
It's here. At least the cover is!
The first French Bistro Mystery!!
A DEADLY ÉCLAIR.
The books comes out November 2017!!
You can pre-order on your choice of sites
(indie, Amazon, B&N, etc.
via my website links HERE)
BUT the ebook pre-order isn't up yet.
Not sure why... scratching head...
I'll give a shout out when it is!
From Daryl aka Avery:
This is the first book in the FRENCH BISTRO MYSTERIES, featuring Mimi Rousseau, who owns a French bistro and the neighboring bed-and-breakfast, set in Napa Valley. (More below...)
Do you see the darling SCOUNDREL, a gray and white mouser, on the cover? You can't miss the éclairs! The artist is the same artist who painted my Cheese Shop and Cookbook Nook covers. Am I lucky or what?!
If you leave a comment at the end of the post,
I'll be giving away a pretty wine-themed tea towel to celebrate the cover reveal!
So I was testing recipes for A DEADLY ÉCLAIR...yes, I test recipes...and I made a delicious gluten-free éclair. Yes, gluten-free. The recipe will be in the book.
Anyway, I was making the custard for the inside of the éclair, and it took a couple of tries. One was the "easy" fast way (okay, the cheater's way) of making custard. Then I made it the authentic (cooked) way. Both were delicious. The authentic way recipe will be in the book. :)
Today, I'm sharing the easy one because this turned out so good, and I had so much left over that I poured it into dessert ramekins and served to family. They loved it.
Here's a snippet about A DEADLY ÉCLAIR:
It’s always been Mimi Rousseau’s dream to open her own bistro,
but it seems beyond her grasp since she’s been chased back home to Nouvelle Vie
in Napa Valley by her late husband’s tremendous debt. Until her best friend
Jorianne James introduces her to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in
promising prospects. Now, working the bistro and inn until she’s able to pay it
off and call it her own, Mimi is throwing the inn’s first wedding ever.
The wedding will be the talk of the town, as famous talk show
host Angelica Edmonton, daughter of Bryan’s half-brother, Edison, has chosen
the inn as her perfect venue. Anxious, Mimi is sure things are going to turn
south, especially when Edison gets drunk and rowdy at the rehearsal dinner, but
by the evening, things begin to look up again. That is until morning rolls
around, and Bryan
is found dead with an éclair stuffed in his mouth. And the fingers point at Mimi,
whose entire loan is forgiven in the event Bryan died.
Now
it’s up to Mimi to clear her name and get to the bottom of things before the
killer turns up the heat again.
EASY VANILLA CUSTARD
(Serves 4-8, depending on dessert dish size)
5-ounce box instant vanilla pudding (make sure it’s gluten-free)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
In a small bowl, make vanilla pudding by combining pudding mix
and milk. Let it firm up in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes.
Place heavy whipping cream in stand mixer (or a regular bowl,
which is what I did) and whip it at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
This takes about 2-3 minutes. Don’t over whip or it will turn into butter.
Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla with the whipped cream. Now fold in the chilled vanilla pudding.
That’s it!
Pour into 4- or 6-ounce ramekins or dessert dishes. Cover with
plastic wrap. Chill.
This keeps for about 4-5 days.
![]() |
Make pudding |
![]() |
Whip cream, just to a small peak |
![]() |
Pour into ramekins |
![]() |
Serve! |
Giveaway
I'm giving away this darling wine-themed tea towel to one commenter.
So answer me this...do you tell your friends and family
to buy books you've read?
Or to look for those books at a library or bookstore?
You all know that word of mouth is one of the best ways
to get the news out about a release, right?
Leave your email so I can contact you if you win!

GRILLING THE SUBJECT, the 5th Cookbook Nook Mystery, is out!
The Wild West Extravaganza has come to Crystal Cove.
Click here to order.
FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE, the 7th Cheese Shop Mystery is out!
Finally there's going to be a cheese festival in Providence!
Click to order.
GIRL ON THE RUN, a stand-alone suspense is out!
When a fairytale fantasy night becomes a nightmare,
I always recommend books I read to friends and family! I am fortunate to have many who love to read as much as I do and we are always telling each other about new authors, good books, etc.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, that's great to hear! ~ Daryl
DeleteOh, definitely! I always recommend books to friends and family (both to purchase and to find at the local library). EMS591@aol.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know, Liz. ~ Daryl
DeleteMany of my family and friends are readers and recommendations is how we usually choose what to read next. I have a Pinterest board of Must Reads and Favorite Series I always pin to, another way to share book choices. amysue511@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteAmy, what a fun board to create on Pinterest. ~ Daryl
DeleteI tell my friends, my book group, my librarian - and I pass the books along to those same people. Get them to read the first book - and they will track down the rest! pjcoldren@tm.net
ReplyDeletePJ, I agree. If someone gets hooked on a series, they usually want to read the whole set! I did that with Nancy Drew. :) ~ Daryl
DeleteI always share what I'm reading. If I'm carrying a tote with the books theme or authors name, that's a perfect conversation starter! Jill Broussard; minishoes@msn.com
ReplyDeleteBooks are definitely conversation starters! Covers or titles lure people in. ~ Daryl
DeleteMy family and friends and I always trade books and recommend books to one another. I have friends all over the country who discuss book preferences all the time and it is so enjoyable.i have learned about books from others that I would never have read had I not been told specifically about these books.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited about the French Bistro series. Really great news. Thank you. Cynthia B
ceblain AT tmlponline DOT net
Thank you, Cynthia. I think it's wonderful when people recommend books to one another. Opening new worlds... ~ Daryl
DeleteIf I like a book I'll recommend it to a friend who likes similar books.
ReplyDeletesgiden at verizon(.)net
That's always the trick, knowing which friends like which genre! ~ Daryl
DeleteYes! I have different friends to whom I recommend different books, based on our shared preferences. Love this wine towel - my friend and I do a wine trail trip every summer.
ReplyDeleteDeborah, what fun. Do you go to different wine areas? ~ Daryl
DeleteI suggest books I enjoy to friends & family. Sometimes I go ahead & purchase them a copy, since I know everyone's TBR list is long.
ReplyDeleteturtle6422(at)gmail(dot)com
Jana, sweet. I love the gift of books! ~ Daryl
DeleteI love to recommend books! I got my bff to start reading cozies! She has several of your books! Mommatoodle at msn dot com
ReplyDeletePam, how nice to hear! Send hugs to your bff from me. ~ Daryl
DeleteI do recommend books to friends. Thanks for the chance. Janngrogan@yahoo.com
ReplyDelete