Please Welcome Avery Aames, Author of the Cheese Shop Mysteries

Be sure to leave a comment with your email address. Avery will be sending out to three lucky winners the first two books of her Cheese Shop series: The Long Quiche Goodbye and Lost and Fondue.

Avery Aames is the Agatha award wining, nationally bestselling author of The Cheese Shop Mystery series, which launched in 2010 with The Long Quiche Goodbye. The latest Cheese Shop Mystery is Clobbered by Camembert (Cheese Shop Mystery book 3). The Cheese Shop Mystery series follows cheese shop owner Charlotte Bessette as she dishes up tasty morsels of goodness while solving the murders that threaten to the peace and charm of the quaint fictional town of Providence, Ohio.

Avery's Website: http://www.averyaames.com/



Her Blogs:
http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/
http://killercharacters.com/

About her Latest Cheese Shop Mystery - Clobbered by Camembert

Charlotte Bessette—proprietor of Le Petit Fromagerie, affectionately known in Providence, Ohio, as the Cheese Shop—is busy setting up her tent for the town’s Winter Wonderland faire, where she’ll offer fine wines and scrumptious cheeses. In the midst of the preparations, Charlotte meets an old friend of her mother, Kaitlyn Clydesdale, who has come back to Providence with plans to start a new honeybee farm.When Kaitlyn is found dead in the cottage of Charlotte’s assistant Rebecca, suspicion falls on Rebecca’s boyfriend, a honeybee farmer himself. Charlotte knows this beekeeper wouldn’t hurt a fly, so she decides to find the real killer. While the town buzzes with gossip, can Charlotte catch the culprit without getting stung herself?

Buy Link: http://www.averyaames.com/book_sellers.html

Now, Avery Will Tell You -

Why a Cheese Shop?

I’m often asked the question, “Why did you set a mystery in a cheese shop?” The answer is pretty simple. The publisher realized there are a lot of foodie mystery readers, and there was a niche that needed filling. No one was writing about cheese. There were mysteries about chocolate, coffee, tea, but no cheese. And cheese was becoming the “in-thing” around the country. The question for me was how could I cook up a tasty and exciting mystery for the reader?

In The Cheese Shop Mysteries, I have made Fromagerie Bessette—what the locals call The Cheese Shop—a hub for gossip. The movement in The Cheese Shop is never static; there are lots of comings and goings and lots of “drama.” Okay, perhaps a little over-the-top drama, but always fun and lively. The quaint, fictional town of Providence is built around a Village Square. The Cheese Shop sits on the southern border and attracts tourists as well as locals. Because the shop is not a one-woman business, the protagonist, Charlotte, (thanks to a well-versed and talented staff) is able to come and go when sleuthing. In addition to the staff, Charlotte has her family to rely upon. Her grandfather, who used to own the store, and her cousin, a former sommelier who is half-owner with Charlotte, are available to take charge on short notice. Because Providence is small, Charlotte knows everyone—the sheriff, the farmers, and all the shop owners.

But locale alone will not make a mystery good, so when creating Charlotte, I wanted to write a character with whom readers could identify and enjoy. I adore Charlotte and her passion. She is not a snoop by nature; she is a fixer. She adores her family and she hates to see anyone suffering or in trouble. In the first book, her grandmother, who happens run the town as well as the acclaimed regional theater, is accused of murder. How can Charlotte not get involved?

What makes writing about a cheese shop fun for me [and hopefully makes reading about a cheese shop enjoyable for readers] is the way cheese stirs the senses. I love the flavors, the textures, and the aromas, and I try to make sure my readers do, via Charlotte and her staff. How about these names for cheese--Truffle Tremor, Roaring 40’s Blue, and Humboldt Fog? In the past year, I have tasted over 200 new cheeses. Now multiply the choices by thousands, worldwide. The way cheesemongers describe these cheeses is soooooo appetizing. At times, I find myself salivating. I kid you not! In addition, I write on a blog, Mystery Lovers Kitchen, with other foodie mystery authors, so I am cooking and testing recipes all the time.

So, “Why a cheese shop?” Why not? Stirring the reader’s senses on multiple levels matters. What makes you read a mystery and what makes you hungry for more?
Avery Aames

PRAISE FOR THE SERIES:

“[A] lovely Tour de Fromage. It’s not Gouda, it’s great!”
—Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author

“A tasty morsel of a mystery.”—Kate Carlisle,
national bestselling author of the Bibliophile mysteries

AND IN THE EXAMINER.COM, Crime Fiction in National review, The Long Quiche Goodbye was included as one of the best books of 2011.
~ http://www.examiner.com/crime-fiction-in-national/year-review-best-books-of-2011-part-2

Don't forget to leave a comment with your email address for Avery to make you eligible in the drawing for the first two books of her series.