What Readers Want to Know About Dirty Rotten Tendrils

Dirty Rotten Tendrils, the 10th Flower Shop Mystery, hit the bookstores on October 5th. Quite frankly, there are several unanswered questions in this reader’s mind, including, why does florist Abby Knight keep finding corpses? It’s like Grandma always said. “Nice girls don’t associate with dead bodies.”

I couldn’t come straight out and interrogate author Kate Collins; Grandma also claims that direct questions are rude. It did occur to me that Kate’s fellow authors on the Cozy Chicks blog might be forthcoming with details about Abby Knight and Kate Collins if only I asked nicely, so I approached Deb Baker, Maggie Sefton, JB Stanley, Heather Webber, Lorna Barrett, and Leann Sweeney. I began with the most pressing query and phrased it as delicately as possible.

Ten-plus murders! Ten! That’s an awful lot of bodies surrounding florist Abby Knight. And in “Shoots to Kill”, she’s even arrested for murder on page one! She admits to having a short fuse. Is Abby really so unlucky, or is author Kate Collins trying to cover up her protagonist’s nefarious past?

From Leann Sweeney: Unlucky? No. Who wouldn't want a smart, curious, intuitive woman ready to step in and solve a murder? We all have things we like to do besides work at the day job. Like quilting or painting or gardening or catching murderers.

Abby Knight is both a florist and a crusader. Her mother teaches kindergarten and engages in a long list of creative endeavors, such as making designer candy. Are energetic, multi-tasking women like these purely fiction? And what exactly is a Dancing Naked Monkey table, one of Maureen Knight’s many creations?

From Maggie Sefton: Abby Knight delights readers with her creativity, her crusading
spirit, and her tenacity in finding clues and figuring out murders. She
may even take after her energetic, multi-tasking, and creative mother,
Maureen. As for the Dancing Naked Monkey table? Only Maureen really knows.

Abby’s fiancé, ex-Army Ranger Marco is described as tough and sensitive--a man who could cook up an omelet and take down a killer in the same day. The couple has already called it quits once. Any guesses on whether we’ll hear wedding bells in the future?

From Lorna Barrett/Lorraine Bartlett: Does this give you a clue: Dum dum de dum. Dum dum de dum. Dum dum de dum dum de dum dum de dum. (And Abby's had the wedding flowers designed for ages.)

This is just between friends, and I’m not asking because I’m jealous (my thumb is a distinct shade of brown), but is author Kate Collins actually good with plants?
Deb Baker/Hannah Reed: Kate is the queen of green thumbs and can dish dirt better than anyone else! Uh, I mean, mix dirt.

Abby seems a little self-conscious that she flunked out of law school. I’m all too familiar with that feeling of failure. What advice would you give me--I mean Abby--to help her get over her perceived failure?

From JB Stanley/Ellery Adams: I’d tell Abby that when one door closes, another opens. After all, if she hadn’t flunked out of law school, how could she have become the engaging sleuth and skilled florist that we all know and love? Her “failure” has become a source of delight and enjoyment for readers across the globe!

For readers who haven’t enjoyed the Florist Shop Mysteries, can they jump right in with book #10? And what kind of read can they expect?

From Heather Webber: As with all Kate’s books, Dirty Rotten Tendrils is filled with humor, fantastic characters, twisty-turny plots, a bit of romance, and a warmth that’s just Kate’s natural voice. You absolutely don’t have to start at the beginning of the series to enjoy Kate’s books. Jump right in with Dirty Rotten Tendrils, and then once Kate has you hooked (and she will), go back and fall in love with the rest of the Flower Shop Mysteries.

A Week in the Windy City

Is it really summer? You wouldn’t know it by the weather in Chicago. I came prepared to melt and instead am pulling on a jacket after feeling a shiver. But then what else is new about Chicago weather besides being unpredictable.

Yesterday we ran into a storm so sudden and fierce that we couldn’t see the side of the toll road. The signs were visible, but unreadable, and the road was basically under water. We were lucky to find our exit. Abruptly the rain let up, but it had left huge puddles along the side of the road and when a bus went through one, it splashed so much on the windshield, for a few scary moments we couldn’t see anything but water while the car was still moving. Kudos to my son, the great driver.

Luckily, the weather was okay the day of my booth duty at the American Library Association. Ann from Georgia, thank you for stopping by to say hello. You made my day. The Sisters in Crime booth was a big hit and it was a pleasure to meet so many library people. The Sisters in crime library people Mary and Doris hosted the booth and certainly made me feel welcome. Mary had organized everything and made sure people passing by knew there were real live authors giving out books. Just like at the Printers Row Fair, Deb Baker and I shared a signing time. She’s always fun to be around.

I got a chance to check out the convention floor and was very excited to see Terri and Joanna’s books at the Midnight Ink booth. I wanted the nudge the people manning the booth and tell them Terri and Joanna were my blog sisters, but they were busy with real customers, so I let them be.

I recognized the Frozen Light jewelry woman from the vendor room at Malice Domestic. I wasn’t planning to buy any jewelry- like anybody ever really is - but she has such great stuff. You can keep your diamonds. I love sterling silver and turquoise and other colorful stones.

My son and his girlfriend joined me the day after the ALA and my plans for writing quickly got whittled down to some time in the early morning. It’s hard to turn down fun.

Why I Love Crafts--and a Contest!

This is an exciting week for all of us at Killer Hobbies. On Sunday, July 12, we'll celebrate our 800th post. And, according to invesp.com, a service which ranks more than 20,000 blogs, we're one of the top 20 mystery blogs on the Internet.

And it's been an exciting couple of years for us. We did our first ever "Killer Hobbies" blog panel at Malice Domestic this spring, and many of us will be appearing in the craft room this fall in Bouchercon in Indianapolis.

What's at the heart of all this? Crafts and Hobbies, my friends. You see, most of us hadn't met in person until AFTER our blog was up and running. We really didn't know how well we'd mesh, how dedicated we'd be, or whether this idea would take off or not. Deb Baker and I stumbled upon each other at Love Is Murder up in Chicago. Our meeting hatched this grand idea. Next thing you know, we contacted other hobbyists/crafters who also dabbled in blood-red ink on the page--and voila! You've got your Killer Hobbies crew.

I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on my personal love of crafts, a love at the heart of all this--

1. I love taking "nothing" and creating "something" out of it. The more "out there" my supplies are, the more fun it is to admire a finished project.

2. I love the people I've met while crafting and teaching crafts. I've taught on cruise ships, in the U.K., and here in the U.S. No matter where you teach, it's guaranteed to be a good time! I love the look of satisfaction on folks' faces as they realize what they can create!

3. I appreciate the comfort that crafting and hobbies gives me. Getting lost in my hobbies offers an easy and elegant escape from my troubles. I've had a pretty "down" weekend, with some real worries this year, so I lost myself working on some scrapbooking art for my upcoming newsletter. (To get it go to my website http://www.joannaslan.com/ and sign up. It's free, and it's chock full of goodies.)

4. I appreciate the end product. I love looking at crafts, at imagining the hours and effort involved. Each step, each stitch, each action is born of love, so the final product is a wonderful response to the creator in all of us!



CONTEST

You could win an autographed copy of Cut, Crop & Die! Here's how:

1. Tell me what keeps you crafting
2. And become a follower of our blog (click the "follow" button on the right side of the blog)
3. I'll choose some lucky person!

The contest ends tomorrow (July 7) at noon CST. Tell a friend and maybe he or she will share the book with you!

Talking Turkey

by Deb Baker

Today as I watch the wind swirl outside my writing window and see Wisconsin’s first brief snow flurry, my thoughts turn to family, Thanksgiving, and spending more time in my kitchen. So it was appropriate that yesterday I received the artwork for my third Yooper mystery, which will be out in April. I have to share the cover design with you. BTW, Gertie Johnson (woman with the gun) isn't hunting for dinner, she's after a different kind of turkey.
Anyway…
I’m dreaming of stews, soups, and anything involving mashed potatoes. My body wants to pack on pounds, store it away for the winter. I want to cook a turkey right now, not wait until later in the month. I’m scanning newspapers and magazines for new recipes and this weekend I’m doing a pre-Thanksgiving meal. Here’s the dessert I’m going to try, courtesy of local “Chef Thunder”.

SPICED PUMPKIN TIRAMISU

Italian Ladyfingers – 1 package
Frangelico – 2 Tablespoons
Mascarpone – 8 ounces
Pumpkin puree – 1 cup canned
Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
Ginger – ½ teaspoon, ground
Mace – ¼ teaspoon
Powdered Sugar – 1 ½ cups
Orange Extract – 1 teaspoon
Heavy Whipping Cream – 2 ½ cups, whipped

Arrange ladyfingers in bottom of a 9-inch square pan. Pour Frangelico over.
In mixing bowl, blend together mascarpone and pumpkin puree. Add spices, powdered sugar and orange extract.
Fold in 1 ½ cups of whipped cream.
Pour over ladyfingers.
Spread remaining whipped cream over the top
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Slice and serve.
(makes 9 servings)