Teresa Lee Watson Talks About Her New Ghost Writer Mystery Series

I absolutely loved the premise of Teresa Lee Watson’s latest release, WHO KILLED THE GHOST IN THE LIBRARY? As I writer how could I not? A cozy mystery about an unemployed writer returning to her hometown in Texas and placing an ad in the local newspaper for a position as a ghost writer. But Cam Shaw isn’t hired to write the next best autobiography, or even an article, she finds herself in the employment of an aristocratic spirit, who has been dead for sixty years. And he needs her help to solve his murder.

Intrigued by the plot, I got the book and sent Ms. Watson a request for an interview. She graciously accepted.

Q. I love the premise of a ghost writer getting hired by ghosts to solve their murders, especially a murder that’s decades old. What kind of research did you do for the cold case murder investigation in WHO KILLED THE GHOST IN THE LIBRARY?

A. Years of watching and reading mysteries! There was also a lot of brainstorming with my beta readers/editors: Stacy, Kristi and Mother. I spent a lot of time on the phone and on Facebook, asking them questions: “Does this make sense? Why should the reader care about a sixty-year-old murder? Is there something that we are missing?” There was a lot of discussion and editing as I wrote this. I wanted to make sure that we had a plausible reason for reopening a cold case, and there were so many layers to this cold case. Each suspect definitely had a very good reason for wanting our ghost dead, and that helps to keep the reader guessing until the very end.

Q. Aggie Foley has sacrificed her life for a dead man, a man she’s not married to. Why did you choose a housekeeper for the role of companion to Stanley Ashton III instead of his wife or son?

A. I guess I went with my preconception that wealthy families arranged marriages, especially for their daughters. Stanley III was Amelia’s family’s choice for her, but he was already in love with Aggie. He went through the marriage because of the business implications if he didn’t go through with it. But Stanley III still wanted to keep Aggie with him. Aggie represents the hope of every young woman who wants to be swept off their feet by a rich man, even though his family might not think she is good enough for him. As for not choosing Stanley IV, there are extenuating circumstances involving his father’s death that would have made any type of relationship with his father’s ghost very difficult. There’s that sense of betrayal, as well as feeling like his whole life was something other than what it could have been.

Q. Ghost writer for hire, Cam Shaw’s best friend Randy says kissing Cam would be like kissing his sister, but he’s definitely protective of Cam and not happy with her romantic choices, especially police Chief Mike Penhall. Will we see something more between them in your next novel?

A. I’ve been asked this one a lot! In fact, there were several complaints that I didn’t resolve this by the end of the book! There will be more of this triangle in subsequent books, and at one point, we will find out what happened during high school that has kept Randy and Mike at each other’s throats. (The guys haven’t even told ME yet, which I find very rude! They just love their secrets!)

Q. You have two other mystery series, The Lizzie Crenshaw Mysteries and The Charlie Bannerman Mysteries, which series was the hardest for you to write and which one gave you the most satisfaction?

A. Hardest to write, hmm, I would have to say the Ghost Writer story. I’ve always written novellas, but when I was given the idea for the ghost writer story, I wanted to take it in a different direction. Yes, Cam is a ghost writer, but her clients are ghosts. The decision going into this one was that it would be a full-length novel, so it was really hard stretching out the story. But considering the positive responses I’ve had to the story, I say it was well worth all the time and effort. The most satisfaction…I’m happy with Lizzie and Cam the most. Charlie wasn’t that well received, so she is going to require more work. But Lizzie makes me happy because I love the characters so much, and Cam makes me happy because of how well it has been received. It totally exceeded my expectations.

I absolutely loved the comical dialogue between Cam and her ghostly client. Ms. Watson depicted the generational gap very well between a modern day writer turned sleuth and a ghost trapped with the knowledge of being killed, yet enjoying the love of his life in a way he would not have been able to if he’d lived. With twists and turns, Ms. Watson kept me guessing throughout the story. Pick up a copy of WHO KILLED THE GHOST IN THE LIBRARY? and find out how intriguing a ghost can be.

Ms. Watson can be reached at her website, Facebook, and Twitter @authorTeresaW.

Until next week, get cozy and read on!

About Kym Roberts

Kym Roberts is a retired detective sergeant who looks for passion, mystery and suspense in every book she reads and writes. She can be found on the web at kymroberts.com, on Facebook at Kym Roberts (author) and on Twitter @kymroberts911. Look for her latest release, DEAD MAN'S CARVE, A Tickled to Death Mystery on Amazon. (All proceeds will be donated to wounded veterans)