Murder Most Pemberley

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Jessica Berg is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Murder Most Pemberley, her first novel in the Eliza Darcy Mystery series.

Welcome, Jessica. 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. Murder Most Pemberley is the first book in the Eliza Darcy Mystery series. My protagonist, Eliza Darcy, is the great to the sixth-degree granddaughter of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy. When we first meet her, she is readying for a trip across the pond to England for a family reunion at Pemberley to investigate the estrangement between her father and her uncle, Lord Fitzwilliam Darcy. Well, things escalate quickly, and she soon finds her embroiled in murder and mayhem! Add in the mix a sexy English love interest and a batty great aunt, and Eliza has her hands full.

Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from? My two favorite authors are Jane Austen and Agatha Christie, and I thought, what the heck, why not combine the two in one universe! So, I did and ended up with an Austen sleuth in a Christie world. The mystery itself revolves around the great estate of Pemberley. I can’t say too much, or I might give away the secret!

Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it? My writing, whether cozies or contemporary romances, centers around family. So, while my settings, characters, and plots may change, family remains the staple of all my novels. By combining Austen’s family-centered novels with Christie’s cozies, where dysfunctional families often bring about murder and mayhem, my writing deals with the impact families have on characters, whether for good or bad.

How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them? My characters are a mix of many people, often ones I know personally. I often use my family as inspiration and steal one aspect from this person, combine with a few other traits from someone else, and ta-da, I have a brand-new person! It’s quite fun and the most enjoyable part of writing. My favorite character, so far, is Great Aunt Iris from Murder Most Pemberley. She’s spicy, spunky, wears velvet track suits and white tennis shoes that squeak, carries a purse bigger than she is, and makes inappropriate innuendos that only an octogenarian can get away with. She is my goal for my eighty-plus-year-old self!

How do you bring to life the place you are writing about? I browse pictures on Google or Unsplash or Pixabay to get a solid idea of what the location looks like in reality, and then I play with those ideas when I incorporate those descriptions into my narrative. To do that, I imagine myself there and pay attention to all my senses: What would I see? Would the ground beneath my feet feel firm or spongy? Am I standing in the shade on a hot summer’s day or am I in summer gear and the day is only 60 degrees and cloudy? Am I in a flower garden surrounded by marigolds (which don’t smell good) or roses (which are delicious)? These are the details I think about and then incorporate through the eyes of the characters.

What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel? For Murder Most Pemberley, I did a lot of research. Like, a ton! I read several books on British slang, speech patterns, and the like. My husband and I also love British television shows and are currently watching Midsomer Murders. While we watch I have my little notebook, and I jot down certain phrases or interjections or speech patterns. As for the English communities and settings in my book, Lambton and Pemberley are Austen’s fictionalizations, so I simply played on her descriptions from Pride and Prejudice. I also went a step further and had three separate English beta readers read my book for feedback. I want this book to be as authentic as possible, but I also want to play off the differences between American English and British English; these lost in translation moments had hilarious moments in my fictional world.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book? If you love Jane Austen and/or Agatha Christie and love a good mystery with authentic characters, I know you will love tagging along with American sleuth Eliza Darcy as she traverses the upper crust of English society and attempts to solve a murder!

Thank you for answering my questions, Jessica, and good luck with Murder Most Pemberley, your first novel in the Eliza Darcy Mystery series.

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

The novel is available online at the following retailers:

Amazon – Kobo – B&N – Books2Read

About Jessica Berg: She is a child of the Dakotas and the prairie, grew up amongst hard-working men and women and learned at an early early age to “put some effort into it.” Following that wise adage, she has put effort into teaching high school English for over a decade, being a mother to four children (she finds herself surprised at this number, too), basking in the love of her husband of more than fifteen years and losing herself in the imaginary worlds she creates.

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Who, me?

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Charlotte Stuart is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Who Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and Aphrodite, her latest novel in the Macavity & Me Mystery series.

Welcome, Charlotte. 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.

Who Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and Aphrodite is the 2nd in the Macavity & Me Mysteries. The first was Why Me? Chimeras, Conundrums and Dead Goldfish.

Bryn Baczek lives on a sailboat in an urban marina in Seattle with her cat, Macavity, and a series of short-lived goldfish. (She keeps replacing them to avoid telling her young niece that they died.) In Why Me? she discovers a body that disappears. In Who Me? she finds a murder weapon that is stolen before she can turn it over to the police. In both books there are serious themes: trafficking illegal human organs in Why Me? and fraud in non-profit organizations in Who Me?. In both books Bryn has liveaboard friends who assist in the investigations and a cat who complicates her life. Her relationships with friends and family are central to the light-hearted storylines. My goal is to make people smile while presenting a twisty puzzle to solve.

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

I once overheard a fight between two people on a boat several slips away and have always wondered if I should have intervened. My imagination took over from there—

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

I’ve worked for non-profits, both as an employee an as a consultant, and have been impressed with their dedication to mission. At the same time, I’ve seen how frequent turnover of staff and board members can have a negative impact on safeguards within an organization. I’m also aware that there are many financial issues that audits don’t uncover. Hence, the focus on fraud.

And . . .  once you start writing mysteries, you see motives for murder everywhere!

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

In each of my mysteries I’ve started by identifying a main character and a context for their life. The next step for me is to populate their story with friends, family, colleagues, and, frequently, pets. Since I have to “live” with the cast of characters while writing the book, I prefer likeable if flawed characters.

In this series, I’m particularly fond of Macavity. He’s so real to me that I had a hard time reconciling the cat on the cover with my vision of him, even though the cover was based on a description I gave to the graphics designer.

Another favourite is Logan, my protagonist’s good friend who lives at the same marina. He’s a composite of several friends in my life, someone you can count on no matter what. I enjoy writing about their camaraderie and their comfortable back-and-forth exchanges.

In addition, I liked the Scottish “bad boy” from Why Me? and am working on ways to bring him back to life.

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

In this series it was easy—the location is based on a marina where my husband and I lived aboard our sailboat for ten years. Because I loved that boat and miss it still, I gave the boat in Who Me? the same name: Aspara. It’s from a utopian novel, Islandia, in which sea birds by that name accompanied the main character while sailing. Austin Tappan Wright, the author of Islandia, also had a boat called Aspara.

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

I love doing research, so although I like to write about topics with which I have some familiarity, I do a lot of online and book research. Unfortunately, I can’t resist wanting to have some of the best resources at my fingertips. I’m running out of bookshelves, and I have so many files on my computer, just organizing them is becoming a challenge.

In Who Me? for instance, I thought I knew a lot about audits and non-profit boards. But when I started looking into potential for fraud, I was amazed at how much information there was. Of course you can’t use everything you learn—it would overload the story with details. But I would like to think that readers know I make an effort to support and motivate plot with facts.

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

Just that I really enjoy writing mysteries about good people who find themselves in difficult and sometimes dangerous situations that can only be overcome with ingenuity and a little luck. I would like to think that my mysteries are a pleasant distraction from the strife and challenges of the times we live in.

Thank you for answering my questions, Charlotte, and good luck with Who Me? Fog Bows, Fraud and Aphrodite, your latest novel in the Macavity & Me Mystery series.

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

The novel is available online at  Amazon 

About Charlotte Stuart: In a world filled with uncertainty and too little chocolate, Charlotte Stuart, PhD, has taught college courses in speech communication, was a management consultant and a VP of HR, and has enjoyed time spent sailing and commercial salmon fishing in Alaska. Her current passion is for writing mysteries with a dollop of adventure and a smattering of humor. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys watching herons, eagles, seals and other sea life from her Vashon Island home office.

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Raiders of the Campsite

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Jodi Linton is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about, Raiders of the Campsite, 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. Raiders of the Campsite is book three in my Southwest Exposure Mystery Series. The series is set in the fictionalized town of Bushwhack, New Mexico and follow our sleuth, Andie Sullivan, who owns an outdoor tour company with her brother.

Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from? Raiders of the Ark. Lol. I’m an eighties baby, and I grew up watching Indiana Jones movies with my brothers. I’d also just recently gone camping with my family, which during the camping trip I fell and busted up my knee. Go figure. So, I thought it would be fun to write a mystery set during a camping trip with buried treasure.

Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it? I’d say the theme of the story is you don’t have to be blood to be family. I’m adopted, a daughter of divorce family and through the years I have had to discover what true family means to me. In Raiders of the Campsite, Andie puts herself on the line to protect her friend and bring her friend justice. I wanted to show this side of her, because I know family is what or who you make it. After this past year, I really evaluated who I considered my family and what family actually meant to me. And I concluded to me…my family is the people who are there for me and want the best for me, no matter the cost. They are the people I’ll give my everything to, blood, sweat and tears and they don’t tear me down. Nor do I them. My hope is that after reading Raiders of the Campsite, you’ll come away with a sense of family, connection between the characters. And most of all have a smile on your face.

How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them? My characters just really come to me. Sometimes they have little instances of me, my kids, my husband in them. But other times, I’ll just think I want this one to be quirky or this character to be grumpy and it’ll go from there. At the moment, I’d say my favorite character to write is Zac Mars. I’m having fun with his arc.

How do you bring to life the place you are writing about? We travel to New Mexico at least two to three times a year. When there I’m always mentally thinking that place would make a good spot for the series or that scenic view is awesome.

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

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book? Just have fun while reading, and enjoy a good escape with Andie even if you aren’t a camper.

Thank you for answering my questions, Jodi, and good luck with Raiders of the Campsite, the latest book in the Southwest Exposure mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Jodi by visiting her website and her Facebook, Bookbub, and Goodreads pages, and her Facebook Readers Group.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon  B&N    Kobo     iBooks

About Jodi 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.

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A Glimmer of a Clue

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Daryl Wood Gerber is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about, A Glimmer of a Clue, her latest novel in the Fairy Garden mystery series.

Welcome, Daryl. 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.

A GLIMMER OF A CLUE is the 2nd in the Fairy Garden Mysteries. The first, A SPRINKLING OF MURDER, came out last July. The series is set in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California and features a fairy garden shop owner named Courtney Kelly. Courtney has a shop full of delights, a cat named Pixie, a green thumb—and a magical touch when it comes to garden design. For a bit of whimsical magic, the series also features a sleuth fairy named Fiona. Courtney gave up her landscaping career to open the shop. When she dared to spread her wings, Fiona revealed herself to her. Fiona has been booted out of the fairy kingdom and needs to earn her adult wings in order to return. To do that, she must help humans solve problems.  What is a fairy garden? Think of it as doll-housing for your garden, with fairy figurines and plants and environmental pieces like houses and slides and fairy doors. Each garden should tell a story. In A GLIMMER OF A CLUE, things aren’t all sweetness and fairy lights . . . when Courtney finds the local pickleball champ dead at an event and Courtney’s best friend’s mother looks guilty.

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

There is a woman I used to know who simply irked the heck out of people because she was so full of herself. She made everyone around her feel small. Isn’t that exactly the kind of person who, if we’re honest, should find a bad end in a mystery? As for pickleball, friends of mine play it, and the idea of the game makes me smile. One friend says it sounds like ping-pong on steroids. The thwap-thwap sound the whiffle-style ball makes is incredible. The over-the-top aspect of the game belonged in this book.

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

Yes. I don’t believe in bullying. It’s wrong on so many levels. I thought someone who acted like a bully to everyone deserved her comeuppance. What is particularly great about having this kind of victim is that everyone becomes a suspect. She wasn’t liked by anyone. Sure, a few will protest and claim they loved her, but they didn’t. Not really. Way back when, someone I’m very close to was bullied, and it changed his life dramatically. In my writing, I hope to give power to the offended.

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

I often start with what they look like and decide what their core essence is (good, bad, mealy-mouthed, bull-headed) and then give them a name, a profession or style of life, and let them come to life as I create. I make notes as I write them so I can remember all aspects of them. In this series, I love Courtney. She has such passion for her work, for her friends. She is loyal to a fault. [This happens to be a theme throughout my other work, too.] And she adores her cat Pixie and her fairy pal Fiona. She has a complex relationship with her father, but it is getting better over the course of the series.  I also love Meaghan Brownie, Courtney’s best friend. Though spiritually grounded and a gifted artist and musician, she can be flighty, flirty, and fun. If only she wasn’t in love with the wrong guy, but as an author, I can fix that in a future book. I love Courtney’s assistant Joss Timberlake, too. She took form from the moment she appeared on the page. She’s feisty, knowledgeable, and a bit of an imp. She is a stalwart supporter of Courtney and, though not Courtney’s mother, she can be fiercely protective of Courtney.  And then there’s Brady Cash . . .

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

I imagine what it should look like in my mind’s eye, and then I do a deep dive on Pinterest and other Internet sites to get mental images. To create Open Your Imagination, Courtney’s shop, I sketched (I’m NOT an artist) the basics, including the main showroom and the patio. I had to rework it until I knew exactly where everything was, as if designing my own shop. I studied maps in Carmel [ a real place] to make sure I’d oriented the shop and movements on the streets appropriately, too. I used to go to Carmel as a girl, to enjoy the galleries and the beach, but I’ve done a lot more research since then. It’s graced with lovely hidden courtyards and such fabulous history. The history always colors my view of a town. When designing Courtney’s cottage and its front and rear yards, I studied the plants that would grow naturally in Carmel-by-the-Sea and had a blast mentally planting them.

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

As I mentioned above, I do a deep dive with visual images. I’ve also done a lot of reading about Carmel and the establishment of the town. It blossomed after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco when authors and artists migrated south to find an area that welcomed like-minded people. A year before the first book was due, I visited Carmel to take updated pictures of the courtyards and streets and to orient myself. I visited the library and post office and a few of the galleries. I chatted up the ladies in the visitors’ center, too. That was a fun trip! Plus I’ve visited a couple of fairy garden shops. One, in Orange, California (an hour and a half from where I live) inspired me to start making my own fairy gardens and gave me ideas about what I needed to include at the shop for customers eager to make fairy gardens. At Open Your Imagination, Courtney offers workshops and private lessons.

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

Some people want to know if this is a paranormal mystery. The word “paranormal” can be off-putting for a reader who doesn’t want to read about ghosts and such. So simply remember that this is a cozy mystery that features a fairy. No witches. No goblins. Fiona is about two to three inches tall. She has blue hair—it’s actually gossamer and catches the light, much like a prism or the lens of a camera—she wears a silver dress and has sparkly silver shoes. Her wings are small because they are junior wings. She’s sassy but knows she must become more sober in order to earn her adult wings. Earnest might be the best way to describe her. She adores Courtney and Courtney adores her.

I hope you’ll all take the chance to get to know her and those she loves. Thank you for the lovely questions!

Thank you for answering my questions, Daryl, and good luck with A Glimmer of a Clue, the latest book in the Fairy Garden mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Daryl by visiting her website and her Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub, Pinterest, Youtube and Goodreads pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon   Barnes and Noble:    Kobo    Bookshop    Indiebound   Mysterious Galaxy   Murder by the Book    Target    Kensington Books

About Daryl Wood Gerber: Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber writes the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries, the Fairy Garden Mysteries, and the French Bistro Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes the Aspen Adams novels of suspense as well as stand-alone suspense. Daryl loves to cook, fairy garden, and read, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle who keeps her in line!

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Poker Face

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Paty Jager, author of Poker Face, is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about writing unique characters.

Welcome, Paty. I’ll turn the floor over to you:

Since my first attempts at writing, I’ve always been outside the box of what editors, agents, and publishers wanted. I have always written books that have topics not usually mentioned in genre fiction or a mix of cultures in the characters, or even disabilities. I have been writing inclusive before it was a thing.

I have admiration and empathy for Indigenous people. I am inspired by their beliefs and culture, I have empathy for the way they have been treated, and I admire their facing all adversities. That is why I do my research, talk to people in the tribes I write about, and try my best to show the good and the bad of their lives.

The main character of my new Spotted Pony Casino Mysteries is a female disabled veteran who grew up on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation. This is a reservation in NE Oregon where the Umatilla, Cayuse, and Walla Walla tribes were banished to during the treaties. There are also some Nez Perce from marriages and very few true Cayuse tribal members. They are a strong group or tribes who are resilient and have learned to use technology and embrace moving into the future all while also managing to hang onto their roots and culture.

 Dela Alvaro isn’t Indigenous. Her mother is Swedish and her father was Hispanic. Dela grew up on the reservation where her mother taught school. Going to school with the reservation children, she bonded and made strong friendships.  After school she joined the army and planned to make a career in the Military Police. However, while out on a mission, their jeep was hit by an IED. Two years later, after surgeries and rehab, she returns to the reservation having lost her career and no longer being able to become an Oregon State Trooper or join any other law enforcement organization.

As a lower leg amputee, Dela has had to change her expectations for a job. She also has to learn how to deal with life as an amputee. I nor anyone in my family is an amputee. So I have been watching Youtube videos and have joined a Facebook group for lower limb amputees to read how they cope, what obstacles they come across. Reading some of their vents has helped me to better see how they feel and react to situations.

I do this with any culture, occupation, or as in this case, disability I come across to help me portray the character as best I can.

I take being as factual as possible in my fiction seriously.

Dela does get a job as assistant to the Head of Security at the Spotted Pony Casino where she is first introduced in my Gabriel Hawke Novel, Stolen Butterfly. During the course of that book, the head of security is caught aiding human trafficking and Dela is move to interim Head of Security. A job she takes very serious knowing it is as close as she’s going to get to a job in law enforcement with her disability. The only problem: a casino employee is stabbed and shoved in a laundry chute. Now it’s solve the murder or be demoted.

Do some of your favorite books or series have characters who are unique? In what way are they unique?

Thank you for telling us about your characters, Paty, and good luck with Poker Face, the latest book in the Spotted Pony Casino mystery series.

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

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon  – B&N – Kobo

About Paty Jager: Paty is an award-winning author of 51 novels, 8 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

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The Corpse with the Iron Will

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Cathy Ace is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about The Corpse with the Iron Will, her latest novel in the Cait Morgan Mystery series.

Welcome, Cathy. 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.

Thanks for having me! The Corpse with the Iron Will is the tenth Cait Morgan Mystery. Each book features Cait Morgan and her now-husband Bud Anderson, and there are some infrequently recurring characters, but – other than that – there’s a whole new group of suspects in each book, because each is set in a different country, as Cait and Bud travel the world. A lot of reviewers say my books can be read as standalones, which is great, because I aim to write them that way!

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

Although they are not the same as each other at all, a dear friend of our family, and his death, inspired this story. He is mentioned in the Acknowledgements of the book as having inspired the character at the heart of this story (the titular corpse); he was a gifted plantsman who specialized in hybridizing rhododendrons. My husband and I knew him for decades and were the ones who made the daily calls and visits to him that Cait and Bud do for their neighbour in the book. We miss him and his phenomenal knowledge a great deal, but his story is NOT the one I tell in the book!

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

This tenth book is very much a response to the pandemic: I didn’t want to write a “pandemic” book, and have decided that COVID 19 will not be mentioned in any Cait books…but I did want to explore the way Cait and Bud react to their usual understanding of the concepts of “home” and “community” when they are confronted with death on their doorstep…I think we’ve all realized that “home” and “community” mean something different to us these days.

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

Cait’s been with me for many years, and I am pretty sure everyone who meets me knows she’s somewhat based on me: like me she’s a Welshwoman who migrated to Canada; like me she’s a bit overindulgent when it comes to food; like me (apparently!) she’s a bit nosey and bossy! All of this means I like her enormously, though she and I are not one and the same – I’m delighted to tell you I don’t tend to trip over corpses wherever I go!

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

Each Cait Morgan Mystery is set in a different country; I planned this from the start because I have led a wandering life…living and working in many places, so Cait gets to share my love and enthusiasm for visiting new places, and I also get to share my love of art, architecture, and history…and food and drink.

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

Each novel is slightly different, depending on the focus. For this book I had to dig deep into my own psyche to check on how I feel about my neighbours (fictional versions!) and also find out how local law enforcement would deal with “the situation they are faced with” (sorry, I cannot say more – spoilers!) in this specific locale. I also fed my inspiration by constantly wandering our five-acre garden (when I wasn’t working in it).

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

I hope you can tell as you read it how very much I enjoyed writing it!

Thanks for answering my questions, Cathy, and good luck with The Corpse with the Iron Will, the latest book in the Cait Morgan Mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Cathy and her writing by visiting her website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram (@cathyace1) pages. You can also follow her on Twitter (@AceCathy
).

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – Kobo

About Cathy Ace: Cathy was born and raised in Swansea, Wales, then migrated to Canada aged 40. Having traveled the world (for business and pleasure) for decades, Cathy put her knowledge of the cultures, history, art, and food she encountered to good use in the Cait Morgan Mysteries – a series of traditional whodunits featuring a globetrotting Welsh Canadian professor of criminal psychology. These books have been optioned by Free@LastTV (Agatha Raisin). Ace also writes the #1 Amazon bestselling WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries, featuring four female PIs (one is Welsh, one Irish, one Scottish, one English). They tackle quirky, quintessentially British cases from a Welsh stately home in the rolling countryside of the Wye Valley. Her standalone tale of psychological suspense, The Wrong Boy, also became an amazon #1 bestseller, and is due to become a bilingual TV mini series. Cathy lives on five rural acres in British Columbia, where her ever-supportive husband ensures she’s able to work full-time as an author, and enjoy her other great passion – gardening. She’s been shortlisted for the Bony Blithe Award three times in four years, winning in 2015, has won an IPPY Award, and was shortlisted for an IBA Award and an Arthur Ellis Award.

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Flea Market Felony

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Tricia L. Sanders, author of Flea Market Felony, the latest book in the Mattie & Mo Mystery series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about discovering her passion for writing.

Welcome, Tricia. I’ll turn the floor over to you:

My fourth grade teacher helped me discover my passion for writing. Our assignment was due at the end of the week, and we were asked to write a story about something impossible. I remember stressing—if one can stress at the age of 9—about what would be impossible. As the week lurched toward Friday, I remember starting and stopping numerous story ideas. The trashcan next to my mom’s desk, where I discarded the various story starts, filled to overflowing with crumpled sheets of notebook paper. We didn’t have computers back then, nor could my family afford a typewriter—not that I knew how to use one anyway.

I must have sharpened a dozen pencils to the nub which was quite a task given we didn’t have a pencil sharpener. The task was completed with my mother’s paring knife over the kitchen wastebasket, shaving the wood away from the lead much like we peeled carrots. Mom, having given up trying to help me, stood over my shoulder reminding me to be careful and not cut off a finger.

It was on one of my trips between the kitchen and the living room where I overheard an advertisement on the radio about Christmas and how it only comes once a year that the idea for my story took root. What if Santa came in July when no one was expecting him? What if he snuck in, and I was the only one who saw him? What if he let me pet a reindeer, took me for a ride in his sleigh, then swore me to secrecy?

I ran to the desk, tore a fresh sheet of paper from my notebook, and the story sprang to life. Christmas in July flowed onto the page. The next morning when I handed in the pages, I beamed. My teacher was so pleased with my effort, she entered my story into a contest our local newspaper was sponsoring. It won first place and was published in the newspaper.

My writing endeavors soon graduated to re-writing the endings of the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books I read. I rewrote the ad copy on cereal boxes as I ate my breakfast, created a newspaper for my dolls. I was the editor and writer and created news stories about each one of the dolls—complete with a gossip column. My teen years found me writing angsty poetry and brooding songs.

Later in life I wrote training material and developed curriculum for my employer, never as satisfying as the made-up stories. It wasn’t until I took an early retirement that I finally returned to my love of writing fiction. Thirty-nine years after that first story I wrote and published my first novel—on a laptop this time.

Thanks for visiting and sharing how your love for writing developed, Tricia. Good luck with Flea Market Felony, the latest book in theMattie & Mo mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Tricia and her writing by visiting her website and her Facebook, Bookbub, Pinterest and Youtube pages. Readers can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – Books2Read 

About Tricia L. Sanders: Tricia L. Sanders lives in the Austin, Texas area and writes about women with class, sass, and a touch of kickass. A former instructional designer and corporate trainer, she traded in curriculum writing for novel writing, because she hates bullet points and loves to make stuff up. And fiction is more fun than training guides and lesson plans.

When she isn’t writing, Tricia is busy crossing dreams off her bucket list. With all 50 states checked, she’s concentrating on foreign interests. She’s an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, so don’t get between her and the television when a game is on. Currently, she is working on a mystery series set in the fictional town of Wickford, Missouri. Another project in the works is a women’s fiction road trip adventure.

Her essays have appeared in Sasee, ByLine, The Cuivre River Anthology, and Great American Outhouse Stories; The Whole Truth and Nothing Butt. She is a proud member of The Lit Ladies, six women writing their truths into fiction.

Posted in Archives, June 2021 | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Murder in the Family

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Eve Appel Egret is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Murder in the Family, the latest novel in the Eve Appel mystery series.

Welcome, Eve. 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 Eve Appel Egret, and for the last few years I’ve inhabited the Eve Appel Mysteries. There are eight books in the series, the eighth one having been released by Camel Press in April. It’s entitled Murder in the Family. I’m a gal from Connecticut who has settled in rural Florida to open a high-end consignment shop with my best friend Madeleine. Before we could even get our business off the ground, on opening day I found someone stabbed to death on our dressing room floor. Murder may attract customers in the short run, but it’s never good for business long term. Anger fueled my determination to track down the killer. And that’s the way it has remained throughout all eight of the books: Someone gets murdered, and I jump in to save the day. Of course, I have a lot of help from my family and friends who sometimes caution me against acting precipitously, but I don’t really know the meaning of curbing my curiosity.

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

The writer thinks she creates these stories, but what does she know? I’m a tall, spunky, in-your-face kind of woman, one who can run in high heels and who is in the prime of her life. The writer is much older than me and she does nothing but sit at her computer and dream up crazy stories. I’m the action member of the pair, so I guess I must concede that we both have a hand in the stories. BUT the series wouldn’t be as filled with deeds requiring physical stamina, skill and sheer boldness if my chubby creator had to do them. She’s nothing without me.

How did you evolve as the main character?

The writer got this idea for a short story featuring me as the main character. She submitted it to a contest (Sleuthfest Short Story Contest sponsored by Mystery Writers of America, Florida Chapter 2009) and won first place. She liked me as the protagonist so much (not everyone who meets me feels the same as I can be a bit too much because I can’t seem to ever keep my mouth under control) and the rural Florida setting is unique, so she decided she had the makings of a series. I do have to thank her for introducing me to my husband Sammy. Along with not reining in my curiosity, the writer gave me the best husband and family ever.

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

I’m a very fortunate women to have been raised by a grandmother who is my role model for snoopiness, for my best friend who taught me some manner and social appropriateness, and for my mob boss friend, Nappi, who gets me and supports me as much as any other man except for my husband and his family.  Along with my husband’s family members, especially his grandfather, who are all Miccosukee, Sammy loves me more than I probably deserve. He and I have been through some trying times including getting lost in the swamps of Florida, but together we’ve come through. And my mob boss friend has connections that have helped me ferret out some really awful criminals. Without him I would be lost. Police detective Frida Martinez has always backed me up although she worries about the relationship between Nappi and me, but just between us, I’m not certain he’s really part of the mob. So you see, it’s as if I have an entire posse to work with.

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

Physically, I’ve settled in rural Florida and am happy here. I’ve surprised myself at how well this city gal has become a country dweller. I don’t even miss the fine restaurants in the city as long as there’s barbeque, slaw and a good scotch available at the Burnt Biscuit Bar and Grill. I still, however, insist upon wearing my stiletto heels. No cowboy boots for this fashionista!

This new book finds me pregnant with Sammy and my second child. We have one girl already, Netty, a clone of me with her sassy mouth and stubborn attitude, and we have three adopted sons, children from Sammy’s half-brother. I still own the consignment shop with Madeleine, but I’m devoting more and more time apprenticing with Crusty McNabb, a local private detective. The work is perfect for me. How do I find time to do everything? Well, there are a few problems, but you can see how well I handle some of them and not others in Murder in the Family.

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

You’re going to love being introduced to the swamps of Florida, a place you might think would be creepy. It’s much more than that. It has its share of creatures you might not like, snakes, alligators, feral pigs, and humans engaging in bad behavior, but it also has its share of wild beauty, broad vistas with grazing cattle, cowboys on horseback, exotic birds and sunsets you won’t see anywhere else. The people here are as rugged as the land. They might hold beliefs I don’t agree with, but they are strong and determined… like me.

Thank you for answering my questions, Eve, and good luck to you and your author, Lesley Diehl, with Murder in the Family, the latest book in the Eve Appel mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Eve and her author, Lesley Diehl, by visiting the author’s website and blog, and her Facebook, and Goodreads pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon Kindle – Amazon Paperback – B&N Nook – B&N Paperback

About Lesley Diehl: Cows, Lesley learned growing up on a farm, have a twisted sense of humor. They chased her when she went to the field to herd them in for milking, and one ate the lovely red mitten her grandmother knitted for her. Determining that agriculture wasn’t a good career choice, instead she uses her country roots and her training as a psychologist to concoct stories designed to make people laugh in the face of murder. “A good chuckle,” says Lesley,” keeps us emotionally well-oiled long into our old age.” She is the author of several cozy mystery series and numerous short stories.

Posted in June 2021 | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Three Ds – Donuts, Deception & Death

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Eloise Brightly is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Donuts, Deception & Death, her first novel in the Paradise Beach Cozy Mystery series.

Welcome, Eloise. 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.

Donuts, Deception, and Death is the first book in the Paradise Beach Cozy Mystery series. Daisy’s life hasn’t been easy. Her husband passed away six years ago, and she made the best of the situation, opening a bed and breakfast in the house they inherited from his parents. She loves her B&B and her cats, but her neighbor not, not so much. Daisy has every reason to want her neighbor gone since the woman took Daisy’s business name and used it for her new B&B. When the neighbor ends up dead, Daisy is the prime suspect. She has to solve the case by finding the real killer, and run her B&B.

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

I live in a beach town that isn’t anywhere near as quaint as Paradise Shores, but it does provide me with inspiration. People can be quirky in small towns and their antics can show a darker side sometimes.

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

The main theme is living after disappointing events happen. Life isn’t always easy, but people can move on. Recovery and mourning take different paths for everyone, and Daisy’s path of rebuilding her life is inspirational for me.

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

I try to create characters who have gone through difficulty, but they find the silver lining eventually. Daisy has overcome so much, and her upbeat outlook on life is one she has to keep choosing to live. Stuff happens to her, but she keeps pushing forward even when bad things happen.

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

The characters in my stories love where they live. They are the spice that makes the town come to life. Whether quirky or strait laced, the characters make the town better.

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

I’ve tried to make this series realistic in some ways, but also fun and filled with excitement. I grew up reading Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who series and though I’ll never match her grace or style, I love how she wove her stories so much I chose to write cozy mysteries. With improvements in criminal investigations, real cops are a bit better at finding out who murdered the victim, but in my story, it will always be the female sleuth who solves the case. I’ve spent time taking writing classes for mystery authors, searching out information necessary to write a convincing mystery, but more importantly, I hope the stories are enjoyable for the readers

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

I hope the reader finds Donuts, Deception, and Death to be an enjoyable read. The next book, Cupcakes, Collusion, and Casualties will feature Daisy solving another murder that hits very close to home.

Thanks for answering my questions, Eloise, and good luck with Donuts, Deception & Death, the first book in the Paradise Beach Cozy Mystery series.

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

The novel is available online at Amazon.

About Eloise Brightly: Eloise loves cozy mysteries. Crime fiction is her favorite. She enjoys figuring out whodunit while curled up before a roaring fire with a mug of hot cocoa. She lives on the eastern seaboard and combs the beaches while watching dolphins play, searching for inspiration for another mystery series.

Posted in June 2021 | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

How many is too many?

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Dianne Ascroft

Today Debra H. Goldstein is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Four Cuts Too Many, her latest novel in the Sarah Blair 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.

Four Cuts Too Many is the fourth book in Kensington’s Sarah Blair cozy mystery series. Sarah Blair is a woman who finds being in the kitchen more frightening than murder. Introduced in One Taste Too Many as having been married at eighteen, divorced by twenty-eight, with the only thing she got out of the marriage being RahRah, her Siamese cat, Sarah has evolved from being shell shocked to gaining some confidence in her abilities. Although she thinks she is the last person capable of solving murders, her concern for family and friends, particularly her twin sister, mother, and two friends who work in her sister’s restaurant, consistently compel her to become involved in finding out whodunit.

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

Like Sarah, the kitchen is not my natural habitat. Consequently, to write this series I did extensive research behind the scenes in restaurants and talking to friends whose positions ran from owner/chef to waiter/busboy. As I learned about the culinary world, I became interested in how chefs learn their skills and how important their tools, especially their knives, are to them. Realizing that the culinary world can be competitive, gave me the idea to intwine culinary education, knife skills, and knife cuts together to create a path of death and intrigue.

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

In Four Cuts Too Many, the theme of loyalty underlies the story, as does the comparison of the education system and the economics of running small businesses – in this case all tied to the culinary world. The development of my interest in these things is ironic in that I, like Sarah, find the kitchen frightening. I’m as liable to catch the oven on fire as I am to properly sear a steak.

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

Two of the greatest influences for my creation of the Sarah Blair mystery series characters are living in the South and being the mother of twins. Although my twins are boy-girl, their personalities are so different that I often kidded that I gave birth to a litter. Creating Sarah, who is afraid of the kitchen, and her twin, Chef Emily, let me play off that kind of relationship and its ramifications in a small Southern town where everyone knows everybody and everything. It also let me create the twins’ mother as a woman from whose mouth phrases like “Bless Your Heart” flow with honey. I’m very partial to these three characters, but my favourite is RahRah, Sarah’s Siamese cat. RahRah doesn’t talk or think out loud. Instead, he communicates like a real cat – through his behavior. One minute he can be cuddly, the next a true alpha cat. I love his spirit and his influence on the other characters in the book because RahRah’s presence reflects the relationships pet owners and pets have.

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

I don’t bring the place I’m writing about to life. Rather descriptions and sensations of the place itself bring it to life for readers. Beliefs about small Southern towns are ingrained in all of us, but I hope my writing takes apart any myths and lets the reader absorb the flavor of the place I am writing about.

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

Besides reading and googling, most of my research for the Sarah Blair series has been hands on. For One Taste Too Many, I spent time in the restaurants of our community and talking with people who worked all jobs in the establishments or who were involved in economic development related to the culinary industry. Two Bites Too Many, which continued the underlying themes of restaurants and economic development, addressed animal shelters and rescue animals. For that, I visited shelters and interviewed owners of rescued animals. Three Treats Too Many included the community motorcycle club which was anything but the TV stereotype. For that book, I talked to folks who rode for fun and comradery and whose involvement in their motorcycle club included raising money and awareness for local charities. Now, for Four Cuts Too Many, I spent more time getting hands on lessons in the impact of different knives and knife cuts, while interviewing educators in both the culinary and the college world.

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

Four Cuts Too Many, like the other three books in the Sarah Blair series, is meant to be a fun and easy beach, airplane, bedside read. Although each book addresses social issues, none beat the reader over the head with them. What does resonate for the reader is love and loyalty for friends and family.

Thanks for answering my questions, Debra, and good luck with Four Cuts Too Many, the latest book in the Sarah Blair Mystery series.

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

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound

About Debra H. Goldstein: Judge Debra H. Goldstein writes Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series (Three Treats Too Many, Two Bites Too Many, One Taste Too Many). She also authored Should Have Played Poker and IPPY Award-winning Maze in Blue. Her short stories have been named Agatha, Anthony, Derringer finalists. Debra serves on the national boards of Mystery Writers of America and is president of SEMWA. She previously was on Sisters in Crime’s national board and president of SinC’s Guppy Chapter.

Posted in Archives, May 2021 | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments