I’d like to welcome the fabulous Kim Davis to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Finding the time to sit down and actually write! I’m an integral part of caring for my special needs granddaughter and have her 3 days a week. On the days I don’t have her, I have the usual household chores, errands, appointments, blogging, book marketing (which, as you know, Heather, takes up way too much time), cooking, etc. that always needs my attention. It can sometimes be weeks without writing on the next book.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Procrastinating, lol! When I finally find that rare window of time to write, I often fall down the rabbit hole of “research”. In my case, it’s researching the theme of the book (with my latest book featuring the theme of Día de los Muertos, I had costumes, makeup, food, history, and traditions to research). Plus, I generally have ten recipes in each of my Cupcake Catering Mysteries, so I hunt down ideas for what I’d like to include and start cobbling together recipes to experiment with, which takes me to the kitchen instead of my computer to work.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

Caffeine! I start with coffee in the morning and then move on to tea when the afternoon slump hits. I have to time the afternoon tea just right because if I wait too long to drink it, I won’t be able to fall asleep that night.

Things that hamper your writing:

My mini-goldendoodle, Missy, gets annoyed with me for not paying her enough attention. She can be very loud in demanding a walk, or another treat, or needing me to throw the squeaky ball for her when she’s done with me being on my computer. I’ve trained my husband not to interrupt me when I’m writing… now if I could only do the same with our dog, lol!

Last best thing you ate:

We recently made a trip up to Solvang for a few days, and I hit the Danish bakeries (for research, you know…). One of them had Sarah Bernhardt Cookies, a delectable base of almond cookie, topped with chocolate cream, and then dipped in dark chocolate. Oh, goodness… swoon-worthy!

Last thing you regret eating:

Some chili beans. Unfortunately, I have a variety of food allergies, one of them being foods from the nightshade family. I really have to avoid tomatoes (or tomato-based products), peppers, potatoes, eggplant, etc. The tomato-heavy chili beans were so good though, but my tummy paid the price because of those darn allergies.

The last thing you ordered online:

Groceries. While I’m blessed to have several grocery stores nearby, when I’ve got a lot of deadlines staring down at me, I often order groceries to be delivered. Since my husband and I both have several food allergies, it’s a lot easier to find substitutions online (i.e. dairy-free and gluten-free) than for me to walk up and down every aisle, reading labels. I’ve also found that while the physical store might not have the product I need, the warehouse or central local store will.

The last thing you regret buying:

The wrong size leggings for my special needs granddaughter… now I have to track down the receipt to return them and hope I find the right ones 😊

Things you’d walk a mile for:

Those Sarah Bernhardt Cookies mentioned above! Heck, I’d walk two miles for one of those!

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:

Any creature that belongs outdoors and NOT in my house… like spiders, insects, rodents, lizards, etc. Big heebie jeebies!

Things you always put in your books:

Recipes! Even if it’s not a culinary cozy, I can’t help but put a supporting character who bakes into the storyline, and then I have to find recipes to go along with whatever they’re sharing.

Things you never put in your books:

Steamy romance… which I’m not opposed to, but it doesn’t fit with what I write. True story: I was at my very first writers’ conference, and I sat next to a lovely young woman during lunch and started chatting. Turned out she was one of the writing instructors, so I asked what her class was about. We were in a loud environment, but I was positive she said she taught neurotic writing… “Well, count me in! I’m neurotic,” I said. She almost fell off her chair laughing so hard… she taught erotic writing!!! Yeah, I skipped that class.

Things to say to an author:

Keep up the good work! Or if their work isn’t your cup of tea, say something like you admire their dedication to all the hard work it takes to create a book.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

“I’d write a book if I weren’t so busy, but I have the perfect plot, so I think you should write it instead.” And then go on and spend 15 minutes telling you about the story and how you should go about writing it.

Now, I will say that authors like collecting ideas and hearing about real-life happenings from our family, friends, and readers, but we don’t want to be lectured on how to put those ideas or headlines into our next book. For example, in my latest book, Catering to the Dead, I spent 1-1/2 hours stuck in gridlock traffic trying to get my youngest granddaughter to LAX airport Thanksgiving week last year. We passed the time talking about what the themes of my next couple of books should be. She tossed out a lot of ideas, and we finally landed on the Dia de los Muertos theme because her parents had thrown an elaborate party several years before. Brainstorming together or mentioning a headline you’ve seen is MUCH different from lecturing and giving point-by-point instructions on what you think an author should write and how they should write. But of course I know without a doubt none of you would be that presumptuous!

Favorite places you’ve been:

Hawaii. There truly is something magical about the islands. I had the good fortune of getting married (second time was the charm) on Kauai, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Places you never want to go to again:

Lake Havasu, Arizona, in August… 118 degrees (F)… need I say more?

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done:

Decorating elaborate cakes and cookies. Once my granddaughters came along, I decided to take some cake decorating classes so I could make their birthday cakes. As time went on, my birthday cakes and end of school year summer pool party cakes and special party cakes all became bigger and more intricate with each passing year. In fact, the cake featured on the cover of Catering to the Dead is the cake I designed and made for my family’s Día de los Muertos party.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it:

Creating so many recipes has brought about quite a few kitchen disasters. The biggest disaster I had was while developing a recipe for cocktail cupcakes using Fireball Whiskey. When I opened the oven to rotate the cupcake tin, the cupcakes all flambéed, shooting blue flames that filled the oven! Fortunately, the flames died out when I slammed the door shut. The next day, my husband placed two fire extinguishers in my hands to keep in the kitchen just in case I ever had another fire-related disaster. Oh, and I finally got the recipe figured out after another couple of tries, and it’s featured (along with my disaster) in Cake Popped Off, the second book in my Cupcake Catering Mysteries.

Your favorite movie as a child:

While not a movie, I was obsessed with Scooby Doo. My love of mysteries started early, especially those featuring dogs!

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult):

The Shining really did a number on me, even though I was in my 20s when I saw it. It took me a week or more to stop having nightmares. To this day I have a strong dislike of Jack Nicholson simply because of that movie. Apparently, I can read horror books without too much distress… my brain downplays the violence and the super scary bits, but there’s no escaping it on screen.

About Kim:

Kim Davis writes the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series, and the award-winning Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series. For over ten years she’s written the Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder culinary cozy mystery blog, and has recently joined the permanent group of bloggers at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. She lives in Southern California with her husband and rambunctious mini Goldendoodle, Missy, who has become an inspiration for several plotlines. Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

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