Tuesday, August 11, 2020

The Key Lime Crime is here! @LucyBurdette


 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Today's the day! We know a lot of you have been watching, waiting, and dying to find out what's happening with Hayley Snow, her new husband, Nathan Bransford, their family, friends and always, shall we say, distinctive Key West neighbors. 

It's always a treat (in more ways than one) to dive into Lucy's world of tarot-card readers, gorgeous scenery, houseboats, romance and recipes. (OMG, the food. Do NOT read one of Lucy's books on an empty stomach, y'all.) But escaping to Key West seems even more important this year, when we're all, for the most part, staying close to home. 

Back in March, when the lock-down was new, I reread most of Lucy's backlist (previous books) because when I'm deep in her feels-so-real fictional world (more on that from her, later) it's almost like being in Key West with old friends. I can feel the warm breeze, listen to the crowds on Duval Street - everything except taste the Key Lime Pie. For that, I'm going to follow the recipe in her latest novel...


LUCY BURDETTE: With a longer than usual wait between books and a postponement due to the pandemic and this past week the interminable power outage from Isiais, I wondered if THE KEY LIME CRIME would ever arrive. But now it’s here and I’m thrilled about the reviews and excited to share the story with you! As I was writing this post, and thinking about telling you what kinds of real-life events triggered parts of the story, I was kind of shocked to realize how many of them there were.

I got a little giggle from an early reviewer who said she hadn't thought she could enjoy a book based on key lime pie. However, not only did she love the book, she was now craving pie…(in case this should happen to you after reading, I did post a recipe on Mystery Lovers Kitchen.) I had to wonder how she’d feel if she’d had to taste all those pies? John informed me after we’d eaten our way around town, that he doesn’t even really like key lime pie! He’s such a good sport.

KLP from Old Town Bakery


I didn’t only taste—I also took a key lime baking class with three super fans who happened to be in town that week. It couldn’t have been more fun and of course it went right into the new book as a scene.

At the Key Lime Pie Factory


I’ve added a couple of new characters this time out. Hayley’s mother-in-law has come to visit. Since this is the tenth in the Key West series, I’ve learned that the best way to start a new book is thinking about what’s happening in my characters' lives, and also which characters I will focus on. With this book, I went in realizing that some readers felt unsatisfied about Hayley's relationship with her new husband. I wanted to figure out how to show why he is the reserved man that he is, and why his family has been mysteriously missing from his life. Aha! Enter his mother, who has descended on the island with no advance notice and a definite axe to grind. Add the gruesome murder of a pastry chef dressed in a Santa costume and the new crime-solving team is off...




Speaking of that body in a Santa suit, this display triggered the plot this time. How could a mystery writer not imagine what might have happened if the stuffed Santa was actually a real person, a dead body?

Back to new characters, David Sloan, a real pie baker and key lime entrepreneur, is a big part of this book. He lives in Key West, writing books, running ghost tours, organizing events such as the Cow Key Bridge Zero K run. He graciously agreed to be part of THE KEY LIME CRIME, but perhaps I’d better not turn my back on him… 

Lucy and David at Key West Island Books

I'm so sad that I won't get to see any of you in person, but I have several wonderful online events set up--they are all free, but you'll need to register to attend. I hope you'll support these amazing independent booksellers:

August 9, 5 pm: At RJ Julia Booksellers with my sister, Susan Cerulean, moderated by Hallie Ephron!

August 11, 5 pm: At Copperfish Books, Punta Gorda FL!

August 18, 6 pm: Books and Books, Key West, interviewed by Deborah Crombie!

August 22, 5 pm EST: At Poisoned Pen Bookstore with all of the Jungle Red Writers!

And finally, Suzanne Orchard at Key West Island books will happily ship you a signed copy.

And should you want to know more about the book, writing, or me, this wonderful article by Pem McNerney tells all... 

And finally T-bone reminds you that he makes his debut in this book too, and he requests that each of you read about him...



Reds, how do you feel about real life mixed into your fiction?

JULIA: You know, one Jungle Red Writer is good, but two are better! In today's Red Hot News, you could win a copy of Hallie Ephron's CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR starting today! Use this link at Goodreads for a chance at one of 50 copies. Contest ends on August 25, so get your entry in soon.

81 comments:

  1. I am just bubbling over with excitement for this book, Lucy! You have brought one of my favorite places alive in this series so well that I always feel I’m right there, especially in Old Town, my favorite part of Key West. This series gives me so much reading and personal pleasure. I will be at your event online later today. I’m sorry I got mixed up somehow about the e-book advanced copy and failed to get it and have my review ready tomorrow, but my print copy I ordered arrives this week, and I can’t wait. I will finish up Rhys’ fabulous The Last Mrs. Summers tomorrow and then be ready for yours. Reading heaven is a Lady Georgie book followed by a Haley Snow one. Happy Book Birthday, Lucy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks so much Kathy! I am very appreciative of your enthusiasm. Everything got mixed up this year! I am picking up Rhys's book today...

      Delete
  2. Lucy, happy book birthday! I loved the ARC of Key Lime Crime when I read it.

    Great question! How do I feel about real life mixed into fiction? Depends. If it is similar to the Emma Thompson character writing about someone so eerily like the Will Ferrell character in Stranger than Fiction, which was weird, then meh. IF real life has a cameo or a minor part in the fiction, that could be ok.

    So looking forward to seeing the next novel take place in Scotland.

    Diana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Diana! That's interesting about Stranger than Fiction--I know I saw that movie but I don't remember it very well.

      Delete
    2. I never saw it, Gigi. I'll have to watch it if you recommend.

      Delete
    3. Lucy, Stranger than Fiction was about a man who read a novel written by Emma Thompson. Even though they had never met, the character in the novel was so eerily similar to the man that he just freaked out!

      Diana

      Delete
    4. Gigi, I liked the movie and it resonated with me.

      Diana

      Delete
    5. Deborah,

      You may like the movie, I did because it resonated with me.

      Diana

      Delete
  3. Happy Book Birthday, Lucy!

    A little real life mixed into my fiction is just fine with me, as long as it fits the story being told . . . .

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy book birthday, Roberta! I think it's great to mix real life into your fiction. Not only do you keep the characters and plot grounded in the world we know, you get to tap into the collective imagination. Let's face it, as creative as you are, you're never going to think up some of the boneheaded, brilliant, death-defyingly creative, and inspired lunacy other people come up with. You might imagine someone caught stealing watermelons straight from the patch at midnight, but you'd probably need to read the real-life police report to come up with the guy caught developing an intimate relationship with a watermelon out in the patch at midnight. Truth truly is stranger than fiction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Gigi, you made me spit out my coffee with that story!

      Delete
    2. See? See? Sensible, well-balanced writers can't make that stuff up!

      Delete
    3. I remember that, but can't remember his "excuse" which I recall was equally hilarious!

      Delete
    4. I don't think there was an excuse, Kait. He just asked the arresting officer, "Well, haven't you ever wondered what it would be like?" The officer was personally relieved to realize that no, in fact, he had never wondered what it would be like.

      Delete
  5. I am halfway through the book and loving it SO much, Roberta! Does David's fictional personality stray from his real one? That is, what if the story needed you to make him be more unpleasant or do something way worse than he actually is/would do? Did you feel free to write that or constrained? Thanks! Also, as soon as it cools down around here, I am so making a key lime pie...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Edith, that's a good question. I would say I took off from his real personality and made him bigger than life. Though he's a big character in real life too!

      Delete
  6. Congratulations on the publication of The Key Lime Crime, Lucy. I'm sure it will be as popular and well-received as all the other books in the series.

    Mixing fiction with real life is always a delicate balance. It can work but then it could be a disaster. I guess it all depends on just how well any individual author balances the needs of both aspects of the writing.

    I don't think I've ever had a key lime pie myself. But my sister likes to bake and she's made key lime cookies that barely survived a night. I should see if she makes a key lime pie and if she does, have myself a slice the next time she makes it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy Book Birthday Lucy Roberta! I definitely plan on being at one of your virtual book signings this month. Is that what you call them? I also have a hankering for a Key Lime pie, have key lime juice stocked but haven't used it yet. Thank you Coralee. Been waiting for this book to celebrate!!!

    I rather like fiction mixed with real life. What is it besides telling a story that reflects someone's life? I do get irritated when much license is taken with reality -- particularly with medical/nursing stuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My key lime juice is due to Coralee, too!

      Delete
    2. that's funny, Coralee is our key lime pie hero!

      Delete
    3. Coralee is my key lime juice dealer, too ;-) Alas, I'm not much of a hand at pies, although my key lime cheesecake was a hit!

      Delete
    4. AND!!! in order to celebrate with Lucy her Key Lime caper another 10 bottles of Key Lime Juice will be mailed to anyone btl who wants some.

      Delete
    5. OMG I just read the acknowledgements!!! Ok, so the rest of you got mentioned too, but this is my first time. Xox

      Delete
  8. It's another good one. Lucy!

    I do like it when real people and events are mixed in with the fiction. Sometimes it keeps me guessing. There was one time in one of Julia's books where I recognized a character's name. He is from Maine and does a lot of charity work and motivational speaking so I thought for sure it was him, but no, just one of those coincidences. It must be hard to come up with a name that doesn't belong to at least one other person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly on the difficulty of names. Usually I Google a name and if lots of people show up, best to choose another.

      Delete
  9. Congratulations on your Book Birthday, Roberta. Mine arrived by Kindle last night, and I am sure glad it came that way because the postman hasn't brought our mail since Friday and Rhys's book was mailed from Arizona over a week ago! Not here yet.

    I am just about finished reading those library books, due Friday, so, your book is TBR next!! I am eager to learn more about Nathan and his family. He really is a mysterious guy.

    Historical and real events and characters can lend an element of reality to a story, and I love it when it is done well. In my opinion, you have perfectly integrated real people into your mysteries, making me wish that I could meet them. Your love for Key West shines in your books. I've only been there one time for a few days, but reading Hayley's accounts and adventures makes me want to visit again.

    I hope to attend at least one virtual event and if there are links to see the ones that you've already completed, please post them for us all. (Hope you have your power back on. It caught us all flat-footed this time.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks so much Judy! that is so distressing about the mail--it's the one thing no one should ever mess with (besides bookstores and grocery stores and Internet access and...)

      Delete
    2. Judy, I'm so looking forward to chatting with Roberta NEXT Tuesday, so hope you can make that one. Thinking of my questions now:-)

      Delete
  10. Happy book birthday, Lucy! I haven't read the book and I am already craving key lime pie (which I love). I might have to hit our local bakery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Liz, and do you have a new book out today too?

      Delete
    2. Yes, I do. Thanks for remembering! BROKEN TRUST, Laurel Highlands Mysteries #3, is now available everywhere! My virtual launch party is tonight at 7pm EDT via Zoom with Mystery Lovers Bookshop. If anyone wants to join, go to the Mystery Lovers website (www.mysterylovers.com) to register and get the link.

      Delete
  11. Happy Book Day, Lucy! I love the photos, especially T-Bone <3.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congratulations on release day! Will Lottie be in your next book?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not in the next one because it's almost finished and no puppies are in the plot...maybe after that?

      Delete
  13. Congratulations Roberta, and as I write to Sm friends, All the Happies for your launch day! I love, love, love anything with limes; curries, rice with a good dose, salads, drinks, and of course, dessert. Please ship me a pie ASAP, I'll Venmo you. Venmo is a new skill! I love some reality mixed into my fiction. It's fun to consider places one might visit, though not at present, finding the name of someone I know including myself to my great surprise, so carry on please. Now just a update on yesterday's topic, I'm so slothful, the only thing I can't do is hang upside down from a branch. Reading the slothful skills of the rest of you made me embrace my inner sloth. A chair, a bed, a float on the lake, a book, a drink and I am in sloth heaven.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Celia, pie on the way. And we will enjoy seeing you hang from a tree!

      Delete
  14. This is so completely fabulously exciting! You are so perfect… And I am celebrating you up one side and down the other! Cannot wait to come to one of your events!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Hank! One coming up tonight at Copperfish Books at 5 pm

      Delete
  15. And I love real life and fiction! When it works, it’s fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Congratulations to Lucy for her book birthday and to T-Bone for his debut as a literary star! Lucy, I have an idea for a tie-in promotion: you should do a YouTube class on how to cook a Key lime pie! I love them, but my from-scratch versions have always been duds. I'd love to see how to do it right - and I bet I'm not the only one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Julia, I will think about that. The best would be to do the pie with my pal David Sloan, who is a character in this book and a real chef...

      Delete
  17. Congratulations, Lucy/Roberta! Gosh, I am packing on the reading calories, what with clotted cream last week and Key Lime pie this week. How delicious can a reading list get?

    I like it when real life intermingles with fiction -- and especially like it when the author explains about it in a note at the front or back of the book. That gives me insight into not only the author as a writer but also as a person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops, I forgot to say Congratulations to T-Bone on his book debut. How exciting!!!

      Delete
    2. thanks Amanda, it has been a calorie laden week here at JRW!

      Delete
  18. Lucy, congrats! I've had a real hankering to go to Key West since the post about the Little White House--and here's my perfect opportunity! Real life in fiction--if it's done well, characters will have a life on the page, settings will draw us in, and well, T-bone will make us smile (and wish we could add another ginger cat to the menagerie!). And hey, I too Venmo, so would be happy to receive a pie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Flora, T-bone says of course you should add a ginger cat!

      Delete
  19. Everyone who does not have the real McCoy Key Lime Juice from the keys.. and wants some I will be giving another 10 bottles to anyone who contacts me on the JRW's site. Note: now that I am cutting back on the sugar I use the lime juice with my tea, or with my coke zero. And Lucy/Roberta.. what a great book..you just keep the characters fresh. Happy birthday book. Hooray Lucy/Roberta

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coralee, I will 100% sign up for that, but put my name after any of our readers who might want to get in on the action. I can never find the real thing here in Maine.

      Delete
    2. I’m curious, Coralee. Is this bottled juice you buy at the store or are you juicing those little limes yourself? Sign me up if the latter!

      Delete
    3. What a generous offer, thank you so much. I would love a bottle Coralee, and you could mail mine with Julia's bottle, then we can experiment together!

      Delete
  20. I can't wait to read Key Lime Crime!

    Real life in novels, a bit is fine, especially if it rises to news of the weird. As a former denizen of the Keys, I can only say that God shook the US and most of the colorful and eccentric folks ended up at the end of the Florida peninsula.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hooray Lucy! That book is FINALLY out! I love mixing real places with fictional. And it is a wonderful reminder of our trip to KW a year or so ago. As for key lime pie, I tasted pies almost everyday we were there. And dutifully texted a picture of each to my sister so she could drool. Yes. Sister torture. Alive and well. I got to read Key Lime Crime early, thanks to NetGalley. Reviews are up. I can't wait for the next installment of crime and married life!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks so much Pat! I bet your sister appreciated that--not!

      Delete
  22. Please tell T-Bone I finally have a weekend free of sister-in-home and will be making my way to the bookstores on Saturday...can't wait. New book(s), take away coffee and cold concrete benches under a tree (or umbrella) - can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning during a long weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Happy Book Birthday, Lucy! Hayley’s mother-in-law is a great addition to the series. It’s also fun to see some real life Key West characters including David Sloan and T-Bone.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Real life and fiction are natural partners, in my view. So definitely yes.

    Congratulations, Lucy! Sounds like a fun read, especially with a possibly murdered Santa. Shivers!

    And now I'm hankering for a piece of Key Lime pie! Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Happy pub day, Lucy!! I read Key Lime Crime in NetGalley, but my hardcover copy is on the way! I enjoyed this book so much, and not just for all the drool-worthy key lime pies! I loved getting to know Nathan better, and of course his mother. I've got Rhys's new Georgie up next, and I can't think of a better way to spend a week than with Haley and Georgie.

    I love real things mixed in with fiction. I love setting my own books in real places, but I don't think I've ever mixed in a real character.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Debs! I picked up Rhys's book today and will enjoy it this weekend

      Delete
  26. Congrats! This is a fun addition to the series and a wonderful vacation.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Happy book birthday Lucy ! Looking forward to visit Key West through Hayley's adventures.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Happy Pub Day! The Key Lime Crime is another wonderful adventure with Hayley. Everyone will love it as much as I did. Enjoy the day! sally

    ReplyDelete
  29. The story line is great and makes for entertaining reading, as always.
    Being left with a Key Lime Pie craving? Oh well. that's the price you pay!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks very much Libby! I may be the only one who doesn't crave KL pie right now (ate my share and more!)

      Delete
  30. Loved, loved, loved, this book, Lucy! Congratulations on your release! Highly highly recommend!!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. You had me at PIE! Best of luck on the new book!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Looking forward to reading his one and maybe evening trying the key lime pie recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Congratulations! I can’t wait to read this book. This reminds me of vacationing on Key West and declaring that I was on a mission to find the best key lime pie. It was just an excuse, of course, to eat lots of pie- I’m not sure I’ve ever met a key lime pie I didn’t like (lol).

    ReplyDelete