Connie Archer's Blog, page 3
November 22, 2015
Creating Snowflake
The Soup Lover’s Mystery series is set in the imaginary village of Snowflake, Vermont. When Lucky Jamieson learns her parents have been killed in a car crash on an icy road, she returns home. Her grandfather Jack has been running her parents’ business, the By the Spoonful Soup Shop, until Lucky decides if she will stay on and take over. That’s where the mysteries begin.
The village had to be a very special place. Not just any town, anywhere, but a quintessential New England town. I decided, a population of 953 would be just perfect for a place where everyone pretty much knows everyone else, even if they’re not close friends (or enemies).
It needed to be nestled in a valley in north central Vermont, somewhere near Camel’s Hump, maybe between Bristol and Starkboro. Snowflake is a few miles from a highway that leads to larger towns, but charming enough that tourists will visit, yet not so connected to a larger city that it might be overwhelmed with traffic.
The Spoonful Soup Shop on Broadway is the place where everyone congregates. It’s the center of news and gossip. Snowflake’s main street also boasts Bettie’s Bakery, Flagg’s Pharmacy, a small ladies’ clothing store, a pub for locals, and a food market.
Around the corner is the Snowflake Clinic where the handsome Dr. Elias Scott works, and next door is the small apartment building where Lucky Jamieson lives.
I had to include a village green with a white-steepled Church. No Vermont town is without one. Plus a small police station and a jail that could accommodate at least one suspect. As in many towns, the streets are named for trees.
Lucky lives on Maple. Her grandfather Jack at 24 Birch Street. And as for the rest – there are Elm, Chestnut, Ash and Spruce Streets.
Snowflake is surrounded by woods. Woods are very handy because lots of things can happen there– murders, thieves in the night, mysterious sightings, disappearances and the howling of wolves. I needed roads that led up to the mountain or into the woods, so I invented the Mohawk Trail, Bear Path Lane, Ridgeline, Pilgrim’s Trail and the Old Colonial Road.
The first in the series, A Spoonful of Murder, takes place in the dead of winter. A serious blizzard was a must. After the blizzard, a winter tourist is found frozen to death behind the restaurant.
What better time of year than winter to hunker down with a good mystery and a hearty bowl of soup cooked by Sage, the Spoonful’s chef?
If you’d like to get to know Snowflake better, you can come on down to the Village Green or the Spoonful and hang out with some of the residents. Or just open the pages of any of the books in the series for a longer visit. Just go to Connie Archer Mysteries to learn more about Snowflake, Vermont.
November 12, 2015
Sixteenth Century Cooking
I’m visiting Shelley’s Book Case today, talking about 16th century cooking, and posting one very strange recipe.
October 15, 2015
Killer Characters
Rick Colgan’s at Killer Characters today, talking about his complicated relationship with his sister Sophie.
October 4, 2015
Killer Characters
Greta Dorn from Ladle to the Grave is talking about her desperate search at Killer Characters.
September 16, 2015
Killer Characters
Greta reveals the secrets of her heart at Killer Characters.
September 3, 2015
Labor Day Giveaway
It’s Labor Day Weekend and, as promised, I’m hosting a giveaway of a fabulous book ~ The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. It’s something every mystery lover should have in their kitchen!
Where else could you find exact directions for Sue Grafton’s “Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwich” or Lee Child’s “Coffee Pot of One?” Not to mention, my very own Chicken Artichoke Tarragon Soup?
Just leave a comment below to enter. The giveaway starts now and ends at midnight on September 7th. Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend and get ready to cook with a few famous mystery writers!
July 1, 2015
Fourth of July Giveaway!
Happy July ~ summer’s really here — with a vengeance! To celebrate the 4th, I’m giving away a copy of The Cozy Cookbook. That’s right! More than 100 recipes from today’s bestselling mystery authors.
Don’t think that summer heat precludes eating soup, because two of my summer soup recipes are included — Chilled Mango Soup and Cucumber Yogurt Walnut Soup. Both are fantastic!
I’m in great company in this fabulous cookbook with authors (in alphabetical order): Avery Aames/Daryl Wood Gerber, Ellery Adams, Leslie Budewitz, Laura Childs, Cleo Coyle, Victoria Hamilton, B.B. Haywood, Julie Hyzy, Jenn McKinlay and Paige Shelton. Plus, an added bonus — excerpts from our books!
To quote the book cover: “Whether you like your meals sauteed, roasted, baked, or served cold like revenge, The Cozy Cookbook has something to satisfy every mystery fan.”
The contest starts now and ends on Sunday, July 5th, at midnight, so I’ll be checking my website every day. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment right here.
Don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you’re the winner.
And stay tuned because I’ll be giving away a copy of The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook before Labor Day.
Good luck to all!
~ Connie
PS: If you enjoyed all the stories and adventures in Ladle to the Grave, don’t miss A Clue in the Stew, coming next spring!
June 11, 2015
California Crime Writers Conference
The California Crime Writers Conference, sponsored jointly by the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the SoCal Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, was held this year on June 6th and 7th at the Doubletree Hotel in Culver City. For those of us who worked to organize the conference, it started early on June 5th, unpacking boxes, stuffing goody bags and generally working very hard to make the conference a success, and a success it was – not to mention a lot of fun!
Here I am with Laurie Stevens, author of the award-winning Gabriel McRay series.
Our two fantastic Guests of Honor and Keynote
Speakers were Charlaine Harris and Anne Perry.
Here’s Kim Fay, author of The Map of Lost Memories, counting our goody bags.
Not to mention piles and piles of gift baskets to be auctioned.
The weekend kicked off Friday evening with a Cozy vs. Noir battle at The Culver Club bar at the Doubletree moderated by the very witty Eric Beetner. Here’s Eric in the bar offering his advice on differentiating between cozy and noir fiction. 
I’m sure all those Noir Guys (Craig Faustus Buck, Gar Anthony Haywood, Samuel Gailey, Josh Stallings, Jordan Harper and S.W. Lauden) didn’t think the Cozies had a chance against their lurid prose, but we showed ‘em. We wore our Team Cozy robes.
Our whole team posed in the ladies’ room with our Team Cozy robes before our big entrance (to a standing ovation, I might add): Harley Jane Kozak, Holly West, Rochelle Staab, me, Diane Vallere and Sue Ann Jaffarian.
All the panels were marvelous and packed with attendees. I couldn’t catch them all, but here are a few of the highlights: The Thrills and Chills Panel with Doug Lyle, Paul D. Marks, Craig Faustus Buck, Laurie Stevens and Diana Gould was standing room only.
And The F Word Panel (Addressing Fear and Other Plagues of the Writing Life) was just as popular. Dennis Palumbo moderated, with panelists Terri Nolan, Tyler Dilts, D.J. Adamson and Terry Shames.
The Traveling Through Time Panel (Historical Mysteries) with Ona Russell, Bonnie MacBird, Jessica Goeller (Jess Faraday), Anne Cleeland, and moderator Rosemary Lord, entertained the crowd.
Robin Hoklotubbe
of the Santa Clarita Library appeared at her own informative panel: Between the Stacks/Marketing Through Libraries.
“My Editor Is My Friend, Right?” was a huge hit. Editor and author Kendel Lynn of Henery Press and Annette Rogers of Poisoned Pen Press appeared with authors Kim Fay and James Ziskin, to discuss the benefits, blessings, trials and tribulations of the editing process.
Here’s Diane Vallere, President of the LA Chapter of Sisters in Crime and Craig Faustus Buck, President of SoCal MWA with Anne Perry.
Charlaine Harris was our other Keynote Speaker and Guest of Honor.
Both ladies were incredibly entertaining and I was thrilled to meet them.
We couldn’t have wished for more illustrious guests!
For the finale of the conference, we were treated to both Charlaine and Anne discussing/dissecting Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing.
California Crime Writers Conference 2015 was one of the most enjoyable conferences I’ve ever taken part in.
Next one will be held in the summer of 2017. Don’t miss it!
May 21, 2015
New England’s Poisonous Plants
I didn’t set out to write a mystery that involved poisoning, but I finally decided it was the best way to dispatch one of my characters in the woods – a quiet unassuming woman who had absolutely no enemies — at least none that anyone knew of. And that decision necessitated some research into the poisonous plants and herbs of New England. It’s quite frightening actually, the things that can sicken or kill us. As Scully said to Mulder in The X Files, “Mother Nature’s out to get you.”
Following are just a few examples:
The wisteria plant is a vine or shrub and a member of the Fabaceae family. It’s extremely hardy and considered an invasive species in many parts of the U.S. because of its ability to choke out native plants.
It produces beautiful pendant-shaped clusters of blue and violet flowers. The toxin in the plant is wisterin, a glycoside. The seeds and the pods are the most poisonous parts, but all parts are toxic if consumed. Symptoms of poisoning are nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea.
Water hemlock is a perennial in the carrot family with small, white flowers that grow in umbrella like clusters. The roots contain chambers which hold a highly poisonous brown liquid that’s released when the stem is broken or cut. It is the most toxic plant in North America. Cicutoxin, the active compound, acts directly on the central nervous system causing grand mal seizures and death.
Symptoms includes excessive salivation and frothing, muscle twitching, dilation of the pupils, rapid pulse and breathing, violent convulsions and coma. Death can occur as quickly as fifteen minutes after a lethal dose is consumed.
The entire daffodil plant is poisonous but especially the bulbs. Daffodils contain two alkaloids — narcissine (lycorine) and galantamine as well as the glycoside scillaine (scillitoxin). Most poisoning incidents have occurred when the daffodil bulb is mistaken for an onion resulting in – you guessed it — nausea, vomiting and violent stomach upset.
Baneberry or Actaea, is a flowering plant of the Ranunculaceae family.
The red or white flowers with dark dots are commonly referred to as “doll’s eyes.” The berry, the most poisonous part of the plant, contains a toxin that has an immediate effect on the muscles of the heart, leading to cardiac arrest and death.
Even Azaleas, a subspecies of the rhododendron (also poisonous) are beautiful ornamental shrubs with clusters of bright flowers and evergreen foliage. Both their leaves and flowers are toxic and even the honey from their flowers is poisonous. Both contain glycosides, in particular, andromedotoxin, a resin that burns the mouth. Fatalities from eating parts of these plants are rare, but ingestion will cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal upset and low blood pressure.
Now I can’t give readers a hint as to which poison I chose. You’ll find out near the end of Ladle to the Grave. Telling you now would be a spoiler, but I can say this: By the time I finished my research, I realized that Scully was right — it’s best to be very careful in the woods and not mess with Mother Nature.
A local woman is poisoned at a pagan ritual in the woods and Lucky Jamieson’s grandfather Jack, who provided the herbs for the gathering, is suspected of making a terrible mistake. But when a dead man is found floating in a creek just outside of town, his face unrecognizable, Lucky is certain both deaths are murder. Can she find the connection and clear her grandfather’s name before more victims fall prey to a killer?
Visit Connie at Facebook.com/ConnieArcherMysteries and Twitter @SnowflakeVT.
