Creepy munchkins. A mysterious phantom. And a real Wicked Witch. Are you ready for it?
Actress and part-time PI Ivy Meadows has been hired to uncover the cause of the creepy accidents that plague the roadshow The Wizard: A Space OZpera and find out who dropped a chandelier on the Wicked Witch of the East.
Was it the ghost who haunts the Grand Phoenician Theatre? A “wicked witch” in the cast? Or is it someone—or something—more sinister?
It’s Ivy’s most personal case so far.
Her best friend Candy, who’s touring with the show, is caught in a downward spiral of self-destruction, and is in more danger than she knows.
To save her friend and the show, Ivy must answer even tougher questions: Do spirits really exist? What is real beauty? What does friendship mean?
Ivy needs to learn the answers, and fast—before Candy reaches the point of no return.
Earlier Books in the Ivy Meadows Humorous Mystery Series: MACDEATH (#1) THE SOUND OF MURDER (#2) OLIVER TWISTED (#3) IVY GET YOUR GUN (#4)
Author interview: Cindy Brown
Cindy, welcome to Island Confidential! Can you tell us a little about your protagonist, Ivy?
Ivy Meadows is an actress who works part-time in her Uncle Bob’s detective agency in order to pay the bills. She’s slightly goofy but determined, a misfit with a knack for getting herself into—and ultimately out of—trouble. She’s becoming a good PI for the same reason she’s a good actor: She has a high E.Q. (emotional quotient), which gives her empathy and insight into others’ situations and motivations. Ivy Meadows is her stage name: her real name is Olive Ziegwart (her dad used to tell her that Ziegwart meant victory nipple. She’s not sure how that was supposed to make her feel better).
Are you and Ivy at all alike?
There’s more than a little of me in Ivy. I was an actor for years, I love detective novels and cop shows, and I can be slightly silly at times.
If you met her in real life, what would that be like?
I’d definitely like Ivy, though I might be frustrated if I wanted to be her close friend. She’s been gun shy about relationships ever since being emotionally abandoned by her parents after her brother’s accident
Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
Definitely. Ivy has a character arc in each book and throughout the series. Actually, she has three arcs: She develops as an actor, she becomes a better detective, and she grows as a person, becoming smarter, more down-to-earth, and more open to love.
Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
No. I can’t think about real people when I’m writing. I can’t even name a character after someone I know well. That said, real people’s mannerisms, habits, and speech patterns do work their way into my subconscious and onto the page.
How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
My settings are definitely based on real places, but I fictionalize those places. For example, Sunnydale in The Sound of Murder is based on the retirement community of Sun City West, and the Grand Phoenician Theatre in The Phantom of Oz is based on Phoenix’s Orpheum Theatre.
Why not just use the actual locations?
I like to mash up the real and the fictional settings so I can add fun elements (like the haunted spring in the basement of the theater in Phantom), but also because I would feel bad killing people in real places.
When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
I can completely see Zooey Deschanel as Ivy (did you know Zooey’s really a blonde?); John Goodman would make an awesome Uncle Bob; and Josh Groban could be a lovably nerdy but crush-worthy Matt (though I’d have to give him a song because…that voice. Sigh.)
What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
Hmm. I’m not sure I’ve ever had bad advice, because I think I take in what I need at the moment and ignore anything that doesn’t fit. The best advice probably boils down to three ideas:
Be yourself, and write what you want to write. Don’t worry about what others are writing, or what they’ll think of your writing.
Don’t worry so much. Your subconscious will write a lot of the story for you.
And maybe the most important piece of advice:
Don’t stop. Just keep going.
About the Author
Cindy Brown has been a theater geek (musician, actor, director, producer, and playwright) since her first professional gig at age 14. Now a full-time writer, she’s lucky enough to have garnered several awards (including 3rd place in the 2013 international Words With Jam First Page Competition, judged by Sue Grafton!) and is an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop. Though Cindy and her husband now live in Portland, Oregon, she made her home in Phoenix, Arizona, for more than 25 years and knows all the good places to hide dead bodies in both cities.
The study, which appears in Scientific Reports, shows that wine has an effect on one’s glymphatic function, or the way the brain removes toxins. To clear itself of damaging and accumulated proteins like tau and beta amyloid, which are often linked with dementia, the brain pumps in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) to act as a flushing solution. All sorts of variables can influence the glymphatic system’s operation, including trauma, stroke, and excessive alcohol intake.
When researchers dosed the mice in the study with moderate alcohol—amounting to 2.6 drinks daily—the glymphatic system was more efficient, removing more waste and exhibiting less inflammation than the teetotaling control mice.
As is usually the case when it comes to booze, you can have too much of a good thing. When mice got the equivalent of 7.9 drinks daily, their glymphatic system grew sluggish until the overindulging was terminated.
“Studies have shown that low-to-moderate alcohol intake is associated with a lesser risk of dementia, while heavy drinking for many years confers an increased risk of cognitive decline,” lead study author Maiken Nedergaard, of the University of Rochester Medical Center, said in a press statement. “This study may help explain why this occurs. Specifically, low doses of alcohol appear to improve overall brain health.”
from Mental Floss
To summarize:
Wine = brain health
Three glasses a day = “low-to-moderate alcohol intake”
For fortysomething Poppy McAllister, taking a stroll down memory lane in Cape May, New Jersey, isn’t just awkward—it’s deadly.
Newly widowed and stuck in a middle-aged funk, Poppy has been running on cookies, infomercials, and one-sided chats with her cat for months. There’s no way on earth she’s attending her twenty-five-year class reunion—especially after receiving a very bizarre letter from Barbie, the popular cheerleader who taunted her all through high school. At least, not until Poppy’s best friend practically drags her to the event . . .
Using the dreaded homecoming as an excuse to visit her eccentric Aunt Ginny, Poppy vows to leave Cape May with pride and Spanx intact. Too bad Barbie is still the queen of mean at the reunion. And worse, that her dead body is lying right in front of Poppy’s old locker. Singled out as the killer, it’s up to Poppy to confront her past and clear her name. But between protecting her aunt from disaster and tackling a gluten-free diet, can Poppy crack the case before she’s voted “Most Likely to Die” by the murderer?
Which 80s song do you think they’ll be playing at Poppy’s reunion?
Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!
About The Author
Libby Klein graduated Lower Cape May Regional High School sometime in the ’80s. Her classes revolved mostly around the culinary sciences and theater, with the occasional nap in Chemistry. She has worked as a stay at home mom, climbing the ladder up the ranks to the coveted position of Grandma.
She also dabbles in the position of Vice President of a technology company which mostly involves bossing other people around, making spreadsheets and taking out the trash. She writes from her Northern Virginia office while trying to keep her cat Figaro off her keyboard. Most of her hobbies revolve around eating, and travel, and eating while traveling.
Natural Thorn Killer (A Rose City Mystery) Cozy Mystery New Series Kensington (March 27, 2018) Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages ISBN-13: 978-1496705136 Digital ASIN: B073NPHX8Z
Cut down among the flowers . . .
Britta Johnston might be a late bloomer, but after leaving her deadbeat husband and dead-end job, she’s finally pursuing her artistic passion at her aunt Elin’s floral boutique, Blooma, in Portland, Oregon. It’s on the banks of the Willamette, in a quaint district of cobblestone paths and cherry trees. The wine bar featuring Pacific Northwest vintages is a tasty bonus, offering another kind of bouquet to enjoy. But things aren’t as peaceful as they look.
For one thing, someone’s been leaving dead roses around—and a sleazy real estate developer who wants the waterfront property has put a big-money offer on the table. Then, after a contentious meeting of local business owners, he’s found on the floor of the shop, with Elin’s garden shears planted in his chest. And before the police decide to pin the crime on her beloved aunt, Britta will have to find out who arranged this murder . . .
About the Author
Kate Dyer-Seeley aka Ellie Alexander writes multiple mystery series, all with a Pacific Northwest touch. She lives in the PNW with her husband and son, where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub. Better yet—at all three. Author Links
Emily Westhill runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, alongside her retired police chief father-in-law and her tabby Deputy Donut. But after murder claims a favorite customer, Emily can’t rely on a sidekick to solve the crime—or stay alive.
If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it’s to stay calm during stressful situations. But that’s a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst—especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her—murdered among a scattering of stale donuts . . .
Disturbingly, Georgia’s demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder, a case Emily’s late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man’s life at stake, Emily’s forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone’s alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can’t trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business . . .
Guest Post: How to make a toy for your cat BECAUSE YOUR CAT IS NOT SPOILED ENOUGH ALREADY
Deputy Donut, the café in SURVIVAL OF THE FRITTERS, is named after Emily Westhill’s cat, Deputy Donut. When Emily and her father-in-law Tom designed the café, they set aside one room for a combination office and kitty playground.
Dep goes to work with Emily and stays in the office and kitty playground combo. The room has windows on all four sides, looking into the dining area, the kitchen, the parking lot in back, and the driveway. One door leads directly outside, and the other leads into the dining area. If Dep tires of napping or keeping an eye on everything through her windows, she can climb carpeted columns, stairways, and ramps, and then she can run around the perimeter of the room on catwalks above the windows.
Dep likes to take her toys up to those catwalks. She also likes to drop them and watch them bounce and roll. Here’s how to make one of Dep’s favorite toys for your cat:
Materials:
Faux fur, two pieces about five to seven inches square. Choose fur with flexible, knit backings. I raided my stash for scraps, white for the “icing” and a golden beige, like a fried donut (well, sort of), for the bottom half of the donut, but maybe you’d like strawberry pink or chocolate brown icing. The backing of the fur in my stash wasn’t as flexible as I’d like.
Thread
A few handfuls of polyester stuffing
A teaspoon or two of catnip
Steps:
Cut two rounds of faux fur, 5”– 7” in diameter. If the faux fur in your stash is heavy or stiff, cut bigger rounds. I traced around the top of a bowl. Pin or clip the rounds together. In the center of one round, draw a small circle. I traced around a quarter, but for heavy or stiff fur, tracing around a nickel might have worked better. Use a ruler to draw a straight line from the edge of the circle to the edge of the fabric pieces.
Starting close to the cut line, backstitch and then sew around the small circle. Don’t worry if the sewn circle isn’t round—donut holes seldom end up round. Leaving an unstitched space at the straight line, stop before your original backstitching and backstitch that end of the almost-circle. Remove the donut from your sewing machine and cut along the straight line and then around the inside of the circle, leaving a scant quarter-inch seam allowance. If your faux fur is stretchy, you don’t have to clip the seam around the inner circle.
Backstitching at the one of the edges where the straight line was drawn, and with a quarter-inch (it doesn’t have to be exact) seam allowance, stitch around the outside of the circle, easing the top fabric as necessary. Don’t worry about any little pleats you might make or about stitching in a perfect circle—donuts aren’t perfectly round. Flip the donut over and check for stitching that went off or is too close to the edge. Re-stitch those sections with a quarter-inch seam allowance.
This is the hardest part, especially if your faux fur is stiff or thick—turn the donut (it’s now a curved tube) right-side-out. Then the project becomes easy again. Holding the donut upright so that both open ends are up, stuff the donut, alternating polyester stuffing with pinches of dried catnip. Keep adding bits of stuffing until the doughnut is rounded, but still soft.
Now for the second hardest part, and it’s not that difficult—slipstitch the two open ends to each other, finishing the donut shape. Mine ended up with catnip sprinkles. I don’t think the cat will mind . . .
About The Author
Ginger Bolton writes the Deputy Donut mystery series–cops, crime, coffee, donuts and one curious cat. When Ginger isn’t writing or reading, she’s crocheting, knitting, sewing, walking her two rescue dogs and generally causing trouble. She’s also fond of donuts, coffee, and cafes were folks gather to enjoy those tasty treats and one another’s company.
When Nora Alexander drives into Piney Woods, Texas, to fulfill her dying mother’s last wish, she has no idea what awaits her. First she is run off the road, then the sealed letter she delivers turns out to be a scathing rebuke to the town’s most beloved citizen and favored candidate for Piney Woods Pioneer: Adam Brockwell. Next thing you know, Adam has been murdered in a nasty knife attack.
Suspicion instantly falls on Nora, one of the last people to see him alive. After all, everyone in Piney Woods loved him. Or did they? Nora learns that her mother had a complicated past she never shared with her daughter. Told not to leave town by Tuck the flirty sheriff, Nora finds a job with Tuck’s Aunt Marty trying to get the rundown Tunie Hotel back in the black. The old hotel was Piney Woods’ heart and soul in its heyday as an oil boomtown. Now the secrets it harbors may be the key to getting Nora off the hook. She’s going to need to solve the mystery quickly to avoid arrest, or worse: becoming the killer’s next victim.
Character Interview: Nora Alexander
Nora, welcome to Island Confidential. Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Nora Alexander and I have recently lost my mother. Upon her death I found a letter she had written to a man in Piney Woods, Texas. Texas? Really? Anyway, I took off for a state I had never been to and tracked this man down. From what I could figure, it must have been a love letter, because why else would it concern my mother in her final days?
Who’s your favorite character in Murder of a Good Man?
Luckily, when I hit town, I found a room at the Piney Woods Bed and Breakfast and met Tatty and Ed Tovar. They are the owners of the B&B and Tatty has a wonderful gift of smoothing things over. Having Tatty and her husband Ed around has provided a home away from home for me.
Anyone you’re not so fond of?
Tuck Watson is the law around this town and he is determined to arrest me. For what, I can’t tell you right now, but the man is infuriating, and handsome, but infuriating!
Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author, Teresa?
So, she writes my scenes and then rewrites them and then rewrites them again. Some days I feel like I’m on a loop that can’t stop repeating. I guess I like the scene better when she’s finished, but gee whiz, some days I want her to just give it a rest!
What’s next for you?
Well, I have some big changes in this book, and I can’t tell you too much without giving it away…but…it has a lot to do with cats.
Teresa Trent lives in Houston, Texas and is an award-winning mystery writer. She writes the Pecan Bayou Mystery Series, is a regular contributor to the Happy Homicides Anthologies. Teresa is happy to add her Henry Park Mystery Series to her publishing credits with Color Me Dead, the first book in the series. Teresa has also won awards for her work in short stories where she loves to dabble in tales that are closer to the Twilight Zone than small town cozies. When Teresa isn’t writing, she is a full-time caregiver for her son and teaches preschoolers music part-time. Her favorite things include spending time with family and friends, waiting for brownies to come out of the oven, and of course, a good mystery. Author Links FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/teresatrentmysterywriter TWITTER:https://twitter.com/ttrent_cozymys BLOG:https://teresatrent.wordpress.com/ WEBSITE: http://teresatrent.com
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Wedding coordinator Sydney Riley never thought she’d get caught up in a murder investigation, but she became an amateur sleuth when her boss was killed during Bear Week. Now she’s back, this time as the Race Point Inn hosts Provincetown’s venerable transgender event, Fantasia Fair… and murder is once again an uninvited guest!
It’s all hands on deck at the inn as visitors arrive for the week-long event and Sydney helps coordinator Rachel Parsons organize the occasion. Guest Elizabeth Gonzalez is attending with her spouse, Bob, who–as Angela–is taking a bold first step into a whole new existence. Angela, Elizabeth, and Sydney learn the ropes and politics from other guests, some of whom have attended annually for more than forty years.
But the next day, Sydney’s detective friend summons her to one of the town beaches where Angela’s body has been found–with a knife in her back, a knife stolen from Adrienne, the Race Point Inn’s diva chef.
Fair organizers and attendees try and carry on as Provincetown is overrun with police, press, and rampant speculation. Sydney, her boyfriend Ali, her friend Mirela, her boss Glenn, and a host of Fantasia Fair participants scramble to find out who killed Angela–and why–before the killer strikes again.
Guest Post
I’d been living in Provincetown for about eight years when my friend Michelle said to me, “Seriously, why do you keep writing books that take place in Montréal and Boston? You live in a postcard here!”
She was right, of course; I do live in a postcard. We were having this conversation at the Provincetown Bookshop, and Deborah immediately said, “She’s right. We could absolutely sell Provincetown mysteries!”
I tucked that into the back of my mind—I was very engaged with my Montréal series at the time—but returned to it when a new publisher, interested specifically in Ptown books and Ptown authors, contacted me over a historical novel he was interested in publishing. Several conversations—and several bottles of wine!—later, we’d come up with a new series that takes place during Provincetown’s “theme weeks,” when the town is overrun with all sorts of holidaying folks, from Family Week to the Portuguese Festival to Women’s Week and beyond.
And along with the new series is, of course, a new protagonist, Sydney Riley, wedding consultant for a fictional Provincetown inn. Like me, Sydney’s lived here for a few years, and like me, she has friends in all the different communities that coexist at Land’s End. When the first theme week murder—of her boss, the owner of the inn—plunged her into amateur sleuthing, I took it as an opportunity to explore all the different events and occasions that Provincetown offers its visitors.
Murder at Fantasia Fair is the second in the series, and deals with a subject that’s not for the faint of heart to take on: a transgender woman attending the annual week-long event has been found with a knife in her back, and Sydney—and her author creator!—must learn about this challenging community.
I say challenging, because that’s what it is to the uninitiated. Transgender identity is both a concept and a community that’s in flux, and its complexities are sometimes baffling to an outsider such as myself. It encompasses a wide range of people, from those who see themselves a “gender fluid” to those who have surgery to bring their physical beings into alignment with their psychological and social ones. It challenges language (unlike Mandarin, for example, English doesn’t have a gender-neutral personal pronoun), it challenges politics (transgender women didn’t grow up with the same experiences as those who navigated society as a girl), and it challenges one’s level of comfort with those who are different from oneself.
All that, and a couple of murders, too!
So join Sydney and her cast of characters—her boyfriend Ali, her best friend Mirela, her boss Glenn, her police detective friend Julie, and the inn’s diva chef Adrienne—as they try to figure out who wants the Fair’s attendees dead… before Sydney herself becomes one of the victims!
Excerpt:
The inn looked fantastic: I had to give Glenn that. Well, it had always looked fantastic, but there was a certain gaiety about the place today that had me humming the moment I got in. Rachel Parsons, the coordinator for Fantasia Fair, was standing beside the front desk, calmly ticking off items on a clipboard. I tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, Rachel.”
She glanced at me. “Good morning, Sydney,” she said. “You look awful.”
“Thanks ever so much,” I said sourly. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“They make pills for that sort of thing nowadays,” she observed, her eyes back on her paperwork.
“None that are available at three in the morning.”
She glanced at me, amused. “You should live in New York City,” she said. “There’s nothing that you can’t get at three in the morning there.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.” Provincetown’s just the right size for me. In the winter I can go to the Stop & Shop and recognize everybody I see there. In the summer the town is flooded with visitors; and, in some way or another, most of us who live here year-round make our livings catering to those visitors. Sometimes I think it’s the contrast between the two seasons that’s most appealing. “Anyway, my cat would have kept me awake even with pills. He snores.”
“Cats snore?” She stared at me, momentarily distracted. “Who knew?”
“Stick with me. I’ll fill your head with all sorts of useless facts.” I slid past the counter to the space where I worked, tucked aside from the day-to-day business of the inn: a roll top desk, a very big calendar, and a wastepaper basket. My domain, such as it was. “Anyone arrive yet?”
“Heavens, yes,” Rachel said. “The meet-and-greet isn’t until six o’clock tonight, it always is, but that’s never stopped people from getting here early, and already there are about a million questions.”
I sat down and opened my laptop. “You must be used to it,” I said.
She sighed. “Yes, I suppose I must.”
I looked up at her. Rachel is tall—well, many trans women are, having begun life as males—and seemed even taller from where I was sitting. “You suppose you must? That doesn’t sound so positive. Isn’t that your job?”
“Of course it is. But sometimes I feel like, gosh, maybe they can just look at the schedule I hand them, or even go all-out and Google something for themselves. How far to the Monument?” She rolled her eyes. “How far is it? You can see the frigging Monument from here.”
“Ah, that kind of question,” I said, nodding sagely. “Welcome to my world.” I grinned. “Last week, someone asked me what we do with the Monument in the winter. I wanted to say that we roll it up and put it in storage.”
Rachel laughed. “Tourists. Gotta love them.”
“Well, that, or starve,” I said cheerfully.
***
Jeannette de Beauvoir grew up in Angers, France, but has lived in the United States since her twenties. (No, she’s not going to say how long ago that was!) She spends most of her time inside her own head, which is great for writing, though possibly not so much for her social life. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or traveling… to inspire her writing. The author of a number of mystery and historical novels, de Beauvoir’s work has appeared in 15 countries and has been translated into 12 languages. Midwest Review called her Martine LeDuc Montréal series “riveting (…) demonstrating her total mastery of the mystery/suspense genre.” She coaches and edits individual writers, teaches writing online and on Cape Cod, and is currently writing a Provincetown Theme Week cozy mystery series featuring female sleuth Sydney Riley. More at JeannettedeBeauvoir.com
Former English professor turned blogger, Jade Blackwell, is enjoying her predictable routine when trouble comes knocking in the form of an old friend and colleague. Unbeknownst to Jade, Gwendolyn Hexby is no longer the successful academic she once knew and trusted—she is now following a new calling as a psychic medium, a contentious career that flies in the face of the logic and deductive reasoning Jade values.
At first, Jade welcomes the visit, but things soon turn bizarre as Gwendolyn brings only disorder danger and disruption. When a murder is prophesied, and a beloved pillar of the Aspen Falls’ community winds up dead, Gwendolyn becomes Sheriff Ross Lawson’s prime suspect.
To get Gwendolyn out of hot water, and more importantly, out of her house, Jade attempts to prove her friend’s innocence. Jade believes she’s finally discovered the truth, but is soon brought back to reality when she learns all is not as it seems in the realm of the metaphysical. Not even murder.
Return to the Jade Blackwell Cozy Mystery Series in Murder Over Medium, as Jade jumps into the fray of a territory not governed by logic or reason—in either this world or the next.
Interview
Gilian, thanks for stopping by Island Confidential. Can you tell us a little bit about your protagonist?
Jade Blackwell is a former English professor who got out of academia while she was still (mostly) sane. She’s now an online entrepreneur—a blogger and ghostwriter. She uses her natural inquisitiveness, analytical skills, and finely-tuned B.S. meter (from years of teaching college students) to solve murderers in the village of Aspen Falls, Wyoming. Born and raised in Aspen Falls, she married her high school sweetheart, Christian. They are happily married and have a daughter, Penelope (Ellie) who is away at college. She’s a sassy homebody who lives in her head.
She loves murder mysteries, especially Agatha Christie. Hercules Poirot is her mentor, and she describes herself as a much younger, better-looking Miss. Marple. She loves her cats, Tommy and Tuppence, but hates cleaning up hairballs. How alike are you and Jade?
As with many first-time authors, Jade is much like me in the first book Blogging is Murder. But as I continue to get to know her and as I develop as a writer, she is becoming her own distinct personality. So, while we do have a great deal in common, such as our former profession and a dislike for cooking, she is her own woman. How would you feel about Jade if you met her in real life?
We’d have a blast hanging out together! We could talk literary theory, slow cooker recipes, and of course, murder. Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
My protagonist does for sure. Jade is currently considering a new business challenge as she’s grown bored with blogging and ghostwriting. Now, she just needs to decide what challenge to take on, which she will do in the next book.
As an example, in the latest book, Murder Over Medium, we see Jade struggling to come to terms with the many changes in her friend and former colleague, Gwendolyn Hexby. Jade still finds solace in logic and data, but Gwendolyn has moved from the world of academia to superstition as a psychic medium. Very slowly throughout the book, we watch Jade soften to the belief in a mystical energy source to some extent. At the end of each book, she’s learned a valuable lesson that she takes with her into her next adventure. Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
I haven’t killed off a particular person, but many years ago, when I was a potter, I realized what a great murder weapon a clay cutting tool would make. It’s perfect for garroting someone. It even has handles on the ends so you can pull it tight without cutting yourself—much better than piano wire. I must admit it was jolly great fun to put that idea to good use in Book 2, A Time to Kiln. How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
I spent a lot of time determining the setting. The village of Aspen Falls, Wyoming is fictitious, but its situation in a real location. Since Jade was a college professor just a few years ago, the location needed to be near a university. Not too many in Wyoming, so that really narrowed the field. It needed to be near a mountain range too because I wanted that kind of feel to the setting. So, it ended up being around an hour from Laramie, WY. Many people have asked me why Wyoming of all places. All I can say is that I tried to move Aspen Falls to Colorado at one point, but Jade wouldn’t have it. I thought since Colorado is so much more populated, it would be easier to write about. Nope. I’d try to write, but Jade wouldn’t show up. I only got a serious case of writer’s block. But as soon as I gave up and went back to Wyoming, all was well again. When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
This is the hardest question you’ve asked. I’m not familiar with American actors since I only stream British TV. And a few of these choices would take a miracle to accomplish, but here goes:
An older Honeysuckle Weeks as Jade Blackwell
Michelle Dockery as Gabrielle Langdon and Joanne Froggatt as Deputy Crystal Metcalf
A living Geraldine McEwan as Phyllis Buckley
A younger Michael Kitchen as Christian Blackwell
Emma Watson as Penelope (Ellie) Blackwell What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard? Worst advice: Don’t bother. You can’t make a living as a writer. Best advice: If you’ve got stories in you, write. Just start and learn as you go. Be the best you can be, and keep getting better as you learn the craft. The rest will take care of itself if you write great stories.
About the Author
Gilian Baker is a former English professor who has gone on to forge a life outside of academia by adding blogger, ghostwriter and cozy mystery author to her C.V. She currently uses her geeky superpowers only for good to entertain murder mystery readers the world over. When she’s not plotting murder for her Jade Blackwell cozy mystery series, you can find her puttering in her vegetable garden, knitting in front of the fire, snuggling with her husband watching British TV or discussing literary theory with her daughter.
Gilian lives in Flagstaff, Arizona with her family and their three pampered felines. In her next life, she fervently hopes to come back as a cat, though she understands that would be going down the karmic ladder. Webpage – http://gilianbaker.com/blogging-murder-first-chapter/ Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/GilianBakerAuthor/ Amazon – http://amazon.com/author/gilian-baker GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16252646.Gilian_Baker
Yoga instructor Kate Davidson is ready to marry her boyfriend Michael, so she’s disappointed when a special dinner doesn’t end with a proposal. But disappointment turns to dismay and outrage as she learns the real problem: Michael is already married and his green card-seeking wife is blackmailing him.
When his wife’s body is found—by Kate and her dog, no less—Michael is strangely unable to remember where he was the night she died. Since Michael has no alibi, Kate steps up to uncover what happened. What she walks into is a tangled web of deceit, obsession, and immigration fraud . . . with Michael trapped in the middle.
Guest Post from Tracy Weber
Finding Inspiration in Everyday Life: What Inspired Me to Write the Downward Dog Mystery Series
Several things inspired me to become a writer: a lifelong love of cozy mysteries; a passion for yoga; an almost obsessive love of dogs; a next door neighbor who is also a prolific author. I can even narrow down the specific moment I decided to write the Downward Dog Mystery Series. It involved a rainy night, a particularly challenging workout, and a passage from Susan Conant’s book Black Ribbon.
But in the end, the inspiration for my Downward Dog Mystery Series came from my first German shepherd dog, Tasha.
Tracy and Tasha
Tasha had some of the same issues as Bella, the German shepherd in my series. She was huge, not always perfectly well behaved, and she had a variety of expensive health conditions. In spite of her problems, I adored her to a fault.
She passed away a year and a half ago, and I still miss her. Living with Tasha changed my life, in every way for the better. She made me more patient, more loving, and more connected with my community. At the same time, she got me into some pretty “interesting” situations. I began to wonder: What if a yoga teacher with a crazy German shepherd like mine started stumbling into murder investigations? What kind of trouble could she and her dog get into?
The plot for my first book, Murder Strikes a Pose, formed from that idea. In that story, Bella’s owner, a homeless man named George, is murdered. In the most recent, Pre-Meditated Murder, Bella digs up the body of Kate’s boyfriend’s wife. Oops!
Now that Tasha is gone, I share my life with crazy German shepherd pup Ana, so hopefully I’ll have another twelve years of GSD antics to share with my readers.
Ana protecting Tracy from Unidentified Creepy Statue
I hope you all continue reading my work and finding creativity in your own lives!
About The Author
Tracy Weber is the author of the award-winning Downward Dog Mysteries series featuring yoga teacher Kate Davidson and her feisty German shepherd, Bella. Tracy loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any form possible. Her first book, Murder Strikes a Pose won the Maxwell Award for Fiction and is a 2015 Agatha award nominee for Best First Novel.
Tracy and her husband live in Seattle with their challenging yet amazing German shepherd Tasha. When she’s not writing, Tracy spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sipping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house.
Cindy Brown has been a theater geek (musician, actor, director, producer, and playwright) since her first professional gig at age 14. Now a full-time writer, she’s lucky enough to have garnered several awards (including 3rd place in the 2013 international Words With Jam First Page Competition, judged by Sue Grafton!) and is an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop. Though Cindy and her husband now live in Portland, Oregon, she made her home in Phoenix, Arizona, for more than 25 years and knows all the good places to hide dead bodies in both cities.
series featuring yoga teacher Kate Davidson and her feisty German shepherd, Bella. Tracy loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any form possible. Her first book, 
won the Maxwell Award for Fiction and is a 2015 Agatha award nominee for Best First Novel.
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