An Interview with J. C. Kenney by E. B. Davis

Murder takes a page out of a killer’s playbook when literary agent Allie Cobb becomes her Indiana town’s number-one bestselling suspect . . .

Running the family literary business while preparing for her best friend’s wedding, chairing a park planning committee, and getting her rescue cat to bond with her boyfriend’s golden retriever doesn’t leave Allie Cobb much time for crime-solving. But when the guy who stood her up the night of her high school senior prom is killed and dumped in a pile of mulch, Allie’s suddenly the prime suspect.

​

It’s insulting enough that gambler, drunk, and all-around lowlife Georgie Alonso was found on the site of the memorial park honoring Allie’s deceased father. Now she’s fighting to clear her name and hold off a rush to judgment. But politics, decades-old secrets, and a slew of high-profile suspects make dangerous bedfellows as the eve of the park’s grand opening draws nearer. She’ll have to nab a killer soon, before her storybook life gets a bad ending . . .

https://www.jckenney.com/books

I read J. C. Kenney’s first book in the Allie Cobb mystery series, A Literal Mess, earlier this year, but Grace Topping beat me in getting an interview with him. A Genuine Fix continues Allie’s adventures in her small hometown of Rushing Creek, Indiana where she took over the literary agency started by her late father. Because the population is under 3300 people, everyone knows each other and their business, which makes for interesting circumstances in the case of murder.

Allie’s sidekick is her tortoiseshell cat, Ursi. Her boyfriend’s work keeps him out of town except on the weekends. Her sister runs a restaurant/pub. Her best friend trains for her trail runs. Her brother is the town’s superintendent of the parks department. Her mother is the local doctor. In short, Allie is the only one who doesn’t have a typical job, and her best friend is too busy. Allie can arrange her work to suit murder investigations.

When Allie finds the body of a guy she had bad experiences with in high school, and, of course, everyone knows about them, she becomes the number one suspect. The Chief of Police is her sister’s ex-husband, which can make dealing with him problematic. But Allie also has her cozy side and creature comforts that take the edge off her investigative discoveries.

Please welcome back J. C. Kenney to WWK.                                  _____                                     E. B. Davis

Sloane, Allie’s best friend, is marrying Allie’s brother, Luke. Does that make Allie uncomfortable? If anything happened, she’d probably lose her BF.

She couldn’t be more thrilled. Sloane’s had a crush on Luke for years and Allie’s always thought they would make a great couple. Allie also wants Sloane to be happy. If Luke makes her happy, Allie’s all for it.

They go to the Brown County Diner, where the pie varieties are seasonal depending on what fruit is in season. Does Indiana have cooking apples? Green and so tart sugar must be added. They don’t taste good to bite into. Like Rambos?

Indiana definitely has cooking apples, but they don’t come into season until September. My wife has an apple peeler/corer that she uses to make apple pies and cobblers. Her apples of choice for cooking are Galas.

Angela Miller, the diner’s owner, is running for mayor against the incumbent Mayor Larry Cannon. Why is Allie supporting Angela’s campaign against Larry?

I get into this a little bit in Allie Cobb book 1, A Literal Mess. The Millers and Cobbs have been family friends for decades. When Allie was in high school, she babysat Angela’s children. While she respects the job Larry has done as mayor, she thinks the world of Angela. It’s not so much being against Larry as being for Angela, in a big way.

Sloane is a professional trail runner. Is there such a thing? Does it pay?

There is! You can find more about trail running at https://trailrunner.com. Elite level trail runners can make a living at it, often through endorsement deals. Sloane knows she’s unlikely to make much money at it, but she’s very good with her money. She’s fortunate in that as the sole heir of a best-selling author, she doesn’t have to rely on her trail running income to get by.

Allie finds the body of murder victim Georgie Alonso at the park, which will be named after Sloane and Allie’s fathers. What did Georgie do in high school that contributes to the suspicion that she murdered him?

All through her school-age years, Allie had a thing for Georgie. She was attracted to his bad-boy attitude, despite knowing he would never be interested in a quiet, bookworm like she was. When they were seniors Georgie asked Allie to be his date for the prom. The night of the event, he stood her up, then made fun of her about it the next school day. Word got around town how he humiliated her, which made things even worse. Allie never forgave Georgie, so that’s one reason she’s a suspect in the murder.

Matt Roberson, the police chief and Allie’s ex brother-in-law, makes Allie take two tests to help her prove she couldn’t have committed the murder. What were they and how did they prove she couldn’t have committed the murders?

One of the pieces of evidence in the case is a heavy-duty lock that has been cut open with a bolt cutter. The murderer cut the lock to gain access to a truck that was used in the murder. Matt doesn’t believe Allie is the murderer, but since she found the body and had a bad history with the deceased, Matt wants to thorough in ruling her out as a suspect. The way he does this is by giving Allie a similar bolt cutter and lock and having her demonstrate whether she can cut through the lock. She’s unable to do it, despite her best efforts, which is all the evidence Matt needs to clear Allie.

What caused Allie and her sister, Rachel, to have such a bad relationship?

Rachel is two years older than Allie, so when she was young, Allie wanted to be like her older sister. Rachel and Allie are very different, though, so Rachel looked at Allie as her annoying, nerdy little sister. Rachel, who was very attractive, and her friends often made fun of Allie and her bookish ways. Over time, Allie resented the treatment she got from Rachel. As a teenager, Allie wasn’t emotionally mature enough to ignore the behavior, so it wasn’t until years later, Allie and Rachel began to work through their issues.

Brent, Allie’s boyfriend, installs genealogy equipment in local libraries. What is genealogy equipment, and what does it do?

Basically, it’s computer hardware and software designed to help people research their family histories. Over the last decade or so, there’s been a surge in interest in finding out where we come from. Commercial sites like Ancestry.com have done great work to facilitate the search for our roots. Not everyone may have access to paid commercial sites, so libraries have stepped in by offering searchable databases that can be used free of charge.

Sloane went from rags to riches after she inherited from her father. How does she feel about her change in economic status?

She has mixed feelings. After years of alcohol abuse, her father had finally sobered up and they were beginning to build a health relationship. So, on one hand, Sloane regrets having her father taken away from her just as things were getting good. On the other hand, her inheritance allowed her to pursue trail running full-time, so she appreciates her good financial position and the opportunities she now has.

Georgie sued an old boss because he had a wreck on the job driving a truck and got injured. But after the accident, he failed a drug test. But even so, he still was awarded money. Why wouldn’t being under the influence mitigate his getting an award?

This is a great question. Georgie was never one to take responsibility for his actions, so when he was fired, he claimed the reason his employment was terminated wasn’t because he failed a drug test, it was in retaliation for filing a workplace injury claim. There was enough of a question about who was right, that the company’s insurance carrier decided to settle the case instead of taking a chance of losing at trial. It was a decision that Georgie’s former boss wasn’t happy about. Which is how he ended up a suspect in Georgie’s murder.

Is Rugrats still on TV?

Sure is. Several subscription services carry it. Allie watches it on Hulu.

Allie doesn’t trust people, unlike Sloane, who Allie thinks is naïve, or her mother, who always thinks the best of everyone. What contributed to her distrust? Was Allie treated unfairly growing up? Does she have a complex about it? A chip on her shoulder?

I think Sloan exudes a childlike zest for life, an innate joyfulness, that Allie admires. Having said that, Allie’s trust issues come from what she perceived as being bullied growing up. She never really found her niche in Rushing Creek, so her distrustfulness came about as a defense mechanism. To her trust is something that must be earned, not freely given.

  

What is it about walking that helps Allie think?

First off, the exercise is good for her. It also helps her clear her mind, so thoughts and ideas can come and go freely. Most of all, she enjoys it. It puts her in a good mood. When she feels good, she’s a lot more productive.

What is a Gantt Chart?

A Gantt Chart is a tool used in project planning. It’s kind of a cross between a spreadsheet and a calendar. The chart allows someone to plan out a large project, like a home remodeling job, from start to finish. Each individual task can be included in the overall chart at the appropriate time. The chart is used by project managers to make sure tasks are being completed on time, and on budget.

I was confused by your use of the word “subpoena” in getting records of a victim. Why wouldn’t the police get a “warrant” from a judge?

In Indiana, a subpoena is used by the court to order a third party to attend a hearing and/or produce documents. A warrant would be issued by the court for an arrest or to conduct the search of a home or place of business in which a reasonable suspicion of a crime has been committed.

What’s next for Allie?

Allie and the gang will return next January, in A Mysterious Mix Up.

Murder hits the stacks when literary agent Allie Cobb investigates a fatality in the local library…
 
Allie Cobb returns home from a book conference armed with hugs for her cat and her boyfriend, and dreams of a long, hot bath. She’s also getting ready to take the plunge by hiring an intern for her expanding literary agency. But it’s one for the books when Allie finds the town’s librarian—and her longtime role model—seconds away from death on the library floor. 
 
Who would want to poison Vicky Napier—one of Rushing Creek’s most beloved citizens—on the eve of her retirement? But it seems there were toxic people in her life, like the handyman with an obsessive crush, and a wood carver with a hair-trigger temper. The list of suspects includes Allie’s boyfriend, Brent, who’s in the running to take over as town librarian. Avenging her friend’s murder could be a trap as she goes up against a killer determined to write Allie’s epitaph…

J.C. Kenney is the author of the Allie Cobb Mysteries, which are set in the fictional small town of Rushing Creek, Indiana. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife, two sons, and a snuggly kitty cat. He loves motor sports, so when he’s not writing, you can probably find him checking in on the latest from IndyCar and other forms of racing.

   

J.C. is a member of Sisters in Crime. You can find him at www.jckenney.com, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JCKenney1, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JCKenney1/, and on BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-c-kenney.  

James M. Jackson Interview by E. B. Davis

“My car’s parked around the corner,” I said. “Do you want to talk there? We’d

eliminate the interruptions, although I would understand if you didn’t want to

get into a car with someone you don’t know well.”

Again, she waved off my concern. “Oh fiddlesticks. You start anythin, I’ll just shoot ya.”

At my startled expression, she tapped her purse. “Concealed-carry permit.”

James M. Jackson, Empty Promises, Kindle Loc. 2726

If you love the suspense and plot twists of domestic thrillers, this page-turner is for you. Seamus McCree’s first solo bodyguard assignment goes from bad to worse. His client disappears. His granddog finds a buried human bone. Police find a fresh human body.

His client is to testify in a Chicago money laundering trial. He’s paranoid that with a price on his head, if the police know where he’s staying, the information will leak. Seamus promised his business partner and lover, Abigail Hancock, that he’d keep the witness safe at the McCree family camp located deep in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s woods.

Abigail is furious at his incompetence and their relationship flounders. Even his often-helpful son, Paddy, must put family safety ahead of helping his father. Seamus risks his own safety and freedom to turn amateur sleuth in hopes he can solve the crimes, fulfill his promise of protection, and win back Abigail. Wit and grit are on his side, but the clock is ticking . . . and the hit man is on his way.

https://jamesmjackson.com/

Empty Promises is the fifth book in James M. Jackson’s Seamus McCree series. From page one, I was engrossed. There was no sagging middle. Jim kept up the tension and plot twists throughout, which was the first aspect of his writing that made me take notice.

The second? Writers talk about using setting as character, but it’s a rarity when that concept is illustrated on the page. When I got to the twenty percent mark in my Kindle version of Empty Promises, I had the desire to go for a beach drive. After the Nor’easter, the beach erosion and high surf didn’t make that a go-to place, but still, I had the urge. I realized then the basis of my desire. Jim’s book had me so enmeshed under the forest canopy, driving on Seamus’s ATV over logging roads of Michigan’s UP, that a beach gal like myself had to escape the dense vegetation to the open ocean. Setting as character—a quietly sinister and smothering one, Jim creates well. 

And the third? I can’t tell you. But I think Empty Promises is a pivotal book in the series. How will that play out? I’ll be reading and watching. This is an exciting series that’s gathering momentum. It’s also fun to see a friend develop his writing strength.                                                                    E. B. Davis

Like me, you set up house in a place that gives you peace—in Michigan’s UP. Although I love the beach and ocean, I also know that they are dangerous. Was it hard to render the menacing aspects of the forest from the lighter shades that you value, like its tranquility?

When the nearest doctor or hospital is forty-five minutes away, the dangers of our remote area must

be considered. Some people choose not to take the risk. The positives for me outweigh the possibility that if I experience an accident or medical issue that would be routine in the city, it could be fatal for me. I’d rather go that way than waste away in a nursing home. Everywhere and everything has light and dark aspects. Because it’s close at hand, I find it easy to tap into the darker nature of wilderness when it suits my writing needs.

Throughout the book, Seamus refers to the empty promises he’s made. But if he has made any, they are temporary, and he makes no promises he can’t keep. Why is he so mindful not to make empty promises or is he mindful because others have made empty promises to him?

Seamus, as do many sons who are young when their father dies, has issues with self-doubt and proving himself. His mindfulness of having made empty promises stems less from his own experience of others breaking their promises to him and more because he holds himself to a high standard regarding the value of giving his word.

“Everyone agrees that my decision to go into town that day cost one person his life.

Attribution for the other deaths wasn’t clear-cut, although I thought I also bore that guilt.” Kindle Loc. 1

I checked this statement throughout the book. I totally disagree! None of the deaths were his fault. Why does Seamus always take the blame? Who is “everyone?”

If something goes wrong while Seamus is in charge, he is quick—others would say too quick—to accept responsibility. Perhaps it’s hubris, but caused, I think, by that self-doubt we discussed earlier. That said, we should always be skeptical of hyperbole masked by statements that include everyone, always, never and other absolutes.

I don’t want to give away a key plot point by justifying his statement about the death that he attributes to his going into town that day. I’ll contact you privately with my response (and am happy to do so with anyone else who has already read the book!).

Abigail, Seamus’s business partner and long-term love, thinks in absolutes. Seamus works the angles and sees shades of gray. What is the attraction between the two when they think so differently?

The expression “opposites attract” might fit here. Besides the joint sexual attraction, Seamus appreciates strong, successful women. He truly seeks a life partner, not someone to dominate. Seamus is impressed by Abigail’s confidence in herself and her decisions—even to the extent of downplaying his more nuanced understanding of life.

Abigail assigns Seamus the task of guarding “Elliot,” who they later find out is really named Jason. Seamus “loses” Elliot when he goes to town. Abigail is so incensed, she breaks their business and personal relationship. Do you mix business and pleasure? If you have, did it work out?

I am incredibly impressed when couples can run a business together and stay married. It would have been hard for me to come home from work and not have someone to whom I could complain about how things went at the office. I dated a few coworkers when I was young, but that never worked out. Abigail built her bodyguarding business by herself and is proud of its reputation. But, as many successful entrepreneurs do, she wrapped her self-identity in it. She felt a lot of pressure having Seamus as both business and life partner, and this incident may have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

Vocabulary Time! What are?

NIMBY: Not In My Back Yard—a person who objects to having something perceived as unpleasant or potentially dangerous placed in their own neighborhood (an open pit mine in this case), especially while raising no such objections to similar developments elsewhere.

moose tracks ice cream: Smooth vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and Moose Track fudge. I agree with Megan, yum!

generation-skipping estate tax move: Upon the death of the owner, assets skip their children and go to grandchildren (or great-grandchildren), ultimately saving on multiple layers of estate tax. Only needed by those with a lot of moolah.

widow-makers (trees?): Trees whose tops have broken off. The tops are held up by another tree. Eventually wind or gravity bring them to the ground, sometimes with fatal consequences.

popple (which means tumbling like boiling water-a verb) tree: In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, aspen trees are called popple.

rainstick: A long, hollow tube filled with small nuts, beans, or stones. When you turn a rainstick on its end, the filling falls to the bottom, producing a sound like rain.

the composition of glacial debris: Glaciers pick up stones, rocks, and boulders as they move south. When they melt, they leave this glacial debris behind.

TOR, the Navy’s “onion router”: TOR is short for “The Onion Router.” TOR directs Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network consisting of more than seven thousand relays to conceal a user's location and usage. The original concept was developed by the Navy.

Pine Marten (a mammal?): Yep, they are about two-feet long from tip of nose to tip of tail. They’re

related to weasels and are great tree climbers.

Faraday bag: It blocks electromagnetic fields so signals from your electronic device can’t escape. For example, if you don’t want your cell phone tracked, which can happen even if you have it turned off, you can store it in a Faraday bag.

I was surprised the Happy Reaper, a hit man Seamus has encountered in previous books, could use drones effectively in the forest. I would have loved for your setting-character to have messed with him. Have you flown drones?

My drone knowledge comes from reading. Drones are used in a variety of ways by large forest owners to monitor forest conditions, inspect insect damage, direct wildfire management, and perform a host of other activities. The only real difficulty of using them in a forested area is taking off and landing; otherwise they fly above tree level.

Knowing bird behavior, Seamus uses bird watching as a guise to his advantage during surveillance. How does that help him?

Walk a dog in the suburbs and no one will report you to the police as a suspicious character. In rural areas you can use birdwatching to the same effect. Seamus’s birdwatching knowledge has also provided him clues others might not recognize. Throughout much of the world, birds are the first scavengers of dead animals—nature’s large-scale recyclers. In the winter, as was the case in Cabin Fever, Bald Eagles are the main scavengers. In Empty Promises, which takes place in summer, Turkey Vultures and Common Ravens play that role. Knowing that can lead the curious to discover dead animals.

Birds are aware of everything going on in the woods, and when something they don’t expect happens, their reaction is often to go silent and freeze in place until they can figure out whether they are in danger. Being aware of that behavior, as Seamus is, can tip you off to something unusual happening in the woods around you.

Seamus hates coffee and golf. Do you?

I don’t drink coffee, but during my working years, I used to play golf moderately well. For those who care, my handicap was 12. Once I retired, I stopped playing golf because I no longer needed an excuse to be outside.

Other than his skewed values as a hit man, the Happy Reaper seems an intelligent, logical, and well-rounded sort. He even likes coffee. Does this “normal” man have the makings of an archenemy?

If you forgive the Happy Reaper his profession, there is much to admire about him. He has reached the pinnacle of his profession through hard work and perseverance; he continues to hone his skills to stay on top; and he guarantees his results. He’s the epitome of the Protestant work ethic—other than that pesky detail about not killing. I hope I have made him a worthy antagonist.

“That’s enough excitement for one day. Right pumpkin?” [Seamus says to his granddaughter.]

“Right!” Megan parroted.

Except it wasn’t. Not even close.

Empty Promises, Kindle Loc 158

How do you know when and where to use foreshadowing effectively?

Until readers are fully hooked into a story, it’s important to encourage them into the habit of turning to the next page, next scene, next chapter, until at some point they are fully invested in your story. The first sentence must be good enough to make readers want to read the second sentence. The first paragraph must be strong enough to get them to read the second. For print books, I hope to layout the first page so it ends in the middle of a sentence, encouraging them to turn the page. (With electronic books, I don’t have this control because readers set their own margins and font size.)

If I’ve taken the reader with me over those first hurdles, the next big test comes at the end of the first chapter. That’s where the quoted lines come in. I hoped to accomplish several things with them. (1) Let people know that, even though when they turn the page they’ll discover a second point of view, the characters they have been following aren’t done for the day. (2) Introduce an expectation that further trauma is coming soon to the McCree clan. (3) Subtly suggest (and this is the foreshadowing aspect) that Seamus has no clue what is about to happen—and neither do you, dear reader, so please continue my magic carpet ride.

The technique is a bit of intrusion into the story. I’m borrowing future knowledge to try to convince the reader to stay with me by promising it will be worth their time. I felt I needed to take the risk of this intrusion because the next chapter would break the current storyline and introduce a new POV.

A little of this technique goes a long way. As a reader, I’m willing to grant an author this kind of intrusion once or twice early in the story. More often or later in the story, and my antennae go up—I begin to wonder if the story needs this kind of infused tension because there isn’t enough actual tension inherent in the story.

It reminds me of a story my minister told when he was looking through his father’s old sermons. In the margin of one was the note: raise voice here—point weak.

Do grandchildren remind grandparents of how important their lives are in terms of role models or in how they will be remembered? Is it a promise to the child—part of inheritance?

The cynical part of me thinks that how our grandchildren turn out reflects how well we raised our children, and so we invest in them to prove we did well by our own kids. Equally cynical is the thought that perhaps we are still in a power struggle with our children and spoiling our grandchildren is one way of doing battle. Then there is the issue of our impending mortality. We have meaning only as long as someone still remembers us. Our grandchildren will be around longer than our kids, so perhaps we are trying to promote a positive image to enhance our long-term status.

My less cynical self suggests that by the time most of us are grandparents, we know our ability to affect major changes is (almost) over. The world’s hope is the kids, and so we want to share our experience to try to give them a leg up as they search for their place in the world. And our subversive selves try to counteract the “errors” our children are making raising their children. That’s why we spoil them and teach them to drive a car when they’re 11.

Have you plotted your major characters’ arcs throughout the series?

I am a pantser and my characters continue to surprise me. For example, I had no clue until Cindy became pregnant that Paddy would become Mr. Mom, or that Seamus, who some have called a curmudgeon, would become a doting grandfather.

The one exception to that is Seamus’s mother. I’ve delved into her soul and plumbed her secrets. I understand just how far she will go to protect them. Those secrets and what she has and will do to protect them are the engine of McCree family dynamics. Despite the series consisting of suspense stories and thrillers, their heart is the McCree family—how they relate to each other, and how they change from those interactions.

“Breaking out of the woods several yards away from the vehicle, he [Happy Reaper] recognized its cant meant two flat tires. “Strike three,” he muttered. “No more Mr. Nice Guy.” (Kindle Loc. 3654) How would Seamus respond to this comment?

Seamus would not be surprised. He knows he has crossed a line that he can’t uncross when it comes to his relations with the Happy Reaper.

What’s next for Seamus and where will he be located?

The sixth Seamus McCree novel is titled False Bottom. It takes place shortly after the completion of Empty Promises. Uncle Mike O’Malley, Seamus’s surrogate father, is gunned down. Seamus returns to his Boston roots to handle the retired Boston police captain’s estate. He discovers Uncle Mike left him more than just stocks and bonds to worry about. The secrets and intrigue put the entire McCree clan at risk.

An Interview with Edith Maxwell Writing as Maddie Day By E. B. Davis

“Where were you at between three o’clock and seven

o’clock tonight, Roberta Jordan?”

I swallowed. “I told you. I was here in the store,

and then in my apartment in the back.” I’d watched enough

TV shows to know the drill. “I didn’t leave.

I was alone. I didn’t talk to anyone.”

I was innocent.

Maddie Day, Flipped For Murder (pages 24-25) 

I’ve been a SinC Guppy long enough to watch Edith Maxwell’s career rise. First it was one series, now it’s four! Writing under the pseudonym, Maddie Day, The Country Store Mystery series is Edith’s most recent addition, her second for Kensington Publishing. Flipped For Murder, the first book in the series, was released last week.

I enjoyed the book and couldn’t help but think Robbie Jordan, the main character, was somewhat of a departure for Edith. Two of her series main characters feature Quaker women. Robbie admits she isn’t in the slightest way religiously bent. She doesn’t even know how to pray. If you haven’t yet read the book, do so. Robbie Jordan is a refreshing character due to her multi-faceted skills and surprising backstory.   

Please welcome Edith back to WWK.              E. B. Davis

How did you arrive at the pseudonym Maddie Day? Did your publisher think it up?

I thought it up. I had suggested Ruthie Drew, but they didn’t like that, so we went with Maddie. It has the important qualities of being easy to spell, easy to pronounce, three syllables in total, with the last name being near the top of the alphabet. I kind of broke the rule about pseudonyms being original – there are already a couple of Maddie Days out there, but not many, and certainly none are authors.

Please give our readers the jacket cover synopsis?

Nursing a broken heart, Robbie Jordan is trading in her life on the West Coast for the rolling hills of southern Indiana. After paying a visit to her Aunt Adele, she fell in love with the tiny town of South Lick. And when she spots a For Sale sign on a rundown country store, she decides to snap it up and put her skills as a cook and a carpenter to use. Everyone in town shows up for the grand re-opening of Pans ‘N Pancakes, but when the mayor’s disagreeable assistant is found dead, Robbie realizes that not all press is good press. With all eyes on her, she’ll have to summon her puzzle-solving skills to clear her name, unscramble the town’s darkest secrets, and track down a cold-blooded killer – before she’s the next to die…

You lived for a time in Southern Indiana, where your book takes place. What aspects of the area were your favorite and least favorite?

I loved living in Bloomington. The pace of life is slower, people are really friendly, and it’s a small
town with a huge university in it, so you can find culture, a food co-op, political activity – the works – while still being able to walk or bike anywhere. Brown County, where I placed my fictional South Lick, is the next county over and is just lovely. The only downside to the Midwest is no ocean. I’m a fourth-generation Californian, and I thought I’d miss the sea more than I did.

Robbie expresses dismay at her town’s name, South Lick. You’ve even given the town backstory. Is South Lick real? Was the Jupiter sulfur spring real?

Pluto Spring, 1903. Licensed under Public 

Domain via WikiCommons.

Great question. No South Lick is fictional, but lots of basketball fans have heard of French Lick, the real town where Larry Bird is from. It’s a little farther south than Brown County, and featured a major spa-centered resort a century ago. Lick just means there was salt in the area. The Jupiter sulfur spring is based on the Pluto spring in French Lick.  

Why would Robbie, a California born and raised woman, return to her late mother’s hometown to live?

Robbie’s new husband ran off with a fighter pilot, and her Aunt Adele lives near South Lick. So Robbie fled California to work as a chef in Brown County; at least she had family nearby.

How did a twenty-seven-year old engineer, a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, and carpenter end up as a chef?

She always loved cooking, and definitely enjoys eating. I have noticed that a lot of engineer-types are great cooks, as long as they have a recipe to follow. Robbie has branched out into inventing dishes by now.

Robbie likes her flute of wine, enjoys a smidgeon of Four Roses Kentucky Bourbon, and isn’t averse to indulging herself now and again in calories and men. She also confesses to being non-religious. As a Quaker in real life, why did you create such traits for Robbie?

It’s fun, and refreshing, to write a protagonist who isn’t like me. Well, okay, I also love cooking. And bourbon. (And men…) But I’m definitely not a bicyclist, and I wish I were better at carpentry than I am. It’s too late for me to open my own store and restaurant, so I’ve enjoyed her challenges as she makes this new life work.

Some of your characters enjoy put-down jokes about Kentucky. Is there a rivalry between states?

Yes! The jokes I include are definitely the PG version, too...

You’ve created some strong female mentors and friends for Robbie. Although Danna, Robbie’s new assistant, shows her strength, Robbie supports and mentors her. Who is Danna and why does she need Robbie’s support?

Danna is nineteen and the daughter of the tall, bigger-than-life mayor. Her mom wanted her to go to college – Danna just wants to cook, and she’s good at it. Robbie needed help in the restaurant and Danna showed up at exactly the right time. Her mother is a single mom with one child, just like Robbie and her mom, so Robbie feels that connection, too. But Danna’s last work situation was less than ideal, and working with Robbie at Pans ‘n Pancakes helps make life right again for her.

Many cozy mysteries show inept law enforcement officers. At first, I thought you would portray Buck, a Deputy Sheriff for Brown County, in a similar fashion, but Buck is a more balanced character. Why did you give him more credence?

I didn’t want to write the bumbling southern cop. Buck drawls and seems little dim, but he definitely isn’t. Maybe I had my image of Andy Griffith in the back of my mind – he was kindly and slow-talking but he didn’t let criminals get away with anything.

Robbie came to Southern Indiana from the sun/fun of California. She expresses surprise by the interest of two men. Is this just another of life’s ironies or does the lack of anonymity in a small town change the odds?

The Story Inn and General Store, 

which provided inspiration for the series.

As a Californian, I can say that the sun/fun reputation of my home state is more myth than reality.

Most people go to work, come home, have a family life, and maybe even never go to the beach. Robbie does feel the always-in-the-public-eye effect of the small town, and her business only adds to that. She grew up in Santa Barbara, which, while not a huge metropolis, is a bustling coastal city where you’re not in the spotlight if you don’t want to be. Plus, for the previous three years she’s been living and working in the county seat of Nashville, a larger town than South Lick, so yes, having these two cute guys interested in her all of a sudden does take her by surprise.

Small town business owners compete for customers. Is sabotage a problem you’ve heard tales about or experienced?

No. I just made it up!

Several of your secondary characters competed for my affections, but Robbie’s Aunt Adele won. At seventy, she’s worn many hats in the small town, and she has a love life. Did you create her character to bust stereotypical notions of the small-town spinster? And what’s with the sheep?

I love Adele, too. She just came to me, as so many characters do. She’s somebody I’d like to know, and especially be related to. I have several awesome older female relatives and friends, but Adele is her own woman. As for the sheep, running a sheep farm is her idea of retirement. She spins, knits, and loves being outdoors, and still has lots of energy at seventy, so it’s not a big stretch.

Robbie’s main exercise is long-distance bicycling. Do you share the same interest?

No! I mean, I don’t mind riding along where it’s flat. But I hate riding up hills. I did get information about the habit from my sons, who, like Robbie, think it’s relaxing to go out for a couple of hours of really hard hill cycling.

Secrets play a role in your mystery, but it’s apparent that few are true secrets. Is the secret holder always the last to know his secret—isn’t?

I don’t know. I just follow my characters around and write down what they do. No, of course it’s not that easy, but that’s my basic process. Secrets, true or not, are part of the package.

Your short story, “Pickled,” contained in the A Shaker of Margaritas: That Mysterious Woman anthology introduced the series. In what stage were you in creating the series when you wrote the short?

I think I had the series in mind, but I hadn’t written the proposal or gotten the contract yet.

Although it is hard to imagine writing four series, how do you keep all the conventions of each publishing house straight while writing?

I don’t really have conventions to worry about. It’s more a matter of trying to work on one book at a time, so I keep the voice and setting distinct. So far I think it’s working.

Tell our readers about Grilled for Murder, the second book in your series. Do you have a release date?

Erica Shermer may be the widow of handsome local lawyer Jim Shermer’s brother, but she doesn’t appear to be in mourning. At a homecoming party held in Robbie’s store, Erica is alternately obnoxious and flirtatious—even batting her eyelashes at Robbie’s boyfriend Jim. When Erica turns up dead in the store the next morning, apparently clobbered with cookware, the police suspect Robbie’s friend Phil, who closed up after the party. To clear Phil and calm her customers, Robbie needs to step out from behind the counter and find the real killer in short order.

The release date is May 31. This series is on a seven-month schedule, so they come along fast and furious. I’m halfway through writing book three, When the Grits Hit the Fan, right now. And yes, Danna will come up with a cheesey grits dish as a special. Keep your fingers crossed (and your preorders lively) for another three books in the series.

Do you have an agent, Edith?

The able John Talbot is my agent. He has all the right connections, and has been successful in selling a number of cozy series on proposal to the big New York publishing houses. He’s the agent for all the Wicked Cozy Authors, the fabulous group I blog with every weekday. Please come visit us.

Are you a spring or fall person?

I love them both, although I spend the first few weeks of fall grieving the passing of summer

produce. Spring in New England is pretty spectacular – finally green and color after the long winter – so you have to love that, too.

Thanks so much for these really insightful questions. I’ll bet readers have some questions, too, which I’m happy to answer. And here are a few for them:

·      Do you have a breakfast favorite you’d like Robbie to offer?

·      Do you also love the Midwest, or are you more of a coastal person?

·      Finally: bicycling – yes or no? If yes, wearing “outfits” and riding twenty miles or more, or are you more like me, puttering along on the flat with one pants leg rolled up, possibly even not wearing a helmet?

Maddie and I will give away a copy of FLIPPED to one lucky responder. We will pick the sixth reader who contracts E. B. Davis at writerswhokill@gmail.com. Please put Maddie Day in the subject line. 

Agatha-nominated and national best-selling author Edith Maxwell writes the Country Store Mysteries (as Maddie Day), the Local Foods Mysteries and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries, and the Lauren Rousseau Mysteries (as Tace Baker), as well as award-winning short crime fiction. Maxwell lives north of Boston with her beau and three cats, and blogs with the other Wicked Cozy Authors. You can also find her at www.edithmaxwell.com, @edithmaxwell, and on Facebook.