I am not sure when I started to love mystery novels. Was it my first encounter with Nancy Drew? Or was it those Two-Minute Mysteries I used to devour? In any case, I love and read all types of mysteries: thrillers, historical… you name it. What about a SciFi Mystery that takes place in 2154? I say, tell me more! And Jeffrey Cook has done just that. This week he shares a bit about his young adult science fiction mystery novel Mina Cortez: From Bouquets to Bullets (Fire & Ice YA, January 2015), and a cookie recipe!
Tell me a little bit about Mina Cortez. What is she like?
Mina Cortez is an 18 year old girl in the year 2154. She’s spent most of her life training in hopes of receiving a “skill-chip” – implanted microchip containing the information necessary to follow an assigned career path, based on your aptitudes and skills – that will let her become a ballerina. Instead, she ends up implanted with the skill chip inducting her into a secret police agency, making her a combination of spy, detective and cop. Unfortunately, she’s immediately plunged into a mystery involving the disappearance of one of her best friends.
What would Mina choose for her last meal?
Given the choice, homemade enchiladas, her grandmother’s recipe. She doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with family these days outside of her work at her parents’ flower and landscaping company, so it’s a combination of a favorite food, and something with older and pleasant connotations to her.
How about you? What would you choose for your last meal?
Rare steak and mashed potatoes. It’s been my favorite for as long as I can remember.
Why should someone bite into Mina Cortez: From Bouquets to Bullets?
Mina Cortez is a fast-paced YA novel with a bit of a lot of things. A buddy story between two teen girls in the midst of a life-and-death mystery. Futuristic microchipping technology, car chases (including the sidekick’s ‘undead’ Chevy), secret police, spycraft, sandwiches as a vital clue… and having to deal with parents and flower deliveries in the midst of it all.
Do you have a recipe that you’d like to share?
Any perfect meal would be much more complete with my sometime-collaborator Katherine’s oatmeal butterscotch cookie layers for dessert.
BUTTERSCOTCH OATMEAL COOKIE LAYERS
1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 and 1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
8 oz. Butterscotch chips ( they come in bigger bags, so snack intermittently on the rest!)
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Lightly grease two baking sheets.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cream softened butter and both sugars together. Beat in egg and add vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Blend this mixture into the wet mixture. Add chips and nuts. Spread layer of dough over each baking sheet.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, then let cool enough to cut as desired. Store in layers of foil.
Thank you so much! I am definitely intrigued. When I was a little girl, I totally wanted to be a ballerina, and as an adult I have fantasized about having a crime fighting career. I had the good fortune to attend The Writer’s Police Academy a couple of years ago, which let me live out that fantasy. Oh, and my novel Swimming Alone (due out this fall) features a disappearing friend as well. I’m currently knee deep in edits, and cookies are always helpful when editing, so thank you for this recipe.
You can find out more about Jeffrey Cook and Mina Cortez: Bouquets to Bullets at the links below:
