Spotlight on Lucy Burdette: Inside the Mind of a Mystery Writer

LUCY BURDETTE: Another year has flashed by and that brings another wonderful opportunity for a spotlight right here on our blog. Last year, my characters staged a takeover—they demanded to know what business I have writing about a food critic, whether I play favorites with my characters, and why I insist on putting them in danger. In 2022, I told you about my road to becoming a mystery writer—winding and bumpy!

This time around, A POISONOUS PALATE, Key West mystery #14, hits bookshelves on August 6, and Key West mystery #15 is due September 1 (ULP!) So I decided to share some thoughts about a topic I wrestle with every time I begin a new book: How to keep this long series fresh. I know that series readers (including me!) like to read about familiar characters and places. This can be a comfortable place to retreat when the world feels so scary and unpredictable. But I don’t want to be bored and I sure don’t want to bore you.

I start by thinking about Hayley’s stake in getting mixed up in murder. Since she’s a food critic, not a cop, she has no legitimate reason for crime solving—being nosy isn’t enough. So how do I make sure readers find her believable? In the first book, AN APPETITE FOR MURDER, Hayley was the suspect in a death involving a poisoned key lime pie. She had to poke around or end up in jail. In the second book, DEATH IN FOUR COURSES, Hayley finds the victim at an important foodie reception and a dear friend of hers is implicated in the murder. She’s very motivated to help clear his name. Ditto with book four, MURDER WITH GANACHE. Her parents are visiting the island for the first time, along with her stepbrother, who disappears into the spring break crowd. They can’t leave him in trouble, so the chase is on. Each book tackles her involvement in a different way.

I also like to watch my characters grow and change, and I love introducing new facets of Key West in each book. For example, THE KEY LIME CRIME, #10 in the series, takes place at Christmas, a magical time in Key West. I had the most fun introducing Hayley’s new mother-in-law Helen to Key West and Hayley, and having the two of them find a body hidden in a Santa suit. (This idea came from an actual decoration that we spotted on someone’s porch.) 

I found inspiration for #12, A DISH TO DIE FOR, when I took a tour of the real Key West Woman’s Club. While there, I was gifted a copy of the second edition of their cookbook. Inside that book, I discovered so many nuggets of history that fired up my imagination. But how would I use this? I decided that Hayley’s mother, Janet, would be hired to cater a murder victim’s memorial service reception at the Woman’s Club, using recipes from their vintage Key West cookbook. Hayley and her octogenarian neighbor, Miss Gloria, sign on to work with her, hoping to cook up some clues by observing the mourners. (Now, believe it or not, I’m editing the new edition of this cookbook, but I’ll save that story for another day.)

With A POISONOUS PALATE, I experimented with several new things—moving the action north on the Keys to Big Pine Key and flashing back to an old murder from the 1970’s that had never been solved. I hope you enjoy reading this installment as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now, I’m off to work on the knotty details of #15!

Readers: What keeps you reading a long series, and maybe more important, what makes you stop reading? Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a copy of A POISONOUS PALATE.

Lucy Burdette's Kitchen is available now!