A Very Woodsy Murder - An Interview & Review

Today I'd like to welcome Ellen Byron back to Cozy Up With Kathy. Ellen starts a new series with A VERY WOODY MURDER which was released this week.

Kathy: You start a new series with A VERY WOODSY MURDER. Why branch out into the woods?

EB: My family had a cottage on a lake in the Connecticut countryside for over thirty years. I love the country and California is filled with gorgeous, bucolic regions my husband and I have visited. And on my very first trip to CA, my great-aunt took me to Columbia State Historic Park and the impression it made has lingered with me ever since. My agent and I were batting around ideas for a new series. He brought up Schitt’s Creek, which my husband and I watched from the moment it debuted on PopTV. We love Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara and will watch them in anything! Anyway, the mashup of Hacks meets Schitt’s Creek occurred to me. It was a way of incorporating my past as a sitcom writer into a series without having to set a series in the actual sitcom world, which felt too close to me.

 

Kathy: The Golden Motel is a prime example of mid-century modern. Is this a favorite design aesthetic for you? 

EB: It’s actually a rustic, ranchy mid-century look versus the sleek look of Googie architecture. I love it all! I grew up with a mother who loved historical architecture, hence the settings of my Cajun Country and Vintage Cookbook Mysteries. (Elegant 19th century homes in both cases.) My parents didn’t appreciate mid-century architecture when I was growing up. In fact, they hated it. But then Jer and I bought an MCM ranch house in Studio City, CA, and they became fans! I love it. I’m totally into the architecture of the 20th century. Really, of all eras. If I wasn’t a writer, I think I’d be an architectural historian. If there is such a thing.

 

Kathy: You share some career similarities with protagonist Dee Stern, both being screenwriters. Have you ever left a career to start a new one? One with which you had no experience? 

EB: In a way, my whole writing career fits the second description. After college, I worked – or looked for work – as an actress. I did some shows and quite a few commercial voiceovers. But I didn’t land enough jobs to keep me busy, so I used my free time to write a play. That kicked off my writing career. When I first began writing, I’d never studied it before. But the chairman of my college theatre department told me I should pursue writing. (She was a lit and crit prof.) I dismissed it at the time. Years later, when I was transitioning from TV to writing mysteries, I tracked Professor Baringer down and told he she was right!

 

Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story? 

EB: Aside from the fun of tapping into my former career as a sitcom writer, I loved the idea of finally setting a series in California, my adopted state. I’ve always said I’m a New Yorker who lives in California. With this series, I feel like it’s time to identify as a Californian. And be proud of it.

 

Kathy: Authors are required to do a lot of their own marketing, especially for a new release. What's your favorite part of marketing your work? What do you dislike about marketing? 

EB: I love coming up with new swag to share with readers and also coming up with fun takes on my Shameless Shilling Campaigns, which are my way of owning the fact I have to promote my books and letting my readers in on the journey. And I really enjoy creating my newsletters. What I don’t like is the time marketing can eat up. There are days when I’ve spent so much time marketing that I don’t have time to write. I also don’t like that I have no way of quantifying how much my marketing moves the sales needle.

 

Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books? 

EB: Yes! FRENCH QUARTER FRIGHT NIGHT, my 3rd Vintage Cookbook Mystery, launches on September 3rd. It revolves around Halloween in New Orleans. I’ve spent a few wonderful Halloweens in the Big Easy and incorporated some of my experiences into the book. I’m excited about it!

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Review 

A VERY WOODSY MURDER by Ellen Byron

The First Golden Motel Mystery

Burned out from life as a screenwriter in Los Angeles Dee Stern is ready for a new start and finds it in a crumbling motel at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Convincing her best friend Jeff Cornetta to buy the Golden Motel with her the fledgling moteliers have their work cut out for them. Their first guest has an agenda, and it's not helping Dee's new business. When he winds up murdered, the friends are seen as pariahs...and suspects. With two law enforcement agencies battling to quickly close the case Dee and Jeff decide it's in their best interest to try to solve the murder themselves. 

 

Friends with zero hospitality experience decide to open a motel in the middle of nowhere. What could possible go wrong? Fortunately for readers a lot goes wrong-cue in one dastardly screenwriter, murder, and bad pastries, and a lot goes right, snappy dialogue, unique characters, and a lot of humor. There are a few running gags I particularly enjoyed, the one with Emmy and Oscar in particular always made me smile. I really love the relationship between Dee and Jeff and like how they work as a team. Some of the characters are a bit over the top, but fun to have around. 

I appreciate the balance between getting their motel up and running and dealing with the citizens of both towns while working with law enforcement and investigating on their own. Several suspects, lots of motives, and more than one red herring made for an enjoyable mystery.

 

So don't be a cidiot, grab your own copy of A VERY WOODSY MURDER.