As
Victoria
Hamilton I write the
Vintage Kitchen Mysteries (Starring Jaymie
Leighton and set in Michigan, along the St. Clair River) and the
Merry
Muffin Mysteries, (starring Merry Wynter and set in upstate New York).
Youโd think that would be enough work, wouldnโt you? But Iโm a greedy writer.
Iโm often asked how I came to write the
Teapot Collector Mysteries, and
itโs an interesting story. One day a couple of years ago my agent received an
interesting letter from an editor at Berkley. She passed it on to her writers,
and I responded. The editor said she had an idea for a cozy mystery series set
in a tearoom, and about a teapot collector group. It was to be set in a small
โdryโ town in Maryland or along the Maryland seashore.
I responded immediately with interest. I love teapots and teacups, and had
actually just enjoyed a summer outing to a tearoom where shelves and shelves
full of diverse teapots were displayed. I loved it so much I took photos of
every single teapot there, between three and four hundred.
To my absolute astonishment the editor replied that I was actually who she was
thinking of when she created the series. I was so very pleased; writing
mysteries was the dream of my life, and to be so blessedโฆ Iโm still overwhelmed
to have three mystery series.
Howeverโฆ Iโve never been to Maryland, nor have I ever lived along the seashore.
Tentatively, I asked if I could alter the setting, and was told yes. So I moved
the series to the Finger Lakes in upstate New York; Iโve never been there,
either, but I love the area and plan on going someday.
Now, I started with what is referred to as a โbibleโ, actually a synopsis by the
editor with some detail: characters, names, facts, and a plot for three novels,
each subsequent one a little looser in structure. Since I was actually signing
on as a writer for hire, I needed to choose another pseudonym, and chose two
family names, Amanda and Cooper. I kind of regret that now; if they ever replace
me as writer of the series the name goes with it. Sigh. The things you realize
in hindsight.
I am now in the process of writing Book 3, and still loving it! Itโs been a
blast very inch of the way.
About SHADOW OF A SPOUT
Avid teapot collector Rose Freemont takes a break from her Victorian tea house
only to find a new mystery brewing elsewhere...
Leaving her home in Gracious Grove behind her, Rose is off to the annual
convention of the International Teapot Collectorโs Society. Her granddaughter
Sophie is minding the tea house while sheโs away. Rose is eager for tough cookie
Zunia Pettigrew to appraise a prized antique teapot she believes may be a holy
water vessel from China.
But when Zunia declares the pot a fake, Rose is really steamed. After Zuniaโs
found dead beside Roseโs dinged-in teapot, Sophie must rush to her grandmotherโs
aid and find the real killerโbefore Rose is steeped in any more troubleโฆ
About Amanda Cooper
Amanda
Cooper is the pseudonym for bestselling mystery author Victoria Hamilton.
She writes the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries and the Merry Muffin Mysteries as
Hamilton, in addition to the Teapot Collector Mysteries as Amanda Cooper.
Cooperโs long time love of mystery novels started at age twelve when her mom
handed her an Agatha Christie book and said โRead!โ. Thousands of novels later
Cooper is still reading. And writing.
But besides those two favorite pastimes, Cooper also enjoys collecting vintage
kitchenalia, old books, teacups, teapots and other ephemera. Perfume is her
secret addiction. She likes to cook, hates to clean, and enjoys time spent with
friends chatting over wine or tea. She loves crafts, loathes boredom, and her
guilty pleasure is โrealityโ TV, which she knows is largely fake but enjoys anyway.
Cooper thinks that people are the most interesting study of all, and more than
anything, she loves to hear from readers, not just about her books but about
anything and everything.
To learn more about Amanda Cooper and the
Teapot Collector Mysteries
see these pages:
Website |
Killer Characters
|
Author Facebook |
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