Welcome!

I’d like to thank all of you for making Dead Pan so successful! My publisher sent me a “sneak peak” of December and January numbers from Amazon, and they were incredible. Thank you so very much!

Also, please keep in mind, you can enter Gayle’s FreshFiction contest until February 8. The prize is a copy of Dead Pan and a lovely, sterling silver locket.

Site Spotlight: Cakeaters

Since the Winter Olympics are taking place in Canada, I wanted to highlight a bakery in Vancouver. Cakeaters is owned by Wendy Casey.

Says Wendy, ”

With your ideas, we will create a masterpiece for your wedding, anniversary, birthday, graduation and any other celebration. In addition to astounding and unique wedding cakes, we love to create a wonderful and magical world of enchanted cakes for children.”

Wendy’s clients have plenty to say, too: “…We just want to thank you again for the most beautiful cake ever – not to mention best tasting! The first thing I said as we entered the reception was “Oh my gosh, the cake looks phenomenal!” People will not stop raving about it. We are the first of our friends to tie the knot, so we will recommend you to everyone. Thank you for making our wedding day perfect.”
Christy & David L.

“We want to let you know that the cake was fabulous!!!!!!!!!! It was so beautiful and incredibly delicious. I nearly cried when I saw it. Everyone loved it and we even have the top layer saved and frozen for a special occasion.
Thanks again, Amanda & Doug.”

So, if you’re in Vancouver and in need of a special occasion cake, send Wendy an e-mail at wendy@cakeaters.com or visit Cakeaters online for additional information.

Welcome!

I’d like to start things off by introducing the book trailer for Dead Pan. I hope you like it!

I’d also like to remind you of Gayle’s FreshFiction contest going on through the month of February. Enter at FreshFiction for a chance to win an autographed copy of Dead Pan and a beautiful sterling silver locket.

Roger Elmore graciously offered to share an article from his Hospitality Management Schools blog with us titled “Cake Decorating Tips to Remember.”  Check it out. It’s full of great information.

Site Spotlight: Kathy’s Kakes

Kathy’s Kakes of Independence, Iowa, is owned by Kathy Finholt. The company won KCRG-TV9  A-List: 2008 Best Cakes in Eastern Iowa .  Kathy does have gluten-free cakes available; and while she does not ship cakes, cakes can be delivered within a 100-mile radius of Independence, Iowa.

If you’re interested in having Kathy’s Kakes make a cake for your wedding, graduation, birthday or other special occasion, you can contact her by phone, e-mail or snail mail: 319-334-6256; kathyskakesllc@gmail.com; or 1805 218th St Independence IA 50644.

Welcome!

Happy New Year, everbody. I hope it has started well for you. For those of us in Southwest Virginia, we’ve been off to a snowy start. The children were supposed to go back to school on January 4, but they haven’t been back yet. And we’re supposed to get more snow this week!

Gayle got a mention in GalleyCat! You can read the piece by clicking the link. Gayle is really thrilled about it. I, of course, am happy about the good reviews both Murder Takes the Cake and Dead Pan have been getting.

Reader Spotlight: Denise Turocy

This is a Killer Cakes first…but I hope it will be the first of many. After enjoying Murder Takes the Cake, Denise wrote Gayle and sent links to some of her own work. Gayle asked her to participate in this newsletter.

Denise’s adventures in cake decorating began in the early ’80’s when she took her first class through her local parks and recreation department in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. She went on to decorate cakes for family and friends.

Later, her interest waned and she gave up her hobby until Christmas of 2008.  She sold a few Valentine’s cakes and then worked at a famous Pittsburgh bake shop during the 2009 holiday season. In her spare time, she taught cake decorating, knitting and crocheting classes.

Denise has taken three or four Wilton cake decorating classes and attended an “Enthusiast” class at the Pittsburgh Culinary Institute in Sept. ‘09  where the topic was Sheet Cake Decorating. “Says Denise, “We got to torte, fill, frost and decorate our very own sheet cake and take it home.  It was a fantastic learning opportunity and fun experience to say the least.”

E-mail Denise at adairdet@gmail.com.

Welcome!

I have some terrific news: Murder Takes the Cake is currently No. 3 on the Amazon Kindle overall bestseller list and No. 1 in Mystery – Women’s Sleuths! Deborah Smith sent Gayle the news yesterday.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and are gearing up for a happy New’s Year’s Day and new year. I went looking for a beautiful New Year’s cake, and I found one (and a lot more!) at Freed’s Bakery of Las Vegas.

Site Spotlight: Freed’s Bakery of Las Vegas

This New Year’s Celebration cake is lovely and whimsical.

Freed’s Bakery was founded in 1959 by Milton and Esther Fried and is still family owned and operated.  Freed’s Bakery has third-generation family members ensuring the continued success of the bakery, and they continue to offer the same delicious products along with the excellent customer service that their customers have come to know and love.

Quality, attention to detail, and friendly, personalized service are only a few of the reasons why Freed’s Bakery of Las Vegas is famous worldwide.  From simple and elegant to elaborate creations, the team at Freed’s will design the cake of your dreams.

Freed’s Bakery boasts an impressive list of celebrity clients, including Wayne Brady, Cher, Vanessa Williams, Thomas Kincade and Chuck Norris. The bakery has been featured on such television programs as Roker on the Road, $40 a Day with Rachael Ray, Sugar Rush and TopThis Party. Freed’s Bakery has also been mentioned in magazines, such as, Bon Appetit, Martha Stewart Weddings and Conde Nast Traveler.

In addition to wedding, anniversary and special occasion cakes, Freed’s Bakery of Las Vegas offers mini pastries, cookies, cupcakes and other baked goods. The bakery offers to ship its rugulach anywhere in the Continental United States. The rugulach is available in chocolate chip and raspberry, cinnamon and walnut, apricot and raisin, and raspberry and raisin.

Visit Freed’s Bakery of Las Vegas’ website for additional photographs and information.

I found myself in good company in the Plum Borough Community Library’s November 2009 newsletter (http://www.einetwork.net/ein/plumboro/leaf%20NOV%2009.pdf). Scroll down to page two’s “Fall Into Some Great Reads” section, and you’ll see what I mean. Murder Takes the Cake is mentioned there with books by Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell and David Baldacci. So thank you so much, PBCL!

Welcome!

First off, Gayle would like to thank everyone who came out to her book signing at Waldenbooks in Kingsport, TN on Saturday, December 12. She was saddened to hear that the store will be closing soon.

Do any of you make gingerbread houses around this time of year? If so, please post your photos in the comments. I’d love to see them. Since it’s so close to Christmas, and Christmas brings thoughts of gingerbread and sugar plums, I’ve chosen a special site to spotlight this week.

Site Spotlight: Enchanted Gingerbread

Look how gorgeous this is! There is a little decorated Christmas tree inside. And I think there might just be presents under that tree. I also think, based on what I read at the website, that this house was created for Gwen Stephani.

And, check out the ones at right. They were made for Sephora.  (Gayle wanted me to add here that she loves Sephora!) These were gingerbread boxes that were emblazoned with the Sephora logo and catalog images, filled with gingerbread cookies and tied with a big red satin bow.

And, last but not least, check out the replica of Radio City Music Hall, home of the fabulous Rockettes! (Knee and kick, and knee and kick!) Adorable.

So, if this doesn’t get you in the mood to make your own gingerbread creations, go on over to Enchanted Gingerbread of Nashville, TN, and see what else they have to offer.

Welcome!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of terrific food . . . especially cake!

Congratulations to Michelle (a/k/a dolls123) the Twitter contestant who won a signed copy of Murder Takes the Cake, Dead Pan and a red Murder Takes the Cake apron. For those of you who did not win the Twitter contest, there is still time to enter Gayle’s November contest at Fresh Fiction and also her Fresh Fiction Christmas contest wherein one entrant will win a copy of each of my books along with a $25 Amazon gift card. While you’re at Fresh Fiction, check out the other contests. There are some great giveaways going on during the month of December!

Book Signing

Gayle will be in Kingsport, TN at Waldenbooks in the mall on December 12 from noon until 3 p.m. If you’re in the area, please stop by and say hello.

Something Interesting

I don’t know how you feel about webisodes . . . you know, the mini-programs available on some sites (in particular, TV network sites). I haven’t seen very many myself, but I have seen In Gayle We Trust, a web series on the USA Network. Each episode lasts about 31/2 minutes and is about an insurance agent named Gayle. They’re really cute. My favorites are Gayle and the Birthday Call and Gayle and the Hypnotist. Check them out.

Spotlight: BCakes by BKeith

B. Keith Ryder is an award-winning designer who has been decorating cakes since 1996. He has been featured in the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and American Cake Decorating Magazine. He is a past president of ICES, and director of the National Capital Area Cake Show (NCACS). He is featured in a Food Network special on the nation’s largest wedding cake competition at the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show where he placed in the top ten. Keith is an internationally recognized instructor in the sugar arts.

BCakes by BKeith is located in Falls Church, Virginia. You may contact him by e-mail at bkeith@bcakes.com. Some of BCakes most popular flavors include butter pound cake, carrot cake, sour cream white, almond, lemon, pumpkin, deep dark devil’s food and coconut.  Fillings and frostings are available in a variety of buttercream, mousse and ganache flavors. BCakes also has flavored fondant available in two-pound tubs for sale.

Check out BCakes for additional information and lots more photographs.

Welcome!

As you may already know, Mondays are Daphne’s designated blog days.  I’ve decided, however, to give her blogs a makeover. Rather than have her post whatever comes to mind on Mondays, I’m going to have her do a bi-weekly newsletter called Killer Cakes. In Killer Cakes, Daphne will provide information about “her” series, cake decorating techniques, famous cake decorators and fabulous cakes. She’ll also preview bakeries, promote cake decorators and share recipes. If anyone has anything to share, please e-mail Gayle at gayle@gayletrent.com.

Dead Pan

Dead Pan is almost here. The book releases next month, and I’m really excited about it. Author Gayle Trent will be heading to Marion, VA to a crafts fair the weekend of the 20-22nd. If you’re in the area, please drop by to say hello. Gayle will have copies of both Dead Pan and Murder Takes the Cake on hand, and the set will be sold at a discounted price.

Other News

Murder Takes the Cake was released in a large-print hardcover edition by Thorndike on October 16, 2009. If you haven’t read this book yet, and the paperback edition isn’t in your library, this is a perfect opportunity to request your library to order a large-print copy. Some libraries have standing orders for Thorndike books, so check with your librarian to see if the library has it already.

If you’d like Gayle to speak with your group (either in person or by teleconference), please let her know by e-mailing her at gayle@gayle.trent.com.

Spotlight: Nati’s Cakes

Nati’s Cakes is located in Located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Although Nati’s Cakes is not currently taking orders, you can check out their gallery of wonderful, scratch-made cakes at Nati’s Cakes Gallery.  All the cakes made by Nati’s Cakes are baked using in house developed cake bases. They are also only baked from scratch using the best fresh ingredients possible. This means that if Nati’s Cakes doesn’t have a cake flavour that takes your fancy, one can be created to meet your requirements.

Flavours include Tahitian Vanilla Butter Cake, Ivory (a Swiss white chocolate mud cake with white chocolate ganache), Caramello (caramel-infused mud cake), Ebony (dark chocolate mud cake), Espresso (coffee-scented dark chocolate mud cake), Jaffa (rich chocolate mud cake which has been baked using fresh oranges, and joined together with dark chocolate ganache), Light Fruit Cake (soft butter cake, lightly enhanced with sultanas, walnuts and glace cherries) and Rich Fruit Cake (a traditional fruit cake, full of sultanas, raisins, currants, dates, glace cherries, orange peel and slivered almonds).

Nati’s Cakes’ luxury collection includes Coco, Coco Caramel Bliss, Tropical Coco, Raspberry Coco, Hazelnut Kiss, Peanut Butter Lover’s Delight and Ebony & Ivory.

Murder Takes the Cake is being released in large-print, hardcover edition by Thorndike on Friday, October 16. In case you’re interested, Murder Takes the Cake is on page 20, the first page of Clean Reads, of the October catalog.

I’m so excited! Dead Pan is being released in November at almost the same time Murder Takes the Cake is being rereleased in hard cover. If you subscribe to my newsletter, stay tuned for an upcoming contest. If you don’t subscribe, sign up so you can get in on the giveaway!

Here are some brownies all dressed up for Halloween. Start with an 11 x 13 pan of brownies. Cut them into triangular shapes using a cookie cutter. 

Frost the brownie. As you can see, I used white frosting.

After frosting the brownie, cover it with buttercream or white chocolate fondant.

Use orange spray icing to color the middle of the brownie.

Apply a strip of yellow spray icing to the top of the brownie. Leave the bottom tip white to make the brownie look more like candy corn.