I'm pleased to welcome Kathryn Long to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Kathryn writes the Sierra Pines B&B Mystery series. Boarding with Murder is the first book in the series and was released earlier this month.
Kathy: In Boarding with Murder, we meet Ali Winston who has inherited her aunt's B&B. Have you ever wanted to run such an establishment?
KL: The mere suggestion sounds stressful to me! LOL Seriously, I despise housecleaning, which means I most definitely would need to hire someone to do that, and I tend to be pretty shy, which would make it hard meeting new people all the time.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
KL: Reading them. Whenever I want to escape in stories that are heartwarming and cheerful, they are my go-to. Writing them just came naturally.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
KL: I've ventured into other genres but then didn't go beyond that. I have published a traditional mystery, Buried in Sin; romantic suspense, A Deadly Deed Grows; and even ventured into contemporary romance/women's fiction with When I Choose. From now on I stick to mystery, whether cozy or traditional. That's my wheelhouse.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
KL: When Ali Winston loses her job as a screenwriter, she visits her great aunt but finds she's passed away, and Ali has inherited her B&B. The series centers around the small town of Sierra Pines and the bed and breakfast. Plenty of movie references and the occasional show biz character are included in the storyline.
I also write a cozy series under the pen name, Bailee Abbott. Book one in the Paint by Murder mysteries, A Brush with Murder is due out in October. Izzie Abbington opens a painting event business along the shore of Chautauqua Lake in southwest New York, and it's one of several craft shops situated on Artisan Alley. Chloe, her sister, comes home to Whisper Cove to help run it. Murder keeps the sisters under the county detective's radar.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
KL: That's tough to pick just one. I think it would be a tie between Gladys Bellwether and Florence Greeley. Gladys is eccentric and tends to drive you crazy with her incessant chatter, but the movie and Hollywood references are always interesting. And her kind and generous heart will endear readers to her. Florence, on the other hand, is feisty, opinionated, self-centered, yet entertaining. And if you can look underneath the surface, every once in a while, you'll find a softer more vulnerable side to her.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
KL: The movie classics and my love of Cary Grant, especially in Charade and To Catch a Thief, but also many of his older movies. While watching Arsenic and Old Lace, I thought it would be interesting to write about characters like the Brewster sisters who were quirky, dark, and endearing. And the idea to make many of my characters part of show business gave me the opportunity to put all those movie references in the story.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
KL: I've actually been at this for over twenty years. It was difficult to put myself out there and share what I'd written. Sometimes, you just have to hold your breath and take a leap! With this series, I found an agent who is fantastic! She's found publishers for both this series and my Paint by Murder series. I couldn't be more pleased.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
KL: Stephen King, James Lee Burke, John Steinbeck, and Emily Dickinson.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
KL: Booked for Death by Vicki Delaney on Kindle and Mumbo Gumbo Murder by Laura Childs on audio, and Dead-End Detective by Amanda Flower in paperback. Yes, I need all formats to fit all occasions :-)
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
KL: Watching classic movies, traveling to out-of-way places, researching historical tidbits, and all the holidays with family!
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
KL: Muenster cheese, peanut butter cups, mac and cheese, and tortilla chips
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
KL: I'm working on book 3 in the B&B series -- Blooming with Murder. (the second one, Snowed Under Murder is turned in and waiting for edits). Next, I will work on the second one in the Paint by Murder series -- Ghosted and Framed (tentatively titled).
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
KL: Being blessed to create stories. Every single time I finish one, I can't believe that's my writing, my creation. I'm so lucky!
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Boarding with Murder by Kathryn Long
About Boarding With Murder
Boarding with Murder (A Sierra Pines B&B Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Publisher: Camel Press (March 9, 2021)
Paperback: 220 pages
Take one quaint B&B, two kind but quirky caretakers, a dead aunt, a murdered friend, and you have mystery. Ali Winston finds she's inherited trouble along with her aunt's B&B, but can she reveal the killer before the curtain closes?
About Kathryn Long
Retired teacher, Kathryn Long now spends her days plotting and writing mysteries. Her most recent credits are romantic suspense novel, A DEADLY DEED GROWS and mystery, BURIED IN SIN. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime as well as of International Thriller Writers. Under the pen name, Bailee Abbott this author writes the Paint by Murder cozy series, starting with A BRUSH WITH MURDER soon to be released. Kathryn lives with her husband and furry friend Max in the quiet suburbs of Green, Ohio.
Author Links:
Author website: https://www.kathrynlongauthor.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KathrynLong.Books
Twitter: https://twitter.com/klongauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4203129.Kathryn_Long
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathylong7487/
Product Links:
What a wonderful interview. Thanks for sharing with us. I love to put peanut butter cups, chocolate bars and cookies in the freezer. They last a little longer, but they are so good just out of the freezer.
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Love the book cover and excerpt. Loved the review too. Would love to read and review this book and the author's other books in print format.
ReplyDeleteLike Lori Smankski, I love Peanut Butter Cups, Chocolate bars, Chocolate and so much more right out of the refrigerator. So much better when it's cold. My work friend put me on to this little secret tip and I've been doing ever since because I love it.
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Hope I Win
Great interview, Kathy! Definitely interested in this cozy by a new-to-me author! Thanks for the chance~
ReplyDeleteThank you, everyone!
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