Today Jodi Linton is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Nightmare on the Bike Trail, her latest novel in the Southwest Exposure Mystery series.
Welcome, Jodi. 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.
Nightmare on the Bike Trail is book four in my Southwest Exposure Mystery Series. The series follows amateur sleuth and outdoor guide, Andie Sullivan, as she solves crimes in her mountain community of Bushwhack, New Mexico.
Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?
A couple years back, my husband and I took the kids to Ruidoso, New Mexico for a trip. There we had the grand idea of renting mountain bikes to take on the trails. Well, my kids didn’t think the idea was so fabulous. They’d stop every two seconds, and I was behind them, so I had to stop, going uphill. It was a nightmare. And that’s how I came up with the idea for the title and some plot to storyline of Nightmare on the Bike Trail.
Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?
Not necessarily. The book is part of a series and some of the plot connects to an overarching subplot, but the book can be read as a standalone.
How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?
I created Andie Sullivan and Zac Mars after going on several vacations to the mountains and wondering what it would be like to live there. I just threw a murder mystery into it.
How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?
When it comes to Bushwhack, New Mexico—my family and I are regular vacationers to Red River, New Mexico and surrounding mountain communities so I was able to draw from my experiences or what I saw.
What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?
As to research for the Southwest Exposure Mysteries, I actually do outdoors adventures to get a feel of what Andie and her friends might be doing. A few weeks ago, I went canoeing on the Brazos River and spent a day out in nature.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?
Just that it’s a fun, thrilling story and if they haven’t started reading about Andie and her crime solving adventures—now’s the time.
Thank you for answering my questions, Jodi, and good luck with Nightmare on the Bike Trail, your latest novel in the Southwest Exposure Mystery series.
AboutJodi Linton: Jodi is an author of several romance novels and cozy mysteries. She pens funny, romantic, whodunnits during her days in between being a carpool mom. She lives in Texas with her husband, with who she runs the family day business with and two kids. When she isn’t writing her next page turner, she likes to delve into her hobby of finding all the cool, new makeup products to buy.
Today Helene Greenberg is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about An Eggnog to Die For, the latest novel in the Cape Cod Foodie mystery series.
Welcome, Helene. 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.
Greetings. My name is Helene Greenberg. I live inside the Cape Cod Foodie series, which features Samantha Barnes (known to her friends as Sam) a disgraced but resilient ex-chef who retreats home to Cape Cod, where she finds herself juggling a new job as the local paper’s “Cape Cod Foodie,” a complicated love life, a posse of just-slightly-odd friends (which apparently includes me), a falling-down house, a ginormous puppy and a propensity for falling over dead bodies.
The truth is I’m still amazed at the (sometimes hilarious, I admit) murder and mayhem in the first book of the series, A SIDE OF MURDER. Nor do I see much relief in sight in the book I’m living in now, AN EGGNOG TO DIE FOR. But I digress…
Back to me, Helene. For 25 years, I was a legal psychologist with the Manhattan DA’s office, where I evaluated countless people facing criminal charges. When I retired three years ago, I moved to the town of Fair Harbor on the Cape, where I’m now a librarian, a job I much prefer. Sam says I am like no other librarian you ever met. Perhaps. Who am I to say? I am 60-ish with a mane of curly silver hair that I don’t even try to tame, a penchant for t-shirts that say things like “Don’t judge my journey,” and very little tolerance for fools.
But more to the point, I am Sam Barnes’ next door neighbor and confidant.
When Sam she found she’d inherited her Aunt Ida’s house on the Cape, she retreated home to Fair Harbor, got a job writing restaurant reviews and, on her first assignment (in A SIDE OF MURDER), promptly found a dead body. (Sigh.) And now she’s doing it again in AN EGGNOG TO DIE FOR. Only this time, she stumbles over a very dead Santa in a very hip restaurant. (Sigh again.) No matter how many times I advise Sam to be very, very careful, she invariably is not. But I keep trying…
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
Honestly, I find our writer a little controlling. Granted, she has to deal with Sam, who never fails to surprise us with her not-being-very-very-careful thing. But I am a reasonable person. You’d think I’d have some input.
About the only thing our writer will let me do is 1) train Sam’s dog, Diogi (pronounced Dee-OH-gee, as in D O G, get it?), which I am quite good at, although I have been accused of using untraditional commands (I ask you, what is wrong with “Diogi, shut up!”?). And 2) she agrees to let me caution Sam about behaving sensibly in her detection. Also, 3, the writer turns to me to explain why bad guys do what they do. (Twenty-five years with the DA’s office left me with a deep, if cynical, understanding of human nature.) And, of course, 4) she’s all for me trying to guide Sam in her sometimes rocky relationship with the town harbormaster, Jason Captiva.
So actually, now that I come to think about it, apparently I do get a say.
How did you evolve as a character?
I am 60-something years old, for goodness sake. I stopped evolving a long time ago.
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
I’m immensely fond of Diogi. He’s is your typical Cape Cod mutt, part yellow Lab, part whatever (given his size, perhaps Great Dane). He is loyal and well-meaning, but he is not particularly intellectual. The only commands he responds to are “shut up” (on occasion), “sit” (on occasion), “stay” (almost never), and “go find Helene” (always). And, oh yes, “sic ’em.” Don’t ask.
On the other hand, his emotional intelligence is impressive. If you are feeling blue, Diogi is exactly what you need. First, he will lay his big head in your lap until you smile just a little bit, and then he will take you out for a nice long walk to cheer you up. It never fails.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
The series takes place in Fair Haven, a small town on Cape Cod nestled around the shores of Crystal Bay. In the summer, it is gloriously beautiful, but during the holidays, it’s downright charming.
Here’s how Sam describes it in AN EGGNOG TO DIE FOR: “There was something magical about a small New England town like Fair Harbor over the holidays. Pine garlands looped along white wooden fences, candles shining in the windows of four-square captain’s houses, wreaths with big red bows on the front doors of modest Capes, little wreaths with smaller bows on the dormer windows—it never changed, and it never failed to lift my heart.”
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
Yes. I’d like to thank all the readers who have written to say how much they enjoy my part in the Cape Cod Foodie mysteries. In the words of one reader, “Helene is a wise friend and always knows when you need a glass of wine and a hot bath!” If that isn’t the definition of friendship, I don’t know what is.
Thank you for answering my questions, Helene, and good luck to you and your author, Amy Pershing, with An Eggnog to Die For, the latest book in the Cape Cod Foodie mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Helene and her author, Amy Pershing by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Instagram pages. You can also sign up for her newsletter here.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Amy Pershing: Amy Pershing, who spent every summer of her childhood on Cape Cod, was an editor, a restaurant reviewer and a journalist before leading employee communications at a global bank. A few years ago she waved goodbye to Wall Street to write full time. An Eggnog to Die For is the second of the Cape Cod Foodie mysteries featuring Samantha Barnes, a disgraced but resilient ex-chef who retreats home to Cape Cod where she finds herself juggling a new job as the local paper’s “Cape Cod Foodie,” a complicated love life, a posse of just-slightly-odd friends, a falling-down house, a ginormous puppy and a propensity for falling over dead bodies. Kirkus Reviews gave An Eggnog to Die For a starred review, saying, “A delightful sleuth, a complex mystery, and lovingly described cuisine: a winner for both foodies and mystery mavens.” A Side of Murder, the first of the Cape Cod Foodie mysteries, which Elizabeth Gilbert called “the freshest, funniest mystery I have ever read,” was the first book in the series. The third, Murder Is No Picnic, will be published in May 2022.
Today Jessica Fletcher is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Debonair inf Death, the latest novel in the A Murder, She Wrote mystery series.
Welcome, Jessica. 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 Jessica Fletcher and I am a school teacher turned mystery writer. Murder, She Wrote, Debonair in Death is book #54 in the series. When Coreen the manicurist at Loretta’s Beauty Parlor is accused of murdering a local merchant, I cannot stand by and see injustice done. While Loretta and I are trying to get Coreen’s name cleared, life gets more complicated because my old friend, MI6 agent Michael Haggerty, is discovered breaking into the dead man’s house.
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
Naturally, I get a say. Just look at the cover, it clearly says, “by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran”. Do you see whose name comes first?
How did you evolve as the main character?
I was fortunate enough to be selected as the main character for the television show Murder, She Wrote which debuted in 1984. A few years later the first Murder, She Wrote book was published. It seems I have a knack for stumbling over murders and an even great knack for solving them so I have become popular with television viewers and readers alike.
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
I love sharing the storyline in Murder, She Wrote, Debonair in Death with old friends, such as Seth Hazlitt, Mort Metzger, Michael Haggerty and the ladies at Loretta’s Beauty Parlor. There is a great level of trust with people I have known for a long time. But I must confess I also enjoy sharing stories with new friends.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
It is home. I am always happiest to be at home in the small coastal town of Cabot Cove, Maine surrounded by longtime friends and familiar places.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
I would like to thank the many viewers and readers who have kept the Murder, She Wrotefranchise alive and well for nearly forty years. I hope we continue to be friends for many years to come.
Thank you for answering my questions, Jessica, and good luck to you and your co-author, Terrie Farley Moran, with Debonair in Death, the latest book in the A Murder, She Wrote mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Jessica and her co-author, Terrie Farley Moran by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About the authors: Terrie Farley Moran is co-author, along with Jessica Fletcher, of the Murder, She Wrote series. Terrie is also the author of the beachside Read ‘Em and Eat cozy novels, and is co-author of Laura Childs’ scrapbooking mysteries. Her short mystery fiction has been published in numerous venues. Terrie is a recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer awards.
Today Mia Carina is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, the latest novel in the Catering Hall mystery series.
Welcome, Mia. 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 Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder is the third book in the Catering Hall Mysteries. In the book, I’m over-the-top busy with a full schedule of events at our family business, Belle View Banquet Hall, which my dad Ravello and I run as a legit business for the not-always-so-legit Boldano Family. Parties scheduled include an out-there Nativity-themed first birthday party and a Sweet Sixteen for a teen drama queen. But my personal life is even more challenging. My estranged mother is trying to worm her way back into my life, and my friend Jamie has discovered a shocking secret about his past. And then of course, there’s a murder or two. Happy holidays, huh?
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too? We work together but to be honest, the writer has me on a pretty short lease.
How did you evolve as the main character? I moved back to New York from Florida after being considered a person of interest in my cheating husband’s disappearance. A boat turned up with the body of his mystery in it, but no Adam. He was assumed lost at sea, so I was off the hook. But it left me with relationship PTSD. Zero interest in dating again. Jamie and I started thinking about it but we’re better off as friends. There’s a new guy working for us, Shane. And between us, I am totally crushing on him. Shhh! Don’t say anything!
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them? Have I mentioned Shane? I also getting a kick out of my coworker Cammie, who’s committed to coasting on the job. But Cammie working at ten percent is more than most people working at a hundred. And I love my nonna Elisabetta, who lives downstairs from me in our two-family house.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story? You mean physically or emotionally? Physically, it’s almost Christmas and Astoria is decked out in Extreme Christmas Decorations. The old ladies in the neighborhood are duking it for Best Decorated Block and the competition is intense, lol.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book? It’s funny! If you like reading about holiday parties, bodies showing up in outdoor décor, and an animatronic Tony Benne-Santa decoration that croons Christmas songs – this is the book for you.
Thank you for answering my questions, Mia, and good luck to you and your author, Maria DiRico, with It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, the latest book in the Catering Hall mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Mia and her author, Maria DiRico by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Chicks on the Case pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Maria DiRico: Maria DiRico is the pseudonym for Ellen Byron, author of the award winning, USA Today bestselling Cajun Country Mysteries. Born in Queens, New York, she is first-generation Italian-American on her mother’s side and the granddaughter of a low-level Jewish mobster on her father’s side. She grew up visiting the Astoria Manor and Grand Bay Marina catering halls, which were run by her Italian mother’s family in Queens and have become the inspiration for her Catering Hall Mystery Series. DiRico has been a writer-producer for hit television series like Wings and Just Shoot Me, and her first play, Graceland, appears in the Best Short Plays collection. She’s a freelance journalist, with over 200 articles published in national magazines, and previously worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing. A native New Yorker who attended Tulane University, Ellen lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.
Today Macy Hatfield is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Trouble Brewing, the latest novel in the Barks & Beans Café mystery series.
Welcome, Macy. 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 current mystery is titled TROUBLE BREWING, and it’s Book 5 in the Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series. The Barks & Beans Cafe is a place where folks can enjoy a cup of java or tea, some delicious homemade pastries or sandwiches, and pet the shelter dogs that are brought in daily.
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
My author is great at plotting out the entire book, but sometimes things take a turn and more characters show up…or sometimes, I head in a more dangerous direction than she’d originally planned. 😉
How did you evolve as the main character?
A lot of time went into crafting my history with my ex-husband, Jake the Snake (he’s a cheater!), my shelter dog (a Great Dane named Coal), the cafe concept of bringing in shelter dogs, and most especially, my relationship with my big brother Boaz “Bo” Hatfield. Bo and I are very close, and he’s actually the one who renovated our great aunt Athaleen’s house into a cafe so I could enjoy working with dogs every day. My name “Macy” was actually the name of one of my author’s great aunts. Also, my author constantly visits the town where this series is set—Lewisburg, West Virginia, which has been voted one of the Coolest Small Towns in America.
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
I love my brother, Bo—he’s a fierce protector with a teddy bear heart (and a shelter cat!). My friend Summer runs the animal shelter. In TROUBLE BREWING, I’m helping my friend Della track down a treasure…and a murderer. Finally, I have an amazing boyfriend now, but if you haven’t read Book 4 to see who it is, you might want to do that first!
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
Although I hang out a little at the cafe and at my home (the back half of the cafe house), most of TROUBLE BREWING is set at a nearby inn. My friend Della and I went there for a girls’ weekend…and a little snooping. It’s a Halloween Spooks and Screams themed weekend, and there are hayrides, outdoor barbeques, a candlelit ghost tour in town…not to mention a murder that might be linked to a real-life ghostly legend. If you want to feel all the autumn vibes while getting a few shivers along the way, you’ll want to read this one!
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
I’m already gearing up for my next mystery, which is going to be set in the caverns near my town. It’s up for preorder now—COLD DRIP. Also, please note that this is a clean mystery series that adults as well as teens are enjoying. Thank you for letting me visit today!
You’re welcome, Macy, and thank you for answering my questions. Good luck to you and your author, Heather Day Gilbert, with Trouble Brewing, the latest book in the Barks & Beans Cafe mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Macy and her author, Heather Day Gilbert by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, and Goodreads pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.
About Heather Day Gilbert: Award-winning novelist Heather Day Gilbert enjoys writing mysteries and Viking historicals. She brings authentic family relationships to the page, and she particularly delights in heroines who take a stand to protect those they love. Avid readers say Heather’s realistic characters—no matter what century—feel like best friends. When she’s not plotting stories, this native West Virginia gal can often be found hanging out with her husband and four children, playing video games, or reading Agatha Christie novels.
Today Summer Merriwether is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Once Upon a Seaside Murder, the latest novel in the Beach Reads Mystery series.
Welcome, Summer. 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.
Yes, it’s the Beach Reads Series. In this book, the book store I run is hosting a cozy mystery author event and one of the books is based on a cold case that happened locally years ago. It’s a case that my deceased mother kept scrapbooks about. It’s a very odd connection…
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too? I don’t get a say, at all.
How did you evolve as the main character? I was a bit of a book snob, but a party of my personal story is that I change my attitude.
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them? I love my cousin Piper—we are like sisters—her daughter Mia, and my Aunt Agatha.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story? Brigid’s Island, a small island of the coast of North Carolina. This is where I grew up and where I am now running my mom’s book store—Beach Reads.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book? Beach Reads is a fun part of the community—we even have a book club, “the Mermaid Pie” books club, which is full of my mom’s best friends.
Thank you for answering my questions, Summer, and good luck to you and your author, Maggie Blackburn, with Once Upon a Seaside Murder, the latest book in the Beach Reads mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Summer and her author, Maggie Blackburn by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Instagram pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Maggie Blackburn: Maggie Blackburn is the pen name of Mollie Cox Bryan. She writes cozy mysteries with edge. She’s the author of several bestselling mystery series. She’s recently released a novella mystery series: The Victoria Town Mysteries. Her book, “Goodnight Moo,” has been shortlisted for a Fresh Fiction Reader’s Choice Award. Her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award and as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman’s World. She makes her home at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley, Va.
Today Anastasia Pollack is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Stitch, Bake, Die!, the latest novel in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysterie series.
Welcome, Anastasia. 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 crafts editor at a women’s magazine, and thanks to Lois Winston, I’m also the reluctant amateur sleuth of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. Stitch, Bake, Die!marks the tenth novel in the series. Lois has now been turning my life upside-down and sideways for ten books and three novellas. Prior to that, I was a typical middle-class wife and mother of two teenage boys. Then Lois came along and killed off my husband before the first page of the first book. As if that weren’t enough, she decided he was a closet gambler and had not only left me with debt greater than the GNP of most Third World countries, she stuck me with his communist mother and his bookie who’s demanding I pay off Karl’s debts—or else. Ever since, I’ve been scrambling to find ways to earn extra cash to climb out of that debt.
Before Lois decided to mess up my life, she wrote romance. If she wanted to make me a character in one of her books, why couldn’t I be the heroine of a romance? I really, really don’t like all these dead bodies she keeps tossing in my path.
Does the writer control what happens in the story, or do you get a say, too?
Did you read how I answered your first question? If I controlled any part of my story, would I be dealing with murder and mayhem—not to mention all that debt?
How did you evolve as the main character?
It all started with a conversation Lois’s agent had with an editor. The editor was looking for a cozy mystery series with a crafting theme. Lois worked as a designer in the consumer crafts industry, creating projects for craft and women’s magazines, craft book publishers, and kit manufacturers. Her agent thought she’d be the perfect person to write such a series. So Lois patterned me after her own career, making me the crafts editor for a women’s magazine.
And remember how I mentioned I got stuck with my communist mother-in-law? Guess who had a communist mother-in-law that lived with her for six long years. Sometimes I think this series is more roman a clef than fiction. (Lois is demanding that I tell you her husband is still very much alive and has never set foot in a casino, she doesn’t have a Shakespeare-quoting parrot, and she’s never stumbled over a single murder victim, much less the countless dead bodies she’s forced upon me. All of which she claims proves the series really is fiction.)
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
I will give Lois credit for one thing. She brought Zachary Barnes into my life when she had me rent out the apartment over my garage. (I’m convinced his genetic material swam in the same primordial soup as Pierce Brosnan and Hugh Jackman!) In my financially solvent days, the apartment was my studio/office, but I needed a way to bring in extra cash. However, in typical Lois fashion, although she made Zack a photojournalist, I suspect he’s got a side gig working for one of the alphabet agencies because he’s always dashing down to D.C. or flying off to weird places like Madagascar.
My bestie is Cloris McWerther, the food editor at the magazine where we both work. Cloris occasionally plays Watson to my Sherlock, which she does in Stitch, Bake, Die! after we’re both roped into working at a conference for retired women executives and—surprise, surprise—it’s not long before one of them winds up dead.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
Home is Westfield, NJ, which is a real suburban commuter town outside New York City. Lois claims if you set your books in a real location, it’s easier to keep from making mistakes, like having a one-way street going in one direction in one book and in the opposite direction in another book. I say she’s just lazy. However, since she recently relocated to Tennessee, she’s going to have to rely heavily on her memory from now on. This Jersey Girl is NOT moving out of New Jersey. (Don’t tell her I said that! She just might move me to Tennessee to spite me!)
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
I certainly hope your readers will be interested in giving the series a try if they haven’t already. And if they’ve read other books in the series, I hope they’ll read and enjoy Stitch, Bake, Die!
Thank you for answering my questions, Anastasia, and good luck to you and your author, Lois Winston, with Stitch, Bake, Die! the latest book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries series.
Readers can learn more about Anastasia and her author, Lois Winston by visiting the author’s website and her Goodreads, Bookbub, and Pinterest pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Lois Winston: USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.
Today Laura Childs, New York Times Bestselling Author of Twisted Tea Christmas, is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about writing a Christmas mystery.
Welcome, Laura. I’ll turn the floor over to you –
Every year, for more than a dozen years, my editor has asked me if I’d ever consider writing a Christmas book. After a few lame excuses (I’m being deported, the dog ate my first draft), and insisting how maniacally busy I was, my answer always ended up being “I’ll think about it.” Because a Christmas mystery always seemed like such a daunting task. After all, everyone has their own concept of the holidays. For some people it’s cheery and exciting with family gatherings, mulled wine, and twinkling lights. For others it means navigating tricky family dynamics, the memory of a botched tofu-turkey, or gifts (long underwear comes to mind) that went over with a resounding thud. Writing about Christmas always felt like a mine field.
Until one morning when I sat down and started fooling around with an idea for a Christmas mystery. What could it hurt? I told myself. I won’t whisper a word of this to my craggy, nagging editor (picture a cross between T-Rex and Scrooge). I’ll simply jot down a few words and see if they start to gel – kind of like the shrimp in aspic my Aunt Lucille used to serve at Christmas dinner. Well, those ideas turned into a full-fledged paragraph. And then (on Donner and Blitzen!) that morphed into four or five pages. And as I banged away at it, a crazy thing happened – the plot started to feel exciting, compelling, and, yes, very Christmasy.
But it was still a murder mystery. Edgy, a little dark, tons of action. In other words – entertaining. There were no scenes of snowflakes landing on eyelashes or people riding horse-drawn sleighs down moonlit lanes. So Twisted Tea Christmas was indeed Christmasy but without the Hallmark Channel spin.
But still. This book was to be #23 in my bestselling Tea Shop Mystery series set in Charleston, South Carolina. So it had to include tea, my gentle protagonist Theodosia (born with a full-throttle curiosity gene), and her charming tea sommelier Drayton. So I typed and tapped and, lo and behold, a few months later, came up with a Christmas-themed Tea Shop Mystery.
And it turned out pretty well. So what I’d like to do it take your hand and gently pull you into TwistedTea Christmas. Invite you to enjoy hallowed Southern traditions, dine on she-crab soup and spicy shrimp with tasso gravy, step inside drop-dead gorgeous mansions, and drink thirty-year-old Bourbon in Baccarat crystal. Let’s both crash this fine eccentric city known as Charleston!
Sound interesting? Then here’s a sneak peek:
It’s the week before Christmas as tea maven Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton, cater a fancy Victorian Christmas party for Miss Drucilla Heyward, one of Charleston’s wealthy doyennes. But smack dab in the middle of the Fa-la-la’s, Miss Drucilla is murdered, her gold rings stolen off her fingers, and a genuine Renoir snatched off the wall.
The police come screaming in while Theodosia peers speculatively at the guests and wonders – whodunit? Urged on by Miss Drucilla’s personal assistant, Theodosia runs a shadow investigation on suspects that include wealthy neighbors, a handyman named Smokey, an unscrupulous art dealer, and the executive directors of two local charities who were in line for donations.
As Theodosia continually finds herself in hot water, she also hosts numerous holiday tea parties, stumbles upon a second dead body, and shelters a cadre of homeless dogs who come to her rescue in the end. This Tea Shop Mystery is written with pacing, plot twists, and action reminiscent of a thriller and is liberally sprinkled with the magic of Christmas.
And I really do think you’d like it!
Thank you for giving readers an insight into writing this Christmas mystery, Laura, and good luck with Twisted Tea Christmas, the latest book in the Tea Shop mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Laura Childs by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
Gerry Schmitt, who writes under the pen name Laura Childs is now adding two more series that are harder-edged Wednesday February 26, 2014 in Plymouth. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)
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.
Today Frankie Champagne is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Deep Green Envy, the latest novel in the Deep Lakes cozy mystery series.
Welcome, Frankie. 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 Frankie Champagne. I’m a baker and vintner in the Deep Lakes Mystery series set in Wisconsin. Deep Green Envy is the fourth book of the series (which includes a Christmas prequel). Each mystery occurs during a different season, and this one is set in summer, otherwise known as “tourist season” where I live. I love running Bubble & Bake, bakery-by-day and wine-lounge-by-night, but truth be told, I went to college to become an investigative journalist. When I returned to my hometown, there were no opportunities for female journalists, so I ended up writing fluff stories about dinner parties and firemen fund raisers. Then, a mysterious death happened on frozen Lake Loki, and I jumped on the chance to investigate it and scoop the local paper. That was in the first novel, and now, with two murder investigations under my apron, I’m learning the recipe for tracking clues and solving crimes. I never expected I’d be sleuthing my way around a sheep farm to solve a mysterious shooting, but when my daughter is dating one of the suspects, what’s a mother to do? I pulled my detective hat out of my shop pantry and started sleuthing, this time with the help of my business partner, Carmen.
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
Oh, I definitely get a say in the side stories and how I find information. My writer talks to me when she’s out for walks or in the shower, and she actually listens to my advice.
How did you evolve as the main character?
I’ve changed from being self-conscious about my decisions to understanding who I am and what matters most in my life. As an amateur investigator, I’ve become smarter at asking the right questions from authorities, and I have found my own voice stemming from successful experiences and painful lessons. I’m still learning to navigate middle age parenting my adult daughters, as well as allowing romance to be part of my life. I was badly burned in an unsuccessful marriage, so I’ve waded carefully into the dating waters again. But, I’ve become more open-hearted and trust my own judgments.
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
I’m surrounded by wonderful characters in the series. My business partner and best friend, Carmen Martinez, is the voice of reason who brings me back to earth when I wander too far into impossible scenarios. Carmen is reliable and a straight-talker, even though I often lead her into the thick of my sleuthing escapades. My romantic partner, Garrett, has become my biggest fan in my pursuit of investigative reporting, but he also treats me with tenderness and care. The sheriff, Alonzo Goodman, is a straight arrow who doesn’t appreciate my involvement at his crime scenes. But, our relationship is complicated. We grew up together and after my divorce, Alonzo took on the role of protector, and may even have romantic feelings for me. Like I said, it’s complicated. The two aunties who work in the bakery are some of my favorite people. My aunt CeCe is a free spirit, estranged from our family for years, she brings her artistry, generous heart, and penchant for mischief into the books. Carmen’s Tia Pepita, shipped north from her Texas family, never misses a chance to add drama to the story. Tia bakes delightful empanadas and dulces in the Mexican tradition, but her superstitious nature often provides comic relief when the plot becomes heavy.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
Deep Lakes is a Wisconsin tourist lake town. The people who live there are small towners who know each other as well as the local gossip and history. The town swells in population during the summer and into autumn, but you could shoot a cannon down the street in winter and not hit any traffic. The town is idyllic with three lakes skirting one side and two rivers cutting through the middle. Spurgeon Park has lovely waterfalls where everyone stops for photos, and the downtown is sprinkled with charming shops, eateries, and the necessary businesses of life, too. Bubble & Bake occupies the corner of the main streets and features an eclectic mix of pastries representing many cultures. My Scandinavian grandmother taught me to bake delightful kringles, butterhorns, and shortbreads. Carmen and Tia Pepita make authentic Mexican goodies, while our college baking intern, Tess, adds in spices from her Ethiopian background to our traditional pastries. After the bakery sells out, we shift over to our lounge area, made cozy with traditional Scandinavian furnishings and soft lighting. The U-shaped black walnut bar made from a fallen tree is home to wine tastings, where my Bountiful Fruits vintages are featured.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
I love furry critters, so Bubble & Bake plays host each book to a featured kitty looking for a forever family. Our local vet, Dr. Sadie provides the little orphan, and we watch our patrons make friends or fall in love with the felines as someone claims them for their very own. But cats are not the only fur friends highlighted in the series. In Deep Green Envy, I develop a trusting relationship with a retired herding sheltie named Sonny.
Thank you for answering my questions, Frankie, and good luck to you and your author, Joy Ann Ribar, with Deep Green Envy, the latest book in the Deep Lakes cozy mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Frankie and her author, Joy Ann Ribar by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook and Instagram pages.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Joy Ann Ribar: Joy lives in central Wisconsin with her business partner-husband, John. She writes the Deep Lakes Mystery Series, starring baker/vinter and all-around spitfire, Frankie Champagne. Joy’s writing is inspired by Wisconsin’s four distinct seasons and local flavors, which she hopes to promote for all to enjoy.
Joy is a member of Sisters in Crime, Midwest Independent Booksellers, and Wisconsin Writers Association. She enjoys researching viticulture at area wineries, birding, hiking, and chatting with readers. Joy and her husband, John, someday plan to sell their house, buy an RV and travel around the U.S. spreading good cheer and hygge!
Joy is a little proud to have two bestsellers with Orange Hat Publishing: Deep Dark Secrets (2019) and Deep Bitter Roots (2020), under the Ten16 Press imprint of Orange Hat.
Today Lindsey Bakewell is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-off, the latest novel in the Beacon Bakeshop mystery series.
Welcome, Lindsey. 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 Lindsey Bakewell, a former Wall Street investment banker turned small town baker. Living in a small, lakeside village is quite a change of pace for me and my Newfoundland pup, Wellington, but I have to say that we both love it here. However, since moving to my renovated lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, and running my own bakery, I’ve also discovered something interesting about small towns. They may seem picturesque, idyllic, and friendly on the surface, but even in this charming village murder still happens. The story I’d like to share with you today is about the second time I’ve been forced to put on my sleuthing hat to do a little snooping around. This cozy misadventure happened during our town-wide Christmas festival. In fact, if I were to give it a title, it would be MURDER AT THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKE-OFF, because, yes, a murder really did take place, right in the middle of our live, very competitive Christmas cookie bake-off. I was trying to pull-off the perfect Christmas for my family and friends, and what happed instead? My sugar plum visions got derailed by a snarky Christmas diva, a pack of cookie-nappers, and an egotistical cookie judge. However, and not to give away the ending of my story, but let’s just say that the true spirit of the season prevailed.
Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?
Well, of course the writer, Darci Hannah, thinks she’s in charge of what I say and do as she sits at her desk with her two dogs beside her and a mug of reheated coffee, pecking away at her keyboard, trying to convince me to climb the circular stairs of the light tower in the dead of night to engage the resident ghost, the first lightkeeper, Captain Willy Riggs, but sometimes I’m just not having it. I’m like, “Hey, Darci, I’m tired from getting up at three in the morning to bake all these treats you want me to keep on the bakery shelves. I don’t want to talk with a ghost. How about he just visits me when I’m asleep? Can we do that?” Also, Wellington, although totally adorable, is a lot to take care of—especially since he’s in the lake all the time and drools incessantly. And don’t get me started on my bestie, the influencer diva herself, Kennedy Kapoor! Talk about a handful! Kennedy has a way of derailing Darci’s best laid plans as she writes, because Kennedy is confident, self-absorbed, and totally outrageous. Oh, and did I mention that I’m also super attracted to my hunky, ex-navy SEAL neighbor, Rory Campbell? I insist on having more scenes with him. I mean, I can just pop next door any time I want, you know? But Darci keeps sending him out hunting, and ice fishing all the time. However, she can’t keep him from popping into the bakery to be with me or stopping him from helping me out when I’m investigating a murder! Then there’s my parents, my gracefully aging supermodel mother, Ellie Montague Bakewell, and my awesome dad, who I take after most. I love my parents, but do they really need to keep showing up in Beacon Harbor when I least expect it? Like all well- meaning mothers, I think Mom has a way of bending Darci to her will. I can just hear her now. “Hey, I need to visit my daughter and she keeps ignoring my phone calls. Make that happen, Darci!” And she does. However, as much as I’d like to dictate what I do, for the most part I know that Darci has my back, and at times that’s a very comforting thing to know.
How did you evolve as the main character?
Well, I popped into Darci’s imagination one day when she was thinking up a new main character for a new mystery series she was writing. Darci was on the phone with her younger brother who was working at a firm on Wall Street at the time. He was looking out the window and describing the scene to her. She thought it must be really cool to live in a thriving city like New York, and work in a really cool office in a high-rise building. Then, however, Darci realized that she’s a mom to three sons and lives in a small town in Michigan. She’s pretty good with numbers, but she’s no banker. She is, however, a pretty good baker. She decided to create me to bridge the gap between both worlds, and experience life in a small village after having a successful career. Also, she made me buy a lighthouse sight unseen because she has this fascination with lighthouses. She also is pretty convinced that most old lighthouses are haunted, so viola! My lighthouse is haunted too, lucky me. However, I’m eternally grateful to her for giving me Wellington, my loveable Newfi. He really is the best. Darci and her husband once owned a Newfi, and now I’m living the dream too. But, oh! All that drool!
Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?
I do. I can’t hold down this fort alone if you know what I mean. Besides having some truly fun characters in the village, and a great supporting staff at the Beacon Bakeshop, I also have an outrageous best friend, Kennedy Kapoor, who is an Englishwoman of half Indian descent. Kennedy is not only smart and confident, she’s also beautiful. We met in college, and now she’s one of the top fashion influencers in the country. She lives in NYC, but she spends a lot of time in Beacon Harbor with me as well. Then there’s my hunky neighbor Rory Campbell. He’s a recently retired navy SEAL who lives in the log home just around the point from my lighthouse. Rory’s trying to write a military thriller, but he loves hanging out at my bakeshop in the mornings. He also is invaluable to me when we’re trying to find a murderer. Let’s just say that Rory has skills.
What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?
I live in an old, renovated lighthouse on the shores of Lake Michigan. One half of the large lighthouse houses my living quarters, with a full second story for not only my bedroom but a few guestrooms as well. The other half of the lighthouse contains my bake shop and café, the Beacon Bakeshop, with spectacular outdoor seating in the warmer months. As you can imagine, my home is not only cozy and romantic, but it’s utterly dramatic when a winter storm blows in. And let me tell you, there’s no better place to look at a sunset or snuggle in to read a good book than up in the lightroom. Yes, it might be haunted, but it’s utterly magical too.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?
If you’re in the mood for fun Christmas cozy mystery with engaging characters, descriptions of delectable Christmas cookies, humorous dialogue, and plenty of intrigue, then look no further. MURDER AT THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKE-OFF is the book for you. You’ll not only get to meet me and my loveable pup, Wellington, and all my friends in Beacon Harbor as well, but you’ll also have a front row seat at our Christmas cookie bake-off. This mystery is full of Christmas cheer as well as a hefty dose of Christmas shenanigans. However, there are some truly yummy recipes in the book as well that you won’t want to miss. Hope to see you there!
Thank you for answering my questions, Lindsey, and good luck to you and your author, Darci Hannah, with Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-off, the latest book in the Beacon Bakeshop mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Lindsey and her author, Darci Hannah by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram pages.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Darci Hannah: Cozy mystery author, Darci Hannah, is a native of the Midwest and currently lives in a small town in Michigan. Darci is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. When Darci isn’t baking for family and friends, hiking with her furry pals, Ripley and Finn, or concocting her next cozy mystery, she can be found wandering around picturesque lakeside villages with her hubby, sampling baked goods and breaking for coffee more often than she should.
