Leslie Keller Books

The beauty of Sedona, Arizona never fails to take my breath away.   Happy trails,   Leslie Visit my website

I thought from time to time I should include a few cocktail recipes for anyone interested in sampling something new (or very old as the case may be). Here's a fun recipe that's easy to make and very tasty. Between the Sheets: 1/2 oz light rum 1/2 oz brandy 1/2 oz lemon juice 1/2 oz Curacoa Combine all ingredients in a shake filled with ice.  Shake well to chill and blend.  Pour into a cocktail glass.  You can strain it so the ice isn't included or pour it with the ice. Cheers, Jayne Visit my website 

If you could meet an author before reading a book, would it make a difference in what you thought of the book?  I ask this question because I wonder if the author's personality would make you more or less likely to enjoy the book. As a reader myself, I like knowing what motivated the author to create the characters. Is the protagonist based on someone the author knows? What contributed to the twists and turns of the plot? Is any of the story based on the author's personal experiences? As an author, I know that I am already plotting how to get Jayne to Napa and deciding what is going to happen if she falls off a bicycle and breaks a few bones - definitely art imitating life! Wherever I am or whatever I am doing might be used in a future scene. There have been a few books lately where I desperately want to beg the author to explain why she wrote a certain scene. What was she thinking?  If the writer explained the background would you be more inclined to give a book a favor...

I wanted to write a blog about leading men with a sense of humor in books. I could think of a dozen movies where the actor was funny and also a leading man. Coming up with a book with the same foundation has proven to be more difficult. Not just difficult but impossible. Every internet search returns me only movies with funny leading men. This leads me to wonder why we aren't making men funny in books. I can find books with funny women leads but no men. And I also have to ponder what makes a leading man funny. Does he have to be a serious character for readers to fall in love with him? If he acts silly or makes us laugh, do we not root for him to win the girl or succeed? What are the characteristics that make a funny leading man successful? Since I can't find a book with a leading man with these qualities, I had to use a photo of great funny leading man in movies. I snagged this off the internet so I'm not able to recognize the photographer. Happy Trails, Leslie ...

As part of the series on the three Act structure, this post is about the second section of Act one - the backstory. The backstory or history of the characters is one of the most difficult for the author to incorporate into the story. After all, the reader doesn't want to start with the day the character was born and read his/her life story to get to the action. The reader wants to meet the character in bits and pieces, to learn why the character acts the way he/she does in a subtle way. Let's take for example a mystery where the protagonist is afraid of heights. The author could slide the backstory in when the character has reason to climb a ladder. Perhaps she has flashbacks to the time when her favorite pet was stuck in a tree and when she climbed up to rescue it, she fell and broke her legs. That might make her think twice about being high off the ground. The author might simply state that our character is afraid of heights but a better method would be to use flashback t...

I selected this book, which is not a cozy mystery, nor even a mystery because it came up in my Kindle suggestions.  The book is mostly set during the second World War and is based on two characters: Marie-Laure a young blind girl and Werner a young soldier in Hitler's army. It flits back and forth through different characters and different years. Normally, I find that distracting but in this book the author handled the time change with finesse. Werner, a child leaving in a foster home with his sister, develops his talent for repairing electronics, which leads to an opportunity to attend a special school for boys. As he ages, he is forced into military service and eventually his troop finds their way to Paris. Marie-Laure's father teaches her to navigate the world on her own, despite her blindness. It is these skills which ultimately lead to her survival during the occupation and invasion by the Allies trying to push the Germans out of Paris. I'm not a fan of war sto...

I recently had an opportunity to dine at the Hyatt Scottsdale restaurant, Alto ristorante e bar. A small Italian eatery which has consistency received glowing reviews.  Access to the restaurant can be found either by walking through the Asian restaurant or by walking down the fountain courtyard and entering on the lower level. Personally having the two restaurants almost blended together doesn't appeal to me. It's confusing to walk through a busy, noisy restaurant to find one which is more upscale and romantic. It lost some of the potential for ambiance for me. However, the service and the food were well worth it. We started with the lobster risotto fritters which were perfectly cooked and sitting in a pomodoro sauce which was so good we cleaned the plate. For the entrée course my date had the special of Sea Bass and I had the baked ziti with short ribs (costola breva ziti el forno). It was a sizable portion with the burrata of mozzarella melting in the ce...

Summer monsoon season in Arizona, paired with a beautiful sunset. What could be better? Happy trails, Leslie Visit my website

I'm very excited to announce that Menu for Murder is available in new formats. You can purchase to read in any e-book format, including iBook and Nook. Of course, you can still find the book on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback version. Visit your favorite book download website and get your copy today. Happy Trails, Leslie