Cozy Up With Kathy: Murder in the Secret Maze

Friday, April 10, 2020

Murder in the Secret Maze - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm happy to welcome Judith Gonda to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Judith writes the Tory Benning Mystery series. MURDER IN THE SECRET MAZE is the first book in the series and

Kathy: Tory Benning is a landscape architect. I have always been fascinated by this particular branch of gardening, especially having grown up near Frederick Law Olmstead designed gardens and parkways. How did you choose this career for Tory?

JG: Thank you for having me. That’s a great question! The short answer: my older daughter, Jennifer, is a very talented landscape architect. The longer answer is I’ve always loved the beauty of nature. Also, my husband is an architect so I’ve had an up close and personal view of the field (pun intended) of architecture and all it encompasses. Landscape architecture is a fascinating combo of many fields really. In addition to horticulture, the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, environmental and health sciences, psychology, sociology, and the visual arts all play a role in designing beautiful, functional, and even therapeutic public and private outdoor landscape and hardscape spaces. So yes, gardens. But also, design, and all the many considerations that influence design. At the University of Southern California, where my daughter earned her Master in Landscape Architecture degree, the landscape architecture program is a part of the School of Architecture. Along with learning about every aspect of plants, students learn about design, water conservation and systems from an engineering perspective, computer-assisted design, and much more. For readers who want further information about Tory’s education here is a link to USC’s landscape architecture programs https://arch.usc.edu/master-of-landscape-architecture-and-urbanism

Kathy: Do you enjoy gardening? Do you follow any landscape architecture style? Or do you just plant what you like wherever it fits? Do you have a favorite landscape architect?

JG: I love to nurture in general, but I must confess I kill about fifty percent of my houseplants, even succulents, on a fairly regular basis (Not intentionally--I’m not planning a plant-murderer series!) I either over or under water them. But I do have a big palm and dracaena that are decades old. I do best with the plants that perk up after I’ve forgotten to water them with a cheery “all is forgiven” attitude.

I prefer a minimalist, zen-like landscape architecture style because of its calming effect. But I also love the beauty, intricacy, and textures of a traditional English-style garden. But alas, neither style shows up in my own backyard. I live in Los Angeles where we experience periodic droughts so our backyard only has patches of green because we have cut back on watering. But we do have hardy lemon, grapefruit, and tangerine trees, the lemon being the most consistent and bountiful producer.

My favorite landscape architect is my talented daughter, Jennifer Regnier.

Kathy: MURDER IN A SECRET MAZE features a garden maze. I've always wanted to attempt a hedge maze. Have you ever been in one?

JG: I lived in England for five years growing up and my absolutely favorite thing in the world was to go to the maze at Hampton Court. Pure delight for someone who has always been obsessed with puzzles and figuring things out.

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

JG: I started reading traditional mysteries when I was in grad school. I didn’t have any money nor a TV. My main source of entertainment was to go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison library and explore the mystery section. I loved Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, Lord Peter Wimsey, Nick and Nora Charles, Adam Dalgliesh, Roderick Alleyn, and, of course, Sherlock Holmes. I would binge a whole series. Many years later I started reading Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich, maybe not cozies in the strict definition but, to me at least, in the same spirit—a plucky female sleuth who’s fun company. I also like Diane Mott Davidson, Jerrilyn Farmer, and Jenn McKinlay among others. And Robin Stevens who writes mysteries for young readers.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

JG: So far, only mysteries.

Kathy: Tell us about your series.

JG: Thirty-three-year old California landscape architect Tory Benning is living her best life. She works at her family’s successful landscape architecture and nursery business and has just gotten married to Milo Spinelli, a rising star architect, at the beautiful Hotel Santa Sofia’s gardens and adjacent Secret Maze which she designed, when Milo disappears without a trace. Tory immediately suspects foul play, but the police aren’t so sure, thinking Milo might have had second thoughts, which prompts Tory to conduct her own search for Milo, dragging along her BFF, lawyer Ashley Payne, as her Watson to Tory’s Sherlock. So starts the first book in the Tory Benning Mystery Series. The rest of the book describes Tory’s quest to find out what happened to Milo, with murder, a stalker, family secrets, and many twists and turns along the way.

The subsequent books in the series will show how Tory’s problem-solving skills, empathy, and network of friends in and out of the criminal justice system, along with her clever use of technology and social media, enable her to solve crimes.

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

JG: In my series, my favorite character is Tory Benning. She’s my favorite because one minute she’s living her best life, and then she gets a one-two punch with the loss of her father and her husband. I’m a big fan of character development in books and TV because it’s hopeful and inspirational and makes the characters seem real. Currently, my gold standard is how brilliantly all the characters develop in the TV show Schitt’s Creek. My delight and challenge will be in showing how Tory copes with her loss and comes out a stronger person over time. I’m a psychologist so it’s important for me to convey that everyone deals with loss and stress in different ways and at their own pace. And that’s okay.

Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

JG: Tory epitomizes resilience during highly stressful times, coping as best she can, even managing some humor with her friend Ashley in some very dark moments. I guess my inspiration was how I’ve seen myself and members of my own family cope when multiple stressful life events have occurred. It’s the tough times that test us and show us what we’re made of.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

JG: Generally speaking, I wanted to entertain people. This is the second book I’ve written but the first one that has been published. If it were totally up to me, both would be published, but unless you totally self-publish you can’t control what gets published. Every author is different, but I wanted to go the route I did because at this point in my career I like having the reinforcement of an agent and a publisher behind me.

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

JG: Sue Grafton, J.K. Rowling, Michelle Obama, and Hillary Clinton.

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

JG: I was supposed to moderate a panel at the Left Coast Crime Conference in March on The Analysis of Murder: The Psychology of Crime but the pandemic put the kibosh on that. I am just finishing the four (definitely non-cozy) mysteries and thrillers written by my fellow panelists which is a break from the more sedate mysteries I typically read: Dennis Palumbo’s HEAD WOUNDS, Sheila Lowe’s PROOF OF LIFE, Ellen Kirschman’s THE FIFTH REFLECTION, and Lauri Broadbent’s IMAGES.

Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

JG: I used to collect miniature fine china teacups when I was younger. Nowadays, I am into dog rescue. My two Pomeranians (and the inspiration for Tory’s Pom, Iris) are both rescues and over the last twenty years I’ve rescued other senior Poms and Yorkies.

Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

JG: Nonfat milk for the coffee and tea I drink all day while writing. Coffee. Tea. Cheese.

Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

JG: Yes, I am currently working on the second Tory Benning mystery, working title is MURDER IN THE CHRISTMAS TREE LOT. And after that, the third one’s working title is MURDER IN THE COMMUNITY GARDEN.

Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

JG: I really do adore everything about being an author. I love creating an idea for a plot. I love creating characters. The first draft is very difficult but exciting. But I actually like the later stages of revising best because that’s when all the fine-tuning, embellishing, and tweaking takes place which for me is a lot of fun.

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Murder in the Secret Maze (A Tory Benning Mystery) by Judith Gonda

About Murder in the Secret Maze

Murder in the Secret Maze (A Tory Benning Mystery)

Cozy Mystery 1st in Series

Publisher: Beyond the Publishing (February 26, 2020)

Paperback: 273 pages

First in a new series featuring California landscape architect Tory Benning!

Landscape architect Tory Benning knows the lay of the land, but she’ll have to dig through the clues to unearth a killer . . .

After a whirlwind romance and a glorious wedding at the luxurious Hotel Santa Sofia, Tory Benning is ready to let down her hair, slip into her dancing shoes, and celebrate—until she discovers that her newly minted husband has vanished. The police suspect cold feet and second thoughts are behind Milo’s disappearance, but Tory’s certain he’s met with foul play. And since she designed the plush resort, she knows every nook and cranny of the grounds and adjoining secret maze, and wastes no time delving into her search.

As clues begin to emerge that Milo may have taken his last breath in the maze, Tory steps up her sleuthing, even as she learns she’s the prime suspect of a cop with a chip on his shoulder and is squarely in the sights of a menacing stalker. And when a second body is found on the grounds, Tory fears she’s up against a killer determined to silence any and all who get in the way. .

Not to be deterred, Tory forges ahead, navigating a case with more twists and turns than the maze itself, until the labyrinth of clues leads her to shocking revelations about her husband, her family, and the identity of a killer who’s dead set on making her the next victim . . . .

About Judith Gonda

Judith Gonda is a mystery writer and Ph.D. psychologist with a penchant for Pomeranians and puns, so it’s not surprising that psychology, Poms, and puns pop up in her amateur sleuth mysteries featuring California landscape architect Tory Benning.