1–What is the title of your latest release? ‘BOUT TO DYE IN BIRMINGHAM, A Cousins Cozy Mystery- Book One 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Pair comedienne Leeann Morgan’s southern drawl with actor Leslie Jordan’s bowtie charm and you have Maggie and Francis, first cousins and best friends solving hometown murders in Birmingham, Alabama. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I lived in Birmingham at the time and wanted to use its distinct Deep South flavor in a series featuring local areas. Also, with my job, I’d probably driven on every road in the county, which gave me so many story ideas. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I may have taken “write what you know” a little too far in this case. I hang out with her all day, every day in my own head. I originally started writing this out of boredom during Covid, and I didn’t limit myself from worrying if it seemed too much like me because I never thought anyone else would read it. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Optimistic, loyal, and an over-thinker 6–What’s something you learned while writing…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Kevin G. Chapman.   Writes: I write mystery/suspense/thrillers, always with elements of humor (and often romance), and usually including subtle (and often not so subtle) commentary on social justice issues. My latest, THE OTHER MURDER, is a murder (obviously) mystery featuring two journalists as well as a pair of homicide detectives. Cable-TV producer Hannah Hawthorne scores a scoop the night of Angelica Monroe’s murder in Washington Square Park. She and her network light the flame of a media frenzy as every news outlet latches onto the tragic story of the 19-year-old NYU student who was brutally gunned down on a warm spring evening. It’s a coup for Hannah, who runs with the story, looking for the next angle. Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, an 18-year-old Latino basketball player with a history of gang membership is also gunned down. While the national media pours over Angelica Monroe’s murder, Javier Estrada is ignored, except by Paulo Richardson, a print journalist from a neighborhood…

1–What is the title of your latest release? SHOWDOWN AT THE SALOON 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A hitman is discovered dead, leaving everyone in the dark about the identity of his intended target. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I grew up in California and love to explore ghost towns. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Yes, I could imagine her as a good friend. 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? Loyal, dedicated, friendly. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How to hire a hit man. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit as I go. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Brownies (or most anything chocolate) 9–Describe your writing space/office! I have a comfortable chair in the living room with an adjustable table for my laptop to sit on. 10–Who is an author you admire? Ruth Logan Herne 11–Is there a book that changed your life? Little Women gave me the desire to be a writer. 12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be…

CHAPTER TEN   I hurried into the kitchen to get the coffee and find out if there really were security cameras watching over the guests. Em was waiting for me just out of sight in the kitchen. She herded me toward the far end of the room. I made her stop at the coffeemaker so I could set it up for a fresh pot. We ended up in the pantry, not out back on the veranda as I’d expected originally. Fortunately, there was more than enough room in there for me and both of my sisters. Five more people could have joined us, if they didn’t mind a little invasion of personal space. CJ was kneeling next to the bed occupied by the orange cat, with Noah on his stomach on the floor beside her, reading his book. CJ looked up to say, “Have you met Beam? He came with the house. His official name is Sunbeam, and maybe it fit his personality as a kitten, but now he’s more like bourbon—smooth, well aged, and a little reserved. He’s friendly with us but prefers to stay out of sight when there are guests around.” “We met this morning when I…

Though I’d read many of Agatha Christie’s mysteries decades ago, I began rereading them when Covid disrupted our lives. Murder was more comforting than the world around us. After deciding to focus my 9th mystery on an amateur production of Christie’s play, THE MOUSETRAP, I delved into Christie’s life and career and educated myself about play production. Below I describe five books I used as resources, all of them fascinating reads. But first, a little about my book, A PARFAIT CRIME, and its relation to Christie’s play. THE MOUSETRAP, the longest running stage production in the world, opened in 1952 in London and is still drawing audiences. It’s also a staple of community theaters, like the one in A PARFAIT CRIME. I’ve seen the play twice and remember its scary moments and its stunning ending. To avoid spoiling that experience for anyone who hasn’t yet seen it, I reveal the minimum about the plot and nothing about Christie’s culprit in the scenes where my characters rehearse. ​​The book begins as café manager Val joins her grandfather in rehearsals, replacing cast member Jane, who died in an arson fire. Sweet Jane was known for the parfaits she served. After skeletal remains are found…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE CAT WHO CAUGHT A KILLER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A cozy crime story featuring Conrad, a talking calico cat. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I have set it in and around Little Venice in London, where I live. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? OMG yes. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with a talking cat? 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Charming, Charismatic, Calico. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That lilies can be poisonous for cats. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit as I go. Very little rewriting is necessary when I get to the end. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? A great British fried breakfast – eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, mushrooms, black pudding, fried bread. 9–Describe your writing space/office! On a sofa, in front of a coffee table, facing a big screen TV, close to a window. 10–Who is an author you admire? Agatha Christie. So prolific, and such great mysteries. 11–Is there a book that changed your life?…

1–What is the title of your latest release? GLORY BE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? “Murder She Wrote,” but with an African American lead.  Make it Louisiana instead of Cabot Cove. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Originally, I was going to set the book in New Orleans, which has such a mystique and strangeness to it. But ultimately, I set it in Lafayette because I’m familiar with it. I spent nearly every childhood summer in Lafayette, and return a few times a year.  Setting it in Lafayette gave me the opportunity to show more of the “real” Louisiana, like the endless amounts of strip malls, chaotic zoning, and the countryside. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? She would probably want to be BFFs with the actress Jennifer Lewis, who I imagine to be around Glory’s age. I could see the two of them gossiping and complaining about the world around them, as well as reminiscing about how things used to be. 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? Determined, overlooked, and proud. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned about the importance…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE HIKE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Four friends leave behind their everyday lives and stride out into the beautiful Norwegian wild – nothing between them and the mountain peak but forest, sea and sharp blue sky. But there’s a darker side to the wilderness. A woman went missing a year ago, scarring the mountain with suspicion and unanswered questions. Now the friends are hiking into the heart of the mystery. And waiting on the trail is someone who’d do anything to keep their secrets buried – and to stop the group walking away alive. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I wanted to examine how the wilderness can switch from being a place of beauty to a landscape raw with danger. Norway felt like the right setting to explore this because its sheer, rugged scale provides true isolation. It’s the perfect place to have an adventure – or to disappear. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would be strapping on my backpack and joining these four women in a heartbeat. They are complex and flawed and messy…

A is for Anglophile, which Penelope Parish is fast becoming.   D is for the Duke of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke who has become engaged to Charlotte Danvenport, an American romance writer, much to the dismay of the townspeople. E is for England where Penelope hopes to recapture her muse. A is for the accidents Penelope nearly has when forgetting to drive on the left side of the street. D is for the dreamy detective Brody Maguire who immediately catches Penelope’s eye. L is for Lady Fiona Innes-Goldthorpe, aka “Figgy” who runs the tea shop inside the Open Book Bookstore and who quickly becomes fast friends and partners in crime with Penelope. Y is for the young kids shouting “a penny for the guy” at the Guy Fawkes Celebration.     D is for Danvers as in Mrs. Danvers, Penelope’s prickly tuxedo cat. E is for the English language, which Penelope soon discovers contains words and phrases she’d never heard before like tickety-boo (everything is fine,) bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and knackered (very tired.) D is for the dead body Penelope stumbles over at the Guy Fawkes Day celebration. I is for India Culpepper, the distant relative of the…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A QUESTIONABLE CHARACTER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The murder of a local contractor may be the final nail in the coffin for Tricia Miles. Can she find the killer before he or she has the chance to bring the hammer down? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? As it’s the 17th book in the series, it was a no-brainer. Stoneham, NH where all but one of the Booktown Mysteries takes place. (#10 takes place on a cruise ship–but Tricia brought half the village along with her, so all my favorite characters got to go on a vacation, too!) 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely. Especially at happy hour. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Strong, capable, curious. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That I can meet a deadline under EXTREME pressure. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I always edit the previous day’s work before I start my writing day. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Sausage Egg McMuffin. I make a pretty good version at…