Welcome Back Author Ginger Bolton and a #Giveaway

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Hi! On this every-four-years day of the year, author Ginger Bolton is here with some information and thoughts on leap day.

She’s here for the release of Double Grudge Donuts, the eighth book in her Deputy Donuts Mystery series, which was released last week. To celebrate, Ginger is giving away a copy to one lucky commenters below.

Over to you, Ginger–

According to the caption on the back of this picture, Mema and some of her progeny were rolling down a hill. I can’t vouch for whether or not Mema actually rolled in the grass. Her adult children joked that she was in her teens at the time because she had celebrated only about fifteen “official” birthdays.

Mema was born on February twenty-ninth.

A bonus day that comes around only once every four years is a natural for spawning traditions.

One common one was that women could propose to men. In certain places and times, men who turned down these proposals were expected to give the women they rejected a gift. Twelve pairs of gloves would help a scorned woman hide the embarrassment of a ringless finger! One pair per month? Or were the gloves supposed to last until the next leap year, and she’d have to make each pair last four months?

If the gloves wore out, what could she do? Maybe wear a glove on her ring hand and carry something that resembled a glove.

I know. Right and left gloves aren’t always interchangeable.

However, I once had to resort to that subterfuge. White gloves were necessary for wedding guests, even for girl who was about nine years old.

At the last minute, I realized I’d misplaced one of my white gloves.

My mother decreed that I would wear one white glove and carry a white hankie to pass as a glove.

I don’t remember the ceremony. I was industriously reconfiguring that hankie into finger shapes.

Some folks think that being born or getting married on leap year day brings bad luck. Marriages at any time during leap year are sometimes expected to end in divorce.

In my eighth Deputy Donut Mystery, Double Grudge Donuts, my amateur sleuth Emily is looking forward to her wedding. She didn’t do the proposing, but she could have.

While writing this, I realize that I set Emily and Brent’s wedding this coming August. It’s leap year! Don’t worry. Emily and Brent are never getting divorced. Remember, I (mostly) have control over them.

It seems to me that leap year day and all of leap year provides an excuse for celebrations, even if it only means eating favorite foods. Like—why do I always think of chocolate???

The town of Anthony, Texas, on the border of New Mexico, celebrates leap year, attracting people born on leap year day, plus everyone else, to a festival of music, arts and crafts, fun for kids, and (not surprisingly) food.

In Double Grudge Donuts, Emily and Brent’s smallish town in northern Wisconsin is also hosting a festival, the Fallingbrook Arts Festival. During the afternoons, performers put on mini shows on sidewalks in front of businesses, including Emily’s café, Deputy Donut. In the evenings, the performers compete in the bandstand in the village square.

Maybe because it’s leap year, the worst kind of luck befalls a bagpiper. With her café under suspicion, Emily will need to investigate—without causing problems with her fiancé. Brent is Fallingbrook’s detective. . . .

Readers: Do you have a suggestion for fun activities or yummy snacks on Leap Year Day? I’ll send a print copy of Double Fudge Donuts to one lucky commenter below. The winner will be chosen at random on March 2. U.S. and Canada only, please.

About Ginger Bolton

Ginger Bolton writes the Deputy Donut mystery series—coffee, donuts, cops, danger, and one curious cat. Double Grudge Donuts is the eighth Deputy Donut Mystery. Blame the Beignets will arrive on store shelves in the end of November, 2024. The tenth Deputy Donut Mystery will appear in stores near the end of September, 2025.

https://gingerbolton.com

https://www.instagram.com/ginger.bolton

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGingerBolton

About Double Grudge Donuts

Unpaid pipers might call their own tunes.

            Emily Westhill, co-owner of Deputy Donut, the popular Fallingbrook, Wisconsin café, is planning her wedding, and she’s also enjoying the six-day Fallingbrook Arts Festival.

            Arts and crafts! Music! Comedy! Drama!

            Too much drama . . .

On Musical Monday, a bagpiper wins first prize. Apparently, winning is not enough. Bagpipe wailing, he wanders through town day and night, annoying other performers, the audiences, and villagers desperate for a full night’s sleep.

            With her intrepid cat Dep, Emily discovers the recently silenced piper near a piece broken from a Deputy Donut mug. To clear her name and allow her own celebrations to progress, Emily will need to figure out who paid the piper that final, fatal visit.

BUY LINK

https://gingerbolton.com/where-to-buy

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Published by Barbara Ross

Barbara Ross is the author of twelve Maine Clambake Mystery novels and six novellas. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. She lives in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at www.maineclambakemysteries.com

73 Thoughts

  1. A fun snack is leap frogging “ants on a log”. I remember making these raisins on peanut butter on celery sticks and using the raisins to leap frog over each other. My sisters and I vied for the longest celery stick so we could have as many leaps as possible!
    adriennechasteensnow at gmail dot com

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    1. Wow, number eight in your series! That is so impressive. Congratulations, Ginger/Janet. I can remember when you were writing your last series. You have done so great and I’m thrilled for you.

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      1. Thank you, Grace. I remember our first meeting–can it have been so long ago? Counting my Threadville Mystery series, DOUBLE GRUDGE DONUTS is my thirteenth published book. During leap year. Thirteen is obviously a lucky number for me.

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  2. Love the cover! Was just talking about book covers and their importance in drawing us in to buying a book at my hairdressers yesterday. As far as snacks go, I’ve been trying new recipes with oatmeal – chocolate peanut butter bars, cookies – just something different.

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    1. I love the cover, too–I can get lost in the colors. Chocolate peanut butter bars with oatmeal sound delicious.

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    1. Oops. I’ve been replying as “anonymous!” Maybe leap year day is the time to be mysterious. I wonder how many women, back in the day, actually used the occasion to propose.

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  5. I think I remember a Sadie Hawkins dance for Leap Year, where the girls asked the guys to attend. I had no idea there were snacks specific to the day though.

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  6. Congratulations on the release of DOUBEL GRUDGE DONUTS! It’s on my TBR list and I can’t wait for the opportunity to read and review it. Love the cover. The purple accents definitely draw me since it’s my favorite color, but it’s the cat and his intentions that make me smile.

    If you are going to indulge in something yummy and chocolate on this special day, why not make it the Mississippi Mud Cake! It’s a delicious cake that I can remember way back in my childhood and still a favorite in this household. Here’s the recipe and I hope you indulge in it. If not today, some time soon. 😊

    MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE
    Cake Ingredients
    2 sticks Butter, softened – 1 cup
    1/3 cup Cocoa
    2 cups Sugar
    4 Eggs
    1 tsp. Vanilla
    1 ½ cups Flour
    1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
    1 cup Coconut
    1 cup Pecans, chopped
    1 jar Marshmallow cream

    Icing Ingredients
    1 stick Butter – ½ cup
    1/3 cup Cocoa
    5 tbsp. Evaporated milk
    1 tsp. Vanilla
    1 box Powdered sugar

    Cake Directions
    Cream 2 sticks of butter, 1/3 cocoa and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla. Sift flour and baking powder together and then add to creamed mixture. Add coconut and nuts then mix well. Pour into greased and floured 13x9x2 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and spread one jar of marshmallow cream over warm cake. Let cool slightly, then top with icing.
    Icing Directions
    Beat powdered sugar, 1 stick of butter, 1/3 cup evaporated milk and 1 tsp. vanilla until smooth and of good spreading consistency. More milk may be used if necessary.

    Thank you for the fabulous chance to win a copy of DOUBLE FUDGE DONUTS!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  7. nothing special for leap day i’m afraid. Just another day on the calendar to make February even longer.
    congrats on the new book.

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  8. Welcome back Ginger! I am excited to read Double Fudge Donuts!!! I feel an affinity to Fallingbrook, since I live in Fallbrook, CA! 🙂 My wife and I are celebrating today, the 29th., by going on a discovery trip down to San Diego to find an unusual restaurant we haven’t been to before…it will be Thai or Indonesian, our faves! Thank yoiu for writing such fun cozies…may you come up with many more intriguing plots! Luis at ole dot travel

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      1. We love both, as well as the yellow curry. My absolute favorite Thai curry dish is Musaman. We took a curry cooking class in Cambodia, and love to make their version, which is quite different than Thai, Indonesian or Indian curry, but so delicious.

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  9. I love this series so thank you for writing another book. I don’t know of any Leap Year traditions or goodies but that Mississippi Mud Cake sure sounds good. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

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  10. Congratulations! I didn’t know the gift part of turning down a women’s proposal – very interesting. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com

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  11. Happy birthday, Mema!

    I love your covers, cats and chocolate – yep. Doesn’t get better than that.

    We celebrated what we called Sadie Hawkins Day when I was a wee lass. There were always dances where the ladies asked the gents, both to the dance and for the dances. Haven’t heard of Sadie Hawkins in a very long time, but then, her day only arrives every four years.

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    1. As far as I’m concerned lemon is a great ingredient any time. I seems well suited to the traditions surrounding leap year day, besides. Can be sour, can be sweetened. . .

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  13. Your books are always enjoyable and special. Way back when I was young there were traditions which were fun and interesting. I plan to create a yummy dessert tonight. Marble cake snacks.

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  14. I don’t have any special traditions for the day. After looking at the cover I’ve decided chocolate donuts should be a Leap Day tradition for me. I enjoyed reading all the trivia about Leap Day. I have heard of Sadie Hawkins dances but had never heard about their association with Leap Day. Congratulations on your book birthday!

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  16. I don’t have any traditions around today, but I do like to acknowledge it with something fun. The problem is, my job thinks it is a Thursday, so I have to get some work done.

    Congrats on the new book! (No need to enter me in the giveaway.)

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  17. We don’t have any traditions but maybe we need to start one. Since you suggested it perhaps it should be donut based. Maybe an assortment of donut holes as a dessert today. Looking forward to reading your latest, congrats on the new book birthday! I am also eager to make whatever recipe you have included at the conclusion of the book. Thank you for the drawing! Fingers double crossed while leaping 🙂

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  19. I have never really thought about activities or fun things to eat on February 29, but I suppose it would be appropriate to celebrate the beginning of March because spring is just around the corner. The warmer weather is finally within sight!

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  20. I think a fun Leap Day activity would be creating a small 4 year time capsule, to open on the next Leap Day. And a cute Leap Day dessert would be something like cookies or cupcakes frosted to look like frogs…leap frogs.

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  22. I have had 17 Leap Year Birthdays and some fun activities to do would be hop scotch you have to hop, twiddly winks the winks jump pin the tale on the donkey or frog! and I enjoy darts, bowling, painting and going out to eat.

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  23. Congratulations on your eighty book. I don’t know of any special foods for February 29th, but I’ve known two people born on Leap Year Day and it was always a big celebration for them.

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  24. Congratulations on book #8. I don’t know of any special foods for Leap Day However, I know two people that are Leap Year babies and it’s fun celebrating their birthdays on their actual birthday.

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  26. I’m all about the snacks! A Friendly Fribble and lots of chocolate Carvel ice cream cake with chocolate crunchies!

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  27. I don’t do anything special for Leap Day, but it is the day before what was my grandfather’s birthday and I like to remember the special memories I have of him.

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  28. I like to remember my grandfather on Leap Day. His birthday was March 1st and it is fun to reflect on the fun memories I have of him.

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  29. Seven Layer Cookies would be great on Leap Year Day. I would say a fun activity would be to be curled up with a good book and spend the day reading and snacking. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.

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  30. I can’t think of any special treats for leap year day but in our house, it’s eat leftover birthday cake (or in our case, leftover birthday lemon pie) day. One of us had a birthday on St. David’s day and one of my former classmates turned 16 today.

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  31. We don’t have anything special going on for Leap Day, just reading and enjoying the day.

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  32. We don’t have any fun treats for Leap Day. However, I was almost born on Leap Day. Today is my birthday! So birthday cake today to celebrate.

    Thanks for the chance!!

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  33. Well, I have a sister named Ginger (Michele Virginia) and my first date with my husband was on February 29, 1964, when I was a sophomore in High School, and we went to a local Drive -In with another couple and saw the movie “Eegah.” It was about a caveman. Bad movie. Great date. I have no snacks for that day, but a celebration and date day. 15 Leap Year anniversary and 60 years that have flown by. I knew that he was the one from that moment. It has been a journey but a great one in the end. We are still here and still in love. 6 years dating, 13 years engaged, and 42 years married. How many people can say that? Karma!

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      1. Thank you. It actually has been though there were ups and downs. I knew the minute that I kissed him, that he was the one. Don’t ask me how, but I knew, and it worked out. Thak goodness.

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