This morning I woke up early in anticipation of an eventful day. My name is Candy Holliday, and I live on a blueberry farm in the quaint seaside village of Cape Willington in Down East Maine. It’s 7 a.m. on a sunny, brisk Friday in early October. After drinking my morning cup of ginger lemon mint tea and downing two wild blueberry muffins, I’m ready to go outside to feed the “girls”—my chickens. I’d love to have more animals on the farm I run with my dad, but right now the chickens are all I have time for.
I wear many hats for many jobs. There are times I feel like the butcher, baker, and candlestick maker, only I’m a baker, farmer, editor, and town sleuth. Today, I’m happy to be an editor, and I head off to my office at the Cape Crier, the town’s newspaper. I’m especially honored to be the interim managing editor this year, since the paper turns 200 years old! Wanda Boyle is our community correspondent, and together we’ve been planning a series of events to celebrate the paper’s bicentennial. I have so much to do to prepare for the special bicentennial edition coming out in a few weeks, and it’s keeping me very busy.
There are other things on my agenda today. The new event, called the Community Cook-Off Contest, takes place today at 3 p.m. at the high school gymnasium. We set up all the tables last evening. We have so many talented townspeople entering everything from cheeses and preserved foods to candies, pies, and breads. One whole table is set up just for pickles and sauerkrauts!
The judging will be done by Herr Georg Wolfsburger from the Black Forest Bakery, cookbook author Julia Von Fleming, and Colin Trevor Jones, executive chef at the Lightkeeper’s Inn. I cannot enter the cook-off or serve as a judge myself, since I work for the paper, which is sponsoring the event.
I just stopped at the inn to borrow more tablecloths for the tables. Now I’m on my way to the high school gym to meet Wanda and go over the opening introductions. Yes, I’m working side by side with Wanda! We seem to have developed a mutual dislike of each other, yet we need to get along and work together. She’s giving the introductions at the cook-off event, but I need to be there to meet and greet everyone.
Here I am at the cook-off contest, one hour later. The tables are all set, the judges are ready, but no Wanda! Where is she? Last I heard from her she was headed to Sally Ann Longfellow’s house. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
Well, guess I have to do the introductions myself, so here goes: “Welcome, everyone, to the Cape Willington Bicentennial Celebration Community Cook-Off . . . .!”
GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment by 12 p.m. eastern on February 27 for the chance to win a copy of Town In A Sweet Pickle. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be notified within 48 hours after giveaway closes and you will have three days to respond after being contacted or another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your SPAM folder.
Town in a Sweet Pickle, which is Book #6 in the Candy Holliday Murder Mystery Series, was published on Feb. 3, 2015 by Berkeley Prime Crime. It is available in print and as an ebook. Other titles in the New York Times bestselling series include Town in a Blueberry Jam, Town in a Wild Moose Chase, and Town in a Strawberry Swirl. Large print editions are also available for each book, as well as an audiobook for Town in a Blueberry Jam. For more information on the series, visit hollidaysblueberryacres.com.
I very much like this idea!
This book sounds great, I can’t wait to read it. Thanks for the chance to win this delightful book. 🙂
I love this series and the recipes
Town In A Sweet Pickle sounds like a delightful read, and I am looking forward to it. Thank you.
myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com
I love this series. Always happy to see a new one.
Sounds great, can’t wait to read it
love the theme of the series, thanks for the chance 🙂
Love these books as I live in Maine! Although I would love them anywhere😊
LOVE this cover!!!
& what a fun series….
Thank you for the giveaway!!
Thank you for sharing and the chance to win this book.
Candy really does wear a lot of hats! Thanks for the chance to win!
I’ve read several from this series and found each of them enjoyable. It would be a great opportunity to read this one too if I would win it.
What a fun series and cover! Thank you so much for a great review and contest!
Looking forward to another Candy Holliday adventure! Maine, mystery, and sweet pickles; I can’t wait! Thank you for sharing.
I don’t think that I would be able to be like Candy with doing so many different things but would love to eat her wild blueberry muffins!
How did I get so far behind in this series?
I miss Down East Maine! My daughter attended college in Bar Harbor. I’ve got to read this series!
This sounds like a fun series. I have a feeling I’ll be hungry the whole time I’m reading.
Sounds good
I have this on my tbr list, I think that I had better move it and bump it up, this sounds great. Thanks for the chance to win.
This sounds like a fun read!
Hopefully the book will have blueberry recipes. Thanks for the contest.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
This sounds like a lot of fun to read. Would love a copy and thanks for the offer.
sounds like a fun read. Have to put it on my list. thanks.
I love Maine and this story sounds like so much fun,.Thanks!
Love the sound of the book.
A book I would love to try.
This story sounds great. I have only read books 1 and 2 in this series and would love to get caught up to book 6. Any story about food is a big lure to me, as many other things are, when it comes to reading. Thank you for letting us know that book 6 is out, Dru Ann. Thank you for the giveaway Dru Ann.
Great cover art! I really enjoy this series and always look forward to the newest release. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity!
Love the title, sounds like a good read
This is a great series. I look forward to reading this latest installment.
Sounds good! And yet another series I need to catch up on!!
Everything sounds so nice and cozy, I want to be there. And then oh, oh, where Wanda? This sounds like a good read. Thanks for the giveaway.
I really like the title and the book sounds good. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
wfnren at aol dot com
This is a series that I enjoy. Thank you for a chance to win a copy of Town In A Sweet Pickle.
I love this series!
Have never read this author, but the book sounds good!
Love the cover! Thank you for the giveaway!
I love this series – wish there wasn’t such a long wait in between books. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy in your giveaway.
I love pickles, the fried ones are the best
This looks like a good book. I would love to read it.
Sounds like another wonderful series, new to me. Would love to win the book and I’ll have to order the rest to catch up. Thanks so much for the giveaway!
I love this series and I’m looking forward to reading this one.
I would love to win this book it sounds like such fun!
I loved the other books in this series and can’t wait to read this one as well.
Thank you for writing this series!
One of my favorite series and look forward to the next installment.
I love Downeast Maine! A marvelous character in its own right.
Sounds wonderful! Thanks for the opportunity! angelhwk68@yahoo.com
Sounds awesome
Thanks for the giveaway! Love this series!
Love this series!!
I’m really looking forward to reading this book! Thanks for the chance to win it!!
This sounds good.
Sounds like a great book! Thanks for the chance to win
I love this series, it has a certain small town charm to it.
A captivating series and lovely feature. Thanks.
Would love to win this book. Sounds like my kind of read.
Sounds good.
Another Series I would like to try…fingers crossed.
Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com
Sounds like a pretty great book!
Sounds like a book I’m going to enjoy diving into. Thanks for the chance to win.
Town in a Blueberry Jam is one of my favorites. Good to see that a cookbook is coming.
You had me at pickle and I stayed. I get a kick out of folks who call their chickens “girls.” There’s a decorator on TV who does that. We actually have some chickens on the library lawn here in town. Along with bunnies swans and ducks. Not the usual. Cover is very nice.
Sounds great, like this series and Candy gets into so many punches.
That should read: pickles!
I just started reading this series and LOVE it. Covers are sooooo good.
It sounds like a good read. I love the name and the cover. Thanks for this chance.
contest is closed.