Catching Up...

michellebennington
Jun 1
3 min read

Hey, y'all...Whew! It's been a hectic couple of months. I've been traveling quite a bit for work through April and May. Then the first week of May I attended one enormous book event in Knoxville, TN then a small one in Lawrenceburg, KY a week later. In between I visited Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia.

Honestly, there just wasn't enough time on the beach. Is there ever? But it was nice to get away for a few days. The way things have been going, I really want and need a 2-week getaway! But for now there's just too much to do. Knoxville was a 2-day event filled with over 200 vendors selling everything from foodstuffs and homegoods to T-shirts and books. For various reasons, it didn't have quite the audience turn out I had hoped for, but it was nice talking to other authors and the many readers who did come through. Best of all, my mom got to hang out with me--her first time attending a book event!

Tybee Island was restful and peaceful and I was lucky enough to visit before the tourist season picks up. It was a little cool too get in the water, but that was okay, I still spent time reading at the beach and walking along the shoreline.

One special day mom and I went to Savannah and met a reader, Julie and her granddaughter. These precious ladies drove four hours just for me! I'm completely humbled by it and appreciative; it was truly special. We had dinner and then went on a ghost tour together which was so much fun (and thankfully at a much cooler temperature than the rest of the day in Savannah had been! LOL)

We left the island much too soon, but I carried plenty of ideas away with me to feed into my upcoming Rolling Scones series. Of course, I should note that my imagination will make the island look and feel different than it does in real life. Caraway will be quaint, charming, and cozy with a bit of history--a bit of an escape, but with murder and crime, a sprinkle of romance.

Since returning home, I've started a short story called "Hot for Peaches." This short story is intended to be a prequel to the Rolling Scones series where we get introduced to a few of the characters who will appear in the series. It's also an introduction to why Cordelia comes home to help at Aunt Zin's bakery. Hot for Peaches is going to be a submission to the Malice Domestic Anthology (fingers crossed that it gets accepted!) But if it doesn't get accepted I have alternate plans for it :) You might be wondering what sort of title is Hot for Peaches? Well, in the Rolling Scones universe, there will be lots of puns on popular bands and song titles. This title doesn't rhyme exactly, but is a play on the title Hot for Teacher by Van Halen.

When Aunt Zin and Maggie have to develop a recipe for the Peaches and Peppers festival, they decide to develop a muffin recipe that incorporates both peaches and peppers for a sweet and spicy treat. When they couldn't decide what the name should be they hear a song on the radio in the background--Hot for Teacher--and they come up with a name for the muffin that turns out to be quite appropriate: Hot for Peaches! The best part is that they are entered to win at least $10,000 and promotion from a famous baker. Unfortunately, with only three days left before the festival, just as they're about to bake their muffins, someone steals their batter and puree--and all the festival peaches from the community center! Will they find the culprit in time to continue with the contest?

Stay tuned there's more to come from Rolling Scones!

For those who want a blast from the past or a "soundtrack" for Hot for Peaches click the image to listen: