Coastal Magic 2025 Featured Author Spotlight & Giveaway - - Catherine Bruns

 

Welcome to my second Coastal Magic Convention 2025 Featured Author Spotlight! Today, we're shining our Romance Dish spotlight on Catherine Bruns. Catherine is a USA Today bestselling author who has wanted to be a writer since the age of eight. She writes romantic suspense, cozy mysteries (with plenty of humor and yummy food), detective/crime procedurals, and thrillers. I just finished reading Catherine's book that we're spotlighting today, Tastes Like Murder. What a fun read! I'm already excited about diving into more of her books. Please give Catherine a warm Romance Dish welcome. 

 

Welcome to The Romance Dish, Catherine! It’s a pleasure to have you visit with us today. For those who have yet to discover you, please share what readers should expect when they pick up one of your books. 

Thank you for letting me visit! My hope is that readers will always be entertained by my stories and that they can provide a temporary escape to another place and time with no travel necessary.

Family is an important facet of Tastes Like Murder, book one of your Cookies & Chance Mysteries, especially family of the crazy, meddling, humorous kind. What is it about families, and Sally’s in particular, that excites you as a writer? 

Tastes Like Murder

Cookies & Chance Mysteries - Book 1

Sally Muccio’s had her crosses to bear: a cheating ex-boyfriend, crazy Italian parents, and an unfaithful husband, just to name a few. After her divorce, she returns to her hometown to start a novelty cookie shop whose specialties include original fortune cookies, served with a sprinkle of foreshadowing. But there’s no warning when her ex-husband’s mistress drops dead on Sal's porch, and police confirm it’s a homicide. Determined to stop her life from becoming a recipe for disaster, Sal takes matters into her own hands. With two very different men vying for her affection, dead bodies piling up, and a reputation hanging by an apron string, Sal finds herself in a race against time to save both her business and life—before the last cookie crumbles.

I enjoy spending time in Sally’s world because her family is a bit unusual to say the least, lol. They march to the beat of their own drummer and provide a lot of comical moments. Despite the fact that they’re all a little unusual, they are close knit and there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for each other.

Cookies are also front and center in this book and, I admit, had me drooling more than once. Are you a baker? What’s your favorite cookie to make or eat? 

I love to bake. It’s a way for me to relax and destress. For me, picking a favorite cookie is like picking a favorite child. One of my favorites are Josie’s Jelly Cookies, which I’ve included the recipe for. I’m addicted to shortbread cookies, and these have such a light buttery taste that I can never seem to get enough.

Thank you for sharing your recipe. These look delicious!

Josie’s Jelly Cookies

1 ½ cups (3 sticks) of butter, softened

1 cup of sugar

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups of flour 

Jam – Strawberry, Raspberry, Grape, your choice. (Can be seeded or unseeded.)

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Cream butter, sugar, yolks, and vanilla together. Sift flour and stir ingredients into wet mixture. Shape cookies in hand to make a ball about the size of a tablespoon and press thumb firmly into the center. Fill imprint with favorite jam. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet for about 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. Let cool—the jelly especially will be very hot! Makes about two dozen cookies.

While I was reading Tastes Like Murder, I could see the story unfolding like a movie in my mind. If this series was taken to the screen, who would you envision playing the key characters? 

If this series were ever to make it to the screen (Hello, Hallmark, I’m available!) I could see Emma Watson in the role of Sally, and perhaps Rachel McAdams as Josie. I know Rachel’s a little older than Josie’s character, but I have every confidence that she could pull it off.

I love that casting!

Let’s learn a bit more about you.

What are your passions (aside from writing, of course)? 

I love to read and attend live theater performances.

What would readers be surprised to learn about you? 

In addition to writing three books a year, I also have a day job. I work as a Contract Management Specialist for the State of New York. Retirement is only a couple of years away (hopefully!), and after that, I’ll be able to pursue my writing full time.

What are you currently reading or looking forward to reading? 

I’m currently enjoying Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica.

Where can readers find you online?

Catherine's Cozy Readers (private Facebook group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/241834706420330

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055727634124

Website: www.catherinebruns.net

Newsletter signup: https://www.catherinebruns.net/contact

 

*When readers sign up for my newsletter, they get a free Cookies & Chance novella sent to them! *

Thank you for visiting with us today, Catherine.  

It was a pleasure to be here!

Readers, have you read Catherine's books yet?

Do you like it when authors include recipes in their books? Do you ever make them?

What's your favorite cookie to make...or eat? Feel free to share your recipe.

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, August 14 will receive a signed copy of It Cannoli be Murder, book two in Catherine's Italian Chef Mysteries series. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Join us February 20 - 23, 2025 for the 2025 Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona Beach, Florida! Click for more information, including registration and a list of Featured Authors. 

 

Excerpt

Tastes Like Murder

Mrs. Gavelli’s lips moved silently until she stared at me in disbelief. “Why you give me lousy fortune again?”

Good grief. “Mrs. Gavelli, I don’t put those in there on purpose. We buy the fortunes from a novelty store, and Josie stuffs them into the cookies. I have no idea what they’re going to say.”

“Yah, sure,” she spat out, and then read aloud. “‘Be nice or leave.’”

Poetic justice. I turned around to ring up her sale, hoping she wouldn’t see my smile.

Mrs. Gavelli glanced over Amanda’s shoulder. “What you get?”

Drawing her eyebrows together, Amanda stared intently at the strip. “I don’t understand this.”

“They don’t mean anything.” Why did people keep putting so much emphasis on these little pieces of paper?

Amanda frowned as she read aloud. “‘No fortune for you. Wrong cookie. Your luck is not there.’”

“Aha!” Mrs. Gavelli pointed a finger at me. “You see? She get bad fortune too. Is setup.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall, defeated.

“Well—” Amanda sniffed. “I know you’re jealous of me, but it does seem like kind of a childish thing to do.”

Count to ten, Sal. Nope, didn’t work. “Buy something now or leave.”

Mrs. Gavelli shook her fist at me. “You rude. Is no way to treat customer.” She flounced out the door, bag in hand.

Amanda didn’t even look up at her departure. “Ooh, I think I want one of those vanilla yummy things with the chocolate drops on top. What the heck. Give me six of them.”

“Fudge,” I corrected her. “They’re called Fudgy Delights. And that will be six dollars.” I scooped the cookies into a bag.

Amanda’s jaw dropped. “Don’t I get a discount?”

She had to be kidding. “Why on earth would I give you a discount?”

“I was in here yesterday as well,” Amanda said. “Shouldn’t volume count for something?”

“Six dollars, please.” I clenched my jaw, praying she would leave soon. I didn’t want another confrontation.

Amanda shook her head in disgust while she pawed through her mammoth-sized Gucci purse. She handed me six singles and snatched her bag, reaching inside to remove a cookie. “You really should lose the attitude. It makes you ugly. Oops, I mean uglier.”

I gritted my teeth and turned away from her to ring up the sale, praying for more self- control. If I could wait on Amanda and manage not to lose my temper, I knew I’d be successful with any other customer who walked through the door. “Good night. It’s closing time.”

She took a bite and moaned, closing her eyes. “But I’m not done enjoying my cookie yet.”

“Enjoy it outside on the porch. Now, please.”

My cell phone started to ring from the back room. “Good night, Amanda.”

She shot me a dirty look and turned on her heel, pushing the front door open with force, bells jingling away merrily at her departure. I quickly locked the door before she decided to return.

Good riddance. I ran into the back to grab my phone and glanced at the number on the screen before answering. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetheart,” she purred into the phone. “You’re still coming for dinner, right?”

“Yes, I’ll be there.”

“It’s already getting dark.”

I surveyed the kitchen area one last time and shut the lights off. “Mom, I think I can drive in the dark.”

“Did you want to bring a guest?” Her voice was thick with hope.

“You mean a date? Who on earth would I bring?”

“Jake was here yesterday. He’s such a nice—”

I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. “I’m not ready for this. Please ease up, Mom.”

She sighed loudly. “You’re nearing thirty. You should get married again and have a couple of babies. Your biological clock is ticking.”

“Okay, I’m hanging up now. Do you need anything?”

“The newspaper didn’t get delivered today. Can you bring yours? Oh, and why don’t you bring your father some of those genettis Josie makes? They might cheer him up.”

“Sure. I’ll see you soon.” I hung up and walked out to the bakery case. As I placed a dozen of the Italian, glazed cookies sprinkled with nonpareils into one of my pink bakery boxes, I knew they wouldn’t do the trick. My father had recently turned sixty-five and was convinced he’d die soon. It didn’t matter that he was in excellent health. Domenic Muccio said his time was coming soon.

His latest hobby consisted of scanning the obituaries and attending random wakes so that he’d know exactly what he wanted when the fateful day arrived. My mother was happy to leave him to his own devices. His total opposite, she acted like a teenager most days. I loved them dearly, but they were both certifiably nuts.

I walked to the front door and changed the sign over to Closed. Amanda sat in one of the wicker chairs, nibbling away. She must have sensed my presence because she suddenly turned and waved at me gaily. I ignored her as I shut the light off and lowered the blind on the door.

Once upstairs, I stepped into the shower for a quick rinse and changed into a pink T-shirt and white shorts. I grabbed a pair of sandals from my closet and blew dry my hair. After adding mascara, I was good to go.

Darkness had fallen in the twenty minutes since I’d closed the shop. Thunderstorms were expected later, the reason for the pitch-black sky. Perhaps then the heat wave would be over for the year. Fall was right around the corner, and soon enough winter would beckon with snow and cold, northeastern temperatures.

I sighed. Come January, I’d really be missing the Sunshine State.

My car was parked out in the alley. I started toward the back door of the shop then remembered the newspaper. It would be a shame if my father couldn’t read the obituaries during dinner. Shaking my head, I unlocked the front door and pushed to open it. Something held the door firmly in place from the other side. Convinced the heat was making it stick, I pushed harder. The door moved forward but only slightly.

What the heck? I reached along the inside wall to turn on the porch light. I sucked in a sharp breath, and my blood ran cold.

Draped across my woven welcome mat lay Amanda’s lifeless body.