Traci Andrighetti's Blog, page 5

Rosolio Red Handbag Giveaway!

On the occasion of the June 18th re-release of “Rosolio Red,” my Franki Amato Christmas story, I decided to write about a decadent dessert that plays a role in the plot (and give away the Kate Spade Sawyer Street Maxi handbag below!). It’s called le minne di Sant’Agata, which is Italian for “Saint Agatha’s [ahem] tits,” and it’s a popular dessert in Italy and especially in Sicily.

Now, you’re probably wondering why Italians eat baked boobs. It’s to honor Saint Agatha (b. 231 AD – d. 251 AD), whose breasts were severed as a form of torture for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Not surprisingly, Agatha is the patron saint of her hometown of Catania (Sicily), 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).

Although Italians typically eat these provocative pastries on Saint Agatha’s feast day, which is February 5, I refer to them in “Rosolio Red.” In this short story, Franki Amato returns home to Houston to investigate the disappearance of her meddlesome Sicilian grandma. And when I needed Franki’s banker boyfriend, Bradley, to find himself in an awkward situation at the Amato family dinner table, these titillating treats came instantly to mind.

If you want to find out what happens between Bradley and the bosoms, be sure to get your copy of “Rosolio Red.” It’s already available as an ebook everywhere. 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!

GIVEAWAY

To enter the Kate Spade handbag giveaway, see details on Gemma Halliday’s Facebook page starting June 18th at 9 a.m. Pacific time!

The bag is called the “Sawyer Street Maxi,” and it’s fabulously red!

In bocca al lupo!

Hooters for the Holidays?

On the occasion of the June 18th re-release of “Rosolio Red,” my Franki Amato Christmas story, I decided to write about a decadent dessert that plays a role in the plot. It’s called le minne di Sant’Agata, which is Italian for “Saint Agatha’s [ahem] tits,” and it’s a popular dessert in Italy and especially in Sicily.

Now, you’re probably wondering why Italians eat baked boobs. It’s to honor Saint Agatha (b. 231 AD – d. 251 AD), whose breasts were severed as a form of torture for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Not surprisingly, Agatha is the patron saint of her hometown of Catania (Sicily), 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).

Although Italians typically eat these provocative pastries on Saint Agatha’s feast day, which is February 5, I refer to them in “Rosolio Red.” In this short story, Franki Amato returns home to Houston to investigate the disappearance of her meddlesome Sicilian grandma. And when I needed Franki’s banker boyfriend, Bradley, to find himself in an awkward situation at the Amato family dinner table, these titillating treats came instantly to mind.

If you want to find out what happens between Bradley and the bosoms, be sure to get your copy of “Rosolio Red.” It’s already available as an ebook everywhere. 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!

A Daphne Dream

Ever since I first heard about the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, I’ve dreamed of having one of my books final in the contest. And somehow that dream came true: Limoncello Yellow is one of five finalists in the “mainstream mystery” category! If you’re unfamiliar with this award, it’s presented by the Kiss of Death (KOD) chapter of the Romance Writers of America.

Now that I’m a Daphne finalist, I decided that it was time to learn about the contest’s namesake. Daphne du Maurier (1907–1981) was the granddaughter of English artist and writer George du Maurier and the daughter of actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier. She wrote approximately forty novels, plays, short story collections, and biographies, an achievement that earned her the title of Dame Commander in the Order of the British Empire.

Although du Maurier is often described as a romantic novelist, her work is more consistent with the tradition of the 19th century Gothic novel. Frenchman’s Creek is the closest du Maurier came to writing romance—that is, if you consider a cross-dressing heroine and no happy ending a romance. (Yeah, no.) Rebecca, her masterpiece, features some of the same gothic elements as Jane Eyre: the brooding hero and the shadowy first wife. This novel has also been described as “the original Gone Girl” and is considered the precursor to contemporary romantic suspense, which is why KOD named the contest after du Maurier.

If, like me, you haven’t read du Maurier’s work, you may know her from the movies. Alfred Hitchcock adapted three of her novels into films: Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, and The Birds. I haven’t seen the first two, but The Birds has haunted me ever since I watched it as a teenager. To this day, whenever I see a big gathering of birds overhead, I fly the freakin’ coop.

Anyway, be sure to check out all the finalists for the Daphne du Maurier Award below (summer reading list?). The winners will be announced on July 23 at the Death by Chocolate party in New York City (what a way to go!), but I couldn’t care less about the outcome. Just knowing that Limoncello Yellow is on the finalist list is already a win in my book (pun intended). I’m eternally grateful, KOD.

The DAPHNE DU MAURIER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

–Published Division Finalists for 2015 are:

CATEGORY (SERIES) ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Natalie Charles for When No One is Watching

Lena Diaz for Tennessee Takedown

Delores Fossen for Rustling Up Trouble

Karen McCullough for The Detective’s Dilemma

Bobbye Terry for The Widow James

HISTORICAL ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Amanda DeWees for With This Curse

Anthea Lawson for Mistress of Melody

Jeannie Lin for The Jade Temptress

Brenda Novak for A Matter of Grave Concern

Lauren Willig for The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla

INSPIRATIONAL ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Elizabeth Camden for With Every Breath

Debby Giusti for The Agent’s Secret Past

Irene Hannon for Deceived

Katy Lee for Grave Danger

Dani Pettrey for Silenced

PARANORMAL (FANTASY/TIME TRAVEL/FUTURISTIC) ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Margo Bond Collins for Legally Undead

Angie Fox for Beverly Hills Demon Slayer

J.T. Geissinger for Darkness Bound

Liah Penn for Pure Death

Rebecca Zanetti for Marked

SINGLE TITLE ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Kendra Elliot for Vanished

Melinda Leigh for Hour of Need

Tamsen Schultz for What Echoes Render

Michelle Sharp for Dream Huntress

Leslie Tentler for Fallen

MAINSTREAM MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Traci Andrighetti for Limoncello Yellow (All right, yeah, I bolded this one.)

Carey Baldwin for Judgment

Kylie Brant for 11

Libby Fischer Hellmann for Nobody’s Child

Sandra Parshall for Poisoned Ground

Jessica Fletcher, Diva Detective

This month Franki Amato is investigating alongside Jamie Bond and Raven McShane in DIVA DETECTIVES, a brand-new box set featuring Unbreakable Bond by Gemma Halliday and Jennifer Fischetto, Diva Las Vegas by Stephanie Caffrey, and, of course, Limoncello Yellow.

The title of the box set got me wondering, just what exactly is a “diva detective”? A female detective who sings opera? Or a self-aborbed detective who demands attention for herself without regard for anyone else’s needs? Obviously, the latter.

If I had to pick my favorite literary/television diva detective, I’d go with Jessica Fletcher, hands down. I know, I know—she’s not a real detective. But she might as well be the way she runs homicide investigations wherever she goes. And God knows that Cabot Cove needs her with a murder rate that’s eighty-six times that of the most murderous city in the world.

So, what makes Jessica a diva detective? Here are five of her most notorious diva traits:

1. Her makeup, hair, and clothing are always immaculate whether she’s riding her bike around Cabot Cove, languishing behind bars, or traipsing endlessly around Ireland.

2. Even though she knows darn good and well that someone gets murdered wherever she goes, she continues to go to author signings, attend events, teach classes, and take vacations with abandon.

3. She willfully ignores police requests to leave the investigating to the authorities.

4. Furthermore, she routinely disagrees with the officer in charge of an investigation, telling him that she, not he, knows how the murder really went down.

5. Last but not least, Jessica usually tricks the murderer into confessing rather than confronting him or her directly, which is callous and possibly even illegal.

Now, readers, which of Jessica’s diva qualities have I missed?

My Five Fresh Fiction Faves

Last month I went to Adventures in Fiction 2015 (that’s me doing the hook ‘em horns sign!), and it really was an adventure in fiction. If you’ve never heard of this event, it’s a casual gathering of authors and readers that takes place every year in or around Dallas. The organizers are the wonder women collectively known as Fresh Fiction. And if you’ve never heard of these gals, then, as we say in Texas, you’d best rectify that real quick-like.

Fresh Fiction does more to introduce quality popular fiction to readers than any other organization I know of. They also bring authors and readers together—live and in person. Besides Adventures in Fiction, they host Boas & Tiaras (where a boa AND a tiara are mandatory), Readers & ‘ritas (where you can boogie down with “Buccaneers and Billionaires” at a masquerade ball), monthly teas, book clubs, and so much more.

In case you’re curious, these are my five favorite things about Adventures in Fiction 2015:

1. fun and friendly readers

Besides its “Lone Star State” moniker, Texas is also called “The Friendship State,” and nowhere is this more evident than at Adventures in Fiction. The readers are just the best. For example, Dianne Wallace (the lovely leopard lady in the photo above) brought me banana bread and Prosecco! Fresh Fiction’s volunteers, who are all voracious readers, are also terrific. Summer Sharp, the one in pink, reads 200-plus books per year, and she works full time AND, obviously, volunteers. One afternoon with these ladies, and you’ll be fast friends. I guaran-darn-tee it.

2. real-life literary adventures

This year the attending authors were asked to write about an adventure that one of their characters might take. It was a blast to hear the submissions. Not only that, it was awesome to see people spontaneously strangle their lunchmates with the murder weapon from Limoncello Yellow—the yellow scarves that I donated as door prizes. It was a killer party!

3. lunch in a Victorian tearoom

This year’s event was at the Chocolate Angel Café & Tearoom in Plano. It is the cutest and the coolest little Victorian tearoom you ever saw. And lunch was delightful—an individual-sized broccoli quiche with a salad and fruit cup served with either lemonade or mango tea garnished with fresh orange slices. Simply scrumptious.

4. chocolate freakin’ pie

Thanks to Henery Press, a publisher of cozy mysteries and chick lit located in Plano, attendees were also treated to a delicious plate of desserts: a raspberry cupcake and a piece of pie that was like a chocolate cookie on the outside with chocolate molten lava on the inside. Since it was Pi Day, I polished off my piece right after consuming my cupcake. DE-licious.

5. safari shoe porn

This year’s theme was a safari, so animal prints were on full display, as were super cute hats (author Kendel Lynn) and (faux fur-lined clothing) (author Phoebe Fox). Not to be vain, but my favorite safari-themed item was the pair of leopard-print shoes that I ordered for the event. Pretty wild, huh?

BROADening my horizons…and my next book

While I was searching for inspiration for Amaretto Amber, the forthcoming novel in the Franki Amato mysteries, a colleague mentioned that a drag show was coming to Austin. Not that this was anything out of the ordinary. I mean, our city motto is “Keep Austin Weird.” But thanks to my Catholic upbringing, a drag show wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that was on my radar—nor on my husband’s, for that matter. After thinking about it for a grand total of 30 seconds, I thought, “What the hell? Why not go?”

And go I did, to RuPaul’s Drag Race Battle of the Seasons 2015 ‘Condragulations’ Tour at Austin’s historic Paramount Theatre. While I was there, I found out that this tour is based on a TV series called RuPaul’s Drag Race, which has been bringing together 14 drag queens to compete for the coveted/corseted title of “America’s Drag Superstar” since 2009. And lest you think that this is some kind of joke, last year TV Guide Magazine selected the show as “one of the 20 best TV series picks of the year.”

Why? For one thing, this isn’t Milton Berle, Flip Wilson, Dustin Hoffman, or etc. in a dress. These queens are SERIOUS about dressing in drag, and their talent, artistry, originality, and passion are very bit as jaw dropping as their outrageous makeup, hair, costumes, and personas. The show is essentially a drag version of America’s Next Top Model combined with American Idol, except for when the queens come together onstage to do Snatch Game, their takeoff on the long-running TV game show, Match Game.

Another reason that the show is so appealing is that the queens aren’t just gay men dressing as women. For instance, I saw a stand-up comic drag queen named Bianca Del Rio who The New York Times called “The Joan Rivers of Drag,” a Goth drag queen named Sharon Needles who sang her way out of a coffin, and a circus drag queen named Ivy “Cirque-de-so-gay” Winters who changed her costume six times and juggled, all while singing the same song. Oh, and later, she blossomed into a beautiful butterfly—on stilts, no less.

Now I still don’t know how drag queens will fit into the plot of Amaretto Amber, but rest assured that at least one will be there strutting her stuff. New Orleans is nothing if not colorful, and as an Italian-American chick, I definitely have a flair for the dramatic.

Note: As a closet linguistics nerd, I encourage you to check out RuPaul’s Drag Race Dictionary. My favorite entry is “squirrel friends.”

LADIES: Looking for a husband? Then steal a lemon!

Fruit has long been a symbol of abundance and the harvest. But depending on your ethnicity and where you live, specific kinds of fruit symbolize different things. Take the lemon, for example. In the United States, most people associate this bright yellow fruit with something bitter or bad. We all know the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade (although it should be ‘Limoncello,’ in my opinion).” And if you buy a car that breaks down a lot, you call it “a lemon.”

But in most Catholic cultures, the lemon is a symbol of love and fidelity, which may explain a bizarre tradition in the Italian-American community. What is this tradition? Brace yourselves, girls. Legend has it that a single woman looking to find a husband should steal a lemon from a St. Joseph’s Day altar. If—and only if—she successfully takes the lemon when no one is looking, then she will be engaged or even married by the following Saint Joseph’s Day.

Now, I’m sure that the marriage-minded among you are thinking, “Where can I find this amazing altar?” Well, because St. Joseph, a.k.a. San Giuseppe, is the patron saint of Sicily (in addition to being the adoptive father of Jesus), Sicilian-American communities in the U.S. create these altars on his feast day, March 19, to feed the poor. The two largest and most famous celebrations of St. Joseph’s Day take place in New Orleans and New York.

Meanwhile, I’ll bet that this unabashed lemon thievery has some of you are wondering, “Whatever happened to ‘thou shalt not steal’?” After all, this is a Catholic tradition. The answer to that question is, in Italian-American speak, “Fuhgeddaboudit.” Everyone knows that all is fair in love and war—even if it means stealing a lemon from a Catholic altar devoted to Jesus’s dad and intended to feed the hungry.

So, whatever your plans come March 19, I feel obliged to warn you about another legend associated with the St. Joseph’s Day altar. Many believe that you will get pregnant if you steal a lemon from this altar, which is QUITE a bit different than landing yourself a man. With this information in mind, if you still want to bear the risk (get it? “bear”?) and steal a lemon from the altar, then at least try not to take a lemon lemon.

NOTE: The above picture of the lemons, which are at least three times the size of the oranges, was taken in Sorrento, Italy. How would you like to try to steal one of those babies unnoticed?

Announcing THE DANGER COVE MYSTERIES!

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m part of a new, multi-author series called the DANGER COVE MYSTERIES! And this isn’t just any series. Why? Well, there is our co-author, Elizabeth Ashby. Who is she? Go to the DANGER COVE WEBSITE to find out. You can also see the town, find out about its businesses, and meet some of the other inhabitants.

Also, there are 6 series within the DANGER COVE SERIES:

BAKERY mysteries (Jennifer Fischetto)

BED & BREAKFAST mysteries (T. Sue VerSteeg)

COCKTAIL mysteries (Sibel Hodge)

HAIR SALON mysteries (me!)

QUILTING mysteries (Gin Jones)

RENOVATION mysteries (Christina A. Burke)

Here is the blurb for DEADLY DYE AND A SOY CHAI, the first mystery in my hair salon series:

Native Texan Cassidi Conti was expecting to face some obstacles when she moved to Danger Cove and opened The Clip and Sip, a hair salon that gives away free drinks. What she wasn’t counting on was a client dying during a dye job. But when eighty-year-old Margaret Appleby comes in for her biweekly appointment, that’s exactly what happens: Margaret drinks her usual soy chai, dozes off under the dryer…and doesn’t wake up. Now The Clip and Sip is under suspicion, clients are wary, and Cassidi is on a mission to prove that while her styles may be killer, her employees are innocent! But as Cassidi wades through the myriad suspects in the small, costal town, the killer’s sights are set straight on everyone’s favorite stylist. If Cassidi doesn’t watch her back, she may just end up Danger Cove’s latest fashionable victim.

RELEASE SCHEDULE (tentative):

March – Secret of the Painted Lady by Christina A. Burke

April – Murder and Mai Tais by Sibel Hodge

May – Death by Scones by Jennifer Fischetto

June – Four-Patch of Trouble by Gin Jones

July – Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai by me!

August – Killer Closet Case by T. Sue VerSteeg

GIVEAWAY

To celebrate the release of this new series, the Danger Cove Chamber of Commerce is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card. To enter, use the hashtag #dangercovemysteries on Facebook or Twitter during the month of February. Check out the details and sign up for our newsletter here:

http://www.gemmahalliday.com/Danger_Cove/contact/

 

My Nancy Drew Dilemma

Like a lot of female mystery authors, I was a huge Nancy Drew fan as a little girl. So, when Avery Flynn mentioned “the Nancy Drew purse” during a panel discussion at Fresh Fiction’s Readers ’n Ritas conference, I started salivating. And right then and there I pulled my laptop from my Michael Kors tote and googled the prized purse.

I’m not sure what I was expecting in a Nancy Drew purse, but what I wasn’t expecting was a vintage book that had been “repurposed” as a handbag. As an author myself, I was naturally conflicted about this mystery massacre. On the one hand, I felt remorse about purchasing the purse and thereby supporting the destruction of an original Carolyn Keene. But on the other, I coveted the repurposed book because it represented both my childhood passion for Nancy Drew and my realized adult dream of becoming a mystery writer.

To resolve my dilemma, I did what any self-respecting, Nancy Drew–obsessed author would do: I emailed my parents and asked for the purse for Christmas. That way, they were the ones who were directly contributing to the slaughter of vintage Carolyn Keene books, not me.

Of course, when Christmas day arrived, The Bungalow Mystery purse was waiting for me under the tree. And it was even more perfect than I could have imagined because I actually live in a historic bungalow home. The funny thing is, I haven’t been able to bring myself to use the purse yet. I’m afraid that I’ll be accused by random strangers of killing a Carolyn Keene, which for me is like having members of a book preservationist society throw red paint on me in my public.

So, readers, tell me: Should I use the Nancy Drew purse or give it a decent burial in my closet?

PROSECCO PINK on Tour!

BUONGIORNO a tutti!

I’m excited to announce that PROSECCO PINK, the second novel in the Franki Amato mysteries, goes on tour today with Great Escapes Book Tours! This is the book that was inspired by the sugar cane plantations of Louisiana (specifically, Oak Alley Plantation and Myrtles Plantation) and Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop bar. Blimey!

GIVEAWAYS

Be sure to visit the tour stops for a chance to win a print or ecopy of PROSECCO PINK, and don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter giveaway—it’s the pink Kate Spade “Cobble Hill Stacy” wallet in rio pink pictured below! (Cute, isn’t it? The inside of the wallet has fabric with black and white stripes.)

TOUR STOPS

January 13 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Guest Post, Giveaway

January 14 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – Review

January 15 – A Blue Million Books – Interview, Giveaway

January 16 – Tea and A Book – Review, Interview

January 17 – Mystery Playground – Guest Post, Giveaway

January 18 – Christa Reads and Writes – Guest Post

January 19 – Chloe Gets A Clue – Interview

January 20 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway

January 21 – Queen of All She Reads – Review, Giveaway

January 22 – deal sharing aunt – Interview

January 22 – readalot – Review, Giveaway

January 23 – Kelly P’s Blog – Guest Post

January 24 – Michele Lynn Seigfried’s Blog – Review, Giveaway

January 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Guest Post

January 26 – A. Literary Mafia – Interview – Giveaway

BUY LINKS

Amazon http://amzn.to/1wTthKN

Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/1tizikl

iTunes http://bit.ly/1tizn7G

Kobo http://bit.ly/1z4zDN1

Smashwords http://bit.ly/1BMQvnP

MY LINKS

http://traciandrighetti.com

http://traciandrighetti.com/blo/

https://www.facebook.com/traciandrighettiauthor

https://twitter.com/TAndrighetti

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7383577.Traci_Andrighetti