Terry Ambrose

Writing is like a good barbecue sauce, if it ain't bold, it ain't worth doing.

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The Broken Spine by Dorothy St. James

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The Broken Spine by Dorothy St. James

Dorothy St. James is the pen name for award-winning author, Dorothy McFalls. Dorothy writes in several different genres. The Broken Spine is the first in her Beloved Bookroom Mystery series.

Warring worlds

“The Broken Spine explores the tension between living in the digital world and the analog world,” Dorothy said. “My heroine, Trudell Becket loves her library so much that when it’s being converted into a ‘bookless’ library she does something outrageous. She opens a secret ‘bookroom’ in the basement of the library where she works. The bookroom is a throwback to libraries of another era with a card catalog and book slips for checking out the books. Change can be difficult, painful. In the case of the changes coming to the Cypress library, that change is murder.”

Do bookless libraries exist?

“I read an article about a bookless library opening in Texas. It got me to thinking about how I would feel if my library went completely digital. I read mainly digital books, and yet the thought of the books leaving my local library made me feel anxious. I wouldn’t want that to happen. I then started to play ‘what if’ games in my head. What if I were a librarian in that library? What would I do? I far would I go to save those books?”

Dorothy St James, author of The Broken Spine

Dorothy said she wants prospective readers to know that she’s not against technology. “I love all the new gadgets. I don’t know what I’d do without my smart phone. But at the same time, I’m a nut when it comes to books. I have such lovely childhood memories from my time spent at the library. My daughter adores going to the library to find treasures to read. She rarely goes in with a book in mind. She simply wanders around in the stacks and picks up anything that appeals to her. This isn’t something she could do online.”

Oh, and for those who truly have inquiring minds, Dorothy said, “I love cats! I hate cooking.”

Learning about libaries

Dorothy said that one of the problem she faced in writing this series is that she’s not a librarian, nor has she been through the training and education librarians undergo for their work. “This was a problem since my protagonist, Trudell Becket is (in addition to being an amazing sleuth) the assistant librarian of the Cypress library. While I did have extensive experience working in government, I knew that it wasn’t quite the same thing. To write this series, I needed to get into the minds of local librarians.” Fortunately for Dorothy, she learned that librarians love to share their knowledge.

“I love to research my books. Sometimes I must remind myself to stop researching and start writing already. For the White House Gardener Mystery series, I stalked secret service agents through Lafayette Park at three AM in the morning to see how difficult it would be to murder someone there. (It’s possible.) For the Southern Chocolate Shop Mysteries series, I learned how to make my own chocolate from cacao beans. I also tasted many, many different types of chocolates in the name of research. While writing books for that series, I always eat some chocolate before sitting down at the computer because…research.”

For the Beloved Bookroom Mystery series, Dorothy took part in many of her local library’s activities. She joined tai chi classes, took sewing classes, art classes, attended plays, and author talks. “I was amazed at how libraries are changing. They’re becoming vibrant community centers that also have books.”

Learn more about Dorothy St. James and The Broken Spine at www.dorothystjames.com. Did you like this interview? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.

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Behind the story of Wedding Bear Blues by Meg Macy

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Wedding Bear Blues by Meg Macy

Meg Macy is an award-winning mystery author with a passion for cozy mysteries, gardening, and crafts. She’s written the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear cozy mysteries for Kensington and is one-half of the writing team of D.E. Ireland for the Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins mysteries. Two of her books, Wouldn’t It Be Deadly and Get Me to the Grave On Time, were Agatha Award finalists for Best Historical. Wedding Bear Blues is the fourth Teddy Bear Mystery.

Teddy bears and family first

Meg said she’d known about the Chelsea Teddy Bear Factory in Southeastern Michigan for years, and even turned down a chance to tour the factory because she was busy with other things at the time.

“I figured it would always be there. Unfortunately, by the time I came up with a ‘teddy bear’ theme for a cozy mystery series, I was too late – the factory had closed up and the business moved to Missouri. Rats! But I did find some photos of the factor and the bears, so I decided to make my own version of a teddy bear shop and factory, plus the family that runs it.”

One of the themes Meg stresses in her books is ‘family first.’ Family, as well as her close friends, are important to Meg. “My protagonist, Sasha Silverman, believes in family first with her heart. After a terrible first marriage, she returned home to her family and appreciates their support throughout along with close friends in the small town of Silver Hollow. Although I’ve never lived in a small town, I’ve visited several. I know it’s true that ‘everyone knows everybody’ — and that gossip is ripe. I also stress that teddy bears are ‘childhood innocence’ at its best. My books include the terrible ways in which adults use these toys for drug smuggling and worse crimes, but justice always comes for them in the end.”

On the personal side

Meg Macy - Wedding Bear Blues

Meg describes herself as a voracious mystery and historical fiction reader. Her reading interests also influence her writing, which include contemporary cozies, westerns, and romance. “Everything I write has either a hint of mystery or a full-blown mystery involved. I’m also an artist – watercolors, pen/ink, and acrylic. I haven’t had much time to devote lately, but after this past year, I may try to pick up my brushes once more.”

The past year has been a challenging time for Meg’s writing. “It’s hard to drum up the creativity to write. To do anything, in fact, with all the bad news every day. I’m sure we all remember experiencing the same problem after 9–11. When New York City shut down, my brief ‘career’ writing puzzles, games, etc. for children’s magazines dried up completely. I had to refocus my creativity, which wasn’t easy. Sometimes these life-shaking events are just another door opening. I may be stepping through another next year. Time will tell.”

Inspiration in the stacks—real or virtual

“I absolutely love research. I remember going to the university library stacks in college and browsing through old books — there’s nothing like that smell of musty pages, and wondering who last looked up information inside that book, if ever. With the internet, we can now find things from so many other libraries and sources. The world opened up at our fingertips! While considering a sequel to my first published novel, Double Crossing, I happened to come across a printed menu on a website for a lavish dinner that took place in Sacramento in late 1869 for railroad magnates and politicians. That was the perfect starting point for Double or Nothing. Those gems an author stumbles over don’t come often, but they can be inspirational.”

Learn more about Meg Macy and Wedding Bear Blues on her website at megmacy.com. Did you like this interview? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.

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Behind the story of A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber

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Daryl Wood Gerber is not only an Agatha Award-winning author, but also worked as an actress. She even had a role in Murder, She Wrote. Daryl writes the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries as well as the French Bistro Mysteries. Her new series, the Fairy Garden Mysteries, debuts with A Sprinkling of Murder.

It began at the Renaissance Faire

Daryl said the idea for the Fairy Garden Mysteries came to her after she went to a Renaissance Faire and saw a few fairy gardens. “I fell in love with the art. So I set about learning how to make them. I love to garden, but I no longer have the time to do huge gardening projects. Making a small fairy garden seemed the perfect answer to me. I visited a store in Tustin, CA, which was filled with whimsical creations and I felt a need to be creative, myself. As I was making my first one, I thought, wouldn’t this be a sweet theme for a mystery series?”
At first, Daryl wasn’t sure the idea would sell. The genre was a blend of fantasy and mystery and no one had written about a fairy sidekick. “The more I thought about it,” Darly said, “the more the world of fairies filled my mind. How would they talk? How would they act? When Fiona flitted into my mental sphere, I knew I had to write her story. Of course, the protagonist is Courtney, who lost the ability to see fairies when she was young, and now she needs to open her imagination to the possibility that they do exist.”

Believers vs. Non-believers

As an adult, we’re predisposed to stop believing in certain things. Daryl said, “Non-believers can be caustic. Why? Because something doesn’t fit into their mold of what life is supposed to be. In the story, there are fairies and the fairies speak and help with the mystery. Are there real fairies in life? One has to wonder. But the issue of so many in the town not believing and having a bias against Courtney, the protagonist, and her shop itself, poses a problem. People can be mean. Vindictive. One woman wants to close the place down for good. And yet another wants to see a fairy. Therefore, the push and pull of the community comes to bear, you know? What is real? What is fantasy? Who’s to say that one is right or wrong for believing?”

The long road to publication

“I love to entertain,” Daryl said. “It gives me purpose. It’s the main reason why I write. I want my readers to get lost in the world I create, if only for a day or two of reading. I think everyone needs a place to escape, and I like to provide that for my readers. Heck, I need that, too. It’s why I love to read. So if I can provide that moment of peace, relief, and wonder for readers, I’ve done my job on earth.”

The fact is, it took Daryl a long time before she could entertain readers with her work. She wrote for years before being published and said the rejection was heartbreaking. “Over and over, I received responses from agents like, ‘I love this, but I can’t sell it. Can you write another?’ As if writing another was as easy as making a pie. It’s not. But I did. I wrote another book. And another. I couldn’t pin down what I was doing ‘wrong,’ but my work wasn’t resonating. I was about to give up, but I persevered, because in high school I was given the ‘most persevering’ award – not sure why, then, but I sure know why now. LOL Along the way, an agent who did like my work (but couldn’t sell it) asked if I could write something ‘on spec.’ The publisher had come up with the idea for a cheese shop cozy mystery. I said I could, and I did, and they bought it, and I became a published writer. It took ten years to be an instant success. So to all those writers who have not yet been sold, don’t give up. Persevere. If you don’t know why you’re not selling, ask blunt questions of your critique group or agent. Be flexible. Be willing to change. Be willing to write to the market. But persevere.

You tasted how many cheeses?

“When I was writing the Cheese Shop Mysteries, I tasted over 1,000 cheeses. That was truly enjoyable. Now that I’m writing the Fairy Garden Mysteries, I’ve made over thirty fairy gardens. I have so much fun making them and tending to them. I go into my garden and I smile. My kids make fun of me. They think I’m slightly addicted. I probably am. But, hey, I have fairies in my garden. And butterflies. And hummingbirds. And whimsy. I adore whimsy.”

Learn more about Daryl Wood Gerber on her website at darylwoodgerber.com.

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Couples who solve mystery by Maggie Toussaint

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Couples who solve mystery
By Maggie Toussaint

DreamedIt Cov Official smallerThe Dreamwalker Mystery Series has a female protagonist, Baxley Powell. She uses her psychic talents to direct the deputies to real evidence to help solve crimes. She is a highly effective crime consultant.

Baxley is also a single mom and only 28 years old. Her Special Forces husband disappeared and then, after years of searching for him, his whereabouts became known, only he wasn’t alive in the traditional sense. Needless to say, he moved into the light, and Baxley became a widow.

The handsome Native American deputy she meets in the mountains while on vacation catches her eye, though she swears she wasn’t looking for a guy. Deputy Sam Mayes feels a soul-deep connection with Baxley as soon as he meets her and encourages her to think about him in a non-professional light.

Their tentative relationship is fraught with peril. For starters they live in opposite ends of the state and have strong ties to their communities. Mayes is being groomed for the sheriff’s spot in his home county, as his sheriff plans to run for governor, as well as tribal leadership. Baxley can’t leave Sinclair County because she’s the Dreamwalker. Ay-yi-yi.

Sam Mayes isn’t one to walk away from a challenge. Baxley is his dream woman in every sense of the word. He keeps the pressure up, visiting Baxley, solving crimes with her and her sheriff, fixing her when she depletes her energy, and generally immersing himself in her life.

Baxley tries to use logic to protect her heart, but it’s too late. They are a couple long before she realizes it. She’s also in love with Mayes.

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But does a relationship this serious belong in a mystery novel? My answer is why not? In addition to solving the puzzle of whodunnit, the push-pull of Baxley and Mayes’ relationship adds conflict and characterization opportunities.

Will Mayes win her hand? You’ll have to read DREAMED IT to find out.

What do you think about couples who solve crimes together? Yay or Nay?

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Behind the story of Gore in the Garden

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Gore 1Colleen J. Shogan is a political scientist by training. She’s also been reading mysteries most of her life. Her first book won the Next Generation Indie Prize for Best Mystery and other have been RONE and Killer Nashville finalists in the mystery category. 

The United States Botanic Garden looms as inspiration

“I’d always toyed with the idea of setting a book at the United States Botanic Garden but I wasn’t quite sure about the plot,” Colleen said. “One day, I visited during my lunch break. As I was walking along the path inside the main solarium, I saw the nameplate of a plant: Ficus Aurea. It’s also known as the ‘Strangler Fig.’ I knew I had to write my next book at the Botanic Garden; the plot had now almost written itself!”

Colleen also said that she’d visited the Botanic Garden on Capitol Hill for years. “That being said, I also always thought it was a slightly creepy place, with looming plants, eerie silence, and lots of inconspicuous nooks and crannies. I read a great deal about the famous, rare corpse flower and its bloom at the Botanic Garden. With a plant like the corpse flower, how couldn’t I set a mystery there?”

Trust in government

“The  Washington Whodunit series addresses the issue of trust in government,” Colleen said. “Public opinion approval ratings of Congress are quite low these days, with many Americans believing that Washington, D.C. is a place where politicians come to get rich and take advantage of the system. I provide a different perspective in my books. I don’t sugarcoat the reality of living and working inside our nation’s capital, but I also try to show there are well-intentioned, hardworking public servants on Capitol Hill. In other words, I write about the side of Washington that doesn’t garner much attention from political reporters or Twitter. There are layers behind every politician and reasons for why they behave the ways in which they do. In subtle ways that don’t ruin the mystery, I uncover those stories.”

Colleen has worked on Capitol Hill in a variety of different jobs for the past fourteen years. She knows the setting well and tries to describe it as accurately as possible. “My books provide some fun facts and historical education, as well as entertain with the mystery. My day job is at the Library of Congress and I am lucky enough to be in a position where I can experience a lot of what Capitol Hill and D.C. has to offer, such as exploring venues like the National Archives and the Smithsonian. These places often show up in my books, which provides more flavor and an insider treat for curious readers.”

Colleen shogunIn the name of research…

“When I was writing the fourth book in my series, K Street Killing, I wanted to investigate a rooftop setting for a major scene. But the iconic rooftop I had in mind isn’t open to the general public. Instead, it’s reserved for special occasions, rentals, fundraisers, weddings, or other high-profile events. After my husband and I had dinner in the restaurant on the first floor, I told our waiter a small white lie, explaining that I might want to host a major event on the rooftop. We were quickly ushered to the roof, where I got to walk around and ask all the questions I wanted. Of course, it wasn’t for an actual event. Instead, it was for staging a fictitious murder!”

Learn more about Colleen Shogan at colleenshogan.com.

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Review of Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Elia MacNeal

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prisoner in the castleFrom the publisher of Prisoner in the Castle

World War II is raging, and former spy Maggie Hope knows too much.

She knows what the British government is willing to do to keep its secrets.

She knows the real location of the planned invasion of France.

She knows who’s lying. She knows who the double-crossers are. She knows exactly who is sending agents to their deaths.

These are the reasons Maggie is isolated on a remote Scottish island, in a prison known as Killoch Castle, out of contact with friends and family.

Then one of her fellow inmates drops dead in the middle of his after-dinner drink—and he’s only the first. As victims fall one by one, Maggie will have to call upon all her wits and skills to escape—not just certain death . . . but certain murder.

For what’s the most important thing Maggie Hope knows?

She must survive.

My review

The Prisoner in the Castle brings home the terror that anyone would feel if they were imprisoned on an island and a killer was on the loose. 

The characters were a quirky lot, but also felt real, and normal. Of course, that was the point of the Special Operations Executive, to see what ordinary people could do under extraordinary circumstances. The setting was also described well and felt appropriately depressing. Especially the castle. Yeesh! 

In this Maggie Hope adventure, we see the SOE premise brought home fully as we experience the systematic elimination of British spies gone astray. Will Maggie rise to this latest challenge?

At times, Maggie’s internal dialogue felt repetitive, but overall this was a good read. There’s a nice balance of action and twists to keep the story moving. This one will keep you turning the pages to see how—or if—Maggie Hope survives.