You’ve created three successful mystery series: The Allie Cobb Mysteries, The Darcy Gaughan Mysteries, and The Elmo Simpson Mysteries. What inspired you to create these diverse characters and their unique worlds?
Allie came about when my literary agent challenged me to try writing cozy mysteries. I was writing in another genre at the time, and decided, “why not?” I decided Allie had earned a break from solving crime after six books. It was great fun spending time with her and the residents of Rushing Creek, Indiana but after “A Parting Shot,” it was time for a new group of characters. That led me to Darcy, my record store manager turned amateur sleuth. Music has always been a big part of my life and I love the vibe I get when visiting an independent record store. When you add the fact that my younger kiddo was studying Music Education at the time, writing a series with a strong musical influence was a total no-brainer. Elmo and the Paradise Springs oddballs introduced themselves to me in a completely different way. I was on vacation with my wife in Panama City Beach, Florida when the idea came to me to write a cozy mystery along the lines of Catriona McPherson’s Last Ditch Mystery Series with a healthy serving of Carl Hiaasen Florida craziness and Jimmy Buffett tropical seasoning. When it comes to Elmo’s stories, I try to push that envelope every chance I get and have a blast doing so!
As a co-host of The Bookish Hour webcast, how has discussing books with other authors and readers influenced your own writing?
The Bookish Hour is so much fun because I’m a reader and fan every bit as much as I am a writer. I think the biggest personal takeaway is how much creative energy there is in the world. And that everyone crafts their stories in their own way, which is completely okay. That helps remind me to keep an open mind and be open to possibilities when I’m writing.
IndyCar racing is a passion of yours. Have you ever incorporated this interest into your mystery novels, and if so, how?
My Allie and Darcy books are set in small towns in Indiana, so the Indy 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been mentioned more than once. That’s been it, so far. A mystery series set in an IndyCar-type world would be so much fun to write. A driver by day who solves mysteries by night. The stories practically write themselves. They do in my head, at least.
Music seems to be a significant part of your life. Does it play a role in your writing process, and do you have any favorite genres or artists that inspire your work?
Music is truly a huge part of my life, and I am so grateful for that. I’ll listen to instrumental music when I’m writing. Jazz and calypso are my go-to genres. They help keep the energy up without being too distracting. Overall, Jimmy Buffett is far and away the individual with the most influence on my writing, especially the Elmo Simpson Mysteries. His music provides a perfect backdrop for Elmo’s fictional hometown of Paradise Springs, Florida. More than that, though, Jimmy’s books, especially Tales from Margaritaville and Where is Joe Merchant?, taught me so much about writing stories filled with unique characters in bizarre situations.
Living in Indianapolis, how does the city and its surroundings influence your storytelling and the settings of your mysteries?
During the more temperate months, I love being able to write outside. Listening to the birds and the wind rustling through the trees relaxes me, which helps get the creative thoughts going. I’m fortunate to live in an old neighborhood with a lot of mature trees. Having said that, I also appreciate the lure of the small-town vibe so prevalent in cozy mysteries. The change in scenery from city to smaller community is like taking a vacation without having to leave the house.
What do you find most rewarding about writing mystery novels, and what do you find most challenging?
The most rewarding thing is when people tell me they enjoy my stories. I write because it makes me happy. And I mean that literally. I live with depression and writing helps keep that ever present black cloud at arm’s length. While having something to help me manage my depression is huge, knowing that my stories have a positive impact, even a tiny one, on someone’s life is the most gratifying thing ever. The most challenging thing as a mystery writer is walking that tightrope between writing an engaging whodunnit while playing fair. When readers finish one of my stories, I hope they are surprised by the reveal, but also think the ending makes sense. On the other side of the coin, I don’t want to make clues so obvious that it takes all the fun out of trying to figure out who the murderer is.
You have two grown children. Have your family experiences or relationships influenced any characters or plots in your books?
Absolutely. My older kiddo lives with a number of physical and mental health conditions. Between their challenges and my depression, it’s become natural for me to include a character or a subplot involving mental health. I’m trying to do what I can to erase the stigma associated with mental health diagnoses. On a happier note, my younger kiddo is a music teacher. I tap into his knowledge of all things musical to make sure I get certain things right. My wife is a genetic counselor who loves genealogy, so the plot of one of my Allie Cobb books involved a twenty-year-old unsolved murder. Getting the genetics and forensic genealogy correct in that book was a challenge, and I couldn’t have done it without her.
Your cat likely provides some unique company while you write. Does your feline friend ever inspire any aspects of your characters or stories?
A total lap cat, Maria is my constant companion. Since I work from home for my day job, constant is not an exaggeration! In one way or another, she’s been the basis for all three cats in my books; Ursula, Ringo, and Oscar. My goal is to convey the idea that, despite their reputation to the contrary, cats can be very attentive and loving companions. That’s Maria. Well, that and the fact that she’s always ready for her next meal!
As a bestselling author, what do you think are the key elements to writing a compelling mystery that keeps readers hooked until the last page?
To me, it all boils down to having characters the readers find compelling. As a cozy mystery author, my amateur sleuths and their friends and family need to be people readers care about and want to root for. Next, the mystery needs to be interesting enough to keep readers following along while also providing enough clues to make the story fair. At the story’s conclusion, I want a reader to be either surprised when the whodunnit is revealed or pleased that they figured it out. A unique setting is a big plus, too.
What advice would you give to aspiring mystery writers who are looking to build their own successful series?
Remember that writing is a long game. You need time to build a following, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t sell a boatload of books right away. It’s also important to surround yourself with people who will lift you up when you’re having a tough day, tell you the truth when you need it, and care about you as a person. Also, the only competition you have as a writer is with yourself to write the best story you can.
BONUS: What is one book that you would consider to be your comfort read that you will always reach for?
When I’m in a reading funk, I go to Agatha Christie. I got my start with mysteries when I read And Then There Were None when I was in high school. Murder At the Vicarage and Evil Under the Sun are my personal favorites. I enjoy historical mysteries because they really take me away from the here and now. And you can’t beat a whodunnit by the Queen of Crime Fiction.
About The Author
J.C. Kenney is the bestselling author of The Allie Cobb Mysteries, The Darcy Gaughan Mysteries, and The Elmo Simpson Mysteries. He’s also the co-host of The Bookish Hour webcast. When he’s not writing, you can find him following IndyCar racing or listening to music. He has two grown children and lives in Indianapolis with his wife and a cat.
I’m so excited that MAID OF DISHONOR, Wedding Bell Mysteries book four, hits the shelves this July. I loved returning to fictional Hemlock, North Carolina, and living in the world of mother/daughter wedding planners and amateur sleuths Maddie and Jenna Bell.
But there’s more news from Hemlock as well, and it’s time to uncover our secret as we unveil the book cover: my series has been optioned for television by Candy Rock Entertainment! We hope to hear more news soon. You can bet that I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, you are invited to drop in to the Tule Cozy Mystery Cafe Facebook page tomorrow, May 16, at 1:00 p.m. EST for a special cover unveiling. Hint: there’s prizes. Can’t wait to see you there!
Here’s a little bit about the book:
Instead of walking down the aisle, the bride is suspected of murder….
Maddie Bell’s life and career have hit peak stride. She’s sold her cozy mystery series and is contracted for two more books; she’s engaged to Hemlock’s chief of police; and her mother has purchased and restored the beautiful historic mansion, Gracewood Hall, in their hometown of Hemlock, North Carolina. Three generations—Gigi, Maddie, and Jenna–are now happily engaged in the wedding and special event business.
But their highly scrutinized inaugural event—the wedding of an A-List social media influencer—becomes a murder scene before the rehearsal dinner. Kate Archer, the professional bridesmaid Jenna hired, is found bludgeoned by a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, not only threatening their new business, but also sending Jenna into a tailspin of guilt. She knew Kate from college and had begged her to fill in as the maid of honor.
Even as the police warn Maddie not to interfere with the investigation, mother and daughter set out to discover who killed Kate and dispel the growing rumors that Gracewood Hall is cursed.
If you haven’t yet subscribed to my newsletter, you can do so here:https://www.nancyrobardsthompson.com/contact . On that page, scroll down to where it says, “Sign up for Nancy’s Newsletter.”
Bells will be ringing for all of us this summer.
About the Author
Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Nancy Robards Thompson has worked as a newspaper reporter, television show stand-in, production and casting assistant for movies, and in fashion and public relations. She started writing fiction seriously in 1997. Five years and four completed manuscripts later, she won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart award for unpublished writers and sold her first book the following year. Since then, Nancy has sold 30 books and found her calling doing what she loves most – writing romance and women’s fiction full-time.
Where did you get the inspiration for Ending on a Die Note?
Hi! Thanks so much for having me on the Tule blog to celebrate the release of ENDING ON A DIE NOTE. It’s the third book in the Wedding Bell Mysteries. My daughter helped me brainstorm this book. We were having lunch at Panera one day (pre-Covid) and I was telling her about my bare-bone ideas and before I knew it, she’d helped me flesh out the story. It was such fun!
How do you feel Maddie and Jenna have grown and changed throughout the Wedding Bell Mysteries series?
Well, they’ve certainly become more adept at solving murders. LOL! They’ve both experienced a lot of personal growth over the three books…especially in the romance arena. To avoid spoilers, I can’t be too specific, but let’s just say the mystery about Maddie’s husband, the navy pilot who has been missing in action since the start of the series, is finally solved in this book. That, in itself, allows for a lot of growth in both characters.
If you could spend the day with Maddie or Jenna, who would you choose and what would you do?
I love both of them, but I’d love to talk cozy mysteries and motherhood with Maddie.
Where and when do you get most of your writing done?
I have a cozy office with lots of bookcases and a great big antique desk that my father and step-mother gave me. My office is my sanctuary. I work Monday – Thursday and usually get settled in around 10 a.m. and work until around 5 or 6 p.m. I always have a strict schedule and page quota mapped out so that I know I’m on track to meet my deadlines.
What are you currently reading?
I’m reading EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes. It’s a funny and poignant story about a woman who is starting over after her life falls apart.
About the Author
Award-winning author Nancy Robards Thompson has worked as a newspaper reporter, television show stand-in, production and casting assistant for movies, and in fashion and public relations. She started writing fiction seriously in 1997. Five years and four completed manuscripts later, she won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart award for unpublished writers and sold her first book the following year. Since then, Nancy has sold 30 books and found her calling doing what she loves most – writing romance and women’s fiction full-time.
Kaz Delaney stopped by the Tule blog to discuss the first book in the Hart of Texas Murder Mysteries series, A Bittersweet Murder!
Welcome to Tule! Can you share a fun fact about yourself to help us get to know you?
Okay… a fun fact? Well, my kidneys are in the wrong place, but I doubt that helps you get to know me better. Ha! What might help is to tell you I’m a pretty ordinary person who happens to have a somewhat extraordinary job that I love.
I’m a home-lover who loves to cook, bake and preserve and like my protagonist Rosie, I also like to grow fruit and vegetables. I dislike cold weather and love hot weather, though regardless of the season you’ll often find me at the beach, either soaking up rays or walking along the water’s edge. Luckily, we live quite near both the Pacific Ocean and Australia’s largest lake, so there are plenty of opportunities.
Add to that, if there’s music anywhere in my vicinity I find it impossible to remain still! True! I wiggle and jiggle and yes, I’m also that dreaded Mom/Grandmom who sings to the piped music in shopping centers and supermarkets. Loudly.
I guess if I was to summarize, I’d say I am a beach loving, pie baking, vegetable growing, party lover who values a smile over just about everything, and if a stranger offers a heartfelt smile, it can make my day.
Where did you get the inspiration for A Bittersweet Murder?
Having been a Christie et al devotee since I was quite young, barely a teen in fact, of course I adore cozy mysteries. I don’t think there was a specific moment of inspiration for A Bittersweet Murder but more of a compilation of things that I love in this type of mystery, and more to the point – in a series. Things like interesting, entertaining characters and a strong community base. The protagonist Rosie Hart came first. She’s a great friend, and very loyal, so she’ll always jump in to right any injustice. She’s a strong, warm, passionate young woman with a nose for mystery and a penchant for sometimes finding herself in trouble. And what’s more trouble than finding you’re under suspicion for a murder you didn’t commit?
In creating Airlie Falls, I strived to present a town populated with colorful, entertaining characters; a place where people have your back and community isn’t just a word, it’s a way of life – a place you want to return to. Hopefully I’ve achieved that and it’s been so heartwarming to read so many reviewers refer to feeling like they’re in a warm hug when they spend time with these townsfolk.
However, it’s a murder mystery and as with each time I plot a new story, one phrase plays over and over in my head: Everybody has secrets. In real life, those secrets need to be respected. But my characters? (Insert evil laughter) They’re not so fortunate and it’s my job to drill down and discover if they’re the kind of secrets that need to be revealed.
And it’s no spoiler to say that one of those revelations involves a long-ago mystery that’s tied to the present and that’s another element that I love. It’s such fun to peel back those layers and uncover truths from the past that can explain and solve mysteries of the present.
Your heroine, Rosie, is an amateur baker. Are you a baker too? Do you have any delicious recipes you can share?
Absolutely! Like Rosie, I love baking. However, I’m a home baker and what I bake doesn’t always look like it does in the recipe book. It usually tastes pretty good though – and I always think (hope) that makes up for my clumsier presentation. Rosie on the other hand can create both heavenly tasting goodies that look just as divine. She’s my baking idol!
I have dozens of cookery books, though many of the sweet treats I bake are from recipes that have been passed down from my mother, mother-in-law, aunts and grandmothers – or passed sideways from friends or other family members– and even handed over (the back fence) from neighbors who also love baking. So, it was tricky deciding what to share here. Which one?
What I eventually decided upon is a healthier option with a decadent twist. It came from my sister-in-law in my early married years; it’s one we don’t bake often as a little bit goes a long way. While it’s heavy on ingredients it’s light on effort, and that’s always a bonus. And it’s delicious!
It’s three layers and serves 12, so it also makes a great party cake. And the best part? It always looks the way it’s supposed to look! Yay!
Chocolate Carrot Cake with Pineapple
Serves 12
1 – 3 layer 9 inch round cake
Ingredients
Ingredient Checklist
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
½ cup butter
1 pound confectioners’ sugar
½ cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa, set aside. In another bowl, stir together the eggs, vanilla and oil. Stir in the dry ingredients until they are completely absorbed. Fold in the carrots and pineapple. Pour the batter evenly between the three prepared pans.
Step 3
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter and confectioner’s sugar in a medium bowl. Beat until smooth, then stir in the coconut and nuts. Frost cake when cool.
Where and when do you get most of your writing done?
Despite having two designated office areas in the house, I find I’m most productive in my recliner chair with my laptop on my knee. While in my recliner, my body is relaxed and my mind is free to create. (And my knees thank me. They complain loudly if I sit in an ordinary chair for any length of time. Go figure.)
Yes, it sounds counterproductive in a world that promotes standing desks, ergonomic chairs and balance balls, and yet crazily, it works for me. I do have to often set timers to remind me to get up and move though because otherwise I get so wrapped up in the work that hours would slide by and I’d still be there in that one spot!
I look out at palm trees and the most stunning hibiscus tree. Not a bush, which is more traditional, but a ten feet high tree that’s always awash with gorgeous baby pink blooms, and whose branches drape like a willow. I’m constantly amazed at how many varieties of bird feed from that tree! Parrots to magpies to teeny birds – they all come. According to my late mother-in-law this hibiscus variety is called ‘Apple Blossom’ but I’ve never confirmed that officially. She gave it to me when I was first married, and I really like that name, so for me, that’s what it will always be called.
What are you currently reading?
I have just finished The Russian Wife by Barry Maitland. Barry is an expat British architect who moved to Australia for work about thirty years ago and writes a police detective series featuring the team of Brock and Kolla. They’re set in London which he claims is a great excuse to spend several months each year there in the name of research. I’m figuring that means I should look to spend several months each year in the US, particularly Texas, in the name of research, right? Anyone got a spare bed available? I don’t eat much…
Next on my pile? A complete change of pace. It’s a romance by my dear friend and Harlequin author, Annie West, entitled ‘One Night with Her Forgotten Husband’.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to chat. It’s been such fun!
About the Author
Award winning YA & children’s author, Kaz Delaney, and her alter ego, have currently sold 73 titles between them over a 26 year career.
Her books have won many awards, among them the prestigious Aurealis Award for best paranormal and ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association) awards. Her novel ‘Dead, Actually’ (Allen & Unwin) was nominated for a Davitt Award, (Best crime novel, Sisters In Crime) in the YA section. Dividing her time between teaching and writing, Kaz formerly tutored Creative Writing for CSU’s Enrichment Program as well as teaching and creating courses for the Australian College of Journalism.
Having always had a love of cozy mysteries, Kaz is having so much fun writing her Hart of Texas Mystery Series for TULE Publishing, that she worries it’s not legal!
With their family grown and gone, Kaz lives with her wonderful husband at beautiful Lake Macquarie, Australia, a place she describes as a strip of land between the ocean and lake. Like Rosie, Kaz loves to bake and grow vegetables and unlike Rosie, manages to make a mess of every crochet task she undertakes.
When I was growing up there was one sentence my mother continually used and it was all it took to keep me on the straight and narrow. Those words were, “Remember, there’s always someone around who’ll see what you’re doing – and they’ll tell me.”
Of course, my mother’s admonishment was issued to keep me safe—for the most part—but I knew also that if I did do something silly, neighbors would not only tell her, but they’d tell each other. The whole town would know faster than a brushfire can race through dry tinder, which in her eyes would be as bad as my misbehavior.
And so, it was true. She would find out—and I’d be in trouble.
I grew up in an outer suburb, an older community in the town in which my father had been born – and I was subsequently also born (in a house run by a midwife which was in the next street to where I grew up!) My grandfather was one of ten children, nine boys and one girl, and almost all of them had settled in the town and raised their own large families there. One reason for them continuing to settle in that town was because my grandfather and his brothers owned the local coal mine that employed many of the men in the area, including my father and his siblings and seemingly dozens of cousins. Additionally, my great grandfather had been the Lord Mayor. So, not only was it a smallish community, I was also part of a well-known family.
I could stand on our back steps and look out in one direction across huge fields owned by my extended family, and if I turned directly right or left I saw the homes of my relatives. An aunt lived next door. Next to her was a cousin of dad’s and his wife and family.
In the other direction I saw the homes of two great uncles and two more belonging to more of my father’s cousins and their families. In that same street, but out of sight, was my grandparent’s home. My elementary school and the local park were mere steps away.
The long main street boasted three pubs (bars) which serviced the thirsty miners, two movie theatres, a rotunda, the doctor’s rooms, a milk bar that sold the iciest milkshakes ever, and a long strip of mom and pop owned stores. The library was out of sight and up around a corner. For a number of years my mother and aunt owned and operated a European delicatessen.
The elementary school I attended had also been attended by my father and his siblings, and a whole host of his cousins; I was just the next in a long line. Of course, by the time I’d become a teenager, the town had fallen prey to an issue often found in many outer lying areas – too many kids with nothing to do. And so they started getting into trouble.
I’d been spared this by being sent away to boarding school, and then by eighteen I’d moved away from my hometown and as things worked out, I never returned to live there again, making my life in other bigger towns, finally settling with my husband in a coastal town. However, while I’m not sure I miss that particular town of my childhood, something must have clicked in when I was young, because I have always dreamed of living in a small community. Smaller even than the one I grew up in.
Is that why I write about them in my cozy mystery series? The Hart of Texas Murder Mysteries is set in the fictional rural town of Airlie Falls—named for falls that have long-since dried up—in North Central Texas, and I’ve found I’m not the only one who loves that small town setting. My readers love it too, and I’ve had so many of them tell me that they’d love to live there; and that vicariously living there through the books is like being ‘in a big warm hug’.
Lately, several things have made me ponder my own feelings as well as those comments from readers. One was a workshop on Creating a Book Series I gave just this week. All through preparing that presentation, I was drawn to one question: what brings a reader back to a series? I had my own theories, but I asked around; asked other authors who also create series – and the answer wasn’t really a surprise.
Naturally there are many elements that may bring a reader back – great characters, overarching story questions, the challenge to solve a mystery— but overwhelmingly the one word that continued to come up was ‘community’.
Yes, it was that sense of community referred to by those readers, and the very thing that at the heart of my own dreams. And it’s not something really new. In the Cheers theme song – that successful television series from the 80s – the popularity of that bar was to be somewhere ‘where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came’.
I also believe that in this cyber age, as well as in an age where the place you live is often not the place you work and play, that old fashioned sense of community is becoming more and more alien to many people. Remember when COVID-19 first hit and we were all in isolation? People who had lived next door to neighbors for many years suddenly learned their names for the very first time. That was shocking in so many ways.
Again, is this why we create our stories in these small settings? No, it’s not the only reason, there are myriad of good solid reasons to do so, especially in cozies that contrast with the stark, impersonable tone of big city crime stories. But, okay, maybe it’s true that we can only stretch the small town community so far with regards to creating our cozy mysteries. I mean, how many people can we murder without running out of victims, right? Even Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote had to eventually move to New York, right? So, it’s good to remember that a small community can be anywhere. It can, and often is, a retirement village, a doctor’s practice, a café, community college, a B&B, a craft group, a hotel… The list goes on.
Basically, I think most of us want to be a part of something, and our stories can give others that, even if just for the time they spend in our books. A small town or limited setting where if someone went missing, others would immediately know. A place anchored by trust; a place where no one imagines the bad things can happen – but they can and do. A place whose sheer ordinariness makes it remarkable. A place where, if you mess up, someone will tell your Mom…
I hope you enjoy your time visiting Airlie Falls in Preserving the Evidence, the latest in the Hart of Texas Mysteries. The people there will welcome you with open arms; someone will always have your back. Of course, there’s always the chance that hand at your back might also be holding a knife, but rest assured it will be adorned with a pretty bow. After all this is the south, and even murderers are expected to abide by certain standards. Wink…
Award winning YA & children’s author, Kaz Delaney, and her alter ego, have currently sold 73 titles between them over a 26 year career.
Her books have won many awards, among them the prestigious Aurealis Award for best paranormal and ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association) awards. Her novel ‘Dead, Actually’ (Allen & Unwin) was nominated for a Davitt Award, (Best crime novel, Sisters In Crime) in the YA section. Dividing her time between teaching and writing, Kaz formerly tutored Creative Writing for CSU’s Enrichment Program as well as teaching and creating courses for the Australian College of Journalism.
Having always had a love of cozy mysteries, Kaz is having so much fun writing her Hart of Texas Mystery Series for TULE Publishing, that she worries it’s not legal!
With their family grown and gone, Kaz lives with her wonderful husband at beautiful Lake Macquarie, Australia, a place she describes as a strip of land between the ocean and lake. Like Rosie, Kaz loves to bake and grow vegetables and unlike Rosie, manages to make a mess of every crochet task she undertakes.
