Through a Lavender-tinted Spotlight -- Leslie Budewitz and Lavender Lies Bleeding -- giveaway

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Once a month, we turn the Kitchen lights on ourselves and today, it’s my turn. 

I write two cozy mystery series, the Spice Shop mysteries set in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village mysteries, set in NW Montana, where I live. I’ve also written a collection of historical short mysteries set in late 19th century Montana, featuring the remarkable “Stagecoach Mary” Fields. As Alicia Beckman, a name that honors my mother and grandmother, I write standalone suspense set in the Northwest. (Read some of my earlier spotlights here, tracing my interest in Mary Fields and the origins of All God's Sparrows; here, focusing on the origins of Between a Wok and a Dead Place, set in Seattle's Chinatown; and here for my first spotlight, sharing the origins of the series and Peppermint Barked, celebrating Christmas in the Market.)  

Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop mystery, came out July 15. I’d known for years that I wanted to write a book featuring lavender. My two beautiful plants are the stars of my front garden. With this series, I need to identify the featured herb or spice early on in planning the book, not only because it’s key to the title, but also because it’s woven into the story – and into Pepper’s store. And occasionally, as in this book, into the plot.

Pepper Reece, owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market, is shocked when vandals destroy the greenhouse at her friend Liz Giacometti’s lavender farm. But then Liz is killed, and Pepper digs in to solve the crimes. As her questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud? 

I started my research by dragging Mr. Right to the closest lavender farm – yes, lavender grows in Montana. That was well before I started writing, or even seriously thinking about the characters and plot, but I wanted to tour a farm during the growing the season. The Sullivans, who run Longview Lavender Farm in Somers, about 15 miles from us, were warm and welcoming, sharing stories of how they got started with lavender, challenges growing a Mediterranean herb in a mountain valley, their products, and more. 

The next summer, we visited Purple Mountain Lavender, high above Flathead Lake near Lakeside, about half the size but equally lovely. (The plants weren't quite in bloom yet.) 

In between those lavender farm visits, Mr. Right and I spent a few days in Seattle. One day, we went north, with my BFF from college who conveniently still lives in the city and often helps with ground truthing and other research. (And by research, you know I mean “eat.”) We were visiting the Tulip Festival in Skagit County, which I’d long wanted to do. I hadn’t expected it to be a research trip, but often, ideas find us rather than the other way around. The farm we visited opens its arms to tourists, offering the experience of the place as much as the flowers and bulbs it raises. The town, too, has embraced the flower and agritourism. 

That day, combined with memories from a day trip said BFF and I made to an herb farm outside Seattle eons ago, sparked the creation of Salmon Falls, Washington, a farm community roughly thirty miles outside Seattle and a world away. 

In every book, I set myself a challenge. For Lavender, the challenge was how to set part of the story outside the city, Pepper’s home base, and keep the elements readers love—the shop, the Market, the staff, Pepper’s boyfriend Nate, and of course, Arf, Pepper’s dog. The town had to be close, so Pepper could go back and forth. The story had to include reasons for her to make the trek, by herself or with Cayenne, her employee, or her mother, Lena. Salmon Falls and Lavender Liz Giacometti needed close ties to the Market, which I found through lavender sales but also the Hmong flower ladies who are such a big part of the Market and other growers. 

Along the way, I discovered that most people think of lavender for its scent, not its taste. And not everyone likes that smell or taste. I couldn’t confirm, despite research and conversations with growers, that it’s genetic, like cilantro, which bothers roughly 15 % of the population in the US, Canada, and Europe. The two plants are not related. Others dislike the idea of eating flowers, although lavender is classified as an herb, not a flower. The confusion arises because we use the lavender flowers, unlike other herbs, like thyme and oregano, where we use the leaves and stems. 

After nine books, it was time to reveal the secret history of Arf, the Airedale known as Mr. Ambassador, who comes to live with Pepper in Assault & Pepper, the series opener. Trouble was, I didn’t know it. When Pepper met the dog, he lived with Sam, one of the occasionally-houseless men who frequent the Market and the initial suspect when another man was killed on the Spice Shop’s doorstep. At the end of the book, Sam returned to his family in Memphis, but all involved agreed that Arf should stay in the Market, with Pepper. In Lavender Lies Bleeding, we finally learn where the sweet, smart, protective little guy came from – and where he got his impeccable manners. 

This lavender shortbread recipe doesn’t appear in the book, although Cayenne – newly promoted to events manager – mentions it. It’s super easy. The original used a tablespoon of fresh rosemary, finely chopped, rather than lavender, so it’s flexible, too. 

Whatever your taste in herbs, I hope you enjoy another trip to Seattle with Pepper, Arf, and me – on the page. 

One lucky reader will win a paperback of Assault & Pepper, Lavender Lies Bleeding, or another Spice Shop mystery -- winner's choice! 

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing. 

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link.

Lavender Shortbread 

1 tablespoon dried lavender buds 

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 rounded teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into chunks

flake salt, dark chocolate, or dark chocolate syrup (optional garnish)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. 

Pour the lavender buds into a mortar and grind with a pestle, or use a heavy bowl and spoon. Lavender doesn’t grind like other spices; you’re mostly just flattening it to make sure it releases its oils. 

Using a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, lavender, and salt. 

Add butter and pulse into fine crumbs, then pulse a few more times until bigger crumbs start to form or "gather," being careful not to overprocess. Mixture will be crumbly, not smooth or doughy.

Press into an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. Prick top all over with a fork. (Tip: Hold the tines of the fork with your fingers when you pull it out of the unbaked mixture, to prevent crumbs from sticking to the fork and to keep the vent holes open.) Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven; top with flake salt if you’d like.

Cool in pan on a wire rack. Turn out onto parchment or foil; you’ll have a solid piece. Flip it over and cut into squares or rectangles. 

Optional: Before serving, drizzle with melted chocolate or chocolate syrup and sprinkle with flake salt. 

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

Readers, have you visited an herb farm? What local or seasonal foods are you particularly enjoying right now? Do tell! One lucky reader will win a paperback of Assault & Pepper, Lavender Lies Bleeding, or another Spice Shop mystery -- winner's choice! (Leave your email to be entered; US addresses only. Arf will pick the winner on Wed, July 30.)

At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .  

Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills. 

Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket. 

Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf. 

As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook 

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.  

“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.