Peggy Ehrhart's Blog, page 5
March 23, 2020
This and That
I hope everyone reading this is okay and finding ways to deal with the lack of in-person social interaction. These are difficult times. At least we readers have our favorite books as companions to console us and keep us entertained.
I returned Friday from a trip to California to celebrate my aunt's 100th birthday, spend time with my parents, and take part in the Left Coast Crime mystery conference in San Diego. The conference, unfortunately, ended prematurely--at five p.m. on the first day. That afternoon California's governor, Gavin Newsom, announced that there were to be no gatherings larger than 250 people--which seems generous now, in light of the fact that in most states people are being asked not to congregate at all.
If you'd like a bit of distraction, there's a new post on my Yarn Mania blog at www.PeggyEhrhart.com . It's all about rescued needlework projects. Click on the "Yarn Mania" tab.
And the ebook version of the first mystery in my Knit & Nibble series, MURDER, SHE KNIT, is on sale for $1.99 till March 30 from Kobo. Just go to http://store.kobobooks.com/p/mysteryt... and search on "Murder, She Knit."
Take care of yourselves, everyone!
I returned Friday from a trip to California to celebrate my aunt's 100th birthday, spend time with my parents, and take part in the Left Coast Crime mystery conference in San Diego. The conference, unfortunately, ended prematurely--at five p.m. on the first day. That afternoon California's governor, Gavin Newsom, announced that there were to be no gatherings larger than 250 people--which seems generous now, in light of the fact that in most states people are being asked not to congregate at all.
If you'd like a bit of distraction, there's a new post on my Yarn Mania blog at www.PeggyEhrhart.com . It's all about rescued needlework projects. Click on the "Yarn Mania" tab.
And the ebook version of the first mystery in my Knit & Nibble series, MURDER, SHE KNIT, is on sale for $1.99 till March 30 from Kobo. Just go to http://store.kobobooks.com/p/mysteryt... and search on "Murder, She Knit."
Take care of yourselves, everyone!
March 2, 2020
Shoo Fly Pie and Book Deals
In A FATAL YARN, coming in April, Bettina’s sweet husband Wilfred bakes a shoo fly pie when the Knit and Nibblers meet at the Frasers’ house. As he explains, it’s an Amish recipe—and delicious as it is, it’s an example of make-do cooking when there’s no fresh fruit or much else available for pie fillings. Now we can get almost any fruit or vegetable at almost any time in our supermarkets, but in the past cooking had to be seasonal.
The key ingredients are brown sugar, molasses, egg, and baking soda. The name reportedly alludes to the fact that a pie made with little but molasses and brown sugar would inevitably draw flies when cooled on a porch or windowsill.
My recipe appears, with many photos, on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, where I was a guest on March 1. MLK is a great blog if you're not familiar with it. Here's the link: https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/
Scroll down to the March 1 entry for "Wilfred's Shoo Fly Pie."
E-book deals coming up! SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT will be $1.99 from March 3 to 5 in a BookBub promotion and KNIT ONE, DIE TWO will be $1.99 from March 10 to 23 in a Nook promotion.
The key ingredients are brown sugar, molasses, egg, and baking soda. The name reportedly alludes to the fact that a pie made with little but molasses and brown sugar would inevitably draw flies when cooled on a porch or windowsill.
My recipe appears, with many photos, on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, where I was a guest on March 1. MLK is a great blog if you're not familiar with it. Here's the link: https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/
Scroll down to the March 1 entry for "Wilfred's Shoo Fly Pie."
E-book deals coming up! SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT will be $1.99 from March 3 to 5 in a BookBub promotion and KNIT ONE, DIE TWO will be $1.99 from March 10 to 23 in a Nook promotion.
February 27, 2020
On the Road for Murder
I spent last weekend in Alabama. The attractions were Murder in the Magic City (Saturday, in Birmingham) and Murder on the Menu (Sunday, in Wetumpka). I was one of 15 mystery and suspense authors invited to be part of these annual events benefiting local libraries.
Birmingham is known as the Magic City because it grew very fast after the steel industry discovered that the key ingredients for making steel were all at hand, most notably iron ore. Thus the soil is a remarkable shade of red. A monumental statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking looms over the city.
Wetumpka, 90 minutes to the south, is a charming old river town with oodles of tourist appeal.
The author guests of honor for both events were Joshilyn Jackson and Thomas Mullen. Joshilyn writes psychological suspense, and Thomas writes fiction set in carefully researched historical periods.
Joshilyn spoke eloquently about her volunteer work teaching women in prison, and Thomas's presentation made it clear that his themes, like race relations in the era before the civil rights movement, give his work a depth not always found in the typical mystery.
Birmingham is known as the Magic City because it grew very fast after the steel industry discovered that the key ingredients for making steel were all at hand, most notably iron ore. Thus the soil is a remarkable shade of red. A monumental statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking looms over the city.
Wetumpka, 90 minutes to the south, is a charming old river town with oodles of tourist appeal.
The author guests of honor for both events were Joshilyn Jackson and Thomas Mullen. Joshilyn writes psychological suspense, and Thomas writes fiction set in carefully researched historical periods.
Joshilyn spoke eloquently about her volunteer work teaching women in prison, and Thomas's presentation made it clear that his themes, like race relations in the era before the civil rights movement, give his work a depth not always found in the typical mystery.
January 28, 2020
Pets and Cozies: Perfect Together
My series tagline, Knit & Nibble mysteries, doesn't quite embrace all the coziness of my Knit & Nibble books. Not only do they include knitting and food--primarily sweet goodies--but there are cats!
Barnes and Noble is currently running a promotion focused on pet cozies, "Buy One, Get Another at 50% Off," and my KNIT ONE, DIE TWO is included. All my Knit & Nibble books have cats in them, but this particular book has six cats on the cover so it particularly lends itself to the theme.
Here's the link for the Barnes and Noble page: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/cozy...
Barnes and Noble is currently running a promotion focused on pet cozies, "Buy One, Get Another at 50% Off," and my KNIT ONE, DIE TWO is included. All my Knit & Nibble books have cats in them, but this particular book has six cats on the cover so it particularly lends itself to the theme.
Here's the link for the Barnes and Noble page: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/cozy...
January 23, 2020
The Ideal Audience
Last night I was the guest of one of the book groups in my town. They had read MURDER, SHE KNIT. It's the first in the Knit & Nibble series and several more are out now, but if readers don't already know about the series it's fun to start with the first one--and that's what the group's leader had decided they would do.
They all recognized that Arborville is a thinly veiled version of the suburban New Jersey town where we all live. I don't base my characters on specific people and I only include the sorts of events common to any town like mine: church rummage sales, town festivals, little theater productions, and the like. But my town has a flock of wild turkeys, which is not a feature of every typical suburban New Jersey town, and the group enjoyed recognizing them in MURDER, SHE KNIT.
One group member asked me if I killed the mayor in any of my books! I imagine she was thinking of our particular mayor, who is unpopular in certain circles. I actually do kill a mayor in A FATAL YARN--but not for any of the reasons my fellow townspeople might imagine when thinking of our current mayor, whom I know barely anything about.
The group also had many ideas about local institutions I could focus on in subsequent books. Apparently the town pool festers with cliques and resentments--which I had no idea of. I haven't been near the pool since my son was about nine and I used to sit in a lawn chair and read while he swam. He just turned forty.
So I'm pondering. Should I make Pamela decide she needs more exercise and swimming would be ideal? Should I have her enlist Bettina and Wilfred in her fitness quest? A pool setting would offer a very obvious method for murder--but how could I bring knitting into the story?
They all recognized that Arborville is a thinly veiled version of the suburban New Jersey town where we all live. I don't base my characters on specific people and I only include the sorts of events common to any town like mine: church rummage sales, town festivals, little theater productions, and the like. But my town has a flock of wild turkeys, which is not a feature of every typical suburban New Jersey town, and the group enjoyed recognizing them in MURDER, SHE KNIT.
One group member asked me if I killed the mayor in any of my books! I imagine she was thinking of our particular mayor, who is unpopular in certain circles. I actually do kill a mayor in A FATAL YARN--but not for any of the reasons my fellow townspeople might imagine when thinking of our current mayor, whom I know barely anything about.
The group also had many ideas about local institutions I could focus on in subsequent books. Apparently the town pool festers with cliques and resentments--which I had no idea of. I haven't been near the pool since my son was about nine and I used to sit in a lawn chair and read while he swam. He just turned forty.
So I'm pondering. Should I make Pamela decide she needs more exercise and swimming would be ideal? Should I have her enlist Bettina and Wilfred in her fitness quest? A pool setting would offer a very obvious method for murder--but how could I bring knitting into the story?
January 13, 2020
Cozy Up This Winter--Bargain E-Book
The e-book edition of MURDER, SHE KNIT is on sale for $1.99 until February 3 from most e-book sellers.
It's the first book in my Knit & Nibble series and a good introduction to the Knit & Nibblers if you haven't tried the series yet.
It's the first book in my Knit & Nibble series and a good introduction to the Knit & Nibblers if you haven't tried the series yet.
December 20, 2019
Writing and Baking
No sooner had I submitted KNIT OF THE LIVING DEAD to Kensington on October 31 than another deadline loomed--for a novella to be included in Kensington's 2020 Christmas anthology, CHRISTMAS CARD MURDER.
The anthology will include Leslie Meier's "Christmas Card Murder," Lee Hollis's "A Christmas Card to Three Wives," and my "Death of a Christmas Card Crafter." My novella will feature Pamela Paterson and the other Knit & Nibblers.
Once that manuscript was finished and submitted, it was time to think about Christmas in real life. One of my Christmas traditions is baking poppy-seed cake. It's a delicious recipe full of butter and poppy seeds, and I make it with half white flour and half whole wheat, and half white sugar and half brown.
Pamela Paterson bakes it for Christmas too, and SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT, which came out at the end of October, includes the recipe. The SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT page on my website-- www.PeggyEhrhart.com --has photos of the finished product. I just added more photos today, of this year's batch, which I baked as 3" x 5" mini-loaves.
I'm excited to report that Kensington has offered me a contract for two more Knit & Nibbles.
The anthology will include Leslie Meier's "Christmas Card Murder," Lee Hollis's "A Christmas Card to Three Wives," and my "Death of a Christmas Card Crafter." My novella will feature Pamela Paterson and the other Knit & Nibblers.
Once that manuscript was finished and submitted, it was time to think about Christmas in real life. One of my Christmas traditions is baking poppy-seed cake. It's a delicious recipe full of butter and poppy seeds, and I make it with half white flour and half whole wheat, and half white sugar and half brown.
Pamela Paterson bakes it for Christmas too, and SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT, which came out at the end of October, includes the recipe. The SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT page on my website-- www.PeggyEhrhart.com --has photos of the finished product. I just added more photos today, of this year's batch, which I baked as 3" x 5" mini-loaves.
I'm excited to report that Kensington has offered me a contract for two more Knit & Nibbles.
December 10, 2019
A Very Cozy Christmas
Kings River Life is currently featuring SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT, along with six other Christmas-themed cozies, in “A Stocking Full of Christmas Mysteries for Your Holiday Reading.” Thank you, Kings River Life! Visit the article at https://kingsriverlife.com/12/07/a-st...
and then scroll to the bottom for a chance to win all seven books.
and then scroll to the bottom for a chance to win all seven books.
November 24, 2019
Cozies Coast to Coast
I returned a few days ago from Southern California, where my parents and two sisters live and where I grew up. Why did I ever leave California? I asked myself that question as I stepped off the plane to a chilly drizzle in Newark NJ after eight days of coatless pleasure on the other coast.
My trip wasn't only for the purpose of seeing family. Kensington, the publisher of my Knit & Nibble mysteries, organizes four Cozy Club Mini-Cons every year, each in a different part of the country. I love to do the East Coast Mini-Cons of course, but this year I was able to be part of the West Coast one as well.
It was a two-day event. On Saturday, November 16, the bookstore Creating Conversations partnered with the Redondo Beach Public Library to host, and on Sunday, November 17, the bookstore Mysterious Galaxy partnered with the Scripps Miramar Ranch Library in San Diego to host. My parents live just about exactly halfway between the two venues, an hour each way.
It was so much fun to meet and talk with West Coast cozy fans--and to meet Kensington authors from the other coast. Both events featured Author Speed Dating (authors talk to readers one on one for five minutes at a time), goody bags, drawings for prizes, and Cozy Cover Bingo.
Now it's back to work on the Christmas novella to be included in Kensington's CHRISTMAS CARD MURDERS, due out for Christmas 2020.
My trip wasn't only for the purpose of seeing family. Kensington, the publisher of my Knit & Nibble mysteries, organizes four Cozy Club Mini-Cons every year, each in a different part of the country. I love to do the East Coast Mini-Cons of course, but this year I was able to be part of the West Coast one as well.
It was a two-day event. On Saturday, November 16, the bookstore Creating Conversations partnered with the Redondo Beach Public Library to host, and on Sunday, November 17, the bookstore Mysterious Galaxy partnered with the Scripps Miramar Ranch Library in San Diego to host. My parents live just about exactly halfway between the two venues, an hour each way.
It was so much fun to meet and talk with West Coast cozy fans--and to meet Kensington authors from the other coast. Both events featured Author Speed Dating (authors talk to readers one on one for five minutes at a time), goody bags, drawings for prizes, and Cozy Cover Bingo.
Now it's back to work on the Christmas novella to be included in Kensington's CHRISTMAS CARD MURDERS, due out for Christmas 2020.
November 4, 2019
Holidays and Mysteries
My Halloween-themed Knit & Nibble mystery, to be called KNIT OF THE LIVING DEAD, is now in the hands of my Kensington editor. It will appear in time for Halloween 2020.
My deadline for the manuscript was this past Halloween. I put the finishing touches on it as my heroic husband dealt with the trick-or-treaters who began ringing our doorbell at 3:00 p.m. and continued for several hours. He gave out 200 pieces of candy, one per goblin!
The past week also saw the release of my Christmas-themed Knit & Nibble, SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT. The audio version of this book is now out too, from Tantor Audio.
Click on this link for a sample of the audio version: http://tinyurl.com/y3ratjvu
And I was delighted recently to discover the website of Callie Beaulieu, who has narrated all the Knit & Nibbles for Tantor: https://www.calliebeaulieu.com/
My deadline for the manuscript was this past Halloween. I put the finishing touches on it as my heroic husband dealt with the trick-or-treaters who began ringing our doorbell at 3:00 p.m. and continued for several hours. He gave out 200 pieces of candy, one per goblin!
The past week also saw the release of my Christmas-themed Knit & Nibble, SILENT KNIT, DEADLY KNIT. The audio version of this book is now out too, from Tantor Audio.
Click on this link for a sample of the audio version: http://tinyurl.com/y3ratjvu
And I was delighted recently to discover the website of Callie Beaulieu, who has narrated all the Knit & Nibbles for Tantor: https://www.calliebeaulieu.com/
