Something Shady at Sunshine Haven

Kris Bock writes novels of mystery, suspense, and romance, many with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Something Shady at Sunshine Haven is the first in the Accidental Detective  series.

Behind the story of Something Shady at Sunshine Haven

Kris said she didn’t set out to educate or influence readers, but the Accidental Detective series does explore issues related to aging. Her protagonist, Kate, is about to turn fifty. “She’s dealing with the things a lot of us face in midlife: aging parents with health or memory problems, concerns about financing retirement someday, menopause, and a body that doesn’t recover like it once did. She has to figure out how to live with the new limitations from an injury that requires her to walk with a cane.”

In addition to Kate, other major characters include her father and his friends. “They are in their seventies and eighties and are active, intelligent, and a positive force in society. At the same time, the stories explore challenges older people face, such as loneliness, being treated as incapable, and the potential for abuse by family members. Maybe readers will think twice before making assumptions about older folks they see.”

So why choose aging as a topic? Kris said that as she thought about popular characters in amateur detective mysteries, there are a number of older women such as Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher, and Mrs. Pollifax. “Then there’s Phryne Fisher in Kerry Greenwood’s series. In the books, she was an ambulance driver in World War I at age 16, so it makes sense that she’s fearless and desperate to grab hold of everything life has to offer. Somehow, these ideas combined in my mind to create Kate. She’s been a war correspondent, so she’s used to danger. She’s far from “elderly,” but she has hit that point in life where many women get ignored by society.”

Welcome to Arizona

“I set the series in Arizona because it provides so many mystery opportunities. The large senior population attracts scammers. Impatient family members might kill to get an inheritance sooner. The border with Mexico creates anxiety over immigration and various kinds of trafficking. Plus, you have all the usual potential crimes in any large population. I created a fictional city within the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and made the mayor someone Kate knew in high school, so she has a connection within the city government.”

Kris added that with the character and setting in place, she found it easy to come up with plot ideas. “People come to Kate because of her journalism background and ask her to investigate when they can’t or don’t want to call the police. That means I don’t need to fall back on the cozy mystery cliché of an average person stumbling on a dead body every few months.”

Keeping it light

“These books are fun!” Kris said. “Some of the topics might seem dark. Something Shady at Sunshine Haven involves a mystery at the nursing home where Kate’s mother is in the Alzheimer’s unit. That’s not funny. But Kate has a wry sense of humor and makes witty observations about the world. She starts collecting quirky friends and helpers. There are lighthearted moments and a lot of warmth. Readers say they adore the characters and the books are really fun.”

In fact, writing funny just might be in Kris’s blood. “I come from a family of writers. My brother, Douglas J. Eboch, is both a novelist and a script writer. He wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. We’re writing a young adult comedy series starring “Felony Melanie,” Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. It’s fun to work with a writing partner, especially one I’ve known my whole life. It’s also helping me improve my comedy chops. 

Kris describes that series as much zanier than her Accidental Detective series. “There’s plenty of physical humor and a lot of funny Southern sayings. Curiously, in real life, my brother and I are both fairly quiet and laid back. I guess we get the goofiness out of our systems in the writing.”

And speaking of zany, Kris once had a friend lock her in the trunk of a car. “I had a character (in Valley of Gems) who got kidnapped and trapped in the trunk of a car. I needed to find out what it was like so I could write about it. I also once had a friend tie me to a post so I could figure out a realistic way for a character to get free. But the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done for research is testing the recipes I mention in my cat café sweet romance novels. (See below to find out how you can get those recipes for free.)

Learn more about Kris Bock at www.krisbock.com. Get a free Accidental Detective short story and bonus material when you sign up for her newsletter. You’ll also get a free 30-page sweet romance set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café and a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels.

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