YvonneThis week’s Mailbox Monday marks a few ‘firsts’ for me: I don’t generally feature a non-fiction book; I wouldn’t usually introduce so many ‘cozy mystery’ writers in one place, as this is not a genre I tend to read often; Although I will talk all day about food and the eating thereof, I seldom discuss the actual baking behind the consumption (the kitchen has to be the least lived in room in our house!); I don’t actually have my copy of this book yet, although I will be acquiring it later in the week …. March 22nd to be exact …
Intrigued? There is a very real and heartfelt reason for all the mystery, so please keep reading to the end of the post.
…
What happens when 128 cozy mystery writers get together to do a cookbook? You get more than 220 recipes that are as varied and interesting as an amateur sleuth’s day job.
Regional recipes come from every part of the United States and England — a couple find their way from Australia and Italy, too — and from diverse times. There are recipes from people looking to keep gluten out of their lives, eat vegetarian, or make a treat or two for their furry four-legged friends. And yes, there are recipes that appeal to the sweet tooth, lots of them, in fact.
There’s no mystery about what happens when cozy writers get together. They bring the wit, inventiveness, and adventure found in their books right along with their recipes.
The recipes are introduced by their authors and linked to the writer bios in the back of the book.
You can look up your favorite cozy writer and see which recipes are their favorites; they’ll tell you what the recipe means to them. Or you can enjoy a dish and then link to the recipe’s author’s biography and books.
Either way you enjoy the cookbook, you’re sure to find great new recipes to make and terrific new cozy authors to read.
A List Of Contributing Authors Can be Found Here:
…
NANCY LYNN JARVIS – Editor
Nancy has been a happily former Realtor for just over a year. Without a license to hold her back, she is free to share her opinions about all things real estate, especially in Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries. …
I’ll allow Nancy to tell you the reason behind the intrigue, through the words of an email she sent me:
Hi Yvonne,
Like Tom Brokaw, my husband has multiple myeloma, a plasma cell cancer. He was diagnosed a little more than two years ago. If he’d developed this disease a decade ago, he’d likely be dead by now, instead he’s doing well. Fortunately great strides have been made and survival times keep getting pushed out because of research, new medicines, and new treatments.
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation has been instrumental in fundraising dedicated to finding a cure for the disease. Supporters have answered their call to do creative fundraising. There’s a cat litter manufacturer who donates a portion of sales as part of a “Cats for Cancer” campaign. Ditto a Louisiana seafood producer who sells “Crayfish for Cancer.”
It seems this group loves alliteration and it occurred to me that as a mystery writer I could donate books for sale and dub them “Mysteries for Myeloma.” Five of my books are real estate mysteries set in Santa Cruz. My husband and I also edited a terrific cookbook called “Cozy Food: 128 Cozy Mystery Writers Share Their Favorite Recipes” which qualifies in the mystery category because all the recipes are from mystery writers.
This year’s Greater Bay Area MMRF event is a 5K Walk/Run which will be held in San Francisco at the Marina Green on March 22nd. I’ll be there selling books. All proceeds will be donated to MMRF. For people with e-readers or those who can’t make the event, profits from e-books purchased on Amazon that day will also be donated. “Mags and the AARP Gang,” another book I’ve written will also be included for those who prefer humor to mysteries or cookbooks.
E-books are a relatively low price — such a small donation to make — but if enough people buy one, not only will they get a book they may enjoy reading, but we will raise some real money…perhaps enough to keep my husband and many others around for those who love them.
I realize I should have started this promotion sooner, but we were involved in a stem cell transplant and pretty busy.
Thank you so much. Nancy Lynn Jarvis
All of the books Nancy has mentioned, are available from her ..
Amazon.com page, here
Amazon.co.uk page, here
You can check out the USA Multiple Myeloma Research site here
You can check out the UK Multiple Myeloma Research site here
…
…Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week. Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Mailbox Monday now has a permanent home, where links may be added each week. So why not stop by, leave a link to your own Mailbox Monday post, oh! and don’t forget to leave a comment for our three new joint administrators, after all, we all like to receive them … ‘Mailbox Monday’
Leslie of ‘Under My Apple Tree’
Serena of ‘Savvy Verse & Wit’
Vicki of ‘I’d Rather Be At The Beach’
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
…
This is the second book I’ve seen a cookbook by Cozy Mystery writers. This is going on my list!
Hi Vicki,
Yes, I did notice ‘The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook’, which you featured on your favourites shelf last week. I am not certain that ‘Cozy Foods’ is quite such an elaborate production, but knowing some of the cozy mystery authors, I have no doubt it will be a bit of fun 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that things are okay with you.
Hi Yvonne, I’ll add this to my list. Sounds like a wonderful way to raise money for a worthy cause.
Hi Mary,
Thanks Mary, I’m sure that Nancy will appreciate the thought.
It seems to me, that here in the UK at least, we are becoming a country which is very much charity dependent. A couple of colleagues and myself, were only saying the other day, that if all the charity workers throughout the country withdrew their labour, then many institutions would grind to a halt pretty quickly!
A sad state of affairs, but a sign of the times I guess 🙂
Have a great week.
What an interesting way of raising awareness and funds.
Hi Mystica,
It’s great that all on-line sales for the day of the walk will also contribute towards the fundraising effort, not just those books purchased at the event.
Thanks for your interest in the post and I appreciate you taking the time to comment 🙂
Even though I don’t cook all that much anymore, I love cookbooks and think those that have recipes from a lot of different people are loads of fun. I hope you find some great recipes in this one!
Hi Kathy,
Until recently we used to eat out quite a lot, however these days I have, through necessity, had to rediscover my kitchen, although not as yet my cooking mojo!
I admit that I tend to stick to the same tried and tested dishes and very seldom think about trying something new, so how often I would even open the pages of ‘Cozy Food’, is debatable, unless it would be to check out one of the authors’ profiles and the book the recipe is taken from 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate your comments.
Even though I now list NOT cooking among my hobbies, Nancy asked me to contribute to this book and I was thrilled to be part of it.
Hi Carolyn,
NOT cooking sounds like a great hobby to me!
I must admit that I didn’t spot your name in the credits for the book on Goodreads, for which I apologise.
Also, as I don’t yet have my copy of the book, I have no idea what your contributing recipe is, or I would have used it in one more feature post I hope to make, before the MMRF event on Sunday March 22nd.
I hope that you had fun adding your recipe to the collection, in the knowledge that for one day only, you will also be benefitting Multiple Myeloma research.
Thanks for stopping by and saying Hi! It is good to speak with you 🙂
What a fun idea for a cookbook! I love to cook (and read of course) so I’ll definitely keep this book in mind. Have a great week, Yvonne 🙂
Hi Lucy,
I really had no idea that so many authors have included foodie recipes in their books! It really does seem to be mystery writers, be they ‘cozy’ or ‘conventional’, who have pretty much cornered this market … I wonder why that is?
Thanks for taking the time to comment, it is always good to have you visit 🙂
What a fun, clever idea…and a great way to raise money for a good cause!
I’ve read my share of cozy mysteries over the years (and still read a few), but have to admit (at a glance) that I’m only familiar with one name on the list of contributors.
Thanks for sharing this with us!
Hi Kelly,
I do hope that Sunday 22nd is a great success, both for the event in general and for Nancy’s book stall in particular.
There are just so many good causes that folks want to raise money for, that it can be very difficult for the smaller, less well known charities to get a look in sometimes!
I must admit that I don’t read a lot of cozy mysteries, so only a couple of the authors are known to me … Nancy herself and of course one of my favourite authors, Carolyn J. Rose.
I know that Nancy has also indexed a short biography for each author and the recipes themselves are linked to the cozy mystery in which they appear, so hopefully folks will be able to connect with some new authors, as well as making the delicious sounding recipes.
I hope to give this event one last ‘shout out’ on Saturday 21st March, over at ‘Weekend Cooking’, where I shall feature one or two of the recipes.
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week 🙂
Great idea as a fundraiser. A disaster in the kitchen I’m not sure how I’d fare with this book but I’m sure it will be a big hit.
Hi Tracy,
I’m with you. By the time I had chosen a recipe, sourced the ingredients and prepared and baked the dish, it would probably look nothing like any picture you might have perused in a recipe book!
I am constantly quoting your saying “I only have a kitchen because it came with the house”
I try to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible, so the same tried and tested dishes, which I can prepare by rote, are always popular … at least with me and I am simply assuming that hubbie doesn’t mind too much 🙂
I hope that ‘Cozy Food’, together with Nancy’s other mystery books, manage to raise a storm on Sunday.
Thanks for taking the time to check out this heartfelt post.
I saw the Mystery Cookbook last week, and here’s another one! I may pop this on my book list for the week.
Hi Serena,
I’m a bit late replying to comments this week, so I can already see that you have hedged your bets and gone with the ‘Cozy Cookbook’ instead, although Vicki has featured both books as her choices, so the message about the Myeloma fundraiser is still getting out
there, for which I thank you 🙂
Sounds different! 🙂
Hi Nikki,
I too thought this to be a pretty cool concept, although I was more influenced by the great fundraising effort Nancy is putting in on March 22nd, on behalf of her husband and his fellow sufferers of Multiple Myeloma.
Little did I know, that at least two more new books, in very similar vein, have featured on various blogs this week – one being a second selection of cozy mystery writers recipes and another featuring the recipes of mystery writers such as Mary Higgins Clark and Harlan Coben.
I wonder why the sudden interest in the foodie habits of the mystery writer 🙂
Hope you are having a good week and thanks for stopping by.
A great idea for a fundraiser.
Hi Mary Ann,
It certainly is! – And I love the way that Nancy is going to market ‘Cozy Food’, together with her successful 5 book cozy mystery, real estate series, as “Mysteries For Myeloma” – I wish her every success 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, your visit is much appreciated.
Yvonne,
Thank you so much for posting this to your readers and thanks to all of you who will get the book, on the 22nd.
Nancy
You are most welcome Nancy and Good Luck with event on the 22nd March 🙂
Cozy Food looks great. Having an author linked to a recipe would be something really fun.
I love to bake and cook.
Thanks for sharing.
ENJOY your week.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
Hi Elizabeth,
I think there are quite a few cook books out there right now, which are aiming for the idea of linking authors with a recipe of their choice.
I don’t know how many of them do what Nancy has done with ‘Cozy Food’ and also linked the recipes to any books they appear in, together with the page number.
It means that not only do you get a great recipe, but also a potential new book recommendation at the same time 🙂
I have to admit that baking is not my favourite pastime and I really only do it out of necessity at dinner time! When hubbie has worked away from home in the past, I never used to bother cooking much for myself, unless it was something which could be microwaved – How bad does that make me sound! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.