MBP # 016 - Dangerous Talent 

If you love art mysteries, this podcast is for you. I profile the first in the Alix London series, A Dangerous Talent. 

First I gave a short update. Devious (On the Run book Five) is out. It’s a fun international heist mystery. If you’d like to read the first in the series, Elusive, I’d love to send it to you. Just sign up for my newsletter at http://Elusive.sararosett.com/ and I’ll send you Elusive. 

Book news reported on the rise in readers in the UK as well the new hack that lets you turn your old Kindle into a fridge magnet.

A Dangerous Talent features Alix London, a budding art conservator who is asked to authenticate a Georgia O’Keeffe painting in Santa Fe and becomes involved in a murder investigation. I touch on how the author captured the southwest setting as well the fun the author has pointing out some of the absurdities in the art world. 

This series will appeal to fans of Peter Mayle’s caper novels set in France. 

Show notes at http://www.SaraRosett.com.   

This episode opened with the Frequently Asked Question feature: how do I get my illustrator matched up with my story for my childrens' book?

If you're going traditional, you usually don't really get much input on the illustrator, but if you're self-publishing then you have the option of doing it exactly as you'd like. Check out Amazon's Kids' Book Creator. 

The book of the podcast was The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy by James Anderson. I touched on the revolving viewpoint and ensemble cast in this tightly plotted puzzle-box of a mystery set at an English country house. Side notes on the author's unusual twist on the character of the detective and my love of maps.

I highly recommend Egg Cosy for anyone who loves Agatha Christie.

Links to Kids' Book Creator and articles mentioned at http://www.SaraRosett.com.  

Episode 014 looked at the historical mystery, Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen.

My personal update: getting back to writing after the move (yay!) and going over copyedits for Devious (book five in the On the Run series). Look for the preorder soon. 

Book news focused on a possible new trend in publishing, publisher paid fact-checking and J.K. Rowling's upcoming Harry Potter play. 

I had to give a mystery TV alert: Death in Paradise, a Agatha Christie kind of show. There is also a book out by the creator of the show, Robert Thorogood, called A Mediation on Murder. 

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen is a light mystery set in the 1930s London with fun tidbits of royal trivial and intrigue. Check out this podcast out if you enjoy Downton Abbey or Gosford Park.  

Links to articles, the Rhys Bowen's website, and Death in Paradise at http://www.SaraRosett.com. 

MBP 013 opened with a personal writing update, the challenges of writing "short." News hit on Lumin, the new light-adjusting feature from Oyster, the new Kindle, and waterproof books. 

The book of the podcast was The Outsmarting of Criminals: A Mystery Introducing Miss Felicity Prim by Steven Rigolosi. I touched on the fun way this book plays on mystery and cozy tropes as well as the gentle fun the author pokes at books, bookstores, and the publishing industry. Check out this podcast if you enjoy the Miss Pollifax books or books featuring spinster sleuths (say that three times fast!) like Miss Marple. 

I'd love to know: who is your favorite spinster sleuth? 

Links at http://www.SaraRosett.com 

I get right to the book in episode 12 of MBP, Murder at Honeychurch Hall. I give an overview of the debut book in Hannah Dennison's new English country house series, Murder in Honeychurch Hall, a fast-paced book with zany characters. I touch on the characters, the plot, and a bit of backstory from the author on the inspiration for the book. 

Links at http://www.SaraRosett.com 

If you like Agatha Christie's Miss Marple or M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series, you'll want to hear about the book of the podcast, Under an English Heaven. 

This episode opened with a mention of The Sound of Music 50th Anniversary special on 20/20, which meshed nicely with my WIP, which is set in Salzburg. 

The Ask The Author feature answered another question I get a lot: Where do I get my ideas? (Spoiler…it's a vague germinating process, not a checklist). And I talked briefly about my disappointment with the series finale of Perception. 

The book of the podcast was Under an English Heaven by Alice K. Boatwright, the first in a cozy mystery series. Check out this podcast if you enjoy a modern take on the classic English village cozy.  

Episode Links at http://www.SaraRosett.com

Check out MBP 009 if you like Jane Austen and Agatha Christie, which Anna Dean blends together in her book Bellfield Hall. I admit that I’m too intimidated to try and write in the style of Jane Austen, but I loved this book, which, without referring to Austen, certainly is written in that style. I touch on letters as plot devices and the often confusing (to modern readers) forms of Regency address. 

In my writing world, I’m working on revisions to Ellie Book #9 and just finished proofing the audio files of the second book in the On the Run series, Secretive.

Book news was thin on the ground, so I detoured into a #GrammarDay haiku Twitter contest and mentioned two mystery TV shows, discussing the super-sweet (too sweet?) series finale of The Mentalist as well as an extended Agatha Christie mention on TNT’s Perception.  

Show notes and more at http://www.SaraRosett.com

Check out the MBP on Strong Poison for background on Dorothy L Sayers, the theme of the expectations for male vs. female artists, and “insta-love.”

I talked about the unique structure of Strong Poison as well as the thread of character development and relationship growth that runs through Sayers’ work, something that’s quite different from other Golden Age novelists, such as Christie, who wrote essentially stand-alone books featuring the same character. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christie’s books, too—I’m only pointing out the difference. As always, I closed with a quote. 

Bookish news hit on how all of North America is now a Kindle Unlimited Zone as well as the discovery of a possible new Sherlock short story. 

Links at http://www.SaraRosett.com

Episode 007 opened with a new, but not-so-regular feature, a Q & A session, or more specifically, one question from a reader and one answer (to keep it brief). I started with the most frequently asked question: do I design my book covers? The short answer is yes and no. :) More details in the episode. 

This week’s book was The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam, the first in a series about a globe-trotting mystery-solving thief. It is a bit different from my usual cozy-type read, but it is set in Amsterdam, after all, so we have to have some local color. 

This episode hit on author Chris Ewan’s inspiration and influences for the series, how he researches the different cities where the books are set, challenges in writing an anti-hero as a main character, and the always fun book-within-a-book theme. 

Links at http://www.SaraRosett.com 

Episode 008 of the Mystery Books Podcast opened with the news that has the publishing and reading world buzzing: Harper Lee will have a new book published. I gave the background of how the lost novel was found. 

The book of the podcast was one of my favorites, Elizabeth Peters’ Crocodile on the Sandbank. I touched on Peters’ many pen names, her background in Egyptology, how she broke into publishing (not with mysteries!), and her thoughts on her characters and writing. 

Check out this episode for background on Elizabeth Peters and how her most popular series began as a stand-alone as well as several aspects that make Crocodile a great read, including fun characters, a unique setting, and how Peters seamlessly weaves historical detail into the story. 

Notes at links at http://www.SaraRosett.com