Why Murder Mysteries Make Us Hungry by Saralyn Richard

The Write Way Café welcomes Saralyn Richard, author of The One Percent, offers a mouthwatering recipe to feed the hunger mysteries create. 


Did you know reading murder mysteries burns a lot of calories? It’s true. Research studies conducted while readers were reading mysteries showed the nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat sitting, and heart-pounding scenes burned way more calories than those burned by reading books in any other category. Well, at least we think so.

That gives mystery writers poetic license to include scenes filled with mouth-watering gastronomic delights, right? 

Murder in the One Percent revolves around a weekend birthday celebration at a country mansion in Pennsylvania’s horse country. The gathering includes lots and lots of delectable food and drink—enough to make the reader salivate. The menus are fit for royalty, and the wine pairings impress even the savviest connoisseur. 

Here’s a recipe for one of the entrees served at the party. The osso buco fills the house with the aromas of garlic and spices. The meat just melts in our mouths, and the taste is decadent—or maybe that’s not a good word to use since someone turns up dead.

Anyway, here’s the recipe for all the gourmands among you. Happy eating, and happy reading, too.

OSSO BUCO

Ingredients
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 dry bay leaf
• 2 whole cloves garlic
• Cheesecloth
• Kitchen twine, for bouquet garni and tying the veal shanks
• 3 whole veal shanks (about 1 pound per shank), trimmed
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 small carrot, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 stalk celery, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions
Place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and cloves into cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni.

For the veal shanks, pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Veal shanks will brown better when they are dry. Secure the meat to the bone with the kitchen twine. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour, shaking off excess.

In a large Dutch oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add tied veal shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.

In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt at this point to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables. Saute until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Return browned shanks to the pan and add the white wine and reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. 

Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.

Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and place in decorative serving platter. Cut off the kitchen twine and discard.

Remove and discard bouquet garni from the pot.

Pour all the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.


Someone comes to the party with murder in his heart and poison in his pocket.

When old friends gather for a weekend retreat at a country mansion, no one anticipates how their lives will be changed—or that one of them will turn up dead. Remote and serene, the Campbells’ horse farm is the perfect setting for a lavish party. The guests, members of the country’s elite wealthiest one percent, several of them politically connected as well, indulge in delights befitting their station—gourmet food, fine wines, Cuban cigars—but greed, lust, and jealousy insinuate themselves into the party.

Playboy and former Secretary of the Treasury, Preston Phillips, brings his new trophy wife to the party, unaware that his first love, the woman he jilted at the altar years ago, will be there, enchanting him once more with her timeless beauty. A snowstorm, an accident, and an illicit rendezvous later, the dynamics crackle with tension.

When Detective Oliver Parrott is charged with solving the untimely killing of one of America’s leading financial wizards, he realizes this will be the case to make—or break—his career.

Murder in the One Percent offers relatable characters, memorable moments, surprising twists, and humorous insights. Dive into the world of the one percent, and you’ll come up intrigued and thoroughly entertained.

Barnes & Noble           Amazon Kindle           Amazon paperback        Black Opal Books


     About Saralyn:  Mystery and children’s book author, Saralyn Richard, has been a teacher who wrote on the side. Now she is a writer who teaches on the side. Some of her poems and essays have won awards and contests from the time she was in high school. Her children’s picture book, Naughty Nana, has reached thousands of children in five countries.
     Murder in the One Percent, published by Black Opal Books, pulls back the curtain on how the privileged and powerful rich live, love, and hate. Set on a gentleman’s farm in Pennsylvania and in the tony areas of New York, the book shows what happens when someone comes to a party with murder in his heart and poison in his pocket.
     When she is not writing, Saralyn likes going to movies and concerts, traveling, and walking on the beach with her husband and two dogs. She is an avid reader and is working on her second mystery.

Website     Facebook       Twitter       Goodreads

Getting to Know Kathleen Kaska

The Write Way Café welcomes Kathleen Kaska, who knows about timing and putting passion into writing.


When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book?
     I’ve always wanted to write but I didn’t have the courage to start until my early forties. By that time, I was comfortable with a teaching job and didn’t have to bring home a lot of school work.

What was your path to getting this book written and published? What type of research did you do?
     Run Dog Run was actually the first book I wrote. Then came books two and three in the series. I put them on the backburner after receiving a few rejections, and let them simmer for almost eight years. I went on to write my Sydney Lockhart mysteries, then decided it was time to take another look at Run Dog Run. I felt it was a strong mystery with a popular social cause. I revised and polished the manuscript and sent it to Black Opal Books. They offered me a contract and things started to roll. 
     It’s always about timing.
     My research involved delving into the world of greyhound racing. I visited a racetrack outside of Houston, read books on the subject, and interviewed people involved in greyhound rescue.

Where did the idea for your story come from?
     I used to volunteer for Wildlife Rescue, Inc. when I lived in Austin and became interested in animal rights. A fellow teacher used to bring his greyhound to school. He taught sixth graders, an age where kids sometimes have too much energy. I always knew when he had his dog in the classroom because the noise level decreased tremendously.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
     I wanted a strong, vivid setting for the story and I wanted the story set on a Texas ranch. The Hill Country west of Austin was an ideal place. I chose the small town of Wimberely after writing an article about the area.

Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself? 
     My protagonist, Kate Caraway, is imaginary. But she possesses many of my traits. We are both believers in animal rights. We’re also runners, healthy eaters, and terribly acrophobic. The last trait plays an important part in the second Kate Caraway mystery, A Two Horse Town, which takes places in the Pryor Mountains of Montana. That book, also published by Black Opal Books, will be out next year.

Did you face any blocks while writing the book, and if so, how did you handle them? If not, what's your secret?
     My first agent turned down the book because he said I editorialized too much. He was right. I toned it down and sent it to a second agent who loved the book, but she was new at her job and unable to sell it. That’s when I decided to give it a rest.

What have been surprises you've encountered while writing the book and after?
     I had an agent tell me that I should market the book as a thriller. Although flattering, that really surprised me. There are several fast-paced and tense scenes, but I felt that the book fit better as a traditional mystery. Then, after the book was published, I had a few readers tell me they liked the story because it was so gripping. So, I guess that agent was right.

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about animal rights, greyhounds, and being an activist?
     I learned that when writing fiction, I could not follow an outline and plan everything that was going to happen in advance. I had to just start writing and see where my characters took me. I also decided that putting too much authorial intrusion into my writing wasn’t a technique that worked for me. As far as the greyhounds, I learned about the mistreatment many endure. I know several people who have adopted retired racers and was surprised that they were not openly critical of the racing industry. The reason is that they have to remain on good terms with the adoption organizations they work with in order to acquire the dogs for adoption.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
     I write from a desk in my room. The space is small, but I make it work. One day I hope to have a big room with a long table so I can lay out all my works in progress and see them displayed rather than having them in file folders.

What are some of your favorite books and why?
     There are a variety of subjects I enjoy. I’m fortunate to work for a publishing company and my colleagues are always sharing what they are reading. As far as nonfiction, I read books about birds, ancient Egypt, essay collections by E.B. White, Roger Angel, Lisa Scottoline, books on writing, food, travel, and anything interesting that crosses my path. I read all kinds of mysteries: cozies, police procedurals, historic, and hardboiled detective stories. My favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Martha Grimes, Spencer Quinn, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Laurie R. King.

What are you working on now?
     I’m working on the fifth Sydney Lockhart mystery, Murder at the Menger. This series is lighthearted and humorous. It’s set in the early 1950s and each book takes place in a historic hotel. The Menger Hotel was opened in 1859. It’s across the street from the Alamo. The other hotels featured in my mysteries are the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the Luther in Palacios, Texas, the Galvez in Galveston, Texas and the Driskill in Austin, Texas.

Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre?  Which one and why?
     I prefer to stick with mysteries, but I write in three different subgenres. The Kate Caraway series is considered a traditional mystery, but the Sydney Lockhart is a cozy, historical mystery. I just finished a hardboiled detective story set in the 1940s.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
     I am a retired science teacher, so I could see myself working in the field of biology: genetics, marine science, environmental science, or even a different science altogether, say, Egyptology. I have a degree is in Physical Anthropology, with a concentration in animal behavior. I always joke that it was one of the reasons I worked so well with seventh graders.

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
     I plot by the seat of my pants, so about 60,000 words into the story I have to stop and analyze what I’ve written. This is where the real work begins. Until this point, it’s fun and games. However, once I’ve decided which direction I’m heading, I get excited about finishing.

Who is your favorite hero/heroine?
     There are a lot of famous people whom I admire: Barack Obama; Jimmy Carter; Karen Blixen; and ornithologist Robert Porter Allen, who is the subject of my book, The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story. As far as heroes and heroines, most are family members. I’m lucky, to have an incredible family, all of whom I admire and adore. 



After five years in Africa, researching the decline of elephant populations, Kate Caraway’s project comes to a screeching halt when she shoots a poacher and is forced to leave the country. Animal rights activist Kate Caraway travels to a friend’s ranch in Texas for a much-needed rest. But before she has a chance to unpack, her friend’s daughter pleads for Kate’s assistance. The young woman has become entangled in the ugly world of greyhound abuse and believes Kate is the only one with the experience and tenacity to expose the crime and find out who is responsible. On the case for only a few hours, Kate discovers a body, complicating the investigation by adding murder to the puzzle. Now, she’s in a race against time to find the killer before she becomes the next victim.

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble


     Kathleen Kaska is the author two awarding-winning mystery series: the Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s and the Classic Triviography Mystery Series, which includes The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book. Her first two Lockhart mysteries, Murder at the Arlington and Murder at the Luther, were selected as bonus-books for the Pulpwood Queen Book Group, the largest book group in the country. Her latest Sydney Lockhart mystery, set in Austin, Texas, is Murder at the Driskill. Run Dog Run, Kathleen’s first mystery in the new Kate Caraway animal-rights series, was released in March 2017.
     When she is not writing, she spends much of her time with her husband traveling the back roads and byways around the country, looking for new venues for her mysteries and bird watching along the Texas coast and beyond. It was her passion for birds that led to the publication The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story (University Press of Florida).
Kathleen is a writer and marketing director for Cave Art Press. Her collection of blog posts was released in August 2017 under the title, Do You Have a Catharsis Handy? Five-Minute Writing Tips.

Website     Black Opal Books

Two-Time Rita Finalist Maris Soule

The Write Way Café welcomes two-time Rita finalist Maris Soule, who loves to ask unusual questions, such as what would Lara Croft be like in her seventies?

Thank you for inviting me to talk about my writing and about the two books I have coming out this summer. Although I didn’t seriously start writing until I was 40, it seems as though I’ve been writing forever.

I started out writing romances and had 25 published, 2 being RITA finalists and several winning awards. But I love reading mysteries and suspense, so I guess it’s no surprise that a lot of the plot lines in my later romances started to include a mystery. In 2007 finally gave in and moved over to the dark side…at least a bit darker than a romance. The Crows was my first book where the mystery/suspense was the focus of the story with a bit of romance in the background. That book led to As the Crow Flies, where my protagonist, P.J. Benson, again gets involved in a mystery and the romance continues. That book ended with P.J. wondering if she might be pregnant and with her boyfriend, Sheriff’s Detective Wade Kingsley, out on his boat on Lake Michigan with his ex wife.

Well a lot of my readers started pestering me. Was P.J. pregnant or not and would she marry Wade? So I started working on another P.J. Benson mystery. But while writing that book, a new character suddenly popped into my head and insisted on her story being told. (I’m sure other writers understand what I mean about a character invading my thoughts and insisting on her own story.) Mary Harrington began as a question. What would Lara Croft or Nikita be like in their seventies? And what if no one knew this woman had been an assassin in her youth, not even her family?

I loved writing A Killer Past. My P.J. Benson mysteries were told in first person. A Killer Past is told in third person, using both Mary Harrington’s POV and Jack Rossini’s. Poor Jack is the police sergeant trying to figure out how a woman in her seventies could put two teen-aged gang members in the hospital, and why Mary won’t admit it, especially since doing so has now put her in danger of retaliation from the gang. Even more frustrating and intriguing for Jack is why he can’t find any information about Mary before she moved to the town of Rivershore, Michigan.

Once that book was finished, I started looking for an agent to represent it. I also went back to the P.J. Benson book and wrote Eat Crow and Die, the third in my “crow” series. And yes, it answers if P.J. is pregnant. It also allowed me to use the memory I had of watching a boat explode on a lake. In Eat Crow and Die, Wade’s boat explodes and his ex-wife and her new husband die. How convenient, the investigating sheriff’s deputies decide, that Wade and his son Jason just happened to be at the front of the boat when the explosion occurred so they weren’t injured. Did Wade rig that explosion to eliminate his ex? P.J. decides, if she doesn’t want the father of her unborn child thrown in prison, she’d better figure out who did cause the explosion.

Well, I was thrilled when I received a contract from Robert Hale Ltd. to publish A Killer Past in hardcover* and a contract from Five Star/Gale/Cengage to publish Eat Crow and Die in hardcover and as an e-book. I had no idea at the time that the two books would be released back-to-back. A Killer Past will be available here in the United States and Canada in June. (It was released in the UK in April.) Eat Crow and Die will be released in July. I love both of these books, but wow, it sure would have been nice if they’d come out at least six months apart. Will anyone buy both books? I hope so. It’s like having two of my children in a competition; I want both of them to win.

If you would like more information about me, these two books, or my other books, please visit www.marissoule.com and I would love it if you would “Like” me at www.facebook.com/MarisSouleAuthor

*A Killer Past is supposed to be in e-book form, too, but so far I haven’t seen any info about that.