Monday, September 28, 2009

WENDY LYN WATSON DELIVERS A COOL MYSTERY TO THE LAIR

Interview with Suzanne

Suz: Welcome to the Bandit, Lair, Wendy. Pull up a barstool and we'll have one of the cabana boys fetch us a margarita. So congratulations on the debut of I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, the first in your cozy mystery series. Please tell everyone what the book is about.

Wendy: Cocktails! Fantastic! Had I known we were having snacks, I would have brought along some of Tally's avocado gelato. Maybe next time ...

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM is about Tally Jones, proprietor of Dalliance, Texas's ice cream parlor, Remember the A-la-mode. With a struggling business, a crumbling historic home, and a motley assortment of family members depending on her, Tally swallows her pride and agrees to provide ice cream for her ex-husband's company luau. But when her ex's arm-candy girlfriend drops dead, Tally finds herself scooping for her life, hoping to find a murderer before she finds herself locked in the hoosegow.

Thankfully, Tally's cousin Bree, Bree's daughter Alice, and Tally's high school beau Finn Harper are all on hand to help her out.

Suz: I've been looking forward to this book since you first announced it at one of our chapter meetings. How did you come up with the concept?

Wendy: Funny you should ask. Normally, I start with a very vivid scene, and the characters and plot flow from that. For I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, though, I started with the hook: ice cream. My agent and I had a brainstorming session, trying to think of ideas for a cozy series, something that I knew about and was passionate about and that people would find relatable. Well, friends, this girl knows food. Cooking it, eating it, reading about it, dreaming about it ... I {puffy heart} food. And the mother of all foods, in my opinion, is ice cream.

As soon as I said the words aloud, Kim and I knew it was the perfect hook for me. And it has been. My husband jokes that he can always tell when I've been writing "ice cream procedural," the passages where Tally is making or eating ice cream, because I get all keyed up and he can't drag me away from the computer.


Suz: Tallulah, "Tally" Jones is the star of this series. She has a lot to overcome, but doesn't come off perfect. How did she first make her appearance to you?

Wendy: Ice cream equals indulgence. It's sensual and luscious and fattening as heck. I wanted a character whose life was the opposite of that. And thus Tally Jones was born. She's all about duty and responsibility and being a good girl and not making a scene. At least on the outside. She's got ice cream in her soul, though, and getting down to that vibrant, raw, passionate person is going to be tons of fun.

Suz: The secondary characters in I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM are a hoot. How do they play a part in Tally's life?

Wendy: Wow. You get right to the heart of the matter, huh?

That's a big theme in the book, how we define ourselves relative to the people around us. My extended family lives in a small town, and everyone is defined by their relationships to one another: "Roberta's boy," or "Junior's ex." We moved around a lot when I was growing up, so for me, those sorts of relationships were largely impermanent; I didn't have a place in some vast interpersonal web, but was mostly floating free. As a result, that small town feel intrigues me.

In this book, I play a lot with that notion of being defined by the people around you, both your relationships to them and their expectations of you. On the one hand, I find that sort of belonging seductive. On the other, I can see how it could be stifling, oppressive. For Tally, it's both.

Gee. Didn't mean to get all heavy, but you really touched on one of the more emotional themes of the book. And while I love to laugh--and hopefully make others laugh, too--I want Tally's story to touch people's hearts, too.

Suz: Speaking of Finn Harper, is there a future romance in the works between him and Tally?

Wendy: LOL! Yes, one of the most delicious threads of the story (to me) is Tally's struggle to define her relationship with her high school boyfriend Finn. When the book begins, she hasn't seen him in nearly two decades, not since she broke his heart in the Tasty-Swirl parking lot on the eve of their high school graduation. When he comes back to town and into her life, he stirs up all sorts of feelings she'd rather not examine too closely.

Do they have a future? Hmmmm. Maybe. Finn and Tally have a lot of past to overcome before they can start thinking about happily ever after. And, well, there might be a competitor for Tally's affections just around the corner .....

Suz: So what's next in the MYSTERY A LA MODE series?

Wendy: SCOOP TO KILL is slated for a July 2010 release. Tally's precocious niece Alice is finishing up her first year at Dickerson College, and when the annual Honor's Day festivities turn bloody, Alice enlists her Aunt Tally's help in solving an ivory tower murder.

Suz: At the end of I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM you have a delicious recipe for "Tally's Tropical Sundaes", which sounds delicious by the way, is this going to be something you do with each book? If so, I can see one dear husband wanting me to buy more books!

Wendy: Trust me, that ginger-lime-coconut sauce is highly addictive (great for dressing up carrot cake, too!). There will be recipes for ice cream goodies in every book, all using store-bought ice cream and all designed so even "can't boil water" cooks can craft something company-worthy.

So dear readers, what is your favorite ice cream and/or toppings? Wendy is going to give away a signed copy of I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM to one lucky commenter.

73 comments:

limecello said...

Hi Wendy, thanks for visiting with us today! Congratulations on the new release :)
I love the title and it fits so well with the story! Before I even knew what it was about my mind defaulted to thinking ice cream. And... I love ice cream.
My favorite flavor ever, is... give it a chance - it sounds weird, but it's artisan ice cream... Strawberry Marscapone at Jeni's Ice Cream. (It's a specialty flavor, sadly. But Jeni's is in Columbus, Ohio - so anyone going to RT 2010 has to stop by and try it!) Or you know, if you're rich - get it shipped to you. http://jenisicecreams.com/index.html

I also like the sorbets there... and I love gelato - Argentinian gelato especially - I tried convincing everyone they had to go to Dolce Zza in Georgetown when RWA was in DC, but I don't think anyone listened to me :(

Heh. I'll stop now - but anyway, I love ice cream. *Good* ice cream.

Linda Henderson said...

Thanks for visiting here today. My favorite ice cream is cherry vanilla. I usually go to Braum's to get it.

Anonymous said...

Congrats Wendy on your new release !! Really great cover too.
My favorite ice cream is the Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monckey. I just luuuuurv this icecream !!!

Helen said...

Congrats limcello have fun with him maybe you should have lots of ice cream for him today.

Great interview Ladies this book sounds so good I love a good mystery and coupled with ice cream who could ask for more.

My favourite ice cream is vanilla (boring I know) but you can add so much to it and change it around,in summer here in Australia I love getting a rockmelon cutting it in half scoop out the seeds and fill the middle with lots of vanilla ice cream yummo and I love banana splits with lots of ice cream and chocolate or strawberry toping and nuts.

I went to the Lindt cafe yesterday and I had waffles with ice cream and lindt chocolate sauce it was heaven.

Congrats on the book Wendy I have added it to my must get list and thank you Suz for inviting Wendy along today

Have FUn
Helen

Lynz Pickles said...

Congrats, lime, and welcome, Wendy. Ah, sweet alliteration.

Ice cream! Yay! What a fantastic topic! And one that's making me hungry. My favourite ice cream is Breyer's double-churned dark chocolate flavour. I discovered it recently and haven't been able to stop thinking about it. It's soooooo good. No toppings needed!

Now, if you'll excuse me, the freezer is telling me it has ice cream and for some reason, I've developed this huge craving for some...

Tawny said...

Wendy - welcome to the Lair. Your story sounds so fun, although quite possibly hazardous to my hips LOL.

I'm a big fan of ice cream toppings. Possibly a bigger topping fan than actual ice cream fan. My fave would be caramel, quickly followed by whipped cream, nuts then hot fudge.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

oooooooooooo, Lime...where exactly in Columbus? I'm headed there on Thrusday to visit my parents. I'd love to take my neice for a scoop!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Linda! My favorite at Braums is simply chocolate chip. Sort of one step above vanilla. :)

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Emmanuelle! Would you believe I've never tried ANY Ben&Jerry's? Honest to goodness! But I do like BlueBelle Moosecrunch...it has chunks of chocolate and chunks of caramel along with pecans and almonds. mmmmmmmmmm I always buy the smallest container, coz any bigger would put me in a coma, I'm sure!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey lime, I forgot to congratulate you on snagging the Golden Rooster today! Make him behave...or no ice cream for him!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Helen!

What the heck is Rockmelon? What does it taste like? Cantelope or watermelon?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Lynz! You and my husband would have to fight over the chocolate. It's always his favorite.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Morning, Tawny!

I have a confession to make. The entire time I was reading I, SCREAM, YOU, SCREAM I was craving ice cream...

chocolate chip with hot fudge sauce
Baskin Robbins Pralines and Cream
Watermelon sorbet
Homemade brand chunky peanut butter with hot fudge sauce

Oh yeah. The very next day I was buying ice cream at the grocers!

Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews said...

Congrats Wendy on your new release!

I love the cover of "I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM"! Oh this sounds like a book I would love to read!

My favorite ice scream are mint chocolate chip, Rocky Road and parfaits with chocolate sauce and nuts.

mariska said...

Hi Wendy,
Congrats on the release! My favorite ice cream flavours are chocolate chips and vanila with various topping (i usually invented them *g*, you know sliced of berries, bananas, chopped of peanuts or oreo biscuits) yummy!
Mariska

Anna Campbell said...

Wow, Wendy, that sounds like some series you're serving up to us. Fabulous! Suz, thanks so much for bringing these books to my attention. I love cozy mysteries and these sound like doozies. I particularly relate to the food thing - sadly for my clothes size!

Hmm, favorite ice-creams? Now that's really tough. At the moment, I love mint Magnums. They're a really creamy ice-cream down here with a Belgian chocolate coating and for some reason the mint is just absolutely right for dessert. Yum! Oh, and I don't think you can go past a hot chocolate fundge sundae. And sadly, I rarely do go past one! ;-)

Helen said...

Suz

They are cantelopes sorry I forgot you don't call them rockmelons.

Anna
I too love magnums and hot fudge sundaes

I have just finished dinner time for desert I think ice cream in the frezzer rockmelon in the fridge

Have Fun
Helen

hrdwrkdmom aka Dianna said...

Oh, gotta love me some Chocolate Edy's, no toppying just chocolate.

Kay Thomas said...

Hi Wendy

Congratulations on I Scream, You Scream and a great interview. You know I can't wait to get my hands on this book. The characters sound delicious and I love that your husband calls it 'ice cream procedural.'

My favorite flavor is Ben & Jerry's "Chunky Monkey"- the sauce you've described here with Suz sounds like it could be the perfect fit for pretty much everything but my blue jeans!

Are you having any signings?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Razlover!

I absoloutely loved I, Scream, You, Scream. It was a fun read and made me want to have the next one, like.......now!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Mariska!

Have you ever bought those mini M&M's and thrown those on top of a vanilla ice cream cone? m,mmmmmmmm

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Anna C!

Good morning or evening down there in OZ! Are there any particularly different ice cream combos down there that we don't see up here?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Ooooooooo Diana...You're a chocolate purist, huh?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Kay!

Wendy has a way about describing the ice cream and the ice cream parlor, named Remember the A La Mode, that reminded me of another ice cream parlor that used to be on High Street north of the Ohio State University campus. mmmmmmmmm delicious!

Publius said...

Wow - you ladies get up early. And now you've succeeded in making me want ice cream for breakfast. Is that wrong??

Lime and Suz, Jeni's is the BEST!!! Their Thai Chile is to-die-for, as is raspberry mascarpone (which made it into I Scream, BTW). Suz, I think they've expanded, but Jeni's has a booth in the North Market.

And Chunky Monkey is da bomb. As is the New York Fudge Brownie, and Americone Dream. But if I had to live off one and only one Ben & Jerry's flavor, I'd probably go Cherry Garcia.

Finally, I don't think there's anything wrong with loving vanilla. Good vanilla ice cream is a work of art, letting the texture and flavor of the cream itself take center stage. Plus, it's the ideal base for those wonderful toppings we've been talking about.

Publius said...

Oh gosh - I got side-tracked by the ice cream. Hee!

Thanks for the warm wishes, and I hope y'all enjoy the book. It was a hoot to write, and I'm anxious to get the second one finished so I can move on to #3. :)

Misa said...

I cannot wait to get my hands on this book, Wendy! So fun to see you dishing with the banditas. Darn, now I'm craving some chocolate brownie ice cream. Gotta run!!!

Karen H said...

Hi Wendy,

Your book sounds delicious..(pun intended!) Let's see, my all-time favorite ice cream is Ryba's Mackinac Island Fudge. I wish they would sell this stuff on a national basis, but AFAIK, it is only sold in Michigan. My new lo-cal sweet treat favorit is Blue Bunny Turtle Sundae, no sugar added, reduced fat ice cream. This stuff is killer!

Sally Felt said...

"Ice cream procedural." I love it! I'm also seriously digging that you used "hoosegow" in your blurb--it's a delightful word that deserves to be brought out to play more often.

Me and dairy products = not a good fit, much to my ice-cream-lovin' mother's dismay. But if anything can tempt me, it's mint chocolate chip ice cream. Mmmm.

(Hey, Mom also loves mystery stories. I've just had the most marvelous idea of what to get her for Christmas--thanks, Wendy!)

Sally F

Tracy Garrett said...

Congratulations on your release Wendy!!! I'm thrilled for you and can't wait to read "I Scream, You Scream".

As for ice cream, I'm strictly a vanilla with hot fudge girl. And if I keep telling myself that I might be able to keep my mitts off the Blue Bell Cookies and Cream. :D

Publius said...

Karen - as a Michigan girl, I can totally relate. What do they do the fudge in Mackinac to make is so heavenly?

Sally - while I don't abstain from dairy myself, I have quite a few vegan friends and have been perfecting the art of vegan ice cream. I can share some of my recipes with you, if you'd like ... or, if you're an "out of the freezer" gal, I've heard that the coconut-milk-based vegan ice creams are pretty rockin'.

p.s. the dessert sauce recipe in I Scream is totally dairy free (for my vegan and lactose-intolerant friends).

Regina Richards said...

Yummy interview. Great cover. Ice cream and a mystery. Can't beat that. Looking forward to getting my copy of this one. Where and when is it available?

My favorite flavor? All of them, unfortunately.

Kate Carlisle said...

Hi Wendy, welcome to the Lair! Pardon my gushing but I must confess I've been waiting and waiting for Suz's interview and for your book to come out--and I just pre-ordered it. It sounds fabulous! I absolutely love the hook. And your cover is gorgeous. I know you're going to soar into the stratosphere with this series! And yum, ice cream! How can you miss?? LOL

Okay, gushing over. :-)

Now let's talk ice cream. I'm currently enamored of B&J's Triple Caramel Chunk. OMG, swirls of caramel all through, plus big chunks of fudge and when you bite into them, there's yummy soft caramel inside that oozes.....

I need a moment. Whew.

Pissenlit said...

Mmmmm...cookies 'n' cream!...or a good french vanilla...or some sort of chocolate ice cream...or fudge...or something with nut-less brownie chunks...or cookie dough chunks...or a good raspberry cheesecake ice cream...or...

...I should stop while I'm sort of ahead...

catslady said...

I use to be a boring vanilla girl lol but I've branched out and willing to try any flavor. Pralines and cream is a good one or banana cream or strawberry cheesecake or... lol

The Scarf Princess said...

Congrats on the new release! It sounds fantastic! As for my favorite ice cream, it's definitely cinnamon swirl. We have a local ice cream place called Ivana Cone that makes homemade ice cream everyday and this is a favorite. They don't have it often, but when they do...stand back. I generally don't add toppings, but I love those little jimmies (I think that's what they're called) to just eat plain.

Anna Sugden said...

Hi Wendy - welcome to the Lair!

Love the theme and title for your new book ... and we're rapidly becoming fans of cozies in the Lair thanks to our own Kate.

Favourite flavour? Just one? Too tough - I'd rather solve a murder *g*.

I'm a B&J fan - Chunky Monkey and Banana Split are my faves, but I love Cookie Dough and Cherry Garcia too.

They did a special one years ago which was caramel and cashew nuts which was scrummy.

I also love strawberry cheesecake ice cream - but can't remember which small dairy makes it in NJ.

Over here you can't beat a 99 - whipped vanilla ice cream with a Cadbury's chocolate flake and that fake strawberry sauce.

I adore Magnums too. And Bounty Ice cream.

ut my real fave is mint chocolate chip because my BFF and I became friends over that flavour!

Anna Sugden said...

Oops forgot to mention hubby's home-made ice cream! The Best!

Mary Malcolm Duncanson said...

Ohh! My favorite...and I haven't even tried it yet...is a recipe I just read for bacon and maple syrup ice cream. I know! Sounds very strange and horrid, but truly, I am excited to my bones to try this. I'm thinking of substituting smoke flavoring for the bacon, but have to keep the maple. Mmm. MMM.

Publius said...

Oh, so many posts of deliciousness!

Mary - I don't think the bacon and maple syrup sounds weird at all ... you should *really* check out Jeni's website (limecello posted the url in the first comment of the day). She describes a bacon ice cream she makes for chefs and the smoked nut alternative she makes for the masses.

Sneak peek: I'm working on the official Remember the A-la-mode signature sundae, and it's definitely going to include smoked pecans (because pecans and bbq are such important Texas foods).

Amanda from Novel Addiction said...

Favorite flavor of ice cream.. definitely chocolate chip cookie dough. I know it's bad for me, I know it's sooo unhealthy... but oh! The little cookie dough bites are delicious. Makes me want some right now, dangit!

This book looks great, and I can't wait to check it out!

Thanks!
Morning Glow
ohmorningglow AT aol DOT com

Becke Davis said...

Oh, I do love finding new mystery authors! But my TBR pile is getting scary -- I need to spend a few weeks doing nothing but READ.

Pat Cochran said...

Hi Wendy, so nice to "meet you!"

I just this past week end found a new ice cream flavor. It is sooo
good! It is Southern Hospitality
and is produced by Blue Bell.It is
made up of homemade vanilla, chunks
of pineapple, and a strawberry sauce swirl. It is listed on the carton as a Taste of The Country Flavor Contest Winner.

Pat Cochran

K.M. Saint James said...

Chocolate-chip-cookie dough, of course. I can eat my cookie dough and not hear dear ole mom in my ear scolding because I'm sucking down raw eggs at a voracious rate. I love the on-going series. I get so attached to characters, I never want it to end. Can't wait to fall in love with your group of small town misfits.

Christine Wells said...

Hi Wendy, welcome to the lair! Great interview, Suz. Wendy, I love the idea of a cozy mystery series centred around an ice cream parlour. That's so cool! (*Groan*) What a fantastic idea and I love the titles and all the punning (I'm a sucker for puns, you might have noticed).

Chuckled at you saying Tally has ice cream in her soul--that contrast between the outwardly dutiful and nice and the inner ice cream is always fun to play with. The community feel is right up my alley, too. I'm going to check this series out. Thanks for bringing Wendy along, Suz!

Hmm, favourite topping is hot chocolate fudge and maybe some chopped nuts on vanilla ice cream. A timeless classic.

Wendy, I'm wondering, are you a plotter or a pantser?

Anna Campbell said...

Suz, I'm not really up on what ice-cream you can buy in the US. A lot of your brands are available down here like Baskins and Robbins. I think though a lot of our ice-creams are based on British models just because the companies established here were originally British. Our Streets ice-cream seems to be the same as the Brits' Walls ice-cream. A cute one from New Zealand is called hokey pokey which is honeycomb chips in vanilla. Yum! Do you have that in America?

KDSGS said...

Hi Wendy,

Your book sounds wonderful! 'Remember the A-La-Mode' That is fantastic!

Favorite ice cream? Butterscotch Ripple. Favorite topping: Butterscotch. With Butterscotch chips.
Not caramel...butterscotch.
Love chocolate, but not chocolate based ice cream or toppings, how weird is that?

Anyway, I will definitely be on the lookout for your book, Cheers!

Becke Davis said...

Forgot to mention my favorite: Rocky Road.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

KATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

B&J's Triple Caramel Chunk OMGGGGGGGGGGG....THIS, is something I'm ABSOLOUTELY going to have to try! (Maybe I will stop on my way to work...the girls at work will love me tonight!)

I adoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooore caramel anything!!

Donna MacMeans said...

YOOHOO Wendy is here!

Congratulations on your debut. Can't wait to read with a big bowl of Mocha chip (or black raspberry chip - I'm not picky) from Graeters. Or even the Thai Chili or Maker's Mark ice cream from Jeni's. You're right - they've expanded into the Short North and German Village and even into those vender's food wagons that you see at local festivals.

Suz - you're coming home? Give me a call and I'll take you to give Jeni's a try yourself.

Wendy - we miss you. Anytime you want to ditch the Texas heat for Ohio's variety, give me a yell.

Unknown said...

Congrat limecello on the rooster!

Congratulations Wendy on your new release. It sounds like an awesome read!

My favorit flavor of ice cream is vanilla with some chocolate syrup on it. I know kind of boring! I also like a good butter pecan, but not all of those are good. I also like my ice cream to be real creamy. My son makes fun of me because I put it in the micro wave for about ten seconds before I eat it.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Misa!

Brownie Ice Cream....hmmmm...I've missed out on this one, too! Which is very odd because brownies and ice cream go together like....well, brownies and ice cream!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Karen H in NC!

Why is it a place in Michigan and one in Ohio are so great with ice creams? Could it be they're used to the cold and making cold things fun and delicious?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Sally! Glad to see you stopping by the Lair. Y'all, Sally is a good friend of mine and Wendy's from DARA.

And why am I not surprised you like the word "hoosegow"?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Tracy G!

You keep lying to yourself about the vanilla+hotfudge. That will leave more cookies and cream for the rest of us!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Wendy....Vegan Ice Cream? Isn't that like an oxymoron? Sorry to the vegans amongst us, but I guess I'm a purest. Like my ice cream with all the milk products it needs! Although I have a child who periodically plays with vegetarianism and sometimes-veganism. (Which is a whole other blog!) She might like Vegan ice cream.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Regina! Welcme to the Lair!!

Wendy's book is available next Tuesday as its release date, (Oct 6th), but as many of the regular readers can tell you, if you click on the book cover in the actualy blog, it will take you right to Amazon to order a copy! Same as many of the Bandit bookcovers.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Pissenlit!

or a good raspberry cheesecake ice cream... Uh, where can I get this? I adore raspberries. Raspberries, raspberry jam, raspberry pastries, raspberries and chocolate................Oooooooo Wendy, maybe Tally could create a raspberry and chocolate ice cream?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Catslady!

When I was pregnant with my first child we lived around the corner from Baskins & Robbins. My hubby would bring home Pralines & Cream on a regular basis!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Joder!

As for my favorite ice cream, it's definitely cinnamon swirl...mmmmmm that reminds me of this store that used to be in downtown Columbus, Lazarus. They had cinnamon ice cream that the topped over warm slices of applepie. TO. DIE. FOR!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Anna S!
Love the theme and title for your new book ... and we're rapidly becoming fans of cozies in the Lair thanks to our own Kate...

This is so true! I don't think I ever read one until Kate's debuted. Now with Wendy's I might be a convert!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Mary!

Smoked Bacon and Maple Syrup ice cream, huh? Who knows, might just be delicious! Like a cold winter breakfast?

You know, the other day a coworker brought int BLT dip and crackers. I thought, yeah, right. One bite and I swear it was like eating a BLT!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Morning Glow!

Can an occasional bowl of cookie dough really be that bad for you? Now if it's a nightly gallon...:)

Pissenlit said...

Suzanne - raspberries and chocolate

Oh my gosh. Why didn't I think of that?? Those flavours go together oh so incredibly well! A week ago, my cousin got married and one of the tiers of his cake was chocolate with layers of raspberry buttercream in between. I'm still kicking myself for not going back for seconds...lol! Raspberry and chocolate ice cream...oh better yet, how about a raspberry and chocolate cheesecake ice cream?... *DROOOOOOOOOOOL*

limecello said...

Suzanne, the "flagship" store is in North Market http://www.northmarket.com/ but also in Grandview, the Short North, Bexley, and Dublin :D (I posted the url in my first comment).

Wendy - Michael Symon also has a maple bacon ice cream at his restaurant Lola in Cleveland. Sweet and savory is *not* a flavor profile I enjoy (at all) - but everyone else said it was sublime.

Asylumgirl said...

My favorite is Turtles ice cream or turtle brownie with vanilla ice cream and caramel. Yum!

Deidre

jo robertson said...

Hi, Wendy, welcome to the Lair. Great interview, Suz.

I love the premise of your series. It sounds clever, funny, and highly entertaining. What a great idea. Everyone loves ice cream!

Publius said...

Sorry to be away so long -- I was off shaping young minds in the classroom. The first midterm of the semester was a bloodbath, so it was a tough hour for us all ... and then the drive home, starting dinner, and hearing all about my husband getting his skeleton knocked out of his body (well, just a character he was voicing -- not his *actual* body).

So, so many wonderful flavor options out there. I love honeycomb, so I'm going to have to come up with a way to get the taste of honey in an ice cream. And kudos for distinguishing butterscotch from caramel. I love them both, but they're quite different and deserve separate mention.

Publius said...

Graeter's -- O. M. G. Yum! They're the basis for my ice cream procedural: I went to the Grandview store and spent an hour taking notes on the French pot method. For those of you who haven't tried it, Graeter's ice cream is (a) one of Oprah's favorite things and (b) on the Forbes list of things worth every penny. Seriously good stuff. And now available at Krogers across the land (or at least in Texas).

Publius said...

On the write-y end of things - Regina, as Suz says, the book hits shelves on October 6, but I believe some of the pre-orders have already shipped ... whee!!!

And I'm a plotter. Every now and then, I'll get a jolt of inspiration and something in my story will change, but it's usually pretty minor. I'm sure there are mystery writers who *are* pantsers, but I'm not sure how ... the need to build believable suspects, plant clues, manipulate red herrings ... I don't know how anyone does that on the fly. :)

Donna MacMeans said...

BTW - That store bought Graeters isn't as good as the handmade in the store. Not enough chocolate chunks in the chip recipe according to this ice cream connoisseur. But in a pinch...

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Uh, Donna....How many ice cream shops can we visit when I'm home this weekend?

Publius said...

Donna, Thanks for letting me know ... I had a sneaking suspicion that the mass-produced stuff couldn't possibly be as good as the two-gallon-per-batch stuff they sell in the parlors. I've been avoiding it like the plague, though, for fear of what will happen to my be-hind if I get hooked on pints of black raspberry chip. :)

Ladies and gents, it's been a pleasure. Thanks again to Suz and the Bandits for allowing me to hang out today. Until next time ...