Bailey Cates Books

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Bailey Cates is Cricket McRae’s pen name. The author writes cozy mystery novels. Cates spent her childhood in the West. She attended Colorado State University, where she secured her Philosophy and English degrees.

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Order of Magical Bakery Mystery Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Brownies and Broomsticks 2012 Description / Buy
2 Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti 2012 Description / Buy
3 Charms and Chocolate Chips 2013 Description / Buy
4 Some Enchanted Éclair 2014 Description / Buy
5 Magic and Macaroons 2015 Description / Buy
6 Spells and Scones 2016 Description / Buy
7 Potions and Pastries 2017 Description / Buy
8 Cookies and Clairvoyance 2019 Description / Buy
9 Witches and Wedding Cake 2020 Description / Buy
10 Spirits and Sourdough 2021 Description / Buy

Order of Bailey Cates Standalone Novels

# Read Title Published Details
1 Shotgun Moon 2013 Description / Buy
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For a time, she was a Microsoft localization program manager, a job that took her to various corners of the world. She also worked as a driver’s license examiner, ad manager, bookseller, and more.

She credits Laura Ingalls Wilder for inspiring her when she was young. You can still find Wilder’s books on the author’s bookshelf. She remembers taking an interest in Nancy Drew, Robin Cane, Hardy Boys, and all the other mainstream mysteries children her age obsessed over.

Although, her followers might be surprised to learn that she was equally fascinated by the Little House books. They inspired many of her quirky passions, which include making soap and baking bread. She went so far as to acquire a spinning wheel.

Cates got her foot through the publishing door because she persisted. Besides attending writers’ conferences, the author kept submitting query letters until she finally won her agent’s attention.

The woman in question took an interest in Cates because of a non-cozy mystery novel she wrote set in a small Montana town. She never sold the book. Nonetheless, she continued to represent the author, and her hard work paid off when she found a buyer for a manuscript that ultimately became the first book in the ‘Home Crafting Mysteries’ series.

Her publishing success keeps the author busy. She writes six days out of every week. Cates tries to write for four hours daily. But she cuts the writing sessions into two-hour blocks. Those sessions include revising and editing.

She tries to plan her day, using her morning walk to figure out what her characters will do, their motives, the settings she will explore, and more. By the time she sits at her desk, with a cup of tea in hand and a scented candle lit, Cates clearly knows what she will write.

But that doesn’t mean she won’t write if she doesn’t have the time to plan and review her writing sessions ahead of time. The author has matured over the years. She isn’t quite as precious about her writing as she once was.

Her schedule is too full, and she’s determined to live a balanced life. She can’t afford to squander the writing opportunities that come her way. This is why she writes wherever life takes her, whether in restaurants, airports, coffee shops, parks, hotels, etc.

Even though she prefers the comforts of home, Cates can adapt to any situation and setting she comes across.

Initially, the author wouldn’t outline. She thought plotting her novels beforehand would kill the thrill of discovering her story as she went along. But she quickly realized that writing without an outline was unnecessarily messy.

She spent too much time going back to fix things and remove inconsistencies. Eventually, she was forced to adjust her process.

Best Bailey Cates Books

The author is immensely talented. She went so far as to open and operate a soap-making company, manufacturing the soap and marketing it. Cates’ best books include:

Brownies and Broomsticks: Katie couldn’t believe her luck when aunt Lucy and uncle Ben opened a bakery. The assistant manager at an Ohio bakery, Katie, was restless. Her job couldn’t satisfy her, and fortunately, Ben and Lucy wanted her help.

She quickly migrated to Savannah’s downtown district and made herself home at the Honeybee Bakery. However, life in her new home wasn’t quite what it seemed. The first surprise took the form of aunt Lucy, a witch who was making spells out of her recipes by adding herbal enhancements.

And then uncle Ben became the prime suspect in a murder, forcing Katie to take action to clear his name.

Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti: Katie loved her life. Besides taking ownership of a bakery in Savannah, she had also come into her own as a witch. Katie was making steady progress, gradually mastering her powers and learning to cast spells.

Declan McCarthy was the icing on the cake. She was looking forward to her picnic with the firefighter when a dead man ruined everything. Before long, Katie was embroiled in a mystery surrounding a killer and a secret society.

When Does The Next Bailey Cates book come out?

Bailey Cates doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Spirits and Sourdough and was released on December, 7th 2021. It is the newest book in the Magical Bakery Mystery Series.

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