seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions . . .
When coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi awakens on a bench in Washington Square Park, she has no idea she’s been missing for the past week.
Brewed Awakening: A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle
Now that she’s back, everyone is overjoyed, including a handsome NYPD detective who claims to be her fiancé. But to Mike Quinn’s crushing distress, Clare doesn’t remember him, or much of anything about the last decade of her life.
Clare’s missing memory is tied to a crime she witnessed. A kidnapping was captured on camera, and the authorities grow suspicious. Is Clare really a victim? Or merely acting like one?
V.M. Burns
Mystery Bookshop Mysteries
V.M. Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest, she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com Author Links: Website: http://www.vmburns.com/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/ Twitter: @vmburns Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Books-A-Million | Hudson Booksellers | Kobo
Cleo Coyle
Coffeehouse Mysteries
CLEO COYLE is the pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. CLEO COYLE grew up in a small town near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After earning scholarships to study writing at Carnegie Mellon and American Universities, she began her career as a cub reporter for The New York Times. Now an author of popular fiction and New York Times bestselling media tie-in writer, Cleo lives and works in New York City, where she collaborates with her husband (also a bestselling author) to pen the Coffeehouse Mysteries for Penguin. When not haunting coffeehouses, hunting ghosts, or rescuing stray cats, Cleo and Marc are bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for NBC, Lucasfilm, Disney, Fox, Imagine, and MGM. Visit Cleo online: www.coffeehousemystery.com Friend Cleo on Facebook:www.Facebook.com/CleoCoyle Follow Cleo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cleocoyle/ Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google Play | BookBub
Cleo Coyle’s Nutella Fudge Recipe
To download this recipe in a free PDF that you can print, save, or share, click here.
Makes one 8×8 pan of fudge
5 minutes to prepare + 3 hours to chill Ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 (12 ounce) package good quality semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Nutella (or your favorite) chocolate-hazelnut spread (room temperature)
Step 1 – Crisscross the bottom of an 8 x 8 square pan with two sheets of parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend over the sides, like handles. You’ll use these paper handles to lift the finished block of fudge from the pan.
Step 2 – Place the milk, pieces of butter, and chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring between sessions, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Be patient with this process, taking care not to burn the chocolate. Once the mixture is melted, add the salt, vanilla, and Nutella. Stir from the bottom, lifting and folding to blend everything well. Pour the mixture into your lined pan, and use a rubber spatula to level the top. Step 3 – Chill the pan until the block of fudge is firm. This will take about 3 hours. Remove, cut into small squares, and serve in mini cupcake liners. Match the design of the paper liners to reflect whatever you’re celebrating, and this recipe will work for almost any holiday or party that comes along. Store fudge inside an airtight container and keep in your refrigerator.
THE SOUTHERNMOST STATE HAS A FEW SURPRISES IN STORE.
The woman known as Sandy-Sue “Fortune” Morrow pressed her phone to her ear and paced. Now and then she cast an anxious glance over the bayou that ran across the back of her lawn.
“So Ahmad’s men are back in New Orleans?” she asked.
“And that’s not all. We’re picking up on some chatter indicating one or possibly two of them might be headed to Sinful.”
“I can handle two. When can I expect them?”
“Don’t even think about it. We need to get you out of there.”
“But Harrison—”
“Don’t worry, it’s not a permanent relocation. We’ll just send you on vacation for a few days until we get a better handle on this.”
“Great. What forsaken backwater are you going to drop me into to this time?”
“Morrow wants to send you to Hawaii.”
“Hawaii? I’m listening.”
“We have a safe house, and someone there who can help you get settled in. You’re flying out of Lake Charles Regional Airport tomorrow morning.”
“Geez, Harrison, thanks for the advance notice. Tomorrow? What am I going to tell everyone?”
“Who do you have to tell? You’re not answerable to anyone.”
“Look, I’m doing my best to blend in. But that means I’ve become part of the community and I can’t just disappear.”
In fact, Fortune had done better than just blend in. After several weeks in Sinful, Louisiana, she was starting to feel she fit in. It was getting harder to maintain her emotional detachment. Maybe a few days away would be just what she needed to regain it. “How about this?” Harrison suggested. “Tell whoever needs to know that your family wants you to take a look at some property out west for them. Don’t give any more details than that, and do not tell anyone you’re going to Hawaii. Keep it vague. Oh, and there’s something else. Ahmad’s guys will be looking for a young woman traveling alone, so you need to find someone to go with you.” “Oh, that won’t be a problem—” “Uh-uh. The Director will have an aneurism if you even think about getting those two geriatric loose cannons involved.” “Are you saying I can’t bring Gertie and Ida Belle? They’re the only ones I don’t have to maintain cover with.” “You should be keeping cover anyway. You have a ten-million-dollar bounty on your head, remember? Look, don’t you know any sweet, non-trigger-happy old ladies with nice manners?”
CIA operative Fortune Redding crossed a ruthless arms dealer. Now she's hiding out in remote Sinful, Louisiana, with a fake identity, fake hair, and a real price on her head. But just as she thinks she's safe, her handler warns that Ahmad's men are getting close. She has less than 24 hours to clear out and make it to the safe house in Hawaii. What's more, they'll be looking for a woman traveling alone, so Fortune needs a companion. A respectable, low-profile, non-trigger-happy companion. Which rules out Gertie and Ida Belle.
Mary-Alice Arceneaux just got a big surprise for her 70th birthday--a trip to Hawaii, courtesy of young Fortune Morrow. But with bounty hunters on their trail, and family secrets lurking in the unlikeliest of places, the southernmost state has a few more surprises in store.
St. Charles Hotel Chicken Gumbo (original 1920 recipe)
For five gallons of Creole Gumbo use: Three gallons of chicken broth; two pounds of chicken giblets; two pounds knuckle of ham. Cut both in one inch pieces and fry them brown in some good lard. Add to them four or six large crabs, cut up; two dozen of lake shrimps, two dozen of Bayou Cook oysters. Cut ten dozen of fresh okra pods, half-dozen of Spanish onions, two dozen of green peppers, cut up in dices. Add one gallon of peeled tomatoes, one tablespoonful Creole file, salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer on slow fire for about one and one-half hours. Serve with Louisiana steamed rice.
Cozies With Heart: 9 Sweet Valentine Cozy Mysteries
Grab a cup of cocoa and get ready to spend Valentine’s Day with a heart-warming collection of ten Valentine’s themed Cozy Mysteries from some of the most popular authors in the genre: Jodi Rath,
Stephanie Damore, Summer Prescott, Karin Kaufman, Gretchen Allen, CeeCee James, and Donna Walo Clancy. There are short stories, novellas and full-length books in the set, all of which are sure to grab you from the first page and take you on a thrill-filled ride through the sweetest holiday of the year.
Valentine’s Day Berry Cake from author Jodi Rath
Use a mini cast iron when baking for one or two!
Recipe adapted from: https://toasterovenlove.com
Ingredients
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup frozen berries (do not thaw)
Optional Toppings
Ice cream, melted chocolate chips, whipped cream, yogurt
Instructions
1. Preheat toaster oven to 350 F and lightly oil a 3.5 inch cast iron skillet.
2. In a small bowl mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, baking powder, and
salt. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until well combined, and no
oil is sitting on the top. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
3. Pour batter into prepared skillet. Top with frozen berries and sprinkle remaining brown
sugar over fruit.
4. Bake at 350 F for 17 to 22 (times may vary depending on your oven) minutes until the
cake is lightly golden and the fruit is bubbly. Allow cake to cool 5 to 8 minutes and serve
warm with your favorite toppings.
Enjoy!
About Jodi
Moving into her second decade working in education, Jodi Rath has decided to begin a life of crime in her Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series. Her passion for both mysteries and education led her to combine the two to create her business MYS ED, where she splits her time between working as an adjunct for Ohio teachers and creating mischief in her fictional writing. She currently resides in a small, cozy village in Ohio with her husband and her seven cats.
Erin is one smart cookie, but can she keep the holiday spirit—and herself—alive till Christmas?
In Jewel Bay, all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily has turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.
When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?
Includes delicious recipes!
Leslie, thanks for stopping by Island Confidential! Can you tell us about your protagonist, Erin?
Erin Murphy runs the Merc, a local foods shop in her family’s hundred-year-old grocery in the heart of the village of Jewel Bay, Montana. She’s half Italian, as you can tell by her name, and deeply committed to the village, local business, her friends and family, and justice. Like a lot of Montana kids, she left the state for a few years, then returned. It still surprises her to realize that while she was gone, her hometown changed. But then, so did she.
In AS THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CRUMBLES, Erin meets another woman returning to her hometown after years away and feels an instant connection. She’s determined to forge a friendship, despite what some locals, and the woman’s own parents, say about her. She’s busy at the Merc, village headquarters for holiday food and gifts. And she’s getting married on Christmas Eve.
What could go wrong?
How much alike are you and Erin?
Like Erin, I grew up in Montana, left, and returned. I’m enjoying exploring that theme, a common one, through the experiences of a younger woman. Like her, I’m obsessed with food and enjoy cooking and entertaining. Erin shares my habit of spouting odd lines of poetry or from a play, my love of cats and cookies, and my commitment to my community. Although her mother Fresca and I aren’t much alike, I suspect that if I met Erin, she would feel like a daughter to me.
Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
Oh, definitely! That’s part of their appeal to me as a writer, and I hope, part of their appeal to the reader.
Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
I’ve thought of it, but never done it because if I disliked someone that much, I wouldn’t want to spend six months and 300 pages with them!
How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
The village of Jewel Bay, Montana is closely based on the town where I live, though I’ve changed the street names and most of the businesses. A few are simply too cozy, too iconic, to mess with, so I’ve kept them alive, with the owners’ permission—Red’s Bar, the Playhouse, and the Jewel Inn would all be easy to identify if you strolled the streets with me. There’s a touch of wish fulfillment in my fictional town—a lovely green belt we lack around the bay, which we do have, a library and community center we hope to get soon, and a bakery I’m glad doesn’t exist because I would drop in far too often!
When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
Honestly, I don’t know! I don’t use actors as models for my story people, and couldn’t begin to cast the finished project! Occasionally, I picture someone I know when I start creating a character, but they evolve so much as the story unfolds that no one would ever recognize them on the page.
What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
It’s actually the same piece of advice: Do whatever works. It’s the best because it gives a writer permission to find her own way, and the worst because it can give her an excuse to stay stuck in a rut. Writers are often told they must write every day. When I started, I was practicing law full-time, sometimes more. I just didn’t have the brain power to write every day, so I wrote on Fridays and Saturday mornings—and finished three manuscripts that way. But when my work schedule changed, I chose to develop new writing habits and now I do write nearly every day. I’ve always been a planner, but when I couldn’t see the middle of a book in advance, despite knowing the ending, I let myself start anyway, trusting that I would discover what happened in those chapters along the way. Following a radically different process was terrifying, but for that book, it worked. And now, because I’ve been willing to explore other processes, other options, I’ve got more writerly tools in my box.
Thank you for letting me introduce myself to your readers. It is such a gift to be trusted with someone’s most valuable assets: their time and attention. I am grateful to be able to explore the world through storytelling—and it’s the readers who make that possible.
About The Author Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. She lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician, and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model, and avid bird-watcher.
Connect with her on her website, http://www.LeslieBudewitz.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter. AmazonB&NBookBubKobo
Theodosia Browning investigates a Charleston steeped in tradition and treachery in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.
While viewing the harbor’s Gaslights and Galleons Parade from the widow’s walk of Timothy Neville’s Charleston mansion, local banker Carson Lanier seemingly tumbles over a narrow railing, then plunges three stories to his death. But a tragic accident becomes something much more sinister when it’s discovered that the victim was first shot with a bolt from a crossbow.
At the request of the mansion owner, Theodosia investigates the tragedy and is soon neck deep in suspects. An almost ex-wife, a coworker, a real estate partner–all had motives for killing the luckless banker, but one resorted to murder to settle accounts.
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!
Interview with Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of Plum Tea Crazy.
Laura, thanks for stopping by Island Confidential. Can you tell us a little bit about your protagonist?
Theodosia Browning is the sassy, outgoing proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop. Formerly a marketing exec, Theodosia is quick-witted and droll, and has a knack for getting embroiled in police investigations. How alike are you and Theodosia?
I’m a former marketing exec myself, but I’ve never gotten involved in a criminal investigation. However, if I met Theodosia in real life I’d probably be analyzing clues right alongside her and trying to figure out a list of suspects. Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
They’re the same characters personality-wise. However, they have grown and evolved a bit over the course of nineteen books. For example, Theodosia and her dog Earl Grey used to live in the apartment above the Indigo Tea Shop. Now they reside in a cute little Hansel and Gretel cottage in Charleston’s historic district. Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life – on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
I haven’t killed anyone from my past in any of my books, but I do get my petty revenge from time to time. I assign their names to killers or characters that I particularly detest! How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties or are you true to life?
My Charleston, SC setting is faithful right down to the antique cobblestones. The places I write about – Church Street, Gateway Walk, Duelers Alley, White Point Gardens – are all real places. My job as an author is to capture their charm and allure with words. I want you to picture the Spanish moss swaying in the trees, smell the salty Atlantic air rushing in, and have the feeling of being followed down a narrow, walled-in lane. When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major roles?
I think Debra Messing would make a terrific Theodosia
and Michael Caine would be a delightful Drayton. What’s the worst and best advice you’ve ever heard or received as an author? Worst advice – English teachers (pretty much all of them) who tried to hammer in that old maxim of “writing what you know about.” If authors did that we’d never have fantastic novels about outer space, time travel, and dinosaurs. Writing is all about creating imagery – a direct product of stretching your imagination! Best advice – This was an object lesson of sorts. Mystery great Mary Higgins Clark took me under her wing at a Mystery Writers of America symposium and graciously introduced me to several editors and agents. When it came time for lunch – when Mary had a plethora of invitations – she whispered to me that she had to go home and write, that she had a tricky deadline. That’s when I realized that producing pages and meeting deadlines took precedence over panel discussions, lunch, and everything else. I realized that writing was serious business. BONUS: Stay tuned for a character interview with Theodosia Browning herself!
About the Author
Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.
Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are: The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston. The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here! The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.
Visit Laura’s webpage or find her on Facebook.
Here in rural Hawaii, many of our neighbors own chickens. When they’re laying (the chickens, I mean), we have access to really fresh, delicious eggs–and a lot of them.
Here’s a quick way to turn a dozen eggs into a tasty meal. If you’re watching your carbs, this is a great, keto-friendly dish. If you’re limiting your fat intake, this is probably not the recipe for you.
Preheat oven to 350.
Take
1 dozen eggs
1 pound shredded cheese (cheddar or Swiss style)
1.5 cups heavy cream
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic salt
(Optional) 1/2 cup to 1 cup of whatever leftover cooked meat or vegetables you have in the fridge that might taste good. Chopped Spam, for example.
Mix everything together (I use a KitchenAid mixer) and pour into an oiled or parchment-lined lasagna pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Bake about an hour and fifteen minutes. Or if you’re using combination microwave/convection, half an hour at 325.
Calling this a “recipe” might be a little grandiose, but it’s a great way to get a main dish going with minimal effort and maximal deliciousness.
What we call pork butt is actually the shoulder.
Know Your Pig Parts
1) Buy a pork butt. It will probably be somewhere in the 5-10 pound range. If you’re lucky enough to have locally raised pork available, go for it! If you can get a bone-in butt, you’ll get the benefit of all of that glycine,proline, and other bone-y benefits.
2) Drop the pork butt into your slow cooker.
You should have a slow cooker in your kitchen. I like the latching cover for potluck-friendly portability, and the shallow oval shape for access to the food.
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