CASTLES, GENEALOGY, AND MURDER IN SCOTLAND WITH MYSTERY AUTHOR CLARA McKENNA

The author leaving Stirling Castle, Scotland

Clara McKenna currently writes the Stella & Lyndy Mystery series about an unlikely couple who mix love, murder, and horseracing in Edwardian England. She's a vintage teacup collector and an avid traveler, the UK being a favorite destination. When she can't get to England or Scotland, she happily writes about it from her home in Iowa. Learn more about Clara and her books at her website.

Every time I start a new mystery novel, I begin with a "what if" premise based on an unusual situation. What if an American heiress arrives in England thinking she's attending a wedding at an aristocrat's country estate, only to discover she's actually the intended bride? Or what would happen if at a grand country estate packed with Christmas guests, both the cook goes missing and the housekeeper turns up dead? Or, in the case of my upcoming release, I wondered: what if an unexpected visitor joins a weekend party during a golf tournament at The Old Course—the hallowed birthplace of golf in Scotland—and ends up in the bushes, battered to death?

 

What fascinates me is that no matter how different these initial premises might be, my mysteries inevitably circle back to family. I write about an English mother-in-law who'll stop at nothing to protect her son's inheritance, an ambitious father who uses his daughter to get what he wants, and the hopeful truth that sometimes in-laws, friends, and even stable hands can be as close, protective, and loving as any blood relative.

 

But never has one of my books reflected my own family history quite like Murder at Glenloch Hill. Though I've played little of the game, golf runs deep in my roots—my grandfather's converted garage became a repair shop that drew professionals to his doorstep. The Scottish setting, it turns out, is literally in my DNA. Growing up, I knew about my Danish maternal great-grandmother and the stories of my grandfather's grandfather, who came from Ireland alone at age eleven. Yet it wasn't until I finally got my DNA tested that I discovered just how much of my ancestry originates in Scotland. Many of the surnames in my family tree that I had assumed were Irish turned out to be Scottish, including my own maiden name.

 

So when the opportunity arose to visit both the birthplace of golf and the land of many of my ancestors, I jumped at the chance. I decided to bring my characters, Stella and Lyndy, along for the journey. Stella (née Kendrick), who's from Kentucky, shares this Scottish heritage—before her father made his millions selling and racing Thoroughbreds, his family built the distinctive Scottish-style dry stone walls that surround so many horse paddocks throughout Kentucky.

 

During my visit, I discovered not only the rich history of the great game of golf but also my own clan affiliations. I learned I belong to both the Stuart clan (one of Scotland's most famous surnames) and the McEwen clan. It felt appropriate to honor this connection by making Stella's distant Scottish cousins McEwens as well. I'm particularly thrilled that my publisher took my suggestion to feature the McEwen tartan on Stella's skirt on the book cover—a proud declaration of family ties for all to see.

 

In the end, whether I'm writing about missing cooks, bartered brides, or murder by golf club, my mysteries all come back to family—the ones we're born into, marry into, or discover along the way.

 

Murder at Glenloch Hill

A Stella and Lyndy Mystery, Book 6

 

On a weekend trip to the Scottish countryside, American transplant Stella, and British aristocrat, Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst, learn how sinister bad sportsmanship can be when a prestigious golf tournament becomes a deadly game of murder . . .

Along with cheering on her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Freddie Kentfield, at The British Open in Scotland, Stella embraces the chance to connect with her distant cousins, the McEwens, at their grand estate, Glenloch Hill. But she and Lyndy don’t receive the warm welcome they expect when their arrival is marred by missing luggage, evasive hosts, and the perceived mistreatment of a young laundry maid. Adding to the tense atmosphere, Freddie's roguish father, Sir Edwin, appears at the manor uninvited, his presence casting a shadow over the events—and stirring up more unanswered questions . . .

As golf clubs swing on the green, so do Lyndy’s fists in an uncharacteristic outburst. Chaotic circumstances take a dark turn when Sir Edwin is found bludgeoned outside the laundry house—the maid waiting beside the body, no murder weapon in sight—and all eyes on Lyndy . . .

Suddenly caught in a whirlwind of kilts, elite golfers, and deadly rumors, Stella rushes to protect Lyndy's innocence and save herself from real danger. But can she both navigate the unspoken rules at Glenloch Hill and survive a cutthroat competition against a killer who will stop at nothing to win?

 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--WHAT MY AUTHOR AND I HAVE BEEN READING LATELY

This is a first. In the 10-1/2 years since the inception of this blog, we’ve had two guests in a row need to reschedule, Thursday’s guest due to a move and today’s guest because her publisher pushed back her release date. She’s rescheduled for late next month. That means once again, you’re stuck with yours truly today. “Stuck” being the operative word here.  

We’re all stuck lately, aren’t we? You humans are stuck dealing with a vicious pandemic. Those of us who only live on the page are stuck with having our lives manipulated by our authors. In my case, that means Lois Winston is constantly forcing me to confront murder and mayhem. Of course, what all of you are going through is much worse. No matter what Lois dumps on me, I know I’ll survive. After all, without me, there is no Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series.

 

Right now, Lois is taking a break from writing as she promotes the recent release of A Sew Deadly Cruise, my latest adventure. This means I don’t have to worry about what she’s planning to do to me next—at least not for a few weeks. I’m sure by next month she’ll come up with a new way to torture me, and the cycle will begin all over again. Such is the life of a reluctant amateur sleuth.

 

While Lois is giving me a rest, she’s been catching up on her TBR pile, which nowadays resides in her Kindle, lessening the risk of a huge stack of books toppling over and causing bodily harm to her delicate tootsies. I’ve been reading over her shoulder, and I have to tell you, we’ve both been enjoying some really good reads lately. Given that it’s Book Club Friday, I thought I’d share a few of them with you.

 

First up is Lucky’s Beach by Shelley Noble. Noble writes books set at various beach locations up and down the east coast, but her books are far from fluff. She tackles real-life issues in her stories, making them not only enjoyable reads but thought-provoking as well. Lucky’s Beach is no exception.  

 

Liese Sherwood-Fabre writes The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes. The series explores the life of thirteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes as he develops his skills while investigating his first murders. There are two books in the series so far, The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife and The Adventure of the Murdered Gypsy.  

 

Finally, Fishing for Trouble, the second book in Elizabeth Logan’s Alaska Diner Mystery Series, won’t be out until the end of November, but it’s available for pre-order now. Lois was lucky enough to read this book pre-publication and thoroughly enjoyed it. Elizabeth Logan is the newest pen name of author Camille Minichino, who has been a frequent guest on this blog and will make a return visit next month.  

 

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to enjoy what little peace I have left before Lois once again starts pulling my strings.

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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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR MAIA CHANCE

Today cozy historical mystery author Maia Chance makes a return visit and sits down for an interview. Learn more about Maia and her books at her website. 

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

I started writing stories when I was five, and never stopped. In the back of my mind I always knew I’d be a novelist someday, but I actually came to it in my thirties, after a career as a professional musician and then a PhD program in English lit. I think I was working up the nerve and building up a stash of ideas.

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

Well, I published a few really iffy romance novels in my twenties, while still a working musician, but it wasn’t until years later that I had the realization that if I was reading mysteries for fun then, um, yeah, I should write mysteries. So then I wrote a mystery, and no agent would touch it because it was too weird (picture Frankenstein meets the Pink Panther movies). However, my current agent liked that book enough to ask me to send along my next project, which turned out to be Snow White Red-Handed, my first published mystery. From the time I started writing my first mystery to the day Snow White Red-Handed came out, it was almost three years.

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

Right now I’m traditionally published. However, that Frankenstein meets the Pink Panther movies mystery? It’s actually a really fun book, so once I have the bandwidth I’m considering self-publishing it. It wants to be read.

Where do you write?

Oh, boy. I have two little kids, one in half-day preschool and one in kindergarten, so I work in the craziest places to get some peace and quiet. Coffee shops and libraries are OK, although they’re usually too noisy. My all-time favorite place to work is at the kitchen table, but that’s not possible most days. These days I get the most peace and quiet working in my parked car. I started doing that when my first child was a newborn and I had one hour to work per day and didn’t want to use up any of that precious time driving somewhere or, you know, changing out of my pajamas.

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

Silence. And it’s SO hard to find. Sealed up in the car works great. Otherwise, I listen to pink noise on earphones OVER foam earplugs.

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

Nothing in my crazy plots is drawn from life, but there are bits and pieces of all the people I’ve met in my characters, and definitely the more emotionally loaded relationship moments in my books are drawn from my own experiences.

Describe your process for naming your character?

Naming characters is so fun. Since I write historical books, I often find character names on old census lists. I also have copied down names from cemetery headstones, and sometimes I leaf through my biographical dictionary looking for names. Recently I named a character from the inscription on a statue in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. I was trying to think of a great French lady’s name that day and—there it was!

Real settings or fictional towns?

Both. Sometimes a real place works for the story and sometimes it doesn’t.

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

Honestly, my books are totally populated by quirky characters, but two quirks that spring to mind are my Discreet Retrieval Agency heroine Lola Woodby’s habit of stashing important clues down her brassiere, and the way that my Fairy Tale Fatal romantic lead Gabriel Penrose’s fingertips start feeling all buzzy when he sees a fairy tale relic.

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

I had to ask my husband about this, and he said it’s how I laugh to myself while I’m writing.

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

Anything by P. G. Wodehouse, because his work is the gold standard for comedic writing that uses language itself as a vehicle for the laughs.

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

I wish I’d gotten serious about writing earlier, without being so scared to take the plunge.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

People with road rage! I just moved from Seattle to a much smaller town in Washington, and I’ve been breathing a sustained sigh of relief to be out of the aggressive driving.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

Sunscreen, hat, Agatha Christie short story collection.

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

Front desk clerk at a hotel. It’s a job where you’re the lightning rod for complaints for problems throughout the entire hotel. Problems that you have no ability to actually fix. True story: I habitually looked at cuteoverload.com on the front desk computer to lower my blood pressure.

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

I could never pick one. One that permanently influenced my worldview, though, is Dialectic of Enlightenment by Max Horkeheimer and Theodor Adorno.

Ocean or mountains?

Ocean.

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

Country boy, for sure. My husband is from a farming region in southern Idaho, and he seems like he is.

What’s on the horizon for you?

I’m just going to keep writing more mysteries and raising my kids.

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

I’ve got four books coming out in a six-month period! Cinderella Six Feet Under (Fairy Tale Fatal #2) came out September 1st and Come Hell or Highball (Discreet Retrieval Agency #1) came out September 15th. Then on, I have two short stories in a “mysterious speculative fiction” holiday anthology called Joy to the Worlds that comes out on December 1st, and Fairy Tale Fatal #3, Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna, will be released on February 2nd.

Cinderella Six Feet Under

This Cinderella goes from ashes to ashes in the new Victorian-era Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery by the author of Snow White Red-Handed . . .

Variety hall actress Ophelia Flax’s plan to reunite her friend Prue with her estranged—and allegedly wealthy—mother, Henrietta, is met with a grim surprise. Not only is the marquise’s Paris mansion a mouse-infested ruin, but Henrietta has inexplicably vanished, leaving behind an evasive husband, two sinister stepsisters, and a bullet-riddled corpse in the pumpkin patch decked out in a ball gown and one glass slipper—a corpse that also happens to be a dead ringer for Prue.

Strangely, no one at 15 rue Garenne seems concerned about who plugged this luckless Cinderella or why, so the investigation is left to Ophelia and Prue. It takes them through the labyrinthine maze of the Paris Opera, down the trail of a legendary fairy tale relic, into the confidence of a wily prince charmless, and makes them vulnerable to the secrets of a mysterious couturière with designs of her own on Prue’s ever-twisting family history.

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR MAIA CHANCE & CHOCOLATE CAKE TO DIE FOR

Maia Chance writes historical mystery novels that are rife with absurd predicaments and romantic adventure. She is the author of the Fairy Tale Fatal and The Discreet Retrieval Agency series. Her first mystery, Snow White Red-Handed, was a national bestseller. Her latest releases are Cinderella Six Feet Under and Come Hell or Highball. Learn more about Maia and her books at her website. 

Some people find solace in philosophy or religion. Others find solace in mashed potatoes or a bottle of gin. I find solace in my dog’s fluff. (All right—maybe I find a pinch of solace in tipply, trashy novels, and chocolate, too.)—Come Hell or Highball

When I wrote Come Hell or Highball, a 1920’s mystery caper set in New York, I knew I was going to adore researching and writing about the gorgeous period motorcars, fashion, houses . . . and the food. 

My heroine Lola Woodby is an ex-Society Matron who’s a curvy lady in a swizzle-stick flapper’s world, and her sleuthing sidekick is her Swedish former cook, Berta. These characters love to eat, and I loved writing about them eating.  Cinnamon rolls, smoked salmon sandwiches, roadside hash house fry-ups, tomato soup, Cracker Jack, and many chocolate bars make cameos in this mystery, and without giving anything away I’ll tell you that a snickerdoodle cookie is found at the scene of the crime.

What makes reading and writing about food so pleasurable? Sure, there’s the vicarious-living aspect—we can imagine shoveling in raspberry trifle doused in brandy without the carb-coma or the inconvenient buzz. But I think there’s more to it. Particularly with historical fiction, food serves to connect us on a very human (and literally visceral) level to characters who might otherwise seem more like clockwork historical puppets. We might not be wearing beaded Chanel dresses and rumbling around in Duesenberg Model A motorcars, but we all have to eat.

Food in fast-paced novels can provide a breather for the reader and the characters, too. I love the cozy mystery convention of the sleuth and sidekick talking about their case over a meal. And food can provide splashes of local color (another technique so many cozy writers do really well) and, in my own case, provide a dash of historical flavor to a scene. I mean, if the characters are going at the gin Rickeys or the Cherries Jubilee, you just know we’re not in 2015 anymore, Toto.

In honor of Come Hell or Highball’s heroine Lola Woodby and her chocoholic ways, I’d love to share with you my recipe for:

Maia's kids help with the baking

Chocolate Layer Cake to Die For

Note: This recipe incorporates three secret weapons for amazing chocolate cake: instant coffee powder, Valrhona cocoa powder, and Ovaltine in the buttercream frosting!  (Any cocoa powder will work, but if you can get your hands on some Valrhona, you’ll never want to use anything else.)

For the Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar (preferably cane sugar—tastes so good!)

3/4 cup cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)

2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. instant coffee powder

1 cup milk

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup boiling water

For the Buttercream Frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup cocoa powder (again, try Valrhona)

3/4 tsp. salt

4 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cups milk

3/4 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup Rich Chocolate Ovaltine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and “PAM cooking spray with flour” (it’s a verb!) two 9-inch cake pans.

Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and coffee powder. Add milk, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and pour in boiling water. Beat on high for 1 minute. Pour into cake pans.

Bake 30-35 min. or until top is springy to the touch. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream the butter, cocoa powder, and salt. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla by turns.  Beat till smooth.

Dissolve the Ovaltine in the heavy cream. Add slowly to butter mixture. Beat until creamy, about 1 minute.

Frost cake, eat, enjoy!

Come Hell or Highball

31-year-old society matron Lola Woodby has survived her loveless marriage with an unholy mixture of highballs, detective novels, and chocolate layer cake, until, her husband dies suddenly, leaving her his fortune...or so Lola thought. As it turns out, all she inherits from Alfie is a big pile of debt. Pretty soon, Lola and her stalwart Swedish cook, Berta, are reduced to hiding out in the secret love nest Alfie kept in New York City. But when rent comes due, Lola and Berta have no choice but to accept an offer made by one of Alfie's girls-on-the-side: in exchange for a handsome sum of money, the girl wants Lola to retrieve a mysterious reel of film for her. It sounds like an easy enough way to earn the rent money. But Lola and Berta realize they're in way over their heads when, before they can retrieve it, the man currently in possession of the film reel is murdered, and the reel disappears. On a quest to retrieve the reel and solve the murder before the killer comes after them next, Lola and Berta find themselves navigating one wacky situation after another in high style and low company.

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