LUCY BURDETTE: You know by now that I have a weakness for both debut authors and foodie mysteries. So I'm delighted to share this guest post from Tina Kashian--can't wait to dive into her new series!
TINA KASHIAN: I want to thank the Jungle Red Writers for
inviting me to blog. I’m excited to be here! As writers, we’ve all heard the
saying “write what you know.” I took this to heart when I began writing Hummus and Homicide, the first book in
my Kebab Kitchen Mystery series.
I grew up in the restaurant business where my
Armenian-American parents owned a restaurant for thirty years in a small South
Jersey town. I worked almost every job—rolling silverware and wiping down tables
as a tween, to hosting and waitressing as a teenager. My mother was a talented
cook and the grapevine in our backyard was more valued that any rosebush. I’d
often come home from school to the delicious aromas of simmering grape leaves,
stuffed peppers and tomatoes, and shish kebab.
Here’s a picture of our backyard
grapevine. During the season, it produces purple grapes and hundreds of tender
leaves. The leaves are used to prepare stuffed grape leaves.
But growing up in a family restaurant definitely
had its pros and cons. As one of the owner’s daughters, I’d often get last
minute calls from my father to waitress or hostess when another worker was
sick. I used to grumble about it, but I always showed up. Family came first. But
there were plenty of great times too. The restaurant was located in the same
town that I attended high school. Many high school kids worked their first job
at our restaurant. Now, this was tricky for me. As a freshman, there were
several good-looking juniors and seniors working for my parents. I was shy,
very shy. This took some getting used to, but I eventually managed to gain
confidence. I met and dated my first boyfriend, a busboy, at the restaurant. My
tips paid for my prom gown.
My Kebab
Kitchen Mystery series also takes place at the Jersey shore. Ever since I
was a little girl, my parents vacationed at there. We now have two young girls,
and we still take them to the Jersey shore every summer. As I wrote the books,
I pictured my fictitious small town of Ocean Crest at the Jersey shore. The
name is a combination of Ocean City and Wildwood Crest—two of my favorite New
Jersey shore towns. As I wrote the scenes, I heard the seagulls squawking and
pictured them circling above the beach. I felt the lapping of the ocean waves
and the sand between my toes, and imagined the brilliant Ferris wheel on the
boardwalk pier. I pictured myself in Ocean Crest—minus the murders, of course!
Writing
what you know makes it easier too. Some of my favorite scenes are straight from
my memories—temperamental chefs, busy busboys, and gossipy waitstaff can be
quite entertaining. The aspects of the murder, on the other hand, I did have to
research. Thankfully, I have no experience poisoning a person.
I
also had great fun coming up with titles. Hummus
and Homicide, Stabbed in the Baklava (9/18),
and One Feta in the Grave (2/19). All
the titles are puns on food and reflect the light and funny feel of the cozy
mysteries.
Here’s
a blurb about HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE coming to bookstores on February 28, 2018:
Hummus and Homicide
When Lucy Berberian quits her Philadelphia law
firm and heads home to Ocean Crest, she knows what she’s getting—the scent of
funnel cake, the sight of the wooden roller coaster, and the tastes of her
family’s Mediterranean restaurant. But murder wasn’t on the menu…
Things are slow in the off-season in this Jersey
Shore town, but Lucy doesn’t mind. She doesn’t even mind waitressing at the
Kebab Kitchen. Her parents have put in a new hummus bar, with ever flavor from
lemon to roasted red pepper. It’s fun to see their calico cat again, and to
catch up with her old BFF, who’s married to a cop now.
She could do without Heather Banks, though. The
Gucci-toting ex-cheerleader is still as nasty as she was back in high
school…and unfortunately, she’s just taken over as the local health inspector.
Just minutes after eating at the Kebab Kitchen—where she’s tallied up a whole
list of bogus violations—she falls down dead in the street. Word on the
grapevine is it’s homicide, and Lucy’s the number one suspect…
Recipes
Included!
Tina’s Award-Winning
Hummus
This is my own secret recipe and I make it
weekly at home for the kids and the husband. It can be served as a dip with
wedges of pita bread or vegetables, and goes well with broiled or grilled meat.
It can also be used as a healthy alternative to mayonnaise on sandwiches.
1 can (15
ounces) chick peas
3½
teaspoons tahini (sesame seed puree)
3 cloves
minced garlic (1½ teaspoons)
1 teaspoon
salt
5
tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2
tablespoons lemon juice
Drain can
of chick peas and reserve ¼ cup fluid. Mix tahini thoroughly before using to
incorporate oil that separates during storage. Using a food processor or
blender, combine and blend all ingredients until smooth. If hummus is too
thick, add a few tablespoons of reserved fluid from chick peas and blend again.
Pour into serving platter. Enjoy!
Please message me on Facebook and
let me know if you enjoyed the hummus!
Now
for the readers. What is your favorite type of cuisine? Italian, Indian, Chinese,
Mediterranean, or American burgers? Please share! One commenter will receive an
ebook of HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE when it’s released on 2/28.
Tina Kashian is an attorney and a former mechanical
engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of
academia. Her law cases inspired an inquiring mind of
crime, and since then, Tina has been hooked on mysteries. Tina spent her
childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding,
and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant
business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband
and two young daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com
to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!
Social
Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@TinaGabrielle
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaGabrielle
