To say that I’m tickled to guest blog here today would be an understatement. When I saw Jenn’s Tweet about reviewing all the White House Chef Mysteries on her blog this week, I thanked her and she invited me to visit.
First off – thank you, Jenn, for reading and reviewing Ollie’s adventures. I have so much fun writing for executive chef, Ollie, and the gang at the White House. In the book that just came out, Buffalo West Wing, Ollie is dealing with a change in administration. As you may know, she got along famously with the First Lady in books 1, 2, and 3. This time, however, a new First Family has come to live at 1600 Pennsylvania, and Ollie is desperate to win them over. But that’s kinda hard to do when she keeps getting into trouble…
One of my favorite things about reading is being immersed in the world the author has created for me to enjoy. And when I’m writing I lose myself just as easily. Whether it’s Ollie’s, or Grace’s (Manor House Mysteries) adventure, I often feel as though I’m not actually writing, as much as I am channeling the characters’ stories that play out in my head. Love it.
Being immersed in Ollie’s world has had an enormous impact on my personal life. Since beginning the White House Chef Mysteries, I’ve gotten far more interested in cooking than I ever had been. I watch Top Chef, Iron Chef, Ace of Cakes, and Throwdown with Bobby Flay among many others. No one here at home saw this new fascination coming, but I’m delighted that it did. I do a great deal of research to get my White House details just right and even though I don’t come up with the recipes in the book myself, I’m eager to get my food details just right, too. I’m very fortunate to have a “ghost chef,” who is an absolute delight to work with.
Several of my author friends (Avery Aames, Sheila Connolly, Cleo Coyle, Krista Davis, Mary Jane Maffini, Elizabeth Spann Craig, Wendy Lyn Watson) and I are members of MysteryLoversKitchen.com, where we blog every day – sharing recipes, book news, funny stories and more. If you haven’t stopped by, please do. It’s a welcoming community and we’d love to have you in our kitchen. Oh, and we have contests, of course. In fact, I’ll be announcing a new one today!
Thank you, Jenn, for allowing me to say hello to your readers. This is a wonderful blog. The best books I’ve ever read have been those recommended to me by people I trust. Thank you for being such a great friend to readers everywhere!
Best always,
Julie
Thank you so much Julie for stopping by!
Be sure to check out Julie’s website & blog for more information about her & the other books she’s written.
Tags: Author Guest Post
Twitter: RaeOhio
says:
I’m really looking forward to starting this series over the weekend : )
Thanks for sharing with us Julie…oh and I’m a fan of those cooking shows, too, especially Top Chef!
Twitter: thebirdsistersgmail.com
says:
I am so excited to read these books — and so excited to hear from the author herself. I am definitely going to check out her blog right now. Thank you
OK, I picked up books 2 and 4 at Barnes and Noble today. I’ve read the first book in the series and am looking forward to the next 3. Julie, thanks for stopping by and letting us in on a bit of your writing life.
Janet – Those cooking shows are addictive, aren’t they? I watched four Top Chef episodes yesterday with my daughter. Thanks for your kind words. I hope you enjoy meeting Ollie.
Rebecca – hope you enjoyed the blog. We have a lot of fun putting our posts together and coordinating contests. I’m very lucky to be part of that group!
Kay – my pleasure. Thanks for picking up the books. Let me know what you think. I love hearing from readers!
White House Chef Mystery series is one of my favorites. I enjoy watching Ollie get involved and nosey. I can’t wait to read GRACE UNDER PRESSURE. It’s on the nightstand waiting patiently.
Received my bookmarks, thank you!
Twitter: BethFishReads
says:
Fun guest post. I am a foodie and I love cozies, so I’m really looking forward to starting the White House series.
Oh and now you’ve gone and told me about another blog to add to my reader. It sounds like something I’m going to enjoy.
I’m on the second one in the series and loving the series so far. Please talk to your publishers regarding e-books. I’ve purchased the first three for my Nook but unfortunately Buffalo West Wing is not available in Nook format yet. I’m hoping it turns up at B&N soon! I also checked out mystery lovers kitchen and will be adding that blog to my blog reader. Thanks again!
Hi Vickie – Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy Grace’s adventure as well. I had a lot of fun coming up with Marshfield Mansion.
Beth – Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen is a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to “seeing” you there!
Trish – Thank you! Weirdest thing — BWW is available as a Nookbook, despite what it says on the BN paperback site. For some reason they haven’t linked the two versions and I’m getting a lot of email about that. It’s available here:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Buffalo-West-Wing/Julie-Hyzy/e/9781101476703/?itm=4&USRI=hyzy
I’m hoping the publisher corrects the “not available as Nookbook” link on the BN site soon! Thanks for alerting me!
Thanks – I followed your link to B&N and bought it. Although I’m only on the second one but I know I’m going to read all four. Also, many thanks for keeping your e-books at a reasonable price. It made it easy to buy all four!
Thanks, Trish. I’m *very* happy the books are priced where they are, but I can’t take credit for that. Penguin sets those prices for me and I have no say so. I love being in paperback, though. So great!