Blog Tour & Giveaway: Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer

Ladle to the Grave

Guest Post by Connie Archer

When a local woman is poisoned at a pagan ritual in the woods, Lucky Jamieson’s grandfather, Jack, who provided the herbs for the gathering, is suspected of making a terrible mistake.  The following day, a dead man is found floating in a creek just outside of town, his face unrecognizable.  Is he a stranger or Lucky’s best friend’s estranged brother?  Lucky is certain both deaths are murder.  Can she find the connection and clear her grandfather’s name before more victims fall prey to a killer?  

I hear voices . . . voices of my characters, that is.  They’re all clamoring in my head, telling me what they think, how they feel, what they want.  I have to shake my head to remind myself they are all figments of my imagination.  Or are they?  Do we create more than we know, more than we ever imagine, when we write stories and invent characters to people those stories?

I recently received an email from a fan of the Soup Lover’s Mystery series.  She had attended an author panel and wrote a very kind note.  She remarked how much she enjoyed listening to authors talk about future plans for their characters, characters, she said, “. . . that readers think of as friends.”

Her note struck a chord.  I know when I pick up the next long-awaited book in a series, I feel the exact same way – that I’m about to embark on an exciting adventure with an old friend — [fill in the blank here] – Caitlyn Tierney or V.I Warshawski or Kinsey Millhone.  I was suddenly humbled and wondered if perhaps readers also think of the denizens of the By the Spoonful Soup Shop and the residents of Snowflake, Vermont as friends with whom they can share an adventure.

Do we, as authors, lose sight of that?  Do we become too concerned with the next story line, the next plot point, the next sale, the next review, losing touch with the fact that we are entertainers who provide escape, adventure or comfort to our readers?  After all, we most likely remember more about our favorite characters’ lives and histories than we do some of our friends and acquaintances in the real world.

Each choice an author makes will outline that fictional life path, and we, as authors, must stay true to the characters we’ve created, no matter what flaws they may possess or what crimes they become involved with.  Will Jack Jamieson, Lucky’s grandfather, survive and thrive past the ripe old age of 86?  Will Sophie and Sage create a successful future together?  Could the village’s librarian have once dispatched her husband years before?  And does Hank Northcross harbor a deep dark secret that threatens his present life?

We must cherish our characters.  If we don’t, how can we expect our readers to connect with them and love them as well, even if some of them are the ones we love to hate?

So yes, I listen to those voices.  They’re important.  Our characters take on a life of their own and authors must listen.  Are they any less real as friends because they exist only between the covers of a book?  I don’t think so.

Wait . . . they’re speaking to me again.  I need to hear what they have to say . . .

About the Author:

Connie Archer is the national bestselling author of A Spoonful of Murder and A Broth of Betrayal, the soup lover’s mystery series set in Vermont, from Berkley Prime Crime. The fourth book in the series, Ladle to the Grave, was released on March 3, 2015. Connie was born and raised in New England. She now lives on the other coast.

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By the Spoonful is Snowflake, Vermont’s most popular soup shop, but owner Lucky Jamieson doesn’t have any time to enjoy her success—she’s too busy trying to keep a lid on false accusations against her loved ones…

It’s almost May, and some of the local ladies have organized a pagan celebration in the woods to welcome spring. But the evening goes terribly wrong when one of the attendees winds up dead, apparently poisoned by an herbal concoction prepared by Lucky’s grandfather, Jack.

Lucky’s sure her grandfather could not have made such a tragic mistake. But before she can clear him of suspicion, her best friend, Sophie, is diverted from planning her wedding to By the Spoonful chef Sage DuBois when she finds a dead man floating in the creek on her property. Now it’s up to Lucky to get both Sophie and Jack out of hot water before a killer stirs up more trouble…

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Jennifer’s Review of Ladle to the Grave

Review (4.25 Stars): This is one of my favorite series at the moment and I love spending time with Lucky and her friends in Snowflake, Vermont.  Lucky finds herself deeply involved in the wedding plans for Sophie and Sage’s upcoming nuptials as well as having her hands full with the day to day operations of her restaurant.  While Sophie and Lucky are visiting Sophie’s property, they stumble on a dead body in the creek and now Lucky has another murder on her hands.  On top of that, Jack is being accused of providing herbs that may be involved in the death of a local woman and can’t prove that the herbs he gave her weren’t poisonous. Lucky must use her sleuthing abilities to clear both their names before all their plans become permanently postponed.

Ladle to the Grave is an enchanting mystery filled with clever plot-twists, delightful characters and yummy recipes that will have you coming back for seconds.   This is the fourth book in the Soup Lover’s mystery series and I always find myself craving a hot bowl of soup after I’ve finished reading one of Ms. Archer’s mysteries.  I liked that there were two murders to solve in this book which made it interesting for me as the reader.  I adore Lucky and the characters of Snowflake, Vermont and I know that readers will as well, once you start this charming series.

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