1--What is the title of your latest release?
MRS. CLAUS AND THE EVIL ELVES, which is book three in the Mrs. Claus cozy mystery series.
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A mere week before Christmas, all is not quite merry and bright at the North Pole. Between rogue reindeer and conniving elves, Santaland seems to have gone sugarplum-crazy. Add a dash of murder to the mix, and suddenly Mrs. Claus is battling not just to find a killer, but to save herself from being put on ice—permanently.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Choosing Mrs. Claus as my sleuth sort of decided the setting for me. I was excited to have a mystery series unfold in Christmastown, which I’ve come to think of as the ultimate cozy village.
4--Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life?
Absolutely. I would love to hang out with April and her elf friends at the We Three Beans coffeehouse in Christmastown.
5--What are three words that describe your sleuth?
Intelligent, well-intentioned, and nosy.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
One subject that comes up in Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves avalanches, so I spent some time reading about avalanches: what sets them off, how fast they happen, and how people manage to survive.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I draft with pen and paper and do a quick revision as I type up the pages every day. But my first drafts are still a mess.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I don’t think of myself as a foodie, but I’ve never met a pie I didn’t love!
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I have several workstations: a small, tidy writing desk where I hand write drafts; the larger, messy desk where my computer sits, surrounded by post-it note reminders and revision notes, and coffee and tea cups; and an armchair where I do my editing.
Next to my computer monitor I have a small glass snowman that was a Christmas gift from my mom. Since I started writing the Mrs. Claus books, he stays there all year long as my mascot.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Just one? That’s so hard, because there are so many authors whose work I love and who are so generous in reaching out and helping other authors. From a career standpoint, I really admire Elly Griffiths. She’s written three series that are all wonderful in different ways: the Dr. Ruth Galloway novels, the Brighton (or Magic Men) mysteries, and the Harbinder Kaur series. Of those, I especially love the Magic Men mysteries.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
There are scores of books that have meant a lot to me. But I suppose the book that really turned me into a reader was David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. I remember reading it during Christmas vacation in junior high school and feeling completely transported. It didn’t matter that the book was written in another century, in another country, and that I probably didn’t understand all the nuance of the language. It was the first time I did nothing for days on end but read. And as soon as I was done, I wanted to read all the Dickens I could find.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
My first book sold thirty years ago! It was a Silhouette Romance and it had been sitting on an editor’s desk for an eternity, so I was both shocked and over the moon. Better still, by the time I got the call, I’d already written a few more books and was able to spray-hose my new editor with manuscripts.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read all kinds of crime fiction, especially psychological suspense, historical mysteries, and police procedurals. I also love the classics and women’s fiction.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
I’ve been an old movie fanatic all my life, so most of my favorite movies are black-and-white classics. I especially love The Awful Truth with Cary Grant. Or practically anything with Cary Grant!
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall! It’s the beginning of cozy weather, and I love getting out my sweaters, and the look of the trees changing color, and the nip in the air. I think it goes back to school days: Even though leaves are dying back for the winter, autumn always feels like a crisp new start.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I enjoy baking, so I usually bake my own cake…or occasionally a pie. I also tend to indulge in the things I really love watching movies, reading, playing a board game or two with my husband.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Cozy mystery author Ellen Byron has begun a new Vintage Cookbook mystery series. The first book, Bayou Book Thief, introduces the heroine, the recently widowed Ricki James, who is beginning a new life in New Orleans. Ellen always does a fabulous job building her world and introducing fun and quirky characters and elements, like peacocks and vintage cookbooks. I also love her Catering Hall mysteries, which she writes under the name of Maria DiRico. So much fun!
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I enjoy Lebanese and Syrian cuisine a lot. I grew up in Texas, though, so I have a special love of both Mexican food and Tex-Mex.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I love to read, practice music, and play music with friends, and watch classic movies and television shows.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m finishing two Mrs. Claus books for 2023—a Halloween novella called Mrs. Claus and the Candy Corn Caper, and a Thanksgiving book titled Mrs. Claus and the Trouble with Turkeys. My alter ego, Elizabeth Bass, will have a romantic comedy out next fall called The Witch Hitch.
A Mrs. Claus Mystery # 3
April Claus is getting an early gift for her second Christmas in Santaland. Her dear friend, Claire, is visiting from Oregon, and April hopes to show off her adoptive country at its cozy, glittering best. But when the annual ice sculpture contest is derailed by a kamikaze drone-deer, it’s just the first in a series of un-festive events . . .
Drone-deer, created by inventor elf Blinky Brightlow, are none too popular with the genuine, flesh-and-hoof kind, who are currently on strike. With no reindeer games to keep them in shape, Nick worries they may get too chunky to pull his sleigh come Christmas. Now Blinky is missing, his girlfriend, Juniper, is under suspicion, and between rogue reindeer and conniving elves, all of Santaland seems to have gone sugarplum-crazy. Add a dash of murder to the mix, and suddenly April is battling not just to clear Juniper’s name, but to save herself from being put on ice—permanently . . .
Mystery Amateur Sleuth | Mystery Woman Sleuth [Kensington Cozies, On Sale: September 27, 2022, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781496737816 / eISBN: 9781496737823]
Liz Ireland, author of the Mrs. Claus mystery series, grew up in Texas, where she enjoyed a childhood of green Christmases. She also writes historical mysteries under the pen name Liz Freeland and women’s fiction as Elizabeth Bass. She’s a member of Crime Writers of Canada, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. Liz currently lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy