ParaCozyMysMo - Ellery Adams - Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries

Please welcome Ellery Adams to The Qwillery as part of ParaCozyMysMo! Pies and Prejudice (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery 1) is published today! Happy Publication Day to Ellery!

TQ:  Writing quirks! What are some of yours?

Ellery:  I like the have the title in place before I start a new novel. If the title doesn’t feel right, I won’t make much progress on the first few chapters until I’ve nailed it.


TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers?

Ellery:  Hemingway, Wharton, Shakespeare, Austen, Christie, Ellery Queen, C.S. Harris, Charles Finch, Kate Morton, George R.R. Martin


TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Ellery:  A bit of both. I loosely plan 3 chapters at a time, but the book takes shape while I write it.


TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Ellery:  Finding the time! I have two kids, three cats, and contracts for 3 mystery series. It’s a rare day to find me away from the computer because if I’m not writing original content, I’m editing or promoting.


TQ:  Your most recent novel is Pies and Prejudice (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery 1). What inspired you to write a mystery with paranormal/supernatural elements?

Ellery:  I love the fantasy genre but don’t think I have the chops to write an entire fantasy novel. By blending fantasy elements with food and mystery, I got to put all of my favorite things together – almost like baking that perfect apple maple ginger crumb pie. There are layers and layers to this mystery, making it unique and colorful and exciting.


TQ:  Do you base your paranormal/supernatural elements on existing lore, make things up or both?

Ellery:  That’s a great question. I am borrowing heavily from old tales originating from the British Isles, but I’m also planting seeds to explain the certain elements are even older than that – dating back to ancient civilizations. I’ve also made a good deal up – things that didn’t exist in stories but I thought needed to be added to create a community of enchanted people who blend in with the regular folks.


TQ:  What sorts of research have you done for Pies and Prejudice? What is the oddest bit of information that you’ve come across in your research.

Ellery:  Aside from the above, I’ve also researched how racehorses are abused and mistreated. Discovering that cobra venom has been used to numb pain was both odd and disturbing.


TQ:  Tell us something about Pies and Prejudice that is not in the book description.

Ellery:  The back cover blurb can’t begin to do justice to Ella Mae’s family. She was raised by her mother, but also by her three aunts and a feisty housekeeper named Reba. It’s the interactions between the women that make Pies a great read and I love the personalities of Ella Mae’s aunts.


TQ:  In Pies and Prejudice who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?

Ellery:  The villain was the easiest because I knew someone like her in high school. You see? Writers do put people they don’t like in their novels – LOL! The hardest? That would be Ella Mae’s mother, Adelaide. She’s a cool customer and isn’t very close to her daughter, but she’s been wounded and has forgotten how to love. Luckily, she and Ella Mae will make strides toward mending the rift between them in this book.


TQ:  Which character(s) in Pies and Prejudice surprised you the most?

Ellery:  I was surprised by how much fun it was to write Reba. She’s sassy, funny, unafraid, and loves to flirt.


TQ:  What's next?

Ellery:  What’s next for me is the release of Written in Stone: A Books By The Bay Mystery in November. I love this series about aspiring writers turned amateur sleuths and am particularly proud of this book because it weaves the lives of five writers with a culinary festival and an interesting bit of North Carolina history.


TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Ellery:  Thanks so much for having me!



Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries

Pies and Prejudice

A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery 1
Berkley (Prime Crime), July 3, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 304 pages

When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LaFaye bakes pies. So when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flakey crust. But her pies aren't just delicious. They're having magical effects on the people who eat them--and the public is hungry for more.

Discovering her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae makes her own wish come true by opening the Charmed Pie Shoppe. But with her old nemesis Loralyn Gaynor making trouble, and her old crush Hugh Dylan making nice, she has more than pie on her plate. and when Loralyn's fiancé is found dead--killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin--it'll take all her sweet magic to clear her name.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Also by Ellery Adams - Books by the Bay Mysteries

About Ellery

Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children's books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.

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The Giveaways

There is a giveaway of Pies and Prejudice (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery 1) with this interview. You can also enter to win the Grand Prize by using the Rafflecopter. The comment you leave to enter to win Pies and Prejudice may also be used to enter to win the Grand Prize. Both Giveaways are open internationally.

To Enter to Win a Copy of Pies and Prejudice

What:  One commenter will win a copy of Pies and Prejudice (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery 1) by Ellery Adams. The novel is generously provided by Berkley (Penguin).

How:  Leave a comment. Please remember - if you don't leave a comment your entry will not be counted.  You must also leave a way to contact you. Entries without contact information will not be counted.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Saturday, August 4, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*

To Enter to Win the Grand Prize

How:  Fill out the Rafflecopter.

Terms and Conditions: 

1) There will be one winner of the Grand Prize.

2) The Grand Prize is separate from any giveaway associated with individual author visits during Paranormal Cozy Mystery Month.

3) You must leave a way to contact you with your comment. If you do not leave a way to contact you, your entry will not be counted.

4) The Grand Prize Giveaway is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address.

5) Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

6) Giveaway Terms and Condition are subject to change at any time.

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