Kathy: The divorce of chefs Charly and Cliff Harding fuel the plot of Christmas Trifle. The exes soon run competing restaurants in Snow Lake Nevada. Have you ever worked in a restaurant or wanted to be a chef?
HH: When I was a struggling actress/writer in NYC back in the Punic Wars, I worked in several restaurants as a waitress before I started getting jobs in my fields. In fact, there is a joke that goes: "If every actor in New York got an acting job, all the restaurants would have to close." Pretty near the truth.
Kathy: In the divorce Charley gets the cat, Felix, while Cliff gets custody of Oliver the dog. I can't imagine losing custody of one of my animals. Has that ever happened to you?
HH: I have never been divorced. I've been married to the same man for 37 years. But once again, when I was in NYC in my youth (Punic Wars, remember?), my roommate and I were moving to separate apartments. We had two cats, David and Chet, and we split them up. I got Chet, a tuxedo cat, she got David, a gray and white cat. Other than that, the situation has never come up. Both cats lived happy, long lives, I'd like to mention.
Kathy: What first drew you to romantic suspense?
HH: I think romance and suspense are a natural. Let's face it, love makes the world go round. And everyone loves a mystery!
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
HH: My short stories can be anything that strikes my fancy, but when it comes to novels, I tend to write cozy mysteries, PI mysteries, and now romantic suspense.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
HH: The Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries are novels that revolve around a family-owned detective agency in today's Silicon Valley. It's humorous, bright, and sparkly, highlighting familial relationships. But the mystery always leads the way. Into the fifth book (out of seven), my protagonist, Lee Alvarez, ultimately winds up with the man of her dreams, Gurn Hanson. In fact, this duo became so popular, I developed a spin-off series called Love Can Be Murder. These mystery novellas feature the two of them as sort of a Silicon Valley Nick and Nora Charles. Then there's the Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries taking place during the WWII era. These books feature a tall, full-figured but self-assured gal, Persephone 'Percy' Cole. Percy becomes one of the first female private eyes in the country, blazing a trail for others to follow. Set in Manhattan, Percy Cole has an on-again, off-again romance with Detective Hutchers. But the Snow Lake Romantic Suspense Novels are a departure for me. First off, in each of the previous series, each woman is a private investigator (albeit in Lee Alvarez' case, a reluctant one) and they are the main protagonist. In Snow Lake, the stories feature two amateur sleuth chefs married to each other.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
HH: That's like asking a mother if she has a favorite child. Even if I did, I wouldn't admit it!
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
HH: Christmas Trifle came to me when I saw how so many people lose who they are in a marriage, only to be unhappy and ultimately, seek a way out. I wanted to address that. In my opinion - and it's only my opinion - a marriage survives best when both partners respect one another and try to be honest. Compromise is the ticket, not selling out.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
HH: This is my 14th novel. Of course, I'd publish it.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
HH: Dashiell Hammett, Agatha Christie, Stephen King, and William Shakespeare.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
HH: My friend, Cindy Sample, has just written her 8th book in the Laurel McKay Series. I love her work. I have the honor of reading an advance copy of Dying for a Double. Also reading Margaret Dumas, Murder at the Palace. Love her, too.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
HH: My hobby is sharing life with my husband, Norman. He is a musician, very talented, and a great guy. For instance, tomorrow we go to Jazz in the Plaz in Los Gatos to see their latest offering in summer jazz.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
HH: Fat-free whipped cream, pine nuts, Hallo Ice Cream, (freezer), and fruit.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
HH: Absolutely! I am in the midst of writing the seventh book of the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries, Casting Call for a Corpse. Then I will start Alimony Can Be Murder, book three of the Love Can Be Murder series. Spring Thaw, Book two of the Snow Lake Romantic Mysteries is close behind. If only there were three of me! I love all the characters I write about in each of the series. Frankly, I see myself writing into the sunset. I love it!
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
HH: Stuff like this. I get to meet interesting people like you and your readers. And I get to write!
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Christmas Trifle (A Snow Lake Romantic Suspense Mystery) by Heather Haven
About the Book
Romantic Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Wives of Bath Press (September 1, 2019)
Number of Pages - 322
When chefs Charly and Cliff Harding divorce, she gets custody of their upscale restaurant and its namesake, Felix, the cat. He gets custody of their dog, Oscar. What they both still have custody of is each other’s heart. But they seem to be the only two people in the small ski resort town of Snow Lake, Nevada, that don’t know it. When Cliff opens his own restaurant in direct competition with Charly, bad things start to happen. Death threats, accidents, and murder are now on the menu. Their ‘if-you-can’t-take-the-heat-then-get-out-of-the-kitchen’ battles are backfiring, and regrets consume the two of them. But can they find their way back to each other? Or is it too late? Because they just might spend the rest of their lives in prison unjustly accused of killing someone. Or can love triumph over even murder?
About Heather Haven
Heather Haven, in the midst of writing her fourteenth novel, has also written short stories, comedy acts, television treatments, ad copy, commercials, and plays. She has won numerous awards for her Silicon Valley-based Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries; Manhattan-based WWII Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries; Ringling Brothers’ Circus mystery noir, Death of a Clown; and Corliss and Other Award-Winning Stories. She has two romantic suspense series: Love Can be Murder Mystery Novellas with Lee Alvarez and Gurn Hanson, the Nick and Nora Charles of Silicon Valley, and the new Snow Lake Romantic Suspense Novels, of which Christmas Trifle is Book One.
She and her husband of thirty-four years are allowed to live with their two cats, Ellie and Yulie, in the foothills of San Jose, California.
Author Links:
Website - http://www.heatherhavenstories.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeatherHavenStories
Twitter - @HeatherHaven
Purchase Link - Amazon
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I enjoyed reading about Heather Haven. I also look forward trying her Christmas Trifle. Heather is a new author to me, but I already see that I'll be reading her books.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ginger! You've made my day!!
DeleteThank you, Kathy, for hosting me. This is a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteSo many twitter options that i didn;t enter as i don't have twitter but i do wish you luck with this and you are a new author to me so am glad that a paperback is an option I wish you much readers with doing this tour peggy clayton ptclayton2@aol.com
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