Creative Alchemy

How many mysteries do you know of that are set in Canada's easternmost province?

Chatting with Mike Martin during this interview made me appreciate how vast and varied Canada is. Mike writes about an Alberta Cree man who now lives in Newfoundland, while I write about characters at the extreme opposite end of our huge country.

Where we're from and where we end up can often be two very different places. Mike and I touch on the idea that outsiders in a small community can have a perspective that longtime residents might not have. This can be essential sometimes for a mystery author's sleuth ;-)

I am personally always intrigued by how the places in a novel inform the stories and affect the characters. Mike's protagonist, Sgt. Windflower, has the unique experience of being from rural Northern Alberta. But he seems to have become quiet attached to the small Newfoundland community he finds himself in.

You can find out more about today's guest, Mike Martin, and all his books on his website SgtWindflowerMysteries.com. You can also find him on Twitter @mike54martin .

Click on any of the book covers to go to Mike's books on Amazon.

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Mike Martin

Alexandra: Hi, mystery readers. I'm Alexandra Amor. This is It's a Mystery Podcast, and I'm here today with Mike Martin. Hi, Mike.

Mike: Hi, Alexandra.

Alexandra: How are you doing today?

Mike: I am doing great. It's a beautiful sunny day in Ottawa.

Alexandra: Oh, good. Yes, it is here, too. Not too hot, so that's amazing. So, let me give our listeners an introduction to you.

Mike Martin is a long-time freelance writer and the author of the "Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series." The series is set in Newfoundland and features Cree, RCMP officer, Sgt. Winston Windflower who solves crime and discovers the natural beauty, food and culture of Newfoundland along the way.

The fifth and latest book in the series, "A Long Ways From Home" was shortlisted for the Bony Blithe Award, which every year recognizes the best light mystery in Canada. A new book in the series, "A Tangled Web" will be published in the fall of 2017. Now, if I got that right, has A Tangled Web just been published?

Mike: It will be out in September of this year.

Alexandra: September of 2017, okay. Very good. That's great.

Why don't you begin by telling us a bit about Sgt. Windflower? He sounds like a quite a unique character, he's a transplant from Alberta to Newfoundland and an Aboriginal man; he's Cree. Tell us a bit about him.

Mike: Sgt. Windflower is an interesting man, an interesting character. He came to me, as sometimes characters do, one of the creative ethers.

I discovered this out of the fog in Newfoundland, and in Grand Bank is a lighthouse that's often foggy near the White House.

Thriller author, and podcast host, Alan Petersen puts the writing adage, 'Write what you know' to good use in his Pete Maddox series.

As you'll hear, Alan was born in Costa Rica and grew up in South America. He's making the most of that experience by setting his first couple of fast-paced spy thrillers in that part of the world.

But he doesn't stop there and you'll hear us chat about the varied locations he's now introducing into his books and how he goes about researching locations he's never been to. Not to mention the CIA!

If you like your mysteries a bit more on the thriller end of the spectrum (think James Bond or Jason Bourne) then you'll love Alan's books. He's got two available now and the third one will be published very soon.

Also, if you like thrillers, check out Alan's podcast, Meet the Thriller Author. It's another great source for readers looking for new books to read and authors to follow. ;-)

You can find out more about today's guest, Alan Petersen, and all his books on his website AlanPetersen.com. You can also find him on Twitter @AlanPetersen.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Alan's books on Amazon

* Alan's podcast, Meet the Thriller Author

* The CIA website

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Alan Petersen

Alexandra: Hi, mystery readers. I'm Alexandra Amor, this is "It's a Mystery Podcast" and I'm here today with Alan Petersen. Hi, Alan.

Alan: Hi, Alexandra. How are you doing?

Alexandra: Very well. How are you?

Alan: Oh, I'm doing great. It's a Friday, so that's always good.

Alexandra: Yes. Yeah. Excellent. Well, let me just give our listeners a little bit of an introduction to you.

Alan Petersen writes the high-octane Pete Maddox thrillers. He lives in San Francisco, where he's working on publishing books number 3 and 4 in the series this summer, and we're recording this in June 2017. And Alan is also the host of the "Meet the Thriller Author" podcast, which we'll talk about a little bit.

And we've had some of the same guests on, I notice. Renee Paulish and John W. Mefford, to name a couple.

Alan: Oh yeah. Small world.

Alexandra: It is a small world. Yeah, exactly. Lots of mystery fans out there.

Why don't you give us a little bit of an introduction to Pete, and his world, and what he's up to.

Alan: Well, Pete Maddox is a... In the first book he's in the CIA, and he's a station chief down in Venezuela during the Hugo Chavez coup of 2002. So it's kind of based a little bit on historical, you know,

When we think of amateur sleuths from cozy mysteries we might not always think about someone named Granny.

Author Julie Seedorf writes two different mystery series, and today she's here to talk to me about her Fuchsia, Minnesota series featuring her feisty and independent heroine, Granny. In my experience, as readers we all love characters who live a little outside normal. Granny certainly fits that bill.

Julie's books are witty and whimsical, and it goes without saying that Granny is full of spunk. But Julie does not shy away from touching on the serious issues that confront us as we age. And as she points out in this interview, she does so with a light touch to shine a light on issues like memory loss.

Julie is also clearly someone who does everything from a deeply heartfelt place. A very recent example is the GoFundMe page she started for mystery blogger and reviewer Lisa K. You can click here to read Lisa's story at Julie's blog. Almost daily I tweet links to Lisa's cozy mystery book reviews - her site is a great source for finding new books and authors to read. I was honoured to be able to contribute a few weeks ago to the fund Julie started to help Lisa and her sister.

You can find out more about today's guest, Julie Seedorf, and all her books on her website JulieSeedorf.com. You can also find her on Twitter @JulieSeedorf.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Julie's books on Amazon

* Julie's friend and fellow Minnesota author Allen Eskens

* Julie's second blog, Sprinkled Notes

* Mysterious Musings blog

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Julie Seedorf

Alexandra: Hi, mystery readers, this is It's a Mystery Podcast, and I'm Alexandra Amor and I'm here today with Julie Seedorf. Hi, Julie.

Julie: Hi, Alexandra. How are you?

Alexandra: Very well, how are you?

Julie: I'm good. It's a beautiful day in Minnesota today.

Alexandra: Lovely. It's freezing here in Ontario, which is kind of unusual but there we go.

Julie: Well, we had over-the-top heat for the last two days and humidity, so this is nice today.

Alexandra: You're getting a bit of a break from that, are you?

Julie: It's not usually like that in June in Minnesota. So I don't know what August is gonna bring.

Alexandra: Exactly, yes. Well, let me introduce you to our listeners.

Good news for cozy mystery fans! Prolific author Paige Shelton still has lots of stories up her sleeves.

Paige is the author of four cozy mystery series (so far); The Farmer's Market series, the Cooking School mysteries, the Scottish Bookshop mysteries, and the Dangerous Type mysteries.

Today we chat about all of these books, as well as her book research trip to Scotland (only slightly postponed after a passport mishap. Also, no Jamie Fraser sightings, which is too bad. :-) ), how she writes multiple series at one time, and the special day a ghost came into Paige's writing space and helped her out with a book idea.

You can find out more about today's guest, Paige Shelton, and all her books on her website PaigeShelton.com. You can also find her on Facebook and on Twitter.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Paige's books on Amazon

* Wikipedia page about Doune Castle, as featured in Outlander

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Paige Shelton

Alexandra: Hi, mystery readers! I'm Alexandra Amor. This is "It's A Mystery" podcast and I'm here today with Paige Shelton. Hi, Paige.

Paige: Hi Alexandra. How are you?

Alexandra: Very well. How are you?

Paige: I'm doing great. Thanks so much for having me today.

Alexandra: Oh, I'm so thrilled to have you here. So let me give a little introduction to our listeners, I should say. And readers, I guess.

Since the age of seven when she penned a three line poem about a wayward kite, Paige Shelton has wanted to be a writer. In 1997, she decided to take that dream seriously and was determined she would be published by Y2K. Fortunately, the world didn't end as the calendar turned because she wasn't even close to being published in 2000 or 2001, for that matter.

It took 13 years of writing hundreds of thousands of words and receiving many rejections, some cruel, some helpful before she landed an agent and a contract for the first three books in her "Farmer's Market" mystery series which we're gonna talk about today.

"Farm Fresh Murder", published in 2010, hit the New York Times Mass-Market Bestseller list. Three more series and 15 books later, she's grateful to be living her dream and I'm so thrilled that you're here today page to talk about all these different series.

Let's start with the "Farmer's Market" series. The main character is Becca Robins and I was reading a description today that said, " Becca makes jam and she goes from making jam to being in one", which actually made me laugh out loud. I was sitting here at my computer. I thought that was hilarious.

Would you own and run a business with your family?

As Montana mystery author Leslie Budewitz points out in today's lively interview, not everyone could embrace such a challenge. But her amateur sleuth, Erin Murphy, does just that in the Food Lovers' Village Mysteries.

Leslie also has a second series of cozy mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and we have a great chat about the 'village within a city' setting that the market provides for spice shop owner, Pepper Reece.

If you live in Montana or Seattle, you can meet Leslie this month. She's doing a book tour supporting the release of her latest book, Treble at the Jam Fest. I've put a link below to the page on her website with all the details on where she'll be speaking and signing books.

You can find out more about today's guest, Leslie Budewitz, and all her books on her website LeslieBudewitz.com. You can also find her on Twitter @LeslieBudewitz.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Leslie's books on Amazon

* Link to Leslie's map of her fictional Montana town, Jewel Bay

* More about the Pike Place Market in Seattle

* Leslie's schedule of events in June 2017 - if you're in Montana or Seattle you'll have a chance to meet Leslie in person this month!

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Leslie Budewitz

Alexandra: Hi, mystery readers. I'm Alexandra Amor. This is It's a Mystery Podcast and I'm here today with Leslie Budewitz. I just realized, Leslie, I didn't ask you how to pronounce your last name.

Leslie: You know, my father had three brothers and they all said it differently. So I accept variations, but you got it just right.

Alexandra: Oh, good. Okay, that's great. Well, welcome to the show and Leslie...

Leslie: Thanks for having me.

Alexandra: Oh, you're so welcome. Let me give our listeners a little bit of an introduction to you.

Leslie Budewitz writes two cozy mystery series, the "Food Lovers' Village Mysteries," set in Jewel Bay, Montana and the "Spice Shop Mystery," set in Seattle's Pike Place Market. She's a two-time winner of the Agatha Award, in 2013 for best first novel and in 2011 for best nonfiction for her guide for writers, "Books, Crooks, and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure."

She's a practicing lawyer which fascinates me, the immediate past president of Sisters in Crime and the Montana representative to the board of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

Where would you find an interior decorator, her tea-leaf reading best friend, and a hot fudge sauce recipe to die for?

In Darling Valley, of course!

Today my guest, Cassie Page, shares with us her motivation and inspiration for writing the Darling Valley cozy mysteries, featuring amateur sleuth and interior designer, Olivia M. Granville (OMG).

We talk about her love of cooking (and her over 500 cookbooks!) and why she chose not to write culinary cozy mysteries, but instead created the fictional Darling Valley just outside her home of San Francisco.

I also want to mention that Vered Ehsani, who was my guest on It's a Mystery Podcast episode 21, has a fun giveaway she wanted my listeners to know about. To celebrate the launch of her new Cozy Tea Shoppe Mysteries, she's giving away three handmade African tea cozies. Click here to learn more and enter the giveaway.

You can find out more about today's guest, Cassie Page, and all her books on her website CassiePage.com. Follow her on Facebook at CassiePageBooks.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Cassie's books on Amazon

* For the recipe for The Salted Caramel's delicious hot fudge sauce, go to CassiePage.com and sign up for Cassie's newsletter

* Wikipedia page about the town of Darling and Sir Charles Henry Darling, who it was named after

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Cassie Page

Alexandra: Hi, Mystery Readers. I am Alexandra Amor. This is It's a Mystery Podcast and I am here today with Cassie Page. Hi, Cassie.

Cassie: Hi. How are you, Alexandra?

Alexandra: Very well, thank you. Thank you so much for being on the show.

Cassie: It's my pleasure.

Alexandra: Let me just give our listeners a bit of an introduction to you.

Cassie Page is a writer living in San Francisco. She has published more than 50 books including hard backs and paperbacks, but most of her work is available as e-books. She's written in several genres, but focuses on her favorite--Cozy Mysteries--and that's why she's here with us today.

She has two series, the "Darling Valley Cozy Mysteries" set in the fictional upscale town of Darling Valley in Marin County and the "Tuesday Tea Leaves Cozy Mysteries." The second of which is due later this year, 2017, and is set in Hollywood.

Apart from writing, Cassie love the food scene in San Francisco, especially the one taking place in her kitchen where she loves cooking and rese...

Author Sandra Baublitz and I have in common a profound love for dogs.

Sandra's love is really specific in her Dog Detective series, with Paw the Saint Bernard as the detective protagonist, along with his human, Clarissa. In the interview, you'll hear Sandra and I talk about her writing routine, some new ideas for another cozy mystery series, and Dean the Basset, whom I'm very grateful Sandra introduced me to. ;-)

If you're a fan of Lilian Jackson Braun's 'The Cat Who...' series or Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown's Mrs. Murphy mysteries, you'll undoubtedly enjoy Sandra's cozy mystery series.

You can find out more about today's guest, Sandra Baublitz, and all her books on her website SandraBaublitz.com. You can also find her on Twitter @SandraInvesting.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Sandra's books on Amazon

* We mention Dean the Basset on Facebook. Here's the link to his page.

* Sandra's website, SandraBaublitz.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Sandra Baublitz

Alexandra: Hi, everyone. I'm Alexandra Amor. This is "It's a Mystery Podcast." And I'm here today with Sandra Baublitz. Hi, Sandra.

Sandra: Hi, Alexandra.

Alexandra: Am I pronouncing your last name right, by the way?

Sandra: Yes, that's correct.

Alexandra: Okay, good. Let me give our listeners a little introduction to you.

Sandra Baublitz has been a bookkeeper. She's worked at a greenhouse and raised and sold produce, among other jobs. However, writing is her first love. Her "Clarissa and Paw Mini Mystery" series has a lovable St. Bernard as a detective. The first story started out as a contest entry. Sadly, it didn't win and sat for many years, until Sandra dusted it off, edited it, and published it. There are now five short stories in one novel in the dog detective series of mystery books. Sandra doesn't own a St. Bernard herself. So for now, she is content to write about Paw while her two cats rule the household.

Tell us about Clarissa and Paw. Let's start there.

Sandra: Clarissa is the young woman. She's in her early 20s. And her Uncle Harry is a police chief. So she grew up to know about police investigations and such. And so she herself has gotten into investigating mysteries.

The first one pretty much was when she went to visit her cousin and realized that her uncle had been murdered. And, of course, Paw, he is her loyal St. Bernard, and he loves to get into mischief and dig into things. So, of course, she is going to find some clues that drag her into this mystery too.

Alexandra: Right, yeah. And in the introduction, I mentioned that you've always wanted to own a St.

If you like psychological thrillers in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, you're going to love this interview with best-selling author Rachel Abbott.

As you'll hear me mention in the beginning of the interview, Rachel is one of the UK's very best selling authors. And for good reason. She writes taught, twisty, psychological mystery-thrillers that keep her readers guessing until the very last page. If you're looking for some books that will keep you up at night, turning the pages, you've come to the right place. ;-)

Rachel is an incredibly busy - and generous! - author. She speaks at many live events each year, and also at prisons, which you'll hear her mention. I am so grateful that she took the time to speak to me for this episode of It's a Mystery Podcast.

No personal introduction on the audio from me today. It was a long weekend in Canada and I'm late getting the show out as it is. Enjoy!!

You can find out more about today's guest, Rachel Abbott, and all her books on her website Rachel-Abbott.com. You can also find her on Twitter @RachelAbbott.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Rachel's books on Amazon

* Rachel's website: Rachel-Abbott.com

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

Sadly, technology was not our friend during this podcast, so there is no corresponding YouTube video.

Transcription of Interview with Rachel Abbott

Alexandra: Hi, mystery readers, I'm Alexandra Amor. This is "It's a Mystery Podcast," and I'm here today with Rachel Abbott. Hi, Rachel.

Rachel: Hi, Alexandra, how are you?

Alexandra: Very well. How are you?

Rachel: Good.

Alexandra: Good. Well, thank you so much for being with me here today. I'm gonna give our listeners a little bit of an introduction to you.

Rachel Abbott was born and raised in Manchester and is now the internationally bestselling author of seven crime novels, including her most recent, "The Sixth Window." In August 2015, Amazon revealed that Rachel is the U.K.'s bestselling independent author over the last five years. She is also listed at number 14 in the list of U.K. bestselling authors both traditionally and independently published over the same five-year period, outselling authors like Jeffrey Archer and Jojo Moyes. Her books have been translated into seven different languages. Rachel presently lives in Alderney in the Channel Islands, which are between England and France, where she writes full time.

You have a really great story about how you began writing that involves a snow storm.

Why don't you share that story with our listeners?

Rachel: Well, yes, it kind of does. I'd been thinking for quite a long time that I would like to write. But like a lot of people, I couldn't find the time to do it. And I decided I really wanted to write about 10 years before I started, but I was still working full time,

What happens when you cross an entrepreneur with a literature professor and a frustrated blogger? Murder, of course!

My guest on today's podcast, Gilian Baker, has been a writing teacher for years. When she started working on a story during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) a few years ago, the muses took hold and they haven't let go yet.

Gilian and I chat about the very modern subject of her first cozy mystery novel, and the classic elements it also contains (a small town location and hemlock, naturally!). Gilian has two more books coming out this year and I will be sure to post and Tweet about them when they are released.

In the introduction I mention that my guest from episode 21, Vered Ehsani, has an amazing deal on right now for the box set of her Society for Paranormals mysteries, which she describes as 'Lara Croft meets Jane Austen in colonial Kenya'. Three novels for $0.99. Click here to learn more and grab this box set. This price won't last long.

Also (it's an embarrassment of mystery novel riches this week), my guest from episode 8, Robin Storey, has just released her latest book called A Time for Penance. It is also on special for $0.99 until May 22. Click here to check that one out too!

This podcast episode is sponsored by the free mystery novella, Charlie Horse.

1890. Frontier British Columbia. When one of her students is accused of a crime, will new schoolteacher Julia Thom be able to prove his innocence?

For a limited time you can click here, or on the cover image at right to get your free copy.

You can find out more about today's guest, Gilian Baker, and all her books on her website GilianBaker.com. You can also find her on Twitter @gilianbaker.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on the book cover to go to Blogging is Murder on Amazon

* Gilian's post on her site about how to avoid having your accounts hacked

* Read an excerpt from Blogging is Murder with commentary from Gilian

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And listen on Stitcher.

You can also click here to watch the interview on YouTube.

Transcription of Interview with Gilian Baker

Alexandra: Hi everyone, this is "It's a Mystery" podcast.

Matty Dalrymple is my first return guest to It's a Mystery Podcast and I'm thrilled to talk to her today about her new book, Rock Paper Scissors.

Matty is fascinated by the alienation that can be created when people are different or extraordinary. Both her spirit sensing sleuth, Ann Kinnear, from her first two books, and Lizzy Ballard, from the new release, Rock Paper Scissors, are characters who are set slightly apart from the average person. For me, what was interesting about this chat with Matty was that she has written two female protagonists who have reacted very differently to their respective situations. You'll hear us explore how Ann Kinnear, from The Sense of Death and A Sense of Reckoning has reacted to her abilities by withdrawing from the world. Whereas, Matty's newest protagonist, Lizzy, has a greater need to connect with the world.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by my cozy mystery novel, Horse With No Name.

Would you risk your life simply to be yourself?

Julia Thom is new to the small town of Horse, but she’s not new to trouble. When reclusive watchmaker James Hunter is beaten, but has no memory of the event, Julia vows to find the culprits. Even if Hunter hadn’t saved Julia herself from being assaulted, she would still be on the case; meddling helps keep her focus off her own complicated life. Julia is fast becoming a thorn in Police Constable Jack Merrick’s side and he flounders as he tries to figure out how to deal with such a headstrong woman.

When the attackers strike again and the violence escalates, Julia’s determination redoubles, putting herself in more danger than anyone could have anticipated. While Julia and Merrick grapple with finding unknown assailants, they must also find a way to come to terms with one another.

This novel is free for a limited time at all online vendors:

KOBO

Amazon

iTunes

Barnes and Noble

You can find out more about today's guest, Matty Dalrymple, and all her books on her website MattyDalrymple.com. You can also find her on Twitter @MattyDalrymple.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

* Click on any of the book covers to go to Matty's books on Amazon

* Matty was previously on Episode 26 of It's a Mystery Podcast

* Help for Independent Authors and Writers at The Indy Author.

* Matty's blog post about train stations

* Sign up for Matty's newsletter and receive a free short story

Press play (above) to listen to the show, or read the transcript below. Remember you can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. And