Cajun Kiss of Death

August 19, 2021

Cajun Kiss of Death

Cajun Kiss of Death: A Cajun Country Mystery
by Ellen Byron

About Cajun Kiss of Death

Cajun Kiss of Death: A Cajun Country Mystery
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (August 10, 2021)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 164385738X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643857381
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08N6SMX1J

The next shot from Cupid’s bow may be fatal in USA Today bestselling, Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron’s hearty and delightful seventh Cajun Country mystery.

In Pelican, Louisiana, Valentine’s Day has a way of warming the heart, despite the February chill. But the air at Crozat Plantation B&B turns decidedly frigid when celebrity chef Phillippe Chanson checks in. And when the arrogant Phillippe–in town to open his newest Cajun-themed restaurant–perishes in a fiery boat crash, Maggie Crozat’s dear friend JJ lands in very cold water.

Did JJ, proprietor of Junie’s Oyster Bar and Dance Hall, murder Phillippe because he feared the competition? Might Maggie’s mother, Ninette, have bumped off the chef for stealing one of her cherished recipes? Or was the culprit a local seafood vendor, miffed because Phillippe was somehow able to sell oysters for a remarkably reasonable price, despite an oyster shortage?

Maggie had planned to devote her February to art lessons in New Orleans, a present from her sweetheart, Bo. But now she has to focus on helping her friend and her mother cross a murder charge off the menu. Meanwhile, Maggie receives a series of anonymous gifts that begin as charming but grow increasingly disturbing. Does Maggie have an admirer–or a stalker? And are these mysterious gifts somehow related to Phillippe’s murder?

Blood may be thicker than water, but this case is thicker than gumbo. And solving it will determine whether Maggie gets hearts and roses–or hearse and lilies–this Valentine’s Day.

About Ellen Byron

Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty awards for Best Humorous Mystery. She writes the Catering Hall Mystery series, which are inspired by her real-life, under the name Maria DiRico. Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.

Q&A With The Author

How long did it take you to get your first work published (from creation to actual book)? What was your first published work?
My first published mystery was Plantation Shudders, but it wasn’t my first mystery. That was Reality Checked, which won the William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers. It took me nine months to find an agent to represent the book, which never sold. But while he had it out on submission, I wrote Plantation Shudders, which took about nine months from creation to actual book and then sold quite quickly. My agent knew Crooked Lane Books was just starting up and looking for cozy mysteries.
Plotter (one who plans or plots out every detail of the writing process) or Pantser (one who writes by the seat of his/her pants)?
I am a proud plotter. I create what I call a fluid outline – fluid because I’ll discover new plot ideas and characters as I write. But the outline is still pretty detailed and can run 35-45 pages. I’ve come to think of the outline as my first draft.
What advice do you have for a new writer?
Write! Also, find a support system. If you’re a mystery writer, I highly, highly recommend joining the Guppies subgroup of Sisters in Crime. It’s an online community that’s a mix of published and unpublished authors. The name itself, Guppies, stands for the Great Unpublished. But it’s such a helpful, support community that published authors don’t leave because we get so much out of it.
What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
There’s an easy part?!
What is the one thing about the writing life that you didn’t know until you were published?
How much time I would spend doing promotion on the internet. I knew there would be some but never imagined how much. Of course, some of it is just a great way to procrastinate, lol. But seriously, people say that as an author, you’re running a small business. And that’s absolutely true. Luckily, I’m an extrovert and I like engaging with people. But I have to police myself or I could end up spending an entire day e-gabbing with readers instead of doing my job – writing the next mystery they’ll eagerly snap up.