Jennifer Vido: What’s the premise behind the Merry Wrath Mysteries?
Leslie Langtry: The Merry Wrath Cozy Comedies feature our heroine – Merry Wrath, a former CIA agent who was ‘accidentally’ outed from the spy biz by a scheming Vice President. With only seven years of field work under her belt before a forced early retirement, Merry goes back to her hometown, Who’s There, Iowa, where her best friend convinces her to start a Girl Scout troop. Merry thinks this is going to be easy, but soon discovers that little girls can be more terrifying than actual terrorists.
Jen: What inspired your new release, MATCH BOX MURDER?
Leslie: I was a Girl Scout as a kid, a Girl Scout Leader for ten years, and a volunteer at camp for twelve, teaching zip line, archery, low ropes and canoeing. I love it when Merry and the troop go back to camp and discover a body! By the way, I should say that it has never happened to me or my troop. In real life, we probably would’ve had rather different reactions to tripping over bodies. Okay, my troop would’ve been fascinated, but the trip would’ve been cut short and that would’ve upset them. I never liked upsetting my troop.
Jen: What could possibly go wrong on a weekend camping trip for Merry and her Girl Scout troop?
Leslie: Well, when it was my troop it was either a foray into poison ivy or the worst horror – not bringing enough food! With Merry, it’s always a mystery or a body. In the first book MERIT BADGE MURDER, they found al-Qaeda’s number 4 guy dead and entangled in the low ropes course. Come to think of it, Merry’s troop never has a normal time at camp. They’d probably be bored without a corpse or something like that. It’s best to keep them occupied. They’re kind of scary when they get bored.
Jen: Who is your favorite character in this book, and why?
Leslie: It’s definitely Betty. It’s always Betty. Betty, for those who aren’t familiar with the series, is the most dangerous girl in the world. If they had a junior CIA program, Betty would be running it. Her heroes are last century’s Louisiana governor Huey Long, Hilly – a CIA assassin who isn’t an assassin because that would be illegal (but totally is), and possibly Merry because of her spy past. Her hobbies include campaigning for Basque, Catalonian and Scottish independence, tinkering with explosives and making Merry’s job a lot harder. Betty is a fan favorite and a lot of fun to write…mostly because she’s based on a girl who was in my actual troop, who never did black bag drops but did turn all of her snacks into weapons.
Jen: Sneak peek! What’s your current work in progress?
Leslie: MUSEUM OF MURDER – book #30 in the series – which comes out in April. It turns out that Who’s There is the murder capital of Iowa! It’s a surprise to most, but not to Merry, who can’t seem to step outside without tripping over a body. To make things worse, a mysterious millionaire has donated the money for a museum that will feature nine of the most bizarre murders in the town’s past…and all of them involve Merry! If that wasn’t bad enough, someone is killing people in sync with the exhibits!
I’m super-excited about this book, and revisiting nine other books in the series. To celebrate, we’re going to put the nine books on sale for 99c each, three a month in January, February and March! To find out more, head to my website: LeslieLangtry.com and sign up for the newsletter! Subscribers get the scoop first!
Jen: What are your favorite holiday traditions?
Leslie: Spending time with family things like decorating the tree with dozens of hideous (and adorable) handmade ornaments, eating so much that you pass out, and knitting late Christmas gifts that I won’t get done in time in front of the fireplace while watching one of two holiday classics: Elf, or Die Hard…you know, the usual stuff.
Jen: What 2024 releases are you looking forward to reading?
Leslie: The latest in The Shady Hollow Mysteries by Juneau Black, and Nancy Warren’s next book in the Vampire Knitting Mysteries are a few, but I’ll be honest. I don’t really read that way. Mostly I pick up something that catches my eye in the bookstore, download a book on a recommendation from a friend or find something interesting online or while travelling. I’m just hoping to read all the books on my headboard bookcase before they crush and kill me when the cat walks behind the stacks. He’s plotting something…I just know it.
Jen: How can readers stay up-to-date on your news?
Leslie: My newsletter is the best way, and you get freebies for signing up on my website.
And you can join my reader’s group, Merry’s Troop on Facebook for sneak peeks, giveaways and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/264017641248625
Or just check out my author page on Facebook.
Jen: Thanks for spreading some holiday cheer with my readers by giving us a glimpse into the inspiration behind Match Box Murder. Merry Christmas!
MATCH BOX MURDER by Leslie Langtry
Merry Wrath Mysteries
From USA Today bestselling author Leslie Langtry comes a killer campfire tale…
It’s just another weekend camping trip for ex-CIA agent Merry Wrath and her precocious Girl Scout troop. This time the girls are learning riflery, taught by Merry’s assassin friend, Hilly (who isn’t an assassin because the CIA doesn’t have assassins because that would be illegal…but she totally is). What could go wrong?
Plenty, because the creepy camp caretaker is soon found inconveniently dead behind the rifle range. Naturally, a violent storm comes out of nowhere and strands the troop with four suspect camp staffers. The scout manual explains how to keep kids safe during storms, hiking trips, and the overly-enthusiastic application of matches to start a campfire, but there’s nothing on what to do when trapped in a lodge with a murderer. Can Merry unmask the killer before she and the girls get burned?
Note: This title was previously available as part of a Twisty Tales & Cozy Crimes collection.
Mystery Cozy [Gemma Halliday Publishing, On Sale: December 12, 2023, e-Book, / ]
About Leslie Langtry
Why the hell not?
Leslie Langtry is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Merry Wrath cozy comedies, The Greatest Hits dark comedies, among others. Leslie lives in Illinois with her family, which includes a husband, two adult children who are nice enough to visit now and then, two cats who hate each other, two smitten rabbits, and one very naughty pug puppy. An Iowa native, she worked in the arts and fundraising, where she finally decided it was time to see if she could write a book. Fortunately, it worked out well, and now she sits on the couch every day typing nonsense while her pets try to distract her. You can find out more about Leslie on her website.
12 Days of Christmas | Merry Wrath Mystery | Greatest Hits Romance | Aloha Lagoon Mystery
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About Jennifer Vido
Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry filled with southern charm and hospitality. In between chapters, she interviews authors for her bi-weekly Jen’s Jewels column on FreshFiction.com. Most mornings, she teaches an arthritis-friendly water exercise class for seniors before heading to the office to serve as the executive director of a legal non-profit. A New Jersey native, she currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two rescue dogs and is the proud parent of two sons who miss her home-cooked meals. To learn more, please visit her website.
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