1--What is the title of your latest release?
BITTER ROOTS
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
The brutal murder of a beautiful vineyard expert and a devastating storm force Virginia winemaker Lucie Montgomery to confront painful changes on the eve of her wedding.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
It’s the 12th book in my Virginia wine country mysteries, so I knew exactly where it would take place—at a family-owned vineyard in northern Virginia, a beautiful region of rolling hills and winding country lanes, that is also horse and hunt country. As for how I originally chose the setting, I was living in London in the 1990s and came back to the US with my husband and sons on a home leave trip. A friend decided we needed to see the Virginia vineyards since my husband is French and we had lived on the French-Swiss border for five years where we often explored the vineyards of those countries. When I got back to London my British literary agent learned of the trip and said, “That’s the setting for your next novel.” I agreed to write one book—as I said, BITTER ROOTS is book 12!
4--Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life?
Lucie Montgomery is quite a bit younger than I am—I wrote the first book in the early 2000s and twenty-plus years later Lucie has aged, but not by that much! She reminds me now of my daughters-in-law, both of whom I love very much, so yes, I’d hang out with Lucie. But I’d be her mother-in-law!
5--What are three words that describe your sleuth?
Compassionate, courageous, with a good heart.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I am learning more and more about the impact climate change is having on our planet—a vineyard is essentially a farm, so it is subject to the whims of Mother Nature and the extreme weather we have been experiencing worldwide. It will become an even bigger problem to reckon with in the future.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I write multiple drafts, but I often re-read the words or chapter I wrote the previous day and fiddle with it: rearranging, rewriting a bit, tweaking. I do a big edit when I start a new draft. (I write in Scrivener, a terrific software program for writers, which makes editing a breeze).
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
At the end of every day my husband and I always sit down together for a glass of wine and talk about our day. It’s a wonderful, peaceful way to wind down and begin the evening. Even though he’s retired and we’re both in the same house together, after nearly 40 years of marriage we still have so much to tell each other.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I love my office, which is painted yellow, the color of sunshine. It’s a small room in the back of our home with south-facing windows that look out on our backyard: the garden and a swimming pool. My husband and my dad built my desk years ago; it’s horseshoe-shaped with a built-in storage cabinet and two file drawers. I love it because it was such a labor of love, a gift from both of them. My office is also filled with books and family photographs; there is a small bed for our tuxedo cat Finn who often sleeps next to me, and a beautiful old table we bought when we lived in Switzerland where I keep art supplies that I wish I used more often.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Wow, too many to name. Really.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
To Kill A Mockingbird, my favorite book of all time.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
I got two calls—both from literary agents. To be honest, I don’t really remember the first one, which took place many years ago in London when an agent who was a friend of a friend agreed to represent me and sold MOSCOW NIGHTS, my first book, to a small British publisher. The second call I remember vividly—when Dominick Abel, my amazing agent for the past 17 years, called me on Valentine’s Day to say he would like to represent me. Every year I remind him of our “anniversary” – because, really, who can forget Valentine’s Day? He changed my life forever in so many ways: he cares for his authors like we’re family (who else takes all their authors out to dinner every year at Bouchercon after finding a great restaurant that typifies the cuisine of that city?) And he is the most passionate advocate, supporter, and cheerleader you could ask for.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mysteries, but I also read a lot of literary non-fiction. Right now, for example, I’m reading Erik Larson’s THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE about Winston Churchill and wartime Britain. It’s terrific.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Probably “Out of Africa.”
15--What is your favorite season?
I love living in Virginia because we have all four seasons and, over the years, I have come to enjoy all of them for different reasons—which, I think, is a good thing because I always look forward to something new with each change of season.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Being with people I love—which is, of course, my family. I especially like getting calls from family and friends, a good reminder of how lucky and blessed I am.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
We recently started watching old episodes of Leverage. I love a Robin Hood plot where someone who believes they can get away with something wrong or bad gets the comeuppance they deserve. I also like anything by Ken Burns. His latest series on Benjamin Franklin was terrific.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
My current favorite cookbooks are two cookbooks that feature cuisine from the countries that ring the Mediterranean Sea—Italy, France, Greece, Morocco, Spain, Turkey, Egypt, etc. I love Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food!
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I have a lot of hobbies and not nearly as much free time as I wish I did. But when I have time I enjoy reading, cooking, playing the piano, photography, and dabbling with watercolors. Plus, I’m trying to finish a quilt I began far too long ago.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Look for BLOWOUT, the third Sophie Medina mystery (after a gap of 8 years!) on May 2, 2023.
Wine Country Mystery #12
The brutal murder of a beautiful vineyard expert and a devastating storm force Virginia winemaker Lucie Montgomery to confront painful changes on the eve of her wedding.
In just over a week vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery and winemaker Quinn Santori will be married in a ceremony overlooking what should be acres of lush flowering grapevines. Instead they are confronted by an ugly swathe of slowly dying vines and a nursery owner who denies responsibility for selling the diseased plants. With neighboring vineyards facing the same problem, accusations fly and the ugly stand-off between supplier and growers looks set to escalate into open warfare.
When Eve Kerr, a stunning blonde who works at the nursery, is found dead a few days later, everyone wonders if someone in the winemaking community went too far. What especially troubles Lucie is why Eve secretly arranged to meet Quinn on the day she was murdered - and whether Lucie's soon-to-be husband knows something he's not telling her.
Then a catastrophic storm blows through, destroying everything in its path. With no power, no phones, and no wedding venue, Lucie needs to find out who killed Eve and what her death had to do with Quinn.
Mystery Cozy | Mystery Woman Sleuth [Severn House, On Sale: March 1, 2022, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780727891020 / ]
Ellen Crosby is the author of six books in the Virginia wine country mystery series, as well as Moscow Nights, a standalone mystery based loosely on her time as Moscow correspondent for ABC Radio News in the late 1980s. Before writing fiction, she also worked as a freelance reporter for The Washington Post and as an economist at the US Senate.
After living overseas for many years––England, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, and the former Soviet Union––Crosby, who has an undergraduate degree in political science and a masters in international affairs, now resides in the D.C. suburbs of northern Virginia.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy