The Comfort Of A Cozy Mystery... with Esme Addison

HALLIE EPHRON: Quick quiz: Which movie would you rather watch right now: Singin' in the Rain or Contagion? As for me, I'm on my fifth time reading the Harry Potter Books, so today's guest, Esme Addison's contention that many of us are looking for light reading, as we wait for the light at the end of the tunnel, rings true.

Esme is the author of A Spell of Trouble, an Enchanted Bay mystery with a protagonist who finds herself trying to help out estranged relatives who run an herbal apothecary known for its remarkably potent teas, salves, and folk remedies. These days we could all use a stash of those!

Welcome, Esme!

ESME ADDISON: The family featured in my story - the Sobieskis -  are Polish-American, so there’s Polish food. If you’re Polish or have lived in an area with a large community of Poles, you’ve probably had some good authentic Polish food. It’s hearty, tasty and very satisfying. What’s more comforting than a big, hot bowl of zupa koperkowa (Polish Dill Soup) or a slice of slightly sweet, moist placek z jablka (apple cake)? 

Comfort is on a lot of people’s mind right now. Whether it’s a comfort read or comfort food, we’re looking to be soothed, to feel good. And that’s why cozy mysteries are the perfect escape to a place of contentment and well-being. With the help of a few familiar elements, including lovingly prepared, satisfying foods cozies help us relive good memories and envision better times to come

Cozy mysteries are known to feature small town feels, close-knit communities, supportive families, down-to-earth characters and good, comfort eating… Did I mention food? Someone is always fixin’ somebody something to eat in a cozy mystery. Whether it’s chicken soup for a cold, fresh bread for supper or an apple pie for dessert. And I knew when I wrote my debut cozy, A Spell For Trouble that comfort food would be integral to the story.

Comfort food is an important element in my story, same for most cozies. Surprisingly, A Spell For Trouble is not a culinary cozy, but it is about family. Lidia, the aunt of the main character in my story is always feeding her family. Don’t we all have a mother, grandmother or aunt like this? For them, it’s an act of love, an attempt to fix, and while it doesn’t always correct problems, it certainly helps.

So, you’ll find a lot of Polish desserts in the Enchanted Bay Mystery series, and that’s because my mother-in-law who is Polish made us a lot of scratch-made desserts. And coffee. And we’d sit and talk. If not cake and coffee, it was kielbasa, potato cakes, homemade pickles, fresh bread… shots of vodka. The food and drink never stopped flowing. And it felt good, the hospitality amazing. A feeling of warmth, of comfort… of love.

And that was my hope for A Spell For Trouble, that the inclusion of comfort foods would be a balm for the reader. And isn’t that what we need right now? To be comforted. To know that everything will be alright? 

In this post, I’m sharing two photographs of meals my mother-in-law prepared for us when we visited them in Poland last year. Everything she made for us was made with love.

What is your go-to comfort food? 

If we’re not talking Polish food, well… I’m from the south. And for me it’s macaroni and cheese, the butterier, the cheesier… the better.

HALLIE: I confess, these days I am big into and comfort foods. Pecan sticky buns would be my #1. And not far down the list, mac and cheese.
Esme Addison has wanted to solve mysteries ever since she discovered Nancy Drew. As a mystery author, she's finally found a way to make that dream come true. When not writing, she can be found visiting breweries, wineries, and historical sites. A former military spouse, she currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with her family.

A Spell for Trouble - Aleksandra Daniels hasn't set foot in the quiet seaside town of Bellamy Bay, North Carolina in over twenty years. Ever since her mother's tragic death, her father has mysteriously forbidden her from visiting her aunt and cousins. But on a whim, Alex accepts an invitation to visit her estranged relatives and to help them in their family business: an herbal apothecary known for its remarkably potent teas, salves, and folk remedies.

Bellamy Bay doesn't look like trouble, but this is a town that harbors dark secrets. Alex discovers that her own family is at the center of salacious town gossip, and that they are rumored to be magical healers descended from mermaids. She brushes this off as nonsense until a local is poisoned and her aunt Lidia is arrested for the crime. Alex is certain Lidia is being framed, and she resolves to find out why.

Alex's investigation unearths stories that some have gone to desperate lengths to conceal: forbidden affairs, family rivalries, and the truth about Alex's own ancestry. And when the case turns deadly, Alex learns that not only are these secrets worth hiding, but they may even be worth killing for.

Giveaway
Giving away one copy of A Spell For Trouble. Please subscribe to my newsletter at https://esmeaddison.com/newsletter/ and comment on your favorite comfort food below + let me know you subscribed.

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And learn more about her at esmeaddison.com

Pumpkin Spice Peril is out TODAY!!!

Available TODAY AT 25% OFF in pbk and ebook formats!

JENN McKINLAY: I remember when my publisher accepted the title of this book, my editor said, "Your release date is in April, prepare for some pushback about pumpkin spice being in a title being released before September." 

Okay, I knew there were pumpkin spice haters -- to which, I say, "whatever" -- and I was duly prepared to defend my title to any and all. I was like, "Come at me, bruhs, with your pumpkin spice hatred." 

Clearly, I had no idea I was going to be releasing Cupcake Bakery Mystery #12 (We're at a DOZEN!!!) in the middle of a global pandemic and needless to say the haters have bigger windmills to tilt at than my modest cupcake based cozy mystery. I think this is most likely because no one has any idea of what day it is anyway. At this point, if someone told me it was September, I'd believe it. So, there's that. 

For me, a Pumpkin Spice Latte is something I enjoy once or maybe twice in autumn, when it's finally below 90 degrees here in the desert. It's like my love of the Shamrock Shake every March. The Hooligans and I live for those but we only have one or maybe two -- okay, they probably have five of six. It's a happy spring ritual that I don't really think that much about. 

But here's what I learned about the PSL (pumpkin spice latte), arguably the start of all things pumpkin spice, and the controversy surrounding it. Pumpkin Spice Lattes were unleashed to the world by Stabucks in August of 2003. The flavor peaked in popularity in 2014 but has become controversial because, as something enjoyed predominantly by women, it must be derided and mocked or so the people watching the controversy say. 

Given that I write cozies, rom-coms, and now women's fiction (all genres considered less than by the mainstream, because they are predominantly women centric - we won't even get into the fact that their markets are huge and they earn WAY more money than most other genres...ahem) this is territory with which I am quite familiar. 

As my friends Leah and Bea, from The Ripped Bodice Bookstore, wrote:

Read More:  Here

There was also this terrific piece from Vox: Pumpkin spice lattes — and the backlash, and the backlash to the backlash — explained: They talk about the life cycle of pumpkin spice, which has come full circle with people (women) pushing back and defending their choice of pumpkin laced coffee by saying (I'm paraphrasing here), "The world is on fire, let me enjoy my pumpkiny goodness in peace." 
I don't know about you, but I can totally respect that.

So, Reds and Readers, do you enjoy Pumpkin Spice (you knew I had to ask) and if not, what is a food you enjoy that is only seasonal?

Now here's A DOZEN cupcakes for you: Crazy, am I right?

Weddings To Die For with Maggie McConnon and Marla Cooper

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: In much of the country, it's still cold, wet and wintry, but if you're one of the the 2.5 million couples tying the knot this year, you know it's practically June already - how's your to-do list? Weddings are such a near-universal experience - if you don't get hitched yourself, you've almost certainly been a guest or a member of the bridal party. It's no wonder wedding cozies have proven so popular. Readers are able to enjoy the drama, pageantry, romance and food without having to get dressed up or drop $$$ on an Omega 8006 juicer. 

Maggie McConnon (you may have enjoyed her writing as Maggie Barbieri) and Marla Cooper join us today as art of their 'Weddings to Die For' tour. So pour yourself a glass of champagne, pick the fish or the beef, and settle down to find out how they make the magic happen.

Lovable gourmet-chef-turned-wedding-caterer Belfast McGrath is back to solve another murder in the second book in McConnon’s cozy mystery series, BEL OF THE BRAWL (on sale: March 7, 2017).

Wedding planner turned sleuth, Kelsey McKenna is back this time in beautiful California wine country, a perfect dream wedding spot, in Marla Cooper’s hilarious follow-up DYING ON THE VINE (on sale: April 4, 2017).

JULIA: I have to ask...why weddings?

Maggie: Weddings combine all of the things I love as a writer: drama, food, and family. When you can put all three of those things together in a story, the book practically writes itself. I have never heard about or attended a wedding where there wasn't at least a little bit of drama; even on my own relatively drama-free wedding day, a hurricane swept through an hour before the ceremony, soaking the bottom of my dress and trapping some of my family in their station wagon on the East Side Drive in New York City until the water subsided.

Marla: The simple explanation (that doesn’t make me sound like a terrible person) is that I ghostwrote a nonfiction book with a destination wedding planner and got a crash course in a career that also happened to be perfect for an amateur sleuth. Now, just between you and me — and let’s just keep this between us, okay? — I’m also fascinated by the sheer potential for drama that only a wedding can provide. Heightened emotions, petty (or not so petty) jealousy, long-simmering resentments, all being fueled by champagne toasts and an open bar… everyone’s supposed to be on their best behavior, but they seldom are.

JULIA: Just yesterday, we were talking with Edith Maxwell about the importance of locale in a cozy mystery. How and why did you choose your settings?

Maggie: I'm a native New Yorker so I write what I know. From the Hudson Valley to the Staten Island Ferry, I feel at home. Plus, there's no better place to experiment with new types of food than New York which help me visualize new recipes for Belfast McGrath and new menus for Shamrock Manor.

Marla: [California Wine Country is] such a beautiful area — and it happens to be just over an hour’s drive from my house. I actually attended a wedding up in Sonoma County, and while I was staying up there I took a tour of a winery that included their wine cave. Talk about inspiration! I think I freaked out the tour guide a little while I was asking him how long it would be plausible for someone to be locked in a wine cave and not be discovered. (Oh, and also? Wine.)

JULIA: There's a lot of humor in both of your books. Do you have to work to bring the funny? Or does it come naturally?

Maggie: It is harder for me not to add humor to my work than it is to try to incorporate it into the story. Coming from a big Irish family, humor and storytelling is in my blood. The Irish can take the darkest of situations and find something to laugh about. I'm not sure where that comes from, if it's a byproduct of years of national struggle or something else, but there is nothing funnier than an Irish sense of humor, in my opinion, and I try to bring a bit of humor to even the saddest or darkest parts of any story that I'm working on.

Marla: For me, writing is a form of play, an escape from the everyday world. The best days as a writer are when I’m just having fun with it and make myself laugh without even trying. In fact, trying to be funny rarely works for me. When I read back over it, the humor always falls flat and I end up cutting it. You know what is hard, though? Trying to balance humor in a murder mystery. I should have probably thought of that before I settled on a genre!

JULIA: What are your best wedding stories, dear readers? Ever been part of a celebration you thought might drive you to murder? Two lucky commenters will win either DYING ON THE VINE or BEL OF THE BRAWL!

You can find out more about Maggie McConnon/Maggie Barbieri at her web site. Read an excerpt of BEL OF THE BRAWL, friend her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter as @MaggieBarbieri.

You can talk about books with Marla Cooper on Goodreads. Read an excerpt of DYING ON THE VINE, friend her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter as @kindacozy

Raven winner: ONCE UPON A CRIME

HALLIE: Jungle Red is happy to congratulate Once Upon a Crime! Owners Pat Frovarp and Gary Shulze are being honored tonight(!) with the Raven Award by Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar Awards banquet .

We're so delighted to have Pat and Gary visiting today.

I had the great good fortune of visiting their delightful Minneapolis store when one of my first novels came out, and I was charmed Pat an Gary who, with their warmth a generosity, made me feel so welcome.

It's that same spirit that has been bringing readers back to the store, year after year, to buy more books.

Pat, Gary, do you two have different tastes in books? Do you think women readers prefer to read different kinds of books than men?

PAT & GARY: We like a lot of the same books. We have loads of regular customers, mostly women, who love cozies, and we have racks and end caps with the new cozies. Plus there are women whose tastes run, like ours, to the more hardboiled stuff, too. Lee Child's best audience is women; the same with John Sandford. Hunks as protagonists.

We do have a few customers who refuse to read women mystery writers. Sometimes we want to pass off someone with initials and see how they feel. Remember when J. A. Jance went as JA because she couldn't get published? Alex Kava sells really well to men and women - most everyone think she's a man.

And we have a ton of regular women readers who only want to read women writers. Guess it's because they want to support women because women had such a hard time breaking into the genre.

HALLIE: Sounds like you really know your customers.

PAT & GARY: We have so many loyal customers who keep coming back. Our formula seems to work. We recognize people by name. We try to be accommodating and and pay attention to the customers. People can come here and find an entire author's back list. People recommend us - every day we have people who show up and say, "I finally got here!"

We have a reading group and our local chapter of SinC. We've got a pretty good chapter her. We give discounts to encourage people to shop here.

HALLIE: What sells best at Once Upon a Crime?

PAT & GARY: Local authors in hard cover. Paperback cozies outsell anything.

HALLIE: Do you agree on the books you love?

PAT & GARY: Sometimes. When we do, we sell the crap out of them. The majority of our sales are hand sells.

Right now we're recommending Steve Hamilton's The Lock Artist which just got nominated for the Edgar. It kind of transcends typical crime thrillers. Part coming of age story, nice romance in it with a kid, really good characters, and some nice arcane information about safe cracking in it. The protagonist is mute, which is tough to pull off.

Another is a book just out from Poison Pen, Big Wheat, set in 1919 Dakotas during the threshing harvest, after the war and right before the dust bowl. It's got marvelous information about the mechanics of steam and threshing which I thought would be so boring. I probably sell two or three a day. It helps that he's local.

Pat really loved a thriller, Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry. It's about a woman who lives near Vancouver on a ferry going to an island she sees someone throwing a child off the deck of the ferry and without thinking she jumps in and saves the child and keeps the child. And she starts snooping around and finds odd things going on.

HALLIE: Writing those down and putting them in my TBR list!

I know the store is a "labor of love," but you guys took that to extremes by getting married in the store.

PAT & GARY: We got married in the store. The oncology chaplain at Methodist Hospital where Gary spent months when he had leukemia came and married us. It was us and seven people who happened to find out that we were getting married. (On top of that, it was the day the bridge collapsed and people just couldn't get there.)

HALLIE: I know that was on the FIFTH anniversary of your buying the store. A 'cozy' wedding sounds just right for Once Upon a Crime.