To say that I’m tickled to guest blog here today would be an understatement. When I saw Jenn’s Tweet about reviewing all the White House Chef Mysteries on her blog this week, I thanked her and she invited me to visit.
First off – thank you, Jenn, for reading and reviewing Ollie’s adventures. I have so much fun writing for executive chef, Ollie, and the gang at the White House. In the book that just came out, Buffalo West Wing, Ollie is dealing with a change in administration. As you may know, she got along famously with the First Lady in books 1, 2, and 3. This time, however, a new First Family has come to live at 1600 Pennsylvania, and Ollie is desperate to win them over. But that’s kinda hard to do when she keeps getting into trouble…
One of my favorite things about reading is being immersed in the world the author has created for me to enjoy. And when I’m writing I lose myself just as easily. Whether it’s Ollie’s, or Grace’s (Manor House Mysteries) adventure, I often feel as though I’m not actually writing, as much as I am channeling the characters’ stories that play out in my head. Love it.
Being immersed in Ollie’s world has had an enormous impact on my personal life. Since beginning the White House Chef Mysteries, I’ve gotten far more interested in cooking than I ever had been. I watch Top Chef, Iron Chef, Ace of Cakes, and Throwdown with Bobby Flay among many others. No one here at home saw this new fascination coming, but I’m delighted that it did. I do a great deal of research to get my White House details just right and even though I don’t come up with the recipes in the book myself, I’m eager to get my food details just right, too. I’m very fortunate to have a “ghost chef,” who is an absolute delight to work with.
Several of my author friends (Avery Aames, Sheila Connolly, Cleo Coyle, Krista Davis, Mary Jane Maffini, Elizabeth Spann Craig, Wendy Lyn Watson) and I are members of MysteryLoversKitchen.com, where we blog every day – sharing recipes, book news, funny stories and more. If you haven’t stopped by, please do. It’s a welcoming community and we’d love to have you in our kitchen. Oh, and we have contests, of course. In fact, I’ll be announcing a new one today!
Thank you, Jenn, for allowing me to say hello to your readers. This is a wonderful blog. The best books I’ve ever read have been those recommended to me by people I trust. Thank you for being such a great friend to readers everywhere!
Best always,
Julie
Thank you so much Julie for stopping by!
Be sure to check out Julie’s website & blog for more information about her & the other books she’s written.
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