“So, do you work?”
When people ask me that question, my first inclination is to groan (to myself, of course) and take a deep breath. Then I tell people what all I do. A ‘normal’ day encompasses checking in on my friend next door, who is just starting a bed and breakfast, and looking after my animals; Hoppy is a little ten pound three-legged Yorkie-Poo—more Yorkie than Poo, if you ask me—and Denver is my ‘crabby tabby’, also a rescue pet.
Then, I go to work. I don’t have one job, I have a half dozen, because I fill in for most of the store-owners in town. None of them can afford permanent help, so I am their go-to gal when they have a doctor’s appointment, need a vacation day, or are under the weather. So let’s say today it is at the Queensville Emporium, where I fill in most often because the Klausner’s, who own the store and still run it, are into their nineties and need time off for appointments, etc. I love working at the Emporium; it’s an old-fashioned general store where they sell everything from hula hoops to hot dogs. It also contains the Queensville Pharmacy counter, run by my friend, Valetta Nibley. Mid-morning we take a tea break out on the porch, and she fills me in on every stitch of gossip she’s heard over the last twenty-four hours.
It’s our entertainment. Hey, we live in a small town, and nothing is more interesting than the details of other folks’ lives.
But other than paid work, right now I’m also busy helping our heritage society prepare for our annual ‘Tea with the Queen’ event. Queensville, Michigan is a border town, right across the St. Clair River from Canada, and we get many Canadian tourists, especially on Victoria Day, the weekend before our Memorial Day. It’s a fun event, with a local woman playing Queen Victoria presiding over a grand tea on the lawn of a local historical house. I’m a ‘servant’ at the event, but this year I plan to bake something for the tea, too, using an authentic vintage recipe.
Because in between multiple jobs and family obligations, my real love is collecting vintage cookware and cookbooks. I go to flea markets, garage sales, antique markets and estate sales looking for those wonderful old pieces to decorate the kitchen of my Queen Anne style home. I say ‘my’ home, but I co-own it with my sister Becca, a result of our parents, who moved to Boca Raton several years ago, deeding us the house jointly. I can’t get enough Pyrex, Depression glass, vintage cookbooks and linens.
At the end of the day I head home, let the animals out, do household chores on the house and work for a few hours on my ‘secret’ project—the one I haven’t told anyone about yet, not even my sister, Becca—then it’s dinner, a walk for Hoppy and outside time for Denver, then to bed with a romance novel.
What about romance for me, you ask? Not since Joel Anderson walked out of my life, leaving me with the crushed up remains of my heart. I’m getting over it, but it’s slow going. I’d love to find someone new; wouldn’t we all? At thirty-two, I’m still waiting for the love of my life to turn up.
But I have a sense that change is in the air. Do you ever get that feeling? I sense that my settled, easy, kind of boring life is going to change, and I’m not sure if I should be excited about it, or scared.
You can read more about the changes in store for Jaymie Leighton in A DEADLY GRIND, first book in the new Berkley Prime Crime ‘Vintage Kitchen Mysteries’ cozy series.
** Thanks to the Victoria, I have one (1) copy of A DEADLY GRIND and a crafted bookmark to give away. Contest open to residents of the US only. Contest ends May 4. Leave a valid-email address with your comment. Book will be shipped directly from the author. **
Meet the Author
Victoria Hamilton is the new incarnation of a nationally bestselling romance author. She now happily writes about vintage kitchen collecting and dead bodies for Berkley Prime Crime in the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries. Besides writing about murder and mayhem, and blogging at Killer Characters, Victoria adores collecting vintage kitchen wares and old cookbooks, as well as teapots and teacups. She loves cooking, cross stitch and crocheting, and pampering her pets. Visit Victoria at: www.victoriahamiltonmysteries.com to read an excerpt from A Deadly Grind, and for online availability of this and other Victoria Hamilton Mysteries.
Books are available at retail and online booksellers.
I love your website! After reading the excerpt of this new series, I can’t wait. Sounds like a fun read. kuzlin(at)aol(dot)com.
Another great cozy to read. Thank you for the chance to win.
griperang at embarqmail dot com
Sounds like a great start – can’t wait to read the book!
Sounds like a great start with her first mystery. Can’t wait to read the book!
I guess because of all the vntage and the cover this book has interested me since I first saw the cover and heard about it.
Everything I’ve read about this series sounds great and I’m looking forward to reading the first book!
afarage@earthlink.net
am so looking forward to this book! We have a yorkie too,she is a silkie! cricketgirl33@yahoo.com
Can’t wait to read this book.
I have been waiting a year for this book. I just ordered my copy. I am very excited to start reading! Thank you!
Seems as if I have been waiting forever for this to come out! It is definitely in my TBR pile.
thanks for the chance to read this novel 🙂
This sounds like a wonderful, fun new series!
kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com
Looking forward to reading this. Our library system is getting 7 copies.
Edith
I love guest posts when authors write as their characters. So fun to read. This new series looks like a winner – would love to win a copy! Thanks so much for the opportunity.
~Lori
It’s been a long wait but know it’s worth and will look for the next one.
Guess I forgot my Email in case I win. Here it is ruthenixon@sbcglobal.net. thanks Dru Ann and Victoria.
Love new books…can’t wait to read this obe
I’m wondering how the rescue pets work into the story. I’d like to read the book—it sounds like fun.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Oh… I would love to win a copy of Victoria’s new book.
I’d be pleased to read A Deadly Grind. I love vintage stuff and flea markets. I’ve only been through Michigan by bus to get to Toronto, but would enjoy making the trip to get to know how “Victoria Hamilton” handles mayhem. Thanks.
judydee22002 at yahoo dot com
Sounds great and I’d love to win it. The kitchen theme is different. I like the name of the dog, Hoppy, as I had a kitten named that. It looks like Hoppy is short for Hopalong (I looked at the book on Amazon).
spookycat72(at)gmail(dot)com
I am very jealous, I would love to have a darling yorkie! Also, I wish the main character was alive! I have a great cookbook collection. Would love to chat over the cookbooks. I also would love to read this book!
I am SO excited about this book! I love collecting pyrex, dishes, silver serving pieces and so many other things I can’t name them all. I know I am gonna love this series. I read the first chapter on Victoria’s website and can’t wait for the rest. I even learned all about Hoosier cabinets! If I am lucky enough to win my e-mail address is: scrapgirl1467 (at) yahoo .com. Thanks for taking the time to host this blog tour today. I have checked out your site and am now following you as well!
Have a great day,
Maureen
I am so looking forward to this book. I read the first chapter on Victoria’s website and have been eagerly awaiting the release since! Please enter me in the contest for the book at scrapgirl1467 at yahoo dot com. Thanks so much for the chance to win the book and handcrafted bookmark!
Maureen
Hey, all,
Thank you *all* so much for dropping in! I’m so excited for A Deadly Grind, and I really hope everyone who reads it loves it as much as I loved writing it!!
Forgot to leave an email address with my comment – oops!
It’s psychoticbooks(at)yahoo(dot)com.
🙂
Thanks for the giveaway, looks like a good book!
summergal05(at)gmail(dot)com
another cozy book to read!! yays!!
thank you for the giveaway!!!
cyn209 at juno dot com
I’m sure I’ll enjoy this book as it’s set in Michigan where I live, there is a Yorkie in the series and we have a Yorkie and a Silkie next door who are darling dogs. All the details of the storyline sound like loads of fun!
my kind of woman. I would love to read this
majik47(at)hotmail(dot)com
The more I read about this book the more excited I get to read it. This blog entry just jumped it up several more notches. Thanks Dru for the service you provide to us book lovers
Sounds like a good book.
Thanks Victoria and Jaymie for giving us a sneak peek into your daily routine.
Thanks so much for hosting me, Dru!!
Thanks for another review, love to start reading a new cozy series
jplungas at gmail dot com
Oh my, my stack of books (not to mention my book list) is growing by leaps and bounds. This book sounds like a good read. I love to collect to vintage kitchenware, so Jaymie is already a kindred spirit. I’m sure I’ll enjoy her adventures. Thanks for the introduction!
jrobinson12 (at) austin (dot) rr (dot) com
Sounds like a great new series. Thanks.
blwilstead(at)aol(dot)com
I love reading cozies and this one sounds like a great new addition that I would love to win!
This sounds like a great murder/mystery. I had a yorkie for 15 years and I love Hoosier cabinets (not just because I am a hoosier). I think I will enjoy this read. Thanks for the drawing!
this sounds like such a good book; definitely going on my TBR list. thanks for the draw:)
contest is closed