Macarons and Murder [A Yolanda’s Yummery Cozy Mystery, Book 4] – Book Trailer

 By Lisa Maliga, copyright 2024

Macarons, paperback, and teacup are photographed by Lisa Maliga, copyright 2024.

In the heart of Yolanda’s Yummery, love is in the air as macarons are baking for Valentine’s Day. But when someone she knows is found dead in a nearby dumpster, Yolanda Carter’s world crumbles. Teaming up with Detective Winston Churchill, Yolanda sets out to uncover the truth behind the sinister murder.

I’ve included three new reviews from readers who were kind enough to read my ARC.

Yolanda’s Yummery is filled with excitement as she prepares for Valentine’s Day by baking exquisite French macarons. That night’s TV appearance on America’s Best Bakeries will further benefit the yummery. But the festive spirit is shattered when a shocking discovery is made—a friend’s body is found in a nearby dumpster. Struggling to cope with the tragedy, Yolanda Carter partners with  Detective Winston Churchill to find the killer. Surrounded by a cast of potential suspects, including her boyfriend, Nigel Garvey, Yolanda balances running her yummery, gearing up for the first anniversary celebration, and uncovering the truth.

With love, betrayal, and hidden agendas swirling around her, Yolanda embarks on a dangerous journey to untangle a web of deceit. This story weaves together elements of romance and suspense. Will she solve the mystery before it leads to her own downfall?

“Macarons and Murder” includes recipes for French macarons and cupcakes!

Book link: Macarons and Murder [A Yolanda’s Yummery Cozy Mystery, Book 4]. Available in eBook, paperback and Amazon Audible formats. The Yolanda’s Yummery Cozy Mystery series can be purchased at most online bookstores, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo and many more.

VIDEO

READER REVIEWS

“A new line of baked goods at the store, new employees struggling to fit in, and another murder mystery to solve; it`s all in a day`s work for Yolanda Carter. What a shame the busiest sales day of the year, Valentine`s Day, is marred by the discovery of a body in a dumpster behind the building, even more so when comes to light that Yolanda knows the deceased, and negative, libelous reviews are threatening to ruin her livlihood. Pace, plot, and action are stepped up in Lisa Maliga`s newest installment, and, although still qualifying as a cosy, it is yet much appreciated.
I love following along as the seasons change in the yummery – after reading the fourth book in the series, it`s beginning to feel a lot like home: I care about these characters and their trials and triumphs.”
Reviewed by Cindy Topp, GoodReads reviewer

“This was a real ‘feel good’ story. I love the protagonist Yolanda who with her entourage of friends and family, manages to have the most hair-raising adventures.
Her ongoing love interests are intriguing too, as is the gruesome murder of someone she knew that she decides to investigate.
I really look forward to the next book in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.”
Reviewed by Geraldine Lopez, BookBub reviewer

“Yolanda Carter owns a bakery called Yolanda’s Yummery. A dead body is found in her dumpster and competition is trying to use that by ruining her business. She feels she has to find out who killed her friend Mike to stop all the rumors trying to put her out of business. This was a very well written book. Suspenseful up to the very end. Hard to put down. Highly recommend it.”
Reviewed by Renee, November 5, 2024

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A Pie to Die For (A Yolanda’s Yummery Cozy Mystery, Book 3) — Book Trailer

By Lisa Maliga, copyright 2024

I hope that you’ll enjoy reading more about Yolanda Carter in A Pie to Die For, as she stumbles across a cold case that involves pies. In this latest version, the title has been changed from a sweet romance title to one more in keeping with a cozy mystery.

I’ve included two new reviews from readers who were kind enough to read my ARC.

“A Pie to Die For is book 3 in A Yolanda’s Yummery Cozy Mystery by Lisa Maliga. I found it interesting that Yolanda did not make pies and Mildred was killed in 1960 while making a pie. I like the main characters and the progression of the characters with each book. I thought the mystery about the recipes and murder was a good mystery and I thought the ending answered all my questions and had a touch of romance. I am enjoying this series and I love the cats, Miss Chef and Mr Whisker! I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.”
My2doxie September 10, 2024

“An innocent request from one of Yolanda`s appreciated guests for adding pies to the yummery`s offerings starts the ball rolling, setting in motion the beginnings of mysterious occurrences and the need to solve a very cold case. “A Pie to Die For” has Lisa Maliga departing slightly from her normal style, and I find the shifted focus most refreshing, the feeling conveyed more polished, mature and authentic. As always, you`ll find an incredible, yummery-worthy recipe at the back of the book. After finishing this installment in the Yolanda`s Yummery series, I am truly looking forward to reading more!”
Reviewed by Cindy, September 3, 2024

This book takes place in December, so it's a nice cozy mystery to read or give as a Christmas/holiday present!

Book Trailer

Book link: A PIE TO DIE FOR

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Chocolate Energy Bars Recipe

 Copyright 2024 by Lisa Maliga

Chocolate Energy Bars

This one ticks a lot of boxes if you’re looking for nut-free, vegan, low-sugar and an easy no-bake snack or dessert. It took me four tries to get it right. I’d also recommend storing them in the refrigerator, especially in warm weather.

This is an original recipe from the second book of the Yolanda’s Yummery Cozy Mystery series.

Ingredients:

• 6 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil
• 5 Tablespoons organic coconut sugar
• 2/3 cup agave nectar
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

In a large glass measuring cup or bowl, combine the first four ingredients and stir well over medium heat. Remember to sift the cocoa powder before adding it to the oils and sugar so the mixture is smooth.

In a very large bowl, combine the rice cereal, rolled oats, salt, and chia seeds with a whisk.

Pour in the warmed up wet ingredients and mix well. Wait about 10 minutes to add the chocolate chips as you don’t want them to melt completely.

In a parchment-lined 8” x 8” or 9” x 9” square pan, spoon in the mixture. Use a spatula to even out the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for a few hours before slicing and eating.

If you’re in a hurry, put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Lastly, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the energy bars into squares or rectangles.

Store in the refrigerator. Wrap with waxed paper or plastic wrap.

This original recipe can be found in the cozy culinary mystery THE MISSING SEA CAPTAIN. 

Available at all major online bookstores. Click image for links!

Video Tutorial

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The Winning Brownie Recipe from “The Great Brownie Taste-off”

 By Lisa Maliga, copyright 2024

Ten years ago I wrote the first book in what would become a [so far] 4-book cozy mystery series. It was more sweet romance than cozy mystery, but I was pleased with the story and the second book in the series was a proper cozy mystery story.

The changes made to “The Great Brownie Taste-off” include removing some extraneous descriptions and backstory, getting rid of the magical secret ingredient, and having a more realistic relationship between Yolanda and Zac. And I kept refining that brownie recipe until I really liked it. It’s not my favorite dessert or snack, but now I appreciate a good, hot brownie fresh out of the oven.

Please scroll down to see the recipe and watch the video tutorial.

"The Great Brownie Taste-off" Book Description

Cat shelter employee Yolanda Carter loves her job, but her dream is to own her own bakery. Living in Sherman Oaks, California with her tuxedo cat, her only outlet is baking treats for her friends, coworkers and family.

Her situation changes when her high school friend, Teagan Mishkin, drops by to tell her about an incredible job opportunity that will give Yolanda enough money to launch her bakery.

The job interview takes an unexpected turn and Yolanda stumbles across a scheme to close the cat shelter. She concocts a sweet plan to save the shelter and share her decadent brownies in the Great Brownie Taste-off. Assisted by her artisan parents, friends, and coworkers, will she win the taste-off and save the cats?

Link to all versions of THE GREAT BROWNIE TASTE-OFF
Do you like listening to books? The Great Brownie Taste-off is available on Amazon Audible.

THE WINNING RECIPE!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup [1 stick] unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup organic coconut palm sugar
• 2 eggs [room temperature]
• 1/2 cup [4 ounces] dark chocolate
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, Dutch processed, sifted

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease your pan with butter.
• Sift the cocoa powder and flour together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Chop up chocolate if using a bar. Melt chocolate and butter together over a double boiler. Use low heat to ensure the chocolate doesn’t seize.
• In a large bowl, add the sugar.
• Add an egg, mix well, then add the second egg and mix well.
• Stir in melted butter and chocolate mixture.
• Gently fold in flour and cocoa powder, until combined. Add the vanilla extract.
• Pour mixture into pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely. Cut into squares.
• Enjoy.  

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Meeting Mel Gibson ~ Excerpt from "Diary of a Hollywood Nobody"

Thursday, May 18

Copyright 2011-2024 by Lisa Maliga
I was sentenced to eight hours in the legal department at Warner Bros. The lawyer’s secretary was pregnant and all she did was sit behind her desk and talk on the phone. The lawyer, Mr. Manic, was civil to me at first. He sauntered in around 10:30 and disappeared into his office on the other side of the suite. Preggers sat in the large reception area and I was squeezed into a file room with a desk on the other side of the secretary’s office. The water cooler was beside the desk and he came over to fill up a mug and hand me his car keys! Mr. Manic told me to go down to his car, a Jaguar convertible, and retrieve his briefcase.

I loped downstairs, glad to get out into the sunny day and check out his wheels. It was a white Jag. with a matching leather interior and it sure smelled clean and new when I opened the door. Then I saw the briefcase. It wasn’t the standard issue case made of imported leather; it was quadruple sized and HEAVY! As I lugged it out of the car, I almost dropped the damn thing.  That it contained books was evident–but all 26 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica? 

The briefcase never left the ground. Having to go upstairs in the elevatorless Admin. building meant that the case rested on each step. Mr. Manic was having me, someone who was probably half his weight, play pack mule? Why? Did he hate temps?

The endearing Mr. Manic also had his car washed for him. A man stopped by and asked Preggers for the car keys so the Jag. could be washed and the gas tank filled. I’d happened to be in the reception area doing some file organizing so I witnessed the man pocketing the keys. I wanted to tell him to make sure he left the top down and hit every phone pole on the way back!

Preggers had me “run” to the mailroom to drop off some important letters. Just as I was rounding a corner, I barely avoided slamming into an equally surprised Mel Gibson! Those famous blue eyes were huge; we were just inches from a collision!

Book link: Diary of a Hollywood Nobody

Visually-Enhanced Book Excerpt

"September Harvest" NEW Cover, Excerpt & Book Trailer

By Lisa Maliga
Copyright 2023

March 2023

Online comment: If only someone would have warned these gullible people about what was going on BEFORE they took the bioweapon. I warned people. Did you?

My reply: I didn't realize how bad it was until June 2021. I spent all summer writing a novella about what I saw going on. Sadly, I don't have a billion-dollar budget to bamboozle people with endless publicity. But I did try...

After answering that question, I decided to put together a book trailer to promote my eBook. And I changed the cover from one of the watercolor illustration of the mall’s interior to a photo of a dead mall’s exterior. Finally, I rewrote the book's description. 

New Book Description:

It’s 1979 and Laurie Caswell is working as a bookstore clerk at the Northbrook Mall. That Saturday evening, she sees a movie with her boyfriend, Dennis Nolan. Instead of dining at a restaurant, the teenage couple goes to her parents’ suburban house for some adult beverages. He leaves, and in the early hours of the morning, she has a horrifying nightmare.

A nightmare of a future where the mall resembles a prison. It’s populated with overweight, black-clad people wearing face masks, and lining up outside the former Sears department store for mandatory Convict-21 injections.

Will the nightmare come true, or will the old book she discovers the next day at a yard sale help change the course of humanity forever?

Excerpt:

“The signs on the door demanded that recipients of the Convict-21 vaccine must wear masks, be over the age of twelve and I stopped reading the sign after that. The cosmetics section of the once-thriving department store was minus its display cases. The Avon and Revlon makeup kits were gone. Vibrant young salespeople offering sprays of perfume were absent. No floral fragrances lingered in the air other than generous gusts of alcohol-based sanitizer from spray bottles being squirted by uniformed medical workers. It reminded me of some sort of pest-control team—and it appeared like we were the pests.”

Book Trailer:

Book Links:

Amazon: SEPTEMBER HARVEST

Apple: SEPTEMBER HARVEST

B&N NOOK: SEPTEMBER HARVEST

Kobo: SEPTEMBER HARVEST

Smashwords: SEPTEMBER HARVEST

September Harvest ~ Nightmare or Prophecy?

 By Lisa Maliga

Copyright 2021

I’ve finally returned to writing fiction. It’s a great feeling to have completed a novella. There was nothing to bake or melt and pour. In other words, no sweets were made and I only made a few batches of soap for an upcoming book.

The first draft of September Harvest was written in a month. It was the easiest and hardest book I ever wrote. During it, I was doing online retail therapy. I’d watched many videos about malls, dying malls, dead malls and abandoned malls. I watched and listened to the soundtracks of the past. Whether you call it Muzak or elevator music, it was wordless and brought back memories. Yet listening to it made me write better and helped create that long ago and far away era. And as I wrote the Northbrook Mall section, I thought it should live up to its name with an exotic landmark center court area. The Palm Beach Mall was my inspiration. Although photographed circa 1968, I imagined being in that mall back then. People dressed more formally than they do nowadays. Salesmen and managers wore suits and ties. Customers and retail employees had a more stringent dress code than that of 2021.

Being able to use the photograph wasn’t an option as it wasn’t in the public domain, and I’d already decided to change the “wonderfall” fountain to a standard cascading type of fountain. But the bridge over the pond surrounded by tropical foliage was an element that had to be in the Northbrook Mall. It was the landmark centerpiece and most noted feature.

Finding a cover artist to recreate the mall wasn’t an easy task. The first person I found via a search had the promise that all emails were answered in 24 hours. To date, my email has been ignored. I contacted another cover artist, but my suggestion wasn’t deemed possible. I kept looking and found a talented artist who had several images of buildings and people in her portfolio. I had quickly learned that some artists specialized in drawing animals, others in portraits, and some in drawing fantasy landscapes. Would I like a watercolor, oil painting or colored pencil rendition?

I wrote out detailed instructions and even included an excerpt from my novella which described the fountain area. I asked that the ladies on the bridge be changed to the main characters in the novella. A few days later, I received the image and here it is…

What is September Harvest About?

Laurie Caswell loves her life… but a nightmare leaves her terrified of the future… 

It’s 1979 and Laurie’s living a great life as a bookstore clerk at the Northbrook Mall. She’s excited to go out with her boyfriend to see a movie, have a drink, and spend a happy evening together. When he leaves, she’s rocked to her core by a nightmare.

A nightmare of a future where her mall is dead, overweight, black-clad people cover their faces like common criminals. 

People seem more focused on their light-up book-like devices than her, but the year 2021 holds darker, more sinister dangers. Dangers she desperately wants to wake up from and escape. Laurie just wants her normal life back… but whatever she’s experiencing might not be willing to let her go so easily.

 

Where to buy:

Amazon: September Harvest
Amazon UK: September Harvest
Apple: September Harvest
B&N/Nook: September Harvest
Kobo: September Harvest
Smashwords: September Harvest
Vivlio: September Harvest