The Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series debuted at the end of August with the release of Assaulted Caramel. When I was asked to write another Amish mystery series after I had written the popular Appleseed Creek Mysteries and the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries, which I wrote under the pen name Isabella Alan, I was a little bit hesitant. After writing ten Amish mysteries, what more did I have to say? How many more ways could I have a murder occur in Ohio’s Amish Country without jumping the shark? Despite my reservations, my agent and editor were both convinced that I should write another Amish series, and I started to think how I could make it different even though it was still set among the Ohio Amish. Here are the ways the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries are different from any other Amish books I’ve written before.
1) The protagonist, Bailey King, is an opinionated New Yorker. She also made some mistakes in her past. They are big mistakes too. She is unlike innocent Chloe Humphrey from Appleseed Creek or quirky Angie Braddock from the Amish Quilt Shop. Bailey is more edgy.
2) For the first time, I am writing a series built around food and with recipes! Believe you me, this terrified me as I am a mediocre cook and never until writing this series attempted to make candy. The candy thermometer scares me. I will only test recipes with a much more experienced cook by my side.
3) There is bad boy in the series. Usually, my characters fall for the nice guy, but Bailey is a little more daring with her heart.
4) The candy shop is built around the many candy shops that I had visited in Holmes County while researching the series. The types of candies, how they are made and packaged, and how they are displayed, comes straight from those visits. Yes, I do know that it is a tough assignment to visit candy shops for a book. Even worse, I had to EAT the candy. All part of the job.
5) There is a big surprise near the end of the book, and no, it’s not the identity of the killer although I hope that surprises you too! This surprise was totally unexpected and set the course for all the books to come after it. It even surprised me when I wrote it. Nope, I’m not going to tell you what it is, but if you read the novel and figure out what I am referring to, message me on Facebook or shoot me an email. I’d love to hear what you think it is!
Amanda Flower is a national bestselling and Agatha Award winning mystery author. She also writes mysteries as USA Today bestselling author Isabella Alan. In addition to being an author, Amanda is librarian in Northeast Ohio. Follow Amanda on Social Media at: Facebook Twitter Instagram