BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH RAMONA ARGROW FROM ELAINE ORR'S JOLIE GENTIL COZY MYSTERY SERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with Ramona Argrow from author Elaine Orr’s Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

A good bit quieter! I went to high school for one year with Jolie, but she moved back home. I ran into her again where I work, at an office supply store in Ocean Alley (the Purple Cow). That way I have income, but it's the kind of work that lets me have time for my art. I enjoy pen and ink drawings, but work in a lot of mediums.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

I'm true to myself. For example, people think it's odd that I dress in flowing skirts and short vests, but I'm tall and I think the kind of hippie look of the 1970s fits me.

What do you like least about yourself?

Hmm. I think if I paid as much attention to selling my art as I do in making it that I'd have things like a cottage here at the Jersey shore, or at least be able to take a vacation to see the Louvre. But, I don't like numbers and routines.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

She got me to go with her to follow one of my friend Jolie's crazy hunches about who left a body under a pirate ship display. (One that I helped make! It's on the cover of Any Port in a Storm.) I told Jolie to mind her own business. But, I ended up getting her out of a bad scrape, so I suppose it's a good thing I went along.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

Generally, no. I thought she made me look like a busybody for a while, but I pretty much got her to cut it out.

What is your greatest fear?

Don't tell anyone, but I've kept to myself for so long I worry about being alone when I'm older. What if I don't marry? I used to not pay attention to kids – unless I was doing a drawing of one – but now I find myself looking at cute toddlers on the boardwalk.

What makes you happy?

The perfect yoga pose. I've tried to explain to Jolie how fulfilling yoga is, but she doesn't like to slow down that much.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

I always thought I'd live in New York City and have pictures in a gallery by now. I wasn't bold enough to head there on my own. I told myself it was too expensive to live there. But I should have tried.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Without a doubt, George Winters. He’s the best friend of Jolie's best bud, Scoobie, and he thinks he's some prize-winning reporter. He comes by the store a lot. I know he's just looking for chatter for his newspaper column. He also thinks he's really witty. I roll my eyes a lot when I'm with him.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

No one! I love my art. I suppose Jolie's Aunt Madge has an artistic flair. You see it in how she's decorated her B&B. But I wouldn't want to be anything but an artist.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

Elaine did a lot of nonfiction work and used to think she didn't have much of an imagination. I guess it eventually got the better of her. Now she writes three mystery series and what she calls reflective fiction. Elaine isn't big on the term literary fiction. She also likes to write whimsical essays, but she hasn't gotten up the nerve to publish any of them. Elaine can barely do paint by numbers. Fortunately, Patty G. Henderson, who did the cover of Any Port in a Storm, is a very good artist. Learn more about Elaine and her books at her website and blog.

What's next for you?

I've been saving up to open a small studio, maybe teach some classes. Scoobie has dropped hints that George might like to go out with me, but I've ignored him. So far.

Any Port in a Storm

A Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery, Book 4

Someone is breaking into the houses Jolie appraises. Plus, a hurricane's on the way to disrupt the Talk Like a Pirate Day fundraiser for the food pantry. When a corpse turns up under the pirate ship, Jolie's name pops up as a suspect.

Soon she has less work. Who wants a possible murder suspect appraising their house? Scoobie's pirate limericks can't solve a crime, so Jolie and her sometimes buddy reporter George Winters look for the murderer and try to figure out who's trying to frame Jolie. They need to stay ahead of whoever's mad at her and off the radar of the local police who tell Jolie -- for the hundredth time -- to butt out. All this and Jolie has to deal with Aunt Madge's blossoming love life. And what about her own?

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#TRAVEL TO THE JERSEY SHORE WITH GUEST AUTHOR CARIDAD PINEIRO

OG Surf and Skate Shop, Ocean Grove, New Jersey

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Caridad Pineiro has sold over a million romance novels worldwide. She’s a transplanted Long Island girl who has fallen in love with pork roll and the Jersey Shore but still can’t get the hang of tomato pies. As a founding member of Liberty States Fiction Writers and a speaker at writing conferences and writing organizations around the country, she uses her passion for writing to help others explore and develop their own writing skills. Learn more about Caridad and her books at her website. 

First of all, thank you so much, Anastasia, for letting me come by and share some of the location inspiration for my new release, One Summer Night, the first book in the At the Shore Contemporary Romance series from Sourcebooks Casablanca.

As you might guess from the series name, the stories are set at the beach in Sea Kiss, a fictional town that is a melding of several of my favorite towns along the Jersey Shore. Today I’m going to share a little bit about one of those towns, Ocean Grove, which is one of my favorite shore towns.

Located just south of neighboring Asbury Park, Ocean Grove is a quaint town filled with lovely Victorian homes and a shopping district with a hometown feel. You’ll get to taste some of that atmosphere in One Summer Night as the characters stroll through town. There’s even a little homage to my daughter’s surf and skate shop on Main Avenue.

Ocean Grove was originally founded by the Methodists and is today still owned by the Camp Meeting Association. For that reason, the town is dry and many of the homes are on land that is owned by the Association and only leased to the homeowners. Not that long ago, residents could not park their cars in town on Sunday and to this day, the beach does not open until noon on Sundays to allow residents to attend religious services. Some of those services are actually held in a small pavilion on the boardwalk.

Ocean Grove tent camp

One of the most interesting elements in town that track to its faith-based mission are the tents which are erected every May and taken down in late September. The tents are a holdover from when the Methodists would hold their camp revival meetings on the beach. At some point the structures became more permanent with small sheds to hold the kitchens and bathrooms and the tented area for sleeping. They are lovely to see and are decorated quite nicely by the summer residents. Some of the residents are descendants of the original Methodists who constructed the tents. More than 100 of them remain in town.

In One Summer Night, the families of the heroes and heroines have lived in Sea Kiss for nearly a century and have grand Victorian homes on the beachfront. It was so much fun to craft these homes and the nearby town to give you a taste of what I love about the Jersey Shore and Ocean Grove in particular. The town is a unique gem, so much so, that the entire town has been designated a National Historic landmark.

But for me it’s not just the beautiful homes, main street and of course, the beach, it’s about the wonderful sense of community that exists in the town.

I remember going there with my daughter a week after Hurricane Sandy hit the area to see how her store had fared. She was lucky not to have damage, but the boardwalk area was hit pretty hard. When we got to the boardwalk there were dozens and dozens of residents out there cleaning up the mess. From little ones picking up small pieces of wood to adults of all ages, they were there trying to put things to right.

You’ll see some mention of that in One Summer Night as well, since the hero and heroine, Maggie Sinclair and Owen Pierce, are quite involved in Sea Kiss and helping to keep it thriving.

I hope you enjoyed this look into the inspiration for Sea Kiss, my little town in the At the Shore series. I hope you’ll check out One Summer Night, which is now available for pre-order and will be out in print and e-book on October 3. The second book in the series, What Happens in Summer, will be out in late Spring 2018, and you’ll get to spend some more time with Owen’s brother Jonathan and Maggie’s best friend Connie Reyes. Plus you’ll get to see a little more of Sea Kiss!

One Summer Night

An offer that’s impossible to accept…

Maggie Sinclair has tried everything to save her family’s business, including mortgaging their beloved beach house on the Jersey shore. But now, she’s out of options. 

The Sinclair and Pierce families have been neighbors and enemies for almost thirty years. That hasn’t stopped Owen Pierce from crushing on Maggie, and he’s determined to invest in her success. Now he has to convince her that he’s more than just trouble with a capital T…

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COVER REVEAL--ONE SUMMER NIGHT BY CARIDAD PINEIRO

Anastasia is taking the day off so that author Lois Winston can show a little love to friend and fellow Jersey girl, Caridad Pineiro. Caridad has a new romance series debuting in October, and today Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers is excited to take part in the cover reveal for One Summer Night, the first book in her At the Shore romance series, which takes place at the Jersey shore.

Caridad is a transplanted Long Island girl who has fallen in love with pork roll and the Jersey Shore, but still can’t get the hang of tomato pies. When she isn’t taking long strolls along the boardwalk to maintain her sanity and burn off that pork roll, she’s also a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author with over a million books sold worldwide.

Caridad is passionate about writing and helping others explore and develop their skills as writers. She’s a founding member of the Liberty States Fiction Writers and has presented workshops at various writing organizations throughout the country. Learn more about Caridad and her books at he website. 

What Happens At the Shore, Stays At the Shore

Come and Meet Maggie, Connie, and Emma. These three Jersey Girls are in for the surprise of their lives as love finally drags them to the altar for their own Happily-Ever-Afters.

Maggie Sinclair, Connie Reyes, and Emma Grant have been best friends for years. The three women are as different as they come, but that has only helped sustain them during the trying times in their lives, like the marriage of yet another one of their acquaintances. As they stand at the altar, always as bridesmaids, they are the only single women who remain from their circle of college friends and business colleagues.

Successful women in their own right, they’re not in a rush to do the dash up the aisle, but Fate has a way of shaking the foundations of their very settled lives.

One Summer Night is the first book in the series and is available for pre-order now. It will be followed by Suddenly Last Summer and Sea Kiss Summer (tentative title.)

One Summer Night

Maggie Sinclair has tried everything to save her family's business. Her options are dwindling, and she needs someone who can turn things around—fast. Problem is, the only person who can help her is trouble with a capital T. The Sinclair and Pierce families have been feuding for nearly 30 years, but that hasn't stopped Jax Pierce from noticing Maggie. And he likes what he sees—a lot. But getting involved would mean risking his family, his inheritance, and above all, his heart. Can Maggie and Jax keep their simmering attraction at bay—or will mixing business and pleasure bring nothing but heartache?

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COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR ROSEANN DEFRANCO

Contemporary romantic comedy author RoseAnn DeFranco returns today to share some recipes with us. Learn more about her and her books at her website and blog.

‘Tis the Season in Audubon Springs…The Making of Mama’s Italian Sauce

Thank you for welcoming me back to Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers! 

Previously I introduced you to my Brothers of Audubon Springs series set at the Jersey shore where the men run as hot as the temperatures in late July at the shore. My heroes in the series, Rafe, Tony, and Vince have a dominating Italian Mama. Some people dominate in a boardroom, others captivate from the stage; Marcella Iuliano runs her family with a firm hand from the kitchen.

It should come as no surprise the women strong enough to claim the hearts of these men also need to win the approval of their mother. She is a force of nature, and it is best to have her on your side.  What better test, or initiation, into the family than the making of Mama’s own Italian sauce?  I imagine each of my heroines attempting mama’s recipe, with varying degrees of success, under her watchful eye, over the years to come.  I’m sure it will only take ten to forty years to get the recipe deemed acceptable. Good thing Emma, Annie and Kit are in it for the long haul!

This recipe has been pulled from my own mother’s cookbook…she is my real life version of Mama Iuliano, and I love her dearly.  Once I let go of the pressure of being her equal in the kitchen, my life became much easier.  She is a tough act to follow.  I do however make a MEAN version of her sauce every year for the holidays.  It has become my own personal tradition. While standing in my kitchen, I feel close to my mom, my grandmother, and all the women in our extended families.  As our families have spread out across the years and miles, and our traditions have changed, one thing remains a constant and will always bind us together…we love to EAT! 

Enjoy my Mama’s Sauce recipe – complete with my own notes…that of the novice chef!

Ingredients

4 Lg. Cans Tomato Puree

4 Lg. Cans Crushed Tomatoes

3-18oz. cans Tomato Paste

2 handfuls of fresh basil chopped (I’ve been known to use 6 Tbsps. dried basil without detection)

1 Tbsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/3 C. sugar

½ Tbsp. baking soda

3 medium onions chopped (DO NOT use the food processor as a short cut!)

10 cloves garlic, chopped (food processor approved)

Directions

Sauté onion & garlic in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add tomato paste with a little water and continue to cook. After a few minutes add puree tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. I LOVE watching the sauce bubble when adding the baking soda. I think this is the secret ingredient that pulls the acidity out of the recipe. Add a few cans of water to the desired sauce thickness. Simmer on stove while preparing meat. I always love this bit of direction…it is understood that if you are making mom’s sauce, you better add the meat!

Note from Mom: This is a large recipe which I make and freeze. It requires 2 large pots (8 & 16 quarts). Recipe may be cut in half or quartered.  All of her recipes include notes of what may and may not be done regarding cutting and doubling.

Meatballs

4 lbs. ground round

1 lb. ground pork

5 eggs

5 cloves garlic, chopped

2 ½ C. Grated Romano

2 ½ C. Flavored breadcrumbs (Mom likes Progresso)

2 lg. Onions chopped fine

Salt and pepper to taste (This always throws me. I do not taste raw meat, so just add some salt and pepper)

This is where the instructions she provided to me end. The message here is clear…any daughter of hers better know how to make a meatball. I’ll fill in the gaps…

Mix all ingredients. Add a little water.  Shape and fry in olive oil then place in simmering sauce.  That is what mom wants you to do, but I skip the fryer and put the meatballs right into the sauce and let them cook that way. This cuts down on grease in the sauce, again reducing acidity. To this day I’ve never been questioned on my meatballs! They ROCK!

Mom also adds other meats depending on the holiday. Spare ribs are a fan favorite, and of course the Italian Specialty – Brasciole – YUM! That is a recipe for another day. The newly minted Iuliano women are NOT ready for Brasciole. 

Return to Audubon Springs

When Emma Grant returns to her family's Audubon Springs beach house to fulfill the stipulations of her father's will, she has every intention of forcing her former lover out of the house for good. She's never fit into her wealthy family and would prefer avoiding her past, but with her brother threatening to reveal her young daughter, she has no choice.

Rafe Iuliano has other plans. The wealthy Grants tried to bribe him out of Emma's life years ago, but he's determined to prove once and for all that a master carpenter is worthy of Emma and the house.

Their ridiculous and steamy battle for the house reignites the love and passion that bloomed between them years ago. But when Rafe discovers she's kept their daughter a secret for two years, can he overcome anger and pride to claim his family and the love of his life, or will the deception drive a final wedge between them?

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TRAVEL WITH SERENA -- GUEST TRAVELER, AUTHOR CARIDAD PINEIRO

Today we welcome back NY Times bestselling author Caridad Pineiro to talk about one of her favorite places, the Jersey shore. Caridad is the author of over twenty-six paranormal romance and romantic suspense novels and novellas. Her popular THE CALLING vampire series returns in 2012. THE FIFTH KINGDOM, a romantic suspense, was just released, and THE LOST, the first book in her new SIN HUNTERS paranormal romance series arrives in August. Caridad has also written the foreword for OBSESSED: EROTIC ROMANCE FOR WOMEN edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel which will be available in August 2011.  Her popular THE CALLING vampire series returns in 2012, but vampire lovers will enjoy A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS (October 2011) which includes Caridad's novella, WHEN HERALD ANGELS SING. For more information on Caridad, visit her website.  -- AP

When I created the concept for THE LOST, the first book in my paranormal SIN HUNTERS series, I had no doubt that I wanted to set the book in one of my favorite places:  the Jersey Shore.

I know that by now you’ve probably had a look at the show by that name, but the real Jersey Shore is nothing like that.  It’s one hundred and thirty miles of beaches and towns which each have their unique flavor.

For THE LOST, I chose a stretch of shoreline that runs from the southern town of Sea Girt to the more northern locations of Asbury Park.  In that gap of about ten or so miles, there are several interesting and lovely towns and today I’m going to share some of them with you!

Bradley Beach is a family-friendly area with a non-commercial boardwalk.  That means that you can stroll near the ocean without all the hubbub of rides and shops crowding the beauty of nature.

Here’s a photo of the Bradley Beach Centennial Fountain located along their boardwalk.  You can stroll along here with your family, play a game of mini-golf or maybe bocce. 

Relax and savor the sea air in one of Bradley’s many gazebos or sit and listen to one of the regular free concerts offered at the main gazebo on Fifth Avenue

In THE LOST, the heroine’s family lives in Bradley Beach while she has a nearby condo in lovely Ocean Grove, also known as God’s Little Square Mile.  Ocean Grove was founded in 1869 as a Victorian-era Methodist camp meeting site.  The town is filled with lovely Victorian architecture, a bustling Main Avenue and the unusual tent city in and around the Great Auditorium.

 

For nightlife along this stretch of the Jersey Shore, the place to go is Asbury Park which is undergoing a renaissance.  New stores and restaurants as well as renovations to the Convention Center and Paramount Theatre are making the Asbury Park boardwalk the place to be at night.  Some areas still require repair, but despite that, they are equally interesting.

I love walking through the shell of the Casino building in the early morning and seeing the grandeur of Asbury Park’s past.  I loved this location so much that a pivotal action scene in the second book in the SIN HUNTER series, THE CLAIMED (May 2012) takes place in the bowels of this old building.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this trip to the Jersey Shore with me and that you’ll take the time to visit some day soon.  All of these towns can be easily reached by car, bus and train and will truly give you a taste of the real Jersey Shore.

Thank you, Caridad! And for those of you unfamiliar with Asbury Park, it's also to home of the Stone Pony where Bruce Springsteen got his start.  Readers, have you ever been to the Jersey shore? Let's hear from you. Post a comment to be entered in the drawing for a free book from our Book Club Friday author this week. -- AP

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--REAL NJ HOUSEWIVES

Today I’d like to introduce you to Janice Kerr, American Woman’s health editor.   Janice will be dropping by from time to time on Wednesdays to bring you tips, ideas, and other assorting information on how to live a healthy lifestyle.  To read more about Janice, you’ll have to wait until Book Two in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries by Lois Winston.  In the meantime, catch Janice here at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers. -- AP

REAL NJ HOUSEWIVES
by Janice Kerr, American Woman health editor

I’ve lived and worked in New Jersey all my life, and for all my life I’ve had to put up with my state being the butt of the rest of the country’s jokes.  Television isn’t helping.  First it was The Sopranos, then The Real Housewives of New Jersey.  Last year brought us the worst of the lot so far, the first season of Jersey Shore (with only one of the eight member cast actually from New Jersey, the other seven come from New York and Rhode Island!)  It’s obvious that Hollywood loves to make fun of the Garden State.

The newest Jerseyite plastered across our televisions and the Internet doesn’t help our long suffering image.  She’s Donna Simpson, a 42 year old mother of two with a most unusual goal.  She wants to weigh 1000 lbs.  That’s half a ton, people!  And she’s well on her way to reaching that goal.

Let me tell you, we here in New Jersey didn’t need this.  Our state has suffered enough.  It’s enough to make anyone go out and exercise another few hours a week.  And that’s just what the newest health studies are now telling us -- one hour a day, seven days a week of moderate to strenuous exercise to maintain our weight as we age. 

And that brings me to a story about another New Jersey woman, someone we can all admire.  Two years ago Karen MacNamara weighed over 300 lbs. -- about half the size of Donna Simpson.  But Karen realized she needed to shed weight to stay healthy.  This 53 year old woman lost 137 lbs. by changing her eating habits and taking up walking -- a form of moderate exercise.  Go Karen!  Now that’s a New Jersey housewife we can all admire!



So what do you think of these two NJ housewives?  Let's hear from you!  And don't forget by sharing your thoughts, you're automatically entered to win a book from our Book Club Friday guest this week.--AP