Kate Collins's Blog, page 239

Red Hot Apple Pie!

By Ellery Adams


I know I already posted a recipe this month, but I've got pie on the brain. You see, I've been getting ready for the launch of Peach Pies and Alibis: A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery on March 5 and I've been staring at the cover on postcards and bookmarks and it has my sweet tooth on overdrive. I'm doing all kinds of mailings and guest blogs in hopes of getting word of the book out into the world and that sort of busy work can make a girl hungry.

Recently, I did some research on unusual ingredient people have used when making apple pies. I've read recipes and reviews on apple pepper pie, apple pie with a black pepper cheddar crust, fried apple pie, salted caramel apple pie, apple and bacon pie, etcetera. Well, none of them grabbed me until I stumbled across a comment on a blog post in which a woman said she'd used cinnamon red hot candies to make a tasty apple pie.

I love cinnamon so I had to try to create a pie like hers. The result was a what will now be my all-time favorite apple pie and I was so excited that I had to share it with you! In the meantime, you can read about Peach Pies and Alibis and maybe even pre-order a copy!




Charmed Red Hot Apple Pie
Ingredients
Recipe for Charmed piecrust1 Tablespoon lemon juice¼ cup cinnamon red-hot candies1/3 cup honey 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped1 Tablespoon cold butter, cut into piecesCharmed Egg Wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon half and half)Cinnamon sugar (½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon)  Directions
1.     Preheat oven to 350. Place half of the rolled out piecrust dough into pie plate. Trim pastry edges with knife or kitchen shears. 2.     In small saucepan, cook lemon juice and cinnamon red-hots over low heat until candies melt, approximately 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in ground cinnamon and honey. 3.     Arrange apples in bottom crust and pour red-hot mixture over the apples. Dot with pieces of butter.4.     Cut decorative shapes in remainder of piecrust dough with small cookie cutters (Ella Mae prefers hearts). Moisten edges of bottom crust with water and then lift top crust over filling. Trim any extra dough with knife or kitchen shears and then flute edges or press together using the tines of a fork. Brush with Charmed Egg Wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. 5.     Bake for fifteen minutes. Then cover edge of crust with pie shield or aluminum foil and bake for another 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream if desired. 
      Peach Pies and Alibis: A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery (#2)
ISBN - 0425251993
Price - $7.99
Available at your local bookstore or Amazon.com, Indiebound.com, Barnes & NobleEllery Adams serves up a mystery that’s a real peach...Ella Mae LeFaye’s Charmed Pie Shoppe is wildly popular in Havenwood, Georgia—which is not surprising since Ella Mae can lace her baked goods with enchantments. The shop’s extraordinary success seems destined to continue when Ella Mae meets an engaged couple who hire her to handle the dessert buffet at their wedding.

But Ella Mae has a lot on her plate. She is also searching for the origin of her magical powers—and hoping to determine if the spark of attraction she feels for the handsome Hugh Dylan is authentic or just her new abilities gone awry.

Then Ella Mae discovers a high-standing member of the community dead, and a wedding guest becomes seriously ill at the event she’s catering. Now she’ll have to use all her sleuthing skills and culinary talents to prove her pies don’t contain a killer ingredient . . .

We're all winners!

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

Last week the Cozy Chicks held a bit of a contest.  It was our 2000th blog post and we asked readers to chime in with what they liked about the blog, and how long they'd been reading.  In a totally random drawing the winners were:

[image error] Cherie Bozell
Rita Crab
Adrienne Donze
Harriette Harra
Veronica Havlicek-Baher
Shazia McGeehan
Melody Mellinger
Cindy Ronken
Geri Thueme
Elizabeth Tindal

But more than just giving out Goody Bags of bookmarks, postcards, and buttons, we were the winners of lovely notes from our readers, and from all over the world.  Here are a brief sample.

From Terri from South Africa:  "What I like best about your blog is that it is a collective representation of such a diverse genre of cozy mysteries - you all have such interesting lives, and everyday I get to live vicariously on a different continent through your blog posts."

[image error] Jeannie from Knoxville, TN:  "I have been reading the blog for over a year now. I love it. I can keep up on my favorite author's new books. I love the recipes and the insight into an author's world. I read the post first thing every morning, it feels  like visiting with friends every morning. I found the blog through Lorna Barrett's website.  Her books were the first one's to turn me onto cozies, and now I have so many new author's to enjoy. So many books and so little time! Congratulations on the 2,000th post and here's to 2,000 more."

Barbara from New York, NY:  "Congratulations on the 2000th blog.  I am 75 years old and have read most of your books, especially those which take place in knitting stores and/or include recipes and instructions for knitting patterns.  I've just gotten over pneumonia and your books have given me much pleasure and keep my mind from atrophying as I try to find out who done it."

[image error] Linda from Butler, PA:  "Hi, I have been reading for a few years now and have met most of you at the Mystery Lovers Festival in Oakmont, PA. It's hard to tell you what I like most about the blog because I like lots of things. I like that it comes regularly every day so i don't have to keep track of what days it comes. I like learning about your lives and sharing in your joys and sorrows and there is frequently humor which I like. I also liked to see that someone has a messier basement than mine. Thanks for posting the pictures, Julie and good luck with your project."

Nicole from Haywood, Manitoba, Canada:   "I was beyond excited to find a web site that included so many of my favorite authors and especially appreciate the interactions we, as your fans, can participate in.  It humbles me that you take the time to read my , at times, crazy comments and still have time to create such captivating books."  

[image error] Adrienne from Minnesota:  "I read all of the authors' contributions, having been enlightened, entertained, excited and made emotional by any number of them.  When one of you has lost a loved one and shared that grief with us, I've felt so humbled by your willingness to let us support you.  When you're going through a life-changing event like children going off to college or moving from one city to another, you always invite us to support you.
     "And what happens when we write on the blog is that we end up supporting one another! We're total strangers and yet through that act of responding to your suggestions, questions, concerns, we become bonded on a particular issue. I think that's what I love most about the Cozy Chicks Blog:  it's humanity. Thank you all for being willing to share parts of yourselves with your devoted readers."

[image error] These are just a few of the wonderful letters we received. 

And now we'd like to thank you for joining us every day of the week. 

Thank you, dear readers.  We love you.

Ranting on Ranting

by Julie

When waiters and waitresses stop by a diner's table and ask "Are you still working on that?" the latest popular (and snarky) response from diners is "Since when did enjoying a meal classify as work?"

Okay, I get it. "Are you still working on that?"isn't exactly a classy inquiry.

Nor is, "How does everything taste?" - which seems to be the new waitstaff go-to question. I'm not a fan of that one myself. I think dining out is about far more than how things taste. It's a combination of ambiance, conversation, timing, service, and yes, food. Perhaps a better choice would be: "How is everything so far?" or "Can I do anything for you right now?" Both are nice.

The thing is, when a waiter comes up to me and asks, "Are you still working on that?" or a waitress asks me, "How does everything taste?" my first response is *not* to leap to my feet, smack them upside the head, and demand why they they've asked me such a ridiculous question. And yet, after reading a few recent rants online, I get the impression that I'm the exception rather than the rule.

Unless a waiter or waitress is pointedly rude or indifferent, I tend to believe he or she is doing his or her best to ensure I'm enjoying my meal. Because the questions asked are not worded in a particularly lovely way doesn't mean the waitperson means any offense. Just the opposite, in fact. And I know from experience that management often dictates what questions are to be asked, and they specify how to word them. You've heard of mystery shoppers? There are mystery diners, too - out there checking to make sure the staff does everything they've been instructed to do.

This tendency to find fault with questions like "How are you doing?" and responses like, "Have a good one," or "No problem," isn't limited to dining out - not by a long shot. I've been seeing complaints everywhere where individuals believe that a cashier or salesclerk or ... anyone they encounter outside the home is guilty of personal affront simply because they spoke inelegantly.

My rant today, if you haven't already guessed, is about...rants. I'm tired of people complaining about niceties. That's what these are, really - service people doing their best to be NICE. Can't we all just understand that their intentions are good and leave it at that? If a question truly offends then that is a matter to bring to management's attention.

A self-satisfied snarky retort (and I'm seeing *plenty* of suggestions for them online, as though it were some kind of contest) does nothing more than publicly belittle that service professional. Not cool. You know what else? It makes the world a little less pleasant.

In the spirit of spreading sunshine rather than gloom then, let me ask you for the best (nicest, most fun) service-related situations you've encountered. What such moments have made your day?

Ugly Sweaters

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed

It all started when we tried to find a few ugly sweaters for the local production of A Fox on the Fairway, which is a wacky golf comedy.

One of the male cast members had to wear ugly sweaters - three wardrobe changes worth.

So we went to the thrift stores - Goodwill, St. Vincent, etc. and combed the racks.

And couldn't find ANY ugly sweaters.

Sure we had some discussions over what constitutes an ugly sweater, but none of the zillions we picked through were going to work.

Someone far more talented than moi actually took regular sweaters and made them ugly.

There is officially a shortage of them.

Because of the popularity of ugly sweater parties

The flashier and tackier the better.

So if you're considering donating your ugly sweater -
DON'T

It's a collector's item!

Snippets

by Maggie Sefton


Since nothing has suddenly popped into my head, demanding to be written about, my post today will be snippets of thoughts that briefly appeared on my "radar screen" today:

Serious illness---my oldest daughter (a mom of four herself) had emergency gall bladder surgery last week.  Suddenly, all of us in the family were keeping in touch with the situation and exchanging information via texts and brief phone calls.  I know technology can add to the stress level in our lives, but sometimes it can also bring huge benefits, like faster communication.  We do group texts with five or more on our smartphones, so when someone learns or hears something, we all know it.

Leann's wonderful Sunday post on our CC blog---Thank you so much, Leann, for expressing those thoughts so wonderfully.  They are shared by so many of us who love to write cozy mysteries.  And we LOVE that our readers love our books.  :)

Staying in touch with old friends---Today a dear writer friend and I shared a long and wonderful lunch, catching up with each other.  We talked about all sorts of things, especially fiction.  We're both putting up formerly published novels on EBooks.  And we've got ideas for new fiction we want to release as well.  Exciting times.  Mary Gillgannon and I met in the early 90s in Denver at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers meetings.  We were both writing historical romance and we became fast friends and joined with two other historical romance authors, Denee Cody & Jessica Wulf, to form  a serious critique group to supplement the wonderful critique group we were participating in Denver.  We worked hard, honing our craft, and within two years, all four of us were published with major New York publishing houses.  Today, we're all still writing, but have broadened our interests to include mystery, paranormal, and fantasy.  Mary & I continue to stay in touch with each other.  Old friends are truly gold.

Lastly, I still can't believe Season Three of Downton Abbey ended the way it did on Sunday night.  All I can say is. . .Oh, No!!!!!!!!!

Get Over Your Grief! It's Been How Long?

by Kate Collins

Don't you hate advice given by someone who has not walked in your shoes? This Valentine's Day was rough for me, and it's my third!!! one without my beloved Greek. It's been 2 1/2 years since he passed away suddenly, yet some days it feels like it just happened last month - and the pain feels that sharp, too.  Yet there are people who think that because it's been that long, I should be "over it."

I try to explain that you don't "get over" losing someone. Their departing doesn't just leave a hole in your heart. It leaves a big scar across it, too, and scars don't go away. They fade a bit, that's all. But unless you've gone through such a momentous loss, there's no way to understand. And I'm not blaming anyone for that. I was one of those clueless people once. It was a great place to be.

I remember when my best friend lost her mother. She grieved hard, and I had no way to relate. My mom was alive and healthy -- until she wasn't. Then it was my turn to get it. I felt terrible for being nonchalant about her loss.

So I do have to bite my tongue when someone tells me I need to get over it and move on. Of course I've moved on. You have no choice but to move on. You have to get up every day and face life, and life is all about change. But please don't tell me to get over it. "It' will always be with me because the "it" is my husband. I don't want to get over him. I love him still.

That's why I was so grateful to find a grief counselor who had also lost a husband. She got it! That's also why I can't understand how someone who's never been married can be a marriage counselor. I mean, really? Even with all the training in the world, unless you've been married, you just can't get it.

Do you agree with my reasoning? Have you ever been told to "get over" something?

Award Season ... But Hardly Ever For Cozies

by  Leann

We've seen Golden Globes, People's Choice, Grammys, SAG Awards, MTV, Tonys and of course, the Academy Awards. It's also time to hand out trophies to mystery authors with the Edgars and the Agathas. Will a cozy--or as I like to say, a gentle mystery--win awards? Well, yes for "best first" at the Agathas, but that's about it.

Cozies just aren't considered "serious" or "important" enough to be consistently honored. There was a time this unpsoken attitude bothered me, but as time has passed, I have accepted this and moved on. For me, it really is about writing, about creating a world where my readers can escape and about not letting them down. (Do not, however, get me started on the gender issue in this whole award thing. That's quite another kettle of fish.)

What does thrill me is the consistent and amazing success of cozy mysteries, The latest NY Times Bestseller list for mass market paperbacks is LOADED with cozies. I am so thrilled for my fellow authors. We are selling books, we are reaching people and I have an idea why. We bring social issues to light in ways that are relate-able. We also know how to make people laugh. (Notice how "funny" movies don't win awards, either?) We don't think violence and profanity need as much time on the page as the time such things receive in the news. We respect our readers will understand what's "between the lines." We make them think about solving the mystery if they so choose, or they can just go along for the ride. Vampires and zombies come and go, but ever since the Agatha Christie era, in one form or another, the cozy mystery has remained consistently popular.

Does that mean the books that gather in all the awards aren't worthy? Certainly not. There are books out there for everyone. That's what's so amazing and wonderful. But are they "better" than a good cozy? Some folks may think so, but I don't believe that. Why? Because we all have books we love that others do not. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

What are your thoughts on this topic and on awards in general? I'd love to hear your opinions!

Such A Slouch

By Heather
A little over a week ago, as I hunched over my laptop, I decided that I really needed to work on my posture. It’s bad.
So bad.
I pretty much slouch all the time. If I’m vertical, I’m slouching. It’s a natural, comfortable position for me. But since I really don’t want to end up like the Hunchback, it was time to put the effort into pulling my shoulders back and standing up straight.
A few days after I started this little self-improvement project, I woke up unable to turn my head to the left. A day of Advil and heat treatments relieved the pain, but I racked my brain trying to figure out why I had this problem—there had been no injury, no sudden twisting. Nothing. Nada.
Except my new posture project...
Now, I’m not 100 percent sure the two are linked, but I’m suspicious. Very suspicious.
Luckily, the neck problem hasn’t returned. And a week and a half into my project I can’t say that I never slouch any more, but I am getting better at catching myself when I do, and hopefully soon I’ll won’t be doing it at all. My spine, someday, will thank me.
How about you? Do you have good posture? Or are you a sloucher like me?

The February 2013 Report

Welcome to Dru's Cozy Report: February 2013. This month we have one new series and two returning series for your reading pleasure.


Buried In A Bog by Sheila Connolly is the first book in the new "County Cork" mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, February 2013

Honoring the wish of her late grandmother, Maura Donovan visits the small Irish village where her Gran was born—though she never expected to get bogged down in a murder mystery. Nor had she planned to take a job in one of the local pubs, but she finds herself excited to get to know the people who knew her Gran.

In the pub, she’s swamped with drink orders as everyone in town gathers to talk about the recent discovery of a nearly one-hundred-year-old body in a nearby bog. When Maura realizes she may know something about the dead man—and that the body’s connected to another, more recent, death—she fears she’s about to become mired in a homicide investigation. After she discovers the death is connected to another from almost a century earlier, Maura has a sinking feeling she may really be getting in over her head.

I was hesitant to read this book only because I like my stories to take place in America, but I have to tell you that I’m so happy I did because this is a fantastic story.

A long buried body suddenly appears as Maura arrives in Ireland. When she discovers a possible clue to his identity, she is later threatened, but that doesn’t deter her from helping the gardai put a name to the body and catching a killer.

The mystery was good as I had to know what happens from chapter to chapter and enjoyed the surprising twists that concluded this wonderfully crafted story. Maura is a great heroine and I was rooting for as she embraces her new surroundings. What I liked best about this story is that Maura didn’t actively pursue being an amateur sleuth, rather the clues came to her in the many conversations she was having with the people in her newly adopted town. The author did a great job of pulling me into this story that boasts a great secondary cast that surrounds Maura, from the village itself, to Mrs. Nolan, from Mick to Rose to everyone she meets along the way. I’m so excited for this series and I can’t wait to read what awaits our Maura in her next adventures. This is a great beginning to what I hope will be a long-running series.

Visit Sheila at www.sheilaconnolly.com

FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of this book.
Scent To Kill by Chrystle Fiedler is the second book in the "Natural Remedies" mystery series. Publisher: Galley Books, February 2013

When naturopathic doctor and shop owner Willow McQuade’s ex-boyfriend Simon Lewis invites her to a party for the cast and crew of a new television show at Long Island’s scenic Bixby Estate, she’s most excited to visit the property’s exclusive lavender farm. But a whole field of her favorite stress-reducing herb can’t provide enough soothing support to calm the effects of a murder!

Even the show’s psychic star didn’t predict the demise of Roger Bixby, the estate’s owner and estranged husband of Simon’s new girlfriend. Now Simon, who’s been collared by police, needs Willow’s help to remedy the situation. As Willow snoops about the mansion, offering natural cures to ease the mounting tension, a strange energy—and the discovery of an eerily similar unsolved murder decades earlier—makes her wonder whether the alternative source of the crime might actually be . . . supernatural. Can she find harmony between mind, body, and possibly even spirits before somebody else goes up in smoke?

When her ex asks for her help in clearing his name, Willow and Spade find themselves in a mansion where murder is afoot. When she is warned away from helping, this spurs her on to find the identity of the culprit who would stop at nothing to keep what is theirs.

This is a really good book. I loved the storyline of past and present as I had to know who was behind what and why. I thought I had a handle on the why, but the author’s continual plot twists had me quickly changing my mind and I was a bit surprised when the killer’s identity was revealed because that, I didn’t see coming. I liked that each chapter began with a natural remedy tip and within the pages you also found aromatherapy treatments. This is an enjoyable read that boasts a wonderful supporting cast to Willow and Jackson, good dialogue and a feel-good atmosphere. I look forward to the next book in this pleasantly appealing series.

Visit Chrystle at http://chrystlefiedler.com

FTC Full Disclosure - The author sent me an ARC of this book in hopes I would review it. Book will be available February 26, 2013
The Silence Of The Llamas by Anne Canadeo is the fifth book in the "Black Sheep Knitting" mystery series. Publisher: Galley Books, January 2013

Ellie and Ben Krueger arrived in Plum Harbor eager to live out their dream—tending a herd of gentle, friendly llamas for fun and profit, on a farm just beyond the village. Their grand opening fiber festival kicks off on a bright note but abruptly ends in malicious mayhem. Knitting shop owner Maggie Messina and her friends soon learn that this is not the first time a vicious visitor has called.

The Kruegers suspect that Justin Ridley, their eccentric neighbor, is the troublemaker. A misfit and loner, he’s known to roam the woods all night, though no one knows for sure what he’s hunting. Then there’s Angelica Rossi—the lovely owner of a rival fiber farm—who’s been as busy as a spider, spinning spiteful lies about the Kruegers’ yarns. Or, are the naïve newcomers merely caught in the tangle of Plum Harbor politics, and an intense land protection debate?

Suddenly, vandalism turns to murder—and the Kruegers’ dream descends into a nightmare. The Black Sheep knitters must pull the threads together and uncover this crafty menace . . . before more lives—and more llamas—are lost.

The Black Sheep Knitters learn that their friend, Ellie and her husband’s farm have been plagued with vandalism and when their neighbor is later found dead on their land, the husband becomes the prime suspects and the knitters set out to find the real killer.

This is my first time reading this series and I like it. The author did a good job in presenting a mystery that kept my attention from beginning to end with a couple of surprises that I did not see coming. I mostly enjoyed the camaraderie between the knitters and how they gathered the clues necessary to apprehend a killer. This is a good mystery that boasts a great cast, good conversation and a sense of community. I look forward to reading the next book in this wonderfully crafted series. Bonus knitting projects and recipes are included.

Visit Anne on Facebook

FTC Full Disclosure - The author sent me this book.
And check out these other February releases

Valentine's Day and NEWS!

Happy Valentine's Day!
by Julie

I have a feeling that two of our Cozy Chicks have gotten EXACTLY the perfect Valentine's gift this year because...
wait for it ...
drum roll ....
big news ....

Lorraine Bartlett's ONE HOT MURDER hit the New York Times Bestseller list at #16!!
and Lucy Arlington's (Ellery Adams) ONE TRICK IN THE BOOK came in #23!!

Congrats to our Cozy Chicks!!!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!




When I was young, my dad used to buy Fannie May chocolates every year for me and my mom. Back when the girls were all home my husband used to bake cookies for them before they left for school in the morning. But that's it. A little "hey I love you" moment, and all is good.

Still, every year, my husband asks: "We're not doing anything for Valentine's Day, are we?" And I assure him that we aren't. We go out to dinner fairly often already - Valentine's Day would only mean that the restaurants are more crowded. I like flowers as much as anyone, but they die quickly and are terribly expensive. Yeah, I'm a practical sort, I suppose. Not too romantic.

But I still think the day is fun and I appreciate the fact that it brings people together.

What about you? Do you celebrate? Any particular traditions?