Connie Archer's Blog, page 4

Hearing Voices

And yet another stop on Release Day for Ladle to the Grave at the Fresh Fiction blog.  I don’t know about anyone else, but my characters talk to me.

 

Why Crime Fiction?

My blog tour continues and today, Release Day for Ladle to the Grave, I’m stopping at the Gotta Write Network to talk about our fascination with crime fiction.

A True Vermont Character

Fred Tuttle was a retired dairy farmer who rose to fame playing a politician in a film by a Vermont filmmaker.  Then in real life he really did run for a U.S. Senate seat.  He was a true Vermont character and you can read more about Fred’s story at Lisa K’s Book Reviews.

 

Vermont’s Lake Monster

Did you know that Vermont has its very own, very real, lake monster?  Maybe not as famous as Nessie in Scotland, but just as mysterious.  Champ lives in Lake Champlain and was named after Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer who discovered the lake.  You can read all about Champ at one of my blog stops — Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries and More.

True Crime and Inspiration

My blog tour is well under way and as part of that tour, I’ve posted at Melina’s site — Melina’s Book Blog — to talk about writerly inspiration that comes from true crime.

A Giveaway to Celebrate Ladle to the Grave

I’m very excited that Ladle to the Grave (available for pre-order now), the fourth book in the Soup Lover’s Mystery series, is about to hit the bookshelves, literally and digitally on March 3, 2015!

When a local woman is poisoned at a pagan ritual in the woods, Lucky Jamieson’s grandfather, Jack, who provided herbs for the gathering, is suspected of making a terrible mistake. The following day, a dead man is found floating in a creek just outside of town, his face unrecognizable. Is he a stranger or Lucky’s best friend’s estranged brother? 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?

To celebrate the release of Ladle to the Grave, starting today, February 1, 2015, and ending at midnight (PST) on March 2, 2015, I’m offering three different giveaways.  And each giveaway will include a complete set of all four books (so far) in the Soup Lover’s Mystery series:  A Spoonful of Murder, A Broth of Betrayal, A Roux of Revenge and this new release, Ladle to the Grave.

Count ‘em, three!  And all giveaways are related to soup!  The first is a fantastic four quart crock pot, perfect for slow cooking soups. 

The second giveaway is a set of charming soup bowls.

And the third is a lunch food warmer great for transporting soups (and other things) to work or anyplace else. 

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is to leave a comment here between February 1 and midnight, March 2, 2015 (PST), with your email address, letting me know if you have a preference for any of the giveaways.  If not, that’s fine too.  I will use random.org to pick the three winners on March 3rd.  No entry will be excluded.  Don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you’re a winner!

I really hope you’ll join in the fun and help me celebrate the release of Ladle to the Grave!  Good luck to all!

Connie Archer

 

 

Snowflake’s Chief of Police

Nate Edgerton’s ready to retire.  Just one problem — there’s no one to take over his job.  Read more about Nate at Killer Characters today.

Trust No One

Rick Colgan, a new character in the upcoming Ladle to the Grave, speaks his mind on Killer Characters.

Thanksgiving Recovery

Or how to make room in the refrigerator!

I wish I had taken a before and after picture of my kitchen, but it might have been frightening.  Somehow the mess was cleaned up, the leftovers stashed away, but what to eat on the following days?

I’ve never been a fan of turkey soup.  Maybe that’s because I’m sated with turkey after Thanksgiving, or maybe because it always tastes a little heavy when made with turkey drippings, but in an effort to find more room in my  refrigerator, and not to waste food, I made some soup.  Here’s my leftover recipe and it turned out pretty tasty.

Ingredients

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 sausage (any kind)

3 cups water

1 cube vegetable bouillon

1 cup celery, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1  cup chopped, cooked turkey meat

3 tbls. fresh sage (or parsley)

1 cup mashed potatoes

1 cup peas

In a large pot, saute the onion in vegetable oil over medium heat until softened, squeeze the meat from the sausage and add to the pot.  When sausage meat is cooked, add water, vegetable bouillon, celery, carrots, apple, turkey meat and sage (or parsley).  Simmer over medium heat until the celery and carrots are cooked (10-15 minutes).

Then add mashed potatoes and peas.  Stir and simmer for 5 minutes more.  If soup is too thick, add 1 more cup of water.

(Serves 6)

I tried this soup with 1/2 cup of cranberry jelly too.  It was a little too sweet, so I left out that one ingredient.  I’ll have to try it again with unsweetened cranberries and see what happens.

Happy Leftover Day!

 

Bouchercon 2014 – Murder at the Beach

The dust has finally settled after Bouchercon 2014 – Murder at the Beach.  It was a fantastic conference and I came home with photos galore, some great, some not so focused, but worth posting nonetheless. 

This is a shot of the hotel grounds and beach from my hotel room.

The hotel lobby featured a body outline and crime scene tape and a mystery to solve.  The prize was a free night at the hotel for a lucky  mystery buff!

The Sisters in Crime Breakfast was a huge success.  Here’s Laura di Silverio giving over the “Seal of Office” to SinC’s new President.

And Catriona MacPherson hugging the Seal of  Office as she takes over.

There were plenty of “stars” of the mystery genre in attendance.  Sue Grafton, for one.

Charlaine  Harris at her panel.

 

Guests of honor, Sara Paretsky and J.A. Jance.

 

Here’s Sara Henry with Ingrid Willis, Chair of the entire conference, who did an amazing job!

George Fong held a fabulous workshop on FBI techniques of evidence collection that was an absolute highlight of the conference.

Gigi  Pandian and Diane Vallere, President of SoCal Sisters in Crime.

 

It was fantastic to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones.

Dana Isaacson, Diane Emley and Kim Fay.

 

And here’s Kim, held captive by Bogie in the ladies room of the Sky Room.

The Long Beach Performing Arts Center, site of the Anthony Awards, was decorated for the holidays.

 

And a final look at Long Beach from the very top of the Sky Room.

Bouchercon 2014 was a weekend to remember!