Can This Family Be Saved? A Day to Whine and Win @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: How, you might reasonably ask, are glasses related to a book giveaway? Answer: when the broken glasses were eaten by a puppy with a death wish, and the day becomes 'Whine and Win' because I can't think of another way to make myself feel a little less dumb...

This is the culprit...not a smidgen of remorse... I was shocked when she ate my beloved pair of blue glasses--I loved them so much and they were no longer on display in the optical shop. 

But happy news, the optician was able to order a pair and fit in my progressives (ka-ching), and we all learned our lesson. 

Right? Wrong, because a few days later, she ate these glasses. I loved these too! They went with all the things I own that aren't green or blue... 

That second escapade left me nothing to wear with a recent prescription--for those of you who wear glasses, you can picture that terrible feeling. Back to the shop I went to choose a second pair. Ka-ching, ka-ching. And so embarrassing...

Several days later, above culprit lifted John's reading glasses out of a drawer that hadn't been closed properly. Did I say 'I told you so, I warned you'? No I did not. 

Then I was busy cooking too many things at once, and I took the brand new blue glasses off to read directions (or something.) After dinner, those glasses were gone. I searched everywhere I might have put them, and finally found them out on the porch, frames mangled, glass in shards. 

Did my beloved spouse say 'I told you so'? Readers, I dare not say. But there might be room for two in the dog house...good thing they are both so cute. Now I must call the optical shop again.

Early photo

And it's your turn to tell a story about your own mishaps, with pets or without! I'll let Tbone (aka 'the good pet') choose one comment to win a trade paperback copy of THE KEY LIME CRIME.

And don't forget to order your copies of THE KEY LIME CRIME and preorder A SCONE OF CONTENTION. And ps, the ebook edition of THE KEY LIME CRIME is on sale for $2.99!

Peach and Cucumber Salad #recipe @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Peaches are in season here in Connecticut and so we need peach recipes. The peaches are glorious this year--we want to eat them in everything!

This combination may sound a little strange--even my husband was suspicious. But we loved it so please don't hold back! The keys of course are that the veggies are fresh, the peach ripe, and the feta delish...

Ingredients

1 large Cucumber
1 large ripe Peach
8 or so leaves fresh Basil
1/2 smallish red onion 
Fresh feta crumbles, about 1/2 cup
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 abd1/2 tsp honey

Mix the honey with the vinegar in a small bowl. Slice the onion thinly and set this to soak in the honey and vinegar mixture. Do this ahead, even an hour, so the onion has time to soften. 

Slice the basil to ribbons and add that too.

Slice the cucumber into rounds.

Peel and cut the peach into nice slices.

Combine all the vegetables in a pretty bowl, sprinkle with basil and feta crumbles. That's it! It's delicious! We ate every bite...

And here's a link to easy grilled peaches (post Labor Day picnic?)

And this will take you to a blueberry coffee cake that is just as good if not better with peaches...

What are you making and eating in these last days of summer?

Lucy writes the Key West food critic mysteries including the latest, THE KEY LIME CRIME, featured last week in Woman's World!

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.

Pandemic Cleaning @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I suspect many of you have been cleaning out closets and drawers for months since the lockdown commenced, but I have done none of that. I was determined to focus on finishing a big book project and I would not allow myself to get distracted. Cleaning and straightening would be a slippery slope--so much easier than writing and more satisfying because of the concrete results. These photos can't even begin to describe the disaster that had accumulated in my office...

Meanwhile, every time John and I watched someone interviewed on the news, we noticed everything in their background--what books were on their shelves, the crooked books on the shelves, the crooked art on the walls, the utter lack of art on the walls, the pets. It was so distracting!

But a week ago I finished the project. Yay! And now I will have some zoom meetings coming up for the launch of The Key Lime Crime. It was time to clear up my background. It took all day, and I didn't even touch the file drawers, but I threw away boxes and bags of old papers and drafts and just plain junk. And I also found some treasures. 

Like this Sisters in Crime New England calendar signed by Janet Evanovich...L to R, Ruth McCarty, Janet E, Lucy B, Cathy Cairns...

And a poem written by my nephew about one of our former (fat) ginger cats, Chuck aka Chuck-E-Cheese aka Chuck Roast aka Chuck and a half.

T-bone and I were worn out, but oh my the results were so satisfying (if you point the camera in only that direction...)

So are you guys all straightened out, clean and organized? Or has your energy been focused in a different direction? Do you pay attention to what's in people's backgrounds?

Lucy is Juggling Happiness and Scotland @lucyburdette

LUCY BURDETTE: It’s amazing to me that as long as I’ve been writing, I’m still discovering new things about myself as a writer. This week it’s that I can’t write two things at once. 

I can work on one book and promote another, or write one blog while writing a book, but I can’t seem to work on two books at once. And of course that’s what I’m trying to do. I think this may be because it’s hard to get into a character's head, and so moving to another character in another story means starting all over. 

You might think (I did) that you should be able to pick up wherever you left off. But it doesn’t seem to be so. I want to get a lot done on two projects, a deep revision of Chasing Happiness (formerly The Happiness Connection), and the first draft of food critic mystery number 11. I’ve spent the past week switching from one to the other and feeling stuck with both. And yet I have a fear that if I move ahead with one I’ll forget the other.

So meanwhile, I’m posting a snippet of the Scottish Key West mystery (#11) because it made me laugh as I was writing it. Hayley and Miss Gloria are in Nathan’s sister’s living room, unwinding from an eventful and difficult day…

Once we’d finished the washing up and stored the leftovers in the freezer, Miss Gloria insisted on pouring us another finger of whiskey to sip in front of the telly. We watched the end of the BBC news, and there was not a word said about America or her policies or politics. Honestly, it was nice to have a breather from the problems that dogged us at home.

Deep into an episode of a TV series based on Ann Cleeves’ Shetland, I heard a car outside in the driveway and then somebody crashing into the garbage cans. Before I could panic about a possible intruder, Nathan and Warren clattered into the room, wearing kilts—the full dress version with what looked like animal pelts hanging from their waists and swords tucked into their skirts. This time, Nathan looked completely comfortable in his costume, as if he had grown up roaming the Scottish moors. For the first time, I could really understand why Claire went all wobbly seeing the redheaded Jamie in his kilt in Outlander.

I stood up to kiss him hello. “Who are you, you gorgeous hunk of male flesh, and what have you done with my husband?”

“It is I, Nathan the conqueror, and I’ve come to sweep away a wee Scottish lassie,” he said, sounding a little tipsy and absolutely giddy. He grabbed me by the waist and swung me into an embrace.

I couldn’t help giggling once he’d released me. “And how much whiskey have you two drunk because maybe Miss Gloria and I have some catching up to do.”

He flopped down on the couch beside our friend. “We’ve had the most amazing day. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be playing the same course where Tiger Woods won the British Open? Of course, my drives aren’t quite as long as his.”

Warren cackled and brandished his sword. “No comment, my friend. Nothing you’ve got is as long as his.” They both howled with laughter this time.

Then Nathan gazed around at Miss Gloria and me. “You all look a little glum. How was your day?”

“Kind of brutal,” said Miss Gloria. “There was a death at the wheel.”

Meanwhile, if anyone has any tips about juggling more than one project at a time, I'm all ears!

On another note, if you are a Netgalley reviewer, THE KEY LIME CRIME is available. I can't help looking at what folks are saying. This one gave me a real thrill:

Peter Mayle!! Only four months until THE KEY LIME CRIME, book 10 in the Key West food critic mystery series, will arrive in bookstores everywhere--I can't wait for you to read it! THE KEY LIME CRIME (July 2020) is available for pre-order now...

What We're Writing Week: Why Preorder?

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Like several other Reds have copped to this week, I haven't yet started writing UNTITLED CLARE FERGUSSON/RUSS VAN ALSTYNE MYSTERY #10 (as it's so elegantly called in my contract.) I'm also at the research-and-noodling stage, with half a notebook filled with ideas, questions and themes. Today, I'm in Greenwich NY - just a hop, skip and jump away from Millers Kill - to visit friends and see the annual Lighted Tractor Parade, which I'm pretty sure will feature in the next book.

Instead of talking about writing, then, I'm going to talk about buying. Specifically, pre-ordering books. Lucy mentioned her next Key West Food Critic mystery, THE KEY LIME CRIME, is up for pre-order, even though the book won't be published unto July. So why should you order it now? Why pre-buy Jenn's PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA, also out in July? Or HID FROM OUR EYES, coming in April, which has been available for pre-order for two months now?

For readers, there are several reasons why pre-ordering is a good idea. You don't have to remember that a book you want to read is coming out - you order it when you learn about it, and then have the happy experience of seeing it in the mail or getting a call from your local book store - is there any happier news than, "Your book's here!"

You can also skip waiting in line, ensure you'll actually be able to get your hands on a copy, and avoid getting spoiled as to the events in the book - because you'll have read it before anyone else!

B&N has a funny list of why pre-order, including this gem: "You can take the time before the book’s arrival to build yourself a cozy reading nook with food and water supplies and possibly plumbing. That way, when the book finally arrives, you can sit down and read without interruption."

But the number one reason to pre-order is that it materially supports the authors you love. No, we don't get our royalty payments any faster. (Oh, that it were!) Instead, pre-orders are one of the major ways our publishers gauge reader interest and commitment to our books. A book with strong pre-orders garners buzz in the industry - the numbers are passed around to book stores and publishing news outlets. Like any other product, just hearing an item is popular makes people more likely to check it out. (Doubt that? Look at the lines out the door at Apple stores the day a new iWhatever comes out.)

Good pre-order numbers tell bookstores they might want to order a few more copies, just in case. The publisher is going to consider upping the initial print run to keep up with demand. If a book is in the running to get on the New York Times bestseller list, every pre-order counts as part of the first week's sales. Since making the list depends on the number of books sold in a single week, you can see how important pre-orders are. (I'm pretty sure it was pre-orders that lifted me over the bar the first time I made the NYT list.)

Pre-orders help authors that aren't competing for a bestseller slot, too. Ever wish you could call a publishing company and say, "Hey! I love this person's books! Keep them coming!" Well, a pre-order does exactly that. And when its time for your favorite author to negotiate a new contract, you can bet everyone involved will be looking at those pre-order numbers to see how devoted her or his readers are. 

So I hope you'll consider pre-ordering THE KEY LIME CRIME

and PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA (it's 24% off at B&N!)

and HID FROM OUR EYES.

But please, don't stop with the Reds. Whenever you have an author you're passionate about, think about pre-ordering. It really, truly helps, and believe me when I say, we're grateful.

What We're Writing @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Obviously today's the day I tell you what I'm writing, and I don't suppose the answer should be "nothing." However, with two mystery conventions and the transition from Connecticut to Key West in my rearview mirror, it's been hard to concentrate. 

Hanging out with the Reds at Bouchercon

My rockstar pals at Crimebake

Tbone visiting the pet relief station in the airport

So how about "What I Should Be Writing?"

For Key West food critic mystery #11, I got approval from my publisher and agent to set part of the book in Scotland. I'm super excited about showing some of the gorgeous places I visited last summer. However, I've discovered that questions about why Hayley is there, and who is there with her, and how they might possibly get involved in solving a murder mystery are not so easy to answer. And I'm also realizing that my notes and photos from the trip are pretty darn skimpy. (Unless, I want to write a book about losing luggage--I'd be all over that.) I know there will be lots of scones, and thin places, and family, and jealousy, but beyond those themes, it's all rather vague. In summary, I've set myself a good challenge and I look forward to discovering the answers. Below is the tiniest beginning snippet:

I snickered. “We gave that up when we asked Miss Gloria to join us. And she’s going to make the trip so much richer. She’s so excited—she’s researching her family tree on Ancestry and she’s made a little map marking where all her relatives might be buried.” 

We were all headed to Scotland, a delayed honeymoon for Nathan and me, and the first trip abroad since her husband’s death for Miss Gloria. Nathan had offered to take me anywhere I wanted to go. I chose Scotland because of Outlander and Shetland, natch, and because I wanted to meet his mysterious sister whom I’d only recently learned about. When I’d broken the news to Miss Gloria, my fellow Outlander watcher fanatic, she’d said mournfully, “Scotland was the next trip Frank and I were going to take. And then poof, he was gone. Dead of a heart attack and not traveling anywhere but to the morgue. I’m so happy for you, Hayley,” she added. She really meant that but she had a shimmer of tears in her eyes.

Later that night, Nathan suggested that we should invite her along. I was shocked. “It’s our honeymoon,” I reminded him. I would have loved to have her travel with us, but I was afraid my new husband would regret it once we were on the road. Traveling with an old lady might be a challenge. Not that anyone who knew her would describe Miss Gloria as old. Some days she showed more zip than me—and I was fifty-something years younger. And if she did happen to droop, the tiniest catnap brought her roaring back to life.

“We’re already spending most of the week with my sister,” he said. “Miss G would only be an improvement.”

There will be lots more to come, and I'm glad that I feel excited about writing it when I read this part over. I have absolutely no idea about a title, so if anything smart comes to mind, please leave it in the comments.

And, I'm super-grateful to have my next book, THE KEY LIME CRIME (July 2020), available for pre-order!

You can order it at an independent bookstore, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and anywhere books are sold!

Lucy is Revising THE KEY LIME CRIME

cover draft, final to come

LUCY BURDETTE: As you heard last week, most of us don't mind revising with a good editor, and some of us love it. Crooked Lane does things a little differently from what I've experienced with previous publishers--they use freelance editors. When I got my edited manuscript back two weeks ago, I was thrilled to recognize the editor as my previous NAL editor for this series, Sandy Harding. 

Sandy has a talent for putting her finger right on problems (plot and character)--I have a tendency to be vague about details in early drafts because I'm busy nailing the story down. And she also points out where good moments in the book could be expanded for better effect. Here's an example. On the side you can see her comment, and underlined sentences are my fixes.

In the olden days, all this didn't happen online. I'd send the printed manuscript in the mail, and get it back pocked with yellow sticky notes that had suggestions scribbled on them. When I taught mystery writing to 5th graders, I loved showing them that stack of pages--they were horrified at the amount of work writing a book involves!

Okay, I have to get back to fixing my problems, but I'll leave you with a little snippet from THE KEY LIME CRIME. I chose it  since everyone loves Miss Gloria. Helen is Hayley's mother-in-law and the three of them are investigating a murder of course...

We zipped up to Houseboat Row where Miss Gloria was waiting in the driver’s seat of her big Buick with the engine running. She had the windows open and some kind of rock music pumping out from the radio. 

“Want me to drive?” I asked.

“No thanks,” she said cheerfully. “I don’t want to get rusty. And we don’t have far to go, so how much damage can I do?” She cackled as we got in, then craned around to grin at Helen in the back seat, gunned the engine, and lurched out onto Palm Avenue. I gripped my door handle and gritted my teeth, waiting for the sound of blaring horns and the crash of metal. Mercifully none of that came.

“We’ve got a lot on the schedule today, don’t we?” Miss Gloria asked. “I figure we’ll park in the garage on Caroline Street and then walk to the Pie Company, right?”

“Right,” I said. “And Helen and I have agreed, we aren’t investigating. On the other hand, if some tidbit related to Claudette falls in our laps, we’ll gather it up and pass it on to Nathan.”

“Remember to think about the person behind the crime,” Helen a.k.a. my mother-in-law said, leaning forward and grabbing the driver side headrest. “We’re not only collecting recipes, we’re understanding a murderer. And his victim.”

“Oh, Hayley is unbelievable at that,” said Miss Gloria, glancing in the rear view mirror. “She has more friends than anyone I know—and that’s because she knows what makes people tick. And even if she doesn’t care for somebody, she works at understanding why they’re crabby. And the next thing you know, they’re friends. I’m certain Nathan’s told you how she solved a couple of crimes. Not that he appreciates that one bit.” 

She chuckled, and I squeezed her arm to thank her for sticking up for me, but then let go fast so she would concentrate on swinging around the curve that led into Eaton Street without taking out cars in the oncoming traffic. She found an open space in the Caroline Street garage, avoided nicking anyone’s paint job, and we wended our way through a mob of visitors to the shop on Greene Street.

“Please,” I whispered to Miss Gloria, “let me ask the questions?” I didn’t dare say the same to Helen, but I hoped I’d made my point clear.

We signed in at the cash register and Sigrid led us to the back room of the shop with three other students—Lori, Judy, and Louise—friends visiting from New Jersey to celebrate the New Year and escape a week of bitter cold temperatures. Sigrid gestured for us to stop next to two large sinks. 

“No one starts the class without washing up and dressing in our chef’s costume,” she said, grinning. She described how we should scrub our hands and then don plastic gloves and aprons and finally a hairnet.

“All you ladies look so cute,” said Miss Gloria. “You are rocking those hairnets. We need pictures of this.”

“Give me your phones,” Sigrid said, “and I’ll take some pix.”

I hardly wanted this outfit broadcast on social media. The net flattened our hair against our heads, and the clear plastic on our hands and torso made us resemble packaged meat. Not a good look for any of us. On the other hand, Palamina would love it if I posted these photos on Instagram and Facebook. Pictures of pie after pie after pie could be broken up with some comic relief. And it might relax the instructor if we behaved like normal students rather than murder inquisitionists. I took off one of the gloves, dug in my back pocket, and handed over my phone.

Miss Gloria clapped her plastic-covered hands together. “I feel like we’re Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate shop, remember that episode in I love Lucy? I watch it once a week, along with the video about the cat who sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with his owner. With the world such a mess, it pays to find things that make you laugh. I’ll find it for you when we finish the class,” she told the ladies from New Jersey.

Mrs. Bransford looked a little googly-eyed. My roommate could have that effect on people until they got used to her chirpy nature.

And here's what I did to research the scene--with the real Lori, Judy, and Louise...Can't you picture Miss Gloria and Hayley right here too? Now, a question for writers and non-writers alike: How do you do at handling feedback on a project you've worked hard on?

PS the pre-order link with the new cover is not up yet, but I will alert you when it is. Meanwhile, A DEADLY FEAST will be out in Mass market paperback on June 9 and you can order that now: Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Indiebound...

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series, which can be bought wherever books are sold. Please follow her on Bookbub, Instagram, and Facebook!