#COOKING WITH CLORIS--MYSTERY AUTHOR J.E. BARNARD HOLDS A CHRISTMAS COOKIE BOOK LAUNCH

After decades of writing for anthologies and magazines, award-winning author J.E. (Jayne) Barnard saw her first novel published at age fifty-five and has now published six novels. Her writing year is split between Calgary with her cat and Vancouver Island with a resident owl. Both creatures ignore her office hours. Learn more about Jayne and her books at her website.  

The Sweetest Launch Party for my Saddest Novel

Getting a book published is a huge deal in every new author’s life, and a launch party provides a focus for that excitement. Friends show up, you read an excerpt and answer some questions, sign books and accept congratulations. 

 

I launched four books in a row like that at my great indie bookstore, Owls Nest Books in Calgary, Canada. We had decorations, snacks, and music to match some element of each book. We sold enough books each time to get onto the local bestseller list. But I was looking to change it up. To surprise the guests while still keeping to the new book’s theme.

 

Where the Ice Falls takes place from early December through to Orthodox Christmas Eve on January 6^th. In it, Lacey and Dee and their two Irish setters, are spending a last Christmas with Dee’s dying mother. Together they decorate Christmas cookies amid their grieving and their murder investigation. Those cookies spread out to friends and soften up suspects.

 

So, for the launch, I made (gluten-free) Christmas cookies. I didn’t decorate them all, though. Instead, guests gathered around festive holiday tables in the bookstore with tubs of sprinkles and tubes of icing. Everyone decorated cookies while I read that scene to them, then we all talked about favourite Christmases and best friendships.

 

It was my sweetest launch not only for those sugar cookies, but for the fun shared around those tables filled with icing and sprinkles.

 

Gluten-free Sugar Cookies for decorating

 

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla or peppermint extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon or ginger

2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (reserving 2 Tbsp for rolling out with)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if your flour blend doesn’t have it)

 

Cream together butter and sugar, add egg, water/milk, and your chosen extract and blend well.

 

Mix together dry ingredients and add gradually to wet, blending thoroughly. Dough should be slightly sticky.

 

Wrap dough with wax paper and chill in fridge at least 1 hour. Keeps well in fridge for a week.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Let dough sit on counter 15 minutes ahead. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and assemble your cookie cutters. 

 

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thick and cut out 18-24 cookies. As this dough is a bit more fragile than gluten dough, lift cookies carefully to the lined pans so they don’t break apart.

 

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on pan for at least 5 minutes (10 is better) before moving to a cooling rack.

 

When completely cool, decorate as you choose. Store in an airtight container for up to a week (although they may become a bit crumbly in a humid climate.)

 

Where the Ice Falls 

The Falls Mysteries, Book 2

Found by a psychic who wasn’t looking for him, the dead intern disrupts a ski chalet’s sale and everybody’s Christmas plans. Can ex-Mountie Lacey cope with a murder investigation and the reluctant psychic on top of her best friend’s absence, her roommate’s visiting mother, and her car getting stolen?

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AUTHOR SASSCER HILL ON HOW A HORSE RACE LED TO A BOOK CONTRACT

American Pharoah

Author Sasscer Hill was involved in horse racing as an amateur jockey and racehorse breeder for most of her life. Her mystery-thrillers portray the world of horse racing, and the skullduggery that big money and gambling so often attract. Learn more about Sasscer and her books at her website. 

In June of 2015, the incredible happened! St. Martin’s Press showed interest in publishing my manuscript, Flamingo Road. But the sales and marketing department worried that it would be difficult to sell a horse racing mystery.

 

I found out later that my St. Martin’s editor struggled to secure their permission. In the middle of this, the awesome racehorse American Pharoah was on his way to breaking a drought where no horse had won the Triple Crown in twenty-seven-years.

 

At home, I was on pins and needles waiting for St. Martin’s to decide. On May 16, American Pharoah raced in the final leg of the Triple Crown. When he blasted down the stretch on the lead, I yelled so loud, the dog and cat fled from the TV room. The horse won, and in tears, I turned to my husband and said, “I’m going to get that deal with St. Martin’s!” The next day American Pharoah’s win appeared on the cover of every newspaper, and on every morning TV show. The day after that St. Martin’s sent me a two-book contract for the Fia McKee series. 

 

I immediately finished writing The Dark Side of Town and sent the manuscript to St. Martin’s. That book was shortlisted for a Claymore Award.

 

I was thrilled that my lifelong love of horses and my thirty plus years of breeding and training the almost spiritual Thoroughbred racehorse had led me to a publishing contract with one of the “Big Four” publishers, MacMillan who owns St. Martin’s Press.

 

I wanted to base my third Fia McKee novel at Santa Anita Racecourse where HBO filmed the ill-fated series “Luck.” During HBO’s filming, too many horses died from film crew ignorance and mishandling. The show was canceled. Fia McKee would be hired to protect the horses in a fictional horse racing movie. I have friends in the horseracing industry, and since it’s not what you know, but who you know, in 2016, I flew to Los Angeles and headed North to Santa Anita racetrack. I’d obtained an invitation for lunch and a tour by the track’s Special Operations manager, Pete Siberell. 

 

Astonishingly, my lunch companion turned out to be the point man who dealt with HBO when they were filming “Luck.” Pete told me everything I needed to know to write my novel, but sadly, the first two books in the Fia McKee series were not selling well and St. Martin’s dropped me like a hot potato. In April of 2018, Flamingo Road won the $10,000 Dr. Tony Ryan Award for Best Book in Horse Racing Literature, beating Felix Francis’s Pulse. St. Martin’s Press was unimpressed.

 

So, I did what authors often do and started a new series. I completed the novel Travels of Quinn, A Quinn O’Neill Mystery, but my agent barely tried to sell it, saying that my poor sales with St. Martin’s made me a nonstarter. I self-published the book, and in July of this year, it was shortlisted for a Silver Falchion Award for Best Mystery of 2020.

 

Unwilling to give up my Santa Anita novel, I turned it into the fifth book in my Nikki Latrelle series, Shooting Star. It debuted in July and has received great reviews including one from The Midwest Book Review.

 

I do hope mystery readers will take a gamble, give this novel a test ride, and catch a Shooting Star!

 

Shooting Star

A Nikki Latrelle Mystery, Book 5

 

When Nikki’s ex-lover Will hires her to protect the horses used to film a movie at Santa Anita Racetrack, she learns evil is alive and well in Hollywood.

 

Keeping Thoroughbreds safe from a director who doesn’t know a horse from a hamster is tricky. More difficult are the unresolved feelings between her and Will, especially when sexy, young movie star, Jamie Jackson, sets his sights on Nikki.

 

But when a sniper’s bullet shatters the brain of a cameraman close enough that she can smell his blood, Nikki’s need to protect the film crew overrides everything. Her sleuthing unearths a trail of corruption and when she must lie to Will to protect his life, she’s on her own. Can she identify the evil behind the scenes before she and Will become the next victims?

 

Shooting Star is the fifth rocket-paced story in the award-winning Nikki Latrelle mystery series. If you like protagonists with heart and courage, unexpected twists, and a thrill ride to the finish, you’ll love Shooting Star.

 

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MYSTERY AUTHOR SHARON DAYNARD ON ROCKS, MINERALS & MURDER

Sharon Daynard’s writing runs the gamut from light and quirky to downright dark and troubling. Her debut novel, Murder Points North, puts a humorous spin on murder in a small town. Her short stories include “The Boss of Butler Square” which received Honorable Mention for the Al Blanchard Award and “Widows Peak” which was short-listed for a Derringer Award. She’s been offered the services of a professional hitman, crossed paths with a serial killer, testified before grand juries, and taken lie detector tests. Learn more about Sharon and her various works on Facebook. 

Rock Paper Murder

Looking back, I’d have to say my rock and mineral collection started when I was on a 2nd grade field trip to the Museum of Science in Boston. The only souvenir the gift shop offered in my price range was four very small samples glued to an index card—a piece of granite, a piece of quartz, a piece of obsidian and a piece of sandstone. The next day during show-and-tell, no one, including me, was very impressed with it. The index card was unceremoniously retired to the junk drawer in my parent’s kitchen.

It was another ten years before I gave my “collection” another thought. I needed to pick a major for college. I wanted to study Environmental Sciences, but the college of my choice only offered a B.S. in Environmental Geology. Thinking maybe it was kismet all those years ago when I bought those four rock and mineral samples, I went with my gut and picked it. Worst-case scenario, I’d change majors at the end of my first semester. As it turned out I loved geology. My favorite subject was mineralogy and rock and mineral identification being my favorite lab. 

That rock and mineral collection on an index card has grown into boxes and crates stuffed with rock and mineral field samples neatly wrapped in newspaper and bubble wrap. My favorite rocks and minerals adorn my bookshelves and credenzas. About the only place you won’t find them is in a jewelry box. I think of it along the lines of a veterinarian wearing leather pants and a fur coat—it just doesn’t feel right. 

Fast forward a few years and degrees later and I decided I wanted to write a novel—a mystery novel. As the adage goes, “write what you know.” For me, that meant geology. I knocked around the idea of a female geology professor happening upon crimes and solving murders. I thought it was a great idea, I just didn’t know what geology had to do with murder, let alone playing into solving one until I was teaching a hands-on rock and mineral session to a group of Cubs Scouts. While I was passing around a field sample of my favorite mineral, galena, one of the boys commented that it was small but “super heavy.” I agreed and added, he had to be extra careful with it because even though it was heavy it was fragile. All of a sudden, I had an idea for a mystery novel. I knew who my protagonist was, who the killer was, what the murder weapon was and how the murder would be solved.

When writing Murder Points North, the similarity of IDing a rock or mineral and solving a murder wasn’t lost on me. With a rock or mineral, you start with one sample and a long list of possibilities. You narrow that list down based on hardness, luster, color, streak, specific gravity and cleavage to determine what your sample is. With a murder a detective/amateur sleuth has a long list of suspects and based on motive, means, and opportunity, they systematically narrow that list down to one person—the killer. 

If it wasn’t for that index card with four tiny samples of rocks and mineral in my parent’s junk drawer, I might never have majored in geology, and I certainly never would have written Murder Points North. The next time you come across an interesting rock or mineral while you’re walking along the beach, hiking through the woods, or even planting a flower, take a closer look at and imagine the stories it could tell you…

Murder Points North

With one week until Christmas, picturesque Points North, New Hampshire, hasn’t seen as much as a token flurry and the temperatures are almost as high as local tempers. The lack of snow, however, is the least of Liesl Alan’s worries.

Liesl teaches geology, collects rocks, minerals and ex-husbands—three at last count. On the brink of turning forty, she finds herself living amongst a group of eccentric “innmates” at the Muddled Moose, an inn her family has owned for generations. Hardly in the Christmas spirit, the last thing Liesl’s looking forward to is a night of wearing a too tight, too ruffled, too plaid gown for the village’s annual Home for the Holidays open house celebration.

When the event ends in a fiasco and someone from the Muddled Moose is found murdered, Liesl becomes the prime suspect of everyone from the lead homicide detective to her own mother. Fellow residents at the inn are even offering fashion tips for her inevitable perp walk and mug shot.

Determined to prove her innocence and find the real killer, Liesl teams up with a private eye wannabe. With a list of suspects that might as well include all of Points North, she has her work cut out for her, especially when each new clue points her in a different direction.

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AUTHOR MERRILEE ROBSON TAPS INTO FAMILY HISTORY FOR MYSTERY NOVEL INSPIRATION

Merrilee Robson is the author of Murder is Uncooperative, a traditional mystery set it a housing co-op, as well as numerous short stories. Today she joins us to discuss where she gets her ideas. Learn more about Merrilee and her writing at her website. 

Where I get my ideas and what if….

It was the picture that first struck me.  I’d heard some of my grandmother’s stories. I’d always thought her life, coming from England to teach in a one-room school in Canada and meeting the local Mountie, was very romantic. I smiled when she described how dashing my grandfather looked as he rode up in his red coat.

I was familiar enough with the pictures in the family photo album and the stories behind them. But it wasn’t until I really looked at the photograph of the school – standing alone the middle of nowhere – that I finally understood what my grandmother had done.

That young woman had left the village where she had lived all her life to travel thousands of miles by steamship and rail to reach that very unprepossessing building in the middle of the Canadian prairies. What must she have thought when she first saw it?

That led to the opening chapter of the historical novel I’ve just finished writing, set in Saskatchewan in the month before the start of the first World War.

And then, because I write mysteries, she finds a body.

For me, as for many writers, I think ideas come from finding an interesting situation and then trying to picture what it would be like for the people in that situation.

Writing fiction involves answering the same questions journalism students are taught – who, what, why, when, where and how – although we might describe them differently, talking about characters, setting, plot etc.

But we also address another question - What if…?

That question can come from anywhere – a newspaper article about a brass clock that turned out to be gold, a conversation about a relative with dementia who was convinced people were stealing from her. Caregivers soon learn that dementia can also involve paranoia. But I tried to imagine what if the thefts were real and no one believed you? That idea turned into a short story that will be published soon.

My first mystery, Murder is Uncooperative, is set in a non-profit housing co-op. The protagonist, Rebecca, is a single mom desperate to find an affordable home for her family. It’s a situation I was quite familiar with, having lived in a co-op when I was younger, and working for a national housing organization for over a decade.

But the question that started me off on that book was, “What if her new home isn’t as perfect as she thought it would be?”

I’m at work on a sequel to that book. Vancouver’s insanely expensive housing market has settled a little, but recent reports have revealed that organized crime members are using real estate to launder money. And I’m off, wondering what if….

Murder is Uncooperative

All Rebecca Butler wants is a good home for her young son and disabled father. At first, Waterview Housing Co-op seems perfect. But then she finds the body of the building’s manager.

When Rebecca learns that another murder took place in the building 20 years earlier, she suspects that the two deaths might be related. And that one of her new neighbors is hiding a secret that will put Rebecca and her family in danger.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH JADEANNE STONE FROM ANA MANWARING'S JADEANNE STONE MEXICO ADVENTURES SERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with JadeAnne Stone from author Ana Manwaring’s JadeAnne Stone Mexico Adventures series.

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

I remember well that evening as the fog poured over the shoulder of Mt. Tam blotting out the setting sun, and my office took on the damp chill of summer in the San Francisco Bay Area. I shivered as I closed the windows and turned on the lights. It was almost eight and I still had reports to transcribe, bills to pay and the week’s payroll to compute—that is, if we had enough money to pay anyone. My job as managing partner of Waterstreet Investigations and Marine Salvage (WIMS) had become tedious, boring actually, especially since my boyfriend and business partner, Dex, was again diving a shipwreck off the coast of the Sea of Cortez, and I was stuck in the office. Maybe my folks were right—I was wasting “that expensive Stanford education” on a dead-end job and a slacker to go with it. Then someone started pounding on the [locked] entry door.

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

I don’t think about it much. I’m generally a quick thinker—intuitive, and I often recognize connections between seemingly random facts. Also, I never forget a face. I guess in the world of investigations, these are good traits to have. But secretly, I love my hair.

What do you like least about yourself?

I sometimes fall into the pits of insecurity. It’s a holdover from my upbringing. I was born during the fall of Saigon in 1974. My mother, a university student, was killed in an air strike on her village. My father was an American serviceman in jail at the time of my birth. His best friend, my adoptive father, got me out through Operation Babylift in 1975. Mom and Dad had always wanted a baby and as soon as I arrived, Mom got pregnant with my sister. It’s an old story. I was pretty well forgotten once the little princess came along. I grew up with every advantage, and the knowledge I was not wanted. It was like standing outside a picture window watching a family be happy. Wah wah wah. Falling into the “past pit” and what it does to me is what I hate about myself. If I were truthful, no one in my family was happy. I didn’t miss anything!

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

And you don’t think driving alone four days and 2,232 miles to the resorts of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo in a tricked out VW pop-top camper with my dog and a gun, which, by the way, is totally illegal to carry into Mexico, straight through the heart of drug cartel country was pretty strange? To find a missing wife? I was so naïve, I thought I’d have a lovely holiday with my best friend, Sally, in Zihua. Anyway, the VW is easily repaired in Mexico—they’re a million of them there, and Pepper is a trained bodyguard. What could happen to me?

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

Do Ana and I argue? Not since the shark head incident. She thought she knew how the story went until I pulled that stunt. Yeah, a bloody shark head was pretty gross, and I had to burn half my clothes (wardrobe wasn’t happy about that!) but Ana recognized it was the right plot point in the right place. She backs off if I have another idea now. But at first? I hated what she was doing. Can you believe she changed my name three quarters through the first draft? Looking back, it made sense. When I stepped onto the page, I was the sidekick from her boyfriend’s thriller. Change is hard, and I liked the name Laura. I whined and refused to cooperate until we compromised with a first person point of view. Anyway, The JadeAnne Stone Mexico Adventures are hardly Tomb Raider. FYI, I look just as hot as Angelina in a swimsuit.

What is your greatest fear?

This is a serious question. I fear many things. It’s one of my problems. I used to be afraid I’d never belong anywhere, that I’d never fit in and remain an outsider watching everyone else surrounded by family and friends, successful occupations and, well, having a life. Sometimes I fall into this sad way of thinking, but mostly I fear the vast quantities of tacos I consume are going to make me fat. That and retribution from Los Zetas. Senator Aguirre, Quint and I really messed up their plans to take control of trafficking in Mexico City, but  you can’t shut those cartels down. It’s like the mythical Hydra—you know the one: a nine-headed monster in the form of a long, writhing water snake that attacked, killed and ate anyone who ventured near its swampy abode. When Hercules succeeded in cutting off one of its heads, two grew in its place. To triumph, each neck stump had to be immediately cauterized to prevent regrowth. In the case of the swamp of Mexico’s organized crime, I sure hope we burned that stump, because I’m praying nothing comes after Z—or me. 

What makes you happy?

I was pretty happy that day Anibal took me to the Miguel Caballo store and bought me that hip suede jacket. It was rated to withstand an Uzi shot at close range, like in a restaurant or something. I didn’t exactly believe Ani at first, I mean, who shoots an Uzi in a restaurant? But when he had Pepper outfitted with a matching bulletproof vest, I was all in. I do love stylish clothes! But what really makes me happy? Sitting on the deck of my houseboat, the Sarasvati, with Dad and dear friends, amid my orchid collection on a balmy day watching the sailboats glide by on Richardson Bay. Add Pepper at my feet and Cumbias playing on iTunes, oh! and a pitcher of my own Meyer lemon and rum margaritas to go with a steaming plate of quesadillas (or tacos al pastor) and guacamole—I’m in heaven.

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

Well, without any spoilers—you’ll read all about it in my “memoir” The Hydra Effect—I’d have not let myself be lured in by Anibal Aguirre. Like brother, like brother—isn’t that what they say? Anibal’s brother (yeah, yeah, half-brother) Senator Polo Aguirre was the one that hijacked me off the highway in Michoacán to his marijuana plantation. And there was Aguirre’s cousin—the lovely missing wife of the banker—and her charming and muy guapo younger cousin, Anibal, lounging by the pool. Anibal was ready to comfort me when Dex broke my heart. I’m such a sucker for a cute guy with a tan and a six-pack. But I digress, what happened a couple of weeks later in Mexico City changed me. I don’t care that Ani was in mourning; he acted like the devil’s hand. But that aside, I might have married Dex when he asked that time in Venice. I miss him; he was like a second skin. We were together for almost ten years and built WIMS together. We’re still partners in the business—he made it possible for me to discover my superpowers! I’ll always be grateful for that.

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

I don’t even have to think. Señora Perez, hands down—thumbs down! She bugged me from the moment I met her. Always sneaking around listening at keyholes, or where ever. I feel kind of sorry for her. She lost her entire family in the big earthquake in Mexico City in 1985. 10,000 people were killed, including Sra. Perez’s children and sister. That’s when she got mixed up in all of this. But really, it’s been almost 20 years. Why does she stick to Senator Aguirre’s mother like a burr? She snitched to “Aunt Lidia” on everything that happened at Anibal’s house and now she’s at the new house creeping around. I can’t get rid of her. I’m certain Lidia is at the heart of the trafficking ring. I’m shivering just thinking about it.

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

That’s easy! I’d trade places with Pepper. Dogs are the best. I plan to reincarnate as a dog with a loving human (like me) to shower me with love and groceries in my next life. Dogs have figured life out: look hungry and wag, and humans will obey their every command, fulfill their every desire. Pepper is a super dog: smart, loyal, highly trained and fun loving. I can count on him. He either knows exactly what to do, or he’s willing to accept my command without quibble. He has saved my life. I’d like to be like that—strong, sure and ego free. Just wag and be waited on.

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

Ana Manwaring is her name, and she lives next door to two goats and a Barbados sheep with her husband and a cat who looks like a feline Holstein Friesian cow. Beyond ghostwriting my adventures battling organized crime in Mexico in Set Up and The Hydra Effect? She teaches creative writing and autobiographical writing through Napa Valley College and she founded JAM Manuscript Consulting, where she wears several hats. She reviews books on her blog, Building a Better Story. Ana particularly loves to review debut novels and is always happy to hear from new authors in time to review before publication date. She’s the Treasurer for Sisters in Crime Norcal, a member of SINC Guppies and Capitol Crimes, and is stepping down from the board of the California Writers Club Napa Valley Branch to finish the third installment of my Mexico adventures. It’s about time. She says to tell you to checkout her website to learn more about us, to read Building a Better Story and to keep up with my latest adventure.

What's next for you?

I’m so excited! Book 2, The Hydra Effect has just published on Amazon and will be available on Nook and Kobo soon. Both Set Up and The Hydra Effect will launch on iTunes this summer to great fanfare, I’m sure. And we’re talking about audiobooks—I’m dying to be the reader! After all, who knows my story better than me? But I doubt we’ll get to the audio edition before Ana finishes ghostwriting book three, Nothing Comes After Z, which I have to deliver to our editor in August. Right now, I’m madly boning up on digital marketing. It’s a beast! Shouldn’t marketing be the writer’s job? Shouldn’t I be in Mexico on my next adventure?

The Hydra Effect

A JadeAnne Stone Mexico Adventure, Book 2

Reeling from her break up and dreading the emptiness at home, JadeAnne Stone and her dog, Pepper, head to Mexico City at Anibal’s aluring invitation. Anibal reveals he is undercover with the DEA, and enlists JadeAnne in his alleged investigation—a terrifying maze of human trafficking, double dealing and violence. Help comes from Senator Aguirre's associate, Jackman Quint, but at the cost of everything JadeAnne believes about her own life. Can she trust Quint? She uncovers the truth, but not before facing the ultimate betrayal. 

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INTERVIEW WITH #ROMANCE AND #MYSTERY AUTHOR L.A. KELLER

Today we sit down for a chat with mystery and romance author. L. A. Keller. Learn more about her at her website and blog.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

I’ve written short stories since I was twelve and always dreamed of writing a novel. As the years went by I put writing aside to focus on my career as a project manager and technical writer. My goal was always dancing just out of reach due to my other commitments. My first book was written mostly after eleven pm on weekends but now I set aside time to write.

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?

It took me two years to write and publish the first book. I wrote a first draft of the novel, threw it out and started completely from scratch. During the re-write I sought a large publishing house but after much research opted to create my own publishing company.

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

I am indie published.

Where do you write?

I have an office in my home in which I do much of my writing. However, there are days when I prefer to sit at the kitchen table or on the sofa with the television playing a reality show.

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

I generally write without any distraction, mostly because I write early in the morning when others in my household are asleep. If I am listening to music, it is old school country because that is what my character loves the most.

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

Since I write murder mysteries, my plots are not drawn from real life but my characters are. I once created a character based on a woman I stood in line behind at Office Max because her outfit was so colorful she made me want to write her into a story. Anyone I come in contact with may wind up as a character or some element of that person may be incorporated into a character. Events that make me laugh in my own life frequently appear in my work. Watch for a scene in the next book where my character accidentally loses her press-on fingernail in a dish she serves to a guest.

Describe your process for naming your character?

This is one of the most difficult tasks for me. I do lengthy research on character names to understand the meaning of names. It’s important to me to not have characters with similar names in the same book because, as a reader, I find that can be confusing. I also want to feel some connection to a name if the character is recurring. My main character, Jayne, is named after my mom but I changed the spelling.

Real settings or fictional towns?

I base my books on the real town of Cave Creek, Arizona but change the names of streets and businesses. In Cocktails at Sunset, I created a fictional assisted living facility and drew a floorplan so that I could map my character’s movements accurately. I drive to a spot I want to include in a scene and take photos for my reference.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

Jayne has a unique memory for whatever one of her restaurant guests has ordered. I based this on a friend who actually does have this strange ability.

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

I carry on long conversations with my cats. They don’t answer me, but I’m sure they understand every single word.

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde - I love all of her books but this one touches my heart more than others. Her characters are so real and her story so poignant you are sad when you reach the last page.

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

I wish I had gone to college immediately after high school rather than taking years to complete my degree.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Shopping carts not returned to their place! I know that is completely unrelated to writing but it makes me crazy.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves? Sunscreen, water and a satellite phone.

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

I was a hotel housekeeper for two weeks. It gave me an appreciation for how hard they work and how inconsiderate some guests can be. I always leave a tip when I check out.

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

Gone with the Wind because it is an epic love story.

Ocean or mountains?

Definitely, mountains. I live in the desert and hike as much as I can. However, a beach vacation is always at the top of my list.

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

I’m a city girl who grew up in the country with chickens, cows and horses.

What’s on the horizon for you?

I’m excited to finish the third book in the series and start on a different writing path. I enjoy writing romance as short stories on my blog and hope to create a new series in that genre. I will also be doing some speaking engagements later in the year.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?

I hope reading my books brings the reader some joy and suspense. Ultimately my goal is to carry the reader away from the day to day stress and struggle. On the more personal side, I’m a breast cancer survivor. My sister-in-law is a two time breast cancer survivor, and my sister is now a two time survivor. I am a strong proponent of performing self-exams and patient advocacy.

Menu for Murder

A Jayne Stanford Mystery, Book 1

A tete-a-tete with the wait staff wasn’t listed on the menu, but that never stopped Mayor Franklin McArthur from ordering ala carte. Jayne Stanford is just one of the many desserts he’s tried to sample. When he turns up dead, after a private party Jayne worked, all the evidence points to Jayne as the murderer. Her life begins to unravel faster than you can say “Order up”.

As clumsy as a cowboy on a three-day drunk, Jayne has never been the perfect waitress. But her knack for remembering quirky details about the guests she serves has kept her a few tips away from the unemployment line. Now she has to put those skills to use or wind up spending her days waiting tables in prison.

As Jayne embarks on a hunt for the person who set her up she must rely on her best friend, Bailey, to painstakingly piece together the clues. Who was in the black Hummer? Why would someone want to kill a lecherous old fool like the Mayor? What does the key open? Should Jayne take a chance with her heart and trust, Jonas? The closer she gets to the truth, the more determined the killer is to make Jayne the “Catch of the Day.”

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--MYSTERY AUTHOR BETTY WEBB

For twenty years mystery author Betty Webb worked as a journalist, interviewing everyone from U.S. presidents, astronauts who walked on the moon, and polygamy runaways. A nationally syndicated literary critic for more than thirty years, she currently reviews for Mystery Scene Magazine. She is the author of ten Lena Jones books and five Gunn Zoo mysteries. Learn more about Betty and her books at her website. 

The Empty Nest

Although I enjoyed being the mother of two sons, I’ll admit to feeling relieved when they finally left home to begin their own lives. There was no empty nest syndrome for me. Instead, I redecorated their room, turning it into the den where I would attempt to write the Great American Novel.

Twenty years later I still hadn’t written the Great American Novel (Has anyone actually done that yet?), but I did create Lena Jones, a wounded foster child who went on to become a rough and tumble private investigator in Scottsdale, AZ. I watched her as she fought her way through her first big case in Desert Noir in 2000 and cheered her on through nine more adventures. This all ended in December of 2018 when I typed THE END on the last page of Desert Redemption, the tenth and final Lena Jones novel.

Although I hoped they would, the angels didn’t sing. No problem. As an ex-reporter, I stopped hearing the angels a long time ago. But I still heaved a sigh of relief as I wrote the accompanying letter to my editor Barbara Peters at Poisoned Pen Press, and attached the manuscript. There. I was free. Done. Finished. It was over.

My feet did a happy dance under my desk as I wiggled my butt and hummed the first part of the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

But the moment I hit SEND and the manuscript headed off into the ozone, I began to cry.

Writers are weird. Sometimes we take our fictional friends more seriously than our real ones. And even our families.

That’s because a writer’s characters become real to us. For nineteen years I would wake up in the morning, thinking, “What’s Lena going to do today? Where’s she going to go?”

I followed her through Desert Noir, as she explored the abuse of eminent domain. In Desert Wives I took her to a polygamy cult where she investigated the sexual abuse of young girls. Then in Desert Shadows, she fought against the rise of White Power groups. in Desert Run she learned that some new crimes were connected to the escape of German POWs from a Phoenix POW camp during WWII. In Desert Cut Lena confronted an ancient and vicious practice affecting young girls. In Desert Lost she learned that polygamy’s many crimes don’t affect only women. In Desert Wind she exposed the cover-up of the many deaths connected to Nevada’s atom bomb testing In Desert Rage she fought to save two teens from being imprisoned for murders they didn’t commit. In Desert Vengeance she considered killing the foster father who had raped her when she was nine, and in Desert Redemption her long search for the mother who’d abandoned her finally came to an end.

That’s a lot of history with one character, a history that made Lena Jones the daughter I was never fortunate enough to have.

Now I sit in front of my computer with a hole in my heart, an empty space that my Lena Jones used to occupy. She had her problems, sure, but her courage and compassion more than made up for her flaws. So I left her in that happy place she’d always wanted to live in (no, I didn’t kill her!) Finito, Lena, and brava. And today, to nurse my aching heart, I began writing another series.

But in a way, I didn’t really leaving my brave girl behind, because the new series is about her great-grandmother. And in that series, we’ll learn how Lena Jones wound up with her courage and compassion.

Desert Redemption

At the age of four, Scottsdale private eye Lena Jones was shot in the head and left to die on a Phoenix street. After her rescue, she spent years in the abusive foster care system, never knowing who her parents were and why they didn’t claim her. When Desert Redemption begins, she still does not know her real name.

Lena’s rough childhood--and the suspicion that her parents may have been members of a cult—keep her hackles raised. So when Chelsea, the ex-wife of Harold Slow Horse, a close friend, joins a “new thought” organization called Kanati, Lena begins to investigate. She soon learns that two communes—polar opposites of each other—have sprung up nearby in the Arizona desert. The participants at EarthWay follow a rigorous dietary regime that could threaten the health of its back-to-the-land inhabitants, while the more pleasure-loving folk at Kanati are dining on sumptuous French cuisine.

On an early morning horseback ride across the Pima Indian Reservation, Lena finds an emaciated woman’s body in the desert. “Reservation Woman” lies in a spot close to EarthWay, clad in a dress similar to the ones worn by its women. But there is something about her face that reminds Lena of the Kanatians.

While investigating, Lena’s memory is jolted back to that horrible night when her father and younger brother were among those murdered by a cult leader named Abraham, who then vanished. Lena begins to wonder if either EarthWay or Kanati could be linked to that night, and to her own near-death. Could leaders of one or both shed light on what had happened to Lena’s mother, who vanished at the same time as Abraham?

All these mysteries are resolved in Desert Redemption, the tenth and final Lena Jones case, which can also be enjoyed on its own.

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