Possessed by a hungry ghost?? Where the heck did that come from? I get asked that every time when I tell someone about Possessed by Murder.
To be honest, I have no idea.
When Henrietta Bathers first showed up in Murder at First Sight, I had no clue I would be writing a book about her. She was simply a character who wandered into the story and made herself at home.
Henrietta makes me laugh. She’s kind and sweet, but she’s also stubborn. So stubborn.
When she entered Amelia’s body, I knew I didn’t want someone scary sharing body space with my favorite lead character. I also decided my ghostly character should have a funny quirk that led to Henrietta’s obsession with food. Can you imagine suddenly having taste buds again after decades of not being able to eat? I would gorge myself on chocolate. (Especially as the calories wouldn’t count since they go to someone else’s body.)
Food is such an amazing concept. We need it to survive, but it is so much more than fuel. We turn to food when we need comfort. We celebrate with it. We share it with the people we love. Certain smells and tastes can remind you of a person, a holiday, a kitchen, or a moment you thought you’d forgotten.
Think about chicken noodle soup.
Maybe that was the soup your mother made when you were sick as a child. You’ve never quite managed to get the recipe exactly right yourself, but the smell of it simmering on the stove can still take you back. Suddenly, you’re six years old, wrapped in a blanket on the couch, safe and secure because someone is taking care of you.
Or celebrations.
You finally got that promotion you’ve been working towards and to celebrate you go out for a fancy dinner or cook that expensive steak you’ve always wanted to try.
Those long evenings with friends, when nobody is in a hurry to leave. You share dishes, steal bites from each other’s plates, and laugh all night.
Or after a bad day, there’s the simple pleasure of a cookie warm from the oven. Sometimes that’s enough to soothe your soul.
Now imagine having all of that taken away. Imagine dying, but your spirit is confined to your hometown. You watch the world change around you while the years turn into decades. People you love grow old and die, their souls not bound to the same constrictions as yours. The landscape changes. Technology advances. The world keeps moving, but you don’t.
And you’re alone.
Then, one day, someone comes along who can see you. Not only can they see you, but they can help you. When they decide to hold an impromptu séance, the opportunity to possess them appears so you latch on tight.
After decades of being a ghost, you can experience the world again.
Wouldn’t food be one of the first things you’d want?
Henrietta’s food obsession started as a quirky character trait. But I quickly recognized Henrietta wasn’t simply hungry because she liked food. She was hungry because food is one of the things that makes us feel alive. For someone who has been dead for decades, that’s a powerful thing to rediscover.
JP writes cozy mysteries with quirky characters that make her laugh when they disagree with the laid-out plans for their story and take her on a different path. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada, and hates the cold weather but loves the winter months because they’re a great excuse to hibernate with a cup of tea or a glass of red wine. When she’s not writing or reading, she spends her summers in the garden and her winters plotting how to win her neighbourhood Christmas display competition. They don’t know it’s a competition, but she plays to win nonetheless.
First up, Happy Canada Day to all Canadians near and far!
When I told people I had written a book that was going to be published, I got a lot of “What’s it about?”.
The synopsis I gave them:
“A woman is coerced into pretending to be a psychic at a school fair. While she’s giving a reading, the crystal ball fills with smoke, and she sees a murder. GASP! (And yes, gasp was said very loudly) No one believes her, so she has to find a way to prove that the murder is going to happen and stop it before it does. She eats a lot, and there are ferrets. It’s a fun, silly, escapism read.”
Murder at First Sight is the first book in the series Suddenly Psychic, and I hope readers will laugh at the jokes, enjoy spending time in the town, and fall in love with the characters the way I did while writing them.
I come from a background where I always dreamed of being an author but never thought it could happen. I’d start writing, life would get in the way, and I’d forget how much I enjoyed it while I scrambled to adult. Work, responsibilities, and all the everyday things took center stage. Then COVID happened, and I finally had time to sit down and write.
Today is the day a lifelong dream became a reality. And it is…
Overwhelming.
That’s what this feels like.
I am the shy lurker in online writing groups, learning from other writers’ expertise but never brave enough to share or ask questions. I didn’t take any writing classes beyond the mandatory ones in school. I didn’t have a carefully mapped-out publishing plan or years of industry knowledge. I just like to write the stories that swirl around in my head.
And yet, here I am, writing a blog post about a book that was released today.
Mind. Blowing.
(For anyone who dreams of being a published author, it can and does happen!)
I originally wrote Murder at First Sight because it made me laugh. It’s a funny, happy, “I want to live in that town” kind of read. During COVID, I needed an outlet that brought some lightness into my world when everything felt so heavy. Writing Murder at First Sight gave me somewhere to escape where I would sit at my desk and giggle as Amelia would do something ridiculous.
What I didn’t realize were all the intricacies of being an author. The aspect I fret and stress over most is the self-promotion. I am terrible at that. The hours I have spent trying to come up with clever social media posts, only to delete them and start over. Putting myself out there and hoping people connect with something I created is so far out of my comfort zone.
I’m an introvert who spends hours replaying conversations in my head, convincing myself that whatever I said should have been cleverer, wittier, or maybe just have been said out loud, instead of in my head.
So, today is also very scary. Something I wrote is out there in the world for people to read. And judge.
But, though these emotions, the one that stands out as the strongest is excitement. Later this afternoon, I will be dancing in the park celebrating Canada Day (AKA Murder at First Sight Day 😉 ) and telling everyone I see that I have a book out there in the world! Today feels incredible.
About the Author
JP writes cozy mysteries with quirky characters that make her laugh when they disagree with the laid-out plans for their story and take her on a different path. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada, and hates the cold weather but loves the winter months because they’re a great excuse to hibernate with a cup of tea or a glass of red wine. When she’s not writing or reading, she spends her summers in the garden and her winters plotting how to win her neighbourhood Christmas display competition. They don’t know it’s a competition, but she plays to win nonetheless.
January is supposed to be quiet. Reflective. Boring. Which is exactly why it’s perfect for murder.
Here’s why no cozy mystery heroine is ever safe once the calendar flips to January:
1. Everyone Is Hungover and Emotional
Bad decisions love a New Year’s Eve hangover. So do confessions, fights, and people saying things they really shouldn’t. Our amateur sleuth + cupcake baker, Ava Decker starts Book 7 with a headache and ends it with… well. A body.
2. New Year’s Resolutions Make People Reckless
“I’m going to change my life this year” is basically a crime-novel incantation. Quit your job. Leave your spouse. Confront your nemesis. What could possibly go wrong?
3. Empty Buildings Are Creepy
Museums. Town halls. Closed bakeries. January = fewer witnesses + more shadows = terrible outcomes for anyone opening doors too early.
4. Small-Town Secrets Don’t Stay Buried
When it’s cold and miserable outside, people gossip inside. Feuds resurface. Money goes missing. Old grudges thaw just enough to turn deadly.
5. Cozy Towns Are Extra Murdery After the Holidays
All that forced cheer? It snaps. January is when the glitter comes down and resentment takes over. Cozy towns are basically pressure cookers with cupcake frosting.
6. Amateur Sleuths Are Back “Just to Help”
Ava knows the drill. She doesn’t want to investigate… but she also can’t ignore a mystery. Especially when the victim has a pantry’s worth of enemies.
7. Cats Know Something Is Wrong
If the feline sidekick is staring too long at the hallway or sitting directly on your evidence, congratulations—you’re in danger.
Final Thought
January might be quiet… but in a cozy mystery town, it’s never peaceful for long.
If you like:
sarcastic bakers
murder with frosting on top
messy love triangles
small-town drama
and cats who absolutely know who did it
then Buttercream and Bullets is waiting for you.
About the Author
Lisa Siefert is a USA Today Bestselling Mystery Author who writes humorous cozy mysteries. She dedicates all of her free time to testing out different latte flavors at every coffee shop she comes across and has never once skimped on dessert because life is too short not to. She lives in San Diego with Lucky, her own devious but adorable Abyssinian kitten. She excels at recounting every Hallmark Movie plot ever conceived and can also whip up a mean batch of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Her books feature amateur women sleuths that always believe in silver linings despite all of the murderous clouds surrounding them.
She just wants to sell cupcakes and avoid drama. When a killer strikes close to home, will she whisk up the perfect trap or get burned trying?
Ava Decker is starved for commitment. Unsure what to do about the three men tearing her in different directions, the sarcastic baker is kicking off January with a massive hangover and the urge to eat her feelings. But when she drags herself to the museum to clean up after the town’s New Year’s Eve bash, she discovers not only stale treats but also the editor of the local newspaper … shot to death.
Leaning on forensic skills she’s earned by being an unfortunate corpse magnet, the big-hearted shop owner resumes her role as neighborhood amateur sleuth and starts exploring clues. Yet as she digs up info on feuding co-workers, missing money, and crooked politicians, she realizes the sharp-tongued wordsmith had a whole pantry’s worth of enemies.
Can she celebrate the sweet reward of catching a murderer before this becomes a recipe for disaster?
Buttercream and Bullets is the warmly satirical seventh book in the Frosted Misfortunes Mysteries culinary cozy series. If you like quirky characters with millennial snark, laugh-out-loud humor, and feline sidekicks who steal scenes, then you’ll love Lisa Siefert’s relatable shenanigans.
When everyone’s in costume, even a killer can hide in plain sight…
Sister Bernadette Ohlson planned a quiet weekend in Seattle catching up with her old friend Sister Eleanor—not tracking down her murderer. But when Eleanor improbably turns up dead after having a cocktail with a cosplaying character during Comic Con, Sister Bernie refuses to return safely home and pray for answers. With the clock ticking before the convention ends and thousands of possible suspects scatter, Bernie teams up with her former student, Detective AJ Lewis, to uncover the truth behind a killer hiding behind a mask.
From movie characters to anime icons, every cosplayer could be a suspect—and every clue seems to lead to a dead end. AJ worries his favorite nun is in over her head, but Bernie’s faith in human nature and her unholy habit of ignoring good advice may be the only things standing between justice and a perfect crime.
Fans of witty amateur sleuth mysteries, fun-loving characters, and page-turning whodunits will love this lighthearted mystery set amid the chaos and cosplay of Comic Con. Perfect for readers of Richard Osman, Jeanne M. Dams, and Jana DeLeon.
Look, I’m not saying cupcakes are magical. I’m just saying I’ve never seen anyone eat a fresh, still-warm vanilla cupcake and say, “Wow, that made everything worse.”
There are simply some situations in life that baked goods were scientifically designed to handle, and as someone who writes culinary cozy mysteries… I feel qualified to create this list.
Here we go.
1. Bad day? Eat a spoonful of cookie dough. Instant reboot.
You know that feeling when the whole day is a mess and you’re two seconds from snapping at someone who doesn’t deserve it?
Solution: A scoop of cookie dough the size of your face.
Chocolate chip works wonders. Oatmeal raisin is for people who need to feel like they made a responsible decision.
2. Someone’s being dramatic? Offer them a cupcake.
Cupcakes defuse tension like nothing else on earth.
No one can fight while holding a cupcake. It’s science. (Probably.)
3. You said something awkward and want to disappear.
Cake. Preferably layered.
The more layers, the less you think about that thing you said that now lives rent-free in your head at 3 a.m.
4. You need to bribe someone? Croissants work.
Flaky pastries are basically currency.
Need a favor? Croissant.
Need forgiveness? Chocolate croissants.
Need someone to forget you asked a highly suspicious question like “Where were you last night between 8 and 10?” Almond croissants.
5. You’re avoiding your problems? Donuts help with the avoidance.
Sometimes you’re not ready to solve your problems. Sometimes you’re only ready to eat about it.
Since this week is Thanksgiving and, with that, Black Friday, I wanted to highlight Shop Small Saturday for this blog post. Because, after all, my protagonist, Wren Winters, is the owner of the Cardboard Shop, the local board game shop in Hollow’s Way. Like Wren and her friends, I live in a small town. We have lots of local festivals, a walkable Main St., and a sense of community that feels magical, especially this time of year. I grew up in a much larger area and had never felt the kind of close-knit community that I experience here. Whether I’m going to the local YMCA, taking a walk in the park, or going to an event at the local arts community center, I almost always run into someone I know. But being in a small town does sometimes have its downsides. We have few big stores and limited access to things like specialized healthcare. I often drive over sixty miles one-way to see a doctor, and when I do, I combine trips, going to stores that we don’t have here to make the trip “worth it” (e.g. Target, Joann Fabrics when it was still around, etc.).
In my town, there are a few storefronts that have changed a dozen times over the years I’ve lived here: a toy shop became a fabric store only to become a burger place. The old Woolworth’s (you can still see the Woolworth’s name engraved on the metal door handle) became a karate dojo, and is now a glass-blowing workshop space. Similarly, some restaurants in town have changed palettes and cuisines umpteen times. Bye-bye cute date-night bistro, and hello delicious bakery. I’m always sad when a beloved place closes, wondering if we had just gone there a few more times, if that could have made a difference. RIP Neptune’s Diner, a classic chrome-bedecked greasy spoon with a gigantic menu and black-and-white cookies the size of pies. RIP the little corner deli where my husband and I bought subs the day we closed on our house and ate them in our new, empty home to celebrate. RIP the cute toy store where I bought my nephew so many presents before they closed and often chatted with the owner about designing crossword puzzles. These stores and local businesses are more than mere places to shop – they are the heart of our communities, they are part of our family traditions and memories.
This Shop Small Saturday, I’ll visit my cozy local bookstore and game store to start stock-piling Christmas and birthday presents for my nephew. Eight years old, he loves to read and has a vivid imagination. And I’m happy to play the indulgent aunt card and spoil him with books, science experiment kits, magic sets, and whatever else he might be into this month (it keeps changing…) in order to feed his voracious imagination all the more.
What small, local businesses in your town do you want to celebrate or remember? Is there a go-to store on your list or maybe a place no longer in business that you’ll always remember fondly? A yarn shop? A vintage clothing boutique? A funky bookstore cafe?
About the author
Shelly Jones is a professor by trade and a nerd by design. Woefully introverted, their pockets are full of post-it notes and their head is full of (unsaid) witty come-backs and un-won arguments from years past. When they aren’t grading papers or writing new cozy mysteries, Shelly can often be found hiking in the woods or playing a board game while their cats look on. Connect with Shelly on her website: shellyjonesauthor.com.
