Today Jessica Fletcher is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Debonair inf Death, the latest novel in the A Murder, She Wrote mystery series.

Welcome, Jessica. 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.

My name is Jessica Fletcher and I am a school teacher turned mystery writer. Murder, She Wrote, Debonair in Death is book #54 in the series. When Coreen the manicurist at Loretta’s Beauty Parlor is accused of murdering a local merchant, I cannot stand by and see injustice done. While Loretta and I are trying to get Coreen’s name cleared, life gets more complicated because my old friend, MI6 agent Michael Haggerty, is discovered breaking into the dead man’s house.

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

Naturally, I get a say. Just look at the cover, it clearly says, “by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran”. Do you see whose name comes first?

How did you evolve as the main character?

I was fortunate enough to be selected as the main character for the television show Murder, She Wrote which debuted in 1984. A few years later the first Murder, She Wrote book was published. It seems I have a knack for stumbling over murders and an even great knack for solving them so I have become popular with television viewers and readers alike.

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

I love sharing the storyline in Murder, She Wrote, Debonair in Death with old friends, such as Seth Hazlitt, Mort Metzger, Michael Haggerty and the ladies at Loretta’s Beauty Parlor. There is a great level of trust with people I have known for a long time. But I must confess I also enjoy sharing stories with new friends.

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

It is home. I am always happiest to be at home in the small coastal town of Cabot Cove, Maine surrounded by longtime friends and familiar places. 

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

I would like to thank the many viewers and readers who have kept the Murder, She Wrotefranchise alive and well for nearly forty years. I hope we continue to be friends for many years to come.

Thank you for answering my questions, Jessica, and good luck to you and your co-author, Terrie Farley Moran, with Debonair in Death, the latest book in the A Murder, She Wrote mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Jessica and her co-author, Terrie Farley Moran by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon –  IndieBound    Barnes and Noble

About the authors: Terrie Farley Moran is co-author, along with Jessica Fletcher, of the Murder, She Wrote series. Terrie is also the author of the beachside Read ‘Em and Eat cozy novels, and is co-author of Laura Childs’ scrapbooking mysteries. Her short mystery fiction has been published in numerous venues. Terrie is a recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer awards.