After one
too many corporate mergers, Cindy Sample found herself plotting murder instead
of plodding through paperwork. Her first novel, Dying for a Date, combines bad dates, real estate, a few dead bodies, and
plenty of giggles. The
sequel, Dying for a Dance, which she describes as Murder She
Wrote meets DWTS, was a
finalist for the LEFTY Award for best humorous mystery. RT Book Reviews says
“Sample’s sleuth is an endearing character readers will adore.” To learn more
about Cindy and her books, visit her at her website and blog.
Cindy is
offering a copy of either book to one of our readers who posts a comment or
title suggestion for the next book in her series. Read on to find out how you
can also win a box of Hangtown fudge. -- AP
Humor and Homicide in Hangtown
A primary character in any
cozy mystery is the village or town where the story is set. If you’re dropping
dead bodies all over the place, most small towns would prefer that you not dump
them on their doorstep.
But if you’re an author who
combines humor with her homicides and you happen to live in a town referred to
as “Hangtown,” there’s no choice but to concoct what I refer to as a “reality
cozy series.”
Hangtown was the original name
for the town of Placerville where Laurel McKay, my protagonist, and I hang out.
I create crimes. She solves them. They don’t take kindly to troublemakers
around here, which could be why some of the locals strung up a few gold miners
one hundred fifty years ago.
You have to love a town with
a sense of humor! I originally debated the wisdom of setting my series in an
actual town located in the Gold Country of California. I knew that readers would demand 100
percent accuracy, and so far, no one has questioned the veracity of any of my
local descriptions. What I did not anticipate was that tourists from all over
the United States and England would actually visit sites mentioned in my books.
Breakfast at Sweetie Pies, a shopping spree through Placerville Hardware
(oldest hardware store west of the Mississippi), a wine tour of David Girard
Vineyards in Coloma and a slab of tawny port fudge (Laurel’s favorite)
purchased from the Candy Emporium.
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My fans were thrilled to find
the actual venues mentioned in my book. But one thing perplexed them. They
couldn’t find the places where the dead bodies lurked! I explained to my readers
that proprietors prefer you don’t kill people in their real establishments.
But then a funny thing
happened on the streets of Old Hangtown.
Store owners started
approaching me and asking me to hide a body in their store. Wineries were dying to have me stuff someone in a
barrel of aged wine. The orchards in Apple Hill were loaded with good hiding
places. Nothing like a caramel-coated corpse. And the historic Gold Bug Mine
was a perfect spot to mine for murder.
With more than enough
locations and plots for me to choose from, the only dilemma I now have is the
title for my next book. In keeping
with my current theme of Dying for a Date, Dying for a Dance and Dying for a Daiquiri, I need a title for a mystery
that will occur when a real wagon train rolls into Hangtown for our annual
Wagon Train Week.
My first attempt is Dying for a Dude, so
I’m fairly certain anyone can improve on that. Leave a comment or potential
title for the next book in the series, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for
an e-book of either Dying for a Date or Dying for a Dance. Plus my favorite title will also win a box of
Hangtown fudge!
Thanks for joining us today, Cindy! Readers, let's hear some title suggestions for Cindy. And please, either include your email or make sure you check back on Sunday to see if you're the winner. Remember, we have no way of getting in touch with you otherwise. -- AP
