No Small Murder

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Emma Wells is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about No Small Murder, the first novel in the Mini Meadows mystery series.

Welcome, Emma. 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’m Emma Wells, and I live inside the Mini-Meadows Mystery series. I used to live in my grandfather’s mansion, but then he passed away and left everything to my father with instructions to take care of the women (meaning my grandmother and me.) My father’s first order of business was to betroth me to Bartholomew Prendergast. So I broke off the engagement and made a life for myself in Central Florida in a tiny home made from two shipping containers. Now, I work as a downsize specialist and help others who want to move from large homes to smaller ones. Then Granny Rose (the new teeny bopper version) showed up on my doorstep, adopted a Great Dane named Butch, and moved in with my cat, Ginger, and me. And if not for finding Broderick Aldridge, Butch’s former owner, dead in a shipping container on moving day, my life would be fairly uneventful.

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too? I definitely get some say, but I sometimes feel my writer listens more to Granny Rose than to me.

How did you evolve as the main character? In the beginning of the story, I’m a fairly boring downsize specialist who spends my days helping others get rid of their belongings and get ready to move into their new homes, and my nights hanging out at home with friends or with Ginger. As the story progresses, I end up as an amateur sleuth, trying to determine who killed my client in the hopes of getting my friends, many of whom are suspects, off the hook.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them? I love sharing my story with Granny Rose. She’s a real hoot. And Chloe, Jade, and Max are great friends who help me along the way.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story? This story takes place in Mini-Meadows, a community of tiny homes in Central Florida. I love living here. Main Street boasts a variety of mini-businesses, like Pocket Books (my friend Chloe’s book store) and Little Bits (my friend Jade’s consignment shop). Life is relaxing and laid back… At least it is before Broderick’s murder.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book? No Small Murder is the first book in the Mini-Meadows series and was a ton of fun to participate in. Books two and three, A Matter of Crime and Packing Heat, are also contracted. I can’t wait to get back to Mini-Meadows!

Thank you so much for having me! I’ve enjoyed visiting.

You’re welcome, Emma. Thank you for answering my questions and good luck to you and your author, Lena Gregory, with No Small Murder, the first book in the Mini Meadows mystery series.

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

The novel is available online at  Amazon 

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

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Charred

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Kacey Vanza is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Charred, the latest novel in the Whipped and Sipped mystery series.

Welcome, Kacey. 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 Kacey Vanza and I live across the hall from the owner of the Whipped and Sipped Café, Alene Baron. This is the third “Whipped and Sipped Mystery,” and I had a big role in books 1 and 2: “Battered” and “Smothered.” The first book opened with the death of my father, and I’ve got to admit that I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.

My parents, who later divorced, moved into this building when I was a baby, so Alene and her sister used to babysit for me. I had some tough years, made some bad decisions, and Alene was always there for me no matter what I did.  After my father was murdered, and I started spinning out of control, Alene helped me get through it. Now in book #3, CHARRED, my boyfriend Kofi happened to see a dead body on the site of a burned down building (he was looking for materials for his sculptures) and I’ve sworn Alene to silence. This might be the worse thing I’ve ever done to her after all the good things she’s done for me, because she can’t tell her boyfriend Frank. He’s a homicide detective. And his partner is a jerk. I like Frank, but his partner is the kind of cop who will arrest Kofi just because he can.

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

I think if it was up to the writer, I wouldn’t be such a terrible friend, I wouldn’t ask Alene to put her relationship at risk for Kofi, and all the characters would be as nice as Ruthie Rosin, Alene’s best friend and the pastry chef. Ruthie is like an angel, always thinking about everyone’s feelings and never screwing up like me. I think that’s more the kind of character the writer likes.

How did you evolve as the main character?

Uh oh – did I say I was a main character? I’m a really important character since Kofi is my boyfriend and it’s because of what he saw that might cost Alene her relationship with Frank, but those two are at the center of the story. Alene’s dad, Cal and his shady brother Finn who suddenly shows up during the height of the pandemic -they’re also main characters. Ruthie Rosin, she’s a main character because duh, she’s the pastry chef, and her husband is important because the fire site was where he was building affordable housing. And Alene’s three kids are main characters because they’re driving her crazy now that all the schools are closed because of the pandemic. Looking back at the events of 2020, I have to say that Alene considers everyone in her life to be important!

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

Obviously, I love sharing my days and my stories with Kofi Lloyd – he’s an amazing sculptor, and a totally good guy. It’s because of his loving care that I’m completely clean – no shooting up, no pills, not even an occasional beer. Of course, Alene helped too, but Kofi has his head on straight – he’s even trying to get me to take college classes, and he’s gotten me interested in photography (as if I could ever be as good an artist as he is). The rest of my gratitude goes to Alene – she’s always been loving, kind, and accepting – even though her only customers these days are for pick up or delivery, and she can’t afford to keep on so many employees, I think she’s doing whatever she can not to fire any of us. I can’t even say how much I appreciate having a job right now…what would I do all day if I couldn’t hang out at the Whipped and Sipped Café?

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

We live in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago – it’s at the northern most tip of Lincoln Park, and our building is right off Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive (We just call it Lake Shore Drive, but it was recently changed to honor the first nonindigenous settler in Chicago, who was African American). Everyone knows that Chicago is a great city, with stunning architecture, fabulous cultural institutions, a magnificent park system, Lake Michigan, and hardly any crime (that last part might not be true, but I’m not the author so I can say whatever I want!)

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

I wish I could say more about everything that happened in the summer of 2020 to Alene and the Whipped and Sipped gang, but it was kind of complicated, and I don’t want to give away anything. There was the dead body that Kofi stumbled over, and did I mention that the jacket on the dead body had a Whipped Sipped carry-out bag in its pocket? Or that the name of one of Ruthie Rosin’s kids was stamped on the collar? Did I say anything about Frank’s difficult daughter or how she refused to get tested for Covid (Alene was worried that her dad would catch it)? And that whole story about Alene’s uncle who suddenly showed up – that was kind of weird. Sorry, I can’t really say anything else about the book except that I hope everyone notices how well I’m doing!

Thank you for answering my questions, Kacey, and good luck to you and your author, G. P. Gottlieb, with Charred, the latest book in the Whipped and Sipped mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Kacey and her author, G. P. Gottlieb by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub, and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available online at  Amazon

About G. P. Gottlieb: Known for her imaginative baking and fabulous dinners, G.P. Gottlieb was always an avid reader. She enjoyed several careers, but after recovering from cancer, turned to writing in earnest, melding two passions: nourishment for mind and body, and recipe-laced murder mysteries. She is also the host for New Books in Literature, a podcast of the New Books Network.

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Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Jade Hicks is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones, the first novel in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe mystery series.

Welcome, Jade. 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 Jade Hicks, and my story appears in STICKS AND STONES AND A BAG OF BONES. It’s part of the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. I own a tourist shop full of Christmas ornaments and collectibles in the heart of a tiny beach community.

When a beat-up suitcase full of bones washes up by the pier, the residents of the quaint resort town of Mermaid Bay are whipped into a hurricane-sized frenzy over the gruesome find in the middle of their Christmas in July festivities. The holly jolly mood retreats like the tide with everyone wondering who was in the suitcase. 

I waded into the fracas when voodoo dolls and mysterious notes and posters about impending doom start popping up all over town, threatening to destroy the economy of a community that lives and dies by tourist dollars. Then tensions crest when I found the prickly bookstore owner strangled to death with a string of holiday lights.

My French bulldog Chloe, and I have to solve the crime before anyone else gets hurt and my business and the festival are forever tainted.

STICKS AND STONES AND A BAG OF BONES is the first in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries cozy series. The next two books are TWINKLE TWINKLE AU REVOIR and A TISKET A TASKET, NOT ANOTHER CASKET.

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too? Heather plots and plans the stories, but sometimes, I have to pop in provide some feedback and keep her on track.

How did you evolve as the main character? I inherited the store from my grandmother when she passed away, so I spend most days trying to keep the brick and mortar store solvent in an industry that depends on the tourist dollar. The best thing I did was invest in a really good website to cater to online orders. My shop, ‘Tis the Season, is in the heart of Mermaid Bay. I’m lucky that I get to talk to a lot of the locals and tourists every day, and it’s the perfect job to keep your finger (or ear) in the gossip grapevine. When I found my friend Emory murdered behind the hot dog stand, I had to help figure out who did it, and I was in the perfect spot to chat up all kinds of suspects.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them? My aunt Lorelei and my friend Patti help out part-time at the store. Everyone in town calls Patti, Peppermint Patti. She loves Christmas and the holidays as much as I do. Bernie is also my part-time handyman and store Santa. And I share my beach cottage with Chloe the white French bulldog. Her nemesis or frenemy is Neville the Devil Cat, who’s the store’s mouser. This gang helps me keep the store going, and they always welcome our visitors.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story? Mermaid Bay is a quaint little beach town. The council prides itself on keeping it small. There are no big box stores or McMansions. It’s full of nostalgia, and the tourists love visiting the bay and the town’s quirky shops. Across the street from my place, there’s the bookstore, the coffee shop, the Busy Bean, and the hotdog shack, Hot Diggity Dogs, which is next to Sugg’s Pier.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book? Thanks so much for letting me stop by your blog today and talk about cozy mysteries. I’m from Virginia, so all of my series are set there. Heather’s Jules Keene books are set in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Jade Hicks ones are set on the coast. The Commonwealth has all kinds of history, famous attractions, tourist spots, and wonderful restaurants. Thanks for letting me share it with you all!

Thank you for answering my questions, Jade, and good luck to you and your author, Heather Weidner, with Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones, the first book in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Jade and her author, Heather Weidner by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available online at  Amazon 

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

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Sisters in Crime – Chessie, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.

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Wined and Died in New Orleans

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Ricki James-Diaz is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us about Wined and Died in New Orleans, the latest novel in the Vintage Cookbook mystery series.

Welcome, Ricki. 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’m the proprietor of Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware, the gift shop at Bon Vee Culinary House Museum in New Orleans’ Garden District. I generally hate social media since my estranged husband died doing a stupid stunt online. But in Wined and Died in New Orleans, I force myself to use it to help publicize the auction of a cache of 19th century Madeira wine discovered under the mansion. The money will help preserve the historic home, so I’m really proud of myself when my posts go viral – until every descendent of the home’s original owner crawls out of the woodwork demanding a piece of the proceeds, creating such antagonism that one of them is murdered. All this happens while a hurricane bears down on New Orleans.

It’s the second book in the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, which revolved around my new life in New Orleans, where I’ve returned at the age of 28 to find my birth family. (The first book is titled Bayou Book Thief.)

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

We work together. But honestly, she knows what she’s doing so I generally let her call the shots.  

How did you evolve as the main character?

I moved from New Orleans to Los Angeles with my adoptive parents when I was eight years old. I never felt like I fit in there. After my soon-to-be ex passed away and I lost my job when my billionaire boss was arrested for Madoff-ing, I worked up the courage to make the big move to my birthplace. I’m a little insecure so I at first I feared I might have trouble fitting in there too. But my self-confidence evolves every day and I’m really finding my footing in the Big Easy.

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

A lot! My creator tends to come up with a ton of characters, lol. My closest friend is Zellah. She’s an artist whose day job is running Bon Vee’s café. But I’m really growing close to Cookie, who describes herself as a “recovering children’s librarian,” and runs the education program at the house museum. She’s blunt and ballsy and makes me laugh – at her, the world, and myself.

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

I’m becoming acclimated to my new home but I’m terrified of a hurricane that might hit any day. I’m also forcing myself out of my comfort zone with social media, to the point where I’ve reluctantly agreed to make cooking videos to promote my cookbooks. I have a crush on the chef across the street, so I’m excited because he’s letting me film in his cool kitchen. Unfortunately, his nasty new assistant also has a crush on him and is out to get me. Grrr….

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

Not only does it include recipes, there’s a chase scene when I got to Florida to do some amateur sleuth, and a daring rescue during a hurricane!

Thank you for answering my questions, Ricki, and good luck to you and your author, Ellen Byron, with Wined and Died in New Orleans, the latest book in the Vintage Cookbook mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Ricki and her author, Ellen Byron by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub, and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N – Kobo

About Ellen Byron: Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty Awards for Best Humorous Mystery. Bayou Book Thief will be the first book in her new Vintage Cookbook Mysteries. She also writes the Catering Hall Mystery series under the name Maria DiRico. Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly Odd Parents. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. An alum of New Orleans’ Tulane University, she blogs with Chicks on the Case, is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America and will be the 2023 Left Coast Crime Toastmaster.

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In the Frame

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Wayne Nighthawk Nichols is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about In the Frame, the latest novel in the Rosedale Investigation mystery series.

Welcome, Wayne. 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 Wayne Nighthawk Nichols and I was brought to life in a series of mysteries (The Mae December Mysteries by Lia Farrell) about a young woman (Mae December) who runs a dog boarding kennel. I’m a murder detective who works for Sheriff Ben Bradley in Rosedale, Tennessee.

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

I definitely control what happens in the story, as I am the bloodhound of the case and I never give up until it is solved. I’m the person who often comes up with the motive for the killing. Motive is the thing that draws me in and what I care the most about. 

How did you evolve as the main character?

I have been described as intense, ascetic, and a lone wolf. I never really fit in with the force in Detroit where I was trained. It’s only been since I arrived in Rosedale, Tennessee and starting working with the sheriff, that I have felt part of a group.

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

I am closest to Dory Clarkson, the sheriff’s investigator. She’s African American and a sassy, irreverent woman who keeps everyone in line with her witty sarcastic quips. We weren’t partners in the Mae December mysteries, but have become partners in the new series called Rosedale Investigations.

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

I live and work in Rosedale, TN, but a part of me dwells in the Native American reservation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where I was born and lived for my formative years. 

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

The woman in my life is Lucy Ingram, M.D. She and I met during one of my first cases working for the sheriff. Since then we have gone through a painful break-up and a blissful reunion. We got engaged in “The Blind Split” and married recently. I am a lucky man to have her in my life.

Thank you for answering my questions, Wayne, and good luck to you and your author, Lyn Farrell, with In the Frame, the latest book in the Rosedale Investigation mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Wayne and his author, Lyn Farrell by visiting the author’s website and her Amazon author page.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N – Kobo 

From Lyn Farrell: Writing as both Lia Farrell and Lyn Farrell, I’ve been publishing books since 2013. I decided to become a writer in the seventh grade. My home life was chaotic and I found peace spending summers at my grandmother’s dairy farm. With little supervision, I wandered the hundred-and-twenty-acre farm and discovered the beauty and healing power of nature. Today, when I need inspiration for my stories, I take long walks. My memories of the time I spent at the farm resulted in a novel “The Cottonwoods” released on 8/21.

My first marriage ended in divorce, leaving me with two young children. Five years later, I fell in love with a divorced professor with six children. Raising that many kids required working full-time. When I retired from Michigan State University, I returned to my original dream of becoming a writer. My daughter, Lisa, and I wrote the “Mae December mysteries” using the penname of Lia Farrell. They are amusing, mental puzzles called cozies, with an element of romance. Cozies are the gentlest subset of the broad genre of crime writing. It’s a comfort read that leaves you satisfied and at one with the world.

Now writing solo as Lyn Farrell, I recently published “The Blind Switch” (January 2021). It’s the first in a series about a private detective agency, Rosedale Investigations. Two of my readers’ favorite characters from the Mae December mysteries, Dory and Wayne Nichols, have starring roles in these books. “The Blind Split” (released 1/11) is the second in the series. In The Frame is the third book in the series.

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A Grave Roast

Posted on January 27, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Piper Addison is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about A Grave Roast, the first novel in the Orchard Hollow mystery series.

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

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

A Grave Roast is a paranormal cozy mystery set in the town of Orchard Hollow. Our town is much like all other small towns, except for one thing: we have magic. Well, some of our residents do; yours truly included. It’s the first book in the Orchard Hollow mystery series.

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

No one tells me what to do! If it was up to my writer, she’d have me leave the entire murder case to the police and we all know how well that would turn out. No, thank you! If something is threatening the life I’m trying to build for myself, you can be sure I’ll take care of it myself.

How did you evolve as the main character?

When you spend enough time bothering your writer, they have no choice but to write your story. I waited patiently in the sidelines until it was time for me to make my appearance. Turns out I have great timing because my stubbornness is exactly what this case needed.

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

Like is a stretch. Just kidding! I wouldn’t be where I am without my ghost familiar, Stella Rutherford. You’d think getting stuck with a snobby ghost would be terrible, but Stella isn’t so bad on most days. And she’s pretty handy when it comes to sleuthing, especially when she’s not giving me grief over my outfit choices. And let’s not forget Harry Houdini! He’s a permanent fixture in my life and the kind of raccoon you love to hate.

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

There’s no place better than Orchard Hollow. At least, that’s what I think but then again, I’d never been anywhere else. Why would I bother? We have everything I need right here: quirky neighbors, cute shops, and a whole lot of magic!

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

If you’re worried about hitting the big four-oh, don’t be! At least you’re not trying to keep yourself out jail two months before your birthday like I am. Read the book to see if I manage to keep my freedom!

Thank you for answering my questions, Piper, and good luck to you and your author, A. N. Sage, with A Grave Roast, the first book in the Orchard Hollow mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Piper and her author, A. N. Sage by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, YouTube and Tiktok pages.

The novel is available online at  Amazon

About A.N. Sage: She is a bestselling, award-winning author of young adult fantasy and mystery. She has spent most of her life waiting to meet a witch, vampire, or at least get haunted by a ghost. In between failed seances and many questionable outfit choices, she has developed a keen eye for the extra-ordinary.

A.N. spends her free time reading and binge-watching television shows in her pajamas. Currently, she resides in Toronto, Canada with her husband who is not a creature of the night and their daughter who just might be. A.N. Sage is a Scorpio and a massive advocate of leggings for pants.

Posted in Archives, January 2023 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Study in Chocolate

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Amber Royer, author of A Study in Chocolate, a Bean to Bar mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us about the Holmes Influence.

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

Sherlock Holmes laid the groundwork for a whole genre of fictional detectives.  But this character wasn’t created out of thin air.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was building on the work Edgar Allen Poe put into the first ever fictional detective, C. Auguste Dupin.  In A Study in Scarlet, the first novel featuring Holmes, Holmes even mentions Dupin, commenting on Poe’s detective’s methods of observation.  These references to Dupin are repeated in several other stories, all by Holmes, comparing himself and his methods to Dupin’s.  (Though he seems to believe Dupin to be showier and shallower than himself.)

Holmes is probably the character who in turn has been most adapted, riffed on and referenced in the genre.  From the Young Sherlock Holmes to Enola Holmes, people are always eager for new takes on the character.  I am always intrigued when I see something new involving Sherlock Holmes.

Imagine how those two characters – Holmes and Dupin – founded an entire genre.  Genre has always been a conversation, with readers coming to a specific genre for certain tropes and with specific expectations, and writers and publishers looking at what readers have enjoyed and factoring that into their work – or flipping tropes and expectations, commenting on what has been said before, or referencing earlier literature in a way that allows readers to feel like they are part of an in-joke or an in-group. 

Current writers are always going to filter what they’ve enjoyed reading into elements that show up in their own work.  Often, it’s the joy of reading, and the way certain books stick with us over time, that gets us writing in the first place.  I’m not talking about actual copying – which is never okay.  But the use of a certain plot twist, character type, or setting is often influenced by books we ourselves have loved.  I’ve been a writing instructor since 2008, and as I’m getting to know a student’s goals and work, I will often ask what the student’s four favorite books are.  Almost invariably, I can see something about the tone, genre, voice, or other elements that makes it make sense that this student, as this particular type of reader, would turn around and write their particular book.  After all, art in its barest sense is one human being trying to interpret and entire world, and it’s hard to do that from scratch.

Like Doyle, I tend to acknowledge my influences openly, in the pages of my books.  Often, this is filtered through my characters and how they find their lives similar to art.  Or I will have them talking about books or films they enjoyed.  My current release is no different.  The very title A Study in Chocolate is an homage to A Study in Scarlet.  I play on the word Study in the title in two ways – both by having the murder take place in a literal study (in an over-the-top historic house) and having an artist introduce my protagonist Felicity to the art of painting on chocolate.  This makes sense because Felicity is a craft chocolate maker, and I have used each of the Bean to Bar Mysteries to highlight a different aspect of chocolate, from making it to sculpting with it.

I wanted there to be more to the homage than just a cute title, though, so I tried to add in fun in-references, like having a horse-drawn carriage (something I have always seen in the historic areas of Galveston) play a part in the mystery – though obviously not the same way Doyle used it in his story.

There is a quote from Doyle’s work, where Holmes says, “There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.”  In a riff/homage on this, I have Felicity’s friend who owns a yarn shop as a suspect in A Study in Chocolate.  (Felicity, of course, doesn’t believe her friend could be a killer, which further invests her in solving the crime.) 

But even more directly, I introduce a killer who is a Sherlock Holmes fan.  This person sends Felicity a copy of A Study in Scarlet, and tries to draw her into solving this case of revenge before more bad things happen – despite Felicity protesting that she’s not actually a detective, that she’s always just helped figure out the puzzle because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I hope you have as much fun reading all the little references to Holmes – and my other favorite literary detectives – as I did writing them.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Amber, and good luck with A Study in Chocolate, a Bean to Bar mystery.

Readers can learn more about Amber by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, YouTube and Instagram pages. Readers can also follow her on Twitter.

The book is available online at the following retailers:

Amazon – B&N – Kobo 

About Amber Royer: Amber writes the CHOCOVERSE comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the BEAN TO BAR MYSTERIES. She is also the author of STORY LIKE A JOURNALIST: A WORKBOOK FOR NOVELISTS, which boils down her writing knowledge into an actionable plan involving over 100 worksheets to build a comprehensive story plan for your novel. She blogs about creative writing techniques and all things chocolate at www.amberroyer.com. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach. If you are very nice to her, she might make you cupcakes.  Chocolate cupcakes, of course.

Posted in Archives, January 2023 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Murder of Pearl

Posted on January 21, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Nellie H. Steele, author of Murder of Pearl, a Pearl Party mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us about the inspiration for her Pearl Party mysteries series.

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

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the genesis of the idea behind one of my most recent releases.  Murder of Pearl kicks off the Pearl Party Mysteries cozy mystery series.  And more than a few people have been curious about how I came up with the idea of a team of sisters who sell pearl jewelry as the basis for a cozy mystery series.

The truth is the story is based on actual events!  (At least the pearl party bit is, not the murder!). 

The idea formed while I watched the real Kelly at one of her many pearl parties.  She worked for a company called Vantel Pearls.  They sold a variety of jewelry (and other pieces) with pearls inset into each piece. 


The fun of the parties was the oyster openings.  You’d pick a jewelry piece (or two, haha), and at the next live event, Kelly would open an oystery (or three!) for you and reveal the pearl that would go into your jewelry piece. 


Sometimes seeing the pearl would make you change your mind entirely and buy a different item.  The pearls came in a variety of colors and sizes.  Kelly would reveal the color after cleaning the pearl and then measure it for you.  (Just like Kelly Silverman does in the first scene of the book!). 

The ”mystery” of seeing what you’d get: Would you get a big wedding white pearl?  Would it be a little cotton candy pink gem of a pearl?  Maybe it would be one of the coveted lavender pearls with a little dimple in the side.  In any case, the allure of what you’d get kept people coming back for more. 

And sometimes you’d be lucky enough to get twins (hello, new earrings!). 

There are a lot of cozy craft mysteries out there (knitters, quilters, scrapbookers), and I figured there was room for a pearl connoisseur! 

So, I got to work (after checking with the real Kelly, of course) creating a mystery around her fun pearl biz.  I included all the details I remembered from the many pearl parties I attended with her and tossed in a body and, voila!  A brand-new mystery series based around the super fun idea of shucking pearls for a business. 

I hope you’ll check out Murder of Pearl and see what the pearl business is like…along with a few other surprises!

Thank you for sharing this with us, Nellie, and good luck with Murder of Pearl, a Pearl Party mystery.

Readers can learn more about Nellie H. Steele by visiting the author’s website and her blog, as well as her Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram pages. Readers can also follow her on Twitter.

The book is available online at Amazon

About Nellie H. Steele: Award-winning author Nellie H. Steele writes in as many genres as she reads.Addicted to books since she could read, Nellie escaped to fictional worlds like the ones created by Carolyn Keene or Victoria Holt long before she decided to put pen to paper and create her own realities.When she’s not spinning a cozy mystery tale, building a new realm in a contemporary fantasy, or writing another action-adventure car chase, you can find her shuffling through her Noah’s Ark of rescue animals or enjoying a hot cuppa (that’s tea for most Americans.)

Posted in Archives, January 2023, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Death on the Emerald Isle

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Terrie Farley Moran is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us about Murder She Wrote, Death on the Emerald Isle.

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

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

Hi Dianne, I am delighted to be here to talk about Murder, She Wrote Death on the Emerald Isle which is book fifty six of the Murder She Wrote series started by Donald Bain in the late 1980s. These books are spin-offs of the long running Murder, She Wrote television show starring the legendary Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a widowed, retired school teacher who, as it turns out has a talent for writing mystery novels and a knack for solving murders in real life. The television show is still widely viewed all over the world, and the books continue to have a broad international audience.

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

As a fan of the television series and an avid reader of the books for decades, I have enjoyed seeing Jessica solve murders in her quaint home town of Cabot Cove, Maine and in small towns and big cities all over the world. Central to any Murder, She Wrote story is that Jessica Fletcher is an empathetic and engaging person. When she is traveling, the people she meets along the way warm up to her just as she does to them. So when tragedy, such as a murder, strikes Jessica’s natural curiosity and her sympathetic nature lead her to discover a solution.

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

To me there is only one theme that underlies murder. For some reason the killer believes that taking the life of another human being is the only way that the killer can relieve their own personal stress due to a situation, whatever it may be, that has spiralled out of control in the killer’s mind.

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

Jessica Fletcher is absolutely my favorite character in this series. Since we have been buddies for nearly forty years, I enjoy her company and love the fact that she can still surprise me after all this time. Regarding the creation of other characters let me say this: writing a book is based on a series of decisions. Once a writer decides what she wants to happen in the story, then she has to decide who the people are. In a Murder, She Wrote mystery, we know Jessica will solve the crime. But we still need a victim, a killer, several people who might be the killer, but aren’t, and ancillary characters who are affected by the crime in one way or another. So I think of these folks one at a time and have them hang around in my head for a while. After they convince me that they are right for the job, I give them a name and we move forward.

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

Research! Research! Research! The library is a wonderful resource. As is the Internet. Northern Ireland is a real place and I have been fortunate enough to visit many parts of it once or twice. But unless I was there on the day I was writing about say, Ballycastle and Fairhead, I never trust my memory. Things have a way of changing. So not only do I read about the places I am writing about, I go to Google Maps and drop the little man icon on a road and he and I travel along all the roads that Jessica will ride on or bypass during her time there.

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

Well for this book, the primary research involved the setting and its history—the bombing of Belfast during World War Two, the myths and truths around Giant’s Causeway, exploring the Titanic Museum, and so on. In addition, since the O’Bannon family was in the business of producing cosmetics based on seaweed as a primary ingredient, I had to research that as well as the dynamics of the import-export business. And of course Jessica always enjoys a meal or two during the course of a book, so I want the food to be authentic for the region.

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

This book was, in many ways, a labor of love. Angela Lansbury had Irish ancestry and a great love of the island of Ireland. For many years she owned first one and then another home in County Cork. Although several episodes of the television series take place in the Republic of Ireland, none of the books are set anywhere in Ireland, so early on, I decided that I would write a book in which Jessica would visit the island that Angela loved. Angela Lansbury passed away on October 11, 2022, just as Murder, She Wrote Death on the Emerald Isle was set to go to print. I am pleased to tell you that this book is dedicated to the renowned, never to be forgotten ANGELA LANSBURY.

Thanks for answering my questions, Terrie, and good luck with Murder She Wrote,  Death on the Emerald Isle.

Readers can learn more about Terrie and her writing by visiting her website and her Facebook page.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound – Bookshop.org – PenguinRandomHouse

About Terrie Farley Moran: Along with Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran co-writes the Murder She Wrote mystery series including Murder, She Wrote: Killer on the Court. She is the author of the Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series and also co-writes the Scrapbooking Mysteries with Laura Childs. Recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer Awards, Moran has published numerous mystery short stories. The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren.

Posted in Archives, January 2023 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Moving is Murder

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Nellie H. Steele, author of Moving is Murder, a Middle Age is Murder mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us why she is writing about older characters.

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

Nellie: In two of my three most recent releases, I’ve written from the perspective of an older character (Kelly and Jodi are both in their 50s and Ellie of Middle Age is Murder has just turned 50).  I found the writing to be an interesting foray into a more mature perspective from my previous characters.

Even though the others were all younger, they still exhibited a level of maturity, but by adding a few “over 50s” to the mix, the reader gets a new and unique perspective on life.  All three of these characters have much more life experience to bring to the table that has colored their perspectives and created a strong personality. 

They’ve had their fair share of ups and downs in life already.  They’re used to dealing with the unexpected in many cases, which makes them decisive and strong-minded (for better or worse!). 

They don’t have a problem speaking their minds, and they rarely back down from what they think is right. 

In surveying the current books on the market, many of them contain much younger characters.  The typical premise is that they are thrown into an unexpected situation in their twenties that shapes their lives.  The idea is that it hits them when they are young and still “green.”

But this leaves lots of missed opportunities to throw older heroes and heroines into the mix.  Despite their age, they’ve not only got a lot of life to live, but they’ve got a lot of wisdom to bring to the table.  And there are plenty of unexpected situations to throw them into (I’m not sure about you, but I’ve never investigated a murder and I’m well over my twenties!). 

The fun part is seeing how they react to the unexpected when they’ve got experience to handle surprises and not back down. 

I’ve really enjoyed bringing these characters to life, filling in their back stories, and using it to color their view of the world.  Sprinkle in a few later-in-life surprises, and you’ve got the perfect ingredients for a mystery with a confident heroine! 

I still enjoy writing all my younger characters (variety is the spice of life, right?), but I’ve had a blast with the older ones.  I think there’s something really appealing about knowing that there is still adventure to be had once you’re no longer “young” and that there’s still lots of life to look forward to and things to do. 

There’s a shift in perspective and each generation changes the idea of what’s considered “old.”  I love that my characters can be middle aged and still living life to the fullest, experiencing new things, and discovering their place in their changing worlds.

So, if you’re looking for a mature heroine’s perspective, hop into Middle Age is Murder and join Ellie as she transforms her life after 50!

Thank you for sharing this with us, Nellie, and good luck with Moving is Murder, a Middle Age is Murder mystery.

Readers can learn more about Nellie H. Steele by visiting the author’s website and her blog, as well as her Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram pages. Readers can also follow her on Twitter.

The book is available online at  Amazon

About Nellie H. Steele: Award-winning author Nellie H. Steele writes in as many genres as she reads. Addicted to books since she could read, Nellie escaped to fictional worlds like the ones created by Carolyn Keene or Victoria Holt long before she decided to put pen to paper and create her own realities. When she’s not spinning a cozy mystery tale, building a new realm in a contemporary fantasy, or writing another action-adventure car chase, you can find her shuffling through her Noah’s Ark of rescue animals or enjoying a hot cuppa (that’s tea for most Americans.)

Posted in Archives, January 2023 | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment