Book Title: MURDER, SHE WROTE: MURDER BACKSTAGE Character Name: Jessica Fletcher   How would you describe your family or your childhood? I was blessed to be born into a loving family with many relatives, and an especially large pool of cousins on both sides of the Atlantic. As much as I love all my cousins, I have to confess that my favorite is Emma Macgill, who is now a famous international actor whose career began on the stage in her hometown of London.   What is your greatest talent? I am not sure that you would call it a talent since is a trait that more often than not gets me into difficulty, but I would have to admit that my curious nature, which is a huge help in my current profession as a mystery writer, often leads me down a convoluted path when an actual crime occurs that involves me or someone I know.   Significant other? I was joyfully married for many years to my beloved husband, Frank Fletcher, who passed away far too young. Our life together was loving and fulfilling. We also adopted Frank’s brother’s child, Grady Fletcher, when Grady’s parents were killed in an accident,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MURDER, SHE WROTE DEATH ON THE EMERALD ISLE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? While out for a bicycle ride in Bushmills, Northern Ireland, Jessica Fletcher discovers the dead body of a man who is the cousin of her neighbor in Cabot Cove. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Jessica Fletcher visited various parts of the island of Ireland in episodes of the television series but hadn’t done so in any of the books. I decided it was time for her to visit Belfast, Bushmills and other captivating places in Northern Ireland 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Absolutely! Hanging out with Jessica has been a dream of mine since Season 1, Episode 1 of Murder, She Wrote aired in 1984 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? Mature, Honest, Forthright 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned a lot about the Titanic and the tragedy of its maiden voyage. The Titanic was built in Belfast and in Murder, She Wrote Death on the Emerald Isle Jessica attends a reception in the Titanic Museum. 7–Do you…

They were always there for you, books, like a small pet dog that doesn’t die. – Ian Sansom, THE CASE OF THE MISSING BOOKS Books are my life. In addition to spending time either reading or writing about books, I have worked in various libraries for years, and even met my husband while we were both working at our local library. Books about books – specifically stories about librarians, and people who collect books, or work in bookstores – are a favorite sub-genre of mine. Then there are books that take characters from classic works of literature and put them in the role of amateur sleuth. As I’m a huge fan of mysteries, I love combining these types of characters and themes with the quirkiness of a cozy mystery. The results can be delicious. He was sick of the excuses and the lies. He was tired of the evasions and the untruths, of people refusing to stand up and speak the truth and take responsibility for their own actions. It seemed to him like yet another symptom of the decline of Western civilization; of chaos; and climate change; and environmental disaster; and war; disease; famine; oppression; the eternal slow slide…

Or for me more personally the question is: Why does the story line in WELL READ, THEN DEAD fit so well on Estero Island in Fort Myers Beach? Plot, character and setting are often referred to as the three-legged stool of story. I’ve heard writers fight over, er, discuss the preeminence of character over plot vs. plot over character, but no one seems to want to arm wrestle about the importance of setting. There are folks who think setting is nothing more than background. Not me. Setting may not be the heart and soul of a story but it is the floor, the roof and the walls that hold the characters and the plot enclosed and in touch. And often the setting contributes to the plot. For example, the classic “stranded on an island” story Robinson Crusoe written by Daniel Defoe nearly three hundred years ago has been imitated dozens of time in print and on film but the story line is always about isolation and survival so it really couldn’t take place in say, Manhattan during rush hour. When I decided I wanted to write a cozy mystery set in a bookstore/café, known as the Read ’Em and Eat,…

April 2010 On Sale: April 6, 2010 368 pages ISBN: 0425235637 EAN: 9780425235638 Hardcover $24.95 Add to Wish List Mystery Anthology Buy at Amazon.com Paranormal Mystery Week ends with a Bang! Crimes By Moonlight by Charlaine Harris The #1 “New York Times”-bestselling author Harris edits and contributes an all-new story–set in her Sookie Stackhouse universe–to this anthology from the Mystery Writers of America. An all-new mystery anthology edited and featuring a new story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris Nighttime is the perfect time for the perfect crime. #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris edits and contributes an all-new story-set in her Sookie Stackhouse universe-to this anthology from the Mystery Writers of America. Other authors include: Steve Brewer Dana Cameron Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane Barbara D’Amato Brendan DuBois Terrie Farley Moran Jack Fredrickson Parnell Hall Carolyn Hart S. W. Hubbard Toni L. P. Kelner Lou Kemp William Kent Kreuger Harley Jane Kozak Margaret Mahon Martin Meyers Jeffrey Somers Elaine Viets Mike Wiecek Twenty deliciously spooky stories from the country’s best mystery writers Previous Picks