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You are here: Home / Author Interviews / Behind the Story of Trimmed to Death by Nancy J. Cohen

Behind the Story of Trimmed to Death by Nancy J. Cohen

October 2, 2018 By Terry 27 Comments

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Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have made the IMBA bestseller list and been selected by Suspense Magazine as the best cozy mystery. Nancy has also written the instructional guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery. Her latest Bad Hair Day Mystery is Trimmed to Death. Here’s a look behind the story.

Bad Hair Day Mystery #15

“Children dying in hot cars is a serious subject in South Florida where this happens with unfortunate frequency. It’s a tragedy that can be easily prevented with proper education. I mention prevention tips in Hair Brained and continue with this issue in Trimmed to Death. There’s no excuse for leaving a kid or a pet in a car in ninety-degree heat even for a few minutes.”

Nancy described Trimmed to Death as a natural progression of her sleuth’s character arc that began in Book #1, Permed to Death. “Marla starts out as a divorced hairstylist who doesn’t want children due to a past tragedy. After she meets handsome Detective Dalton Vail, she moves forward in her emotional journey. He, too, has issues to overcome before they can forge a life together. They get married in Shear Murder, book #10. As a married couple, they have adventures when they go on a honeymoon and move into a new neighborhood. Then Marla is forced to meet her demons when her best friend Tally is hurt in a car accident. Marla is guardian of her friend’s son and has to care for the infant. She realizes motherhood might be in her future after all. The result of this insight comes into play in Trimmed to Death, where she comes full circle in her character growth.

“Marla’s instincts lead her to crime-solving, but can she also manage her salon along with having a family? In this story, she learns she doesn’t have to handle things alone. She has Dalton along with both of their mothers to help. It’s time for her to move forward in life. Her character’s evolution is what brings readers back for more. Fans want to see what happens next with Marla and Dalton.”

Research — a chance to indulge

When asked what she felt readers should know about her, Nancy quipped, “I need Marla to do my hair! Seriously, I want my characters to become friends who matter to you. I appreciate reader feedback and welcome your comments and reviews.”

But actually, for anyone who’s heard about how crazy Florida can be—and who hasn’t?—it might be more important to know Nancy does her research.

“I loved doing research on olives,” Nancy said. “I’m a big olive fan, so I was curious to learn the differences between green and black olives, the depth of olive oil scams, the health benefits of olive oil, and how olives are produced. I was surprised to discover olive groves exist in Florida. Since I’m a foodie, I also include recipes in this book. Just as an example of one thing I learned, some olives are cured with lye. This was news to me.”

And then there are the locales she looks into. “There’s also a scene in the woods at night. This is based on Tree Tops Park in Davie, Florida, where my husband and I like to take a stroll. I’ve seen spreading banyan trees like the one in the story, and I was fascinated to learn about the roles of banyan and acacia trees in early mythology. It’s imperative that I learn something new with each book. That makes it interesting to me and gives readers something to take away. This story gave me many topics to consider, and that’s what made it special.”

Nancy also said, “Trimmed to Death starts out at a local farm festival. Marla has entered her coconut fudge pie recipe in a bake-off contest at the urging of her best friend, Tally. Things go downhill from there when Marla discovers another contestant face-down and dead in the strawberry field. I modeled this setting after Bedner’s Farm in Delray Beach, which I’ve visited. Doing the research on bake-off contests and farm festivals was fun, and I discovered an event that was new to me. I had Marla join a live scavenger hunt after doing further research on this topic. The food issues in the story greatly interested me.”

But all those bits of research sound very tame compared to when she went ‘undercover.’ Nancy said, “I needed to scout out the locale for a scene in Perish by Pedicure. So I stripped off my clothes, put on a swimsuit, and carried a camera under a towel at a Russian shvitz in North Miami Beach. It was an eye-opening visit as I’d had no idea what to expect.”

Learn more about Nancy on her website at nancyjcohen.com or on her blog, where she discusses the writing process and life as a Florida resident.

Book & a Latte Contest

What: This month, Nancy is giving away a “Haunted Hair Nights” e-book novella and I’m adding a $5.00 Starbucks gift card. One random entry will be chosen as the winner. The winner will receive a book and a gift card.

How to enter: Choose one or more of the options below. Each option gives you an additional chance to win.

Who can enter: This contest is open to US residents over 18 years of age.

Winners: Selected winners must claim prizes within 72 hours of notification. Verification of entries: All winning entries are subject to verification.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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About Terry

I started out as a skip tracer. Just in case you don’t know, that’s the guy who finds the people who don’t want to be found. It was the little things—getting paid to lie—that made skip tracing the fun part of the job.

Those years of chasing deadbeats taught me many valuable life lessons, such as liars come from all walks of life, and always keep your car in the garage.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. l p says

    October 7, 2018 at 8:47 PM

    I love the comment about wanting the characters to be our friends. It must make writing about them more interesting. Thanks

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 8, 2018 at 1:25 AM

      After so many books, these characters are my friends. They seem real to me.

      Reply
  2. Rita Wray says

    October 7, 2018 at 2:51 PM

    The series sounds good.

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 8, 2018 at 1:25 AM

      Please try one of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries, Rita!

      Reply
  3. Deborah D says

    October 7, 2018 at 1:44 PM

    I love it when authors do research for a book.

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 8, 2018 at 1:27 AM

      Doing the research and learning new things are what makes a book exciting for me.

      Reply
  4. Sharon Guagliardo says

    October 7, 2018 at 1:15 PM

    What a nice interview! Can’t wait to read Murder Gone Missing.

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 8, 2018 at 1:28 AM

      I hope you’ll also read Trimmed to Death!

      Reply
  5. Dorothy B says

    October 7, 2018 at 12:39 PM

    Interesting interview

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 7, 2018 at 12:45 PM

      Thank you, Dorothy!

      Reply
  6. Gary B says

    October 7, 2018 at 12:34 PM

    Nice series

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 7, 2018 at 12:46 PM

      Thanks for stopping by, Gary!

      Reply
  7. Susan Wilkinson says

    October 7, 2018 at 11:57 AM

    This sounds like a series to check out. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 7, 2018 at 12:45 PM

      I hope you will check out the Bad Hair Day series, Susan!

      Reply
  8. Tina Myers says

    October 7, 2018 at 10:57 AM

    Great looking book..

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 7, 2018 at 12:47 PM

      I loved writing the food scenes in Trimmed to Death, Tina!

      Reply
  9. Linda Birdsell says

    October 7, 2018 at 9:25 AM

    Have to read Trimmed to death!

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 7, 2018 at 9:44 AM

      Yes, I hope you will, Linda!

      Reply
  10. Karin says

    October 2, 2018 at 9:58 AM

    The series sounds great

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 2, 2018 at 10:00 AM

      I hope you’ll check out the Bad Hair Day mysteries, Karin!

      Reply
  11. peggy clayton says

    October 2, 2018 at 8:27 AM

    Terry I just love Nancy I was hooked from bk #1 I have missed a few but not this one it sounds so good I am going to read and review !

    Reply
    • Nancy J Cohen says

      October 2, 2018 at 9:19 AM

      That would be great, Peggy! Nice to hear from you.

      Reply
  12. Nancy J Cohen says

    October 2, 2018 at 4:00 AM

    Thank you for featuring me here!

    Reply
    • Terry says

      October 2, 2018 at 8:54 AM

      You’re welcome, Nancy!

      Reply
      • Dianne Casey says

        October 2, 2018 at 3:12 PM

        I really enjoyed the interview with Nancy and reading about her books.

        Reply
        • Nancy J Cohen says

          October 2, 2018 at 3:37 PM

          Thanks for stopping by, Dianne!

          Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Blog Tour for Trimmed to Death « Nancy's Notes From Florida says:
    October 2, 2018 at 3:48 AM

    […] 2 – Mysteries with Character  – “Beyond the Story of Trimmed to Death by Nancy J. […]

    Reply

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