Cozy mysteries are as American as apple pie. That’s why I chose Apple Valley as the setting for the third book in my Food Truck/Food Festival mystery series. Although comfort food and murder don’t necessarily go together, there’s always a bad apple in every murder mystery wanting to make mincemeat out of some poor victim or two. When Darcy Burnett, former restaurant critic, is greeted by the intoxicating fragrance of cinnamon, sugar, and baked apples coming from her Aunt Abby’s kitchen, she wants to know what smells so good. Her aunt, a former cafeteria lady, shares a bite of her latest comfort concoction, and informs Darcy she’s signed up her School Bus food truck to Apple Valley for the annual Apple Festival. And she invites Darcy and her son Dillon to come along. After Darcy reads over the festival promotional materials, she can hardly decline. “Nestled in the rolling Sierra foothills of El Dorado County is a wonderland of apple orchards and farms, apple wineries and breweries, all waiting to bring apple lovers a variety of sweet, tart, and tempting apple treats. The area, known as Apple Valley, provides the perfect place for a fruitful getaway, where you’ll find everything…

Tuesday, January 5, marked the launch of A GHOUL’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER—the tenth and final book in the Ghost Hunter Mysteries. I thought that as the release day approached, I’d feel sad. Melancholy. Filled with regret. But I feel none of that. Instead I feel tremendous joy, and truthfully my chest is near bursting with pride. This final book is my favorite of the series—not because of the plot or character development, but because it’s right. It’s just right. While putting together the newsletter to announce the launch, my assistant—who does artwork—created a block of all the books at the bottom of the page, and as I was reviewing the newsletter, I found myself staring at that group of all ten books, eyes brimming with tears for a long, long time, thinking how wonderful it is to have been a part of their creation. There’s a whole world inside those three-thousand-plus pages. A world I built and labored over and brought to life. What a divine feeling it is to look at them and feel such a sense of pride and accomplishment. And there is also that, with this final book, I know I’ve brought M.J. to the…

To celebrate the ninth installment in the White House Chef Mystery series, I’ve come up with nine all-new trivia questions. Test your knowledge about Ollie and the gang for fun and bragging rights (answers below). In STATE OF THE ONION, the First Lady must decide who to name as executive chef when Henry retires. There’s no doubt that Henry prefers Ollie succeed him, but who else is in the running for the top job? Martha Stewart Laurel Anne Braun Julia Child Buckminster (Bucky) Reed HAIL TO THE CHEF is the second book in the White House Chef series, but many readers pick it up mistakenly believing it to be the first in the series (meaning: they haven’t read State of the Onion). What is the number one comment/complaint I’ve received via email from this group of readers? New readers don’t believe that an underground bunker exists in the White House New readers think that Marcel’s gingerbread White House is too big New readers have an issue with (fictional) President Campbell New readers don’t immediately realize that Ollie is female Which members of Ollie’s family do we meet for the first time in EGGSECUTIVE ORDERS? her brother and father her mother…

Thanks so much for inviting me to visit your blog today. I’m thrilled to be here and to talk a little about writing THE CAKES OF MONTE CRISTO. The story takes place around The Belle Lune Ball, an annual high-society event sponsored by the Crescent City Vintage Clothing Society, and for which Rita and the crew at Zydeco Cakes are contracted. Not only is Zydeco obligated to make the cake for the event, but Rita—who is a trained chef—has agreed to cater the event, as well. That’s a first for the staff at Zydeco, but Rita believes they’re up to the task. Evangeline Delahunt, who is in charge of the ball, is difficult to please, but finally approves a menu and a proposal to create five (yes, five) cakes that look like vintage dress cakes. With just a few weeks until the ball, and it’s all hands on deck to get the work done. But a mystery novel wouldn’t be a mystery novel without something to throw a kink into the works, and in The Cakes of Monte Cristo, that something is an accident and the discovery of a hidden treasure at Zydeco. That hidden treasure comes along with rumors…

DAISIES FOR INNOCENCE is first in the Enchanted Garden Mystery series and features Elliana Allbright, aromatherapist extraordinaire and owner of Scents & Nonsense. A thirty-something recent divorcee, Ellie has lived in Poppyville, California her entire life. In fact, her great, great grandfather was one of the founders of the town – along with Pauline “Poppy” Thierry, the local madam in 1849. Originally settled in order to cater to the miners headed into the Sierra Nevada Mountains during the California Gold Rush, modern-day Poppyville is a tourist town chock full of Old West flavor and offering nearby hot springs, mountain biking, horseback riding, and fly fishing. Ellie lives with Dash, her Pembroke Welsh corgi, in a super-efficient Tiny House at the back of the Scents & Nonsense property. The shop is guarded day and night by a Russian blue shorthair named Nabokov who regularly attracts clusters of blue butterflies when he ventures out to sun himself in the garden. By the end of the book, Ellie’s growing menagerie is joined by a beta fish named Leonard. The space between Ellie’s home and work is packed with garden beds connected by winding stone paths. There are seating areas and cozy alcoves interspersed…

How the ‘Olive Grove Mystery Series’ Came to Fruition With Brief Backstory about Southern Olive Farming Truth be told, the idea for my cozy mystery ONE FOOT IN THE GROVE, first in Berkley Prime Crime’s Olive Grove Mystery Series, began with my literary agent, John Talbot. I was putting the finishing touches on another cozy mystery proposal when John called to say that he had a great idea for a cozy, did I want to give it a go? There were just two caveats, he said. First, I needed to have a proposal ready for him to submit to editors within a couple of weeks. Secondly, I needed to let him know within a few hours whether or not I’d take-on the project, or he’d contact another author. He explained that the series geared for the “culinary” cozy sub-genre featured a premise about “olive oil” with a California setting. Each book would include recipes. Of course I jumped at the opportunity! Still, the project was riddled with issues for me. For one, John’s idea for the California setting – where land and climate lend themselves perfectly for olive farming – was particularly problematic. An East-Coaster all my life, I’ve only…

FADE INTO YOU: Book Three in the Shaken Dirty Rocker Series She’s one addiction he can’t resist. Wyatt Jennings has been called a lot of things by the media. Bad-boy rocker. Intense drummer. Addict. Finally out of rehab and desperate for a fresh start, Wyatt rejoins his mega-platinum rock band Shaken Dirty as they prepare for their world tour. But Wyatt’s demons are never far behind, always nipping at his heels for one. More. Fix. Enter Poppy Germaine, the band’s new social media consultant. A beautiful bombshell who somehow manages to get underneath Wyatt’s skin, Poppy’s an addiction Wyatt can get behind. And even though she’s with the label—and therefore off-limits—he craves her. Needs her. Except Poppy isn’t actually a social media consultant. She’s the daughter of the label’s CEO, sent undercover to babysit Wyatt and keep him from falling off the wagon again. Proving herself to her father is Poppy’s only goal—until she finds herself in Wyatt’s bed. But if Wyatt discovers the truth, it could send him spiraling all over again… Ready for a little FADE INTO YOU? Seconds later she was in a dimly lit alley behind the club, hands braced on her hips as she pulled…

How Beloved Pets Inspire My Cozy Mystery Characters I never use names of any specific real people in my stories, However, I do use the names of some “real” animals and beloved pets from my life. People who know me understand that – for better or worse – I’m a bit of a pet “magnet.” At one time, I owned more than 40 horses and ponies! Although the horse-count has gone down, today, my son, husband and I still care for a smaller number of horses, as well as goats, chickens, parrots, ducks, dogs, and cats. Moreover, during my lifetime there have been sheep, gerbils, hamsters, mice, koi, goldfish, box turtles, and even an 18-year-old newt. We’ve purchased pets. We’ve adopted pets. We’ve found pets. Pets have found us. Some of these animals were born into the family. Some came to us as orphans or babies. Others, like many of the feral cats we’ve taken in (and had spayed and neutered), have been full-grown and even quite aged. Regardless, throughout the years we’ve forged many unique and emotionally rewarding relationships with these endearing creatures. It seems fitting that one day a few years ago, after the loss of one of…

Fresh Pick for Sunday, January 24th, 2016 is PREJUDICE & PRIDE by Lynn Messina #WithATwist About PREJUDICE & PRIDE You know Darcy: rich, proud, standoffish, disapproving, one of the greatest romantic heroes of all time. But you don’t know this Darcy because THIS Darcy is a woman. In Prejudice & Pride, Lynn Messina’s modern retelling with a gender-bendy twist, everything is vaguely familiar and yet wholly new. Bingley is here, in the form of Charlotte “Bingley” Bingston, an heiress staying at the Netherfield hotel on Central Park, as is Longbourn, transformed from an ancestral home into a perennially cash-strapped art museum on the edge of the city. Naturally, it employs an audacious fundraiser with an amused glint in his eye called Bennet. All the favorite characters are present and cleverly updated: Providing the cringe-worthy bon mots is Mr. Meryton, the nerve-wracked executive director of the Longbourn who’s always on the lookout for heiresses to join his museum’s very important committees. (Universally acknowledged truth: Any woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a social committee to chair.) Collin Parsons is still in obsequious, if ironic, awe of his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The wicked Georgia…

Fresh Pick for Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 is HARD AND FAST by Raven Scott #SaturdayReads About HARD AND FAST A covert ops specialist, a cyber-surveillance expert, and an unmatched international security and recovery pro. These are the men of Fortis. When money is no object, discretion is essential, and the police are not an option, the wealthy and powerful call on this trio of former government agents with elite military training—not to mention charm and good looks With his tech brilliance, lethal physical abilities, and easygoing manner, Lucas Johnson is a triple threat. And that’s exactly what Magnus Motorsport needs to protect their game-changing engine design, and its engineer, Alex Cotts, from hackers and saboteurs. Lucas isn’t expecting any surprises—until he discovers Alex is actually a sexy, irresistible woman In a male-dominated industry, Alex has always tried to hide her alluring femininity. But Lucas has no trouble seeing her beauty—or her stubborn streak. Alex is convinced she doesn’t need him to babysit her—or distract her with his sex appeal. Yet when a suspicious fire destroys Alex’s work, she finds herself turning to him. In the face of increasing danger, soon Lucas must keep her alive, as his client—and as the only…