Kathleen Bryant, author of Over the Edge, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.
Welcome, Kathleen.
Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.
OVER THE EDGE is an outdoor mystery/thriller set in Sedona, Arizona. I’m already writing a second book, once again featuring Del Cooper, a former crime reporter now working as a guide for a down-on-its luck Jeep touring company.
Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?
I lived in Sedona for twenty years, and its maze of red rock canyons and sculpted landforms are naturally mysterious. I started thinking about the story many years ago, in the midst of an unpopular Forest Service land trade. At the time, however, my focus was on travel writing. Then, during the first months of the pandemic, my musician husband and I had a friendly competition to see who could finish their creative project first. (He won.)
Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?
Several themes or motifs emerged as I was writing—betrayal, family secrets, mental health, environmental stewardship—but the one that really spoke to me was the idea of personal reinvention. More than once, I’ve had to pick myself up, dust myself off, and choose a new path, and I suspect the same is true for many people.
How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?
Character building is my favourite part of writing but also the hardest technique to quantify or describe. As they act, react, and interact, a book’s characters expand organically from a cast of simple cut-outs to dimensional individuals. I have a soft spot for the villains—maybe because I need to work harder at understanding them.
How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?
Years ago, shortly after my first-ever manuscript was rejected, I went to a writing workshop. The instructor shared the most valuable piece of writing advice I’ve ever learned—how to weave in sensory detail. Seems simple, doesn’t it? Yet most of us are visual people, and cuing the other four senses doesn’t necessarily come naturally. I followed his advice, and the next time I sent out the manuscript, it sold. I’ve relied on his technique ever since, no matter whether I’m writing fiction or a magazine article.
What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?
Though OVER THE EDGE was set in Sedona, a place I lived in and wrote about for two decades, I used the same research tools I’ve used as a travel writer: maps, local histories, weather information, field guides, newspaper stories, and so on. I also dug out notebooks I’d filled up as an archaeology student and volunteer docent. Thanks to the internet, I could brush up on smuggling laws, Forest Service regulations, and the like.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?
In Sedona, almost anything can happen, and truth is often stranger than fiction. But I invented specific story locations, particularly archaeological sites, and in a couple instances, turned back time with a wave of my writer’s license. My aim was plausible fiction, and I hope while turning the pages of OVER THE EDGE, readers will feel like they’re on a journey, experiencing aspects of red rock country a day-tripper might miss.
Thank you for answering my questions, Kathleen, and good luck with Over the Edge.
About Kathleen Bryant: Kathleen turned her boots-first exploration of the West’s landscapes and cultures into a career as a travel writer and novelist. Her publishing credits include romance novels, travel guides, magazine articles, an award-winning children’s picture book, and a cookbook highlighting National Parks. An avid hiker and history buff, she’s led tours of ancient rock art sites, participated in field school digs, and guided yoga experiences in the red rocks of Sedona. Today, Kathleen lives with her musician husband in California, where she continues to seek out new adventures. When she’s not writing or researching her next book, you might find her on a hiking trail taking photos of wildflowers or driving down a country lane to visit a dairy farm or vineyard.
Jennie Marts, author of Kill or Bee Killed, the latest novel in the Bee Keeping mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.
Welcome, Jennie.
Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.
Kill or Bee Killed is the second book in the Bee Keeping mystery series. The series follows Bailey Briggs, a single mom and mystery writer, as she and her daughter return to her hometown of Humble Hills, Colorado and to Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch where she was raised by her bee-keeping grandmother, Granny Bee, her great aunts, Marigold and Aster, and her grandmother’s book club and posse, lovingly referred to as The Hive. In Take the Honey and Run, the first book, the mayor of the town is murdered, and the murder weapon turns out to be Granny Bee’s infamous ‘Honey, I’m Home Hot Spiced Honey’, making Bailey’s grandmother the prime suspect. So, of course, Bailey, her best-friend, and the members of The Hive set out to find the true culprit. Except the town sheriff turns out to be Bailey’s first love, and even though they haven’t seen each other since high school, their romance is still buzzing. And the sheriff isn’t too excited about Bailey snooping around his case. Bailey has no choice but to use her fictional detective skills to help solve the murder and “smoke out” the real culprit before her beloved grandmother ends up bee-hind bars.
In Kill or Bee Killed, Humble Hills is abuzz with excitement over the upcoming annual Bee Festival, sponsored by Granny Bee and the Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch. The long weekend of festivities includes a beauty pageant, beekeeping demonstrations, a local restaurant bake-off, and a 3K Bear Run where all the participants are dressed as bears. The bake-off brings in a television crew from California to film, so it’s the most drama-filled part of the weekend, especially when the famous celebrity host winds up dead.
Because the celebrity was holding her bracelet and had been witnessed having an altercation with Bailey’s best friend Evie shortly before his death, everyone suspects Evie of the murder—and Bailey is quickly on the hunt for clues to clear Evie’s name, alongside Granny Bee and her bunch of geriatric misfit friends. Bailey’s potential new honey, Sheriff Sawyer Dunn, is none too pleased to have Bailey buzzing around the investigation, but Bailey’s determined to uncover the truth, rescue her grannie’s beloved Bee Festival, and save her bestie.
They say you get more flies with honey, but in this case, more honey may mean you end up dead. And a little competition never hurt anyone—unless it ends up killing you.
Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?
I really wanted to set this mystery during a local bee festival and bring in more of the community of Humble Hills. I thought it would be so fun to incorporate in a beauty competition and thought it would be a hoot to have the great aunts (who are in their seventies) be forced to enter. My husband started an annual 3K Bear Run in our town where all the runners wear these funny bear suits, and I knew I had to put that in the book too. I’m a huge fan of the Great British Bake-off, and Bailey’s best friend, Evie and her grandmother, Rosa, run a bakery/coffeehouse called Spill the Beans, so I came up with the idea to add a cooking competition into the festival and have the celebrity host be the one who gets ‘offed’.
Even though the celebrity host gets murdered, it’s still a really fun story, and Bailey and Evie get up to even more crazy shenanigans than they did in the first book.
Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?
I treasure the relationships with my family and my female friends and really try to convey the importance of having those women in my life and how important family and friends are. I love the relationships between Bailey and her daughter, her grandmother, her great aunts, and her best friends. Not all the relationships are good, because both Bailey’s mother and father abandoned her when she was young, so she was raised by her grandmother, but I love showing that ‘family’ can be relatives and also ‘found’ through good friends and a supportive community.
How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?
My characters come to life in many different ways. Sometimes they just come to me, other times, they might be based on someone I know or who I’ve met. Or they might be a mash-up of several different people. I was very close to both of my grandmothers, and I love writing spunky old ladies as characters in my books who often portray some of the personality traits of both of my grandmothers. It’s a fun way for me to pay tribute to these two amazing women in my life. I have written over thirty-five books but will admit that several of my main female protagonists have a few of my characteristics—most of them are tall and curvy and several of them adore Cheetos, peanut butter cups, and macaroni and cheese. All my books have dogs in them, and most of the dog characters come from my own fur-babies, like the golden retriever in this series who is named Cooper just like mine, and the dog on the front cover looks just like my Cooper. And it’s kind of a fun thing that Bailey’s best friend, Evie, is inspired by a real friend of mine named Evie, who is exactly like the character in the book, and I can absolutely see the two of us getting into trouble like Bailey and Evie do.
How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?
I love small towns and am from a small town myself, so it’s easy for me to picture the small mountain town of Humble Hills. I really try to add in the details of the town, not just what the buildings look like, but the view of the mountains in the background, the smell of pies and coffee wafting from the local bakery, and the dishes of water that the business owners leave outside their doors for the dogs of the town. I know so many people like the ones in the communities I write about and really try to bring in the feel of small-town life where most people know each other or have a connection through school, church, or friends or relatives. Folks in small towns truly do reach out to help each other, and I like showing that sense of community in my stories.
What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?
I typically do research as a scene or section of the book demands it. For instance, I did a deeper dive into facts about killer bees when I wrote about Granny Bee presenting a program on them. Speaking of bees, I have done a ton of research on bees and honey, and I’m fortunate to live with a certified beekeeper. For years, my husband ran two nature centers, and one had an observation beehive exhibit in it showing live bees in their habitat, so I get a lot of my bee information from him and from learning about the workings and habitats of bees. He also started an actual Bear Run, like the one in the book, where participants do a 3K run wearing bear costumes. It’s a hoot, and everyone has so much fun. I also love putting honey-inspired recipes in my book, so I research and experiment with making the recipes as well.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?
Just that I had a blast writing this one, and I hope they love meeting the characters and the community of Humble Hills. I want readers to feel like visiting Bailey and Granny Bee and the Hive is like visiting old friends and want them to feel part of the love and friendship these women have for each other. I hope readers fall in love with the handsome sheriff, Sawyer Dunn, who was Bailey’s first love, but I also want them to love Leon, the kooky coroner, and swoon over Mateo, Evie’s hunky brother, and Spike, the burly biker bar owner who has a heart of gold and makes cupcakes with his grandma.
I hope this book makes them laugh a lot, cry a little, and salivate over the delicious honey-inspired recipes in Kill or Bee Killed.
Thanks for hosting me and my book.
You’re welcome,Jennie, and good luck with Kill or Bee Killed, the latest book in the Bee Keeping mystery series.
About Jennie Marts: Jennie is the USA TODAY Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”
She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet who loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, has never missed an episode of Survivor, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.
Jann Franklin, author of Muffalettas and Murder, a Small Town Girl mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us a bit about how small town living can provide you with an alibi if you ever need one.
Welcome, Jann. I’ll turn the floor over to you –
As a writer, I try to stick close to what I know. Honestly, it’s just less research and I know for sure it’s accurate. My characters have great adventures in a Louisiana village of less than 300 people, just like me. The only difference is I haven’t found any dead bodies. Not yet, anyway.
One of the big complaints about small towns is, “I don’t like people being all up in my business. Nobody needs to know where I am or who I’m with.” Yeah, I get that. You don’t want your neighbors knowing you eat vanilla ice cream in your underwear.
Your secrets will remain hidden if you live in the big city. Let’s face it—neighbors there aren’t very, well, neighborly. People rush around, consumed by their own lives. Big cities celebrate a neighbor who’s quiet and keeps to himself.
“Oh yes, I have the best neighbor! I don’t even know his name, that’s how perfect he is. Not a peep out of him—I wish all my neighbors could be more like him.” What do they tell the police after SWAT arrives, guns blazing, to arrest their neighbor for a triple homicide? They repeat their good neighbor story, but amend it. “Well, except for the murders. But other than that, the perfect neighbor.” But what if the poor neighbor’s innocent? That’s where small town nosiness comes in handy.
Sometimes we need people to know what we’re doing and when we’re doing it. I’m not saying you’re on the verge of a crime spree. But we’ve all watched a crime show or two. What trips up the criminal time after time, putting them in jail faster than a hot knife through butter? When they don’t have an alibi.
Let’s just say you’re home by yourself. The police knock on your door, asking questions about someone who’s turned up dead. Who can vouch for you? If you live in the big city, you’re just out of luck. In fact, you probably should have played the stereo just a little louder, or bought that annoying dog, so the neighbors noticed you.
But if you live in a small town, you’re in luck. We don’t live our lives in private, thank goodness! Even if you’re sitting at home don’t worry. The neighbors can tell the police exactly when your car left the garage and when it returned. They can probably vouch for where you’ve been.
“Oh yeah, Officer, I know where Merle was last Wednesday around 5:15 p.m. Ya’ see, I was home taking care of my granddaughter after school. I do that every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while her mama’s working at that fancy ladies’ store downtown. Yes sir, I promised Ella Mae, that’s my granddaughter, some hard candies if she finished her homework. She’s real smart in history, but she struggles with math, so I gotta give her a little bribe to finish up her homework. Anyway, Ella Mae and me, we hopped in my Chevy. That’s it out there, in the driveway. When we drove past the gas station…which gas station? You ain’t from around here, are ya’, Officer? It’s the only gas station in town.”
“Yes sir, when we drove past the station on our way to the Dollar General, I saw Merle’s truck parked in front of the number two pump. I waved at ol’ Merle, and he waved at me. What time was that? Well, Officer, we left the house after Judge Judy, and after I helped Ella Mae get on her shoes. I’d guess about 4:45 p.m. or so. We passed ol’ Merle about three minutes after that. Then we went inside the Dollar General, got Ella Mae’s hard candies and a Coke for me, said how ya do to Missy working the register. Then we headed back towards home.”
“Now when I saw ol’ Merle at the pump, before we got to the Dollar General, it reminded me I couldn’t come to dominos the next day. Yeah, I had a doctor’s appointment in the city, so I had to miss the game. Well, sir, I turned my truck toward Merle’s house, so I could stop by and let him know. But then I saw his car at the post office. Well, sir, I just pulled into the parking lot, right beside ol’ Merle’s Honda, and waited for him. When he came out we talked for a good ten minutes, until Ella Mae finished her candies and asked if we could go home. I told Merle I wouldn’t be at dominos the next day and headed to the house.”
“What was that, Officer? What time did I chat it up with Merle at the post office? Now let me think. Wheel of Fortune had just started when I got home, so it had to be 5:30. Merle and I talked a good bit, probably twenty minutes—that’s about how long it takes Ella Mae to eat a bag of those hard candies.”
“You say the guy went missing around 5:15? No sir, it couldn’t have been Merle. He’s as honest as the day is long, and he was talking to me. Not to mention, if he’d killed somebody, he’d ask to borrow my backhoe. You know, to bury the body. You’re welcome, Officer, anytime.”
Hopefully, the officer taking the statement brings plenty of paper. But really, that’s not your problem. Your alibi is solid.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Jann, and good luck with Muffalettas and Murder, the latest book in the Small Town Girl mystery series.
About Jann Franklin: Jannis a faith-based cozy mystery writer living in Grand Cane, Louisiana with slightly less than three hundred other people. Many of her stories are based on the tales she hears from residents.
She and her husband John enjoy Sundays at Grand Cane Baptist Church, dinner with family and friends, and watching the lightning bugs in their backyard. Their kids come to visit, when they aren’t too busy living their big-city lives.
Molly Stewart is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Purrfectly Framed, the latest novel in the Mobile Cat Groomer mystery series.
Welcome, Molly. 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.
Hello! I’m Molly Stewart. I’m a Mobile Cat Groomer. I helped my friend, Evan, when he was accused of murdering his old teacher. Her body was found in his photography studio, but of course, he was innocent! The book, Purrfectly Framed, is Book 2 in the Mobile Cat Groomer Series.
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
Oh, I get a say! She does lay the groundwork by creating a synopsis, but once she starts actually writing the book, I’m right there giving advice!
How did you evolve as the main character?
I discovered that I have a knack for solving crimes. I’d already found a murderer before, when there’d been a previous murder in town. Who knew there would be more than one killer to deal with! With the help of my cats, Percival and Jasper, we make a pretty good sleuthing team!
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
My boyfriend’s name is Hank. He’s the town’s veterinarian, and is so sweet! We’ve only just started dating, so everything is still new. And my BFF is Jillian. She’s amazing. She runs our local library. And, she also has a thing for Evan, but he doesn’t know it yet.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
I live in a small, rural town where everyone knows everybody else’s business. It’s a friendly place, except for the murderer, of course!
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
We have so much fun in Purrfectly Framed! Aside from helping Evan out of this current jam, I have my job as a Mobile Cat Groomer. I adore my furry clients, and they make my job so enjoyable. Come over and check us out. You’ll love it here!
Thank you for answering my questions, Molly, and good luck to you and your author, Ruth J Hartman, with Purrfectly Framed, the latest book in the Mobile Cat Groomer mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Molly and her author, Ruth J Hartman by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page. You can also follow her on Twitter.
About Ruth J Hartman: Ruth spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people’s recliners. Not that the cats couldn’t get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else’s.
Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying. Ruth’s husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them.
The Breakfast Foursome (a quartet of senior citizens who gather at the local diner first thing every morning to gossip) are visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about The Seafarer’s Secret.
Welcome, folks. 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.
Elbert: It’s a murder mystery set along the Outer Banks of North Carolina with a bit of history and pirates thrown in.
Maxine: That’s the best you can come up with? I thought you were a writer.
Francis: He writes a weekly column for the Eden newspaper. He is a writer.
Maxine: Only because he bullied them until they agreed to let him.
Elbert (ignoring the women): The novel’s a mix of genres, but mostly a cozy mystery. Our author once said it was like a Nicholas Sparks book but without anyone dying.
Herb: It’s a murder mystery. Of course someone dies.
Elbert: I think she meant a main character. And, yes, it could be expanded into a series.
Francis: Doesn’t Carol Ann already have an outline for the second book?
Maxine: She does and it’s very detailed. Nothing at all like that nonsense she used to call an outline.
Elbert: I’m not sure we were supposed to say anything about that. Maybe we should go on to the next question.
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
Maxine: We let Carol Ann think she’s in control, but we all know the real truth. If we’d let her control it, she’d have gone with one of those earlier drafts, and that would have been horrible.
Herb: Which one of the early drafts are you talking about? The one where Eva’s a graduate student or the one where Chief Templeton’s house caught fire?
Francis: I thought it was a motel that burned down?
Elbert: No, that draft had a fire alarm go off at a motel, but it was done intentionally. There wasn’t a fire.
Maxine: Any of the earlier drafts would have been a mistake.
Herb: I’m not sure we answered the question.
Elbert: Trust me. We did.
How did you evolve as the main character?
Francis: Can we consider ourselves main characters?
Herb: Maybe the four of us together? After all, Eva would have had no idea what was happening if it weren’t for us. Not to mention, Elbert’s the only one of us who has page time separate from the three of us.
Francis: I’m not sure we evolved. I feel the exact same.
Elbert: Maxine evolved. I knew it when she said the three most wonderful words in the world.
Maxine: Put a sock in it, Elbert.
Herb: What three words?
Elbert: “I was wrong.”
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
Elbert: I’ve always liked William Templeton. I knew his grandmother and she raised him right. Especially after his parents died. There’s no one I’d rather have serving as Eden’s chief of police.
I don’t know Eva as well, but my granddaughter, Amelia, is good friends with her. Eva earned my respect with the way she kept her friendship up with both Catherine and William after they separated. That’s a tough place to find yourself.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
Herb: Except for Elbert, we’re only found in the diner.
Francis: That’s because the diner’s the heart of Eden.
Maxine: Don’t get all sentimental, Francis. It’s just a building.
Elbert: The diner is also the one place in the novel that never, not in all two hundred fifty-nine drafts, ever changed.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
Carol Ann: These guys were so much fun to write and if you look, you’ll find them or someone like them in every city. I hope you decide to visit these particular four in their Eden diner. They’ll save you a seat at the table.
Thank you for answering my questions, folks, and good luck to you and your author, Carol Ann Collins, with The Seafarer’s Secret. Readers can learn more about the Breakfast Foursome and their author, Carol Ann Collins by visiting the author’s website and her Goodreads and Instagram pages.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Carol Ann Collins: Writing allows Carol Ann Collins to combine two of her favorite things, history and romance. Her work is a combination of historical fact, pure fiction, and a vivid imagination. Though she is an introvert who had no problem staying inside during quarantine, she enjoys traveling with her husband and two adult children. In her spare time, she is an avid book collector and bargain shopper who loves to combine the two. To date, her favorite find is an 1869 edition of Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain purchased for $10.
Natasha Smith is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about The Diva Goes Overboard, the latest novel in the Domestic Diva mystery series.
Welcome, Natasha. 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 latest adventure is in THE DIVA GOES OVERBOARD, which is part of the Domestic Diva Mysteries. It’s fun to read them in order, but everyone tells me they work fine on their own, too. In this new book, something very unusual happens to me. It all starts with an engagement. But when the groom dies, everything goes haywire, and then, even though he’s dead, he drops a few bombshells at the reading of his will. He said “Sophie will know what to do” but I don’t have a clue. Even worse, people begin to suspect unsavory things about me!
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
The writer is fairly good about letting me do my thing. We’re usually on the same wavelength. But she tricks me this time by putting me in an uncomfortable situation. What’s a character to do?
How did you evolve as the main character?
I’m an event planner. A few years back, the local newspaper asked me to write a column giving sensible lifestyle advice. It took off about the same time that I solved a couple of mysteries. People started coming to me with their problems, like being accused for murder! They think I can get to the root of the murders. I always tell them to go to the police or hire a private investigator, but it’s hard to turn people down when they are so distressed.
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
Lots of them! I have a group of dear friends who help me. I couldn’t possibly do it without them. My best friend and across-the-street-neighbor is Nina Reid Norwood. She has an ear for gossip and a lot of connections around town. Plus, she watches my back. Then there’s my ex-husband, Mars, and Bernie, his best friend. Mars is methodical. He likes to write everything down and see where it leads. Bernie owns a local restaurant and knows everyone! And my sweet older neighbor, Francie, has lived here a long time. She knows the scoop and gets away with being nosy because she’s a sweet little old lady. We’re a team! I guess I should mention Wolf. He’s a local police detective whom I dated for a few years. It’s a little awkward, but it can be handy to have his personal phone number.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
We live in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. It’s across the Potomac River from Washington DC and is absolutely charming. The homes are Federal style and some still have gas lanterns at their front doors. The brick sidewalks are extremely walkable, so my hound mix, Daisy, and I often go for interesting walks around town. I have to walk my dog, right? I can’t help it if I happen to see interesting things on our walks.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
I’d better mention Natasha. She writes a competing lifestyle column and has her eyes on my ex-husband. In fact, it’s her mother who planned to marry! Natasha means well, but she can be trying.
Thank you for answering my questions, Natasha, and good luck to you and your author, Krista Davis, with The Diva Goes Overboard, the latest book in the Domestic Diva mystery series.
About Krista Davis: New York Times Bestselling author Krista Davis writes the Domestic Diva Mysteries, the Paws & Claws Mysteries, and The Pen & Ink Mysteries. Krista lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with two dogs, two cats, and a hidden stash of chocolate. When she’s not writing, she loves to entertain her family and friends who complain when she tests her recipes on them. But she notices that they keep coming back for more.
Joyce Proell, co-author of Cornbread, Ribs and Murder, the latest novel in the Chocolate Martini Sisters mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.
Welcome, Joyce.
Thank you. I’m happy to be visiting with you today.
Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.
Cornbread, Ribs and Murder is the third book in the Chocolate Martini Sisters series. The stories feature sisters Nic and Emma. Each woman has a distinctive style and personality, yet their interests overlap in one key way—their love of mysteries. When a woman screams for help, they find her next to a dead body, a bloody knife gripped in her hand. Murder has found them again. At the woman’s request, they agree to help her find the killer. Officially contracted as sleuths, they get down to work, sorting through a vast array of quirky suspects. Time and experience have made their unique detective skills sharper. They catch the killer and manage to have fun while doing so.
Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?
My industrious and creative writing partner, Brenda Whiteside, suggested the series idea. A resident of Arizona, she celebrates her birthday with her sister every year with a chocolate martini served up at her beloved local hotel.
Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?
In a mystery, the subject is always murder. It is the who, what, when, and why of the story. Why do people do what they do? In this case, the sisters set out to answer the questions.
How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?
The process of developing a character is like working with clay. At first, it’s a blob, sitting before me on a table. I touch it, and its firm beneath my fingers. Then I begin to dig and squeeze the firm substance. An idea takes hold. An image begins to emerge from the shadows of my mind. Kneading and pulling, a form takes shape. I test an idea this way and that. Little by little, the substance/plot reveals itself. Pretty soon, I have a good idea of who did what and why. The rest is all down to details.
How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?
I use both pictures and imagination to bring life to my stories.
What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?
Brenda has the advantage as she lives close to where the story takes place. Also, she modelled the vintage charm of the Dulce Inn after one of her favorite boutique hotels. I rely on the internet for my research.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?
All of the books in the series were fun to write, but Cornbread, Ribs and Murder is my top pick. Nic and Em are such wonderful characters. They enjoy sleuthing, and when justice is served, so much the better. Enjoy!
Thank you for answering my questions, Joyce, and good luck to you and your co-author, Brenda Whiteside, with Cornbread, Ribs and Murder, the latest book in the Chocolate Martini Sisters mystery series.
About Joyce Proell: After hearing countless stories as a mental health professional, Joyce Proell retired to create her own tales. As an award-winning author, she writes historical romance and cozy mystery where all endings are guaranteed happy. She shares her home on the prairie with a husband and a little dog with a big personality. When she isn’t reading or writing, she likes to swim and finds baking almost as relaxing as a day at the spa.
Marc Jedel, author of Pride and Principal, A Silicon Valley mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to chat with us.
Welcome, Marc. I’ll turn the floor over to you –
Writing a guest post felt too difficult so instead I interviewed myself. I’m not quite clear how this makes anything easier, but it seemed to work so I went with it. Perhaps it’s because my writing often feels like I’m having a conversation inside my head with different imaginary characters.
Q: Is there anything unusual about your writing process?
A: It’s something I knew about myself for a long time, but only recently realized was strange. I’m really bad at naming characters. The main protagonists’ names come easily enough, but beyond that I am relatively hopeless. It’s just one of those weird things. While I’m writing I use KILLER, DEAD GUY, SUSPECT 1, and so on. Fortunately I’ve got a friend whom I call my “name whisperer.” It is a pretty cool-sounding nickname which he likes better than just getting called, “hey you.”
Once I send him the character descriptions, he magically responds with some really good name options for me. Sometimes his stories behind his suggestions can be even funnier than the scenes I’d planned to use them in, but he promises all the names are fictionalized.
When I finished the manuscript for Rivers and Creaks (the first in my new Redwoods Country Mystery series), it didn’t have names in it until right before I sent it to the copy editor. This turned out to be a bit of a joke on myself as I then had idea who these people were when I proofed the final version before publication.
Q: What was the most difficult part of writing?
A: Figuring out new, interesting, and plausible ways to kill someone is actually way more challenging that one might think. Especially when you’re trying to write it in such a way that an amateur detective can figure it out without getting any help from the police and I don’t want the readers to guess whodunnit. I feel like a success when readers tell me they couldn’t guess who or why until the reveal. Yet all this requires some very unusual internet searches. I’m just glad no law enforcement officer has knocked on my door to ask about my search history.
Q: Explain the unusual technique that you use in your stories.
A: I purposefully craft each novel to take place over less than a week’s time period. I’ve found this helps me keep the pace moving quickly in the novel. With only days to develop and solve an entire mystery, there’s no time to lose. No one sits around doing laundry. Or if they do, something important is discussed or happens that moves the story forward. This keeps the pressure on the protagonists to solve the crime and also avoid having their lives screwed up too much.
Q: How much real world experiences do you bring into your stories?
A: My wife and I are longtime Stanford women’s basketball fans. One day before a pre-season game started in November, we were sitting in our seats talking to a neighbor who has become a fan of my novels. I realized that Marty’s next book would likely take place in January to stay true to the series pace, which meant it would take place smack in the middle of basketball season. Quickly, I committed to having a key scene take place in the stadium at one of the games. Then I spent too much of the next few games looking at everything in the stadium except for the basketball. And that wound up being the final scene of the novel.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Marc, and good luck with Pride and Principal, the latest book in the Silicon Valley mystery series.
About Marc Jedel: Marc writes humorous murder mysteries. He credits his years of marketing leadership positions in Silicon Valley for honing his writing skills and sense of humor. While his high-tech marketing roles involved crafting plenty of fiction, these were just called emails, ads, and marketing collateral.
For most of Marc’s life, he’s been inventing stories. It’s a skill that’s served him well as both an author and marketer. The publication of Marc’s first novel, Uncle and Ants, gave him permission to claim “author” as his job. This leads to much more interesting conversations with people than answering, “marketing.”
Like his character, Marty from the Silicon Valley Mystery series, Marc now lives in Silicon Valley, works in high-tech, and enjoys bad puns. Like his characters Jonas and Elizabeth from the Ozarks Lake Mystery series, he grew up in the South and spent plenty of time in and around Arkansas. Like his character, Andy, from the Redwoods Country Mystery series, Marc continues to grow older and would prefer not to run a bed-and-breakfast inn when he retires. Like all his protagonists, Marc too has a dog, although his is neurotic, sweet, and small, with little appreciation for Marc’s humor.
Janna Rollins, author of An Escape Goat, the first novel in the Ben Goat mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today. This is a particular pleasure for me as I love everything to do with goats.
Welcome, Janna.
Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.
Hello and thanks for having me! AN ESCAPE GOAT is the first book in the Zen Goat Mystery series. Callie Haybeck has recently moved to Bobwhite Hollow, New Hampshire after finding long-lost family through a DNA kit. She fell in love with her new family and the area, so has opened a goat yoga studio on her great-uncle’s farm. In this first book, she is hosting her first goat yoga retreat when one of her guests, a Boston socialite, is found dead behind the haystack. Worried that she has invited a murderer to stay at the family farm, Callie enlists the help of her cousin Tristan to flush out the killer. She’ll need to find all her inner balance to stay one step ahead and keep her family safe.
Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?
The mystery came from developing the characters for the story and thinking about what secrets they might be hiding.
Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?
Family is the underlying theme of the story. I’m an armchair genealogist and I like to dig deeper to find the stories that lie beyond the names and dates. Family secrets and drama play a huge role in how individuals within that family interact and view each other. I wanted to explore some of those connections, or non-connections, in my writing.
How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?
Before I start writing, I spend time with each character getting to know them a bit and finding out what makes them tick. That being said, each of them very much evolves during every stage of the writing process. While I do really like MOST of my characters, in this series, Uncle Will is probably my favorite. I love his wisdom and twinkling eyes.
How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?
Research and visiting the area where my fictional Bobwhite Hollow is set. Soaking in the atmosphere, taking gobs of pictures, and then imagining. The farm part comes easy, since I grew up on a small farm and have goats in my own barnyard right now!
What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?
Oh gosh, all kinds of research. My husband was born and raised in New England, so I’m constantly picking his brain for little details I wouldn’t know myself. I research all kinds of little tidbits while I’m writing, from murder weapon feasibility to average temperature in the region on a specific day and everything in between.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?
Just that they can be assured no goats were hurt during the writing of this book! I’ve had some readers wanting to make sure a goat doesn’t get murdered between the pages, and rest assured, they do not!
Thank you for answering my questions, Janna, and good luck with An Escape Goat, the latest book in the Zen Goat mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Janna Rollins by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads pages.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Janna Rollins: When Janna Rollins isn’t writing, she likes to thumb through New England-based magazines and drool over the pictures. She has a love for red barns, goats, and genealogy. Janna can be found showing her socially awkward side on Facebook or sharing pictures of her tiny one-acre farm on Instagram. She is a member of Sister In Crime, and also writes the Hometown Hardware Mystery series as Paula Charles. Janna lives in Southwestern Washington with her husband and a whole menagerie of furry and feathered critters.
Piper Glendale, author of Secrets & Scandals, the latest novel in the Gilman Gazette series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.
Welcome, Piper.
Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.
Secrets and Scandals is the story of Los Angeles tabloid reporter, Emily Delany. Called back to the hometown she thought she left for good, Emily is surrounded by small town intrigue as she tries to unravel an unsolved mystery, save the local newspaper, and clear her friend of murder. Not so easy to do when her ex-high school sweetheart is now a handsome detective blocking her every turn.
Secrets and Scandals is the first book in the Gilman Gazette Cozy Mystery Series. The egnaging series is filled with fun characters, humor and sweet romance
Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?
There are a few mysteries in the book and they evolved over many, many versions. Regarding the mystery of the Newberry Inn, who hasn’t looked at an abandoned building and thought, I wonder what happened there? It was fun to create the inn’s backstory and adjacent mystery. As for the murder, that evolved with the book’s charaters. As the character came more to life with revisions, the murder, motive an culprit became clear and integral to the forward movement of the story.
Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?
Sometimes our minds get stuck in the past. One of the themes in the book is moving on from a past memory that doesn’t serve us anymore, and better using our energy to connect with the present.
How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?
Some characters are purely out of my imagination, and some are bits and pieces of people I know or have known.
Bryce Peacock is one of my favorite characters. He is fun and lively and you know when he is in a scene you will get a good laugh. Bryce was actually based on the manager at my first summer job at a record store – who believe having a “bad hair day” was a legitimate reason to skip work. Obviously, that was a very fun job!
Sometimes I think I am going to write a scene one way and a character will just pull the story in another direction. In this way, writing characters has been one of the most suprising parts of being an author!
How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?
I try to link a chracter’s emotions to their surrounding, which helps create a sense of place. In Secrets and Scandals that was especially true for the main character, Emily, who had a bunch of emotions wrapped up in her hometown. A lot of the story is about her unpacking those emotions and taking a fresh look at her feeling about the place she grew up.
What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?
This book in particular has me researching facts about allergies! I also looked into the current state of the newspaper publishing issue, and the difference between a county sheriffs department and a city police department.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?
I hope that readers find a bit of romance, a dose of humor and a lot of cozy mystery in Secrets and Scandals. And a heartfelt thank you to anyone who reads any of my books!
Thank you for answering my questions, Piper, and good luck with Secrets & Scandals, the latest book in the Gilman Gazette series.
Readers can learn more about Piper Glendale by visiting the author’s website and her Instagram page.
About Piper Glendale: Piper Glendale is the pen name of author Stacey Auer. Stacey lives with her handsome husband and lively twins in the Pacific Northwest. When she’s not writing she can be found walking her hound dog or recycling. Visit Piper’s website at www.piperglendale.com to sign up for author updates and get access to the Secret Page.
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