Sisterhood of the Traveling Book – Game of Scones
I’m excited to join the Sisterhood of the Traveling Book tour and though Game of Scones has done some extensive traveling, the most recent trip was a little closer to home. Last week, I attended a three-day CozyCon in St. Paul, Minnesota. This wasn’t a reader event but rather an author intensive and so most of the time was spent indoors. However, the weather was absolutely gorgeous and after hours there was a little time to explore.
I’ve been to the Twin Cities umpteen times but had never actually spent time in downtown St. Paul. It’s the capital of Minnesota and sits at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. The Mississippi isn’t as wide there as it is where it runs along the side of Iowa but it offers some high bluffs and great views.
The Cathedral of Saint Paul sits on Cathedral Hill and overlooks downtown. The cornerstone was laid in 1907 and the first mass was held in 1915. It’s the third largest Catholic cathedral and the sixth largest church in the United States. The only National Shrine dedicated to the Apostle Paul in North America, a stone relic from the tomb of Saint Paul was given to the cathedral in 2009.
We stayed at the beautiful and historic Saint Paul Hotel which was both beautiful and charming. And with its downtown location, there were so many fun restaurants within walking distance as well as a park nearby with whimsical sculptures of Charles Schultz characters.
Charles Schultz was born in Minneapolis but grew up in St. Paul. I’ve included Schroeder and Lucy here but there were also statues of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Marcie and Woodstock, and Peppermint Patty.
The conference itself was amazing and as it focused on cozy mysteries there were lots of great discussions among the attending authors. So I have returned home with a ton of knowledge and an extensive list of books to add to my to-be-read pile. Though “pile’ may be underselling it a bit…
While St. Paul itself was amazing, my favorite part of the get-together was the people. And thankfully there were lots of breaks with opportunities to get to know each other and share our individual author journeys. It was good to get home and get back to finishing up the next book in the Sugar and Spice series, but it also felt like we could have kept going another three days.
One of my favorite snacks for one of our breaks was this little vegetable bouquet. It was in a small glass (probably a juice glass) with veggie dip in the bottom and a baby carrot, a pepper strip, and a broccoli floret. Isn’t it cute?
And I’m definitely stealing that idea for the next party I host. Who knows, maybe it will even end up in a book. Speaking of which…
I’m excited to share book five in the Sugar and Spice series with you, but in the meantime Game of Scones is currently free in all ebook formats so if you haven’t read it please check it out and then it can add to its travels. And if you’ve already read it, please share the special offer with a friend! Here’s the link: GAME OF SCONES
Mary Lee Ashford is the author of Game of Scones, Risky Biscuits, Quiche of Death, and Night of the Living Bread from Oliver Heber Books. She is also half of the Sparkle Abbey writing team. Mary Lee is a lifelong bibliophile, an avid reader, and a public library champion. Prior to publishing she won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She is the founding president of Sisters in Crime -Iowa, a member of MWA, and Novelists, Inc. She lives in Iowa with her family and her feline coworker, Zoey.
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I enjoyed reading about Game of Scones and its travels! Bon voyage and welcome home!
Thanks, Saralyn. I’m always wishing for exotic and exciting travels but sometimes it’s fun to explore places closer to home, too.
I, too, spent the past weekend at a writing conference, but there were authors across all sub-genres of the mystery spectrum and lots of them. There’s something special about a small intimate group of like-minded authors. I’m glad you had the opportunity to experience such an event.
Lois, it sounds like you had an awesome time at Killer Nashville! And congratulations to you on your award for Best Comedy. This was my first time attending something this small with people I didn’t know and it was a great experience.
Congrats on the new book… excited to see the first, which I enjoyed out there for free. Also glad the conference went well. Keep writing!
Thanks, Debra! Finishing this book has been a slog (life things) and so the conference was the perfect reset for me. 🙂
OMG those punny cozy titles crack me up. Game of Scones. Risky Biscuits. Are you the one who thinks these up? Fun post. Thanks for sharing your traveling book!
Thanks, Judy! So far the publisher has let me keep the titles I suggest. Coming up with them usually involves a lot of brainstorming with family and friends…
Your summer sounds like a fun, productive time, Mary Lee. It’s always great to meet. people with colleagues. Congrats on the upcoming book!
Thanks, Gay! Working on getting it over the finish line. 🙂
I ordered “Games of Scones” and can’t wait to read it. I’m glad you had fun at CozyCon. I’ll have to put the Saint Paul Hotel on my Sydney list. I was at Killer Nashville this past weekend, too, and my head is still spinning.
Kathleen, thanks and I hope you enjoy it! The Saint Paul Hotel was so charming. I’ve not been to Killer Nashville but would love to go. Maybe 2027 is the year for it! 🙂