Welcome to Between the Covers summer series where# we shine our spotlight on South Florida authors.

I'm Anne Bok and joining me is awardwinning author# Raquel V Reyes.

The book is Domino's and Death.

This is the fourth installment in the Caribbean# Kitchen Mystery Series with food anthropologist and cooking show star Miriam Kion Smith.

Miriam# is a food anthropologist, which we've discussed before.

Didn't even know that existed, but thank# you for writing her.

She's also the star of a cooking show called Abuela Approved.

Mhm.

She# also seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or the right time if dead bodies are your# things.

So if you Raquel would give us a glimpse into this situation in the new book.

So Domino's# son and death um is a three-year skip since the the last book which we get to get rid of all that# nasty pandemic stuff.

Thank you.

She is her she's brought her parents to live with her.

So, she's# living in a multigenerational house.

So, she's got little kids.

She's got her parents and then uh# her and her husband.

And we start off with a scene that they're in the backyard having breakfast.# And she says, "It's been this many number of days since our last accident."

But of course,# you know, there's going to be an accident.

The cat jumps up on the table.

It makes a big mess.# And that's how we start the show.

Um, and then we go on to her really feeling that she is ready# to go back into teaching because she came from academic background.

So, she's like, "Oh, well,# things have calmed down.

My parents are here.

They could they help with the kids.

One of the kids# is already in school.

This is my time to shine."

And then well, we just get bones and bones and# bones and bones, don't we?

I love how you blend the mystery with the food, with the culture and# in this book really with the history of Miami.

How do you make that seamless or is it a challenge?# You know, I will say that this book, this series, the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series is a lot of# research for me.

I do a lot a lot of research, but I also chose that because I really enjoy that and# I love South Florida.

I love Miami history.

Um, you know, go to the Miami uh history history Miami# Museum.

It's it's wonderful.

And I actually got to go there to do a little research for this.

So, in# the book, we have some bones that are discovered, and there's a question whether they are# modern or whether if they are are ancient.

So, we talk a lot about the Tecastas, the indigenous# tribe that was here.

uh in Miami and that we have all of these um circles all through um Miami and# a little into Broward.

Um and doing that research um was important for me to one because I live in# Miami and I and I walk around and see this all the time and I I say why isn't why aren't we celebrate# why isn't this more known?

Um, but blending it in and making that part of the mystery.

Sure, that# was a that was a little bit of the challenge, but that's the fun part of writing.

I mean,# that's why we do that this.

That's why, you know, we like to use our mind to figure out how to# make it work.

I think mysteries are the perfect vehicle for this.

And I don't recall ever having# this history of the Toquesta Indians in a a book before.

So, thank you.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

It# was great fun.

The series is also sprinkled with Caribbean folklore and Spanglish.

And I don't I# Does your own CubanAmerican heritage influence the storytelling?

Well, of course.

Of course.

I mean,# I'm not Miriam.

Miriam is not me.

But of course, there's little elements in there, you know.

Um# and um this one takes place um not everywhere, but a lot of the scenes take place on Kaio.

I# remember going to Kyio as a kid and I love that and I love the roosters running around and I love# the domino park and I just love the vibrancy of it.

So of course, you know, I bring those things# into it.

Is there another challenge when you for instance you're navigating cultural authenticity,# but you're also writing for a wider audience.

Do you think about that?

Of course.

you know, the# it's whether, you know, if I put a a Spanish phrase in there, am I going to have it be in# context, the the the translation in context, or am I going to translate it directly?# So, you know, there's all those questions, but after I've done this for so long, and it's# really how I write, and it's also how I think living in a in a in a b, you know, bilingual uh# household and bilingual uh workspace and so forth, it it is a little bit natural.

Um, it was, um, you# know, I put also put a little Haitian Creole in there just because, you know, uh, a little Haiti# is such a big part of the Miami scene.

And so, um, you know, you want to you want to make it# real and authentic and you don't want to put too much explanation in there because the reader# gets bored with that.

So it is a delicate balance and I am thinking about it and and you know I've# had readers come back to me and says oh you know I haven't used my Spanish since I was in high school# but I was easily able to you know understand all this or I I loved you know getting it to people# always tell me says oh I used to live such and such a place and you know I loved the culture# and I'm so glad to get to revisit it.

though.

Do your Latina readers, do they influence your# work?

Do they are are they excited for the next book?

Well, you know, it it's they love that# there's a character who has a name like Ginoness with a little in over that, you know, just that# alone is just a really wonderful thing to help feel seen and help feel connected and so forth.# Yeah.

Raquel, what does it mean to you not only to be an award-winning author, to be nominated by# your peers in the cozy mystery genre?

You know, I was just the recently uh um nominated, one of# my books was just nominated and I was completely blown away.

I I I wasn't expecting it and# it's and it's lovely and because, you know, we work so hard at this for me.

It takes me a# whole year to write a book and then sometimes you wait a whole year for it to be published# and so it's a long process and you know you're writing alone.

So when you get that little# bit of feedback it's just it makes your day.

It makes your year especially by your peers.

Oh# completely.

This one is book four in the series.

So is there more pressure or less pressure# when you get to this stage?

you know, uh, we always want a book to stand alone, like in# a series when you're writing a series because somebody might not pick it up at book one, they# might pick it up at book two, right?

So, you know, making sure that that book can stand on its# own, but then also for our readers who have been with me since the beginning, we want to give# them all those little gems and treasures.

Like, everyone was so happy that Miriam's parents# came to live with them.

So, you know, you know, I had to make sure that I put a couple of little# scenes in there so that they got the spotlight on them.

It they are standalones, but I do like the# progression that that I see how she has grown.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Your books make me hungry.# And if this was a cooking show instead of just a talk show, what dish would Miriam be demoing for# us?

Oo, well, I have to say it's mango season, so hopefully.

and she's got a mango tree planted# in her backyard and her neighbor next door has an avocado tree.

So, I imagine she would be doing# something with those.

I think personally that the intersection of cuisine and culture is the most# wonderful way to connect and we find out that we are more alike than we are different.

I think# we could solve world issues by just sitting at the table.

I agree.

Absolutely.

And I think# Marian would agree too.

I do too.

Yes.

This book was such a good read.

The book is Domino's,# Dunanzone, and Death.

Raquel Reyes, thank you so so much.

What a pleasure.

Thank you.

I'm Anne Bok.# Please join me on the next Between the Covers.