Life–like a good mystery novel–is full of surprises. My life certainly has been full of surprises. A big one happened in 2007. It was just after KISS OF DEATH, the 4th of my Daytime Mystery series, was published. My editor at Berkley Prime Crime called to ask if I would be willing to switch to writing a series of “culinary” mysteries for them. The books had be set somewhere in the world of cooking, include a murder or two, and have ten recipes in the back of each book. The rest was up to me. Because I like to cook, I agreed, and so both “Della Carmichael,” my new heroine, and “Melinda Wells,” my pen name for the series, were created. KILLER MOUSSE (first of the Della Cooks mysteries) came out in 2008. DEATH TAKES THE CAKE followed in 2009, and THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING in 2010. Coming in 2011 will be PIE A LA MURDER.