Hello! My name is Amy Ridley. Welcome to my kitchen. Since it’s only 6:30 a.m., I’m willing to bet you haven’t had any breakfast yet. So, have a seat in the breakfast nook. There are applesauce muffins in the oven, a cream cheese coffee cake is almost cool enough to eat and the second pot of coffee just finished brewing. Welcome to my world of recipe testing and stress baking.
You may have guessed, I’ve been awake for awhile. It’s kind of hard to sleep when you keep receiving threatening notes. I prefer to collect cookbooks instead of death threats. Cookbooks are treasure chests full of tips and techniques that I can use to win a contest. You see, I love entering culinary competitions, from national recipe searches for the best brownies to the Kellerton Summer Festival baking contests. Competing in my town’s contests has always been fun. I’ve won quite a few trophies, but this year’s competition had a nasty surprise. As in a dead body nasty surprise. It was worse than tasting a rhubarb pie where salt had been used, instead of sugar.
The person that was murdered wasn’t exactly likable. The number of people that didn’t like her is longer than the ingredient list for an Oaxacan black mole sauce (about 25 ingredients). I may not be quite as sweet as buttercream icing, but I just can’t figure out why someone would want both of us dead. I take that back. I can figure out how we’re connected, but my ideas keep getting shot down for being too far-fetched. What can I say? My theories are as creative as my recipes…and I’ve made things like jalapeno corn bread with candied pecans. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the notes and I think best when I’m cooking. So here I am watching the sun come up and nibbling on my newest, potentially-contest-winning creations.
My best friend, Carla, will be here soon. She often stops in after working third shift in the emergency room. We have breakfast and chat, but usually about things much more mundane than murder suspects. She’s helping me figure out this mess. A big part of her help involves hanging out with a guy that is so hot I think he’s rated on the Scoville scale, the chart used to determine the heat level of chile peppers. At least I can be happy for her, even if my life is crumbling like an over-baked shortbread cookie.
Thank you for stopping in to chat with me. Here’s a mug of coffee. Let me get you a slice of coffee cake. The muffins will be done in a few minutes, so you can try one of them soon. Once Carla gets here, maybe you could help us brainstorm suspects. I really would like to stop stressing out and get back to normal. Remember how I said I cook when I’m under stress? There is so much food in the house right now I’ve been giving it away to visitors and neighbors. When you’re ready to leave, please remind me to give you a bag of oatmeal cookies and a loaf of date bread.
You can read more about Amy in Pies & Peril, the first book in the new “Culinary Competition” mystery series, published by Gemma Halliday Publishing. Books are available at retail and online booksellers.
GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment by 6 p.m. eastern on July 30 for the chance to win a copy of Pies & Peril. (US entries only, please.)
Meet the author
Janel Gradowski lives in a land that looks like a cold weather fashion accessory, the mitten-shaped state of Michigan. She is a wife and mom to two kids and one Golden Retriever. Her journey to becoming an author is littered with odd jobs like renting apartments to college students and programming commercials for an AM radio station. Somewhere along the way she also became a beadwork designer and teacher. She enjoys cooking recipes found in her formidable cookbook and culinary fiction collection. Searching for unique treasures at art fairs, flea markets and thrift stores is also a favorite pastime. Coffee is an essential part of her life. She writes the Culinary Competition Mystery Series, along with The Bartonville Series (women’s fiction) and the 6:1 Series (flash fiction). She has also had many short stories published in both online and print publications.
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Would love a copy. Between the different recipes and a murder to solve this looks like fun.
Any cozy with recipes is on my list! 🙂
Love cooking cozies, so much fun
food mysteries are so fun, thank you for the chance to win
sounds like a fun & tasty series!!!
Sounds like a winning combination of mystery and cooking.
Oh, the book sounds great! How could I have not heard of it before? Thanks for letting me know about it-as well as the chance to win! PS, may I have some cookies?
I love what I just read, it sounds like my kind of book, baking and murder, I’m adding this to the tbr list immediately.
Where’s the pie! (Remember the commercial “Where’s the beef!”?” I love pie. Maybe this book will have pie recipes. I love reading them, though not baking so much, anymore. If there’s a mystery too, then I’m there!
Thanks for the delicious visit. I’ve often thought that I could live on a diet of fresh fruit and pastry. What better place for me than this. Thanks again.
Thanks for the cookies and the lovely visit!
What a cute post. This one has gone to the top of my TBR list – reminds me of some of the early foodie mysteries that have gotten a little stale. I love to collect unusual cookbooks and just read them for fun.
I’m ready for my cup of coffee and bag of goodies to go now!
This does sound like a truly entertaining story. It is evident that Amy is a charming and warm person. And being able to bake too makes her my kind of person. I think this book’s premise and Amy would draw me in completely.
Sounds a great read
Sounds like a fun read.
Love food and the added interest of beading . Though some of the items listed to cook are things I’ve never heard of before, and I’m thinking maybe that’s a good thing. After all competitions in the cooking world are often won from creativity. Books sure sounds creative too!
Ah, stress relief in the kitchen I can SO relate!
This sounds like a great new series. Can’t wait to read this book whether I win a copy or not.
I love the premise of this new series. Wishing Janet much good luck with her book/books and of course, I would be thrilled to win this. I used to enter a lot of cooking/baking/recipe contest in my younger years (and won a fair amount of them too, (bragging a little), and so this book sounds made for me. 🙂 Thank you so much.
Cynthia
I ‘m not fond of entering contests but I am fond of winning. Thanks for the cuppa and I’ll be reading you.
I would love to win a copy of this book… sounds sooooo very cute. Thanks for the chance to win.
I love cozies, especially ones centering around food!
Sounds like a great book! Thanks for the giveaway! !!
Sounds like a good book.
Love any cozy that has food in it.. Dru please toss my hat into the contest ring.
Don’t enter me, but wanted to say sounds like a fun book with a good “voice”.
Sounds like a fun read—thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!
Looks like a great cozy book.
xzjh04@ gmail.com
Amy sounds like my kind of person–I’d love to read more about her.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Looks like a fun read! You have peaked my curiosity. I will have to check it.
Sounds like a very interesting mystery! =)
This book is making me hungry, but it sounds like a good mystery, and I’d enjoy reading it. Thanks for this chance.
This “day in the life” left me starving for more.
Food related stories? I’m in! Thanks for the chance to win.
I love brainstorming. The more far fetched the ideas the better!
My list of books I want to read / purchase grows because of Dru’s Musings; now I have added your new series to the list. Sound like a good one!
Thank you for the chance to win another fun book!
This sounds like a great mix of mystery, love?, and wonderful, enticing new recipes. Course, once they’re served in the book, they sounds so inviting, I’ve tried several from books!
A mystery that might teach me how to turn out a great pie, how wonderful. Sure love the mystery of opening a new cookbook and perusing the recipes and the secrets that it may offer.
Awesome! Can’t wait to read it.
Food and a great mystery … what more do you need?
Yum! I love baked goods. In books there are no calories unless you make one of the included recipes.
contest is closed.