Event: Mystery Authors Book Signing

Tonight, Salt & Pepper Books in Occoquan, VA, hosted a Mystery Readers' Event featuring the authors Krista Davis, Avery Aames, Lucy Burdette, and Sheila Connolly. The store is primarily a cookbook shop, but they also have a nice selection of novels, particularly mystery ones, that have a food focus -- think the mysteries with recipes in the back. The four authors were there promoting their food-related series: Davis' Domestic Diva series set in Alexandria, VA; Aames' Cheese Shop series set in Providence, OH; Burdette's Food Critic series set in Key West, FL; and Connolly's Apple Orchard series set in Granford, MA.

In addition to signing their books, the authors had free goodie bags for all attendees, and Salt & Pepper provided refreshments -- cheese & crackers, juices, and delicious cupcakes.

Read on for photos and lots of details!

The Books

I've read most of the books by Krista Davis, Avery Aames, and Sheila Connolly digitally and therefore didn't have anything for them to sign. I visited my local used bookstores earlier this week in an attempt to find their books--preferably the first in each series--on the cheap. I lucked out with the Domestic Diva and Cheese Shop series, finding the first of each, used but in great condition, at C&W Used Books for about half their list price. I tracked down some of the Apple Orchard books at 2nd & Charles (a chain Borders-style used book store), but they didn't have the first in the series, so I picked up my favorite one instead, for less than half its list price. I haven't yet read Lucy Burdette's series and couldn't find the first book in any of the stores I visited, not even Books-A-Million. Turns out it just came out in January, which explains why it's not available used yet. Instead, I picked it up at the event for full price. Together, I picked up all 4 books for about $19, an average of $4.75/book.

• The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis
  (#1 in the Domestic Diva mystery series)
  MSRP: $7.99 | PP: $3.50 | Savings: 56% | Salt & Pepper or Amazon.com or BN.com
• The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames
  (#1 in the Cheese Shop mystery series)
  MSRP: $7.99 | PP: $4.00 | Savings: 50% | Salt & Pepper or Amazon.com or BN.com
• Bitter Harvest by Sheila Connolly
  (#5 in the Orchard mystery series)
  MSRP: $7.99 | PP: $2.80 | Savings: 65% | Salt & Pepper or Amazon.com or BN.com
• An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette
  (#1 in the Key West Food Critic mystery series)
  MSRP: $7.99 | PP: $7.99 | Savings: 0% | Salt & Pepper or Amazon.com or BN.com

The Authors

When I got to the event shortly after it started, there were other readers, but not really any lines to meet the authors, so I was lucky enough to chat with all four authors. They were all very friendly, and Avery Aames mentioned that she's going to be introducing a character like me -- someone who loves food but doesn't really know how to cook -- in her new Cookbook Nook series (under the name Daryl Wood Gerber). I snapped photos of the authors at each table:

Connolly (L) and Burdette (R)

Aames (L) and Davis (R)

Apparently, Avery Aames and Krista Davis are actually friends outside of the book signing circuit, too!

The Autographs

4 signed title pages

From left to right: Davis' The Diva Runs Out of Thyme, Aames' The Long Quiche Goodbye, Connolly's Bitter Harvest, and Burdette's An Appetite for Murder

The Goodie Bag

Free goodie bag of promotional items

The goodie bag from the authors included bookmarks and items related to their recent books. Inside were:

• A bag of candy corn for Krista Davis' The Diva Haunts the House (Domestic Diva #5)
• A cobweb-shaped cookie cutter for Krista Davis' The Diva Haunts the House (Domestic Diva #5)
• 8 promotional bookmarks, including one signed by Julie Hyzy
• A packet of recipe cards featuring recipes from the authors' books on one side and the corresponding book cover images on the reverse
• A "Power-Pal Magic Jar Opener" for the Cookbook Nook mystery series (coming out in July 2013) by Daryl Wood Gerber (a.k.a. Avery Aames)
• A box of matches for Sheila Connolly's Fire Engine Dead (Museum Mysteries #3)
• A bag of sour apple gummy candies for Sheila Connolly's Sour Apples (Apple Orchard #6)
• A book cover magnet for Lucy Burdette's An Appetite for Murder (Key West Food Critic #1)