Sarah E. Burr and I went back and forth this past spring virtually, but we had a great time. She had me do an interview on her Noteworthy blog (which was a really fun one to do), and I offered her one of my guest post spaces. Turns out, we’re both kinda on the prolific side.
Thank you so much, Anne, for having me on your blog today. I’m the author of several different mystery series. I write the Trending Topic Mysteries, the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, and the Court of Mystery series. That’s a lot of mystery. What can I say? I’m always thinking up ways to kill someone.
I may write about death and murder, but my books are meant to be lighthearted and fun at the end of the day. I write to entertain my readers and (hopefully) give them a reprieve from the world’s stressors. So, how does one make solving murder fun? In #FollowMe for Murder, my protagonist, Coco Cline, is a social media influencer who decides she’s better suited to solve a murder in her small, beachside hometown than the local police. What could go wrong, right? The shenanigans that ensue as Coco and her squad use social media to track down a killer involve infiltrating country clubs, undercover shopping trips, and sneaking around luxury rental properties. Wherever Coco goes, fun follows.
In You Can’t Candle the Truth, first in my Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, my heroine is a candlemaker. Now, you may be thinking, how does a candlemaker get herself involved in a murder investigation? Well, Hazel Wickbury has a secret. She can see when someone is going to die. Yep, you read that right. This is a paranormal cozy mystery series. Hazel is a member of the Glenmyre clan, a supernaturally gifted family living in Crucible, New York. Hazel’s not a witch, mind you, but…she’s not not a witch. Every member of the Glenmyre family has an ability called a “whim.” Hazel happened to draw a very morbid short stick with her power. As a result, she sees a lifeclock above the heads of everyone around her, revealing when they are destined to die. Luckily, Hazel also has special glasses made by her great-aunt that suppress the whim as long as she has those glasses firmly in place. However, after a mishap that causes Hazel to see the lifeclock of a local businessman, things in Crucible take a dark turn. Hazel knows foul play is involved when the man ends up dead in his bed the next day. Her whim cannot account for deaths brought on by murder. With this knowledge, Hazel enlists the help of her fun, spirited aunt, Poppy, to save their beloved hometown from a cold-blooded killer.
My Court of Mystery series really takes cozies to another level, or rather, another world entirely. This fantasy-mystery series takes place in the medieval, fictitious Realm of Virtues, a continent of nations ruled by dukes and duchesses. My heroine, Duchess Jacqueline Arienta Xavier, finds herself ascending the throne of Saphire after the sudden death of her parents. As she digs deeper into their untimely demise, Jax—as her friends call her—unearths a nefarious plot and ultimately unmasks a cunning killer. And this is just the beginning for the Duchess’s exploits. Innocence Imprisoned is the eighth book in the Court of Mystery series. I am diligently working away on Book Nine as we speak.
While each series may focus on murder and mayhem, at the root of each of my books is a story about loyal friends who always have each other’s backs. Coco, Hazel, and Jax rely on their close companions to help them cross the finish line when solving a mystery. I get such enjoyment writing these scenes. From Coco and her pals fumbling through a suspect interrogation to Hazel and her aunt snooping during pub trivia to Jax and Lord Percival romantically sneaking around a castle in search of clues, solving a mystery is always more fun when it’s done with friends.
Thank you, Sarah E. Burr, for joining me. You can find out more about Sarah on her website, saraheburr.com. Or sign up for her newsletter here.
Please check out the Fiction page for the latest on all my novels. Or look me up at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Vroman’s, in Pasadena, California.
Interesting guest. Sarah’s plots sound like a lot of fun reading!
Thank you so much for hosting me, Anne!