I'm pleased to welcome Carolyn Eichhorn to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Carolyn writes the Gina Morrison Mystery series. MURDER IN THE MIX is the first book in the series and was released last year.
Kathy: In MURDER IN THE MIX we meet Gina Morrison, a ghost writer living in Baltimore. Have you ever been interested in writing about celebrities, either as a ghost writer or under your own name?
CE: I think I was more interested in being friends with food network celebrities, rather than writing about them, but I really do enjoy the idea of helping someone express themselves without taking over as my own voice. Ghostwriters have to almost become the best version of the client and tell their story authentically, so it was cool to hear Gina's voice, Marisol's voice and then see a few examples of the finished product.
Kathy: Gina is penning the memoir of celebrity chef Marisol St James. Before writing this book were you familiar with the restaurant industry?
CE: I had some limited and very poorly executed restaurant experience in my twenties. I was not a good server! I did have a summer working in a restaurant kitchen when I was sixteen and I was a bit of a disaster - I cut myself a lot and once got shut into the walk in. These days I have become a good home cook, but I could never cut it in a commercial kitchen.
Kathy: Do you enjoy cooking? If so, do you have a favorite recipe?
CE: I love cooking! We have several dishes in regular rotation at home. One favorite is a pan seared/oven roasted pork tenderloin with a mushroom sauce, garlicky rice with shredded carrot and onion cooked in chicken stock, and roasted broccoli with parmesan herb breadcrumbs.
Kathy: What first drew you to mysteries?
CE: I read all my school's Nancy Drew books, then all the library's. Then it was Agatha Christie, then Dick Francis, Barbara Michaels, Rex Stout. I love the puzzle and the idea that all the information is there if we can only see it, but as much as I'd like to play armchair detective, I also like the surprising twist.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
CE: I have a collection of corporate cubicle based horror/thriller stories and a few others that are more suspense than mystery, but I believe most good stories have mysterious elements that unfold.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
CE: MURDER IN THE MIX is the first Gina Morrison mystery. The next book has her working on a writing project at a retreat in the mountains where dangers interfere with the creative process. Because Gina works with clients in all sorts of fields, she can have lots of adventures in different settings. Future books may have Gina dip into the business self-help arena and themed entertainment/hospitality. I think she would bring a fun perspective to those areas with some creative mysteries.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
CE: I really like Mark, Gina's mystery writing friend. Through him, I get to explore some of the quirky characteristics of the mystery genre.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
CE: I was sitting in a panel at Bouchercon many years ago, listening to authors discussing writing partnerships. The idea appealed to me - bringing different areas of expertise together, but as anyone who has ever worked on a group project in school knows, aligning efforts like that can be a challenge, so that idea became a ghost writer character and her list of clients collaborating on projects.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
CE: I worked on MURDER IN THE MIX for a long time and at some point you just have to put it out in the world and start the next project. It's easy, I think to hold on - to wait to "be discovered" but like most things, to get the result you want often means taking initiative and just moving forward.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
CE: Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Jane Austen, Harlan Coben.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
CE: DYING TO LIVE HERE by Shelley Marsh
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
CE: I love going out to eat, traveling to new places (but NOT CAMPING), watching cooking competition shows, and hanging around at home.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
CE: Good ice cream, ingredients for emergency emotional support cookies, iced tea, and bacon.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
CE: I have the next few Gina stories lined up, but if inspiration strikes, I'd love to start a new series.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
CE: I love the random ideas that come to me that could be worked into a story. This can be overheard conversations or unusual actions by a stranger or almost anything that strikes me as odd. There's an excited enthusiasm when the ideas flow that makes me almost giddy.
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Review
MURDER IN THE MIX by Carolyn Eichhorn
The First Gina Morrison Mystery
Gina Morrison is a ghost. Ghostwriter, that is. Still, living amongst boxes, even though she's been in her apartment for years, rarely going out, rarely even doing anything, she's hardly living. But everything changes when she starts to meet with celebrity chef Marisol St James in order to pen her memoir. Marisol is a woman who knows how to live. She's gracious, kind, and embraces life. That is until she is brutally murdered in the kitchen of her restaurant. Stunned, Gina soon finds herself on the run. Someone is after the information she has and will stop at nothing to get it.
MURDER IN THE MIX is a story of discovery and growth. Discovery, not just of the killer, but discovery of self. Through the story Gina not only learns about other people, their relationships and how they intersect, but also her own life. And, while escaping death, Gina leans to live.
I really enjoyed this fast paced mystery. Though marketed as a cozy, I would disagree and, with more graphic descriptions and no real sense of community, would classify it as a traditional mystery. I liked the characters and how Gina's work as a ghostwriter melded with the murder mystery. It was fascinating watching things come together and I liked how the mystery pursued Gina rather than the other way round. I envy Drew's organization and hope we get to learn more about Jo in future books.
Exciting, with memorable characters and lots of twists and turns MURDER IN THE MIX is a delicious start to a new series.
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Murder in the Mix (A Gina Morrison Mystery) by Carolyn Eichhorn
About Murder in the Mix
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Settings - Baltimore, Savannah, NYC
Publisher: Grounds for Suspicion
Publication Date: October 21, 2025
Print Length: 272 pages
When Gina Morrison agrees to pen the memoir of celebrity chef Marisol St James, she expects high-pressure deadlines, diva behavior, and decadent dishes-not murder. But when Marisol is found dead in her restaurant's kitchen, Gina's literary aspirations take a back seat to her survival. Between a cutthroat industry, simmering secrets, and the demands of Marisol's unfinished manuscript, Gina becomes entangled in a web of lies, rivalries, and danger. Worse still, Marisol's killer may be keeping tabs on Gina to ensure she doesn't write too much.
About Carolyn Eichhorn
Carolyn Eichhorn is a mystery novelist and former Disney Imagineer whose work blends suspense, humor, and heart. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and has published short mystery fiction and essays. Based in the mountains of Western North Carolina, she draws inspiration from small towns, big secrets, and the stories people tell to survive.
Author Links: Website Facebook Instagram Grounds For Suspicion LinkedIn Threads
Purchase Link: Amazon - Bookshop.org B&N
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