Sum-sum-summertime!

Why does time seem to fly so quickly in the summertime? I can't believe my last post was July Fourth... incredible.

Summer and vacation go together so well, especially for us northerners. Summer is fleeting, and we want to make the best of every moment. Over at Killer Characters, Jaymie Leighton (from my Vintage Kitchen Mystery series) is musing on the perfect summertime destination for someone who lives in a tourist town. So I thought I would offer a poll... I'm curious... what is YOUR ideal summertime vacation spot?

Let me know!!! And if I haven't offered you the right answer, leave me a comment!

Poll results:

Where is your ideal summertime vacation spot?

Happy Fourth!

Enjoy the day, my friends. I will be spending it reflecting on two countries, alike in wealth (relative to the rest of the world) and freedom and both blessed with a strong and diverse populace.

On this Fourth of July weekend, I celebrate the unique bond between the United States of America and Canada, friends with the longest unprotected border in the world.

Today in Queensville, MI, hometown of Vintage Kitchen Mysteries: Jaymie Leighton and her sister Becca are gathering with their friends at Boardwalk Park to watch the annual sail race from Heartbreak Island, in the middle of the St. Clair river, down to Fawn Island and back. They'll talk, picnic, laugh and later watch the fireworks over the river and sing the Star Spangled Banner.

Planning for the Glorious Fourth: http://www.killercharacters.com/2011/06/planning-for-glorious-fourth.html

Writing in a Vacuum

No, not a Hoover.

Speaking of old vacuums, just for a moment. Long ago when I was in my first apartment, I got from somewhere one of those hideous old heavy cannisters, you know the ones. The design was actually beautiful; it had a teal steel body and fabric hose and lots of chrome. Trouble was, it didn't suck. It actually left MORE dirt on the carpet than when I started.

But that's not the kind of vacuum I'm talking about.

I've been super fortunate in signing a three book deal for the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, and I am now writing book 2, working title Bowled Over. I'll have book 3 done by the end of the year. Now, writing a series, when you are carrying the same main characters all the way through, requires a character arc, some kind of logical progression in the characters' lives. I love that part of the job.

However... it is very much about writing in a vacuum. I have almost zero input from others on how the characters work. All I can do, at this point, is make their lives logical, interesting and move them forward.

So... what is important to you, as a reader, or writer, about the character arc in your favorite mystery series? When there is a love interest, do you want the love to move forward quickly, or do you not want a resolution too quickly? What about love triangles... love them or loathe them?

I'm interested!

New Killer Characters post: The Glorious Fourth!

Hi all... I'm deep in final edits for Bowled Over, Book Two of the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries series, and it covers the Fourth of July. I'm looking up vintage potato salad recipes, and my characters are watching fireworks, among other things, soooo... you will understand this next bit!

Come on over to Killer Characters today, where Jaymie Leighton discusses the different way Canadians and Americans celebrate their countries' birth!

http://www.killercharacters.com/2011/06/planning-for-glorious-fourth.html

Animals in Mysteries: The Poll Results

Well, the poll is over, and it appears you like animals, you really do!

Love 'em, especially when they help solve the crime.	9 (64%)
They're fine, as long as they don't act too human, like helping to solve the crime.	4 (28%)
Animals just get in the way of the plot.	0 (0%)
It's not important to me either way.	1 (7%)

Votes: 14

Thanks all, for taking part in the poll!!

Animals in Mysteries

I've read a lot of mysteries over the years, and among them have been hundreds that feature animals as characters. Dominant among these are cats and dogs, of course, but cats seem to have the edge in cozy mysteries.

I wonder why? Personally, I do love both dogs and cats, but have two cats right now. I'd love to have a dog, too, but they just seem to take more work than cats. Dogs have to be walked; cats, not so much. And maybe that explains one of the reasons cats are so common in mysteries. Cats can be there in the story when you want them, and mysteriously glide away when you don't. I always wonder what happens to the animals while the protagonist is out solving crimes; are they lonely? Does she have a dog walker for the pooch? Maybe that's just me and my hyper-sensitivity to responsibility.

Anyway, when I started to create the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series, I decided that Jaymie would have one of each, Denver the tabby, and Hoppy, the Yorkie mix. I'd love a Yorkie, and maybe someday I will get one.

What made me think of this was Avery Aames blog entry today, over at Killer Characters. It is from the viewpoint of Rags, Charlotte's cat, and I love that! Check it out: http://www.killercharacters.com/2011/06/rags-from-cheese-shop-mystery-series.html

But first... because I'm curious... take my poll, to the right of this blog entry. What do YOU think of animals in mystery novels???

New Post at Killer Characters! Meet Jaymie Leighton.

Today, over at Killer Characters, check out Jaymie Leighton - star of my upcoming Vintage Kitchen Mysteries series with Berkley - as she talks about her obsession with vintage cookbooks, and shows off a cover of one!

http://www.killercharacters.com/2011/05/old-cookbooks-old-recipes.html

It's Spring!!!

Yes, it's spring, and it finally feels like it in my northern part of the continent. I love spring and summer, and after a long day writing etc, what I love to do most is sit out in the garden, in the shade, in an Adirondack chair, reading a mystery novel, with a cup of...

Well, that's just it, depending on the day, it could be hot tea, iced tea, or a big glass of wine, preferably with the bottle close by for refills. A crisp riesling, or fruity merlot... ah.

So, what is your tipple of choice after a day of cudgeling your brain?

Check out my easy little quiz in the right hand column and tell me what you like!

The great teapot hunt continues...

I think I MAY have mentioned that I am hunting for the perfect teapot ever since my big one broke a few months back. I never liked Big Blue anyway, (hated it, actually, but it was a gift from my mom, and I would have kept it 'til the day it died... luckily its life was short) so it falling off of its handle was a godsend. But here's the thing; I can't decide what kind of teapot I want.

I already have one like this one, a Corning Ware 'Cornflower Blue' Six Cup Teapot, (This one is for sale apparently  - not by me: http://tinyurl.com/3fpzs7q) But mine has a metal lid, not the plastic one, so I'm thinking mine may be older. It was given to me by a friend, and I believe it was her late father's.

The problem with it is, while it says it is six cup, it is not truly six cup in the mug sense. Six teacups, maybe, but my guests usually drink from mugs, and it holds a scant two or three mugs. Sometimes I need a lot more tea than that.

My main character, Jaymie Leighton from 'A Deadly Grind' (Vintage Kitchen Mysteries Book 1 - May 2012) has a Brown Betty teapot that was her grandmother's. This Brown Betty image is from Mrs. Bridge's British Bakery online: http://www.bestbritishfoods.com/results.cfm?category=10&secondary=74

In the near future I'm going to do a blog on the fascinating history of the 'Brown Betty', the ultimate English teapot. But I don't really want a Brown Betty.

A china teapot then? Maybe, but they can get pricey. I was looking in a thrift shop the other day and saw a Sadler one that was not too bad, and a Meakin one I liked, but there were condition problems with both.

So, for you fellow tea drinkers out there, what kind of teapot do you use most? Do you like china, glass, pottery... what? I'm looking for advice, here... what makes the best pot of tea? My grandmother never washed her teapot, just rinsed it out. She was English, and her tea was strong enough to corrode a spoon. The build-up of the tannin in the bottom of the pot (the brown staining) is supposed to, some say, make a better tasting tea. True or false?

Cool link: The Teapot Shoppe http://www.theteapotshoppe.com/
The Expert Opinion on 'How to make a Perfect cup of Tea': http://site.theteapotshoppe.com/blog/2009/03/24/how-to-make-the-perfect-cup-of-tea/

Collecting for the Vintage Kitchen

I've been collecting for a few years now, and I have to say, I still don't have an overwhelmingly vintage kitchen. Areas of it are 'vintagey' (especially the Hoosier-style cabinet) but otherwise, it's pretty functional/cluttered. Part of my problem, I suppose, is that I get distracted easily; if I see something that I like, I buy it, even if it doesn't fit in my kitchen... yet.

That's the problem. I love so much stuff that I don't get any theme or overall look going. It's kind of haphazard. So in the interest of starting to really think about my collecting, I am doing some research, which I will share as I go along on my route to building the better vintage kitchen! First up... do I need a theme?

At C. Dianne Zweig's blog 'Kitsch 'n Stuff' (cute, right? 'Kitchen Stuff'?) she explores the use of a theme in her polka dots entry: http://cdiannezweig.blogspot.com/2011/03/collecting-vintage-polka-dot-kitchen.html Check it out; I just love the photos of the Fireking polka dot bowls! So retro! She suggests that narrowing to a theme makes the hunt for vintage more challenging, but more interesting, too.

Ideas for a theme for my kitchen could include narrowing the vintage hunt to a certain era, I suppose, or a single color theme, or some kind of harmony in pattern, but I love such a wide array of stuff. I've got old oil lamps, lots of vintage bowls, milk pitchers in the shape of animals, vintage Pyrex, tea paraphernalia, old kitchen utensils, vintage linens... and on and on. Narrowing it would mean breaking my heart by eliminating stuff! 

I'm going to have to find some way of making my collection actually look like a collection, though, so I will ponder this and make some decisions. I also collect teacups, and a friend made me a fabulous shelf that shows off eight of my best teacups and saucers as well as some of my cat-shaped teapots and creamers. I will post photos soon, as I love how it looks.

Tell me your tale; are there any collectors out there, of anything? Not just kitchen related, anything. How do you display your collection? Or do you let it become a happy jumble, like mine?