Check out the 2022 Indie Cozy Mystery
Book of the Year Finals!
Behind the Writing of Shifting and Shenanigans
Are any of your characters based on real people you know?
Many of my characters begin with a spark of someone I know. For example, lots of people tell me that they love Zell from the Magical Mystery Book Club series. She’s an 80-year-old spitfire. You’ll see that all my elderly characters have spunk and energy. They have a fantastic sense of humor, and very few filters. They demonstrate that age is just a number and doesn’t need to limit you. That spark of inspiration comes from my very own home! My 88-year-old mom!
Tell us about character traits that were fun or hard for you to include in the book.
It’s common that a book club has members who are all very much alike. In this series I had the best time creating a group of characters who are nothing at all like each other — but they come together over the course of the story to blend as a strong, loving unit of friends. The members range from zany 80-year-old Zell to serious CPA Emiko, to teenaged Forrest, and his flower-loving-hippie mother, Moonbeam. They are a motley group who surprisingly work well together, and who grow close over the course of the series.
Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book?
The library cat, a chocolate-point Siamese, changed the most from first draft to the finished book! He’s enchanted and he talks! I wasn’t sure about his name until he introduced himself to the group. His name is Franklin, but he prefers to be called Frank. He bullied his way into becoming one of the main characters. Turns out he has the voice of a man – an over-confident, bold, snarky, hilarious man! He and Zell make quite the pair.
Indie Author: Yes
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Publication Date: 07/15/2022
Sub-Genres:
Paranormal
Animal Mysteries
Page Count: 210 Pages
Synopsis:
Paige and her adventurous Aunt Glo inherit a country inn from eccentric GeeGee.
They pack up and hit the road, arriving at the charming place they both loved since childhood. Finally! They can get into the secret room in the basement that GeeGee kept locked! They discover it’s a wonderful library filled to the brim with mystery books.
But more than the room was a secret – it’s a magical place that houses enchanted books. Paige and Glo find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a murder mystery, along with a motley group of book club friends.
The club will need to work together to solve the case in order to get out of the book and back to their home.
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