Great Escapes Book Tour
I'm so happy to be a stop on the
blog tour for author
Rebecca Adler
and her new book
CINCO DE MURDER
Book 3 in the Taste of Texas Mysteries
Tex-Mex waitress and part-time reporter Josie Callahan serves up more Lone Star justice in this spicy mystery from the author of The Good, the Bad, and the Guacamole.
It's fiesta time in Broken Boot, Texas, and tourists are pouring into town faster than free beer at a bull roping for the mouthwatering Cinco de Mayo festivities. Tex-Mex waitress Josie Callahan, her feisty abuela, and even her spunky Chihuahua Lenny are polishing their folklórico dances for Saturday's big parade, while Uncle Eddie is adding his own spicy event to the fiesta menu: Broken Boot's First Annual Charity Chili Cook-off.
But Uncle Eddie's hopes of impressing the town council go up in smoke when cantankerous chili cook Lucky Straw is found dead in his tent. And when Josie's beloved uncle is accused of fatal negligence, she, Lenny, and the steadfast Detective Lightfoot must uncover who ended the ambitious chilihead's life--before another cook kicks the bucket.
EXCERPT
CHAPTER ONE
Chapter
1
Folklórico Rehearsal
On
such a gorgeous May morning, what could be better than a power walk to Cho’s
cleaners with my long-haired Chihuahua, Lenny? The morning sun had tossed a
wide blanket of gold over the Davis and Chisos mountains, awakening the piñon
pines and the weeping junipers from their slumber, illuminating the bluegrass
and scrub so they looked like desert jewels. The plan had been to retrieve my abuela’s folklórico
costume and burn some extra calories. And though we made good time—considering
the length of my canine sidekick’s pencil-thin appendages—the morning sun
galloped down Broken Boot’s cobbled streets while I paid Mr. Cho with a
crumpled five-dollar bill and a coupon for a dozen free tamales.
“Yip.” Lenny lapped
from the pet fountain in front of Elaine’s Pies, soaking his black-and-white
coat.
“¡Vámonos, amigo!” If
we were late to the final dance rehearsal before the Cinco
de Mayo parade, God only knew when Senora Marisol Martinez, our matriarch,
would permit me to call her abuela again.
During my first few
months back home, I was elated to find I could accomplish tasks in far less
time than in the crowded thoroughfares of Austin. Almost a year later, I was
forced to admit the slower pace of our dusty little town didn’t aid me in my
quest to check things off my list. It merely encouraged me to meander.
On that happy thought,
Lenny and I raced down the sidewalk toward Milagro. Suddenly I tripped over the
plastic clothes bag, nearly kissing the pavement with my face. “Whose great
idea was it to rehearse this early?”
“Yip.”
“That’s what I was
afraid of.”
When we barreled
through the front door of Milagro, the best, and only, Tex-Mex restaurant on
Main Street, I expected the folklórico rehearsal to be
in full swing. Instead my best friend, Patti Perez, glared at me, which only
made me smile. I was wise to her marshmallow center, in spite of her ghostly
Goth appearance.
“Sorry,” I mouthed.
After all, it had been my idea for all of us to join the local folklórico troupe—my way
of embracing life back in good old Broken Boot, Texas.
“About time,” she
chided as I draped Senora Mari’s costume over a stack of hand-painted wooden
chairs. In my absence, the other dancers had cleared the dining room to create
a dance floor on the beautiful Saltillo tiles.
“I would have called,”
I began.
“But I was trapped in
a dead zone,” we said in unison. Service was so bad in Broken Boot and its
outlying communities that folks were slower here than in the rest of the
country in ditching their landlines.
“Where’s
Anthony?” When our headwaiter offered his newly formed mariachi band to play
for our first performance, I didn’t have the heart to say no. Beggars can’t be
choosers, or look a gift band in the mouth.
“Tsk, tsk.” Across the
room, Anthony’s new fiancée placed her hand over the bar phone’s mouthpiece.
Though christened Lucinda, we’d
quickly dubbed her Cindy to avoid calling her Linda, my aunt’s name, and vice
versa. “He says his
truck has a flat tire.” She scowled at whatever Anthony said next and responded
with a flurry of Spanish.
“Who doesn’t keep a
spare in the desert?” Patti, whom I referred to as Goth Girl if for no other
reason than to hear her snort, delivered this line with a deadpan expression
and a flick of her rehearsal skirt.
“Yip,” Lenny said,
chasing after her ruffles.
Goth Girl snapped her
head in my direction and gave me the stink eye. “Tell me you replaced your spare.”
“Uh, well, not yet,
but I will after Cinco de Mayo.” Money was a bit tight, what with the loss of tourists
during the winter months.
To my right, Aunt
Linda, a stunning middle-aged woman with warm chestnut hair, modeled her
bright-colored skirt better than any fashionista in Paris. “That’s what you
said about Valentine’s Day.” She was my late mother’s older sister. She might
look great in her Wranglers, but she and rhythm had never been introduced.
“And Saint Patrick’s,”
chimed in Senora Mari, executing a double spin. This morning she wore a
rehearsal skirt of black-tiered lace along with her Milagro uniform of peasant
blouse, gray bun at her nape, and large pink flower behind her ear. No matter
how much I rehearsed, none of my moves could compare to her sassy head turns
and flamboyant poses. Who knew my seventy-something, four-foot-eleven abuela would turn out to
be the star of our ragtag troupe?
A sharp clapping
interrupted our chatter. “Let’s try it on the counts,” cried Mrs. Felicia
Cogburn, mayor’s wife and self-appointed dance captain.
“Yip,” Lenny agreed.
“Why is that dog
here?” Mrs. Cogburn demanded, her hands raised in mid-clap.
“He has a key role,
remember?” My abuela
smiled, an expression so rare on her dear weathered face it made folks
uncomfortable.
Mrs. Cogburn blinked
several times. “Of course.” Before she could begin, a small truck landed at the
curb with a bed full of musicians, trumpets and guitars in full serenade. The
band stopped playing long enough to hurry inside.
“¡Ay, Dios! Senora, I had to borrow a spare. Mine was
flat.” Anthony waved his friends into a semicircle just inside the door.
Senora Mari thrust a
finger into the air. “So you say.” She snapped her head dramatically to the
side. “Play.”
With a worried look,
Anthony counted off, and the group of dark-haired men and boys began to play
the "Jarabe TapatÃo", the Mexican hat dance. I
spied a familiar face on trumpet. Anthony’s little sister Lily gave me a wink
and a nod.
As the trumpets and
guitars played, Mrs. Cogburn called out, “And one, two, three, four.”
“Where’s your skirt?”
Patti asked as we twirled first right and then left.
“Ah, chicken sticks.”
I dodged the dancers, ran up the stairs to my loft apartment, and retrieved my
long skirt from a chrome dining chair.
“Yip, yip, yip,” Lenny
cried from the bottom of the stairs.
“Sorry.” I found his
straw hat on the yellow Formica table and made it downstairs without mishap.
“Here you go, handsome.” I perched the hat on his head and tightened the
elastic under his chin. As we danced, Lenny would spin in place on his back
legs, melting the hearts of the crowd faster than fried ice cream in August.
📗📖📙📖📙📖📗
!!!GIVEAWAY!!!
Winners will be chosen after March 31
5 lucky readers will win print copies of
CINCO DE MURDER
USA only
Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.
This giveaway is through Great Escape Book Tours, not Lisa Ks Book Reviews.
📗📖📙📖📙📖📗
!!!BONUS!!!
!!!GIVEAWAY!!!
Winners will be chosen after March 31
1 lucky reader will win a print copy of
CINCO DE MURDER
USA only
Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.
📗📖📙📖📙📖📗
LKBR: Thank you for being here today, Rebecca!
RA: Thanks for
having me, Lisa! Happy Cinco de Mayo!
LKBR: Please
tell us a bit about Cinco de Murder, Book
3 in the Taste of Texas Mysteries.
RA: In
Cinco
de Murder, the third book in my Taste of Texas mystery series,
reporter-turned-Tex-Mex-waitress Josie Callahan, her feisty abuela, and even her spunky Chihuahua
Lenny are polishing their traditional folklórico
dances for Saturday’s big Cinco de Mayo parade. Not to be outdone, Uncle Eddie
is adding his own spicy event to the fiesta menu: Broken Boot’s First Annual
Charity Chili Cook-off.
But Uncle Eddie's hopes
of impressing the town council go up in smoke when a cantankerous chili cook is
found dead in his tent. And when Josie's beloved uncle is accused of fatal
negligence, she, Lenny, and the steadfast Detective Lightfoot must uncover who
ended the ambitious chilihead's life--before another cook kicks the bucket.
LKBR: How did
you come up with the concept for this series? How about the idea for this
installment?
RA: Sometimes I
create my characters before I begin writing; and other times they walk onto the
page when I need them the most. The idea of a family running a Tex-Mex
restaurant in a small Texas town came from my editor; but I fleshed out the
details. It was fun discovering how they spoke, what they looked like, and how
they felt about each other and the world around them. I’d say that’s my
favorite part of writing this series—meeting the characters who arrive on the
page, sometimes by design and other times by pure accident.
Lenny, Josie’s
Chihuahua, was mine from the get go. On page one of Here Today, Gone Tamale when Josie stared at herself in the mirror
and Lenny yipped his approval, a star was born.
I am a huge fan
of Tony Hillerman’s Native American lawmen Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, not to
mention Native American actors Adam Beach and Michael Horse. When it came time
to create a local deputy, I couldn’t resist introducing the handsome Detective
Quint Lightfoot.
At the beginning of each story in this trilogy, I had a lot of
fun deciding on what celebration would fit that particular mystery. Cinco de
Mayo was the perfect fit for springtime.
LKBR: Do you
have a favorite character in your book/series?
RA: Josie
Callahan’s my girl! She’s gutsy, funny, brave, and able to put together clues
like nobody’s business. A close second on the list would definitely be the
quiet, thoughtful, and oh-so-handsome Detective Quint Lightfoot. Um, I’m
feeling guilty. I can’t not mention
Josie’s erstwhile grandmother, Senora Mari, hard on the outside, marshmallow on
the inside. And what would Lenny, the long-haired Chihuahua, say if I left him
out? It’s like choosing between your own children!
LKBR: Is there a certain type of scene
that’s harder for you to write than others? Love, action, death, etc?
RA: I find that writing the suspense
element of mystery can be the trickiest. It’s challenging enough writing
engaging characters and witty dialogue. When you add in clues, detection, and
murder it definitely keeps the little gray cells busy.
LKBR: In your writing, have you ever
used experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
RA: I have named my characters
after people in my own life on more than one occasion—not because of any
resemblance, but more as an homage to our relationship. Sometimes when I’m
writing dialogue I find a character is relaying an event straight from my own
knowledge bank, but so far nothing too personal. I’m too worried someone will
recognize themselves and cut me out of their will!
LKBR: When
you’re in the process of writing/creating a book, do you use a computer,
typewriter, dictate, or use pen to paper?
RA: I use a
computer. If I get stuck while I’m plotting a story, or I’m stuck without my
computer, I’ll revert to a pen. Gel pens are my favorites.
LKBR: Do you have any writing quirks or
rituals that you do before, during, and/or after writing a new book?
RA: During
the writing process, I will often write at exactly the same time of day—first
thing in the morning. I make it a part of my morning routine so that my brain
is ready to go. I also use a spreadsheet to keep up with my progress, which
inspires me to check off my word count goal for that day and week. I try to
celebrate every time I finish a book and every time it hits the shelves by
going out for a special dinner with my family or a close friend. I tend to
write slowly so I’m constantly trying out new ways to increase my word count
and the quality of those words. I’ve heard that some writers write new words in
the morning and edit old words in the afternoon. Another week they might write
new during the week and edit on the weekend. Having said that, I must be a
glutton for punishment because I wrote all three of the books in this series by
writing a complete first draft and then creating a second draft by editing the
first. Then there’s the notes from my editor, which a third draft, etc. It
works for me because I love to see the pages fly by; but I’m not sure I
recommend it.
LKBR: What does your family think about
your writing? How important is their support?
RA: My family
is very supportive—as much as they can be living in close quarters. Even though
two of my children live with me, they are nearly grown and very independent.
That helps. What do they think about my writing? They’re happy that I’m happy.
It’s enough for now.
LKBR: Who/What inspired you to write your first book?
RA: I was going through a rough patch
and had three children at home under my feet. I read so many romances they were
coming out my ears. One day I looked at the book I was reading and said those
famous words, I can write better than that. Little did I know how hard it is to
write a good book and that the best writers make it look easy. I did my
research, joined North Texas Romance Writers, and began learning about the
craft of writing. I began writing my first book as a way of being creative
without having to leave the house. Play
It Loud is a sweet romance I wrote under the name Gina Lee Nelson for The
Wild Rose Press. The inspiration for my hero was Josh Groban; and I chose New
York City as my setting because I missed living and working in the Big Apple.
LKBR: What
was one of the most surprising thing(s) you learned when trying to get your
first book published?
RA: This
sounds daft, I know; but I didn’t realize how many times I would have to edit
and revise that book. Each criticism by an editor felt like being pricked with pins.
Now I crave more editorial revisions.
LKBR: What book
are you reading?
RA: I’m
reading Game of Thrones: Clash of Kings. I’m
a bit late to the party; but I didn’t start watching the series until a couple
of summers ago. Now that I’ve seen every episode, I’m reading the books. I just
finished a wonderful mystery by Deanna Raybourn, A Curious Beginning. It’s the first book in her Victorian Veronica
Speedwell series and I highly recommend it if you enjoy intelligent, liberated,
witty heroines in a historical setting.
LKBR: Do you
have any advice for aspiring cozy writers?
RA: Read cozy
books. Read a lot of them. Figure out what you like and don’t like--and write what
you like. I stumbled into cozies because I write sweet stories and my strongest
voice is first person. I also find my sense of humor comes out to play when I
write cozies, which I enjoy.
LKBR: Where can readers go to
learn more about you and your books?
RA:
Facebook:
@AuthorRebeccaAdler
Twitter:
@CozyTxMysteries
Purchase Links:
LKBR: Thank you
so much for letting us get to know you better!
RA: It’s been a lot of fun, Lisa. Thanks, again, for
giving me the opportunity to chat about my books. And I hope you and your
readers have a festive Cinco de Mayo!
About the Author
Rebecca Adler grew up on the sugar beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast. Drawn to the Big Apple by the sweet smell of wishful thinking, she studied acting on Broadway until a dark-eyed cowboy flung her over his saddle and hightailed it to the Southwest.
Prior to writing women's fiction, Gina always found a way to add a touch of the dramatic to her life: dinner theatre in Mississippi, can-can club in Florida, and playing a giant Furskin in the New York Toy Fair, plus the occasional play and musical.
She's currently content to pour her melodramatic tendencies into writing her Taste of Texas culinary mystery series. Set in far West Texas, her humorous stories are filled with delicious suspense and scrumptious Tex-Mex recipes. Her alter ego, Gina Lee Nelson, writes sweet contemporary romances with a sweet, Southern-fried flavor.
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