An Interview with Author Ellen Byron by E. B. Davis

“But I’ve got a bread pudding in the oven. I’m hoping the scent will finds its way outdoors and make those officers hungry. Then I’d get to tell them, ‘Too bad, you’re not getting any.’”

Ellen Byron, Murder in The Bayou Boneyard, Kindle Loc. 2115

Maggie Crozat, proprietor of a historic Cajun Country B&B, prefers to let the good times roll. But hard times rock her hostelry when a new cell phone app makes it easy for locals to rent their spare rooms to tourists. With October--and Halloween--approaching, she conjures up a witch-crafty marketing scheme to draw visitors to Pelican, Louisiana.

Five local plantation B&Bs host "Pelican's Spooky Past" packages, featuring regional crafts, unique menus, and a pet costume parade. Topping it off, the derelict Dupois cemetery is the suitably sepulchral setting for the spine-chilling play Resurrection of a Spirit. But all the witchcraft has inevitably conjured something: her B&B guests are being terrified out of town by sightings of the legendary rougarou, a cross between a werewolf and vampire.

When, in the Dupois cemetery, someone costumed as a rougarou stumbles onstage during the play--and promptly gives up the ghost, the rougarou mask having been poisoned with strychnine, Maggie is on the case. But as more murders stack up, Maggie fears that Pelican's spooky past has nothing on its bloodcurdling present.

Amazon.com

Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country mysteries are always fun to read. Kick back with a shot or two of whiskey and eat a Halloween sugar cookie in the Crozat Planation kitchen. The Cajun culture and cuisine bring to mind a myriad of questions, but also of comforts. Murder In the Bayou Boneyard is the sixth book in the series and was released yesterday.

Maggie Crozat, Ellen’s artist main character, has brought trouble to her family and the B&B with her marketing plan to bring in tourists to their town of Pelican, LA during October. The promotion ends at Halloween, a holiday Maggie has hated since childhood.

With the opening of the B&B’s new spa, Maggie hired a new masseuse, a distant Canadian relation. Trouble soon follows as does Maggie’s vision of the spa. If not for her friend Mo, the spa would close before it barely began. When a murder occurs on the B&B grounds, Maggie feels responsible. But when a tattletale parrot spouts off to the police, Maggie finds herself on the suspect list.

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

How did Father Prit come to Pelican? Is there an Indian contingent in Pelican? There is not. Father Prit was totally inspired by the priest who conducted my late cousin’s funeral. He had a very thick accent, which drove my relatives nuts. I felt bad for him, so I made sure the citizens of Pelican warmly embraced and appreciated him.

Please define the following:

Rougarou- a legendary creature who is the Cajun equivalent of a werewolf.

Crawtatoes- an appetizer I invented!

Sazerac- a popular New Orleans’ take on a whisky or cognac cocktail. In 2008, it was declared the official cocktail of New Orleans by the Louisiana legislature.

Immortelle- 19^th century handmade arrangements, usually made from dried flowers, used to decorate graves.

Café brulot- a coffee drink flavored with a spiral of orange zest and spiked with whiskey.

Corn maque choux- a popular Cajun side dish.

Doberge cake- a traditional New Orleans cake where generally thin layers of cake (usually six) alternate with a pudding filling and then the cake is covered with a buttercream or ganache frosting. There are many variations on this.

Calas- deep-fried rice dumplings, usually served as a breakfast dish.

Pimm’s Cups- my favorite Louisiana cocktail! There are many different recipes for it, but all include Pimm’s Cup #1, a gin-based spirit.

Does Pelican’s lack of zoning laws allow rental operators like Gavin Grody to operate, which precipitated the need to the month-long B&B promotion Maggie invented? I didn’t write this into the book, but I would say most likely, yes. I think the AirBnB and VRBO movements caught a lot of local governments by surprise and left them scrambling to create laws that protect local housing. I know it’s been a real problem in New Orleans.

Were the Canadians who settled in Louisiana from Acadia? Is that how the Cajun got their name? Did some find the area unsatisfactory and went back to Canada? What was the era? The British expulsion of Acadians from Canada took place in the 1760s. Many chose to go to Louisiana, which was under Spanish rule at the time, because of the good relationship between the French and Spanish, and their shared Catholic faith. (There were already many French in New Orleans, too.) I fictionalized the return of some to Canada, which would have occurred much later. But I’m sure some Acadians preferred their homeland to the Louisiana swamps. And yes – if you say “Acadian” fast, it eventually becomes the word “Cajun!”

Maggie, a first-time bride, isn’t as into planning the wedding as Grandmere. Why? Maggie doesn’t love being the center of attention. She’s always been a bit of a rebel against her storied local genealogy as a descendant of one of the town’s founding families, so she’s not comfortable with the idea of a big, grandiose wedding. Grandmere, on the other hand, married her first husband, Maggie’s grandfather, on a train platform before he shipped out to the Korean War, so she never got a big wedding. Now, at eighty-three, she’s making up for that with her second wedding, and with no apologies to anyone!

Susannah Crozat MacDowell is a distant relation from Canada. What possessed Maggie to hire her as a masseuse?  Maggie is an only child with few relatives, and none nearby. She longs for an extended family and thought hiring Susannah would be a great way of bringing more family members into the fold while helping one of them – Susannah - out financially.

I loved Mo Heedles. Please tell our readers about her. I love Mo too! She’s a warm, entertaining, successful Black businesswoman who’s taken a career that began with multi-tier marketing of a skincare line and run with it. In the future, she may even franchise her brand. BTW, the name Mo Heedles is an homage to real-life reader Maureen Heedles, who cast the winning bid at a Malice auction to have a character named after her. Little did she know Mo Heedles would become a beloved recurring character!

Walter Breem, the Dupois caretaker, isn’t what he seems. Why does Maggie like him? She senses the pain that underlies his gruff, off-putting exterior and feels great empathy for him without even knowing his personal story.

Johnnie, Susannah’s stepson, is in drug recovery. Why does he team up with stage manager Emma Fine, who assists on the promotional play being held at the Dupois cemetery every weekend? Emma also struggled with addiction, so they’re kindred spirits. They’re also both lost souls on a level, which offers them another bond.

Did you want to play a joke on author Julie Mulhern by naming a character after her? Ha! Julie used my name in a book, so of course I had to reciprocate. (At least I think she did? I read so much it’s hard to keep everything straight. Oh, well. I adore Julie’s writing and general personage, so it was a pleasure to give her a shout-out, even if it takes readers who know her out of the book for a moment.)

After Susannah dies, Maggie claims that Susannah wasn’t the prankster kind. And yet, Maggie didn’t know Suzannah for very long and learns that Susannah gave her phone number to telemarketers, inflicting spam calls on Maggie. That sounds like a nasty prank to me. What prompted Maggie to come to that conclusion? The telemarketer move wasn’t a prank, it was revenge. There’s a difference. Maggie immediately gets that Susannah doesn’t have any sense of humor, even the distorted kind it take to pull pranks on people. (I am not a fan of them.)

Since Susannah died in the cemetery, part of which is located in a different jurisdiction, the Ville Blanc police department is involved. Why do they suspect Maggie? Maggie had a falling-out with Susannah that makes her a prime suspect in the woman’s mysterious death.

Late, Lamented Pets, part of the B&B promotion, enables guests to bring their pets, who are mostly costumed in Halloween finery. Who is Lovie? Did Lovie have a costume? How did Lovie incriminate Maggie? Lovie is a parrot who does not have a costume but does have a big mouth and blabbed a piece of conversation she overheard that casts Maggie in a bad light to a Ville Blanc detective. His pet parent DruCilla is an homage to dear pal and beloved mystery blogger Dru Ann Love.

Is a parrot’s testimony admissible in court? Parrots cannot be put on the stand but what they’ve been heard to say can be allowed as evidence in some cases.

Why does Maggie think Halloween brings out the paranoia in people? This is inspired by the fact that I personally always found Halloween creepy as a kid. I felt like it gave bullies permission to give in to their worst instincts, like harassing kids and throwing eggs or TPing houses. Even as a kid, I noticed a general tension in the air around Halloween time. I have memories of trick or treating in the dark and being absolutely terrified.

Do funeral homes load the casket feet first so the mourners won’t be cursed by the spirit of the dead seeing them? Is this just an old Cajun custom? I don’t know if that’s the case now, but it was definitely true of Cajun and Creole families. I think many other 19^th century cultures believed this as well.

Why is sugarcane grown in the town center? Do they harvest it? It’s actually not grown in the town center but in the surrounding plantations, where it is indeed harvested to this day.

 https://www.stjosephplantation.com/

Helene Brevelle, a voodoo priestess, wants Maggie to have protection from evil. What does she give Maggie? Does Maggie believe in voodoo? Helene gives Maggie a gris gris bag, which is a small bag filled with things specific to what the wearer needs help with – in this case, protection. Helene also gives Maggie protection oil. I think Maggie is on the fence about whether or not she believes in voodoo but ascribes to the philosophy, “better safe than sorry.”

Is Abita Light beer local or Cajun? Local.

Maggie gets so upset and stressed out, she starts talking to a squirrel. Why doesn’t she talk to her dogs, Gopher and Jolie? Because I didn’t think of it at the time and now I wish I had!

I didn’t know that strychnine comes from the strychnine tree. Is in only grown in warmer climates like Pelican? Or can the tree be grown anywhere in the US? My research showed that the tree, native to India and Southeast Asia, is generally found in warmer climates.

The Dupois plantation was based on a real place. What’s it like now? Dupois was inspired by “Le Petite Versailles,” the most famous Louisiana plantation home and gardens in the 19^th century. Nothing is left of it today except garden ruins, overgrown, privately owned, and closed to the public. Mary Ann Sternberg, author of several of my favorite books about the Louisiana River Road, is one of the few people allowed to access the ruins in recent years and write about them. The fascinating chapter detailing her exploration can be found in her book, River Road Rambler. I would love to be allowed to explore what’s left of the grounds myself someday.

What’s next for Maggie and her family? I don’t want to give too much away but I’ll tell you this - A celebrity chef comes to Pelican to open an outpost of his famed Cajun chain of restaurants. Skullduggery – and murder! – ensue. 😉

 https://www.stjosephplantation.com/

An Interview With Ellen Byron, Writing as Maria DiRico

by Grace Topping

Agatha Award and Lefty Award winner Ellen Byron recently released the first book in her new Catering Hall Mystery Series, writing under the name of Maria DiRico. Ellen is well known for her Cajun Country Mystery Series and also for being the scriptwriter on television series such as “Wings.” It was a pleasure talking to Ellen/Maria about both her series and her other works. 

Here Comes the Body

Back Cover Copy

After her philandering husband’s boat went down, newly single Mia Carina went back to Astoria, the bustling Queens neighborhood of her youth. Living with her nonna and her oversized cat, Doorstop, she’s got a whole new life—including some amateur sleuthing . . .
 
Mia is starting work at Belle View, her father’s catering hall, a popular spot for weddings, office parties, and more—despite the planes that occasionally roar overhead on their way to LaGuardia and rattle the crystal chandelier. Soon she’s planning a bachelor party for a less-than-gentlemanly groom. But it goes awry when the gigantic cake is wheeled in and a deadly surprise is revealed . . .
 
Since some of her family’s associates are on the shady side, the NYPD wastes no time in casting suspicion on Mia’s father. Now, Mia’s going to have to use all her street smarts to keep him out of Rikers Island . . .

                                                                                                            www.amazon.com

Welcome, Ellen/Maria, to Writers Who Kill.

As an award-winning author under your own name, why did you use the pen name Maria DiRico for your new series? 

Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico

Kensington wanted me to use a pen name for their own publishing reasons. I chose “Maria DiRico” because it’s my late nonna’s maiden name. My mother was born in Italy, and the series is in many ways a tribute to the fond memories I have of times spent with the Italian side of my family. 

In the first book of the Catering Hall Mystery Series, Here Comes the Body, there is a strong theme of reinventing yourself and second chances—for Mia Carina, who returns to her home in Queens from Florida under a cloud of scandal, and for her father and brother, who haven’t always been law-abiding citizens. Did you have that in mind when you wrote this book?

I think it was more of setting those as goals for my characters than thinking of it as themes. Sometimes I do set out to highlight a theme, but I get so caught up in the lives of my characters that theme falls into the background.

You included several subplots in Here Comes the Body, including Mia searching for her lost bird, a missing husband, elderly people in a community being taken advantage of, and neighborhood change. What value do you think subplots bring to a book?

Subplots add a richness to plots and show layers to characters. We love Mia for her drive to find her little lost parrot. It shows her warmth and vulnerability in the face of trying to be so strong in challenging circumstances. And speaking of themes, there was definitely a theme to the subplot of Felicity Stewart Forbes, the rapacious real estate agent manipulating local senior citizens. I wanted to shine a light on how gentrification can up-end a community. It’s not all bad—I don’t want to give anything away—but I fear for how it often decimates affordable working-class neighborhoods.

At the very beginning, we know that Mia’s husband has disappeared, presumed drowned. How is she able to go on with her life and possibly form other relationships, with his death being uncertain?

 It’s hard! His open-ended disappearance leaves her in a relationship limbo – she’s not divorced, she’s not officially a widow. What is she? But she also uses this dilemma as an excuse not to jump into a new relationship. Her disastrous marriage has left her a bit of a commitment-phobe because she doesn’t trust her own choices. 

At one point, Mia, feeling overwhelmed and depressed, goes out for an evening of music and dancing, which bolsters her spirits. Does music lift your spirits? Do you have a favorite kind of music?

I love a ton of different music genres, from pop (I say I have the taste of a tweenager) to Cajun to Bollywood. But I am and always will be, a proud Disco Queen. My favorite band of all time is KC and the Sunshine Band. When I hear those opening notes of “Get Down Tonight” – talk about lifting your spirits! I think it’s the best pop song ever written and you will never convince me otherwise.

Queens is like another character in your book. Placing your book anywhere else in the country wouldn’t have worked as well. Did you grow up in Queens? If so, when you go back to visit, do you find it changed?

I lived in the Little Neck section of Queens until I was ten when we moved to the suburb of Scarsdale for their excellent school system. But most of my Italian family lived in Astoria. Nonna lived there until the day she died. Eventually, relatives decamped for Long Island and New Jersey, but my childhood was centered around Astoria. Cousins by marriage ran two catering halls, the Astoria Manor and Grand Bay Marina, where Jer and I had our East Coast reception. The memories of all the family events that took place at these locales—plus the local Knights of Columbus, of course—inspired the series.

Also, my late grandfather, who I never got to meet, helped found an organization called the Orsogna Mutual Aid Society, which exists to this day. Orsogna is the little village my family came from in Italy, and so many pisanes emigrated from the town that it inspired Orsogna MAS to offer support and camaraderie with the old hometown.

You included several phrases in Italian throughout the book, which really adds to the flavor. Do you speak Italian?

A little, but not as much as I wish I did. My mother spoke Italian when she didn’t want us to know what she was saying, LOL. I finally studied it in college and became semi-proficient. But my family spoke with a dialect and accent, so even when my Italian was at its best, I couldn’t understand most of them. I did speak enough to get around Italy on a couple of trips, but I’ve been living in California for thirty years now and lost any opportunity to practice the language. It was much easier in New York.

How much does Mia’s world resemble your earlier life? Have you had any family members or friends say they saw themselves in your characters?

Mia lives where my nonna and zia and zio lived with their kids. She works at Grand Bay Marina, which Cousin Pauly ran. She shops at La Guli Pastry Shop, a real store in Astoria. So… a lot of it. But my family was not mobbed-up, although some cousins definitely had connections. When you’re running catering halls in Queens, it’s almost impossible not to. At least it was back when I was growing up. No family members recognize themselves, although my mother was plenty nervous that they would. 

With a career writing TV scripts (e.g., Wings), what made you switch to writing novels, especially mysteries? 

Lack of work writing TV scripts. Half kidding. My TV career hit a dry patch, which also coincided with a bit of script-writing burnout on my part. I have to write—I can’t not write—so I decided to try writing what I love to read: mysteries. 

TV and movie scripts are pretty lean. How was the transition to novel writing, which requires more detail? Did your previous experience writing scripts help?

It absolutely helps me plot out a story. Absolutely. I began my writing career as a playwright, and that’s what helps me add detail and color in terms of a book’s prose. That’s why, given my slight case of script burnout, I gravitated toward novel writing versus writing a TV or film spec script. It allowed me to wax more poetic in terms of mood and setting than I can in a script.

The Catering Hall Mystery Series is quite different from your Cajun Country Mystery Series, under the name Ellen Byron. Please tell us about that series.

I discovered Cajun Country when I was a student at Tulane University and fell madly in love with it. The fact there’s a region in this country with its own food, music, and even language absolutely fascinates me. I’ve always been an architecture buff thanks to my mom, who organized family vacations around visiting historical sites. In my Cajun Country series, a young artist returns home to Pelican, Louisiana—town motto, “Yes, We Peli-Can!”—to help her family run the family plantation as a B and B. And of course, a variety of murders charted through the series make this very difficult.

Is it a coincidence that the main characters from both series, Mia Carina and Maggie Crozat, have the same initials? 

No, it was total stupidity on my part. I didn’t even realize it until it was too late. And now I need to do a search through every book to make sure I’m using the right name. (Rolling eyes and slapping forehead.)

So what’s next for Mia and Maggie?

I’m super excited about both upcoming books. Murder in the Bayou Boneyard, the sixth Cajun Country Mystery, launches September 8^th. It revolves around Halloween, and you can imagine how much fun I had writing about Halloween in Cajun Country, especially since Louisiana proudly claims to be the most haunted state in America. (Spoiler alert: no ghosts in the story, but there is a rougarou, the Cajun equivalent of a werewolf.)

And in Long Island Iced Tina, the next Catering Hall Mystery (March 2021), a stolen painting that mysteriously appears twenty years later sets off a wild chain of events, including murder. And there’s a fun subplot for Lizabetta, Mia’s nonna. The late husband of a close friend appears to his widow in a dream telling her that he was buried without shoes and he needs some. So to help her friend, Lizabetta goes from one funeral to another trying to sneak a pair of shoes into an open casket. This storyline was inspired by a real conversation between my nonna and mother that I was privy to. My mother has no memory of this, but I’ve never forgotten it!

Thank you, Ellen/Maria. 

To find out more about Ellen Byron (Maria DiRico), follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and at www.ellenbyron.com.