Today, Senior Reviewer Miranda Owen brings us a fascinating chat with G.A.
McKevett! The
latest book in her long-running Savannah Reid mystery series, BITTER BREW,
is
available now.
About a million years ago, one of your Savannah Reid books caught my eye at my local library. Naturally, I
raved about it
to my grandmother (fellow cozy mystery junkie) and got her hooked on the series
too. Why
write a cozy mystery series? What do you like about writing (or reading) cozies?
First, let me say, “Thank you,” for passing the addiction along to your
grandma. Families
that read together…keep us authors in business. :-)
Why write cozy mysteries? I’ll be honest with you; that’s what my publisher
asked for. I
agreed a tad reluctantly. I don’t know if this was true 25 years ago, or if I was
ignorant of the
genre, but I held the opinion that cozy mysteries, back in the day, made light of
the horror of
murder. Like homicide was some sort of fun puzzle. Like I said, I could’ve just
been ill-
informed. I’m sure there were many cozies, even back then, that treated the
subject with
sensitivity. I just hadn’t read them.
My children and I have lost people we loved to murder. We’ve seen the anguish
of those
they left behind. We’ve witnessed the lack of remorse on the part of their cold-
blooded killers.
I agreed to write a cozy mystery series and include as much humor as I could
manage,
but I was clear about the fact that when it came to the actual murder itself, I
would describe
the subsequent horror and misery to the best of my writing ability. My publisher
encouraged
me to follow my convictions, and I’ve never felt compromised or restricted in any
way.
When writing a mystery, do you have the murderer and solution plotted out
ahead of
time, or does it kind of evolve organically?
Before I begin a book, I absolutely, positively know Who-Done-It, why, how,
when, and
the mistakes they made that will get them caught in the end.
The first book I ever wrote was a mystery. I waited until the last chapter to
decide who
the killer was. That manuscript was the only one I’ve ever written that I couldn’t
sell. It was
positively dreadful! But, hey, you live, and you learn.
How much of you, or people you know, make up the main characters in this
series?
Do you have an investigative background?
I don’t put anyone I know or myself in a book, though many people have pleaded
with me
to “murder” them. If I did it for one, I’d have to do it for all. And I can’t
imagine killing off
everyone I’ve ever met. :-) However, some characters are a composite of certain
types of
people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. For instance, Granny Reid is a blend of
my own
grandmothers, my mother, aunts, my daughter and granddaughters, and sisters whom
my
heart has adopted over the years. Gran’s strengths, vulnerability, patience,
kindness, and
wisdom come naturally to me when I write her because I’ve seen all those virtues
in these
women throughout my life.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must put more of myself in Savannah than
I think I do.
Friends who live a long way from me tell me, when they start missing me, they read
a
Savannah and feel like we’ve had a visit.
No, I have no investigative background. Unless you include just being nosy – I
mean
curious – about the world around me and its fascinating inhabitants.
A few of these characters like Granny and Savannah’s brother Waycross were
occasional supporting characters in earlier books. When did you decide to increase
their
presence?
I increased Granny’s presence because fans, who adored her, were constantly
asking me
to. If I included her in a story, I received love letters in abundance. If I left
her out of the book, I
heard about it, and not in a nice way. It was an easy decision. Heaven knows I do
aim to please
my readers as much as possible. Okay…Waycross. I find him such an endearing
character, a
truly good man. And, let’s just say, there was somebody in San Carmelita who
deserved a
great guy.
I’ve often heard that authors don’t usually read the same genre they
write. Is that
true for you? What are some of your favorite books? Favorite authors?
I’m so glad you told me that. I’ve been feeling guilty for years that I seldom
read cozies
myself, though I certainly understand the appeal.
I can’t say that I’m addicted to any one genre. Here is a list of my all-time
favorite
authors and books. You’ll see that my tastes are quite eclectic, to say
the least.
James Harriot (All Creatures Great and Small), Morgan Llywelyn (The Lion of
Ireland), Frank
McCourt (Angela’s Ashes), Charles Dickens, (absolutely everything he ever wrote),
Arthur
Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, Stephen King, and George R. R. Martin. As I said, a
strange mix.
What are you currently working on?
The next Savannah Reid
mystery
And the Killer Is…? I love the old, silver screen era – Hollywood at her
most
innocent and sordid. An elderly, Academy award-winning actress is found murdered
in her old
hoard-filled mansion. Sorting through the mess of her home and her life, Savannah
and the
Moonlight Magnolia gang find an abundance of folks who had reasons galore to end
the
controversial lady, leaving her in the mess that symbolized her ruined life.
Savannah Reid #24
Although P.I. Savannah Reid always has a lot on her plate, she would drop just
about
anything for a friend in trouble. But when good intentions pull her into a toxic
murder case,
Savannah’s days as San Carmelita’s most full-figured detective might be running
out...Savannah is shaken to the core when coroner Dr. Jennifer Liu appears on her
doorstep late
one night with a disturbing confession. In a potentially career-ruining move, a
remorseful Dr.
Liu admits to fudging an autopsy report to keep her friend Brianne’s suicide a
secret—fulfilling
a final promise made before the terminally ill woman administered a lethal drug
cocktail. But
after Dr. Liu finds the same unique mixture in a second body, she fears the deaths
share a
dark connection...
Apprehensive about concealing a felony, Savannah and the Moonlight Magnolia
Detective
Agency launch a discreet investigation into Brianne’s rare condition and the
deadly concoction
linking the two bodies. As chilling evidence points to an undeniable case of
double murder, the
agency races to slim down the suspect list and blow the lid off a shifty
criminal’s poisonous
agenda. Savannah only hopes that, like Dr. Liu, her desire to help a friend won’t
put her
reputation at risk—or, worse, land her on the next slab...
Mystery [Kensington, On Sale: April 30, 2019, Hardcover /
e-Book, ISBN: 9781496720108 / eISBN: 9781496720122]
G. A. McKevett is the pseudonym of a well-known author, Sonja Massie. She is
currently
working on the next Savannah Reid mystery.
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