What We're Writing: For Batter or Worse

Happy Valentine's Day, Reds and Readers! 

Jenn McKinlay: Appropriately, today I'm writing about my 13th Cupcake Bakery Mystery For Batter or Worse, where the two main protagonists, Mel and Dear Joe, are finally, finally, finally, tying the knot. Here's a little promo film for the book:

For once, I am not hip deep in writing a book. I am in that in between place where the next book isn't due for a while and I'm noodling with ideas for proposals that need to be written. It's some much appreciated down time after skidding sideways into a book deadline and then hammering through revisions on another book in January. 

So, what wordsmithing am I doing? Newsletters, promo pieces, and guest blogs all for the May release of FOR BATTER OR WORSE, the 13th Cupcake Bakery Mystery. Yes, I have achieved my goal of writing a baker's dozen. I really thought the series would end there but I have one more under contract and then we'll see. 

When people ask about my writing style in regards to the mysteries, I always say it's an Agatha Christie/I Love Lucy mash-up and the cupcake bakery series truly exemplifies this to me. I mean when you're mixing cupcakes and murder, it has to have a little sitcom flavor otherwise it's just ridiculous.

Here's a snippet, so you can see what I mean: 

“Shut the front door!” A shout sounded from the front of the bakery and Mel snapped her head at the swinging doors, expecting to see her octogenarian counter help, Marty Zelaznik, appear. He did not. 

     Angie was seated at a stool across the steel work table from her. They were decorating a batch of specialty gender reveal cupcakes so the frosting was half pink and half blue. Inside the cupcakes was a pink center of raspberry cream, because the baby was going to be a girl. They had not done the same thing for Angie because, much to everyone’s chagrin, she and Tate had decided not to find out if Baby Harper was a boy or a girl. 

     “What do you suppose that was about?” Angie asked.

     The swinging doors slammed open and Marty appeared. His bald head was pink and shiny and his navy blue Fairy Tale Cupcakes apron was askew and had a smear of buttercream on the bib.

     “Turn on the TV, channel nine,” he cried. 

     “What?” Mel asked. 

     “Why? Is there a fire?” Angie asked. 

     She was already in motion and pushed off her stool and crossed the kitchen as swiftly as her pregnant belly would allow. She grabbed the remote and switched on the television they kept in the kitchen. It was mounted on the wall as Mel liked to watch old movies when she pulled an all-nighter on a special order.

     Angie flicked through the channels, pausing on channel nine. In seconds, the beaming smile of Oscar Ruiz, former employee of Fairy Tale Cupcakes, was smiling out at them as he demonstrated the proper technique when piping icing out of a pastry bag. 

     Mel felt her mouth drop open. “Oz? That’s our Oz!” 

     “I know! Look at him!” Marty clapped a hand onto his bald head. “He looks like a movie star.”

     “But he said…” Angie paused and bit her lip. She looked at Mel and asked, “He did say he wasn’t interested in doing a cooking show, right? My pregnant brain didn’t make me hallucinate that, did it?”

     “No, that’s what he said,” Mel agreed.

     “Hush, he’s talking,” Marty said. 

     “Then you want to hold the bag at an angle and pipe the frosting in a thick swirl, working from the outside to the center,” Oz instructed.

    “My, you do have a wonderful technique,” Stella, the morning show host, purred as she leaned up against Oz.

    Angie made a low rumble in her throat. “I didn’t know Stella was so handsy.”

     They watched as Oz handed Stella a pastry bag and helped her decorate a cupcake. He was handsome and charming and the camera loved him. When he flashed a smile, two dimples appeared in his cheeks that clearly charmed the socks off Stella. 

     “Hoo boy, look at him,” Marty said. “He’s like the Henry Cavill of cupcake baking.”

     The segment ended with Stella biting into one of Oz’s cupcakes and fake swooning. Oz deftly caught her in his arms and then smiled at the camera. Marty was right. He was one hundred percent movie star Foodie Channel material.

                                    *    *    *

PRE-ORDER

As you can see, humor is important to me in a mystery. How about you readers? Do you need some laughs with your murder or do you prefer it played straight?

Lastly, the Jungle Red Writers visited the Poisoned Pen for Galentine's Day yesterday. Our Hallie couldn't join us this time, but I hear we'll be back. To watch the livestream click: HERE

We recommended some of our favorite reads (here's the list):

 Jenn McKinlay recommends When No One is Watching by 

Alyssa Cole

Julia Spencer Fleming recommends the Mercy Carr series by 

Paula Munier

, starting with A BORROWING OF BONES.

Lucy Burdette recommends 

Amy Pershing

 's A Side of Murder, out February 23

Deborah Crombie recommends One Day in December by 

Josie Silver

Rhys Bowen recommends This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing by 

Jacqueline Winspear

 and Possession by A. S. Byatt

Hank Phillippi Ryan recommends: INVISIBLE GIRL by 

Lisa Jewell,

 THE KINDEST LIE by 

Nancy Johnson,

 HER DARK LIES by 

JT Ellison,

 and ETERNAL by 

Lisa Scottoline.

And eight randomly chosen commenters won books from us!!! Yay!!! So here's yesterday's Poisoned Pen Galentine's Day livestream winners.

Dottie MacKeen - Hank's First to Lie

Pamela Cardone - Rhys's Last Mrs. Summer

Stacy Taylor Black - Julia's Hid From Our Eyes

Lorraine Caprio - Deborah Crombie

Dianne Freeman - Hallie's Careful What You Wish For

Kate Engelke Baxter - Lucy's The Key Lime Crime

Judy Singer - Jenn's Paris is Always a Good Idea

Dru Ann Love - Mr. Impossible

Winners, you can email me jennmck at yahoo dot com and I'll forward your email to your Red so they can get your address and mail your book from the Poisoned Pen. Congratulations!