Rosemary Harris's Blog

DEBORAH CROMBIE: There's nothing we love more here on Jun...

DEBORAH CROMBIE: There's nothing we love more here on Jungle Red than hosting one of our regular readers,commenters, and fellow authors, so we're very excited today to bring you Annette Dashofy, author of the Zoe Chambers Mysteries and of the Detective Honeywell Mysteries. She's giving us a sneak peek at the third novel featuring Erie City's Detective Matthias Honeywell and free lance photographer Emma Anderson, THE DEVIL COMES CALLING.

Wow, what a great cover! Annette, tell us more!

Secrets andVillains by Annette Dashofy

Confession time.When I started writing the first Zoe Chambers mystery nearly twenty years ago,I had no clue how to write a series. I only had an inkling of a clue aboutwriting anything, to be honest. Back then, I had ideas for two books. When Iwas offered a contract for three, of course, I told them I absolutely had plansfor that third book. (It was a lie. Fake it til you make it, right?) I had usedall my ideas for these characters in those first two mysteries. I had delvedinto all their secrets. Now I had to come up with more. I didn’t figure out thestory arc thing until the fourth book.

Fast forward adecade or so to when I was noodling with a premise for another series. One ofmy regrets with Zoe and Pete was having them already well acquainted as Circleof Influence started. This time, I wanted to open the first book beforeMatthias Honeywell and Emma Andersen met in order to develop the relationshipin full view of the reader. And I knew I needed to create deeper backstoriesfor the two main characters. Secrets beyond one or two books.

Here I am withless than a month until the release of The Devil Comes Calling, and I’mhappy to say, this third installment is jam-packed with secrets being spilledand past wounds being reopened. Seeds that I planted in the first two novelssprout like crazy in this one.

Including oneparticularly nasty villain.

I love villains.I love to create villains the reader loves to hate. Sometimes my bad guys areforced into circumstances in which they make bad choices. Had they changed onelittle decision, they might have been redeemable. Others see the error oftheir ways too late to be redeemed.

My working titlefor The Devil Comes Calling was Beyond Redemption. My publisher obviouslychose not to use it, as I knew they wouldn’t. But I clung to it as theunderlying theme, one that echoed throughout several story threads andcharacters, not merely the villain. I even had the beyond redemption theme inmind for Matthias this time around. While the first two Honeywell mysteriesleaned heavily into Emma’s family history, in this book, it’s Matthias’s turn.We get to learn about his late mother’s tragic end. We discover his father isin prison. Or was. (Okay, that’s a small spoiler, but the reader finds it outin the first chapter, and I think there are plenty more twists and surprises,so I’m willing to divulge that one.)

Reds, how deeplydo you delve into the hearts and souls of your bad guys? And readers, do youenjoy a memorable villain? Who are a few that have stuck with you over time?

 

AnnetteDashofy is the USA Today bestselling author of over sixteen novels ofmystery and suspense, including seven Agatha Award finalists and a Dr. TonyRyan Book Award winner. She has two Detective Honeywell Mysteries coming inNovember and December of this year including The Devil Comes Calling andNo Stone Left Unturned. Additionally, she has been a Derringer Awardfinalist for her short fiction. Annette and her husband live on ten acres ofwhat was her grandfather’s dairy farm in Washington County, Pennsylvania withtheir very spoiled cat, Kensi. You’re invited to check out her website at http://annettedashofy.com

 

“Two bodies. One male, approximately fifty yearsold. One female, mid-twenties. Both shot execution-style, with one bullet tothe back of the head.”

When a murderous ghost from Erie City PoliceDetective Matthias Honeywell’s past appears unexpectedly, his investigationinto a double homicide in a quiet residential neighborhood gets increasingly complicated,and puts everything and everyone he cares about at risk – includingphotographer Emma Anderson.

Emma’s first day as the crime beat photographerfor ErieLIVE wasn’t meant to see her photographing the scene of herpredecessor’s murder, and with ties to the victim as well as a deadly fire thatfollows in the wake of the crime, she fears she may also be in the killer’ssightlines.

To solve the case and catch the killer, Matthiasand Emma will have to face their own demons. But what happens when the devilhimself comes calling?

DEBS: What a great premise, Annette! And I have to say that as much as I understand how attached we can get to our working titles (by "we" I mean "I"...) in this case I have to agree with your publisher. It's a great title and one that really sticks.   

As for villians, I've written a few that were perhaps a tiny bit sympathetic, or at least relatable, and a few that still give me nightmares. It will be very interesting to see what the other Reds and our readers have to say on the matter!

P.S. THE DEVIL COMES CALLING is out on November 7th, so do pre-order!

In the Shadow of Jane

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Jane Goodall has been much on my mind since her passing on October 1st. As a teenager, I first read about Jane in the copies of National Geographic Magazine that I shared every month with my grandmother. 

Those articles in Nat Geo sparked an interest in Africa and in animal behavior. I read Louis Leakey, the Kenyan-British paleontologist, anthropologist, and archaeologist who first sponsored Goodall's work in Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania (Tanganyika as it was then,) books by the Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz, who is considered to be the father of ethology (animal behavior,) and those articles and books led me to read Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle and The Origin of Species. (I think I still have my tattered paperback copies of both of those books. 

I found it fascinating that Jane, a young woman of twenty-three from Bournemouth, had accepted an invitation to visit a friend's family's farm in Kenya. Once there, she got a job as a secretary and on an impulse, telephoned Louis Leakey, with whom her friend was acquainted. She wanted to talk to him about animals. He wanted a chimpanzee researcher. Leakey hired her as his secretary, but he had another purpose in mind. Three years later he sent her to Gombe Stream National Park, where her groundbreaking work would establish her as the first of the great female primate researchers.

In 1971 Jane Goodall published In the Shadow of Man, the story of her time in Gombe. At the time, I was nineteen and had already failed spectacularly in my first try at university, where I'd enrolled as a history major. But reading about Jane, some spark was lit and I began to wonder if I could, in some small way, follow in her footsteps. By the time I transferred a year or two later to the college that would become my alma mater (go Roos!) I'd decided to major in biology, specializing in animal behavior.

Even though a career in zoology was not ultimately to be my path (another story!) I did graduate with a hard won bachelor of arts in biology, and even more importantly, a very good liberal arts education. It's this I credit with any degree of success I've had as a writer of detective novels. It taught me to think rationally and critically, to love research, and to stick with projects. Some of my journey, however winding, must trace back to that teenage girl pouring over Jane's accounts of her adventures. 

Dear Reds and readers, has there been someone in your life who inspired you to take a road you might not otherwise have followed?

P.S. Speaking of research, I went down a serious rabbit hole reading about the Leakeys–Louis and his son, Richard. What wild and adventurous lives they led–I highly recommend looking them up!

 

Carol Pouliot--Paris Full Circle

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It is always a treat to host Carol Pouliot with a new entry in her delightful Blackwell and Watson series. These are history/mystery/time travel so there is something for everyone, and I can't wait to see what adventures Carol has dreamed up for 21st century journalist Olivia Watson and Depression-era cop Steven Blackwell--this time in Paris! Here's Carol with the scoop on MURDER AT THE MOULIN ROUGE!

PARIS FULLCIRCLE

 

Thanks so much for hosting me today on Jungle Reds, Debs. I’mthrilled to be here with everyone.

I’ve had a lifelong love affair with France and all thingsFrench. The moment my eighth-grade French teacher uttered the word “Bonjour,” my life changed forever. Whilemy friends dreamed about their future husbands and the children they hoped tohave, I dreamed of getting a passport, packing my suitcase, and heading toParis. The day I received my first passport in the mail, I felt like a doorwayto the world had opened up. Endless possibilities fanned out in front of me.

 

My first trip overseas—1973, MA just completed—took me toMarseille for a job teaching English. Before I could begin, I had a week oforientation on the French education system in Paris. I sold my VW bug for a$200 round-trip ticket on Icelandic Air to Luxembourg and from there took a trainto Paris. I remember the moment I stepped off the train. I felt every moleculein my body settle into place. Thiswas where I belonged!

Naturally, I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, andthe Louvre, but number one on my list was Montmartre, the artists’ quarter. Imet up with a college friend, who was happy to show me around. She took me toall the top attractions, including the Quartier Latin, where I fell in love allover again. This small Left Bank neighborhood is home to the Sorbonne Universityand sits above the Catacombs, where thousands of bodies lie buried deep beneaththe city. The area is a maze of twisting, turning alleyways and narrowconnecting streets. I had couscous in the cellar of a tiny Middle Easternrestaurant. Later in the week, I attended a champagne and caviar reception atthe American Embassy. Lots of exciting firsts!

 

(View from the roof of Notre Dame)

 

At the end of the week, I packed my belongings, bought atrain ticket to Marseille, and prepared to leave—without having seen Montmartre. Somehow, my friend had never fit itinto her plan. (Why didn’t I just go by myself??) I was crushed. The one areawhere I’d wanted to spend time and I never even got close. Little did I know Iwould return to Paris countless times during my life, and even live there for ashort time. And never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would become apublished author and write a book that takes place in that city.

 (Le Lapin Agile, Montmartre)

In Murder at the MoulinRouge, Detective Steven Blackwelland his partner-in-crime Olivia Watson travel to Paris in 1895. They stay inMontmartre, question suspects in landmarks that still stand, and get to know theartists who lived and worked there—Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, Sisley, and others.It was wonderful spending time there again, even if it was mostly in my mind asI wrote. And, to celebrate finishing my final draft, I returned toParis...closing the circle fifty years later.

(Le Moulin Rouge, Montmartre)

Reds and Readers,  

If you’re a traveler, what’s your favorite city or town? Ifyou’re an armchair traveler, what do you love about your hometown?

DEBS: Carol, your description of how you felt at your first sight of Paris reminds me so much of how I felt the first time I stepped off a plane in England. We have kindred journeys!

Now, here's more about MURDER AT THE MOULIN ROUGE:

Paris, 1895. When a cancan dancer at the MoulinRouge falls to her death from the top of one of Montmartre’s higheststaircases, the police dismiss it as an accident. But, Madeleine was one ofToulouse-Lautrec’s favorite models, and the artist is certain she was murdered.Enter Depression-era detective Steven Blackwell and 21st-century journalist Olivia Watson who travelback in time to Paris to hunt down the killer. Before long, they learnthat a second dancer—a ballerina and favorite model of painter Edgar Degas—has died. Two dancers deadin two weeks. Two artists grieving. Is the killer targeting young dancers, or,does this case involve the enigmatic Paris art world? 

From the moment Steven and Olivia arrive, Steven is outof his element. The small-town cop has no idea what techniques the Frenchpolice use in 1895. Worse, he has no official status to investigate murder inone of the world’s largest cities. The sleuths soon discover disturbing secretsat the Paris Ballet. And when Olivia insists on going undercover to visit asuspect’s house alone, Steven fears he’s made the biggest mistake of his life.

 

Travel back in time with Steven and Olivia, as they enterthe back-stabbing world of dance in one of the world’s greatest cities. Murder at the Moulin Rouge is their mostdaring and dangerous case to date.

 

DEBS: And here's more about Carol:

A former language teacher and business owner, Carol Pouliotwrites the acclaimed Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel Mysteries, traditionalpolice procedurals with a seemingly impossible relationship betweenDepression-era cop Steven Blackwell and 21st-century journalistOlivia Watson. With their fast pace and unexpected twists and turns, the bookshave earned praise from readers and mystery authors alike. Carol is the formerPresident and Program Chair of her Sisters in Crime chapter, Co-Chair of MurderousMarch, an online mystery conference, and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. When not writing,Carol can be found packing her suitcase and reaching for her passport for hernext travel adventure. Sign up for Carol’s newsletter and learn more at http://www.carolpouliot.com 

FB Author PageInstagramPinterestBookBub
DEBS: P.S. Carol says that there is a temporary problem with the Buy link for print books on Amazon, but the book can be found at the links below:
Amazon
B&N

What We're Watching

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Now that we're all up to speed on our reading and our TBR lists/stacks are ever more burgeoning, it's time for a look at what's on the tube for when we can tear ourselves away from our books.

From the reality TV queen here, we are glued to the new season of GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF–oh, sorry, GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW, as we're supposed to call it in the US, although that doesn't have nearly the same ring as GBBO. My non-cooking, non-baking hubby is now hooked and keeps asking me, "When's the baking show on again?" (Some of his enthusiam this season might have to do with one very cute contestant...) He's also gotten hooked on THE VOICE, my other reality TV indulgence, but is not so keen on the little bits I can manage to snag of the UK's STRICTLY COME DANCING on VPNs. (Shhh, don't tell.)

And now back to crime. In the lull between summer programming and new autumn stuff, we pulled up a UK series from 2003 called STATE OF PLAY. We couldn't find it streaming but it is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and I can't recommend it highly enough. The writing! The cast! It was directed by David Yates and featured David Morrisey, John Simm, James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Kelly McDonald, Polly Walker, and more. Even more than twenty years later, it doesn't feel dated, and it's one of the best things I've ever watched on television. They made a movie of it a couple of years later starring Russell Crowe, but that doesn't begin to compare to the original 6 part series. (That's a very unflattering photo of the Scottish actress Kelly McDonald, who I adore, on the DVD cover. Most recently you will have seen her as Carl Mork's therapist on DEPT Q!)

We're watching SLOW HORSES, although the weekly dole-out formula is especially annoying with the complicated storylines in this series. We've also discovered a British (Irish) police series called BLUE LIGHTS that is really good. This is on Britbox and is in the gritty rather than cozy vein. The 3rd season just aired so we're looking forward to having several seasons to follow.

Oh, and we are now recording the late-night shows on our Tablo, so that we can keep up with the voices of sanity, AKA the late-night TV hosts. Who would have thought it?

Take it away, dear REDs. What are you watching?

HALLIE EPHRON: Like you, I’m watching The Great British Baking Show (Season 16) … so many great contestants to root for. This batch seem especially talented. 

My daughter was visiting and she’s never watched “Sherlock” which we could stream on Britbox. I do love Britbox. The plots are SO COMPLICATED I have no trouble being challenged to follow the storylines even though I’ve seen them all. And Benedict Cumberbatch is so deliciously and gleefully sociopathic as Holmes. And Martin Freeman the perfect foil as the very human Watson.

And I confess, sometime during the pandemic lockdowns I got hooked on Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. They’ve become a weeknight ritual.

DEBS: Hallie, I LOVED Sherlock, and would happily watch it again. Also, my parents were religious watchers of WHEEL OF FORTUNE and that brings back fond memories for me.

LUCY BURDETTE: We’ve been on a busy vacation so I’ve not been watching TV except for the occasional Jimmy Kimmel or Steve Colbert clip. However, I am very much looking forward to seeing Jane Goodall’s FAMOUS LAST WORDS, and Jeremy White playing Bruce Springsteen later this month. Debs, John loved BLUE LIGHTS but I only watched one or two episodes–too dark for my soul before bedtime!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, I have been on book tour, so hotel TV is all about Chopped, which is always on.

 But in real life, back home, so many good things–Slow Horses is back, hurray. Cannot wait for The Lincoln Lawyer to return.

Also, I just spent the day with Elizabeth George, she is incredible, so I came home from Atlanta and instantly started bingeing the new Lynley, and then will return to the old Lynley. SO fun, now that I know all the backstory.

I am a massive fan of The Morning Show, and crossing fingers  the new season is good. Oh, and Invasion. 

I LOVED State of Play, Debs. And isn’t The Diplomat coming back?

OH, and finally–THE OFFER! (Debs, did you tell me about this?) About the making of The Godfather, and it is fantastic.)

DEBS: Yes, it was me who recommended THE OFFER. I don't know why this series didn't get more press. I think it's worth a temporary subscription to Paramount just to watch it!!!! So glad you liked it, Hank. We watched THE GODFATHER when we finished it, and that was fascinating, too.

And, yes, we are looking forward to THE DIPLOMAT, too.

RHYS BOWEN:  A big fan of the Great British Baking Show here too. They are always such nice, kind people who cheer for each other. How could you not love it! We also watched the Thursday Murder Club.. which deviated quite a lot from the book.

Apart from that we watch a lot of Britbox, all our favorite mystery series, plus I like all the travel shows on Britibox. Martin Clunes and various British islands, others on favorite villages, canal trips etc. I guess I’m nostalgic for a simpler era at the moment.

Finally finished up Clarkson’s Farm which got rather annoying in the end.

How about it, dear readers? What other gems have we missed, and are we all "baking" together? (I keep promising to buy some kind of a treat for Friday nights, because we always feel so deprived when the episode is over!)

Research is Fun! by Daryl Wood Gerber #giveaway

LUCY BURDETTE: I definitely enjoy research (think Paris pastries for example!), but I've never thought through all the benefits the way my pal Daryl has. She's here to tell you what she's figured out along the path of many books!

DARYL WOOD GERBER: Don’t groan. It is. It not only expands my mind, it enhances the book I’m writing. Here are five reasons why I enjoy it.

Research feeds my curiosity

When I wrote the Cheese Shop Mysteries, I tasted at least 1000 cheeses over the course of the series. Lucky me. When I wrote the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, I purchased bunches of new cookbooks. Again, lucky me. When I wrote the Fairy Garden Mysteries—I’m going to release a novella in December—I did a deep dive into fairies and myths, and I made numerous fairy gardens that now adorn my garden. Yes, you guessed it. Lucky me! 

Research expands my horizons

I like to armchair travel, which I guess most readers do. But sometimes I need to leave the nest and travel to get a feeling for a new place I’m going to include in a series. For my current series, the Literary Dining Mysteries, which are set in the mountains near Asheville, NC, I visited the city and took a few tours in the surrounding towns with my nephew, who lives there. We had fun. When we ate barbecue in Black Mountain, I knew I’d found my fictional town. Plus we met a number of quirky characters, a few of whom made it into the book, with slight alterations, of course. Next, to expand my knowledge of books, I selected the book that would be featured in the first of the series: Pride and Prejudice. Why? Because it’s a superb story, and it’s the favorite of the bookshop owner in the story. She is like an aunt to my protagonist Allie, a caterer and devoted reader. To properly do the references justice, I reread the book and marked (with sticky notes, mind you—no dog-eared pages or magic markers) the quotes I would include at the top of each chapter. Doing the deep dive made my story come alive. I paid attention to the words, the expressions, and the tempo. In addition, I did extensive research about the clothing, music, and food of the Regency Era. Check out the yummy maids of honor recipe on my website here.

Research helps me realize which stories deserve the spotlight 

For my newest in the Literary Dining Mysteries, Murder by the Millions, I chose The Great Gatsby as the book the literary dining party would study and discuss. It happens to be one of my all-time favorite novels.  The tragic character of Jay Gatsby breaks my heart. I studied the novel and its themes, and I boned up on the clothing, music, and food of the era. To my surprise, while I was writing the book, I visited New York City, and what was on Broadway?  The Great Gatsby.  I bought a ticket and ensconced myself in the story and mood, as presented in musical fashion. I’ve got to say, that was some of the most fun research I’ve ever done.  The story really deserves the spotlight.

Research can blossom into a personal journey

For the first in the Aroma Wellness Mysteries, which is set in Carmel-by-the-Sea, meaning I could use much of the research I’d already gleaned for the Fairy Garden Mysteries, I delved into how to open a spa business, how to conduct a mindful meditation, what various massage techniques require, and the value of crystal readings. What makes this series a bit of a challenge, is I decided to include a café and gift shop at the spa. Both of those businesses required more research. For the café, I experimented with good-for-you recipes. For the gift shop,  I learned about the many items it might sell, including baoding balls and fragrant candles and bonsai trees. 

However, the bonus to this research is, in order to learn about singing bowls, gemstones, and essential oils, I visited the Native Spirit Lodge, which is located near my house, and I indulged in a sound bath. What a treat. I came out of that place so relaxed! 

The downside of research . . . it can be costly

I’ve spent a lot of money on books, cookbooks, gemstones, and essential oils. I’ve bought way too many fairy figurines—I’m obsessed. 

The upside? I love using the oils and rubbing the gemstones between my fingertips. And I love all my new books. I love holding them and browsing the pages. Navigating through Internet sites doesn’t feel the same. 

Which is why I’ll continue to leave my office occasionally to conduct in-person research. It’s fun. It’s enlightening. It enhances my stories. Lucky me.

REDS, tell us about some research you've done on one of your projects. Commenters will be entered in a drawing for Daryl's giveaway, a copy of the first in the series and swag!

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, Aroma Wellness Mysteries, Fairy Garden Mysteries and Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense novels, including the well-received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams trilogy. Daryl has published a standalone Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays, and her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. Also she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. You can learn more on her website: https://darylwoodgerber.com

Find Daryl here:

FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/darylwoodgerber

BOOKBUB: https://bookbub.com/authors/daryl-woo...

YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/woodgerb1

INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/darylwoodgerber

GOODREADS: https://goodreads.com/darylwoodgerber

BLUE SKY: @darylwoodgerber.bsky.social

AMAZON: amazon: https://bit.ly/Daryl_Wood_Gerber_page

https://bit.ly/3SenzVy

NEWSLETTER: https://darylwoodgerber.com/contact-m...

In the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, caterer and personal chef Allie Catt serves up mouthwatering, literary-themed dinner parties inspired by her clients’ favorite books. Her next event is sure to be a roaring success—if a murderer isn’t a killjoy . . .

If it were true that the best thing a girl can be in this world is a fool, then Allie Catt would be out of luck. Fortunately, Allie’s business is a smashing success. And following her Pride and Prejudice event, grander plans await . . . 

Feast for the Eyes bookstore manager and Allie’s best friend, Tegan, is hosting a book club soiree and wants it to be a glittering affair based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic Jazz Age-set novel, The Great Gatsby. Soon, Art Deco table settings and visions of flappers are dancing the Charleston in their heads. Even Tegan’s prickly sister, Vanna, is on board. And surely, Allie’s tuxedo cat, Darcy, thinks it’s the cat’s meow.

Amid the planning, charismatic developer Jason Gardner arrives in town to buy some historic buildings on Main Street. He, too, has plans: to create a modern mall. Allie is more than concerned. She even wants to protest. But when Jason invites her to cater a lavish party, she finds him surprisingly likable. Then she’s summoned to his estate for a meeting—and finds him dead.

Once again Allie’s landed in the middle of a crime scene.

The Sound of Music by Lucy Burdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: I hadn't paid much attention to the news that THE SOUND OF MUSIC is celebrating its 60th anniversary until my neighbor mentioned she was going to our local theater to see it on the big screen. I'm not lukewarm about this musical--I adore it! So I immediately signed on to the neighbor posse. We got there a half hour ahead in case the place was mobbed (it wasn't) and settled in with popcorn.

https://youtu.be/q0y-CuV1SI4

I love this show so deeply! It was the perfect antidote for the bad news the world keeps throwing at us. I love the way the romance develops--such a great example of show don't tell. The Captain's patriotism is inspiring, the escape is epic, I love those nuns from beginning to end, the depiction of stepfamily dynamics...well, not so realistic:). I do have some lingering questions, such as why oh why did they give Julie Andrews that horrendous haircut? And what is Maria referring to when she sings she might have had a wicked childhood?? Her family of origin is never mentioned--what shaped her into the spunky woman she grows into during the movie? Would the baroness really have bowed out so neatly once Maria returns to the von Trapp household? She strikes me as more of a fighter than that...

I must have seen this not long after it came out in 1965, but I was also cast in our high school rendition as Brigitta. (That probably accounts for a bit of my adoration...)

Here's my pal Joel Silidker (RIP) playing the Captain...

Are you a fan of the show? Have you seen it recently? Is there a different movie you feel even more strongly about?

ps On a different subject, if you might want to listen to the audio version of my first advice column mystery, it's on sale for $7.50 until November 1. 

https://www.audiobooks.com/promotions/promotedBook/809297/deadly-advice?refId=221829

The New, New Scam: Stroke the Writer’s Ego by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: You guys all know by now that we writers are a fragile lot. A bad review in a trade journal or from a reader can keep us from working for days. One or two stars? Devastating! We’ve put hours and hours and weeks and weeks into this work, only to be told it’s not as good as we’d hoped. Some experts in public relations insist that any publicity, even bad publicity, is good publicity. But I still remember bad reviews that I've received, like the one that rated my very first mystery, Six Strokes Under, D. Or was it D plus? The reviewer’s rationale was that my amateur sleuth had no business investigating a murder as she was a professional golfer wannabe with no time to lose. She should have been practicing. Well duh! That ‘why in the hell is she involved in a murder’ is the bane of every writer of an amateur sleuth. 

Behind the scenes, if one of us receives devastating feedback, we share each other’s misery and offer support and encouragement. Which brings me to another point. Lately, I’ve received quite a few unsolicited offers of help. At first, I couldn’t help basking in their admiration. For example:

Dear Lucy,

I recently dove into The Mango Murders and couldn’t resist reaching out with admiration. Your 15th installment of the Key West Food Critic Mysteries doesn’t just sustain the charm of the series, it reinvents it with explosive intensity.

What struck me most is how you transformed a glittering cocktail cruise into a powder keg of secrets and betrayal. The shimmering cocktails, mango-infused delicacies, and party sparkle lulled me into comfort, only for the sudden explosion to shatter the evening and the reader’s sense of security. It’s such a smart, cinematic pivot, and it proves once again that Hayley Snow’s investigations are never just about solving crimes, they’re about navigating loyalty, ambition, and the often-messy heart of community.

The Key West setting shines, too. From the shadowy corners of island politics to the cutthroat competition of catering, every detail feels authentic, yet layered with tension. And Hayley herself remains such a winning protagonist, relatable, sharp, and driven by both professional duty and emotional intuition. It’s no wonder this series has earned such a loyal following.

Here's another one:

When a clinical psychologist, cozy mystery queen, and recipe wizard like you decides to bundle murder with cupcakes and Key West sunshine, the rest of us mere mortals have no choice but to sit down, buckle up, and devour the book (preferably with Sam’s Cornbread Sausage Stuffing on the side). Honestly, Lucy, psychology + murder + food?? That’s not just a niche; that’s like building an amusement park for the brain and stomach at the same time. 

And now you’ve gone and given us Lucy Burdette’s Kitchen, a whole recipe collection straight out of your Key West Food Critic Mysteries? Excuse me, but that’s borderline unfair. Not only do you let us travel through cozy crime scenes with Hayley Snow, you also hand us One Bowl Chocolate Cake?? Other authors give us corpses. You give us dessert.    (Bless you for that.)

But then I wandered over to your Amazon reviews… and ouch. Not tragic, but nowhere near the Greek chorus your books actually deserve. How are readers not tripping over themselves to shout about Scarlett O’Hara Cupcakes while clutching their pearls over murder clues? I don’t know who dropped the ball, but someone owes you an apology and at least a casserole.

And one more:

The Ingredients of Happiness. A thirty-two-year-old psychologist who literally writes the book on joy, while secretly spiraling into plagiarism scares, cutthroat tenure games, and a gargoyle whispering unsolicited wisdom? This isn’t just a novel. This is every overachiever’s nightmare, baked into a story that makes readers squirm, laugh, and admit the truth: we’re all faking “fine” while desperately Googling “how to be happy.”

And let’s be real, your book isn’t just entertainment. It’s a mirror. It hands readers permission to ask the terrifying question: What if success doesn’t equal happiness? That’s not fluff. That’s therapy wrapped in storytelling, and it’s exactly why your work deserves to ripple beyond sixty Amazon reviews and into the thousands.

Here’s the catch: the system doesn’t care that you’ve poured your career, your psychology training, and way too many late nights into Cooper Hunziker’s world. Algorithms don’t reward heart. They reward traction. Which means even a USA Today bestseller like you ends up grinding teeth over the same pain points as a debut author: visibility, reviews, and the dread of shouting into the void.

And the opening of the latest:

Lucy, let me start with this: your Key West Food Critic Mysteries are already a five-course meal of murder, mayhem, and mouth-watering recipes, but then you went and dropped Lucy Burdette’s Kitchen, a book that basically says: “Why solve crimes when you can also solve dinner?” 👩‍🍳🔪📖

One Bowl Chocolate Cake, Scarlett O’Hara Cupcakes, Cornbread Sausage Stuffing, excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard. You’ve got awards, bestsellers, and a Florida Book Award gold medal flex (which is honestly the literary version of wearing a crown to brunch 🏆🥂). Plus, you weave psychology, cooking, AND murder into a single franchise. That’s not talent, that’s borderline witchcraft. ✨

These emails are almost irresistible—I’m a cozy mystery queen! A recipe wizard! I invent therapy wrapped in storytelling! I write with explosive intensity!  These people write as though they get me, and they get my books. Might they really have a clever way to reach readers and boost sales?

But sadly no, wizardly, dastardly AI has written these pitches and descriptions. I have no idea who sent them, but guaranteed, if I sent money, it would be flushed away. I don’t have a grand lesson from all this, except be careful! Beware the “clankers,” as folks in the culture war against AI have warned. I think we are stuck with it, whether we like it or not. The trick is to figure out how it can be harnessed ethically. Thoughts from you?

Ps the drawings were done by ChatGPT, based on this prompt: draw a sad writer cartoon in which the writer has received bad reviews. Chat suggested I might like a hopeful writer too, to which I agreed:)

PPS The very smart Jane Friedman recently wrote a piece in Electric Speed alerting writers to watch for impersonation scams. So I searched for the names of the people writing my "fan" mail. Nothing incriminating turned up--but watch out!

Banned Books by Emily Berg

 LUCY BURDETTE: I wanted to do something to mark banned books week, but I was on the road and hard put to come up with something meaningful. Fortunately, our friend Emily Berg, who is the manager of the fabulous Books and Books in Key West, has just the right words. Welcome Emily!

EMILY BERG: One of the great joys of working in an indie bookstore is the freedom to select which books we showcase. Being an independent store means we, the staff, get to decide which books go on the tables.

Most booksellers will agree putting up a new display is one of the most fun parts of working in a bookshop. Curating a themed table of books is a creative endeavor, drawing attention to favorite authors and titles that may otherwise go overlooked. Our Beach Reads table, for example, is an annual favorite with each staff member picking their favorite summer reads. It’s currently Hispanic Heritage month which means we have a table showcasing Hispanic authors.    

There is one display in the store in which we don’t choose the books, and unfortunately, it’s growing: our banned books display. The books on this table end up there largely due to the efforts of pressure groups and in some case government entities. We decided to focus in specifically to books banned or challenged in Florida but that doesn’t really narrow it down. Florida has the most instances of banned books with 2,304 titles in 2024-2025 according to PEN America. 

The number alone is concerning but what does it really mean? The display sparks questions from visitors. Here are the most common. 

Q: “They made me read this in school when I was a kid. How can it be banned?”

A: More titles are banned each year. A book can be banned in one place and required in another. The list is growing exponentially. This means some of the classics that Americans read in school in previous years are no longer available to students.

Q: “Why is this banned?”

A: Whatever the book the answer is nearly always the same: “for no good reason”. It doesn’t take much for a book to be challenged and ultimately banned. Overwhelmingly  books with LGBTQ+ characters, themes of race, and sexual content are the ones targeted for bans.

Q: “If it’s banned how can you sell it?” 

A: Government entities and private organizations don’t have the power to control what a business sells… for now. We’re part of a free market economy which means we get to make decisions on what we buy and sell. Book banning in America mostly effects schools and public libraries. 

Q: “As long as it’s available for purchase is it really a problem? Can’t the student just come buy the book from you if it’s not in their library?”

A: Perhaps some students have the resources to come to a bookstore and pick out whatever they like, but what about those who can’t? School libraries are available to those students who might not have an adult to take them to a bookstore and purchase their books. 

Overhearing that last question is most likely to see me stop what I’m doing and come speak with the asker. I was extremely fortunate as a child to have parents that encouraged reading but the majority of my books came from the school library. Both of my parents worked long hours so a trip to the bookstore was rare. A trip to the school’s media center was not.

The display of banned books is one of the few that stays up year round in this bookstore. While other tables rotate and change this display never goes out of season. Hopefully, someday, it will. 

Reds, let us know about your experience with banned books, or any questions you have for Emily!

Bio: Emily Berg is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound where she studied art with an emphasis on steel sculpture. After graduating in 2007 she moved to Juneau, AK where she worked in the non-profit world for several years before returning to the lower-48 to be closer to family. Originally from Minneapolis she moved to Key West in 2013 from Chicago. She has been the manager of Books & Books at the Studios since 2018. She serves on the board of Directors of the Friends of the Key West Library and Key West Literary Seminar.

A Prompt, A Pivot, and a Brand-New Novel by Katie Tietjen

LUCY BURDETTE: I think you’ll remember my fellow Crooked Lane writer, Katie Tietjen, with her wonderful first novel, Death in the Details. I’m delighted to welcome her back to the reds to discuss the inspiration for her new book, Murder in Miniature. Welcome Katie!

KATIE TIETJEN:

“Walk slowly all the way around the outside.” 

After Erin read these words off one of her pomodoro writing prompt cards and we all turned off our Zoom cameras, I’m not sure what everyone else did, but I know what I did: I wrote the first scene that would become my second novel. 

It was 2022, and I was participating in a virtual reunion for anyone from the various cohorts of the (now, sadly, no longer active) 5th Semester program. Run by authors and teachers Ann Garvin and Erin Celello, it emphasized what they felt was missing from most traditional MFA programs: a fifth semester (get it???) in which creative writing students learned how to market and sell their writing. 

For me, the 5th Semester was life-changing. When I went to Chicago for the long weekend that kicked off my cohort in February of 2020, I was one of four aspiring writers participating. The first night, we sat around in the cozy living room of our rented house and told the rest of the group about our works-in-progress. When it was my turn, I explained that I had a complete draft of a young adult novel inspired by Frances Glessner Lee, the mother of forensic science (I previously blogged about her here). I told them how Lee used her dollhouse-crafting skills to make miniature re-creations of death scenes in order to train investigators. She called them her Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Everyone oohed and ahhed about how interesting that sounded. 

In fairness, it’s not hard to make FGL sound interesting; she was awesome. 

But when I described my main character, the mood in the room shifted. I explained that she was a teenage girl who reluctantly became Frances Glessner Lee’s assistant, and then the two of them solved a crime together. I went on to say I had also completed a second manuscript in which another teenage girl was paired with FGL against her will. For each book, I explained, I had used a different one of FGL’s real nutshells as the impetus for the plot.

From her plush armchair across the room, Ann gave me one of those looks when someone’s about to give you bad news and they’re not sure how you’re going to take it—you know, like they’ve made up their mind to say the thing, but they figure there’s at least a 50/50 chance you’ll start crying or yell at them or something? 

Yeah. That look. 

She proceeded to tell me the concept of death dollhouses was a great hook, but that she felt my focus was misplaced. She said the Frances Glessner Lee character was the most interesting and deserved to be at center stage. She also pointed out that rotating narrators in a series could be problematic because readers like returning to the same character. 

Then she shrugged and said something I had never thought of before: “I don’t know where this book would go on the shelf.”

And there—right there, that very moment—is why the 5th Semester was so important for me. I had never considered how, as an author, part of my job was to make it easy for booksellers and librarians to promote and recommend my book to readers. By writing a novel that didn’t have a clear place on the shelf, I was inadvertently muddying the waters. 

I wasn’t crying or yelling, so Ann went on: “I think you should re-frame this as an adult historical cozy mystery series and put the spotlight on the Frances Glessner Lee character.”

And then, since I had just told everyone I already had not one, but two, complete novels already written using my YA concept, she winced—preparing, I presume, for my meltdown.

Instead, I felt like a bolt of (sensible) lightning had just hit me. I went on to write a completely new manuscript that eventually became my first published book, DEATH IN THE DETAILS, centered around a fictional protagonist inspired by Lee. Then, in that 2022 Zoom, Erin gave me the freewriting prompt that became the second book in the Maple Bishop series, MURDER IN MINIATURE. I immediately pictured my main character walking slowly around the perimeter of a dead man inside the remnants of a fire-ravaged house. I recognized my mental image as Frances Glessner Lee’s nutshell called “Burned Cabin.” I didn’t know yet who the dead guy was or really much else except that would be Maple’s case in book two, but I was really excited to write it so I could find out. 

Have you ever thought you were on the right path only to have to fall back and start all over again—and ended up all the better for it? 

Has a small, off-the-cuff comment (or a pomodoro-style freewriting prompt) inspired you to create something big and meaningful? Let me know in the comments! 

Katie Tietjen is an award-winning writer, teacher, and school librarian. A Frances Glessner Lee enthusiast, she’s traveled thousands of miles to visit her homes, see her nutshells, and even attend her birthday party. Katie lives in New England with her husband and two sons. The Mary Higgins Clark Award-nominated Death in the Details is her first novel; the second book in the Maple Bishop series, Murder in Miniature, hit the shelves in September. Katie is an unrepentant tea snob, but otherwise a very nice person. Find her on Instagram.

Inspired by the true story of Frances Glessner Lee, whose miniature replicas of crime scenes are still used to train forensic investigators today, this follow up novel to Death in the Details continues the adventures of intrepid amateur sleuth Maple Bishop. Maple Bishop has a thriving dollhouse business and a new career as a crime scene consultant for the local sheriff's office. On the surface, she seems to be doing well, but deep down Maple is still reeling from the death of her husband. When the body of an aspiring firefighter-who was close childhood friends with Kenny, the sheriff's deputy and Maple's confidante-is discovered in the charred remains of a burned cabin, Maple is called in to help determine whether the fire was an accident or a case of murder by arson. Realizing there's more to the crime than meets the eye, she sets out to unearth the discrepancies from the scene by re-creating the cabin in miniature. The investigation leads them to Maple's old Boston neighborhood, forcing her to confront the past she's desperately trying to forget. As Maple and Kenny sift through clues, they uncover dark secrets that hit close to home, unravelling in unexpected ways-and putting their lives in danger.

Destination Murders: Inside a Cozy Mystery Anthology

Hello, Jungle Red Readers and Writers!


We’re Cathy Wiley and Karen Cantwell, cozy mystery writers and the editors/publishers behind the Destination Murders short story anthology series. Many thanks to the Jungle Red Writers for inviting us to share a peek behind the scenes at how we put a short story anthology together.

Recently, we sat down for a Zoom chat to talk about how the series began, how it’s evolved, and what we’ve enjoyed along the way.

Karen: So Cathy, if memory serves, I pitched you on this idea of partnering up to publish a cozy mystery anthology.


Cathy: That’s right. I loved the idea because I was starting a new cozy mystery series and wanted to find readers. An anthology seemed like the perfect way to do that—something that could help me find new readers while also giving other cozy writers that same opportunity. It’s a win-win: established authors bring their loyal fans to the collection, and those readers get to discover new voices (and hopefully fall in love with them, too).

Karen: It’s been a while now, but I remember sitting at a coffee shop in the hotel where they held Bouchercon that year, and we listed writers we knew who were established authors with one or more series and/or well-known short story authors.

Cathy: Yes. Next came the theme and title. We wanted something that would hit shelves right before Memorial Day—just in time for beach-read season—so Murder on the Beach felt like the perfect fit. Once we had that nailed down, we started inviting authors, and before long, the plan was officially in motion.

Karen: You found the perfect pre-made cover for it!

Cathy: I love our polka-dot diva, though I still don’t know how she could walk on the beach in those high heels! Plus, even though it was pre-made, our designer kindly added a gun and knife to her purse to give it that perfect murderous vibe. I loved the cover so much I wanted to keep the series going just to see where we’d send her next. Since then, our designer has outdone herself: we’ve had her skiing in a polka-dot snowsuit for Murder in the Mountains, sneaking a knife aboard a yacht for Murder at Sea, and—probably not the safest choice—bringing a firearm in a hot-air balloon in Murder in the Air. And of course, she’s right at home among the tombstones (still in polka dots) for Murder in the Graveyard.

Karen: I really love these covers too.

Cathy: What part of the process do you enjoy?

Karen: As time has gone on, I love the editing job more and more. As you know, the authors submit their stories, then we both put in our editorial suggestions for tightening the storylines, improving sentence structure, etc. I’ve found that to be a really fun task. Working with our authors is very rewarding. They’re committed and professional. Can’t ask for more.

Cathy: The authors are great! While I also love editing, I was excited this time to be the one to format the files for both eBook and print using Atticus, since that can be done on a PC (as opposed to Vellum, which was exclusively Mac-based). Now we have to focus on marketing. Thankfully, the other authors help as well, through their individual newsletters, blogs (like this one!), and social media postings.

Karen: I can’t believe that Murder in the Graveyard is already out! It’s now time to think about the next anthology. I’d love to ask everyone here: What should be the next murderous destination? Let us know!