Ariadne Winter is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Ink and Intrigue at Ivy Tree Inn, the latest novel in the Ariadne Winter mystery series.

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

Tell us about yourself.

Hello, my name is Ariadne Winter. I know what you’re thinking. My mother was on a Greek Mythology kick when she was pregnant with me. My aunt once told me, I was lucky she didn’t saddle me with Persephone or Harmonia, two names in the running. Ariadne was a Cretan Princess who helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur and his Labyrinth. I suppose, I am similar to my namesake, because I want to become an investigative reporter and solve crimes and corruption, which can be like solving a maze. Unfortunately, as a woman in1958, obtaining an investigative reporting job has been an uphill battle, because that’s “a man’s job.”

Tell us about the novel that you live inside.

Ink and Intrigue was supposed to be my first feature story for the fashion magazine where I work—Ladies’ Lifestyle Magazine. Of course, when I stumbled across a dead body at Ivy Tree Inn, it turned into an opportunity for me to get that investigative journalism job. There were plenty of suspects, and I was on a deadline for the magazine, so my time was limited. Little did I know the danger I put myself in, when I began investigating. However, with some help from friends, I survived.

Is it part of a series?

Well, I didn’t expect it to be. However, now my author is sending me to a castle in Ireland for a house party. Who knows what will happen at Ballyford Castle, near the Cliffs of Moher.

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

Control? Ha! We just go about our business, and she writes up the incident report. Really, I don’t know what she has to complain about. After all, I’m the one listening at keyholes and gathering clues. 

How do you grow and develop through the story?

Grow and develop, eh? I suppose it did come as a reality check for me to understand—when you stick your nose into other people’s business, and parade that business in front of the police, they will become angry with you. Let’s just say, becoming persona non grata at a small in like Ivy Tree became rather uncomfortable for me.

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

Well, the photographer the magazine sent, Gavin Turnbull, gave me butterflies in my stomach. I think for the first time in my life, I’m falling in love. It’s a concept I’m still coming to terms with.

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

The story takes place at Ivy Tree Inn, in Newport, Rhode Island. For those who have never visited Newport, it’s a lovely, seaside, New England town—replete with boutiques, restaurants, and gorgeous ocean vistas. The inn where I’m staying is a recently renovated 19^th century house. The owner kept much of the house’s character, while installing updated plumbing and bathrooms. Except for the dead body, it’s really a charming place to stay.

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

My writer did do something quirky, not only does the reader get to see the story unfold through my eyes, but she also provides one chapter from each of the suspect’s perspective.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping on many of the suspects’ private conversations; I just happened to be nearby.

Thank you for answering my questions, Ariadne, and good luck to you and your author, Ellen Butler, with Ink and Intrigue at Ivy Tree Inn, the latest book in the Ariadne Winter mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Ariadne and her author, Ellen Butler by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Instagram pages.

The novel is available online at Amazon

About Ellen Butler: Ellen is the international bestselling author of the Karina Cardinal mystery series. Her experiences working on Capitol Hill and at a medical association in Washington, D.C. inspired the mystery-action series. Multiple books in the series have hit #1 on Amazon bestseller lists in the US and abroad. Book critics call the Karina Cardinal mysteries, “intelligent escapism.” Butler is also the author of the award-winning historical suspense novel, The Brass Compass. The Brass Compass has won multiple awards for historical fiction including: 2022 Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Book Award, 2018 Indie Reader Discovery Award, 2019 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Winner. Butler started  writing in the romance genre and won the The Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Award 2015 with her novel Planning for Love. Her 12th book Operation Blackbird, a Cold War Spy novel, was published in October 2022 and won a Next Generation Indie Book Award gold medal for historical fiction.