BOOK CLUB DAY!

BREAKING NEWS: If you are in a position to review or spread the word about an Audible copy of HEIRS AND GRACES, please contact Rhys for more information. She has a few copies....RhysBowen at comcast dot net 

AND Rosemary Harris's THE BITCHES OF BROOKLYN is free to download today and tomorrow only! Click here.

 


LUCY BURDETTE: It seems odd to me that mysteries and crime fiction can be lumped into a category of non-book club books--in other words, escapist reading, nothing worth discussing. We couldn't disagree more! With September around the corner and book clubs resuming meeting or planning their reads for the year, we thought we'd make a few suggestions. From each red, a book, a couple of discussion questions, and something memorable to eat along with it.

I'll start:)

TOPPED CHEF, the third book in the Key West food critic mystery series by Lucy Burdette

Things to discuss:

1.  TOPPED CHEF opens with Hayley worrying about her first negative review. How do you feel about restaurant reviews, either online or in newspapers? Do you trust them? Do you write them? Do you feel critics should write about their negative experiences as well as their positive?

2. One of the most challenging parts of writing a mystery with an amateur sleuth has to do with her stake in solving the mystery. Were you convinced by Hayley's insistence on getting involved in this story? How does this fit with her character?Find the whole list of discussion questions for TOPPED CHEF here:

What to eat: Lime cupcakes with lime cream cheese frosting


Recipe here.

  
HALLIE EPHRON: THERE WAS AN OLD WOMANThings to discuss:

1. The theme of remembering and honoring the past is prominent in There Was an Old Woman. Evie has dedicated her life to the preservation of memories, and Finn keeps all of the artifacts from the old Snakapins Park in his basement. Do you think it is important to preserve the past, and why? Are some things better left forgotten?

2. Evie and her sister Ginger are polar opposites. Evie played soccer; Ginger was a girl scout. Evie sees Ginger as the dutiful daughter and herself as the one who runs away. How might these two different personality types both have been shaped by the experience of growing up with an alcoholic mother?What to eat: Discuss it over Chinese Dim Sum.

 

ROSEMARY HARRIS: Now this is fun. I'm not in a book club these days. I went to a fabulous book club meeting in San Francisco last year. The members had agreed to read THE BITCHES OF BROOKLYN and act as my focus group. It was a blast.

Possible discussions -
1. Friendships - old and new - are at the heart of Bitches. Each of the women in the book, Jane, Tina, Rachel, Clare and Abby, questions the meaning of friendship, particularly childhood friendships. Are they better left in the past? What are the risks in trying to rekindle (no pun intended) old relationships?

2. Every decade of life brings its own set of issues. What are the insecurities each of the women faces?

3. All five of the women have called each other Bitch since high school when it was an epithet thrown by a jealous classmate. Now it's a term of endearment for them. What do you think about the word?

My gals are good eaters. Hallie's already claimed Chinese takeout and more's the pity readers can't camp out in Jane's Brooklyn bakery so I'd have to say a medium-priced Italian restaurant. Red-checkered tablecloth. With a bottle or two of good wine.RHYS BOWEN: This is most timely for me as I have an author buzz going out to zillions of bookclubs next week with questions about my new book, Heirs and Graces. So here are some questions I gave to them.

1.    Lady Georgiana seems to have a privileged life. What are some ways in which her life is not so rosy?
2.    This story centers around the heir to a great estate. Discuss that whole concept, plus other instances of property entailment disrupting lives in literature

3.    These Royal Spyness books are funny�gentle satire of English aristocracy. But there are always serious undertones. What are some in this book?

And food to serve? Well, it has to be a classic English tea party with thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches, warm scones topped with strawberry jam and cream. Mmmm. Now I'm feeling hungry (or peckish as my characters would say)

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: OH, fabulous. I'm  tempted to discuss THE OTHER WOMAN, with all its juicy discussion possibilities about infidelity, and sex as power, and the conflict in failing marriages. But let's go with THE WRONG GIRL, coming Sept 10!

1. The book opens with Jane's friend Tuck suspecting the adoption agency that's  reunited her with her birth mother has made a mistake---and, as she says, "sent that poor woman the wrong girl." As a reporter, I know that's happened in real life. What if that had happened to you..do you think--just based on instinct--you would know it? (Do you know anyone searching for their birth parents? Did they find them?)

2.  The Wrong Girl also takes an inside look at the state's foster care system--where children need homes--and there aren't always enough of them. HAve you been in foster care, or known someone who was? Have you ever taken in a foster child? Or wanted to? Why or why not? How well did that system work?

Food? Well,  Jane is always rushing, and I'm tempted to say fast food! But it's in Boston, so let's say luscious creamy clam chowder from Legal Seafoods with those little round crackers and a twist of pepper,, accompanied by a crisp white sauvignon blanc.DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, fun! (And I want everybody's food!) Here are a couple of questions for readers of The Sound of Broken Glass:

1) We see in the back story that young Andy Monahan is the caretaker of his alcoholic mother. How does this affect his ability to form relationships when we meet him again, fifteen years later? Do you believe it's possible for children of alcoholic parents to form happy and stable relationships as adults?

2) The seed of much that happens in this novel is bullying. How might Andy's life have been different if he'd had adult support in dealing with the boys who bullied him? Do you believe that Nadine was bullied as well? Were there characters who could have stood up for her and made a difference in the course of her life?

Now, food! I think my book group should have delicious, hearty sandwiches from The Jolly Gardener pub in Putney--roast beef with horseradish; thick, sharp English cheddar slathered with Branston pickle; roast turkey with cranberries--accompanied by a big platter of fresh fruit, good beer, and crisp Sauvignon Blanc. (My characters have theirs with tea, but they're working!)JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: This is a perfectly timed subject, because I need to supply my editor with questions for THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS, my November release. Like Rhys, I'll be having an author buzz going out to book groups (though not for another couple of months) and St. Martin's library division posts discussion questions online. Pro tip for book club organizers: lots of publishers do this! If your group is reading something that doesn't come with discussion suggestions in the back of the book, check the publisher's website.

1. At one point, Russ tells Clare, "I won't say a word against [having a baby]. But don't expect me to pretend to be happy about it." Is his attitude reasonable, given that they agreed, as a couple, not to have children, or is he being stubborn about not getting his way?

2. Officers Hadley Knox and Kevin Flynn are assigned to work together to try to find Mikayla Johnson, the missing girl. At the same time, they're becoming closer personally. Should they put the brakes on their relationship? Is it unprofessional for them to get involved again, especially during a high-stakes investigation?

3.  There are many types of families in THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS: Clare and Russ and their impending baby, Mikayla and her dysfunctional, criminal parents,  Hadley and her ex fighting over custody. What do these relationships say about the effect of parenthood on couples and on individuals? What is the author saying about the responsibilities of parenting versus the pleasures of having a child?

For an accompanying meal: Russ and Clare have a hearty, delicious stew in their remote lakeside cabin, perfect for a book group discussion on a cold November night. Of course, they don't have any alcohol, but I would recommend a nice Cotes-du-Rhone and some crusty bread to sop up the broth.

Don't forget to leave a comment--best book club discussion ever? best meal eaten with a book group? And you'll be entered in a drawing for an advanced copy of THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS.

EAT SOMETHING WEIRD TODAY

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Back in January, my daughter and I embarked on an adventure we'd wanted to try for the last couple of years. We signed up for an organic produce co-op. We pick up our half share every other Saturday from a drop point that is about two blocks from my house.

At first we thought a half share might not be enough for two two-person households, but we've found it works out pretty well. My daughter got the lion's share when I was traveling so much in the winter and spring. (We'll see if we fight over the corn and tomatoes when the summer crops start coming in!)

But as the produce is all organic and most is local and seasonal, our winter/spring shares have presented some challenges. We're both good cooks and adventurous eaters, but we'd never had kohlrabi, or sorrel, and had no idea there were so many things you could do with beets.  A few items defeated us, like the weird radish-like THING. I think it was a vegetable...

Last Saturday's share, pictured above, contained, among the bounty, an unidentified but yummy green, and dandelion greens. So far I haven't done more than nibble at the dandelions, although they're supposed to be really good for you. (Any suggestions, folks?)

I did make the suggested recipe from the previous pick-up, which was absolutely delish:

SHITAKE AND GREENS BREAKFAST TORTILLAS

(I cooked all the greens, onions and mushrooms, then used them with eggs and tortillas over a few days.  There was no way dear hubby would eat greens or shitake mushrooms!)

1 dozen organic eggs
1 clamshell organic shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 bunch organic greens (sorrel, spinach, chard, or beet greens) chopped
1 organic yellow onion, sliced
12 organic corn tortillas
real salt and fresh cracked pepper
1/4 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp organic butter

Scramble eggs in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions, stirring occasionally until softened. Add mushrooms, cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped greens and stir until softened. Add 1 tbsp butter and season with salt and pepper. Place in bowl and set aside.

Reduce heat to low and 2 tbsp oil to skillet. Add eggs. Push eggs around pan occasionally. When the eggs are almost done, remove skillet from heat and finish cooking. Add salt and pepper to taste and place eggs in bowl.

Heat the tortillas in the skillet. To serve, spoon eggs into a tortilla and top with mushroom mixture.

(Courtesy of the Urban Acres Kitchen.)  

While I was trying these sometimes strange new things, I learned  that a friend's mother has been diagnosed with a degenerative disease, and although she is still mobile, she can no longer have food or liquid by mouth.  And I couldn't imagine the loss of TASTING. All the weird and wonderful things we can eat are such a joy!

I've also just read our Lucy Burdette's wonderful new book, TOPPED CHEF (which made me want to cook like mad) and I kept going back to one of the book's chapter epigraphs:

"I always tell people, just put it in your mouth," she said. "What's the worst that can happen? You're not going to die. Either you're going to like it or not." Emma Hearst, chef at Sorella 

So here's my challenge for today, REDS and READERS:  Tell us what you've eaten lately that you've never tried before?

      

Lucy Burdette's TOPPED CHEF: A Lethal Cook-off

 
HALLIE EPHRON: Watch out, Hayley Snow the food critic for Key Zest is back!

Lucy Burdette's new Hayley Snow mystery TOPPED CHEF is completely hysterical and for a serious foodie like me, completely divine. In this one Hayley gets rooked into judging a chefs' competition. She's horrified to discover that one of her fellow judges is a chef whom she'd just a soon avoid -- she just gave his restaurant a scathing review.

No worries, because in short order that fellow judge is in no position to give her any grief at all, and Hayley is up to her neck in intrigue.

What I love about this book is the way Lucy uses the three competitors to poke out there. Like... molecular gastronomy.

LUCY BURDETTE: So here's the thing: I had to come up with three foodie candidates for the TV show, and there were already four judges. That's seven characters and I haven't even added the Key West regulars! How were readers going to keep track of them? The clearest way seemed to be how and what they cook--and as one of the characters says, "what is their philosophy of cooking?"

I had lots of fun imagining how the three chefs would think about food and what they’d prepare. One of them leans toward home-style Southern food (a carping judge calls him “Paula Deen squared"); a second cooks from the tradition of molecular gastronomy (a lot of spheres and fumes); and the third, now that I think about it, is a little lost. Although she did produce some killer key lime cupcakes for the wedding challenge.

HALLIE: Okay, so make us jealous. What kind of research did you need to do for TOPPED CHEF?

LUCY: I'm afraid you all will line up and throw cream pies at me if I wax on too long about Key West. I will say that Hayley has a disastrous date at Michael's Restaurant. She eats exactly what I ate. And there is a fabulous event every year called the KEY WEST FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL. It's basically a taste of Key West, but it goes on for three days--a perfect backdrop for a cozy mystery!

HALLIE:  Being a restaurant critic is Hayley's dream job. Is it one you ever dreamed about?

LUCY: I love to eat, and I love to eat good food. But not fancy, fussy stuff. I don't think I'd enjoy being a food critic in real life--when I go out to eat, I like to choose what I feel like eating, not what I think other folks want to hear about. And I draw lines where my character Hayley Snow, cannot. For instance, tentacles. Raw fish and meat. Slimy things. Like that:).

HALLIE:  Oh, Lucy, lead me right over to all the tentacles and raw fish you pass up. Mmmm.

Key West is so quirky and filled with so many memorable characters. Tell us about one who turns up in this book, hopefully not dead.

LUCY: If you've read the first two books in the series, you'll remember meeting Lorenzo, the tarot card reader--he's one of my faves and he shows up in TOPPED CHEF too.

But then last year I offered an auction item to benefit the Waterfront Playhouse--naming rights to a character in TOPPED CHEF. The man who won the auction sent me a photo and bio of the character he wanted me to include--Randy Thompson, an actual drag queen who performs at the Aqua Bar as Victoria.

I didn't have the heart to explain that I'd offered naming rights, not character development rights. So I took the real Randy to lunch to talk about the psychology of drag queens and watched him (her) perform a few times, and expanded the character from those points. He's utterly adorable and the character turned out to be so much fun!

HALLIE: You were definitely in luck. Randy could have been a computer programmer or an insurance salesman.

Where will your readers find you promoting this book?

LUCY: My kick-off party will take place at RJ Julia booksellers in Madison CT on May 8 at 7 pm. We always have cake and champagne--please come if you can!

I am also doing a blog tour and after that, a "Molly Weston" tour of the Raleigh/Durham area with Hallie and Jennifer McMahon. I'm so looking forward to that! All the details can be found on my website.

Here's a link for ordering the book, and a fabulous book trailer.

HALLIE: Thanks, Lucy! Lucy will be giving away a signed copy of TOPPED CHEF to one lucky commenter, so let's hear from you.

My question: What are your "raw meat and tentacles" -- the foods you'd rather not see on your plate, thanks very much.

Spring Housekeeping

 No, you don't need mops and brooms...

Jungle Red readers, it's a new month and the start of a very exciting spring reading season. We want to keep you in the loop and make sure you know what's coming up. Here's the dope:
Coming February 5, Rhys Bowen's e-story The Face in the Mirror
 

Also the first Molly Murphy book, MURPHY'S LAW, reissued as a trade paperback.

 

 

On February 19: THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS, by Deborah Crombie

 

On March 5, THE FAMILY WAY by Rhys Bowen 

Also the trade paperback edition of HUSH NOW, DON'T YOU CRY
 







On April 2, THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN by Hallie Ephron

Join Hallie's mailing list
 









On May 7, TOPPED CHEF by Lucy Burdette

 








And coming this summer:

On July 2, THE OTHER WOMAN in paperback! by Hank Phillippi Ryan 

On August 6, HEIRS AND GRACES, A Royal Spyness mystery, by Rhys Bowen

In September, THE WRONG GIRL by Hank Phillippi Ryan 


And we know since you're here, that you like us. But do you really like us? Please click on our Facebook fan pages so you don't miss a trick..

Rhys Bowen  
Deborah Crombie 
Hallie Ephron
Lucy Burdette 
Hank Phillippi Ryan 
Julia Spencer-Fleming 
Rosemary Harris 

And if you want us to "like" you back, leave your links in the comment section. And come back tomorrow for some unusual key lime pie....

COVER STORY

LUCY BURDETTE:  Before I became a published author, the workings of publishing were all a mystery. Well. Hmmm. They still are in lots of ways. 

But now I know a few things, such as that somewhere about 9 or 10 months before the book is due out, there’s a cover conference, including folks from editorial, marketing, and art departments. I’m lucky with the Key West series to have an editor who asks if I have any ideas. And I’ve learned that it pays to have them! In fact for the book coming out next May, TOPPED CHEF (which is not my first choice of title but that’s another blog post), I sent them the link to the Pinterest board I’d developed for the book.

For DEATH IN FOUR COURSES, when my editor asked for suggestions, I mentioned the Audubon House in Key West, where a major cocktail party takes place on the first night of the Key West Loves Literature event. There are lovely gardens, including a decorative pool containing metal statues of wading birds. I could just imagine a body bobbing up through the lily pads. I told her I would love to see the cover involve this little dipping pool with the birds, one of which was the murder weapon….and maybe a little plate of chocolate-covered strawberries and lamb chop bones on the side?? So I sent in this terrific picture that my friend Angelo Pompano had taken when he visited KW.

Cats are very popular on cozy covers and so I also hoped they’d include the white cat who discovers an important clue to the murder. For inspiration, I sent this photo of a typical Key West white cat. (The red on his nose is from allergies.)

Here was the first sketch from the artists, who are an illustration team working under the name Griesbach/Martucci. I loved this draft! Although maybe the lamb chops looked a little misshapen...and my

editor thought it needed some opening up with a bit of beach, so the greenery wouldn't feel claustrophobic.

(First thought: but there is no beach near the Audubon House. Second thought, never mind reality, this is fiction!)

Here is the finished cover, which is probably my favorite of the ten books I have out so far. As my agent has said, the cover fairies have been busy...

How about you Jungle Red writers and readers? Have you had a cover that you thought was fabulous--or maybe a dud? Do you choose books by their covers? 

(And can't resist one small nudge--you can order these books right here