Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 116

A Wicked Welcome to Laurien Berenson **plus giveaway**

by Julie seeing the students coming back in Boston

Laurien Berenson and I shared a book birthday last week, and I’m delighted to welcome her to the Wickeds to help celebrate!

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When I first started writing my cozy mystery series back in 1994, I knew it was going to be about dogs. At the time I was immersed in the dog show world as a breeder and exhibitor of Miniature Poodles. Not only did I see the dog community as a potentially fertile setting for mayhem, but I also wanted to introduce readers to a sport that many people know little about.

My main character is a woman named Melanie Travis. When the series opened she was a struggling single mom, with a young son and a boyfriend who’d just eloped with a Las Vega showgirl. Melanie had never owned a pet in her life. Back then, she’d have told you that she didn’t have the time, the money, or the desire to own a dog.

Enter Melanie’s Aunt Peg, who showed up on the scene and changed everything. Peg Turnbull, now in her seventies, is a force of nature. She’s smart, opinionated, irascible, and she loves to tell people what to do. She’s also a Standard Poodle breeder and a dog show judge. By book 2 in the series, Melanie had her first black Standard Poodle. Now, in book 26, she and her family live with 5 of them. It was all Aunt Peg’s doing.

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When I first introduced her character in A PEDIGREE TO DIE FOR, the series debut, I didn’t see Aunt Peg as a minor character precisely, but I also didn’t envision that she would move in and take over the series. While I—the writer—am rooting for Melanie to prevail in their frequent interactions (okay, arguments) most of the readers I hear from are definitely on Aunt Peg’s side. I can’t really blame them. Along the way, she’s become a favorite of mine too.As every author knows, it’s fun when a character suddenly steps up and tells you what they’re going to do next. But when they make a habit of it, sometimes they need to be reined in. I’ve tried with Aunt Peg. I really have. But with age comes wisdom, and she is the one character who’s been able to outsmart me at every turn. She became a mentor to Melanie, introducing her to the fun and excitement of the dog show world, and now Peg won’t be satisfied until she’s running all the other characters’ lives too.

Over the years, one of my biggest challenges in writing a long running series has been keeping the characters fresh and interesting. I never have that problem with Aunt Peg. I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble she causes next.

Question: Do you have an Aunt Peg in your life—someone who drives you crazy but you adore them anyway? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll choose one person to get a copy of Howloween Murder , US only please. The recipient will be chosen on Thursday!

ABOUT LAURIEN BERENSON



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Laurien Berenson is the author of the Melanie Travis mystery series, set in the world of dog shows. There are 26 titles including HOWLOWEEN MURDER. The series has won the Maxwell Award for Fiction and the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, and was nominated for Agatha and Macavity awards. She and her husband live on a farm in Kentucky, surrounded by dogs and horses.

ABOUT THE BOOK

With just a few days left before Halloween, everyone at Howard Academy is anticipating the guaranteed sugar high they’ll experience from gorging on Harriet Bloom’s famous marshmallow puffs. The private school’s annual costume party revolves around the headmaster’s assistant and her seemingly supernatural batches of gooey goodies. So, it’s a shock when Harriet’s elderly neighbor is suddenly found dead with the beloved dessert in his hand. In a snap, police start questioning whether Harriet modified her top-secret recipe to include a hefty dose of lethal poison . . .
 
Melanie knows her tenured colleague would never intentionally serve cyanide-laced puffs to a defenseless old man. But as explosive neighborhood gossip reveals a potential culprit, it also brings her closer to sealing her own doom. Because on an evening ruled by masked revelers, bizarre getups, and hidden identities, Halloween might just be the perfect opportunity for a cold-hearted killer to get away with murder once again—this time sending a nosy, unsuspecting sleuth to an early grave!

Guest Tonya Kappes: The life changing actions the pandemic gifted me

Hey readers! Liz here, happy to welcome our dear friend Tonya Kappes, author of the Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery Series back to the blog. Today she’s talking about finding the silver lining in the pandemic cloud…take it away, Tonya!

Y’all, this is some very uncertain times and as a writer who is an extrovert, this whole social distancing thing has been a huge learning curve to me as well as me as a writer. 

It all started a couple of years ago really. No. Not social distancing or the virus, the extrovert writer realizing that she’s actually an introvert. In case you’d not guessed, I’m talking about me, the girl who was awarded the senior award of MOST TALKATIVE. Mmmhmmm…that girl. 

I’ve always fancied myself as an extrovert. Ask anyone who has met me in person, but a couple of years ago I started find peace in nature. We’d rented a camper and did a great it of traveling as well as rented a lot of cabins in the woods. 

After each trip, I found myself in my she-shed (yes, I had a she-shed) writing away in a new series, A CAMPER & CRIMINALS COZY MYSTERY SERIES that was set deep in the Daniel Boone National Park, which is a place I’m very well acquainted with. The park is Kentucky, which is where I live and all of my novels are set. It was no surprise to me when I sat down to write the first word of the series: “A campground?”, that it had to be in the Daniel Boone National Park. 

A million times over I’ve heard different advice from various writers. One that stuck with me is write what you know. I’ve also heard from other writers that this is terrible advice. But it stuck with me. So a couple of years ago, I started to write what I know. 

1. how to write a mystery

2. make the setting of the new series in the Daniel Boone National Park

3. put the sleuth in a camper

Also at that time my cover artist had made some adorable camper covers and it was like fate! I gobbled up the covers and so started the journey of Mae West (no not the actress) and The Laundry Club Ladies. 

Just a little background if you’ve not read the series, Mae married a man with the last name West. The Laundry Club Ladies are a group of local women who like to gather at the local laundromat and of course they have all the gossip in town.

I found myself having so much fun writing this cozy sleuth and this series, that I began to spend more and more time in their world. We started taking more and more trips. Though I’d already known a lot about camping since my parents took me as a child and I raised four boys, so camping was part of our lives. Which my boys are all in their 20’s and out of the house. 

Still…I knew it was a fun cozy mystery series. Then this whole camping lifestyle hit, making the series take off. I’m so grateful for it but there’s been so much I’ve realized about myself writing in the series.

I love nature. Through Covid-19, I sold our family home (yes, I had to leave the she-shed) and bought eight wooded acres in the mountains in Kentucky. We are building on the property, but in the meantime, I also bought an adorable travel trailer camper, which means, I turned into the she-camper! My new office on the property!

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Though Covid -19 is nothing anyone of us wanted (which me and my son both had it), we all had to take what we got and live with it. That meant hitting the road several times to get in more national parks, not just the Daniel Boone National Park and having a few of our grown boys to join us along the way. 

Oh, and the writing gig, the camper has been so inspiring that I’m writing over 5,000 words a day and happy to say I just released the 12th book in the series. 

Oh yeah…one last thing I’ve learned, that extroverted girl is mostly introverted and I’m good with that. 

Available now: KICKBACKS, KAYAKS, & KIDNAPPING

About the book:

Deep in the heart of the Daniel Boone National Forest, Mae West has spent the last few years bringing the rundown Happy Trails Campground and the small southern and cozy town of Normal, Kentucky back to a thriving economic community. Mae’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Not only is Happy Trails Campground in the running to be named Campground Hospitality of the Daniel Boone National Park, but she landed the coveted Paddle Fest kayak competition that secures the winner a spot on the Olympic team. When champion and Olympian kayaker Bryce Anderson turns over in his kayak dead…there’s more than paddling going on and his death has been ruled a homicide. News of Bryce’s death spreads fast and Happy Trails becomes the center of bad publicity. Come camping with Mae West and the Laundry Club Ladies as they put their sleuthing, well nosy, caps on and put their skills to the test so they can figure out who killed the Olympian and save Happy Trails from financial ruin.

All books in the series are FREE with #KindleUnlimited

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New to A CAMPER & CRIMINALS COZY MYSTERIES series? WELCOME TO NORMAL, KENTUCKY. . .WHERE NOTHIN’ IS NORMAL! To start from the beginning, pick up the first in the series, Beaches, Bungalows, & Burglaries. Happy sleuthing!

A Peek Inside My Crazy Writing Head

[image error]Last week I sent in the page proofs for Absence of Alice the ninth Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery and I’m writing the second Chole Jackson Sea Glass Saloon mystery—A Time to Swill. I get a little crazy when I’m writing — ask my family.

Every writer goes through a number of stages when writing – joy, despair, despair, despair, joy. Did I mention despair?

It starts with an idea. It’s a great idea. A fabulous idea. I am so freaking smart. Starting a new book is exciting. There are blank pages to fill–the idea to expand until it’s fully formed.

About a third of the way through I start to wonder why I thought the idea was a great one. It now just seems okay.

Halfway through I hate the idea. What was I thinking? It wasn’t a big enough idea. It’s not enough to carry a book. Worse, I think everyone has used this same idea.

[image error]Three quarters of the way through–I’m a fraud. Everyone is going to realize it when they read this book. I’m a terrible writer. The reviews will be scathing. They’ll say she had a good run, but this was bound to happen.

Near the end. Ooohh, that’s a good twist. No one will see it coming. I didn’t see it coming. Nope, that’s wrong. It’s too obvious. I have that big shiny clue in the middle of the book. I might as well have a neon sign pointing at it. All the reviews will mention how easy it was to figure out who was the killer.

I go through revisions and send it off to my editor. What if he hates it? What if he says I have to rewrite the whole thing. He doesn’t!

The copy edits arrive. I hate it. I love it. That line was brilliant. How did I write that awful paragraph? But I can fix it.

[image error]Page proofs arrive. It’s my very last chance to find errors. What if I miss something? I still have a love/hate relationship with the manuscript.

Advance reader copies go out. People like it. They laughed out loud. It made someone cry. Whew. Now on to the next book.

Readers: Do you doubt yourself when you are doing something creative?

A Wicked Welcome to V.M. Burns **plus giveaway**

by Julie, enjoying late summer in Somerville

I’m thrilled to welcome V.M. Burns back to the blog. I did some research, and Valerie first visited the blog back in 2018 when she was nominated for an Agatha for best first novel. Since then she’s written three series! Paw and Order is the 4th book in her Dog Club Mystery series.

Thanks, Julie and all of the Wickeds for inviting me to spend time with you all today.

Dog Training



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I have always loved dogs. Cats are nice too, but all of the kids on my favorite television shows had dogs. My Three Sons had Tramp. Timmy had Lassie (or did Lassie have Timmy?). Even the Brady Bunch had Tiger. When I was a kid, my sister and I begged my parents for a dog. We were told when we got a house with a fenced in yard, we could get a dog. A brick ranch house within walking distance to an elementary school became my dream home because it had a fenced in yard. However, even at five-years-old, I knew there would be additional strings. Reminded of the promise, my mom added the stipulation that we could only have a dog that didn’t shed. My mom was a neat freak and hated dog hair. Dogs that don’t shed? Did such a thing exist? During the ancient times (pre-Internet), my sister and I went to our local library. Imagine our surprise when we learned that there was a dog breed that didn’t shed—Poodles. Research complete and with our budget of $10 dollars which we’d saved from our allowance, we scanned the classified ads for a poodle. That’s when our lives changed forever.

Candy was an AKC registered white toy poodle. She was ten-years-old when we got her ($10 didn’t go far back then either). Fortunately, small dogs live longer than big dogs. We bought her and brought her home. That’s when the training began. Not Candy’s training. That’s when she began to train us.

First lesson—No Dog Food. The people we bought her from assured us that Candy ate dog food. They may have even sent us home with a bag. However, Candy refused to eat it. “She’ll eat when she’s hungry,” my dad said. Three days later, the food bowl was still full. “Doesn’t Candy look weak?” I asked. That’s when we made our first mistake. My mother opened the freezer and took out a pound of hamburger. Cooked and placed in her dish, Candy ate every morsel. From that day until the day she died, Candy ate hamburger six days per week. Why only six days? Because, on Sundays she was given a choice between hamburger and chicken. I can still remember my mom saying, “Bark for the one you want.” Invariably, Candy barked for chicken on Sundays.

Second lesson—No dogs on the furniture. Candy was told multiple times that she was not supposed to get on the furniture. To her credit, she rarely did, at least not when my mom could see her. However, whenever we left, there would be a toy-poodle-sized indentation in the middle of my parent’s bed. One Sunday, we came home from church a little early and pulled up in front of the house. Before we jumped out of the car, my mom pointed at the large picture window. “Look, that’s Candy.” We looked and sure enough, Candy had climbed up on the arm of the sofa, moved the curtains back and was looking out the window. Of course, when we got inside, she denied ever having violated the rules. She started each night in her dog bed. However, at some point, she would invariably climb in the bed with either me or my sister.

Third lesson—Dogs have their dignity I mentioned my mom was a neat freak. She conceded that Candy would get on the furniture when nobody was around to stop her. However, she required stipulations when it came to potty cleanliness. After a trip outside for…a number two, my mom took a paper towel and wiped her butt. Oh, the indignity of it all. Candy was thoroughly humiliated and hid under the bed until we coaxed her out. After the third or fourth time of enduring this indignity, she refused to stand still for it. The next time she had a B.M., she wiped her own bum, by scooting across the back porch. Did I mention that poodles are smart dogs?

Candy taught us a lot of things, but mostly she taught us what unconditional love felt like. I still love dogs, and poodles are my breed. I currently have three toy poodles, Cash, Kensington (aka Kenzie) and Chloe. Each book in my Dog Club Mystery Series features a different breed of dog, but just like me, my protagonist, Lilly Ann Echosby, loves poodles. Paw and Order, is the fourth book in the series and Lilly and her toy poodle, Aggie, are ready to introduce a new member to their pack. Check out Paw and Order and meet, Rex.

[image error]About the author



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V.M. (Valerie) Burns was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. She received a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, a Master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Seton Hill University. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers Association of America, Thriller Writers International and a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime. In addition to the Dog Club Mystery series, V.M. Burns is also the Agatha Award nominated author of The Plot is Murder, the first book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series; and the RJ Franklin Mystery series.

She currently resides East Tennessee with her three poodles. Readers can keep up with new releases by following her on social media.

Website: http://www.vmburns.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns

Buy Link—- Amazon, Apple, B&N, Google Play, Kobo

Readers, Valerie is going to give away two ebooks of Paw and Order to commenters on the blog. Let us know if you’ve ever been owned by a dog.

Wicked Wednedsay: Once in a Blue Moon

Wicked Wednesday – the final one of August and our full moon theme – and we’re also celebrating Julie’s latest Garden Squad Mystery, Digging Up the Remains, which takes place near Halloween – yay Julie!

This year Halloween falls on a Blue Moon.  What is a once in a blue moon event that you had in your life?

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Julie: Thank you Liz! I’m so excited about Digging Up the Remains being released this week, in addition to the paperback edition of Haunted House Murder, with Barbara Ross’s Halloween novella and the paperback release of Edith Maxwell’s Murder on the Bluffs. I was reminded of a once in a blue moon event last week when I saw the trailer for the new Death on the Nile movie. Ten years ago I was part of a group that went to Egypt. It was a dream trip for me. I spent three days on a riverboat floating down the Nile. Yes, it was that fabulous. And yes, we saw the ship they used in the 1978 movie. A once on a blue moon adventure that I hope to repeat at some point in my life.

Edith/Maddie: So excited for you, Julie! Thanks for the shoutout. When I read “blue moon” I can’t help hearing Nanci Griffith singing, “Just Once in a Very Blue Moon,” a long-time favorite song. My once-in-a -lifetime blue moon event has to be when I completed the Boston Marathon in 1998. I trained hard just to finish (running with a charity number not as a qualifier), and it’s a personal accomplishment I can hang onto, especially since I know I’ll never do it again.

Jessie: Super congratulations, Julie on the new release! I know this series is so close to your heart! One blue moon event that sticks out for me was a weekend in October ten years ago on the coast of Maine. It was unseasonably warm all summer and the weekend ended up in the high nineties and sunny. My family spent the weekend at the beach swimming in the ocean and lolling on the sand. It has never been warm enough to do that comfortably in October since but I am looking forward to the next time!

Barb: Congratulations, Julie! I am so excited about Digging Up the Remains. I love Lilly Jayne and company. One blue moon event I remember vividly is this one. In 1988 we took our kids to DisneyWorld. We’d had a crazy and not all together pleasant year. We were all exhausted. One day, toward the end of the trip, we drove into the park and put our car in the parking structure. As we climbed down the stairs, I happened to look out and saw the Space Shuttle Atlantis taking off from its launch pad. We hadn’t planned it. Neither had NASA. The launch had been delayed from the previous day. It was just the right time, right place.

Sherry: Julie, I’m so thrilled for you. Dreams do come true. I’ve mentioned it before, but need to talk about it again as we celebrate Digging up the Remains. At the Malice Domestic banquet in 2005, Julie and I were seated randomly at the same table. I was moving to the Boston area that summer and didn’t know a soul. Julie, being Julie gave me her contact information, told me I needed to join the New England Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and attend Crime Bake. That chance meeting had a ripple effect on my life: becoming friends with Julie, meeting the other Wickeds over the next couple of years, getting a publishing contract, becoming president of Sisters in Crime — all through a chance meeting. Love you, Julie. You’ve made my life better in so many ways. I’m so happy to celebrate you today.

Liz: So happy for you Julie! And I have to echo Sherry – meeting you guys through Sisters in Crime has been a series of awesome “blue moon” events, and my life is way better for it. It makes me happy to be able to celebrate awesome events like this!

Readers: What is your once in a blue moon life event?

[image error]Here’s a bit about Digging Up the Remains: A festive fall is in full swing in Goosebush, Massachusetts, but when a snoopy reporter is felled by foul play, it’s up to Lilly and her Garden Squad to spook out a killer . . .

Between hosting a haunted house on her lawn, serving on the town’s 400th Anniversary Planning Committee, and prepping for the Fall Festival’s 10k fundraiser, Lilly’s hands are full. She doesn’t have time for prickly newspaper reporter Tyler Crane, who’s been creeping around town, looking for dirt on Goosebush’s most notable families . . . until he’s found dead on the race route moments before the start.
 
An unfortunate accident? Or did Tyler unearth a secret that someone in Goosebush is willing to kill to keep? By planting nasty rumors and cultivating fear, Tyler sowed a fair share of ill will during his brief time in town. Weeding through the suspects will be thorny, but Lilly and her Garden Squad are determined to root out the autumnal assassin before the Fall Festival flops . . .

Three Cheers for DIGGING UP THE REMAINS

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I remember a book event last year when I was talking about my Garden Squad series. A woman in the audience noted that she liked that I sounded so excited about my book. Aren’t all authors excited about their books?

One thing that may tamp down the excitement is nerves about public speaking, or concern about book sales. I’m comfortable with public speaking, though that wasn’t always the case. I’ve also learned to separate the joys of writing from the joys of being published. For the writer part of me, publication day is the end of that journey. For the author part of me, it’s the end of the beginning. In any event, publication day is a day to celebrate.

I’m so glad that you’ll be visiting Goosebush again when you read Digging Up the Remains, book #3 in the series. This book takes place the week before Halloween, a beautiful time of year in New England. But all is not well in Goosebush. A reporter, Tyler Crane, has come to town to dig up secrets. He even tries to blackmail Lilly Jayne, telling her that unless she gives him an exclusive interview about Merilee Frank’s murder he’ll tell the world about the bodies she has buried in her garden. By now you all know Lilly, she doesn’t give in. But when Tyler is found dead under a pile of leaves, she wonders what other pots of secrets he’d been stirring, and how people felt about them.

You’ll meet Mary Mancini, the long lost daughter of Meg and Ray Mancini. You’ll also meet Nicole Shaw, Warwick’s new assistant coach and Tyler’s ex. The planning committee for the Goosebush 400th will include the Garden Squad Cole Bosworth and Fritz Stewart, two men dedicated to remembering only the stories they want to remember.

You’ll also meet Luna, but I won’t spoil that surprise.

Get ready for the Goosebush Fall Festival, and celebrate the release of Digging Up the Remains with me. I’m thrilled that it’s available in paperback, ebook, CD and audiobook versions.

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Today at 1pm ET I’ll be live on my Facebook page celebrating. I’m also part of a Dog Days of Summer Blog Hop with seven other authors. Hop to each of our pages for different giveaways, like them all and enter a giveaway. Details are on my Facebook page, which is here.

Thank you all for your support of the Garden Squad Mystery series!

Memorable Meals, plus #Giveaway

Breaking news: our August Thankful Thursday winner is Brian Frauenknecht! Congrats, Brian! Also, our three additional winners who will receive a copy of one of Jessie’s books are Catherine Larkland, Janet Lomba, and robeader. Jessie will be in touch with you all. Please message her your emails.

Edith/Maddie here, bringing an old series new life.

Last month on the Jungle Red Writers blog, Hallie Ephron hosted a group post called “Frogs legs, artichokes, and buffalo milk… memorables on the menu.” I’m a regular commenter over there, and the topic brought up so many food memories for me. I write foodie mysteries, and I have traveled and lived abroad quite a lot in my past.

Also, my first and third mysteries, originally written as Tace Baker, have re-released as Edith Maxwell books with fresh editing and new covers. Speaking of Murder and Murder on the Bluffs feature Quaker linguistics professor Lauren Rousseau, who is also a world traveler and, like me, loves to eat.

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To celebrate, please come along with me today on a little chronological international tour of some of the best and most unusual foods I’ve eaten in my sixty-seven years. Bear in mind that my upbringing included no more exotic foods than canned and packaged Mexican foods like tamales and tacos, and the occasional can of chop suey. I don’t think an actual bulb of garlic ever crossed the threshold of my childhood home, so this history was quite the journey. Read down for a giveaway.

Note: All my early travels were, of course, recorded with a real camera and printed on paper. I basically never took pictures of food back then, so we don’t have a lot of documentation of the actual meals and foods in this post.

Mexico, Roasted Goat. The first time I left the US was on a school camping trip to Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico. I was a young sixth grader, but I had an adventurous palate. A local organization put on a goat roast for us. I still remember the flavor of that tender meat.

Brazil, everything. I went off at a young seventeen to a year in 1970 as an exchange student in southern Brazil. OMG. Churrasco. Feijoada (black bean stew heavy with pork feet and other meats). Delicate sweet desserts of coconut, egg yolk, and sugar. My first beer. My first Caipirinha (like a mojito, sort of). And excellent coffee. All of it opened my eyes to the possibilities of new foods.

[image error]Feijoada by Andre Rebeiro / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Mexico, fish Tacos. Back to Baja in 1974, on spring break during my last year of college. We ate fish tacos decades before US restaurants were offering them on menus. My friends and I bought them from a street vendor who roasted the uber-fresh fish, added local tomatoes and cabbage and probably some kind of hot salsa, and wrapped it in flour tortillas. With a Tecate beer on the side. To die for.

Japan, everything. I taught English conversation to engineers for two years in the Tokyo area. I ate truly fresh sushi (and please, NO avocados…). Hot roasted sweet potatoes sold from a cart at night (and warm sake from a vending machine at the train station, which was next to the condom vending machine…). Teriyaki chicken and eel skewers, also street food. Shabu-shabu, a broth you swish vegetables and thinly sliced raw beef through in a pot at the table – and then drink the broth. Ryokan breakfasts of grilled fish, rice, and miso soup. Spicy kimchee and crunchy dried anchovies as drinking snacks. And so much more. I’ve used those experiences (and foods) in two published short stories: “Yatsuhashi for Lance” and “Sushi Lessons.”

[image error]Edith in 1977 near Tokyo

Southern Indiana. Then I was off to southern Indiana to grad school, where I learned to make sopapillas from a New Mexican friend, West African leaf stew from the other Edith in the linguistics doctoral program, and whole-wheat banana walnut pancakes from my friends who ran the Story General Store (pancakes now offered in Robbie Jordan’s Country Store).

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I fit a trip to Sweden and London during my grad school years, but mostly remember the pubs. A more memorable trip was visiting my Greek friend Marios in Thessaloniki, Greece. We sat outside eating exquisitely flavored fish and eggplant. We dipped bread in the sauce, talking politics all the way and sipped Metaxa late into the night. Then I spent six weeks in Salzburg, where I remember eating a stunning Hungarian goulash filled with whole black peppercorns.

Portugal, everything. After I moved to Boston, I traveled to Portugal three times to see Amalia, a Portuguese friend who is half English. We ate just-caught fish in a seaside restaurant in the south and sipped true Port wine in Oporto. At the end of a fabulous meal in Lisboa with Dao red wine, we drank little espressos and sipped bagaceiro, a liqueur made from the lees of wine. Stepping out into the sunshine after that combo was stunning.

Quebec, poutine. My sister Janet settled in Quebec with a Quebecois beekeeper i nthe late 1970s, and I visited as often as I could. At that time, every village had its own bakery and its own poutine (pronounced “pu-TSIN) stand. I loved (still do) the crispy fries with tender cheese curds and meat gravy served in a little open box. Jannie and Pierrot were vegetarians, so they made their own fries from home-grown potatoes and a miso gravy. Also yummy.

[image error]Poutine: (WT-shared) Jpatokal at wts wikivoyage / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Grenoble, wine and bread and cheese and…. After I moved to Boston and had my first child, my husband and I took baby Allan to live in France for a semester. We discovered the wine cask store, where you bring your own bottle to get refilled. And the superb permanent open market a block away. Breads and cheeses to die for. Peaches from Provence. Pastries, OMG…

[image error]French cheeses. Photo by Julietvbarbara via Wikidmeia Commons

Mali, Tigedigena, rose papayas. A few years later we lived in Mali for a year with our three- and five-year old sons. Most foreigners hire a local man to cook, clean, and do laundry. Doumbia was so talented in the kitchen, and often prepared Tigedigena – peanut stew – redolent with chicken and all kinds of vegetables in a thick nutty sauce, spiced by foronto, a Scotch bonnet/habanero type of pepper. We also savored small rose-fleshed papayas in season, and tiny bananas sold by a woman on the side of the road.

[image error]Visiting my grad school friend Edith Bedou on a vacation to Togo.

California, fruit and candy. I’m a California native but haven’t lived there since I went off to Japan. Taking my sons to visit my mother in Ventura during February vacation every year was always a fruit fest. Eating local oranges and strawberries when snow is still on the ground back in Massachusetts was a huge treat. And to pick up a box of my beloved Sees peanut brittle? Heavenly.

[image error]Ventura 1998 – Allan, Marilyn, John David, Edith

Burkina Faso, Thieboudienne. We also had a cook during our year in Ouagadougou seven years later. Compaore made the most fabulous Thieboudienne, a Senegalese broken-rice dish cooked with tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, carrots, and fish, either tiep or another fresh-water fish, even tilapia.

[image error]Thieboudienne (Dormeroom1 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0))

Barcelona, paella. We depressurized with a week in Barcelona and Costa Brava on our way back from Burkina in June, 1999. Our sons, then ten and twelve, hadn’t had American fast food in a year. My husband and I wanted to eat good Spanish food. So we found a small family restaurant next door to a Burger King. The boys got their fill of burgers and shakes while we ate amazing paella and drank Spanish wine. All were happy!

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I haven’t lived anywhere exotic since that year, although mystery conferences have taken me plenty of delicious places. Most memorable has to be Bouchercon in New Orleans. Leslie Budewitz and I set out for beignets at Café du Monde one morning, and they were everything I wanted them to be. I also dined on a big greasy po-boy and ate all the other typical dishes.

Is it any wonder I write two series with recipes in them?

Readers and Wickeds: What has been your most memorable meal, whether abroad or closer to home? Did you read the Lauren Rousseau mysteries first time around or are they new stories to you? I’ll send one of you an ebook of Speaking of Murder and another Murder on the Bluffs.

Last Beach Day Reads

Wickeds, we’re approaching the end of another summer (albeit a very strange summer) but I’m still hoping for a few last beach days. If I get them, I’m planning to bring some long-overdue reading with me. What are you planning to read in the last days of summer?

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Edith/Maddie: I can’t wait to dive into The Darkest Evening, Ann Cleeves’ new Vera book, but it’s not out until September 8. But next week I can pick up Julie’s Digging Up the Remains, which I’m also eagerly anticipating! I have barely been to the beach and actually have gone today. All the books I’m currently reading are on my Kindle, which I don’t take to the beach, so I brought a few New Yorkers to catch up on – and a pad of paper and a pen, too.

Barb: I have on order, Louise Penny’s All the Devils are Here, which releases September 1. And, like Edith, I eagerly await The Darkest Evening, so I predict excellent reading before and after Labor Day weekend this year.

Sherry: I’m looking forward to reading The Key Lime Crime by Lucy Burdette. It’s hard to beat a visit to Key West! I’m also thrilled to have an ARC of Jennifer J. Chow’s next book Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines the second book in her Sassy Cat mystery series.

Julie: Thanks, Edith! The Wickeds are keeping me reading! I’m reading Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, and The Plot is Murder, V.M. Burns first book in her Mystery Bookshop series.

Liz: Thanks Wickeds – I’ve just added a bunch of books to my own already-long reading list! I’m about to dig into Sherry’s newest, From Beer to Eternity, and I’ve also had Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls sitting on my bookshelf for a while so that will be next.

What about you, readers? What’s on your reading list these days? Tell us in the comments below.

August Thankful Thursday

It’s almost the end of summer (sadly) and even though it’s been a difficult year, there’s still a lot of gratitude to be had. As always, we are thankful for all of you readers, and will each show that thankfulness by giving something away. Wickeds, what are you giving thanks for this month?

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Jessie: I am thankful for each of the years I have had with my children and the delightful people each of them has become! I am giving away four of my Beryl and Edwina books, one each for each child, of the 4 randomly chosen winner’s choices.

Julie: I am grateful for friends who make me laugh. They are a gift. I’m giving away an arc of Digging up the Remains.

Liz: I’m grateful for some time at the ocean, which always restores my balance and gives me energy. I’m giving away a copy of Witch Hunt.

Barb: I am so grateful for my time at the Jersey Shore with my family and my brother’s family last week. Watching my granddaughter and grandniece ride the waves was a highlight of the summer, especially since both girls have been deprived of kids their own age to play with for so long. I’ll give away a hardcover copy of Haunted House Murder.

Sherry: I’m thankful for my husband who figured out how to use XPS Shipping that author Krista Davis recommended for shipping from home. I’ve been busy so he took the time to do it for me. I’ll give away a copy of any one of my books.

Edith/Maddie: I am thankful for garden tomatoes, garlic, basil, and lettuce, and for peaches and sweet corn from the farm down the road. I love this time of year so very much. And I’m also thankful to have my son and his wife only a two-hour drive away. I’ll give away a signed copy of Nacho Average Murder.

Readers: What are you thankful for this month?

Wicked Wednesday – Moon in Music

Happy Wednesday! Today is all about the moon in music…some of my favorite examples are: Cat Stevens – Moonshadow, Moondance – Van Morrison, Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival – which I never really appreciated until that episode of Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist, for those of you who watch… In any event, Wickeds, do you have a favorite song that incorporates the moon?

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Jessie: My favorite song involving the moon is Lua, Lua, Lua, Lua by Virginia Rodrigues. The title of the song translates to Moon, Moon, Moon, Moon. She is a Brazilian singer and one of my very favorites. I think her voice is simply magical. I’ve linked a video here so you can listen for yourself.

Julie: Andy Williams “Moon River” is wonderful. Loved it in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. This article is really interesting about the history of the song.

Edith/Maddie: I was going to say “Moon River” too, Julie. But definitely “Bad Moon Rising” – the lyric of which my sister and I first thought was, “There’s a bathroom on the right” – and kept singing it that way even after we got it straightened out.

Barb: I have to go with Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.” It is such a classic and so ubiquitous we all know it even if we don’t think we do. https://youtu.be/CvFH_6DNRCY

Sherry: Barb, I used to play Clair de Lune on the piano. I love a lot of the old classics like Fly Me to the Moon, Glen Miller’s Moonlight Serenade, and Blue Moon. Here’s a link to the Frank Sinatra version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw1ZC6sZjIY

Liz: I love all of these – and I used to play Moon River on the piano when I was a kid. I think it’s the only song I could still play by memory.

Readers, do you have a favorite song that features the moon? Tell us in the comments!