A Word'll Do

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Each morning, I start my day with a healthy breakfast, two cups of dark roast coffee, and a leisurely game of Wordle. Not sure there’s anyone out there who hasn’t heard of the game sensation, recently bought by the New York Times, to the chagrin of many, but I am happily and irrevocably hooked by this sweet little word game.

For the uninitiated, Wordle is all about five-letter words, and figuring out which is the correct word on a given day. (And no looking them up, cheaters.) There are lots of strategies endlessly discussed on the Internet, but my own is pretty simple: Start with a word that has two or three vowels and a typical consonant blend. A gold letter turning up means it’s somewhere in the word; a green letter shows the correct positioning, and a gray one indicates it’s not in the word at all. Here’s the game board of a recent puzzle I did. It took me all 6 tries—the only time it’s happened to me.

I often start with a word like “ROUSE,” because it’s got three vowels—love those dipthongs. In this game, TRAIN only gave me the T, and not in the correct place. Since “TE” is a common ending in English, I went with a word that had a different vowel, U, and tried a different consonant blend, CH. All that did was gain me an E, and again, not in the right place. This is generally the step in which I take out my paper and gel pen and start scribbling. I started with the idea that the T could likely end the word and also assumed that the E was possibly the only vowel. I got lucky with the next choice, SPENT, which gave me the skeleton of the word. Once I tried the double E, I got very close.

However, in entering my guesses, I had made not one, but two rookie mistakes—repeating both the N and the H, after the game board had already grayed them out. Hence the the six tries. But without them, I may have never gotten to the correct answer, which was SWEET—in more ways than one!

How about you? Any Wordlers out there?

Sneak Peek: Minestrone Mischief

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Book 4 of the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, Minestrone Mischief, is now underway. The main character in my series, Victoria Rienzi, is herself a mystery writer. In Minestrone Mischief, the reader gets a small glimpse of of Victoria’s famous sleuth, Bernardo Vitali, when she does a reading at her local library. Bernardo can best be described as an Italian Poirot. He’s known for his Panama hats, white linen suits, black patent leather shoes, and sharp detective brain. In the following excerpt, Vitali and his sidekick, Inspector Morelli, have discovered a body:

Bernardo Vitali frowned, gesturing at the body lying at the men’s feet. “His ensemble, it is interesting, no?”

“Interesting!” Inspector Morelli exclaimed. “My God, sir, he’s dressed exactly like you: the same hat, the same suit, the same shoes. It’s disturbing, that’s what it is.”

“I agree, Inspector. It is disturbing.” Vitali flicked the cuff of the man’s trousers with a gloved finger. “The tailoring is hideous,” he said, tossing his head and smoothing the lapels of his immaculate white linen suit. “I would not be caught dead in such rags. However, as this man was caught dead in them, we have a task in front of us, do we not?”

Morelli circled the body, noting its position, as well as the large knife stuck in the chest. “Bernardo,” he said thoughtfully, “regarding this man’s imitation of you, I have something of a theory—”

“And do you think the great Vitali has time for your nonsensical theories?” the sleuth interrupted. “My dear Inspector, you do not seem to understand: My notes, my thoughts, my deductions—indeed, my fine mind—are all I need to solve this distressing murder. So, il mi amico, save your petty theories. And now,” he said, glancing at his gold pocket watch, “I sense it is time for the cocktails, as murder always gives one a great thirst.”

  

Throwing Away the Color Box

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The sign below appeared in my hair salon, and it was one I found myself staring at more than once, often while waiting the 45 minutes for my permanent color to take. But each time I read that sign, I ended up following its advice. And kept coloring my hair dark brown.

Then my mom became seriously ill, and in the last weeks of her life, I was far too busy—and sad—to get to the hairstylist for a touch-up. Not long after her funeral, I stood in front of the mirror and noticed that my one-inch roots were a variety of colors—from white to silver to dark gray. They looked kind of interesting, and it was exactly the push I needed to finally throw away that box; it also seemed like a fitting time to do it.

As I wear my hair short anyway, it was fairly easy to take the plunge. My (very talented) stylist used highlights to disguise the brown and help blend the silver. In four months, the dyed color was completely gone. And while it provoked mixed reactions from friends and family at first, strangers seemed to love it. One afternoon I sat at a cafe bar having a quiet lunch alone, reading. Until I noticed the three Gen Z baristas, two young men and a woman, staring at me. The guys exchanged glances; one elbowed the other and said, “Tell her.” The braver of the two then said, “We think you look like Jamie Lee Curtis.”

Seriously? The Jamie Lee Curtis, with her confident swagger and willingness to face down killers? Heck, I’ll take it. I grinned happily and thanked them, but then the girl spoke up. “You know who else?” she said. “Carol, from The Walking Dead.” Because I don’t watch the show, one of the guys pulled up a picture on this phone, of a woman with cropped silver hair who was outfitted with a variety of weapons. “She’s a badass,” he said confidentially.

It was a sweet moment, I was awfully flattered. If I’d had any doubts about going gray, they were dispelled that afternoon. There were other perks as well—I can now wear colors (blues, purples) that I couldn’t before, so it was a lovely excuse to buy new stuff, including new lipstick colors. I’ve long been at peace with the decision to throw away that box.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I really have to go—there’s some zombie butt that needs kicking. . .

Holiday Release!

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For those new to the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, I’m offering a holiday sampler. The best part? It’s only $0.99! Here’s the book description:

Meet Victoria Rienzi, mystery-author-turned-sleuth, as she returns to the Casa Lido restaurant to research her family history and learn her formidable nonna’s secret recipes. Get to know her quirky family—besides Nonna, there’s her sweet mom and dad, her brother Danny, a cop with a serious demeanor but a heart of gold, and her sassy sister-in-law, Sofia, who serves as her partner in crime solving. (And just for fun, there’s her hunky ex, Tim, sous chef at the restaurant, as well as the enigmatic Cal, a charming woodworker who may be more than he appears.) Make yourself at home in the beach setting of Oceanside Park—take a turn on the boardwalk, dip your toes in the ocean, and stop at the Casa Lido for a great Italian meal.


The sampler includes:
--Excerpts from Murder and Marinara, The Wedding Soup Murder, and Book 3 in the series, the upcoming A Dish Best Served Cold, as well as a special sneak teaser from Book 4, Minestrone Mischief
--A never-before-published short story, “Mystery Man.”
--A dozen recipes from the Casa Lido, the seaside restaurant featured in the books, including antipasto, salads, sauces and pasta dishes, and of course, dolci—desserts!



The Queen of Comfort Reads: Mary Stewart

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When the world gets you down (which seems to be fairly often these days) may I recommend a nice, warm helping of Mary Stewart? Stewart had a long and prolific career, stretching from the fifties through the nineties. Though she wrote a number of Arthurian fantasy novels, it is her body of romantic suspense novels for which she is best known, and probably best loved, starting with Madam, Will You Talk? in 1955 through Rose Cottage in 1997.

Stewart’s heroines are smart, adventurous, brave, and occasionally sassy. Reading these novels as a young girl, I found myself wishing to be one of these independent young women, finding adventures—and love—in the wilds of Scotland or on a sunny Greek isle. Several years ago, I searched out first editions of Stewart’s romantic suspense novels through the seventies, the same library editions I’d read and loved. And while they are not in perfection condition, this little collection is one of my most prized possessions.

I cannot say exactly what it is about these books that brings me such pleasure—the evocative settings, the sense of being transported to another time and place, the often tender and bittersweet love stories at their centers? I just know that on a rough day, I need a little of Mary’s “rough magic.”

What about you, friends? Which books get you through difficult times?

(For a deeper dive into all things Stewart, check out this wonderful blog, Mary Queen of Plots.)

Nancy Drew, I Love You

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I stole the title of this post from a poem by Maria Mazziotti Gillan, an Italian-American  poet from Paterson who has an uncanny knack of telling my life story in her work. In the poem, the speaker describes Nancy Drew as the best friend she didn't have, the adventurous girl she wanted to be but was too timid. Like Gillan's eleven year old speaker, I, too, was a fraidy cat--fearful of getting hurt and getting in trouble, so my adventures had to be vicarious.

And like so many of us who end up writers, I found those adventures in books. For that I will be forever grateful to Carolyn Keene, who allowed me to explore hidden staircases and haunted bungalows without ever leaving my house. And for giving me a smart, plucky heroine who had her own blue convertible (and who found solving mysteries more stimulating than her boyfriend Ned.) Nancy Drew was the kind of girl I could be some day, if I were lucky. As Gillan so eloquently puts it:

Nancy Drew, I still love you for taking me away with you,

carrying me away from the tight confines of my life,

to a place where everything is possible

and bravery is common and miraculous as stars.

Excerpt from Italian Women in Black Dresses, by Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Blog Tour: The Wedding Soup Murder

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I hope you’ll join me for fun giveaways, interviews, and the sharing of special recipes from the Italian Kitchen!

From October 11-16, I’ll be touring with the wonderful bloggers at Great Escapes Book Tours for the release of The Wedding Soup Murder. Here’s the schedule:

October 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy 

October 12 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book 

October 13 – Brooke Blogs 

October 13 – Christa Reads and Writes 

October 13 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews –

October 14 – Literary Gold 

October 14 – Celticlady's Reviews 

October 15 – FUONLYKNEW 

October 15 – Maureen's Musings 

October 16 – I Read What You Write 

October 16 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews