Thursday, February 2, 2023

What We're Writing @LucyBurdette



 LUCY BURDETTE: In spite of the fact that I’m way behind in my schedule for Key West mystery #14, I've spent much of this last month in New Haven rather than Key West--in my mind, that is! The editorial comments on THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS arrived in my inbox during Christmas week. This book falls into the category of contemporary or women's fiction, and it takes place in New Haven with a little side trip to Madison CT. I've been lucky in my writing life to land amazing editors who help make my books stronger, and this time was no exception. Lots of changes were made to strengthen the character and the story. Soon I'll be able to show you the cover, and provide a pre-order link… But meanwhile, here’s the opening introducing psychologist and so-called happiness expert, Dr. Cooper Hunziker:


Chapter One



Things my mother taught me, part one: chocolate cake makes everything better. 

This thought floated through my mind as I paused, willpower wobbling, preparing to run the gauntlet of glassed-in cakes that greeted each coffee shop visitor as soon as the door closed behind her. Carrot cake, sponge cake, coconut cake, poppyseed pound cake, peach shortcake, chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting: not a single one was on my no-white flour, low-carb, low-sugar, low-fat, I’m-in-control-of-my-life diet. 

Except I wasn’t in control, and every cell and synapse in my body recognized that. “Could I get a small-ish piece of the chocolate cake?” I asked the girl behind the counter.

She shrugged and grinned, the piercings around her lips and nose bristling. “Sorry. We’ve already cut it into slices. What if you bought a piece, ate half, and threw the rest out? Or wrapped it up for tomorrow?”

“As if that would ever happen,” I said with a chuckle. “Might as well give me the whole thing. I’ll do my best.”

I paid for the massive hunk of cake and a full-fat latte and carried the soul-soothing loot to a small wooden table near the far door. From here I could watch out the big window and try to picture whether New Haven would ever feel like home. Yale students and worker bees streamed along Chapel Street, headed toward their morning destinations—some chattering and laughing, some expressionless, absorbed in whatever played through their headphones. How many of them were happy? How much did that matter?

My attention caught on a couple sitting at the next table over. I had taken them for lovebirds, with their heads bent toward each other, whispering sweet nothings, sharing a slab of coconut cake. His voice rumbled and I made out the words: “try again, a different therapist, the puppy.” 

Then her hissed voice grew louder. “I don’t want the puppy. I never wanted the damn dog in the first place,” she said. 

She dabbed the tines of her fork over the crumbs on the plate, though most of their cake was intact. She brought the fork halfway to her mouth, but then let it drop to the table. (I would have licked that implement clean.) After wiping her hands on a napkin, she grabbed her purse strap and slung it over her shoulder as she stood. She lowered the volume of her voice a notch.

“You don’t seem to understand, I can’t do that. I need space, lots of it. Right now I feel like I can’t breathe.” She pressed her palm to her neck and then clacked out of the shop on tall heels, model-thin and businesslike, leaving her husband (I assumed) sitting alone.

Awkward as it felt, we were left facing each other and I couldn’t avoid meeting his gaze. His cheeks bloomed pink and he flashed an embarrassed smile. In spite of the sweater and the glasses and the tiny overlap of his front teeth, once he smiled, I could see he was cute. The kind of cute that could make your gut flip a little once you’d noticed.

“That went well,” he said, and crooked another little smile. “Sorry to subject you to my marital dirty laundry. She’ll come around, eventually. Don’t you think? From a cake-loving woman’s perspective, I mean.”

I glanced down at my plate, which was in fact empty. This was the problem with getting distracted and not eating each bite mindfully—I’d powered through the whole slice. As for his wife coming around, I didn’t think so. 

“I don’t know her, so it would be hard to say,” I offered, trying for something noncommittal and diplomatic.

“But supposing,” he said, his face so hopeful, “you were giving your very best advice to a lovesick friend.”

How could I flat-out lie? 

“Things my mother taught me, part two,” I said. “Don’t count on someone else to make you happy because chances are, you’ll end up alone anyway. Except for the dog. You’ve definitely got the dog and that counts for something, right?” 

Instantly I wished I’d gone with my first instinct and not said anything other than sorry. This was none of my business and now I’d made him feel worse. “I’m so sorry, that was a dumb thing to say. I blurt when I’m nervous.”

But he’d started to laugh. “Your mother sounds like a wise woman.” He stood up to leave. He was taller than I would have expected, solid and muscular like an athlete. “Now I’m curious about part one. Have a good day.” He smiled again, gathered their dishes for recycling, and disappeared out the side door. 

I drained the last bit of foam clinging to the bottom of the mug, placed it and my empty plate in the rubber bin marked for dirty dishes, feeling a little sad and definitely regretful. The poor man must have felt bad enough without me clanging him on the head with the bald truth as though I was wielding a cast-iron skillet. How humiliating to be dumped in public. 




So that's coming in July! 


In addition, A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS, #13 in the Key West food critic mystery series, has a gorgeous cover and is now available for preorder. 


If you are a Netgalley reviewer, A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is available there


(I got a big kick out of this review: I have loved this series since it first came out. But this book is the best yet. It had me completely absorbed into the story and I read it in one setting. Then I got mad at myself because I finished it so quickly.)


Final news: The first seven Key West mysteries will be available as audiobooks soon, in case you or someone you know prefers listening over reading. AN APPETITE FOR MURDER will be out on February 7, and DEATH IN FOUR COURSES on February 21.


Phew! What I need right now is to jumpstart the real writing and skip over the distractions of all the above... Suggestions welcome!

68 comments:

  1. More, more! Great start. And I love the title, Roberta.

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  2. Oh, goodness . . . I wanted THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS to keep going . . . I can’t wait to read the rest! [And, yes, chocolate cake definitely makes everything better!]

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  3. It's always great to hear that an author feels their editor's comments made the book stronger. Sounds like a great book.

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    1. As I said, I feel so lucky to to have had these editors--you can get so buried in your work that it's difficult to see clearly.

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    2. I'm reading A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS now via NetGalley, and it's great. I don't know what edits your editors suggested, but the result is wonderful!

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  4. Great opening chapter. I so wanted to go on to Chapter Two.

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  5. I love the excerpt, Roberta! I'm looking forward to the whole book, and hearing more things she learned from her mother.

    Those distractions can be tough. Assigning myself a few dedicated, no-interruptions hours of work in the morning helps me get the actual writing done.

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    1. Thanks Edith. I'm going to try that for the next few days, once I get my coffee and walk the dog:)

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  6. Fun excerpt, Roberta! Too bad she wolfed down the chocolate cake without tasting it, but she was distracted, lol.

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  7. The title is amazing, Roberta!! The snippet pulled me into that scene and I definitely want more. I think I will pre-order each from RJ Julia, especially if you will be having talks there this summer. Just keep me in the loop on your schedule!
    Did you tell us that you were writing this book, THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS? How come I didn't know? The opening is just WOW!

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  8. Happiness expert here--those aren't 'distractions', Roberta! That's you doing what brings you joy! And you'll get into the groove on #14, never fear. Love the cover of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS, love the excerpt from THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS, happy happy happy to have these books on my reading horizon!

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    1. Thank you Flora--would love to hear more about you as happiness expert!!

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    2. Joking! Not an expert! All I know is that I'm happiest doing something that brings me joy--whether planting a new rose, taking a walk with grand-nephew, or working hard on a project that's important to me.

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  9. Just that piece has me invested in The Ingredients of Happiness. I feel I will devour the whole thing just like chocolate cake.

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  10. I love the opening! It's got me wondering about both the backstory and what happens next.

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  11. Wow! This is absolutely terrific. Seriously, and let me add, you have a real flair for this. The voice is so authentic and genuine, and the setting is terrific, and this was going to be fabulous. Congratulations! (I am unhappy that she didn’t eat the cake mindfully. That is so frustrating! And so relatable!)

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  12. So, I'm calling my local bookstore to pre-order both books (out 8/9). I just wish I didn't have to wait so long! But, it'll be worth the wait! One question - is Cooper the name of the young lady protagonist?

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  13. Loved this bakery scene. Can't wait to read the rest...

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  14. Lucy, great beginning. What a wise mother Cooper has! To pick a nit: why did he take their dishes to recycle and she take her dishes to the rubber bin to wash? This is the kind of distracting detail that throws me right out of the story. Still, I want to read more about Cooper. You write such wonderful books. Elisabeth

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    1. Thanks for saying so Edith. Elisabeth

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    2. Guessing probably a distinction that will get ironed out in the final edit. But that HE recycles the dishes (or SHE puts hers in the bin to wash) is the kind of detail that can give the reader some insight into character - both the character BEING described and the narrator DOING the describing. Lucy may ave had something particular in mind when she wrote these details.

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    3. In some cafés, you can choose take out containers (for recycling) or porcelain for dining in (leave them in the basin.)

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  15. Delicious opening scene. So curious now -- what drove her to fall off the wagon and go for the cake? What's going to happen with the man she met? Can't wait to read this. And the title -- perfect, who wouldn't want to know the ingredients for happiness?

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  16. Up here in West Virginia SO looking forward to BOTH NEW BOOKS!

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  17. I can’t wait to learn more about the protagonist. If I hadn’t already had chocolate cake this week for a friend’s birthday, I would run out and get some right now! With New Haven and Madison being right nearby, I almost feel like Cooper is my neighbor! I wish you the best with your new releases and all your books that haven’t been “born” yet.

    DebRo

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    1. Hey, Deb, don't you want to find the café in New Haven and meet there for cake? Instead, maybe you'll be able to drive to Madison to meet at R. J. Julia when Lucy/Roberta does her launch there on August 9. Put it on your calendar!

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    2. I was thinking the same thing, Judy! I would love to go to RJ Julia in August, but I’m not sure I can do it. I might (finally) be going on vacation around that time with the extended family, my first vacation since before the pandemic. The time of day makes a difference, too, as I no longer drive after dark. I get so blinded by the lights of oncoming cars! I keep waiting for my eye doctor to say that it’s finally time for cataract surgery!

      DebRo

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    3. then we'll meet for cake at Claire's one day!

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  18. Writing from New Haven, here. My friend just wrote an op ed on why Laurie Santos should just shut up. I hope that chocolate cake was eaten at Claire's, because only Claire understands how big the piece of cake should be, and the proper proportion of cake to icing. I remember one conversation with her about cake, and how it has in the past driven her back for a session with Jennie Craig's nutrition program. Can't wait to read the book!

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    1. Can you send me the link to that piece please? raisleib at gmail dot com. Yes the scene takes place at Claire's!!

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  19. Oh, Lucy, this is sooooo exciting! I can't wait for your women's fiction and you know I love your Key West series already. Yay!!! A good year for readers - much like a slice of chocolate cake - is ahead!

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  20. Wonderful, Lucy, can't wait for the final product!

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  21. Lucy, this is wonderful, and I can't wait to read the whole thing.

    I also think this excerpt could be used as an example of how to write specificity, and why it matters so much. Not only can I see every cake, the counter, the sunlight in New Haven and the contrasting look of the whispering couple, the densely specific language pulls me instantly out of my own world and into that of the story. I completely forgot how cold my feet are right now! :-)

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  22. Love this opening scene so much, Lucy! I can't wait to read more! Love the Clue in the Crumbs cover, too! You are going to have such a fun August!

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  23. I wish I’d had the protagonist’s mother! Great beginning Rhys

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  24. Love that excerpt! I'd follow that character anywhere... I'm assuming this book won't include recipes, though I'd love one for that chocolate cake. I do enjoy your work when you write about human emotions, Lucy - so much insight.

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  25. Susan Nelson-HolmdahlFebruary 2, 2023 at 1:03 PM

    I am intrigued by the excerpt from The Ingredients For Happiness, and look forward to reading it this summer! I am not reading many mysteries, because finding traditional examples of the genre has become difficult. I am reading a lot of crime fiction and police procedurals. Congratulations on the launch of both books!

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    1. thanks Susan, that seems like a good discussion for this blog one day!

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  26. Well, I'm hooked. And I have to wait until August?

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  27. The chocolate cake was a good enticement into the book, but now I want to know what, if anything is going to happen with the attractive man-who-was-just-dumped. Since this is contemporary/women’s fiction, the man doesn’t necessarily have to a) kill the estranged wife or b) be killed, presumably by the estranged wife as one would expect in a mystery. But will he be one of the “ingredients” to Dr. Hunziker’s happiness? Can’t wait to see! Thanks for sharing this glimpse, Roberta! - Pat S.

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    1. thank you Pat, you are right. No one is harmed in this book, except for a few psychological dings:)

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  28. Poor guy . . . but at least he has the puppy, and cake. ;-)
    Thanks to you and your editors for such amazing books. <3

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  29. I am really coming in late today. Sorry. The Ingredients of Happiness is such a great title, Lucy. And, I agree with Julia, that I felt like I was right there in the scene, too. I could feel myself watching the tines of that fork dab the crumbs and imagine just how good the chocolate cake was. Of course, I was already excited about A Clue in the Crumbs. The cover is fantastic.

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