Author Alicia Dean

Please help me welcome today’s guest, Lori Pollard-Johnson…

Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?

I’m a writer who splits her time between Washington (the state) and Arizona. I have an amazing husband, and we’ll be celebrating forty years of marriage next March in Spain and Mallorca. I have two also amazing children, two wonderful kids-in-law, and two incredible grandchildren. I’m a bit of a foodie, and I love to hike, swim, and practice Pilates and yoga. And, of course, I also love to create curious and resourceful characters who solve crimes and learn about themselves while doing so.

Tell us a bit about how you came to write your book?

Toxic Torte was a joy to write. It features Jess Harriet, a young, sassy woman trying very hard to make a name for herself in the newspaper industry. Unfortunately, she’s a year shy of her journalism degree and stuck at The Seattle Sun, a local weekly best known for its back page, which is dedicated solely to personal ads. When she’s assigned an obituary for Perry Lowell, a local restaurant critic, she sees yet another dead end. But midway through the memorial, detectives arrive. It seems Perry didn’t die of a heart attack after all. He was murdered…with a toxic torte. Jess seizes her opportunity to scoop the story and prove herself a real journalist. But she stirs up trouble with the chefs who wanted him dead and is invited to a dinner she senses is a recipe for danger.

I got the idea for this book while writing for the food and wine industry many years ago. Again and again, I met chefs from unique backgrounds who poured their hearts and souls into creating incredible food, only to be panned by critics whose motives often felt inspired less by a love of food and more by a desire to sound important. And, as I discovered, these critics had the ability to make or break a chef’s career with a few strokes of fingers on keyboards. How frustrating and cruel! That’s when I began to wonder: What would it take for a mild-mannered chef to commit murder? The result, of course, is Toxic Torte.

Are there any tricks, habits or superstitions you have when creating a story?

I have a couple of tricks that I like to share with other writers who are trying to commit to writing a book. First, wear thick socks. I know that sounds silly, but it’s literal as well as metaphoric. If you wear thick socks, you won’t feel the crumbs on the floor as you walk to your office to settle into writing. If you don’t feel the crumbs on the floor, you won’t be tempted to stop and sweep, spending precious time cleaning when you could be writing. It’s a little like “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”; if you resist the urge to do all the mundane necessities, you’ll find you have time to write. And I promise you, the crumbs on the floor, like the dishes in the sink, and the dirty clothes in the hamper, will still be there when you finish writing for the day. Second, remove computer games from your laptop. It’s tempting to play a couple hands of Solitaire while waiting for the muse to speak, but it’s a time-waster that doesn’t serve you. Third, don’t booby-trap your writing. Nothing is scarier than a blank page. Don’t stop at the end of a chapter. Stop in the middle of a page, the middle of a paragraph, even the middle of a sentence. Stop at a place where you know what will happen next. It enables you to dive right back in and produce words the minute you open your manuscript.

Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it and do you like it?

Although I’m retired from teaching (I taught elementary school first, then moved to the college level to teach English and creative writing), I do have a second job. My husband and I are mom-and-pop landlords for a few well-maintained, fairly priced rental homes. Some months that means three minutes of work; other months it may mean hours of coordination of repairs and craftspeople, as well as writing ad copy and interviewing potential tenants. What it always means, however, is unique experiences and interesting people that wiggle their way into my stories.

What was your first job?

If you don’t count babysitting and weed-pulling, my first real job was shoedog. That’s industry talk for a shoe salesperson. I started out as an hourly employee and worked my way into commissioned sales. I loved it! I loved helping women accessorize their outfits, make a statement with their attire, and even gain confidence in themselves by presenting themselves with flair. I also love shoes! I don’t wear a lot of high heels anymore, but I love a colorful pair of cute strappy sandals or a tall pair of leather boots.

What’s your favorite book of all time and why? What’s your favorite childhood book?

My favorite book of all time is “The Ladies of Missalonghi,” by Colleen McCullough, the same author of the bestseller “The Thorn Birds” and the lesser-known “Tim.” It has everything: strong-willed and underestimated women, extremely challenging social and economic circumstances, and a dash of magic. It’s set in a small town in Australia just before World War I, so there’s also some historical references which are fun to learn about. I highly recommend it!

There are so many books from my childhood that I remember fondly. The first one that pops into my head is “Under the Haystack” by Patricia Engebrecht; in fact, I remember reading as a third grader, again as a sixth grader, and finally as a seventh grader. I learned to be resilient and rely on myself from reading that book. The other series I remember especially well is the “Encyclopedia Brown” books by Donald Sobol. I distinctly remember spending quiet afternoons in my room, reading about a boy sleuth and eating oranges. I guess it’s not surprising that I write (and read) mysteries now!

What actors would you like in the main roles if your book were made into a movie?

I would love to see a young Emma Stone play Jess, my main character in “Toxic Torte.” Her spunky attitude and very driven, risk-taking personality makes me think of Jess. Perry Lowell, my obnoxious critic, would be well-played by John Waters. He’s a ringer for the mean restaurant critic.

Blurb:

Jess Harriet writes for the Seattle Sun, a weekly newsrag best known for its personal ads. When her latest assignment turns out to be yet another obituary, this time for caustic restaurant critic Perry Lowell, she seriously considers quitting. But before the memorial buffet is replenished, detectives appear. Perry didn’t die of a heart attack after all. He was murdered…with a toxic torte, likely served at the Valentine’s Day Chocoholic Ball. Jess seizes the opportunity to solve the murder and scoop the story, but she’ll have to outwit Cherrie Belle, fellow Sun Reporter by week, cheerleader by weekend; Tom, a college dating disaster who holds a flame for Jess and the elusive Chocoholic Ball guest list; and a cadre of unsavory chefs who invite her to a dinner she suspects is a recipe for danger.

Excerpt:

“What do you mean you don’t believe it was a heart attack?” The sniff of scandal raised the hair on the back of my neck.

Will took a bite out of a mini-quiche topped with a swirl of cream and glared at the crowd before responding.

“I think someone did something to Perry.” He raised one eyebrow. “He was in excellent health. He ate right. He exercised. He had a positive mental attitude. These things matter, you know.”

A shiver raced down my limbs. It ended in a distinct prickling of my fingers and toes. I stamped my feet and bit into the obvious question. “Who’d want to kill Perry?”

Will lifted his finger and swung it round the room, jabbing as he spoke. “Him. Her. Him. Him. Him. Her. Him and her.”

I grabbed his hand and pulled it down, setting the offending digits on his leg and holding them there. A few people had noticed Will’s finger zeroing in on them. I shoveled a spoonful of fluffy yellow eggs into my mouth, took a swig of coffee, and focused on my plate. When I raised my head, the mourners had returned to their polite, hushed conversations, their eyes averted.

“Be careful,” I said, hushing him with the tone my mother taught me in the back row of our church when I was eight years old. “Someone might hear you.”

“I don’t care.” Will’s glare intensified, his eyes shifting back and forth. He pounded his fist on his knee. “I hate them all.”

I ignored the venom and took in the scene. The people he’d pointed out didn’t look like killers. To my left, a dude wearing chefs’ whites looked like an over-risen biscuit, his cheeks ruddy circles. I half expected him to giggle and clutch his protruding belly, then offer cookies all round. The flame-haired woman next to him looked more like a runway model than a murderer. She wore a red knee-length tunic jacket over matching slacks. The crease pointed to shoes the color of blood, their toes resembling medieval weaponry with their severe points.

To the right stood a couple in twin tiger-striped outfits, their faces scrubbed clean. They both appeared domesticated. And the caterer busily building a donut hole pyramid was a Denzel Washington look-alike. I watched him a moment. His attention to detail suggested a logical, sane mind, one given more to crullers than cruelty. The rest of the crowd looked like anyone else you’d see strolling a Seattle sidewalk. Regular folks.

I swung my gaze back to Will. “I understand your pain, Will. Really, I do. But these people look pretty tame. Are you sure these aren’t your emotions talking?”

He shook his head. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Buy link(s):

About the Author:

Lori Pollard-Johnson writes from her homes in Washington and Arizona, and has two new titles for 2024. “Corpse in the Craftsman Cottage” is an amateur sleuth cozy with two strong female leads who happen to be BFFs, and “Toxic Torte” is a classic culinary cozy featuring a caustic restaurant critic’s demise and a sassy young journalist determined to find out whodunit. Earlier titles include “The Lie,” a YA that profiles a young man journey to Iraq after lying about his age to join the military; “The Truth Test,” a mid-grade reader about a gifted student who convinces his buddies he’s developed surefire method to tell if someone is lying; and “Recipe for a Rebel,” a mid-grade reader that chronicles the misadventures of a young boy dealing with his father’s rejection and his love of cooking.  In addition to novels, Lori has over 100 publishing credits in short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, in publications as diverse as “Vegetarian Journal,” “Seattle,” “Black Belt,” “Bridal Connections,” and “The Binnacle.” She was a flash fiction finalist in “The Binnacle”; in PNWA’s Literary Contest for “The Lie” and “Corpse in the Craftsman Cottage”; and recently took first place in short fiction for “What it Takes to Scare a Man” and in poetry for “Hope is a Three-Toed Dragon” in a Southern California contest. She holds an MA in writing from Seton Hill University and spent her career in education: first as an elementary school teacher instilling the love of reading in children, and later as a college professor working with developmental, college-level, and creative writers. She’s also worked in business, warehousing, sales, and as a shoe model in college, which would have been a lot more fun if she’d been able to keep the shoes. Nowadays, when she’s not writing, she’s playing with her grandbabies, braiding rugs, perfecting her shavasana, swimming, hiking, practicing her releves, renovating fixer-uppers, reading, or watching javelinas dance through her backyard. 

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