Guest Blog by Author ROCHELLE STAAB!

[Rochelle_Staab]

Wow, thanks RR! Liz and Nick are great fun to write.
~Rochelle

[Rochelle_Staab]

Right back atcha, Fricka. It's a joy for me to interact with readers.

Bruja is more of a Mexican word than pure Spanish, I think. I remember discovering the word as I was deep into exploring brujeria—Mexican witchcraft. Bruja mentions came up a lot and really resonated with me.

Such a pleasure to hang out here!
~Rochelle

[Rochelle_Staab]

Fricka, I haven't tried Mexican hot chocolate but it sounds devilishly yummy. Liz and Nick pick up Mexican coffees (flavored with vanilla, choc, and cinnamon) to take to a meeting. I need to try some of that
~Rochelle

[Rochelle_Staab]

How sweet of you, Beverly. I hope you enjoy Who Do, Voodoo? and Bruja Brouhaha.
Research and respect for the material is important to me. I spend a lot of time digging into the subject matter so Liz and Nick can speak with authority and present a strong viewpoint. The only problem is when the research becomes so fascinating I get sidetracked for days!
~Rochelle

[becke_davis]

Rochelle - I've been making lists of questions and comments as I read Bruja, which is slowing me down. I'll come back later and post them. Nothing big - but I'll be asking for recipes, if you have them! 

[Rochelle_Staab]

I love questions! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Bruja Brouhaha.

But recipes? Uh-oh. I'm as bad a cook as Liz. Give me a great cookbook and I'll follow the instructions for a dish to the letter. It took me days to locate a decent tamale recipe for Lucia I'm better with desserts: The Mexican Wedding Cakes Liz buys Lucia are my favorite cookies too. I bake them every Christmas (using my ancient Betty Crocker recipe.)

[becke_davis]

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Rochelle_Staab wrote:
I love questions! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Bruja Brouhaha.

But recipes? Uh-oh. I'm as bad a cook as Liz. Give me a great cookbook and I'll follow the instructions for a dish to the letter. It took me days to locate a decent tamale recipe for Lucia I'm better with desserts: The Mexican Wedding Cakes Liz buys Lucia are my favorite cookies too. I bake them every Christmas (using my ancient Betty Crocker recipe.)

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Well, that answers one of my questions. I was hungry when I started reading BRUJA and since I love Mexican food, I had made a note to ask if these were your favorite recipes. 

Do your friends help supply you with non-dessert recipes or menu ideas for your stories?

[Rochelle_Staab]

Becke, ooh, you were hungry? I should have warned you that Bruja Brouhaha opens with a dinner party.

My friend Adilia schooled me on making tamales, one of my favorite Mexican dishes. All of the meals or snacks in my series consist of foods I love (french fries!), dishes I've made (Nick's lasagne), comfort food I'm craving as I write (cookies), or restaurants I want to try (Langer's Deli.) Liz and Nick's lunch at Lupita's Taco Truck is a literal description of a research excursion I took to Westlake with my friend Brant. I couldn't send Liz and Nick to a food truck without sampling the menu myself
~Rochelle

[Fricka]

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Rochelle_Staab wrote:
Becke, ooh, you were hungry? I should have warned you that Bruja Brouhaha opens with a dinner party.

My friend Adilia schooled me on making tamales, one of my favorite Mexican dishes. All of the meals or snacks in my series consist of foods I love (french fries!), dishes I've made (Nick's lasagne), comfort food I'm craving as I write (cookies), or restaurants I want to try (Langer's Deli.) Liz and Nick's lunch at Lupita's Taco Truck is a literal description of a research excursion I took to Westlake with my friend Brant. I couldn't send Liz and Nick to a food truck without sampling the menu myself
~Rochelle

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Now THAT's the kind of research that shows you are really dedicated to your craft, Rochelle! BTW, if you ever need a research assistant for trying out the food at Taco Trucks, or restaurants, let me know! I'm available, hee hee!

[Rochelle_Staab]

I'd love that, Fricka! It's not easy to find sidekicks to tag along to locations in the name of mystery. Know anything about haunted houses?
~Rochelle

[becke_davis]

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Rochelle_Staab wrote:
Becke, ooh, you were hungry? I should have warned you that Bruja Brouhaha opens with a dinner party.

My friend Adilia schooled me on making tamales, one of my favorite Mexican dishes. All of the meals or snacks in my series consist of foods I love (french fries!), dishes I've made (Nick's lasagne), comfort food I'm craving as I write (cookies), or restaurants I want to try (Langer's Deli.) Liz and Nick's lunch at Lupita's Taco Truck is a literal description of a research excursion I took to Westlake with my friend Brant. I couldn't send Liz and Nick to a food truck without sampling the menu myself
~Rochelle

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It's a hard job but someone has to do it!

[becke_davis]

Rats, you mentioned some dishes early in the book - I meant to write down the brand name so I could look them up. Now I can't find the spot where you mentioned it. Not Fiestaware - it was one I'm not familiar with.

I have a question about the Cherry Twists. I'm in a writing group called the Cherry Tarts, a spin off of Jenny Crusie's Cherries. (We all got to know each other through a love of Jennifer Crusie's books.) Are your Cherry Twists a shout-out to the Crusie Cherries, by any chance? Or is the name just a coincidence?

[becke_davis]

I found it! The pottery you mentioned was Talavera - I found it online. So pretty! I've seen it before but never knew what it was called.

http://www.directfrommexico.com/talavera-pottery.html

[Rochelle_Staab]

Becke, Cherry Tarts makes me smile. Love that name! I didn't name the Cherry Twists by coincidence, though it doesn't have anything to do with Jenny Cruise's Cherries.

In the fictional history of the troupe, the Cherry Twists were named by the man who developed "Hollywood Hop", the 1960s show the Cherries danced on. (Think American Bandstand or Hullabaloo.) But the fellow who created Hollywood Hop has the mind of a dirty old man. "Twists" of course comes from the 60's dance craze, but "Cherry" is sly reference to the innocence of the young dancers he hired. The Cherries had some wild fun when they were young
~Rochelle

[Rochelle_Staab]

Becke, Yes! Lucia's dishes are Talavera. Aren't they just beautiful? To me, they capture Lucia's spirit.
~Rochelle

[Fricka]

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Rochelle_Staab wrote:
I'd love that, Fricka! It's not easy to find sidekicks to tag along to locations in the name of mystery. Know anything about haunted houses?
~Rochelle

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Just a little. I visited a house that was supposed to be haunted, in San Diego, years ago while on vacation.

When I was a child, there was an abandoned church in our tiny town that was supposed to be haunted, and a group of us kids sneaked in there one time to investigate. Pretty disappointing, as it was just a  messy, deserted building as far as we could tell.

Now, this next anecdote is not necessarily connected to a HOUSE, but during one summer, a couple of my friends and I decided to investigate a ghost called the Blue  Lamp Lady. She supposedly is a ghost who nursed a lot of men at the Fort that's close to where the town was settled, and rumor had it that she appeared at twilight at certain times.We figured out the time and place, which happened to be located in a pasture, so we had to get under a barbed wire fence to get to the hill where we were going to look around and see if we could spot her. Well, my friends got jumpy and thought they saw a bull, so we all ran for the fence. My friends got over/under the fence all right, but they were in a hurry, so there was no one to help hold the wire up for me, so I ended up ripping out the pair of shorts I had on. We were all pretty sheepish on the way back to the dorm, and I was lamenting the loss of my shorts, to the amusement of my "friends". Never did go back to try to see the ghost lady again!

[dhaupt]

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becke_davis wrote:

Rochelle's website is here: http://www.rochellestaab.com/

She's on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/rochellestaab

Her Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/rochelle.staab

And - hurray - look what I just found on Rochelle's Facebook page:

Here's another great picture of Rochelle with Janet Bolin and Krista Davis, two more authors who have visited the Mystery Forum:

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Hi Rochelle, it's nice to meet you. I haven't read anything by you but since you're sitting at the table w/two of my best buds I'd say I better get reading.

Hi Grandma Becke, you know that Hank will be my featured author all month next month we're reading her brand new novel The Other Woman

Rochelle, it was great meeting you, now if you'll excuse me I have to hit the buy button on the B&N site

[Rochelle_Staab]

Fricka, I can just see you and your friends dodging a bull AND the alleged ghost.

I used to think I saw ghosts when I was small, especially when I had the measles and hallucinated a stranger waking me from a nap. My older brother made me watch horror movies with him on Friday night TV when he babysat me. I would be scared silly and giggling all at the same time.
~Rochelle

[Rochelle_Staab]

Debbie, hmm, we have the same taste in fabulous people (Lovely and talented Becke Davis on the left, elegant Hank Phillippi Ryan in the center.) I was in great company at the breakfast that morning.

Hank gave me an amazing blurb for Who Do, Voodoo? I loved her Prime series and can't wait to read The Other Woman. I know how one of my September weekends will be spent.

Lovely meeting you, too, Debbie. I hope you enjoy my novels!
~Rochelle

[becke_davis]

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Rochelle_Staab wrote:
Becke, Cherry Tarts makes me smile. Love that name! I didn't name the Cherry Twists by coincidence, though it doesn't have anything to do with Jenny Cruise's Cherries.

In the fictional history of the troupe, the Cherry Twists were named by the man who developed "Hollywood Hop", the 1960s show the Cherries danced on. (Think American Bandstand or Hullabaloo.) But the fellow who created Hollywood Hop has the mind of a dirty old man. "Twists" of course comes from the 60's dance craze, but "Cherry" is sly reference to the innocence of the young dancers he hired. The Cherries had some wild fun when they were young
~Rochelle

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Thanks so much for clarifying - I figured there was a story here!