Jemma is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about A Hill to Dye On, the latest novel in the Clear Creek mystery series.

Welcome, Jemma. 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.

Hi, I’m Jemma. A Hill to Dye On is the second book in the Clear Creek Mysteries. It all started when my grandmother, Mary, begged me to help her. When I arrived, she’d been killed and I inherited her yarn shop. After helping bring her killer to justice, I decided to stay. Things have been quiet for a few months, but now . . . well, we’re thrown into another mess.

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

Let’s just say I like to let Rebecca think she’s in charge. I don’t think she realized quite how stubborn the people of Clear Creek can be, and while she’s dealing with them I can sneak around, leaving enough hints of what I want to do that she thinks it was her idea. Then we’re both happy.

How did you evolve as the main character?

I actually didn’t start out as the main character. Rebecca was trying to tell some other woman’s story. Eventually she realized that I really was the right person to highlight, and I headed to Clear Creek. I just wish I’d arrived to a happier scene.

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

I have a few dear friends in Clear Creek. Kitty, of course — I spent summers with her as I grew up.

Emmilene is a southern belle who moved here recently, and she keeps me laughing with her southernisms.

Granny — well, Granny helped me get into all kinds of trouble when I would visit as a teenager, and she hasn’t stopped.

Then there’s Brandon. There’s a lot of attraction there, but I can’t tell you too much about it because we’re trying really hard to keep our budding relationship a secret.

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

After I made up my mind to stay in Clear Creek and take over the yarn shop, my friend Emmilene stepped forward and started organizing a whole bunch of things. Because of her, the town has a new community center that hosts everything from classes to an open gym.

Running the shop hasn’t been as hard as I’d worried it would be, and business is better than I hoped! I’m also trying to figure out how to keep my travel vlog going at the same time, which is a bit of a handful, but I hate to give it up after spending fifteen years of my life on it.

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

In this book you’ll get the chance to know Kitty better. She finally tells me what happened to turn her from the vibrant girl I remembered into the quiet, timid woman she became. I have a feeling you’re going to be as angry about it as I am.

Thank you for answering my questions, Jemma, and good luck to you and your author, Rebecca McKinnon, with A Hill to Dye On, the latest book in the Clear Creek mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Jemma and her author, Rebecca McKinnon by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram pages.

The novel is available online at  Amazon   

About Rebecca McKinnon: Rebecca enjoys playing with her imaginary friends and introducing them to others through her writing. She dreams of living in the middle of nowhere but has been unable to find an acceptable location that wouldn’t require crossing an ocean.