Mystery Lover’s Kitchen is happy to welcome guest Julia Buckley, who
gives us a peek into the diner food universe.
The Joy of Small Town
Diners
by Julia Buckley
Hi, Everyone! I’m
Julia Buckley. I am the author of the Writer’s Apprentice cozy-Gothic mystery
series (which began with A DARK AND STORMY MURDER), and I’m thrilled to have
been invited to visit Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen today. Since all of my books are
set in the fictional small town of Blue Lake, Indiana, I thought it would be
fun to take you down its main drag, Wentworth Street, to a staple of every
small town: the diner. I’m sure we can all remember some unique and delicious
food we ate in some of the hole-in-the-wall restaurants that ended up being
little glimpses of paradise. In my newest book, A DARK AND TWISTING PATH, Lena
London returns to this diner on a warm spring day and learns some new details
about this little restaurant, called Willoughby’s. It’s one of those places you
love to discover while traveling—tiny but clean establishments with interesting
décor and delicious food. A sign on Willoughby’s front door politely but firmly
informs visitors that “We are NOT open for dinner!” For this reason, the chef
at Willoughby’s makes breakfast and lunch something to remember.
Willoughby’s has all the standard fare: burgers and dogs,
grilled cheese and chicken-fried steak.
In the most recent book, Carly,the woman who served Lena on her first visit to the diner, is now expecting, and wears and apron that says “Bun on the oven.” She has not lost a beat, though, because she has that remarkable blend of dexterity, kindness and courage that marks the truly good member of a diner wait staff.
Since book three takes place in the warm spring months, Lena
is treated to a special surprise on the back patio of the diner: their summer garden
has opened early, and better than that, she and her friend Belinda are able to
snag seating near the fountain:
“The
fountain was an antique shop find that the owner, Frank Attenborough, had
placed in one corner of his brick-lined patio and refurbished to its original
splendor. It was . . . circular stone . . . with a playful cherub frolicking in
its center. Frank, who had a green thumb, had trailed ivy over the stone and
tucked pots of bright geraniums and hydrangeas around the base. The sound of
the sprinkling water was a restful accompaniment to the muted chatter of the
people dining outdoors.
Belinda
and I made our way outside, where the garden paradise was indeed filled with
people, although we barely noticed our human companions on the patio. Frank and
his wife, Deana, had outdone themselves this year, and for a moment we just
stood in the doorway, breathing and letting the beauty invade us. Deana had
done her usual job of scouring antique malls for gorgeous or unusual planters,
and this year she had gone for earthenware pots in distinctive colors like red
and deep gray and forest green. Into these Frank had planted a bright, sunny
mixture of yellow blooms—yellow capsicums, orange marigolds, calendula,
nasturtiums, orange chard, and cosmos. Mixed with these were purple-toned
plants and bright green herbs with their variegated leaves. The color came from
sages, purple basil, thyme, eggplant, beetroot, lavender, violet, geranium,
viola, and petunia. As always, Frank had dedicated himself to the arrangement,
probably for days, before he opened the patio. Rumor had it that he hired a
high schooler each summer just to weed and keep the garden perfect.”
For the summer garden, the food, the friendly
staff, and many other less-definable
reasons, Willoughby’s is a special place, a wonderful fictional escape with
delicious food and warm hospitality—the sort of place I love to discover when
traveling.
Guest Julia is happy to offer a copy of A Dark and Twisting Path to someone who leaves a response to the question below (please include your email so she can contact you if you win).
Guest Julia is happy to offer a copy of A Dark and Twisting Path to someone who leaves a response to the question below (please include your email so she can contact you if you win).
Have you been to diners like this, full of
good food and local whimsy?
About the book: Writer's apprentice Lena London is happily working on a new collaboration
with her idol and bestselling suspense novelist and friend Camilla Graham, but
her joy is short-lived when a dark cloud descends upon the quaint town of Blue
Lake, Indiana...
Lena's best friend, Allison, is in a panic. On a walk in the woods by her home, Allison discovers the body of her mail carrier, an argumentative man who recently had a falling out with Allison's husband. Lena quickly realizes that Allison has nothing to worry about as the murder weapon points to a different suspect altogether: Lena's embattled boyfriend, Sam West.
Sam was cleared of his wife's murder when she was found alive, and now someone is trying to make him look guilty again. Surveillance video of a break-in at his house shows a shadowy figure trying to incriminate him by stealing the weapon from his desk. Lena and Camilla work on a suspect list, but a threatening note and a violent intrusion at Graham House prove that the devious killer has decided to write them into the plot.
Lena's best friend, Allison, is in a panic. On a walk in the woods by her home, Allison discovers the body of her mail carrier, an argumentative man who recently had a falling out with Allison's husband. Lena quickly realizes that Allison has nothing to worry about as the murder weapon points to a different suspect altogether: Lena's embattled boyfriend, Sam West.
Sam was cleared of his wife's murder when she was found alive, and now someone is trying to make him look guilty again. Surveillance video of a break-in at his house shows a shadowy figure trying to incriminate him by stealing the weapon from his desk. Lena and Camilla work on a suspect list, but a threatening note and a violent intrusion at Graham House prove that the devious killer has decided to write them into the plot.
Julia Buckley lives in
the Chicago area. She writes two mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime—The
Writer’s Apprentice series (seen above), and the Undercover Dish series. She
teaches high school English and journalism and spends her spare time writing,
painting landscapes, hanging out with her husband and two sons, and watching
things on Netflix (or wrangling her menagerie of four cats and one giant dog).
A DARK AND TWISTING PATH can be found on shelves now, or on Amazon: tinyurl.com/y7ws2q6u
For more details, visit her website here.
(All photos from Pixabay, a free image site).
