When I was considering how to approach the second book in my Buttermilk Creek farm series, I knew I wanted it to be a different time of year from the first book, and I knew I wanted Brynn MacAlister to be steadily becoming more and more a part of the rural Shenandoah Springs community. The idea of a country fair came to me and I thought it was a perfect way to achieve both of those goals. Anybody who’s lived in the country knows how important and fun those fairs are. It was the highlight of my summers as a kid and I’ve yet to experience that exact kind of fair as an adult.
How many of us remember the pie contests, the tractor pulls, and craft competitions of summer country fairs? Row and rows of quilts and crocheted blankets–be still my craft-loving heart! I also loved the games, rides, and the best part was the animals. (If you’ve never had a calf suck your hand, and look sweetly into your eyes, you’re missing out!)
Brynn is a cheese maker and micro dairy farmer. She decides to start the first amateur cheese contest at the fair. She figures it will help her get to know more people and spread her love and knowledge of cheese at the same time. But her first year is marked with not one but two murders, which places a pall on the sweet country fair—along with a few other things.
Out of all the settings in my books, this one hits closest to home (except the murder). My fictional town is set just outside Staunton, Va., which is a real town, and right next to where I live in Waynesboro. I grew up in a rural part of Pennsylvania surrounded by farms and woods. Shenandoah Springs is a mix of my Western Pennsylvania roots and my Virginia surroundings. I gave the place a calling–this small rural area is getting rejuvenated by farmers, artisans, and crafts people who practice healthy farming practices and lifestyles. Add all that together and you get my kinda place.
Readers: Have you thought about your dream place to live?
About the Book
Welcome to Shenandoah Springs, Virginia, the bucolic small town where Brynn MacAlister keeps cows, churns cheeses—and is sharper than the ripest cheddar when it comes to solving mysteries . . . With a foster cow in her corral and a new calf on the way, Brynn MacAlister has a lot on her plate. Especially since her micro-dairy farm is hosting the first annual cheesemakers contest at this year’s summer fair. A relative newcomer, Brynn’s hoping the contest becomes a tradition, bonding her even more strongly to the community. But when a mysterious tractor accident looks suspiciously like murder, Brynn suspects someone is up to no-gouda . . . Some folks say the lead suspect was just defending his underage daughter from a suitor more mature than a vintage provolone, but Brynn isn’t buying it. Especially when another dead body turns up and Brynn’s top cheesemaker falls under suspicion. It’s enough to make a girl bluer than her best Stilton. But not enough to stop Brynn from getting to the bottom of things. What she discovers is the small town harbors some pretty unsavory characters. And the closer Brynn gets to the killer, the deeper she gets into danger
Includes Udder-ly Delicious Recipes!
Praise for Mollie Cox Bryan’s mysteries “A playful charmer!” —Woman’s World on No Charm Intended “Scrapbookers and hobby cozy fans will enjoy this delightful holiday escape.” —Library Journal on A Crafty Christmas “A font of ingenuity . . . superb entertainment.” —Mystery Scene magazine on Scrapbook of
Social media links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/molliecoxbryanauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/molliecoxbryan
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/molliecoxbryan/boards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molliebryan/
Website: molliecoxbryan.com
About Mollie:
Mollie Cox Bryan is the author of the Buttermilk Creek Mysteries, the Cora Crafts Mysteries, and the Cumberland Creek Mysteries. Her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award and as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman’s World. She has also been short-listed for the Virginia Library People’s Choice Award. Mollie is distantly related to Jean Harlow.
Daphne & Agatha Award finalist Cozy Mysteries with Edge. Romances with Slow, Sweet Burn. molliecoxbryan.com Sign up for my newsletter http://madmimi.com/signups/1e6798c352b64766ba5659fdaa8e23b1/join