I have many passions from cake…to…um…cake… And then, well, there’s cake. I really like
cake.
But two other passions are Girl Scouts and mystery
books. So, when I wanted to come up with
a new series – I knew that cake wouldn’t be enough of a draw (for anyone except
me, that is). Instead, I came up with Merry Wrath – an ‘accidentally’ outed CIA
field agent, who has returned to her hometown in Iowa to figure out what to do
with her life. She becomes a Girl Scout leader through the urging of her best
friend, Kelly. Things get interesting when dead terrorists start popping up all
over the place. And that’s when the fun (and of course, danger) starts.
I was a Girl Scout and so when my daughter hit
kindergarten, I became a leader. My troop lasted through sophomore year in high
school (when it disbanded), but I continued to volunteer for my local Scout
camp, facilitating archery, zip line, low ropes course and kayaking for troops
on weekends. I’ll keep volunteering until I get so old I can’t see – which
would be kind of dangerous on the zip line, I think.
The Merry Wrath Mysteries begin with MERIT BADGE
MURDER and the fourth book in the series, MOVIE NIGHT MURDER just came out.
It’s also my most popular series, hitting the USA Today Bestseller list a couple of times.
A lot of the strange situations in the books come from
true stories of experiences with my troop. You wouldn’t believe how much
inspiration came out of those ten years. Some of the stories are so bizarre
that you’d swear they weren’t true. For example, I learned that when faced with
screaming kids who find a bat or mouse in their tent, you can turn fear to
adoration just by insisting it’s a baby
bat or baby mouse. They don’t know
the difference and it works every time. Every. Time. Even with Daddy Long Leg
spiders.
Because of this series, I hear from former Scouts and
Leaders who tell me that my books take them back to great memories in their
past. A few have even said my books inspired them to become a troop
leader. I love that. It’s kind of my way
of giving back to Scouting – a group that has given so much to me.
Now I have to get back to my next book in the series –
MUD RUN MURDER – due on November 1. Even though the girls from my troop are
adults now, they still remain those precocious little girls in my books. And if
I have my way – they’ll never grow up.
Leslie Langtry is the USA Today
bestselling author of the Greatest Hits Mysteries, the Merry Wrath Mysteries,
and the Ukulele Mysteries, and several books she hasn't finished yet, because
she's very lazy. Leslie loves puppies and cake (but she will not share her cake
with puppies) and lives with her family and assorted animals in Illinois.
Leslie will provide a free copy of Merit Badge Murder to one of our lucky readers. Look for the winner's name tomorrow on our WWK Marquee.
I loved being a Girl Scout. Went all the way through to senior scout. Had I stayed in one place long enough, I would probably have opted to be a troop leader as well. What a fantastic premise for cozy mysteries, and I imagine that a former CIA agent will bring a new level of resourcefulness to the Girl Scout motto of "Be Prepared." I'm looking forward to reading this series.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great premise for a series. My daughters and I were Scouts and had many adventures.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea, to combine your love of Scouting with your mystery writing. Now if you could just combine that with cake, life would be perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for having me guest today! As it happens, I'm at camp helping with a Girl Scout fundraiser! Kait and Margaret (which is my daughter's name) how awesome you were involved with Scouting! And Grace, you are so right!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for having me guest today! As it happens, I'm at camp helping with a Girl Scout fundraiser! Kait and Margaret (which is my daughter's name) how awesome you were involved with Scouting! And Grace, you are so right!
ReplyDeleteI love this series! I even bought the audible version so I could listen to them while working around the house. Thanks for the background on this series. I think it's impressive that your daughter's troop lasted so long.
ReplyDeleteThanks Isabel! I haven't listened to the audio books yet! I hope they're good!
ReplyDeleteOh, honey. I can believe it. I remember some of what went on with our group. As a scout member and as a troop leader. I think it is neat that you are using them as a setting. It is unique. For one murder scene, how about a little torture. The Brownies had trooped back in without their youngest member and no taffy. We were having a taffy pull and the kids went outside. Seems they had taken the youngest and "bound" her with the strands of taffy and sat her in the middle of an ant hill. She was crying because they had told her she would not be able to move, so she didn't try. And some ants were beginning to bite. The girls got a talking to. About meanness, empathy, bullying, compassion, love, respect, fairness, etc. And were told they had failed their lesson for the day. They were required to write a small essay about what they did. Why. And if, in their opinion, what they did was wrong. And without any help from their parents. I was really touched with the girls essays. And only 1 did not take the lesson to heart. But they all did apologize to Bea with hugs. The one who didn't take it to heart? Although she joined in and behaved herself for a few years. But she started getting into things a few years later and did pull a couple of the other kids in. So they were in and out of trouble for awhile. Except for Carol.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas!!! You should write books too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for a series of mysteries!
ReplyDeleteI live on Girl Scout Rd, with a girl scout camp surrounding our property on two sides. I enjoy hearing the girls when they're camping (although I could do without the crunch of buses every morning in the summer for day camp)