Today Summer Merriweather is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Little Bookshop of Murder, the first novel in the Beach Reads mystery series.

Welcome, Summer. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

I’ve come home to Brigid’s Island because my mom has passed away. She left me her bookshop and I’m deciding what I should do with it, considering it’s not my favorite place and I’m completely broke. All I can say about the series is part is I hope so!

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?

The writer controls it all—except the series decision! (That’s up to the publisher.)

How did you evolve as the main character?

At a beach trip with just my writer and a girlfriend, who were fantasizing about bookstores on the beach. The next thing I knew, my mom died, and I was heading back home.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?

I’m partial to my cousin Piper and my aunt Agatha. I grew up with Piper and she’s like a sister to me. Aunt Agatha is my mom’s sister and we are all very close.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?

Brigid’s Island is a small island off the coast of North Carolina. For years, we slowly simmered as a tourist destination. But suddenly it’s booming. And my mom’s bookstore, Beach Reads, is booming, too. It’s located right on the boardwalk and its specialty is romance and mysteries.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?

They tell me that Beach Reads is every reader’s dream store, with quiet nooks to read. Author signatures all over the store—on the walls and floor. Free coffee and tea all day long—and my favorite is the balcony, where you can sit with the sound of the waves in the background, reading.

Thank you for answering my questions, Summer, and good luck to you and your author, Maggie Blackburn, with Little Bookshop of Murder, the first book in the Beach Reads mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Summer and her author, Maggie Blackburn by visiting the author’s website. You can also follow her on Twitter (@molliecoxbryan).

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N – Kobo

About Maggie Blackburn: Maggie is the author of the Cora Crafts mysteries and the Cumberland Creek mysteries under another pen name. Her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award and as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman’s World. She has also been short-listed for the Virginia Library People’s Choice Award. She is the mother of two young women who are off following their dreams in the music business. She currently lives in Waynesboro, VA, and works at the University of Virginia as a development associate.