Charlie Kingsley is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about A Room for Murder, the latest novel in the Charlie Kingsley mystery series.
Welcome, Charlie. 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.
It’s called A Room for Murder and it is a part of the Charlie Kingsley Mysteries series. (I’m Charlie, in case you hadn’t figured it out, lol.) The series takes place in the 1990s in Redemption, Wisconsin, which is a haunted town with a troubling past.
I didn’t mean to end up here, I’m originally from New York, but Redemption has a way of…attracting the people it wants to live here.
This particular novel is actually my first case. When we (Michele and I) started the series, we just jumped right in with a case, but Michele thought it would be a good idea to eventually go back in time and describe my first case, so that’s what this book does.
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
It’s mostly me, although Michele tries to interject from time to time. (It usually doesn’t work out though. One day, I hope she’ll finally learn her lesson.)
How did you evolve as the main character?
Originally I was the “dead aunt” in the Secrets of Redemption series, which is a clean psychological thriller series. I had willed my house in Redemption to my niece, Becca.
At that point, I didn’t even have a name, and then I had the wrong name (I gave Michele an earful about that) but eventually we got it sorted it out.
It took a bit longer for me to get my own series. I had quite a bit of nudging to do, but eventually Michele started paying attention and we were off and running.
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
I love my friend Pat. She’s like my sidekick and she’s fabulous. I make sure I always have fresh cookies or other baked goods in the house for her. (She loves her sweets.)
Officer Brandon Wyle, I’m not so sure about. I swore off relationships and men in the original Secrets of Redemption series, so the fact he keeps popping up is…unsettling to say the least.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
When I first moved to Redemption (in the Secrets of Redemption series), I spent a couple of months at the Redemption Inn, before I bought my house. In A Room for Murder, I return to the Redemption Inn to help solve a murder. Everyone is blaming Darla, the ghost who haunts the Redemption Inn, but I’m not so sure.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
If you like tea, cats, quirky characters, a creepy haunted small town and a twisty mystery, this book and series might be right up your alley.
Thank you for answering my questions, Charlie, and good luck to you and your author, Michele Pariza Wacek, with A Room for Murder, the latest book in the Charlie Kingsley mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Charlie and her author, Michele Pariza Wacek by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Instagram pages.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Michele Pariza Wacek: A USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author, Michele taught herself to read at 3 years old because she wanted to write stories so badly. It took some time (and some detours) but now she does spend much of her time writing stories. Mystery stories, to be exact. They’re clean and twisty, and range from psychological thrillers to cozies, with a dash of romance and supernatural thrown into the mix. If that wasn’t enough, she posts lots of fun things on her blog, including short stories, puzzles, recipes and more, at MPWNovels.com.
Michele grew up in Wisconsin, (hence why all her books take place there), and still visits regularly, but she herself escaped the cold and now lives in the mountains of Prescott, Arizona with her husband and southern squirrel hunter Cassie.
When she’s not writing, she’s usually reading, hanging out with her dog, or watching the Food Network and imagining she’s an awesome cook. (Spoiler alert, she’s not. Luckily for the whole family, Mr. PW is in charge of the cooking.)
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