Today, I’m excited to feature author Elizabeth Pantley once more on the Nadaness In Motion book blog.

Last year, I finally got the chance to read one of her paranormal cozy mystery books. Vampires and Villains is the 2nd book in the Magical Mystery Book Club series. Last year’s post included an exclusive interview with Pantley.

Today, I’m spotlighting her 4th and newest book in the series, Bakeries and Buffoonery along with an exclusive guest post. This post is part of a blog tour organized by Escape with Dolly Cas.

Book blurb

It’s a magical book club! When this group chooses a book, magic happens. The mystery comes to life, and they find themselves part of the story. To exit the book and get back home, they need to solve the mystery and reach The End.

This time, the club chooses a book called The Great Cake Rivalry, because, well … cake! They read the back cover and it’s unanimous. So off they go into another grand adventure into a town aptly named Frosting.

Frosting is a rural town in an idyllic setting. The people live quiet lives most of the year. But in the spring, things change. The Annual Cake Competition becomes the focus of every man, woman, and child.

They take this competition seriously. The cakes are spectacular. The festival is fabulous. For a week there are contests featuring all kinds of cakes. The people of the community become official tasters and vote for the winning cakes in each category.

The grand finale is a display of finely decorated cakes, made by the town’s bakeries. The winner of the best design receives a prize package that would make any baker dizzy.

Sadly, this event has been tainted. Once a year, each one different, but all somehow related to this event, a person is murdered. The main investigator is stumped, but that could be because he’s an inept buffoon.

Can the book club help the people of this community figure out who is causing this disturbing pattern of deaths, and stop another murder from happening?

Can they figure out why some of the citizens dress so oddly, and why they always wear those unique backpacks? All while they fill themselves to the brim with cake, of course.

Guest Post by Elizabeth Pantley

How I Choose the Settings for My Books

Author of the Magical Mystery Book Club series

In the Magical Mystery Book Club series, the group gets to travel into mystery books and live the entire experience first-hand. They find the dead body (yeah, some of the members don’t like that part!), they figure out the suspects, and they solve the mystery.

Since the club can travel into any book from their cozy mystery library, there are thousands of choices where I can place the setting of these adventures! That’s where my fun begins. They travel to small towns, take voyages on cruise ships, and even go back in time! With all those options, how do I pick the setting? Lots of different aspects lead to the decision.

What comes first, the chicken or the egg?

There are times when a story pops into my head – but it could happen anywhere. I’ll sometimes outline the victim, the murder, and the suspects first, and then decide where in the world they will be. There are times when the plot drives the setting, and others when the setting drives the plot.

Book cover for Bakeries and Buffoonery by Elizabeth Pantley

Choosing where to place the story.

I always want to have a small, contained environment. Big city murders don’t blend well with my cozies. But there are lots of possibilities for locations!

From small towns filled with local charm to cruise ships sailing around Hawaii, I like to place my mysteries in locales where the suspects, villains, and red-herrings can happen naturally among the small population.

Weather, Terrain, and Events Lend Themselves to Locations

Some stores lend themselves to small mid-western towns, and others lead me back in time to days long ago. Once the characters show themselves, I’m able to build a world that suits their needs.

Bakeries and Buffoonery takes place in a charming Hallmark-Channel-worthy small town where everybody knows everybody, and no secret goes untold. It’s a fun place to track down a murderer!

About the Author

Elizabeth Pantley is the internationally bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and 12 other books for parents, published in over twenty languages.

She simultaneously writes the well-loved Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the new Magical Mystery Book Club series.

Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest, the gorgeous inspiration for the setting in many of her books.

Connect with Elizabeth Pantley via her Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and BookBub. You can also sign up to Pantley’s newsletter.