It’s great to have prolific writer, Kaye George, back here with the Wickeds. She’s here with her brand, spanking new Vintage Sweets series. Revenge is Sweet is the first book in the series. Here’s a bit about the book:
Tally Holt has poured her heart, soul, and bank account into Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, specializing in her grandmother’s delicious recipes. Tally’s homemade Mallomars, Twinkies, fudges, and taffy are a hit with visiting tourists—and with Yolanda Bella, the flamboyant owner of Bella’s Baskets next door. But both shops encounter a sour surprise when local handyman Gene Faust is found dead in Tally’s kitchen, stabbed with Yolanda’s scissors.
The mayor’s adopted son, Gene was a handsome Casanova with a bad habit of borrowing money from the women he wooed. It’s a sticky situation for Yolanda, who was one of his marks. There are plenty of other likely culprits among Fredericksburg’s female population, and even among Gene’s family. But unless Tally can figure out who finally had their fill of Gene’s sweet-talking ways, Yolanda—and both their fledgling businesses—may be destined for a bitter end . . .
Kaye: Happy St. Paddy’s Day to you all! Hope you’re well supplied with beer and corned beef and cabbage, if you like those things. And now, a quick switch from Irish to German~~~
I picked Fredericksburg TX as the setting for my new cozy Vintage Sweets series. I’ve been asked why I chose it, since I don’t live there and don’t know anyone who does. So I’d better tell you why I have a strong connection to that town.
Quite a few years ago, when I lived in Texas with my husband and all our children had flown the coop, it was the custom for them to all come to our house on Thanksgiving one year, Christmas the next. We alternated with the in-laws and that worked out well. We usually made plans to join one if the kids’ families close to the other holiday. One year, it worked out that everyone was busy, flying hither and yon for Thanksgiving, and my husband and I were going to be on our own.
We had always enjoyed driving around and exploring parts of Texas. The Painted Churches, for example. The brewery tour in Shiner, for another example. For that year, we settled on a tour of Wine Country, also known as Hill Country. Texas, due to its size, has four to seven distinct geologic regions, depending on how you view it: Big Bend Country, Gulf Coast. Panhandle Plains, Piney Woods, Prairies and Lakes, South Texas Plains, and Hill Country.
Austin, where we lived (Taylor, very near Austin, but you’ve never heard of Taylor if you don’t live around there), is at the edge of Hill Country, and the Wine portion of it wasn’t very far. If you google “Texas wine country” Fredericksburg pops up at the top, I just discovered.
I found a B&B online and booked it. It turned out to be delightful. It was called Camp David Bed & Breakfast, but is now closed, so you’ll have to find your own if you go. We tootled around from winery to winery, holding back in the tasting rooms so we could drive! After a couple of days, we decided to stay in town and walked Main Street, loving the shops and the German restaurants. We went back a couple more times, but not for extended stays.
When I was casting about for a setting for this series, I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d rather use. Luckily, my agent, who was helping me put the proposal together had actually been there (from New Jersey!) and agreed with the setting.
I only hope I’ve done it justice in the series. I didn’t tell you about a park outside town that we also loved, because it’s in the climax of REVENGE IS SWEET and I don’t want to spoil that!
Readers: Have you ever fallen in love with a town, or a place? Does a location hold a special place in your heart, like this town does for me?
Bio:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Sweet-Vintage-Sweets-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07TS1KJ4T
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/revenge-is-sweet-kaye-george/1131427001
Books A Million:
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Revenge-Sweet/Kaye-George/9781516105434?id=7830240381046
Kaye George, National Best-selling & Agatha-nominated mystery author~~
REVENGE IS SWEET, 1st in new series~~
NEW short story anthology! Mid-Century Murder~~
http://kayegeorge.com/~~
NEW short story anthology! Mid-Century Murder~~
http://kayegeorge.com/~~
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