Dying to Decorate ~ Cyndy Salzmann

Run…don’t walk…to your nearest book store and pick up a copy of Dying to Decorate by Cyndy Salzmann!

(I will make every effort to add a picture of her cover here. You know me…technologically-challenged!)

It’s all here…girlfriends, moms, recipes, intrigue, spiritual depth…Wow! I can say, in all honesty, that this is the first fiction book that will be kept with my cookbooks. Cyndy weaves different tasty treats into her story and then rewards us with the recipes. (Cranberry Tumble and Death by Chocolate are topping my to-try-list!)

If you haven’t experienced mom-lit yet, let me invite you to chew on Dying to Decorate. No need for a mirror, you will see yourself (and your girlfriends) on every page of this book. I spent the first few chapters laughing my head off and saying “Yes! Oh, Yes…this is me!” (Much to the horror of my children, as we sat in a Mayo clinic waiting area.) It wasn’t long, however, before my gut twisted as I saw Lucy’s pain through the eyes of her FAC friend, Liz. As this emotionally fragile woman deals with the death of her husband and mother, her Friday Afternoon Club (FAC) friends rally around her and offer comfort and strength in unimaginable ways. A haunting story unravels as the six friends help Lucy renovate a Civil War-era mansion that she inherits. The best part of Dying to Decorate is that just as you tip back your head and open your mouth for a big laugh (or a sampling of chocolate), Salzmann stuffs in a heart-changing spiritual truth. Delicious!

Did I mention that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read Crime and Clutter (Available April 2007)? Until I can sink my teeth into Cyndy Salzmann’s next novel, I will be very “Kelly-like” (read the book, you’ll understand) and get to work on my new to-do list:

1. Try several new recipes
2. Have a Tacky Party!
3. Remember that “when life gets sticky, dip it in chocolate!” …Fondue anyone?