Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay (An Andi Anna Jones Mystery) by Mary Cunningham. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay (An Andi Anna Jones Mystery)
by Mary Cunningham
Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay (An Andi Anna Jones Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – In, and around, New Orleans
The Wild Rose Press, Inc (February 27, 2023)
Paperback : 260 pages
It’s gonna be a great day! Or, so she thought.
Andi Anna Jones, so-so travel agent, amateur sleuth, doesn’t suspect her least favorite client, Stewart (The Pain) Payne, will set off circumstances that lead to disappearance and death.
After his wife is a no-show for a convention in New Orleans, his threat to sue Graves Travel for “ten times more than it’s worth”, and Andi’s wish to honor one of her late dad’s requests, leads her to The Big Easy in search of Grace Payne.
Five unsolved murders, a body caught in a crawfish cage, and a mysterious candle, magic, and incense shop, takes Andi deep into the bayou on a hunt for clues.
Will another victim be added to a serial killer’s list, or is the main suspect closer to Andi than she thinks?
Guest Post: Author, Mary Cunningham, explains the story behind her latest book title
The story behind the title of the second Andi Anna Jones Mystery, Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay, is a little complicated. After writing Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder, set in Cancun and Las Vegas, I wanted to send Andi to one of my favorite cities, New Orleans. But first, I needed to research one of the city’s famous drinks.
I was fortunate to live around New Orleans for a short while, and if I didn’t know better I’d swear I spent that year in another country. The culture, architecture, and culinary cuisine were like nothing I’d ever experienced; especially since I grew up in Southern Indiana! My French heritage, however, helped me fit in. I never mastered the Creole/Cajun dialect, however, and probably repeated the words, “Excuse me?” “Pardon me, what did you say?” a kazillion times.
And, speaking of the culinary cuisine, I also gained ten pounds that year! Etouffe, po’boys, and beignets are not calorie free!
The fact that my g.g.grandfather, Augustus Bulleit, sailed from France to New Orleans in the early 1800s adds another intriguing connection. Especially since he lost his life in 1860 on a flatboat journey down the Mississippi to sell his homemade Bourbon. The family story passed down was that his boat was loaded with produce, such as corn and soy beans, but the primary cargo was definitely of the alcohol variety.
The creation of the Sazerac has been credited to Antoine Amédée Peychaud, a Creole apothecary who immigrated to New Orleans from the West Indies and set up shop in the French Quarter in the early 19th century. He was known to dispense a proprietary mix of aromatic bitters from an old family recipe.
The story goes that back in 1838, Antoine Amédée Peychaud, a Creole apothecary who immigrated to New Orleans from the West Indies, invented the Sazerac in his shop on Royal Street. They say he first served his concoction in an egg cup –a coquetier—a word that some insist morphed into “cocktail.” The name of the drink comes from Peychaud’s favorite French brandy, Sazerac-de-Forge et fils. Somewhere along the line, American Rye-whiskey was substituted for the cognac.
Which brings me to my g.g.grandad, again. His rye whiskey recipe, heavily influenced by
French brandy, became an integral mixture in the Sazerac.
Below is one of the recipes.
Recipe: From Augustus Bulleit, my great-great grandaddy’s Whiskey!
1.3 oz. Bulleit Rye
0.25 oz. absinthe
1 cube sugar
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Equipment
Old-fashioned glass
1 – Muddle sugar and bitters, add the rye and stir with ice.
2 – Strain into an old-fashioned glass that’s been chilled and rinsed with absinthe.
Happy Tasting!
Enter the giveaway
About Mary Cunningham
Author, Mary Cunningham grew up on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon, Indiana.
Her first memories are of her dad’s original bedtime stories that no doubt inspired imagination and love of a well-spun “yarn”.
Through the author’s horrifying stint as a travel agent, protagonist Andi Anna Jones, travel agent and amateur sleuth, sprang to life. The adult/mystery series gives extra meaning to the phrase, “Write what you know.”
Cunningham also has a published biography depicting a military brat, college and professional basketball player, along with a five-book, middle-grade fantasy series.
She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime, Atlanta Chapter, International Thriller Writers, Inc., and the Carrollton Writers Guild.
When she gives her fingers a break from the keyboard, she enjoys golf, swimming, and exploring the mountains of West Georgia where she makes her home with her husband.
Author Links
Website: http://www.marycunninghambooks.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/cynthiasattic/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MaryCunningham
Amazon Author Page: Amazon.com: Mary Cunningham: books, biography, latest update
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/author/show/367223.Mary_Cunningham
Instagram: Author Mary Cunningham (@marycunningham2604) • Instagram photos and videos
Sazerac, Sleuth, and Slay TOUR PARTICIPANTS
February 27 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
February 27 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
February 28 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 1 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 2 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 2 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 3 – Literary Gold – REVIEW
March 4 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
March 5 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 5 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR INTERVIEW, EXCERPT
March 6 – Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 6 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 7 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
March 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 8 – I’m Into Books – AUTHOR GUEST POST
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Thanks, so much for featuring me on your wonderful blog, Christy!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping today!
Sounds like a great read.
Thanks, Rita!
I just love the cover it is very eye catching and also the book sounds so good would love to read a print copy as battling RSD and fingers are deformed no tech and would post reviews on a few sites!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for hosting my blog tour and new release!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing with us!
Your book has such a cute cover!
I like the title, it sounds like a great cozy mystery!