Sunday, July 13, 2025

Guest Lisa Q. Mathews with #Giveaway and Giant New England Blueberry-Lemon Whoopie Pie!



Please join me in welcoming our guest author, Lisa Q. Mathews, with an inventive recipe and generous giveaway. I had the great pleasure of reading the launch book in Lisa's wonderful new Irish Bed & Breakfast Mystery series, THE JIG IS UP, and I absolutely loved it. The story is filled with warmth, suspenseful twists, and plenty of small-town charm. Lisa’s dry humor along with her expertise in world building is not to be missed. I’m already looking forward to book 2 in the series, BURIED IN SHAMROCKS, coming soon and now available for pre-order. To tell us more, here's Lisa! ~ Cleo Coyle

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From Lisa Q. Mathews: If it’s July in New England, there’s a fair or festival going on in a small town near you. The outdoor season starts at Memorial Day Weekend and runs straight through October (bring a sweater!). Just point yourself in any direction, and take your pick of themes: crafts, berries, books, hot air balloons, ice cream, butter, beer, firemen’s carnivals. And, of course, in the Massachusetts town where my Irish Bed & Breakfast mysteries take place, you can’t miss the Great Shamrock Fair. 

There’s plenty to see and do at all these events, of course, from creaky rides and tractor pulls to 4H exhibits to dance and musical performances to giant pumpkin rowing races to fireworks in the nighttime sky. 


But there’s one place you’re sure to find me: the food tent. In particular, the snack table of homemade treats sponsored by local groups like the Ladies Rosary Society of the local church. And because this is New England, you are almost 100% guaranteed to find the beloved Whoopie Pie, in every flavor and combination of the taste rainbow. 

Here’s a sweet recipe that’s wicked easy to make—because we’re going to cheat a teensy bit and use boxed blueberry cake mix! (Why spend any longer in a hot kitchen in July than you need to?) 


New England Giant Blueberry-Lemon 

Whoopie Pie with Lemon Buttercream Filling 

by Lisa Q. Mathews



Ingredients:

1 box blueberry muffin mix (I use Krusteaz)

2 eggs

2/3 cup water or milk (I use milk.)

2/3 cup oil (I use vegetable oil.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Zest of 1 lemon 

1/2 cup fresh blueberries 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Prep two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans (I use parchment paper).

Mix the dry ingredient packet, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla into a batter. 

Fold in fresh berries and zest. 

Divide batter evenly between pans and smooth the tops. 

Bake approx. 30 minutes (keep checking!) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans at least 10 minutes, then turn out and cool fully before frosting.


🍋 Lemon Vanilla Buttercream Filling

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (I use Kerrygold, of course!)

1-1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Optional: a few tablespoons (or more) of milk to thin frosting

Instructions: Beat butter until fluffy (I used a hand blender), about 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat in lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and salt. Thin frosting consistency with milk, a dash at a time. 

Tips: Chill cakes well (I stick mine briefly in the fridge on hot days) before frosting. I give my cakes about 2 minutes extra in the oven so they’ll be firmer.
Frost top of bottom layer directly on your serving plate and then place the top layer. (The parchment paper makes this a breeze—the cakes slide right off.)
Cover whoopie pie tightly in plastic wrap and store in fridge to help keep its shape (messy, but that’s part of the fun!) 

Variation: For smaller (3 inch) whoopie pies, scoop about 2 tablespoons of batter each onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Space apart and bake 10-14 minutes (keep checking!) or until tops spring back. After cooling and filling, plastic-wrap individually for grab-and-go treats. Makes about 10 servings.

If you’re looking for a true New England-style beverage to go with your whoopie pie—and you are also very brave—grab a bottle of Moxie from the cool-ah. What is Moxie? Well…it’s a classic local soft drink that you have to taste to understand. It’s sort of a fizzy, bittersweet cola with a hint of root beer/licorice/cough medicine. Some people love it, some don’t, but it’s memorable! (You might want to wait a bit before you hit the Scrambler or ride down the giant slide on a burlap bag.) And guess what? Today, July 13th is the last day of the Moxie Festival in Lisbon, Maine. See you there!


Readers, what is your 

favorite summer fair treat?


Lisa Q. Mathews began her publishing career as a Nancy Drew editor. She also wrote for kids’ series such as Mary-Kate and Ashley and the Lizzie McGuire Mysteries. She now writes lighthearted mysteries for grownups with strong female characters and plenty of family. Her works include the Irish Bed & Breakfast Mysteries (THE JIG IS UP; BURIED IN SHAMROCKS (Feb. 2026) and the Ladies Smythe & Westin Mysteries (CARDIAC ARREST; PERMANENTLY BOOKED; FASHIONABLY LATE). Her short story "Fly Me to the Morgue" was an Agatha Award finalist. Lisa lives in New Hampshire. The "Q" in her name stands for "Quinn."

Follow Lisa at: 





BURIED IN SHAMROCKS

Kate Buckley returns to her Irish-themed hometown for the summer, but when her ex becomes the prime suspect in his fiancée’s murder, she must clear his name for the sake of their daughters, perfect for fans of Elle Cosimano and Carlene O’Connor.

Kate and her daughters Maeve and Bliz are back in Shamrock, Massachusetts, and Kate faces a big decision: Should they move back to their hometown for good? As she contemplates the idea, all the businesses in town, including her family’s B&B, the Buckley House, are busy preparing for the annual Great Shamrock Fair in hopes of luring back tourists after a murder during St. Patrick’s Week.

But when Kate’s ex, Ian, arrives in town from Ireland to perform with his band in the festival, and his new fiancée, Fallon, is found dead at the fairgrounds, any chance of a fun and peaceful family summer goes up in green smoke.

Much as she wants nothing to do with her ex, Kate knows Ian is innocent. Amid the swirl of activity in town, and her sister Colleen’s determination to keep the annual Miss Shamrock contests alive, Kate enlists her devastated eldest daughter, and her father, the former Shamrock police chief, to help her unwind the trail of evidence.

With clues—and danger—piling up, can Kate find Fallon’s true killer and save her ex, before the Great Shamrock Fair and the town’s chances for a summer full of green go bust?

  


 BOOK GIVEAWAY! 

OPEN TO US & CANADA


Leave a comment (below) for Lisa with your email address and you will be entered to win your choice of either a Signed Advanced Copy of Lisa's upcoming release, BURIED IN SHAMROCKS, or a Signed Hardcover Copy of Book #1 in Lisa’s clever and heartwarming Irish Bed & Breakfast Mystery series, THE JIG IS UP.


Readers, what is your 
favorite summer fair treat?


Comments open through Wed. 7/16 
Don't forget to include your 
email address in your comment.


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