Cozy Up With Kathy: Caught on Camera - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

Monday, October 28, 2024

Caught on Camera - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Kara Lacey to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Lacey writes the Camera Club Mystery series. CAUGHT ON CAMERA is the first book in the series and was released last month.

Kathy: In CAUGHT ON CAMERA we meet Bobbie Brooks, a photographer in Vermont. Do you like to take photos? Do you consider yourself a photographer, or just a point and clicker?

KL: I consider myself a photography enthusiast. I have tons of enthusiasm and limited talent. When I first started spending time in Vermont, I was taken in by its natural beauty—the mountains and forest, the quaint villages, and the charming farms. I bought myself a camera and started learning. I take photos daily, mostly with my iPhone, but I still explore the area with my DSLR.

Kathy: Bobbie is a member of the local camera club. Do you belong to any clubs in your town?

KL: The idea for the camera club came from a suggestion that I start one. I’d been out taking photos and walked into my village’s country store with my camera hanging from my neck. A man approached me, curious about the photos I’d been taking. He suggested I start a club. The idea intrigued me, but with a full-time career in Boston, I only visited Vermont on weekends, and didn’t feel I had the time. I don’t belong to any local camera clubs, but have been involved with photographers I’ve met online. We’ll do photography challenges together, post our photos in a private group, and critique each other's work.

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

KL: My mom. She’s always been an avid reader of both cozy and traditional mysteries. When I finally got curious enough to ask her for book recommendations, she pointed me toward Katherine Hall Page, Diane Mott Davidson, and Ann Cleves. Once I got started, I was hooked.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

KL: None that I’m published in. Last year during NaNoWriMo, I wrote a messy rough draft of a romance. I had a lot of fun with it, but I’m undecided whether I’ll pursue publishing in that genre.

Kathy: Tell us about your series.

KL: My Camera Club series combines my love for photography with my love for Vermont. Sometimes I think of the stories in this series as cozy mysteries with a hint of women’s fiction thrown in. Each story includes a mystery with lots of twists and turns, but in the background is the story of my protagonist, Bobbie Brooks, and her personal growth.

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

KL: My protagonist, Bobbie, is my favorite. The books in this series are her story.

Of my side characters, I probably like Rose the best. She’s spunky and fun-loving—always up for whatever adventure Bobbie throws her way. But she’s also smart in a way that isn’t outwardly obvious, and she keeps Bobbie in line.

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

KL: I’d say my small Vermont village is my biggest inspiration. Not only is it beautiful and quaint, but the interactions between people living in a small town where the landscape can make life difficult is fascinating. There’s a strong community spirit in rural Vermont.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

KL: That’s a good question. I sometimes think that I never really made a conscious decision to publish. When I first started writing Caught on Camera, I was mostly writing for myself. As I wrote, I learned, and one thing led to another. I joined writing organizations, found critique partners, attended mystery conferences, and met an agent who took me on. None of this happened overnight, but the steps I took led to publishing. It’s been quite a journey.

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

KL: Wow, there are so many authors I’d love to talk to. I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with Amor Towles. His prose is beautiful. I’d love to know how he does it. Chris Bojalian is a Vermont author. I’ve heard him speak, and he’s both kind and fascinating, and I’d love to learn how he does all the research necessary for his books. I’ve always admired Louise Penny’s talent for bringing her setting to life. What mystery fan doesn’t want to visit Three Pines? I’ll round out my party with Ann Cleeves. Not only does she write the most atmospheric settings, but her characters are fascinating.

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

KL: I’m currently reading a romcom by Leah Dobrinska—EXES DON'T. She’s fabulous (and also writes the Larkspur Library cozy mystery series). EXES DON'T is the third in her Fall in Love Series, and just published this week.

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

KL: Reading is probably my primary hobby. With so many good books out there, I can’t keep up. I don’t take photos like I used to, but I still consider photography to be one of my favorite hobbies. Art journaling is also a fantastic creative outlet. I’m terrible at it, but there’s nothing quite like getting messy with paints and collage.

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

KL: Yogurt, pasta, herbal tea, and dark chocolate. (Not terribly exciting—haha)

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

KL: Yes. I’m currently revising the second book in my Camera Club Mystery series. This one takes place in Vermont’s beautiful autumn season. The murder will happen at a masquerade party during the village’s annual Harvest Festival. I’m also getting ready to draft the third book in the series, which will involve the Christmas holiday season, a wedding, and a murder. I’m having a lot of fun with both of them.

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

I love the flexibility. I have deadlines, but as long as I keep myself on track, I decide what I write, when I write it, and where. I work best first thing in the morning, and I love that I can pour myself a cup of coffee and just get started wearing my yoga pants and a sweatshirt. All the things I’ve learned and people I’ve met have been a huge, unexpected bonus as well.

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Review

CAUGHT ON CAMERA by Kara Lacey
The First Camera Club Mystery

Widow Bobbie Brooks has left the big city of Boston for small town rural Vermont. While her sister and a good friend are neighbors Bobbie still feels like an outsider. Hoping to fit in to the community she starts a photography club. But their first outing turns disastrous when Bobbie discovers the body of one of its members. Thinking it had to be a tragic accident Bobbie nonetheless feels something is off. What she didn't expect was murder, and that she is not only the main suspect, but the town pariah as well.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA is a story about starting over and finding yourself. It serves as a reminder that you can't control everyone in your life and sometimes you need to step back. Starting new is always a challenge, especially when you're older. Making new friends, being part of a group, these things somehow become more difficult as Bobbie discovers. Although she is starting fresh in a new state, she's lucky in that she already has supports in place, her sister and best friend. I really like her sister, Alicia, a smart woman of many talents. I know I'd like to try some of her cheese and jams! One minor character who really annoyed me was Emma. She really needs to stop being so needy and grow up. Jeesh. She acted more like a whiny spoiled brat that a young adult starting a career. Darcy, of course, is a dream.

The mystery was interesting, as was the photography theme. I enjoyed seeing the possible motives as well as the interesting behaviors of the suspects. After I finished the book I realized all the subtle clues that were carefully placed throughout the story. Tiny, seemingly insignificant things, that weren't really part of the plot but were there, like little beacons, their true meaning only coming through once the mystery was solved.

Complicated relationships and attention to detail make CAUGHT ON CAMERA a compelling start to a new series.

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Caught on Camera: A Camera Club Mystery by Kara Lacey

About Caught on Camera

Caught on Camera: A Camera Club Mystery
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Vermont
Publisher: ‎ Level Best Books (September 24, 2024)
Print length: ‎ 307 pages

Blue skies and wildflowers signal the start of summer in southern Vermont, and the Stonebridge Keep it Snappy Camera Club lenses are zoomed in on…murder.

It's been more than a year since the sudden death of her husband, and photographer Bobbie Brooks wants nothing more than to escape her grief. Fleeing her life in the city, she seeks a fresh start in the serenity of the Green Mountains. But Bobbie’s new beginning comes to a halt when she finds a member of her camera club dead beneath the village’s idyllic covered bridge. Tragic accident or something sinister? With a keen photographer’s eye, Bobbie suspects murder.

As if transitioning to small-town life wasn’t challenging enough, Bobbie’s missing scarf is found at the murder scene, making her the primary focus. Scorned by local gossips, she enlists the help of her camera club and shifts her lens from photographer to amateur sleuth. Using photos found on the victim’s camera, they waste no time setting out to catch the killer—and discover no shortage of suspects. Secrets, lies, and blackmail…Danger abounds as they close in on the killer. Her camera holds the answers… But can she develop the clues in time to stop the killer?

About Kara Lacey

Kara Lacey is the author of the Camera Club Mysteries. Along with her husband, she lives in a tiny village nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont—the inspiration for her novels. Kara is a photography enthusiast who also enjoys hiking, skiing, and getting cozy with a good book. When she’s not at her laptop creating havoc for her characters, you can find her rambling through the forest with her husband and spirited Labrador retriever, camera in hand.

Kara is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime-New England, and Mystery Writers of America. She is also a co-Member at Large for Vermont SinC NE writers.