Varietats: Murder Made To Order by Lena Gregory

New York native Gia Morelli is just getting used to life in Florida when she gets word that the town government wants to shut down her pride and joy: the charming little diner known as the All-Day Breakfast Café. A forgotten zoning regulation means that the café was opened illegally, and hardboiled council president Marcia Steers refuses to budge. Gia is considering hanging up her apron and going back to New York, but before she gives up on her dream, she discovers something shocking in the local swamp: Marcia Steers, dead in the water. There’s a secret buried in the books at town hall, and someone killed to keep it hidden. To save her café and bring a killer to justice, Gia and her friends will have to figure out a killer’s recipe for murder . . .

In the All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery series, Gia Morelli leaves everything she knows to move from New York to central Florida, and she has a tough time adjusting.

Some people find moving on easy, but I’ve never been one of those people. I always find ending one part of my life and moving on to another difficult and filled with anxiety and stress. Career changes, moving to a new home, even a new vacation destination all bring both excitement and dread. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I enjoyed what I was doing, the idea of leaving the known for the unknown is near panic-inducing.

I started taking dance lessons when I was four years old. I danced six days a week and student taught all through my teenage years. When I left high school it only seemed natural to start work as a dance teacher. My daughter played in a playpen through dance classes, recitals and competitions, until she was old enough to dance. When she turned eight, she left dance in favor of sports; soccer, basketball, lacrosse, track, softball… You name it, she played it. My middle son, who was two at the time, couldn’t take being at the studio. The noise of the music, the kids talking, tap shoes, all overwhelmed him to the point of tears.

Not wanting to miss my daughter’s games, and unable to comfort my son (he was later diagnosed on the autistic spectrum) I had no choice but to leave the only thing I knew how to do, something I’d trained my whole life for. I needed a career that would allow me to work during the day but still be available for my son to receive therapy five days a week, so I started cleaning houses, which I didn’t love but didn’t hate either. Plus, it allowed me the freedom to be available for my children which was more important to me than anything else.

Eventually, when my daughter started high school and my son was older, my daughter joined the drama club, in addition to all the sports. When a position opened up as a co-director and choreographer for the musicals, I jumped on it. Once again, I was doing what I loved.

Then my daughter graduated and my youngest was born, and there was no way I could keep working at night, so once again I was faced with the dreaded career change. This time I asked myself, “What would I love to do?” Easy. Write a book. So I did. Now I’m fortunate enough to do what I love while still being available to my children.

When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories.

Murder Made To Order by Lena Gregory - Blog Tour + Giveaway