I'm pleased to welcome Melodie Campbell to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Melodie writes the Merry Widow Murders Mystery series. THE PHARAOH'S CURSE MURDERS is the most recent book in the series and was released yesterday! This is a new series for me, so I'm behind. Following our interview you will find my review of the first book in the series. Stay tuned for reviews of the books that follow!
Kathy: The THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERS takes place at the end of the 1920s. Why choose this time period for your series?
MC: I wanted to focus on a time of optimism for women. In Britain, women had just gotten the vote, and you’ll find this series – and this book in particular – has as its theme, Justice for Women.
This is the book I’ve waited all my life to write, for that reason.
Kathy: Historical mysteries require an extra special brand of research. What's your favorite method to research this time period?
MC: Oh, the research! I read, and read, and read. Most particularly, I read books written in the period, as opposed to simply about the time, for mores and fashions and etiquette. I am also a fan of fashion, and had great fun delving into the fashions of the time, down to the details of individual designers and what was new for the season. (I modeled in my younger years.)
For the ship, I actually stayed on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, to experience living on a ‘between the wars’ ocean liner.
Kathy: The first book in the series, THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERS, finds Lucy Revelstoke, unconventional widow of a young British lord and daughter of a Canadian mobster twice removed, is crossing the Atlantic on a state-of-the-art ocean liner. Have you ever taken a cruise?
MC: Yes! More than one. And I stayed on the Queen Mary as mentioned above. I’m a life-long sailor, and live right on Lake Ontario, forty feet from the shore. As I write this, I’m looking out on the sparkling water, which is one of my greatest loves. I hope readers can feel the ocean, when you read these books.
Kathy: The second book in the series, THE SILENT FILM STAR MURDERS, involves another transatlantic crossing, this time with stars of the silver screen. While not a silent movie fan, I am a huge fan of films of the 1930s and 40s. Do you enjoy films of a certain era?
MC: Oh, we share that! If I was listing my favourite movies, probably The Thin Man would be at the top. And My Man Godfrey, To Have and Have Not, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Philadelphia Story – Stop me, or I’ll go on forever 😊
Kathy: Your most recent book in the series is THE PHARAOH'S CURSE MURDERS. This time the ship contains teams of rival archaeologists. I love Egyptology and am fascinated by Ancient Egypt. Were you a fan before writing this mystery?
MC: Kathy, I dressed my Barbie dolls up as ancient Egyptian queens! I mummified Ken doll with toilet paper. Yes, I was enthralled with the period growing up, and devoured Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody novels when they first came out. (You will find an Easter Egg in THE PHARAOH'S CURSE MURDERS about that!) To do it right, I took a 48 week course in Egyptian history just before writing this book. It truly was a labour of love for me.
Kathy: What first drew you to historical mysteries?
MC: First, I love to read them. Second, I had finished a humorous contemporary series about a mob goddaughter who didn’t want to be one, but kept getting pulled back in to bail out her inept family (THE GODDAUGHTER'S REVENGE). A top newspaper book reviewer in Canada said to me, “Why don’t you write about Gina Gallo’s grandmother next?” I loved the idea, but wanted to make it in the 1920s, so that made it her great-grandmother. From the days of prohibition. My own family got their start bootlegging, as it happens <wink>.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
MC: My first series was Romantasy – Rowena Through the Wall. I’ve also written a sci-fi, and two contemporary romances. But most of my books (14) are mysteries. All are humorous, some are downright loopy.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
MC: I got my start writing stand-up, so all my books are humorous.
The Merry Widow Murders series, Including THE PHARAOH'S CURSE MURDERS:
This series is classic golden-age, fair-play mystery. The Toronto Star compared me to Agatha Christie, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine said “Christie-meets-Wodehouse.” In 1929, Lady Lucy Revelstoke and her pickpocket-turned-maid Elf are confronted with murder aboard a transatlantic ocean liner, and must solve the crime before the killer strikes one of them!
The Goddaughter Series – including the award-winning THE GODDAUGHTER'S REVENGE:
This series features a mob goddaughter who doesn’t want to be one. But as she tells her boyfriend Pete, “You don’t get to choose your relatives.” The six books are capers, and The Toronto Sun called me Canada’s “Queen of Comedy” because of them.
Kathy:Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
MC: Elf! Lady Lucy Revelstoke’s sidekick. Elf was raised on the streets of New York, can pick anyone’s pocket, and specializes in knife throwing. But best of all, she’s Lucy’s best friend, and I wish she were mine. Elf says all those things out loud that I’m thinking, but would never say.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
MC: Oops – I think I already answered that. I do go on…
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
MC: I won my first award at the age of 18. I had 60 short stories published in magazines and anthologies, so I can’t remember a time I wasn’t writing. I moved to writing primarily novels 20 years ago, and was lucky enough to get a traditional publisher right away, probably due to the number of short stories I’d already had published.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
MC: Agatha Christie, top of the list! Mary Stewart, Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels, Douglas Adams.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
MC: EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE – by Benjamin Stevenson (an Australian author)
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
MC: Sailing, knitting (I know – don’t those two go together!) Baking, reading, of course. Love animals, especially dogs. I also like cars. My first was a Triumph Spitfire, and my second, a Lotus Europa. I’ve had 2 corvettes, but I love roadsters best.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
MC: Ricotta cheese (I seem to collect husbands with Celtic last names – Campbell/O’Connell- so many readers don’t know I’m Italian, like my protagonists!), real cream for making rose tomato sauce for pasta, homemade raspberry jam, and Asti-Martini or prosecco.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
MC: Yes! I’m just finishing up book 4 in the series, THE KENNEL CLUB MURDERS. (I do love dogs.) My publisher deadline is May, and it will be out April next year.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
MC: The people I’ve met along the way. Readers, book lovers, other writers – at conferences, by email, in person at the author events I do…in cities and small towns. I love being with other book-lovers.
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Review
THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERS by Melodie Campbell
The First Merry Widow Murders Mystery
A voyage back to England aboard the Victoriana should be a relaxing time for Lady Lucy Revelstoke. A dead body dumped in her stateroom the first evening aboard quite dampened that notion. Was this a personal message, something related to her past, or was her room just a handy location. With her maid and sidekick, Elf, Lucy intends to use the knowledge instilled in her as a youth to track down a cunning killer.
I absolutely adored THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERS. With quick wit, impeccable plotting, and intriguing characters I was completely immersed in this novel. Vivid descriptions made it easy for me to picture myself aboard this luxury ocean liner in 1928.
My favorite part of the first Merry Widow Murders Mystery was the characters, each with an interesting backstory that really fleshed them out. I particularly like the fact that all of the women were strong, intelligent people. No wall flowers here, from minor characters to Lucy and Elf. They can handle themselves and, though it's nice to have a decent chap, it's certainly not necessary. It also goes to show you should never underestimate a woman. The final line found a broad grin on my face!
Embark on a delightful transatlantic voyage in THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERS where mystery, murder, and humor combine to create a captivating start to a wonderful series!
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