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COLOR ME MURDER, the first book in the brand new Pen & Ink Mystery series by Krista Davis was everything I had hoped and so much more! The reader is introduced to Florrie Fox, a delightfully creative protagonist. She has a kind and loyal heart and I loved the relationship she has with her family, especially her sister. It’s refreshing to see close-knit families portrayed on the page. Ms. Davis includes a cast of characters at the beginning of the book so that you can reference if needed. I felt that the author was judicious in bringing new characters to the page, so I never got confused about who was who. But it was nice to know the list was there if I needed it. The story quickly pulled me in and allowed me to get a good sense of who the main characters are, especially Florrie, while the murder mystery provided page-turning suspense. I found Florrie’s method for collecting and organizing clues by sketching what she had seen or heard to be very unique and added to the enjoyment of the story.
The mystery was well plotted and kept me guessing as Florrie uncovered suspects, including her own sister… which puts her loyalty to the test. There are so many creative twists and turns in the book and I love how the author expertly weaves together humor with mystery, adds adorable animals and admirable humans, hidden secret passageways with a missing author, and then ties it all up with an exciting conclusion! And if a delightful tale isn’t enough, Ms. Davis provides several delectable recipes at the back of the book and if you purchase the print copy, you will have your very own cover to color with your own creative style.
Speaking of the recipes, they are drool worthy and you’ll want to try them all! I’m delighted to share Krista’s recipe for Blackberry Muffins, perfect for breakfast, snack, tea time. Since I visit my sister in Oregon every summer and pick wild blackberries, I’m always on the lookout for blackberry recipes to try. Not only were these blackberry muffins super quick and easy to mix up, they were utterly delicious from the crunchy, cinnamon-y topping to the jammy pieces of tart blackberries baked into the sweet bread. Since it’s not wild blackberry season yet, I had to settle on store-bought cultivated blackberries. They are much, much larger than wild berries so I cut them into smaller pieces so they were more evenly distributed. I can’t wait for berry season to start so I can make these again and again!
Amazon Synopsis
By day, Florrie Fox manages Color Me Read bookstore in Georgetown, Washington D.C. By night, she creates her own intricately detailed coloring books for adults, filling the pages with objects that catch her eye. There’s plenty of inspiration in her new apartment—a beautiful carriage house belonging to Professor John Maxwell, Florrie’s boss. He offers the property to Florrie rent-free with one condition—she must move in immediately to prevent his covetous sister and nephew from trying to claim it.
When the professor’s nephew, Delbert, arrives, he proves just as sketchy as Florrie feared. But the following morning, Delbert has vanished. It’s not until she visits the third floor of the store that Florrie makes a tragic discovery—there’s a trap door in the landing, and a dead Delbert inside. The esteemed Professor Maxwell is an obvious suspect, but Florrie is certain this case isn’t so black and white. Doodling clues, she begins to consider other colorful characters on the scene, all with a motive for murder. With a killer drawing closer, Florrie will need to think outside the lines . . . before death makes his mark again.
A special thanks to Krista Davis for providing a print copy of COLOR ME MURDER for one lucky winner. Contest is limited to U.S. residents only and ends Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
- Butter for greasing muffin tin
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup fresh blackberries
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Fahrenheit.
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Grease muffin wells in the muffin pan.
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Combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Mix well with a fork, and make a well in the middle.
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In another bowl, whisk the egg with a fork, pour in the milk and combine, then whisk in the 1/3 cup melted butter.
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Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. It should be lumpy. Do not overmix!
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Add the blackberries and turn gently to distribute.
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Spoon into the muffin pan, diving evenly, filling each well about 1/2 full.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, stir the cinnamon with the 1/4 cup sugar.
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Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a small bowl.
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Remove the baked muffins from oven. While still hot, remove each muffin from the pan, dip into the melted butter, and then dip into the sugar.
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If your blackberries are huge, as often times cultivated berries are, cut them into smaller pieces so they distribute more evenly in the muffins.
Makes 12 muffins
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I was provided an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Kind of I do most of my coloring in the winter or on rainy days.
Awesome, and the recipe looks delicious
I have a few adult coloring books, but need to make time to get to them.So, I guess you could say I’m a coloring enthusiast in training! Thanks for the great giveaway!
I love to color.. think that may be what keeps me calm while going on a plane (I dont like to fly) ?
I would love to win a print copy of this book! So hard to get the crayon off the iPad screen, don’t you know..?
I’ve doodled some in it but up until now been to busy to really enjoy it. Now that the move is over and things have settled down, I’m hoping to find more time to do it.
I love to color and I find it relaxing.
I “Learned to Draw” with Jon Negie on television as a child. I took weekend classes in charcoal and oils at Brooklyn College as a teem. I passed that love to my older daughter who is a painter and fruit artist (she carve melons for centerpieces at Bar/Bat Mitzvas and Weddings).
Yes – it’s very relaxinh
I am just getting into the coloring. A friend turned me onto it on one of my first hospital stays for leukemia.
Thank you for this chance. Those muffins look delicious.
All this ticks all the boxes for me with its entertainment value! I cook, I love murder stories, especially the more entertaining ones and am a rubbish artist so colour in! Cool.
I do enjoy coloring. It’s good for stress relief.
I haven’t joined the coloring craze.
In times when I need to de-stress, I enjoy coloring and releasing that stress through blending colors. These muffins are mouthwatering just from the picture. Thanks for sharing Krista Davis’s book on your blog.
I have always loved to color. I don’t think I ever “outgrew” it. It’s just transformed over the years and my mediums have gotten more advanced. Now I have nice colored pencils and copic markers instead of just crayolas…but don’t get me wrong, we have boxes of crayolas around every corner in our house, I swear. LOL!
Thank you for the chance to win this wonderful prize
I find most of the coloring books too intricate. Old eyes don’t deal with tiny spaces any more.
I love coloring. It’s very calming.
I enjoy adult coloring and was happy to receive a coloring book and colored pencils for Christmas
This. book looks so fun. Sure would like to win.
I used to LOVE to color! Now, I’m such an avid knitter that I — USE color but don’t take the time to color. I should just get some good colored pencils and take the plunge!
I do like to color when I have the time. It is a lot of fun!
I have always enjoyed coloring and am so glad they now make adult coloring books! Looking forward to reading your new book!
I do Adult coloring books, but I prefer children’s…. not so many small spaces and much easier to figure out a color combination.
Yes it’s relaxing and fun.
Coloring makes the world go round!~!~ I make up cards for the nursing home residents to bring them
joy!~~!~! Color and cards etc. make them SMILE……I put pics up for them if they want them that are colored by friends and children::: SMILE ……..Each day is a gift……
I’m not a coloring enthusiast. Thank you for a chance to win a print copy of Color Me Murder.
I enjoy coloring! These blackberry muffins look scrumptious. Thanks for sharing!
Never have the time anymore it’s very relaxing to color.
I like coloring w/ my grandson sometimes and I do find it relaxing, although I haven’t gotten on the adult coloring craze–yet!
I haven’t gotten into coloring yet.
I do sometimes off and on whenever the mood strikes me, ha!
Great tip about the size of cultivated blackberries vs wild.
I haven’t tried coloring.
I love to color!
I color a lot. I have tons of coloring books. The recipe looks great and I can’t wait to read this book!
“Are you a coloring enthusiast?” Yes! I like pictures of cool houses and humorous things! And cats!
I do like coloring some but haven’t done any with the adult coloring yet.
I do not color. As strange as it might sound I get stressed seeing the empty page! I do have one with pencils but haven’t ventured yet
I am a coloring enthusiast. I love to color to relax.
Would love to win this. Books are a movie without a screen .
I am an absolute coloring nut, lol! I am a member of Joanna Slan’s Coloring Group on Facebook. We color a new picture every week, and the pictures are entered for a prize. I was lucky enough to win with my second picture. Our prizes are adult coloring books. I have many of those. From animals, tea cups, Japanese themed, and mandolas, I color them all! I will share some if you would like. Sorry for going on and on.
I cannot stay in the lines and I have no patience for coloring! But i love to cook 🙂
Love the muffin recipe!
I color with my kiddos all the time, sometimes it’s the only thing to get them to settle down. =)
I’m not but my daughters are, this looks fun.
Do not color much
I’ve been buying adult coloring books for many years. Cat coloring books are my favorite.
I love coloring, it’s very relaxing!
I love coloring. Very relaxing.
Not an enthusiast but I do like to color once in a while. Thanks for the chance – can’t color an e-book.
Coloring is very cathartic.
Love your books. One day hopefully I will be ablate read them all.
I think coloring is good for you just like reading especially when you get my age ! Good luck with the giveaway!
I don’t do the cooking at home anymore. Hubby began taking over nearly 30 years ago. (I was a pretty fair cook, but he got home about 2 hours before I did and decided it didn’t make sense to wait for me to fix supper after I got home. Didn’t take long to spoil me! hahaha) But I still do some baking.
I love collecting recipes though, and he will try some of them.
We both like blackberries, so this is a recipe we will try.
Did I misread the question?
I do like to color. I have actually bought children’s coloring books for ME.
I sure do. I like to doodle too.
Great recipe!
Looks like a great book to read with this delicious blackberry muffin recipe!!!
I am not but, my DIL is. I prefer puzzles.
have always loved to color since I can’t draw and now I enjoy coloring even more with the grandchildren
Love cosy mysteries.