Kathy: Merry has an eclectic group of friends of various ages, both in NYC and Autumn Vale. Is your circle of friends as eclectic with people from different generations? Do have both Shilos and Pishes?
VH: I have a group of friends whose ages range from fiftyish to mid-seventies, and acquaintances much younger. I don’t exactly have Shilos and Pishes, but my friends are quirky in their own unique ways, as we all are.
Kathy: Merry Wynter, who previously resided in NYC, now lives in a castle in the Finger Lakes region of NY. Jaymie Leighton lives in a 19th-century yellow-brick house on the Michigan/Ontario border but also stays in an island cottage. Sophie Taylor lives in an apartment above her grandmother's tea shop. If you could live in any of these places, which would you choose?
VH: What a great question! Sophie’s apartment is too tiny for me; I need storage… lots and lots of storage! I’d love to stay in Merry’s castle for a while, but I think it would get exhausting just running up and down stairs for stuff. And to clean!!! What a nightmare, not to mention the cost of running it, which is one of Merry’s main concerns. Ultimately I would love Jaymie’s house in Queensville, Michigan. I love everything about it, including the Belfast sink in the kitchen, the summer porch on the back and the long lawn ending in a parking lane behind.
But I kind of like Rose Tree Cottage, too… ;-)
Kathy: In Muffin But Murder Merry decorates the castle for a spooky soiree. Do you enjoy all things spooky? Do you like to decorate for Halloween?
VH: Actually no. I’m just not a fan of Halloween, and neither is Merry. (What a coincidence!) That’s why she tries to make it Hallowe’en Lite, though the coffin kind of lends itself to creepy!
Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for Muffin But Murder?
VH: It was basically a continuation from Bran New Death. The story wasn’t quite done yet, so I just continued on. It started with the party shop in Ridley Ridge… I got a clear image of the place in my head, and knew where I was starting.
Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Merry?
VH: I’m in the thick of writing Book 3 right this minute! Merry is up to her ears in elderly ladies, amateur opera, snipey tea parties and Binny Turner still convinced there is treasure to be found in the castle! A whole passel of folks have moved in, and she’s tearing her hair out by the roots, right now. Oh, and muffins. Always muffins!
Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books in any of your series?
VH: Dee-lighted! I just finished a copyedit of No Mallets Intended, Book 4 of the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, out November 4th! I’m so excited, because the copyedit gave me the chance to go through it again, and I’m hoping that readers like what I’ve done. Jaymie is excited too because she gets to go hunting for another Hoosier cabinet! It’s definitely mostly mystery, but Jaymie’s love life is going to be in turmoil.
Kathy:A new interview section-this or that. Pick one of the 2 choices given.
Library or Bookstore: Library. I believe in libraries and contribute my books whenever I can, especially to small town libraries with a small budget. Libraries kept me going back in the poverty stricken days. I just love browsing, and I’d always leave with a heavy stack of books: fiction, art, history, cookbooks, you name it!!
Expositional or Continuing Story: Do you mean a series? I adore reading series, and have several that I follow. I can’t wait every year for another Sue Grafton!
Editing or Marketing: Dang… marketing I guess, because I love talking to readers and other writers! But editing is fun; I’ve written the book, so I’m not in a panic, and I just get to go through and clean up, rewrite, perfect. So… both??
TV or Film: TV. I’m a stay-at-home type.
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate. With nuts.
Mountains or Beach: Beach. Mountains make me feel claustrophobic.
Tea or Coffee: Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon!
Cats or Dogs: Love dogs, but cats are just easier.
Summer or Winter: Fall.
Normal or Paranormal: Normal. Every time I try to write a paranormal, it turns out… normal. Mostly. Except for the werewolf series (Awaiting the Moon, etc.) I wrote several years back. Mwah-hah-hah!!
Vampire or Werewolf: Ah, well, there you go. Answered kind of in the previous question. Love wolves, so… werewolves, but only the kind that are actually beautiful wolves when they’ve shifted, not the standing-on-their-hind-legs, slavering, drooling and red-eyed kind of werewolf. Werewolves as heroes, I guess. Have a look at this page! http://donnaleasimpson.com/AwaitingSeries.html
Learn more about Victoria Hamilton and all her mystery series at: www.victoriahamiltonmysteries.com
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