Rebecca M Douglass, author of Edited Out, the latest novel in the Seffi Wardwell mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.

Welcome, Rebecca.

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

Edited Out is the third book in the Seffi Wardwell Maine mystery series. The series starts with A Coastal Corpse, which takes place shortly after Seffi has moved to the tiny Maine village of Smelt Point. She’s struggling to get acquainted and be accepted in a region notorious for suspicion of outsiders. By the time we reach Edited Out, people have gotten pretty used to her and she’s found her place in the community. So a big part of the series, aside from solving a murder or two along the way, is about Seffi finding home. In addition, pretty much everything I write is written with humour—I’m willing to push the limits of reality a little for the sake of some fun!

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

I can never really answer this question. Honestly, the idea of a corpse showing up at a writer’s or artist’s retreat is probably one of those that’s just floating around out there. But I also came up with this about the time I was applying for a lot of artist’s residencies, and was fortunate enough to be accepted for a couple of them, so it was fun to turn that into a problem for Seffi to solve.

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

I think every mystery story has a theme of the triumph of justice and right. Aside from that, Seffi’s story is about acceptance, and people learning to accept difference. There are a lot of LQBTQ characters in the books, including Seffi. I wanted to write such characters in a way that their sexual orientation or gender identity isn’t the focus of the story, that it’s just a part of who they are, because everyone is so much more than those narrow labels. I think the need for models of—not tolerance, but acceptance—is obvious in this day and age.

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

Some characters I have to sweat into existence, because I know I need someone in a particular role. But Seffi popped into my head pretty well formed. In fact, a version of her showed up in one of my Pismawallops PTA mysteries, and I knew right away I wanted to write about her. I didn’t want to do it in that setting, so I reinvented her for this series. And yes, Seffi is a favourite, but I’m very fond of most of my characters. I even enjoy inventing the nasty ones—it’s fun to let the imagination loose on that!

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

I hope I succeed in doing this! I have a pretty clear vision of the setting in my head all the time I’m writing, and try to make that come out so my readers can visualize it as well. The weather often plays an important part in the stories as well, which I think makes it feel more real. Seffi is a botanist by training, so she is generally aware of the natural surroundings.

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

Spending time in Maine is the number one way I’ve gained the knowledge to write about Smelt Point! But I’ve also read books on the history of Maine (which explains a lot) and about the fishing industry and the people of the coast. Also, when I’m working on a story I keep tide charts and sunrise/sunset times on hand, and look at average temperatures for that time of year, and so on. Then there’s the research on plants and poisons…

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

Even though this is the third in the series, and I hope you’ll read them all, it stands on its own just fine, so feel free to jump in with this one. I think you’ll like Seffi and her friends, and want to keep going back to Smelt Point for more!

Thank you for answering my questions, Rebecca, and good luck with Edited Out, the latest book in the Seffi Wardwell mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Rebecca M Douglass by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon Kindle     Amazon Paperback     Books2Read Universal Link     Buy Me A Coffee store 

About Rebecca M. Douglass: Rebecca has lived, worked, and hiked around the American West for more years than she’ll admit, while raising two children to adulthood and dreaming up interesting ways to bump people off. Thanks to good friends in Maine, she has also fallen in love with that mysterious coast. Since retiring from work at the library, the author has moved to Seattle, where she is writing the Seffi Wardwell Mysteries. In addition to her Ninja Librarian series for younger readers and the Pismawallops PTA mystery series, she has had short stories published in a  magazines and anthologies. When she isn’t writing, Ms. Douglass likes to go hiking and backpacking, or travels to discover new places or revisit old favorites, including the Sierra Nevada mountains, the desert Southwest, and of course Maine, where so many of the best cozy mysteries are found.