An Interview with Jean Stone by E. B. Davis

After a winter spent writing her latest novel, Annie looks forward to a summer with friends who have become like the family she never had. But then her landlord announces that his grandson will be moving into her cozy Chappaquiddick cottage—and she’ll be moving out. Year-round island housing is tough to find at any time; in summer, it’s nearly impossible. Shaken by the thought of being forced to leave the people and the community she’s grown to love, Annie seeks distraction in the July 4th celebrations—and stumbles upon a young woman who’s unconscious on her front lawn . . . and barely alive . . .

Summer on the Vineyard brings not only tourists, but also wealthy families with summer homes—like Fiona Littleton’s—and tensions between them and the tight-knit island community often ignite. But when Annie’s quick thinking saves Fiona’s life, she’s surprised to learn that like her, Fiona has no one to lean on. And when Fiona fears that someone wants her dead, Annie cannot walk away. With depleting resources and no home on the horizon, Annie is certain of only one thing: each of them will have to rise to one of life’s greatest challenges: feeling at home within themselves . . .

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When I decided to download A Vineyard Summer, I did so thinking the book was in the Women’s Fiction genre. To a certain extent, I was right, but then the main character stumbled over a body. I was exuberant. The book had all the charms and wisdom of Women’s Fiction, but it was also a mystery and set on the island of Chappaquiddick, MA. As a resident of an island, nothing could have suited me better.

Main character, Annie Sutton taught English for twenty years before she started writing mysteries and moving to Chappaquiddick. As a writer of mysteries, it’s not far-fetched that when she finds an unresponsive young woman lying by her guest cottage on an estate in the midst of a wedding, Annie wants to follow the clues to find out what happened.

A Vineyard Summer is the perfect beach read having layered plots, unconventional solutions, and captivating characters, but start with the first book in the series, A Vineyard Christmas.    

Please welcome Jean Stone to WWK.                                                                                                                E. B. Davis

You wrote Women’s Fiction before this series. Why the inclusion of mystery?

How do I say, “I didn’t do it on purpose?” But in A Vineyard Christmas, when a baby shows up on the doorstep of Annie Sutton’s cottage (which was my editor’s terrific idea), it seemed that a mystery was already happening. Who was the baby? How did it get there? And what should/would Annie do? I think that adding the mystery presented a great opportunity not only for Annie to have a mystery to solve, but also for her to grow and change throughout the book, which is the heart of good women’s fiction. The blend seemed to work so well, we decided to carry a key mystery element throughout the series. Not only the whodunit, but also how it happened and why, and how whatever it is can add depth to my characters and their story.

Chappaquiddick is an occasional island, a natural occurrence of barrier islands. It’s located off of Martha’s Vineyard. Why do the island residents rely on ferries if it’s not really necessary? HaHa! I never heard that term an “occasional” island! That’s great. But the only land “connector” to the island from the Vineyard is often breached for months or years. Even when it is closed, it is not easy to cross off-season. And the strong currents and occasional riptides in the channel between Chappy and Edgartown make it difficult to rely on small craft for day-to-day transportation. About 200 people live on Chappy year round, so it is necessary to rely on the one-and-only ferry. It is also needed for emergency vehicles, US mail, and shipping deliveries.

Annie lives in a cottage on an estate owned by Wall Streeter Roger Flanagan. He tells Annie that she must find new accommodations in August, which causes her great distress. Why will finding a place to live be so hard? Martha’s Vineyard is a beautiful, wonderful place. But according to the MVTimes (Nov. 2016), “80 percent of the housing stock on the island is vacant in the winter.” Some of those homes are owned by seasonal residents who do not want to rent, others belong to investors who only rent them in summer at high vacation rates. The amount of housing available for rental year round is small; the demand is enormous, especially as the year round population grows. The island is working to address this situation, but right now, it’s a problem—one that I understand is often shared by other tourism-driven communities.

Annie has been in a relationship with a local policeman, John Lyons, for about six months. But she’s fearful to move too fast with him. Have her previous romantic relationships tainted love for her? I don’t think love has been tainted for her. But it’s taken her a long time to recoup the mess her ex-husband left her in. She is a strong woman, succeeding on her own, so she’s in no rush. She can feel love, but does not need a man to be fulfilled. The pace is working for him, too, as he’s still regaining his bearings after his divorce.

Although Annie is guarded in her relationship with John, she’s very close to his parents, Earl and Claire Lyons. Even though Annie has to meet a professional deadline and needs to find a new place to live, she agrees to help Claire with an annual garden show. Why? Earl befriended Annie before she ever met their son; he helped her acclimate to the island and introduced her to people and made her feel welcome. As women’s fiction, the focus of the book is not romance. Yes, romance is part of it here, but it’s only one layer of the story. It’s really about a middle-aged woman navigating her life in today’s world.

When Annie finds Fiona Littlefield unresponsive by her house, she calls the island’s EMTs. Taylor, an island EMT, shows up at the scene. Why don’t Taylor and Annie get along? When Annie first met Taylor in A Vineyard Christmas, she found her brusque and off-putting...mostly because Taylor was the one person who did not welcome Annie. Their personalities are very different, and Annie does not trust her motives.

When Annie visits Fiona in the hospital, she tells Annie that someone tried to poison her, according to the toxicology report. Annie tracks down the source of the poison as something surprising, something that many people have in their own homes but would not consider poisonous. Is it true? Have there been any real cases of this happening?

Yes, it is true. While not usually lethal, and more poisonous to animals than humans, I, too, was surprised when I learned about it while doing research. My primary source was Serita Deborah Stevens with Anne Klarner, Deadly Doses, A Writer’s Guide to Poisons (Writer’s Digest Books, 1990).

Who is Murphy and is she really haunting Annie? Good question! Murphy isn’t haunting her...she’s merely “with her in spirit!” She is playful and wise, and, as Annie’s deceased best friend, she knew her better than anyone.

What’s next for Annie? Books #3 and #4 in this series are underway...so stay tuned!