Kara Lacey, author of Caught on Camera, the first novel in the Camera Club mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.

Welcome, Kara.

Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

Caught on Camera is the first book in the Camera Club Mystery Series. My protagonist, Bobbie Brooks, is a middle-aged widow and photographer who has recently moved to Vermont. When the story opens, she is preparing for her new camera club’s first photo shoot, which is scheduled to take place at the village’s idyllic covered bridge. What she didn’t expect was to find one of her club members dead beneath the covered bridge.

The Camera Club Mysteries revolves around a group of amateur photographers who joined the club to learn more about photography. At times, though, they’re more like an amateur detective club. Each book in the series is a complete mystery where the reader will try to solve whodunnit. The books can be read as standalones, but there is a progression in the characters’ lives should they be read in order.

Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?

I am a photography enthusiast who lives in Vermont. These together were the inspiration for my series. The idea for the mystery central to the story was purely a figment of my imagination. When I imagined my characters and decided upon who the victim would be, I thought of all the reasons someone might want to harm them. From there, I decided which reason I thought made for the best story and which ones might be good red herrings.

Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?

There are a couple of themes running in the background of my story. One is more of a theme for my main character’s growth. This theme has to do with Bobbie learning that “belonging” in her new community is something that needs to come from within herself and not from the villagers. As the story progresses, Bobbie gains strength and a sense of independence.

The other theme in Caught on Camera is for the murder mystery. I have a name for it, but the name contains spoilers. I can say that this theme was both something that I relate to and thought about at the beginning, as well as something that developed more fully as I wrote.

How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?

Creating characters is a lot of fun. In the beginning, I’ll think about which characters I’ll need for the story. With Caught on Camera, I started with Bobbie and her family—which I later whittled back (way too many characters). Then I needed her camera club sidekicks, a police detective, suspects, and a few villagers.

Although I enjoy creating and developing characters, it’s also (for me) one of the most challenging parts of writing a story. Each character needs to have their own backstory, they serve at least one purpose as well as move the story forward, and they need to have their own unique voice and quirks. Some characters support the protagonist, while others provide obstacles (and some do both).

I favor some characters over others, and it doesn’t always happen the way I expect it to. By design, I’ll have certain characters who are meant to be likeable or unlikeable. But—have you ever heard a writer say that while writing, their characters will say or do something that was never intended? When this happened to me, I was more than a little surprised. One of my characters, who was meant to be nothing more than a bit actor, wasn’t having it. By the time I finished writing Caught on Camera, I knew I’d be writing a much larger role for her in the second book. I have another character who I created to be annoying, but somehow, he turned that around on me. Now, I find him adorably annoying. One of my readers said to me, “I have a feeling I’m not supposed to, but I really like X.” I admitted that I really liked him too.

How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?

My setting is the largest source of inspiration for my stories. I’m fortunate to live in the area where my story is set. Vermont is unique in so many ways. Although I fictionalized my village, living here enables me to throw in many real-life idiosyncrasies that people who live outside the area might know about. For my readers who live in the area, I also like to add in real places or landmarks that they might recognize.

Weather and our many seasons (we have six) also play a role in my stories. Whether it’s the sun setting in the forest, a misty mountain sunrise, or a blizzard, I want the reader to feel as though they’re experiencing it along with my characters.

What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?

Since my stories are set in the current time, and I live where my stories take place, I didn’t need to do a great deal of extensive research. One thing I needed to research had to do with the structure, hierarchy, and roles of the various law enforcement agencies in our state. The village where I live (as well as the fictional village where Caught on Camera is set) does not have a local police department. In order to be as accurate as possible, I needed to learn the roles of both the state police and the sheriff’s department.

In the second book, which will publish in the fall of 2025, my victim was an herbalist. I researched various herbs and their potential side effects in order to make this story work.

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

I had a lot of fun writing Caught on Camera. First and foremost, it’s a whodunnit mystery with lots of twists and turns that I hope will keep you guessing to the end. But, I also think of my story as having a lot of heart. It’s the story of a middle-aged woman who is doing her best to find her place in the world after losing her husband. She stumbles and makes mistakes, but she’s someone you’ll want to root for.

Thank you for answering my questions, Kara, and good luck with Caught on Camera, the first book in the Camera Club mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Kara Lacey by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Instagram pages.

The novel is available online at  Amazon

About Kara Lacey: Kara is the author of the Camera Club Mysteries. Along with her husband, she lives in a tiny village nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont—the inspiration for her novels. Kara is a photography enthusiast who also enjoys hiking, skiing, and getting cozy with a good book. When she’s not at her laptop creating havoc for her characters, you can find her rambling through the forest with her husband and spirited Labrador retriever, camera in hand.

Kara is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime-New England, and Mystery Writers of America. She is also a co-Member at Large for Vermont SinC NE writers.