Taryn O’Kelly is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Sparks, S’mores and Scandals, the latest novel in the Taryn O’Kelly mystery series.

Welcome, Taryn.

Thank you so much for having me here and helping Michelle and me celebrate my newest mystery, Sparks, S’mores, and Scandals.

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

I am a party planner by trade and body finder by accident. Unfortunately for me, “accidents” keep happening. Detective Parker seems to think that I go looking for trouble, but I swear to you, trouble finds me. So, for now, I am Taryn O’Kelly, the trouble-finding, party-planning, sleuth of Silver Springs, Colorado.

Michelle, my writer, has affectionately named my series the Taryn O’Kelly Mysteries, after me. Detective Parker knows this. I promise I was doomed to find trouble from the start!

During my current mystery, Sparks, S’mores, and Scandals, I have found that some people in our quaint town want to change things. They are plotting to remove some of the country characteristics that the Silver Springs residents and tourists have come to love and preserve.

We have had an unusual rainy season, and fires seem to be breaking out at random. An insurance adjuster, known for denying claims, has gone missing, and the KOA campground summer kickoff party I have planned looks like it won’t go as smoothly as I like.

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

Michelle sets the stage, but we discuss the endgame. As I go through the story, since it’s told from my perspective, I let her know what I am seeing and hearing, and what I want to do next. But she holds information back from me so the story can unfold authentically. By the time the mystery ends, I am as surprised as you!

How did you evolve as the main character?

Michelle has a daughter, and my name was on the baby list. But when it wasn’t chosen, and she didn’t have another daughter, she decided to create me. Michelle wanted me to have my own story. She loved planning her wedding to her husband so much that she thought this was what Taryn needed to do. And I must say I am grateful. I love planning and organizing things! And weddings are my most favorite.

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

Oh, this is actually a funny question because Michelle, I, and the whole gang were just discussing how this group has evolved. Even Detective Parker refers to us as Mystery Inc.!

It all started with Party Planning for Murder, the first mystery I found myself in. I was planning a wedding for a real-life bridezilla, and there was a murder at the bachelor party. The men in my life, Robert, my ex, and Alex, my boyfriend, were behaving weirdly. My best friend, Kandice, really pushed for us to figure out who the murderer was, with Bridzilla insisting I find the killer. That investigation nearly cost me my life, but Kandice dubbed us Charley’s Angels and still maintains we are that cool.

The second mystery I was involved in was one I didn’t think Michelle was going to mention. Frost and Foul Play, a Mystery Novella, where once again, Kandice insisted, we investigate. And since I was threatened by the mayor during my Skijoring event, investigating seemed like the right thing to do. No boys in that one.

Then came Cruises, Cocktails, and Corpses, which was supposed to be a relaxing getaway with Alex. But my ex showed up, a past bad guy appeared, and, of course, more murder happened. What’s a vacation without a few dead bodies? Right? Well, Alex, Robert, and I teamed up to catch the killer. The boys were so scared from my last encounters that they wouldn’t let me out of sight.

That brings us to our current situation. Now all four of us are usually involved. Since I’m typically the one being targeted by the bad guys, no one wants me going it alone. I’m not complaining, I love having these guys around. We’ve found a fun groove where everyone feels comfortable. There was a time I would have said I never wanted to see Robert again, but now I can’t imagine my life without him as a friend. I love Alex, and he loves me enough to embrace Robert and Kandice as my sidekicks, too!

Michelle has all of us talking to her now, and these mysteries are getting more and more complicated.

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

Silver Springs sits in a valley tucked into the Rocky Mountains. It’s a beautiful historic mining town. We have a river that zigzags through town. And a narrow-gauge railroad that takes tourists on a historic ride into the wild west of the Rockies. Eclectic shops and local artisans fill Main Street, and the fields surrounding the town are farms supplying most of the restaurants we have and/or the local community. We have an active VFW, and St. Bridget’s Catholic Church is a staple of the town’s hospitality. Honestly, it’s a mountain paradise, an escape back in time, where things are usually slower.

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

I would invite you into my world where love, passion, kindness, and persistence always win. Bad people do bad things, good people do the right thing, no matter how hard it is, because in the end, all we have is love and compassion. Nothing else.

If that’s a little cheesy or hopelessly romantic for you, then consider this. My mysteries are usually high-stakes, offering humorous situations, quirky supporting characters, and always a happy ending. An escape from the real world, where, as Michelle puts it, the cast of Friends meets the cast of Scooby-Doo and solves a big mystery.

Thank you for answering my questions, Taryn, and good luck to you and your author, Michelle L Clifton, with Sparks, S’mores and Scandals, the latest book in the Taryn O’Kelly mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Taryn and her author, Michelle L Clifton by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon   B&N Barnes & Noble

About Michelle L Clifton: Michelle writes lighthearted, high-stakes cozy mysteries filled with humor, romance, and small-town shenanigans. She is the author of the Taryn O’Kelly Mysteries, a fast-paced series featuring party planner and amateur sleuth Taryn O’Kelly and her growing circle of friends who somehow keep stumbling into trouble. Her stories blend the charm of traditional cozies with the quick pace and comedic flair readers love in Janet Evanovich  books, always with a satisfying, happy ending.

Michelle serves on the board of the Southwest Florida Fiction Writers and is Editor-in-Chief of Inkwell Magazine. She is also the founder of Salty Inspirations, her blog, journal pen name, and publishing imprint, which serves as a home for her writing, creative projects, and behind-the-scenes insights into life as a cozy mystery author.

She lives in Cape Coral, Florida, with her husband. Her books are perfect for readers who enjoy humorous mysteries with heart, memorable characters, and a touch of romance mixed with murder.