A Holiday For Homicide – Book Tour and Giveaway

Tell something about yourself and how you became an author-

I am a mother of three and a grandmother of two, with two more on the way. I have been a computer education and Lego robotics teacher for nearly twenty years before I embarked on my writing journey. While my children were very young I fell into the hobby of competing in cooking competitions. I was quite successful and even won a writing contest involved in a cooking competition. My winning poem was called “Ode to Pork Passion.”  When our family relocated to coastal Connecticut I seized the opportunity of a career switch. I gave myself one year to knock an item off my life bucket list, writing a publishable book.

Where were you born and grew up?

I was born and grew up on Long Island. It is the location I drew from for my book’s setting.

What are you passionate about these days?

My spring/summer passions center around gardening, tennis, long walks, hikes, beach visits, swimming laps, and learning the intricacies of painting with watercolor. Oh, and delving into a juicy summer read in the evenings.

How do you find time to write as a parent and grandparent?

I don’t have young children living in my house anymore, but it turns out adult children are as demanding as mini-children. There’s always something going on. I also entertain many visits from my two granddaughters. When that happens everything else takes a backseat to attending to them. What I do appreciate is that having kids gives my daily schedule structure. I manage to set aside two hours here and there most days to write. Since it’s my routine they respect my need to keep a writing flow and it all magically works.

When did you consider yourself a writer?

When I was in the fifth grade I got the bug to write from a wonderful teacher who encouraged me. He liked what I crafted and made me feel I had some talent. It’s priceless to have that in my life. Fast forward to adulthood and I submitted some stories and essays to children’s magazines and got one or two published. The recipients were generous with comments even in rejection, and I only had a good experience with what was only a hobby back then.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired to write A Holiday For Homicide, the latest addition to my cooking competition cozy murder mystery series, by my experience on television’s Live With Kelly and Ryan Show. I won their backyard grill recipe contest and was invited to cook my winning recipe on the show live.  I have always used my cook-off experiences as fodder for my books and cooking on television added another dimension. All I needed was a murder, many suspects and enough intrigue to engage my readers from page one through a thrilling conclusion and my book was done.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in A Holiday For Homicide?

Kat is a new character in my series. She is a young friend of the main character Sherry, and is a ripe source of information as she works in the mayor’s office. Pep is Sherry’s brother and runs a food truck. He is privy to all sorts of characters ordering his famous toasts at his truck’s window. Basil, one of Pep’s clientele, is the director and producer of the televised cook-off being held in Sherry’s hometown of Augustin, CT. He has a few secrets he shares only with his associates. One secret may hold the reason for a murder that occurs. Garret is a freelance journalist who uncovers more questions than answers as he covers the cook-off event. Hazel is a quirky older woman who has a nose for news and a desire to be involved.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?

I have always maintained, competition breeds bad behavior. I have never witnessed a murder in my twenty plus years of participating in cook-offs, but I can see how one might occur, given the right circumstances. The televised cook-offs I have been a part of are another level of stress and tension. My characters are an outflow of – who knows the victim, who has reason to want him dead and who would benefit most from his demise. I also create red herring characters based on the likelihood they draw attention away from the guilty party. The natural progression of the plot dictates the importance of my characters. I’m as surprised as anyone when the red herrings begin to fade away and the truth reveals itself.

What is your favorite part of the book and why?

I am in my element when I’m writing the cook-off scenes in my cook-off series. Cook-offs are non-stop action, from entering a recipe in the contest to the recipe testing, to the actual timed event and the aftermath. When tackling all the cook-off details I must be careful to parse out information as needed not overwhelm the reader with unnecessary details. That’s hard for me because I am such a student of the cook-off process. Every moment fascinates me. I describe Sherry’s involvement in the contests as it relates to the plot while possibly being guilty of over-sharing at points. I can’t help but think the reader will love to gain the insight into a hobby not many have experienced. Indulge me if I describe one too many intricacies of the competitions.

Convince us why your book is a must read.

. My book is a must-read because my plot concept is true to form, based on years of experience in a hobby not often written about, and full of characters that are relatable, loveable, and intriguing. My murder mystery plots are thrilling and satisfying, laced with a sense of humor, compassion, and family dynamics all set in a beautifully quaint and slightly quirky coastal New England town. The reader is in for a unique reading experience Bonus: the reader is educated on a subject or two during the book’s journey.