When
I offered to host Deborah Malone on my blog and she told me her novel was a “cozy
mystery,” I wondered if I was the only person who had never heard that phrase.
It reminded me of the Star Trek episode
from “The Trouble With Tribbles,” where it seemed everyone knew what a tribble
was but Captain Kirk.
“The crime-solver
in a cozy mystery is usually a woman who is an amateur sleuth. Almost always,
she has a college degree, whether she is using it or not. Her education and
life’s experiences have provided her with certain skills that she will utilize
in order to solve all the crimes that are “thrown her way.” The cozy mystery
heroine is usually a very intuitive, bright woman….”
Well, I guess that “intuitive” part means I
will never make it as an amateur sleuth – I am not very observant. But at least
in books, you can become who you aren’t in real life and enjoy being someone
else. Is that not part of the joy of reading good books?
Here
is a short interview with Debbie about her new book, Death in Dahlonega.
LORILYN: TELL ME ABOUT
YOUR LATEST RELEASE.
DEBBIE: Death in
Dahlonega
is my debut cozy mystery. It is based on two friends who find themselves in a
bit of a scrape. Trixie is a magazine writer and she is on assignment in
Dahlonega, Georgia, and her friend Dee Dee has tagged along. Dee Dee owns an antique
shop and this will be the perfect place for her to shop for antiques and other
goodies. The girls are watching a film at the gold museum when Dee Dee has to
go to the bathroom - this is not unusual for Dee Dee. While she is nosing around
in the rooms she happens upon a dead body. She automatically pulls out the
pickaxe and winds up being the main person of interest. The handsome sheriff
is ready to retire and run for mayor, so Trixie doesn't think he's trying very
hard to find the real killer. So she and Dee Dee take matters in their own
hands. The question is will they find the real killer before Dee Dee ends up in
the slammer?
I
am working on my next two releases with Trixie and Dee Dee. The first one is Murder in Marietta and the second one is
Terror in Tybee Island.
LORILYN: HOW MUCH TIME
DO YOU SPEND IN RESEARCH BEFORE YOU WRITE A STORY?
DEBBIE: I like to visit the area and
take lots of pictures as well as interview people that are familiar with the
area. Then I continue to do research throughout the whole book to keep it fresh
in my mind. I don't really know how much time, but it is a good bit. Research
is imperative.
LORILYN: WHAT IS THE
MOST INTERESTING THING YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR RESEARCH?
Well,
I don't know about what I learned, but I do have a funny story. When I went to
the gold museum and talked with the real ranger about taking pics/interviewing
them etc. for the book she hurriedly called her boss and then preceded to tell
me I couldn't write about their security system. Of course, I didn't know about
their security system so it was funny for me. I really don't think she knew what
a cozy mystery was.
DEBBIE: HOW DO YOU
LIKE TO SPEND YOUR TIME WHEN YOU'RE NOT WRITING?
Now
that I've been published, I don't have as much time to do other things, but I
like to take photographs. I'm enjoying meeting people through my marketing of Death in Dahlonega.
LORILYN: HOW CAN
READERS CONTACT YOU AND/OR LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WRITING?
DEBBIE: You can contact me by going to
my website deborah-malone.com. I would love to hear from my readers and if
anyone wants a signed copy I’d be glad to do that, and my email is debbiejeanm@gmail.com. Thank you for having me on your blog!
