Of Mushrooms and Matrimony

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Dianne Ascroft

Tish Tarragon is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Of Mushrooms and Matrimony, the latest novel in the Tish Tarragon mystery series.

Welcome, Tish. 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.

OF MUSHROOMS AND MATRIMONY is the sixth in the mystery series named after me, Tish Tarragon, a literary café owner and caterer. (Think: cozy eating spot with a lending library and menu items named after book titles and characters) The story opens with me having been evicted from the café which also serves as my home and struggling to find a new space for my business as well as a place to live.

As if that’s not enough, while working on my last catering gig before officially closing up shop – a lovely book-themed wedding at Abbingdon Green Bed and Breakfast – one of the guests at the B&B is found dead in his room, a victim of mushroom poisoning. The victim, Gunnar Randall, was a controversial tv food critic, so suspects abound.

With my knowledge of food and cooking, and as an official consultant for the Hobson Glen Sheriff’s Department, it’s up to me to help solve the crime while simultaneously providing the bride and groom with the best day of their lives.

It’s a lofty goal, but I’ve managed to achieve since my arrival here from Richmond, VA over a year ago.

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

My writer controls my story quite well, although every now and then I give her a surprise: a snippet of dialogue, an unexpected clue, or an odd plot twist. I like to keep her on her toes. 😉

How did you evolve as the main character?

I believe my creator had originally applied to a call for a veterinary mystery. Her sample pages were rejected by the publisher, but her agent so liked the main character – me but with a slightly different name! – that she asked her to rewrite the mystery with a different theme and setting. My author loves to cook, so she created a culinary mystery set around Richmond, VA, which was close to her home at the time.

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

Oh, the entire town of Hobson Glen shares the spotlight in my mysteries, but especially dear to my heart is Sheriff Clemson Reade (for reasons I’ll allow your readers to discover) and my best friends from college, Julian Pen Davis and Mary Jo Okensholt.

Julian is the weatherman for Channel Ten news, but he also covers the occasional human interest story, like the Christmas Fair where the young actress, Jenny Inkpen was murdered. Mary Jo is the mother of two teens, which a fulltime job unto itself, but she also works at my café and for the Director of the library board.

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

Hobson Glen is a small town outside Richmond with a traditional Main Street and a bunch of kooky characters, the kookiest of which is Enid Kemper, an eccentric elderly woman who is never seen without her green conure, Langhorne, perched upon her shoulder. Then there’s Opal Schaffer, the local romance novelist and organic gardener who continually tries to get me to model for one of her book covers and my top baker and creator of delicious cakes, Celestine Rufus, who not only makes me look like a rock star, but dishes out some great advice.

Hobson Glen is a remarkable town and I love living in it. Via my work solving crimes, I’ve been able to visit the neighboring communities of Ashton Courthouse and Coleton Creek, but they’re not quite like Hobson Glen, which is why I’d love to continue to work and live here. There is a bar and grill building up for sale which would be a perfect location for my new café, but it’s far outside my budget. Ah well!

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

Just that they should definitely check us out, if they’re a fan of culinary cozies with a deliciously darker side. There are even recipes included in my books! The wonderful team at Severn House Books does a terrific job of designing eye catching covers and making sure my adventures are fast paced and action packed. I cannot thank them enough!

Thank you for answering my questions, Tish, and good luck to you and your author, Amy Patricia Meade, with Of Mushrooms and Murder, the latest book in the Tish Tarragon mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Tish and her author, Amy Patricia Meade by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

About Amy Patricia Meade: Author of the critically acclaimed Marjorie McClelland Mysteries, Vermont Country Living Mysteries, and Tish Tarragon Mysteries, Amy is a native of Long Island, NY, where she cut her teeth on classic films and books featuring Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown.

After stints as an Operations Manager for a document imaging company and as a freelance technical writer, Amy left the bright lights of New York City and headed north to pursue her creative writing career amidst the idyllic beauty of Vermont’s Green Mountains. After five years living in Bristol, England, Amy now resides in upstate New York. When not writing, Amy spends her time working for her musician husband, watching classic films, testing new recipes, belly dancing, and cleaning cat hair from her lap.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Have a custom Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Dianne Ascroft

Have you ever threaded popcorn onto a string or made a paper chain you draped across the branches of your Christmas tree? Some families cut down their own Christmas trees, and put up and take down their decorations on certain dates each year. Do you sit in the dark and watch a candle flicker tentatively on the mantelpiece or scan the darkness for lights glowing in the windows of neighbouring houses? Do you stop to listen to buskers and carollers on the street singing carols and Christmas songs? Decorating Christmas trees and lighting our houses for the holiday season, and singing festive songs and carols are just a few of the customs or traditions that many of us enjoy each Christmas.

What is a tradition? Wikipedia says: A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. Traditions can persist and evolve for thousands of years—the word tradition itself derives from the Latin ‘tradere’ literally meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. While it is commonly assumed that traditions have an ancient history, many traditions have been invented on purpose, whether that be political or cultural, over short periods of time.

There are so many customs or traditions associated with Christmas. They may be part of the celebrations of whole communities and countries or ones that belong to a single family. We put pine trees adorned with baubles in our living rooms; hang Christmas wreaths on our front doors, garlands on our banisters and stockings on our mantelpieces (or our bedposts); set poinsettas on our tables; run to advent calendars each day in December to discover what is in that day’s box; eat Christmas pudding, mince pies and candy canes, and enjoy a feast on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Some of our traditions, such as carol singing, date back hundreds of years, while others such as watching Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer or A Charlie Brown Christmas on television or embarking on frantic shopping trips in glitzy downtown precincts are very recent. Many of our best-loved traditions, including decorating our trees, cookie swaps, sending Christmas cards and adorning our trees and houses with lights aren’t much more than a century old.

But, in our own experience, if we have practiced a custom since childhood, it feels like it must have always existed. It becomes integral to our festive season. An important aspect of Christmas traditions is the sense of continuity that they give us. Some people find such predictability boring but most of us find it comforting.

This autumn I contributed a short story to Deadly Traditions, a multi-author Christmas-themed cozy mystery anthology. The stories in the book launch readers into a whole stack of mysteries and holiday traditions.

If you’d like to know more about the anthology, you can find it here:  https://books2read.com/u/4NjW6G  The book is only available until December 31st. 

I had fun writing my story for the book, Mistletoe and Murder, as it evoked memories from my teen years. As a teenager attending youth group Christmas activities, I always looked out for any mistletoe in a room, hoping that whatever boy I had a crush on that year would steal a kiss from me under it. It was an exciting part of the holiday season for a young girl. But, in my story, I turned the tables on my character Marge Kirkwood. She has a completely different experience and finds more trouble under the mistletoe than she ever wanted.

Quite a diverse assortment of traditions get a mention in Deadly Traditions. They include decorating the house and the Christmas tree, Santa Claus’s yearly trip around the globe, cookie swaps, carol singing, sending Christmas cards, hiding a pickle in the Christmas tree and stringing up Christmas lights. Many of them were very familiar to me but some like cookie swaps and hiding a pickle in the tree were completely new.

Christmas lights are one of my favourite traditions. Light is a source of warmth and cheer. It’s ability to pierce the darkness encourages us to hope for better times to come after the dark ones.

Before electric light was invented, candles were placed on Christmas trees to illuminate them. In 1882 Edward Hibberd Johnson, Thomas Edison’s inventing partner, strung together a set of lights and put them on a Christmas tree in New York. Since then, the Christmas lights industry has boomed. I never tire of seeing strings of coloured lights winking in ever-changing patterns on a Christmas tree, in windows or fixed to the roof of a house.

Since I love Christmas lights, it’s probably fortunate I wasn’t born a generation earlier. Electricity didn’t arrive in most parts of the county in Northern Ireland where I live until 1947 or later. Prior to this homes were lit with oil and kerosene lamps, and candles. Large candles, set in carved-out turnip bases, were placed in the windows on Christmas Eve. Although flickering candles are beautiful, I think I would have missed the range of colours and lighting patterns my string of electric lights can produce.

There’s just something so magical about watching lights twinkle. Every year when I see them, I think back to Christmases in my family home when I was growing up. In our small house we had a pair of green wreaths, with electric candles set in them, hanging in our front windows; their flames glowed red and welcoming as I returned home each evening. And before I went to bed on Christmas Eve, I sat in the dark in our living room and watched the multi-coloured lights glowing on the pint-sized Christmas tree sitting on a table in the corner.  

The wonder that Christmas lights awaken in me brightens my holidays each year, and links me to my childhood memories, and to the age-old hope that light brings. What traditions are your favourites? Do they link you to your past or more ancient traditions?

Whatever customs are part of your Christmas celebrations, I hope you have a bright and warm holiday season. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Posted in Archives, December 2022 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Death Checked Out

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Dianne Ascroft

Greta Plank is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Death Checked Out, the first novel in the Larkspur Library mystery series.

Welcome, Greta. 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.

Death Checked Out is the first novel in the Larkspur Library Mystery series. My name is Greta Plank, and I’m the director of Larkspur Community Library. I’ve only been in my position for the past four months. I moved to Larkspur earlier this year, and it was the best decision I ever made. I’m not saying I was running away from my past, but I’m not not saying it, if you catch my drift.

But I don’t like to focus on that. After all, I prefer to talk about happy things.

Like this gorgeous lakeside town! Larkspur is located in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. If you’re picturing towering pine trees, quaking aspens with leaves that change to the most beautiful shades of yellow and orange in the fall, and sparkling lake water, then you’ve got the right idea. Not only is Larkspur a gorgeous setting, but the people aren’t half bad either.

I’m still getting used to everyone knowing everything about everyone else, but all that interest and meddling comes from a place of love. That’s what I was trying to convince my neighbor, Franklin.

He was known as the town recluse. I bulldozed my way into his life and, dare I say, his heart, using my tote of library books. I made deliveries to his house, and he loved me for it. I came to see him as a father figure, and I like to think I was like the daughter he never had.

When he asked for the phone number of one of the members of the Friends of the Library nonprofit, I could hardly believe it. I was pretty sure he wanted to get to know her more…romantically speaking. And I was so here for it.

My own love life might be in shambles, but dang it, I still want a happily ever after for my friends.

But then Franklin turned up dead. It was awful, and to make matters worse, what I thought was just a tragic accident, the new detective in town declared a murder. And he made it clear that I was his prime suspect.

I couldn’t let my reputation get ruined…again. Fortunately, my co-librarians, the Larkspur community, and my lawyer mom helped me figure out what really happened. And boy, I did not see that coming.

Apparently, there are two more books in the Larkspur Library Mystery series all lined up and under contract. I can’t imagine anything worse befalling Larkspur, but we’ll see what my author has up her sleeve.

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

Ha! Speaking of my author, she’s a definite plotter, that one. She likes to know where her story is going, and she usually has specific scenes or ideas in her head that she’s writing toward. But sometimes I go rouge, and I like to think we collaborate to ensure the story winds up just the way it’s supposed to…happy endings always!

How did you evolve as the main character?

Now this is a loaded question. Are we ever fully evolved? I don’t think so. I know I have a lot of room to grow. I guess it’s a good thing I have at least two more books to make my way through, huh?

I will say that at the start of Death Checked Out I’m a little naïve. I just want everyone to be happy, alright? When things start looking bleak, my fight or flight response usually lands on flight. But I did decide to fight in this case, and I learned a lot of valuable lessons in the process.

I’ve got some trust issues in the romance department that’ll take some time to work out. But again, I don’t like talking about that.

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

My co-librarians, Josie and Iris, have become like sisters to me, even though I’ve known them for less than six months. We make a great team, and we’re constantly playing off of each other to figure out best practices for the library and for our lives. We balance each other out, and they have my back over the course of the entire book—pushing me when I need to get out of my comfort zone and reigning me back in when I go a little too Nancy Drew.

Detective Mark McHenry is sort of a stick in the mud, so the jury’s out on whether or not I really like sharing the story with him. But I have to admit that I’m warming up to the idea of having him around. I think there might be a heart behind his stony, stoic façade and intense gazes. Time will tell…

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

Oh my goodness, I’ve already gushed about Larkspur, haven’t I? What else can I say? It’s stunning. We’re about three or four hours north of the Milwaukee metro area. Up here it’s all fresh air and lakefront breezes in the summer, and frosty, frozen winters.

My author made up Larkspur, but she based it off of her real-life experience in a lakeside town in Northern Wisconsin. Almost all of her best childhood memories were made there, so I guess you could say Larkspur was crafted with nothing but love.

She did embellish a bit, and I’m glad for that. Because her Larkspur has this quaint downtown strip, complete with my favorite spot, Mugs & Hugs, the café owned by my friend, Allison. She’s got the best coffee and pastries in Larkspur, and she’s always glad to serve it with a side of intel on the comings and goings in town.

When I want some peace and quiet, I’m happy to get back to my oasis, the log cabin I miraculously managed to purchase. It’s situated right on the lake, and it couldn’t be cozier.

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

Just that I hope you’ll stop by for a visit. I’d love to take you around Larkspur myself. I’ve heard that my book is perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lovers mysteries and Holly Danver’s Lakeside Library mysteries. What’s not to love about bookish cozies, am I right?

Anyway, hopefully all that murder business is behind us. I’m looking forward to the fall festival here, and with all the planning and pitching in everyone’s doing, I can’t imagine anything bad happening. Hopefully I’m not proven wrong in book two. See you soon!

Thank you for answering my questions, Greta, and good luck to you and your author, Leah Dobrinska, with Death Checked Out, the first book in the Larkspur Library mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Greta and her author, Leah Dobrinska by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Bookbub and Tiktok pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – Barnes and Noble

About Leah Dobrinska: Leah is the author of the Larkspur Library Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in the Wisconsin Northwoods, and the Mapleton novels, a series of standalone small town romances. She earned her degree in English Literature from UW-Madison and has since worked as a freelance writer, editor, and content marketer. As a kid, she hoped to grow up to be either Nancy Drew or Elizabeth Bennet. Now, she fulfills that dream by writing mysteries and love stories. Death Checked Out is her debut cozy mystery.

A sucker for a good sentence, a happy ending, and the smell of books—both old and new—Leah lives out her very own happily ever after in a small Wisconsin town with her husband and their gaggle of kids. When she’s not writing, handing out snacks, or visiting local parks, Leah enjoys reading and running.

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

Cowboys and Chaos

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Dianne Ascroft

Elizabeth Pantley, author of Cowboys and Chaos, a Magical Mystery Book Club mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us why mature sleuths make great characters.

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

Elizabeth: “One of the characters in the Magical Mystery Book Club series is Zelda, Zell to her friends. She’s eighty years old, and very proud of that fact. Readers tell me that they love her, and she’s their favorite character in the series. It’s not uncommon to find a senior citizen in a cozy mystery! What makes them so popular?

Seniors Lose their Filters

Whether it’s intentionally or by accident, seniors often blurt out things they shouldn’t. This makes for some very funny scenes, an intriguing character, and secrets exposed unexpectedly.

Experience and Wisdom Strengthen the Plot

An older sleuth carries a lifetime of experience that enables them to figure out the nuances of a case. An intelligent twenty-something person may miss something that a senior catches because of their past experiences. “Oh, I remember when…” can be a useful tool.

They can Get Away with Things

A tiny eighty-year-old woman can play the adorable card and get away with unacceptable behavior that would be nipped in the bud if it were a younger person. A crinkly, dimpled smile can convince anyone of innocence.

They Give Us Hope

Older characters who are smart, fun, and quirky tell us that age doesn’t mean you have to sit on a rocking chair and knit when you’re a senior citizen. You don’t have to become boring and bland. They demonstrate that no matter what your age, you can have a great time in your life.

They Reflect our Societal Shift

Sixty is the new forty, so they say. Therefore, eighty must be the new sixty, right? In today’s world of superior medical care, healthier personal habits, and the availability of information about how to live a longer, healthier life, you’ll see many seniors out there running marathons, hiking mountains, skiing, and sailing. So why not solving mysteries!”

Thank you for sharing this with us, Elizabeth, and good luck with Cowboys and Chaos, a Magical Mystery Book Club mystery.

Readers can learn more about Elizabeth Pantley by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Instagram and Bookbub pages.

The book is available online at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA and Amazon AU.

About Elizabeth Pantley: Elizabeth says that writing her two Mystery and Magic book series is the most fun she’s ever had at work. Fans of her work say her joy is evident through the engaging stories she tells. Elizabeth is also the internationally bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, a beautiful inspiration for her enchanted worlds.

Posted in Archives, December 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Who Says Marge Doesn’t Have Any Christmas Spirit?

Posted on December 10, 2022 by Dianne Ascroft

This autumn we released Deadly Traditions, a multi-author Christmas-themed cozy mystery anthology. Deadly Traditions launches readers into a whole stack of mysteries and holiday traditions.

In my story, Mistletoe and Murder, my character Marge Kirkwood has found more __ than she ever wanted under the mistletoe. More what? Read the story to find out.

The book is only available until December 31st. You can find it here:  https://books2read.com/u/4NjW6G

Now, I’ll let Marge from Mistletoe and Murder tell you a bit about her story:

“No matter what anyone may tell you, I’m no Grinch. I don’t know why I’m even giving that rumour a second thought. People can say whatever they like about Marge Kirkwood. It’ll just roll off me like water off a duck’s back. But, if there isn’t any truth to what they say, I’ll set them straight. It’s not that I don’t have any Christmas spirit, it’s just that things keep getting in the way of it this year.  

My best friend Lois Stone moved from the big city to the town where I live last summer. So, since this is her first Christmas in Fenwater, I want to show her how amazing a small town holiday season is. I’m gonna make sure she knows she’s not missing a thing now that she’s away from the bright lights and bustle.

I have loads of ideas for making the season sparkle. Firstly, there’s a few parties that are absolute musts on Fenwater’s holiday calendar and we’ll hit all of them. Lois can bring her new beau Bruce along. I introduced them after all. We’ll need some time to recover in between shindigs so we’ll also spend a few evenings at my condo. Lois enjoys the company of my mother, Mrs G, and there’s a great view of the street that Lois and I live on from my fourth floor window. Lois doesn’t have the same view from her stone century cottage, but she does have a cozy, crackling fire going on winter evenings. She also makes great hot whiskeys so we’ll spend some time at her place too.    

In preparation for the festivities, I got myself spruced up. Not that it took much to do. I’ve got a good, ample figure, if I do say so myself. And that red chiffon cocktail dress I picked up in Guelph suits me to a tee with my blonde hairdo. That little red number was the only one like it on the rack so I’m guaranteed not to meet my double when we’re out, except in a mirror. I’ve got my hair looking its best too. It may have had a bit of help from a bottle, but no one would guess the colour isn’t all me. All in all, I’m ready to dazzle their socks off.

We kicked off with the Fenwater Association’s Christmas party last Saturday night. It’s held in our swankiest hotel – well, our only hotel – and the place was looking like the Ritz. But I wasn’t counting on it being draped in mistletoe – I had to practically slither around the walls to avoid being caught under that green stuff. Nor did I expect to be plagued by Mike Wilson, who practically stalked me through high school. He thought he was irresistible and couldn’t understand why I didn’t see it. I still shudder every time I get a whiff of Aqua Velva aftershave. So, the night didn’t start well. And seeing my ex-husband, who has recently moved back to town, at the party didn’t help my festive mood either.

Overall, the party was going downhill fast. And then someone keeled over and died right smack under that mistletoe dangling from a chandelier. Could it get any worse? You better believe it could – I got dragged into investigating the death. Usually, it’s Lois who lands in the middle of crime scenes. I help her snoop around and give her the odd push when she needs to be more assertive. But mostly, I let her take the helm to figure out what happened. This time is different though. I’ve known the deceased and most of the guests for years.

Despite this, I still might have been able to mind my own business and stay out of it, but the clincher was my kids. Their Christmas will be ruined if I don’t figure out what happened. Okay, so they’re adults now, but doesn’t every mother want to make Christmas special for her kids? And since the cops suspect my ex – their father – murdered the deceased, the holiday will go down the drain for our family if he gets arrested. So, I have no choice: I have to find the killer.

Now can you see why people may have noticed I’m not belting out songs from Perry Como’s Christmas album this year? Imagine being landed with a murder to solve smack in the middle of the Christmas party season! And, if that wasn’t enough, I’m not getting much chance to drop into the Honey Pot diner and sample the yummy gingerbread muffins and other festive fayre they have. These goodies are only on the menu for the holiday season and I’m missing out.

This week has been all about figuring out which one of my fellow townsfolk is a killer. I’m determined to get to the bottom of this and fast. My red stiletto shoes are being reheeled as I speak, and I’ll be wearing them to my office Christmas party next week. So, you can bet I’ll get to the bottom of this murder. Then I’m off to paint the town red and they’ll see what Christmas spirit I’ve got.”

If you want to find out how things turn out for Marge, and read the other stories in Deadly Traditions, check it out here: https://books2read.com/u/4NjW6G

But remember, the book is only available until the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Posted in Archives, December 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sleuthing in Stilettos

Posted on December 8, 2022 by Dianne Ascroft

Debra Sennefelder is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Sleuthing in Stilettos, her latest novel in the Resale Boutique Mystery series.

Welcome, Debra. 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.

SLEUTING IN STILETTOS is the fifth book in the Resale Boutique Mystery series, which features Kelly Quinn, a fashionista-turned-resale shop owner. She inherited her granny’s old, tired consignment shop and moved back to her hometown of Lucky Cove, NY. She found that returning to the place where she started wasn’t easy. Still, over time, Kelly has reconnected with friends and family and is now making a life for herself in the last place she thought she’d end up. Kelly is taking on way too much between her boutique, community involvement, and the murder of Miranda Farrell. She finds her uncle Ralph Blake, a local businessman. His personality could be summed up as a bull in a china shop standing over Miranda’s body. The two have had heated arguments and a history that goes back twenty years. Unfortunately for him, he had a motive and opportunity. So when her cousin asks for her help to clear Ralph, Kelly can’t say no. Besides, her curiosity has been piqued and she’s helped the police in the past solve a few murders.

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

First came the title. Then the idea for a shoe shop to be prominent in the story. And then everything else came tumbling into place for the story.

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

I think a common theme in my stories is that we really don’t know people as well as we think.

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

It depends on the character. For main characters, it takes a while to flesh them out since I’ll be spending a lot of time with them. Not just writing, but also thinking about them all the time. Even when I’m doing mundane things like laundry I think about my characters and their stories. Then there are characters that come onto the page for a specific reason, do their thing and then they’re gone. I don’t spend a lot of time on those fleshing those characters out. The protagonists of my each of my series are my favourite characters.

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

I tend to write about locations I’m familiar with so it’s easy to bring them to life. Kelly lives on Long Island, New York and I grew up in New York City and spent time on Long Island throughout the years. My other two series are set in Connecticut and that’s where I live.

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

How much research I do depends on the book. I write contemporary fiction and since they are cozy mysteries, there isn’t a lot of police procedure in them. When I do have questions about how the police would handle a situation, I have access to an online group of law enforcement officials who are willing to answer questions and also my nephew who police officer. For this series, I use my background of working in retail years ago and for my Food Blogger Mystery series I use my time as a food blogger to sprinkle details into the stories.

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

There’s so much I’d like to tell readers about SLEUTHING IN STILETTOS because I love the book so much. But I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

Thanks for answering my questions, Debra, and good luck with Sleuthing in Stilettos, the latest book in Resale Boutique Mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Debra and her writing by visiting her website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub and Instagram pages.

The novel is available online at the following retailers:

Amazon – B&N – Kobo

About Debra Sennefelder: Debra is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

Her first novel, THE UNINVITED CORPSE (A Food Blogger mystery) was published in 2018. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She worked in retail and publishing before becoming a full-time author. Her writing companion is her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih Tzu, Connie.

Posted in Archives, December 2022 | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dumpster Dying

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Dianne Ascroft

Michelle Bennington is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Dumpster Dying, her latest novel in the Hazardous Hoarding Mystery series.

Welcome, Michelle. 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.

Dumpster Dying is part of the Hazardous Hoarder series. It’s about a hoarder named Birdie Harper who lives with her husband’s ghost and she gets pulled into solving mysteries in small-town Miltonville, Kentucky.

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

I love the show Hoarders and I knew I wanted to write a character with a hoarding issue. Hoarding is a fascinating psychological issue often triggered by deep emotional trauma. And Birdie just Harper, my central character, just took over. She demanded attention and a story of her own. I also knew that I wanted to blend a cozy with Southern Gothic elements. This first book has only a touch of that, though I’m expecting to gradually intensify those gothic elements as I proceed with subsquent books. But in keeping with the Southern  Gothic, I tried to think of a crime that might be more unsettling for cozy readers than murder alone. I don’t want to say more for fear of spoiling the story for readers, but the mystery idea came from both a friend and the news and involves events that actually happened. Not just in Kentucky but in other places in the United States. 

Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it? I think the underlying theme would be loyalty and family. Sometimes family isn’t just the people we’re related to, but people we come to know and love. But also there’s an element of never really knowing people, even the ones we think we’re close to. 

How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them? Typically I begin with creating my characters by basing them loosely on people I know. So far, Birdie Harper, has been my favorite character creation. She’s based loosely on someone I know who is vibrant, cheerful, chatty, and a bit of a busy body, but with good intentions and a heart of gold. So took that core and wrapped it in darkness, trauma, and sadness to flesh out Birdie’s character and to hint toward the Southern Gothic. 

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

I live in Kentucky, so I turn my mind’s eye to places I’ve lived or visited and put them on the page. Honestly, I think I’m better writing character than setting. I get bored with writing setting (just as I get bored reading elaborate descriptions of setting). I think it would help me to think of setting as another character–especially as I proceed with the Hazardous Hoarder series.

What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel? For contemporary novels like this one, I didn’t do much research and what I did do was performed with Google searches. I find I’m usually looking up makes and models of cars because I know zero about vehicles. Or I look up house styles, types of flowers or trees. I also look up types of poisons or trauma that certain crimes do to bodies, laws, police procedure—the typical crime-related research. The research is much more extensive when I write historical pieces.

However, I also sometimes use forensics shows, true crime books, other mystery novels, biographies, documentaries, and news stories to inform my writing. 

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

I’m especially excited about this book because it’s my first independent project. Boy, was that an education! But I had a lot of fun with it and I just LOVE the Birdie Harper character and her relationship with her sister, Oda Dean. They are so much fun to spend time with. I’m not sure when I’ll have the second book out because I have two more from two different series from Level Best Books due to release in 2023! But if you want to keep up with Birdie and any new releases, I’ll make announcements on my social media which you can link to through my website www.michellebennington.com.

Thanks for answering my questions, Michelle, and good luck with Dumpster Dying, the latest book in Hazardous Hoarding Mystery series.

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

The novel is available online at Amazon  

About Michelle Bennington: Born and raised in the beautiful Bluegrass state of Kentucky, Michelle Bennington developed a passion for books early on that has progressed into a mild hoarding situation and an ever-growing to-read pile. She delights in spinning mysteries and histories.

Posted in Archives, December 2022 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bread Over Troubled Water

Posted on December 4, 2022 by Dianne Ascroft

Winnie Archer is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Bread Over Troubled Water, her latest novel in the Bread Shop Mystery series.

Welcome, Winnie. 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.

Bread Over Troubled Water is book #8 in the Bread Shop Mystery series. In this installment, Ivy Culpepper and Miguel Baptista are planning their engagement party in a lovely park with an ocean view. Olaya Solis, owner of the artisan bread shop, Yeast of Eden, is planning a bread wall—along with a special bread for Ivy.

And, of course, there’s a dead body!

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

The plot ideas started with the engagement party, so I knew the location. I hadn’t yet written a victim who was a regular Yeast of Eden customer, so that was another nugget of an idea. My experience as a teacher informed some of the investigation. From there, it all came together!

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

The relationships between women—mother’s and daughters, surrogate aunts and grandmothers, sisters, aunts and nieces—is a recurring theme in all my books. As with any mystery, justice is a theme. And family—both the one you are born with and the one you choose—is threaded throughout this book and the series.

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

As I mentioned, I love the female relationships I get to explore in my various series. Some of my favorites are the septuagenarian and octogenarian sidekicks! In this series, Penelope Branford is always ready, willing, and able to help Ivy. Her 80-something years don’t stop her.

And in my Pippin Lane Hawthorne Book Magic series, Hattie Juniper Pickle has become a fan favorite. She’s so fun to write and such a hoot that she now has a spin-off series! (A Pickle of a Murder: http://bit.ly/3AVOyOm )

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

Description showing (versus telling)—meaning using active verbs, sensory language, and vivid scene-building—are key. My scenes often play like movies in my head, so I slow it down to capture as much detail as I can, then I weave that into scenes in bits and pieces so it doesn’t bog down the narrative.

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

Usually my research happens as I write. I come across something I need to learn more about, and so I do. In this series, that research often centers around baking. In another of my series—the Pippin Lane Hawthorne mysteries—I did a ton of research throughout each book because I tied in so much Irish history and lore, as well as regional history like the Lost Colonists of Roanoke, for example.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?
This series is so fun to write. If you haven’t started it yet, Kneaded to Death and Crust No One are currently on sale for $1.99 each. Thank you Kensington! I hope you get hooked and read them all 🙂

Thanks for answering my questions, Winnie, and good luck with Bread Over Troubled Water, the latest book in Bread Shop Mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Winnie and her writing by visiting her website and her Facebook and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Kensington – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

About Winnie Archer: Winnie is the nationally bestselling author of the Bread Shop Mystery series, as well as the Lola Cruz Mysteries and the Magical Dressmaking Mystery series written as Melissa Bourbon. A former middle school English teacher, lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and the youngest of their five children.

Posted in December 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Danger in Edinburgh

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Dianne Ascroft

Claire Barclay is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us about Danger in Edinburgh, the latest novel in the British Book Tour mystery series.

Welcome, Claire. 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 Claire Barclay. I own and operate a tour guide business where I take readers of mysteries (and their partners and friends) to the site of their favorite mystery novels in my home country of Britain. In Danger in Edinburgh: The British Book Tour Mysteries Book 4. I, innocently take my dog Gulliver for his evening walk in the Dean’s Path, usually a tranquil spot in the heart of Edinburgh. Not tonight. Tonight, Gulliver finds the body of a young woman. I learn she isn’t the first to be killed close to The Royal Mile. It wasn’t the first time I’d stumbled over a victim either. In my home village I’d been invited to tea to find my hostess dead—poisoned. (Hazards in Hampshire). My neighbour called me over to witness his discovery of his guest, dead in his garden. (Crime in Cornwall) and a security guard I’d met only once was dead at my feet (Perils in Yorkshire). None of those murders were my fault.

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

I am a strong character, but I have to admit she is stronger. She manages the plot. I blurt out the dialogue.

How did you evolve as the main character?

I am rather surprised at the way I’ve changed. I’d had a bad relationship (everyone seems to) and I wasn’t interested in a permanent man, but Detective Inspector Mark Evans intrigued me. The man could sing. That was irresistible. I did resist for quite a while. After all, I had come into money, was independent, had my own house (semidetached) and my own dog. Why did I need Mark? My sister Dierdre nagged me and forced me to look at the way I was retreating from love. It was uncomfortable to contemplate, but I did inch my way into trusting that I’d survive a relationship with him. I’ve also learned quite a bit about the crazy bureaucracy of the police.

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

I love my sister Dierdre. Of course, she does nag but she’s a crown prosecutor and is used to managing everyone around her. She loves me, too, and I value that and she knows well. She gave me Gulliver before I even knew I wanted a dog. He’s my friend and a darling. Then there’s Mark who is rapidly becoming necessary to my happiness.

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

Edinburgh is fascinating. I love the castle, the medieval buildings, the music in the pubs, the stairs and alleyways that connect pedestrians to different parts of the city. I take my tourists to Iona, the magical isle off Mull, to Blair Castle for the Highland Games with its dancing and bagpipes and the pub in Dunkeld for a night of Celtic fiddle music. We spend quite a lot of time in The Magpie Café where my tourists interact with the local patrons and the waitress Isla, a university student, is threatened by the killer. Everyone wants to find this killer.

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

I hope you come along with me as another tourist in my group and experience the characters I meet and the mystery that entangles us.

I invite your readers to   Join Newsletter

Thank you for answering my questions, Claire, and good luck to you and your author, Emma Dakin, with Danger in Edinburgh, the latest book in the British Book Tour mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Claire and her author, Emma Dakin by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Goodreads pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon – B&N – Kobo

About Emma Dakin: Emma lives in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast of British. She has over twenty trade published books, including a 2022 Award winning memoir Always Pack a Candle: A Nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, but continues to enjoy writing The British Book Tour Mysteries. Her love of the British countryside and villages and her addiction to cozy mysteries keep her immersed in discovering the different cultures of the country and the different dialects. She gives us characters who live and work in those villages, isles and cities. She introduces readers to the problems that disturb the idyllic setting. Research is essential to give the reader an authentic setting. It was necessary for Emma to sit in The Whiski Bar on The Royal Mile, to tour Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood and to play her fiddle in the Tay Inn. A trip to the Highlands and the iconic isle of Iona were vital. When not writing or traveling, she paddles with her outrigger crew on the waters of the Pacific Coast and walks her dog who is much less obedient than Claire’s fictional Gulliver.

Posted in Archives, November 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Longing is Violet Dusk

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Dianne Ascroft

Hazel Dean is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Longing is Violet Dusk, the latest novel in the Hazel Dean mystery series.

Welcome, Hazel. 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.

It’s rather odd to think of my life as a novel. I suppose the author thought my ability to see other people’s emotions in color would be interesting to write about. She is writing a series about a rather unfortunate period of my life when people seemed to be dying left and right. My ‘superpower,’ as my husband teasingly calls it, puts me in a position to be able to help figure out what happened to them. My grandmama always taught me that it is a Randolph’s responsibility to help whenever she is able. And with my husband being the district attorney and my dear Uncle John as the police captain… Well, I can’t help overhearing things, can I?

I own a bookstore/bakery called Books and Chocolate. Sometimes when people come into the shop, a book will turn the same color as their emotion, and I know that it’s a book they need to read. So I give it to them.

In the most recent installment of the series, Longing is Violet Dusk, a young mother that I know goes missing and I am desperate to find her. I’m worried about her, you see, because she seemed to be struggling with depression and I gave her a book to read that may or may not have been helpful. And then my high school sweetheart shows up in crisis. It was terribly stressful. 

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

Oh dear. The idea of Josalyn having control of what happens to me is a bit off-putting. I mean she’s a nice enough girl, but I don’t know if I’d just relinquish control to her. But honestly, I can’t imagine that she has much to do with it. She brings characters to life on the page, but their personalities and motivations are what drive their decisions and their decisions are what create the story.

How did you evolve as the main character?

As I said, this was a difficult time in my life when a lot of people close to me turned up dead. I feel a lot of responsibility for my community, and I want to take care of them, but I learned better ways to do that as tragedy continues to strike. I learned that preventing terrible things from happening isn’t always possible and that sometimes the best we can do is be with people in their crisis. I also hope that I learned to be a little less impulsive and nosy. And how to communicate with my husband better. 

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

I love sharing the story with so many people. First, of course, is my family. My husband Jason, and my sons Jeremiah and Elias. In this book, Longing is Violet Dusk, they are both in high school and living at home still. There’s also my Uncle John. He helped raise me after my parents died when I was a kid. He’s a little rough around the edges but he’s a dear. 

There’s also so many wonderful friends and neighbors that live in my community, like my friends Nora and LaShay. There’s also Waylon Gibbons who lives alone out in the woods but would give you the shirt off his back if it would help you. In Longing is Violet Dusk, I get to reconnect with my high school boyfriend’s family, which is a little hard but also wonderful. They meant so much to me when I was a teenager.

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

It’s in my hometown, Red Gap, Georgia, which is the most beautiful place in the whole world. It’s a little town up in the Smoky Mountains, surrounded by hiking trails, including the world-famous Appalachian Trail. I’ve lived my whole life there and I would never want to live anywhere else. 

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

I’ve been told I’m a comforting person to spend time with. A reader told the author just the other day that while my books are a little sad, she has the sense that everything will work out because I’m there and I’ll take care of everything. It was an awfully nice thing to say. I sure hope it’s true. I do try. Sometimes there’s not much I can do, but I care deeply and will never abandon a friend in need.

Thank you for answering my questions, Hazel, and good luck to you and your author, Josalyn McAllister, with Longing is Violet Dusk, the latest book in the Hazel Dean mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Hazel and her author, Josalyn McAllister by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N

About Josalyn McAllister: Josalyn is a cozy fiction author whose most recent works include Love Over Easy and Guilt is Midnight Blue. Josalyn started writing character descriptions at the tender age of seven, inspired by the works of LM Montgomery. In her teenage years, she moved on to Newsies fan fiction. Inspired by National Novel Writing Month, she wrote her first novel about a child she mentored in college. She has never stopped writing. Josalyn taught middle school history before deciding she would rather spend time with her own children than other peoples. A restless soul, she has moved all over the country and collected an eclectic array of hobbies. Her writing has a relatable quality that will charm and entertain you.

Posted in Archives, November 2022 | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment