Why Mysteries?

I have been a fan on mysteries since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. I loved all the 70s Saturday morning cartoons where the amateur sleuths solved the crimes and capers…”The Funky Phantom,” “Josie and the Pussycats,” “Speed Buggy,” “The Pink Panther.” The list is long. These were definitely my gateway mysteries to my current habit.

I read lots of genres, but I always gravitate n to the mystery. It has so many interesting subgenres and has been a reading staple for so many for generations.

Here are my Top 10 reasons…

1. I love a good puzzle and the opportunity to solve it before the end of the book.

2. I want to see justice served in the end.

3. Mysteries are an escape from the craziness of normal life.

4. Cozy mystery sleuths always have interesting jobs and hobbies. I like to learn new things.

5. The locations are intriguing. I love take book vacations to all kinds of interesting places.

6. The amateur sleuths are fun. They prove that every-day people can solve crimes. (As a kid, I loved that Nancy Drew was a teenager with a car who could solve crimes before the adults did.)

7. The mystery genre has so many subgenres that there is something for every taste. I bounce around from sweet and cozy (but deadly) to dark thrillers that keep me up at night.

8. I love puns, double entendre, and other kinds of wordplay. Mystery writers are masters at multiple meanings, clues, and red herrings.

9. I am fascinated with technology, pop culture, and science, and they all appear everywhere in this genre.

10. The community of mystery writers is so amazingly kind and generous with their time and advice. It is such a fabulous group to be a part of. I just came back from the Malice Domestic Conference in Bethesda, MD, and it was a whirlwind weekend full of so many mystery writers and readers.

And that’s why I love mysteries. What would you add to my list?

Squeeee! I'm so excited about my new series!

I am so excited. My new cozy mystery series by Level Best Books is launching in January, and it’s the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

I am a beach girl, so this has been so much fun to write. Jade Hicks is the owner of ‘Tis the Season, a Christmas shoppe in the tiny town of Mermaid Bay, Virginia. It’s near the Historic Triangle on the coast near Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Jade spends most of her days (and nights) striving to keep the store viable in today’s crazy world.

Jade has a great team who helps her keep the brick-and-mortar store open year-round to cater to tourists during beach season. They are Peppermint Patti Hall, the bubbly ball of energy who has the world’s largest Ugly Christmas Sweater collection, Lorelei Tucker, the fashion plate of an aunt who keeps her ear close to the Mermaid Bay gossip mill, and Bernie Nash, Jade’s part-time handyman and Santa doppelganger. They help her share the Christmas spirit with the locals and thousands of visitors who flock to our town that prides itself in preserving the historic traditions of a bygone era.

Jade’s trusty sidekick and faithful companion is Chloe, a French bulldog who likes long walks on the beach, frequent naps, and plenty of snacks. She’s a good ambassador for the store. Though she grudgingly shares that role with the tuxedo cat, Neville (the Devil Cat) who really rules the showrooms with his iron paw.

Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones is the first in the series. They will be followed by Twinkle Twinkle Au Revoir and A Tisket a Tasket Not Another Casket.

Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones opens with the town’s big Christmas in July festivities that include a lighted boat parade, a fun run in the sand, and a Christmas craft show. Before all the hubbub starts, Jade and Chloe start their day with a quiet walk on the beach to enjoy the sounds and smells of the shore. It was the perfect beach day. The puffy white clouds floated above the bay, dotted with a few ships on the horizon. Seagulls and sandpipers outnumbered the people, and the lapping of the waves on the wet sand provided a soothing soundtrack. All was quiet until a scream rang out and shattered the peace.

An early morning jogger tripped over something in the sand that turned out to be a suitcase that had washed ashore. Its contents, a collection of bones, a skull, and rusty pistol spilled out onto the sand and drew a small crowd of gawkers. The gruesome discovery, along with some cryptic warning notes that some of the local business owners received a few days earlier, rock the small community. Word spreads like wildfire, and the town leaders schedule an emergency meeting to decide what to do about the weekend’s festivities and the macabre find.

Thankfully, calmer heads prevail, and the Sheriff (and Jade’s handsome boyfriend) Nick Driscoll reminds everyone that his office had stepped up security. There didn’t seem to be any imminent threats, and he warns everyone to be cautious. His investigation is ongoing, so he didn’t offer any more details, and unfortunately, that didn’t calm some of the jangled nerves. In the absence of an explanation, rumors about mob hits and murders fly around faster than a pickup game of Frisbee.

Jade and most of the other business owners in town are excited about the upcoming festivities. The hope is that this will be the start of a new annual tradition for Mermaid Bay, and a night that everyone in the town will never forget.

Here’s the cover of the first book in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. I am so excited that Chloe made the cover. (Neville the Devil Cat will be jealous when he finds out.)

Christmas-Themed Mysteries for Your #TBR List

In January, my Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries launches with Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones. While it’s not a Christmas story, it is a mystery series set in and around a Christmas store in the fictional little beach down of Mermaid Bay.

Here’s a sampling of Christmas-themed mysteries (in no particular order) that you may want to add to your holiday TBR list.

• Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

• The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

• The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P. D. James

• The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers

• The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

• The 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

• Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson

• The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

• Away in a Manger by Rhys Bowen

• Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia Manansala

• Candy Cane Murder Joanna Fluke

• Lark! The Herald Angels Sing by Donna Andrews

• Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

• Twisted Tea Christmas by Laura Childs

• A Gift of Bones by Carolyn Haines

• He Sees You When You’re Sleeping by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

• “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” by Arthur Conan Doyle

• Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews

• Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt

• Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt

• Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle

• The Diva Cooks a Goose by Krista Davis

• A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

• Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany

• Dying in a Winter Wonderland by Vicki Delany

• Six Cats a Slaying by Miranda James

• A Merry Murder by Kate Kingsbury

• A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

• An Eggnog to Die for by Amy Pershing

• Christmas Cocoa Murder by Carlene O’Connor

• A Puzzle in a Pear Tree by Parnell Hall

• Sacred and Profane by Faye Kellerman

• Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem by Diane Kelly

What would you add to the list?

Have You Read the Classics? A Quick History of the Mystery

Do you ever go back and read classic mysteries? I try to sprinkle in some every so often to make sure I’m varying my reading habits. The best class I took as an undergraduate was “The History of the Mystery in American and British Fiction.”

These books are time capsules to a different era. Here are some interesting tidbits I came across when I was researching a presentation on the topic.

• “Three Apples” in Arabian Nights is often cited as the first mystery story. (However, the hero didn’t solve the murder.)

• Edgar Allan Poe is often called the Father of the Modern Detective Story. (If you’ve never been to the Poe Museum in Richmond, you need to add it to your bucket list.)

• In 1868, Wilkie Collins wrote Moonstone, which is credited as being the first English detective novel.

• Anna Katherine Green is the Mother of American Detective Fiction. She wrote The Leavenworth Case in 1878.

• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes in 1890.

• The Golden Age of detective fiction in Great Britain was roughly 1914-1945.

• Agatha Christie published The Mysterious Affair at Style in 1920, and she earned $125.

• Winnie the Pooh creator, A. A. Milne, wrote The Red House Mystery in 1922 for his father.

• In 1928, a group of detective fiction authors (including Christie, Sayers, and Chesterton) created the Detective Club to define the rules for fair play in mysteries.

• After World War II, the police procedural as a subgenre became popular. This is often attributed to the surge of patriotism and the return of the war heroes in uniform.

Here’s alist of classic mystery and detective fiction authors you should check out. They’re in no particular order.

• Edgar Allan Poe

• Anna Katherine Green

• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• Agatha Christie

• Dorothy L. Sayers

• G. K. Chesterton

• E. C. Bentley

• Margery Allingham

• Freeman Wills Croft

• Josephine Bell

• Philip MacDonald

• Dashiell Hammett

• Raymond Chandler

• Ellery Queen

• Erle Stanley Gardner

• Mickey Spillane

• Rex Stout

• Carroll John Daly

Who would you add to the list?

15 Things about My Sleuth - Jules Keene

Jules Keene is the owner of the Fern Valley Camping Resort, home to vintage trailers and tiny houses. She first appears in Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers. Here are 15 things that you may not know about my amateur sleuth.

1. Redhead

2. Drives a Silver Jeep Wrangler

3. Born in 1983

4. From Fern Valley, Virginia

5. Graduated from James Madison University in 2004

6. Degree in Interior Design

7. Likes hiking and camping

8. Named after Demi Moore’s Character in St. Elmo’s Fire

9. Named her dog after the classic Bijou movie theater in town

10. Divorced the Idiot in 2010

11. Her parents bought the Fern Valley Camping Resort in the 1970s

12. Her boyfriend Jake is named after the character in 16 Candles

13. Crafts in her spare time

14. Savvy with social media

15. Appears next in Film Crews and Rendezvous (October 2022)

Book Links

Apple Books: ‎Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers on Apple Books

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Trailers-Blackmailers-Heather-Weidner/dp/1685120369

Barnes and Noble: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

BookBub: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner - BookBub

BookShop: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers a book by Heather Weidner (bookshop.org)

Booktopia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers eBook by Heather Weidner | 9781685120375 | Booktopia

Goodreads: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner | Goodreads

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vintage-trailers-and-blackmailers

Target: Vintage Trailers And Blackmailers - By Heather Weidner (paperback) : Target

Thalia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers von Heather Weidner - eBook | Thalia

 Summary

There is nothing like finding a dead body, clad only in a red satin thong, on your property to jolt you from a quiet routine. Jules Keene, owner of the posh Fern Valley Camping Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is thrust into the world of the Dark Web when one of her guests, Ira Perkins, is found murdered in the woods near her vintage trailers. Jules quickly discovers that the man who claimed to be on a writing retreat was not what he seemed, and someone will go to any length to find what he left at her resort. Jules, along with her Jack Russell Terrier sidekick Bijou, has to put the rest of the missing pieces of a blackmailing scheme together before her glamping business is ruined.

Jules’s resort, set in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville in the quaint town of Fern Valley, offers guests a unique vacation in refurbished and upcycled vintage trailers. Hoping to expand her offerings, she partners with her maintenance/security guy to create a village of tiny houses, the latest home DIY craze, but a second murder of a reporter interrupts Jules’s expansion plans. Curiosity gets the best of her, and she steps up her sleuthing to find out what Ira Perkins was really up to and what he was really hiding at her resort.

Secrets from VINTAGE TRAILERS AND BLACKMAILERS

I had so much fun researching and writing VINTAGE TRAILERS AND BLACKMAILERS, and here’s where some of my ideas came from for this book…

Vintage Trailers and Tiny Houses

My husband does a lot of home renovation projects. He also restores classic cars, campers, and boats from time to time, so we watch a lot of videos and shows on YouTube and Discovery+. A while back, I ran across shows on restoring vintage trailers, and I decided that would be a perfect job for Jules. She uses her interior design experience to restore and decorate the trailers they saved from scrap heap. Jules themes each of the campers with special décor like the 1947 Robin Hood Trailer that is decked out in honor of its namesake, the 1959 Sunliner Caravan that sported a posh pink Barbie fashion design in honor of the year that the camper and the doll debuted, and the 1953 Redman New Moon, decorated in honor of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball’s movie from the same year, The Long, Long Trailer. The tiny houses all have a book or author themes and fun amenities like a revolving bookcase or a reading nook for the guests to enjoy.

I am fascinated with the tiny house craze. People are so creative, and they maximize space and storage in buildings that range from 400 to about 1,400 sq. ft. If the houses are built to be transported, then they need to fit within a car lane on a standard road. I would love to have one of these for a writing retreat.

Campgrounds

My aunt and uncle owned a traditional campground in Nelson County, Virginia near Crabtree Falls in the 1970s. We had so much fun visiting there in the summer, even if the mountain stream was freezing in June. She had a game room, and that’s how I learned to play pinball. Jules’s resort is based on some fond memories of Crabtree Falls.

My Love of All Things 80s

Jules is named for Demi Moore’s character in ST. ELMO’S FIRE. Her last name is a tribute to all the women who wrote the Nancy Drew mysteries under the pseudonym of Carolyn Keene.

Jake is named for Jake Ryan from SIXTEEN CANDLES.

Bijou the Dog

Bijou, the energetic Jack Russell Terrier, is based on the sister-half of the dynamic duo that live at our house. Disney, even though she just turned eleven, is still spunky and keeps her brother Riley on his toes. They love snuggles on the couch in front of the fireplace, any kind of snack, and chasing the squirrels and chipmunks in the woods near our house.

Book Links

Apple Books: ‎Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers on Apple Books

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GGBFWT5

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Trailers-Blackmailers-Heather-Weidner/dp/1685120369

Barnes and Noble: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

BookBub: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner - BookBub

BookShop: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers a book by Heather Weidner (bookshop.org)

Booktopia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers eBook by Heather Weidner | 9781685120375 | Booktopia

FNAC: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers - Dernier livre de Heather Weidner - Précommande & date de sortie | fnac

Goodreads: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner | Goodreads

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vintage-trailers-and-blackmailers

Target: Vintage Trailers And Blackmailers - By Heather Weidner (paperback) : Target

Thalia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers von Heather Weidner - eBook | Thalia

The second book in the series, FILM CREWS AND RENDEZVOUS will be out in October 2022.

It's My Book Birthday!

My new cozy mystery series launches today with Level Best Books. Many thanks to Shawn, Verena, and Harriette!

There is nothing like finding a dead body, clad only in a red satin thong, on your property to jolt you from a quiet routine. Jules Keene, owner of the posh Fern Valley Camping Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is thrust into the world of the Dark Web when one of her guests, Ira Perkins, is found murdered in the woods near her vintage trailers. Jules quickly discovers that the man who claimed to be on a writing retreat was not what he seemed, and someone will go to any length to find what he left at her resort. Jules, along with her Jack Russell Terrier sidekick Bijou, has to put the rest of the missing pieces of a blackmailing scheme together before her business is ruined.

Jules’s resort, set in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville in the quaint town of Fern Valley, offers guests a unique vacation in refurbished and upcycled vintage trailers. Hoping to expand her offerings, she partners with her maintenance/security guy to create a village of tiny houses, the latest home DIY craze, but a second murder of a reporter interrupts Jules’s expansion plans. Curiosity gets the best of her, and she steps up her sleuthing to find out what Ira Perkins was really up to and what he was really hiding at her resort.

Book Links:

Apple Books: ‎Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers on Apple Books

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GGBFWT5

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Trailers-Blackmailers-Heather-Weidner/dp/1685120369

Barnes and Noble: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Booktopia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers eBook by Heather Weidner | 9781685120375 | Booktopia

FNAC: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers - Dernier livre de Heather Weidner - Précommande & date de sortie | fnac

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vintage-trailers-and-blackmailers

Thalia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers von Heather Weidner - eBook | Thalia

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Marilyn Levinson (Allison Brook)

I’d like to welcome Marilyn Levinson/Allison Brook to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday. I am having so much fun reading her Haunted Library series.

A few of your favorite things: my books—read and unread, chocolate bark, mystery series in any format, dining out, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, visiting other countries

Things you need to throw out: Clothing I haven't worn in three years, linens I no longer use, kitchen utensils I no longer use

Things you need for your writing sessions: My computer, of course; my movable bumpy footrest, good lighting, silence

Things that hamper your writing: The zing of an incoming email, noise.

Things you love about writing: Typing away when it flows; finishing the book; getting emails and messages that someone's just read one of my books and loved it, communicating with my fellow writers and with readers.

Things you hate about writing: When the words don't flow

Hardest thing about being a writer: Your work is never done—there's always another book, more promotion to work on

Easiest thing about being a writer: Your workplace is in your home. Your world involving your Work In Progress; communicating with readers and other writers; your agent and publisher; and information and research are all at your fingertips.

Things you never want to run out of: ideas, books, British mystery shows, book contracts

Things you wish you’d never bought: a George Foreman rotisserie, a very large and complicated Cuisinart Food Processor

Favorite foods: pasta, Indian food, ice cream, honeyed nuts, cheese

Things that make you want to gag: drinking milk

Favorite beverage: white wine

Something that gives you a sour face: lemonade without sugar

Something you’re really good at: knitting, Sudoku, teaching

Something you’re really bad at: using crutches, adding things to my website

Things you always put in your books: relationships, secrets

Things you never put in your books: erotica, death of a child

Favorite places you’ve been: South of France, Machu Picchu, Paris, England

Places you never want to go to again: some small islands in the Caribbean

Favorite books (or genre): mysteries, good literature

Books you wouldn’t buy: erotica,

Things that make you happy: Seeing my grandchildren, getting good reviews, watching a good movie

Things that drive you crazy: parents who let their children run wild in public; unnecessary horn blowing

About Marilyn:

"I was a bookworm from the moment I learned how to read. I devoured Nancy Drews, Judy Boltons, and Trixie Beldons – sometimes two books in one day. Was it any wonder I ended up writing mysteries?

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I dreamed of becoming a ballerina or a writer. I practiced my pirouettes and penned short stories. My family moved to Long Island, where I continued to write stories until I was discouraged by a high school English teacher. Turned off to writing, I continued to read voraciously in college and concentrated on my major, Spanish. I studied in Mexico and Spain, intent on becoming fluent in the language. I taught high school Spanish, married my dentist husband, and we started a family. When our two sons were small, I found myself drawn back to writing fiction.

A writer is a writer forever. We may have more than our share of disappointments, but the rewards are many – knowing you bring joy to readers; sharing the camaraderie and support of your fellow scribes. Writing is a way of life, one I wouldn’t relinquish for anything."

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Help Marilyn celebrate her new book at her Facebook Party on September 10 from 7-10 PM EDT.