Death of an Antiquarian

Posted on June 9, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Rose Kerr, author of Death of an Antiquarian, a Mia Reid, Archaeologist mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to share with us why she writes cozy mysteries.

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

When I tell people I’m an author, they automatically assume I write romance. I’m not sure why, maybe I look like a romance author? There’s nothing wrong with writing romance, there are quite a few I enjoy, but right now I’m enjoying writing mystery and murder. Never say never…

Anyway, I explain that I write cozy mysteries. And a lot of the time I get a puzzled look from the person I’m talking to.

Depending on the age of the person, I’ll either tell them “It’s like Murder, She Wrote” or “grown up Nancy Drew”.  Most of the time you can see the light bulb moment happen.

I like reading and writing cozy mysteries for a lot of reasons. Let me know if my reasons are the same as yours.

First are the characters. Cozy mysteries generally have a cast of characters that follow through the series. There’s your main character. Usually, but not always, a woman. Her best friend, and this can be either male or female. Followed by the police detective or law enforcement of some kind. And possibly a love interest as well. The main character may have a slew of other people who are part of her “gang” or “posse”. These can be co-workers, friends, family, or even frenemies.

Most of the characters are likeable, but there can be a few that are quirky. Those quirky characteristics make the characters stand out and bring a kick to the story.

In my Mia Reid, Archaeologist, Series, Mia is the main character and Luke Forbes is the law enforcement and love interest for Mia. There’s also Mia’s Gran, Marie Tremblay, who’s been a big influence in Mia’s life. Alex Bennett is Mia’s best friend and she’s been a steadying influence throughout their friendship.

Animals in cozies. Often authors will include dogs, cats, goats, parrots, fish, and pigs in the series. Animals help make our characters more human. Most readers look forward to animals in their books. In Death of An Antiquarian, I’ve introduced Cleo. She’s Gran’s Maine Coon cat and is quite regal. Mia isn’t able to take care of a pet and I felt that the coziness of a pet was missing. Mia’s at Gran’s often, so she gets to interact with Cleo.

In Death of An Antiquarian, I’ve included some new characters. Some from the Lakeview Museum and some associated with Timeless Treasures.

Second is the setting. Most cozies take place in small towns. Why small towns? Because everyone knows everyone. I’ve lived in small towns and can attest to that. If there isn’t a new story floating around town, just wait half a day and there will be! A small town setting is easily contained. The reader gets to know everyone in the town through the series.

Most settings have a coffee shop, bookstore, library, town hall, restaurants. Those locations often play a role in the mystery.

Death of An Antiquarian is set in Lakeview City, Ontario. It’s a large city with smaller neighborhoods throughout. The location where this story is set is between the Lakeview City Museum where Mia works and Timeless Treasures, Mr. Fraser’s antique store. I’ve given the setting a cozier feel by keeping it central to a few locations.

Then there’s the mystery. The puzzle to be solved. Often there’s a murder. But any violence takes place off the page. So there’s no gore or blood to deal with. Readers want to know who did it and why they did it. It’s not enough to know the who, we all want the reason behind it.

And finally, cozy mysteries provide readers with an escape from the real world while they’re reading them. You can fall into the story and try to solve it as you read. Most books are written with red herrings and clues dropped along the way for readers to follow. I love it when I can figure out who did it before the end of the book. Sometimes, figuring out the why takes until the end.

As a writer, I enjoy working out the plot, developing the characters, and building the setting. Check out my other blog post on this tour for my writing process!

Thanks for reading this far.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Rose, and good luck with Death of an Antiquarian, the latest book in the Mia Reid, Archaeologist mystery series. Readers can learn more about Rose Kerr by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest and Instagram pages.

The book is available online at the following online retailers:

 Amazon  Barnes and Noble    Kobo    Bookshop.org

About Rose Kerr: Retired in Southern Ontario with her husband, Rose spends her days crafting mysteries featuring strong, smart women who use their resourcefulness to solve crimes. When she’s not writing, she enjoys discovering the hidden gems of the region and indulging her lifelong curiosity.

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A Necessary Death

Posted on June 5, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Terri Karsten, author of A Necessary Death, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.

Welcome, Terri.

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

A Necessary Death is a cozy historical mystery set in colonial Pennsylvania. On the same day Penelope Corbitt hears her husband has died, she learns he gambled away their home, and she must sell everything she owns to pay off his debts.  As she travels north with her two children to live off her stingy brother-in-law’s charity their coach crashes, leaving them stranded at a rundown tavern. When she stumbles upon a dead man in the tavern privy, she and Miles Tucker, tavern owner and town constable, join forces to figure out what happened to him.

A Necessary Death can be read as a stand-alone title, but it is the first in a three-book series set in the same tavern with the same main characters. All three books include recipes for some of the dishes Penelope serves in the tavern. The second in the series, A Player’s Exit, will be released in September 2026.  In it, a traveling theater group arrives at the tavern. Before they settle in, one of their players is murdered.

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

The germ of this story came from an article I read in a Smithsonian magazine several years ago. The article was about archeological excavations in Pennsylvania. The archaeologists had discovered the skeleton of a child buried in a tavern yard but provided no details about how or why he died. I kept thinking about this boy, imagining what might have happened for him to end up there, not in a cemetery. This novel is the result of the story I gave him. He may not have ever had a ‘happy ending,’ but in my version of his story, those who did him in, got what they deserved.

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

There are two main underlying themes in this story. The first is the question of justice: what is it, and how do people on the margins of society achieve it? When is it right to ignore the law and take matters into your own hands? The more I read about the American colonies, I realized that’s an important question throughout colonial and revolutionary American history. This theme surfaced because I really wanted to give that unknown boy some kind of justice.

The second subject running through the book is the idea of women’s role in making a home. I write about strong women, who take charge of their own lives in any way they can, but whose voices were less likely included in the historic record. There were legal limitations on women’s rights in the colonial period, but women could still make choices and had varying degrees of influence on those around them. One area where women have traditionally had a great deal of power is in their responsibilty for making a place into a home (think of the title ‘homemaker”).  A house is just a place to live, but a home is where a family can thrive.

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

I start with the main character, giving her a name based on who she is and when she lived. I fill out a character sketch, including what she’s good at, what she’s afraid of, and most of all what she wants. I look at lots of pictures from the time period to figure out what she’s wearing and what she looks like. I give her traits she might need along with some traits that might get in her way. I get to know her better by putting myself in her shoes and asking what I would do in that situation. I spend a lot of time ‘living’ with my character before I ever start writing.

Once I know the main character pretty well, I develop supporting characters based on what kind of person the plot needs. I do a lot of character sketches, so I don’t forget who is who.  

I’m very fond of Penelope Corbitt because she’s got the courage to do what she needs to do to keep her family safe. She’s a capable, stubborn woman, full of common sense and vinegar. She knows she’s right.

I’m also very happy with Miles Tucker, the tavern owner and town constable. I developed him as a foil to Penelope, never realizing how close they would become. He’s a man I would love to spend some time with. He may seem gruff and impatient, but he’s really kind and thoughtful, with a strong moral compass.

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

As a kid, I used to always play pretend, and I was really good at it, including my sisters and neighborhood kids in elaborate, ongoing scenarios.  When I’m bringing to life a place that I’m writing about, I do the same thing I used to do as a kid. I close my eyes and pretend that I am there. To help me be in that place, I do a lot of research/ For these tavern mystery series, I took a road trip in Bucks County Pennsylvania visiting every historical tavern that I could find so that I could immerse myself in old-time tavern atmosphere. I take notes on smells, and lighting, and sounds and anything else I notice. Then I put these details together to make my own place. I draw a sketch of the building lay out and a map of the nearby town, so I can imagine the characters moving about and interacting with each other.

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

It’s a good thing I love doing research, because historical fiction is best when it accurately reflects the world of the past. I’m trying to transport my readers to another time and place, so I need to know the general history, various social issues and attitudes, and how people lived. Besides reading about the era, I read materials written at that time, like diaries, journals, letters, and newspapers. I look up unusual or modern sounding words in the Oxford English Dictionary to see if the word might have been used. I look at pictures of clothing, people, and buildings to help me bring the story to life. I get the general knowledge before I start writing and then look for answers to specific questions as they come up during drafting. I love discovering little known facts and artifacts to give my characters, like the ivory jagging iron, used to crimp pie crusts, that I gave to Penelope.

I also do what I call experiential research which means that I try doing some things my characters would do. I’ve done quite of bit of historical reenactment, making and wearing period clothes, so I know what it feels like to wear a corset or cook over a fire. My main character is a cook and the dishes that she makes for the tavern are all dishes that I have made, adapted from recipes from colonial era cookbooks.

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

One thing readers may find surprising is that I have a diverse cast of characters in the book. History classes from school and many movies give a rather one-dimensional view of the colonial era, showing mostly English immigrants. In reality, there were a lot of different kinds of people in Pennsylvania at the time, including enslaved Africans, Black freedmen, various Indigenous people, indentured Germans, and many others. I wanted my book to reflect that diversity as a natural part of the landscape of that time.

Thank you for answering my questions, Maggie, and good luck with A Killer Romance, the latest book in the Beach Reads mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Maggie Blackburn by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Goodreads pages. You can also follow her on Substack.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon  B&N

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About Terri Karsten: Living in the shadow of the Mississippi River bluffs, Terri Karsten has been a writer and educator for many years. She grew up in sunny San Jose, California, playing amid the cherry orchards that soon gave way to houses. In her search for education and adventure, she lived in Iowa and Wisconsin, Mexico and France, before settling into a hundred-year-old house in Winona, Minnesota. She spends most days in her tiny office, surrounded by books, papers, and good memories.

With more ideas than time, Terri writes a bit of everything, ranging from historical fiction novels to picture book folktales to dozens of short stories and articles in magazines, encyclopedias, and newspapers.

When she is not writing, Terri loves poring over old cookbooks and recreating dishes from long ago, especially medieval, Renaissance, and colonial foods. Always ready for the next adventure, she enjoys camping, hiking, and traveling. Her latest goal is to visit National Parks in every state. Only 13 states to go!

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

Sconed to Death

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Betty Hechtman, author of Sconed to Death, the latest novel in the Crochet and Crumpets mystery series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.

Welcome, Betty.

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

Sconed to Death is the second book in the Crochet and Crumpets series.  Annie Sara Hart inherits an old red school house with a defunct yarn shop in rural Indiana.  She leaves Los Angeles to check the place out with the plan to put it up for sale, but then she meets local people who used to hang out at the yarn shop for social crafting.  They start hanging out there again and suggest that she add a tea room to make the place more saleable.

It’s a whole different life there than what she used to in Los Angeles where she is caught up people in the entertainment business.

Annie Sara gets attached to the place and the people.   She decides she wants whoever buys the school house to use the same local suppliers, particularly Toby Swanson, a teenager with Down syndrome who bakes the scones.  While she’s working on a way to make that happen, she gets involved with a murder.

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

The summer after I graduated from high school, I was a nanny for one branch of  a family who owned a resort in Michigan.  It was a strange situation being an outsider but in the middle of the family’s business at the same time.  There was an au pair girl working for another branch of the family.  It was a different situation for her.  I was just summer help, but she had been with them longer and was more of a professional than me.  I don’t want to give away any of the plot of Sconed to Death, but I kept thinking What if….

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

I think the key to Annie Sara’s personality is that she is always thinking about other people.  Before she came to Indiana, she was working at a high-end children’s boutique in Malibu.  It is a continuation of helping out with her talent agent father’s clients. The boutique is owned by an A-list movie star who is his top client.  She bought the place as a landing place for her daughter Gray. Annie Sara’s job there was twofold.  She worked with customers, but she also looked after Gray.  She also had a side hustle of making crochet toys for the high-end customers’ kids.  It gives her pleasure to know that she created things that will be snuggled and loved. memory.

Her job of keeping Gray together continues when Gray ends up in Indiana with her.

The people Annie Sara meets in the small town are very different than the me-me-me people in L.A. and she connects with them.

I like to write about people’s generosity of spirit.

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

The characters just show up in my imagination.  I am sure some of it comes from people I’ve observed or thought about.  I don’t want to upset them by picking out a favourite. I love  all my characters. 

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

I write about real places.  The fictious town in Indiana is based on a place I spent a lot of happy time as a kid.  I still get happy whenever I get back there.  We had a bare bones summer cottage—no indoor plumbing, no telephone, no television, no radio, or even electricity – though we did finally get that. We lived in a third-floor apartment  with no yard in Chicago, so going to Indiana was like getting a gift of the outdoors.  Going for walks on a sandy road with butterflies as company was where I made up my first stories.

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

Since there is a lot of crochet in the books, I like to make the creations I talk about.  In this book, I made the red hen that Annie Sara made.  I did a lot of scone tasting and rose tea drinking since they both are mentioned a lot in the book.  It’s a lot easier to describe something that you taste first hand. I made sure to go past the red school house that the one in the book is based on.  It is a real shop, but doesn’t sell yarn or have a tea room. I am always surprised to see that the interior doesn’t look like the place I imagined 

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

I try to keep things light even though there’s a murder.  I like to say that there are dead bodies but everybody has a good time.

Thank you for answering my questions, Betty, and good luck with Sconed to Death, the latest book in the Crochet and Crumpets mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Betty Hechtman by visiting the author’s website and blog, and her Facebook page.

Website:  https://www.Bettyhechtman.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/bettyhechtmanauthor
Blog: https://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon  Barnes and Noble

About Betty Hechtman: Despite completing a Fine Arts degree, all Betty Hechtman ever wanted to be was a writer.  She wrote a weekly column in her college newspaper and later wrote magazine and newspaper pieces, along with short stories and a prize-winning screenplay.  She has published over thirty  books across four cozy mystery series, all of which have yarn craft. She lives with her family in Southern California.

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

The Corpse by the Creek

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Iris March, author of The Corpse by the Creek, a Succulent Sleuth cozy mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us about the role pets play in cozy mysteries.

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

The cozy mystery stories have a few genre expectations: no graphic sex or violence, a dead body (or at least a very intriguing crime), a small town, an amateur sleuth who just can’t help but get involved with that dead body, an interesting job for said sleuth, and a cute animal sidekick for her. Every rule is meant to be broken, and not every cozy has all these exact elements, but they’re there more often than not.

Why are there usually pets?

A cute animal friend for our sleuth makes her more human. Her care and love for a cute cat, sweet pup, a knowing parrot, a fuzzy bunny, or other adorable animal shows us that she’s responsible and a good person. Because the bad guy is probably mean to animals. Did that guy just kick a dog? I bet he’s the killer. Our amateur sleuth is definitely the good guy and would never do anything like that. Ever.

A pet can also help our lady not-a-real-detective do some thinking out loud. Sometimes, our sleuth will do her brainstorming and clue shifting by telling her pet snake all about what she’s found. Talking to her animal friend makes a more interesting scene than writing out a pros and cons list, or our sleuth just looking out the window while she thinks.

The sweet pet can also add some humor and relieve some tension from solving a horrible crime. Her pet chinchilla can curl up in the sleuth’s lap and make sure she takes some time to recharge. The ferret sidekick can get into some silly antics to help break up the bad feels and pace out the investigation.

It’s even better if the animal sidekick gets involved in helping solve the crime or knows the killer before our pet-loving sleuth. Even in a contemporary cozy mystery without any paranormal elements, we love it when the pet lizard happens to knock over a clue or the turtle turns up his nose at the affections of the killer. Not all pets have intuition like this, but they sure do in a cozy mystery.

In my Succulent Sleuth Series, I don’t have any exotic pets, but most characters have an animal friend. Sherlock, the garden center cat, definitely gets involved in taking down the killer in two of my mysteries. He’s a tuxedo cat because I’ve always loved black and white cats, but I’ve never had one of my own. Molly, my sleuth, also has a high-energy, fluffy puppy at home. Her twin sister has a cat, and her best friend has some fish. I should totally come up with ‌more interesting pets for some side characters.

My third book in my Succulent Sleuth Series, The Corpse by the Creek, is about to come out. Sherlock, that cute black and white tuxedo cat, is front and center when Molly takes down the killer.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Iris, and good luck with The Corpse by the Creek, the latest book in the Succulent Sleuth cozy mystery series. Readers can learn more about Iris March by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on BlueSky.

The book is available online at the following retailers:

 Amazon – Books 2 Read

About Irish March: Iris has a reputation for killing house plants, and now she’s killing people off in books? Coincidence? Perhaps not. Iris has spent two decades working in the sustainability field and is usually either reading a book or on a trail. She lives in Ohio with her husband, son, and three cats.

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The Diva Hosts a Murderer

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Krista Davis, author of The Diva Hosts A Murderer, the latest novel in the Domestic Diva mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.

Welcome, Krista.

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

THE DIVA HOSTS A KILLER is part of the Domestic Diva Mysteries but it can be read as a standalone. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Sophie Winston’s family has come to stay with her in Old Town, Alexandria, Virgina. It’s located just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. The perfect place for the 4th of July!

Sophie’s Aunt Melly brought her new husband. The family is just getting to know him, but Sophie is already worried. When she was out walking the dog early in the morning, she spied him coming out the fence to someone else’s back yard! And that someone else happens to be a single woman!

When the tour guide Sophie hired is found dead, they are all horrified. But things get worse when the police find the dead man’s DNA on a sweater that belongs to Sophie’s beloved father!

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

DNA is such an incredible thing. It really changed murder investigations. It can be hard to explain why your DNA is at a murder scene!

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

The celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence prompted me to do some research. Old Town, Alexandria, was already a busy place at that time. Sophie lives in a house that was built in the 1800s, so it all seemed to mesh.

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

Oh, gosh. I have characters, like Sophie, who seem so real to me! She has a best friend, Nina Reid Norwood, who hates to cook but loves to eat. She can be a bit of a rascal when it comes to sneaking into places where she shouldn’t go. And even though Sophie is divorced from Mars Winston, he’s a good guy who is still in love with her. Not to mention goofy Bernie, originally British but now also a US citizen, who surprised everyone by starting a restaurant that is a huge success. I love them all!

There are new characters, of course, in each book. They begin to appear to me as I delve into a victim’s life.

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

It’s not hard. Old Town, Alexandria often makes lists of places that are worth visiting. They have a strict building code, so the Federal style houses are gorgeous. There are ancient alleys, a couple of cobblestone streets, and brick sidewalks. It’s absolutely charming!

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

I do loads of research. This time a lot of it involved the Declaration of Independence. I incorporate a few fun details about the document, but the story is still a mystery set in 2026.

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

Sophie is an event planner who loves to entertain. She’s always cooking something! This book has eleven recipes in it. Some are as easy as freezing watermelon chunks to use when making cocktails! (Who knew, right?) There’s a delicious pasta salad (and I’m very picky about my pasta salads!), and a Blueberry Buckle that is overloaded with blueberries and I can’t stop baking it! There are even instructions for making your own flag cake for the 4th of July!

Thank you for answering my questions, Krista, and good luck with The Diva Hosts A Murderer, the latest book in the Domestic Diva mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Krista Davis by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, Pinterest, BookBub and Delicious Mysteries pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon   Apple     Barnes & Noble   Books A Million   Bookshop   Hudson Booksellers  Indigo   Rakuten Kobo    Tantor Audio    Target     Walmart

About Krista Davis: New York Times bestselling author Krista Davis writes the Domestic Diva Mystery series. Krista lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with two cats and a brood of dogs. Her friends and family complain about being guinea pigs for her recipes, but she notices they keep coming back.

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Masher of Ceremonies

Posted on May 19, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Jaymie Leighton Müller is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Masher of Ceremonies, the latest novel in the Vintage Kitchen mystery series.

Welcome, Jaymie. 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 am happy to live in Queensville, Michigan, on the lovely St. Clair River, the setting for the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, a cozy mystery series. Masher of Ceremonies is lucky #13! I’m a small-town girl who loves cooking, vintage kitchen stuff, romance novels and my friends. My sister Becca and I own a Queen Anne yellow brick house in town, but when I got married to the wonderful Jakob Mṻller and his adorable daughter Jocie, I moved into their log cabin style home in the country. See, Jakob is a farmer… a Christmas tree farmer! And a junk store owner! Could anything be more perfect? Everything would be, except I also have a fabulous skill in tripping over dead bodies.

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

Victoria’s in control… or so she tells me. 😉

How did you evolve as the main character?

I’ve grown so much! When things started, Victoria caught me at a low point. I had just been ditched by a guy who cheated on me and had moved on to a gorgeous blonde and I was eating my heart out. I started writing a cookbook to keep myself busy, using vintage recipes from my grandmother’s handwritten cookbook. But if you keep your heart open, it heals. After dating a bit, I met Jakob, and life could not be better now.

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

Oh, there are people! My sister Becca; we weren’t always super close, but since she opened an antique store in Queensville and got married to a great guy, we’ve gotten a lot closer. And my best friend, Valetta Nibley, the town pharmacist and the most wonderful person in the world; smart, kind, ambitious… she is the best. And my friend Mrs. Martha Stubbs; in her nineties, but still sharp as a tack! And of course my Jakob and Jocie, my twin hearts. I love my husband and kiddo so much; more than I ever thought possible.

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

Well…! I’ve been volunteering at the annual Tea with the Queen festival since I was a teenager… a couple of decades now. We have a Queen Victoria impersonator and tourists are invited to enjoy tea with her on the lawn of a historic house on the Canadian Victoria Day weekend, which is the weekend before our Memorial Day weekend. But this year I’m in charge. And hoo boy, is it a lot of work! I’ve had to deal with disaster after disaster with the new owner of our venue, Stowe House. With blackmail and turmoil afoot, are we going to make it? I sure hope so.

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

I want you to know… I don’t go out of my way to find dead bodies. I really don’t! But when I do, I can’t rest until I find out whodunnit. I hate injustice, and I know that unless the culprit is caught, no one will have peace. But I work with the police, not against them, and I think they appreciate it. In fact, I find that some police officers are becoming friends. They care; they really do. And so do I. Join me in figuring out this time… whodunnit?

And sometimes even more puzzling… why?

Thank you for answering my questions, Jaymie, and good luck to you and your author, Victoria Hamilton, with Masher of Ceremonies, the latest book in the Vintage Kitchen mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Jaymie and her author, Victoria Hamilton by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and Substack pages. You can also follow her on BlueSky @mysteryvictoria.bsky.social

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon CA     AmazonUS      Kobo      Barnes & Noble      Smashwords     Google Play Books

About Victoria Hamilton: Victoria Hamilton is the pseudonym of nationally bestselling romance author Donna Lea Simpson. Victoria is the bestselling author of three mystery series, the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, and the Merry Muffin Mysteries. She also writes a Regency-set historical mystery series, starting with A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder.

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Sore Like An Eagle

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Marc Jedel, author of Sore Like An Eagle, the latest novel in the Redwoods Country mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.

Welcome, Marc.

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

Marc: Sore Like an Eagle is the third book in the Redwoods Country Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone but is probably more enjoyable to read after the other two as the characters continue to evolve. I describe the series as “Grumpy Old Men” meets “Schitt’s Creek.” During this tour, the price of Rivers and Creaks has been reduced to $0.99 for the ebook so readers can catch up on this fun series.

Andy, the protagonist, is not your typical cozy mystery bed and breakfast owner. He wants nothing to do with the place and toys with the idea of becoming a recluse. He regrets having sunk his entire retirement savings into it, especially since his wife tragically died shortly after they bought the place a year before the first novel takes place. Gradually, he’s making friends and finding that he enjoys this new home.

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

Marc: My wife returned from a water aerobics class at the local community center with a wild story of overhearing an argument where someone tried to reserve shower stalls and more. We both thought it was ridiculous and formed the perfect target for a fictional murder victim.

Overall I enjoy writing this series because it’s superficially similar to Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot stories. Although Andy brings all the suspects into his inn when he believes he’s solved the murder, he is no Hercule Poirot. He always discovers that he has gotten the accusation all wrong. The final portion of each novel finds Andy scrambling to save face while he progressively accuses different people of murder, discovers their innocence, and finally solving the case in the end, thanks to his attention to detail. However, Andy isn’t all bad at the sleuthing stuff as he manages to solve an unrelated crime at the same time, some times without even meaning to.

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

Marc: A friend’s father passed away a number of years ago and my friend wrote a funny obituary about him and shared it with me. I thought his father sounded interesting and asked if I could base a fictional book on him. Some of Andy’s characteristics, such as creating an archery shop for locals because he felt the big-box retailers did a terrible job, are directly inspired by my friend’s father. But most of the character is completely made up.

The character of Charlie was inspired by the character Stevie Budd, the motel receptionist in the Schitt’s Creek TV series. I knew Andy would need a sidekick and thought it would be funny to have him paired with a woman a generation younger who often saves the day, whether because of her plumbing and electrical skills, her improvisations, or her physical strength. The quirky, developing friendship between her and Andy has been fun to write.

Sandra, the “chicken lady” who makes another appearance in Sore Like an Eagle, was inspired by a woman we met on a vacation. I took some of her stories, exaggerated them, and made this character into a high-energy, wacky person who lights up every scene she’s in. She’s definitely a fun character to write [and read!]

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

Marc: I’ve vacationed in Monte Rio a few years ago. It’s a beautiful small town in the Sonoma redwoods, located about ninety minutes north of San Francisco. Hiking in the redwoods, kayaking along the Russian River, visiting nearby wineries, and enjoying the multiple small towns in the area made me think about basing a new series in this area. Rivers and Creaks was the first novel in this series, followed by Whine and Dine, and now Sore Like an Eagle.

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

Marc: Besides visiting the area in person three times now, I use the internet to collect most of my background information. Doing a bunch of searches for ways to kill people and get away with it creates an unusual browser search history, and one that I hope law enforcement isn’t watching. I promise Officer, I write humorous murder mysteries. Fiction! No actual people are injured from my work, unless people really hate puns.

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

Marc: Sore Like an Eagle, is on sale for only $2.99 during this tour. It’s available at: https://mybook.to/SoreLikeanEagle. You can find all my cozy mysteries at: https://www.amazon.com/Marc-Jedel/e/B07H7MVKJL. They’re available in e-book, paperback, and audiobook formats. My novels are free to read by Kindle Unlimited members.

I love hearing from readers as that motivates me to keep going on the next blank page. Let me know what you liked, what you didn’t, and what you’d want to see more of in the next book.

Thank you for answering my questions, Marc, and good luck with Sore Like An Eagle, the latest book in the Redwoods Country mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Marc Jedel by visiting the author’s website and his Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub and LinkedIn pages.

The novel is available online at  AMAZON 

About Marc Jedel: Marc writes funny, feel-good murder mysteries filled with quirky characters, twisty plots, and the kind of humor that goes down easy with a cup of tea—or glass of wine. After years of writing marketing copy in Silicon Valley, Marc finally started crafting fiction people actually wanted to read. He’s the author of multiple cozy mystery series, including the Silicon Valley Mystery, Ozarks Lake Mystery, and Redwoods Country Mystery series. His books have earned thousands of glowing reviews.

Like Andy from the Redwoods Country Mysteries, Marc keeps getting older and sincerely hopes his retirement doesn’t involve running a B&B. Like Marty from the Silicon Valley series, he lives in tech-heavy California, has worked in high-tech, and proudly wields bad puns. Like Jonas and Elizabeth from the Ozarks Lake series, Marc grew up in the South and spent many a summer in and around Arkansas.

He lives with his endlessly patient wife and a sweet, neurotic dog who remains deeply unimpressed by Marc’s jokes. When not writing, Marc can be found hiking, plotting murders (on the page, officer, really!), or avoiding whatever home improvement project he’s been putting off.

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

A Maypole of Deceit

Posted on May 12, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Dotty Sayers and Keya Varma are visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about A Maypole of Deceit, the latest novel in the Cotswold Antique mystery series.

Welcome, Dotty and Keya. 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.

Hi, I’m Dotty Sayers and I manage Akemans auction house in the Cotswolds.

Hiya, I’m Keya Varma. Oops, Keya Kerr. I keep forgetting to use my married name as it seems so strange after so many years as either Constable or Sergeant Varma. But I’m no longer a police officer either. I run the Waterwheel Cafe next to the auction house and antiques centre at Akemans. I also retrained as a crime scene manager.

Dotty: We work together to solve mysteries in the Cotswold Antique Mystery series. This book, A Maypole of Deceit, is the 5th in the series.

Keya: Despite having so much to do, I agreed to be on the committee for Coln Akeman’s annual May Day celebrations. It came as a shock on the morning of the event when we found a body tied to the maypole. And by the ribbons the children should have been dancing around with.

Dotty: We managed to move the celebrations to Akemans whilst Keya and her husband carried out the forensic investigation.

Keya: We didn’t recognise the victim. He was a stranger to the village.

Dotty: But we learned that he wasn’t a decent man. He made his living using lasting powers of attorney to strip vulnerable people of their homes, their savings and their independence. All of it was perfectly legal, but what a dreadful way to treat people.

Keya: That meant we had a lot of suspects but very little evidence. I worked with Inspector Lynn Lockwood and her team at Cirencester Police Station and, with Dotty’s help, we finally reached the sad truth.

Dotty: At least that man wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone in the future. And there was a happy ending too. Some of the older members of my team had been searching for a missing friend for some time. I am glad to say they found here.

Keya: So peace can return to the Cotswolds. And as for what life has in store for us next, well. Let’s just say I have rather more to look forward to than I expected.

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

Dotty: The story is a team effort. We have our lives to live and that needs to be included.

Keya: But Victoria chooses the theme, the crime and introduces us to new suspects. How we go about the investigation is our choice.

Dotty: Sometimes we are distracted. I still have the auction house to run and Keya has her cafe.

Keya: My crime scene work generally focuses me on the case and as I liaise with Inspector Lynn Lockwood and her team, I’m included in regular updates. Sujin, my husband, and I are also involved in the forensic side of most of the investigations.

How did you evolve as the main character?

Dotty: I began my journey with my own Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series. It starts when I first join Akemans as a receptionist and progresses through my training in antiques, the challenges I overcame, the places I visited and of course the friends I made. I met Keya during this time as we worked on several cases together.

Keya: As Dotty said, I first met her when she joined Akemans and we worked a case together. There have been many more since. When I opened the Waterwheel Cafe I started my own series of books based on the mysteries I was involved with. Dotty was away for some of these but now she is back we have joined forces, and both of us help solve the crimes in the Cotswold Antique Mystery series.

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

Dotty: We are a strong community at Akemans and in our local village, Coln Akeman, so many characters are included in the stories. From the beginning there was Gilly Wimsey, who runs the antiques centre at Akemans, and her husband Dr Peter. Gillie’s Aunt Beanie has been a huge part of my story and she also offered me a cottage to live in. Earl Grey, my cat, and I were very happy there. But a newer character to my journey is my boyfriend Zach. He and I are now living together and searching for a house to buy.

Keya: I have my husband Sujin, who I also work with on the forensic side. I sometimes wonder how he puts up with me. Many of my former colleagues at Cirencester Police Station moved on when the teams were reorganised. But I get on well with Inspector Lynn Lockwood, who joined the station, and her small team. This includes Gilly’s son Thomas Wimsey, who is now a constable. I also have my sister Zivah, who I couldn’t do without at the café, and that goes for the rest of my team there too.

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

Dotty: Do you mean the place in my life or in geographical terms? In my life, I feel I’m settling down and things are a little easier. In fact, I’m very lucky. I have a wonderful boyfriend and I still can’t believe I’m managing Akemans auction house. I have a great team there with Marion and Clara in the office. Zach and I live in the attractive Cotswold town of Burford. It does attract a lot of visitors in the summer so we’re looking for our own place. And I have my health, my friends and Earl Grey.

Keya: The Cotswolds are a wonderful place to live, especially in springtime. I love to see the hedgerows change colour, the new leaves on the trees and all the wonderful flowers. I often find myself singing along to tunes on Corinium Radio when driving in the sunshine. As for my place in life, I feel wonderfully fulfilled. I still work in law enforcement but I also have my cafe. I’m recently married to the wonderful Sujin and… well, you really should read the book.

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

Dotty: This is a fabulous springtime mystery with a village setting and the Cotswolds looking their best. It can be read as a standalone. But if you’d like to know more about me, Keya and our journeys, you can start at the beginning with my prequel, Hour is Come. Visit Victoria’s website to download your copy: https://victoriatait.com/

Keya: As Dotty says, please do come and visit us in the Cotswolds. And if you’d like to read about my wedding, and the rather unfortunate case Sujin and I found ourselves involved in, go back and read A Honeymoon of Havoc.

Dotty: We hope to see you soon at Akemans, or out and about in the Cotswolds.

Thank you for answering my questions, Dotty and Keya, and good luck to you and your author, Victoria Tait, with A Maypole of Deceit, the latest book in the Cotswold Antique mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Dotty and Keya and their author, Victoria Tait by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub, and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at Amazon

About Victoria Tait: Victoria was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she discovered a passion for mystery fiction and storytelling. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Midsomer Murders, she writes British cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories offer engaging whodunits, best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake. Victoria’s  books avoid graphic content and profanity, focusing on character, logic, and the steady work of uncovering truth.

Victoria has recently been exploring the world, drawing inspiration for her books from remarkable places including the Azores, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Morocco, and Malta.

Read the FREE prequel to her Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series at her website.

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Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Marcy Blesy, author of Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused, an Empty Nest mystical cozy mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to share with us her experience of being an empty nester and how it contributed to the birth of this series.

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

Hello. I am Marcy Blesy, the author of several cozy mystery series including The Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery Series, the Monthly Murder Movie Club Cozy Mystery Series, and the Ghost Texter Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series. Today I am going to talk about my newest series, The Empty Nest Mystical Cozy Mystery Series.

Becoming a parent brings a whirlwind of change. No one can ever truly prepare one for everything that comes along. There are ups and downs and sleepless nights and celebrations. Being a parent is my single greatest joy and also my single greatest anxiety inducer. Right? I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I love being a parent. The expression that the days can be long and the years are short is so true. When you are in the thick of the busy, busy, busy days, you’re exhausted. But, when the kids become more independent, every day they step further and further toward a life where they don’t need their parents to weigh in with every decision that they make.

My husband and I have entered this stage. Our sons are fully fledged from the nest. They’ve graduated college and begun their careers. We could not be more proud. HOWEVER….. Whew, talk about the quietness of the house whopping me upside the head. LOL. The timing of our children being fully out of the house coincided with me leaving my job in the schools and becoming a full-time author. In other words, I started working from home…in a quiet home.

I truly believe that Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused in the Empty Nest Mystical Cozy Mystery Series called me to write it. I know that sounds odd, but it was very freeing and therapeutical to take a character who is not adjusting well to being an empty nest parent and writing her into a story where she finds her wings and realizes that though life has changed, she has purpose and meaning in this next stage. Juli Tully reluctantly signs up for an Empty Nest Retreat along with other parents at a similar stage in life. Some parents are sad like Juli while others are excited about their newfound freedom. I wanted to honor that not all parents come to this stage of life with the same emotions. Four of the parents unite to investigate the murder of a staff member. The Sand Bur Estate is not as it seems in many ways. The paranormal experiences (flickering lights, temperature changes, talking cat) add to the mystery of navigating this new experience. The book is funny, mysterious, and heartwarming. The conclusion made my smile as I wrote it, and I can’t wait to create the next adventures for these found family characters.

You don’t have to be an empty nest parent to enjoy this book. Every stage of life is scary, no matter where you are along the continuum of life, but there is fun and mystery and growth to be found around every corner!

Thank you for sharing this with us, Marcy, and good luck with Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused, the first book in the Empty Nest mystical cozy mystery series. Readers can learn more about Marcy Blesy by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram pages.

The book is available online at  Amazon 

About Marcy Blesy: Marcy is the author of over thirty  books across genres, best known for her Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery Series and the Monthly Murder  Movie Club Cozy Mystery Series —humorous, heartwarming whodunits filled with senior sleuths, quirky characters, and animal sidekicks. Her cozy mysteries spotlight midlife reinvention, found family, and laugh-out-loud amateur sleuthing, perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Finlay Donovan, and The Golden Girls.

Marcy also writes the Ghost Texter Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series, starring a kindergarten teacher-turned-reluctant sleuth, and the Secrets romantic mystery duo (The Secret of Blue Lake and The Secret of Silver Beach), transporting readers to the scenic and suspenseful shores of Michigan.

For younger readers, Marcy’s best-selling Be the Vet series offers interactive veterinary mysteries for kids ages 9–13. Her early chapter book series—Evie and the Volunteers, Niles and Bradford, Third Grade Outsider, and Hazel, the Clinic Cat—delight animal lovers and growing readers alike.

When she’s not writing, you’ll find Marcy treasure-hunting along Lake Michigan in search of rare red beach glass. She believes every story should offer heart, humor, and a hint of hope—whether it’s solving a mystery or chasing a dream.

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In the Dead of Winter

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Dianne Ascroft

Victoria Treadwell is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about In the Dead of Winter, the first novel in the Blue Water mystery series.

Welcome, Victoria. 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.

  • My name is Victoria Treadwell and I’m the Dispatcher for the sheriff’s office in Charlevoix County, Michigan.
  • “In the Dead of Winter” is the first book in the Blue Water Mysteries series

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

  • I definitely get my say. Sometimes, in fact, I even surprise the writer.

How did you evolve as the main character?

  • In this book, I’ve got my first chance to prove myself in the sheriff’s office.
  • I’m a woman in an all male, macho environment, plus I get dismissed because I’m not a police officer.
  • Nonetheless, in our first major case in 15 years, I find a piece of evidence that eventually helps convict the killer.

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

  • In this book, I particularly identify with the victim, Carly Yellowwood.
  • When Carly dies, leaving behind a toddler, I want to adopt the poor motherless mite.
  • Unfortunately, it takes a lot to convince my husband, Matt.
  • He’s a guide for fishermen and hunters and we have two sons. He’s the stay at home parent and we just got the youngest into school full-time.
  • Since little Chenoa is half Native, the court intervenes in her custody.
  • I struggle to decide the right thing to do.

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

  • Since there is so little crime in the County, there are only 5 members of the sheriff’s office: the sheriff, a jailer, two deputies and me.
  • The County is vast, and we have one deputy based on Beaver Island out in Lake Michigan.
  • The other deputy is based on Boyne City.
  • I live in Ellsworth with my husband and two sons.
  • Charlevoix County is a gorgeous natural setting that encompasses not only Lake Charlevoix, but a segment of Lake Michigan as well.

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

  • I’m an experienced mystery author, having written 14 cozy mysteries.
  • My first series was called “The Mae December Mysteries”
  • The second series was “The Rosedale Investigations”
  • “In the Dead of Winter” is the first book in the 3rd series.
  • The second is called, “The Silent Solstice,” and is already written
  • I’m just completing the third, “The Equinox Enigma”

Thank you for answering my questions, Victoria, and good luck to you and your author, Lyn Farrell, with In the Dead of Winter, the first book in the Blue Water mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Victoria and her author, Lyn Farrell by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon   Bookshop.org    B&N

About Lyn Farrell: Lyn Farquhar—pen name Lyn Farrell—holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University and is an experienced author, having published the seven-book series (the Mae December mysteries) with Epicenter Press and four  books in the Rosedale Investigations series. She has also published one women’s fiction book. To date, eight of her books have been picked up by a secondary publisher, Harlequin. Sales to date from both primary and secondary publishers are approaching 50,000. Lyn worked for Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine for 35 years before retiring to pursue her dream of becoming a published fiction author. Lyn is the mother of two, has six stepchildren, and twelve grandchildren. She loves gardening, playing with her Cavalier King Charles spaniels, and is always on the lookout for paintings by her famous artist grandfather, Eugene Iverd.

Posted in Archives, May 2026 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment