by Tracy Condie

This week we have a review of Night of the Living Bread, a Sugar and Spice Mystery by Mary Lee Ashford, along with an interesting interview with Mary. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

Night of the Living Bread: Sugar and Spice Mysteries by Mary Lee Ashford
Review by Tracy Condie

Night of the Living Bread, book four of the Sugar and Spice Mystery series, is a culinary cozy crafted to feed your desire for armchair sleuthing and provide great recipes. While Sugar is the main protagonist, she would be lost and somewhat hungry without the baking genius of Dixie. They run a successful cookbook publishing business in the small town of St. Ignatius. While Dixie is usually busy in the kitchen, Sugar is busy doing paperwork for the business and questioning suspects. Not that she would dream of getting in the way of Sheriff Terry’s investigation or putting herself in unnecessary danger.

The usually quiet town is hopping. The film crew of a show reviewing diners is setting up shop at The Red Hen; Marla Mercer dies; and there’s a string of petty cash thefts. The appearance of DIno Diner Dinelli brings back an unpleasant memory from Sugar’s past. Dino’s visit might ruffle feathers at The Red Hen.

This is a town of easy-going people and business neighbors who are interesting, even quirky. Sugar’s neighbor Mrs. PIckett is a most unusual and quite cantankerous character. In fact, it is due to the surly senior neighbor that Sugar gets involved in mystery solving this time. Mrs. Picket says that Sugar is good at snooping and that someone needs to clear her niece, Mame, from the list of people suspected of killing Marla, a nice lady who worked at the historical society. Sugar is as sweet as her name and would help anyone. It a character trait that is endearing and makes this series a joy to read.

This is a very enjoyable book with an engaging plot and fun characters. I was able to follow the clues but still did not figure out the culprit until the big reveal. As with most cozy books, there is a slow-burn romance. Actually, both Sugar and Dixie have slow-burn romances going, and I do mean sssslllloooowww. Maybe just a little more speed? After finishing the book, I felt the knead (LOL) to make the bread recipe. See below.

Tracy Condie is a paralegal by day and cozy armchair sleuth by night. When she is not working or reading, she enjoys preparing the recipes found in culinary cozies or researching recipes of meal items described therein and sharing reviews of both books and food on Instagram and on KRL. She lives in Corona, California with her husband and dog Zoolie, and looks forward to visiting with their grown sons when their time permits.

Interview with Mary Lee Ashford:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

Mary Lee: It seems like I’ve been writing all my life, but really, I guess in my early life I mostly dabbled. I love words and the creation of stories, so it’s been a part of me for a long time. However, with that said, I’ve really been writing books for about twenty years. And have been published for fifteen.

Those first five years of writing (and getting rejection letters) were an education in the difference between “writing” and “writing good fiction.” As well, as a major education on how the publishing world works. A fascinating and sometimes brutal business.

KRL: It definitely is! When did your first novel come out, what was it called, and would you tell us a little about it?

Mary Lee: The first novel in the Sugar & Spice series, Game of Scones, came out in 2018. It’s a culinary mystery that features Sugar Calloway, a downsized magazine editor, and Dixie Spicer, a blue-ribbon baker who have launched a community cookbook business. This series has been so much fun to write, as I love small town stories and the sense of community they bring. As well as the quirky characters you often find in small towns.

Note: My very first published novel was Desperate Housdogs, book one in the Pampered Pets Mystery series which I co-wrote as part of the Sparkle Abbey team. Also, a series that was fun to write as my character was a former Texas beauty queen turned pet therapist who had relocated to Laguna Beach, CA.

KRL: I totally forgot you were a part of that! Those were fun! Have you always written mysteries/suspense and if not, what else have you written?

Mary Lee: I’ve mostly written mysteries though I have published a non-fiction book, Growing Up in Madison County, which is now out of print. It seemed a natural choice to choose to write mysteries as that’s what I love to read!

KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

Mary Lee: For me the characters always come first and this series was no exception. My amateur sleuths, Sugar and Dixie, are both strong women who have faced some challenges in life and were ready for a new start. Sugar had been recently downsized out of her dream job at a successful magazine, and Dixie had lost her husband. Dixie is from St. Ignatius and Sugar is the outsider, hailing from the south, but they share values and determination.

As far as the setting is concerned, I had always wanted to set a book in my home state of Iowa. There’s just nothing like a small Midwest town where everyone knows everyone. And still, everyone has secrets.

KRL: Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?

Mary Lee: Absolutely to entertain, but one of the joys in reading for me, is also the opportunities to learn something new and a try to bring that to my stories. As well as provide enough clues – but not too many – so that the reader gets to solve the mystery along with Sugar and Dixie.

In my opinion, cozy mysteries are often not given enough credit. Perhaps that’s because they’re a bit of a comfort read. They are for me anyway. While they can transport you to a different world and supply a break from your day to day, they also offer a chance to learn about different places, pursuits, and people.

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?

Mary Lee: For years I wrote only in the evenings and on weekends as I worked full time in the public sector. I’ve recently retired and so I’m finding a new rhythm to my writing with a bit more flexibility. Right now, that means that I block particular times and days for writing.

KRL: What is your ideal time to write?

Mary Lee: The optimum time for me to write is still late afternoon and evenings. I’m not sure if that will change but it may. Right now, morning is reserved for the business of writing activities. I function better as far as creative work is concerned in the late evening.

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

Mary Lee: A brief outline with major plot points helps to keep me on track, and then I work from a whiteboard with sticky notes for each scene. Everyone has to find their own system but, for me at least, being able to visualize the flow of the story is essential. And being able move things around as needed makes it so I can see any plot holes or timeline issues.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

Mary Lee: It was very difficult. I think everyone who perseveres deserves our respect for just continuing to keep trying, making adjustments, and trying again and again. I always say if you want to write for publication you’ve got to develop elephant skin.

My worst rejection was a very nice letter from a very sharp, and slightly scary, New York agent whom I’d met at a conference. I was a finalist in the mystery contest sponsored by the conference and as a finalist you got the opportunity to meet with her. After hearing my pitch, she asked me to send her the manuscript. A few weeks – maybe a month – later I received a letter from her telling me she “loved my writing” but not the book. So, a big lift in that she loved my writing! But still a rejection, right? Then a few days later, she called me to reiterate she was impressed with my writing, loved my style, but not this project. Did I have anything else? Well, no. I did not. I’d poured everything I had and everything I knew into that submission. Previous rejections I’d viewed as learning opportunities. If the issue was point-of-view, I’d study that aspect of writing. Problems with settings, find a class. I was determined, I could learn, I had hope.

This one completely threw me because although it was good news on the writing. I didn’t have anything to fix. Or didn’t know how to fix it. What next? It was paralyzing!

From that experience though, I learned so much (eventually) and with knowledge gained from another very helpful agent found new stories and the right publishing fit. Morale of the story: Keep going!

KRL: Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

Mary Lee: Oops, guess I already shared that. There are many many rejection stories and ultimately a wonderful acceptance story.

The main thing to remember is that though it feels very personal when you get a rejection, it truly is an opportunity to learn and grow.

I keep a quote above my computer: “No is not an answer. No is a clue.” And I believe that both in publishing and in so many other areas of our lives. Don’t give up. Look for the lesson.

KRL: What are your future writing goals?

Mary Lee: I hope to continue the Sugar & Spice series as I believe Sugar & Dixie have more adventures to share with readers. I’m also working on a new series under the Sparkle Abbey pseudonym, the Shady Palms Mysteries, and Anita and I are having a lot of fun working on it. My big future goal is to find that rhythm of writing so that all those ideas in my head can become stories I can share.

KRL: Who are your writing heroes?

Mary Lee: Agatha Christie – For her wonderful plots. I started reading her as that’s what my mother read and still have my mom’s books.

M.C. Beaton – An absolute genius with the subtleties of character. She had such a way of describing a character that you truly felt like you knew them.

Jill Churchill – Amazing at creating relatable stories. Everyday people in everyday situations but encountering extraordinary challenges – like murder.

Ann George – A master at laugh out loud humor. Her Southern Sisters series is both funny and at times poignant, as it’s full of humorous situations and family dynamics. Also, Laura Levine for her use of humor.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

Mary Lee: My research very much depends on the story and the topic I’m digging into. I really like to be able to talk with a person with some expertise, rather than just online researching.
With Night of the Living Bread, there were a couple of areas that needed details outside of my life experience. One of those was skateboarding and, in that case, it required both online research and in-person interviews. We are lucky enough to have the largest open skate park in the nation here in Des Moines, so it wasn’t difficult to find some enthusiasts. Often these types of details are small part of the story, but you want to get the particulars right.

KRL: What do you like to read?

Mary Lee: I read a wide variety of genres and generally have both a fiction and non-fiction book going at the same time. Left to my own devices, the fiction books will be about creativity, productivity, and wellness. And the fiction books will be mysteries, suspense novels, or women’s fiction.

KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?

Mary Lee: I’m a fan of British murder mysteries such as Midsomer Murders, Father Brown, and Sister Boniface. There are also some great ones set in other locales with Harry Wild (Ireland), My Life is Murder (New Zealand), and Death in Paradise, set in the Caribbean.

KRL: Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

Mary Lee: Yes, six words. Read, read, read. And write, write, write. I’m always amazed when I talk with people who want to write a book but who aren’t reading enough or writing enough. Or at all. Writing for publication is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard work! And if you’re going to make a go of it, you’ll need to start with your “why.” Why do you want to write? Then set goals based on the answer to that question and keep going. Oh, and find your people. A local writers’ group or local chapter of a professional organization like Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers or American and the like. Because writing and writing for publication in particular is hard and no one knows that more than other writers!

KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Mary Lee: Recently retired, I spent 30+ years working in the public sector as a Deput CIO.

KRL: Do you have any pets?

Mary Lee: A have a cat, Zoey, who I often refer to as my feline coworker as she’s almost always with me in my office when I write.

KRL: Is there anything you would like to add?

Mary Lee: I’d just like to add a thank you to you and the others like you who help to get the word out about books. There’s a lot of noise out there and it helps so much to connect readers with authors. So, a BIG thank you!

KRL: You are very welcome! Where can our readers find you online?

Mary Lee: Social Links
Facebook – facebook.com/maryleeashford1
BookBub – bookbub.com/profile/mary-lee-ashford
Threads – threads.net/@authormaryleeashford
Instagram – instagram.com/authormaryleeashford
BlueSky – bsky.app/profile/maryleeashford.bsky.social
Goodreads – goodreads.com/author/show/17806883.Mary_Lee_Ashford

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a print or ebook copy of Night of the Living Bread (winner’s choice), simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “living bread” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen July 12, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email and want a print copy please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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