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Tracy D. Comstock, author of SCHOOL'S OUT FOR MURDER, on High School, the Heartland, and Homework
July 20, 2015
Tracy D. Comstock, author of the Schooled in Murder series, joins Fresh
Fiction to talk about high school, the Heartland, and homework!
Jen: Hi, Tracy. Thank you for joining us at Fresh Fiction. SCHOOL'S OUT
FOR MURDER is the second novel in the Schooled
in Murder series. What was different (harder or easier) about writing
the second book than the first or was their anything different this time
around?
Tracy: I have to say that knowing my characters, having watched them
work their way through the first novel in the series, I had a better feel for
them. That familiarity helped with writing the second novel. However, this is
the first time I have ever had to write on a deadline, so that actually made
the second novel a bit harder to write at times, too, but it did make me feel
like a tried-and-true author! :)
Jen: Setting is always important in cozy mysteries. The Schooled
in Murder series is set around a small Missouri high school. What do
you think makes Missouri such an interesting setting for your series?
Tracy: They say to write what you know, and I was born and raised in
Missouri. My husband and I just relocated our two boys to another small town in
Kansas, but the flavor is much the same. I can’t speak for other larger
locales, but in the Midwest, the rural, small town ideals pretty much prevail.
The distinct four seasons, the friendly—if nosy neighbors—the large
areas of farmland all give a very distinct setting, and I feel it’s one that is
underrepresented in literature. The Heartland may not have dramatic scenery or
the glamour of the coastal areas, but it does have a beauty and rhythm of life
all its own. I think areas of natural beauty lend themselves to their own
mystery. That’s why Missouri was a natural setting for my series.
Jen: You’re also a teacher. Can you tell us the best (or worst) excuse
you’ve ever heard from a student for not turning in an assignment?
Tracy: As an English teacher, I often want to applaud my students for
their creativity in coming up with excuses. Many at least give me a laugh, even
if the excuses doesn’t influence the zero they get in the gradebook! But I have
to say that my favorite two excuses were both ones that were true, as validated
by photographic evidence, and have come to me since I started teaching college.
The first one was “I didn’t get my paper done because I was overwhelmed
preparing for my female illusionist show.” Coming from a young man attending a
small college in a largely rural area, this one got a few laughs due to its
uniqueness. And the pictures! Wow. I could take makeup lessons. But anyway…the
second one was “The baby ate my homework.” I about died laughing at the picture
of a baby gumming happily on a wad of soggy handouts. As a nontraditional
student myself when I returned to college to get my Masters degree, with an
eighteen-month old baby and a five-year-old at home, I could totally relate.
Jen: What author has most influenced your writing and why?
Tracy: There are so many that it’s hard to narrow it down. Gemma
Halliday’s humor influenced me. Mary Higgins Clark’s use of suspense influenced
me. Carolyn Hart’s incredible sense of mystery plotting influenced me. And Nora
Roberts’ use of description and family relationships influenced me. I like to
think I learn from everything I read…and I read A LOT!
Jen: Are you working on another Schooled
in Murder novel or will we be seeing something new from you in the
future?
Tracy: I am currently working on a third Schooled
in Murder novel. I’m not ready to leave these characters behind quite
yet. In the future, however, I would like to try my hand at a young adult
novel. Or perhaps another mystery series set in a vastly different world—that
would be a fun challenge!
Jen: I love YA, but I'm excited to see more of Emily and Tad! Thank you
so much for joining us!
Giveaway
What's your favorite excuse for not turning in homwork? Leave a comment below for
a chance to win a signed copy of MURDER IS OUR MASCOT, the first book in the Schooled in
Murder series!
Tracy Comstock is a small-town girl from Missouri. She lives in a home
where she is outnumbered 3:1 by the males in her life: her husband and their
two extremely adorable, but terrifyingly ornery sons. She has no pets as all
living things, besides humans, of course, come to her house to die, including
the victims in her books. All her life Tracy devoured books. Her parents’ most
effective punishment was grounding her from reading. Although she has a B.S. in Education and a Masters in Literature, she was
nudged down the path to publication by encouraging (and sometimes threatening!)
family, friends, professors, and students. When not working on Emily’s
adventures, Tracy is an adjunct instructor for several local colleges, where
she gets to teach others about her greatest passion: writing.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
School may be out for summer, but English teacher Emily Taylor's homework
is just beginning.
Emily has been looking forward to attending Ellington High School's end-of-the-
year carnival fundraiser with her new flame, Tad...that is until she finds the
mayor's body behind the English department's Whack-a-Mole booth. Suddenly
rumors are flying in their small Missouri town that the mayor's husband was
having an affair with the town's newest dentist-and Emily's good friend-Amelia
Franklin.
With her friend in the role of prime suspect, Emily begins her own
investigation into the mayor's death. But with so many of the mayor's recent
decisions being wildly unpopular-including one to end the school carnival
tradition!-there is no shortage of suspects. Was it the vocal school
superintendent, the secretive new junior high math teacher, or an old high
school sweetheart of the mayor's husband? With her friend's reputation at stake
and her own new relationship on the rocks Emily knows she needs to get off the
crazy carnival ride her life has become and find the real killer before this
summer vacation becomes her last!
Comments
23 comments posted.
Re: Tracy D. Comstock, author of SCHOOL'S OUT FOR MURDER, on High School, the Heartland, and Homework
I always turned homework in.
(Marissa Yip-Young 5:28am July 20, 2015)
I was sick, which really was a reason, not an excuse.
Otherwise, I always handed it in on time.
(Deb Philippon 10:08am July 20, 2015)
My Parents were so strict, that if I didn't do my homework, I wouldn't be able to sit for a week!! I always had to make sure I did my homework every day as soon as I got home from school, before I could even go out and play. I'm looking forward to your latest book. Congratulations!!
(Peggy Roberson 10:21am July 20, 2015)
I always did homework since there was no excuse and this was
many years ago when discipline and hard work was a virtue.
(Sharon Berger 1:38pm July 20, 2015)
My mother did not allow me to not turn in homework---so I
never had to have an excuse,
(Sue Farrell 3:19pm July 20, 2015)
I kid you not, my friends cat peed on my backpack and ruined everything! Other than that, I always did my homework.
(Heather Hardy 4:46pm July 20, 2015)
I always did my homework. Sometimes even the extra credit.
(Janice Santillo 4:48pm July 20, 2015)
I handed it in with my friend (friend backs me up)
(Lexi Williams 6:06pm July 20, 2015)
I was always one of the ones that always turned in my homework.
Had a teacher call me up after class once to tell me someone was
looking over my shoulder to cheat.
(Nancy Luebke 6:15pm July 20, 2015)
Though I turned in my homework, it wasn't always my best work. I did tell one teacher that my little brother while chasing our dog destroyed my homework. My teacher didn't believe as I didn't have a brother or a dog.
(Joanne Hicks 9:31pm July 20, 2015)
Sounds soooo good. Can't wait to read.
(Barbara Miller 10:14pm July 20, 2015)
I always turned in my homework but I would guess if I didn't , I would say the dog ate it . I hope to read this book soon .Thank you for this giveaway .
(Joan Thrasher 10:54am July 21, 2015)
Since I lived in the country we never had a chance to go
anywhere unless you drove for miles, so no excuse not to do
homework
(Jeri Dickinson 3:28pm July 21, 2015)
Never tried out any excuses for not doing my homework. I was a good student who faithfully completed assignments and was bummed out when others got by without the extra work.
(Flora Presley 3:45pm July 21, 2015)
I was not always the best at turning in my homework. Wish now I had been better. This looks like a good new series.
(Mary Songer 4:34pm July 21, 2015)
I always turned in my homework - too scared of my teachers to do otherwise but I suppose I would have said that I thought it was not due yet and then frantically got it done that night and turned it in the next day!
(Lesley Walsh 5:41pm July 22, 2015)
Always did my homework so never had an excuse.
(Jean Benedict 7:05pm July 22, 2015)
I always turned in my homework, usually well ahead of time!
(Rachel Kerrinski 8:17pm July 22, 2015)
I am anxious to read your story a out school since I am a retired teacher.
(Jackie Wisherd 11:02pm July 22, 2015)
Sounds like a great book. I can't believe how many "always turned in homework" answers you have. I, too, always turned it in - because I was a terrible story-teller and knew I'd get caught if I tried to NOT turn it in. That was my best motivator.
(Nancy Reynolds 10:48am July 23, 2015)
I always turned in my homework. My parents expected me to do my best and that meant getting homework to the teacher on time.
(Anna Speed 12:01pm July 23, 2015)
I was the always to busy to do homework.Not really but I could usually come with a pathetic excuse.
(MaryEllen Hanneman 6:34pm July 23, 2015)
I always did my homework.
(Bonnie H 11:20am July 29, 2015)
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