Tag Archive for: Debra Sennefelder

Interview with Debra Sennefelder

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 by Bethany Maines

Bethany Maines

Debra Sennefelder

Part of being a collective blog group is that we have many fantastic members that I’ve never met in person and aside from the sparkling repartee on group email threads (trust me we’re brilliant), we often don’t get a chance to interact with each other.  So this month, I’m taking the opportunity to get to know one of my Stiletto Gang members – Debra Sennefelder. Debra has nicely agreed to sit down and answer a few questions to let us into her writing bubble. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as I have.


Q: What do you write?

I write cozy mysteries. I have two series, The Food Blogger
Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series both published by
Kensington Publishers.

Q: Plotter or Pantser?

I’m a plotter. I like to have a detailed outline completed
when I sit down to write the first draft. My working outline (it’s not as
pretty as the one I send to my editor) can include snippets of dialogue, a
little description, links for research. While it may be long (sometimes thirty
plus pages), it’s not carved in stone, so changes can happen while I’m writing
the manuscript. Sometimes I find that a scene falls flat and doesn’t move the
story forward, sometimes inspiration sparks and I add or rework scenes,
sometimes I add a new character.

Q: What is your go-to relaxation
read?

My go-to relaxation read is a fashion magazine. Always has
been.

Q: Favorite authors or your most
favorite recent read?

I have way too many favorite authors to list. So, let me tell
you what I just finished reading. It was Three Single Wives by Gina LaManna.

Q: And of course, I would be remiss
if I didn’t ask… what are your favorite shoes?

I bought a pair of Sam Edelman black leather pumps a couple
of years ago and I love them. They’re a classic that pairs perfectly with jeans
or a dress.

Connect with Debra!

Connect with Bethany!

BETHANY NEWS UPDATE:

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***

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her
daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

Clicking Our Heels – Summer Vacation Preferences

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CLICKING OUR
HEELS – SUMMER VACATION PREFERENCES

Can you
believe summer is almost over? Three more days and no more white shoes or white
pants! Before summer ends, the Stiletto Gang members thought we’d share our favorite
summer vacations – indoors/outdoors, beach/mountains, or staycation.

Debra H.
Goldstein:  The Beach! Something
about the white capped swirling water and glistening sand is my nirvana.

Anita Carter:
Definitely outdoors. One of my favorite vacations was when my husband and I
traveled to Hawaii for 10 days. We island hopped. We had the best time at the
beach and hiking through the mountains and around the volcanos. I’d love to go
again.

T.K. Thorne:
I have to see the ocean regularly or something inside doesn’t get fed. Also, I
live on a mountain, so I get my tree and fresh air fix every day.

Debra
Sennefelder: Staycation. I really don’t like summer weather. I much prefer
air conditioning.

Kathryn Lane:
My husband and I spend the summers in the mountains of northern New Mexico near
Taos, where we enjoy outdoor adventures as well as watching wildlife drift by
from our cabin deck.

Dru Ann Love:
I like sightseeing various locations, so outdoors. Staycations are good as well.

Kathleen
Kaska:  It’s the beach for me –
anytime.

Robin
Hillyer-Miles: Beach or staycation!

Lois Winston:
I much prefer a warm getaway in the winter, but I’m not a beach person. I love
exploring museums, ancient sites, and foreign cities.

Linda
Rodriguez: Anymore, I’m a stay-at-home person most of the time, thanks to
health issues. In summer, you’ll find me inside in the air conditioning or
sitting on my spacious porch, spinning or knitting and chatting with my
neighbors.

Shari
Randall: I’m a culture vulture, so I’d love to somewhere with great museums
and theater. I live near a beach, so I’ll admit it, I’m spoiled.

Mary Lee
Ashford: My summer vacation preference would be outdoors with a beach and a
book! Staycations are fun but since I’ve been working from home since March
2020, I am more than ready to see some walls that aren’t my own.

Gay Yellen:
Mountains. Hiking in a cool mountain forest is the best break from summer in
the city.

Lynn McPherson: I love the beach and the mountains. I’m home most of the
time so when vacation time rolls around I’m ready to go explore new places.

Cathy Perkins: What is a vacation these days? When I can travel again, definitely the beach!

My Favorite Corn Muffin Recipe

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By Debra Sennefelder
As I’m writing this post, I am in the second draft of the fifth Food Blogger mystery manuscript. It’s during this phase of the writing process that I make the final decision on which recipes will be included with the book. This means, my mind is thinking about food. A lot. Which means, I’m struggling not to be distracted because I want to get into the kitchen and whip up something. But I have to be a good writer and stay BICHOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard).

Well, I managed to sneak out of the study. 🙂

I had a craving for a muffin and since it’s summer, I baked a batch of corn muffins. I know, corn muffins are seasonless but there’s something about these muffins that makes me think of summer. A Longenberger basket, overflowing with muffins, set out on the patio table with sweet butter or strawberry preserves is how I love to start a morning. Especially a Sunday morning. Now writing this, it seems like my corn muffins have a lot of rules around them. Oh, well.

I thought today I’d share my recipe with you. It’s easy and they are tasty. So I hope you enjoy if you decide to bake your own batch. 

Since I’ve shared what is one of my favorite muffins, I’m curious to know what yours is.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup low-fat milk

1/2 cup salted butter, melted

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Combine the eggs and milk and mix lightly.

Pour the melted butter and milk mixture into the dry ingredients at the same time and mix until just blended.

Spray a 12-cup pan with cooking spray and evenly distribute the batter among the cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.

Let cool, then serve.

Enjoy!




Debra Sennefelder is the
author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series.
She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking,
exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch
with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.

My Shih-Tzu Doesn’t Care About My To-Do List

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By Debra Sennefelder

The struggle is real people. Little Connie (who turns a year old this month)
doesn’t give two-licks about my to-do list. Just look at her. Does she look
like she’s concerned about any of my deadlines?

The correct answer is “no”.

I had copy edits due. I have an outline to write as well as a manuscript.
I have social media posts to write. Oh, and a two releases coming up soon.

I try to explain this to her but all I get in return is pure silliness.

And I couldn’t be happier!

Since she came home last October, she’s been a great reminder to stop and take a breath. Or, in her case a long walk.
There’s also a mid-day game of tossing the ball around or paying tug o’ war
with a stretchy toy. My little pup is a ball of energy.

i get through my to-do list and meet my deadlines thanks to
organizing and prioritizing my work. I rely heavily on a paper planner to track
all my due dates and assigning specific tasks throughout the day. My system
isn’t perfect. I’m still looking to tweak it more so that my time spent working
is more productive which will give me more time for silliness with my pup. I
admit, I can’t resist that face!

Since I’ve surrendered to all that cuteness, I’ve also learned to be more flexible with my work day schedule to allow for breaks and I’ve brushed off an old time management tool – the Pomodoro Method. It’s where I work for 20 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. The first week I started using the Pomodoro Method, I hit my goal of 10,000 new words. Week 2, I got the same result. Prior to using the method, I was struggling to hit half that number, and that wasn’t working for my deadline.

I think what the method gave me was the ability to look at all the work I had to do as 20 minute chunks. Rather than think “I have 2,000 words to write today”, I could simply sit down for 20 minutes and write. A few sessions later, I had my word count, my emails answered, Connie tuckered out and laundry done. 

I’ d love to know what is your biggest distraction during your day and how have you handled it.

Debra Sennefelder is the
author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series.
She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking,
exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch
with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.

My Novella Has A Cover

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By Debra Sennefelder

Last month I shared how I came to create Kelly Quinn, the main character in my Resale Boutique Mystery series. At the time I was reading the proof pages of Kelly’s upcoming novella, WHAT TO WEAR TO A GRAVEYARD and this month I have the cover!

How the cover comes to be is team effort between me and my editor. I provide him with my ideas for the cover. For my Food Blogger Mystery series we tend to depict a scene from the book on the cover. For the Resale Boutique Mystery series, we usually select an outfit as the primary focus of the cover and the cover of the novella is a combination of both types of covers. It shows the scene where Kelly finds the pup and the boots that were definitely a hindrance to her walking around the graveyard. 

This Resale Boutique mystery is set at Halloween and Kelly Quinn
finds herself drawn into a dognapping turned murder while she’s scouting
a location for a photo shoot to boost her boutique’s online presence.
There she discovers the missing pup, who has a hefty reward thanks to
his socialite owner.

Kelly’s
looking forward to collecting the check—until she makes a gruesome
discovery in an abandoned farmhouse: The dog’s owner, stabbed through
the heart.

Kelly learns that hidden in the dead woman’s past is a
secret that could be the motive for the murder. And as a Halloween
party gets started, even a menacing clown and a threatening bearded lady
can’t keep Kelly from trick or treating for the truth—even if it means
her last dance . . .

The novella, which will be released only in
ebook format at this time, is available for preorder and will be
released on Sept.8, 2020 (retails sites say 9/15 because they haven’t
been updated with the new date).

Writing this story combined so
many of the things I love – fashion, Halloween, autumn and a pup named
Billy. I decided to base the dog in the story on my beloved Billy, who
passed away last September at 14. But he’ll live forever in our hearts
and in this story. Love how he’s peeking out from behind the gravestone.




I admit, I’m a sucker for a cover and I’ve made many, many purchases based solely on the cover. What about you? Will an amazing cover get you to make an impulse buy?

The Making of Kelly Quinn

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 By Debra Sennefelder

 I’ve just finished reading the proof pages of my upcoming novella in my Resale Boutique series, WHAT NOT TO WEAR TO A GRAVEYARD, which meant I got to spend a little more time with fashionista-turned-amateur sleuth Kelly Quinn. She’s a hoot to write and
I’m so grateful that somehow, someway the nugget of her character
graced me one day allowing me to create (in my opinion) a fun,
multi-dimensional, strong female character.

 One question I get a lot is how stories and characters come to me.
Sometimes a story idea hits me as a character goes looking for a missing
dog and then finds the dog’s owner dead –murdered. Sometimes a
character idea hits me like I want to write about a food blogger.
Whatever the first spark of an idea, I think about all the what if’s and build a plot and populating the story with characters.

 For the Resale Boutique Mystery series, Kelly came to me several
years ago when I wrote a short-story on a snowy weekend. Back then Kelly
had a different name and was tracking down a missing dog only to
discover the dog’s owner dead – murdered. Five-thousand words later I
typed THE END and sent it off to my critique partner. My plan
was to submit the short story to an anthology. After polishing the
manuscript, I emailed it off and waited. And I waited some more. Then
the email came and I kind of wished I was still waiting. It was a very
polite rejection.

Yes, the rejection was disappointing, but I was busy with work and
writing a romantic suspense novel so I dusted myself off and moved on.
The short story remained in a file on my computer and in the summer of
2017 I pulled out the short story and revamped it for a proposal to send
to my editor at Kensington for a new cozy series.

Kelly got her new name and a new career and then the devastating news
her beloved grandmother had died. She then found out she inherited the
tired, old consignment shop she spent so much time in as a child before
leaving Lucky Cove to attend fashion school in New York City. I
continued plotting the story and filling Lucky Cove with its residents.

First up is Pepper Donovan. She’s been the only employee at the Lucky
Cove Consignment shop for over twenty years. She worked side-by-side
with Kelly’s grandmother and they became the closest of friends. Pepper
is having a hard time understanding why Kelly wants to change things in
the store.

There’s Kelly’s uncle, Ralph Blake. He was named the executor of the
estate by his mother. Ralph expected to inherit the shop, which sits on
prime real estate in Lucky Cove and would sell for a very nice sum.
Lucky Cove is a quaint Long Island town that’s not as flashy as the
Hamptons but still draws very wealthy and successful Manhattanites
during the summer months.

We also meet Ralph’s most-recent wife, Summer. She’s a
model-turned-Pilates studio owner and can’t understand why her adopted
hometown needs a thrift store.

Luckily Kelly has her best friend, Liv Moretti, to lean on when
things get out-of-control when Kelly is dragged into a murder
investigation which begins with a psychic claiming one garment in the
shop was worn during a murder. Word spreads quickly in Lucky Cove and
business, which wasn’t good to begin with, plunges.

Writing Kelly was a fun departure from writing Hope Early, the
protagonist in my Food Blogger Mystery series. She’s in her
mid-twenties, whereas Hope is in her thirties. She doesn’t have the
comforting support of her family like Hope has and returning to her
hometown was the last thing she ever thought she would do whereas Hope
always knew she’d be back in the place where she started. What they
share is having their careers derailed, humiliating firings and a
deep-seated need to seek justice for those who can’t. Oh, and one more
thing, they each have a very cute guy that they heart.

I’m happy to share that the short story that had been rejected turned into the novella that is releasing in September. I guess things do happen for a reason. 🙂

Thank you for spending a few minutes with me today. I truly appreciate it!

Debra Sennefelder is the
author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series.
She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking,
exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch
with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.

The Joy of Waiting

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By Debra Sennefelder

I’ve done self-care unconsciously for a long time but I never really knew it was self-care. They were things I enjoyed doing and they had a bonus of helping clear my head and lowering my stress level. The activities I found most beneficial were workouts, my skincare rituals and making time to bake/and or read. I’m realizing now that it’s important to intentionally make time for self-care rather than let it find you. 

Engaging in self-care activities can sometimes be challenging because we’re all on tight schedules. We’re juggling work, family, volunteering and probably a side hustle. So finding the time to give ourselves a much-needed break and recharge our batteries is almost impossible. I know. I felt the same way in January.


I had three crushing deadlines and a puppy who still needed close observation (it’s amazing how much trouble she could get into) when I finally gave myself permission for a break. The opportunity to meet a friend for lunch presented itself and I accepted. I told myself going out to lunch would be a nice change from whipping up a protein shake and also a good thing for our puppy because she needed to get used to being home alone.

But since I wanted to be as efficient as possible, I ran a couple of errands before lunch and got the restaurant ten minutes early. I ordered a coffee and pulled out my phone to read. It had been weeks since I had the chance to read for pleasure so those ten minutes were greatly welcomed. I checked my watch and saw it was one o’clock and my friend wasn’t there yet. I continued drinking my coffee and enjoying my book. Ten minutes later she showed up. Turns out, her medical appointment ran late and she apologized.

I told her she had nothing to be apologize for and I meant it. I got twenty minutes of quiet time where I didn’t have to think or write or play tug of war. No, I was able to read. Not only did I get to read, but I also got to decompress and let my racing thoughts (I find that when I’m writing a book my mind is constantly churning over ideas and dialogue snippets) settle.  It was magical. 

Normally I’m irritated when I have to wait. I make it a point to be on time so when I have to wait for someone I do get a little annoyed. But that January afternoon I found the joy in waiting. I also found that self-care doesn’t have to be an hour-long workout or a soak in the tub, it can be sitting quietly in a restaurant focused on a book.

Do you have a favorite self-care routine? What helps recharge your batteries?


Debra Sennefelder is the
author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series.
She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking,
exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch
with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.

The Big Planner Shake-Up

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By Debra Sennefelder
What happened at the beginning of January was an
unprecedented shake-up in how I plan my life. And it all started in the latter
part of 2019.
There was a post on Facebook. A fellow author was
looking for suggestions for planners. Like us all, she was looking to get a
head start on organizing 2020. I commented that I’d been using an Erin Condren
Life Planner for two years, but I intended to go back to my six-ring A5
DayRunner.
After careful consideration, I decided to go back to
the A5 because I wanted the flexibility of being able to organize the planner
how I wanted it. And I wanted more space to write my to-do tasks for each day.
With the decision made, I ordered
new inserts for the A5. As soon as the inserts arrived I began noting all my
deadlines, birthdays, appointments, etc. Everything was good.
So, I thought.
Something started not to feel right with the A5. My
first thought was maybe it was due to the texture of the binder. For some it
may not be a big deal, but since I handle my planner multiple times during the
day, how it feels in my hands is essential to me. I then thought maybe I was
over the black cover. Perhaps a pop of color would be nicer and more visually
appealing. The temptation to buy a new A5 was strong, but I held strong. The DayRunner was good enough.
So, I thought.
In early January, I signed up for a free online
workshop on how to go paperless. During the class, I learned some tricks on how
to go partially paperless (some papers just can’t be scanned and shredded). One
of the recommendations was a to-do list app. This was new to me and I decided
to give it a try.
With the app downloaded to my phone, I began using it.
After a week, I realized the app wouldn’t work for me because once a task was
completed, it was deleted from the list. I’m one of those people who need to
cross off tasks from a list and be able to see what I’ve accomplished at the
end of the day. While the app didn’t work for me, it did introduce me to using
my phone as a part of my planning process. Which led me to my Google calendar.
Yet again.
I’d tried using the Google calendar before, and it
never clicked. Until now.
I planned out the whole month of January. Color-coding
the tasks was a nice perk. And I got
into the habit of opening up the calendar in the morning right after my morning
pages were completed. What I’d been craving in my “planner” was the ability to
look at the monthly spread without having to page back and forth all the time
in the A5 or EC. Sure, I could have a wall calendar, but then I have to take it
down and write in the task, then put it back up, and for me, it becomes visual
clutter on the wall. The Google calendar was working for me. Finally.
But there was still a piece of the puzzle missing.
While the Google calendar gave me a view of the month, I was missing the daily
planning. All the things I need to do from laundry to outlining to walking
Connie. Yes, I know there’s a daily view feature in the Google calendar, but I
prefer to write these lists down so I can cross of all the completed tasks.
I gave some thought, and I ordered a new planner from
Amazon. It’s bigger than a personal size Filofax but smaller than an A5, and it
has a page for every day. This gives me plenty of space to write my lists, group my to-do
actions into categories if I want to, jot down ideas that pop into my head.
Since I don’t use the monthly spread for planning, I use it to track my
workouts. It’s awesome.
Finally, between the Google calendar and my new daily
planner, I have the perfect planning system for 2020. I know this because I
feel calmer when it comes to my to-do’s, and I’m getting things done without
feeling scattered or overwhelmed.
Most of the time, a shake-up can be a negative experience, but
this time it was a gift. I trusted myself enough to let go of what I’ve clung
to for years, and it’s been one of the best things I’ve done so far in 2020.
I’m curious. Do you use a physical planner? A digital
planner? Or, a hybrid like me?
Debra Sennefelder is the
author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series.
She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking,
exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch
with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.

New author on the block

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 By Debra Sennefelder

Hello Stiletto Gang!
This is an awesome way to start the new year. I’m so thrilled to be a new member of the Stiletto Gang.
I’ve spent weeks trying to
compose the perfect first blog post and I’ve come up empty. I finally realized
I was putting way too much pressure on myself because the perfect blog post
doesn’t exist. When I finally let go of what I thought I should do, I came up with an idea. Actually, it’s a freakin’ brilliant idea (yeah, I’m
biased) and a reminder that I kind of know myself very well.
I love lists. I love seeing everything I need to do nicely organized vertically. There’s nothing
more satisfying than having a list of tasks to complete and marking them off
one by one. So, with this snippet of information I decided to write up a list
of things you should know about me since we’ll be hanging out together once a
month. It’s kind of like a little cheat sheet of who Debra Sennefelder is.
Ready?
This list isn’t in any particular
order.
1 – I’m the author of two
mystery series and my publisher is Kensington. I write the Food Blogger and the
Resale Boutique mystery series.
2 – I have a book releasing
tomorrow!!! (I’m really excited, can you tell?) SILENCED IN SEQUINS is the
second book in the Resale Boutique mystery series.
3 – I’m a former food
blogger.
4 – I have a writing newish companion  and she rides shotgun.
Her name is Connie and she’s a six-month-old Shih-Tzu.
5 – I love to exercise. Yes,
seriously. It helps me clear my head and allows for recipe testing of yummy treats
for the Food Blogger books. I used to have over 100 DVDs. Now that’s been paired down as I stream workouts more these days.


6 – I was born and raised in
New York City, which leads into #7.
7 – I love New York pizza.
8 – I majored in my hobby –
buying. Fashion Buying and Merchandising to be exact.
9 – I have naturally curly
hair which means I’m always on the hunt for the perfect hair care product.
10 – I am a full-time author.
11 – I have two more books
releasing this year. A novella in the Resale Boutique series and a full-length novel
in the Food Blogger series.
12 – I love to cook and bake.
My favorite thing to bake is anything chocolate.
13 – I am a struggling gardener. No green thumb here.
14 – I’m a print planner gal.
I love my Filofax.
15 – My new favorite show
this season is Evil. That show creeps me out and I love it.
16 – My favorite season is autumn.
I’m definitely a pumpkin-spice-everything kind of gal.
17 – I marched in the Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade when I worked in their buying office. I was a dancing
turkey. And it was the first year in over 40 years it snowed on Thanksgiving day. Yeah, fun times.
18 – I’m a detailed plotter
when it comes to writing my books. 
19 – I love the Real Housewives
shows. They were an influence when I wrote SILENCED IN SEQUINS.

20 – I believe the higher the
heel, the closer to God.
So, there you have it. Twenty
things about me. Now it’s your turn. That’s right. I’d love to meet you, so
please say “hi” in the comments and/or share a factoid about yourself. Do we
have anything in common? I’d love to know.
Before I wrap this post up,
I want to thank the Stiletto Gang for the opportunity to join this amazing group of authors. I’d also like to mention that if you’re interested in SILENCED IN SEQUINS you’ll find more information about the book here.

Debra Sennefelder is the
author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series.
She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking,
exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch
with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.

Why I Love Writing About a Food Blogger

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Special Guest Post by Debra Sennefelder




I’m so excited to be here today to share with you the three reasons why I love writing about a food blogger. There’s a piece of advice that new writers hear repeatedly and that is to write what you know. It makes sense on so many levels, and when I sat down to write the first Food Blogger mystery, I knew I wanted it to be culinary-themed, but I wasn’t sure what Hope’s job would be. Then it hit me – she’s a food blogger. Now, three books later, there’s no doubt in my mind that I chose the right career for Hope.
So why did I chose to make Hope a food blogger?
The first reason is that I know the job inside and out. Nine years ago, I launched a food blog with a handful of recipes, a few cookbooks I loved and wanted to review and a desire to do something different.
I found a community of bloggers, spent my nights and weekends cooking, baking, and photographing. It was a lot of work, especially since I had no photography skills. But I loved the blog, and whenever I got a new comment, I was so excited. Fast forward to 2015 when I sat down to write the first Food Blogger mystery. I understood what Hope would be juggling, how she had to balance her personal life with her public life on her blog, and how she had to hustle to earn money. Back when she started her blog, ads were her primary income producer. Now she has created her own e-products to sell to her readers, and she’s doing sponsored posts for brands, plus some other things to earn her living.
The next reason I love writing about a food blogger is the behind-the-scenes tasks that go on when writing the book. Keeping up to date on all things blogging is fun, but what’s crazy fun is developing the recipes for the books. This is a perk I love because the kitchen is my favorite room in our home and I get to whip up yummy meals and desserts all in the name of writing. By the way, my neighbors and friends love it when I’m working on recipes for upcoming books.
 Another reason why I enjoy writing these books is that I get to explore the relationship between Hope and her readers/followers, and it intrigues me. I don’t want to say too much about this because I intend to explore this dynamic in a future book. However, what I can say today is that I’m fascinated by the new relationships we’re developing online. Hope has thousands of followers, and because with each post/recipe, she shares her life, her home and her loved ones (with their permission of course) her readers feel like they know her. Now, not every reader will love her, but maybe a few may love her too much. Either way, it’s a fascinating dynamic to explore.
One of the great things about the cozy genre is that we get to learn about different careers and hobbies through those books. With my background, I’m able to sprinkle little details about Hope’s job and hopefully give readers a glimpse of what it looks like to have a food blog.
Bio:
Debra Sennefelder loves to read – mystery books being her biggest passion. When she is not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and is a former food blogger. Born and raised in New York City, she now resides in Connecticut with her family. She is the author of the Food Blogger and Resale Boutique Mystery Series.



Links:
FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE: Debra Sennefelder Author Page
About THREE WIDOWS AND A CORPSE: Third book in the Food Blogger Mystery series available on October 29, 2019.
Food blogger Hope Early finds one item not on her scavenger hunt list—a dead husband . . .

Between developing her food blog, Hope at Home, and choosing low-cal recipes for a feature in Cooking Now! magazine, Hope has a full plate. Still, she’s never too busy to compete in a Jefferson, Connecticut, tradition—the town’s annual scavenger hunt.

But as she races with her team to check off the next item, Hope discovers a grisly surprise—the body of shady real estate developer Lionel Whitcomb, shot in a parking lot. His wife Elaine, who’s also in the hunt, gasps and nearly faints. But two other women on the scene cry out that their husband is dead.

It turns out this louse of a spouse was more than a little lax in legally divorcing his former wives. Did one of them put a bullet in the bigamist? Number one suspect and number three wife Elaine begs Hope to investigate. Now Hope is on a new kind of hunt—for a cold-hearted killer and triple widow-maker . . .

Includes Recipes from Hope’s Kitchen!

Question for Readers: What was the career/hobby that you’ve read about in a cozy mystery that unexpectedly piqued your interest and you wanted to learn more about it?