One of the things I love most about mysteries is the setting, the town where the characters come to life. I’ve lived on both coasts and multiple states in the middle so the chances are pretty good that an author can take me home for a few hours to enjoy my old stomping ground. The Oregon coast however, is very near and dear to my heart and I was hooked when I heard about Wendy Lynn Watson’s new mystery series she’s writing with Melissa Bourbon. You seriously can’t go wrong with this duo!
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Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Wendy!
Wendy: Thank you:)
You teach law and politics at the University of North Texas. How does that come into play with your writing? (I actually picture you in Viola Davis’s role in How to Get Away with Murder—only your crimes are on the page. I’m close, right?)
Wendy: That's a great question! I don't usually draw directly from the subjects I teach in my writing. However, the students themselves keep me abreast of all sorts of things happening in the world that I would never hear about from people at my own stage in life. They keep my creativity fresh and flexible. I also use my writing skills in class, creating simulations that are painfully detailed.
You say you avidly watch television. What show or character are you currently in love with and has the Covid-19 pandemic dampened your love affaire?
I feel like I have exhausted everything Netflix has to offer. Lately I have been binging historical docuseries (about the plague, Charles I, neolithic monuments .... all sorts of stuff). I think being stuck at home has made me seek out TV that is a little less escapist than I usually go for.
I hear you! Does television influence your writing?
It does, most definitely. I find that when I'm writing something, little bits of information that I encounter reading and watching TV will attach themselves to my imagination and find their way into my stories.
Are you the type of author who has multiple series ideas floating around in your heard at once (and started on your computer), or are you the type that focuses on one mystery at a time?
Right now, I'm pretty focused. I have one other project that has been drifting in and out of my life for several years now. It's a story I know I have to write eventually, but it promises to suck up a lot of my emotional energy when I do, so I just keep the files on my hard drive. I tend to immerse myself in what I'm writing, which makes it hard for me to move back and forth between projects.
When we first met, a group of writers gathered for dessert at a cute north Texas ice cream parlor while you were writing your Mystery Al-a-mode series. What type of research are you conducting now, and does it involve any specialty foods?
Alas, no food this time. Don't worry, I'm not starving. But my snacking isn't research this time. I've done "field research" for this series, taking a trip to Oregon and spending a week in a little condo on the coast. So indulgent. But most of my research is of the hunt and peck variety: I just let myself wander down rabbit trails of information until I stumble on something I can use. I know that sounds really inefficient, but I enjoy the journey, and I find that I come up with more interesting ideas if I let my imagination do some wandering.
That’s an awesome analogy, now I picture you searching through rabbit holes! What was your wildest adventure that you did in the name of research?
I wrote a series under the pen name "Annie Knox" about a woman who owned a pet boutique. One of the books was set against the backdrop of a cat show, so I dragged my husband to a cat show in Oklahoma City. It was a trip. I loved it. We joke all the time about entering our own brood in the "household pets" category. I don't think they would do well. They all have bad attitudes.
LOL, I can picture you on the road with your wild rescue felines:) You’re a devoted cat rescuer in your community, and you’ve written the Pet Boutique Mystery series. Do you see any more animal adventures in your future either on or off the page?
The cats definitely play a big part in my life. We have five living in the house with us now, three regulars on our porch, and a cast of about seven other cats who drop in now and then. They have such complex social interactions with me and each other. It's fascinating. And I spend a fair amount of time plotting ways to catch them to get them fixed. Cats are wily creatures; I catch our possums more often than the cats.
You have a new series, the Book Magic Mysteries, you’re writing with Melissa Bourbon. Where did your inspiration for this series come from?
I love this series so much. The seed for the idea came from a workshop I attended. The person hosting the workshop claimed to be psychic and was telling us about different methods of divination: Tarot, crystals, and bibliomancy. Just the thought of bibliomancy really struck my fancy, and the idea of building a mystery series around it developed quickly. Alas, I was in the middle of several different projects, so I never got far on my own. But I had told Melissa about the idea, and she loved it. Pretty soon, it just seemed natural for us to pursue it together.
It’s cool when authors bring their creativity together for a project like this! Melissa’s book in the series, Murder in Devil’s Cove, released in September 2020. What was the hardest part about writing a series with an author who lives thousands of miles away?
You know, it's actually been a dream. Melissa and I collaborate via text message, and we have a couple of google documents that we share to keep track of information. Our rapid-fire sessions of "what if?" have been really exciting for me. She pushes me, and I push her, and the result is that we're taking this story in places I never imagined on my own.
That’s awesome:) What makes this series unique in the mystery genre?
The books are about the Lane family; my protagonist and Melissa's protagonist are cousins who live on opposite coasts (Oregon and North Carolina). I think the rich family lore that ties Pippin Hawthorne Lane (from Murder in Devil's Cove) and Cora Lane together gives these books the sort of high stakes you see more often in thrillers and suspense. While each book is a self-contained mystery, there is an arc that spans all of the books that I think readers will love.
I’ve got the inside scoop on your upcoming December release, Death at Cape Misery, but can you introduce our readers to it with a teaser?
Every book tells two stories--one written on the pages with pen and ink, and one woven into the paper, a story of the soul. The Lane women have the gift of bibliomancy. They can read them both.
The Lane family “gift” has always been Cora Lane’s curse. As a bibliomancer, she delved into the lives of the people around her, culling through their secrets and revealing the lies they preferred to keep hidden. As a child, the habit left her on the outside of life looking in. When Cora was 17 years old, her twin sister Lily disappeared from their home town on Oregon’s coast. Cora should have known what had been going on with her sister, but she had been so lost in the pages of other people’s stories that she had failed to notice Lily’s troubles. Her neighbors didn’t trust her claim of ignorance. They thought the girl who knew everyone’s secrets was keeping one of her own.
When Cora turned eighteen, she escaped the whispers and sidelong glances, leaving behind her beloved Aunt Rose, the family business, Books by Bequest, and the books that haunted her.
Now, fifteen years later, Aunt Rose has summoned her home. Lily’s high school boyfriend, now a best-selling author, has returned to write an exposé on Lily’s disappearance, churning up the past like a storm-ravaged ocean. On top of that, developers are trying to force Rose to sell the family’s lighthouse on Cape Misery. Cora is prepared to do anything to defend her family’s past, but nothing can prepare her for the danger lurking in the sleepy coastal town of Laurel Point. Only the family gift—Cora’s book magic—can save her and unmask a killer.
This really is an incredible series by you and Melissa. I see some parallels between your characters, Cora and Lily Lane, and you. What would you say you have in common with these two women?
Lily is the troubled wild child, while her twin sister Cora is more of a bookworm. I definitely identify most with Cora. Like her, I have a tendency to live in my own head, and sometimes that gets me in trouble. I spend so much time dwelling on my own nerdy interests that I don't always see what is going on with the people around me. Like Cora, I'm working on that.
The Lane family has turned the family lighthouse into a bookstore, Books by Bequest. (Love that!) Are there any lighthouses on the Oregon Coast or anywhere else, that inspired this?
Yes! I love the Oregon coast so much. It's just beautiful. While I've looked at several of the lighthouses (and the lighthouse in the book is purely fiction), I was most inspired by the Yaquina Head Light (also known as the Cape Foulweather Lighthouse - how great is that?). It's the tallest of the lighthouses in Oregon, and it used to have a two-story keeper's quarters attached to it (just like the lighthouse at Cape Misery).
I've been to Yaquina Head multiple times, it’s stunning, so thank you for the wonderous trip back home;) Lily has been missing for a long time and her high school sweetheart has returned home to write a book about her disappearance. Who do you picture as this best-selling author opening up a can of worms that may point a finger of guilt in his direction?
Lily's high school boyfriend is Max Morrow. He's dashing, with a devil-may-care attitude that hides a well of real grief over losing Lily. I could see Ryan Reynolds playing the part: easy smile, wry wit, boyishly handsome.
I love Ryan, he is the perfect Max! What will you be working on next?
The next book in the series! After Death at Cape Misery, the third book in the series will be one written by Melissa, so I'll be working on #4 (tentatively titled "A Hard Death"). I may take a few weeks off first to spend playing around with that other long-term project. But I am so excited about the Book Magic Mysteries that I won't be able to stay away for long.
All the better for readers! Thanks for joining us at the Cozy Corner! Can you tell our readers where they can find you on the web and social media?
Sure! My website is wendylynwatson.com. I'm also on Facebook. I don't spend much time on other social media, I'm afraid.
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Until next month when I discuss the best mysteries of 2020, get cozy and read on!
Book Magic Mystery #2
A traditional mystery with a cozy twist
Two best-selling authors, one magical universe.
In the Book Magic Mystery Series, best-selling authors Melissa Bourbon and Wendy Lyn Watson bring you the story of cousins Pippin Lane Hawthorne and Cora Lane. The cousins live on opposite coasts (Pippin in Devil’s Cove, North Carolina, and Cora in Laurel Point, Oregon), but they share the family gift of bibliomancy: the ability to foresee the future and unravel the past with the help of the books we love. Join Pippin and Cora as they use their otherworldly power to solve mysteries in their respective worlds.
Every book tells two stories – one written on the pages with pen and ink, and one woven into the paper, a story of the soul. The Lane women have the gift of bibliomancy. They can read them both.
The Lane family “gift” has always been Cora Lane’s curse. As a bibliomancer, she delved into the lives of the people around her, culling through their secrets and revealing the lies they preferred to keep hidden. As a child, the habit left her on the outside of life looking in. When Cora was 17 years old, her twin sister Lily disappeared from their home town on Oregon’s coast. Cora should have known what had been going on with her sister, but she had been so lost in the pages of other people’s stories that she had failed to notice Lily’s troubles. Her neighbors didn’t trust her claim of ignorance. They thought the girl who knew everyone’s secrets was keeping one of her own.
When Cora turned eighteen, she escaped the whispers and sidelong glances, leaving behind her beloved Aunt Rose, the family business, Books by Bequest, and the books that haunted her.
Now, fifteen years later, Aunt Rose has summoned her home. Lily’s high school boyfriend, now a best-selling author, has returned to write an exposé on Lily’s disappearance, churning up the past like a storm-ravaged ocean. On top of that, developers are trying to force Rose to sell the family’s lighthouse on Cape Misery. Cora is prepared to do anything to defend her family’s past, but nothing can prepare her for the danger lurking in the sleepy coastal town of Laurel Point. Only the family gift—Cora’s book magic—can save her and unmask a killer.
Mystery Cozy | Mystery Paranormal | Mystery Book Lover [Cat Eye Press, On Sale: December 1, 2020, e-Book, / ]
Wendy Lynn Watson writes vivid, emotionally-charged mysteries that will engage your heart as well as your mind. She is the author of the Mysteries a la Mode series, Once Upon a Wallflower, and The Pet Boutique Mysteries (as Annie Knox). Delicious Mystery with a Dollop of Romance
Born in Ohio and having lived a vagabond life, she finally settled in North Texas, where she, her rock star husband, and five spoiled cats live in a slightly saggy 1925 house. When she's not writing, she teaches law and politics at The University of North Texas, watches far too much TV, and cooks lots of tasty vegetarian food.
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Passion. Mystery. Suspense. Catch the Wave! Because a little PMS can change your world!
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 @KymRobertsAuthor911, and on Twitter @kymroberts911. Her Amazon bestselling Book Barn Mystery #5, Killer Classics was finalist for the Fresh Fiction Awards for Best Cozy Mystery & Best Book! Check out Sinfully Wicked, a romantic suspense novel by Kym that will heat up your night! Coming soon, Dead Right There, A Malia Fern Mystery #2.
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