Today Lynn Cahoon, author of Memories and Murder, a Tourist Trap mystery is joining us at Ascroft, eh? to tell us a bit about this latest novel in the series.

Welcome Lynn. Without any further delay, I’ll turn the floor over to you:

Hi blog readers! Thanks for having me over today. I’m so excited to tell you that Memories and Murder –book 10 of the Tourist Trap series is finally out.  I’ve been thinking about this story since I finished writing Killer Party so I’m ready to start talking about the story.

I love writing cozy mysteries. Especially Tourist Trap. It’s set on the central California coast in a tourist town.  I love visiting the area and so when I’m planning a new book, it’s like I’m on vacation.  The area has beautiful beaches with a rocky coast line. And it’s close to the mountains. So it’s the best of both worlds, beach and mountain escapes.

Writing the series is like going home. Each of the books build on the characters’ lives.  I know they’re about the mystery, but if you have an ongoing cast of characters, you have to have some of their lives in addition to just solving the mystery.  The cool thing about the Tourist Trap series, is typically, there’s a new business added to the community with each story. I’ve had to let some of the characters move on and to better lives, but I guess all parents feel that way.

I’m asked often who my favorite character is in the books. My answer is always, I don’t have one. Each of the characters have their own style and growth ARC. I think Josh (the antique dealer) has grown the most in the stories and since he’s been doing the work, he deserves some good karma.  Maybe in book 12.  (Book 11 is already written and up for pre-order – Murder in Waiting.) Or maybe in a future book.

What’s the hardest thing to write? This is probably the next favorite question.  I have an easy answer. The title. Either it’s there or it doesn’t show up at all. The good thing is I have a great editorial team who is excellent at coming up with something when my mind is blank.

A final question that I get a lot is do I use real people for my characters. The answer is no. But sometimes, I do use a real person to start building a character. They usually don’t stay in the series long, if you get my drift.

So what questions do you have of authors that I didn’t hit?  I’ll stop by and answer a few more if you have some.

Thanks for introducing yourself and the series to us, Lynn.

Readers can learn more about Lynn and the Tourist Trap series by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N – Kobo  

About Lynn Cahoon: Lynn is the award-winning author of several New York Times and USA Today bestselling cozy mystery series. The Tourist Trap series is set in central coastal California with six holiday novellas releasing in 2018–2019. She also pens the Cat Latimer series available in mass market paperback. Her newest series, the Farm to Fork mystery series, debuted in 2018. She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies.