1--What is the title of your latest release?
A MERRY LITTLE MURDER PLOT
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence. When a woman’s body is discovered with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Now Lindsey the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before "The End" becomes Helen's final sentence.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The Library Lover’s Mysteries are a series, so the books always take place in the fictional town of Briar Creek, CT based on a village (Stony Creek, CT) where I used to live when I was a resident of the nutmeg state.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes! I love Lindsey Norris. I was a part-time librarian for two decades and she’s a composite of all my fellow librarians.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Smart, tenacious, and kind.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That a person can be electrocuted by a string of holiday lights and that there are thousands of people (18K in 2023) who visit emergency rooms for holiday décor accidents.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I do small edits as I write but mostly, I wait until the first draft is done.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Salted caramel anything.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I have an office, but I like to move around while I work so I change locations – outside on the patio, seated inside on the couch, or standing at the kitchen counter – frequently.
10--Who is an author you admire?
There are so many! I am an avid reader of all genres but right now at this very moment I am immersed in works by Rachel Gillig (One Dark Window) and Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House).
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
They all change my life. I think every book I read becomes a part of me in some way. That’s why life is too short to read books you don’t connect with.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My oldest son was just three months old. I had forgotten I’d even submitted a manuscript so when the call came and they said they wanted to buy my book, my response was “What book?” Ha!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
It changes all the time but right now I’m on a fantasy and horror bender which seems to happen every autumn.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
When Harry Met Sally or The Mummy or Field of Dreams – so hard to pick just one.
15--What is your favorite season?
Autumn!
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Outings! I like to do something I’ve never done before like hike a trail I’ve never been on or stand-up paddle board in a new location, something like that. Thankfully my family is all in on these adventures.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
For a movie, I just watched 84 Charing Cross Rd. It’s an oldie but I’d never seen it and it’s just lovely. A fave TV show would be Acapulco, which I just streamed. Loved it. For a podcast, I love The Minimalists. It’s non-fiction/self-help about streamlining your life.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I live in Arizona, so it’s Mexican cuisine, because there are so many different varieties I never get tired of it.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Read. Shocking, I know! I also work out at the gym every day, garden, bake, hike, paddle board, and travel.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
My next book is entitled WITCHES OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN, about a librarian who inherits the family grimoire and discovers she’s a witch who can raise the dead. It will come out in October 2025.
Library Lover's Mystery #15
‘Tis the season in Briar Creek, and this year festivities become fatalities in the newest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Fatal First Edition.
During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence, but her “bah humbug” attitude excludes her from the many holiday celebrations the town residents enjoy. To try to spread some Christmas cheer, library director Lindsey Norris invites the new writer in town to join her crafternoon club. Helen politely refuses and when an altercation happens between Helen and another patron, Lindsey begins to suspect the author has been keeping to herself for a reason.
Another newcomer, Jackie Lewis, reveals she’s visiting Briar Creek to be near Helen because she believes they are destined to meet. Having dealt with a stalker in the past, Lindsey feels compelled to tell Helen about Jackie, as she suspects that Helen is unaware her “number one” fan is in town.
When Jackie’s body is later discovered in the town park beneath the holiday-light display with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her self-proclaimed mega-fan. Helen’s frosty demeanor melts when Lindsey offers her help, and now the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before "The End" becomes Helen's final sentence.
Holiday | Mystery Cozy [Berkley, On Sale: October 8, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593639368 / eISBN: 9780593639382]
Fans will definitely fall in love with A MERRY LITTLE MURDER PLOT.
Jenn is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. She is also the winner of the RT Reviewer's Choice Award for romantic comedy and the Fresh Fiction award for best cozy mystery. A TEDx speaker, she is always happy to talk books, writing, reading, and the creative process to anyone who cares to listen. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband's guitars.
No comments posted.