#COOKING WITH CLORIS--P.I. FLAN DE NARANJA

Multi-award winning author Heather Haven writes humorous, noir, historical, and romantic mysteries, short stories, and plays. Today Lee Alvarez, protagonist of her Alvarez Family Murder Mystery Series, shares one of her uncle’s recipes. Learn more about Heather and her books at her website.

I don’t mean to brag, but as the central character of the humorous Alvarez Family Murder Mystery Series, I get to eat a lot of terrific food. That’s because my Tio is the retired head chef of the world famous Las Mananita’s Restaurant in San Jose, California. During his illustrious career, his recipes were often written up in gourmet food magazines. They’d throw in a few pics, too, because Tio is one classy-looking uncle.

I have all the articles and pictures in a scrapbook I started in my early teens. That was before my PI days. I don’t have time to make scrapbooks anymore – I don’t have time to do squat anymore– but I always seem to find time to sit down at the dinner table and scarf down one of his culinary masterpieces!

Tío’s desserts undo me. While he’s creating a recipe, he makes it again and again until it reaches his idea of perfection. Meanwhile, lucky me gets to gobble up every version, as he strives for the ultimate. When Tio was working on his homemade mango and red plum ice cream garnished with fresh spearmint leaves, I must have gained six pounds. Fortunately, I spend a lot of time chasing bad guys over Bay Area rooftops, so I tend to lose the weight as fast as I gain it.

I’ll tell you, though, my favorite is his Flan de Naranja. No lie, his flan has gone down in song and legend. Tio even picks the oranges himself from our backyard. Olé!

Tio’s Flan de Naranja

Serves 4-6:

Ingredients:

5 egg yolks

1 cup white sugar

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup half-and-half cream

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 orange peel

1/2 fluid ounce orange liqueur

2 ounces candied orange peel, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, beat eggs and yolk. Beat in sugar until smooth. Set aside. 

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, half-and-half, the vanilla bean and its scrapings, and the peel of one orange. Heat until bubbles form at edges of liquid, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove orange peel. Beat hot cream into egg mixture, a little at a time, until all is incorporated. Stir in orange liqueur. Pour into 4 to 6 individual custard cups.

Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place cups on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the cups.

Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until set. Let cool completely.  Sprinkle candied orange peel on top of each cup before serving.

The Culinary Art of Murder

Book Six of The Alvarez Family Murder Mystery

Lee’s Uncle Tío is smitten with the guest chef at a Silicon Valley culinary arts institute. When the woman is arrested for the murder of a fellow chef, a reluctant Lee agrees to help prove Tío’s lady love innocent. But Lee suspects the ambitious, southern belle of a cook might just be guilty. Undercover work at the institute proves to have more pitfalls than whipping up a chocolate soufflé. The killer isn’t done and tries to get Lee out of the way permanently. But just who is the murderer? The accused? One of her two sons? Another inmate from a cooking school with more to hide than dirty dishes? With secrets as plentiful as sauces, the nagging question remains, if Lee proves the lady chef guilty, will Tío ever forgive her for sending his new love to jail?

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR PATRICIA HALE'S P.I., BRITT CALLAHAN

Today we’re joined by Britt Callahan from author Patricia Hale’s Cole and Callahan PI.

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

Before I became a PI, I worked as an attorney specializing in family law. When I was singled out for my role as Britt Callahan in Patricia Hale’s Cole and Callahan series, I’d just left my law practice. The grisly aftermath of a case left me questioning my capability and I slipped into a black hole. Griff Cole put me back on my feet, then swept me off of them, leading to a partnership, personally and professionally. It’s been a whirlwind ride, but I’ve never looked back. I’m still out for justice, but my tactics have changed.

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

I can give you a longer list of things I don’t like about myself. But if I have to come up with one good trait… I guess I’d say I know how to persevere. I’m what you might describe as a fighter. A Dachshund/Beagle mix. Tenacious, until I get what I’m after.

What do you like least about yourself?

My lack of faith. I second-guess myself. Even as I plow forward through the muck and obstacles, I’m sure I’ll fail. Somehow, I always get what I’m after and no one is more surprised than me.

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

Not strange, but frightening. In Durable Goods, I infiltrated a religious refuge for women, which turned out to be a trafficking ring. Maintaining my cover was the only hope I had of staying alive. It’s also what made me want to die. Acting as “one of the girls” threatened my relationship with Griff and created an ethical dilemma. Lines blurred until I couldn’t recognize myself. Am I hero or victim?

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

Like I said, I’m not overly confident, and Hale pushes me beyond what I think I can do. I always come through okay, but it’s a hell of a journey. I have to admit that I’ve come a long way from where I started in The Church of the Holy Child. The strength I develop in Durable Goods leads to an atrocious act I carry out in Scar Tissue, the third book in the series. I’d never have believed I was capable of that. Patricia Hale likes to push my limits. Because of her, I’ve grown. I guess I should be more trusting… and grateful.

What is your greatest fear?

My greatest fear is something happening to my sister, Amy. I love Griff, but Amy is blood. My parents had more interesting things to do with their time, like cocktails and grad students. Amy’s the closest thing I’ve known to a mother. And while Amy’s straight A’s and cheerleader fame did occasionally catch my mother’s bleary eye, I was told I should never have been born. I already mentioned my lack of confidence, didn’t I?

What makes you happy?

Griff, Griff and more Griff. Oh… and a Honeyberry cigar.

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

In Durable Goods, I’d rewrite the time I spent at Oracles of the Kingdom under the rule of Isaac Bennett. I know now that he was a coward and a hypocrite. Ruthless, yes, but weak at heart. At the time, I was afraid of him. He got the best of me. But as my search for Kira continued, I met much worse and found my strength. I’d like to go back now and make Isaac pay for what he did to me… for what he did to all the girls.

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

Rose was cruel and cold. She was, what you might think of as a Madam, overseeing all of the working girls. She was loyal to Isaac to a fault, afraid he’d lose his use for her.  She let nothing slide and reported the slightest indiscretion, like whispers behind his back or ingratitude for what was deemed his generosity. She was a bitter old woman past her prime. I hated her.

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

I like being me, but once in a while I’d trade places with my office diva, Katie Nightingale. She’s funny and confident and runs an impeccable ship. She’s also a marathon runner and a size six. I, on the other hand, have been known to sip a margarita while on the treadmill and can’t refuse anything with frosting.

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

Patricia Hale lives in NH with her husband and two dogs. When she’s not on her computer or at work at a holistic veterinary clinic, she’s on the trails near her home hiking or snowshoeing. Patricia published her first novel, In the Shadow of Revenge, in 2013. She started her Cole and Callahan series with The Church of the Holy Child in September 2017. Durable Goods is the second book in the series, and Scar Tissue will be released later this year.  You can find out more on her website. 

What's next for you?

Griff and I will be back in the Fall of 2018 in Scar Tissue, the third book in the Cole and Callahan series. When a student/athlete jumps to her death, we’re hired to find out why. But the truth opens one family’s Pandora's Box. Lines are crossed and risks are taken… all in the name of (twisted) love.

Durable Goods

Detective John Stark approaches the PI team of Griff Cole and Britt Callahan with a postcard he’s sure is from his estranged daughter, Kira. She’s been listed as a runaway for three years by Portland, Maine police, but John isn’t convinced that her continued absence is by choice. As Stark’s long-time friends, Cole and Callahan agree to look into the postcard marked only with the letters O.K. 

The postmark leads them to Oracles of the Kingdom, a farm where women sell fresh produce in return for a fresh start with God. But nothing seems right about the town or the farm and Britt goes undercover to look for Kira. Once inside, she realizes Oracles of the Kingdom is not the refuge it appears. And when she's trafficked over the Canadian border, she’s on her own, over her head and losing clarity between hero and victim.

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR HEATHER WEIDNER

Heather Weidner has been a mystery fan since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. Now she’s a mystery author with short stories appearing in two anthologies as well as a mystery series. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

My Homage to Nancy Drew – Girl Sleuth

I write mystery novels and short stories. Secret Lives and Private Eyes is the first in the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series. (The Tulip Shirt Murders, the second in the series, launches in mid-November.) My sleuth Delanie is a sassy, redheaded private investigator who zooms around Central Virginia in her black Mustang.

I have loved mysteries since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. And I was over the moon in 1977 when the “Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys” TV show debuted. (It didn’t hurt that Shaun Cassidy played Joe Hardy.) My friends and I raced through all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys collections at the public library in Virginia Beach. My favorite is still The Crooked Bannister (1971) with its hot pink cover. I loved the plot twists and the double meanings. From that point on, I was hooked on mysteries. From there, I moved on to Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But Nancy Drew is still one of my favorite sleuths.

In the late 1980s, I had a double major in English and history. My research project in “Adolescent Literature” was a comparative study of the original Nancy Drew mysteries from the 1930s with the updated ones in the 1980s and their influence on generations of readers.

As a pre-teen reader, I was so impressed that Nancy could solve crimes before the professionals and adults did. I adored Nancy’s freedom. She had a car. She did things that other girls didn’t, and she could solve crimes. She influenced generations of women like Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Oprah Winfrey, and Sonia Sotomayor. Nancy has been a role model for lots of young girls for over eighty years.

The Nancy Drew mysteries were written by several ghostwriters under one pseudonym, Carolyn Keene. The series has undergone several revisions and updates over the years, but Nancy’s spirit prevailed. The famous yellow spines were added to the books in 1962. That was the set that I remember reading. And her stories have been translated into over twenty different languages.

The girl detective appeared in several movies from the 1930s to the 2000s and TV shows through the years. Her face and logo have graced all kinds of merchandising from jewelry, lunch boxes, and clothing to board and video games. She has appeared in novels, coloring books, and graphic novels.

There are some similarities between the iconic Nancy Drew and my private investigator. I didn’t intentionally mean to create the parallels, but subconsciously, her character influenced my mystery writing. Both females are fearless, smart, and feisty. Delanie and Nancy both have red hair. (Nancy Drew started out as a blonde in the 1930s, but artists in the 1940-50s depicted her as a redhead.)

Nancy drove a sporty roadster. Her car was upgraded to a Mustang in the mysteries from the 1980s. My sleuth loves her black Mustang, nicknamed Black Beauty.

Nancy’s friends (Bess and George) were important in her life and to the stories just like Delanie’s partner Duncan (his English bulldog Margaret), and her girlfriends Paisley and Robin are key to her story life.

I like to think of my Delanie Fitzgerald as following in the footprints of the original girl sleuth.

Secret Lives and Private Eyes

A Delanie Fitzgerald Mystery, Book 1

Business has been slow for Private Investigator Delanie Fitzgerald, but her luck seems to change when a tell-all author hires her to find rock star Johnny Velvet. Could the singer—whose career purportedly ended in a fiery crash almost thirty years ago—still be alive?

As if sifting through dead ends in a cold case isn’t bad enough, Delanie is hired by loud-mouth strip club owner Chaz Wellington Smith, III, to uncover information about the mayor’s secret life. When the mayor is murdered, Chaz becomes the key suspect, and Delanie must clear his name. She also has to figure out why a landscaper keeps popping up in her other investigation. Can the private investigator find the connection between the two cases before another murder—possibly her own—takes place?

Secret Lives and Private Eyes is a fast-paced mystery that will appeal to readers who like a strong, female sleuth with a knack for getting herself in and out of difficult, and sometimes humorous, situations.

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GUEST AUTHOR HEATHER HAVEN'S INVESTIGATIVE SLEUTH ON FAMILY DYNAMICS

Award-winning author Heather Haven has written ten mysteries with an eleventh on the way. She is also a writer of short stories, comedy acts, television treatments, ad copy, commercials, and plays. Learn more about her and her books at her website. Today we’re joined by Lee Alvarez, the protagonist of Heather’s Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries.

Hi, everyone! My name is Lee and I'm a ferret. Not the cute, four-legged kind. I'm the type of ferret who tracks down law-breakers in the hardware, software, and intellectual property game. I’m thirty-four years old, half Latina, half Palo Alto blueblood, and one hundred percent detective. On a good day, when I can control my hair, I’m told I look like a young Elizabeth Taylor. On a bad hair day, a chrysanthemum.

Along with my family, I run Discretionary Inquiries, a detective agency in the heart of Silicon Valley, specializing in cybercrimes. However, when I’m not looking, I seem to fall over dead bodies. I try not to think about it.

What I do think about is a martini, shaken, two olives, and served icy cold, especially at the end of a long day. Throw in a bowl of mixed nuts. Then I curl up with my cat, Tugger, and watch an old, black and white Barbara Stanwyck movie.

OMG. I just reread that. Does that sound as pathetic as I think it does? I mean, I date. I see guys. But Tugger’s been my best and steadiest guy ever since he wandered into my life. I don’t mean to complain, but I’ve learned the hard way that more often than not, when Cupid shoots an arrow it’s best to take cover.

Moving on. Roberto Alvarez, my dad, died unexpectedly two years ago from an aneurism. He taught me everything he knew about being a good detective. He hoped I would follow in his footsteps. I did. Of course, I have to work with the rest of my family who handle other parts of the agency. Again, I’m not complaining, but they can drive a person bonkers.

Like my kid brother, Richard. He’s the head of D. I.’s Research and IT Department. He’s always giving me some new fangled piece of equipment no bigger than a matchbox at the last minute. Then he gets huffy because I can’t make it work. I mean, I’m chasing down murderers in the middle of a San Francisco winter storm and it’s my fault the stupid scanner doesn’t work. Something about how I should have read the instructions.

Of course, there’s the blueblood half of the mix, CEO and mother, Lila Hamilton Alvarez. She’s one cool, blonde goddess and serious fashionista. The woman who gave birth to me has never had a bad hair day in her life. She can also chill a bottle of chardonnay at a single glance, never breaking stride in her Christian Louboutin pumps. It’s a lot to live up to.

On another note, Mom tends to send me out on jobs no other self-respecting gumshoe would take. She has this guilt thing down to a science. But God forbid I should be wearing navy blue with black. Then she’ll tell me to stop chasing the perp and go change clothes. L. H. Alvarez has her priorities. Always.

And last, but never least is Tío, my love bucket of an uncle. Everyone should have a Tío in their lives. A retired chef, he gives unconditional love while serving up the best chimichangas in the world. And his Christmas cookies are to die for.

Whoops! Badly phrased. Because that’s what a lot of people seem to be doing in my latest adventure, The CEO Came DOA. And really, all I’d like to do is concentrate on my own Christmas wedding. Ho, ho, ho.

The CEO Came DOA,

Someone is trying to sabotage the Initial Public Offering of a small Silicon Valley start-up, and Lee Alvarez is hired to find the culprit. Meanwhile, the first Alvarez grandchild is about to be born while Lee is planning her very own Christmas wedding; or rather letting her mother plan it. Lee finds the CEO hanging by the neck in his boardroom wearing nothing but baby blue boxer shorts. His apparent suicide becomes murder. But who? Business partners? Lovers? Famous rock star ex-wife? Bodies start piling up just in time for Christmas. Ho, ho, ho.

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