COOKING WITH CLORIS--AUTHOR BARBARA PRONIN'S NEW WWII HISTORICAL NOVEL AND A RECIPE FOR CHALLAH

Brooklyn born Barbara Pronin is the author of nine novels acclaimed by such notables as Mary Higgins Clark, Tony Hillerman, and Faye Kellerman. Learn about this SoCal transplant and her books on her website.

Full disclosure: my newest novel, a WW II historical called Winter’s End, is not about a crafty killer. It is about three crafty killers, three amazing young women of the Dutch Resistance who learn to blow up trains and take out Nazi tyrants in their mission to help Jewish escapees and save their homeland from starvation in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. 

 

Led by young Evi Strobel, who, I swear, walked into my head one night and would not leave until I told her story, the three are as different as night and day, yet they work together like the tiles in a Rubik’s cube to outfox their Nazi enemies. 

 

Here is 16-yearold Evi, enticing Nazi officers from smoky taverns to their deaths until the fateful night when she is saved from rape by a downed American airman.

 

There is Dr. Zoe Visser, a veterinarian by trade, picking pockets for Dutch ID cards for use by escaping Jews, and leading frightened escapees to their border destinations in the dead of night. 

 

And here is Mila Brouwer, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy collaborator, passing secrets she learns at her father’s dinner table to waiting Resistance leaders.

 

Their stories evolve on several levels – as an unexpected love story, as a coming-of-age story, and as a tale of incredible bravery – a remarkable journey I fell in love with, from its beginnings in the cobblestoned streets of Amsterdam to its ending more than seventy years later and a world away, where one of these women learns to bake a delectable Sabbath challah from her Jewish-American mother-in-law.

 

Winter’s End will be published on May 15, but it is on pre-sale now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. While you wait for it, you may want to try your hand at making a golden loaf of homemade challah bread. (It takes a bit of work, but trust me, it’s worth it!)

 

Golden Challah

(makes one loaf)

 

Ingredients:

1 packet dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 cup warm water

1 egg

1/4-cup honey

3 tbs canola oil

1 tsp salt

4 ½ cl. Flour, approximately

 

For the egg wash:

1 egg

2 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. vanilla

 

Directions:

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/4-cup warm water in a medium-sized bowl. Let sit about 15 minutes until thick and frothy.

 

Add the egg, honey, oil, salt, remaining 3/4-cup of water, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix until a loose batter forms. Add the remainder of flour slowly. You may need all, less, or more flour, so use your hands to add it in slowly. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Once the dough has enough flour, knead it for a couple of minutes right in the bowl.

 

Cover the dough with a wet towel and put it in a warm place to rise for about 1—1-1/2 hours. Dough should double in size.

 

Punch the dough down and let it rest for 10 minutes.

 

Divide the dough into thirds and with your hands, roll each piece into a long (13-14 inch) piece. Attach the three pieces at one end, tuck the end under, and braid the dough as you would if it were Evi‘s hair. Tuck the second end under, place the braided loaf on a lightly greased cookie sheet, and let it rise for another 30-40 minutes.

 

Beat the egg with the honey and vanilla and gently brush over the loaf. Bake at 375° F for approximately 35-45 minutes. Loaf should be golden on top, and firm on the bottom.

 

Winter’s End

Luring Nazi officers from smoky taverns to their deaths was not what Evi Strobel bargained for when she agreed to join the Dutch Resistance. But that is what she did until that fateful night she was saved from rape by a downed American Airman.

 

Nor did Zoe Visser expect to be picking pockets for Dutch ID cards for use by escaping Jews, much less leading frightened enemies of the Reich toward uncertain treks to the Belgian border - nor did Mila Brouwer, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy German collaborator, expect to be passing secrets learned at her father's dinner table to help Resistance stalwarts blow up Nazi trains and meeting halls.

 

But four years into German occupation, with the Dutch surviving on boiled tulip bulbs, and Hitler tightening control ahead of advancing Allies, that is what they did. Follow them as Winter's End traces a harrowing journey from the cobblestoned streets of Nazi-occupied Holland to an astonishing finale seventy years later and a world away.

 

Preorder (available 5/15/25)

MYSTERY AUTHOR HEATHER AMES ON LIFE UPSTAGING ART

 

Image by Robin Olson from Pixabay

Heather Ames writes two mystery series (one with a paranormal twist,) standalone suspense, romantic suspense, and short contemporary romances. When she’s not writing, she’s traveling the world or dreaming up new adventures. She’s lived in five countries, seven states, hitchhiked around Europe, lived in a 6^th floor walk-up in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower and worked as a bartender in Madrid. During a long career in healthcare, she has seen more dead and/or mangled bodies than the average person and carried pepper spray for safety when going to treat patients in the barrios of L.A., All these experiences enrich her novels. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

A Moment of Reflection

Serendipity is a strange and frequently bizarre journey into unknown territory. Sometimes it can be called karma. Other times, just plain annoying. But it’s always one of those sudden, out-of-the-blue experiences that makes anyone, even the most cynical among us, take a moment to wonder why and how it happened.

 

I had one of those moments this week. I’d worked on a blog post I thought was almost ready to roll when life lobbed one of those curve balls that, if written into a novel, would be dismissed as plot manipulation. 

 

More than ten years ago, the transmission on my vehicle started experiencing problems. First it was one thing, which was fixed, but only a couple of weeks later, a bigger problem developed. My car went into the service department and ended up staying there two weeks. During that time, I was put into a rental at no cost while a decision was made about whether the repair would be covered by the manufacturer. While I wondered whether an extremely expensive repair was going to make me purchase a replacement, I found I really liked the rental vehicle. I also found that particular model was out of my price range, even one that had been previously owned. Luckily, the repair was covered, and when I did trade in that car, it was for one within my budget, not my fanciful daydreaming.

 

Jump ahead to two weeks ago. The vehicle I now owned suddenly stopped talking to me. When I took it in for that issue and a routine servicing, I received bad news…the cost of replacing the part was not only prohibitive, but another big-ticket problem was also discovered. I opted to fix the major oil leak, but not the silence. I figured I could always tune into a radio station on my phone, and I was assured the lack of verbal communication from the car wasn’t a safety issue. 

 

But less than a week later, a warning message notified me that my transmission had failed. This time, there was no coverage to bail me out. With two big outstanding repairs, I realized I was going to have to find a replacement. While still in shock, I searched online, then tramped around a big used car lot with a hundred choices. But yesterday the dealership called. A newer version of the vehicle I had driven for two weeks all that time ago and really liked had just been traded in. It was within my price range, and it’s now in my driveway.

If I had written this story into a plotline, I know I’d have seen raised eyebrows, even eye rolls, and heard this was too much of a coincidence. Although all books in my Ghost Shop series have magical elements, I’m sure I’d have been told this particular subplot’s outcome could only have occurred as the result of using a spell or waving a wand. Detractors would tell me to rewrite the story, leaving serendipity by the wayside.

 

Sometimes, life not only imitates art, life upstages it. Those strange little unexpected, quirky moments that whisper to us from the ethers need to be acknowledged. This was one of those moments. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has experienced a momentary chill, or a moment of déjà vu. But writing one into a book? Maybe not.

 

Tapped by Fate

A Ghost Shop Mystery, Book 1

 

A reluctant psychic inherits a spooky metaphysical shop in Salem, Oregon and teams up with a retired detective who suspects his daughter’s drowning was no accident. Dark forces lead Sunny Kingston to rely not only on her new partner, Ash Haines, but her enigmatic, fortune-telling assistant, a gargoyle more animal than mineral, and a questionably human winery owner in search of redemption. Vincente Valderos has a hint of sulphur about him and a proposition that’s difficult for Sunny and Ash to ignore. But it comes with a bigger price tag than either of them may be willing to pay.

 

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VALENTINE'S DAY FACEBOOK PARTY! THERE WILL BE PRIZES!

Get ready for A LOVE OF COZY MYSTERIES Facebook Party! ❤️  Join us on Friday, Feb. 14, from 7:00-8:00 PM ET, for a night of mystery, fun, and fabulous prizes!

Meet all seven amazing authors from Booklovers Bench, read intriguing posts, share your thoughts, and maybe even win a prize or two! Mark your calendars!

Sign up at https://www.facebook.com/share/1BCquhcGkC/ if interested or attending. Party will be at https://facebook.com/NewReleaseParty/ Friday, Feb. 14th 7-8pm ET.

MYSTERY AUTHOR LORI P0LLARD-JOHNSON ON DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

Lori Pollard-Johnson is a retired educator and current wife, mama and grandma. She writes from her homes in Washington and Arizona, and has been published in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Toxic Torte is the first book in her "Just Desserts" series. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her grandbabies, braiding rugs, perfecting her shavasana, swimming, hiking, practicing her releves, renovating fixer-uppers, reading, or watching javelinas dance through her backyard. Learn more about her and her books here.

What Made Me Think of…Death by Chocolate? 

Writers are often asked what the inspiration is for their mystery novels. It seems our brains are hardwired to create chaos and mayhem in clever ways that surprise readers. I’m not sure why that is, but I’ll take it as a compliment. 

 

The book I’m most asked about, though, is Toxic Torte, a cozy mystery about an (in)famous restaurant critic who is poisoned in a very delicious way the day after Valentine’s Day: Death by Chocolate. What inspired me, however, are all my experiences writing about chefs and the food and wine industry. 

 

My writing career started as a creative and profitable hobby while being a stay-at-home mom. I queried and wrote nonfiction articles about a variety of things—kid-friendly activities, business profiles, music reviews—but one of my favorite topics was covering gourmet dining and the chefs who create sumptuous meals. What I discovered early on is that the average chef donates an extraordinary amount of time above and beyond their chef duties to helping others. After prepping, planning, and ordering, they oversee sous chefs, and then, most notably, spend their off days volunteering at food banks, educating others on nutrition, and cooking for nonprofits. 

 

They inspired me!

 

But then I watched how a well-placed review by a harsh critic could crumple their reputation and devastate their reservation list. It made me angry! So I began to think of how a chef might retaliate. In reality, chefs have to simply continue being the best they can be—maybe open a new restaurant under a different name or go to work in another city. But in a fictional world, they could exact the perfect revenge: a delicious death. Thus, Toxic Torte rose like a decadent chocolate souffle in my brain. 

 

While writing, I experimented with a bunch of chocolatey confections—I’m partial to flourless tortes—and found a recipe for a not-too-sweet, nutritionally healthy, vegan dessert called Cocoa Balls. Reminiscent of a chocolate torte, I adapted the following recipe to my family’s tastes. They’re easy to make, freeze and refrigerate well, and satisfy our cravings for a decadent, flourless (and gluten free), chocolatey confection that are chock full of natural energy, fiber, protein and antioxidants.

 

Cocoa Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup dates (I like to use a specialty date: Black Gold from Sam Cobb Farms in Palm Desert, CA, but if you can’t get them, a pitted Medjool will do)

1 cup walnuts (I love the heartiness and oiliness of a walnut, but you can experiment with other types of nuts—make sure they are unsalted)

2 T cocoa powder (I like to use the extra dark variety, but others like a softer taste)

 

Chill the dates and walnuts for a few hours in the refrigerator, then process the dates and walnuts in a food processor until they form a slightly sticky, slightly crumbly mix. 

 

Add the cocoa powder and pulse a few times until mix is coated and becomes dark brown. 

 

Scoop with a spoon and form into approximately 20 balls, 1-1/2 inches in diameter. 

 

We like to eat them in place of cookies or biscuits with tea or coffee, or as a garnish with a scoop of non-dairy ice cream. They keep well in the refrigerator for at least a month in a sealed container or frozen for at least six months. They won’t last that long, though!

Toxic Torte

A Just Desserts Mystery, Book 1

 

Jess Harriet writes for the Seattle Sun, a weekly newsrag best known for its personal ads. When her latest assignment turns out to be yet another obituary, this time for caustic restaurant critic Perry Lowell, she seriously considers quitting. But before the memorial buffet is replenished, detectives appear. Perry didn't die of a heart attack after all. He was murdered...with a toxic torte, likely served at the Valentine's Day Chocoholic Ball. Jess seizes the opportunity to solve the murder and scoop the story, but she'll have to outwit Cherrie Belle, fellow Sun Reporter by week, cheerleader by weekend; Tom, a college dating disaster who holds a flame for Jess and the elusive Chocoholic Ball guest list; and a cadre of unsavory chefs who invite her to a dinner she suspects is a recipe for danger.

 

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LOVE COZY MYSTERIES? CELEBRATE VALENTINE'S DAY WITH FREE COZY READS!

Happy Valentine's Month! My author, Lois Winston, has been taking part in monthly Bookfunnel promotions to grow her newsletter list. Subscribe to any or all of the authors' newsletters featured in this month's promo to receive a thank-you gift of a free cozy mystery by that author. Click here for the participating authors and their books.

FOURTEEN AND COUNTING + A VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR WITH RECIPES, CRAFTS, AND GIVEAWAYS

Today is the official release day for Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth book in that series author Lois Winston writes about me—otherwise known as the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

My author has always created stories about me based on real-life events she’s either read about, seen on the news, or experienced. For instance, in Guilty as Framed, the eleventh book in the series, she wove a plot around the actual 1990 unsolved museum heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in Boston. To this day, it’s the largest theft of artworks in history and none have ever been recovered.

 

A Crafty Collage of Crime, the award-winning twelfth book in the series, was inspired by her move in 2021 from New Jersey to Tennessee. Many of our readers wanted to know when I would also move to the South, but being a diehard Jersey Girl, I dug in my heels and threatened to kidnap her muse if she dared transplant me. We compromised by Lois sending me on a trip to Tennessee wine country (yes, it’s a thing) and, of course, within hours of arriving, I stumbled across a dead body.

 

In Seams Like the Perfect Crime Lois once again gave me one of her own experiences, this one involving some very odd neighbors who used to live across the street from her back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These neighbors were so odd, that Lois didn’t have to do much in the way of embellishing what she saw from her own window. When you read the short synopsis of the plot, your first reaction will be, she had to have made up those people. Trust me, she didn’t. 

 

Well, she did make up some of the tertiary characters in the book, and none of the real-life characters were ever murdered, but many of the characters in this book are a perfect example of truth being stranger than fiction.

 

Seams Like the Perfect Crime

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 14

 

When staffing shortages continue to hamper the Union County homicide squad, Detective Sam Spader once again turns to his secret weapon, reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack. How can she and husband Zack Barnes refuse when the victim is their new neighbor?

 

Revolutionary War reenactor Barry Sumner had the odd habit of spending hours mowing a small patch of packed dirt and weeds until his mower ran out of gas. He’d then guzzle beer on his front porch until he passed out. That’s where Anastasia’s son Nick discovers his body three days after the victim and his family moved into the newly built mini-McMansion across the street.

 

After a melee breaks out at the viewing, Spader zeroes in on the widow as his prime suspect. However, Anastasia has her doubts. There are other possible suspects, including a woman who’d had an affair with the victim, his ex-wife, the man overseeing the widow’s trust fund, a drug dealer, and the reenactors who were blackmailing the widow and victim.

 

When another reenactor is murdered, Spader suspects they’re dealing with a serial killer, but Anastasia wonders if the killer is attempting to misdirect the investigation. As she narrows down the suspects, will she jeopardize her own life to learn the truth?

 

Craft projects included.

 

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Lois and I will also be on a Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour Feb. 4-17. Visit each stop on the tour for some fun posts, recipes, and crafts and to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win a copy of Seams Like the Perfect Crime.

February 4 – Jody's Bookish Haven – Spotlight

February 4 – Ascroft, eh? – Author guest post

February 5 – Socrates Book Reviews – Spotlight 

February 5 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – Spotlight 

February 6 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – Review & Recipe

February 6 – Baroness Book Trove – Spotlight 

February 7 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – Craft post 

February 7 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews - Spotlight

February 8 – Boys' Mom Reads! – Recipe 

February 8 – Ruff Drafts – Spotlight 

February 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Character guest post 

February 9 – FUONLYKNEW – Spotlight 

February 10 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – Spotlight 

February 11 – Christy's Cozy Corners – Author guest post 

February 12 – Novels Alive – Review 

February 13 – Jane Reads – Character guest post 

February 14 – Deal Sharing Aunt – Author guest post 

February 15 – Frugal Freelancer – Author interview 

February 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight 

February 17 – Maureen's Musings – Spotlight

DEBUT MYSTERY AUTHOR KATE MICHAELSON'S KILLER SOUP RECIPE

Kate Michaelson’s debut novel, Hidden Rooms, won the Hugh Holton Award for best unpublished mystery by a Midwest writer and was released by CamCat Books in 2024. As a curriculum developer and technical writer, Kate has created educational content on everything from media literacy to cybersecurity awareness. In her free time, she loves hiking, gardening, and anything that takes her outdoors and away from her laptop. Learn more about her and her books and find links to her other social media at her website.

Home Cooking and a Killer Recipe

My debut mystery, Hidden Rooms, is set in a small Ohio farming town much like the one where I grew up. Like me, my main character, Riley, is lucky enough to have a mother who is a fantastic cook. The book opens soon after Riley’s return to her hometown and features plenty of scenes where her close-knit family comes together to enjoy homemade, seasonally fresh food. 

 

Aside from being a traditional murder mystery, part of the puzzle in Hidden Rooms is Riley’s own medical mystery. Since moving home, Riley has been fighting bewildering health issues, from vertigo to joint pain. Like many people—particularly women—she struggles to find a clear diagnosis and has been left to manage her symptoms as best she can. Part of this includes eating foods that will help her feel her best.

 

I imagine this Savory Butternut Squash Soup would be the perfect dish for Riley since it offers a mix of comforting, garden-fresh home cooking, along with anti-inflammatory ingredients, like ginger, garlic, and turmeric. Also, since almost the entire U.S. is feeling the deep freeze as I write this, now seems like an ideal time to warm up with some soup, and the ginger gives this recipe a little added heat! 

 

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

1 cooked butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup of diced onion (about half an onion)

½ tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon turmeric

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

½ cup cream

 

A Note on Baking vs. Dicing the Squash

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not peel and dice a squash if I can avoid it! Of course, it’s absolutely fine to prepare your squash that way if that’s what you prefer, but I find it a bit easier to bake the halved squash. 

 

To do so, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the butternut squash into halves and remove the seeds. Brush olive oil onto the squash. Place the halves face down in a baking dish with a cup of water and bake for one to one and a half hours (until tender). Allow it to cool slightly and then remove the squash from the skin. 

 

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and sauté onions. After about 5 minutes, stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, paprika, and turmeric. Next, add the broth and cooked squash. Bring it to a low boil, stirring frequently.

 

Remove the pot from the heat. Puree the soup using an immersion blender. (If you need to use a regular blender, allow the soup to cool before blending it.)

 

Stir in the cream and put the blended soup back on the heat to rewarm it. Once it is hot, it’s ready to serve! I like to add pumpkin seeds as a topping for a little crunch. 

 

Enjoy!

 

Hidden Rooms

Long-distance runner, Riley Svenson, has been fighting bewildering symptoms for months, from vertigo to fainting spells. Worse, her doctors can’t tell her what’s wrong, leaving her to wonder if it’s stress or something more threatening. But when her brother’s fiancée is killed—and he becomes the prime suspect—Riley must prove his innocence, despite the toll on her health.

 

As she reacquaints herself with the familiar houses and wild woods of her childhood, the secrets she uncovers take her on a trail to the real killer that leads right back to the very people she knows best and loves most.

 

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