TQ: Welcome to The Qwillery!
Alice: Thank you, I’m thrilled to be here!
TQ: Writing quirks! What are some of yours?
Alice: It’s funny but our New York City mayor fired a city employee for playing solitaire on his work computer—yet that’s how Marc works out writing problems. He plays computer solitaire while mentally going over dialog or the elements of a scene and soon he comes up with a solution. Maybe it’s the simple act of ordering the colors: red, black, red, black, but it helps him organize the next scene in his mind.
As for me, my game is Tetris. (Here’s where I play: http://www.tetrisfriends.com/ ) Quickly fitting those little pieces together as they fall down the screen somehow helps my mind fit the pieces of the mystery together.
Another quirk is our music. Marc and I write in separate rooms. Consequently, we end up listening to our own favorite playlists of movie soundtracks. A reader visiting us might find it odd to see Marc typing away to the music of Forbidden Planet while I’m in another room tapping out text to the soundtrack from Sense and Sensibility.
TQ: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Alice: The honest answer is both. We like to sketch out our plots with basic roadmaps, but we always allow our imaginations to go off those maps in order to explore unpredictable twists and turns. Overall, we’re plotters because a mystery structure requires certain elements to be in place (i.e., the planting of clues). Scene for scene, however, we’re more pantsters. We often surprise each other with fresh ideas as we’re constructing each scene and moving through the story—and that’s the way we like to write. If we can keep surprising ourselves, then we’re more likely to surprise our readers.
TQ: What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?
Alice: The physical challenge. While sitting in front of a computer screen is a far cry from training for an Olympic sport, when you sit on your assets for eight to ten hours a day, week after week, it becomes physically taxing.
Marc and I try to take walks, stretch, and do what we can to prevent back strain. As for the mental challenges of writing, our biggest frustration is not having enough time to develop all the ideas we’re periodically scribbling on napkins, reciting into digital recorders, and tucking away into computer files!
TQ: Your most recent Haunted Bookshop Mystery is The Ghost and The Haunted Mansion (A Haunted Bookshop Mystery 5). What inspired you to write mysteries with paranormal/supernatural elements?
Alice: A single, amazing book—The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. It’s no secret that this book inspired the premise for the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. I greatly admire author Josephine Leslie for her novel, which was turned into a Hollywood movie after it became a bestseller in England in 1945.
I often consider the period when she wrote that book, a time when many young widows were grieving over the loss of their vital husbands on the bloody battlefields of World War II. Ms. Leslie’s novel (written under the pen name R.A. Dick) gave these women the story of Mrs. Muir, a young widow like themselves, who found companionship with the ghost of a virile sea captain. Captain Gregg even became Mrs. Muir’s muse in the course of the novel, dictating his adventures as she wrote them into a book.
I can’t think of many better uses for fiction, or any art, than to comfort the grieving; to lift them up with an idea that maybe they really aren’t so alone, that maybe there really are spirits looking after them, even if those spirits reside within themselves—as imagination, passion, or creative abilities that they have yet to tap.
TQ: Do you base your paranormal/supernatural elements on existing lore, make things up or both?
Alice: My own brushes with the paranormal have left me with very strong emotions about the subject, and that’s what I tap into when I write the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries with my husband.
My fascination with death (and what happens after it) started very early. While growing up in Pennsylvania, I spent a lot of time in a small Revolutionary War-era cemetery, reading gravestones and hanging out alone with the dead. I even convinced my girlfriends to have a picnic there. Only later in life did I learn about the Day of the Dead ritual and realized I wasn’t such an odd one after all.
What I call “ghost hunting” is also a favorite pastime of mine and my husband’s, which is what I call visiting places purported to be haunted. I’ve even had my own encounters with ghosts/spirits—one with my husband as a witness, so I assure you that I’m not crackers.
Anyway, now that my mother, my beloved Aunt Mary, and a respected mentor have all passed over, I feel a real connection to people on the other side, so when I write about ghosts, it’s from a genuine perspective. And if anyone reading this thinks the spirits of the dead are a big crock, by all means chock my viewpoint up to my superior imaginative abilities (or my unbalanced creative mind). Either way it works for me when putting specters on paper.
TQ: What sorts of research have you done for the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries? What is the oddest bit of information that you’ve come across in your research.
Alice: Our ghost, Jack Shepard, was gunned down over sixty years ago and sent into a peculiar afterlife—one that trapped him in the mystery bookstore of Penelope Thornton-McClure (our amateur sleuth). When Jack was alive, however, he made his living as a PI in 1940s New York City. So we research that era for every new book, immersing ourselves in the life that Jack likely led. That research almost always produces interesting ideas for subplots or twists and turns in the fiction.
We also research ghosts and paranormal activity, and we’ve come across many interesting stories and individuals working in that arena. You can read my own interview with the actual ghost whisperer who inspired the long-running CBS TV show of the same name. Just click this link: http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2009/10/cleo-talk-with-real-ghost-whisperer.html
TQ: Tell us something about The Ghost and The Haunted Mansion that is not in the book description.
Alice: Back in the 1930s “weird menace” was a popular subgenre in the pulp magazines. Weird menace is any story where the events appear supernatural, but aren’t. Fake ghosts, phony spiritualists, and bogus haunted houses populate this genre. What we did with The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion actually fits right into that quirky sub-genre.
TQ: Who are the easiest characters to write in your series and why? The hardest and why?
Alice: The regulars in both of our series are the easiest to write because we’ve gotten to know them so intimately. The villains in our tales are probably the hardest to write because the outlook of murderers, sociopaths, and criminals is so dark and destructive. At heart, Marc and I are positive people. Like our amateur sleuths, we prefer to see good win out, the innocent protected, evil thwarted, and justice served.
TQ: Which character in the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries has surprised you the most?
Alice: Our amateur sleuth, the New England bookseller Penelope Thornton-McClure. She’s much more plucky than we originally envisioned her. In the next book, The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller, readers will see just how resilient and determined she is when she launches a new business venture.
TQ: What's next? /this is where you share anything bookish that you'd like/
Alice: We have two books coming out this year. In August, A BREW TO A KILL goes on sale. This is the 11th title in our long-running, national bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery series, and we’ve gotten some great news on it. The Mystery Guild has selected it as a featured alternate, AudioGo (BBC Audiobooks America) will be producing it as an audiobook, and RT Book Reviews called it “completely entertaining,” and gave it 4-1/2 stars. So we’re off and running.
Later this fall, Penguin Group is releasing HOLIDAY BUZZ, a holiday-special paperback original in our Coffeehouse Mystery series. Then next August, we’ll have another new hardcover in the series, which will bring us up to 13 Coffeehouse Mystery titles.
As for the new book in our Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller has not been published yet, but it will be in the near future. Marc and I are under contract to write several more books in the Haunted Bookshop series, as well, and we look forward to writing them!
We actually started writing and publishing the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries back in 2004, so we’ve been living with the characters a long time, and we expect to continue living with them (yes, even the dead ones) for the foreseeable future!
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Alice: Thank you so much for asking!
Haunted Bookshop Mysteries
The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion
A Hunted Bookshop Mystery 5Berkley (Prime Crime), January 6, 2009
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 304 pages
When the local mailman inherits a haunted mansion and demands an exorcism, bookshop owner Pen must act fast to save her favorite ghost—1940s detective Jack Shepard—before it's too late.
The Ghost and the Femme Fatale
A Hunted Bookshop Mystery 4Berkley (Prime Crime), May 6, 2008
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 256 pages
The Movie Town Theater is holding its first ever Film Noir Festival, with Penelope Thornton-McClure handling book sales for the guest speakers, including screen actress Hedda Geist. The legendary femme fatale has been out of the spotlight for decades. Unfortunately, the moment she steps back into it, she's nearly killed. Then other guests start to die, and Penelope wants to know why her little town's film noir weekend has taken a truly dark turn.
With local police on the wrong track, Penelope enlists the help of Jack Shepard, PI. Okay, so Jack hasn't had a heartbeat since 1949, when he was gunned down in what is now Pen's store. But the hard-boiled ghost actually remembers Hedda's dark past and Penelope is sure he can help solve this case—even if he and his license did expire more than fifty years ago...
The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library
A Hunted Bookshop Mystery 3Berkley (Prime Crime), September 6, 2006
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 240 pages
Sleuth, Nevermore...?
Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure has just received an extremely rare collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s complete works. Rumor has it a secret code, trapped within the books’ leather-bound pages, leads to buried treasure. Well, it looks like they got the buried part right, because as Pen sells off the valuable volumes, everyone who buys...dies.
Once these books go missing from their owners’ cold hands, Pen will need resident ghost and hard-boiled PI Jack Shepard to help crack the case. The police are skeptical that the deaths involved foul play—so it’s up to Pen and Jack to unravel these shocking endings...
The Ghost and the Dead Deb
A Hunted Bookshop Mystery 2Berkley (Prime Crime), September 6, 2005
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 240 pages
The spirit is willing...to solve a murder.
Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure wants her resident sleuth-ghost, Jack, to stop haunting her customers. But when a pretty author is murdered, Jack can't rest in peace.
The Ghost and Mrs. McClure
A Hunted Bookshop Mystery 1Berkley (Prime Crime), February 3, 2004
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 272 pages
Penelope Thornton-McClure manages a Rhode Island bookshop rumored to be haunted. When a bestselling author drops dead signing books, the first clue of foul play comes from the store’s full-time ghost-a PI murdered on the very spot more than fifty years ago.
Is he a figment of Pen’s overactive imagination? Or is the likable, fedora-wearing specter the only hope Pen has to solve the crime?
Coffeehouse Mysteries
A Brew to a Kill
A Coffeehouse Mystery 11Berkley (Prime Crime), August 7, 2012
Hardcover and eBook, 384 pages
"Coyle's Coffeehouse books are superb" (Library Journal), and now the national bestselling author of Murder by Mocha serves up a hot new Coffeehouse Mystery with A Brew to a Kill.
Coffee. It can get a girl killed.
A shocking hit-and-run in front of her Village Blend coffeehouse spurs Clare Cosi into action. A divorced, single mom in her forties, Clare is also a dedicated sleuth, and she's determined to track down this ruthless driver who ran down an innocent friend and customer. In the meantime, her ex-husband Matt, the shop's globetrotting coffee buyer, sources some amazing new beans from Brazil. But he soon discovers that he's importing more than coffee, and Clare may have been the real target of that deadly driver. Can ex-husband and wife work together to solve this mystery? Or will their newest brew lead to murder? Includes recipes.
Preorder
Coffeehouse Mysteries 1 - 10
Holiday Buzz
A Coffeehouse Mystery 12Berkley (Prime Crime), December 4, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook
Holiday time is party time in New York City, but after a sparkling winter bash ends with a murder, Village Blend coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi vows to put the killer on ice…
At the Great New York Cookie Swap, pastry chefs bake up their very best for charity. Clare is in charge of the beverage service, and her famous Fa-la-la-la Lattes make the gathering even merrier. But her high spirits come crashing down to earth, when she discovers the battered body of a hard-working baker’s assistant.
Police suspect a serial attacker whose escalating crimes have become known as “The Christmas Stalkings.” Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, finds reason to believe even more sinister forces are involved. Clare isn’t so sure—and when she finds a second bludgeoned baker, she becomes a target. Now Clare is spending the holiday season pouring over clues, and she’s not going to rest until justice is served.
Includes holiday and cookie recipes!
Preorder
About Alice Kimberly / Cleo Coyle
Friend Alice Kimberly as Cleo Coyle on Facebook - www.Facebook.com/CleoCoyle
Follow Alice Kimberly as Cleo Coyle on Twitter - www.Twitter.com/CleoCoyle
The Giveaways
There is a giveaway of A Brew to a Kill (A Coffeehouse Mystery 11) with this interview. You can also enter to win the Grand Prize by using the Rafflecopter. The comment you leave to enter to win A Brew to a Kill may also be used to enter to win the Grand Prize. Both Giveaways are open internationally.
To Enter to Win a Copy of A Brew to a Kill
What: One commenter will win a copy of A Brew to a Kill (A Coffeehouse Mystery 11) by Cleo Coyle. The novel is generously provided by Penguin.
How: Answer the following question:
What is your favorite way to have coffee?
(e.g., tall skinny latte, macchiato, black, etc.)
(e.g., tall skinny latte, macchiato, black, etc.)
Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted. You must also leave a way to contact you. Entries without contact information will not be counted.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Saturday, August 4, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*
To Enter to Win the Grand Prize
How: Fill out the Rafflecopter
Terms and Conditions:
1) There will be one winner of the Grand Prize.
2) The Grand Prize is separate from any giveaway associated with individual author visits during Paranormal Cozy Mystery Month.
3) You must leave a way to contact you with your comment. If you do not leave a way to contact you, your entry will not be counted.
4) The Grand Prize Giveaway is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address.
5) Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
6) Giveaway Terms and Condition are subject to change at any time.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I hate to admit this, but I don't like coffee. I must be the ONLY person in the world who doesn't, but it's true. The only way I can drink it is if it's full of sugar and over ice. Kinda sad!
ReplyDeleterwschwarz11ATgmailDOTcom
I am not a coffee drinker and right now is too hot to drink anything.
ReplyDeletedebby236 at gmail dot com
I like coffee but I despise paying so much for them, so I never go to coffee houses. I drink basic coffee with milk and sugar. No extras. Unless you want to toss some raw 70% cocoa in there...
ReplyDeleteaprildot vrugtman at gmail
I don't drink coffee myself. I like the smell of coffee :O)
ReplyDeletemawmom@gmail.com
I like iced coffee.
ReplyDeleteskk25@aol.com
I love the Coffeehouse Mysteries, but I don't drink coffee in any way, shape or form. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteacm05atjuno.com
I love my coffee freshly ground, nice and strong, with just cream. (The real stuff- half and half). Yum!
ReplyDeletedebbie at burdeen dot com
I brew a 2/3 decaf at home and drink it with a bit of Splenda. Three cups in the morning and I'm good for all day.
ReplyDeleteI brew a 2/3 decaf at home and drink it with a bit of Splenda. Three cups in the morning and I'm good for all day.
ReplyDeletecarlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx
I love coffee and this series. I think my favorite way to have it is black with a little cream (decaf, of course)
ReplyDeletejustpeachy36@yahoo.com
I like my coffee with milk, with two teaspoons of sugar and I also like white chocolate mocha.
ReplyDeleteNeoterragoddess@gmail.com
I like a cappuccino.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I like my coffe with vanilla latte and ice.
ReplyDeleteI like regular coffee with cream! Don't care for fancy coffees.
ReplyDeleteThe books look really great.
mlawson17 at hotmail dot com
I love a deep roast, not burnt but more rich. I grind the beans and brew them immediately and then add some cream and three pumps of B52 (my favorite sugarfree syrup). The first sip sends me over the moon and the rest of my cup (looks more like a stainless steel carafe LOL) gets me going. Thank you so much for sharing with us today. I love the Coffee House mysteries they are always such a fun read. I have not yet read your Haunted Bookshop Mysteries and will definitely be looking them up as well.
ReplyDeletedz59001[at]gmail[dot]com
I like iced coffee with caramel flavoring.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
My fav. coffee is a plain latte or cowboy coffee
ReplyDeletehot, dark and strong.
thanks for the review and the knowledge of these
new to me books. The Ghost and the Dead Deb
A Hunted Bookshop Mystery 2 etc.and coffee house books, eh.
dayleb at telus dot net
My favorite way to drink coffee is black French Vanilla flavored coffee over ice. I can't stand hot drinks, even in the winter. The Village Blend Coffeehouse mysteries are my current favorite, and I always look forward to the next one. Finding other mysteries that are written as well as these are very hard to find -- and I have a bookcase full of mystery novels!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite way to have my coffee is with flavor creamer. Does't matter what type of flavor creamer it is. I like them all french vanilla, hazel nut etc. There is nothing like a good cup of coffee.
ReplyDeleteThanks
xzjh04(at)gmail(dot)com
I love my coffee with french vanilla creamer and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
ReplyDeleteLadylotion@msn.com
Good coffee- black! Not so good- non fat latte! I love small coffee shops and am lucky to live in a small town with several lovely ones. Great blog and thank you for the list of books in order!
ReplyDeleteLGGorman(at)AOL(dot)com
WOW!! almost forgot to leave my comment!!!
ReplyDeletecan't wait to read A Brew to a Kill.........
thank you for the giveaway!!!
I love a macchiato, a real carmel macchiato, but also love a cortado.
ReplyDeleteIm not picky I love.anything coffee. Would love to win jms79 (at) AOL . Com
ReplyDeleteI like my coffee with a bit of real, heavy cream. It makes it luscious. Oh, and a muffin along with is nice, too.
ReplyDeleteharbingerdc@gmail.com
Qurmudjin@earthlink.net
ReplyDeleteMy favorite way to enjoy coffee is in a large mug, but I drink it only on days that end in a 'y'.
I love a tall iced coffee with lots of cream, and just a little sugar. Winter or summer, iced rules! Thanks for this chance to win!
ReplyDeleteI like my coffee dark, stong and with whole milk. I love the series of books! the Coffeehouse recipes are wonderful and justnreading them makes me hugry. I will pre-order the new book tonight!
ReplyDeletejim(dot)kerick(at)gmail(.)com
This time of year I love a great blended mocha, yum!!
ReplyDeletedorthab@hotmail.com
My all time favorite is a caramel macchiato, either hot or cold. (as long as the barista makes it correctly). I love these books being a former barista myself with the dream to own my own shop. tigerlily_jk@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteMy favorite iced coffee drink is mocha coconut, but a nice hot breakfast blend in the morning is how I start my day.
ReplyDeleteLove this series.Always start my day with a hot cup of coffee and a book!!! cricketgirl33@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteMine has to have flavor! Preferably vanilla. I also like the iced white chocolate mocha. Heaven! kurstintaylor@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteHello! Well I would say my FAVORITE cup of coffee is just that......a cup of coffee. Nothing fancy, no flavored creams or tastes. Just a dark, bold cup with lots of fresh bubbles just after being brewed. Add some half and half and then enjoy. You just can't be a cup of well brewed COFFFE! 8) bquinni@verizon.net
ReplyDeleteI am a single mother of three children ages 11, 8 & 7. Therefore, my favorite cup of coffee is one that i drink very early in the morning ~ all alone, enjoying the delicious peace and quiet of my house! (I also like french vanilla creamer!) YUMMM ♥ atennefoss@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI love anything made with espresso... but I am also incredibly picky with the brands of espresso that I will buy because of how some of our local shops prepare it. I think my favorite style would be cinnamon or chocolate lattes best.
ReplyDeletemalellak@yahoo.com
It's not just the drinking of coffee that I love; it's when and where it brings me the most peace. We have a cabin by a big lake in Minnesota. My favorite way to have coffee is with a little bit of Splenda sweetener.....early on a chlly but sunny morning, sitting on the deck, looking at the water whether it's wavy or like glass, and wrapped in a blanket. Ahhhh....can't wait until tomorrow!
ReplyDeletedonze@charter.net
My all time favorite is from Dutch Brothers -- a 9-1-1 ... 6 shots of expresso, irish cream In the winter I get it hot, in the summer a freeze.
ReplyDeleteEspresso any time.
purpledell@comcast.net
A cup of dark roast with abit of vanilla creamer in the morning or a latte and enjoy the last minutes of my time before heading to work. :)
ReplyDeleteajshan2@hotmail.com
The best way to enjoy and drink coffee is black, nothing added. Pour in a cup, close your eyes and take a deep breath of the beautiful black gold. Thin take a small sip and let every thing flood away before the morning stress begins.
ReplyDeletebgwmartinez@yahoo.com
I literally can't remember an age when I didn't drink cafe au lait (although as a toddler I'm sure it was mostly milk. That didn't change that I was "having coffee" with my mother and grandparents!).
ReplyDeleteemail: carys at starfire-studio dot com
I like my coffee with a specialty creme (French Vanilla or Mocha). I am drinking more tea than coffee at this time but I love both.
ReplyDeleteI love Cozy Mysteries and add a little paranormal makes it even better. Thanks for the opportunity to enter giveaway.
misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com
My favorite way to have coffee in the summer is to have an iced mocha latte or mocha frappe; in the winter, a hot mocha or, when I can get it, a steaming cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain. I add a little half & half or cream, no sugar, settle in with a good book and my dog, and I'm in heaven! creativemuse1 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteA White Chocolate Iced Mocha is my all time favorite.
ReplyDeletewelcra@comcast.net
I don't like drink coffee since I have stomach problem. But usually I drink it by mix coffee with milk. Its the safest way to drink coffee for me, lol!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
Ren
sawamura_foxman AT yahoo DOT com
I don't drink coffee all that often, I confess. But I do love iced coffee - the kind where you get an espresso poured over vanilla ice cream, yummy!
ReplyDeletedanaan at gmx dot at
I love Caramel Macchiato, that's how I started to like coffee at all. In summer I like it Iced or as a Frappuccino. But most of the time I only drink plain Latte Macchiato/Cappuccino. My favourites are for the special occasions (a free day or when I go shopping :-))
ReplyDeletecsarah.stahl AT gmail.com
My favorite way to drink coffee is iced - with hazelnut flavor or hazelnut brew. I would love to win, sarah2323 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteAVID COFFEE DRINKER &MYSTERY READER! I HAVE READ ALL OF YOUR BOOKS!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE a good rich cup of coffee ~ especially while reading the Coffee House Mysteries... can't believe it took me so long to discover them!
ReplyDeletePatK goldie3d@yahoo.com
with cream and sugar!
ReplyDeleteLove these books, can't wait for the new one!
b dot dumortier at hotmail
I drink my coffee with a little cream and sugar. Snuggle down with a Cleo (Alice) book, and I'm good to go.
ReplyDeleteI drink my coffee light, no sugar and only like flavored coffees cold, not hot. kuzlin(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love cozies and I love paranormal mysteries.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite coffee is decaf latte with soy milk.
harvee44 (at) yahoo.com
I' m entering for the grand prize!
ReplyDeleteharvee44@yahoo.com
My fave way to have coffee is a Hot Peppermint Mocha....mmmm esp at Christmas very festive. My email is sweetcandi55@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI like my coffee with a shot of Bailey's.
ReplyDeletesuefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
I like everything about coffee - food, aroma, and Coffeehouse Mysteries - but can only drink coffee in an iced mocha, half shot!
ReplyDeletemarafran2010@yahoo.com
My favorite way to have coffee is my own personal coffee drink.
ReplyDelete1 cup milk, 2 cups coffee, 1 cup crushed ice
In blender some sugar, cinnamon, ginger, hazelnut, and caramel.
I blend that all together nicely, then add the milk and blend. Then I add the ice and let that ice cream effect take place. Then I add the coffee, quickly blend and pour in my great big frosted cup.
I make two or three a day and have it by me always.
Sorry, forgot the email address
Deletethelindaj@gmail.com
I love coffee made with fresh ground beans and a little cream and sugar. If I splurge while out, I really like a mocha latte with whip. (Hey, its a splurge!)
ReplyDeleteemail is j_touchstone@yahoo.com
Hmmm... I have several favorites, it all depends on the time of day and the temperature outside! I tend to make strong drip coffee (dark roast, freshly ground if possible) and drink it with 1/2 & 1/2 each morning at home. If I'm treating myself on a cool day, or on the way to work, my standard Starbucks order is 'quad shot venti mocha, add pump, with whip, at 140 degrees' (drink-it-now temp). And on hot days? Venti iced coffee with milk & 3 pumps sweetener.
ReplyDeleteBut to be honest? I drink instant, if that's all there is!
All that said, I'm looking forward to reading the Coffeehouse series. 12 books! Woohoo! :)
My favorite coffee is a decaf latte tall, extra extra hot.
ReplyDeleteI have read all of your bookstore and coffee shop mysteries and love them. My favorites are those set in the coffee shop because of the relationship between the owner and her ex-husband.
Patti
Black. Strong. If it looks like a spoon will stand up in it, it's good.
ReplyDeletegaelicfairie@gmail.com
I like my coffee black, deep roast, and I'll take it iced. I love coffe shop coffee. I'm looking forward to reading "A Brew to a Kill". Now interested in the Haunted Bookstore series, too.
ReplyDelete6186pep (at) msn (dot) com.
Mmmm, I don't like coffee. *hides*
ReplyDeletespav05(AT)gmail(DOT)com
My favorite way to have coffee is in my 28oz. go cup. I start my day with iced French Vanilla coffee with 3 Splenda's and 2% milk.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite coffee drink is a frappaccino, something that is a little bit coffee blended with a lot of chocolate. I don't care for straight coffee although I love the smell, not to mention the great descriptions that Cleo Coyle always includes in the Coffee House Mysteries. Somehow the books always have me wanting to go to Starbucks to enjoy a nice drink while I read :)
ReplyDeletelindyf24(AT)comcast(DOT)net
Just jumping in to say THANK YOU to everyone for your java comments, and thanks very much to THE QWILLERY for kindly including me in her paranormal cozy mystery month!
ReplyDeleteMy "spirited" good wishes to all and to all...good luck on the drawing at midnight...
~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
“Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
Cleo Coyle on Twitter
I couldn't drink coffee until I read some of Cleo's Coffee House Mysteries and discovered Kona. My favorite way to have it is freshly ground, at home, and preparaed as a French vanilla Latte.
ReplyDelete