You know what I like best about my town of Fredericksburg, Texas? I say “my” town because I spent my very early years here. I’ve recently returned after being in Austin, running a bakery.
So what do I like about this place? The bluebonnets blooming in the spring. My day has to include stopping to appreciate them if it’s March or April. You don’t have to drive very far to see them, thanks to Lady Bird Johnson, who spearheaded the movement to line Texas highways with wildflowers. They share space with Indian paintbrush, Indian blanket, pink evening primrose, Mexican hat, winecups, black-eyed Susan, and coreopsis. It’s almost embarrassing how wealthy we are in wildflowers. I can’t pick them, but I can photograph them.
But, if it’s May or June, I have to visit the lavender fields outside the town, and take in that glorious smell when I stop to buy some sachets, or just stalks of lavender to scent my house. My Maine coon cat, Nigel, (foisted upon me by my brother, Cole, but that’s another story for another day) appreciates me putting the tall stalks in a vase so he can knock them over and scatter them across the floor. (I do definitely not appreciate that part).
Other times of the year, the incredible number of vineyards and wineries are great places to visit. The tasting rooms are dark and cool in the heat of summer, shelters from the sunny climates.
Oh wait, you want a typical day, right? The ones I’ve mentioned are really vacation days, days off from my shop. On a regular work day, after I pour out the kibble for Nigel and fill his water bowl so he can look at both of the with disdain until after I leave, I love to walk the few blocks to my shop, Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets. I know, maybe I should have named it something more sensible, but I bet it caught your attention, right? Texas, I always say, has two seasons. One of them is summer and the other one is not. So, on a typical hot, summer day, my walk is shaded by the crape myrtles and live oaks that line the streets (and serenaded by tree frogs and cicadas on my walk home after dark).
My workday in the shop is almost always extremely busy. Ever since I opened up, customers have flocked to buy my home-made treats. Maybe because they’re different—made from recipes I got in my grandmother’s recipe box after she died. Maybe because they’re always fresh—we make them every day, since we sell out quickly. Maybe because we’re located on Main Street, in the midst of the most charming shops and German restaurants you can imagine. I have help in the kitchen and on the sales floor. There’s no way I could do this all by myself.
My best friend from childhood, Yolanda Bella, has a gift basket shop next door, too. What could be better? We collaborate, putting on special events, and selling our products together.
The renovations on my shop are almost done. That handsome Gene, the son of the mayor, has been working on my shop to get it completed. Yolanda has been seeing him, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea. He has a roving eye. He has also borrowed money from her. And other women, it turns out.
The worst day I’ve had so far is the day when I found Gene dead in my kitchen, stabbed with the scissors Yolanda uses on her ribbon for her baskets. After that I had two full-time jobs. Running my shop and selling sweets to residents and tourists, and proving that Yolanda did not stab that two-timing Romeo. This isn’t good for my business. Nor for Yolanda’s.
One thing I’ve noticed is that the police detective, Jackson Rogers, is awfully attractive when he’s not looking at you with the kind of cold suspicion that makes the back of your neck prickle and your blood freeze in your veins. I might want to get to know him after I convince him that Yolanda didn’t stab anyone in my kitchen.
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win one (1) print copy of Revenge Is Sweet, limited to U.S. residents. Giveaway ends March 13, 2020. Good luck everyone!
Revenge Is Sweet is the first book in the NEW “Vintage Sweets” mystery series, released March 10, 2020.
In the picturesque tourist town of Fredericksburg, Texas, Tally Holt has opened a new candy store with a vintage twist . . .but there’s no sugar-coating a nasty case of murder . . .
Tally Holt has poured her heart, soul, and bank account into Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, specializing in her grandmother’s delicious recipes. Tally’s homemade Mallomars, Twinkies, fudges, and taffy are a hit with visiting tourists—and with Yolanda Bella, the flamboyant owner of Bella’s Baskets next door. But both shops encounter a sour surprise when local handyman Gene Faust is found dead in Tally’s kitchen, stabbed with Yolanda’s scissors.
The mayor’s adopted son, Gene was a handsome Casanova with a bad habit of borrowing money from the women he wooed. It’s a sticky situation for Yolanda, who was one of his marks. There are plenty of other likely culprits among Fredericksburg’s female population, and even among Gene’s family. But unless Tally can figure out who finally had their fill of Gene’s sweet-talking ways, Yolanda—and both their fledgling businesses—may be destined for a bitter end . . .
Purchase Link
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About the author
Kaye George is a national-bestselling, multiple-award-winning author of pre-history, traditional, and cozy mysteries (latest is Revenge Is Sweet from Lyrical Press). Her short stories have appeared online, in anthologies, magazines, her own collection, her own anthology, Day Of The Dark, and in A Murder Of Crows. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Smoking Guns chapter, Guppies chapter, Authors Guild of TN, Knoxville Writers Group, Austin Mystery Writers, and lives in Knoxville, TN.
All comments are welcomed.
Love to WIN.
I grew up in Texas and remember the beautiful wildflowers–especially those bluebonnets.
Happy to find a new author for me to read. The synopsis sounds interesting. Thanks for the chance!
Absolutely love 💕 love 💕 love the adorable kitty on the cover of this new book! Sounds really exciting! Sure would love to win! Thanks so much dear Dru and Kaye for the chance! 😻😊🌈
I was sold at Fredericksburg, TX and the furbaby in the window. Sounds like a fun book.
This sounds so intriguing and I love the cover. Thank you for the chance.
This sounds like a fun, new series! Sweet shop? Oh my yes!
Thank you for the opportunity!
Congratulations Kaye!
Thank you, Meg!
Nice cover. I loved the excerpt. It sounds like a wonderful book. Thank you for sharing.
Bluebonnets! I would live to visit Texas with this new series, thanks for the chance to win!
Thanks for the giveaway! Sounds interesting.
This book is on my to-read list.
Sounds like a really neat book I would like to read
The book sounds great! Thank you for this chance to win.
Can’t wait to read this! Thanks for the giveaway!
She is one of my favorite authors. So glad she has this new series.
Carol, you have absolutely made my day. 🙂
Sounds like a good book set in a delightful town. I look forward to reading this—it’s on my list! Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!
What a cute cover!! Thank you for the chance to win a copy of this book.
wfnren at aol dot com
Sounds like a sweet read.
I wanna visit that bakery!! It sounds so good!! Well, without the dead body, anyway!! That is for fiction only!!!
I’ve been to Fredericksburg many times over the years. I can’t wait to read this new series!
I would really like to read this book. Sounds amazing and the start to a great new series.
I love bakeries, next to bookstores they’re my favorite places to shop. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Revenge Is Sweet.
This sounds like a fun new series! Can’t wait to try it out and thanks for the chance to win a copy!
The series sounds as if it will be fun to read – romance and mystery!
Can’t wait to read this new series by a favorite author.
<3
All those flowers sound so pretty. I need to visit Texas some day in the spring.
I love that title.
I enjoyed my visit to Fredericksburg years ago. Will be delighted to read your new series.
Sounds great!! Cute cover.
This sounds so good! Going on my list.
Sounds like a book I’d like to read! I would love to win it!
I love to begin brand new series and this one seems to be a great start! Thank you for letting us know about this and best of everything to Kaye! My fingers are crossed! Thank you.
Thank you for the kind wishes!
I would love some of Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets.
Fredericksburg, Texas, is only 2.5 hours from my home! I love the town. It is like stepping back in time with all the downtown businesses in full swing! So you bet I’d love to win this book! And from a new-to-me author! Thank you, Dru Ann for a great interview!
I love the cover with the cat in the window!!!
FIRST BOOK!!!
thank you for the giveaway…
I love reading stories set in locations I recognize. Fredericksburg is one of my favorite places to visit — I can’t wait to start this new series.
Can’t wait to read. Another new author for me to try. I love romance and mystery.
Meow! I love the cover! Thanks for the chance to read and review!
Sounds like a fun one, count me in!
**** WINNER ****
Revenge Is Sweet is Christi King
Congratulations!