Tag: Civil War

Amanda Flower is an academic librarian and the Agatha Award-nominated author of Maid of Murder, the Appleseed Creek Mysteries, and the India Hayes Mysteries. She also writes the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries under the name Isabella Alan. Her latest is The Final Reveille, the first book in the Living History Museum Mystery series.

Q: Amanda, thanks for stopping by! Can you tell us what The Final Reveille is about?

A: As the director of Barton Farm, a living history museum in Ohio, Kelsey Cambridge is underpaid and underappreciated, but she loves every minute of it. Determined to keep the struggling Farm open, she plans to impress the museum’s wealthy benefactress, Cynthia Cherry, with a four-day Civil War reenactment on the Farm’s grounds, complete with North and South encampments, full-scale battles, and an Abraham Lincoln lookalike spouting the Gettysburg Address to anyone who will listen.

Unfortunately, the first shot in the battle isn’t from a period rifle but from Cynthia’s greedy nephew, Maxwell, who plans to close the Farm when he inherits his ill aunt’s wealth. On the first day of the reenactment, Cynthia and Maxwell stop by, and Kelsey and Maxwell have a public argument over the Farm’s funding. The next morning, things go from bad to worse for Kelsey when she discovers Maxwell dead in the brickmaker’s pit. Now Kelsey is the police’s number one suspect, and she must start her own investigation to save the museum . . . and herself while the War Between the States rages on around her.

Q:  How does Kelsey’s job affect her sleuthing abilities? Does she have access to important information that even the police might not have?

A: Kelsey Cambridge, as the director of Barton Farm, knows the people and grounds better than anyone. She also knows the history of the area like the back of her hand, which helps her solve the crimes committed on Farm grounds.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

A: One summer when I was in college I worked as an historical interpreter at a living history museum much like Barton Farm. The job was so much fun and one of my favorite memories from my college years. Even back then, I wanted to be a mystery author, and I recognized that a living history museum would be the perfect setting for a cozy mystery because interesting people choose to work and visit such a place. Many of them are quirky, which I love.

Q. What kind of research did you do for this book?

A: Since I worked at museum like this, I had a lot of first person experience that I drew upon to write the book, and I set the book in NE Ohio because I love the history of the Western Reserve. The Western Reserve is the northeast corner of Ohio and is called such because it once belonged to Connecticut before the American Revolution. After the Revolution when colonies became states, Connecticut gave up its claim. Because of this, there is a definite New England feel to this part of Ohio that is much different than the rest of the state. In addition to Western Reserve history, I researched Civil War reenactors and the Civil War in general. I’m a librarian as well as an author, so I watched a lot of documentaries and read a bunch of books.

Q: Is there one character with whom you particularly identify?

A: I think it would be Kelsey, the main character. She really cares about saving the Farm and preserving the past. As a librarian, I care about history too. Also, she and I have the same sense of humor.

Q: Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser?”

A: Panster 100%.

Q: For non-U.S. readers, can you explain the phenomenon of Civil War reenactments? Who participates in these, and what do they get out of it? Do the participants always follow history, or do the battles sometimes have different outcomes? Is there anything else like them elsewhere?

A: Civil War reenactment is a major and expensive hobby in the U.S. The American Civil War (1861-1865) was the costliest war for America in human life. The casualties from the war, including those who died from disease, were over 400,000. The American landscape is peppered with memorials and parks commemorating almost every battle fought. The war, which began over an argument debate of states’ rights, became an even bigger struggle when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all the slaves in the South. Ultimately, the war was about the issue of slavery. Even today, many Americans feel passionate about the Civil War and many honor it by recreating the battles. It’s their way of remembering. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the war, and I’m excited The Final Reveille came out in this year to honor such an important anniversary.

I know other countries have reenactors for battles and historical events, but I’m not sure that any of them are as big as Civil War reenacting in the U.S. I would be interested in know if there were!

Q: Where can readers follow you? 

A: My main website is amandaflower.com, and you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter , Goodreads,  Pinterest, or  Instagram.

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Amy Korman is a former senior editor and staff writer for Philadelphia Magazine, and author of Frommer’s Philadelphia and the Amish Country. She has written for Town & Country, House Beautiful, Men’s Health, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family and their basset hound. Killer WASPs is her first novel. Killer Getaway, the second book in the Killer WASPs series, was just released on March 10th, 2015.

Q: Can you tell us what the book is about? And for our non-U.S. readers, what is a WASP?

A: Killer Getaway sees the Killer WASPs characters head south to Magnolia Beach, Florida. The book is a mystery, and a fun escape to a warm, sunny town that’s hiding a few criminals among the palm trees and chic restaurants.

Kristin Clark, who runs a small (and not-too-successful!) antiques store outside Philly, and her basset hound, Waffles, are ready to escape the doldrums of winter to bask in the warm Florida sun and dine at her friends’ new restaurant, Vicino. But when a rival restaurant undergoes an HGTV makeover and attempts to steal Vicino’s spotlight and its patrons, the town is abuzz with gossip, and Kristin and her friends—Bootsie, a nosy reporter; Holly, a chicken nugget heiress; and Sophie, the soon-to-be ex-wife of a mobster—have parties to attend.

Everything is going swimmingly in the glitz and glamour of Magnolia Beach until a bad batch of clams threatens to shut down Vicino and their vacation for good. When it becomes clear that the clams may be more than an innocent mishap, the gang must unravel the mystery before there are deadly consequences.

WASP is a term coined by a writer named Digby Baltzell and signifies an old-school, usually East-Coast American who plays a lot of golf, drives an old car, drinks vodka tonics, and is probably an Anglophile! It’s more of a state of mind than an actual type of person in 2015, but the WASPs I interviewed over the years as a journalist generally had a great sense of humor about their preppy roots.

Q: What does Kristin Clark do for a living? Or does she have the means to sleuth full-time?

A: Kristin runs a small antique store outside of Philly, where she barely makes ends meet. She’s not a great businesswoman, but she loves the antique business. She sleuths in her spare time, and is usually dragged along by her energetic friends Bootsie and Sophie. Her other friends are lucky enough to have the means to go on great trips such as the one in Killer Getaway, so Kristin is able to go as well!

Q: What inspired you to write the Killer WASPs mysteries?

A: I’m such a fan of Agatha Christie-style “village” mysteries, and Kristin and her friends all have known each other and their neighbors since they were in high school together, which is a modern take on a village mystery. In Killer Getaway, they adopt a new small town (one with palm trees and margaritas), but the same principle applies—everyone knows each other, and has their own motives and agendas…which might make them try to shut down Vicino, murder restaurant manager Jessica, and run down Kristin’s friends with a “Death Chevy.”

Q: What kind of research did you do for this book?

A: I’ve read Agatha Christie, Carl Hiassen, Sue Grafton and other favorite authors for years, so I like to think anything we read influences us, and I wrote for magazines for many years, which is a great way to learn to meet deadlines and tell chapter length stories. There isn’t a real Magnolia Beach, Florida, but if there was, I wish I could have done research there for a few weeks!

Q: Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser?”

A: I like an outline! It’s always good to have a map, even if you wander off a bit.

Q: Is there one character with whom you particularly identify?

A: Kristin loves Basset hounds, is something of a klutz, and isn’t a great cook, but she’s optimistic and always thinks that her antique store might suddenly start doing a great business. I can identify with a lot of her characteristics, especially the Basset hound obsession, since I share that 100 percent.

Q: Why do we love basset hounds so? Can you explain this?

A: It’s got to be the droopy ears and soulful eyes! Plus, now that I’ve lived with our Basset hound Murphy for 8 years, I can honestly say he’s never in a bad mood, is super loyal, and is always up for a road trip, a walk, or a party. He’ll watch chick flicks with me and doesn’t mind being dressed up in reindeer antlers at the holidays. Plus, I’ve never met anyone who loves food as much as a Basset!

Q: Where can readers find you?

Amy’s Website

Amy’s Facebook

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