Murder in Trastevere

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Faye Masters is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Murder in Trastevere, the latest novel in the Roman Holiday mystery series.

Welcome, Faye. 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 star of Murder in Trastevere, book two in the Roman Holiday Mystery series. I’m an American who has called Rome home for the last ten years. I’m the Queen Bee of the expat set here, and I love getting to know new people, welcoming them and helping them get settled.

This book is my first starring role. In Murder in the Piazza, book one in the Roman Holiday Mystery series, I was present but on the sidelines. My friend Maggie White was the detective in that story. She found the body, so it only made sense. But when the writer, Jen Collins Moore, announced her plan for me to find the body in this book, I knew it was my chance to shine.

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

Jen thinks she controls the story, but it’s simply not true. In this book, for example, she did not intend for me to solve the case. She wanted my friend Maggie to be the detective again, with me just helping because the body was, after all, in my house.

I said, “No, thank you.”

She kept writing, and I kept nudging my way into scenes and interviews. Finally, she had to give in and rewrite the whole thing from my point of view. And guess what? It worked great.

Maggie’s wonderful, of course, but there’s no question I’m the more capable one. I’m good with people, fast on my toes, and I had more skin in the game in this book than Maggie did. That’s because when Rowena Burke collapsed, it was on my living room floor. Everyone blamed me! Some thought I poisoned her; others thought the poison was intended for me. Either way, I was the one who needed the case solved and my name cleared.

How did you evolve as the main character?

I’m not sure I’d say any evolving was necessary, but I will say this: I got to tell my side of the story. I know people look at me and think I have my life together. I’m fun and charismatic, I have plenty of money and the time to eat well and exercise. I have lots of friends and at the center of anything that’s happening.

In the first book, Murder in the Piazza, Maggie White didn’t trust me. She thought I came on too strong and was maybe a little bit judgmental.

Anyone who knows me would say that’s nonsense, but Maggie was new in town, and readers may have been left with the impression that I wasn’t an especially nice person. In Murder in Trastevere I finally get to show people the real me. I’m a nice person. I’m popular.  I only want the best for people.

My only question is, if that’s true, why do so many people think the poison that killed Rowena Burke was actually intended for me?

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

It was an honor to share the stage with Esta DiLorenzo, another character in Murder in Trastevere. This septuagenarian is a minor celebrity in Rome. Her family’s company is a household name in Italy, and the donna is a regular at theater openings and fashion shows, as well as the top dog in her family’s hotel division.

Older women don’t always get the best parts in stories, and I was happy that in this one, Esta is a force to be reckoned with from the first page to the last.

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

Rome! Can you imagine a better setting than Italy for a story? It’s a magical place. There’s food. There’s history. There’s art. Did I mention the art? I spend a lot of time tracking down Caravaggio’s paintings in this story, which means visiting a lot of museums and churches.  Some of the pictures are worth it. Others… Well, let’s just say they aren’t pictures I’d want hanging in my apartment.

Murder in Trastevere is particularly special to me because it’s centered on my favorite neighborhood in Rome. Trastevere is the place I call home, just across the river from all the major sights, and filled with old world charm. There are still more locals than tourists here, something that’s hard to find in this popular city.

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

I credit Caravaggio with my ultimate solution to the case. Do you know much about him? I had the bright idea to get a group of expats together to see all of his paintings in Rome.

He’s the bad boy of the Renaissance, so I thought it would be fun. I trooped through museums and churches and museums and even a private home to check his paintings off my list. But I also studied up on the artist. Turns out Caravaggio’s a lot more than a groundbreaking artist. In 1606, he became a murderer, and his life helped me piece together the puzzle.

Thank you for answering my questions, Faye, and good luck to you and your author, Jen Collins Moore, with Murder in Trastevere, the latest book in the Roman Holiday mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Faye and her author, Jen Collins Moore by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N

About Jen Collins Moore: Jen transports readers to Rome in the Roman Holiday Mysteries. Her short fiction has appeared in Mystery Weekly and Masthead: The Best New England Crime Stories. She is president of Sisters in Crime Chicagoland and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. A transplanted New Englander, she lives in Chicago with her husband and two boys.

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Deadly Manor

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Kate Parker, author of Deadly Manor, a Deadly mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us a bit about her most recent novel. I read Deadly Manor last week and really enjoyed it so I’m delighted Kate is here today.

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

Hi, Everyone. I’m Kate Parker, USA Today© bestselling author of the Deadly Series, now on its tenth book. While I’m a peaceable person and enjoy a quiet life, that would make for boring stories. And the best person to aggravate, harass, and torture is my main character, Livvy Redmond.

Livvy and her husband, Adam, are happy newlyweds who would do anything for each other. With WWII going on, and Adam being a British army officer, the best way to make Livvy struggle is to hurt Adam.

Deadly Manor takes place in the autumn of 1940, during the worst days of the Blitz. Just a few months before, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France have all fallen to Nazi invasions. Adam works for army intelligence, which would mean he would be aiding Britain’s allies when they came under attack.

Once these allies had fallen, Adam and his specialist colleagues would have carried out rearguard actions helping the allies secure their treasuries, their top government leaders, and scientists with particular talents and fields of research. They would have remained in France after Dunkirk to escape at the last minute from ports to the west such as Cherbourg. They would have had assignments that wouldn’t need to be carried out unless France fell.

When we first see Adam in October, 1940, it is four months since he escaped from France. He has kept both his legs despite bullet wounds from a Nazi sniper, and he’s finally been released from the hospital. Now, beside bombing raids that send both Livvy and Adam to the shelter night after night, he has to work to strengthen the muscles that have been severely damaged.

It seems like a lifeline when Rosalie Billingsthorpe, a friend of Livvy’s from her time at Bletchley Park, invites Livvy and Adam to her country estate far from the bombing. Clean country air outside of smoky London, good fresh food, and sleeping in comfortable beds all night without air raid sirens blasting them awake seems like a dream come true. There’s plenty of garden paths for Adam to attempt to walk along to build up his muscles.

Unfortunately, Livvy runs into difficulties. The train trip is slow and tires Adam out. They arrive at Briarcliffe Hall to discover a neighbor’s shooting party is staying at Briarcliffe Hall while shooting on the neighbor’s land. And the shooting party has been arranged by Viscount Norrington, the heir of the Earl of Silverthorn.

The viscount is an odious bully. His wife refuses to be in the same county with him, let alone the same house. No one can get a word in when the viscount is holding forth on any subject, and particularly when the subject is how many birds he has shot. In the viscount’s favor, these are game birds and the meat is given to the poor in the area. Most of the population in this rural area is the very young and the very old because the war has sent the young and able-bodied into the military or the factories.

The viscount is insensitive and unaware of how his words and actions may upset others. Rosalie and Thorpe, being neighbors of the Earl of Silverthorn and a friend of his, don’t want to be rude to the viscount and hold their tongues when he offers them their brandy in their home as if he were the host. Livvy and Adam have trouble not saying what they think.

Then the other guests start dropping like flies, and Livvy’s choices become more difficult. If they leave, it will set back Adam’s recovery. If they stay, Rosalie wants Livvy to help find the killer, which will put them in danger.

Either way, Livvy is in a more difficult position than she was before.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Kate, and good luck with Deadly Manor, the latest book in the Deadly mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Kate Parker by visiting the author’s website and. her Facebook, Bookbub and Goodreads pages.

The book is available online at the following retailers: 

 Amazon  –  Kobo – B&N

About Kate Parker: With her love of travel, Kate Parker sets her novels overseas. Once home from her research trips and armed with hot tea and chocolate, she can be found clicking away on her keyboard, hiking the hills of central North Carolina, and spoiling her 90 pound muse puppy. She’d tell you what she did before she retired, but then she’d have to use certain skills to eliminate you. She pens stories to entertain readers who enjoy action and murder in tales about plucky heroines, quirky characters, and difficult situations in a bygone era. Her stories are sweet, as in no graphic sex, violence, or language. Her heroines remain ladylike while chasing murderers and escaping danger. Well, as ladylike as scratching, punching, and kicking can be.

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Murder a la Mode

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Lena Gregory, author of Murder a la Mode, a Coffee & Cream mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us about the inspiration for her series.

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

My first job was working early mornings in my grandfather’s deli in a small town on eastern Long Island. I can still remember getting up at four in the morning to go in and stock shelves, the scent of kaiser rolls with butter and bacon frying, and the gossip. Boy was there gossip. I have such fond memories of my grandfather standing behind the counter, leaning forward, enjoying shooting the breeze with customers. My grandmother knew everyone by name, and assumed everyone else did too. She used to start off a conversation with, “Can you believe Jeremy did this, or did you hear Katrina did that?” As if you would automatically know who those people were.

When I decided to write a small café themed cozy, one that took place in a town similar to the one I grew up in, I wanted to capture that feel, to share that sense of community, of knowing your neighbors. But there’s a down side to that too. Not only do you know what all of your neighbors are doing, they are all aware of your deepest, darkest secrets as well.

When Murder a la Mode starts off, Danika Delaney is returning to her home town after fleeing the gossip surrounding her boyfriend cheating on her at prom and seeking the anonymity of New York City to go to college and begin her career. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and she ended up returning home, only to endure a new stint on the gossip mill when her ex-boyfriend’s wife ends up dead in the basement of her new café. Now, she’ll have to solve Heather’s murder if she ever hopes for her business venture to succeed.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Lena, and good luck with Murder a la Mode, a Coffee & Cream mystery.

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

The book is available online at the following retailers: 

Amazon    Barnes & Noble   Kobo

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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The Body in the Back Garden

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Luke Tremblay is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about The Body in the Back Garden, the first novel in the Crescent Cove mystery series.

Welcome, Luke. 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 protagonist of something readers don’t see very often: a queer cozy mystery set in Canada. There’s a gorgeous seaside setting on Vancouver Island, a diverse cast of fellow characters, a hint of romance—and of course, murder! I can’t see the future, but I hope my story will continue across many future books. There’s so much I want to do in Crescent Cove. Like most fictional characters, though, I live and die at the whim of the publishing industry. That’s why I’m counting on readers to buy this book and show the publisher that they want more of me!

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

In some ways, the writer and I are one and the same. Generally, though, he wants something to happen and then asks me how I would do it. It’s a collaboration.

How did you evolve as the main character?

I started out as someone returning to a place where he used to be happy, in the wake of an unexpected tragedy. My story is full of bittersweet memories as well as a reluctance to engage with my painful past. Over the course of the book, though, I remember why I loved this town so much, and I start to imagine a new life for myself.

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

Crescent Cove is filled with fascinating people like Jules Kestenbaum, the gossipy town doctor, and my archnemesis Barnabus Delacruz, who works at the antiques shop I inherited from my aunt. But the character I’m most partial to is Jack Munro, my old childhood friend who now runs the local RCMP detachment. Sure, we have something of a rocky history, and yes, he suspects me of murdering the man I found in the back garden, but there’s a spark there, too. Plus, he looks amazing in his Mountie uniform.

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

I spend the story in a small, picturesque town on Vancouver Island, one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s similar to Tofino, a gorgeous spot on the other side of the island that’s renowned for its incredible beaches, laid-back vibe, and long hikes along the rugged coast.

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

I’m proud to be part of an effort to make a beloved genre more inclusive and diverse. We need more stories like mine, and I hope readers agree.

Thank you for answering my questions, Luke, and good luck to you and your author, Mark Waddell, with The Body in the Back Yard, the first book in the Crescent Cove mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Luke and his author, Mark Waddell by visiting the author’s website and his Instagram page. You can also follow him on Twitter.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

PenguinRandomHouse – U.S.    PenguinRandomHouse – Canada
(includes links for Amazon, Bookshop.org, etc.)
    B&N    Amazon

About Mark Waddell: Mark is originally from Calgary, Alberta, and grew up on the cold, windswept Prairies of western Canada. Fleeing southward, he earned a Ph.D. in the history of science, medicine, and technology from the Johns Hopkins University and then worked as a professor at Michigan State University for fifteen years. Finally, he persuaded his amazing husband to move to Vancouver Island, where they now live.
When he’s not writing stories about murderous Canadians, he plays the viola in the Civic Orchestra of Victoria, walks his dogs along the seashore, and thinks up interesting ways to kill people.

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Honey Drop Dead

Posted on August 15, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Laura Childs, author of Honey Drop Dead, a Tea Shop mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to give us some tips for writing faster.

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

When it comes to writing a novel, most authors yearn to write quicker, smarter, and more efficiently. And there’s no reason you can’t. After all, it’s no fun to just plod along – you’ll begin to lose interest and your project will atrophy. So here are a few tips and tricks that I use to keep the ideas bubbling and the words flowing.

Do your research before you start writing your novel. For every novel I write I create a concept book. Sometimes it’s a three-ring binder, other times it’s a folder that contains articles, pictures, clippings, and even words that catch my fancy and relate to my newest writing project. If your novel is dependent on locale, collect a few maps. If your novel deals with crime scene investigation, find articles on DNA testing, evidence collection, lab work, etc. – anything to help you be spot on. Many times research will spark ideas and give you new ways to approach your subject matter.

Create an outline. This helps break your book into chapters and sections, and creates a roadmap for your writing. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy outline, sometimes even five to ten pages are enough. But an outline will give you structure and help you focus on what direction your plotline is taking you.

Be sure to have a clear idea of why you’re writing your book. Do you know if there’s a viable market for your subject matter? Who’s your audience? How are you going to make your audience care deeply about your subject matter?

Come up with a killer hook for chapter one. (This is a tricky one). You want to grab your reader by the throat, make them smile, gasp, or laugh, then keep them turning pages into the wee hours of the morning.

Laura Childs

Write your novel as fast as you can. Don’t worry if your words aren’t absolutely perfect. Just keep writing, even when you’re not exactly sure where you’re going. I have days where I think I’ve written absolute blather. Then I go back and look at it and think, “You know, that’s not half bad. If I edit and tighten these pages a bit I might just have something.” Always – always – remember that you can go back and edit at a later date.

Dig deep into your imagination. Your imagination is a wonderful, magical muscle – and the more you stretch it the better it gets.

Read as much as you can. After a while you’ll start picking up tricks that other authors use. This is super important. When I started writing I’d read a book for fun, then go back and rip it apart. How did the first chapter grab me? What was the first turning point that made my (unwilling) protagonist decide to get involved? Where was the “darkest before dawn” section and how did the author sneak that in? How did the author engineer that surprising ending? Don’t be afraid to learn from the masters.

Be daring! Go ahead and tackle new subjects, introduce oddball characters, or do plot loops. There are authors who have created entire new worlds (Ray Bradbury), mind-blowing situations (Stephen King), and amazing plot twists (Gillian Flynn). They made it work and so can you!

Good luck with your writing!

Thank you for sharing this with us, Laura, and good luck with Honey Drop Dead, a Tea Shop mystery.

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

The book is available online at the following retailers: 

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

About Laura Childs: Laura is the author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. All have been on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists. Recently, Book Riot named her mysteries to their list of “25 of the All Time Best Cozy Mystery Series.” In herprevious life Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, and has a Chinese Shar-Pei named Lotus.

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Weeding Out Lies

Posted on August 10, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Emma Justice is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Weeding Out Lies, the first novel in the Texas Flower Farmer cozy 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.

Hi, I’m Emma Justice. Recently I began my business as the local flower farmer in Lutz, Texas. It’s been my dream for years to be a flower farmer, but I decided to hold down a dependable job until my daughter left for college. Now I get to work with flowers every day. It was pure joy right up until I found the banker’s wife murdered when I took a bundle of flowers to a local merchant. Weeding Out Lies is the first book in A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery series, and in order to prove my friend isn’t a killer I’ll have to weed out lies from the truth.

I know most of the people in Lutz, Texas. Sophie’s Bakery is owned by my best friend, Sophie Becker. She’s originally from Germany, and years ago I helped her study for her citizenship test. She agrees to help me catch the killer.

One of the owners of Anytime Coffee also jumps in to help me solve the mystery. The police chief is often amazed at what information I can learn from the locals, so he allows me to conduct my own investigation as long as I don’t go too far.

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

I get a say too. Sometimes Jackie thinks she knows where the plot is going, but I have to alert her that we’re going in a different direction.

How did you evolve as the main character?

When I worked as a pharmacy technician and raised my daughter as a single mom because my husband died, I had no time to solve a mystery. My daughter began college in January of her senior year of high school, and even though I’ve begun a new business, there’s enough flexibility in my life to look for clues and try to solve a murder.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them? Don’t tell anyone, but I might have a little crush on Jake Hunter. He appeared one day working at the coffee shop, and he was a big flirt. It turns out he’s a silent owner in my friend’s business. Jake is smart and courageous, and he’s helping me solve the crime. I haven’t dated since my husband died, because there’s not been time, and I haven’t met anyone worth the effort. Jake might be worth the effort. Time will tell.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story? Lutz is a small town, but we have antique and vintage fairs and festivals which bring lots of people our way throughout the year. My flower farm is really my big back yard. I researched and discovered I didn’t need lots of land to be a flower farmer. Lutz is small enough that I can walk or ride my bicycle most places, but if I need go some distance, I drive my dependable pickup truck affectionately known as Ms. Daisy.

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

You may wonder why a flower farmer would be any good at solving a mystery. Every day I make decisions about my flowers. What flowers should I grow? What flowers aren’t working to the point I need to eliminate them? Just like I have to distinguish flowers from weeds, I’ll need to distinguish red herrings from truth. I keep a garden journal. If one thing doesn’t work, I’ll try something else. I’ll make a list of suspects and ask enough questions until I can rule a person out so I can focus on the next suspect. 

Thank you for answering my questions, Emma, and good luck to you and your author, Jackie Layton, with Weeding out Lies, the first book in the Texas Flower Farmer cozy mystery series.

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

The novel is available online at Amazon

About Jackie Layton: Jackie is the author of cozy mysteries with Spunky Southern Sleuths. Her stories are set in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. She lives on the coast of South Carolina where she enjoys walks on the beach and golf cart rides around the marsh. Reading, gardening, and traveling are some of her favorite hobbies. She always keeps a notebook handy to write down ideas for future stories. Be careful what you say around her, because it might end up in a book.

Posted in Archives, August 2022 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Take the Honey and Run

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Jennie Marts is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Take the Honey and Run, her first novel in the Bee Keeping Mystery series.

Welcome, Jennie. 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.

My new book, TAKE THE HONEY AND RUN, is the first in a fun new Bee Keeping Cozy Mystery series. And after having over thirty books published, I’m so excited that this will be my first hardback. Yay!

TAKE THE HONEY AND RUN is the story of Bailey Briggs, a single mom mystery author, who returns home to her small mountain town of Humble Hills, Colorado. She and her twelve-year-old daughter, Daisy, arrive to hear her grandmother, Granny Bee, threatening to kill the town mayor. The next morning, Bailey discovers the mayor’s dead body, and Granny Bee’s Honey I’m Home Hot Spiced Honey turns out to bee the murder weapon. Now Granny’s got herself into a sticky situation, and Bailey has to use her fictional detective skills to solve a real murder and keep her grandmother from ending up bee-hind bars.

Oh, and did I mention that upon arriving in town, she runs into Sawyer Dunn, the love of her life, whom she hasn’t seen in thirteen years, not since he got shipped off to his uncle’s farm in Montana the night they stole a tractor and accidentally drove it into a pond? And did I also mention that Sawyer now happens to be the town sheriff?

The next book in the series, KILL OR BEE KILLED, comes out next Spring. It’s about the annual Bee Festival in Humble Hills, and when the celebrity host of the Honey Bake-off is murdered, Bailey’s bestie is the prime suspect. So, Bailey and her granny’s book club, The Hive, are back on the case.

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

My husband’s career has been with County Parks, and he became a certified beekeeper so he could add a living beehive exhibit to one of his nature centers. It’s a glassed-in hive so visitors can see the bees at work. He has shared so many fascinating stories with me about the life and habits of bees that I knew that I wanted to have a beekeeper in one of my books. The main character’s grandmother is the beekeeper in Take the Honey and Run, and all the Brigg’s women are named after flowers. I thought that if I was going to have a beekeeper as the murder suspect, then honey had to be the murder weapon.

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

I think the theme of this book might be Dating Can Be Deadly, since the town’s mayor seemed to be dating and occasionally extorting half the women in town. Passion is often a good motivation for murder, so I thought it would be fun to have a villain who was a bit of a geriatric gigolo, and who was wooing several women in town. But this story also has greed, envy, blackmail, and a few other sticky situations.

The theme could also be honey-inspired recipes, because there are several of those too. 😊

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

I think as a storyteller, the characters just come to us. I knew that I wanted the main character to be a single mom mystery writer and I knew I wanted her grandmother to consider herself the queen bee and to have her book club and besties called The Hive. I was very close to both of my grandmothers growing up, so I really love to add spunky, spitfire older ladies into my books and I love giving them some of the funniest lines. Because a lot of the older ladies I know have experienced life and usually have quite hilarious opinions about it. I also love writing about the relationships of women and how they support each other. I have four sisters plus a great friend group, and I love showing women caring about each other and lifting each other up. Or in the case of this book, providing alibi’s for and possibly breaking and entering to help keep each other out of trouble.

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

I love writing about small towns and the quirky characters that live there. I’m from a small town in Kansas and lived in a small town in Montana for a while as an adult, so I know first-hand the sense of community and the way people care for and about each other in a small town. I try to show that in my books. Yes, it’s true, in super small towns, people do mostly all know each other, but that means that they also know when someone is in trouble or needs a helping hand or a cheerleader or a prayer. And I’ve met a lot of those quirky characters who live in those towns. Not that every character is based on a real person, but several of my characters are based on a composite of a few people. And I also try to bring in the feel and the flavor of the actual town, what it looks like, what kind of shops are there, what kind of restaurants. In Humble Hills, the small town in Take the Honey and Run, Bailey’s best friend and her grandmother have a local coffee shop and bakery right down the road from the one hotel in town. Readers get to visit the courthouse and meet the security guard and the mayor’s secretary. I think when readers visit the places, it brings the small town more to life in their minds.

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

I love to use people I know to help with research, like my next-door neighbor who is a police officer, my dad and sister who are veterinarians, my friend’s husbands who are lawyers, doctors, firefighters. For years, I worked at a bank inside of a grocery store, and if I needed help, I would have the tellers tell me when the local firefighters came in (they shopped for groceries every few days), then I would hijack them in the produce department to ask them questions about my latest manuscript. I had a guy I opened an account for who was a retired FBI Agent who was a great resource, and once I stopped two mounted police officers who were on horseback in the parking lot to ask them a few questions about DNA and being a sheriff of a small town. My internet history is nuts with crazy searches like ‘how big is a pygmy goat’s poop’ for a goat yoga scene I did, ‘which is the best gun for a single woman to carry’, ‘which poison can use to kill someone and not leave a trace’, ‘why do goats faint’, ‘how much does a Kitchenaid mixer weigh’ (murder weapon), and ‘how long does it take a dead body in a hot tub to start to bloat’. If I don’t know the answer, I always do the research to make sure I’m getting the details right, but I try not to go too far down the research rabbit holes, or I’d never get the books written.

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

I hope that readers find and fall in love with the characters in Take the Honey and Run! I had the best time writing this book, and I think it’s so much fun. It’s twisty and funny and has a little romance and has honey-inspired recipes at the end of some of the delicious treats the characters eat in the book. And also, a big thank you to you for having me!

Thanks for answering my questions, Jennie, and good luck with Take the Honey and Run, the first book in Bee Keeping Mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Jennie and her writing by visiting her website and her Facebook and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

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

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, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.

Her books range from Western romance to cozy mysteries, but they all have the charm and appeal of quirky small-town life. She loves genre-mashups like adding romance to her Page Turners cozy mysteries and creating the hockey-playing cowboys in the Cowboys of Creedence. The same small-town community comes to life with more animal antics in her latest Creedence Horse Rescue series. And her sassy heroines and hunky heroes carry over in her heartwarming, feel good romances from Hallmark Publishing. Her newest cozy mystery, Take the Honey and Run: A Bee Keeping Mystery, debuts this July.

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Murder in the Genes

Posted on August 3, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Peggy Rector is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Murder in the Genes, the latest novel in the Peggy Rector mystery series.

Welcome, Peggy. 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.

Thank you for asking, before I start, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Peggy Rector and I’m a writer. I moved back to my hometown after the death of my husband. My plan was to write books, romance books, and I had the great idea of writing special books on commission, until an angry husband blamed me for the breakup of his marriage. I had no intention of becoming an amateur detective but here I am, three books in.  In the first book, A MURDEROUS GRUDGE, I found a body on a pickleball court of all places. The poor thing’s face was covered in cream pie! Who does that! When my old high school flame, Jess Carson, was accused of the murder, I  knew I had to help him. I enlisted my friends in the Stinky Springs Ladies Social Club to help.

In A TROPHY FOR MURDER a nasty local man, who wants to open a trophy hunting business, goes missing, despite not liking him, the whole town turns out to search for him, that’s how we roll in the country. Guess who found him. Yep, me and my westie, Mr. Winkie stumbled on him while out for a walk. Once again, the police are after the wrong guy, my BFF Wanda’s son. This was a complicated case but once again, the ladies and I nailed the bad guy.

MURDER IN THE GENES is my latest adventure which begins in England. I went to visit my fiance, Jess, who was landscaping a garden for a famous rock star. I met the sweetest lady, Eleanor, a genealogist with a nose for trouble. Back home, my friend Dorothy’s cousin died under suspicious circumstances. The local cops wanted to chalk it up to old age, but we disagreed. There was more to that story and you know the drill, we just had to find out who did it with the help of Eleanor, of course!

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

Good question. I believe that I control what happens in the story. My author just sits at her laptop and lets me channel my story through her fingers, kinda like a seance. She often comments on how surprised she is by what we get up to here in Stinky Springs.  I sure wish she typed faster as I have so much to say!

How did you evolve as the main character?

Oh wow. I’ve learned so much about life and myself since I moved back here to Stinky Springs. I left home after college and lived in the big city of Houston. Married, raised two great kids, had a fantastic career as an emergency room nurse.  But I was tired of the traffic, and the frantic pace of life. I left the hustle and bustle for a slower life in the country. Here, I’ve reconnected with old friends, learned a lot about myself, loyalty, and courage. I’ve learned to appreciate what I have, and how fragile life is, when to hold on and when to let go. I’m not perfect, as Jess and Wanda will tell you, I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I’ve come a long way, baby. (Sorry had to add that last bit)

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

Wanda, who I mentioned earlier, is my best friend. BFFs since we were toddlers. We kept in touch while I lived in Houston. I’d catch up with her when I visited Stinky Springs to see my folks. I live next door to her now. She’s a fantastic cook! Makes the best cakes and pies and her kolaches are to die for. Wanda’s been through a lot since I returned and I’m glad I was here to support her. The only time we didn’t get along was when our kids were dating. But I think that’s smoothed out.

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

The tiny town of Stinky Springs, Texas is halfway between Dallas and Houston. It’s set off the highway and you’d never know it was there unless you broke down! And yes, there is a ‘stinky spring’ nearby. We are surrounded by cattle ranches, small holdings and deer leases and a lovely little creek runs nearby. My house is at the end of the street and backs onto heavily wooded land. In the morning when I get up, I can often see deer crossing my yard. It’s peaceful and quiet.

The residents are a close knit community. We have some businesses: Betty’s Burger Bar, Georgia’s Crafts and Ammo, Risa’s combo laundromat, juice bar and yoga studio and the community center where the Stinky Springs Ladies Social Club has met for over one hundred and fifty years. 

Recently, they started building a new over-55 community, and we’ve had an influx of newcomers. They are good for the economy and give us old-timers something to gossip about.

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

Well, If I had to describe my books, I’d say that they are funny, sometimes silly, with touching moments of female friendship, in fact, friendship is the main theme running through the stories. The ladies of Stinky Springs love to laugh, get together, console each other, and support each other. I hope you’ll come along for the ride and get to know us. My Peggy Rector Mysteries are on Kindle Unlimited and available on Audible in audiobook format!

Thank you for answering my questions, Peggy, and good luck to you and your author, J M Roberts, with Murder in the Genes, the latest book in the Peggy Rector mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Peggy and her author, J M Roberts by visiting the author’s blog and her Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub, and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available online at  Amazon 

About J M Roberts: J. M. Roberts is a nurse turned writer, much like her main character in the Peggy Rector Mystery series. She lives in an over-55 development outside of Houston, Texas that provides endless ideas for her murder mysteries. When not taking notes on her friends and neighbors, she can be found in her garden, cooking, or reading.

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A Sense for Murder

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Leslie Karst, author of A Sense for Murder, a Sally Solari mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to talk about her evolving writing style.

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

Authors are often asked whether we’re plotters or pantsers—do we plan out our story lines in advance and outline them in detail, or merely start writing and just see what happens?

I’ve been a devout plotter for most my fiction-writing career. And for my legal writing career as well, when I worked as a research and appellate attorney. Though truly, I can’t fathom how anyone could draft a legal brief without doing at least a little outlining. (Oh wait, come to think of it, I do believe some of those sloppy motions I received from opposing counsel over the years might well have been written without a whole lot of advance planning….)

When I set out to draft my first Sally Solari mystery, even the thought of sitting down with only a vague idea and then simply writing a mystery novel scared the heck out of me. You have to plant clues, after all, and red herrings, and suspects. How could you do that just willy-nilly? (Asks this list-making, check-everything-three-times, Virgo.)

But what’s interesting is that when it comes to cooking, I’ve always been the exact opposite. Sure, I love to read cookbooks. And my favorite day of the week for the newspaper is when the food section comes out, so I can peruse the recipes, maybe learn a new technique for rolling out pasta, and drool over all the seasonal ingredients highlighted that time of year.

But I don’t tend to use recipes when I prepare food. In this area of my life I am a full-on pantser, tasting my sauce, adding a dash of this or that, then tasting it again. I don’t worry about messing it up, because I have a solid understanding of the chemistry of cooking, so I know instinctively what will work and what won’t. (This is the reason I’m not a keen baker—for it’s pretty darn hard to use a seat-of-the-pants method when you’re making a cake or a baguette. Bakers don’t even call them “recipes”; they refer to their preparation methods as “formulae.”)

But here’s the thing: over the years, I’ve gradually become more and more of a pantser with each of the books in my series. I had the opportunity to sit on a panel several years ago which included the talented Laurie R. King, and when we were asked about this plotter/pantser thing, Laurie talked about how she’d been a complete plotter for her first four books, but then switched to the seat-of-your-pants method. “By then I’d figured out how to do it, how to write a mystery novel,” she explained, “so I figured, why not try it the other way? And it worked.” She’s been a devout seat-of-the-pantser ever since.

I thought a lot about what Laurie said that night, and when I embarked on this sixth novel in my series, A Sense for Murder, I decided to throw caution to the wind and went at it without a fully fleshed-out plot. (Mind you, I did have an idea of how the book would start and finish and whodunit, but that long middle was merely the germ of an idea.)

And you know what? It was fun! But a little scary, too—especially when I’d finish a scene and then have no idea where I was going next. I found myself going on long bike rides and talking aloud to myself, asking, “What would Sally so in this situation? What if X happened to her, and then she reacted by doing Y?” The walkers along West Cliff Drive where I like to ride likely wondered why the heck this strange gal was pedaling along talking to herself about murder and mayhem.

But hey—as with Laurie, it worked, and I’m exceedingly pleased with how this new book turned out. So perhaps I’ve made a permanent switch—maybe all those years pantsing it in the kitchen without a recipe has paid off in my writing career!

Thank you for sharing this with us, Leslie, and good luck with A Sense for Murder, a Sally Solari mystery.

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

The book is available online at the following retailers:

 Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org

About Leslie Karst: Leslie is the author of the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari mystery series and Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG. After years waiting tables and singing in a new wave rock band, she decided she was ready for a “real” job and ended up at Stanford Law School. It was during her career as an attorney that Leslie rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking and once more returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary arts. Now retired from the law, Leslie spends her time cooking, cycling, gardening, observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock, and of course writing. She and her wife split their time between Santa Cruz, California, and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

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Death Under a Western Moon

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Madeline Mona Moon is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us about Murder Under a Western Moon, the latest novel in the Mona Moon mystery series.

Welcome, Mona. 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 Cozy Mystery Readers.  My name is Madeline Mona Moon.  I was born in New York City and am 29 years old.  My profession is cartography—at least it was until my estranged uncle died and made me his beneficiary.  I was bequeathed the man’s wealth, business empire, and a horse farm in the Kentucky Bluegrass.  It was fortuitous as I was out of a job and looking for work during the Great Depression. 

My uncle had several stipulations in order for me to inherit. One was that I had to live in Moon Mansion in Kentucky and take over Moon Enterprises which is a conglomerate of businesses.  I was wary of the terms, but accepted as I was tired of being hungry and jobless.  So I took the first train to Lexington, Ky. and soon discovered the Moon family was not happy with the terms of my uncle’s will—or with me for that matter.  Too bad.  I overcame my relatives’ distain and discovered I had a knack for business.  I discovered I also have a knack for solving murders.

Two years after I stepped off the train, I married an Englishman, Lawrence Robert Emerton Dagobert Farley, Duke of Brynelleth.  He had purchased the horse farm next to mine and—well—we just hit it off and got married.  We were supposed to be on our honeymoon when I received an urgent telegram stating a murder had been committed at a Moon Enterprises copper mine in Montana, and I needed to come quick.

Forgoing our honeymoon plans reluctantly, Robert and I caught the first train to Montana and investigated the murder while inadvertently placing ourselves in harm’s way.  We were followed, threatened, and plunged into mortal danger.  Those rugged Westerners play for keeps.  I don’t have time right now to tell you all of my adventures in Montana.  You simply must read Murder Under A Western Moon for yourself.  Trust me—you won’t be bored.

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

Abigail Keam does a wonderful job weaving real people and events into the story to make the mystery more exciting for me.  I like the fact she adds an addendum at the end to further explain the history.  It would take too long to explain everything what was going in the 1930s myself, but she does a great job of it.  However, I don’t let her push her adjectives on me.  I am my own person, and I don’t let Miss Abigail shove me around.

How did you evolve as the main character?

I am from New York City, but I have grown to embrace Southern culture, which is more leisurely and quiet.  I had lived in dirty tents due to my profession most of my life because I traveled so much for work.  I enjoy living in Moon Manor where I can look out a window and see horses rambling in green pastures, hear dogs barking in the distance, and smell the catfish frying up in the kitchen.

Because of my wealth, I am more aware of noblesse oblige—a duty to help those less privileged.  I do my best.

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

 I enjoy my husband, Robert Farley, who is the Duke of Brynelleth.  Of course, he kept his identity a secret when I first met him.  He lived next door and was involved with the Thoroughbred industry.  I must admit I didn’t like him at first as I didn’t care for his sarcastic humor.  We seemed always to be snapping at one another.  Maybe it was sexual tension—I don’t know, but when he grabbed and kissed me once—I was enthralled.  I couldn’t get Robert out of my mind, so I married him. 

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

I travel to Mooncrest Village, the gritty mining camp outside Moon Mine in Montana.  I am troubled by the problems I find there—no electricity in the miners’ homes, village store overcharging the miners, lack of food on the miners’ tables.  I like to fix things—so I roll up my sleeves, putting things to right.  It gives me great satisfaction to right a wrong.  Oh, yes, I solve a murder along the way.

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

I met interesting people in Montana like Maggie Daly, who was an owner of the Anaconda Mine, one of the most famous mines in the world.  Montana is a wild, rugged place—not like Kentucky at all with its emerald pastures and white fences.  I grew to love its fierce beauty, and the people who migrated there to work in the copper mines, hoping for a fresh start during the Great Depression.  Like me, they were determined to move forward regardless of bank failures, the dust bowl, and economic collapse.  You can learn more about me from my creator – Abigail Keam.  My latest adventure just came out—Murder Under A Western Moon.  You can go to https://www.abigailkeam.com/books/murder-under-a-western-moon/ and find your favorite site to download it.

Feel free to sign up for my HoneyBee newsletter – http://www.abigailkeam.com/ 

I also have giveaways on my author’s Facebook page and TikTok page monthly.

Thank you for answering my questions, Mona, and good luck to you and your author, Abigail Keam, with Murder Under a Western Moon, the latest book in the Mona Moon mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Mona and her author, Abigail Keam by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon    Apple Books   Nook    Amazon UK    Amazon AU    Amazon CA

About Abigail Keam: Award-winning author Abigail Keam writes the Mona Moon Mystery Series—a rags-to-riches 1930s mystery series which includes real people and events into the story. “I am a student of history and love to insert historical information into my mysteries. My goal is to entertain my readers, but if they learn a little something along the way—well, then we are both happy.”  She has won many awards for her mysteries, and Murder Under A Western Moon is her 40th novel.  Miss Abigail lives on the cliffs above the Kentucky River with her husband and various critters.  In her spare time, Miss Abigail is a beekeeper.

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