Everything’s better with butter — a book launch update

Posted on July 22, 2015 by admin

Thanks to all of you who’ve helped me celebrate the release of BUTTER OFF DEAD, the third book in my Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries. Some of you joined me at the release party at Frame of Reference on June 26, at Montana Book and Toy on July 11, or at Fact & Fiction on July 14, when debut mystery writer Christine Carbo and I interviewed each other. Others bought a copy and curled up in a favorite chair to beat the heat by getting lost in a book set in February in Montana! However you celebrated, my thanks — and cheers! (Yes, that ‘s one of Erin’s huckleberry margaritas shown with the book. In a plastic glass — we don’t want any repeats of the Event that set Fresca off!)

If you’ve read BUTTER, I hope you’ll take a minute to post a review online or to tell your friends about it. Word of mouth and those brief reviews mean a lot to an author, as well as boosting sales and helping a series continue. Plus those online reviews involve stars, and you know how much Erin loves her lucky stars!

If you’re in Western Montana, I hope you’ll come visit with me at the Bigfork Festival of the Arts on Sat and Sun, August 1-2. Look for me in front of Frame of Reference Gallery on Electric Avenue. And in Billings, please swing by Barnes & Noble at 2:00 on Sat, Aug 8, when romantic suspense author BJ Daniels and I interview each other!

Guest posts, reviews, and giveaways: I’ve visited a few book blogs in the last couple of weeks, sharing bits and pieces of the writing life and dishing about my characters. And if by chance you don’t have a copy of BUTTER OFF DEAD yet, a few include publisher giveaways that are still open:

Fresh Fiction — Collecting can be murder! A few of my own collections — happily, none leading to a deadly obsession!

Lori’s Reading Corner — A Vocabulary of My Ownest — making up words to put in my characters’ mouths!

Escape with Dollycas — Killing Christine, or how my victim chose me! Contest ends midnight July 24!

Fresh Fiction — The Family Business. The lovely women at Fresh Fiction liked me so much, they let me come back and talk about the challenges Erin faces in running a business with her mother!

Dru’s Book Musings — A Day in the Life of Tracy McCann, sales clerk and chocolatier Contest open till midnight July 22!

A Cozy Girl Reads — A lovely review!

Moonlight Rendezvous — Another lovely review! Contest open till July 27!

And I’ll be on the Gotta Write Network this week, talking about how Erin manages to solve crime and run a business with her mother — without killing her.

Also thrilled to share with you a guest of my own, on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen — real-life spice shop owner Amanda Bevill, of World Spice Merchants, shares “The Secret Ingredient” to making a family recipe for apple cake even tastier!

Of course, I continue to share recipes at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen on the 1st, 3d, and 5th Tuesdays, and my characters take the stage at Killer Characters on the 27th of the month. This month, meet Erin’s mysterious brother Nick, who runs with the wolves.

Happy Reading — and remember, everything’s better with butter! And a cat on your desk.

“Justice for All” radio interview

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

A few weeks ago, lawyer and radio host George Yates interviewed me on his radio show, “Justice for All.” We talked about my first book, BOOKS, CROOKS, and COUNSELORS, a guide for writers on using the law in their fiction. (And incidentally, great for reporters or anyone interested in learning more about the legal system.) We also talked about writing fiction, some current legal issues, and more. Enjoy!

(It’s a YouTube link, so it’s easy to pop on in the background as you do other things!)

Summer in the sun with a good book!

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Leslie Budewitz

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Jewel Bay — oops, I mean Bigfork Festival of the Arts this weekend! I’m still there today, Sunday August 3, so if you’re in the Flathead Valley, come down to the Village for arts and food fun!

Celebration! Readers of the Bigfork Eagle, the local paper, named me “Best Local Author”! Thank you!

And both Crime Rib and Death al Dente made the Seattle Mystery Bookshop‘s July bestseller list! Smoocheroos to everyone who helped.

A fun interview: This week, I’ll be interviewed at Cozy Up with Kathy, who asks a few questions I haven’t been asked before.

The giveaway at Escape with Dollycas continues until August 6. If you haven’t read my essay on why I write about Montana, the Last Best Place to Hide, stop by — and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Crime Rib. There’s also a wonderful review of the book.

You know how Erin and I love huckleberries! So if you didn’t get a chance to join us — well, me — this weekend, pop up to Whitefish anytime this Fri, Sat, or Sun and visit me at Huckleberry Days in Depot Park. I’ll be chatting mysteries and signing copies of Crime Rib and Death al Dente. And if it’s made with hucks, you’ll find it at the Festival, so come on down!

Pictured: my Huckleberry Chocolate Mousse. Here’s the recipe.

Thanks so much for sharing in the fun of launching Crime Rib into the world!

Fact, fiction, and festivals

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Leslie Budewitz

Launch fun continues! But if you subscribed to this blog for info on using the law in your fiction, don’t despair! The launch is winding down, and I will continue to post here on developments in the law, legal terms, Stupid Criminal Tricks, and other legal news you can use even as my focus on fiction continues!

Blogs and book giveaways! Today, July 27, the painter Christine Vandeberg speaks on Killer Characters: Where the Characters Do the Talking. She’s a fixture in Jewel Bay, based on a colorful real-life artist friend, and will also have a major role in the third Village book, out in July 2015. She’s dishing on festival life, and giving away a signed copy of Crime Rib!

And the giveaway continues until August 6 at Escape with Dollycas, where I talk about setting stories in Montana, the Last Best Place (to escape). There’s also a wonderful review of the new book.

Life imitates art — at the Festivals! Fitting that a book set at the Jewel Bay Summer Art and Food Festival will be available at local festivals! I’ll be at the Bigfork Festival of the Arts in the village of Bigfork Sat-Sun, August 2-3, and at Huckleberry Days in Depot Park in Whitefish, Fri-Sun, August 8-10. Come by for a visit and signed copies of Crime Rib and Death al Dente. (That’s me at the Funny Face Kool-Aid Stand I won in a coloring contest in 1967.)

In addition to this blog, I also send out a quarterly newsletter with book news, more photos, recipes, and more. The next issue will go out August 1. If you’d like a copy, please join the mailing list on my websites, www.LeslieBudewitz.com and www.LawandFiction.com

Summertime, and the books are blooming!

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Leslie Budewitz

Cheers! And thank you!

huckleberry martinis

Thanks to you, Crime Rib joins its older sister Death al Dente as a national bestseller, reaching #22 on the Barnes & Noble mystery list.

We’re toasting you with huckleberry martinis!

You can be a winner! The big giveaway on Goodreads is over — congratulations to all 25 winners! — but other contests are continuing or starting this week. The contest at Dru’s Book Musing continues until Tuesday, July 22. At Lori’s Reading Corner, I’m confessing my obsession with my home state and why this vast and sometimes jagged corner of the world is a great place for cozies. Fill out a short entry form for a chance to win a free copy of Crime Rib — open till July 26. Thanks to my publisher, Berkley Prime Crime, for the generous giveaways!

The Last Best Place? The wonderful Lori Dollycas at Dollycas Escapes celebrates escaping into a great book. On Wednesday, July 23, I’m teeing off on Montana’s slogan as “the last best place,” talking about Montana as a great place to escape—and to hide, as some of my characters have done. Join us!

And a preview: Next Sunday, July 27th, at Killer Characters: Where the Characters Do the Talking, painter Christine Vandeberg takes the stage, “feasting on summer.”

This past week, I visited the Crow’s Nest Gallery in Polson, Montana and the Books n Cuppa book club in Lakeside, Montana. Thanks to my hosts and everyone who joined me to talk books and food and other things we love.

Crow’s Nest Gallery

Erin’s Tapenade

smoky sailing

Still dancing!

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Leslie Budewitz

Mr. Right and I are having a grand time sharing Crime Rib with all of you! By the time you read this, we’ll be on our way home from a quick trip to Seattle, where we launched The Book at Seattle Mystery Bookshop, ate our way through Pike Place Market, gaped at Mr. Chihuly’s Garden, and visited friends. But summer in Montana is mighty fun, and we’ll be mighty glad to be home

A chance to win! The Goodreads Giveaway continues until July 15. My wonderful publisher is giving away 25 copies, so the odds of winning are GOOD!

Come play with me! On Wednesday, July 16, from 5-7 pm, I’ll be at Crow’s Nest Gallery in Polson, MT for a book talk, reading, and signing.

Let’s visit online! On Thursday, July 14, I’ll be at Mochas, Mysteries & Meows, where Ruff the Cat dishes about his first year as a cover model and book celebrity. Thanks to Berkley Prime Crime, there will be a book giveaway!

On Friday, July 18, get a glimpse into life in the heart–and heat–of high summer in a tourist town, as Erin Murphy describes a day in the life of the Merc and Jewel Bay at Dru’s Book Musing.

And on Saturday, July 19, come play Book Trivia with me at Shelley’s Book Case!

Curl up with me! Well, on the page. My latest column in 406 Woman Magazine (p. 40) features the recipe at the heart of the mystery in Crime Rib, filet with huckleberry-morel sauce, and the story of how Mr. Right created the recipe—with my tasting help! And if that whets your appetite for a little Montana mystery, pick up a copy of Crime Rib—the books page on my website includes links near and far, to bricks-and-mortar shops and online outlets, as well an excerpt.

Thanks so much for sharing in the fun!

Leslie

The huckleberry fun continues!

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Leslie Budewitz

Thanks to you all for a most wonderful book launch!

Offers: A reminder: My publisher, Berkley Prime Crime, is giving away TWENTY-FIVE COPIES of Crime Rib at Goodreads. The contest continues through July 15. You must join Goodreads to enter, but it’s easy and fun.

A chance to meet! Next week, Mr. Right and I are heading to Seattle for a short vacation—researching sights and sounds for my Seattle Spice Shop Mysteries. Oh, okay, we’re mostly going to eat. But I’ll also be signing Crime Rib at the Seattle Mystery Book Shop at noon on Friday, July 11. I’d love to see you!

Or we can talk online! Delighted to share this email chat, in the July issue of The Big Thrill, the online magazine of the International Thriller Writers. John Clement, author of the Dixie Hemingway mysteries, and I talked about writing process, discovering Erin, her past, and her future, and of course, food. Enjoy!

I also talked with cozy writer Gayle Trent, aka Amanda Lee, about Crime Rib, and our conversation is now a free download podcast on her website, as part of her “Writing Up a Storm” series.

Next week, I’ll be part of the Writerspace chat on Tuesday, July 8, at 7 pm, with a host of other authors with new cozy mysteries. I hope you can join us!

On Friday, July 11, I’ll be toasting my friend Deborah Lacy at The Mystery Playground for her feature, Friday Reads with Drinks. IMO, Crime Rib is the perfect accompaniment to a huckleberry martini!

I get lots of questions about Erin’s love life—hmm, wonder why? I’ll be chatting about that on Friday, July 11, at Marie’s Cozy Corner. And Berkley Prime Crime is providing a copy of Crime Rib for a giveaway that day!

And on Saturday, July 12, I’ll be at Lori’s Reading Corner, talking about Cozy Montana. (Another free copy offer — thanks, Berkley!)

Gallery: A few pictures from my visit to Fact & Fiction Books in Missoula on July 2. How cool is it that James Lee Burke and I have new books out at the same time, and our posters hang together? (And huge thanks and hugs to those of you who pre-ordered signed books, even though you couldn’t make the event!)

Celebrate! Celebrate!

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Leslie Budewitz

The focus on the “fiction” part of “Law & Fiction” continues this week, as I celebrate the launch of Crime Rib, second in the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, on Tuesday, July 1.

Two favors to ask: Early reviews are a big help to authors, so if you’re so inclined, please share your comments about Crime Rib on Amazon, B&N.com, Goodreads, or with your friends. And if you see Crime Rib in the wild — on a bookstore shelf, in a library, in a reader’s hands — please send me a picture or post it on my Facebook page.

Two giveaways! My publisher, Berkley Prime Crime (part of Penguin Books), is joining the fun by giving away 25 copies of Crime Rib on Goodreads. The contest is open through July 15. You need an account to enter, but it’s easy and fun. And the giveaway at the Debutante Ball continues through July 5. Extra points if you tell me a chicken joke I haven’t heard.

Come celebrate with me! Join me in Missoula on Wednesday, July 2, for a book talk, reading, and signing at Fact & Fiction Books, 220 N. Higgins, at 7 p.m.

Join me on line: Monday, June 30, I’ll be naming names at Shelley’s Book Case — giving you the inside scoop on how I name my characters.

On Tuesday, July 1, I’ll be at Fresh Fiction, answering that old question: “Where do you get your ideas?” Some writers roll their eyes at the question, but I love it — and I’ll tell you why!

On Wednesday, July 2, I’ll be in two places at once. Join me at Books N Kisses for “Another Weekend, Another Festival — and Another Body.” I’m also joining my good friend Janet Fisher, author of the new history, A Place of Her Own, for a reflection on the magical critique group she and I were were part of here in Montana.

And next Saturday, July 5, join me at Cozy Mystery Book Reviews‘ “Cozy Cooking” feature, where I’ll share Erin’s recipe for Two Bean & Pesto Salad — yummy summer fun. Chef Dan Solberg served it at my launch party Friday night — his version is almost as good as Erin’s!

Speaking of the launch party, it was great fun! Thanks to so many local friends for joining Don, my mother, brother, and me — and to Derek Vandeberg for hosting us as part of the opening reception for the 2d Annual Bigfork in Paint & Print show. If you’re in the Flathead, do drop by and see the lovely pieces created to illustrate this wonderful place. A few photos below.

My thanks,

Leslie

Autumn Leaves are Falling — a recap

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Leslie Budewitz

So nice to be home! Like most writers, I love getting out and meeting readers, booksellers, librarians, and other writers. But also like most writers, I love being home — at my desk, with my cat and Mr. Right close by, and my imaginary friends at play on the page in front of me.

I’m delighted to share a lovely review of Death al Dente in the Fall issue of Mystery Scene. Click on the link for the full review; some snippets:

“Is there a cozy lover among us who could resist a new series boasting the label “A Food Lover’s Village Mystery”? Read on if you would like to indulge in a healthy helping of Death Al Dente, Leslie Budewitz’ scrumptious new series opener … but I can’t ruin the suspense. Instead, I encourage you to savor this new culinary mystery that offers a unique taste of Montana. Author Budewitz has created an engaging character, a charming town, and a whole new perspective on the state.”

Speaking of the state, if you have not attended your state’s Festival of the Book, put it on your schedule right now! Here’s a list of festivals across the country. Last weekend, I participated in the Humanities Montana Festival of the Book in Missoula. What fun! Friday morning, I got a chance to talk about Death al Dente and read an excerpt to 60 mystery and thriller fans, and the chance to listen to two Montana mystery writers share their books — Keith McCafferty and Gary L. Cook. (Turns out my camera’s cranky and when I hand it to someone else to take my picture, I get a blank — but here’s a shot of the gathering and one of Keith talking about his PI/cop/fly fishing mysteries!) Later on Friday, Keith and I joined novelists Emily Jane Miller, Russell Rowland, and Peter Rock for a panel discussion about food, research, writing from another perspective, and of course, writing fiction set in Montana.

This book venture has given me a chance to do many new things, including my first radio interview on The Write Question, a program of Montana Public Radio. It was broadcast on October 17, but can be streamed or downloaded as a podcast from the website.

Thanks to the Whitefish Community Library for hosting “Local Authors Night” on October 3.

And at the 23d annual Flathead River Writers Conference, sponsored by the Authors of the Flathead, Authors president Jess Owen and I moderated a First Impressions session, reading the first page of fiction submitted by the conference go-ers for comments by two literary agents, Paige Wheeler of Folio Literary Management and Liz Kracht of Kimberly Cameron & Associates, and several published writers who taught during the weekend conference. It was a great opportunity for writers to hear how agents analyze work, what they look for, and what’s often missing. We’re starting the planning for next year’s conference, September 27-28, 2014, and another session is already on the schedule.

As for me, if you’re in Western Montana, I’d be delighted to visit your library or book club. Drop me a line at leslie at lesliebudewitz dot com. You’ll find me doing one of the things I love most: writing.

Thank you all, friends and readers, for the opportunity.

On the Radio-o-o-oh!

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Leslie Budewitz

My first radio interview airs this week, Thursday, Oct 17 at 7:30, on The Write Question, a program of Montana Public Radio. It’s also available on the MTPR website for streaming and download as a podcast.

(Warning: It’s all about Death al Dente and the role of food in fiction, so you might want to eat before listening.)

(Thanks to Chérie Newman, Producer. Twas a lot of fun, and I’m definitely available for other interviews elsewhere — drop me a line at leslie at lesliebudewitz dot com.)

Leslie Budewitz

Mystery Author

Category Archives: Guest Blogs — Leslie elsewhere