Tag: cozy mystery

Posted on

Interview: Tangled Up in Brew author Joyce Tremel

Another intoxicating mystery featuring brew pub owner Maxine “Max” O’Hara—from the author of ToBrew or Not to Brew.

BEER TODAY, GONE TOMORROW…
Brew pub owner Maxine “Max” O’Hara and her chef/boyfriend, Jake Lambert, are excited to be participating in the Three Rivers Brews and Burgers Festival. Max hopes to win the coveted Golden Stein for best craft beer—but even if she doesn’t, the festival will be great publicity for her Allegheny Brew House.
Or will it? When notoriously nasty food and beverage critic Reginald Mobley is drafted as a last-minute replacement judge, Max dreads a punishing review. Her fears are confirmed when Mobley literally spits out her beer, but things get even worse when the cranky critic drops dead right after trying one of Jake’s burgers. Now an ambitious new police detective is determined to pin Mobley’s murder on Max and Jake, who must pore over the clues to protect their freedom and reputations—and to find the self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner.
 

Q: Aloha, Joyce, and welcome to Island Confidential. Can you tell us about your protagonist, Max? 
 
A:  Maxine “Max” O’Hara is a certified brewmaster who recently opened a brewpub in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. She is from a large Irish Catholic family—she has five older brothers, and the oldest is a priest. Her dad is a homicide detective for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and her mom is a homemaker.
Q: How much do you and Max have in common?  How would you feel about her if you met her in real life?
A:  Other than the fact that we’re both Catholic, Max is entirely a figment of my imagination. If I met her, I think I’d like her a lot. She’s spunky, kind, and tends to look for the best in people.
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series?
A:  They do. Max becomes more sure of herself, and also more sure of her relationship with Jake, her boyfriend/chef. Supporting characters evolve as well—even the detective she butts heads with in Tangled Up in Brew eventually “sees the light.” And in the third book that will be out next year at this time, the readers will see bakery owner Candy’s story come full circle.
Q: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean? 
A:  Ha, ha, ha! Um. Yeah. That’s all I’m going to say, lol.
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A: The Brewing Trouble series is set in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, which is a real place. What I did, though, was invent an entire block of Butler Street (a real street) and plop it right down in the middle. It gave me a little leeway to invent fictional shops and restaurants, but anyone who is familiar with Pittsburgh could picture where they’d be.
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A:  Oh, that’s a tough one. I imagined Max to look a little bit like a younger Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White in Once Upon a Time). And Jake—maybe Adam Levine (without the tattoos)? I did a Google search and most of the male actors are too “pretty.” I think I’ll leave it up to the readers. Any suggestions?
goodwin-and-levine
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A:  I think “Write what you know” is bad advice. If I only wrote what I knew it would be an awfully boring book. “Write what you love” or “Write what you’d like to know” is much better advice. If you love it, it will show. And just about anything can be researched. I didn’t know anything about brewing beer when I proposed this series. The research has been fun!

 

About The Author  
Joyce Tremel was a police secretary for ten years and more than once envisioned the demise of certain co-workers, but settled on writing as a way to keep herself out of jail. She is a native Pittsburgher and lives in a suburb of the city with her husband and a spoiled cat.
Her debut mystery, To Brew Or Not To Brew has been nominated for the 2015 Reviewers’ Choice award for best amateur sleuth by RT Book Reviews. TTangled Up In Brew is her second book.

Web | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

 

 

KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

Character Interview: Hattie Davish, A March to Remember

Traveling secretary Hattie Davish is taking her singular talents to Washington, D.C., to help Sir Arthur Windom-Greene research his next book. But in the winding halls of the nation’s capital, searching for the truth can sometimes lead to murder. 


Hattie is in her element, digging through dusty basements, attics, and abandoned buildings, not to be denied until she fishes out that elusive fact. But her delightful explorations are dampened when she witnesses a carriage crash into a carp pond beneath the shadow of the Washington Monument. Alarmingly, one of the passengers flees the scene, leaving the other to drown. The incident only heightens tensions brought on by the much publicized arrival of “Coxey’s Army,” thousands of unemployed men converging on the capital for the first ever organized “march” on Washington. When one of the marchers is found murdered in the ensuing chaos, Hattie begins to suspect a sinister conspiracy is at hand. As she expands her investigations into the motives of murder and closes in on the trail of a killer, she is surprised and distraught to learn that her research will lead her straight to the highest levels of government . . .

 
Q: Miss Davish, thank you for coming by. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself–maybe something readers might not guess?
Yes, Sir Arthur said that you would like to be introduced. I have to admit I’m not in the habit of exchanging personal information with complete strangers but since you are readers, Sir Arthur deemed it not too improper.  So, I will do my best to indulge your curiosity. First of all, of course, I’m Miss Hattie Davish. I grew up a good Catholic in St. Joseph, Missouri, where my father owned the city’s most successful men’s hat store- hence my name. I adore hats, my father taught me well, and although I usually have little appetite, I have never let a slice of cake (or sweet of any kind) go uneaten.  I fancy myself an amateur botanist, my collection being quite extensive and my knowledge coming in handy when solving a crime or two.  I thrive on a good hike.  I rarely sleep well so I often hike early before the day’s work begins. I was trained at Mrs. Chaplin’s School for Women to be a secretary and lady typewriter.  After both my parents died, my training and my typewriter were all that kept me from destitution.  As you must already know, I’m currently the historian Sir Arthur Windom-Greene’s private secretary.  I’ve worked for Sir Arthur, off-and-on, for several years now, accompanying him wherever his research of the Civil War takes him. I have also worked for several of his rich and influential friends, traveling to wherever they may be.  One might not guess that I am an avid baseball fan.  My father taught the local boys team and followed the St. Louis Browns religiously, though they were called the Brown Stockings then. I couldn’t help but be a fan.
Q: Who’s the character you get along with the best? 
Of course, Sir Arthur would expect me to mention him as we have a very good working relationship.  But since I’m being so bold to reveal other details about myself without proper introductions, I will tell you that there is another character I get along with, quite well in fact. His name is Dr. Walter Grice and he is the most handsome, caring, witty and clever man I have ever met.  We met in Eureka Spring, Arkansas when I was working for Mrs. Edwina Trevelyan, the temperance leader.  Walter, I mean, Dr. Grice has his practice there.   Despite my distrust of physicians (they treated my father terribly), Dr. Grice’s charm won my heart.  And perhaps, may I dare dream, he’ll win my hand one day as well.
Q:  Which other character do you have a conflict with?
Oh my, I must admit, I have had my share of conflicts over the past few years, especially with policemen and high society ladies.  As a working woman, I must guard my position carefully. However, when someone threatens that position, I have been known to hold my ground, if not my tongue.  And of course, I have increasingly indulged my curiosity of late, which has not won me favors or friends, except maybe Miss Lucy Shaw, an elderly lady that befriended me and relies upon me for her gossip.  Must I name them all?
Q:  Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?
Must you ask? I think Mrs. Loan-Wilsey is quite a competent lady.  Sir Arthur is my mentor, but she is my creator.  And, although I wouldn’t admit it to her, she has done right by me, forcing me out of my sheltered existence and setting me on the path to adventure.  Without her, I wouldn’t have overcome my deepest fears, I wouldn’t have grown in confidence, I wouldn’t have met Walter, I mean, Dr. Grice.  Of course, I could’ve done without the murders she insisted I involve myself in, but alas, that is what you enjoyed the most, is it not, dear reader?
Q: It’s the reason you’re here. Miss Davish, what’s next for you?
Oh, I was afraid you were going to ask that.  May I simply reply, “I don’t know?”  The end of this current adventure, called A March to Remember, set me on an adventure of quite a different nature, both unpredictable and thrilling.  It also marked an end point, at least for now, for many of my current associations, including dear Mrs. Loan-Wilsey.  She and I must part for now.  Whether we met again for another adventure, I can only say, “I do hope so.”
 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anna Loan-Wilsey, biologist, librarian, and author, writes the historical Hattie Davish Mystery series featuring a Victorian traveling secretary who solves crimes in every historic town she visits. The first in the series, A Lack of Temperance, set in 1890’s Eureka Springs, Arkansas, (an Amazon #1 bestseller) was followed by Anything But Civil (set in Galena, IL), A Sense of Entitlement (an iBook #1 bestseller set in Newport, RI), and A Deceptive Homecoming (set in St. Joseph, MO, Hattie’s hometown). A March to Remember finds Hattie caught up in the political intrigues surrounding Coxey’s Army and the first “march” on Washington, D.C. Anna lives in a Victorian farmhouse near Ames, Iowa with her family where she is happily working on new mystery adventures.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iTunes | IndieBound | Google Play

 
 

KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

Limited time featured #giveaway: The Case of the Defunct Adjunct

>>>The Case of the Defunct Adjunct featured on Instafreebie for one week only<<<

“Follow your dreams, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Because that field’s not hiring.”

CaseOfDefunctAdjunctFront

Molly Barda earned her Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from a top-ten doctoral program. After a year of fruitless job-hunting, she finally landed a job at chronically underfunded Mahina State University (“Where Your Future Begins Tomorrow!”), in rural Hawaii. Teaching resume-writing. In the Business School.
Molly longs for working air conditioning. She sits on a yoga ball because there is no budget for office furniture. Her dean, unwilling to lose paying customers, won’t let her report cheating students.
Molly’s determined to bloom where she’s planted, enjoy the tropical beauty of her new home, and stay out of trouble until she gets tenure.
But when a serial harasser collapses face-first into his haupia cheesecake at a Student Retention Office retreat, Molly’s summer goes from dull to disastrous. Now Molly has to fight to keep her best friend out of the worst kind of trouble — and herself off the unemployment line.
If you like Dorothy Parker, P.G. Wodehouse, or E.F. Benson’s Mapp and Lucia stories, you’ll enjoy The Case of the Defunct Adjunct, a tale of passion, pilferage, and petty politics in the middle of the Pacific.

KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

Guest Post/intercepted email: The Book Club Murders by Leslie Nagel

In a charming cozy mystery series debut, Leslie Nagel’s irrepressible small-town heroine finds that her fellow mystery bookclub members may be taking their Agatha Christie a bit too literally—and murder a bit too lightly.

Charley Carpenter has poured heart and soul into her clothing store, Old Hat Vintage Fashions. She’ll do anything to make it a success—even join the stuffy Agatha’s Book Club in order to cultivate customers among the wealthy elite of Oakwood, Ohio.
Although mixing with the most influential women in town has its advantages, Charley finds the endless gossip a high price to pay. But after two women with close ties to the Agatha’s are brutally murdered, everyone falls under threat—and suspicion. When key evidence indicates that both murders are the work of the same hand, Charley realizes that the killer has arranged each corpse in perfect imitation of crime scenes from the Club’s murder mystery reading list. She uses her membership in the Club to convince Detective Marcus Trenault to use her as an inside informant. Not that he could stop her anyway.
Intelligent, fearless, and every bit as stubborn as Marc is, Charley soon learns the Agatha’s aren’t the only ones with secrets to protect. Passions explode as she and Marc must race against time to prevent another murder. And if Charley’s not careful, she may find herself becoming the killer’s next plot twist.

Email Sent: April 21, 11:49 p.m.
To: Francesca Cartolano Bright <[email protected]>
From: Charlotte Elizabeth Carpenter <[email protected]>
Subject: Agathas Update
Hey, Short Stuff!
When your husband first proposed extending your trip to Hawaii to include a visit to his grandparents in Vietnam, I was the first to champion the idea. You’ve been married almost five years, after all. Time to face the dragon. Seriously, I’m sure they’re going to love all curly headed, five foot nothing of you. Just don’t dump ketchup in your pho.
Sadly for me, I was too busy championing to realize you’d be missing an official meeting of the Agathas Murder Mystery Book Club (cue the creepy organ music). I was left to face the disapproval of Chairwoman Extraordinaire Midge single handedly. I know for a fact you told her you’d be out of town, but she acted as if John arranged the trip on purpose to inconvenience her. Or maybe she was peeved you didn’t send an engraved apology on monogrammed stationery. Who knows? We all endured plenty of thin lips and long suffering sighs about wasted food and inadequate critique of the book. And whose fault is it that membership in the Agathas is down from thirteen to eight? Physician, heal thyself.
Her Midge-ness worked through most of her ire by bossing the living daylights out of poor Wilson. That woman is a nervous wreck. I wonder what’s eating her? Jelly says Robert hardly lets Wilson go anywhere except Book Club and yoga classes at the Community Center, poor thing. Jelly’s the nosiest gossip in Oakwood, but this time I’m glad she said something. When you get home let’s try to coax Wilson out for a day with the girls, okay? I think she could use a friend before she does something desperate.
You missed a great presentation. We read the new Stephanie Plum mystery; it’s hilarious, but that’s not the best part. Kitty was presenting, and she has this unexpected flair for the dramatic. She showed up wearing about forty pounds of jewelry—okay, not that unusual. But then she dramatized a chapter from the book, playing all the characters. When she started in as Grandma Mazur, I nearly wet my pants! Picture our posh, sophisticated snobby fashionista waddling around with a huge purse over one arm, talking in a New Jersey rasp and swearing a blue streak. It was brilliant. Even Reggie stopped drinking long enough to pay attention for once. Lindy and I decided it was the best Agathas meeting ever. Sorry, girlfriend. Not trying to make you jealous (but you totally should be).
Although when Q&A turned to a discussion of murder by strangulation, I was ready to bail out. Seriously, a couple of people seemed way too into it. Are we weird for loving murder so much?
My dad’s recovering from his latest stroke, but it’s a slow process. Lawrence has officially moved into the small bedroom, because Daddy’s probably never going to get out of that wheelchair.
That was unbelievably difficult to write. It’s as if putting it into words makes it real. I don’t know what I’d do without Lawrence. The man is an absolute rock, and he loves his former Coach almost as much as I do. Poor Daddy. He struggles so hard to make himself understood. We’re starting with a new speech therapist next week, so hopefully that helps.
I miss you. Can’t believe you’re going to be gone another two weeks.  L
Guess who I saw yesterday? I was working on my world famous display window which, as you know, has an excellent view of the Safety Building. Up pulls a squad car, lights but no sirens. First he gets out, followed by a uniformed officer escorting an extremely sketchy guy in handcuffs. Detective Marcus Trenault was in full cop mode, striding around like he owns the entire street, barking orders and generally fulfilling expectations. Not that this sleepy burg offers much in the way of crime for a former Chicago homicide hotshot.
No, he didn’t see me. And no, I’m not going to comment on his appearance, except to say that the man needs a haircut. Although it did strike me that he was working awfully hard at not glancing across the street. It was probably my imagination. STOP. If you just said “…or wishful thinking…” I’m going to punch your miniature Italian lights out when you get back. And then I’m going to make you treat me to lunch at Central Perc.
Speaking of my window, Heddy and I picked up some amazing finds for Old Hat at an estate sale in Springfield this weekend. I hit the mother lode on jewelry, and not a moment too soon. My vintage inventory definitely needed some fresh bling, especially with the big reunion this fall.
Holy crow, I forgot you missed the announcement at Book Club! You’ll never believe what Midge is up to now. She’s spearheading an Oakwood High School multiclass reunion, proceeds to benefit the Education Foundation. Talk about the devil and idle hands. But wait until you hear the theme. It’s Decades. Everyone’s supposed to dress in vintage wear to honor the school’s 100 year history. Can you believe it? I’m going to make a fortune.
What’s odd is that the party’s being held inside the school. Midge insisted, backed up by Wilson, of all people. They claim the nostalgia of walking the hallowed halls will loosen purse strings. Personally I think that old mausoleum is too spooky to be festive. It’s got more dead ends, shadowy hallways and staircases than Hogwarts. Hardly a gala setting. If you ask me, it looks more like a potential crime scene.
Crap, it’s nearly midnight. I’d better sign off. Some of us have to work for a living. Hugs and kisses to John, as well as to any eligible male cousins. Inability to speak English isn’t necessarily a deal breaker.
Love you for reals,
Charley

 
 

About The Author  
Leslie Nagel is a writer and teacher of writing at a local community college. Her debut novel, “The BookClub Murders“, is the first in the Oakwood Mystery Series. Leslie lives in the all too real city of Oakwood, Ohio, where murders are rare but great stories lie thick on the ground. After the written word, her passions include her husband, her son and daughter, hiking, tennis and strong black coffee, not necessarily in that order.
Author Links

Purchase Links:

Amazon  | B&N | Kobo | iBooks 

 
 

 

KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

#Giveaway: 20 #Free Mysteries? What's the catch?

Grab The Case of the Defunct Adjunct and 19 more mysteries 
Through September 20. Get them now!

Why are we doing this? We are a group of mystery authors who love writing and reading mysteries. Funny mysteries, cozy mysteries, thrillers, anything that keeps us turning the pages! We want to thank our readers, and share some of our own favorites.  I’m taking this opportunity to feed my e-reader. You should, too. Why not? Come have a look!
KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

#Book Blast: Dandelion Dead by Chrystle Fiedler

g-gif-update2DANDELION DEAD BOOK BLAST large banner640

Dandelion Dead
by Chrystle Fiedler

DANDELION DEAD

Dandelion Dead: A Natural Remedies Mystery
Cozy Mystery
Pocket Books (September 27, 2016)
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1476748931
E-Book ASIN: B00WRBQP22
goodreads-badge-add-plus

Synopsis

In a cozy mystery filled with natural cures and edible plants that you will love, an organic winery becomes the backdrop for murder! Fortunately, solving crimes comes naturally to charmingly unconventional amateur sleuth and holistic doctor, Willow McQuade, as she looks for clues that will reveal a killer’s true vintage.

Business is blooming at Nature’s Way Market & Café, and shop owner, holistic doctor, and amateur sleuth, Willow McQuade has never been happier. Her new medicinal herb garden is a hit, so is her new book, she’s in love with ex-cop and animal rescuer Jackson Spade, and enjoying teaching seminars about edible plants and natural remedies.

But everything changes when Willow’s old boyfriend and TV producer, Simon Lewis, winemaker David Farmer, and his wife Ivy, ask her to cater a party at Pure, their new organic vineyard, to kick off North Fork’s Uncorked! week and the competition for Wine Lovers magazine’s $200,000 prize. Pure’s entry, Falling Leaves, is the favorite to win, and the wine flows freely until after Simon’s toast when smiles give way to looks of horror. Ivy’s twin sister, Amy has been murdered! Turns out, the poison that killed her was actually meant for David. But who wants him dead? A rival vintner? Or someone closer to home? This time the truth may be a bitter vintage to swallow.

Chrystle-Fiedler-and-Wallander-her-Detective-Dachshund-11

About the Author

CHRYSTLE FIEDLER is a freelance journalist specializing in natural remedies, alternative medicine and holistic health and healing, and is the author of the Natural Remedies Mysteries series. Her many consumer magazine articles have appeared in USA Today’s Green Living, Natural Health, Remedy, Mother Earth Living, Spirituality & Health, and Prevention. She is also the author/co-author of seven non-fiction health titles including the Country Almanac of Home Remedies with herbalist Brigitte Mars, and The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty with Vegan Beauty Review founder, Sunny Subramanian. Chrystle lives on the East End of Long Island, NY in a cozy cottage by the sea. Visit www.chrystlefiedlerwrites.com.

Author Links
Website link: www.chrystlefiedlerwrites.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dandeliondeadbook/?fref=ts
Twitter: @ChrystleFiedler
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3360187.Chrystle_Fiedler
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/chrystle123/dandelion-dead-a-natural-remedies-mystery/
 
Purchase Links:
Amazon – B&N – IndieBound

KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

#CozyMystery Spotlight: Death Among the Doilies

>>Win one of two print copies of Death Among the Doilies<<<

 
For thirty-something blogger Cora Chevalier, small-town Indigo Gap, North Carolina, seems like the perfect place to reinvent her life.

Shedding a stressful past as a counselor for a women’s shelter, Cora is pouring all her talents—and most of her savings—into a craft retreat business, with help from close pal and resident potter Jane Starr. Between transforming her Victorian estate into a crafter’s paradise and babysitting Jane’s daughter, the new entrepreneur has no time for distractions. Especially rumors about the murder of a local school librarian . . .

But when Jane’s fingerprints match those found at the grisly crime scene, Cora not only worries about her friend, but her own reputation. With angry townsfolk eager for justice and both Jane’s innocence and the retreat at risk, she must rely on her creative chops to unlace the truth behind the beloved librarian’s disturbing demise. Because if the killer’s patterns aren’t pinned, Cora’s handiwork could end up in stitches . . .

About The Author
Mollie Cox Bryan is the author of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbooking mystery series.  She is also author of two cookbooks, the regional bestseller Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies and Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook: A Lifetime of Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley . An award-winning journalist and poet, she currently blogs, cooks, and scrapbooks in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and two daughters. Scrapbook of Secrets was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel.

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | Pinterest | Twitter | IndieBound | Amazon | B&N
KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

Spotlight and #Giveaway: Murder at Rough Point

>>>Enter to win a print copy of Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell<<<

In glittering Newport, Rhode Island, status is everything. But despite being a poorer relation to the venerable Vanderbilts, Emma Cross has shaped her own identity—as a reporter and a sleuth.
 

As the nineteenth century draws to a close, Fancies and Fashion reporter Emma Cross is sent by the Newport Observer to cover an elite house party at Rough Point, a “cottage” owned by her distant cousin Frederick Vanderbilt that has been rented as an artist retreat. To her surprise, the illustrious guests include her estranged Bohemian parents—recently returned from Europe—as well as a variety of notable artists, including author Edith Wharton.
But when one of the artists is discovered dead at the bottom of a cliff, Rough Point becomes anything but a house of mirth. After a second murder, no one is above suspicion—including Emma’s parents. As Newport police detective Jesse Whyte searches for a killer, Emma tries to draw her own conclusions—with the help of Mrs. Wharton. But with so many sketchy suspects, she’ll need to canvas the crime scenes carefully, before the cunning culprit takes her out of the picture next . . .
Praise for Alyssa Maxwell and her Gilded Newport Mysteries
“Another entertaining entry in this cozy series.” —Library Journal 
“Maxwell’s second entry has a credible mystery, solved by a female detective who’s likeable.” —Kirkus Reviews 

About The Author  
Alyssa Maxwell has worked in publishing as an assistant editor and a ghost writer, but knew from an early age that being a novelist was what she wanted most. Growing up in New England and traveling to Great Britain fueled a passion for history, while a love of puzzles of all kinds drew her to the mystery genre. She lives in South Florida in the current year, but confesses to spending most of her time in the Victorian, Edwardian, and post WWI eras. In addition to fantasizing about wearing Worth gowns while strolling manor house gardens, she loves to watch BBC and other period productions and sip tea in the afternoons.

 

Twitter | Facebook | Website | Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Kobo

KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List
Posted on

#Interview: Mud Bog #Murder by Lesley A. Diehl

>>>Enter to win an e-copy of Mud Bog Murder<<<
When Jenny McCleary leases her property to be ravaged by the annual mud bog races, the small rural town of Sabal Bay, Florida, is divided into warring camps: environmental activists versus monster truck fans. Jenny, who frequents the consignment store owned by Eve Appel and her friend Madeleine, doesn’t seem to mind when Eve and Madeleine join the protesters the day of the races.



During the race, Eve catches Jenny’s airborne head after it is tossed into the air by the wheels of a truck. Now every protester is a suspect in Jenny’s murder. What’s left of her alligator-gnawed body is found near the airboat business of Eve’s Miccosukee Indian friends, Sammy Egret and his grandfather. When more evidence turns up nearby, Grandfather is arrested.
Even without the disembodied head, Eve has her hands full. The town resents her role in the protests and is boycotting the consignment shop on wheels. She is torn between two men–GQ-handsome, devoted PI Alex and tall, dark, and exotic Sammy. Jenny’s sweet and needy teenage daughter is dating a petty criminal. Will Eve and Madeleine ever be able to move into their new digs? Not unless the town forgives them. And not if whoever decapitated Jenny gets to Eve before she and her sleuthing buddies solve the mystery.

Q: Aloha Lesley, and welcome back to Island Confidential. Can you tell us a little bit about Eve Appel?
A: The protagonist of the Eve Appel mystery series and the newest book in it, Mud Bog Murder, is Eve Appel, a woman who has spent her life in the Northeast and has now moved to rural Florida to open a consignment shop there with her best friend, Madeleine Boudreaux Wilson. These two friends couldn’t be any different in appearance. Eve is tall, willow thin with spiky blonde hair (with dark roots, her fashion statement) while Madeleine is short, round and has red curly hair. They are different in personality also. Eve is an in-your-face gal and Madeleine, although a bit physically clumsy, is polite and always knows the right thing to say. Eve may know what is socially appropriate, but she seldom feels compelled to say or do it.  The two have been friends since childhood, sharing a commitment to righting wrongs and a loyalty to friends and family. Eve loves designer fashions as long as she doesn’t have to pay full price, so she’s addicted to consignment shopping, and she’s determined to bring the opportunity to dress for less to rural Florida. And, oh yes. Eve is as snoopy as can be especially when it comes to murder.
Q: How much of you is in Eve?  How would you feel about her if you met her in real life?
A: There is little of me in Eve except that we both probably share the need to find answers to questions. My questions involve more mundane issues such as where did I leave my glasses while her questions are both mundane (what should I wear today?) and significant to her life and her community (who killed my friend?).  In Mud Bog Murder, that means Eve not only catches the severed head of the victim, but she searches for the killer. There’s no question that if I had caught that head, I would have dropped it and run like crazy. I admire her and Madeleine for different reasons. I can certainly relate to Eve’s search for secondhand merchandise. I’m addicted to yard sales, consignment shops and bargains in general. There is nothing that Eve won’t take on when it comes to social injustice—insults to the environment, family upheavals, as well as theft and murder. Who wouldn’t want a friend with the attitude of can do, or as they say, in the South a get ‘er done approach to problems? Madeleine’s warm, friendly, ladylike exterior hides a streak of real spunkiness. Madeleine is the lady my mom raised me to be. I guess it didn’t take. But, for Madeleine, lady combined with spunk really works.
Q: Do your characters change and evolve throughout consecutive books in the series? I imagine catching a severed head (!) would be a transformational experience, no?
A:  Yes, they do. I think it’s necessary for characters to face challenges and change to handle these in each book, but I think a writer must take series characters through life journeys especially if the writer decides to age the characters which is what I do. Throwing murder at a character necessitates adjustment and self-exploration especially if solving the crime means the character confronts situations she fears and people she doesn’t like. In a mystery series, writers do this again and again, so the reader has a right to see a character altered by so many encounters with death. Subplots that involve the character’s personal life and development entail the same consideration: what does love, family, friendship and the absence, presence or alteration in all these mean for the character. How is she different at the end of the series from what she was in the beginning? Eve has certainly confronted some interesting issues, and she has been changed by them. Love is one of these, and what happens to Eve’s love life in Mud Bog Murder may surprise the reader. It certainly surprised Eve.
Q: So just between you, me, and the millions of people with internet access: Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean? 
A:  Sure, and I did it in an early manuscript in which I also made the murderer someone I knew and disliked. It was quite cathartic, and some really bad writing on my part. I radically altered that story and it later was a book in which the story is nothing like the original version. However, I have to thank the people I disliked for helping presenting me with characters I could enhance and recreate. It sure was fun!
Q: How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
A:  The setting for Mud Bog Murder is rural Florida a place few tourists are familiar with or visit and where few Floridians live. The county I live in has more cattle than people and probably more alligators too. This is really “old Florida”, the Florida before interstates, sugar fields and runaway development. I try to stay true to the setting and what it means to its people although I do alter names of towns and streets sometimes. I want the story to not only be about murder, but I want the impact of that to be imbedded in the setting such that to move the story away from that setting would change the tone and the significance of it. Because I’m not a Florida native, neither is my protagonist. She’s an outsider, someone who can see what is happening with new eyes, but who becomes more and more a part of the community in each book.
Q: When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
A:  I’m not much of a moviegoer. My husband and I prefer watching British comedies and mysteries on Netflix. I’m not good at knowing actors, but there is the short, shapely blonde on Big Bang Theory who, with a red wig could play Madeleine. She seems to have the bubbly persona of Madeleine.  As for Eve, she is physically like Angeline Jolie but with short, blond hair. Since the mystery is humorous, it’s always difficult to find comic actors who can carry the parts.
Q: What’s the worst and best advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
A:  In the writing world, we’re always told to write what we know, but sometimes it’s important to understand what it is we know, and it’s not always what we have spent our lives doing. My first manuscript featured a college psychology professor. That’s what I did, so I figured I was on safe ground writing about it. I was so close to the college world that my manuscript lacked sizzle. It was boring. Once I used what I knew to create, not copy the world in the story, the manuscript improved. Writing is all about imagination and the creation and crafting of the work. Sometimes we leave that out when we tell beginning writers to write what they know. Most important is to learn your craft. You can only break the rules when you understand what they mean to your story. As for what you know, you can always learn what you don’t know. Research is important—interviews, experience, involvement in new endeavors as well as research on line and in libraries. It can open a world of writing opportunities.

About the Author


Lesley retired from her life as a professor of psychology and reclaimed her country roots by moving to a small cottage in the Butternut River Valley in upstate New York. In the winter she migrates to old Florida—cowboys, scrub palmetto, and open fields of grazing cattle, a place where spurs still jingle in the post office, and gators make golf a contact sport. Back north, the shy ghost inhabiting the cottage serves as her literary muse. When not writing, she gardens, cooks and renovates the 1874 cottage with the help of her husband, two cats and, of course, Fred the ghost, who gives artistic direction to their work.
She is the author of a number of mystery series (Microbrewing Series, Big Lake Mystery Series, Eve Appel Mystery Series and the Laura Murphy Mysteries), a standalone mystery (Angel Sleuth) and numerous short stories.
Visit her on her website: www.lesleyadiehl.com
Webpage: www.lesleyadiehl.com
Blog: www.lesleyadiehl.com/blog
Twitter: @lesleydiehl
Facebook: [email protected]
Buy on Amazon

KEEP UP WITH PROMOTIONS, EVENTS, AND NEW RELEASES:

Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List