I'm pleased to turn over the blog to Victoria Hamilton today. Victoria pens the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series. A CALCULATED WHISK is the tenth book in the series and today is its release day!
Writing the Series:
A Calculated Whisk - Vintage Kitchen Mystery #10
By: Victoria Hamilton
It snuck up on me, did #10 of my Vintage Kitchen Mysteries. I hadn’t thought of A Calculated Whisk as a milestone while writing it. I was just engaged in the writing, in the story and the people and my familiar Queensville, Michigan world. It was like slipping on a cozy robe. I knew how Jaymie would think about an event. I knew who she’d go to for words of advice, what she’d do next.
And I guess that’s the lesson I take from writing #10 of the series… it’s enjoyable because it is familiar. Even as I’m struggling with the plot, or trying to work out the clues, at least the people are familiar. When I introduce a complication I know exactly how Jaymie would react, what she would do next, who she would go to.
But what else have I learned from writing ten books in a series?
1 – I have learned how to find ways to introduce a subset of victim/possible killer characters to each book, because obviously Valetta isn’t going to go off her rocker and start poisoning people, and no one is going to bonk Mrs. Martha Stubbs over the head. (I won’t allow it.) It isn’t as hard as it sounds… we all have so many circles of acquaintances. To whit… Jaymie works at the Emporium, and sometimes at the other stores in town. Her family has a cottage on Heartbreak Island, and she spends time there. She has friends she went to college with that she sees every summer. She has a stepdaughter in school, is a historical reenactor at the historic house, and serves tea at the Tea with the Queen event every May. All of these occupations and events involve different circles of people, and in all of them she is exposed to their circles of friends and acquaintances, so I can introduce a fresh pool of victims and suspects each time. And now, because of the publicity surrounding her, people even come to Jaymie for help.
2 – And following up on that, I learned a few books back that I needed to start a spreadsheet of character names, descriptions, and life details. I have a section for recurring characters, and a fresh section for each new novel. I didn’t do it soon enough and named two characters in two separate books virtually the same name… and no, I’m not going to tell you which character and where else she appears, but one of the Vintage Kitchen Mystery recurring characters has a doppelganger in another mystery I wrote. I’ve settled my mind that the two women are cousins and so their names are similar. You know how names run in families? Anyway, now I keep spreadsheets of characters for every series so I don’t do that again. I rarely make the same mistake twice. Why would I, when there are so many fresh mistakes to make?
3 - People are invested in the characters!! This is a good thing; it means that my readers see these people as more than characters, like acquaintances they get to catch up on every year or so (It’s been 2 years since Cast Iron Alibi came out! Wow… but to be fair, it’s been a pretty complicated two years for everyone, hasn’t it?) What that means also, though, is that my readers have their own set of hopes and dreams for my characters. I often get the question/suggestion from readers about Jaymie and pregnancy; is she ever going to have a baby? As much as I hate to dash hopes, I will say unequivocally that no, Jaymie is not planning to add to their family. It’s my decision, made for a number of reasons, but coming from my knowledge, also, of Jaymie’s character. Suffice it to say, she is very happy as wife to Jakob and mom to Jocie.
4 – I can always think of another story. Truly. You’d think after so many books – and ten in one series! – that I’d run out, but it’s not going to happen. Life throws ideas at me willy nilly. Read to the end of A Calculated Whisk and you will find not only a recipe (Yes, I included one at the end!!) but also a bit about the inspiration behind A Calculated Whisk. Life is too strange not to give me ideas.
So… I’m sure I’ll think of many more things I’ve learned from writing #10 in a series, but that will be for another day!
Thanks for having me, Kathy!
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About the Author:
Victoria Hamilton is the pseudonym of nationally bestselling romance author Donna Lea Simpson. Victoria is the bestselling author of three mystery series, the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, and the Merry Muffin Mysteries. She also writes a Regency-set historical mystery series, starting with A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder. Visit her website at victoriahamiltonmysteries.com.
Social Details:
Website: http://www.VictoriaHamiltonMysteries.com (Sign up for her newsletter for all the latest!)
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaHamilton
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MysteryVictoria
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysteryauthorvictoriahamilton/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/598635.Victoria_Hamilton
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/vintagekitchenm/_saved/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Hamilton/e/B007T7LGAU
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Review
The Tenth Vintage Kitchen Mystery
Alicia Vance and her family have had their fair share of tragedies, including the accident that killed her husband. But was it an accident? Alicia seems to know something and Detective Vestry is keen to get Jaymie involved, thinking the women are friends, just like their daughters. Jaymie is hesitant, but seems to be making slow progress with the wary Alicia. Just when it seems that she's on the verge of confiding in Jaymie Alicia is murdered. Jaymie fears that her own family will now become a target, but her curious nature and a desire for justice means that she'll keep searching for the truth.
A CALCULATED WHISK is a story about family, both functional and dysfunctional. It's about the past encroaching on the present and never knowing what truly goes on behind closed doors. It's also about fitting in when you're different and learning and doing your best.
There's quite a difference between the whole Vance clan and the almost too good to be true Müllers. The Vance and Hansen families have enough intermingling backstory to be a soap opera, or sadly an episode of 20/20. Jaymie has a lot to sort through while also writing her newspaper articles, working at her husband's junk store as well as the Queenseville Historic manor, and helping with domestic duties at home. I may be in the minority, but I'm not a huge fan of Jocie and felt too much time was spent dealing with children and not really moving the story along. I must admit though that part of their presence is integral to the plot. If you love children you'll be very happy with the way the series has progressed.
I like how Jaymie has friends of all ages, which also makes it easier to not only make more connections, but see various perspectives. I have always loved the idea of vintage kitchen items and can easily picture my own grandmother's items as the items in boxes, whisks and potato mashers, red wooden handles and all. They give a sense of nostalgia that warms the heart.
A CALCULATED WHISK is a multilayered mystery enveloped in family drama. In the end, friends and family come together bringing comfort and coziness in a world that isn't always kind.
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A Calculated Whisk (A Vintage Kitchen Mystery) by Victoria Hamilton
About A Calculated Whisk
Cozy Mystery 10th in Series
Publisher: Beyond the Page (September 21, 2021)
Paperback 212 Pages
In the new Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author of Cast Iron Alibi, Jaymie Leighton Müller is confronted with two murders and the threat of danger far too close to home . . .
When a woman living under a cloud of suspicion for her husband’s death comes to vintage kitchen collector Jaymie Leighton Müller with a mysterious request, she’s not sure whether, or how much, to get involved. The police believe they have new evidence of foul play in what was initially ruled an accidental death, and the woman’s terrified they’ll try to pin the crime on her. Before Jaymie can decide whether to help her, though, the woman’s found murdered in the woods near Jaymie’s cabin.
Still unsure whether the woman was truly innocent in her husband’s death, Jaymie decides to get to the bottom of both murders. But as she digs deeper into the couple’s past and discovers a tangled array of long-buried wounds and family secrets, Jaymie begins to sense that danger is still lurking in the woods near her home. With a killer on the loose and her family in danger, Jaymie must uncover the culprit before she loses all she holds dear, including her own life . . .
Includes a vintage recipe!About Victoria Hamilton
Victoria Hamilton is the bestselling author of several mystery series including the national bestselling Vintage Kitchen Mysteries and Merry Muffin Mysteries. She does, indeed, collect vintage kitchenware and bake muffins. She also writes the Lady Anne Addison Historical Mysteries. She drinks tea and coffee on writing days, and wine other times. She crochets (a little), paints (a little) and reads (a lot). A solitary being, she can be coaxed out of her writing cave for brownies and cat videos.
She started her writing life as Donna Lea Simpson
You can find her online at:
Website: http://www.VictoriaHamiltonMysteries.com (Sign up for her newsletter for all the latest!)
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaHamilton
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MysteryVictoria
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysteryauthorvictoriahamilton/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/598635.Victoria_Hamilton
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/vintagekitchenm/_saved/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Hamilton/e/B007T7LGAU
