Mollie Cox Bryan is such a lovely, generous woman and a talented, prolific writer. I’m so glad she could join us to talk about the second book in her Buttermilk Creek Mystery, Goodnight Moo. Don’t you just love that title?
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
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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
Congratulations on the new book Mollie!
A town near me holds a summer fair each year which is just like you describe. Tractor pulls and such. My sister sells crafts their every year and she’s best friends with a woman whose family runs the fair. I’ve never been to it, but I know it is really popular. It was canceled this year for obvious reasons.
As for today’s question: I’ve dreamed of living in Ireland but I’m pretty sure that my idea of Ireland is less tied to reality and more in line with the Ireland you see in ‘The Quiet Man’.
Thanks! My dAughter is saving up so she can move to Ireland and look for work. 😉
Love the title and the cover!. Original and interesting plot. I live in my dream place–West coast of Florida. Living the dream every day!
That’s an adorable title! I have never been there so I can’t say it’s my dream place to live, but every picture of Ireland I’ve seen looks amazing. I definitely wouldn’t mind living in a place that at least looks like Ireland.
I know exactly where my dream place would be – the top of a mountain on a lot of acreage, nobody around, and either a big lake or a big pond right there. I even know where it would be (the Laurel Highlands) and what it would look like (log cabin, and I can picture the inside thanks to some computer-aided window shopping). Unfortunately, that house is rather out of our budget right now. 🙂
I have been there and it’s GORGEOUS!
Welcome back, Mollie! Congratulations on the new book! I’d love to live on the water or up on a hill with a fabulous view. Then there are days when I want to live in the heart of a city where I can walk everywhere. So I guess I have a lot of dream places to live.
Thanks, Sherry. I often dream of moving to the beach. Then I think about hurricanes!
Looking forward to the new book. I would love to live in mountains.
Beautiful cover! I love the sound of this book and your fictional town!
Congratulations on the upcoming release of ” Goodnight Moo”! What a fun title and cover. Can’t wait for the opportunity to read this book which is most definitely on my TBR list.
We are fortunate enough to live in our dream place. We had been coming here for years on our get away trips and loved it here. Little over 3 years ago we bit the bullet, downsized and moved here building our dream home on a great piece of property we found just outside the city limits which gives us the best of both worlds so to speak. We still love it just as much as when we traveled here.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Love the title and the cover for GOODNIGHT MOO, Mollie! Brings back wonderful memories of reading GOODNIGHT MOON to my kids when they were little.
My dream place to live would be on or near a tropical beach. I’ve had enough of cold, Indiana winters! lol
I hear ya!
Love the title and the cover, Molly. My husband and I love country and county fairs. There is always so much to learn and good tasting food. 🙂
I guess we live in about as close to a dream place as we are likely to get. I didn’t know it when we moved to Lancaster, PA, but I have learned to love it more and more. So many “ideal” places to live are prone to natural disasters. There is very little of that here.
So sorry I spelled your name wrong, Mollie. I hate when people do that. I’m truly embarrassed.
Oh, congratulations on the new book, Mollie. This series speaks to my heart! Yes, I’m a country girl. We’ve recently relocated from SW Florida to the crown of Maine. I love being back home.
I always went to the fair growing up, but I haven’t as an adult. Now, I’m really really wishing I could go to one this weekend.
And yes, I love that title!
I love summer fairs! Or I did… I am mostly in my dream place here in NE Massachusetts. But I wouldn’t mind living in an adobe in an abandoned orange orchard near Santa Barbara – as long as I could have my same friends, family, and Quaker Meeting nearby.
Sounds just like my town!
Your book sounds like a really good read and a great page turner! I love the title of your book and I love the cover, it is so Pretty! Thank you for sharing about the book. Have a Great weekend and stay safe.
Congratulations on your new book! I love the book cover also!
I grew up going to our State Fair each year. You described it so well. Your book sounds really good!!!