Click here to learn more about Cleo's Haunted Bookshop novels, written under the pen name Alice Kimberly

  

 

 

---

 

  
 

WHO IS
CLEO
COYLE?

 

 

Wiki Entry
here

 

CONTACT
CLEO @

VillageBlend
@aol.com

 

FOR AUTHORS:

Read Cleo's
Guest Post at
Mystery Writing
Is Murder
"Genre Blending
and Your Character's
Love Life"
Click here to read.

 

 

 

Cozy Murder
Mysteries Blog
Interviews
Cleo

Part 1
click here

Part 2
click here

 

 

 

  

Gumshoe
Review
Interviews
Cleo Here
 

  

LIBRARY
THING
Hosted a chat
with Cleo.
 

Read it by...

CLICKING
HERE

 

 

  

  

Fun Foodie
Book Resort
Interview
with Cleo
Here.

 

  

 

 

 

 Extra
Interview
here

 

 

---

  

 

 

MEMBER
OF...

 Click the logo
to learn more
about
Sisters in Crime

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

TWITTER
ME THIS!

   

       

 

   

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

CLEO IS ON
FACEBOOK!

Click here to visit
Cleo's Facebook Page.

 

 

 

 

---

 



 

 Time for getaway
vacations, beaches,
relaxation...
 

OH,
REALLY?

Click the arrow
in the window below
to see another
kind of Summer...
  

 

 

---

 

 

 Murder is easy.
Comedy is hard. 

  

CLICK HERE
to see
the sordid
start
of one man's
java addiction.

 

 

---

 

 

A New
A-Team?  

Click to see.

 

 

  

---

 

 

 

 PBS
RUMBLE!

Mr. Rogers vs.
Julia Child

 Click to see.

 

 

   

 

 

---

 

 

SHAMELESS
PLUG!

NOW
IN
PAPERBACK!

 

 National
Mystery
Besteller

  

 *Starred Review*
~Library Journal

 

  

 Read an
excerpt!

Introduced by
the author!

Without lots
of exclams!!!


CLICK HERE
TO READ THE
EXCERPT (PDF)


TO BUY
&
READ
CLICK HERE

---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"All I know is
first you've
got to get mad..."

~ Paddy
Chayefsky, 1976


  

To see, click arrow
in window above.

 
 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Every   

Friday,

Cleo Posts 

Recipes

& Tips

 

Where?

Click here to visit

Mystery Lovers'
Kitchen

  

Six mystery
writers
cooking up
crime...
and recipes!

  

 

 

---

 

 

  

"Only love
can bring the rain
that falls like tears
from on high..."
 

To hear, click arrow in
window above.

Music and Lyrics
by Pete Townshend

 

  


 

---

  "How 'bout
remembering
your divinity?  

Thank You
by Alanis
Morissette

 

 




 

---

  

  

What is the #1 Healthiest Breakfast Item?

 

  

Click here
to find out

 Thanks to Mary T
for the link!

 

 

 

---

 

 

 "He wages war
with the devil,
a pistol by his side..."

CLICK TO HEAR

~ Music and lyrics by
Judee Sill

 

 

 

 

---

      

 

 

 "Through all the doubt,
somehow they knew..."

~ Alan Parsons Project

   
click to hear

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Want to find an
Independent
Mystery
Bookseller
Near You?

  

     Then click here
to see a list of the
IMBA's member
bookstores all over
the country! Many of
these book shops
have author readings
and events.

Support your local
Independent Bookseller!   

 "Jack and Pen"
certainly agree
  

 Click here to
find out why!

 

   

 

---

 

"It brings us into
the moment...



And then the moment
is gone..."

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sign up

for Cleo's 

Newsletter &

Coffee Drawings 

 *Once a week, Cleo awards a free pound of her latest "Coffee Pick" to one of her newsletter subscribers. The newsletter is free.

 To sign up, hit the "Newsletter" button in
the upper left column or send an e-mail that says "Sign me up!" to Cleo's e-mail box:

VillageBlend@aol.com

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome

to my *virtual* coffeehouse!

The coffee is brewing, the fireplace is
crackling, and the muffins are baking. 
So come in to my virtual Village Blend to
warm your bones and hang out for a
little while.

                             
~ Cleo Coyle
(aka Alice Alfonsi)

Contact at
 VillageBlend@aol.com

 

 

---

Last  Updated
Thursday
July 29, 2010
 
 

COUNTDOWN
TO RELEASE
5 DAYS

Roast
Mortem

"Arson leads to
murder..."


On Sale
August 3rd! 


Coming in hardcover
from Penguin's
Berkley Prime Crime
 

Because Roast Mortem was inspired by firefighters,
Cleo will be holding weekly giveaways for the California Firehouse
Cookbook all through August and September. Sales of the cookbook
benefit the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund. Scroll down to
find out how to enter the current contest and keep watching
 this Web site for new chances to win!
 
 

To pre-order ROAST MORTEM,
the HOT new entry in Cleo Coyle's
bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery series,
click on a link below:

 

   Roast Mortem
A Coffeehouse Mystery
@ AMAZON

 
OR...

  

   OR...

  

  OR...
 

 To find an
Independent
Bookstore
near you,

CLICK HERE.

 

  
 

 PRE-PUB BOOK
GIVEAWAY!
 
Click Here 
to enter
@ Lesa's Book Critiques

Contest Ends
Thursday, July 29

Lesa's Book Critiques is a great follow
for book reviews, author interviews,
release dates, and contests!


 

 



 

---

And now...





from

 



NEW
YORK CITY


it's





CLEO'S
FREE COFFEE
DRAWING!!



Wee-haaa!!!

 

(Okay, calm down.
It's just free coffee...)

  

Hi there. Cleo Coyle here.  Welcome to this week’s Free Coffee Drawing, where I give away a free package of my latest Coffee Pick to one of my java-lovin' readers. On Monday evening, I randomly selected this week's winning e-mail address from my most current list of newsletter subscribers. 

(To sign up for next Monday's free coffee drawing and all of my future drawings, send an Email that says “Sign me up!” to VillageBlend@aol.com)

A good sleuth is also good at solving riddles. How good a sleuth are you? Can you guess the clue to the winning e-mail address?

 

  Let’s see…

 

Pictures can be painted
on paper or cloth,
but this LATE trend in art
uses liquid as a canvas.

Double one of the letters
in the capitalized word
and you’ll know what
kind of art this is.




 

To see the answer,
SCROLL DOWN…

 








































 

 





 

To see a fun video clue to
this week's riddle, click the arrow
in the window below...


 

 Keep
 

Scrolling

 
Down

 

 

And the answer is…

The letter

T

because…

LATE + T = Latte
as in Latte Art.

 

           

 

And that's this week's clue,
which means, once again...

 

THE FREE COFFEE
COUNTDOWN IS ON!



 

"T" is the first letter in this week's winning e-mail address. But "T" has not won yet! "T" must reply to my notifying e-mail by Friday, July 30, or I will have to choose a new winner! So stay tuned and check back. If the above coffee clock keeps ticking through Friday at midnight (EST), I'll be holding a new Coffee Drawing Saturday morning!!! (Calm down now. Shortness of breath can occur when you get overly excited and that’s just not good for you.)

 

Thanks for stopping by!

—Cleo Coyle

  

We broadcase live from NYC every Monday evening. Low tech today but tomorrow, who knows? A pod-cast with
guests, perhaps?

 

     

Cleo's Summer
Coffee Pick:

Kafe Lespwa
"Coffee of Hope"
from Haiti

This delicious coffee is grown by subsistence
farmers of Haiti. To learn more, read Cleo's
featured post by scrolling down the center column...

 

 To enter my next drawing (next Monday)
and all of my future weekly drawings
for a free package of my latest Coffee Pick,
simply sign up for my free
E-newsletter by sending an e-mail that says
"Sign me up" to VillageBlend@aol.com
Just my way of sharing some excellent
coffee finds with my readers and site visitors.

Cheers &
Good Luck!

~ Cleo Coyle
(Alice Alfonsi)

 

 

 

 

  

Congrats to last
week's coffee
drawing winner...
 
Travis of
Ortonville, Michigan

   
Scroll down to see the names
and states of Cleo's past
coffee drawing winners...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

---

 

New Recipe
Post!



 Cleo's Chilly
Cleoccino!

 

Cold medicine for
a long, hot summer!



 

  My copycat Starbucks
Frappuccino recipe uses
coffee ice cubes. (A great use
for your leftover joe!)
To get my free, downloadable
recipe for this
frosty refresher,

CLICK HERE 
...and jump to
my new recipe post at
Mystery Lovers' Kitchen.

 

Congrats to my Friday
winner of this beautiful
"Gimme Coffee"
Latte Cup and Saucer,
made in Italy.

WINNER!
Cindy Waffles of
the Looky Tasty blog!

Congratulations,
Cindy!

COME BACK NEXT FRIDAY
FOR A BRAND NEW
CHANCE TO WIN THIS
BEAUTIFUL CUP!

 

  

 

You can see more of my recipes
by scrolling down this page. You can
also visit the Recipes page on this
website by clicking here...

 ~ Cleo (Alice) 

 

 



 

---

  







BOOK
GIVEAWAY!
 

 

 ROAST MORTEM ARC
(advanced reading copy)
SIGNED!

and
 

 THE CALIFORNIA
FIREHOUSE COOKBOOK

 

 This awesome cook book benefits a
firefighter's charity that was formed
in honor of Terry Farrell, one of the many
heroic first responders who died
while rescuing victims on 9/11.

 

And, YES!
The firefighters
of the FDNY did
indeed inspire the
story in Roast Mortem,
my upcoming
Coffeehouse Mystery,
on sale August 3rd!

 

 

 

 

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN BOTH,

 Click here to enter the contest
at Lesa's Book Critiques...

Lesa's contest ends:
Thursday, July 29
 

 

 To meet some real members
of New York City's Fire Department
(FDNY) preparing the most important
meal of the year in their
firehouse kitchen, click the arrow
in the window below...

 

 

 

 Congrats to my past winners
of the Terry Farrell Firefighters
Fund California Firehouse
Cookbook...

 

  * Tiffinie Helmer of Utah and Alaska!

* More winners to come! Keep reading this website
for new chances to win...  

  



 

 




 

---

 

 

 

 


 

Recipe
Post!








Cleo's
Cool & Creamy
Peppercorn
Dressing





A perfect summer salad
dressing that's rich and creamy
yet far from bland...
   
  

To get my recipe
for Cool and Creamy
Peppercorn Dressing

CLICK HERE

...and jump to
Mystery Lovers' Kitchen
where six mystery writers
are cooking up crime...
and recipes.

 

 

You can see more of my recipes
by scrolling down this page. You can
also visit the Recipes page on this
website by clicking here...

 ~ Cleo (Alice) 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Recipe
Post!





 

Got Leftovers?

 

Here are five ways to
make thrifty use of
your summer grilling
leftovers... 

To get my recipe ideas
for your grilled leftovers,
 

CLICK HERE
 

 and jump to
Mystery Lovers' Kitchen
where six mystery writers
are cooking up crime
and recipes!

 


 

 

You can see more of my recipes
by scrolling down this page. You can
also visit the Recipes page on this
website by clicking here...

 ~ Cleo (Alice) 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe
Post!

 

 

102 Grilling Ideas
for Summer


No kidding, 102,
including the one
pictured below...
 

   

 

To get these
102 recipe ideas and
read my post, which includes
a fun "competitive eating"
video from Singapore...
 

CLICK HERE

 

 If you like it,
buzz it!
 

 

  

 

You can see more of my recipes
by scrolling down this page. You can
also visit the Recipes page on this
website by clicking here...

 ~ Cleo (Alice) 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

---

 




 

 

Very excited! Why?
My publisher recently
sent me the cover art
for my next...

 

HAUNTED BOOKSHOP
MYSTERY

So many of you have been asking about the
new book in my "other" mystery series,
which I also write in collaboration with my husband.
Well, I'm happy to show you that it's on the way.

(Check out the new size of my name
on the cover . . . yowza!
A nice change and a long time coming. :)
 

From the heart, I thank those of you
who have been reading my "Ghost" series for
the past six years. I sincerely hope
you enjoy the new one.
 

~ Cleo Coyle
(aka "Alice Kimberly" - Alice Alfonsi)
 

Coming Next Year!

The Ghost and
the Bogus Bestseller
 

CLICK HERE
TO PRE-ORDER...

 

To learn more about
Cleo Coyle's (Alice Alfonsi's)
bestselling
Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries click here.

 

Previous Bestsellers
in the "Ghost" Series... 

 

 

Book #1
The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure


 

 

 

 

 
 

Book #2
The Ghost and
the Dead Deb
 




 

 

 

 

Book #3
The Ghost and the
Dead Man's Library
 

 


 

Book #4
The Ghost
and the Femme Fatale

 

 

 

 

 

Book #5
The Ghost and the
Haunted Mansion

 


 

 

And coming in
March 2011...

Book #6
The Ghost and
the Bogus Bestseller 

 

 

 

---

 

 






 

 

Tale of the
Virgin Mojito

A refreshing
combination of
sweet lime & sharp,
cool spearmint...
 
 

To get my
new recipe and
read my post about certain
"spirits" that send me
to the Dark Side...
 

CLICK HERE

 

 

If you like it,
buzz it!
 

 

You can see more of my recipes
by scrolling down this page. You can
also visit the Recipes page on this
website by clicking here...

 ~ Cleo (Alice) 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 





 

---

  

 

  

 Recipe
Post!

 

 

RED HAT
CAKE

 

A Quick & Easy
Cherry Streusel
Coffee Cake

courtesy of
Red Hatter
Shirley Hunt Jackson


 

 Thank you to
Foodgawker.com
for selecting
my Red Hat Cake photo
as a featured foodie photo.

 

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE
THEN CLICK MY PHOTO
FOR THE RECIPE POST

 

 


 

 

You can see more of my recipes
by scrolling down this page. You can
also visit the Recipes page on this
website by clicking here...

 ~ Cleo (Alice) 

 

 




 

 

---

   

 

 
 

 

 

Set a new course.
There's coffee in
that nebula.

 
 

^ Click me

~ Captain Janeway,
Star Trek: Voyager

 

 

 

    

---

 

 

Recipe Post!

 

LITTLE
CHOCOLATE
CLOUDS IN MY
COFFEE

 

This blog post was a FoodBuzz
Top 9 Pick! (click to see)

   

 

Float these little cocoa meringues
into coffee or espresso for
an instant mocha. Or simply dip them
and bite for a chocolate delight.
 

   To get my recipe,
click here...

If you like it,
buzz it!

 

  

You can see more of my recipes
by scrolling down this page. You can
also visit the Recipes page on this
website by clicking here...

 ~ Cleo (Alice) 

 

 









 

 

---

 











 

 Cleo says: "I've come to think of this
as Mike Quinn's theme song..."

 

Click the arrow in
window below

 

 

 

 

 






 

---

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to visit
Cleo's archives and
learn about the birth of
modern coffeehouse
culture...
 

(This is an archived
article and may take
a moment to load.)

 






 

---

 

 

Recipe
Post!

 

  
Cleo Coyle's
"Cake Pan"
Dutch Babies

      

Forget the cast iron skillet. I'll show you how to make this classic, giant, popover pancake in a cake pan. Recipes included for classic lemon-sugar and my own cocoa-cappuccino variation.

 

 TO GET MY
RECIPE
CLICK HERE

   

If you like it,
buzz it!

 

 

 

You can see more of my recipes
by scrolling down this page. You can
also visit the Recipes page on this
website by clicking here...

 ~ Cleo (Alice) 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

---

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

My Coffee Drawing
winners will receive...

 
 

 

 MY
NEW COFFEE
PICK...

 

 

Kafe
Lespwa

"Coffee of Hope"
(in Haitian Creole)

 

Grown by the subsistence coffee farmers in the mountains of Baradères, Haiti, (yes, Haiti, I'll bet you never tasted Haitian coffee before, have you?), this rich, darkly roasted, low-acid coffee is velvety smooth but with a full-bodied mouthfeel.

This is a sweet-smelling coffee with notes of chocolate, caramel, and (as it cools), hints of dried apricots. My husband and I never tire of brewing and savoring it and the best news of all, every package we buys helps the people of Haiti help themselves.
 

 DRINK COFFEE.
HELP  HAITI.
 

As most of you know, Haiti was hit by a catastrophic earthquake earlier this year, killing tens of thousands and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Although the coffee growers of Baradères are located about 100 miles from the epicenter of the quake (see map below), their chief concern is a flood of earthquake refugees who came to their region lacking adequate food, shelter
and medical care.
 

Above map of Haiti shows the epicenter of the earthquake, near the country's capital city, Port-au-Prince. The mountains of Baradères are about 100 miles away. Read more at www.JustHaiti.org

     

The coffee growers of Baradères are contributing about one-third of the funds from profits they have earned (from sales to the US) to a relief program in Haiti that will focus on households in their community that are sheltering additional people because of the quake. The program will provide food and medical assistance, grants to help repair homes, and primary school tuition for children displaced by the earthquake.

 

 

 Above photo of Haitian coffee growers loading bags
of green beans - www.JustHaiti.org

    
To help these growers help
the people of Haiti, you can purchase
Kafe Lespwa by clicking here.  

I drink their whole bean, French Roast, which they call "regular" roast.
~ Cleo 

    
If you would like to learn more about "Just Hait," the organization dedicated to helping these coffee farmers help themsleves, visit the www.JustHaiti.org website, where you can read press releases and view photos and video of their work.

    BTW - A 12-ounce package of Kafe Lespwa is going to be my featured Free Coffee Drawing prize every week, all summer long. If you haven't signed up yet for my weekly free coffee drawings, scroll down to the green text and learn how. It's free. Sign up once and you're entered in all of my weekly coffee drawings for the life of my website.

Drink with joy,
~ Cleo Coyle (aka Alice Alfonsi)

  

CLEO'S FREE
COFFEE DRAWINGS

Would you like to
win a package of Kafe Lespwa? Enter next Monday's free coffee drawing (and all of my future weekly drawings) by signing up for my free, seasonal E-newsletter. Simply send an e-mail that says "Sign me up" to VillageBlend@aol.com and you will be entered automatically in Monday's drawing as well as all of my future drawings, just my way of sharing some excellent coffee finds with my readers and site visitors.

 

  
 

   

 

 

 

 

 

  

---

  

     

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

CLEO'S
COFFEE PICK

FOR SPRING
2010 was...

 

 

  

FRENCH
LAUNDRY
ESTATE
BLEND

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

  
 

 

It is inhumane, in my opinion, to
force people who have a genuine medical
need for coffee to wait  in line
behind people who apparently view it as
some kind of recreational activity.
I bet this kind of thing does not happen to
heroin addicts. I bet that
when serious heroin addicts go to purchase
their heroin, they do not tolerate
waiting in line while some
dilettante in front of them
orders a hazelnut smack-a-chino
with cinnamon sprinkles!

 ~ Dave Barry

  

 

 

   
 

 

---

 

 

 

Recipe
Post!
 

 

Twilight
Cauliflower 
 

20-Clove
Roasted Garlic
Cauliflower
 

Possibly anti-cancer.
Definitely anti-vampire...

 To get my new recipe,
click below and jump to
my recent blog post at
Mystery Lovers' Kitchen...
where six mystery writers are
cooking up crime...and recipes!
 

   

TO GET MY NEW RECIPE FOR
TWILIGHT CAULIFLOWER
CLICK HERE

  If you like it,
buzz it!

  

 

 You can see more of my recipes
by scrolling down this page. You can
also visit the Recipes page on this
website by clicking here...

 ~ Cleo (Alice) 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 Reviews of
Cleo's most recent
release...

  

HOLIDAY GRIND

A Coffeehouse
Mystery

 

 Mystery Scene Magazine

"Coyle's greatest strength is writing characters that feel real. Clare and company are some of the most vibrant characters I've ever read...Coyle also is a master of misdirection and red herrings. I challenge any reader to figure out whodunit before Coyle reveals all."

 

 

The Huffington Post

  "Other honorable mentions for new holiday booking? Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle, a new addition to the coffeehouse mystery series that?adds in jolts of souped-up coffee, sweet cooking?and super sleuthing to deliver a fun and gripping fa-la-la-la latte surprise."

  

Kirkus

Coyle's coffeehouse mysteries (Espresso Shot, etc.) are packed with believable characters and topped with serious coffee lore and holiday recipes. This one will keep your cup piping hot.

 

Library Journal

  ...a good plot and an in-your-face look at life in the Big Apple for good measure. Fans of culinary cozies will want this.

  

Romantic Times

 Coffeehouse manger Clare Cosi and her band of her merry men lead readers on a wild and hilarious ride to find out who killed her Santa in this witty and intelligent cozy. Readers will be enthralled as the mystery unravels and the surprise killer is revealed.


 

Lesa Holstine Sunday Salon Review
Click here to read the Full Review at
Lesa's Book Critiques!


 

  

*...and there was much rejoicing and drinking of coffee in the Coyle household.

 

 

To find out more about the books in Cleo's
Coffeehouse Mystery series...
 CLICK HERE
and jump to the Village Blend's
About the CM Books page

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 





Guess What
Julia Child Loved
To Do?

 

 

   To find out, click the arrow
in the window below...
   
 

 

 

  AND...

 

Get my past
recipe for...

Corn Muffin Tops
"a la Julia Child"

Just click here

 

 

     

To Read
"3 Things Julia Taught Me"
by Barbara Fairchild,
Editor-in-Chief of
Bon Appétit...
 click here.

 

 

 

 

   

   

---

 





Foodie
Post!

 

Frozen Pizza
Doctor
&
Toppings Poll

 

  

 Yes, it's true. The pizza in the photo above
began its life frozen in a box. Learn a few tricks to greatly improve a frozen pie (and save $$ on delivery). Read my new post at... Mystery Lovers Kitchen,
a group blog where six mystery writers enjoy cooking up crime...and recipes! 

 

 CLICK HERE TO READ
MY PIZZA TOPPINGS POST!

 

And take my
Pizza Toppings Poll, too...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

"Library Thing"
hosted a
Chat with Cleo.

The chat is no
longer live
but you can
read the
conversation by...

 Clicking here

 

 

 

 

 

---

 




 
CLEO'S
CAPPUCCINO
MUFFINS!

 

The above gorgeous photo of my Cappuccino Muffin with Sweet Frothy Top is courtesy of and copyright (c) 2009 to Brandi Evans of
branappetit who also baked my muffins and posted the following message to my Coffee Talk message board...

~Cleo Coyle

 

Hi!

I have a food/healthy living blog and I made your Cappuccino Muffins today out of one of your Coffeehouse Mystery books. They turned out wonderful! ...

Best,
Brandi
http:/branappetit.wordpress.com/

 

Cleo's reply:

Thanks, Brandi! I am so glad that you liked the recipe. For anyone interested in making my Cappuccino Muffins with Sweet Frothy Tops, Brandi used the recipe out of my 5th Coffeehouse Mystery: Decaffeinated Corpse.

BTW: Clare served these muffins to a character just before interrogating him. (Yeah, I'd say these muffins are just about good enough to make anyone talk. :-)

To read Brandi's post about making my Cappuccino Muffins, including some amazing step-by-step photos, CLICK HERE, and you will jump to her recent "mysterious muffins" post at her delightful "Branapetit" blog.

 

Java joy you, Brandi!
Thank you again, not only for
making my muffings but also
for blogging about them! Woot!

~Cleo

 

 

 

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Huzzah!*

  

 

Espresso Shot
hit #3 on Barnes &
Noble's Mass Market Mystery
Bestseller list* and #31 in overall
best-selling fiction for the chain
nationwide!*

It also hit #8 on Bookscan's Mass Market
Mystery List, and was the...

#2 bestselling paperback mystery
of the Independent Mystery Bookseller's Association
for the month of October 2009!*

  * and there was much rejoicing
and drinking of coffee in the Coyle household.

  

 Thank you, Coffeehouse
Mystery Readers, for making
Espresso Shot a National Bestseller!

  

 

"SUPERB...INTELLIGENT...
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED..."

~ Library Journal
(Starred review)

  

  Now Available
in Paperback !

  * 

 Recipes, romance and caffeine-fueled detection
add up to a lively tale.
~ Kirkus 

 *

   Strong personalities abound in this sophisticated
novel, which is part whodunit and part romance.
~ New Mystery Reader

 

  

A Fresh Fiction
Fresh Pick!
October 8, 2009

 

 

 Cleo's recent blog post at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen was about Espresso Shot. To read it and watch a geat little video about a National Barista Champion, click the link below...

  

CLICK HERE TO READ
CLEO'S RECENT BLOG POST
ABOUT ESPRESSO SHOT... 

 

 

 

  

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 The Divine
Miss M

 

 

Agatha Christie,
at home in Devon,
England, 1946.   

   

 Jane Marple is an unlikely literary heroine," writes Kate Mose in the foreword of a newly published Marple collection, "an elderly unmarried lady of a certain age living in St Mary Mead, a fictional village in the South of England.
     "At first glance there is nothing to mark her out, a relic of her Victorian upbringing, knitting and weeding the garden, not someone to whom anyone pays a great deal of attention. And this, of course, is precisely the point. Behind this façade is a shrewdly intelligent observer who takes advantage of the attitudes of those around her who see only a "fluffy" old woman -- including many literary critics, past and present -- to pursue murderers, blackmailers, fraudsters . . . " 

 The above was excerpted from the foreword to a new collection entitled The Complete Miss Marple, containing all 12 Miss Marple novels and 20 short stories by Agatha Christie,
published by HarperCollins. At more than a foot thick, the £1,000 tome breaks the Guinness World Record for book with the thickest spine ever!

   

Click here to visit
"AgathaChristie.com"
and learn more....

Yes, yes, I say! Three cheers for Miss Marple! How could I not love the Divine Miss M? She is, of course, the literary grandmother to my own amateur sleuth, Clare Cosi.
     Like Jane Marple, Clare's position as a barista and coffeehouse manager, in the lofty lanes of New York City's rich, famous, and smug, renders her the invisible woman, a service economy employee without the status or money to be of "consequence."
     As an art school dropout, however, Clare has a great eye for detail. After years behind her coffee bar, she's also developed an ear for gossip, a talent for talking her way into and out of situations, and Clare's generosity of spirit, considerate heart, and sense of humor have forged a few key friendships among her well-heeled customers, handy connections that help open important sleuthing doors for her around the city when necessary. Those attributes combined with Clare's single-mom instinct for protecting the weak and powerless leave liars, hypocrites, cheats, and murderers at her mercy.
      I have found sheer joy in writing the character of Clare Cosi, and she could never have existed without the great Agatha's Miss Jane Marple, who inspired me in Clare's creation. So kudos to Agatha and to the Divine Miss M upon the publication of her complete works!

 

     A final quote...

"So what is it about Miss Marple that still attracts readers some 80 years on," Ms. Mose asks in her foreword. "Changing times notwithstanding, the human heart does not change so very much. Love, jealousy, greed, anger, revenge --these are characteristics that endure, whether it be on a Caribbean island, among the tombs in Luxor, on the Devon coast or in an English village much like St Mary Mead. And, perhaps most important of all, because we recognise what Miss Marple's companion, Cherry, says in Nemesis to be no more than the truth: 'Good people are scarce.' In art, as in life."

 

I could not agree more!

 Till next time,
~ Cleo Coyle
 

        
More Miss Marple!
To read a wonderful London Times
article, "Marple the Feminist," 
by Barry Forshaw, the author of
British Crime Writing:
An Encyclopedia,
click here! 

    

  

 

  
 

 

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A Coffeehouse Mystery reader from
Abilene, Texas
sends Cleo a "rattling" good pic... 

(Recipes follow...!)

  

Re-posted from Cleo's e-mail box
at VillageBlend@aol.com...

Hi Cleo,

I'm a big fan of your books and your Web site. My aunt sent me this picture of a rattler! I don't know if you are from Texas, but those rattlers (rattlebugs, that's what my grandmother and I call them) get huge!
     This picture reminded me...
      I once stepped on one by accident! My grandparents had a house out of the city and all of the family was visiting that day. Well, thank goodness my husband told me to wear my boots that day. It was dark and I was loading my son up in the car, I hear something rattle by my foot! Let me tell you it was a rattlesnake!
      Luckily, I had stepped on its head. Then, my little cousin came around the corner, and I was holding her away from it so my uncle could pick it up with a shovel and throw it in the pasture!
     That whole time I never lifted my foot until my uncle came! I was terrified! When we got home I looked at my boots, and sure enough there was an imprint of where it tried to take a bite of me. Thank you to my husband, uncle, and my thick boots. This is not the picture of my rattler. This one is from my aunt in Odessa!

Take care,
Tiffney
Abilene, Texas

 

Hi, Tiffney. Cleo Coyle here. Obviously, I love that picture and your story, too. I hope your aunt doesn't let that delicious rattlesnake go to waste. Because... although I'm not from Texas (I grew up in Western, Pennsylvania), even I know that rattlesnake is good eatin'!

 

CLICK HERE
for Rattlesnake Recipes!

 Till next time
~Cleo Coyle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

          




 

I recently answered a Nebraska reader's question about drip coffeemakers. Her question and my answer are below. (You can visit my message board by clicking here.)   ~Cleo

 

Dear Cleo,

I belong to a mystery book club and chose the first book,THE GHOST AND MRS MCCLURE, in the haunted bookshop series when it was my turn to introduce a new book and author. We all loved it! Everyone wants to now read the series along with the Village Blend books. We meet monthly on the first Monday, mid- morning for coffee and treats which brings me to my question.
 

I am in the market for a new coffee maker. I just want an everyday drip version. I have plenty of the 'fancy' types--french press, espresso, etc. and don't want to break the bank! Do you or any of your readers have any suggestions? Thanks for 2 great series and the help! 

 

~Pam in Nebraska

 

 MY REPLY...

 

HELLOOO,
NEBRASKA!   

 

Hi, Pam,

Thank you for posting. I am very happy to hear that your book club is enjoying my books. Please wish them a Happy New Year from me!

     OK - Here is an answer to your question about drip coffeemakers...

     With the understanding that I am not officially endorsing any products and the understanding that no drip maker is perfect, here is what I can tell you...

     We buy economical drip coffeemakers in our house--because my husband and I are writers and not investment bankers, LOL :). FYI - this is why Clare's "democratization of luxury" philosophy is a lot like ours. Murder Most Frothy and French Pressed are the books in which she speaks about this the most: When folks can't afford a $5,000 trip to the South of France, they take a $5.00 trip to a cozy coffeehouse to enjoy an excellent coffee drink. And that's what the coffeehouse experience is really all about: an oasis in the middle of a hectic day; a place to relax and rejuvenate for people who cannot afford the time and money for a full body massage at a day spa!

     Okay, so the brands we use (at the moment) to make our drip coffee are Cuisinart and DeLonghi. Both coffeemakers sit side by side on our counter. The Cuisinart (12-cup, model DCC-1200 series) is for larger pots. This pot has an automatic turn off, a good and safe feature. It also beeps you when the coffee is ready and when the burner is about to turn itself off. We also use a DeLonghi (Twenty Four Seven model). This is a 4-cup maker for very small pots. This model does NOT have an automatic turn off so you have to remember to turn it off yourself. But it's great for a small pot of joe.

     Just like you, we have other methods of making coffee: French press, Moka express pot, but you were asking about drip.

     We have also used Braun and Krups brands in the past and were happy with both of them. We don't think the expense of a thermal pot or grind-and-brew combo is worth it for us. We like to grind our coffee separately with a burr grinder. A burr grinder, by the way, (and not a blade grinder) is the very best way to grind whole bean coffee. Whole bean is the only kind we make because after coffee is ground in rapidly loses its flavor and aroma.

     Anyway, what concerns us most when we shop for a drip coffeemaker is the SHAPE of the filter. A CONE filter is a more economical way to make premium coffees and that's what we use. Flat-bottomed filters do not concentrate the flavor as well and you end up using more coffee to get the same strength as you'd get with a cone filter. Pot after pot, using more coffee adds up, so a cone filter is more economical. Both our Cuisinart and DeLonghi brand drip makers have cone-shaped filters. 

     You can also look into "pour-over" methods for economical drip coffee making. This is when you heat the water yourself, then pour it over a cone-shaped filter and the coffee drips down into the carafe. Two popular pour-over brands are Mellita and ChemEx.

    You can always check out the Consumer Reports run down of drip coffeemakers. Here is a link for you if you're interested...

 Consumer Reports often gives ratings on coffeemakers.
CLICK HERE to read their general buying guide,
which will give you an overview on the brands and types
of features on today's coffeemakers.

NOTE: Consumer Report ratings are for subscribers only,
but their very informative general buying guide is
freely posted on the Web. CLICK HERE

Thank you so much for posting, Pam, and especially for reading my books. Java joy to you and your Mystery Book Club in beautiful Nebraska! 

~Cleo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

       

       

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