Guest post & giveaway: The Teaberry Strangler by Laura Childs

Today it is with much excitement that I welcome Laura Childs to Pudgy Penguin Perusals. Over the years Laura has been one of my top favorite cozy writers. Not only are her mysteries great fun but her recipes are truly yummy. Laura has included one of her famous recipes here after her guest post. To celebrate the March 2nd publication of The Teaberry Strangler, Laura has generously agreed to giveaway 4 autographed hard cover copies of The Teaberry Strangler. I asked Laura to tell us a little bit about her three series and here is what she has to share.

Pairing food with mystery.

Guest blog by Laura Childs, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries,
and Cackleberry Club Mysteries.

I’ve always considered food and mystery an inspired pairing. There’s nothing like cuddling under a quilt and reading like crazy while sipping cocoa and munching a cream scone. It just works. Maybe the sugar feeds your adrenaline or maybe it harkens back to that feeling you got as a kid when you ate jujubes and watched the Twilight Zone on TV!

Whatever the reason, I’ve taken to including recipes in all of my mysteries, which number 20 so far. When you read about Golden Monkey Yunnan Tea, Angel Biscuits, or Chicken Bog, I think you’re just naturally curious and want to know more. There’s also something very authentic about reading a story, then buzzing into your kitchen to whip up the very same chowder and scones.

Since I write three different mystery series right now, I’m always balancing characters, story, and plot lines with deadlines. To make things even more frantic, I’ve challenged myself to include three different sets of recipes in my three very different series. Difficult to do? You bet? Really fun? Absolutely.

My just-released Tea Shop Mystery, THE TEABERRY STRANGLER, offers recipes like Frogmore Stew and Charleston Breakfast Casserole. And, as you might guess, a fair amount of information on tea. Because tea, like great books, warms the heart and speaks to the soul. It turns acquaintances into friends, friends into confidantes. Tea’s heady scent can act as an aromatherapy to cheer your up or lull you into sleepytime. And just the very act of taking tea, of making time for this genteel ritual, can calm the most overwrought of hearts.

Mmm, time to put the teapot on and curl up with a good book? I think so!

A quick synopsis of The Teaberry Strangler
by Laura Childs

The Teaberry Strangler is the 11th in the bestselling Tea Shop Mystery series that readers continue to crave. Tea mania has swept the country and Laura Childs’ cozy mysteries have been carried along in a tide of Darjeeling, Earl Grey, and Assam!

In The Teaberry Strangler, Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop, spearheads a Charleston back alley crawl. But on this candlelit evening, customers aren’t the only ones combing the twisted alleyways. Someone strangles a map store owner and Theodosia determines to seek justice. But who stands to benefit from inheriting a dusty map store, how are the quirky ladies from Jardin Perfumerie involved, and why is a mysterious woman suddenly stalking Theodosia?

Murder, tea lore, and tea recipes are brewing here and The Teaberry Strangler is certain to captivate readers – just as last year’s Oolong Dead did when it made the New York Times Bestseller List!

And here’s a Laura Childs recipe you might enjoy:

Easy Cream Scones

1 cup flour sifted with
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup cream
2 beaten eggs

Cut butter into sifted dry ingredients. Combine eggs and cream and add to dry mixture. Pat to 3/4 inch thick. Cut in squares or triangles, sprinkle with sugar and bake at 375 degrees until lightly brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot with jam or preserves.

Laura Childs is the author of the bestselling Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Her books have been named to the USA Today and New York Times Bestseller Lists. Find out more about Laura at www.laurachilds.com

Now for the giveaway details. Laura is being most generous in allowing me to pick 4 winners for an autographed hard cover copy of her new book, The Teaberry Strangler.

Giveaway open to verifiable followers ( through google friend connect) of this blog who reside in the US or Canada. Be sure your profile is public and that it lists the blogs you follow. If you blog on wordpress or thinkpad just be sure PPP is on your blogroll. PO boxes are okay.

How to earn bonus entries:

+3 blog about contest or put a link in your sidebar and leave me a link

Deadline is Mar 15 th at 6 PM. Be sure to include an e mail address in your comment. Good luck!