Tag: Southern

Posted on

New baking mystery with character interview: Cake and Punishment

Enter to win a Kindle!
Enter to win a Kindle!

In the first of a delectable new Southern-set baking cozy series, Sophia Cummings, pastry chef extraordinaire, must craft the perfect cake for an old friend’s wedding while sifting through the suspects in a murder.
Bucolic Rumford, Kentucky has glowing fields of bluegrass, a fine selection of bourbons, and now a professional pastry chef. Broken-hearted Sophia Cummings has come home from New York City. She’s not there a minute before she’s charmed into making her high school friend Charlotte’s wedding cake. The kitchen at the Rumford Country Club seems perfect until Chef Emile’s body is discovered, sprawled near the stove, a cast iron skillet on the floor close by.With one look at the shiny, new frying pan, Sophia knows it’s not Emile’s. She offers her knowledge to Sheriff Carter and her talents to Evelyn, the manager, who needs an interim chef. The mood in the country club is grim: Emile’s peppery personality had burned members and staff alike. Sophia wonders which one of them burned him?

Character Interview: Sophia Cummings

Sophia, welcome to Island Confidential! I understand baking has been more than just a hobby for you. Would you like to elaborate? 
I’ve been baking since I was a little girl. It was one thing that I had to myself that my mama, Bitsy, never liked to do. I started to use it as a way to get out from under her thumb because she wanted to put me in pageants, join the junior league and all sorts of clubs southern mamas dream of their daughters doing. I’m no debutante, so I think I used baking as a way to get back at her, which turned out to be my greatest accomplishment.
Which character in Cake and Punishment do you get along with the best?
Definitely Carter. Since I’ve been home, I’ve kinda gotten close to him and happy to say that he’s grown into a man from the scrawny boy I knew in high school. Plus, I might have a small attraction to him.
Is there anyone you don’t get along with so well?
Hhmmm…Bitsy. I love my mama. I do. But…she’s still has a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that I’m not going to be a homemaker. Plus she thinks I’m going to stay in Rumford, listen, I’m only here for a couple of weeks. That’s it.
Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author, Maymee Bell?
I rolled my eyes so hard when she told me that she’d enrolled in a baking and decorating class. She’s great at cooking, but baking….man oh man. I was impressed with some things she was able to do in class and really give her credit, but she needs to leave the baking to me.
What’s next for you?
I guess you’ll have to see!

About the Author


Maymee Bell is the pen name of USA Today Bestselling author Tonya Kappes. She lives in Kentucky with her family and her two schnauzers. She likes strong coffee, slow-country days, and fresh-baked cookies – but she like telling stores best of all. This is her first SOUTHERN BAKER MYSTERY. Be sure to check out Tonya’s website for upcoming events and news and to sign up for her newsletter! Tonyakappes.com

Blog | Twitter | Facebook| Website | Amazon

Sign up for Frankie’s newsletter and get a free Professor Molly story

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

Six Feet Under (A Kenni Lowry Mystery) by Tonya Kappes. With character interview!

Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. And let me tell you, this broth is in trouble. Get ready for a Southern showdown.
The residents of Cottonwood, Kentucky are sent into a tizzy when the Culinary Channel comes to town to film an episode of Southern Home Cookin’ with celebrity chef Frank Von Lee.
Especially Sheriff Kenni Lowry.
Her mama’s award-winning chicken pot pie is what brought Frank to town, and they don’t make hair in the South bigger than her mama’s ego after the news.
When Frank Von Lee is found dead from food poisoning and the most likely culprit is Mama’s chicken pot pie, Kenni’s poppa, the former sheriff, comes back from the Great Beyond to assist in the investigation.
But nothing’s prepared Kenni for such a personal tie to a case, and she finds herself pushing the limits of the laws she’s sworn to protect.
This book’s so delicious it’ll make your mouth water and leave you hankerin’ for more.

Character Interview

Vivian, welcome to Island Confidential! Can  you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?
I’m a smidgen of a perfectionist. I know. . .my friend’s jaws will drop because I’m so selfless and caring and seem a bit carefree. I like things to go just so and I have a hard time letting go when they don’t. Now, I’m gonna trust that this is just between me and you because I don’t want any unruly rumors out there that I’m bragging on myself, because I’m not. Around these parts, rumors are ramped.
Who’s your favorite character in Six Feet Under?
Definitely my daughter, Kenni. I mean…Sheriff Kendrick Lowry. She’s been elected twice now. Did you hear that she’s dating the hunk deputy of her’s? Finn Vincent. Oh my. I’ve said too much. She might not like me telling you that but deep down, I know that she’s just over the moon. Over the moon!
Is there anyone you have a conflict with?
Everyone loves me and I love them. I’m not saying that I don’t have a few disagreements with some people and right now I don’t have time to be worried about anyone because the Culinary Channel is coming here to film me and my little famous chicken pot pie. See, everyone loves me.
Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?
She could put on some lipstick when she’s talking to me. I never understood why Tonya doesn’t live up to her southern roots. She really should get a bath and clean up before she goes to work. It’s not pretty.
What’s next for you?
I’m gonna be famous! My chicken pot pie is going to be tasted by the famous Chef Frank Von Lee. He’s going to make me famous. Youwhoooooo, Hollywood, here I come!

About the Author

For years, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been publishing numerous mystery and romance titles with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plot lines and quirky characters, but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans.
 

For years, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been publishing numerous mystery and romance titles with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plot lines and quirky characters but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans.
Sign up for her newsletter on her website at Tonyakappes.com .
Visit Tonya:
Facebook at Author Tonya Kappes,
https://www.facebook.com/authortonyakappes
Kappes Krew Street Team
https://www.facebook.com/groups/208579765929709/
Website
tonyakappes.com
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4423580.Tonya_Kappes
Twitter 
https://twitter.com/tonyakappes11
Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/tonyakappes/

Amazon|B&N |kobo

Sign up for Frankie’s newsletter and get a free Professor Molly story

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

Character Interview: Lily Gayle Lambert from Death of a Wolfman

 Lily Gayle Lambert is a professional seamstress specializing in period dresses for convention attendees and re-enactment groups along with being an amateur genealogist. And a big pain in the butt to the county sheriff…who just happens to be her cousin. 
 Cover
Quicker than she can stitch together the threads of a genealogy project she’s just signed on to research, Lily Gayle finds herself embroiled in investigating the Halloween night murder of a stranger who suffers from ‘wolfman syndrome’.  Before she can even get going good on the first murder a member of a prominent family turns up dead too.
Escaping from a trailer in the woods owned by two good ole boys suspected of being involved and a confrontation with the eldest son of the town’s wealthiest family have Lily Gayle hot on the trail of the killer.
With the help of her lifelong best friend, Dixie, Lily Gayle must find the link between the two and solve the mystery before her investigation makes her the next target.

Q: Lily Gayle, thanks for stopping by Island Confidential. Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself, maybe something readers might not know?
A. I’m 48 years old. I left Mercy after high school to attend Ole Miss. I can tell you I had some really good time on that campus (wink wink) and I met my husband while I was there. We had some real good years together. No kids though. It was a sadness for both of us. He’s gone now. Killed in a car wreck coming home from a meeting in Nashville, TN. Once that happened, the only thing I wanted to do was just bury myself under a rock. My old friend, Dixie, showed up at my door one day and started packing up my stuff. Never even asked me. Next thing I knew I was back home in Mercy living in the old house my grandparents left to me a while back. Once Dixie got me to start living again, I got into the business of making gowns for ladies who do re-enactments and attend conferences. I’ve been sewing since I was a little thing. And I had been doing genealogy for years. But not professionally. So I started that up too. Next thing I knew, I was back to living.
Then I stared getting mixed up in some mysteries in town. Mostly minor stuff. Kids getting up to mischief. And found out I like that a lot. My cousin, Ben, is the county Sheriff and I help him solve cases. But he’d tell you I get in his way and stick my nose into things that aren’t my business. But I don’t pay him any mind – even when he calls me a Nancy Drew wanna be. Nope. I just have a knack for this kind of work and I’m gonna help him all I can. My best friend, Dixie, is right there by my side. Why there’s nothing we can’t figure out. And, then Miss Edna, the town busybody, decided to get in on the action. So now there’s three of us.
Something readers might not know about me. Hm. Well….I’m an only child and I always wished I had brothers and sisters. But, I guess that’s why my cousin, Ben, and I get along like we do. He’s an only child too. We fight and make up just like regular siblings. And we were born on the same day. And our Maman’s were twins. So, I reckon that makes the two of us almost twins.
Q: Who’s the character in Death of a Wolfman that you get along with the best? 
A. That would be Dixie. We’ve been best friends ever since we met back when we were in diapers. Think and thin. Best of friends. That’s always been us. She’s always been there for me. Even when I was up to something we both knew we shouldn’t be doing. She’d do it with me and suffer the consequences right by my side. Come to think on it, she still does! LOL.
Q: Which other character do you have a conflict with? 
A. I get along with most everybody. But I sometimes have little spats with my cousin, Ben. He’s really the only one who just finds my last nerve and stands on it with all his weight. Been that way since we were kids. Always thinking he can run th show. Guess that’ why he ended up being sheriff. He can run other people’s shows now. But still can’t run mine.
Q: Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author, Susan Boles?
A. She’s a smart cookie! Got a good head on her shoulders. And the ability to think things through and to spot things that don’t quite makes sense. She makes me look really good. So what else can I say? She loves a great mystery, just like me. And she’s into all the crafts. Sewing, knitting, crocheting and her newest obsession is zoom loom. Not sure what that’s all about but it looks interesting.
Q: What’s next for you?
A. More beautiful gowns for the ladies and more genealogical searches. A girl’s gotta pay the bills, you know. And I’m going to help the town council turn Mitchell Manor into a tourist attraction just in time for the Goobers and Grits festival later this year. Why I bet we’ll get all kinds of new folks coming through here to see that!

Susan
 
About the Author
Susan calls McNairy County, TN her home ground even though she has moved away. It was here, at Bethel Springs Junior High School that she began her writing career with two friends. They formed their own little writers group that was so secret they were the only ones who knew it existed. She still has some of the stories they wrote carefully preserved in a loose leaf binder and tucked away for safety.
She has worked in retail management, briefly for the Census Bureau and for many years in the investment/insurance industry in the regulatory compliance arena. All of which are left brain activities. So she exercises her right brain activity with reading and writing…just to keep both sides even.
Reading has been a passion since she was very young. As a toddler, her mother read to her from her ‘baby books’ and her Mother tells a story about her holding one of them upside-down and ‘reading’ by repeating the story verbatim from memory.
Death of a Wolfman is the first in the Lily Gayle Lambert mystery series. Her previously published romantic suspense novel, Fated Love, is a contemporary paranormal romantic suspense (with a twist of paranormal) set in Memphis, TN. Her first novel, Kate’s Pride, is a historical women’s fiction set in West Tennessee in the aftermath of the Civil War. The novel is loosely based on her own Great Grandmother and published under the pen name Renee Russell.
Life got in the way of writing for many years but now she’s come back to her early love.
Stay in touch for upcoming releases!
Author Links:
www.susanbolesauthor.com
@SusanBAuthor
https://susanbolesauthor.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/people/Susan-Boles-Author/100010974857065
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-boles-author-a4075484
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14866595.Susan_Boles
 

 

KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

#Giveaway and Interview: Gayle Leeson, author of The Calamity Cafe (new Southern culinary cozy series)

>>> Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card! <<<
The Calamity Cafe is the first book in a new cozy mystery series featuring Southern cooking

Aspiring chef and small-town Virginia native Amy Flowers is ready to open her own café offering old-fashioned Southern food. But her dream may go up in smoke when someone kills the competition…
Tired of waiting tables at Lou’s Joint, Amy Flowers doesn’t just quit—she offers to buy the place from her bully of a boss, so she can finally open the café of her dreams. Amy can’t wait to serve the kind of Southern, down-home treats and dishes that her grandmother always loved to the kooky cast of regulars at the restaurant. She knows her comfort food will be the talk of the sweet, small town of Winter Garden, Virginia.
At first Lou Lou refuses to sell, but when she seems ready to make a deal, she tells Amy to come see her.  Showing up at the eatery ready to negotiate, Amy is shocked to find her former employer murdered. As the prime suspect, Amy will have to clear her name by serving up the real killer—and with Lou Lou’s stack of enemies, that’s a tall order.
Includes delicious Southern recipes!

 
 
Q: Thanks for stopping by Island Confidential, Gayle. Can you tell us a little bit about your protagonist, Any?
A:  Amy Flowers is a young woman who has a serious goal but who doesn’t forget to have plenty of fun. She makes time for her friends and family while hoping to realize her goal of opening her own café.
Q: How much of you is in Amy?  How would you feel about her if you met her in real life?
A:  I’m sure there’s a little Amy in me, especially where she was so devoted to her grandmother who is deceased when we meet Amy. And, like Amy, I have a tendency to want to adopt and/or feed animals and people (especially children). Whenever my children were growing up, I was known for my cookies and cupcakes. Even when my son was in high school, I’d have to make and send chocolate chip cookies to his friends.
I’d love Amy if I met her in real life. I think we’d be good friends, but I’d have to avoid seeing her too often because if I didn’t, she’d feed me until I was as big as a house!
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
A:  They do. That’s something I’ve really enjoyed with other series I’ve written (the embroidery series written under the name Amanda Lee, in particular) and that I’m looking forward to exploring in the Down South Café series. I like that each individual book can be read as a standalone but that readers who start at the beginning and continue through the series can enjoy the nuances of watching the characters grow and develop.
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean? 
A:  Oh, my goodness, I have done it! In my cake decorating mystery Battered to Death (written as Gayle Trent), I killed a man who’d been mean to my son. The man was such a jerk, and I took great joy in beating him over the head with a cake stand and then drowning him in cake batter!
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A:  Both. Winter Garden is a fictional town in Virginia, but it’s close to real-life towns: Glade Spring, Meadowview, Abingdon, Bristol. In fact, at my website, I’m including photograph slideshows from various regions. I only have three so far, but I’ll continue to add to it.
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A: Maybe Emily Osmet as Amy and Robbie Amell as Ryan. They’d be so cute together. Now you’ve got me excited about this movie! Who can we call to make it happen?
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A:  Worst advice: “You have to move to New York or Los Angeles to make it as a writer.”
Best advice: Never give up!
 
 

 
About The Author  

 
Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. I also write as Amanda Lee. As Gayle Trent, I write the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series. As Amanda Lee, I write the Embroidery Mystery series. I live in Virginia with my family, which includes her own “Angus” who is not an Irish wolfhound but a Great Pyrenees who provides plenty of inspiration for the character of Mr. O’Ruff. I’m having a blast writing this new series!
Author Links:
Webpage – http://www.gayleleeson.com
Gayle Trent Webpage – http://www.gayletrent.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/GayleTrent
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/426208.Gayle_Trent
Purchase Links
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Books-a-Million – Kobo  

 

KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List