BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH AMATEUR SLEUTH TALLY HOLT FROM AUTHOR KAYE GEORGE'S VINTAGE SWEETS MYSTERY SERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with Tally Holt from author Kaye George’s Vintage Sweets Mystery Series.

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

I was doing fairly well. I had my own business and was making money. Then that author had my best friend from childhood, Yolanda Bella, talk me into buying—okay, putting a down payment on—the shop next to hers in Fredericksburg  Texas, where we both grew up. It’s been a struggle ever since I got here! Getting the business off the ground, keeping employees, having people get murdered in Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, my shop—that last one is very bad for business!

 

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

I like to think that I keep a level head in emergencies, but I’ve found that’s not always true. I thought I had good business sense but am having to talk Yolanda into looking over my books. I’ve always been a good judge of character until I got fooled by a few people. Maybe being flexible, going with the flow, is what I’m good at. After all, I’ve never had a pet cat, and am loving the one my brother dumped on me. It doesn’t hurt that Nigel is the sweetest big lump in the world, a Maine coon.

 

What do you like least about yourself?

I’ve found I have a tendency to get too involved in the lives of my employees. I find myself micromanaging if I’m not careful. That doesn’t go over well with them. 

 

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

I’d say that coming up with dead bodies is pretty strange! I never had to deal with them before she stepped in. And why would she pick Gene as a victim? There aren’t many men more good-looking that him! It’s a loss to womankind. 

 

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

I tried to get her to focus on someone else as the main suspect for Gene’s murder, but nooo, she went with Yolanda, my aforementioned best friend. I had no choice but to try to dig up whatever I could to get her off the hook that I knew she shouldn’t be on. 

 

What is your greatest fear?

Let’s see—my shop failing, me being the next victim, Yolanda shunning me for making her look guilty… Now that I look at the list, I’ll pick #2. I don’t want to be next!

 

 

What makes you happy?

I’ve found that Nigel can do that, no matter what else is going on. Yolanda is such a good friend, she can cheer me up, too. 

 

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

Any part? I’d have parents who had regular jobs and lived in one town. My brother Cole and I have to worry about them all the time. They are musician/dancer/singers who trot the globe with their wildly successful act. In fact, Cole doesn’t bear his share of the worrying. It’s mostly me.

 

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

Mrs. Gerg, bless her heart. She can’t help trying to do nice things for me. Her idea of nice, though, is picking up cast off junk at garage sales and giving it to me. Since she’s also my landlord, I can’t chuck all of it. She comes in sometimes and would notice if nothing she ever got me is on display. So it’s all on display. I even had to buy another shelf. Luckily, she doesn’t pick up large items. 

 

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

I wouldn’t mind being Yolanda. Her parents hover and her father treats her like a child, but they hand her money all the time. And they’re here—they live right outside town. She has a huge safety net. It also looks like she might have a love life. I’m pretty much lacking in that department. Every time I think a guy is working out, he’s not. 

 

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

She used to live outside Austin and loves the vineyard-studded Hill Country where Fredericksburg is located. She’s now in Knoxville TN, near some of her grandchildren. The third in this series, Into the Sweet Hereafter, came out in March, and that was her lucky thirteenth novel. She’s also written about 50 short stories and loves doing those! 

 

You can find pretty much everything about her at her website, including an audio free short story and links to her other social media accounts and a couple of blogs. 

 

What's next for you?

I have no idea. You’ll have to ask Kaye. But if you’re interested in knowing what she’s doing next, she’s continuing to work on the third in book in her People of the Wind series. These are books set 30,000 years ago at the beginning of the last Ice Age and her main characters are a small Neanderthal tribe. She’s also always working on more short stories.

 

Thanks to the readers here for stopping by! There is another free short story for you if you sign up for Kaye’s newsletter. She tries to keep her fans up to date with it, bringing out a new edition about quarterly-ish, unless there’s breaking news. Stay safe, everyone!

 

Into the Sweet Hereafter

A Vintage Sweets Mystery, Book 3

 

Spring has sprung in the charming tourist town of Fredericksburg, Texas, and one of the tastiest attractions is a trip to Tally’s Old Tyme Sweets—until a bizarre burglary leaves a bitter aftertaste...
 
Tally Holt is thrilled to see her new replicas of vintage sweets displayed in the window of Bella’s Baskets, a gift basket shop owned by her friend, Yolanda Bella. There’s just one problem—the creations appear to be melting. The ladies assume the culprit is the broiling heat of the Texas sun—until that night, the store window is smashed, and there’s only one thing missing: the replicas.
 
Tally is positively stumped. Clearly, the useless fake candies are more special than she bargained for—but why? When a rash of seemingly unrelated burglaries sweeps through the area, Tally is determined to sleuth out the answer—and stop a thief from killing more than the town’s appetite...

 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--MEET MYSTERY AUTHOR KAYE GEORGE'S NEW AMATEUR SLEUTH

Today we sit down for a chat with Tally Holt from author Kaye George’s new Vintage Sweets Mystery Series. 

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

I was pretty satisfied with my business in Dallas. I had a bakery there, since I love to work in the kitchen. Although I’d been in Dallas for a few years, I didn’t have much of a social life. I think the fact that I kept in touch with my childhood friend from Fredericksburg, Yolanda Bella, gave my author the idea to use those strings to pull me back there, through Yolanda.

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

I’m self-reliant. I’ve had to be, since my brother and I have “stage” parents. No, not the kind who push the kids on stage, the kind who are on the stage themselves. As often as possible, and wherever in the world they feel like it at the moment.

What do you like least about yourself?

I don’t seem to have very good judgment about people. I mean, I think I do, but Yolanda doesn’t. Sometimes I think she’s right. I’m too trusting.

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

Opening a vintage candy shop! Who ever heard of such a thing? Just because there was space available next to Yolanda’s gift basket store, and just because I received my grandmother’s recipes after her death. Hmm. Maybe I see where my author was coming from. This kind of feels like fate.

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

All the time! She always wants me outside my shop, looking around at people and clues, every time there’s a mystery to be solved. All this tension in my life. Really, Ms. George, I just want to make and sell candy. Would that be so hard?

What is your greatest fear?

I worry about my parents. They perform all over the world and the world can be a scary place. They go to locations that are volatile, politically. They even get caught up in natural disasters sometimes. They wouldn’t be who they are if they weren’t singing and dancing across the globe, but Cole and I (my brother) do worry about them.

What makes you happy?

Making delicious sweets, chocolate, coconut, caramel, fudge, and having people buy them so I can pay my bills. Then, after that, having the customers come back in and tell me how much they love my candies—and buy some more. That’s the best of all.

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

Now that I’m situated here in my hometown, maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t gone to Dallas for a few years. My business would be further along and I would know more about the town, instead of relying on others who have lived here all along. I’m not sure about some of these people.

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

Probably that detective, Jackson Rogers. He’s so…competent, so…tall, so…okay, he’s awfully good looking. And I can’t tell what he thinks about me. Wish I knew for sure if anything could develop between us. 

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

Nigel, for sure. He’s the Maine coon cat that my brother, Cole, foisted onto me, after Nigel was foisted onto him by an ex-girlfriend. I had never had a cat before, but he made me love him. Now I don’t know what I’d do without him. But if I could be him, I would have it made. All he has to do is hint that he might be a bit puckish, and his bowl is filled with din din. If he wants to cuddle, I’m right there, except when I’m at work. If he doesn’t want to cuddle, he doesn’t. He does whatever he wants to whenever he wants to do it. What a life!

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

She has written some other mysteries, and one other cozy series. But for that one, she used the name Janet Cantrell, at the request of her publisher. For some reason, she’s gotten nominations for some of her work, Agatha, Derringer, stuff like that. She likes to write short stories, too, but hardly any of them are the cozy-type. I try to ignore all the competing characters rattling around in her head, but you can check them all out at her website. There’s also a link to Janet’s site, or you can click here to read about the three Fat Cat Mysteries. 

What's next for you?

I’ll appear in a total of three mysteries, for sure. The second one will come out in June, and it’s called Deadly Sweet Tooth. The third will be sometime next year, Into the Sweet Hereafter. My future is murky after that, but you might see me around for some more sweet, but sticky, adventures.

My author is over there waving at me—she wants me to tell you THANKS for having me here today. I thank you, too, even though you made me answer some hard questions! Hope to see you again.

Revenge is Sweet

Vintage Sweets Mysteries, Book 1

In the picturesque tourist town of Fredericksburg, Texas, Tally Holt has opened a new candy store with a vintage twist . . .but there’s no sugar-coating a nasty case of murder . 

Tally Holt has poured her heart, soul, and bank account into Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, specializing in her grandmother’s delicious recipes. Tally’s homemade Mallomars, Twinkies, fudges, and taffy are a hit with visiting tourists—and with Yolanda Bella, the flamboyant owner of Bella’s Baskets next door. But both shops encounter a sour surprise when local handyman Gene Faust is found dead in Tally’s kitchen, stabbed with Yolanda’s scissors.

The mayor’s adopted son, Gene was a handsome Casanova with a bad habit of borrowing money from the women he wooed. It’s a sticky situation for Yolanda, who was one of his marks. There are plenty of other likely culprits among Fredericksburg’s female population, and even among Gene’s family. But unless Tally can figure out who finally had their fill of Gene’s sweet-talking ways, Yolanda—and both their fledgling businesses—may be destined for a bitter end . . . 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR KAYE GEORGE

Kaye George, the author of four mystery series, has been nominated for Agatha awards twice. She writes short stories, mysteries, and a bit of horror. She also reviews for "Suspense Magazine", writes for several newsletters and blogs, and gives workshops on short story writing and promotion. Learn more about her and her books at her website and blog. – AP 

What is accessible?

What do I mean by that? I picked up that word from a fellow musician. When our string quartet would attempt to play something that we had a tough time with, she would say that the piece was not accessible. I guess that means it’s too hard. Very accessible pieces are very easy.

How does that translate to literature? Some writing is accessible for the reader and some isn’t. I’m sure you’ve read things that you had to slog through, maybe for a class, or maybe because you’ve heard it’s a worthwhile work of literature and you should read it. Life’s too short, now that I’m out of school, for that sort of thing!

On the other hand, I don’t like music or reading that is TOO easy. Our church choir recently performed two pieces, Mozart’s “Te Deum” and Puccini’s “Credo”. Our choir had to work hard on both of them and I thought it was great fun. I get tired of singing things that take no thought at all. I also like reading books that teach me something. If there’s a word I don’t know, I like it best when I pick up the meaning from the context. Then I feel I’ve learned a new word on my own. I’m not above looking up rare, obscure words, but I don’t like the text to be full of them. I can’t get anything out of reading a bunch of words I don’t know and can’t derive!

Do you think this book title is accessible: Eine Kleine Wassermusick? OK, I thought it was really, really cool, but was told that it wasn’t. This book started life as Eine Kleine Wassermusick. The series features a sleuth who is a classical musician, as I am. To keep to the theme, I came up with that title as a cross between the names of two pieces of classical music, “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” by Mozart and “Watermusic” by Handel. The German means “A Little Night Music.”

No one liked the title. It was inaccessible.

So I changed it to Song of Death. My publisher wanted to change that name, so I cast around for something they would like. They vetoed every title I thought of that contained the word “death” so I twigged to the fact that many of their mysteries contained the word “murder” in the title instead.  My clever daughter came up with Eine Kleine Murder. They say each generation gets smarter than their parents. Thank goodness.

People who know a little about music, and who know Mozart’s piece (or least the name of it) like the title a lot. I wonder, how does this title strike other people? If they don’t understand it, I hope they’re curious enough to check out the story and see if they’d like to read it. It IS a standard murder mystery, just enhanced by a few musical references that I hope enrich the work.

Eine Kleine Murder

Aspiring conductor Cressa Carraway arrives at her grandmother’s cabin at a rural Illinois lake resort, hoping to find some peace and quiet so she can finish composing the symphony she needs to earn her master’s degree in composition. Instead, she finds her grandmother’s corpse in the lake. The authorities dismiss the death as an accidental drowning, but when Gram’s best friend drowns in the exact same spot, Cressa just knows something is off-key in this idyllic setting. Convinced that her grandmother’s death was anything but an accident, she fights her instinct to flee and starts looking into things herself. There are lots of people and facts to consider, from the self-important property manager and his brow-beaten wife, to their salacious son, to the elderly widow who may be lacing her home-baked cookies with a dash of poison. As the body count rises, Cressa doesn’t know which will be finished first—her symphony or her life.

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THIS WEEK'S BOOK WINNERS

We had another busy week here at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers. Special thanks to this week’s guest authors, Kaye George and Lynda Fitzgerald, who graciously offered copies of their books to some lucky readers who posted comments this week. The winner of Kaye’s Smoke (either paperback or ebook) is Kath. The winner of Lynda's Live Ringer and Live Ammo is traveller. Ladies, please email me at anastasiapollack@gmail.com to make arrangements for receiving your books.

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - GUEST AUTHOR KAYE GEORGE

Kaye George is a twice-Agatha-nominated novelist and short story writer whose stories have been published separately and in several anthologies. She reviews for Suspense Magazine and blogs on a group blog and a solo one. Learn more about Kaye and her stories at her website.

Kaye has graciously offered either a paperback or ebook of Smoke, her latest release, to one of our readers who posts a comment to the blog this week. -- AP

What Can Your Pet Do for You?

We've all heard stories of dogs and even cats saving families when the house is burning, stories of trained helper dogs such as seeing-eye dogs, even stories of pets predicting epileptic seizures.

But there are lots of other ways a pet can benefit the owner. Web MD lists five ways in this article (http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/health-benefits-of-pets). Pets can be~~

(1) Allergy fighters. Sometimes children grow up less prone to allergies in households with furry pets. That didn't work for us. We had had cats since before we had kids, but our second child turned out to be allergic. We first got rid of our remaining cat. His litter mate had died a month or two before our son started having asthma attacks. That was a sad day. Max, the cat, had a skin condition that required cortisone shots once a month, so we couldn't get anyone to adopt him and had to have him put to sleep. Max had the loudest purr of any cat we've ever had. A year later, our son developed an allergy to Ruffles, Duchess of Frecklefoot, our Golden Retriever. That was like getting rid of one of my kids! We did find a good home for her. A few years later, we got another dog--the kids begged and begged--and our son, who had been taking allergy shots, never was severely allergic to pets again.

(2) Date magnets. Hey, I'm not looking for a date, having been married for mumble-mumble years, but even I talk to people about their pets.

(3) Dogs for the aged. My eighty-year-old mother came to live with us for seven months near the end of her life. Our current Golden, Cory (Corona Golden Sunshine--our kids always named the dogs), was a joy to her. She never liked cats and remarked more than once that they had "terrible eyes". But she was best buddies with Cory. Cory, of course, was best buddies with everyone. The only exceptions were two service people who came to the house on two different occasions. When Cory growled at someone, I left her in the house the whole time that person was there. If Cory told me they were OK, I would sometimes put her in the yard so she wouldn't bother them too much.

There are programs nationwide that sponsor groups taking pets to nursing homes. I think that's an excellent use for pets! A San Francisco SPCA program sponsors people bringing dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, even cats to see the elderly. Here's a video of a pot belly pig visiting some oldsters--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whOS2uxMDiI

(4) Good for mind and soul. Being around a friendly animal helps with depression and raises levels of the feel good transmitters serotonin and dopamine.

(5) Good for the heart. Having a pet lengthens the life of those who have had heart attacks and even lowers triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

Since I included a pet pot belly pig in my second Imogene Duckworthy novel, I'll have to see to it that the family doesn’t run into allergies, depression, or heart trouble. So far, Marshmallow hasn't been a date magnet for Immy, but that could happen in the future.

Thanks for joining us today, Kaye! I love the names of both your pets and your protagonist! Readers, if you’d like a chance to win a copy of Smoke, post a comment, and be sure to check back on Sunday to see if you’re the lucky winner. -- AP