Guest Post

Guest Chick: Korina Moss and #Giveaway

The Chicks are thrilled to welcome Korina Moss, who’s making her debut as a Chicks guest. Today, she’s going to tell us all about her Agatha award-winning Cheese Shop Mysteries and give away a copy of her first book, CHEDDAR OFF DEAD.

THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT: A SCOOBY DOO HALLMARK MOVIE WITH CHEESE

Since this is my first time at Chicks on the Case, I wanted to introduce my Cheese Shop Mystery series to your blog readers. What can you expect from my cozy mysteries? Picture the Scooby Doo gang in a Hallmark movie and throw in a bunch of cheese. That’s the short version but let me also give you the longer version.

My cheesemonger protagonist, Willa Bauer, believes most of life’s problems can be solved with cheese. I tend to agree with her. As she says in Cheddar Off Dead, “Who needs Xanax when you’ve got cheese?” It can certainly be a stress-reliever, but can it help to solve a murder? Luckily, Willa has more than cheese to combat this problem.

Her sleuthing crew includes her two Curds & Whey employees—Tigger-like Archie, a nineteen-year-old cheesemonger-in-training, who likes any excuse to don a cheese wedge or cow costume; and Mrs. Schultz, who is “smack dab” in her sixties, as she likes to say. As a retired drama teacher who favors investigating by way of a good re-enactment, she gets her chance to put her acting chops to use in Case of the Bleus. In a nod to the Ocean’s Eleven heist, the group concocts a clever diversion to retrieve a stolen item that holds an important clue.

Willa’s next-door neighbor, local handyman Baz, completes the sleuthing team. He often helps with her cheese shop events in exchange for Willa keeping him stocked with fresh cheese curds. And let’s not forget Willa’s pet betta fish, the flamboyant Loretta, who spends her days watching her crush, Ted Allen, on Food Network’s Chopped. Of course, the fish doesn’t directly help investigate, but she’s a good sounding board when she’s not giving a judgy eye to Willa’s fashion choices.

The quaint Sonoma Valley, California town of Yarrow Glen, where Willa has newly opened her cheese shop in Cheddar Off Dead, is picture-perfect… except for the occasional murder, that is. Willa and her motley crew always seem to become embroiled in the investigations, but sometimes, it just can’t be helped.

In Gone For Gouda, they have to get Archie off the suspect list when he assists a cookbook author/vegan influencer, who’s killed soon after scandalous photos surface, showing her stuffing her face with Mac’s Big Mouth Barbeque. In Curds of Prey, Willa’s happy to focus on her monumental cheese bar at the wedding shower of a socialite, until Prince Charming rides in, a fight ensues, and the fiancé turns up dead. When one of the two powerful families pitted against each other asks her to investigate under the radar, she has no choice but to get involved.

Believe me, Willa would much rather flirt with the cute meadery owner across the street and leave the investigating to the quiet, smoldering Detective Heath. But even the by-the-book detective is forced to admit that sometimes you have to break the rules. When a murder occurs at the Dairy Days festival in a neighboring town outside his jurisdiction, he and Willa must team up to keep Mrs. Schultz from being framed in my next book, Fondue or Die.

I’m currently working on book six, so there are more Cheese Shop mysteries to come. I’m also reveling in my Agatha Award nomination for Best Contemporary Novel for Case of the Bleus. I’m nominated alongside one of the Chicks on the Case, Ellen ByronforWined and Dined in New Orleans. The other nominees in the category are The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian, Helpless by Annette Dashofy, and The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski. The awards ceremony takes place at the end of April at the Malice Domestic fan convention.

GIVEAWAY: To one commenter in the U.S., a signed copy of your choice of one of my Cheese Shop Mysteries. 

Readers: Who are your favorite literary or television sleuthing friends? Comment to be entered in the giveaway for a copy of CHEDDAR OFF DEAD!

SYNOPSIS:

Cheesemonger Willa Bauer discovers that her new home in a small Sonoma Valley town is ripe for murder… something here stinks to high heaven, and Willa knows it’s not the cheese.

Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is proving that sweet dreams are made of cheese. She’s opened her very own French-inspired cheese shop, Curds & Whey, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. The small town of Yarrow Glen is Willa’s fresh start, and she’s determined to make it a success – starting with a visit from the local food critic. What Willa didn’t know is that this guy never gives a good review, and when he shows up nothing goes according to plan. She doesn’t think the night can get any worse… until she finds the critic’s dead body, stabbed with one of her shop’s cheese knives. Now a prime suspect, Willa has always believed life’s problems can be solved with cheese, but she’s never tried to apply it to murder…

BIO: Korina Moss is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series (St. Martin’s Press) set in the Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel, CHEDDAR OFF DEAD and the most recently Agatha-nominated Best Contemporary Novel, CASE OF THE BLEUS. Her books have been featured in PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, AARP, and Fresh Fiction. To learn more, visit her website korinamossauthor.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

61 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Korina Moss and #Giveaway”

  1. I grew up with Nancy Drew. When she ran, she threw off her pumps. I didn’t know what pumps were, but I knew I wanted some! As for TV sleuths, I loved the medical mysteries on Quincy, ME (Jack Klugman). More recent, I loved Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series. I’ve just begun to explore cozy food mysteries–looking forward to reading more. 

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  2. Welcome to the Chicks, Korina! I do love my cheese. Don’t enter me into the giveaway, but I have to mention Shawn and Gus from Psych as sleuthing friends. I also have to include Wallace and Gromit since they solved the Curse of the Wererabbit and Wallace is ‘just crackers about cheese!”

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  7. I always have a problem picking a favorite because there are too many to choose from! I started my mystery reading with Trixie Belden books, later moved on to my mom’s Ellery Queens Mystery Magazines & books. I’ve been reading a wide variety of mysteries & watching tv & movie mysteries for 60 years and my favorite is generally the last one I read or watched! I definitely loved both The Raven Thies and Wined and Dined in New Orleans so you are in great company with your Agatha nomination. Good luck!

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    1. Thank you, Judith. I agree about the difficulty of picking favorites. Sometimes it’s all about my mood. And yes — I’m in excellent company and honored by it!

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  9. Welcome to the Chicks, Korina! Nothing goes with Chicks’ eggs like cheese! (Thinking cheesy omelettes and soufflés, here–yum!)

    As for my favorite fictional sleuths? I guess that would have to be Nick and Nora–who love Martinis, but I bet they also are fond of cheese. Or at least Asta is, for sure!

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  10. Currently, it’s watching Midsomer Murders on Mystery, while doing laundry. It’s on every Tuesday from 7am – 1pm, 🕐 I can get all my laundry done, folded and put away! We watch a lot of Britbox, watching the latest season of Vera!

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    1. Midsomer Murders is my go-to show when I’m not sure what to watch, but I am still so behind. I think I should just skip over a bunch of seasons so I can try to catch up. I want to get Britbox for the new Agatha Christie series on there, but there’s still so much on Acorn I have yet to watch. Such dilemmas.

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  11. Hi Korina, so happy to have you visit us here on Chicks! Congrats on your Agatha nom, and also for the success of your fabulous Cheese Shop Mysteries. As a former Nancy Drew editor, I of course must mention Nancy first (and my fave, Bess) –but I am a big fan of TV sleuths as well. Murders in the Building, Murder She Wrote, all series from across the pond, and…oh, hey there, Jim Rockford.

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    1. Oh my yes, The Rockford Files. That is so cool that you were an editor for the Nancy Drew series! How fun that we got to guest on each others’ blogs!

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  13. Korina, welcome and CONGRATS on the recent Agatha nom.

    Cheez Whiz, it’s tough to choose my top sleuth, but Nancy Drew is definitely up there! I always wanted to be Bess for some reason. Maybe it was the idea of being *near* the action without being actually in it?!

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  15. I began life reading the Bobbsey Twins and then graduated to Nancy Drew, Trixie Bolton, The Hardy Boys and some others. So, I have always loved mysteries. My favorite sleuth on TV was Jessica on Murder She Wrote. Though I watched them all. Psych, Monk, Columbo, Hallmark Mysteries and Movies, and the list goes on. I ama dyed in the wool mystery reader and the cozies are the best as they do not have a lot of gore. I would love to win your book.

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  16. My favorite TV sleuths are Monk, Jessica Fletcher and Lt. Columbo. Yes, I’m old school and still loving it. As for books, I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Cameron Flaherty in the Local Foods Mystery series by Maddie Day as they were the stories that introduced me to my great love of cozies. Two that I have just finished and loved are SPOON TO BE DEAD by Dana Mentink and A DEADLY DEDICATION by Margaret Loudon. Love my cozy sleuths!

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  17. I remember from an early age loving mysteries such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden and The Hardy Boys. I remember being thrilled when The Hardy Boys became a TV show series starring Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson.

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  19. Yay! So glad you’re here, Korina. Congrats on the Agatha nom, and bring on the cheese!

    When I was younger, I was a huge fan of Encyclopedia Brown & then Nancy Drew. Later, I devoured mysteries with Miss Marple in them. I flit around shows, but I like Only Murders in the Building.

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    1. Hi Jen! I loved that Encyclopedia Brown let you try to solve the mysteries. Only Murders in the Building makes me smile from ear to ear. I love that show so much. Congratulations on your new book!

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  20. I grew up reading Nancy Drew, watching Murder She Wrote, Remington Steele, Hart to Hart, etc. Currently, I’m enjoying the movies on the Hallmark Mystery channel.

    Congrats on your nomination. I enjoy your Cheese Shop mystery series so much.

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    1. I have not heard of Miss Scarlet and the Duke! I’ve rarely come across a mystery (show) that I haven’t heard of. I’ll have to look into it.

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  23. congratulations on your nomination. I discovered you I think from a Maddie Day book. I always Google the authors she mentions in her books. I read Better off Gouda and was an instant fan. I like Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote. And her clothes where amazing!

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    1. Thank you so much! I like to say Maddie Day is one of my fairy godmothers — she’s always been so gracious and helpful.

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