Welcome, Josi! Can you tell me what inspired your Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series?
The first book, Lemon Tart, started as a first chapter contest about a mystery novel that involves food. I had never written a mystery novel and enjoyed doing something new and learning about a new genre--every genre has certain expectations and it was a fun challenge to figure it out. After the contest (I took second place) I continued to work on that book over the course of the next two years or so--it was my recess book--in between other projects. We didn't discuss it becoming a series until after my publisher read the first one, and it has slowly grown and increased due to having gained a good readership.
Do you enjoy spending time in the kitchen yourself? Are the recipes in your books your own creations?
I do love to cook, though I don't have the time for it that I would like. I have teenage kids and seem to be constantly going this place or that which leaves limited time to really enjoy the creation process. Several recipes in the books, especially the first three, are ones I have made for years. Others fit the story and yet others have been donated by members of my test kitchen, who makes all the recipes with me to make sure that they are as good as Sadie claims them to be.
Do you have a favorite book in the series?
Probably Devil's Food Cake. It has some of my favorite recipes is and is a non-stop story where Sadie is just nutty. It was a lot of fun to write and the cover ended up to be amazing.
How has the character of Sadie grown and changed over the course of 10 books?
She's matured through the course of the book. What in the beginning was busybody nosiness, has turned into a desire for truth but with the realization that finding truth isn't always easy. She's also faced her own emotional turmoils of coming to terms with the things she's experienced, as well as growing pains with her children and other family members. She's a better investigator than she was, but still has a great desire for justice.
What are you currently reading?
I am just finishing up book 11 in the series, Fortune Cookie, and have a difficult time for reading when I am on a deadline. I have been reading Dean Hughes new series, Coming to Zion, this summer and enjoying it, but I'm afraid my reading time has been sucked away from me.
Name 3 books on your keeper shelf...
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess, and How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N. Frey
Do you have any pets?
We have a cat. We found her as a week old kitten on the side of the road, bottle-fed her for a few weeks and fell in love. She's a tortoiseshell and still tiny despite being full grown--we call her Kiki.
What mischief does Sadie get into in Rocky Road?
She doesn't get into a lot of mischief in this one, in fact she's reluctant to get involved. Pete's cousin, Caro, however is where Sadie was about 8 books ago--curious, impulsive, and a bit too eager. Sadie ends up playing the role of the 'brake' this time around, and yet her investigative skills are better honed and she ends up sniffing out quite a story. She also works with the police on this case, something very new for her and not entirely comfortable.
What are you working on now?
I am putting the finishing touches on Book 11, Fortune Cookie, which takes place in San Francisco. The first chapter is in the back of Rocky Road. Fortune Cookie will be out in spring of 2014.
Rocky Road
It was supposed to be a girls’ weekend in scenic St. George, Utah that would include shopping, trying out the local cuisine, and participating in a breast cancer fundraiser. The fact that one of the organizers of the fundraising event, a local doctor, disappeared two months ago was not supposed to be Sadie’s problem. In fact, she refuses to participate in the grassroots investigation her friend Caro, and Caro’s cousin, Tess, have put together prior to her arrival. But then she meets the ex-wife of the missing doctor. How could she not ask a few questions . . . that lead to a few more questions . . . that lead to a small town and yet even more questions. Before she knows it, Sadie is in the middle of yet another murder investigation and trying to piece together a convoluted trail of good intentions, hidden motivations, and philanthropy turned big business.
Author Josi S. Kilpack
Born and raised in Salt Lake City Utah, I met my husband in high-school--well, he wasn't my husband then, just the cute guy in weight training with the permed mullet--and we married in 1993. I wrote my first book while on bed rest with my third child and have gone on to publish 20 novels, the most recent being part of The Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series.
I currently live in Willard, Utah with my husband, children, and cat.
Culinary Mysteries by Josi Kilpack
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2 comments:
Great interview. Really cute book cover. Sounds like a wonderful book. My daughter has a kitty named Kiki. Your Kiki is beautiful.
Sue B
Loved the interview, Melissa and Josi! (And apologies to Josi for spelling her name with an "e" in my tweet.) I've been wanting to read this series.
By the way, both Truffles and Kiki are lovely. My Tasha says to tell them 'hi'.
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