Belinda Bishop is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Voted Most Likely to Murder, a mystery novel.

Welcome, Belinda. 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.

Voted Most Likely to Murder (starring yours truly, Belinda) is an adult cozy mystery about a complete dumpster-fire of a human being (I’m paraphrasing here) named Belinda Bishop who is forced to move back to her hometown and work for her parents at their rental cottage and RV park in Little Blue Harbour, Nova Scotia after both her journalism career goes down in flames. Her upcoming high school reunion is just the cherry on the craptastic sundae. When she (literally) stumbles across the dead body of an old classmate, it just might be the killer story she needs to get her life back on track. Unfortunately, in order to crack this case, Belinda will need to work with the woman who made her teen years a living nightmare—Jolene Dexter, high school nemesis and current prime suspect. They’ll need to put aside their differences (fat chance) and work together (hard pass) to catch a killer before their sleepy coastal town is rocked to its foundations.

Right now, it’s a standalone mystery, but you never know. Small towns have long histories, with lots of secrets simmering beneath the surface. If murder comes to town again, I’ll be there to help uncover the truth.

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

Look, she can write all the plot summaries and chapter outlines she wants, but at the end of the day, I’m going to do what I need to do to keep the story moving and get to the bottom of things. Sure, sometimes I rush into situations without considering the consequences or potential plot holes, but that’s for her to figure out. My job is to catch a killer and keep the readers entertained, not follow outlines.

How did you evolve as the main character?

I came back to Little Blue Harbour with a lot of baggage and resentment towards the town and some of its residents. I hid all my true feelings behind a mask of sarcasm and overconfidence, telling myself it didn’t matter if I struggled to connect with others because I was destined for better things than this dinky Nova Scotia town. Thankfully, I eventually learned to climb down from my pedestal, accept my past and the part I played in it, and move forward to the next stage in life, whatever that might be.

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

It’s amazing how investigating a murder can bring people together. I don’t know what I would have done without my friend, Stevie Hart, and—believe it or not—Jolene. I can always count on Stevie to be the voice of reason when I get a little too caught up in investigation shenanigans, while Jolene is usually the one to help rebuild one of the (many) bridges I burned on my way out of town the first time around. Despite our differences, I trust these women with my life. There’s also a certain handsome local pub owner whose fiery red (and possibly cursed?) beard is always welcome.

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

My story takes place in the fictional village of Little Blue Harbour, Nova Scotia, a coastal community known for its historical boardwalk, yummy seafood, strange local superstitions, ghosts that supposedly haunt the shoreline, and being home to more busybodies than seagulls. Apparently, it’s loosely inspired by the writer’s hometown. (But not the busybody part, she was very clear on that. Forget I said busybodies.)

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

If you like quaint coastal towns and amateur sleuths who are as sarcastic as they are tenacious, you’ll love this mystery!

Thank you for answering my questions, Belinda, and good luck to you and your author, Lacey Moone, with Voted Most Likely to Murder, a mystery novel.

Readers can learn more about Belinda and her author, Lacey Moone by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on Twitter/X, BlueSky and Threads.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon US    Amazon Canada    B&N    Bookshop.org

About Lacey Moone: Lacey was born and raised on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. As a former military spouse, she has lived from one end of the country to the other, even as far north as the Northwest Territories. She currently resides in Alberta. She loves to write mysteries starring tenacious women who are as clever as they are sarcastic, with a focus on strong female friendships.