Interview Karen Whalen Author of Just What I Kneaded
Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to Karen Whalen, author of Just What I Kneaded, A Dinner Club Murder Mysteries Book 5.
Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see find out a little about Karen and her cozy mystery, Just What I Kneaded. Thanks for joining us!
What is Christmas like where you live? Don’t be shy, tell us your secrets.
Christmas in Denver can be warm and sunny, even 60 to 70 degrees, but the National Park Service sells permits to cut blue spruce trees in mountainous areas that need to be thinned, so Christmas is full of pine scent even when the weather is nice. Of course, Denver can also be hit with blizzards at Christmas, too, but more often the weather is very pleasant. People expect Colorado to be snowy all the time because of the mountains. Don’t tell them how nice our weather is since everyone will want to live here
Favorite holiday memory
Listening to the transistor radio my parents gave me on Christmas morning when I was about 10 years old. I waited and waited to hear my favorite song by the Association – Everyone knows it’s Windy. I felt like a teenager!
Least favorite holiday memory
When my son traveled with the high school band on Christmas Day to play at the Rose Bowl game. We had Christmas on Christmas Eve, but it was still hard to put him on the plane that morning.
Funniest holiday memory
When my youngest was a year old he scrapped the color off the Christmas tree lights with his front teeth. He had bits of color flakes on his lips and the lights had teeth marks on the bulbs. What parent has to tell their child not to chew on the Christmas tree lights? Thank goodness he didn’t try to bite into one! We still tease him about staying away from the lights.
Why should we read this book/series and what sets you apart from the rest and makes your book/series unique?
There are many culinary cozy mysteries, but my series doesn’t involve a bakery, a donut shop, or a wine and cheese shop. The dinner club series centers around foodies just like you and me. You don’t have to run a bakery or know about wine to relate to the main character who attempts to prepare gourmet meals and sometimes things don’t turn out like she plans. Who can’t relate to that?
SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:
Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>
Favorite Christmas movie: Elf
Favorite Christmas book: Bible
Last Christmas or holiday book read: cookbook
Favorite color: yellow
Stilettos or flip-flops or elf shoes: flip-flops
Coffee or tea or hot chocolate: coffee
EBook or audiobook or paperback: eBook
Pencil or pen or candy cane: pencil
Favorite Christmas Carole or song: Holy Holy
All-time favorite Christmas present: son
Favorite dessert: brownies
Christmas Candy or Cake: cake
Favorite thing to do to relax during the holidays: nap
Champagne or gin or eggnog: champagne
Paranormal or Historical: paranormal
Wonder Woman or Top Model or Tinkerbell: Tinkerbell
Favorite Christmas or holiday TV show:
Hot or cold: hot
POV:
I’d die if I don’t have: coffee
Review or Not: review
Tell us a little about Just What I Kneaded.
Vaughn jumped up to greet her when Jane and her friends crammed through the narrow door. “Hiya, Calamity Jane!” Sweat was dripping off his forehead and showed wet under his arms, but in spite of that he still looked breathtakingly gorgeous. He gave her a bear hug, and the odor of marijuana transferred to her clothes. The dinner club members’ jaws dropped. Even Olivia must’ve been stunned since she had nothing to say.
One of the guitar players, with black hair caught up in a man-bun, said, “That was my favorite movie as a kid, Calamity Jane.”
The drummer swiveled in a chair attached to the floor. “Wasn’t such a calamity, though, for you, was it, Vaughn?”
The rock star blushed and said in his British way, “Jane rescued me from the clutches of the coppers. They were questioning me like a common bloke. Me, Vaughn Zachman!” He stuck out his chest.
“They were just doing their job, Vaughn.” Jane took a seat opposite the famous rock star and her friends found places to lean against the tiny doorway and walls in the crowded, decked-out tour bus.
“It was pretty exciting, actually.” Vaughn flashed a smoking hot smile, like the sensitive, brooding, James Dean with a little of Johnny Depp thrown in. “Never thought I’d find a dead body. Did they catch the guy who stabbed that baker?”
“No.” Jane cast a glance at Dale and waved her arm first toward him, then at the other two. “This is my fiancé, Dale. I told you about him. And these are my friends, Doug and Olivia Ladner.”
Vaughn became chummy, saying any mates of Jane’s were mates of his. He gave them all bear hugs in turn. Was he high on drugs or high on adrenaline? Olivia didn’t want to let go of him and appeared as if she might faint, but he managed to extract himself from her arms. “I’ll never forget Jane, here. She waited while the cops grilled me and she made sure I got away from them. She was even going to call her attorney for me.”
“Just my boss. I’m sure he would’ve rushed over.” Jane patted his arm.
“She stayed and talked to me, kept me grounded, while I waited for my turn with the coppers.”
“I wonder why they questioned you for so long. I was the one who saw the killer, who heard his voice.” Jane stared off for a moment. “I’ll never forget those voices. The high one said, ‘Be reasonable. You’re in the way.’” She refocused on the rock star. “What do you think he meant by that?”
Vaughn repeated, “‘Be reasonable, you’re in the way.’ Hmmm. I don’t have any idea.”
“Well, then a voice said, ‘Taking care of business.’”
“Taking care of business? Did he mean the bakery business?” Vaughn’s tone was uncertain.
“And there was a deeper voice. He said, ‘I can’t.’”
Vaughn said after Jane, “I can’t. I can’t. What did the bloke mean by that?” It was surprisingly easy to get him to repeat the words.
“I wish I knew.” Jane could almost smell the cake just thinking about it, but her heart hadn’t raced as hard, and her mind didn’t flash back. She was getting calloused to it by now.
They both shivered, sharing a memory no one but the two of them could completely understand.
About the author.
Social media links:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/karen-c-whalen
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Just What I Kneaded!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Dinner Club Murder Mysteries, Ireland, Just What I Kneaded, Karen Whalen by Tena Stetler with 11 comments.
So nice getting to know you better!
Thanks for popping by Jennifer! Have a great upcoming weekend!
Enjoyed the interview! I do remember transistor radios, Karen. Loved mine! Wishing you all the best!
Hey Mary! I too remember transistor radios, I had the most brightly colored yellow one I loved. Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful upcoming weekend!
Thanks for sharing. It was great getting to know you better. Best of luck with your books.
Hey there CB. Glad you stopped by. Don’t you love the little tidbits you learn about author friends?
Thanks, everyone for stopping by. I’m glad to get to know all of you better too.
Good to see you here Karen.
Nice to meet you, Karen! Enjoyed the interview and the teaser of an excerpt. Best of luck with your series.
Cat
That was a fun interview, Karen. I look forward to reading this cozy!
Thank you for stopping by Livia! Have a great weekend.