Sergeant Keya Varma is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Vanilla Chai and a Vanishing Victim, the latest novel in the Waterwheel Cafe mystery series.
Welcome, Keya. 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.
Hiya, I’m Keya, or Sergeant Varma, which is my official title. I’m the Cotswold’s Rural Engagement Officer which means I oversee over 1,000 square kilometres of villages and countryside.
There’s a lot to do, and the role is only a part-time, but that allows me to run my Waterwheel Café at Akemans, a local antiques centre. And I’m lucky to have help from my sister, Zivah, our mum, and my friends.
But sometimes it is hard, such as when my team at Cirencester Police Station is involved with an important case.
Vanilla Chai and a Vanishing Victim is the third book in my Waterwheel Café Mystery series. It’s a sad story of the kidnapping of a child but don’t worry, the boy isn’t harmed and he is returned to his parents.
The series covers the planning and opening of my café, and two of the major cases I’ve been involved with during that time. Please feel free to read book one, Earl Grey and Shallow Graves, and book two, Darjeeling and A Deadly Disappearance.
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
The premise for this book begins with the disappearance of a young boy. After that, my writer and I ask questions and follow the clues, with the help of my police colleagues, until we find the boy and the reason why he was taken.
How did you evolve as the main character?
I joined Dotty in her series, the Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries. As Dotty is away, I’ve taken over telling readers about events as they happen in the Cotswolds.
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
I’m grateful for being given the leading role, but I’m also happy to share the story with my friends and colleagues.
My team at Cirencester Station is run by the often grumpy Inspector Evans, and his boss, Chief Inspector Greg. Family Liaison Officer, Inspector Sue Honeywell, recently joined our team. I work mostly with Constable Ryan Jenkins, who is a tech genius, and I mustn’t forget retired officer, Stan Rowbottom, who helps out with research and has an extensive knowledge of old cases.
Outside the station, there is Aunt Beanie, an eccentric but huge-hearted older lady, her niece Gilly Wimsey, who runs the antiques centre, and plenty of other characters. We are a team and I appreciate all their help.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
I love the Cotswolds, in the southwest central part of England. They’re beautiful, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the people who call them home are quirky and interesting.
I work out of the market town of Cirencester, whose history goes back beyond the Romans, when it was the second most important city in the whole country. It was also very important, and prosperous, in the Middle Ages when it traded wool and was governed by the Abbot from its own monastery.
My cafe is in a converted mill building beside the River Coln. The mill is built of honey-coloured stone and has its own rich history.
Altogether, the Cotswolds are a wonderful place to live and work.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
If you’ve not read any of Victoria’s book before, you can download her free prequel to both mine and Dotty’s stories at her website, VictoriaTait.com, or Click Here.
And I hope you enjoy reading Vanilla Chai and a Vanishing Victim.
Thank you for answering my questions, Keya, and good luck to you and your author, Victoria Tait, with Vanilla Chai and a Vanishing Victim, the latest book in the Waterwheel Cafe mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Keya and her author, Victoria Tait by visiting the author’s website and her Goodreads, Bookbub, Instagram and Pinterest pages.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Victoria Tait: Victoria was born and raised in Yorkshire, England. After following her military husband around the world, she drew on her life’s experiences, and a love of Agatha Christie, Father Brown, and Murder She Wrote, to write British based cozy mysteries.
Her determined female sleuths are joined by colourful and quirky teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and realistic. As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world where you’ll experience surprises, humour and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.
Do you like tea, mysteries, and books? Then why not join Victoria’s TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and download the free prequel to the Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries series as a gift by visiting VictoriaTait.com
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