I'm pleased to welcome Gianetta Murray to Cozy Up With Kathy. Gianetta writes the Vivien Brandt Mystery series. MOVED TO MURDER is the first book in the series and was released last month.
Kathy: In MOVED TO MURDER Vivien Brandt gets her wish and moves to a charming village in England. You have also made this move. What is the biggest challenge you each encountered by doing so?
GM: I was in my early forties when I did this, and it’s not a great time for making new friends. People my age were absorbed with their families and their careers, and I didn’t have a job the first year after I moved. I ended up joining a writing group, a choir, and a church; as a result, most of my first friends were people over seventy! They were all lovely but few of them wanted to “hang out” at hip restaurants or go see the latest Marvel movie. Vivien is more fortunate than I was, having some vibrant neighbors, but she too experiences the loneliness of being a stranger in a strange land.
Kathy: What is the biggest difference between Yorkshire and California for Vivien?
GM: Aside from the weather, probably just the conversational style, which is of course related to cultural identity. Even an introverted American looks extroverted by Yorkshire standards, where silence is strength and London is a noisy place you only go to if you must. Someone as friendly as Vivien is regarded with suspicion, which only makes her more loquacious! And for all that we supposedly share a common language, Yorkshire speak can still be challenging for me after 18 years living here.
Kathy: Vivien's cat, Sydney, also makes the transatlantic move. Is Sydney based on a cat you know or is he completely fictional?
GM: I did grow up with a cat who was part Siamese, so I know the howl is real. But generally, Sydney is an amalgam of the many cats I’ve known and loved, including Maddie, the elderly cat who kept me living in America for the first three years of my marriage for fear she wouldn’t survive the flight. Eventually I had to risk it, and she came through with flying colors, spending her last six months cozied up to a fireplace she didn’t have in California and enjoying the wide, radiator-heated English windowsills.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
GM: I’ve always been a fan of Golden Age writers, particularly Tey and Marsh, and now enjoy Kate Carlisle, Eva Gates, and many more. Cozies give me an escape from the world into a place free from gore and excess violence, but they still take on some serious issues that make you invested in the resolution. Characters are celebrated, murders are restrained (often not happening until the middle of the book!), and justice generally reigns. I especially like the funny ones.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
GM: I’ve published a collection of humorous paranormal stories (A Supernatural Shindig) and I also publish stories in other genres as part of anthologies, including a recent one about Greek gods playing with the fate of the world (in Spring Paths). But no matter the genre, my common thread is humor. I find it hard to write without it.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
GM: MOVED TO MURDER is the first book in the Vivien Brandt mystery series, although I’m halfway through writing the second and have plot outlines for two more. It’s about a fortysomething woman uprooting her life in California when she marries an Englishman and decides to move to Britain. Despite a deep, abiding love for the England portrayed in television and film, she finds reality more daunting, especially after the bodies start cropping up.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
GM: I adore Vivian’s neighbor Hayley, who is deaf but more interesting for her apparent colorblindness in clothing. Coming up with crazy outfits for her is a lot of fun.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
GM: A lot of the incidents in the book are taken from my own experience (barring the murders, of course). My writing group found a couple of them hard to believe, but it’s true, I did get in the wrong side of my car one morning and think for a moment someone had stolen the steering wheel. I’m also in Facebook groups with a wonderful bunch of American expats, and they tell the most hilarious stories about adapting to life in the UK. (Shout out to my Cali Girls!)
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
GM: As far as I can tell, I was simply born with the desire. I have degrees in English literature, which I owe to reading many published authors. In my past careers as a technical writer and librarian, I’ve had my work published in newspapers, journals, and manuals and felt that small thrill, which I then wanted to transfer to my favorite genre: mystery fiction. I simply enjoy writing, and hope that translates in a way that brings joy to readers. But even if it doesn’t, I will always write because of the joy it brings to me.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
GM: Wow. Tough one. As mentioned previously, Josephine Tey would be there. There’s so much about her we don’t know. And maybe I’d have Nicola Upson, who writes a mystery series with Tey as the protagonist, just because it would make Nicola so excited to meet her. T.H. White, author of one of my favourite books, The Once and Future King, would be interesting, and finish off with C.S. Lewis, who has always fascinated me as someone who struggled with his faith. I guess I just likes me some tortured writers!
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
GM: SKIN LIKE SILVER, by Chris Nickson. He’s a local author I recently met while waiting in line (or “the queue”, as they say here!) for a Frances Brody book signing. I was accidentally rude to him, and my belated apology sparked a conversation. I spend a lot of time lately reading books by fellow authors I’ve met. Thank goodness most of them have been good, so I can look the authors in the eye when we meet again.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
GM: You’ll get a good description of my TV tastes in Moved to Murder, as Vivien shares them. I’m a huge fan of cult shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls, rewatching frequently. Interior design also features, and I love touring all the stately homes here in Britain. My husband and I recently bought each other ukeleles and are just waiting for his retirement to become proficient (although we are already pretty good at the Skye Boat Song).
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
GM: I periodically make the 40-minute slog to Costco in Sheffield to ensure I have Skippy smooth peanut butter available (English peanut butter is an abomination) and a supply of Oreos. Taco shells (soft and hard) are a must, although it’s hard to find soft corn shells where I live. I make Mexican food at least once a week. And the English excel at cheeses, so you can always find a variety at our house.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
GM: Other than the occasional contribution to an anthology, my goal right now is to get at least the first three Vivien Brandt books written and out there. If they are successful, I have an idea for a historical mystery series featuring Susannah Wesley, the mother of John Wesley, who started Methodism. She was a fascinating person who bucked religious and gender norms and had a huge influence on those around her. But Vivien first. The second book has her getting involved in local politics, and in the third we’ll get to know her American family more as they all take a cruise together.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
GM: It’s probably a tie between the joy I feel when my imagination starts firing on all cylinders and waking up in the morning realising I don’t have to take a train to work. My last job involved a lot of train travel. In future I’m hoping it will be receiving the unstinting adoration of my readers. ;)
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Review
Moved to Murder: A Vivien Brandt Mystery by Gianetta Murray
About Moved to Murder
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - South Yorkshire, England
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd (June 5, 2024)
Print length: 266 pages
Vivien Brandt (forty-something editor, librarian, and future interior designer extraordinaire) has spent decades dreaming about a life in England, and thanks to her marriage to second husband Geoffrey, her dreams are finally coming true. She and her cat Sydney (who is considerably less excited about leaving the warmth of California) are the newest inhabitants of a cosy South Yorkshire village.
But as Vivien meets the locals - including the vicar, a charismatic politician, and a pair of troubled teenagers - she finds she still has a lot to learn about her new home. Especially after she discovers a body in it.
Now she must work with her neighbor Hayley and a somewhat mistrustful police inspector to uncover the village’s secrets and find a killer. Preferably, before the killer finds her.
Because it seems when the chips (crisps?) are down, the only common language between America and Britain… is murder.
About Gianetta Murray
Like her protagonist, Gianetta is California-raised and moved to England twenty years ago after marrying her British husband. She has worked as a technical writer, knowledge manager, and librarian in both countries and is currently owned by two cats who are unimpressed by her accomplishments but willing to tolerate her in return for food.
Author Links:
Website - https://gianettamurray.com,
gianettamurray | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
Purchase Links - US Link: Moved to Murder
UK link: Moved to Murder
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