Time Slips Away

Ever had one of those days when it seems time slips by way too fast?

With summer well underway and our temperatures range from 90 to just above 100 degrees (F), it seems time is flying by at an alarming pace. I turn around and the week is gone and there is still so much to do. Before I know it, summer will be gone and winter will have arrived.

I bring this up because time slipped by and several giveaways are up. In addition, I have two new giveaways to announce.

First up let me announce the winners, next I’ll tell you about the new giveaways, and then we’ll talk again.

Winning Robert Ludlums’ THE BOURNE OBJECTIVE are Tabathia B. of North Carolina, Jemi at Just Jemi, and L. Diane at Spunk On A Stick.

Winning David Foster Wallace’s THE BROOM OF THE SYSTEM are Dawn M. of Oklahoma, Joyce S. of Texas, and Linda D. of Oklahoma.

Winning Tony Hsieh’s DELIVERING HAPPINESS are Eleanor H. of Pennsylvania, Thomas T. of Georgia, and Ron M. of Minnesota.

Winning Christopher Hitchens’ HITCH 22 are Pearl E. of New Mexico, Dawn M. of Oklahoma, and Heather J. of Florida.

Winning Jerry Weintraub’s WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU’LL KNOW I’M DEAD are Linda D. of Oklahoma, Sharon B. of New Mexico, and Eleanor H. of Pennsylvania.

Winning Amanda Scott’s TEMPTED BY A WARRIOR are Theresa N. of South Carolina, Jen at Unedited, Theresa at Substitute Teacher’s Saga, Cecile at All I want and more..., and Vicki at Rambles & Randomness.

Winning Eileen Dreyer’s BARELY A LADY are Meredith M. of Florida, Sue A. of California, Mary S. of Texas, and Anita Y. of Georgia.

Congratulations to all the winners and a special thanks to everyone who entered the giveaways.

Now the new giveaways. First up is the audio I have to offer thanks to Anna and the folks at Hachette Audio Books. I have 3 unabridged
copies of  THE ISLAND (ISBN: 9781067882404) by Elin Hilderbrand and read by Denice Hicks.

Four women — a mother, her sister, two grown daughters — head to Tuckernuck for a retreat, hoping to escape their troubles. Intead, they find only drama, secrets, and life-changing revelations.
Listen to an Excerpt

Start Reading Online

View the Video

To enter the contest, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com). Your subject line should read, “Win The Island.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest ends at 8 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, Aug. 5, and is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. Just so you know, I don’t share the mailing information or use it for any other purpose.

The next giveaway is for the 384-page fiction paperback NEW

TRICKS (ISBN: 9780446505888) by David Rosenfelt. Thanks to Valerie and the folks at Hachette Book Group I have three copies to giveaway.

Attorney Andy Carpenter is about to represent an adorable Bernese mountain dog puppy, whose owner was brutally murdered, in a custody fight. Few can rival Andy's affection for dogs, and he's determined to keep Waggy from falling into the wrong hands. But this playful pup possesses a valuable secret that some people will resort to violence to obtain. It will take more than Andy's usual courtroom theatrics to save Waggy, including help from the lawyer's golden retriever, Tara. Andy soon discovers that everyone around him is in danger, including his longtime girlfriend, Laurie--and only some high-risk new tricks will save those he cherishes most.

To enter the contest, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com). Your subject line should read, “Win New Tricks.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest ends at 8 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, Aug. 8, and is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. Just so you know, I don’t share the mailing information or use it for any other purpose.

Two more good books, be sure to enter. I hope to have another book review tomorrow and then a few more books to giveaway on Saturday. The month is winding down and I’m busy scheduling authors for August.

Just a couple of things I want to pass along, just in case you haven’t already heard about them. The ladies at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen are having a week-long celebration for their one year blog anniversary. They’re giving away a daily prize, as well as a grand prize. Kathi at Kathi’s Writing Nook has a great contest going on to promote her upcoming release of THE STONE TRAVELER. Be sure to check it out.

Thanks for stopping by. Take time to enjoy a few minutes with a good book today, you’ll never know where it will take you.

Bitten or Not

Have you been bitten by the spring bug?

I haven’t and I have. I haven’t been bitten by the spring “cleaning” bug yet. It’s been nibbling at me, but hasn’t taken a bite out yet. I expect it to any day now. Each day I find I want to clean a little more. I remember I need to rearrange this drawer or closet. And thanks to Elizabeth (Riley)’s post yesterday at Mystery Lover’s Kitchen, I realize now I really need to clean out my refrigerator and kitchen cabinets.

I have, however, been bitten by the “want outside” bug. The weather is in the upper 70s and the sun is shinning bright. Thoughts of the long, cold weather are slowly starting to be a distance memory. Now I want to be outside and work in the yard. My roses need work and my herb garden thinks I’ve abandoned it which I pretty much have.

As crazy as it sounds, I don’t mind weed eating. Just give me a good book loaded on my MP3 player, my headphones and I get lost in the book. Before I realize it, the weed eating is done and I’ve enjoyed another great book. Now times like that I don’t have to hold a book in my hands to enjoy it.

I’ll keep today’s post short, as I have a long day at work and won‘t get to drop back much. Fridays are deadline day - the paper goes to bed for next week. Everything has to be finished and ready for the press run today. Sometimes it goes smooth, sometimes (most Fridays) it goes crazy.

I’ll have some giveaway winners to announce this weekend and share the lineup of the coming authors guest blogging here (a new one has been added). In addition, be sure to check out the right sidebar. Author Loucinda McGary has an ARC giveaway contest going on at her website. 

Before I leave I do have a question I want to ask you. Who is your favorite villain and why? This can be a villain from a book or movie, past or present.

Crazy question I know, but I need a name for a crab. (Long story but we seem to collect one every year, and no they don‘t make it more than one or two years.) This is a mean crab so I thought of giving it a villain’s name. The last one we had, I called “Larry, the Lobster.” I wanted something a little more creative for this one, plus did I mention he’s mean.

Hope your Friday is sunny, bright and happy. What kind of spring bug has bitten you and what has it caused you to do?

‘What’s in a name?’

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
William Shakespeare (1594)

This line from “Romeo and Juliet” says a lot about how we perceive things. Would a rose smell as sweet to us if we called it a turnip? Your mind automatically says no, but then think what if that was all you knew it by. Then turnip would represent something sweet and beautiful. (Not that a turnip isn't already to some people).

A name sometimes tells us a lot about a person or thing, while other times it tell us nothing.

An example, most who read this blog may think Mason Canyon is a male. The name sounds masculine so it must be, right? If you’ve looked at the profile, you know different. I’m a female.

Why the masculine name then? I really didn’t think about it being masculine when I decided on it. Mason comes from the love and enjoyment of watching "Perry Mason" when I was growing up. Until I was a senior in high school, I wanted to be a lawyer but got sidetracked by journalism and when that route instead. Now I collect old editions of Earle Stanley Gardner's "Perry Mason" books. Canyon was the name of my first horse, Canyon Son. I just like the way the names went together so I’ve used that pseudonym for years when writing book reviews.
I decided to use the pseudonym writing my book reviews because they were separate from the hard news I normally wrote. It was a different part of my writing, so thus a new name.

If you read the two previous posts here, you were introduced to the ladies of the Mystery Lover’s Kitchen and noted that they use various pseudonyms depending on what they are writing and for whom they are writing. I think most authors follow that tradition.

Another quick example is Nora Roberts. When she writes what I call romantic, light-hearted novels, she writes as Nora Roberts. But when she writes the hard crime thriller featuring Eve Dallas, she writes as J.D. Robb. Same person, two names, two different styles of writing.

Now I don’t use a pseudonym because I’m an author. I use it because this blog is where I review books, feature authors, and discuss reading and writing. This type writing is what Mason Canyon does. Mason’s domain.

You can’t always judge a person’s gender by their name. I know five people named Terry. Four spell their name Terry and one Terri. Of those five only one (Terry) is a male. There was a lady I knew all of my life by the name of Dean, when she passed away I found out her real name was Nadine, but no one ever called
her that. So names can be misleading sometimes.

Talking about names, how much emphasis should a writer put on a character’s name?

Think about Scarlett O’Hara. Would that character have grown to the image it is today if she had been called Betty Smith (not that there’s anything wrong with that name)?
 What about Rhett Butler? Would women have swooned over the name Carl Jones (nothing wrong with that name either? Or is it that these characters were so strong that our images are based on that and really has nothing to do with their names?

I’m sure you can think of numerous names that bring visions of various books to mind instantly. But which came first - the name or the character? Is it the same with every book that author writes?

I’ve often wondered if an author selects names for their characters and then builds their description from that or do they have an image of how the character will look and a name comes to them as they write. In that case, I guess you’d say the character created their own name.

How hard or easy is it to create names for your characters? Do your characters hide behind names that don’t suit them or names that make them appear to be someone else? What is your method of naming your characters? Oh, a rose by any other name ......

*****

Now for the winners of the recent book giveaways. The winners have already been notified, but this is to let everyone else know who has won which books.

LOVE IN 90 DAYS: Brenda R. of Madison Heights, MI; Heather S. of Georgetown, IL; Rebecca G. of Fayetteville, TN; Victoria S. of Houston, TX; and Judy P. of Midwest City, OK.
SEDUCED BY A ROGUE: Ann C. of Sioux Falls, SD; Renee G. of Valleyford, WV; Joyce S. of Conroe, TX; Susan P. of Pembroke Pines, FL; and Nancye D. of Louisville, KY.
A BLACK TIE AFFAIR: Karen K. of Monessen, PA; Carol K. of Schertz, TX; Jemi F of Marie, Ontario; Joy H. of Saint Peters, MO; and Carolyn Y. of Fort Collins, CO.
CORKED: Janel G. of Freeland, MI; Stacey B. of Goldsboro, NC; Eleanor H. of Greenville, PA; Emily L. of Forest Lake, MN; and Amy S. of Glencoe, MN.
FUGITIVE: LSU Reader is the winner, please e-mail me at mcbookshelf@gmail.com with your name and address so we can send your book.

Six Lovely Ladies of Mystery, Part 2

The lovely ladies of the Mystery Lover's Kitchen blog are a diverse group, but with a number of similar characteristics. The ladies all write cozy murder mysteries, they all enjoy good cooking, all enjoy sharing recipes, and all their mysteries have a food based theme.

Let me reintroduce the ladies to you and the series they each write: Krista Davis, author of the Domestic Diva Mysteries; Julie Hyzy, author of the White House Chef Mysteries; Avery Aames, author of the Cheese Shop Mysteries, (aka Daryl Wood Gerber, author of medical and paranormal thrillers); Riley Adams, author of the Memphis Barbecue Mysteries (aka Elizabeth Spann Craig, the Myrtle Clover Mysteries); Jenn McKinlay, author of the Cupcake Bakery Shop Mysteries (aka Lucy Lawrence, the Decoupage Mysteries); and Cleo Coyle (who’s really the writing team of Alice Alfonsi and her husband, Marc Cerasin) author of the Coffeehouse Mystery series (aka Alice Kimberly, the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries).

As you can see, these ladies write under a variety of pseudonyms. Avery pointed out they do this because they each write in different genres, as well as work through different publishers; and/or “a whole sea of reasons.”

Whatever name they are writing under, each lady has developed some very unique protagonists. Combining the various characters together in one setting could lead to a scene out of a Mel Brooks movie, with a whole lot of good eats on the side.

When the ladies combined to do the Mystery Lover’s Kitchen blog, a vast array of taste also came together. I ask them what has been the worst thing about participating in the blog with each other.

Krista, “I’m cooking more and putting on weight.”

Cleo, “As with any group, when it comes to major decisions that involve all of us, we try to come to a consensus of opinion. This can be a problem only because we are all very busy and we live all over the country. We’re lucky to have Krista as our ring leader. She’s been a great moderator of our e-mail discussions so we can come to decisions, make choices, and get things done.

Elizabeth, “The worst thing are days when I thought I had all the ingredients for the recipe I’m posting the next day…and then realize a trip to the store is in order. I have a seventh grade son and my ingredients keep mysteriously disappearing.”

Jenn, “Remembering to put in the right date when I post. I’m such a potato head about this, I have reminder Post-it notes all over the place with my correct date and time. I live in fear that I might wipe out someone else’s post, which would be very bad form.”
Julie, “Having to cook. My family loves it. I’ve had to research, cook, and photograph items to post on the blog each Tuesday and I’m not used to coming up with that many “original” meals that often. LOL. But if I’m being honest, I have to admit I’m enjoying the experimentation in great deal.”
Avery, “If I’m going to be out of town, the hardest thing is to remember to do the cooking and photo work before I leave so I can upload everything for the blog. But truly, that’s not so hard. My husband is really enjoying the variety in our meals. He’s even getting into setting up the food right on the plates so I take a good picture.”

The Mystery Lover’s Kitchen blog offers readers a lot more than just a new recipe each day. Along with the recipe the reader is treated to photographs of the finished product and sometimes photos of the ingredients and steps in the preparing of the dish. There have even been a few videos to walk you through the dish preparation.

An added bonus is that each recipe has it’s own unique story. Sometimes the dish may be something that was past down through the author’s family, other times it’s one shared by a friend, or even an ‘original’ recipe. Occasionally the stories involve how the recipe was in peril  for a time due to the normal disasters cooks go through when preparing meals for the their families. Whatever the story, it’s something the reader will remember when preparing the dish themselves and can pass on to their family and friends. Thus, the chain of food and friendship continues. With this in mind I asked some of the ladies what else they wanted the readers of the blog to know.

Cleo, “From the start, all of us were concerned that our blog name reflect how we felt about our shared Interment home. We all agreed to call it ‘kitchen’ not just because we like to cook and post recipes, but because all of us have fond memories of family kitchens as gathering places. The kitchen is not a formal room, but one where friends and loved ones can gather, relax, laugh, feel comfortable, and just be themselves. I hope our site visitors think of our blog as a warm, cozy kitchen, a place to relax and enjoy themselves with friends. We also love comments. You’ll notice we always make an effort to personally acknowledge anyone who takes the time to leave a message on our posts. That’s how we feel about visitors who drop into our kitchen. We want to make you feel welcome around our table, and I hope anyone who reads this will not only drop by but become a regular follower.”
Elizabeth, “Our blog is for everyone - from novice cooks to epicureans. We’ve featured recipes with everything from gluten-free to vegetarian to down-home Southern cooking. We love getting comment, so please come by and visit.” 
Jenn, “The recipes are really, really good.”
Julie, “I think I would most like readers to know that we’re real. All of us. I’m sure they already know that from the personality that comes through on our posts, but we’re having fun, and hoping our readers have fun too.”
Avery, “This is a group of very talented writers as well as cooks. And they’re funny, kind, warm, intelligent. By the way, did you know that most people who read traditional cozy mysteries are college-educated people who enjoy puzzles? With our books, readers get to not only read a good puzzle, but read about things that taste good too. And they get recipes. What a match.”

The Sunday guest blogger slot has been filled by a diverse group of people as well. Each week the ladies take turns featuring a special guest. The guests have included: Sheila Connolly, Jennie Bentley, Annette Blair, Lesa Holstine, Jeri Westerson, Patricia Stoltey, Sally Goldenbaum, Kevin Cuddeback, JoAnn Carl, Joyce and Jim Lavene, Judy Alter, and Jessica Conant-Park, just to name a few.

With each one of these guest bloggers comes a wonderful story about their recipe, as well as a look at the books they write. Each Sunday morning I find myself poised with coffee cup in hand anticipating who will be there when I click on the link. What great new book or series will await for me to discover. I am never disappointed as an intriguing new friend is always there waiting.
The ladies themselves stay quite busy in other area of blogdom too as they have additional blogs and Website they participate in along with caring for their families, homes and (of course) writing great cozy murder mysteries.

Krista has an older blog, Domestic Diva Mysteries, that is still on the Internet although she says she no longer keeps it updated as much she once did. However, plans are in the works for a renovation of the site.

“I like to think that there’s a little bit of domestic diva in all of us,” Krista said. “Even if you’re a takeout queen, you probably want your children to grow up with warm memories of home. We don’t all have time to grow topiaries, make Beef Wellington, or embroider napkins for our guests, but we do all want to live in nice homes, eat delicious food, and create wonderful memories for our children.”

Krista’s latest book in the Domestic Diva Mystery series is “The Diva Paints the Town” and will be released on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2.

Cleo enjoys twittering under Cleo Coyle but largely directs her efforts toward her official Website, Coffeehouse Mystery.com. She originally started the site as an Internet scrapbook, a place to share some of the coffee and culinary information she gathers while doing research for her Coffeehouse Mysteries. She now runs the site as a “virtual” coffeehouse adding interviews, links to news about food and health, and holds random drawings every Monday for a free pound of her latest “coffee pick.” The site tells how visitors can participate in the coffee drawing.

Cleo’s latest book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series is “Holiday Grind” that came out late last year. Her next release will be “Roast Mortem” which is scheduled for release on Aug. 3.

Elizabeth is a very busy lady. You can find her daily at Mystery Writing is Murder. Her Website is www.elizabethspanncraig.com and she is a regular contributor on the Carolina Conspiracy blog, the Southern writers' blog, A Good Blog is Hard to Find, and InkSpot.

“Pretty is as Pretty Dies,” the first of the Myrtle Clover series was released August 2009 and “Delicious and Suspicious,” the first in the Memphis Barbeque series is scheduled for release in May.

Jenn is busy with her Website, www.jennmckinlay.com. “Stuck on Murder,” her decoupage mystery, was released in September of last year. The first book in her cupcake mystery series is “Sprinkle With Murder” and scheduled for release in March.

Julie has a personal blog at juliehyzy.blogspot.com. “State of the Onion,” the first book in the White House Chef Mystery series, recently won the Barry and Anthony Awards for Best Paperback Original. “Eggsecutive Orders,” the newest book in her series has just been released.

Avery stays busy with her Website (www.averages.com) where she shares tidbits about the history of cheese, as well as various recipes. In addition, she does numerous guest blogs. “The Long Quiche Goodbye,” the first in the Cheese Shop Mystery series is scheduled to be released in July.

All the ladies of the Mystery Lover’s Kitchen are busy but they take time for their readers and the visitors to their site. I know this from personal experience. Remember, I didn’t know a thing about blogs under I found their site. Having found it and become acquainted with them, I ventured into blogdom and created Thoughts in Progress with their encouragement and guidance.

All of the ladies have been very helpful, but I’d like to say a special thanks to Cleo for her step-by-step guide to joining and using Twitter. Without her help, I don’t think I would have given it a try so early on with starting the blog. She made it easy to understand. Thanks Cleo.

And Elizabeth, an extra special thanks to you. She guided me through setting up a professional Facebook account and even suggested various author friends “friend” me. She was my first “follower” on this site and has given me most invaluable information on blogging, as well as providing interesting and informative links. She has provided guidance and assistance for numerous other bloggers, as well. Thanks Elizabeth.

So you see these ladies have had a tremendous impact on this blog and I am most thankful for them and their many works of cozy murder mysteries.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope I have enlightened you on the lovely ladies of mystery and the wonderful books they write. Now grab another cup of coffee (or beverage of your choice) and let’s go see who’s guest blogging today at Mystery Lover's Kitchen.

Six Lovely Ladies of Mystery

Today and tomorrow this blog will be focused on six widely diverse ladies of mystery, murder and mayhem.

This blog, in fact, became a reality due in large part to the encouragement and guidance of these ladies.

This time last year I didn’t have a clue what a post or a blog was. I had no reason to find out. I wasn’t one to venture into cyberspace. But the love a good book opened a door to a world of possibilities.

Reach for that cup of coffee or your favorite beverage of choice, get comfortable and let me tell you a story of how the ladies of Mystery Lover's Kitchen inspired me.

A number of years ago I found the Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle and have been a huge fan ever since. Last year I finally ventured into cyberspace to visit Cleo’s website, Coffeehouse Mystery. Her site is a “virtual” coffeehouse filled with great information about coffee, recipes and mysteries.

Cleo mentioned that she and five other mystery authors were getting together to start a blog called Mystery Lover's Kitchen where mystery authors cook up crime … and recipes.

I continued to read about it and decided to check it out. What would it hurt to visit a blog (whatever that is)?

The official launch date was Sunday, July 26, even though the ladies had been posting for a week to work out the kinks. I dropped by and enjoyed the post, went back the next day, the next day, the next ….. The ladies not only shared delicious recipes with beautiful photographs of their dish (and sometimes the preparing), but each recipe had a story with it.

Joining Cleo in the kitchen were Krista Davis, author of the Domestic Diva Mysteries; Julie Hyzy, author of the White House Chef Mysteries; Avery Aames (aka Daryl Wood Gerber), author of the Cheese Shop Mysteries; Riley Adams (aka Elizabeth Spann Craig), the Myrtle Clover Mysteries and the Memphis Barbecue Mysteries; and Jenn McKinlay, author of the Cupcake Bakery Shop Mysteries (aka Lucy Lawrence, the Decoupage Mysteries). Cleo (who’s really the writing team of Alice Alfonsi and her husband, Marc Cerasin) also authors the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries as Alice Kimberly.

I thought as well as the blog flowed that the ladies were all friends living nearby each other and had decided to combine their talents to create Mystery Lover's Kitchen. Wrong. Only a couple knew each other before they began and they live all over the United States.

The blog was the brainchild of Krista Davis. She organized everything, approached the various authors with invitations to join, and designed the blog.

When asked why and how the blog started, Krista said, “I was writing a blog called ‘The Diva Dishes.’ I really enjoyed it, but blogging every day was getting to be very time consuming. I’m a big fan of the Food Network and shows like Top Chef. It’s amazing to me that so many people are interested in food and cooking these days. Can you image what people would have thought in Julia Child’s heyday if someone had suggested a TV network devoted to cooking?

“So I talked to my critique partner, Avery Aames, whose Cheese Shop Mysteries will debut in July, and we thought it would be a great idea to put together a blog of mystery writers whose books have a food theme.”

I asked why she invited the authors that she did and she replied:

“Avery and I knew each other well. We met Julie and loved her, but the rest of us only know each other via internet so far. It’s funny, though, the blog has made us fast friends and we now know all kinds ofpersonal things about each other.”

I was curious about the group’s range in age, as well as where everyone was from.

Krista explained, “I watched a BBC program the other night in which they called women over 40 ‘Forever Forties!’ I love that expression. We range from almost 40 to creeping over 50, so I think we’re mostly in the ‘Forever Forties’ group. Quite by coincidence, we span the country - from the east coast to the west coast and points in between. From the north to the south, too. We’re spread out, but that keeps it interesting because everyone brings a different perspective to the blog. When it’s cold, snowy, hearty food weather in Chicago; it’s still warm, balmy salad weather in California.”

Krista said they considered having seven authors host the blog (one for each day), but decided they liked the idea of bringing in a guest each Sunday to keep the blog lively. The authors take turns choosing the guest blogger. The weekly line up of the blog is as follows: Avery on Monday, Julie on Tuesday, Jenn on Wednesday, Riley (aka Elizabeth) on Thursday, Cleo on  Friday, and Krista on Saturday.

A little background on each of the authors.

Krista writes the Domestic Diva Mysteries.  Her series has two contrasting divas - Sophie, who lives to entertain but keeps things simple, and Natasha, who never met a complicated craft she didn’t embrace. Growing up, her mother baked a cake every Saturday morning. She said her family baked and cooked everything from scratch.

Cleo writes the nationally bestselling Coffeehouse Mysteries for Penguin’s Berkley Prime Crime imprint. She also writes the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries under the name Alice Kimberly. Cleo said, “I felt honored  to be asked (to join the blog). In recent years, the culinary mystery has become an increasingly popular sub-genre. When Agatha Award-nominee Krista Davis approached me with the invitation, I jumped at the chance to blog with fellow foodie-loving mystery authors.”

Elizabeth, like her characters, has roots in a small, Southern town. She grew up in Anderson, SC, where she spent most of her childhood in the county library, staggering out with books by the armful. Her magazine articles have appeared in both England and the United States. She’s the mother of two and currently lives in Matthews, NC. Between juggling mom duties, refereeing play dates, and being dragged along as chaperone/hostage on field trips, she dreams of dark and stormy nights beside stacks of intriguing mysteries with excellent opening lines.

“Pretty is as Pretty Dies,” the first of the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink was released August 2009 and “Delicious and Suspicious,” the first of the Memphis Barbeque books for Berkley Prime Crime will be released in May 2010.

“Originally I looked at it (joining the blog) as a great way to meet some fellow Berkley Prime Crime authors, discover some great recipes, and participate in a promotional opportunity that was a little different from the norm,” said Elizabeth.

Books are Jenn’s life. She discovered Nancy Drew at age 9, and has been a compulsive reader since. This lead to a career in the library science field. She has worked as a reference librarian in both public and private libraries from CT to AZ. Currently she is working with children and teens. Being surrounded by books, Jenn knew she had to write as well so she wrote Harlequin’s romantic comedy lines for a few years and then found a home with Berkley Prime Crime writing mysteries. She has two series in the works under the name Lucy Lawrence and one under Jenn McKinlay. Lucy’s books are set in a paper store in Massachusetts while Jenn’s stories are set in a cupcake bakery in Arizona. In addition to writing, Jenn is a wife, mother and pet owner. She loves to garden, cook, knit, go on long bicycle rides, and read.

“I had never blogged before and it seemed like a great opportunity to meet other writers and readers and talk about one of my favorite subjects: food,” said Jenn.
 
Julie was born and raised on the south side of Chicago (just like bad, bad, Leroy Brown) and has been writing since she could hold a pencil. She always knew she wanted to write, although she remembers wanting to be a movie star for a few years there too. She still lives in the Chicago area, but in the south suburbs. She and her husband have three girls, one of whom lives on the north side of Chicago near Wrigley Field and is a freelance artist. The middle daughter is a junior in college and the youngest recently submitted her applications for college. Julie says she’s not a ‘professional’ chef as everyone assumes, but has a ‘Ghost Chef’ create the recipes in her White House adventures.

Besides the White House series, Julie has four other books published. Three of the books feature Alex St. James, a news researcher in Chicago who gets into a lot of trouble. She’s busy working on the fourth White House book, “Buffalo West Wing.”

In addition to these books, Julie is writing a new series that will debut in June. This will be the Manor of Murder series and the first book is called “Grace Under Pressure.” Grace is a curator at a huge mansion/tourist attraction/museum. A murder occurs (of course) and pressure ensues. Julie said she is very excited about this particular series because “I drew on a lot of real-life experiences to write this. We always base things on our real experiences, but this one has more of it than most..”

Joining the blog Julie said, “I met Krista Davis and Daryl Wood Gerber (Avery) at Malice Domestic last year. Can I just say right now that I love these ladies. They came up with the idea of a recipe-based blog to help promote our books and asked me if I’d like to be part of it. I was thrilled.”

Avery is writing the Cheese Shop Mysteries and the first in the series is called, “The Long Quiche Goodbye.” Every book will have a reference to cheese in the title. Her protagonist is Charlotte Bessette.

She and her cousin Matthew have just taken over ownership of Fromagerie Bessette from her grandfather and grandmother. The Cheese Shop, as it’s familiarly called, is located in the fictional town of Providence, Ohio, set in the western half of Holmes County. The area draws huge crowds of tourists because of its proximity to the Amish. Charlotte has a passion for cheese and is devoted to family. The book comes out July 6 from Berkley Prime Crime.

Avery lives in Los Angeles with her husband and her adorable rescue dog, Max, who is almost 13 years old. She loves to cook, garden, take long walks, sing and read. She’s a amateur photography nut.

“I joined the blog because I was invited by one of the nicest gals in the world, Krista Davis, and a ‘foodie’ blog made total sense because my series is about cheese. As you know, blogging is important to get the ‘buzz’ out about a book, and since mine has yet to come out, blogging with established writers is a real boom to me.”

I asked each of the ladies what was the best thing about the blog and all their answers were similar.

Krista, “Great friends, lots of fun, and fabulous recipes.”
Cleo, “My fellow bloggers. They energize and inspire me. I truly enjoy checking the site every day to see what recipe, tip, or other interesting post my fellow authors have cooked up for the blog.”
Riley, “My fellow mystery writing cooks. They’ve made the whole experience on the blog even more fun than I’d originally anticipated. These ladies are warm, open, encouraging, funny, and fantastic writers. The e-mail threads for the group are just hilarious sometimes. There’s a true sense of camaraderie and support. And…I have to admit to being excited about the food aspect too. They’ve all shared some amazing recipes that I’ve enjoyed making for my family.”
Jenn, “Making new friends. I’d never met any of my blog buddies before and they are all so talented and helpful. I really cherish them. The followers of the blog have been a joy as well.”
Julie, “These women - Krista, Daryl (Avery), Alice (Cleo), Elizabeth (Riley), and Jenn (Lucy) are wonderful. The friendship I’ve developed with these woomen, even after such a short time, has been the absolute best. It’s just so great to have this group - we all work together and truly enjoy creating something cool and different. This is a blog I know we’re all proud of.”
Avery, “The six of us immediately got along. We have the same intentions, the same humor. I’m thoroughly enjoying it, and I’m learning a lot about other kinds of food and cooking and how to write “fun” stuff under a weekly deadline.”

For more answers to burning questions about these lovely ladies, their blog and their works; check back tomorrow for part two.

Now click over to Mystery Lover's Kitchen to check out Krista’s "Homemade Chocolate Pudding" recipe.