A Staged Death

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Mrs Tiffany Lathrop and Miss Rosalyn Arden from A Staged Death, A Lady Librarian mystery, are visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about being an actress during the eighteenth century.

Welcome, ladies. Let’s get started, shall we?

Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: I am the Duke of Beaufort’s librarian and I am here today with the famous London actress Miss Rosalyn Arden. Let me first say, what an honor it is to be speaking with you. Allow me the pleasure of introducing you to our audience today. Rosalyn is a famous London actress and the female star of Silas Everton’s acting company. Her most recent role is Kate Hardcastle in Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer.

Now for my first question. During William Shakespeare’s time in England (1564-1616) all of the parts were played by men. When did women begin to act on London stages?

Miss Rosalyn Arden: It wasn’t until a royal warrant in 1662. King Charles II (1630-1685) declared that “women rather than boy actors were to play all female roles.” However, in other parts of Europe, such as in Italy, women were performing an entire century before it was allowed in England.

Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: Did women have no part in the theatre until after the English Civil War?

Miss Rosalyn Arden: That would be inaccurate, ma’am. Women sewed the costumes and often made the wigs used by the players. They would also assist with make-up. And Ellen Burbage was involved in the business side of the theatre. She was of the actor James Burbage, who was an associate of William Shakespeare.

Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: My dear that is fascinating. I envy your ability to play so many different parts and pretend to be different people. My next question is—how shall I say this—a little indelicate. I have no desire to offend yourself or other women, no matter what their personal choices are…but is it true that famous actress are often the mistresses of wealthy men?

Miss Rosalyn Arden: I think that it would be an oversimplification to believe that all actresses are mistresses. However, it is also true that many famous actresses did have aristocratic benefactors. You mentioned King Charles II, one of his mistresses was an actress named Nell Gwynn (1650-1687). And the most famous comedic actress of our time in 1787 is undoubtedly Dorothea Bland, better known as Mrs. Jordan (1761-1816). She is currently in a relationship with Sir Richard Ford, a police magistrate and lawyer.

Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: Thank you for your honesty, Rosalyn. Now that I have asked about the history of the theatre, I am interested in knowing more about your role in the play She Stoops to Conquer. How do you stoop?

Miss Rosalyn Arden: I play the part of Kate Hardcastle. She is a woman of birth, fortune, and education. Kate Hardcastle pretends to be a maid because Charles Marlow is shy speaking to ladies of similar rank. He falls in love with me as a maid and then we marry.

Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop: Then I suppose “all’s well that ends well.” Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you in your newest role: potential victim or possible killer in A Stage Death. Any hints for our audience?

Miss Rosalyn Arden: No spoilers. But I shall end with a quote from Shakespeare:

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

References:

“Dorothea Jordan”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Nov. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dorothea-Jordan. Accessed 25 January 2026.

“Women on the Stage.” https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeares-life-and-times/women-on-stage

Thank you for sharing this with us, ladies, and good luck to you and your author, Samantha Larsen, with A Staged Death, the latest book in A Lady Librarian mystery series.

Readers can learn more about the ladies and their author, Samantha Larsen by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Bookbub and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on Twitter/X.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Dreamscape – Amazon – B&N

About Samantha Larsen: Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, having tea parties, and chauffeuring her four kids. She teaches World Literature at Brigham Young University. Her young adult fiction books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections, and her historical romances are published around the world. She also writes murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen that Publisher’s Weekly called “wildly enjoyable.”

Posted in April 2026 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Terror in Taffeta

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Marla Cooper, author of Terror in Taffeta, the first novel in the Destination Wedding mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.

Welcome, Marla.

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

Hi! Thanks for having me on the blog. Terror in Taffeta is book one in the Destination Wedding Mysteries starring Kelsey McKenna, destination wedding planner extraordinaire. Part of Kelsey’s job is knowing what to do when something goes wrong — and when you’re traveling to far-away places with people you hardly know, something always goes wrong. Each book takes the reader to a different location, providing lots of fodder for mystery and mayhem.

They were originally published by Saint Martin’s but I got the rights back last year and now I’m relaunching the series!

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

The same way that one eats an elephant: One piece at a time. First there was the inspiration for the main character. That happened when I ghost wrote a book on destination weddings for an actual wedding planner. Right around that time, someone I know sold a cozy mystery and I realized that a destination wedding planner would make the perfect amateur sleuth! Then I had to choose my location. I picked San Miguel de Allende for the first book because It’s a place I love spending time. It’s a super charming colonial village in central Mexico, very romantic — in fact, it’s where my parents went on their honeymoon! Then it was just a matter of figuring out who died, who the suspects were, and who actually did it.

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

I didn’t set out to write the book with a big capital-T theme in mind. It’s a cozy mystery, so my main goal was to tell a fun story with a destination wedding, a murder, and a lot of chaos along the way. But looking back, one theme that does emerge is justice. Kelsey can’t stand the idea that the bride’s sister might be in jail for something she didn’t do, and her loyalty to her client pushes her to keep digging. As a wedding planner she’s used to fixing problems, and in this case that instinct turns into solving a murder. In many cozies, that sense of personal responsibility is what drives the sleuth to uncover the truth and set things right.

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

Okay this is controversial but I have a character I enjoyed writing so much because she was loud and outspoken and kind of a diva: Mrs. Abernathy, the mother of the bride. I absolutely loved her. She was the first character I’d ever written who would just pop off and I would hear her lines of dialogue out loud in my head. (One of my favorite lines of hers was one that a Mother of the Bride actually said to a member of my writing group: “Put your shoes on, girls! This is a wedding, not a hoedown.” That still makes me laugh to this day.)

As much as I enjoyed enabling her, though, I think she might have triggered some of my readers. However, the story arc where Kelsey earns her respect by the end of the book actually made me tear up as I wrote it!

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

So far I’ve only written about places that I’m deeply connected to. As I mentioned, San Miguel de Allende has a personal meaning for me and my family. My second book is set in Northern California, where I lived for many years. And book three is set in Hawaii, which was my favorite vacation destination when I lived in the Bay Area. I love writing about these places because I get to spend time in them, even when I’m sitting at my desk. In book three, which I’m currently writing, there’s a scene where they go snorkeling and I can feel it in my bones when I reread it.

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

The best part of my research is traveling to the places I write about. Other than that, the biggest thing that I needed to know was what it’s like to be a destination wedding planner. Conveniently, when I ghostwrote the nonfiction destination wedding planning guide, it was my job to translate the contents of my client’s brain onto paper, so I did hours and hours of interviews — not realizing that it was actually research for what would become my first novel!

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

Please don’t be mad at Mrs. Abernathy! She’s demanding, but she means no harm.

And if you choose to read it, thank you! This book was my way of escaping after a long day of writing things for other people. I just wanted something that would make me laugh. I hope it makes you laugh, too.

Thank you for answering my questions, Marla, and good luck with Terror in Taffeta, the first book in the Destination Wedding mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Marla Cooper by visiting the author’s Facebook, Goodreads, Threads and Instagram pages.

The novel is available online at Amazon.

About Marla Cooper: Marla is the author of the Kelsey McKenna Destination Wedding Mysteries. As a freelance writer, Marla has written all sorts of things, from advertising copy to travel guidebooks to the occasional haiku, and it was while ghostwriting a guide to destination weddings that she found inspiration for her series. She currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and a few too many cats. She is the Vice President of Sisters in Crime, Heart of Texas chapter.

Posted in Archives, March 2026 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Arson, Old Lace and Murder

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Charlie Kingsley is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Arson, Old Lace and Murder 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.

Arson, Old Lace and Murder is book 8 in the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series. It’s a bit darker and has more action than the other Charlie Kingsley Mysteries (Michele has been calling it a cozy thriller, but that seems like an oxymoron to me as part of the cozy vibe is low stakes, whereas the thriller vibe is all about high stakes and this book definitely has higher stakes than most cozies–but other than that, it does have all the other cozy elements, such as small town, tea, pets and quirky characters.)

The series takes place in Redemption, Wisconsin, in the 1990s. This particular book also delves into a lot of Redemption lore—Redemption is a haunted town with a troubled past and this book really digs into that. That said, it’s not necessary to read any of the other books in the series to enjoy this one. All books in the Charlie Kingsley Mysteries can be read as standalone, including this one.

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

I most definitely get a say or Michele would mess things up. It’s much better if I am involved.

How did you evolve as the main character?

I started as the dead aunt in the Secrets of Redemption series, which is a psychological thriller series (The Charlie Kingsley Mysteries is a spin off of Secrets of Redemption—both series are clean). From the beginning I had to take control as Michele had my name wrong and she also thought I would be a very minor character. It happened in stages but she eventually came around to the idea that I needed my own series.

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

Pat’s my best friend, and I always enjoy spending time with her, although things get a little tense between us in this book. I ended up having a different side kick, Mildred, who was first introduced in Murder Next Door, which is book 3 of The Charlie Kingsley. Mystery series plus she’s in The Redemption Detective Agency. Also, things get a little…complicated between myself and Officer Brandon Wyle in this book.

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

As I said earlier, this story is a little darker and has more action. It opens with me discovering a burning bar and trying to save a pregnant waitress who is trapped inside…who then disappears. And that’s just the beginning.

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

If you love cozy mysteries that are twisty (think Agatha Christie vibes) you’ll probably love The Charlie Kingsley Mystery series.

Thank you for answering my questions, Charlie, and good luck to you and your author, Michele Pariza Wacek, with Arson, Old Lace and 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 online at  Amazon 

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 she does spend much of her time writing stories now. 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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Call In For Murder

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Ashley Compton, better known as Miss LARE, is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Call In For Murder, the latest novel in the Neon Desert mystery series.

Welcome, Miss LARE. 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.

Oh man ! I thought this was going to be about me, not the book. Oh well, Let’s Talk!

My name is Ashley Compton, but most of Las Vegas knows me as Miss LARE, the Love And Relationship Expert. I give homespun advice to locals on the air about all kinds of relationships. I don’t give science mumbo-jumbo. I talk to you like I’m a close friend to support you and help you through your problems.

I got this one caller who I gave advice to, and she was murdered within twelve hours. I didn’t like the interviewing detective because he was making fun of my career choice. At least that’s how it came across. And I was scared I might lose my job. After all, the woman was murdered right after I gave her advice.

So I started asking questions. The husband was my first suspect, and his mistress could have been a co-killer. And then there was the casino owner with a “loose morals” wife and a bodyguard that scared me. People were so rude! The biggest motives I found were money and adultery. Boxcars, as I call it.

I ended up getting my BFF Nathan to help me because after a few failed interview attempts, I knew I needed help from someone who can get anyone to talk.

But I learned a lot from Nathan about how to ask the right questions to get people to open up. Flattery will get me everywhere. I did confront the killer, was kind of flustered, and think I’m ready for a second adventure. Even if it incudes a murder. Bring it.

And, don’t get me started on my ex, Frank, who is stalking me.

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

Oh, puleeze. Tammy thinks she’s in control. In most of the first story she was, because she was learning. And for some unknown reason she was listening to her editor and other professionals. I guess you could say in the first story she was “in school, doing exactly what the teachers told her to do.”

It didn’t help I was just being created and growing and didn’t know I was allowed to say anything. But in the second book I started speaking my mind. And the story became better, I guarantee it.

How did you evolve as the main character?

If you are asking about this thing called the character arc, I’ve down some growing and evolving. I’ve gained some self-confidence I didn’t know was in me. I’m slowing learning how to deal with other characters. I’m figuring out I need to deal with people in different ways, depending on their personality. One thing that hasn’t changed is the way I talk to the callers. That’s my schtick, I like it, and I’m sticking with it.

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

To be honest, I don’t like sharing the spotlight, even though I’m forced to. Nathan is okay, even though he is a bit of a drama queen and likes to steal the show. But that’s okay, given he seriously helped me in the first story. And it doesn’t hurt he’s my best friend, and we’ve been through a lot of personal dramas together.

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

Boy is that a loaded question. There are so many facets to Las Vegas that people don’t know. Everyone knows about the glitz, glamour, and excitement of the Strip Some locals love the tourists because it’s a cash cow. The food. The gambling. The shows. The shopping and tours.

But me? I deal with the local areas. Once you walk off the streets with the casinos, it’s like another world. Areas are sectioned off according to money made. There are hustlers everywhere, not just on the Strip. It’s got pretty and not-so-nice areas. And the people match the areas.

Like me. I live in a young, hipster area near the University. It’s a great area full of friendly couples, singles, and families, but like any place, I wouldn’t recommend walking alone after dark. I learned my lesson after being attacked.

The radio station is like a lion’s den. Everyone is out for themselves and are ready to pounce on the weak.

There’s really no way to explain Las Vegas: you need to experience the various areas for yourself. The Strip. Downtown. The rich and poor areas and everything in-between. My best advice? Ask the locals nicely what’s their favorite places. You will see the real Las Vegas that way.

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

Two things you should know. Frank is my kryptonite. There’s a hold he has on me I can’t shake. But I will keep trying. Even if I have to kill him. Just kidding. Maybe.

And then there’s Cheryl. Yes, Cheryl is real. I am not exaggerating or acting over the top when I deal with her. She is of the elite class and looks down on me because I’m single (I like being single) and am lower middle class. I have to fight back somehow, and I use the weapon I was gifted with. A mouth that says whatever comes out of it, without thinking first.

Thank you for answering my questions, Miss LARE, and good luck to you and your author, Tammy Barker, with Call In For Murder, the latest book in the Neon Desert mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Miss LARE and her author, Tammy Barker by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon Digital – Amazon Print – B&N Print

About Tammy Barker: Tammy is a serious, by-the-book Washington DC government accountant by day and a wildly imaginative fiction writer by night. She writes contemporary traditional amateur sleuth mystery novels and historical pulp fiction short stories. Her other loves include reading anything, restoring or refurbishing vintage items, small home repairs, cooking and baking, classical piano, and wishing she lived during the 1940s and 1950s.

Posted in Archives, March 2026, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Death at a Firefly Tea spotlight

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

About the book: A brazen killer sparks Theodosia Browning’s sense of justice in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

As fireflies dazzle like tiny glowing lanterns, tea maven Theodosia hosts an elegant evening tea on the patio of the Tangled Rose B and B. But in this gentle darkness an intruder has made their way in and slipped deadly drugs into the baked Alaska of Mrs. Van Courtland, one of Charleston’s local grande dames. Shocked by this brazen act, urged on by Mrs. V’s grieving son, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation. Soon, she finds herself at odds with a greedy developer, the questionable residents of Honey Badger House, a vengeful ex-daughter-in-law, ne’er do well relatives, and a housekeeper who knows all the secrets.

As Theodosia hosts a Moulin Rouge Tea and a Queen Victoria Tea, her tea sommelier Drayton is assaulted by a masked stranger and the fiancé of Mrs. V’s son is kidnapped. It’s only at the Starry Starry Night black tie ball that Theodosia stumbles upon the killer and gets pulled into a dramatic life and death chase.

The book is available online at the following retailers:

 Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – PenquinRandomHouse 

Gerry Schmitt, who writes under the pen name Laura Childs is now adding two more series that are harder-edged Wednesday February 26, 2014 in Plymouth. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

About Laura Childs: Laura is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that takes place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a  book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Readers can learn more about Laura Childs by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page.

Posted in Archives, March 2026, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Scoop of Deceit

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Danika Delaney is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about A Scoop of Deceit, the latest novel in the Coffee & Cream Cafe mystery series.

Welcome, Danika. 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.

A Scoop of Deceit is the eighth story in the Coffee & Cream Café Mystery series, which take place in the small town of Watchogue on Eastern Long Island’s south shore. Spring has finally sprung, and I’m ready to take a break from running my cafe to help Mom start planting for the season. So, with visions of colorful tulips and delicate daffodils in mind, I head off with Mom and Aunt Miriam to browse through the local garden center. Then, a confrontation between out-of-towner Sebastian Krane and the local cashier catches my attention. Unfortunately, as Krane storms off, aggravated and not paying attention, he hops into his BMW, and crashes right into Mom as she’s backing up in the pickup truck she borrowed from Uncle Jimmie. As if that weren’t enough to put a damper on my sunny mood, Krane then has the nerve to file a lawsuit against her. But when I show up at his mansion to try to straighten things out, I find him dead, with a knife in his back. Apparently, someone had it out for Sebastian. Someone other than my mother. A fact I set out to prove with the help of my sidekicks, Gwen and Eli.

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

Oh, I definitely get a say. If Lena starts to go off course, I harass her until she gets herself together and goes back to fix whatever she got wrong, even if it keeps her up all night long.

How did you evolve as the main character?

Not only have I become more independent since moving back home from New York, but I’ve finally found happiness. I’m even starting to discover the ability to trust again. And who knows? One of these days, I might even work up the courage to admit to Detective Dreamy that I love him back. But that could take a while. Or…maybe not as long as I think. 😊

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

I love sharing my stories with Uncle Jimmie, who trusted me enough to ask me to run his business so he could retire, even though he spends as much time in the café now as he did when he was running it. My best friend Gwen is amazing and always has my back, no matter how much trouble I drag her into. And Eli, my new barista, is not only adorable but one of my best friends and a ton of fun, even if he does get himself into a bit of trouble this time around. And then there’s Detective Dreamy…

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

I find myself in a very content place in this story, although, I’m a bit antsy from the long winter. The café is doing well, Detective Jake Barlow and I are in a good place, and it looks like spring has finally come. My reputation has even been somewhat restored since moving back home. Of course, now my mom’s reputation is on the line, and there’s no way I can sit back and not do anything to help her, even if it does cause problems between Jake and me.

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

I would just like to say, if you decide to give A Scoop of Deceit a chance, I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you so much for having me!

You’re welcome, Danika. Thank you for answering my questions and good luck to you and your author, Lena Gregory, with A Scoop of Deceit, the latest book in the Coffee & Cream Cafe mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Danika and her author, Lena Gregory by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest pages. You can also follow her on Twitter/X.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon – Barnes & Noble

About Lena Gregory: Lena is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest, the Mini-Meadows Mysteries, set in a community of tiny homes in Central Florida, and the Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, which take place in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, New York.

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Posted in Archives, March 2026, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Murder Plays Second Fiddle

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Heather Weidner, author of Murder Plays Second Fiddle, a Pearly Girls mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to share with us her love for Nancy Drew mysteries.

Welcome, Heather. I’ll turn the floor over to you –

Thank you so much for letting me visit your blog today and to talk about mysteries.

I have loved mysteries since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. I was over the moon in 1977 when the “Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys” TV show debuted. (And it didn’t hurt that Shaun Cassidy played Joe Hardy.) My friends and I raced through all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys collections at the Kempsville Public Library in Virginia Beach. My favorite is still The Crooked Bannister (1971) with its hot pink cover. I loved the plot twists and the double meanings. I was hooked on mysteries. From there, I moved on to Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But Nancy Drew is still one of my favorite sleuths.

In the late 1980s, I had a double major in English and secondary education. My research project in “Adolescent Literature” was a comparative study of the original Nancy Drew mysteries from the 1930s with the updated ones in the 1980s and their influence on generations of readers.

As a young reader, I adored Nancy’s freedom. She had a car. She did things that other girls didn’t, and she solved crimes that adults couldn’t. She influenced generations of women from the 1930s to the present with her spunk and enduring appeal.

The Nancy Drew mysteries were written by several ghost-writers under one pseudonym, Carolyn Keene. The series has undergone several revisions and updates over the years, but Nancy’s spirit and pluck prevail. The famous yellow spines were added to the books in 1962. That was the set that I remember reading. And her stories have been translated into over twenty different languages.

The girl detective appeared in several movies from the 1930s to the 2000s and TV shows through the years. Her face and logo have graced all kinds of merchandising from jewelry, lunch boxes, and clothing to board and video games. She has appeared in novels, coloring books, and graphic novels. Nancy has been a role-model for lots of young girls for over eighty years.

There are some similarities between the iconic Nancy Drew and my sleuths, Delanie Fitzgerald, Jules Keene, and Jade Hicks. I didn’t intentionally mean to create the parallels, but subconsciously, her character influenced my mystery writing.  In the 1930s, Nancy started out as a blonde, but artists later depicted her as a redhead in the 1940s and 1950s. Nancy also drove a sporty roadster. (It was upgraded to a Mustang in the mysteries from the 1980s.) Nancy’s girlfriends (Bess and George) were important in her life and to the stories. And she was fearless, smart, and feisty. I was so impressed that she was able to solve crimes before the professionals did.

I like to think of my private eye and amateur detectives as following in the footprints and traditions of the original girl sleuth. I write four series, The Pearly Girls Mysteries, The Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. All of my sleuths have a little bit of Nancy in them.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Heather, and good luck with Murder Plays Second Fiddle, the latest book in the Pearly Girls mystery series. Readers can learn more about Heather Weidner by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, Pinterest and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on Twitter/X, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkTree.

The book is available online at the following retailers:

 Amazon     B&N     BooksAMillion      Bookshop.org

About Heather Weidner: Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime: National, Central Virginia, Chessie, Guppies, and Grand Canyon Writers, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers, and she blogs regularly with the Writers Who Kill.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a crazy Mini Aussie Shepherd.

Posted in Archives, March 2026, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fried Chicken Castañeda

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Suzanne Stauffer, author of Fried Chicken Castañeda, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us a bit about herself.

Welcome, Suzanne. I’ll turn the floor over to you –

Hi, and thanks for stopping by! I’m Suzanne Stauffer, author of the 2025 New Mexico Book Award for Cozy Mystery winner, Fried Chicken Castañeda, a historical cozy culinary mystery set in 1929 Las Vegas, New Mexico. They tell me that readers like to get to know the author behind the book. Honestly, I’m not that interesting, but here goes in more or less chronological order … I’m the oldest of five siblings, born in Salt Lake City, Utah. My father (born on a diary farm in Utah – there have been Stauffers in northern Utah since the 1850s) was in the military, so I grew up all over the country and in Puerto Rico. We made our first move when I was a year old.  I went to eleven different elementary schools! We’d settled down in Utah by the time I started junior high school. My parents divorced then, and, ironically, my mother, who was from Columbus, Ohio, stayed in Utah while the Army sent my father first to Fort Lewis in Seattle then to South Korea. There he married my stepmother, Song Ae, and returned to Kentucky, then retired to Las Vegas, Nevada.

My first job, at 15, was in the public library and I also worked in the college library as a student. I earned a BS in psychology from Weber State College (now University) and spent the next several years in a series of different jobs, as you do with an undergraduate degree in psychology. I ended up back in a library job at a university with a master’s program in Library Science. So … it seemed the logical thing to do. I earned an MLS and worked in New York City until 1996, when I enrolled in UCLA to earn my PhD in Library & Information Science. My area of research is the history of the American public library, which includes women’s history.

I also discovered online chat rooms and websites and met MikeL, the Australian who would become my husband a decade later, on the “Big Valley” fan site. And I started writing fan fiction – it was a necessary break from all of that intense doctoral study! It was free and I could do it on my own schedule. Ultimately, I graduated and a year later, my mother passed away at 70 years old (one year older than I am now). I’m grateful that she lived to attend my doctoral graduation, at least.

It took a couple of years, but I persisted and eventually was offered a position as a tenure-track faculty member at Louisiana State University in 2006. That would become a momentous year! In March, I was offered the job.  In May, I bought my first house. In June, I went to Australia to finally meet this MikeL and came back a month later an engaged woman. In August, I moved, and in December, Mike and I got married at the Riviera Casino (of blessed memory) wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada (where my father and stepmother lived, remember).  Fast forward to 2020 and lockdown. I was still teaching, but not much research or service. After a few months, I was looking for something to do with that time – and decided to start on that cozy mystery I’d always planned to write when I retired. I got a pretty good start and then put it aside when lockdown ended.

In May of 2021, our house flooded (11 inches) and we lived in a friend’s vacant condo for six months while it was being gutted and repaired. I started working on my novel again, as a distraction from the stress of dealing with contractors, FEMA, and the SBA – and the death of our two beloved cats of 14 years. I had finished the novel before the next February, when Mike had heart surgery – so, yes, another memorable year. In June 2022, we adopted our dog-ter, Treme, to fill the hole in our hearts and lives left by our kitties. We also made the decision to retire sooner rather than later, so in 2024, I retired, we sold the house, and we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I also submitted my manuscript to Artemesia Publishing and it was accepted with a release date of May 2025! We keep doing everything all at once! I guess it’s just more efficient that way – if more exhausting.

Hobbies? I used to have hobbies, before I started writing fiction. Gardening, knitting, crocheting, needlework, baking — all of the appropriate cozy hobbies. And travel. That’s one reason we moved to New Mexico — so many National and State Parks and other historic and scenic areas. We’ve visited Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, White Sands, Petrified Forest/Painted Desert … and we’ve only just begun.

So, like me, my protagonist, Prudence Bates, is a librarian (they say to write what you know). Unlike me, she’s an only child with a trust fund. That makes it possible for her to quit her job and travel across the country to New Mexico, enchanted by the promises of its natural wonder and fascinating culture and history. I hope you’ll decide to take the trip with her.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Suzanne, and good luck with Fried Chicken Castañeda. Readers can learn more about Suzanne Stauffer by visiting the author’s blog and her Facebook page. You can also follow her on Substack.

The book is available online at the following retailers:

 Publisher     Amazon     B&N       Bookshop.org

About Suzanne Stauffer: After 20 years as a librarian and 20 as a professor of library science and library historian, Suzanne Stauffer has moved on to a third career as a mystery novelist. She currently lives in Albuquerque with her Australian husband and brown and white spotted rat terrier dogter, Treme. Her debut novel,  Fried Chicken Castañeda (Artemesia Publishing, May 2025), won the CIPA EVVY Bronze Medal in Mystery/Crime/Detection and the New Mexico  Book Award for Cozy Mystery.

Posted in Archives, March 2026, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Riddles, Rogues and Murder

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Christa Nardi, author of Riddles, Rogues and Murder, a Stacie Maroni mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to share with us what makes a cozy mystery.

Welcome, Christa. I’ll turn the floor over to you –

An author friend of mine (C.B. Wilson) once described the cozy mystery as a Hallmark movie on steroids. I’d agree with the broad description and obviously so does Hallmark as more and more cozy authors’ books have been made into movies and are on the Hallmark Mystery channel. For example, some of Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen mysteries, Kate Collins’ Flower Shop mysteries, and Charlaine Harriss’ Aurora TeaGarden mysteries have been adapted and are available to watch.

What are the key elements that differentiate a cozy mystery from a traditional mystery or other genres of mystery? What makes them cozy?

First and foremost, the expectation is there is no explicit violence or gore, no graphic sex, and no profanity. Still, if there was a murder, there is some violence. The characters are not chaste, but there’s no description, it sex doesn’t occur on the page, and it’s mostly innuendo. Again, although there might be a “heck” somewhere or “@$%!” to express a reaction, there is generally no profanity.

Part of what sets cozy mysteries apart from traditional mysteries, is that the MC has a job that is not being a detective, PI, or police, but is an amateur or accidental sleuth. What makes it “cozy” is that the mystery unfolds and the amateur sleuth has a regular life in a small town or small microcosm. Cozy mysteries are more character-driven. Unlike a police procedural or traditional mystery, there is more involvement of friends, family, and relationships that support the story. The characters are relatable, living normal lives – well, except for the dead bodies.

Still, the MC doesn’t work alone. Aside from friendships, in many cases, the MC is married to, in a relationship with, or somehow connected to someone in the local police department or similar. The small town feel, and the relationships, add warmth to the story. That it’s cozy, however, doesn’t preclude surprises, twists and turns, action, and suspense.

Across cozy mysteries, there are many sub-genres – faith-based cozies, paranormal cozies, culinary cozies, pet and animal cozies, book/library cozies, craft and hobby cozies, garden and nature cozies, travel cozies, senior and retirement cozies, and of course, seasonal cozies. I’ve also enjoyed a few cozies related to wineries, though I’m not sure which category those would fit in. Some are much lighter than others, though all include some element of humor and romance, but not as the main focus. Some contemporary cozies may have an edgy feel, reflecting some social issue.

Needless to say, the MCs vary in age (i.e., the senior sleuths), potentially tapping a different target audience and with characters facing different challenges. Others, may be focused more on middle age, though how that is defined seems to vary. For the Stacie Maroni mysteries, Stacie and her friends are in their thirties to forties, though some characters are younger and some are older.

The motive varies and in contemporary cozies, many of the motives reflect issues people face everywhere – betrayal, infidelity, money issues – not too much different than other variations. Another difference is that you even though you may be into the story and keep reading to the end, it’s not likely you’ll have nightmares. Cozy mysteries tend to be lighter than other genres. Regardless, the “HEA” is that the bad guys always get caught and the good guys always win. Enjoy your next cozy mystery!

Thank you for sharing this with us, Christa, and good luck with Riddles, Rogues and Murder, the latest book in the Stacie Maroni mystery series. Readers can learn more about Christa Nardi by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, Pinterest and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on Twitter/X.

The book is available online at Amazon

About Christa Nardi: Christa is an avid reader with her love of mysteries beginning with Nancy Drew and other teen mysteries. Her protagonists are smart, intelligent women sleuths. She authors four mystery series;  Stacie Maroni Mysteries, Izzie Di Sante Mysteries, Sheridan Hendley Mysteries, and Cold Creek Cozy Mysteries. Her writing is best characterized as cozy mysteries with an edge. The stories do address negative issues, but consistent with the cozy genre, there’s no graphic violence or sex on the page, and no profanity. Characters may get knocked down or shot at and there are murders. Christa is a member of Sisters in Crime. When not reading or writing, Christa and her husband live in Texas. Christa enjoys traveling and playing with her dogs and granddaughters. She supports animal rescue and other efforts to help others.

Posted in Archives, March 2026, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Something Prowling in Paradise Park

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Kate Tessler is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Something Prowling in Paradise Park, the latest novel in the Accidental Detective mystery series.

Welcome, Kate. 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.

I’ve been solving mysteries for a while now. I became an “accidental detective” in Something Shady at Sunshine Haven. Before that, I was a journalist specializing in covering wars and natural disasters. I spent thirty years traveling the world, especially the Middle East, reporting dangerous stories. Then I got too close to a bomb. Shrapnel damaged my leg, and I discovered I didn’t bounce back as quickly at age 49 as I did when younger. I returned home to the Phoenix area and moved back in with my father. I expected to be there a couple of months while I recuperated, but it’s been a year and a half.

I can’t really claim to be an accidental detective anymore, since I’ve solved quite a few mysteries now. My sister, Jen, is partly to blame. My return home to Arizona coincided with her midlife crisis, so she decided we should become detectives. Turns out getting a PI license is more challenging then we’d realized, but that doesn’t stop us from meddling unofficially when people want help. My journalism background is helpful in investigations.

In Something Prowling in Paradise Park, I tackle three cases: Squatters who took over a snowbird’s house while the owners were away for the summer, the thefts of local pedigree dogs, and smash and grab burglaries at local pot shops.

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

What are you talking about? I am the story. Okay, maybe the writer lives out her alternate reality fantasies through my actions. She likes to pretend she could have been me if she’d chosen a slightly different path in life. Let’s leave her to that delusion.

How did you evolve as the main character?

I thought I’d be bored staying in Arizona, living in my childhood home with my father. I thought I’d miss the excitement of being a war correspondent. Turns out there’s plenty of drama here. I’ve faced down everyone from Russian mobsters to human traffickers. And those villains were easy compared to dealing with some of my friends and family.

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

I have Jen, who’s desperate for adventure and determined to drag me with her. My father’s friends Clarence and Arnold are chaos personified. They’re more like rambunctious toddlers determined to get into everything. Eighty is the new three? I complain, but the truth is I adore the three of them and appreciate the excitement.

They make it easier for me to enjoy the quieter times. I have my boyfriend, Mayor Todd Paradise, and his sweet teenage boys. My father has turned out to be an ideal roommate. We had to negotiate a bit in the beginning, but now I love his company and the fact he’s not constantly pestering me to investigate some bizarre crime he’s uncovered, like Clarence does.

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

Phoenix is a huge city. That has its advantages, like any type of food you could possibly want, and disadvantages, like crime. Or maybe for our group, that’s another advantage, since we won’t run out of people who need our help. We also have our smaller community within the greater Phoenix area, which has more of a small town feel. It’s warm in winter and hot in summer, and everything in the desert wants to stab you.

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

In Something Prowling in Paradise Park, my senior pals introduce me to the Standishes, snowbirds who came home early and found strangers living in their house—with forged lease papers. Legal eviction can require months and money, so my found family and I start investigating the squatters to find any dirt we can use as leverage.

Meanwhile, my boyfriend’s teenage sons bring me a case of their own: a rash of dog thefts sweeping the neighborhood. Then one of my friendly computer experts introduces me to neighboring business owners at a marijuana dispensary. They suffered a burglary when the thieves crashed the car through their front wall.

Things really heat up when a late-night stakeout ends in a shocking discovery—a dead body. Was it a freak accident… or a murder?

As the publisher says, “Filled with twists, humor, and heart, Something Prowling in Paradise Park delivers the perfect blend of cozy mystery, female sleuth suspense, and found-family crime solving. Fans of J.A. Jance, Elly Griffiths, and Ann Cleeves will love this page-turner set against Arizona’s sunbaked secrets.”

Thank you for answering my questions, Kate, and good luck to you and your author, Kris Bock, with Something Prowling in Paradise Park, the latest book in the Accidental Detective mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Kate and her author, Kris Bock by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub, Instagram and Tiktok pages. You can also follow her on BlueSky and Mastodon.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon    B&N     Apple     Google Books   Kobo
Publisher with links to all retailers    Universal link      Series universal link

About Kris Bock: Kris writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with smart, snarky heroines finding adventure (sometimes against their will) in the Southwest. Learn more at KrisBock.com. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get short stories from the Accidental Detective and the Reluctantly Psychic series, a cat café novella, aSweet Home Alabama romantic comedy story, and other freebies. Then every two weeks, you’ll get fun content about pets, announcements of new books, sales, and more.

In the Reluctantly Psychic Mystery series, a quirky loner who can read the history of any object with her touch gets drawn into mysteries at the museum of oddities where she works.Kris’s romantic suspense novels include stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue. Readers have called these novels “Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel.”

The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series stars the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. In the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery. Who wouldn’t want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves.

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie.

Posted in March 2026 | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments