I’m finishing off June with a killer interview. Paige
Shelton is at the top of her game with multiple series available for you
to enjoy and even more to come. This month Paige is celebrating the release
of her seventh Farmer’s Market Mystery, BUSHEL FULL
OF MURDER. With six novels and one novella, I have to say, her heroine,
Becca Robins, has a line in the book that made me wonder if it wasn’t just a
tad bit autobiographical.
“I always had something that needed to be done and I always felt a little
behind schedule. Even when I was technically on schedule, a growing to-do
list loomed ahead.”
Kym: Hi, Paige! Welcome to the Cozy Corner ;) Were you
feeling your own busy schedule when you wrote these lines?
Paige: Thanks, Kym. Good to be here!
I’m not sure. I wrote this book about two years ago and, if I remember
correctly I had life pretty well under control at the time. It was right
after writing this book that a bunch of crazy stuff happened. All turned out
okay, but it was rough for a while. My son got hurt – he’s fine now. We
decided to move – we’re settled, but moving sure isn’t fun. Other family
members had some struggles. Maybe it was my intuition telling me to get to
work because the ride ahead was going to get bumpy.
Kym: I’m glad your son is doing well, and life is back on track.
Congratulations on your seventh release in the
Farmer’s Market Mystery series, BUSHEL FULL
OF MURDER. What has been the biggest challenge over the seven books in
the series?
Paige: Thank you! I thought the biggest challenge would be coming up
with different story ideas for the same characters, but that hasn’t been it
at all. In fact, as the characters have grown in my mind, their stories have
become clearer to write – not easier; nothing about writing is easy. But
even before I sit down to begin and even though I don’t know where the story
is going to go, the characters are like old friends. I know them well now. I
know their behavior, which makes their stories more . . . obvious.
So, the biggest challenge has been the same for every single book and every
single series I write – the second draft. My first drafts are so drafty,
because I’m incapable of creating any pre-book outline, so the second drafts
are where the big work happens. They’re very difficult. I can spend eight
hours on only a couple of pages. Slow and tedious, and something that I have
to accept will probably never change.
Kym: Becca Robins is an interesting heroine. As a vendor at the
farmers’ market managed by her twin sister, she’s very comfortable with her
profession. Yet in her personal life, she’s a little sloppy. She’s been
divorced twice, and her choices for boyfriends have always been a little
questionable. But Sam is completely different from her past loves. What’s
down the road for this mis-matched perfect couple?
Paige: Full disclosure – at this time there’s no solid plan for
future books in the series, but you never know. So if it continues, I see
Becca and Sam solving crimes in Monson together, and perhaps having a family
if they do get married (yep, *if*). I think they’ll make a great team, no
matter what.
Kym: I’m hoping it continues one way or the other! Law Officer Harry
Lindon makes another appearance in Becca’s life after his introduction in RED HOT
DEADLY PEPPERS, and there seems to be more plots that Harry just might
fit into. Do you have future plans for Harry?
Paige: Good catch Kym. That was my original plan when I wrote RED HOT
DEADLY PEPPERS. I would love to bring Harry to Monson permanently. I
think
he’d make a great addition to the cast of characters. However, I’m not
exactly
sure how to bring him in. We’ll see.
Kym: In a BUSHEL FULL OF MURDER, you’ve not only incorporated
Bailey’s Farmers’ Market but food trucks as well. I loved the combination,
the atmosphere is very natural. Will they continue to go hand-in-hand?
Paige: Probably. Maybe one or two. Our local Gilbert, Arizona, market
has food trucks every Saturday. I’m fascinated by them. My husband and I
used to own restaurants and though we’re not interested in doing that again,
the whole food truck phenomenon is very cool.
Kym: The restaurant business! That explains sooo much ;) You always
give your readers the extra bonus of some fabulous recipes. In fact it
wasn’t too long ago that I blogged about your Skillet Potatoes recipe from
The Cozy Cookbook released in April, 2015. (There’s even more recipes on her
FB page and website!) Where do you get all of your incredible recipes that
make my mouth water while reading your books?
Paige: From everywhere. I have lots of cookbooks, and the Internet is
handy. The trick is to make them something I created, so I have to get, well
– creative. Combining different recipes to make something new, just throwing
stuff together and hoping something works, I’ve tried it all. I think the
best recipes are from family or friends, though. I’m still trying to
duplicate my grandmother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe – that she never
wrote down (ask you grandmother to write down her recipes). I have many
failures under my belt on that one.
Kym: I’ll ask I love Becca’s cousin, Peyton whose innocence or guilt
could totally go either way. If this were a movie, who would you cast in her
role?
Paige: Good question. I see her in my head so clearly but I can’t
easily attach an actress to her. Hmm. Maybe the closest is Maggie
Gyllenhaal, but Peyton’s features are more delicate.
Kym: When you aren’t writing or cooking, where do you go for
inspiration?
Paige: I just look at my deadline calendar and I’m good to go. I’m terrible
at procrastination. I get really nervous if I’m not early. When we moved I
panicked every day I couldn’t write. I’m fine on my deadlines now, but I’m
not as far ahead as I would like to be. I’ll get there by about December.
Kym: You also wrote a YA time travel novel, Clock Work, that I have
yet to read. Do you see yourself writing more YA books in the future? (Where
you’d find time, I have no idea!)
Paige: Mysteries are my favorite, by far, but you just never know
what’s in the future. We all have that “idea file” on our computers, and
mine gets something added almost every day. To be fair, they’re mostly bad
ideas, sparked by something I can’t even pinpoint, but there might be a good
one or two in there somewhere. I hope so. I’d love to be able to write for a
long, long time.
Kym: LOL, glad to hear I’m not the only one with an idea file
overflowing! In 2016 you will have two more mystery series published, A
Dangerous Type Mystery series and A Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. Can
you tell us a little bit about them? Do you have release dates?
Paige: Dangerous Type takes place in the resort town of Star City,
Utah. It’s a lot like Park City, Utah. Shops from the olden days by line
Bygone Alley; one of them is The Rescued Word where Chester Henry and his
adult granddaughter Clare rescue words – repair old typewriters, sell
stationery, restore books . . . Clare’s the protagonist in that one. I wrote
the whole first book with my intuition telling me I was missing something. I
was going crazy by the third draft. And then I realized what it was – Clare
wears glasses. Once I put those on her, that niggling went away. I’m really
happy with the first book of the series. “To Helvetica and Back” will
publish in January.
The Scottish Bookshop series takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. A laid-off
Wichita, Kansas, museum archivist answers an ad for a position at a rare
book and manuscript shop. Delaney, who has never been out of Kansas and
really wants to be bold, accepts the job offer and the adventures begin. My
husband, son, and I traveled to Scotland last year so I could research the
book. It was an amazing trip and we had a great time. Edinburgh – probably
all of Scotland – runs on a different frequency with me. The history, brutal
though much of it is, is something I found I was keenly aware of and dialed
into. I hope to go back someday and discover what that connection was all
about. “The Cracked Spine” publishes at the end of March, 2016.
Kym: Will you continue to put recipes in your future series? And do
you have a special one you could share with our readers?
Paige: Dangerous Type and Scottish Bookshop won’t have any recipes,
but any future Farmers’ Market or Cooking School books will always have
recipes. Here’s one I just recently came up with and will probably have it
up on my site soon as a Recipe of the Week.
Sour Cream Cake
½ cup butter, softened (I used salted, but my neighbor tried it with
unsalted and it was good too)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (next time I make it, I’m going to try a full
teaspoon)
- Cream butter and sugar in mixer bowl until combined and light in color.
Blend in eggs. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, mixing well
after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour into greased 8-inch square cake
pan. Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool. I don’t add frosting, but I
think it would be good. Serve.
Kym: Yum! I can’t wait to try it! Thank you for joining us on the
Cozy Corner. BUSHEL FULL OF MURDER hit the spot, and now I will have
to flip a coin on which recipe to make first, Sour Cream Cake, or Basha’s
Pucker Ups cupcakes found at the back of your latest
Farmer’s Market Mystery!
Can you tell our readers where they can reach you on social media so they
can enjoy even more of your fabulous recipes?
Paige: Thanks to you, Kym, and all your readers.
Find me at www.paigeshelton.com. I’m on Facebook and Twitter and
Instagram, but Facebook is, by far, where I’m most active.
I’d love to give away a copy of BUSHEL FULL OF MURDER to one of your readers.
Kym: Awesome! One of our readers who comments about their favorite
treat they found at a farmer’s market will win a copy of BUSHEL FULL
OF MURDER!
But since only one person can win, I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Paige’s
latest
Farmer’s Market Mystery. And if you have a taste for a cozy
cooking surrounded by ghosts and murder, check out Paige’s Country Cooking
School Mystery series.
Until next time, get cozy and read on!
GIVEAWAY
Readers, leave a comment below about your favorite treat you found at a
farmer’s market for a chance to win a copy of BUSHEL FULL
OF MURDER!
Kym Roberts is a
retired detective sergeant who looks for passion, mystery and suspense in
every
book she reads and writes. She can be found on the web at kymroberts.com, on
Facebook at Kym Roberts (author) and on Twitter @kymroberts911. Look for her
latest release, DEAD MAN'S CARVE, A Tickled to Death Mystery on
Amazon. (All proceeds will be donated to wounded veterans)
Jennifer Barnhart
Editorial Director
FreshFiction.com Fresh Fiction for Today's Readers
Facebook.com ** Twitter ** Readers & ritas
24 comments posted.
I found a wonderful bird house made from part of a birch tree. It was a treat for us, and also the birds!
(Kathleen Gardiner 9:55am June 24, 2015)
The entire assortment of fresh goods is ALL a treat. Too many to list. I love to attend farmers markets - everywhere I can.
(Nancy Reynolds 1:53pm June 24, 2015)
I love the fruits and vegetables , love watermelon and tomatoes , but I'm amazed at the homemade jars of jams , jellies and honey .The homemade things are the BEST. Love your books and thanks for this giveaway .
(Joan Thrasher 10:31am June 25, 2015)
My favorites are the baked goods like cinnamon raisin bread and sour dough bread. I also like the canned goods like the jams, jellies, and the bread and butter pickles. I also love the fresh fruits and vegetables.
(Kathy Morrison 12:41pm June 25, 2015)
I just picked out peaches at the farmers market and plan on making a peach pie.
(Pam Howell 7:25pm June 26, 2015)