An Interview with Ellen Byron by E. B. Davis

 

Dee Stern’s Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains promises a tranquil getaway for outdoor lovers in the scenic Californian village of Foundgold. But when Dee accidentally triggers a modern gold rush, she suddenly turns her peaceful retreat into a hotspot for mayhem and murder . . .

With the summer season looming, former Hollywood sitcom writer Dee Stern has one small goal—scrubbing her motel’s unflattering moniker as the “Murder Motel.” Dee and ex-husband-turned-business-partner Jeff Cornetta are excited to introduce a family-friendly panning activity complete with fool’s gold just in time for the peak tourist months. Except neither could have anticipated the discovery of a real gold nugget or the ensuing social media frenzy. In a flash, the viral sensation draws grizzled prospectors, wide-eyed adventurers, and trend-chasing thrill seekers to the abandoned mines scattered around the woods . . .

The instant popularity proves great for business, but it also attracts a group of out-of-touch Silicon Valley techies with dreams of striking it rich—again. Dee finds herself particularly annoyed by the insufferably smug Sylvan Burr, a retired CEO who sold his startup before age 30 and won’t let anyone forget it. But things take a sinister turn when Sylvan meets a grim fate at the bottom of a mineshaft, leaving Dee at the center of a deadly mystery that could end her days as a motelier. And while Sylvan had plenty of enemies, Dee suddenly faces adversaries rooting against her own success. Now, with her life and the future of the Golden Motel hanging by a thread, Dee must unearth a minefield of suspects and outwit a greedy killer before she finally digs herself too deep . . .

Amazon.com

 

What I love about Ellen Byron’s Golden Motel Mysteries is how she furthers the backstory seamlessly with solving the murder mystery. In Solid Gold Murder, Ellen’s second book in this series, situations she previously set up among main character, Dee Stern, and important secondary characters unfold. It provides great incentive for readers to continue reading this series!

 

Please welcome Ellen Byron back to WWK!         E. B. Davis

 

The 1848 gold rush started in the town of Sutter’s Mill. Is Foundgold located nearby? Sutter’s Mill is closer to the north end of California’s Gold Country. Foundgold is by the southern mines of the region.

 

Dee and Jeff set up a “for fun” sluice for their motel patrons to try panning for gold. Luckily, Dee’s dad Sam is there to help run the operation. The operation inadvertently set off a new gold rush. What happened? Their guests found real gold flakes in their haul! Flakes that came off Sam’s sleeves after he bathed in a stream. The heavy 2023 rains in California really did expose gold no one knew existed. Not to the extent of the original gold rush, of course. On a much smaller level.

 

Are there really a lot of Silicon Valley billionaires, like Sylvan Burr? I thought a lot of them also lost their fortunes. No!! Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Jeff Bezos, et al, are the richest people in the world. They are also generally not good people, hence how they inspired Sylvan.

 

Why do Dee and Jeff set up a jar for coinage when they say something old-timey instead of when they swear? They’re trying to avoid falling into the habit the Goldsgone locals have of talking like it’s still 1850.

 

Bud, the bear, roams the forest nearby the Golden Hotel and sometimes ventures into the pool and around the hotel. What type of bear is Bud? He’s a California black bear. Not all of these bears are black. They can be brown, cinnamon, etc. There are only two subspecies of bear in the state, Northwestern and California. The latter is the most common.

 

How did Sam earn his living? Sam was – and still is, when he gets work – a voice actor. He provided voices for animated series. He mostly voiced cartoon characters, offering a wide range of accents and goofy voices.

 

When word gets out about the found gold, Dee had a foreboding of greedy people. Does she often get predictive feelings about events? I don’t think she does on a regular basis. But when she saw her guests run off to buy panning equipment, that was a big “Uh oh” for her.

In what ways is Dee transforming from a Valley girl to a Mountain girl? She’s less afraid that some backwoodsman is going to jump out from behind a tree with an ax and chase her around! And she falls more in love with her spectacular surroundings every day – which also means she’s missing her old life less and less.

 

How did Dee’s friendship with Williker’s general store owner Elmira help Dee in the community? Elmira’s acceptance of Dee is like a seal of approval to the Foundgold locals. If Elmira likes her, she musts be okay.

 

Why is it that some innovative technology wipes out the acceptable and nonharmful careers, like graphic

art and tax preparation, but it never seems to get rid of horrible, lethal careers, like coal mining? That is SUCH a good question!!! I wish I had the answer, for the betterment of our country and planet.

 

What is sarsaparilla? What did they make out of it? Wasn’t there a drink like birch beer made out of it? Yes, sarsaparilla is generally made from birch oil. It’s very much like root beer, which I despise.

 

When Dee is excluded from the Goldsgone Crafts Fair because she doesn’t live in Goldsgone, how does she get around the rule? At first, she finds a spit of land on her property that’s actually within the boundaries of Goldsgone, and camps out there. When that fails, she starts her own festival.

 

Dee wrote scripts for TV, but we find that she also is a talented artist. Has she always had that ability?
Yes. She learned it from animators she met when her dad voiced their shows, but she also has an innate talent.

 

I’ve never heard of compostable plates, napkins, cups, and utensils. Really? Doesn’t it encourage littering? No, because you throw them away with green waste and they compost themselves like food scraps.

 

You explained the Hollywood acronym WAG. Are spouses of “talent” denigrated in this way? Yes, particularly the women. If they’re attractive and younger, they get labeled “trophy wives.”

 

How did Dee meet Jonas Jones, her not quite significant other? They met when he helped here out at the Goldgsone hardware store when she was being ignored by the staff because her nemesis Verity Donner Gillespie spread the word not to help her.

 

NO—are there really drones that deliver takeout? How widespread is that and how far can the drones fly? They absolutely exist. I don’t know the exact details of the distance they cover, but I really hope they don’t catch on!

 

Can families in the area trace their lineage back to the original stakeholders? Are there still hard feelings? There are absolutely families who can trace their lineage back to the original stakeholders, in real life and fiction – my book. I don’t know if hard feelings still exist in real life – but they do in my plot!

 

When Dee creates cartoons based on Bud’s antics, Serena’s agent husband, Callan takes one to Hollywood animator companies to contract for a show based on the character. She finds that to sell a show compromises have to be made that she finds unacceptable. Is this a surprise to Dee? It’s absolutely not a surprise. But I think all of us TV writers hope it will be different with every single project. And while she’s written for animation, this is the first pilot she’s sold based solely on her own drawing.

 

When Elmira finds out the truth about her horrible pastries, how does Sam help her forgive her deceitful friends? He works with her as a team to create more edible treats.

 

Is the increased mayhem due to the gold rush the only reason why local policeman Raul allows Dee and Jeff to investigate the murder? He also appreciates that they had success in the past – see A VERY WOODSY MURDER – and since his substation is understaffed and mostly handles touristy situations, he welcomes some help on the side for serious cases like murder.

 

What is cryogenics and how is it used to preserve bodies? (and why?!) Cryonics is the process of freezing the body of someone who’s died with the plan of trying to revive them in the future. Cryogenics is the “production and application of low-temperature phenomena.” You need one for the other. In retrospect, I should have used the term cryonics in my book, but I felt people were more familiar with the term “cryogenics.” As to the why, I think it’s an ego thing. Like, you’re so brilliant, you must be brought back to life someday!

 

Why did murder victim Sylvan Burr start buying up properties in Goldsgone? Because he could! It was a way of one-upping other billionaires. He does have a personal connection to the village and general area, since it’s where his family launched their fortune. There are abandoned and semi-abandoned towns all over the world people can buy, billionaires or not. But how many people can buy a functioning town with a community of citizens?

 

Softhearted Dee gives away freebies to needy guests. Does Jeff approve? How do they make a profit? They balance the occasional freebie with their paying guests.

 

Of all the revolting developments, Jeff takes up with Verity Donner. Will we find out if it lasts in the next book? What is next for Dee and Jeff?  Jeff and Dee are besties. Even though they were briefly married after college, they totally are better off as friends. Jeff is insecure. On the surface, he’s flirting with Verity because he thinks it can help make her less hostile to Dee and the Golden Motel, which she sees as a threat to Goldsgone’s dominance. But beneath that, he’s flattered that she finds him attractive. Dee puts up with their casual relationship because it does relieve some of the pressure Verity puts on her. But she sure doesn’t want it to get serious.