Searching for Place

LUCY BURDETTE: You know that Key West as a place is important to me both because we live there half a year and because it’s the setting for my series. (The Mango Murders, number 15, coming to a bookstore near you on August 12!) I like nothing better than hearing from a reader about how much they enjoy visiting Key West vicariously or, how they have literally traveled in Hayley Snow’s footsteps, eating what she’s eaten, stopping to admire places she’s been.

Lorenzo and Dominique the cat man at Mallory Square

I travel this way as a reader myself. Sometimes I adore a book or series so much that I must travel there. You might remember this happened with Shetland, because of Ann Cleeves’ Jimmy Perez series.

At the end of May, John and I traveled to France for our vacation/anniversary. Yes, we went to my beloved Paris, but we first spent three days in Saint-Malo, a tiny peninsula on the north coast of Brittany. Once I knew we were going, I determined to read All the Light You Cannot See, which had been languishing on my bedside table forever. This walled city was bombed by the allies at the end of World War II, both in the book and the movie, and in reality. It has since been rebuilt, almost every stone put back in place, so that you can imagine what it looked like in the early 1940s. I could imagine the main character Marie Laure’s life as we walked the bumpy cobblestones of the old streets.

Here’s a bakery at approximately the place she visited over the course of the book carrying messages to and from the resistance.

Here is the path to the island that’s underwater at high tide where she loved to escape.

St Malo from across the bay…

Have you traveled to a place because you read about it in a novel? Are there places you’re longing to go (real or fictional) after reading about them?

Your Flamingo Moment of Zen @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Believe it or not, Key West is not a relaxing place during the holidays! The town is mobbed with families and partiers and everything in between, and the crowds can feel quite stressful. However, following on yesterday's post about gifts, one of the things I planned for my sister and brother-in-law and John and our friends Stan and Zita was a private trip to the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, including a flamingle, which I booked last spring. 

After the rest of the crowds leave, and after you are given instructions about flamingo visits (don’t touch, no sudden moves, will hose you off if they poop on you) we were let inside. Six people sit on the bench and the flamingos are let out of their pond. Alex, our guide, says they very much look forward to these visits. Here are some photos from this wonderful experience! We loved it and here’s hoping you will too. 

Here they on are the way to meet us:

the conductor

taking a breather

And finally...Do you like my hat?

How about you Reds, were you able to find a quiet moment amongst the holiday zaniness?

What We’re Writing: Lucy is Scrambling!

LUCY BURDETTE: This time of year, with the two holidays tumbling one after the other and the high season launching in Key West, it’s hard to stay focused. In spite of that, I finished the edits for Key West food critic mystery number 15. It’s up for preorder, and I think it's now called The Mango Murders, though it's still minus cover art. It feels a little naked without a cover, but let me assure you that the words are all there and the rest of it will come.

If you followed the blog post a couple of weeks ago in which Julia begged for tips to keep focused, you might remember that several of us threatened to start a mini group designed to keep our our goals for the next books on track. I always find this helpful. I managed to type out 4300 words the first week, reinventing my thumb and forearm tendinitis in the process. But I’ve got a good start on a new book and have spent some time this past week figuring out what could be happening after a strong opening. (Hopefully you will find it strong!) This isn’t the very very beginning, because I don’t want to give you a spoiler. Deputy Darcy Rogers, who’s been Hayley’s nemesis in the past, arrives at their home with a proposal. Nathan’s gone to fetch her a beer, leaving the two women talking.

“My grandma always said the present moment was a precious gift that often went unappreciated. That present moment is the only moment where we are.”

“Wow,” I said, bringing my rocker to a standstill. “She was deep.”

Darcy Rogers laughed. “She was. I didn’t get my personality from her side of the family.”

Nathan returned and handed her a Stella Artois beer. They chatted for a few minutes about the fentanyl bust that had almost brought Fantasy Fest to a standstill. I watched, wondering what in the world she was really after. She had never, not once, dropped in on us for a friendly chat.

“I’ll get to what I came for, because I can see Hayley is wondering.” She winked at me. “You probably read about Florida's new law, called the Safe Exchange of Minor Children?” 

Nathan nodded. I shook my head no.

  “It’s also called the "Cassie Carli Law", after Cassie Carli, a Florida mother who went missing after a custody exchange. The law requires all Sheriff’s departments to arrange a neutral place with video recording available where parents can safely exchange their children,” she explained to me. “You can’t imagine the horror stories we’ve heard about uncooperative parents fighting like demons. This cuts down on a lot of potential problems.”

My husband’s face was beginning to morph from curious to slightly stony. “This concerns us because?”

Darcy drained the last of her beer and settled it on the table between us. “We’re looking for a civilian who might accompany a young woman on a child custody exchange, and I thought of Hayley.”

LUCY AGAIN: I’ve also been working on the beginning of another project which I’m not going to tell you about for fear of jinxing myself. But I’m confirming what I thought about myself which is it’s hard to work on two things at the same time. I am going to figure this out! 

How about you Reds, do the holidays derail you or are you able to enjoy them as ‘the precious moment where we are’?

ps three of the Key West ebooks are on sale for $1.99 through December!

A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS

A DISH TO DIE FOR

LUCY BURDETTE'S KITCHEN

What We're Writing: Lucy's Throwing a Party

 LUCY BURDETTE: I’m deep into the first draft of Key West food critic mystery #15, as yet untitled and uncovered. You might remember that the book kicks off with the explosion of a boat off Mallory Square—the craft on which Hayley Snow and her mom and stepfather and many other Key West celebrities and characters are sailing.  Of course you’ll see a lot more about that event, but a second plot line runs alongside: the celebration of Miss Gloria’s 85th birthday. I love writing about parties and food in this series, woven around the murder investigations. I think it gives the reader (and me) a little break from the tragic events and consequences. The hat that Miss Gloria is wearing is like one that I bought for myself for a big birthday. (No it was not 85!)  

For once, my mother wasn’t having to cook all the food. She had insisted on preparing some hors d’oeuvres in advance—non-fussy dishes such as mounds of Key West pink shrimp, her famous cheese wafers, and a fancy Italian cheese, olives, and charcuterie board, so that Martha Hubbard could focus on the main course. Even with her cooking responsibilities minimalized, she’d been at the club house most of the afternoon to make sure the decorations were set up to her liking. The house looked even more stunning than usual, with glorious tropical flowers spilling out of their vases everywhere, amongst photos of Miss Gloria with her family and friends at all stages of life. Tables had been set up in the living room, dressed in white lace with pale pink napkins, good silver, and more flowers. Already the rooms felt alive with chattering guests, even though we’d had to make some hard decisions about the invitation list. Having lived on the island for over thirty years, my neighbor had befriended and was adored by a lot of people.

I found the guest of honor in the parlor, aka formerly the men’s smoking lounge. She looked adorable, positively radiant. We’d spent a lot of time last week trying out hair mousse and then combing her short white pixie so the little peaks stood up to her satisfaction. She pulled a fast one by showing me two different sweatsuits that she pretended to be choosing between, each of them baggy in the knees and elbows, though studded with her favorite rhinestones. In the end, she wore navy silk balloon pants, a white lace top, and a sparkling birthday crown with Birthday Princess written in sequins that I’d ordered for her on Etsy. It had roses and pink tulle scattered all over and glittery gold trim on the points of the crown. Wearing it, Miss Gloria reminded me of all the good fairies I’d imagined in my childhood. I hurried over to squeeze her into a hug and kiss her. 

“You little dickens,” I whispered. “All this time I worried you were wearing a saggy, faded old sweatsuit to your own party.”

“A gal has to have some secrets, even from you,” she said, her eyes sparkling with laughter. “It was fun to tease you and watch you be all careful and considerate of my awful taste.”

“You’re not only a dickens, you’re a little devil,” I said laughing and pulling her into another hug.

Question for readers: Do you enjoy nonstop, pulse-pounding action, or prefer to take a break sometimes with humor and fun?

Meanwhile, you can pre-order Lucy Burdette’s Kitchen (July 23) and A POISONOUS PALATE (August 6.)

What kind of visitor are you?

LUCY BURDETTE: This winter, we had quite a few guests/visitors in Key West. I cannot blame people for wanting to get away from winter, as that’s why we are here! But after we had three sets in a row, (not everyone staying in our two bedroom condo), I noticed the differences in types of visitors. Some of them have been to Key West a number of times, like our family, and they also have small children, so that makes their interests different to begin with. With that group, we spent lots of time at the waterpark, and on bicycles, and in the swimming pool, and making super early reservations that would allow for eating before the kids fell apart.

When John’s sisters came, two of the three had not visited the island before and they had a very distinct list of things they wanted to see. (Which we added to!) They were open to everything, pinging from pickleball in the morning to visiting the Hemingway house and the Little White House and shopping and eating out. They had lots of fun and so did we, though it was nice to be able to pick and choose among the items on their list. Let me not forget that John’s sister Lisa also was a good sport about a ukulele jam session and pseudo concert, and also wanted to meet Lorenzo aka Ron from the food critic mysteries.

Another pair of guests had never visited Key West, and in fact, we had not seen them in close to 20 years. They did not have a wish list and did not want to get caught up in FOMO, fear of missing out. We encouraged them to take the Conch tour train so they could get the overview of the island and visit our two favorite places, the Hemingway house, and the Truman Little White House. They might have been happy sitting for two days on the deck or by the pool, but we wanted them to see a little bit of our quirky island. There was also a ukulele and harmonica and singing fest involved--so much fun! I'll share the photo but save you from the video:)

 

So here’s my question of the day: when you are a visitor, do you come prepared with things you want to do and see? Or are you happier going with the flow? As a host, what is your preference for visitors?

Lucy is Borrowing Bits from Life #amwriting

Lucy and John Mallory Square sunset

 LUCY BURDETTE: I am feeling my way through the 15th Key West mystery, hoping to scribble most of the story on the pages before we drive north for the summer. As always, there have been distractions. Two weeks ago, we had our kids and grandkids visiting—there wasn't much work getting done! But even when not actually writing, I’m always watching and listening, looking for interesting bits of real life to weave into my books. One night we planned to have dinner near Mallory Square at sunset, where the inciting event of the 15th book, an explosion on a boat, occurs.  I took my granddaughter Thea over to see the square while we were waiting for our food. One of the acrobat/performers was there and I introduced him to Thea. Later, he chose her to help him with his act—and that became a snippet of the background in this chapter.

In the scene below, Hayley and her mother return to Mallory Square the day after the explosion, trying to figure out what happened. It's important because not only were they on the ill-fated boat, but they’d also hoped the cruise would bring a boost to their reputations and business. Worst of all, they’ve also just learned that someone on that boat died. They visit their friend, Lorenzo, the tarot card reader, but also talk with a pair of acrobat/jugglers who had been performing that night. 

Tobin and his partner, David, wearing their trademark bright red pants, black shirts, and black shoes, were finishing up their performance. This time they’d included a little girl in pink leggings and a blue shirt with hearts—she stood in the center of the ring holding up giant knives, while the crowd around her chanted “Thea, Thea, Thea!” When he was finished, Tobin thanked her for her assistance and tucked a ten-dollar bill into her fist. Then he thanked the spectators and encouraged them to drop tips into a glass jar. He was drenched with sweat, and looked tired but wound up, too. He was much like Lorenzo in that his work took a lot of concentration and energy, though Lorenzo’s was more mental and Tobin’s physical. 

We waited to approach him until the last of his admirers—the smiling girl who was now holding her father’s hand—moved away. I introduced my mother and explained that we had been on the boat that had blown up the night before. 

The cheery smile fell from his face. “Sorry to hear that, hope you’re okay.”

“Pretty much, just a few post-calamity jitters.” We all laughed, a bit hysterically in my case. “I know it’s unlikely, because you were working hard, but I wondered if you might have seen anything unexpected in the water or on a nearby boat before the fire started and all those emergency vehicles arrived? Apparently, the police haven’t yet come to a conclusion about what caused the accident.” If it was one, I thought but did not say.

Tobin absorbed my question carefully, rasping his knuckles over the stubble on his chin. This made me wonder whether he had pre-game rituals, such as eating certain food or not shaving until after a performance, like some professional athletes did.

 “You’ve probably reviewed all of this with the authorities,” my mother added, “but might it be helpful to talk about what you noticed before the incident occurred?”

He nodded at her. “We were in the middle of one of our shows when all the shouting started and we the heard the boom. A precarious point,” he added, with a small grin, “because I remember bobbling a little on the ladder. I was upside down at that moment, balanced on my partner’s shoulders. Everything looks different from that perspective.”

“Can’t imagine,” my mother murmured, nodding with encouragement.

“Nothing out of the ordinary sticks out that I can think of. It was a pretty good crowd for this time of year. And we’d snagged the cutest kid to help with our act. That always helps with tips.” He winked. “It looked like smooth sailing on the Gulf; I saw nothing that would have caused me to predict trouble. Oh.” He stopped for a minute and rubbed his chin again.

“It’s possible someone dropped off the edge of that boat and swam to a nearby dinghy. It didn’t register at the time, and maybe I’m making the whole thing up, but it’s possible that it happened this way.”

So that’s tiniest bit of real life worked into the story—it amuses me and I hope it amuses the folks I include as well. Have you noticed real life details in the fiction you read?

Spaghetti Bolognese @LucyBurdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: Last week it got chilly in Key West (60 degrees in the morning!) And we were having an unexpected dinner party of 6, including one fellow going through a very rough time. This called for spaghetti bolognese--delicious and comforting. My recipe makes a lot of sauce. We had it for dinner for six, and then had leftovers two nights later. If you can make this the night before and simmer a couple hours, it will be even easier and better the next day.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, minced (about a cup--I did this in food processor)
1 and 1/2 cups minced carrots (about 6, ditto food processor)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup white wine
2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 cup of milk

Saute the onions and carrots in the olive oil about 5 minutes in a big stockpot. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds more. Scrape the vegetables out of the pot onto a plate. Brown the beef, breaking it up into crumbles. Drain the fat. Add the veggies back into the pot with the drained meat. Now add wine and cook this down a little. (We happened to have the white wine left over so I used some of that--you could use either color and be fine.)

Now add the tomatoes, breaking them up in the pot as you stir. I like to make sure little hunks of skin are not left on the fruit before I add them to the pot, but you be the judge of whether running into skin in your sauce will annoy you:). 

Add the tomato paste and the herbs. Some recipes call for fresh chopped parsley, which is delicious if you have it. This last time, I snipped in lots of fresh basil from our balcony garden. 

Add the milk. 
Simmer the whole thing about two hours until alcohol has evaporated and flavors blend. 

Serve this with pasta of your choice topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

What's your go-to comfort food dinner?

Mid-life Transportation Crisis by Elise Hart Kipness

Jenn McKinlay: I am delighted to share this fabulous post by today's guest Elise Hart Kipness. Why? Well, because it is extremely relatable. Take it away, Elise!

Elise Hart Kipness: I never thought I’d have a midlife crisis—maybe because I got married late. Maybe because I considered myself too practical. Or chicken. Maybe because things had been good with my first novel, LIGHTS OUT, getting released and the second in the works.

BUY NOW 

But, I learned last winter that midlife crises can sneak up on you.

My midlife crisis involved transportation. I know—you’re all thinking, a sports car, right? Did I go for the shiny red Porsche or the silver Corvette? Did my husband get mad when I emptied the bank account for an outrageous and frivolous purchase? After all, we’d always been a Subaru-kind of family. But, no. You have it all wrong.

The mode of transportation I ended up with was a standup electric scooter. Let that sink in. A middle-age-ish mom of two college boys riding around for three months on a standup scooter. Too cool for school, right? 

Full picture—my husband bought me a very pretty powder blue scooter and himself, an orange one. He still does not consider the standup scooter a midlife crisis. He sees it as a practical way to get around Key West, our new home during the winter. “We’re wearing helmets,” he will point out to anyone who asks. 

And it was fun. We’d ride to dinner on our scooters, not having to worry about parking. We’d zip to the farmers market or a concert. Did I worry that something might happen? Maybe. A little, but then, I can be a worrier.

You probably know where this is going. A dark night on a quiet street—I hit a divot in the road. The scooter came to a stop but I kept going. I flew through the air and landed in the middle of the street. I remember the seconds before I landed. I knew I’d be injured, the question was how badly.

I landed on my right arm, kind of in an awkward yoga side-plank. The pain in my arm was excruciating. I was nauseous and couldn’t stand. My husband helped me to the curb and called 911. I was very lucky–my injuries could have been so much worse. I broke my arm in two places and was given a sling. Because the break was near my shoulder (the humerus bone) they couldn’t even put it in a cast, which meant I could keep writing. That was a huge relief as I was in the middle of drafting book two of my Kate Green series.

That night, as I sat up on the couch unable to sleep because of the pain. I stared at the scooter, which my husband had left in the hallway. We had a talk. Well, I spoke to the scooter. It didn’t respond–perhaps shocked or saddened by my words. Perhaps because it’s, you know, an inanimate object. 

“We had fun,” I said. “But this could never be a long term relationship,” I felt tears in my eyes. Wistfulness, maybe? Pain, more likely.  “I need stability.” I continued. We both knew where this was going. I would be trading in the powder blue scooter for a more age-appropriate mode of travel. And, so, if you visit Key West this winter, you will find me driving around in my very sturdy new golf cart. 

This time around—if another flashy object catches my eye, I will practice self-control. I can remain safely planted behind my keyboard and send my main character out for a spin. Kate Green is way cooler than me anyway.

Have you had a midlife crisis? Or can you predict what yours might look like?

About LIGHTS OUT: 

In this exciting debut novel, the first in the series, comes a fast-paced thriller that follows a sports reporter’s journey off the court…and into a world of murder and deception.

Former Olympic athlete and sports reporter Kate Green isn’t sure how much more tumultuous her life can get. She’s been put on temporary leave from her job, then NBA superstar Kurt Robbins is killed and the prime suspect in his murder is none other than his wife…and Kate’s best friend.

Kate knows that Yvette’s marriage wasn’t exactly stable, but her friend is no murderer, and Kate is determined to prove it with her own investigation. While she tries to salvage Yvette’s life, Kate’s own continues to unravel. Her career is in limbo. Gossip columns speculate about her future. Her children are battling their own demons. And her estranged father suddenly reenters her life as a detective assigned to Kurt’s homicide case.

As her worlds collide—exposing secrets, lies, and ulterior motives—Kate may have to choose between the games she can play and the one she might lose.

Elise Hart Kipness is a former television sports reporter turned crime writer. In addition to reporting for Fox Sports Network, Elise was a reporter at New York’s WNBC-TV, News 12 Long Island, NY, and the Associated Press. She is currently Co-President of the newly formed Sisters in Crime Connecticut (SinC-CT). A graduate of Brown University, Elise has two college age sons and three labradoodles. She and her husband divide their time between Stamford, Connecticut and Key West, Florida.

Rhys and Lucy Celebrate Pub Days!

RHYS BOWEN: Hooray, hooray, it's publication day! Champagne all around! Raising a glass to our readers!

It’s always a time for celebration when one of the Reds has a new book out. And today it’s a double celebration because we have two new books—I am excited to launch my new stand-alone THE PARIS ASSIGNMENT, into the world, and Lucy is equally excited for the pub day of her latest in the Hayley Snow Key West series, called  The Clue in the Crumbs. And so we decided to have a little chat about them.  (and this is a photo of the last book launch we did together. What fun that was!)

So congrats, Lucy! And hooray that Hayley is back with us. It’s interesting that we share a pub date, you with a light and fun cozy and me with probably the darkest book I’ve ever written. I think we’re showing the full scope of Jungle Reds! Is this lucky number 13 in the series? Did you ever think it would go on this long? Are you finding it more fun to write now that you know the characters and the setting so well? Or is it harder to come up with new and fresh ideas?  I know these are a lot of questions at once. 

LUCY BURDETTE: Huge congrats to you too, Rhys! It’s an honor to share a launch date with you. I couldn’t even guess what number published book this is for you! I love writing a long series, because the further I get into it, the better I know the characters. Honestly, it feels like the long-term psychotherapy I used to do in my other career as a clinical psychologist—uncovering layers and layers. I don’t ever get bored with my setting because Key West is such a many-layered town, with many visitors and a rich history. The longer I live there, the more I understand about the place, and the more I can show readers.

 But now here’s a question for you, since THE PARIS ASSIGNMENT is a stand-alone. You have so much experience with both long-running series and single titles. Isn’t it harder to think up a whole new set of characters and an entirely new setting? How do you feel about leaving Madeline and her son Oliver behind when you’ve invested so much in them (and put them through multiple wringers!)?

RHYS: I think it's book 55! And It’s definitely more work to write a stand-alone because I have to begin by researching a whole different world and getting to know a new set of characters. As you know with your series, when you begin a new book it’s like going back to a family reunion. You know the characters. You know how they will react to certain incidents. The challenge is to make each new story fresh and interesting. When I write a stand-alone I do enjoy getting to interact with a new set of characters, putting them through the wringer and then walking away. Although I have to tell you I get emails all the time asking when there is going to be a sequel to any of my stand-alones.

So, about your new book: I loved the Scone Sisters in the last book and I’m so glad you brought them back. Did you have that in mind when you introduced them last year? Did they come to you before you went to Scotland? When you were writing A SCONE OF CONTENTION did you know you wanted to use them again?

LUCY: Thanks for that Rhys, I love those characters too! I’m not too good at planning ahead.  I knew I wanted to include the town of Peebles, Scotland after we visited it in 2019 during the Solstice celebration. When Hayley Snow went to the home of Violet and Bettina after the shocking loss of Violet’s son, she had no idea what she would find there, and neither did I! But the sisters really popped as I wrote about them, and they got along like a house afire with Miss Gloria. Miss Gloria is a very popular character in this series, and I loved imagining highlighting the three older women in another book. Since they had won a contest with their cinnamon scone back in Scotland, a baking show seemed like the logical solution.

But since we’ve mentioned setting a couple of times, I have to ask you about the research that goes into a book like THE PARIS ASSIGNMENT. It’s a very complicated plot that swings through England and France and finally Australia, and covers some horrific events that happened over the course of World War II and beyond. How do you research a huge project like this one and decide what to cover and what to leave out? I can remember in one of the blogs you wrote for JRW that you wrote out stories in two separate timelines and actually spread the pages out in a hallway so you figure out how to weave them together. How did you manage the structure of this big sweeping story?

RHYS:  I didn’t have to spread the pages on the hall floor for this one as it’s all a sequential story going from 1930 to 1947. But I did have to do lots of research. I started when we rented a house on the Seine River near Fontainebleau and I saw the chateau and the forest and thought what a great setting it would make. Covid intervened and I had to wait until last year to go back and choose my houses in the Marais, take a river trip to see what the locks feel like and check out the museum of the resistance. In the meantime, I read the autobiographies of several real women who were spies/couriers in Nazi occupied France. I read the training manual for exactly what their training entailed (I would have quit the first day) and realized how incredibly brave they were. They knew the survival rate was twenty five percent and yet they signed on.

And part of the book takes place in Australia. I didn’t have to research that much as I lived there, was married there, my parents moved there and I used to spend a good portion of each year there until my mom passed away. I love the feel and openness of the Australian countryside so it was lovely to revisit it in the book.

So are you having a launch party, Lucy? Any events our friends should know about?

LUCY: : Yes! Big double book launch tomorrow night for A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS and THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS! This will be at RJ Julia Bookseller on Main St. in Madison CT. Call 203-245-3959 to reserve a seat. (Cake! Wine! Books!) How about you?

RHYS: I did a virtual event at the Poisoned Pen last night. There are signed books if you’d like one. And a live event coming up at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA on August 19. I’ve also done/am doing numerous interviews/podcasts/chats etc. I post them on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/rhysbowenauthor

So thank you to all of you who are our loyal readers. We appreciate you so much! If you like this latest one do please post a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or wherever else grabs you.  It really helps get the word out. 

A Pictoral Visit to Key West

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I have been saving up a fun show-and-tell from my visit to Key West almost two weeks ago. One of the best things about touring for A KILLING OF INNOCENTS has been the opportunity to see three out of my six Jungle Red blog sisters. I got to see Rhys in Phoenix (where we didn't take nearly enough photos) and in Key West I saw Hallie as well as Lucy. How lucky for me that Hallie was there teaching a writing class!

On the Saturday I arrived, Lucy, John, and I had a nice catch up over glasses of wine, then watched the sunset from Mallory Square.  This photo is sunrise, but you get the drift. Key West really is a little slice of paradise.

We had a nice visit with Lucy's friend Ron, the tarot reader who's the inspiration for Lorenzo in her Haley Snow books, and the now-retired Catman!

The next morning started with some delicious Cuban coffee, and a few Key West feathered friends.

And then it was time for brunch! Lucy took me to Blue Heaven, a Key West gem, where I had a fabulous avocado omelet and this amazing piece of pie! There was a gin cocktail in there, too, that was was so good I had to go back and get the ingredients, and there was even a little jazz band playing. It was just a perfect day.

Afterwards there was walking and shopping, in the course of which I found my terrific (and much needed) hat, and a plush chicken for Wren.

Naps all around, then dinner with Hallie! Several of us tackled whole deep-fried fish--that was an adventure!

Monday, we began with the much anticipated visit to the Hemingway House, which I enjoyed even more than the first time. Here's one of the Hemingway cats.

They are not the last bit fussed by all the people and cameras. I came away very inspired and even had to order a copy of Hemingway's letters.

Afterwards, we had a jolly lunch at a place called Moon Dog with Hallie and our friend Pat Kennedy. (Lots of food here, you're thinking, but what are vacations for if not eating?) A little more walking and shopping, then it was time for my library event.

Look at this lovely crowd!

Barb Ross interviewed me, and had such insightful questions that I suspect she made me sound a lot smarter than I actually am.

And here we are, your three Reds and Barb, all happy to be together.

For our last group lunch on Tuesday, we picked up Cuban sandwiches from this hole-in-the-wall place. It doesn't look very prepossessing, but I'm still dreaming about those sandwiches. 

You can see that our Lucy Burdette really is the very best tour guide and hostess and I can see how people get so hooked on Key West. I hated to leave, but at least I can visit anytime in my imagination. All I need is one of Lucy's Hayley Snow books!

READERS: do your travel plans revolve around food?

What We're Writing @LucyBurdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: In spite of the fact that I’m way behind in my schedule for Key West mystery #14, I've spent much of this last month in New Haven rather than Key West--in my mind, that is! The editorial comments on THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS arrived in my inbox during Christmas week. This book falls into the category of contemporary or women's fiction, and it takes place in New Haven with a little side trip to Madison CT. I've been lucky in my writing life to land amazing editors who help make my books stronger, and this time was no exception. Lots of changes were made to strengthen the character and the story. Soon I'll be able to show you the cover, and provide a pre-order link… But meanwhile, here’s the opening introducing psychologist and so-called happiness expert, Dr. Cooper Hunziker:

Chapter One

Things my mother taught me, part one: chocolate cake makes everything better. 

This thought floated through my mind as I paused, willpower wobbling, preparing to run the gauntlet of glassed-in cakes that greeted each coffee shop visitor as soon as the door closed behind her. Carrot cake, sponge cake, coconut cake, poppyseed pound cake, peach shortcake, chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting: not a single one was on my no-white flour, low-carb, low-sugar, low-fat, I’m-in-control-of-my-life diet. 

Except I wasn’t in control, and every cell and synapse in my body recognized that. “Could I get a small-ish piece of the chocolate cake?” I asked the girl behind the counter.

She shrugged and grinned, the piercings around her lips and nose bristling. “Sorry. We’ve already cut it into slices. What if you bought a piece, ate half, and threw the rest out? Or wrapped it up for tomorrow?”

“As if that would ever happen,” I said with a chuckle. “Might as well give me the whole thing. I’ll do my best.”

I paid for the massive hunk of cake and a full-fat latte and carried the soul-soothing loot to a small wooden table near the far door. From here I could watch out the big window and try to picture whether New Haven would ever feel like home. Yale students and worker bees streamed along Chapel Street, headed toward their morning destinations—some chattering and laughing, some expressionless, absorbed in whatever played through their headphones. How many of them were happy? How much did that matter?

My attention caught on a couple sitting at the next table over. I had taken them for lovebirds, with their heads bent toward each other, whispering sweet nothings, sharing a slab of coconut cake. His voice rumbled and I made out the words: “try again, a different therapist, the puppy.” 

Then her hissed voice grew louder. “I don’t want the puppy. I never wanted the damn dog in the first place,” she said. 

She dabbed the tines of her fork over the crumbs on the plate, though most of their cake was intact. She brought the fork halfway to her mouth, but then let it drop to the table. (I would have licked that implement clean.) After wiping her hands on a napkin, she grabbed her purse strap and slung it over her shoulder as she stood. She lowered the volume of her voice a notch.

“You don’t seem to understand, I can’t do that. I need space, lots of it. Right now I feel like I can’t breathe.” She pressed her palm to her neck and then clacked out of the shop on tall heels, model-thin and businesslike, leaving her husband (I assumed) sitting alone.

Awkward as it felt, we were left facing each other and I couldn’t avoid meeting his gaze. His cheeks bloomed pink and he flashed an embarrassed smile. In spite of the sweater and the glasses and the tiny overlap of his front teeth, once he smiled, I could see he was cute. The kind of cute that could make your gut flip a little once you’d noticed.

“That went well,” he said, and crooked another little smile. “Sorry to subject you to my marital dirty laundry. She’ll come around, eventually. Don’t you think? From a cake-loving woman’s perspective, I mean.”

I glanced down at my plate, which was in fact empty. This was the problem with getting distracted and not eating each bite mindfully—I’d powered through the whole slice. As for his wife coming around, I didn’t think so. 

“I don’t know her, so it would be hard to say,” I offered, trying for something noncommittal and diplomatic.

“But supposing,” he said, his face so hopeful, “you were giving your very best advice to a lovesick friend.”

How could I flat-out lie? 

“Things my mother taught me, part two,” I said. “Don’t count on someone else to make you happy because chances are, you’ll end up alone anyway. Except for the dog. You’ve definitely got the dog and that counts for something, right?” 

Instantly I wished I’d gone with my first instinct and not said anything other than sorry. This was none of my business and now I’d made him feel worse. “I’m so sorry, that was a dumb thing to say. I blurt when I’m nervous.”

But he’d started to laugh. “Your mother sounds like a wise woman.” He stood up to leave. He was taller than I would have expected, solid and muscular like an athlete. “Now I’m curious about part one. Have a good day.” He smiled again, gathered their dishes for recycling, and disappeared out the side door. 

I drained the last bit of foam clinging to the bottom of the mug, placed it and my empty plate in the rubber bin marked for dirty dishes, feeling a little sad and definitely regretful. The poor man must have felt bad enough without me clanging him on the head with the bald truth as though I was wielding a cast-iron skillet. How humiliating to be dumped in public. 

So that's coming in July! 

In addition, A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS, #13 in the Key West food critic mystery series, has a gorgeous cover and is now available for preorder. 

If you are a Netgalley reviewer, A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is available there. 

(I got a big kick out of this review: I have loved this series since it first came out. But this book is the best yet. It had me completely absorbed into the story and I read it in one setting. Then I got mad at myself because I finished it so quickly.)

Final news: The first seven Key West mysteries will be available as audiobooks soon, in case you or someone you know prefers listening over reading. AN APPETITE FOR MURDER will be out on February 7, and DEATH IN FOUR COURSES on February 21.

Phew! What I need right now is to jumpstart the real writing and skip over the distractions of all the above... Suggestions welcome!