Everything Old is New Again by Ang Pompano

 LUCY BURDETTE: today we welcome back good friend Ang Pompano, who has a re-release of an excellent book, and as always, some comments on changes in the world…

ANG POMPANO: Thanks so much for inviting me back, Lucy. I always enjoy visiting with my Jungle Red friends.

Some of you may know the Peter Allen song “Everything Old Is New Again.” It’s not a new idea, Jonathan Swift was saying the same thing centuries ago. But it’s been on my mind lately, especially when I think about education.

I taught for thirty-five years. That’s long enough to watch trends sweep in with the next great idea, disappear when another idea comes around, and then, inevitably, return. Early in my schooling, I remember my second-grade teacher teaching us phonics from a book she kept hidden in an open drawer, ready to slide shut if the principal walked in. Phonics was out; whole language was in.

Fast-forward to my own classroom years later, and we were proudly teaching cursive writing with impunity. I don’t even remember whether I was taught the Palmer Method or not, but I do remember loving the feel of the pen in my hand and the way ink flowed as letters connected with loops and swirls. There was something satisfying about it. And I saw that same pride on my students’ faces when their handwriting finally “clicked.”

Then, toward the end of my career, the powers that be decided cursive was no longer necessary. Keyboards would take its place. Once again, veteran teachers found themselves doing what my second-grade teacher had done years earlier, quietly teaching cursive while keeping one eye on the door.

And now? Everything old is new again. Some states have begun reinstating cursive instruction, recognizing that penmanship teaches more than how to write pretty letters. It builds fine motor skills, strengthens hand–eye coordination, reinforces spelling and reading, improves memory and focus, and encourages patience and persistence. Skills that matter well beyond the page.

Speaking of things coming around again, I’m happy to share that my book Diet of Death has been rereleased, ahead of its follow-up, Simmering Secrets, which will be out next year. Proof that even in mystery writing, everything old is new again. Readers, what do you think? Should penmanship be taught again?

Ang Pompano is a mystery author, editor, and unapologetic food enthusiast. He is the creator of the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency and the Reluctant Food Columnist series, where he blends twisty crime with sharp wit and a well-stocked pantry. His latest novel, Diet of Death, was released in January 2026. Ang is a co-founder of Crime Spell Books and co-editor of the Best New England Crime Stories anthology. He shares his twin passions for prose and provisions at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. He and his wife Annette, who is an artist, live in Connecticut with their two rescue dogs.

Gillian B as the winner of the ARC from Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell. Contact her at edith@edithmaxwell dot com!

What To Do, What to Do? by Edith Maxwell aka Maddie Day

LUCY BURDETTE: We're in the dead of winter, which those of you in the path of that storm know too well. How are you keeping yourself from going crazy? Our friend Edith Maxwell aka Maddie Day has some ideas...

EDITH MAXWELL: Thanks for inviting me over to fill in some of everybody’s mid-winter slog, Lucy.

I’m not only trudging along mid-winter – and it’s been a damn cold one in my northeastern corner of Massachusetts – I’m also in a long gap between book release days. Murder at Cape Costumers released in late August, and A Poisonous Pour won’t be out until late April. I know many authors have one book birthday per year (or less often, ahem, Debs and Julia, making their readers suffer patiently). Me? I channel Jenn. For the last decade I’ve written and had published at least three books a year.

Is the gap because my sales are slumping? Does my publisher hate me? No to both. But, as regular readers of the comments here know, I now have TWO adorable grandbabies. I’m not a spring chicken, and I didn’t want to be too busy to hang out with them while I’m still here, so I ended one of my three series. (Sorry, Jay!)

Anyway, at a time like this, dual questions arise. How do I stay in touch with readers between releases? How do I stay healthy and lively and interested in life when it’s too cold and icy to venture outside, and when the world seems about to explode? Following are my top ten (or so) solutions for both issues, in a purposely mixed-up order:

10. Writing. Working on my books is one thing I hope I will not abandon for many years to come. Crafting and polishing stories is what keeps me going, morning after morning. It keeps my brain sharp (as much as is possible) and my imagination honed. The royalty checks are lovely, too.

9. Walking. If I don’t get my 10k-plus steps in after my morning writing every day, I don’t feel right. What about when it’s too icy outside? I walk fast laps in my long kitchen-dining-sitting room, listening to the radio or a good podcast.

8. Dreaming. I cheer myself by paging through the Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog, dreaming about when the snow is gone and I can plant greens and peas and everything else. Speaking of growing things, a cluster of paperwhite bulbs are blooming in a glass bowl right now. The growth and scent are lovely.

7. Cooking. Cold weather is perfect for cooking up stews, curries, loaves of bread, and cakes. My Hugh, who prefers not to cook if he can help it, is supportive of my cooking habit. And being part of an author-chef group blog, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, along with Lucy, means I’m obliged to come up with an original recipe twice a month. Triple purpose – feed myself and Hugh, survive the winter blahs, AND stay in touch with readers.

6. Protesting. Every Saturday at noon, kindred spirits in my small city of Amesbury hold a standout for democracy in the town square. I’m there with my sign every week I’m in town. Forgive me this foray into real life, but if our democracy doesn’t stand, I won’t be able to do any of the other things I love. (Photo courtesy of Christine Green)

5. Planning fun travel. I’m organizing my plans for Left Coast Crime in San Francisco in a few weeks, which will include a visit with dear family for a couple of days beforehand. I’m also planning an Author-Reader Connection field trip to a wine bar! I’m looking forward to a Kensington Cozy Con in Connecticut on March 14, with an event at the Groveland, MA public library the afternoon before. 

The end of April brings Malice Domestic. This year my slightly evil tale, “When the Iron is Hot,” is nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Short Story! Fingers crossed, my friends – it’s my ninth Agatha nomination, four of which have been for short stories. In other travel plans, I always look forward to my spring solo retreat on Cape Cod a couple of weeks after Malice, followed by who knows what in the summer, and the Calgary Boucheron in the fall. I know planning the future takes me out of the moment, but when winter is long and frigid, that’s just fine. And there’s nothing like an award nomination to warm us up – right, Hank?

4. Puzzles. All kinds of puzzles get me through to the next release and warmer weather. I do Wordle every morning, then compare notes with Hugh when I come downstairs for my second coffee. I always listen to the NPR Sunday morning puzzle and its weekly challenge, which half the time is too hard for me and the other half I’m one of 1,693 who sent in correct answers (but I’m determined to get randomly selected and on the air one of these years). I read the Boston Globe “May I have a Word?” biweekly column and try to send in entries for the word challenge. Hugh and I always have NYT Sunday puzzles going on a clipboard we trade back and forth. Words are a great way to stay lively, as are cards and numbers: Hugh and I play cribbage every afternoon or evening. 

3. The Next Writing Project. The book I’m working on, Murder in the Lighthouse, is due April 1st, and it’s currently out with an independent editor. In the meantime, I’m noodling a short story for this year’s Best New England Crime Fiction anthology from Crime Spell Books. But I’m also getting closer to writing book one in my new Golden Broads series. Ideas for the next novel are dancing in my brain, as usually happens when I’m close to finishing a book, but I need to stay away from it until I turn in the one with the closer deadline. 

2. Almost Everything Else. I sit on the couch and read in the evening, with a cup of tea or a little glass of bourbon (or both combined). We watched Ballard and now are making our way through all of Bosch. I fill various volunteer roles with Amesbury Friends Meeting (Quaker), and I meet up with friends when I can.

1.Grandbabies – You knew I was saving the best for last, right? I’m blessed with being beloved Grammy to the sweetest, spunkiest little two-year old, and I love the regular time I get to spend with Ida Rose. Reading and dancing and playing with her is the very best antidote to winter, as is tracking her exploding language development (a long-time personal interest). 

And now Ida Rose’s little cousin Silvio Ilán is in the world, born to my younger son and his wife on January 4th. The little guy is thriving on his mama’s milk and is gaining weight fast, just like his daddy did after he was born. The family lives less than an hour away from us, and I can’t wait to spend regular time with Silvio, too.

Readers: What are your best tricks for getting by and thriving at a time like this? Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for A POISONOUS POUR!

Fourth-generation Californian Maddie Day writes the Cece Barton Mysteries and loves the California wine-tasting research. A transplant to Massachusetts, she also pens the Country Store Mysteries, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the historical Dot and Amelia Mysteries. As Edith Maxwell, she writes the Agatha-Award winning historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries and Agatha-nominated short crime fiction. An MWA member and a proud lifetime member of SINC, Maxwell/Day lives north of Boston with her beau and their cat Martin, where she writes, cooks, gardens, and wastes time on Facebook. Find her at her website and at Mystery Lovers Kitchen.

How to Write and Produce a Murder Mystery Tea by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: you may remember last year that the friends of the Key West library hosted a murder mystery tea event featuring Ann Cleeves and the script she wrote to share with libraries across the world. Though we didn’t know exactly what we were doing, it was a huge success, and we were determined to repeat it.

I *might* have volunteered to write the script this year… Here are some tips and tricks in case you want to pull a stunt like this yourself!

Secure an author. Ahem. Easier said than done. Already worrying about next year...

Decide on a theme and a murder. This was easy. I live in Key West, I write mysteries set in Key West. Key lime pie is a thing. A poisoned key lime pie was the next logical step. I happen to know that our head librarian has ordered a nursing dummy to set up the crime scene. There will be a blonde wig involved, along with a key lime pie. (The staff at the Key West Library is amazing!)

Choose motives for four suspects. This is hard, but critical. Money? Love? Greed? Lust? Loathing? Ambition? They aren't going to tell...

Write the play. Ahem. See above, easier said than done.

Share the theme with the library staff so they can set up the crime scene, including any physical clues. (If you haven’t been completely successful writing the dialogue so that the audience has a fair shot at guessing the murderer, these clues can relieve the pressure.)

Suggest costumes to actors and hold rehearsal. Tell everyone it’s going to be great and don’t be afraid to ham it up! Write a snappy description and invite the world.

Recruit an amazing team to produce the tea with a tropical twist this time...

Now we have 175 guests registered, with more on the waiting list. Wish us luck! And by the way, if I posted the script on my website, can you imagine libraries actually using it? What else would you need to make this happen at your library?

GETTING MY DUCKS IN A ROW by VM Burns

LUCY BURDETTE: Today I'm happy to bring back a friend from Mystery Lovers Kitchen, VM (Valerie) Burns. If you love comfort food with a southern twist, visit her on alternate Thursdays on our cozy foodie blog. But enough about food--today she's talking about big life changes, and how they made their way into her new book. Welcome Valerie!

VM BURNS: A year ago, I realized it was time. Time to make a change. Time to take a leap of faith. Time to quit the soul sucking day job and write fulltime. It was time I got my ducks in a row.

Ever since I came out of the closet and announced to the world that “I AM A WRITER.” I’ve met hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who all want to write. I never knew there were so many people who shared my dream. Sadly, most people never get beyond the dream stage. Some start writing, but never finish. Others finish a book, but are quelled by the cold realities of traditional publishing. It’s HARD. Even for those of us who are fortunate enough to land an agent and a traditional publishing deal, getting to the stage where you can support yourself as a writer, is almost impossible.

Why is writing fulltime such a challenge? The primary reason is that traditional publishing doesn’t provide a steady, regular income. The day job paid me every two weeks. Most traditional publishers pay royalties twice per year. And royalties are based on sales made six months in arrears. There are also things like taxes, insurance, and intellectual property that I needed to figure out. Thinking about all the things that I needed to do was overwhelming. I read books. I attended seminars. And I talked to people who were doing it. Ultimately, I came up with a plan (and a backup plan) which enabled me to take the leap. Giving up the safety of a regular paycheck along with health insurance felt like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. It was scary. But, it has also been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Getting off the corporate ladder isn’t for everybody. And for anyone who’s stuck in a soul sucking day job, I recommend doing your research before making that leap. Getting your ducks in a row may involve consultations with doctors, lawyers, accountants, financial planners, and therapists. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. And sometimes, you may need to make small baby steps rather than giant leaps. As Samantha Washington says, “Life is too short, not to be happy.”

My journey to corral my ducks was the inspiration for the 11th book in my Mystery Bookshop Mystery series, Murder From A to Z. Whatever your goal is for organizing your ducks, don’t be afraid to put in the research and come up with a plan (or three). After all is said and done, you may ultimately decide NOT to jump out of that airplane, but at least you’ll have neat orderly ducks.

Most people think of making big life changes at the start of a new year like diets, exercise, and financial changes. Do you have ducks that you want to organize in 2026?

 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Nana Jo has volunteered her lawyer granddaughter, Jenna, to teach estate planning to retirees—with Sam providing her bookshop as the venue. But during the seminar, entitled Getting Your Ducks in Order, it quickly becomes clear someone’s up to Fowl Play. When elderly Alva Tarkington, accompanied by her niece, sits down for a consultation, Sam realizes the woman’s frequent blinking is actually Morse Code—S.O.S. The sisters get her alone, and Alva tells them she believes her life is in danger and must change her will . . .

Unfortunately, Alva is found dead the next day—seemingly from natural causes. But Nana Jo and the sisters suspect otherwise. In between penning her latest historical mystery, set in 1939 as England declares war on Germany and Lady Elizabeth Marsh pursues stolen paintings and a traitor, Sam teams up with the senior sleuths of Shady Acres to search for motives—beginning with Alva’s family. They soon learn not everyone is who they say they are, and someone is more than qualified to teach a class on cold-blooded murder . . .

Murder From A to Z releases on January 27th.

Valerie (V. M.) Burns is an Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Next Generation Award-finalist. Writing as V. M. Burns, she is the author of the Mystery Bookshop, Dog Club, and RJ Franklin Mystery series. As Valerie Burns, she writes the Baker Street Mystery series. She also writes the Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery series as Kallie E. Benjamin. In addition to writing, Valerie is an adjunct professor in the Writing Popular Fiction MFA Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles. Connect with Valerie at vmburns.com.

The Weather Outside is Frightful! Please Check In!

 

Red readers! We've heard so much about the storm roaring across the country, please check in and let us know what it's like in your neck of the woods... Here are a few of our pix...

JENN: You don’t want to hear about my weather or that I’ve started my lemon harvest. 💛

RHYS: You call that a lemon harvest??

Meanwhile in Dallas, Deb's intrepid husband has been preparing for any and all disasters...

And Lucy has been waiting for news on a tiki boat cruise (so sorry)...

Julia: It's slightly warmer than projected this afternoon; it's gone all the way up to 16°! Still going to be bitterly cold for the next several days. I'm dreading the snow storm  - not because of any power outage, because it's projected to be so light it won't take any lines down - but because I never found a plow guy to replace my retiring one, so I have to shovel my whole driveway myself!

Hallie: Here… Very cold (12 this morning) and snow starts  tomorrow. Predicting 12-18” and lasts into Monday. My snow plowers have been great so far this year so fingers crossed. My car is tucked into the garage. Praying for no power outage. If that happens I have no backup plan.

Here's Hank's bird feeder over the course of the storm...

Lucy: This is a photo taken by Sarah Stewart Taylor in Times Square, NYC during a lull in the storm. She is supposed to be in Key West right now and we're all so disappointed!!

From Julia, still in Maine: The way to shovel very deep snow safely is to do it in steps. Literal steps! I shovel off the top few inches, then the next few inches, then the last of it. 

I read a fascinating piece of information about indigenous Inuit peoples - one of their techniques for surviving in the cold was to move slowly. When you go slowly, you don't get hot and sweaty, which then makes you feel colder. So I'm definitely using that technique!

And a final note from Debs on Monday afternoon: That is mostly sleet, with some snow on top. It may be Wednesday afternoon or Thursday before we can safely get out. I know all of you who have serious weather are laughing at us, but we don't have the infrastructure here to deal with much frozen precip. Only very major roads are sanded, no plows, etc. Schools and small businesses are still closed although some big corporate stores and supermarkets are opening today. At least our new car has all-wheel drive for when we do venture out!

Our house is still pretty cold downstairs, but I am enormously relieved that we didn't lose power!!!

Red readers, let us know--how did you make out with the weather?

Read This, Not That: What We're Reading at the Reds!

LUCY BURDETTE: If last month was a month for reading lighter holiday books, this month seems to be dedicated to books I haven't chosen, but received for Christmas and my birthday. I just finished the newest Richard Osman, THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTUNE. The same lovely characters are in play, so I’m not sure why it took me so long to get through it. Maybe the frequent switches in point of view derailed me? Anyway I did finish and enjoy it, but I will be glad for a rest before tackling the next one. I was in the process of deciding what to read next when my son and his husband sent me The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. This has gotten so much press that it was quite irresistible. I’m not very far along, so far not finding it gripping. It amazes me that no one expected this book to be a bestseller, but word of mouth has propelled it to the New York Times list! John bought me Megha Majumdar’s A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF, which I hadn’t heard of, but it too has gotten wonderful reviews so I will try it. And I am reading/listening to Ruth Reichll‘s Save Me the Plums. She is going to be our Friends of the Key West Library guest speaker in February, so I’m rereading and brushing up even though I believe I’ve read all of her books before.

(PS I’m now ⅔ of the way through THE CORRESPONDENT and I see exactly why people are pressing it into the hands of reading friends. How can a set of letters be so compelling? Evans has managed it!)

Your turn Reds, what are you reading or looking forward to reading?


HALLIE EPHRON: I started a book recommended as a “literary page turner.” Blurbs from huge names. And I could not get past the opening chapter – a prologue really. Containing words I had to look up. And familiar words used in unfamiliar ways. Writing that draws attention to itself. For readers made of sterner stuff than I.

And now I’m immersed in Ann Cleeves RAVEN BLACK. Cleeves does something I always recommend writers NOT do, which is tell the same scene from one character’s viewpoint; then retell it from a second character’s viewpoint. And of course like every “rule,” write well enough and you can break it. And Ann Cleeves breaks it brilliantly.

Sometimes being a writer handicaps me as a reader.

JENN McKINLAY: I just finished NO ONE WOULD DO WHAT THE LAMBERTS HAVE DONE by the brilliant Sophie Hannah and as I told her when I interviewed her the Poisoned Pen, I’ve never read anything like it. It is quite the page turner!

Next up I’m reading an ARC of WARNING SIGNS by Tracy Sierra for another event at the Poisoned Pen on February 24th. Her debut novel NIGHTFALLING was the pick for Jimmy Fallon’s spring of 2024 book club so I’m eager to read this one.

Other than that, I haven’t had time to read much as I’m on deadline per usual.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’m in the middle of Marisa Kashino’s BEST OFFER WINS, a thriller about a woman who will stop at NOTHING to get the house of her dreams. It takes place in the DC area, where my sister is a Realtor, and some of the stories she’s told me make this book sound like non-fiction! Next up is THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS by Jennie Godfrey - sort of a cross between Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series and Billy Elliott. I know, that sounds strange, but it has a wonderful narrative voice.

Finally, I’m anticipating THE CORMORANT HUNT by Michael Idov, which is coming out tomorrow! I loved the first book in his trilogy, THE COLLABORATORS, and can highly recommend the series to any of you who like modern spy thrillers like Slow Horses.

No science fiction! I guess it’s been a slow month.

RHYS BOWEN: having been nurse and minder for John for the last month as well as doing edits on one book and copy edits on another I’ve had little time for reading. But I did enjoy the Restoration Garden, also a fun book about a walk across France. Now I’m starting a Single Thread which looks promising!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, do you know LJ Ross? She’s so famous in the UK, but not so much here. YET. Because her newest book IMPOSTOR will be released here soon, and it is so terrific! Set in a small town in Ireland, and the main character is an instantly-iconic doctor/profiler. Highly highly recommended. Really.

I am also reading Marisa Kashino’s Best Offer Wins, and enjoying it. And sometimes, they creep up on you. I had to read Meagan Church’s THE MAD WIFE for an interview, and I was initially so wary. But wow, it’s amazing. (MId-century housewife, very emotional and surprising.)

Oh, and finally, yes, Jenn, agree that The Lamberts is a tour de force! And Sophie Hannah is a genius.

Rats, I know this is too many, but have to add Tim Sullivan. I read THE CYCLIST, and was completely won over. A neurodivergent British DS, and done so beautifully! I promise you will love this series.

And getting ready for OUR BEAUTIFUL MESS in order to interview Adele Parks!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: An odd assortment here. The standout was AN UNSEEN WORLD by Liz Moore, which my daughter gave me for Christmas, insisting I read it ASAP because she loved it so much. I did, too! Fascinating, original, perfectly plotted, and impossible to accurately describe. You could call it a coming of age story but that doesn’t begin to do it justice.

I also read the latest in S.J. Bennett’s The Queen Investigates series, THE QUEEN WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, which was great fun. Now I’m reading a David Nicholl’s book called THE UNDERSTUDY–sooo English!--a romantic comedy about an actor who can’t quite make it. Next up is Lori Rader-Day’s BREAK YOUR HEART, which I’m really looking forward to. Oh, and I–probably insanely–ordered a hardcover copy of THE LONELINESS OF SONiA AND SUNNY by Kiran Desai from my local bookstore. It’s 688 pages and may break my wrists…

Reds, reds, what are you reading??

Comfort Foods for Winter Storms.

RHYS BOWEN: I know that some of you are dealing with horrible winter storm conditions this weekend. I'm sending warming vibes your way!  Also some suggestions to make life more pleasant.

I don't know about you but the moment we get the first wintery blast my mind turns to soups. We usually have a roasted chicken every week and I use the carcass to make a really good chicken stock. Then I work my way through a variety of home made , comforting soups that we eat every day for lunch.

Some favorites are: carrot and ginger

Curried parsnip

butternut squash and cinnamon apple 

leek and potato.

Last week my friend (and friend of the Reds Susan Shea) presented me with this lovely book. It's full of the most yummy soups ever, including the Ribbolita she made for me. So rich and hearty and warming.  I'm sharing a similar Tuscan soup that I make when we have guests in winter. It's a Tuscan chicken soup, especially easy if you have leftover chicken.

First make a base of aromatics. Carrot, celery, onion, garlic. Saute in oil then add good chicken stock. To this add a can of caneloni or white beans, plus a can of crushed tomatoes.

If you are using fresh chicken breast cut it small and saute it first. If left-over chicken breast don't add it until the aromatics are cooked through.  When the chicken is warmed stir in half and half or coconut milk if you're dealing with lactose intolerance.

Finally float spinach leaves on the top until it is just wilted. You can serve with a dollop of sour cream, grated parmesan on top.  Really yummy.

So what is your favorite hearty soup? 

What Next?

 RHYS BOWEN:  As I’ve mentioned this week, we are gearing up for a big family wedding. I am debating whether to spend a small fortune on a dress. Because it is going to be A BIG OCCASION.

When my girls got married the weddings were lovely but simple. We had a family friend to do the photos and the video. Another friend provided the DJ at one and the jazz band at another. We had a nice venue, good food and a great time was had by all.

My son and his bride arranged their own wedding. It was in a grove four thousand feet up a mountain and the whole wedding party slept in yurts. It was lovely. Lights strung between the trees, a dance floor, good food and in the middle of nature. I loved it (apart from the bed in the yurt.. .)

This is a wedding with all the bells and whistles. A wedding planner making sure all is in place  before we reach the venue. A bridal procession in which I have to walk with the two other grandmothers up the aisle. A videographer, apart from the photographer. Signature cocktails. You name it, we are having it. 

This makes me realize how much we have to raise the bar to make anything feel special these days. Destination weddings in Tahiti! Photo shoots by the Eiffel Tower. 

 Christmas comes to all the stores in October.  Look at the ads at Christmas time. Put a Lexus under the tree for her. My granddaughters, at a private school, had to endure prom-posals before the prom. Not just “hey, would you like to go to the prom with me?” but balloons, banners, music, dancers etc etc. Lizzy had the embarrassment of an elaborate  very public, promposal from a boy she didn’t want to go to the prom with. But she said yes, not to hurt his feelings after he’d been to so much trouble. 

We were out for a walk a few months ago and there in the park was what seemed to be a big picnic.  Only it had a giant paper mache decoration and as we passed there was music, drum roll, then this exploded, confetti shot everywhere, there were screams and hugs and…. It was a gender reveal party!

What next? I ask myself. Have we lost the ability to be happy with the simple, the non-extravagent? Not over the top, competing all the time? I find myself fantasizing about living in a French or Italian village. Sitting in the town square, drinking coffee or wine with friends.. All the time in the world. No stress. No hype. 

How about you? Do you feel the same?

What is Luxury?

 RHYS BOWEN: On Valentine’s Day my oldest grandson is getting married. Yes, I know it’s rather mind-blowing that grandchildren have reached that age (and he is only 25, which is very young to get married these days). So of course my major concern at the moment is trying to find the right dress for the wedding. This is made more complicated because the bride has sent out a color palette… sunset colors.  I don’t look good in bright pinks and oranges, so it will have to be a soft pink or very pale blue. I started looking online and found the most gorgeous dress. I showed it to my daughter Anne, who was staying with us. She agreed. Gorgeous. Perfect. The only thing wrong with it was that it was $800. That’s a lot of money for a dress I will wear once.  I know I can actually afford it but my frugal nature keeps screaming “Are you crazy?”

I suppose the problem is that I was brought up to be frugal. My early years after WWII in England were years of “make do and mend”.  Of doing without. Foodstuffs were rationed until 1953 so as a small child there was no question of going to the sweet shop and buying a candy bar.  I had a school uniform, one set of play clothes and maybe one dress for special occasions. That was it.  My family rarely ate out, unless it was to stop for fish and chips on the way back from an excursion. So for me a luxury at the time was to buy a Walls Ice cream from the ice cream van in the summer.

When I started working for the BBC in London luxury for me was going to the theater often. It was usually seats up in the top balcony but at least I saw all the new plays when they came out.

Which makes me think about what constitutes luxury. I suppose it equates to something you can’t usually afford to buy.  I’ve been to India several times. The first time the bill boards advertised transistor radios… the item ordinary people dreamed of owning.  Then it was a bicycle. And on the last occasion it was a car.  As people became more affluent their dreams became bigger.

So now I’m thinking what constitutes luxury for me today? I’m not the sort of person to drool over designer items. I’m never going to pay thousands for Gucci or Prada. But the one thing I treat myself to is business or first class when I fly. That is not only luxury it makes sense because I arrive feeling rested.

I do love going to a spa, getting  a massage, staying at a nice hotel, so I suppose luxury for me is an experience rather than things… stuff.

I don’t think I’ll buy that dress. I am, after all, only a grandmother, on the fringe of wedding photos. But I’ll keep you posted.

How about you? What do you consider to be luxury?

JENN McKINLAY: Oh, that is a lot for a dress if you’re not the bride. Maybe you can do an image search of the dress on Google and see if you can find it cheaper elsewhere or something similar but less pricey. Give it a go! I’ve had good luck doing that for shoes.

My cousin the economist calls me a “bougie thrifter.” I will buy designer items but they have to be in excellent condition, on sale, and retain their value so when I die, the hooligans can sell them for a profit. I don’t buy a lot of expensive things but when I do I look at them as investments. So that’s my take on luxury items - I’ll only buy if there’s a guaranteed return on investment - rather like being well rested after a long flight. LOL.

LUCY BURDETTE: Oh Jenn, I have to agree with Rhys on business class. You lose days of your vacation if you arrive exhausted and a wreck. Though I still shop for sales and the best deals. Rhys, I’m in the ‘buy the dress’ camp because this sounds like such a special occasion! Would it be something you could also wear to a conference?

HALLIE EPHRON: I grew up with money but I still have trouble spending it. On springing for business or first class airfare, I was up for it until I went to actually book a trip to Europe and saw the price difference. Thousands, not hundreds. No amount of but-but-butting will get me to spring for that. It’s much cheaper to arrive a day early and book an extra day in the hotel. Maybe it’s not so much for domestic flights.

I’m with Jenn on buying designer items on sale or used. Love the idea of a “bougie thrifter.” Jenn, I want to go shopping with you!

Wondering if anyone out there wants to weigh in on Lululemon - Worth it or not for workout clothes?? Uggs?? On the other hand I swear by LL Bean for quality if not so much for stylishness. But you can be sure that when you’re sick and tired of wearing it, it’ll still be in good condition for another bougie thrifter to snap up.

RHYS:  Hallie, my daughter and granddaughters swear by Lululemon. They last forever and if they rip Lulu will replace them. Since I don't wear leggings (I don't believe women of a certain age should reveal their shapes to the world) I haven't had to make a decision about this.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, you know what I’m going to say: If you absolutely love it, buy the dress. Of COURSE. Will you have fun and feel wonderful and you can afford it? Absolutely.

Business class on airplanes, yes, and first class if I can bump myself up when someone else is paying for the basic  ticket. It is worth it to me not to arrive at events frazzled and frustrated. It;s an immense difference.

Luxury to me  is carryout food, isn't that ridiculous? Not having to make dinner all the time is so wonderful.  (A massage? No, that would be torture, argh) Having clothes I love in all price ranges, I love that. 

(Hallie, UGGS are the warmest things in the world, but to me they are ‘inside’ shoes. )

And “ONLY a grandmother,” Rhys? I don’t think that describes you at all!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’m more of an “experience instead of things” person as well, Rhys. Staying in a nice hotel and ordering room service so I don’t have to get dressed and go out. Post shower hydration hour, where I wrap up in a long terry robe after slathering on nice-smelling moisturizer, and laying down with a Korean face mask to listen to one of my podcasts. Honestly, one of my favorite luxuries is absolutely free - slipping into a freshly made bed with sheets just off the line.

I classify buying really good clothing/footwear/outdoor wear under frugality. I’d rather have a $300 sweater that will last twenty years than a series of fast fashion versions. Of course, I’m a pretty staid dresser, so your mileage may vary.

And if I can add to the UGGS conversation - have you seen the UGGS slides? They’re basically flip-flops. Shearling lined flip-flops! Why?!?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I say buy the dress, Rhys. It's a very special occasion and you are not "just" the grandmother! And surely it's something you could wear on another occasion, like a conference banquet when you are nominated for yet another award?

I'm with you on the upgraded air travel, although I can usually only do it when I can bump up my original ticket with mileage. Business class on a transatlantic flight can make the difference between a productive first few days on a trip, or exhausted misery. And I adore nice hotels. And restaurants. For the most part, I'd rather spend money on doing things rather than having them.

RHYS:  I'm still toying with the dress but also thinking of this one. What do you think?

I've Made it!

 RHYS BOWEN:  Dear Reds and Readers, I'm happy to report that after years of hard work and struggle, I have finally made it to the top. I am officially a writer of stature! An A lister!

How do I know this?  Because FAKE RHYS BOWEN has been contacting other writers, just like fake James Patterson and Fake Julia Quinn.  I only learned this because fake Rhys Bowen happened to contact my friend Lee Goldberg.  Of course he contacted me with great glee. He posted on Facebook saying "You've never said that you'd love to share about your creative journey, what inspires the worlds and characters you create and how you keep your storytelling fresh and engaging when working with complex or layered material."

He added, but you did once throw yourself down a flight of stairs and get medi-vacced out of a hotel just to avoid talking with me! (that was when I fell and broke my pelvis!)

No, in real life we talk about the latest place he's found to eat on Oahu. I don't think real writers talk much about our creative journeys to each other.  I know we Reds don't. We talk of more mundane matters like sick dogs, children and occasionally publishing gripes. 

If you're a fellow writer you have probably been contacted by fake famous person.  I'm not sure what they hope to get out of it. Would someone be expected to pay five hundred dollars to talk to fake Rhys Bowen?

I get daily scammers offering to bring my book to book clubs, get more visibility on Amazon etc. Occasionally I reply, as when they offered to take the German version of a Molly book to a book club in Manhattan.  Mostly I ignore. Sometimes I write back to the book clubs and say that I'd love to meet with them and my usual fee is $2000.  I don't hear back.

Lee, with more time than me, does engage in a most amusing way.  He wrote back to fake Tana French, if I remember correctly, saying he was amazed she still wanted to talk to him after what happened. He was still in prison but the rape charge had been dropped.  To a fake famous guy he replied, "You have a nerve to contact me after what you did to my wife."

The stupid thing is that these scammers don't seem to realize that we writers know each other!  But I wonder how many self published authors do take the bait?

So dear Reds and Reddies, have you been getting these annoying scams? Do you just ignore and delete or try to respond?

The Importance of Art.

 RHYS BOWEN:  I've been spending a lot of time sitting in my living room lately as John recovers from pneumonia in his recliner.  This has given me time to look around and realize the importance of the art on my walls.  We have art on the walls of every room in our house. In fact sometimes we are on vacation and we see a lovely piece of art work and want to buy it. But then we look at each other. Where would we put it? No walls left.  John has even suggested getting a bigger house to allow for more art work. 

But I do enjoy the art we already own. The major piece in our living room is a simple sketch. Can you guess who it is by? 

The answer is Gaugin. Not his usual style or part of the Earth. We acquired it when John was helping a friend with his moving business when we were first married. He was emptying a house for a woman after a nasty divorce and she told him to take what she didn't want.  He brought home this picture. We loved it. And didn't think any more about it until we were at the Gaugin museum in Tahiti and there was its sibling, identical. So we came home and looked and it is a numbered print!  Not worth as much as an original Gaugin but definitely not to be sneezed at.

Apart from that we have a lot of Chinese plates I'm not very fond of. But they came from John's grandfather when he was the British district officer in Malaysia.  I'm sure they are valuable too, but I don't really care.  I like art that means something to me:  my favorite piece is this:

I was in Cornwall with my daughter and son-in-law and we visited an art gallery. We each decided which work we liked best and Tom and I agreed on one of St. Michael's Mount.  Behind my back Tom had it shipped back to me for Christmas... best Christmas gift ever!  I sit on my sofa and stare at it and sigh.

Also in the living room we have a print of Sutton Place, which was where his grandmother grew up. When we took our daughter Anne to visit she asked "And why did we give this up?"  Good question.

But most of the other art on our walls is only of sentimental value. It reminds me of places we have loved. So I suppose that art has to mean something to me personally, to take me somewhere and provide beauty. I have no abstract art at all. I certainly wouldn't want anything too unsettling or unharmonious on my walls. We also have a lot of family photos in hallways and in my office are framed Edgar certificates and other awards.  And there is my award shelf, halfway down the stairs, which gives me encouragement when I most need it.

So how about you?  Is art important to you? Do you have a particular piece you love?

Are you there, God? It's me, Rhys.

 RHYS BOWEN:  Dear God, if you're listening and you don't mind I have a small question.  Why did you create fruit flies?  And for that matter house flies that only spread disease or mosquitos that spread disease and also bite? What use are they in the great fabric of things?  Fruit flies breed on decaying fruit and as far as i can see don't do anything useful.  In fact they infect good fruit and here in California where the fruit industry is huge, we are supposed to trap and eradicate them.

Were you not concentrating the day that fruit flies were made? Were you already bored or tired after the creation of large things like dinosaurs and wooly mammoths so that you handed over the last few days of creation to a lesser heavenly being, one slightly less competent? 

Anyway this blunder in creation has turned a peaceful, gentle being like myself into a ruthless killer. It all started a week ago when I brought home some organic tomatoes.  When I opened the plastic box one small creature flew out. One tiny, harmless flying thing.. or so I thought. Until the next night when I was sitting, enjoying a glass of wine.  I looked up and two tiny creatures were happily swimming around in my glass.

Then it was quite a few around the flowers I had just bought. I carried them out to the garbage bin. But the darned things kept appearing.  I Googled and tried various traps: apple cider vinegar (didn't work). Honey (didn't work). Red wine... works well.  At one stage my kitchen counter looked like a science experiment. 

Where were they coming from? I had put all fruit and veg into the fridge but there they were, sitting on the rim of the bowl containing the wine. And cunning little buggers too.. If I moved my hand near to squash them they flew away. I tried bringing down the fly swatter rapidly, thus knocking them down into the wine.  They swam across to the side and started to climb out. I squashed one on my thumb, then watched as he readjusted his wings and tried to fly off. 

It was only when I found some in the pantry that I learned the horrid truth. At the back of the potato bin was a rotting potato where they were happily breeding. I've taken it out, scrubbed it, scrubbed the floor and now I hope it's just a case of rounding up the last survivors.  But I've been spending half my day killing!  Every time I come into the kitchen I see one, sitting at the edge of the wine. I creep up, fly swatter in hand and bring it down. Only to find the wretched thing has escaped again. It is becoming an obsession.  So... if anyone knows a brilliant way to get rid of fruit flies, please share.

And God, if you can share a moment from more pressing things like defending Greenland from invasion or protecting innocent people from ICE, could you possible un-make the fruit flies?

The Reds On Magazines

 RHYS BOWEN: At the beginning of the new year my daughter-in-law suggested we make vision boards. I’ve done this before with her and find them very revealing. This one I made once and keep in my office to look at when I work.

The problem is that to make a good vision board you need a selection of magazines and we don’t get any magazines any more, except for Consumer Reports. And I can hardly make a vision board out of washing machines and mattresses.

I suppose one of the reasons we stopped taking magazines is that we live in two places so the magazines just pile up in California when we are in Arizona. But also it’s so much easier to look at magazines online.  I don’t even do that much any more. Magazines seem to be a thing of my past, which is a shame, as I really used to enjoy them.

When I was growing up there were several magazines for children. I got GIRL magazine and another one I can’t remember the name of. They had stories in them about adventurous girls, Patsy of the Circus who was a trapeze star, was my favorite. I played at being Patsy and made my own trapeze, doing stupidly brave things on it.

My brother had Eagle, and Boy’s Own. They had stories like Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future.

Every woman in England got Woman and Woman’s Own, and Woman’s Weekly with their recipes and knitting patterns and romance stories.

When I married and lived in California I took Redbook and Good Housekeeping. We also had National Geographic and Time and Life, oh and Reader’s Digest. I suppose now that things like Facebook make up for them… snippets of information and entertainment. But they don’t really. I miss them.   When I’m in England I browse through English women’s magazines but they are different now. Much more celebrity oriented, certainly no knitting patterns.

So, dear Reds, do you still take magazines? Do you miss them?

JENN McKINLAY: I love magazines. Probably, because I spent my teen years in my room reading Seventeen, Teen, Tiger Beat, etc. As a mom, I got all the parenting magazines - my fave was Family Fun - so many great activities. Now I get Prevention, which I got hooked on when I was a librarian for the Scottsdale Hospital and Atomic Ranch because we live in a mid-century ranch and that magazine has gorgeous houses that our humble abode aspires to be.  

LUCY BURDETTE: I love magazines too, though like Rhys I stopped ordering them because of my two addresses–impossible to keep up with the mail. My first love was Tiger Beat–I had to work to persuade my parents this would be ok to read. I remember getting MS magazine, maybe Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Ladies Home Journal which had the column “Can this marriage be saved?” My favorite read! I also took Bon Appetit for a long time, and Cooking Light. Our Key West librarian reported recently that the most popular e-read these days is The New Yorker. I’m going to try that this year!

HALLIE EPHRON: Gosh, I haven’t gotten magazines in years. I miss The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Boston Magazine… but the truth is they just piled up unread. I am SO tempted by the Atlantic Monthly because of their stellar recent reporting, but I’d be signing up for their e-zine, nothing I could cut up for a vision board. 

On the newspaper front, I do get the Boston Globe delivered, and try not to think about how much it’s costing me. It’s just one of those luxuries I’ve agreed to give myself.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Oh, I love magazines! I used to get [MORE] and a very cool women' s magazine the name of which I can never remember but it was not Ms. Does anyone remember?  I grew up reading Vogue with my mother, we loved it,  and it was where mom taught me the difference between clothes people wore in magazines and what people wore in real life.  Now I get The New Yorker, cannot live without it, and New York, and Vanity Fair, and The Atlantic for solidarity. They all come in digital and paper, and I read bits of both depending on what's convenient.

(I have never made a vision board, though…)

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hank, I had a subscription to [MORE] as well, and I wish there was something like it still out there. Like most politically aware adults in the pre-internet age, Ross and I got TIME and Newsweek, and for a while, he subscribed to Foreign Affairs (pricy!) Of course, we subscribed to Sports Illustrated, and had National Geographic because according to Ross, our kids would grow up illiterate without it. (He was VERY keen on geography!)

I still get HGTV Magazine and House Beautiful in the mail - to me there’s a noticeable different in photos in full-sized print as opposed to on a screen. For text-based periodicals, I have digital-only subscriptions; The Atlantic, New York Magazine and The New Yorker. One advantage of those as opposed to the print editions: you can share articles without clipping them out and mailing them!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I do still get magazines. Bon Appetit, although I use my digital subscription more than the actual magazines. D Magazine, which my daughter sends me–great for local stuff. We also get print copies of The Economist and The Atlantic. My subscription to The New Yorker, alas, is just digital. We used to take Rolling Stone but finally cancelled it as it had become so expensive.

But my passion is print copies of the magazines that require a trip to my local B&N; the UK edition of Country Living (so good, nothing like the US version,) The English Home, UK House and Garden, UK Homes and Gardens. I don't manage to get them all every month (ouch!) but it's such fun when I can snag an issue or two.

A fun note–I was a dedicated Gourmet subscriber for many years and was heartbroken when it folded. But, now, apparently, Conde Nast has let the copyright expire and some new food writers have taken it over and are publishing a monthly digital edition, for people who really like to cook (rather than get dinner on the table in thirty minutes.) Sounds fun but they don't give you a free issue and I'm not sure I'm interested enough to pay $7 a month.

_._,_._,_

RHYS BOWEN:  It was only as I put this up to be published that I remembered what today is. How dismayed he would be to see what was happening now. But remember what he said: THE ARC OF THE UNIVERSE IS LONG, BUT IT BENDS TOWARD JUSTICE.  We'll keep hoping.

It's a TRAVESTY!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I’m sure some of you, like me, read the Metropolitan Diary in the New York Times. It’s just a collection of little snippets sent in by readers, tiny moments in time in the life of a New Yorker. They are sweet and adorable and sometimes laugh out loud funny.

The other day, a woman described being in line in a bagel shop in New York. The person in front of her told the bagel guy she wanted a cinnamon raisin bagel with white fish spread.

According to the paragraph, the bagel guy just looked at her, paused, and finally said, with a look of complete disgust on his face: "I can’t make that. I just can’t make that."

It makes me laugh even to write this, how apparently that combination was so not only unpalatable but SO unthinkable that the bagel guy couldn’t even make what his customer wanted. So incredibly funny. 

A food travesty. Like...a blueberry bagel. A blueberry bagel is not a thing. Bagels do not have FRUIT. Muffins have fruit.

I feel like that when someone offers me a piece of pizza with ham and pineapple on it. No, I think, no no no, I just can’t eat that. Even though my brain understands that some people might think that’s good, and that’s fine, but please don’t make me eat that.

Sausage. I have never had any kind of sausage and don’t even ask me to try it, the sound of the skin alone of it makes me want to leave the room. Lima beans. Baked beans. Any kind of food-like thing that is shaped in the shape of a lima bean.

Some people don’t like raisins in oatmeal cookies. I could go either way on that. But marshmallows in ice cream, that just seems like a bad idea. I know Sue Grafton Kinsey liked pickles and peanut butter, and I am all for Kinsey, but really?

And mayonnaise on ham. No no no. There was a battle royal at my house when I was a little girl, when my father for forced us, or tried to, in the least abusive way possible :-) to eat a ham salad sandwich. Nope nope nope. There is no mayonnaise with ham. Chopped celery and mayonnaise do not go with ham.

And then there was the big showdown over roasted chestnuts at Christmas. When I was about 10, I think, my sister and I sat at the dining room table for about two hours in utter refusal.

Jell-O molds with shredded carrots. Carrots do not go in Jell-O. Why would you do that? 

Oysters in turkey stuffing. Absolute no. Why would you put slimy stuff like that in perfectly good stuffing?

Ketchup on eggs? (I mean, does that look good to you?)

 

How about salmon lasagna? I actually saw a recipe for that. Even the chic vitello tonnato...ah, veal with tuna sauce?  I don't think so.

How about you, Read and readers, what do you consider a food travesty?