A Note from Sarah Burr: I’m handing the blogging reins to Winnie Lark, the main character in my Book Blogger Mysteries. Winnie runs a popular bookish website called What Spine is Yours (think Metacritic for the literary world). However, she manages it anonymously, and the online community only knows her as “The Wren.” She often interviews guest authors through their characters, and that’s the focus of today’s feature. Enjoy!
Greetings, bookish friends! The Wren, here. Bobbie Brooks
from Kara Lacey’s Camera Club Mysteries is coming off the page with me this
month. Bobbie, thanks so much for being here. I’m looking forward to getting to
know you and your new series. You’re my first photographer-turned-amateur
sleuth! How did you become interested in photography?
First—thanks so much for having me on What Spine is Yours!
I’m a huge, huge fan, and I can’t even begin to tell you how honored I am to be
interviewed by The Wren!
Bookmarks, you’re going to make me blush.
Oh gosh, am I gushing? Well, it’s all true.
Photography… I guess I’d say I kind of fell into it. I’ve
always been an expressive person, and I love art in all its forms. Growing up
in the city, I spent loads of time in museums, art galleries, concert halls,
and theaters. When I was younger, my first passion was dancing. Then, in my
late teens, when digital cameras became a thing, my parents bought me one for
my birthday. I took pictures of anything and everything. Boston provides so
much fodder for the eye. But it wasn’t until my daughter Emma was born that I
really started caring about the quality of my photos. I wanted them to be…
well… more. I have a good friend who’s a photographer, and I always loved
hanging out in her studio. She got me involved with a photography club in
Boston. One thing led to another, and my desire to improve grew from there.
Boston! How cool. I, uh, well, I know someone who lives
in that area. What led you to Stonebridge, Vermont, and why did you join the
Keep it Snappy Shutter Club?
The short answer—my sister, Alicia. I’m a born and bred
Bostonian and never expected that to change. I mean, seriously, I’m a city girl
at heart, and Vermont is so… rural. But, about a year and a half ago, my
husband died unexpectedly. I’ll admit I wallowed a bit. Okay, a lot. Then, a
house in Stonebridge—that’s where Alicia lives—came on the market. She thought
it would be the perfect place for me to open a photography studio. Crazy idea,
right? But you have to know Alicia. She can be extremely persuasive. And she’s
usually right—annoyingly so. The house really is perfect for me, and the little
barn out back makes a lovely studio. I just really, really needed a fresh start
of sorts. So, here I am.
When I moved, I was most worried about two things: One—I
knew I’d miss being part of my photography club in Boston. And two—I
desperately wanted to feel like a part of my new community. So, with the help
of Alicia and my friend Rose, I started a new club in Stonebridge. Its name—The
Stonebridge Keep it Snappy Shutter Club—was Alicia’s suggestion. I’m pretty
sure she was being facetious.
Honestly, Stonebridge is the last place you’d ever expect anyone
to be murdered. It’s a tiny little village—ridiculously quaint—nestled in the
Green Mountains. We even have our own covered bridge!
I live on Main Street, across from the village green. That’s
where our farmer’s market and annual festivals take place. Next door to me is
my second home—Rose’s coffee shop, The Rosebud Café. Stonebridge also has a bookstore,
a tavern, and—oh yeah—a yoga studio. No Vermont town would be complete without
a yoga studio.
But truly, the heart of any Vermont village is its local
market. The Stonebridge Village Market is owned and managed by my sister. If
you’ve never experienced a Vermont country store, you need to. They pretty much
exist to fill your every need. Bakery, deli, canned and boxed goods, clothing,
hardware, fishing lures, snow boots… Seriously. If they don’t have it, you
don’t need it. Not really, anyway. And, if there’s anyone you’re hoping to run
into, the village market is the place to hang out.
It sounds like a little slice of New England paradise. But,
of course, murder is lurking in the shadows. What was your initial reaction
when you stumbled upon the mystery in Caught on Camera?
I couldn’t believe it! I mean, yeah, Tiffanee wasn’t the
nicest person, and I had a bad feeling when she didn’t show up for our club’s
photo shoot, but murder?
When I found her lying beneath the covered bridge, I just
knew something was off. Even so, I managed to convince myself she’d fallen and
hit her head. You know, a tragic accident. It had to be. Well, it was, until
the police detective showed up on my front porch. Turns out, they found my
missing scarf wrapped around Tiffanee’s neck, hidden beneath the collar of her
jacket.
Oh, wow. No wonder they came calling! So, who in town has
been the most interesting or unexpected person you've met through your
investigations?
Hmm, good question. Stonebridge is full of interesting
people. I guess the person who surprises me the most is my curmudgeonly
next-door neighbor, Lester Miller. I mean, no matter how I try, I can’t get
more than a humph out of him whenever I say hello. He’s what Vermonters
call a “woodchuck.” He was born and raised in Vermont, as were his parents and
grandparents and great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents and… you get
the idea. I think the general rule is that you need seven generations of
ancestors to be considered a Vermonter. Don’t quote me on that. Anyway, Lester
is as crusty as they come, and I just can’t believe he won’t even offer a
friendly hello. But, as it turns out, he’s a really good guy.
Without giving away too many spoilers from Caught on
Camera, could you share one heart-stopping moment that eventually ended in
a fit of laughter?
You’ve got to love a good laugh. With this one, the laughter
actually came a bit later, but there’s one instance in particular that comes to
mind. Alicia had the bright idea that we needed to learn more about Tiffanee—by
breaking into her house. So, Alicia, Rose, Jackson, and I donned our black
clothes (so professional) and were all snooping around in the dark house when
we heard a key scraping in the front door’s lock. If you’re familiar with the
Keystone Cops, you’ll be able to picture what our frantic escape looked like.
Then, just when we thought we were in the clear, my phone rang — because, of
course, it did.
With a great teaser like that, readers will be keen to check out what happens next! Bobbie, what advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps as a photographer and/or amateur detective?
To anyone who wants to be a photographer, I’d say, follow
your dream. Get out there. Take your camera with you everywhere you go and snap
photos—lots and lots of them. Connect with other photographers, and always keep
learning.
For anyone who wants to be an amateur detective… Are you
serious right now? Do as I say and not as I do, and let the police do the
investigating! I mean, I nearly got myself killed!
But you make it sound so fun! Will there be more
adventures for you and your author, Kara Lacey?
Yes, definitely. Our next adventure takes place in the fall.
Picture Vermont in October when the mountains are ablaze with the bright reds,
oranges, and yellows of autumn. Villages across the state are teeming with
leaf-peepers, and Stonebridge is holding its annual harvest festival. The
Stonebridge Keep it Snappy Shutter Club is busy chronicling the events.
Unfortunately, a much-loved citizen is found dead at the festival’s masquerade
party, and all evidence points towards the “commune” where our new member
Harmony lives.
I’ve also been hired as the photographer for a December
wedding, which will take place as the village prepares for its winter holiday
festival. Call me a doomsayer, but I’m pretty sure something will go terribly
wrong.
Yikes! It looks like murder is “developing” into a trend
in Stonebridge, Vermont—the picture-perfect place to be for mystery lovers. Check
out Bobbie Brooks and the Camera Club Mysteries in Caught on Camera, available
at your favorite bookish retailer.
To stay connected with Bobbie’s author, Kara Lacey, visit
https://karalaceyauthor.com
or follow her at @karalaceyauthor.
Learn more about The Wren, Winnie, and the Book Blogger
Mysteries at www.saraheburr.com.
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