Travel Inspired Fiction by Krista Davis

Jenn McKinlay: It is with great delight that I welcome one of my very favorite cozy mystery authors, Krista Davis. Seriously, if you haven't read her series (plural) yet, you should! 

Krista Davis: Why it is that travel so often inspires books? This time, I wasn’t even the one traveling. Two of my friends went on a fabulous tour of Spain and Portugal. They had a wonderful trip. And one of them bought special Iberian ham to bring home as gifts. On arrival at customs in New York, she declared the ham and was promptly pulled aside for inspection. 

Her heart broke as she watched her prized ham being thrown into the trash bin. She had a plane to catch and kept checking the time. She was asked to hand over her shoes for examination and watched as they rummaged through her luggage, tossing all her carefully packed items into messy heaps. The clock in her head ticked louder and louder while she watched, wondering if she would make her connecting flight. 

The customs inspectors finally moved on to the next person, but all she could think was that her ham was in the garbage and she had to catch the flight home. She had no time to carefully fold and pack her clothes. She stuffed and zipped and repeated, jamming everything in willy-nilly. With an eye on the time, she grabbed her bags and ran through JFK to her connecting flight. She made it with only minutes to spare. That was when she realized that her shoes were still in customs. She no longer remembers whether she was barefooted or wearing socks. It presents an appalling situation either way. 

And that is how the story begins in The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit. Sophie Winston picks up her best friend at the airport and the friend walks out of the terminal with bare feet. What if your best friend went on a tour and when she came back, someone who was also on the tour was murdered? And then another? Could she be next? 

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My books usually release several months apart from one another, but this spring, it’s raining books for me. Big Little Spies comes out on April 6th, the trade paperback of The Diva Spices It Up releases April 27th, and The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit will be here on May 25th. 

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What oddball things have happened to you when you were traveling? Oh, by the way, you can try that exact same cherished Iberian ham in the US. They sell it at World Market.

 

   

New York Times Bestselling author Krista Davis writes the Paws and Claws Mysteries set on fictional Wagtail Mountain, a resort where people vacation with their pets. Her 7th Paws and Claws Mystery is BIG LITTLE SPIES, which releases on April 6th. Krista also writes the Domestic Diva Mysteries and the Pen & Ink Mysteries. Look for THE DIVA SERVES FORBIDDEN FRUIT on May 25th. Like her characters, Krista has a soft spot for cats, dogs, and sweets. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with two dogs, two cats, and a stash of hidden chocolate.

www.KristaDavis.com

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Krista Davis on What Makes a Match

LUCY BURDETTE: Today I'm delighted to bring my dear friend Krista Davis to the Reds. She writes two wonderful cozy mystery series, including the Paws and Claws mysteries. Book 4 in the series, MISSION IMPAWSIBLE, will be out February 7. Welcome Krista! 

KRISTA DAVIS: Thank you for inviting me to Jungle Red today. I am thrilled to be here.

 Mission Impawsible releases on February 7^th, just before Valentine’s Day, which is appropriate because it involves matters of the heart. More specifically, there’s a matchmaking event going on in Wagtail. It differs a little bit from the famous one in Ireland, because dogs and cats are helping bring their people together. Those of us who are devoted to our furry friends would love to meet a mate who feels the same way.

However, I’m a total mess when it comes to romance. So I started doing some research on what attracts people to each other. It’s a fascinating subject. Here’s a little quiz to find out how much you know. Just to help you along, these questions are about romantic long-lasting love, not one night stands.

1. When a person first meets someone, how long does it take to know if he/she is a potential mate?

A. 30 seconds to 4 minutes

B. 20 minutes

C. 24 hours

D. 1 week

2. Women are attracted to men who:

A. Dress like their fathers.

B. Drink (booze or no booze) like their fathers.

C. Smell like their fathers.

D. Sound like their fathers.

3. Women and men are generally attracted to:

A. wealthier mates.

B. better educated mates.

C. smarter mates.

D. mates of their own level of education and intelligence.

ANSWERS:

1. You are correct if you selected A. 30 seconds to 4 minutes. It depends on the study in question, but most say we know in 30 seconds to 2 minutes whether a person could be a potential mate. When I read that, I thought it must mean that attraction is strictly physical. After all, what more could happen in 30 seconds? Turns out there’s a lot going on that we don’t even realize.

2. C. Smell like their fathers is correct. That’s one of the things we may not be thinking about when we meet someone. But studies have shown that women are attracted to men who smell like dad. At first blush, it seems silly and even somewhat icky, but it’s logical that on a subconscious level, the familiar scent of a loving father might make a woman feel more comfortable with that potential mate.

3. If you chose D, you are correct. In spite of stories about gold diggers, most of us marry someone of our same level of intelligence and education. In fact, most people marry someone from their own social group as well.

The truth is that when we meet someone, all kinds of unconscious processes kick in. My favorite example of this is the study that indicated women are attracted to the scent of men with an immune system different than their own. The theory is that such a mate produces stronger, healthier offspring.

How many times did one of your friends rave about some guy she met who left you cold? You just could not understand what she saw in him. Turns out her instincts might be telling her something! He’s not the guy for you, but he’s right for her.

I think all these processes have interesting implications for arranged marriages and for breeding animals. It makes me wonder if people and animals who chose their own mates produce stronger offspring.

Of course, in Mission Impawsible, there’s a matchmaker and meddling mamas to complicate things. Does anyone make a match? Yes. But it might not be who you expect.

Are you a matchmaker? Why or why not? And if yes, what's your most successful story? Krista will be giving away a signed copy of MISSION IMPAWSIBLE to one of today’s commenters!

 Krista is also the author of the NYT-bestselling Domestic Diva mystery series. You can find her here:

www.facebook.com/KristaDavisAuthor

pinterest.com/kristadavisbook

mysteryloverskitchen.com

twitter.com/kristadavis

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