Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, so let’s meet Hayley.
What is your name?
Hi everyone, my name is Hayley Snow and I’m thrilled to be here at Dru’s Book Musings! I am a food critic for Key Zest magazine in Key West, but this week I’m helping my mother cater a huge weekend event at the Harry S Truman Little White House. Not that it’s a big deal or anything–only the future of Cuba/US relations lies in the balance. . .
Do you have a significant other?
Can you see me blushing? My boyfriend is Detective Nathan Bransford who works for the Key West police department. You can imagine he’s not one bit happy about my mother and me working this event. And I am about as stubborn as he is, so who knows whether this relationship will ever ever get past the boyfriend girlfriend stage (big sigh here.)
Where do you live?
I live on a houseboat with my octogenarian roommate Miss Gloria, and our two cats Evinrude and Sparky. Nathan thinks our houseboat neighborhood is like living in a trailer park where everyone knows your business. We love it here! We both love sitting out on the front deck with the cats, enjoying a sip of wine and watching the world go by. My best friend Connie lives two boats up the dock. And my mom lives in town now too, so it would be hard to imagine feeling any happier.
Amateur sleuth or professional?
Please don’t ask that question in front of Nathan! He hates it when I get involved in situations that end up being dangerous. But I have an inquisitive nature, and people trust me to help with their problems. So how can I say no? Miss Gloria likes to help solve mysteries too–picture us, a 20-something woman and an 80-something lady on a scooter, buzzing around town asking questions.
Favorite meal?
You’ll see if you read the Key West series that I love to cook and to eat. I can’t help it, it comes naturally straight from my mother. Right now, I’m thinking Cuban food because that’s what we are preparing for the conference this weekend. Ropas Viejas maybe? Or empanadas stuffed with picadillo? Wait till you try my killer Mojito cake. You’ll never choose chocolate again! (Just kidding.)
In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
My days are filled with eating, cooking, writing about eating and cooking, and hanging with my friends and family. And every once in a while I even make it to the gym. That sounds more relaxing than it is in real life–come visit and we’ll happily show you around the island.
Giveaway: Would you live on a houseboat? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Death on the Menu. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends August 8, 2018. Good luck everyone!
You can read about Hayley in Death on the Menu, the eighth book in the “Key West Food Critic” mystery series, coming August 7, 2018. The first book in the series is An Appetite for Murder.
When a killer strikes just before flan time, beloved food critic Hayley Snow is forced to sniff out the killer before someone else bites the dust.
Hayley Snow, fiery food critic for Key Zest magazine, has just landed a ticket to one of the most prestigious events in Key West: a high-brow three-day conference at the Harry Truman Little White House. Even though she’ll be working the event helping her mother’s fledgling catering business, there’s plenty of spicy gossip to go around. But just before her mother’s decadent flan is put to the test, Key West’s most prized possession, Hemingway’s Nobel prize gold medal for The Old Man and the Sea, is discovered stolen from its case.
Unsavory suspicions point to Gabriel, a family friend and one of the new busboys working the event, who mysteriously goes missing moments later. Anxious to clear his name, Gabriel’s family enlists Hayley to help find him, but right as they begin their search, his body is found stabbed to death in the storeroom.
Hayley has no shortage of suspects to interrogate and very little time before the killer adds another victim to the menu in national bestselling author Lucy Burdette’s delectable eighth Key West Food Critic mystery, Death on the Menu.
Purchase Link
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About the author
Clinical psychologist Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) has published 16 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West food critic series, DEATH ON THE MENU (Crooked Lane Books, August 2018.) Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and a past president of Sisters in Crime. She blogs at JungleRedWriters.com and shares her love for food with the culinary writers at MysteryLoversKitchen.com. She lives in Madison CT and Key West FL. Read more at www.lucyburdette.com and connect with Lucy on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on Pinterest.
All comments are welcomed.
I think it would be fun to live on a houseboat. Probably not the best place during a hurricane, though.
Not a good sailor–can people with motion sickness adjust to a moored home?! Great to hear from Hayley, looking forward to reading this. Thanks for the chance to win.
I think it would depend on where you moored it. On a lake or in a protected cove, you might be just fine!
I don’t think I would like living on a houseboat. I don’t do well with motion sickness. But the view would probably be pretty awesome! mbradeen [at] yahoo [dot] com
While I’m not sure I’d want to live on a houseboat, I would like to spend a vacation or long weekend on one. In fact , the houseboat aspect drew me to this series!
I think I would enjoy living on a houseboat. The water rocking the boat would lull you to sleep nicely, at least until a storm! LOL! But what do I know…. I liked my waterbed back in the 80s!
I have loved every book written in this series as I have never been to Key West and this gives me incentive every time I read a new book in the series. 😍. I like the food critic theme having done some of that for awhile when I wrote food columns for local newspapers. I’d be very VERY pleased to win this for sure. Thank you so much. Congratulations to Lucy. 🌴
Cynthia
I love the Key West Food Critic mysteries, and DEATH ON THE MENU has been a long time coming, but I know will be so worth the wait. I’m looking forward to hanging out with Haley and Miss Gloria again and vicariously visiting Key West — after reading all the other books in the series, it’s like visiting an old friend. Thanks, Dru, for featuring Hayley Snow on Get To Know, and congratulations Roberta on your book birthday tomorrow!
I don’t think I could live on a houseboat but my brother did live on his sailboat on Lake Michigan one year. He was part owner of a marina so he basically slept on it as he had a full time job, then spent a lot of time ‘in’ the marina and slept on his boat. Yes, he loved cold weather, lol.
Thank you for the chance to win a copy of “Death on the Menu”.
wfnren
I honestly don’t know if I could live on a houseboat. I’ve never been aboard one. I’ve no idea about maintenance. I think I need a trial run to see!
I would love to try living on a houseboat. Change is always good. Love this series so thanks for the chance to win.
I have always wanted to live on a houseboat!!!
Love your books!!! I love sailing, but I think that the quarters are a bit tight for more than a weekend. So I would have to say no to living full-time on a boat.
I am really not a fan of the water, boats or even FL for that matter. For some reason though I love this series. And even though I would never believe I would say this, Haley makes living on a houseboat sound like something I would actually do. (Great authors can make me change my mind on things – thanks Lucy Burdette)
A vacation or long weekend might be nice on a houseboat, but I think I would feel claustrophobic if I had to live there long term. Thank you for the chance to win.
boat sounds tempting, until I think about south Florida hurricanes.
I would not like living on a houseboat. I would like living near the water, not on the water. Living in a city close to Lake Michigan,you realize how dangerous the water can be, it has no conscious.
I’d live on a houseboat for vacation but not year round.
Love hearing from you all–thanks for the kind words!
I would live on a houseboat, Hayley loves it and I think it would be a fun adventure! I love this series and am so excited to read Death on the Menu!
Can’t swim, so probably not. Always wanted to take a houseboat vacation but never got around to it. Brought an RV instead.
I think it would be great to live on a houseboat or at least spent a couple of weeks on one. Many many years ago I was in Key West and saw a lot of houseboats and thought then how great it would be. It would be great to go back there again, too, but meanwhile I’ll just have to keep reading about Hayley’s adventures.
I think I could definitely live on a houseboat. It sounds like fun! I am so excited to read the next book in this series! It seems like I’ve been waiting forever for this book to come out.
I’d love to live on a houseboat! As my friend would say, “in a New York Minute!”
I wouldn’t want to live full time on a houseboat–definitely too small for me. However, a week’s vacation on a houseboat would be a lot of fun. Thanks for the chance to win a print copy of Death on the Menu. I love this series!!
I love these books set in Key West. My late husband’s favorite place. And yes I think I would. I would need lots of the scope patches.
I don’t think so.
I don’t think I could live on a houseboat full-time.
I love going on cruises so I think I could live on a houseboat.
I could not live on a houseboat (severe motion sickness)–but I would love to vacation on one on a pretty still lake. Also—because of Haley Snow–I have really, really been wanting a scooter! I have read the prior seven books and have made some of the recipes–my favorite is the Key Lime cupcakes. YUMMM!
I would not likely live on a houseboat. Am not a fan of the water.
I’m not a huge fan of water so I don’t think I could live on a houseboat.
I would love to. In fact, I think it is in my blood. My dad was a Marine and when he was stationed up near San Francisco there wasn’t any base housing available and my parents rented a houseboat, it was just too bad I was around two years old. I love this series about Key West. Key West is on my short list of places I would love to live, if I was able to move.
I think I could live on a houseboat as long as it was a bigger one & it was safe for pets. I’d hate for it to be easy for my kitty to be able to escape.
I don’t think I could live on a houseboat. My dog loves his backyard too much.
I sure loved this series – can’t wait to read the new one. Thank you for a chance to win one – and I hope my library gets a copy too.
I don’t think I could live on a houseboat; I am a landlubber all the way 🙂
I’d like to try it sounds relaxing going to sleep on the water. Hanging out on one. I’ve never been to key West but would love to go since reading about Hayley. On a lake it probably would be nice and calm, mostly. Thank you for writing this series.
I wish so much that i could live on a houseboat in key West!!
As a writer i cannot find words to describe that wish. Thank you for helping me have the courage I need 🌼🌻🌻🏵🌺
I’d love to for the summer season,it’s be my vacation home!
I think living on a houseboat sounds fun! Legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com
I have too much stuff to live in a houseboat.
I would live a houseboat for a vacation.
I don’t think I’d live on a houseboat permanently. Maybe just a short while. Thanks for the chance at the giveaway!
I look forward to reading this new book by Lucy Burdette; I have read all the books in this series and enjoyed every one of them. The setting Key West is a very favorite place for us; we would love to stay in a house boat as we are water lovers and think this was a very exciting opportunity
**** WINNER ****
Death on the Menu is Celia Fowler
Congratulations!