Annie Knox Talks Pet Boutiques, Small Town Sleuths, and GROOMED FOR MURDER

It’s always so much fun to be able to interview a favorite author. This month I had the chance to talk with Annie Knox, aka Wendy Lyn Watson. Her newest Pet Boutique cozy mystery, GROOMED FOR MURDER, just released and I loved visiting Izzy and her gang again, this time for a little pet wedding. If you haven’t read PAWS FOR MURDER, book one in the series, I highly recommend it. And if you love ice cream, then the Murder a la Mode series will be right up your alley.

And now, my interview with Annie!

Q: I love the wedding theme of GROOMED FOR MURDER. Are pet nuptials common in the pet-lovers world?

A: I wouldn't say they're common, but it's a way for people to recognize a dog friendship (or a doggie owner friendship). As pets become more important to more people, I think we'll see more celebrations (birthdays, weddings, Christmas stockings, Easter baskets, etc.) for our critters . . . just as we see more people dressing their pets or adorning them with jewelry.

Q: What research have you done for the Pet Boutique series?

A: I've visited a few boutiques, both real and virtual, to get a sense of the type of items these specialty shops sell. I've also done a lot of research on different breeds of cats and dogs (not to mention the more exotic pets). Recently, I got to go to a cat show for research for COLLARED FOR MURDER, the next Pet Boutique mystery which is due out next summer.

Q: If you were to cast this series for a tv show or movie, who would play Izzy, et al?

A: In my head, Izzy looks like Zooey Deschanel, Sean looks a lot like James Franco, and Jack is a slightly older Chris Hemsworth. Rena .... Rena is just Rena. She lives in my head, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone who looks like my Rena.

Q: What is it about small town sleuthing and mysteries that you like? Why do you think there's such a strong following for this type of mystery?

A: I love the fact that the motives for murder in a small town are almost always intensely personal. Writing mysteries set in a small town gives me the opportunity to explore complex emotions. Another great advantage is that a small town sleuth can pick up clues just going about her daily business, and that allows us to get to know the sleuth better.

I think there's a strong following for cozy mysteries because people like the warmth of the small town and the emotions cozies can explore. There's always a great puzzle to unravel, but without the gore. When I read cozies, I can understand why the bad guy did what he did ... but once you start getting into darker mysteries and stories about serial killers, that human touch is lost.

Q: I hear you are working on another series? Can you tell us anything about it?

A: Yes! I'm writing a new series for NAL under my own name, Wendy Lyn Watson, called the Book Magic Mysteries. It takes place on the Oregon coast (a place near and dear to my heart), and my sleuth has a special gift for using books to guide her in her search for clues. Each installment in the series will revolve, in part, around a real book that is guiding Cora Lane in her investigation.

Thanks to Annie for joining us for this interview! Readers, buy your copy of GROOMED FOR MURDER today!

Izzy McHale wants her new Trendy Tails Pet Boutique in Merryville, Minnesota, to be the height of canine couture and feline fashions. But in a week of wedding bells, someone is about to hold their peace.

Forever. Love is in the air, and Izzy is hard at work coordinating two special weddings at Trendy Tails. First, Izzy’s friend and mentor, Ingrid, will be tying the knot with her old flame. And a week later, Izzy will host “pupptials” for two lovable dogs.

But even with the hullabaloo, the Trendy Tails crew is intrigued by Daniel, an enigmatic writer boarding above the shop who’s caught the attention of Izzy’s zany aunt Dolly, who gossips like most people breathe.

Unfortunately, it’s Daniel who stops breathing when he drops dead at the altar on Ingrid’s wedding day. Then Dolly is found at the scene with the murder weapon, and it’s up to Izzy, her Trendy Tails pals, and her scrappy pets, Packer and Jinx, to find a killer before the two affianced doggies bark down the aisle.