Traci Andrighetti's Blog, page 2

CAMPARI CRIMSON is out!

Campari Crimson, the fourth Franki Amato mystery, is out today! Because this book is about the New Orleans vampire community and the city’s creepy vampire legends, I decided to use my ex-colleagues as characters (think the “energy draining vampire” kind). So, if you think real people don’t act like my characters do, guess again. Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

I’ve also included a picture from the event that inspired this book, i.e., a New Orleans vampire tour I took with my husband. There was a woman from New York on the tour dressed in a cute shirt and jeans who turned and smiled at me, and she had glowing white-blue eyes and Dracula teeth. I really think my blood turned cold. She doesn’t know it, but she’s in the book too.

And here’s the Campari Crimson blurb:

Halloween is looming large in New Orleans, and Private Investigator Franki Amato’s in a gloomy mood. Her boyfriend Bradley has to leave on an extended business trip, and her slacker brother is coming to town with her matchmaker nonna who’s determined to see a Sicilian lemon superstition bear fruit. Meanwhile, the entire city is spooked because a caped figure is targeting its blood banks. Things turn macabre when a psychic makes a dark prediction about Franki’s brother and a frat boy is found in a cemetery crypt with his blood drained. As bad luck would have it, Franki is hired to investigate the murder by the number one police suspect, an eighteenth-century vampire impersonator. A detective acquaintance offers to team up to find the killer, but he’s interested in more than Franki’s professional input. To solve the case, she goes solo into NOLA’s vampire community and immerses herself in local vampire legends. Can Franki prevent another bloodletting? Or will the next blood spilled be her own?

Campari Crimson is on sale for a couple of days, so get your copy quick—and get creeped out!

               

21 Free Mysteries!

In case you didn’t get my reader group email, I wanted to let you know that I’m participating in the “Start the New Year with a Fun New Mystery Series!” bundle on BookFunnel, which starts today, January 16, and ends on January 31, 2018.

You probably already have “Fragolino Fuchsia,” but the bundle includes short stories, sample chapters, prequels, and first-in-series books by some really great authors like Tanya Kappes and Larissa Reinhart. So, it’s a great way to try out a new series before you buy.

Here’s the link:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/funnymysteries/b0ik3xuf26

And I hope you’re staying warm. Everything is closed in Austin today because of a smattering of sleet (Texas is woefully unprepared for cold weather), so it’s a good day to curl up with a book—until my son starts bouncing off the walls…

A Negroni Sbagliato and Red Underwear

On December 20, I drank a Negroni Sbagliato to celebrate THE END of Campari Crimson, my fourth Franki Amato mystery about the New Orleans vampire culture. I always toast the completion of each book with the liqueur featured in the title.

I picked this drink not only because of the Campari, but also because it plays a role in the climax of Campari Crimson. Plus, I like the way the red looks in my special occasion Elvis Presley glass, which is crystal and gold—like his records.

The Negroni was named after Florentine playboy Count Camillo Negroni in 1920. His usual drink was an Americano (Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda). But one day he wanted something stronger, so his bartender substituted gin for soda and christened the cocktail after the count. The Negroni Sbagliato, the “Mistaken Negroni,” was born when a bartender accidentally used Prosecco instead of gin (recipe below).

The red color of the drink reminds me of the holidays and of an Italian New Year’s Eve custom—wearing red underwear to bed for good luck. The key is to throw the underwear away on New Year’s Day, or the custom won’t work. The ones in the picture say “Wear me on New Year’s Eve I’ll bring luck all year.” If that’s not convincing, I don’t know what is.

As an Italian-American, I’m never sure if Italy’s traditions apply to me, but I observe them just in case. I’ve been on a writing roll this year (a Danger Cove Hair Salon Mystery, a Franki Amato mystery, and two Franki Amato short stories), and I don’t want my luck to run out because in 2018 I’ve got a whole new series to write!

So, I’m going to wear my red underwear to bed on New Year’s Eve (not the ones in the picture), and that night I’ll toast with another Negroni Sbagliato because it’s red and has Prosecco in it.

To make your own New Year’s Eve Negroni Sbagliato, follow this recipe:

1 ounce Campari

1 ounce sweet vermouth

1 or 2 ounces Prosecco

orange wedge

Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice. Add Campari and vermouth and stir. Top with Prosecco and stir again. You can also serve this drink without ice in a champagne flute. Garnish with an orange wedge (and squeeze some of the juice into the glass).

BUONE FESTE and CINCIN!

Rosolio Red is FREE TODAY, December 20!

As part of Gemma Halliday Publishing’s 12 Days of Christmas giveaway, my short Franki Amato Christmas mystery ROSOLIO RED is FREE TODAY, December 20!

In ROSOLIO RED, Franki returns home to Houston to investigate the disappearance of her meddlesome Sicilian nonna. And Franki’s banker boyfriend, Bradley, finds himself in an awkward situation when a decadent dessert called le minne di Sant’Agata, Italian for “Saint Agatha’s boobs,” is served at the Amato family dinner table.

Italians eat baked boobs to honor Saint Agatha (231 AD – 251 AD, Catania, Sicily), whose breasts were severed for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Not surprisingly, Agatha is the patron saint of martyrs, breast cancer, and wet nurses. But she’s also the patron saint of fire, bakers, bell founders, and eruptions of Mount Vesuvius (I can kind of see the last two).

Italians typically eat these provocative pastries on Saint Agatha’s feast day, which is February 5, but you can find them in Sicilian bakeries year around.

If you want to find out what happens between Bradley and the bosoms, be sure to download your free copy of ROSOLIO RED. And, just in case you want to whip up a batch of these nosh-worthy knockers for your next holiday party, here’s the recipe:

LE MINNE DI SANT’AGATA

THE PASTRY

2 cups flour

6 ounces butter

2/3 cup powdered sugar

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

THE FILLING

3 cups ricotta

2 ounces candied orange peel, cubed

1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup powdered sugar

zest of 1 orange

THE GLAZE

3 cups powdered sugar

3 egg whites

3 tablespoons lemon juice

10 maraschino cherries

PREPARATION

Mix the flour and cold butter in a food processor. Place the mixture onto a flour-dusted board, and add the egg yolks and the vanilla extract. Knead lightly until ingredients are mixed. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it set in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Meanwhile, for the filling, sift the ricotta through a sieve. Next, add the powdered sugar, orange zest, candied orange, and chocolate chips.

Roll the chilled pastry dough into a 1/5-inch thick sheet. Then cut 3-inch diameter circles from the sheet. Line spherical molds with the circles of dough, then fill the lined molds with about 2 1/2 ounces of the ricotta mixture. Seal the stuffed molds with another circle of pastry, pressing the edges down.

Next, bake in a preheated oven at 400° for 20 minutes. When the cakes are golden brown, remove from the oven and cool in the molds. After they have cooled completely, remove from the molds and place on a wire rack.

To make the glaze, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on a low speed until smooth. The consistency of the glaze should be that of thick batter.

Pour the glaze over the cakes while they’re still on the cooling rack. Top each cake with a candied cherry. Let the glaze has dry and then serve.

Buon appetito!

 

Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop

I’ve teamed up with 61 authors of chick lit and romantic comedy for the Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop. That means 62 author giveaways and 3 grand prizes of $100-dollar Amazon gift cards!

The hop is already underway (uh-huh, I’m late in telling you about it). The dates are December 4 through 15, and prizewinners will be announced on December 16.

To access links to the participating authors’ giveaways, you need to join the Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop Facebook group (don’t worry—this group will be deleted from Facebook when the hop ends, so you won’t see any messages after that).

My giveaway will be live on my Facebook author page starting Wednesday, December 13. I’m giving away this cute Prosecco ornament (because Franki and I really like it).

So, hop till you drop, and good luck!

A Poison Manicure and Peach Liqueur

Cassidi Conti and Gia Di Mitri are in for a hairy holiday at The Clip and Sip salon. The poor things had just gotten over the Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai mystery when A Poison Manicure and Peach Liqueur happened.

Here’s my take on the events:

It’s Christmas in Danger Cove, and all Cassidi Conti wants is clients. A rival salon owner has come to town and stolen The Clip and Sip’s business. Her holiday hopes go south, however, after someone sexes up the sleigh display at her open house, and an incident from the past makes the paper. Luckily, her tough talkin’ Texan aunt rides to her rescue, and she’s madder ‘n The Grinch in a gift shop. But when a nail client drops dead at her rival’s salon, and the killer sends unseasonal greetings to The Clip and Sip, Cassidi wonders whether an entire Texas cavalry could save her from the impending disaster. She has to act fast to figure out who the manicure murderer is, or her Noël could be nixed—forever.

But don’t take my word for it. Read what Cassidi and Gia had to say about the mystery when they stopped by Dru’s Book Musings.

And don’t forget to enter to win this Christopher Radko “Dashing Delivery Santa Sleigh”ornament! It’s what Cassidi’s rooftop sleigh display looked like—before someone sabotaged it.

You can earn up to two entries by:

Following me on BookBub (it’s free!) and

Buying A Poison Manicure and Peach Liqueur (it’s on sale!).

All you have to do is email a screenshot of your follow or purchase to traci@traciandrighetti.com.

Now I’m off to get ready for Christmas! Here’s hoping it’s better than Cassidi and Gia’s . . .

 

Franki Goes to Rome!

FRAGOLINO FUCHSIA is finally an ebook—well, an estory! My favorite thing about it is that I used a few real people as characters, like Elio Guida and Silvana Spaccino from Rome’s Hotel Residence Magnolia. My husband, Graham, and I stayed there on our honeymoon, and we got so attached to the staff that we stay there every time we go back. Now they’re famiglia!

By the way, Elio introduced me to fragolino, which is a sweet liqueur made from tiny wild strawberries. Naturally, I let him read this story, and he confessed that it made his cheeks turn fuchsia like the title. You’ll figure out why when you read it, but if you’re sleuth-minded, I’m sure you already suspect Glenda.

Fragolino Fuchsia also features a literary amalgamation of my many run-ins with the Colosseum’s modern-day gladiators. To give you an example, several years ago I walked past a gaggle of those guys, and without warning, one of them swept me off my feet—and wouldn’t put me down. But thanks to my mouth, and now this story, I won that epic battle.

One inside joke in this story has to do with the gladius, an ancient Roman sword. On two occasions, I was hired as an Italian interpreter for a high school study abroad trip. The students were all studying Latin, and a couple of the fourteen-year-old boys tried to buy one of these swords, thinking they could bring it home with them on the plane. I still laugh about that—and the fact that one of them told Graham (who tagged along on the second trip) that his bathroom had a special bathtub for babies, i.e., the bidet.

I could go on, but I won’t because I need to get to the point. FRAGOLINO FUCHSIA is GRATIS (FREE) to people who subscribe to my reader group! Can you say CIAO, ROMA? I will send an email with a download link to all of my subscribers on October 17.

Sometime I’ll have to tell you the backstory on the Trevi Fountain theme in Fragolino Fuchsia. But, for the time being, you’ll have to be satisfied with the blurb:

Franki Amato is taking it easy in The Big Easy when her best friend and boss, Veronica Maggio, gives her terrible news. The research assistant for their PI firm has gone missing with his fraternity brother on a spring break trip in Rome! Franki catches a flight to Italy, but not for a Roman holiday. Because evidence suggests the boys have gotten mixed up in something sinister. To crack the case, Franki goes toe to toe with the likes of gladiators, mobsters, and a monk. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, and hope is running out. Will she find the boys in time? Or is it arrivederci, baby?

GIVEAWAY ALERT: I’ve teamed up with 35 authors to give away a huge collection of comedy mysteries to two lucky winners and a new eReader to a Grand Prize winner. Click here to enter!

Radio and Writing News

This month I went on the air with iHeartRADIO’s Pat Rullo. We chatted about my books, the Killer Nashville conference, and a couple of surprises, i.e., I started a publishing company, and I’m teaching mystery-writing classes! If you want to know more, click this link to my Speak Up Talk Radio page and scroll down to listen to the interview. You’ll also find “21 Things You Should Know” about me, like my personal warning label and the title of my unwritten autobiography.

Besides the radio, stay tuned to my blog and Reader Group emails. Why? Two great reasons:

First, A Poison Manicure and Peach Liqueur, a Christmas-themed mystery in my Danger Cove Hair Salon series, comes out November 28, and I’m going to do a BIG giveaway. I haven’t selected the grand prize, so if you have a wish list, please send it to me (and Santa, of course).

And second, I’ve written a novella about Franki Amato in Rome—and it’s FREE ONLY TO MY READER GROUP EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS! I named it “Fragolino Fuchsia” after a wild strawberry liqueur I had in The Eternal City, but that’s not the only part of the story that’s true to my life. As soon as I get the cover from the designer, I’ll publish it as an ebook and notify you. Then you can read Fragolino and try to figure out which of Franki’s Roman adventures actually happened to me.

Tennessee and Texas News

I’m back from the Killer Nashville conference, and I’m so happy to report that Amaretto Amber won the Readers Choice Award for Best Mystery. I want to thank each and every one of you who took the time to vote. You simply can’t know how much that means to me.

I had planned to write a fun follow-up post about the conference, but as a Texan and an ex-resident of Houston, I’d like to focus on the rescue and relief efforts underway. I have so many high school buddies, ex-students from the University of Texas, and fellow writer friends who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey.

If you can, please donate to the American Red Cross (text HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation). And don’t forget the pets. For many people, a dog or cat or other animal is the only companion they have—and may quite literally be all they have left. The Humane Society of the United States has a number of ways you can help out.

If you’re unable to donate money, consider volunteering your time wherever you live. People everywhere need help, and regardless of what some would have you believe, needing a hand is NOT a crime (as a degree holder in Criminology and a mystery writer, I can vouch for this).

Honestly, it’s not up to our politicians to make America great again. It’s up to each and every one of us to reach out to neighbors and strangers and do this country proud. But we have to put forth the effort in order for that to happen.

So, I thank you for whatever you can do. And Texas thanks you too.

 

 

Vote for Amaretto Amber!

Exciting news! The folks at Killer Nashville have nominated Amaretto Amber for two awards: a Silver Falchion for Best Mystery, and a Reader’s Choice Award. Judges decide who gets the first award, but you choose the winner of the second. So please click here to vote. And thank you!

By the way, Killer Nashville is a writers’ conference, but the author book signings are open to the public. If you live in Tennessee, I’d love to see you. However, there’s a hitch: The conference is in Franklin, not Nashville. Why? It’s a mystery.

Speaking of mysteries, the conference organizers have come up with two hilarious activities for us writers. One involves using our collective sleuthing skills to investigate a Crime Scene at the hotel involving a murder (a fake one, thankfully). We authors also have to band together to bust out of an Escape Room (hopefully, there’s nothing creepy in it?).

So, if you don’t hear from me next month, please contact the Embassy Suites in Franklin and tell them to let me out of that room (I’m bringing provisions in with me, just in case).

And yes, I will definitely post a Killer Nashville update!