Now that the Fourth of July has come and gone, I have a confession.
While everyone else was watching fireworks, I was paying close attention to...pie contests.
Not because I’m secretly judging pie (although I would happily volunteer). It’s because I’m deep into writing Baked with Betrayal, the fifth Cooking Club Murder Mystery, which takes place during Fox Hollow’s Fourth of July celebration.
One of my favorite things about writing holiday mysteries is living in that season twice.
The first time happens while I’m writing. I spend weeks imagining bunting draped across front porches, picnic tables loaded with homemade desserts, children chasing bubbles, boats decorated for the annual parade, and neighbors greeting each other as if they’ve known one another forever.
Then, months later, I get to experience the real holiday while my fictional town is still celebrating it.
It’s a funny feeling.
This year, every parade I saw made me think…would my amateur sleuth notice anything suspicious?
Every pie reminded me that in a cozy mystery, dessert is never just dessert.
And every fireworks display made me imagine what Tango would think. (Let’s just say he’d be much happier investigating the hot dog stand than sitting through the grand finale.)
One of the unexpected joys of writing is how it changes the way I see ordinary moments. A walk becomes research. A conversation overheard at a farmers market sparks a character idea. A holiday celebration turns into pages of notes for a fictional town that somehow feels just as real as my own.
The best part is that by the time you read Baked with Betrayal, I’ll probably be writing about snowstorms or Valentine’s chocolates while you’re enjoying a summer mystery.
Writers are always living in two seasons at once.
And honestly...I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Happy (slightly belated) Fourth of July! I hope yours was filled with good food, wonderful people, and absolutely no mysterious happenings.
Happy sleuthing,
💙 Emmie
A note from a Small-Town Detective Dog (from the Cooking Club Murder Mysteries)
Hello, friends.
Fireworks are loud. Hot dogs are delicious. Pie smells suspiciously wonderful. As head of the Fox Hollow Canine Investigation Unit, I plan to inspect every picnic next year...strictly for public safety, of course.
and now for the Poll Update!
I have reviewed the results of last week’s very official poll.
The verdict? You really, really want letters from me.
Naturally, this has done wonders for my confidence. Some might even say my ego has grown three sizes. (Emmie says that’s enough celebrating and I should stop strutting around the house.)
So here’s the plan.
At the end of the month, I’ll randomly choose a couple of readers to receive a personalized letter from yours truly in the mail.
Want to be entered? Easy peasy.
During the month, leave a comment on any—or even better—all newsletters. A detective needs to know who's stopping by, and I do enjoy making new friends.
Or if you prefer, send an email to: emmielynauthor@gmail.com with the subject ‘Tango Letter’. Tell us what you’re reading, introduce your pets, ask a question, or simply say hello. Every email is a chance to land on my desk for inspection.
Thank you for making this detective feel like the most important border collie in the book world.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have squirrels to investigate.
Happy sniffing,
—Detective Tango 🐾
P.S. If you want to check out all of Emmie’s books, click here. Most are FREE if you have kindle unlimited.
Here’s a FREE mystery from my friend Melissa Bourbon to enjoy on these hot summer days!
When her great-grandmother passes away, Harlow Jane Cassidy leaves her job as a Manhattan fashion designer and moves back to Bliss, Texas. But when she opens a dressmaking boutique in the turn-of-the-century farmhouse she inherited, Harlow senses an inexplicable “presence”. Is Meemaw really gone, or she now Harlow’s ghostly roommate?
Her old friend Josie orders a gown for her upcoming wedding, but when Josie’s boss turns up dead, Harlow has to find the killer-with a little help from beyond.
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