Alyssa Maxwell’s first Gilded Newport Mystery, MURDER AT THE BREAKERS, will be premiering on the Hallmark Movies & Mystery Channel on Friday, February 2, 2024. We interviewed the author to give readers new to the series a flavor of what this series is like, as well as giving current fans some insight into what makes these mysteries so special.   FF: What appeals to you about the period you set your Gilded Newport series in? Alyssa: There’s a lot of material in this period for a writer to work with! It was a time of great contrasts and hypocrisy. There were the unimaginably wealthy and the unimaginably poor, and greed, inequality, and unfairness were rampant. But it was also a time of great innovation, ingenuity, and craftsmanship. This is particularly evident in Newport’s Gilded Age mansions, where modern methods of building and technology are combined with meticulous artistry to create what are, essentially, lasting monuments to that time in our history. We see this in clothing, too, in particular with House of Worth gowns, each of which was a unique work of art created for the wearer. Technology was modernizing at lightning speed, and social roles were changing, including those…

Book Title: MURDER AT THE ELMS Character Name: Emma Cross, sleuth in The Gilded Newport Mysteries   How would you describe your family or your childhood? It’s complicated! My father is an artist, so years before people like the Vanderbilts and the Astors made Newport their summer enclave, my parents were very much a part of city’s intelligentsia set. They frequently entertained artists, writers and poets at our modest home on the Point, ensuring that I was surrounded by ideas and creativity as I grew up. For that, I’m grateful. But . . . I always felt, even at a young age, that I didn’t have my parents’ full attention, that I was competing with an exciting part of their lives that I witnessed, but never quite shared in. But to balance that, I had Nanny, my nurse/governess, who became a surrogate grandmother to me. It was usually Nanny who bandaged my scraped knees, dried my tears, listened to my childish secrets, and did her best to assure me I was very much at the center of someone’s world. I don’t blame my parents. They are who they are and we’ve since come to terms. I also had my half-brother,…