Little Women

Having just seen the lovely new movie version of Little Women starring Saoirse Ronan as Jo, Emma Watson as Meg, Florence Pugh as Amy, Eliza Scanlen as Beth and Laura Dern as Marmee and Meryl Streep as Aunt March, I decided to go back and reread Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. 

The book was first published in two volumes in in 1968 and 1869 and was a surprising success even to Alcott herself. When asked by the publisher of her short stories to write a story about girls, Alcott replied she only knew about life with her three sisters. 

The book was a well received by young women and girls and the rest is history. It is beautifully written and is an endearing tale of love and family devotion.

As for the movie, I enjoyed the freshness of the characters but I'm not sure why the director chose a non-linear path for the film. Someone unfamiliar with the story would be confused to see Beth several scenes after she dies.

Saoirse Ronan is the perfect Jo. She is impatient, energetic and flamboyant. If I hadn't seen the credits I would not have recognized Emma Watson as Meg. Hermoine has grown up.

If you haven't seen the newest version of Little Women, take a young woman you know to see it. You'll be glad you did.  

The Vineyards of Champagne

Readers will recognize author Juliet Blackwell from her two mystery series - Witchcraft Mysteries and Haunted House Renovations. In The Vineyards of Champagne, Blackwell has created a mystery of sorts. 

Rosalyn Acosta is heading to the Champagne region of France to select new vintages for her Napa-based employer. The catch - she is not much of a champagne drinker and is in a deep depression because of the death of her young husband.  

On the plane she meets Australian vineyard owner Emma Kinsley. Emma, with a broken leg to deal with, is trying to organize letters from World War I between a French solider named Emile Legrand to her great grandmother Doris. During the war women called marraines de guerre - godmother of the war - wrote to soldiers to keep their morale up.

Because Doris' mother originally came from France, Doris grew up a Francophile and felt she was doing her part during WWI. Emma has been trying to locate someone related to Legrand in France in hopes that they might learn what happened to him and if her great grandmother's letters survived.

The story switches back and from the present day to the war years. Under constant siege by German bombs, the women and children of Reims take shelter in a labyrinth of caves under the city. They are the famous champagne caves where bottles of the precious vintage of hidden from the Germans. 

During the night the bravest among them creep out to pluck the ripe grapes for champagne. Among them is Lucie Marchal. She and her family are among the many who have sheltered in the caves. Lucie also corresponds with Emile because they grew up together.  

Rosalyn discovers a cache of old letters and begins to piece together the mystery hidden deep within the cave, and maybe even begin to enjoy her life again. 

The Vineyards of Champagne is a poignant tale of courage, love and devotion to tradition even in a time of crisis. A lovely story worth at least two glasses of Veuve Clicquot or Madame Pommery's champagne.

Interview with Terry Shames

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published?
My last published book, eighth in the series, was A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary.

Terry Shames

I’m working on number nine, tentatively entitled something with “Jubilee Rally” in the title.

For a review of A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary, click here

What was the most recent book you read?
I am an avid reader, reading everything from mystery to sci-fi to mainstream fiction to non-fiction. My last read was Liane Moriarity’s first book, Three Wishes. Her books have evolved to domestic suspense novels, for lack of a better label, but this one was pure character-driven “women’s” fiction about triplets. As in every good novel, though, there are mysteries that lie at the heart of the book.

How did you develop your character and choose your location?
In 2008 I took a workshop that changed my writing life. I had written a few books that, despite being picked up by a couple of great agents, never went anywhere. On the last day of the workshop one of the leaders, Sophie Littlefield, made an impassioned speech addressing those of us who had been writing without publishing success. She said to reach deep inside to find out what you knew best and write that. I had heard the advice numerous times, but for some reason this time it hit home. In college I had written some short stories set in a fictional town called Jarrett Creek based on the small Texas town where my grandparents lived when I was growing up. I always felt connected to the town on a deep level. I decided to set a novel there. For a central character wanted a law enforcement professional. My grandfather had been mayor of the town and was still trusted. I thought he would make a great protagonist. The other element I was interested in was presenting an older protagonist. I was tired of reading older characters being dismissed as little old ladies or little old men. My grandfather was still very active into his 80s. That’s the kind of protagonist I wanted. My grandfather’s name was Samuel but everyone called him Sam or Mr. Sam. I decided to give my protagonist his name, but not shorten it. He would be Samuel. Craddock was an old family name, so I took that too. The Samuel Craddock series, set in Jarrett Creek, Texas.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book.
I have to admit that I’m lazy about research. When I’m writing and I come to something that I don’t much about, then I’ll look into it. Or sometimes, I simply write it the way I think it should be and then go back and find out the reality. A couple of times that has been a problem. I had read that murders in small-town Texas are investigated by the highway patrol under the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Texas Rangers organization is also under the DPS umbrella. In my third book, when this information was relevant to the story, that’s the way I wrote it—with a Texas Highway Patrol officer taking the lead. Just as my edits were finished I went to a Sisters in Crime meeting in Austin at which the speaker was a veteran detective from a mid-size Texas town. I asked him if that was really the way it worked. He said, “On paper, yes.” But he said that in reality it was usually the Texas Rangers who investigated crime in small Texas towns because they had “unlimited resources.” Stop the presses! I phoned my editor and he said there was just time for me to change the relevant passages in my book.

What books did you read as a child?
I was always a big-time reader, and drawn to mysteries. When I was six I still remember getting three Nancy Drew books for Christmas. Heaven! When I was even younger I read Raggedy Ann and Andy books. But it wasn’t only mystery books that I liked. Like a lot of young girls, I got into horse books. I read Black Beauty about twenty times—and always cried. The Black Stallion. My Friend Flicka. Books in which things happened. Oddly, I tried reading Hardy Boys Mysteries, and found them boring. My mother belonged to a Book-of-the-Month club. She was fine with me reading the adult. I remember my aunt asking her if she really thought it was okay for me to read one of the books that I was reading. My mother replied that if there were passages I shouldn’t read I wouldn’t understand them anyway. She was right. There must have been sex in the books, but all I remember thinking was, “And then what happened?”

What drew you to writing? 
It was when I was in fifth grade and read “The Asbestos Man,” a sci-fi short story, that I thought I could write stories, too. To this day, I think that if I had the imagination for it, I would like to have written sci-fi. But that requires a piece of brainpower that I seem to lack.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? 
Please take yourself seriously! And realize that “good enough” is not good enough. I was so careless as a young writer, just thinking I could toss off a story and it would be “good enough.” Only when I became determined to write books that would find a publisher did I dig in and do the hard work of “real” writing.

Who is your favorite author?
The toss-off line would be, “The author I’m reading at the moment.” I love the feeling of starting a book and being sucked in right away (and no, the body doesn’t have to be there on the first page). If we’re talking “classic” favorites I have to say Eudora Welty. There are moments in her short stories that I can call up instantly and feel like the moment is still vivid and fresh and resonant. With a few short strokes she reveals her characters. I was lucky enough to have a professor who pointed out that her stories are full of the threat of violence just below the surface. So southern. If you’re asking about crime writers, there are several I could mention, Adrian McKinty, Deborah Crombie, Timothy Hallinan, J.K. Rowling, Jane Harper, Robert Crais, Reece Hirsch (I’m reading an ARC of his next book and for me he’s one of the best thriller writers around).

If you could invite five people – living or dead – to a dinner party, who would they be?
Five people? Hmmm. Writers I think would have interesting lines of chatter. Let’s start with William Shakespeare. I can’t help picturing him as an unwashed, snarky guy, impatient and sharp-eyed. Next, I’d like to find out what kind of personality Jane Austen had. I read her collected letters which were witty and clear-eyed. I’d like to know how she wrote—did she outline? How did she know how a story worked? My author friend Timothy Hallinan would go great in this group. His books are deceptively entertaining—the deception is in the depth of the books. You don’t even realize he’s taking you deep into the human heart. He’d be able to draw these people out and match wits with them. Laura Lippman would be an interesting addition to the party. She’s intense, with a feminist sensibility, a great writer. I never miss a talk or a panel with her because I know she’ll say something that makes me think. She’d throw a kink into the dinner party and we’d be off. Finally, I want Catriona McPherson with us. She’s sharp and funny as hell and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. What a great party that would be! I suppose if I’m there too, it would be hard for two men to hold out against four women. So let’s add one more man. And I’d add some diversity to the mix. How about Abir Mukherjee. I’m on a blog with him and he always has something interesting to say, plus A Rising Man was a dynamite book. Intelligent.

If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?
I think I would have liked being a lawyer. I like the precision of legal language and I love to dig out the most arcane meanings of things. On the other hand, I took one pre-law course in college and made a D because I never did homework. Go figure.

Seas the Day

Kale and Chili Bolz are close to their mother Estelle. But when Kale is lost at sea and Chili winds up missing, Estelle pleads with caterer River Holloway to find Chili. In Seas the Day by Maggie Toussaint, River teams up with Deputy Lance Hamlyn to discover what happened to the brothers. (Seas the Day will be published by Henery Press on April 21.) 

Busy with her catering business on Shell Island in Georgia, and worried about her boyfriend in California, River doesn’t really have time to investigate. Everyone knows Chili is serious about his charter fishing business, so for him to be missing for so many days must mean something is wrong. 

River tracks down Chili's on again-off again girlfriend Vivian Declan at a local bar and questions the guys and gals in the bar. Viv says she hasn't seen him but figures he's a grown man and can take care of himself. River is not so sure especially as Estelle has pleaded with her to find him

Just a few days later she decides to check on Estelle and finds her badly beaten. Estelle whispers "The bridge. Check bridge." What in the world does that mean? 

River soon learns Estelle was a frequent visitor to the emergency room with a series of assaults including a head injury. How no one knew any of this is beyond River sense of disbelief. She resolves to find the killer no matter what the cost. 

 Lots of twists and turns and secrets to uncover.

Read or Alive

With the encouragement of Henry Lafayette, the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society has brought its annual fair to Catalpa Springs. In Read or Alive by Nora Page, bookmobile librarian Cleo Watkins is thrilled for Henry, her gentleman friend. She loves books as much as he does. (Read or Alive will be published by Crooked Lane Books on May 12.)

Unfortunately, not all Society members have the best interest of books at heart. Two such character are the vivacious, flirty Marilyn Monroe lookalike Kitty Peavy and handsome, suave Hunter Fox. Both are less than scrupulous when it comes to purchasing books. 

Kitty has her eyes focused on a first edition signed copy of Gone With the Wind and Cleo knows someone who owns one - her sweet cousin Dot. Could Kitty have purchased the book from Dot? Impossible.

As Cleo and Mary-Rose make their way around the booths, they see Dot's bookplate in several books. Confused because she knows her cousin would never part with her beloved books, she is stunned when Dot shows up at the fair nearly hysterical demanding her books be returned to her. 

She accuses Hunter Fox of swindling her out of her books, but he quickly denies having any dealings with her. Things go from bad to worse as Hunter Fox is found murdered in an alley behind Henry's shop with the murder weapon being a awl from Henry's shop.

With both Henry and Dot under suspicion, Cleo and Mary-Rose decide they need to solve the case. 

Who knew books could cause such mayhem. This series is charming and delightful to read. I'd love to see the bookmobile in person.

Murder Makes Scents

A visit to Paris with her mother ends in tragedy when Stella sees a man stabbed to death at the airport. In Murder Makes Scents by Christin Brecher, Stella feels once she is back safely on her island of Nantucket, the event will fade from her memory. (Murder Makes Scents will be published by Kensington Publishing Corp. on February 25.)

Not so fast though. She soon learns there might be a connection between the death and the perfume industry conference her mother attended. Stella discovers the person killed in Paris was a U.S. government official and sources believe the killer is well known anarchist Rex Laruam. This chills Stella and she is more worried about her globe-trotting, free-spirited mother.

When her shop is broken into and her mother Millie is attacked, Stella can't resist investigating. When she receives a note implying her mother smuggled a secret formula out of France, her anxiety rises. 

Because her mother has a severe concussion, she is unable to remember recent events, including who attacked her, nor can she explain what scents she had been carrying in her special case. Stella is sure there is something in the case that the attacker wants, but she struggles to learn what it might be.

When she meets someone purporting to be an agent from one of the alphabet spy agencies in the U.S.,  she feels she needs to trust someone to keep her mother safe. 

A tangled web of lies, misdirection and duplicitous identities makes Murder Makes Scents an intriguing puzzle.

A Death in Chelsea

The Mayfair 100 squad has been idle for nearly a month and they are antsy for another case after the success of their last one. In A Death in Chelsea by Lynn Brittney, when Chief Inspector Beech is summoned to the Superintendent's office he anticipates a new case. (A Death in Chelsea will be published by Crooked Lane Books on March 10.)

The Duchess of Penhere's daughter, Lady Adeline Treborne, was found hanged in her apartment. The duchess wants the police to prove Lady Adeline did not kill herself and was murdered instead.

When Inspector Beech learns about Lady Adeline's scurrilous gossip column activities, there appear to be many suspects. Beech assembles his team and takes them to Lady Adeline's apartment. Although the duchess says she doesn't want the police surgeons to do an autopsy on her daughter, Beech asks Dr. Allardyce to perform one to discover whether Adeline killed herself or was murdered.

After the autopsy it is apparent Adeline was dead already when she was strung up. This

complicates the investigation but Beech has two excellent policeman in DS Arthur Tollman and Constable Billy Rigby, and the remainder of his squad includes pharmacist Mabel Summersby, Dr. Caroline Allardyce, Victoria Ellingham and her mother Lady Maud. They all have their own unique skills and make the Mayfair 100 squad most effective.

When Inspector Beech speaks to Adeline's maid, he discovers her mistress almost never had visitors, rarely went to social events and only went outside to shop, so how did she gather her malicious gossip? That's what the team intends to discover. 

The characters in this series make it most interesting. They are three society ladies working with two police officers, and in this book a stray relative or two set against World War I. Very insightful commentary about the war and highly entertaining interaction among all characters. A fine plot with many twists, turns and unpredictable connections. 

Interview with CJ Love

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published? 

Juliet & Dead Romeo is my latest book. It’s the first cozy mystery I’ve written. I have four

CJ Love

previously published books, all romantic comedies: A Horse Called Hustle, Ring Around His Heart, For the Love of Murphy, and For the Love of Lauralee. 

For a review of Juliet & Dead Romeo, click here

What was the most recent book you read?

The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott. As you can tell, I’m a little behind in my reading. I have a pile of books to be read.

How did you develop your character and choose your location?

In Juliet & Dead Romeo, I chose western New York because it is an area of our country (besides California) that grapes are grown. It’s not over-populated there either so that I could plant Verona’s Vineyard without too many people questioning its existence. When I develop characters, I need to work with them for a while, work with their dialog, and see who they really are. Once I like the character their dialog changes. Sometimes their appearances change too. In A Horse Called Hustle, I added that Jessa wore glasses and that she was quite near-sighted. Suddenly, I went an entirely new direction with her.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book.

I do a lot of research for my books, especially for Juliet & Dead Romeo. The setting is a vineyard, and I needed to learn the grape-growing season. June is the beginning of harvest season for grapes, so I put that in the book. For book 2, O’ Happy Dagger, I needed to study all about the fermenting and clarification of wine. I had no idea there were so many different methods.

What books did you read as a child?

As a young girl, I loved The Boxcar Children. Oh, the very thought of living in an abandoned boxcar and making it a home thrilled me.

What drew you to writing? 

Funny, it wasn’t a book that drew me. It was a movie, a zany film: What’s Up Doc? It starred Barbara Streisand and Ryan O’Neil. I wanted to write something fun like that. I wanted to entertain readers. Even though I write about murder now, I want it to be humorous and entertaining. Wait that sounds so wrong.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? 

Learn how to write is what I’d tell my younger self. I’d say, “You can’t just sit down and write something and think people will enjoy your book. You need to know what you’re doing. Study the writing craft, and never stop studying it.”

Who is your favorite author?

It’s so difficult to pick one writer, and I’ll change my mind after I tell you who it is. Right now, it’s M.C. Beaton, author of the Agatha Raisin series. BUT, speaking of Agatha… I love Mrs. Christie. I’ve read everything she ever wrote.

If you could invite five people – living or dead – to a dinner party, who would they be?

Five funny people: Rob Brydon, Lee Mack, David Mitchell, Bob Mortimer, and Tina Fey.

If you could not be an author, what would you like to do as a career?

A meteorologist =) I love weather-related anything. I live in Florida, and we have violent summer thunderstorms, hurricane seasons, and lightning shooting off everywhere. It’s captivating. My family makes fun of me for watching the weather channel. I love that they’ve named winter storms, Gia, Petra, Ulmer. And now we have cyclone bombs. What?

Death of Baguette

 Tour guide Lana Hansen has signed on to an online dating service and met a charming man named Chad. Imagine her surprise when she meets him again on her Wanderlust Tour in Paris and discovers he is married. Death by Baguette by Jennifer S. Alderson is the second in the Travel Can Be Murder series.  

Stunned and feeling betrayed, Lana decides to ignore Chad and it appears he is determined to ignore her as well. On the trip are several couples including Chad and his wife Miranda, and four friends of theirs, Lana's friends Willow and Jane, and a couple from Florida.

Right from the start the romantic Valentine's day trip to Paris begins to turn sour. Chad and his wife bicker constantly and then Miranda has to be consoled by her friend Sabine who in turns ignores her husband Henry. 

Even with the beautiful scenery of the Seine River floating past them Jane and Willow continue arguing over whether to have a baby. The hippie couple Angie and Bernie seem to be the only couple enjoying the trip. They are moving from Florida to Seattle and have planned a concept restaurant. 

Unfortunately they discover Chad is The Fussy Gourmet food critic and he has promised to ruin their concept with one review. Now everyone is on edge, including Lana. One consolation is that her new hire Randy has turned out to be an excellent guide.

As with all Wanderlust Tours, the tour members can ask for different excursions than the ones planned. When Sabine wants to change the baker for the baguette making class, Lana is surprised, especially as she has read reviews of the baker's classes and they have been mixed. After the class, a picnic is planned and the food from the class is to be served. Unfortunately some winds up dead. 

The beautiful descriptions of the sights in Paris especially Versailles and the River Seine make you want to visit France. Plus the book is an excellent read.

On the Lamb

Easter is coming to the Jersey shore and Lucy Berberian and her family are preparing delicious foods at their Mediterranean restaurant. In On the Lamb by Tina Kashian, Lucy and her friends are readying for their traditional bonfire on the shore. (On the Lamb will be published by Kensington Publishing Corp. on February 25.)

With the Bikers on the Beach in town there are plenty of people at the bonfire. Local landlord and totally obnoxious person Gilbert Lubinski publicly humiliates Lucy's friend Melanie Haven. Melanie, who operates a boardwalk candy shop, has fallen behind on her rent and Gilbert has demanded she pay or vacate her shop. 

Shocked by his behavior, Melanie wanders away from the bonfire. A short time later, Gilbert is found dead on the beach having choked on a piece of saltwater taffy. The likely suspect is Melanie, the candy store owner. Lucy believes Melanie is innocent, and while she investigates, she discovers there were many other people who despised Gilbert Lubinski. 

Trying to stay on the good side of her friend police officer Bill Watson and the grumpy Detective Calvin Clemmons, Lucy tiptoes cautiously through her investigation. She learns Gilbert had an so-to-be-ex-wife with an axe to grind and several other suspects. 

On the home front, the restaurant is starting to get busy as the summer season approaches and despite her mother's best efforts, Lucy isn't the chef her mother or her boyfriend Azad are. While she searches for the killer, Lucy tries to improve her culinary skills and establish where her relationship with Azad is going. 

Another delightful mystery in the culinary exploits of the large Mediterranean family. I can identify with that.