COZY MYSTERY AUTHOR SALLY HANDLEY DRAWS ON HER OWN EXPERIENCES

Sally Handley is the author of the Holly and Ivy cozy mystery series as well as one standalone suspense novel and an ongoing serial. She also blogs at “On Writing, Reading and Retirement.” Learn more about Sally and her books at her website. 

Any Similarity to Real Persons and Places is Purely on Purpose  

Murder Under Tuscan Blooms, the fourth book in my Holly and Ivy Mystery Series, begins with Holly and Nick celebrating their honeymoon at the Manelli family vineyard in Tuscany. It seems to be the perfect spot for a honeymoon until the suspicious death of a long-lost cousin who’s come to stake a claim on the vineyard. Plans for a marriage celebration are thrown into disarray as Holly, Nick and their extended family are drawn into the investigation. 

 

I’m often asked where I get my ideas and whether my characters and stories have any basis in real life experiences. You may or may not know that Holly and Ivy are loosely based on my sister and me, and the character Kate Farmer is based on my dear friend, Nina Augello. Many of the things that happen stem from personal experiences that I use as jumping off points in my books. The idea for Murder Under Tuscan Bloomscame to me after a trip to Tuscany.

 

Two years ago, another dear friend of mine, Janet Adams Strong, called me to say she and her husband Bruce were renting a villa in Tuscany for a month and they wanted to invite me to come visit them. Well, my immediate reaction was, “Wow, I don’t think I can do that.” But after about 10 seconds, that reaction shifted to, “How can I not do that?” And so, I made reservations and spent a glorious week with them in a little village not far from Pisa.

 

Sometime after that trip, I was invited to write a guest blog post on cozy settings. Now the setting for a cozy mystery is usually a small town where all the characters more or less know one another. The first two books in the Holly and Ivy series are set in the fictitious town of Pineland Park, NJ. Book three, Full Bloom, takes place in Kate Farmer’s hometown of Reddington Manor in the Catskills, oddly similar to my friend Nina’s place in Livingston Manor, NY.

 

Now just before I wrote the blog on setting, our local Sisters in Crime Mystery Book Club had just read three mysteries set in foreign countries: on the Cornish Coast of England; Venice, Italy; and Paris, France. So I wrote about how the setting impacted the reader’s experience. That’s when I started thinking there was no reason Holly and Ivy couldn’t take a trip to an exotic locale.

 

Now, if you’ve read Full BLoom, [SPOILER ALERT], you know Holly married Nick Manelli. As I reflected on that, it hit me. Why not have Holly and Nick honeymoon in Tuscany? No setting could be cozier than the villa with the adjoining guest house where I stayed on my visit there.

 

So what else from personal experience shaped this book? One day Janet, Bruce, and I visited a vineyard called Fattoria San Vito where the owner Matteo took us on a tour of the vineyard followed by a wine tasting on the back patio. As book four started to take shape in my mind, I decided to smoosh together the villa where we stayed and the vineyard we visited, and, in true cozy style, I made Nick’s family the owners of the Fattoria Manelli. I even named a character Matteo.

 

And if that isn’t enough, one of the things I pondered was who would be the murder victim and how was I going to write about crime in a foreign country. So again, my friend Nina aka Kate Farmer said that land disputes were a major issue in Italy. Believe it or not, another good friend of mine had just returned from a trip to visit her family in Sicily. On that trip she learned when her brother had visited a few years earlier, he made a claim on some family property there which did not endear him to family members. And so, an American cousin coming back to Italy to stake a claim in the family vineyard became the starting point of Murder Under Tuscan Blooms.

 

So personal experience is a huge factor in the stories I write. If you don’t believe me, just ask my dog Trixie, who is now the star of her own Kindle Vella series, The Adventures of Trixie.

 

Murder Under Tuscan Blooms

A Holly and Ivy Cozy Mystery, Book 4

 

The Manelli family vineyard in Tuscany seems the perfect spot for Holly and Nick’s honeymoon, until the suspicious death of a long-lost cousin who’s come to stake a claim on the vineyard. Plans for a marriage celebration are thrown into disarray as Holly, Nick and their extended family are drawn into the investigation. Was it an accident or was it murder? Will they solve the mystery, or is the honeymoon over?

 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH MYSTERY AUTHOR SALLY HANDLEY'S AMATEUR SLEUTH HOLLY DONNELLY

Today we sit down with Holly Donnelly from author Sally Handley’s Holly and Ivy Mysteries.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

Before Second Bloom, the first Holly and Ivy adventure, my life was very serene and peaceful. I spent most of my time reading and teaching English as an adjunct faculty member at a local college. In my spare time, I gardened. Some may think of it as a dull life, but it was very pleasant -- until my author started involving me in murder investigations. I never wanted to get involved, but she always made it impossible for me to walk away from the situations she threw me into. Of course, my life was also just a tad lonely. I have to admit I’m glad she introduced me to Detective Nick Manelli.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

I suppose it is my loyalty to friends and family.  Naturally, that’s the very thing that gets me involved in murder investigations. Also, since my author started pulling my strings, I’ve learned that I’m braver than I thought I was. Even when I’d rather pull the covers over my head, I will face danger in order to help or protect the people I love. I do feel proud of that.

What do you like least about yourself?

Well, I have been told that I’m a bit of a know-it-all and seem to always think I know the best way to handle any situation. Quite honestly, I don’t see it. Can I help it if I’m always right?

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

The strangest thing is that all of a sudden people I know and care about keep getting accused of murder. I’m a fifty-five year old, adjunct English professor, for heaven’s sake.  All I want to do is read, garden and go sightseeing with my sister Ivy. What business do I have investigating murders? Why couldn’t my author just have written a romance novel? Why couldn’t I have just been a middle-aged woman, trying to decide which of two, maybe three men who desire me, I should marry? That’s a good plot, isn’t it? Why, oh why, do I have to get involved helping people accused of murder? Believe me, I often think about how strange it is that my sister and I are helping the police solve crimes at this stage in our lives.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

Not really. We have a rather symbiotic relationship, even though I’m actually a lot gutsier than she is. I think she actually lives vicariously through me. Though after that last question you asked me, I think I’m going to argue that she should quit Sisters in Crime and join Romance Writers of America. She can change my name and start featuring me in epic love stories.

What is your greatest fear?

I’m ever fearful that what I do may cause harm to my sister Ivy. In the instances where I’ve thrown caution to the wind, I usually endanger her. Of course, I always realize I’ve put her in harm’s way a little too late.

What makes you happy?

The ability to make things grow really makes my heart sing. Every spring, when I plant seeds, I get absolutely giddy when they begin to sprout. I used to think everyone could make things grow, but I’ve learned that it’s a gift not to be taken for granted.

Good food also makes me happy. I love to cook. Italian food is my favorite. (I guess that’s part of what Nick finds appealing about me.) And, I completely agree with the quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

Then, of course, there’s Nick Manelli. He can make me crazy sometimes, but overall, he makes me very, very happy.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

The snake scene--absolutely the snake scene. That’s in the next book, Full Bloom. I hate snakes! I mean, really, I’d rather face a grizzly bear or a wolf, for heaven sakes. But no, my author had to have me face my greatest phobia.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Ironically, Nick Manelli bugs me the most. He’s very possessive and overly protective, which has its appeal on occasion, but it can also be maddening. I’ve been independent my whole life, so I don’t like being told what to do. I’d like it better if he agreed with me more when I make a decision. I mean, just because what I want to do is a little dangerous, I should still be able to do it without interference from him.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

I think I might like to trade places with Yolanda Rivera. She’s Nick’s assistant in the police department. She gets to work with him solving crimes. It’s her job. If I worked for Nick, he’d have to share information with me and protecting me would not be a priority. Danger would simply be part of the job. But, then, of course, he and I couldn’t have a relationship, or -- well, you know… So maybe I really wouldn’t want to be Yolanda, after all.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

Sally has been a mystery lover ever since she first discovered Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. She majored in English, then earned her Master’s Degree with a concentration in Shakespearean studies in England. After teaching public school for six years, she moved on to a business career, returning to academia as a professor of English before retiring in 2015. In addition to writing the Holly and Ivy mystery series, Sally also writes the “On Writing, Reading and Retirement” blog, which can be found at her website.

What's next for you?

In our next book, Full Bloom, Ivy and I are looking forward to a relaxing stay in the Catskills after my break-up with Nick Manelli. As luck would have it, our plans are thwarted. The day we arrive at my friend Kate Farmer’s house in rustic Reddington Manor, we discover the body of Kate’s next-door neighbor, Chuck Dwyer, in a pool of blood on his kitchen floor. In a rush to judgment, the local sheriff sets his sights on 17-year old Tommy Cranston, but Kate insists Tommy is innocent. The big question is can we prove that a shifty neighbor, Chuck’s widow and local drug dealers all have better motives for the murder? And, of course, can Ivy and Kate unravel another mystery -- the cause of my break-up with Nick and the chances of our getting back together.

Second Bloom

Holly Donnelly and her sister, Ivy, are reluctantly drawn into the investigation of a neighbor’s murder when Holly’s trusted gardener is accused of the crime.  Holly fears police detective, Nick Manelli, won’t conduct a proper investigation, while Ivy feels the “hunky” Manelli is not only a good cop, but also a possible romantic match for her sister. Can the clues the sisters unearth from neighborhood gossip about the victim’s family, a politically connected neighbor and a powerful real estate developer help save an innocent man, or will the gardening duo dig up more than they bargain for?

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GUEST AUTHOR SALLY HANDLEY ON COZY MYSTERIES

Author of the Holly and Ivy cozy mystery series, Sally Handley is also an avid reader and gardener and writes a monthly blog entitled “On Writing, Reading and Retirement”. Learn more about Sally and her books at her website. 

A Cozy Christmas

The words cozy and Christmas just seem to go together like peaches and cream. Before I retired in 2015, every Christmas, I used to drive with my dog from New Jersey to South Carolina to spend the holidays with my family. I managed to stay wide awake for the twelve hour road trip by eating candy bars, drinking Coca-Cola and listening to audiobooks. I still remember my delight the Christmas I discovered Deck the Halls, a collaboration by Carol Higgins Clark and her mother, Mary Higgins Clark. Listening to that cozy mystery as I drifted southward through the Shenandoah Mountains, was just the best warm-up for the week ahead.

Book two of my Holly and Ivy mystery series, Frost on the Bloom, begins on Christmas Eve at the fictitious Skyview Manor, a really cozy setting. The irony is that when I started writing my first mystery, Second Bloom, I had never even heard the term cozy mystery. Oh, I’d read tons of mysteries, many of them cozies, but I’d never heard the term used to describe an entire genre until I attended my first International Women’s Writing Guild Conference back in 2013.

Registration for the conference included a “Meet the Agents” session. In reviewing the agent resumes and trying to decide which agents I wanted to sign up for, I came across one whose write-up specified, “No cozy mysteries, please.” Wait. What? As you can guess, I immediately went on line and googled “cozy mystery”.

The first listing I found was https://www.cozy-mystery.com/. That was my aha moment. As I read the home page introduction, I clicked off the major characteristics of the genre one by one. Amateur sleuths. All the characters lived in the same neighborhood. No blood and gore. Yes, indeed. I was writing a cozy mystery.

Once I was able to put that specific tag on what I was writing, people started providing me with lots of helpful information. I learned about Malice Domestic, an organization that holds an annual fan convention in Bethesda, MD every year and celebrates traditional mysteries. I still recall how I felt attending that first conference…I’d found my people.

I belong to two book clubs and we read some serious literature, but I have to admit, I’m happiest curled up inside a mystery--and not just any mystery--a cozy mystery.  As I wrote in one of my blog posts, “Especially when the world seems gray and gloomy, whether literally or figuratively, I know no better escape than reading about a plucky heroine who says and does all the things I can’t, a shero who conquers the bad guys and finds true love with some hunky hero.”

Before starting to write this post, I searched “Mary Higgins Clark” to find the title of the book I’d listened to several years ago and discovered she and her mother have written at least five Christmas cozies. Then I searched “Christmas Cozy Mysteries”.  I’m guessing “Christmas Cozies” will eventually become its own sub-genre. I have to close now and place my order for at least one or two in time to read this holiday season. If you’re looking for a cozy Christmas read, I hope you’ll consider Frost on the Bloom.

Frost on the Bloom

In this second book in the Holly and Ivy mystery series, one of Holly Donnelly’s former students, Becky Powell, asks the look-alike sisters for help when they all spend Christmas at Skyview Manor, and Becky becomes the prime suspect in the attempted murder of her manipulative grandmother, Lyla Powell. Once again the plucky sisters are reluctantly drawn into a murder investigation, convinced that Mrs. Powell’s duplicitous friends and greedy Powell family members have framed Becky for the crime. Holly’s involvement becomes a source of contention between her and Detective Nick Manelli, threatening their budding romance. Can their relationship continue to sizzle as the investigation heats up and the sister sleuths try to catch a cold-blooded killer?

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