Cathy Ace Blog Tour and Interview

1. Tell me about your new release The Corpse With The Golden Nose.

Cait’s a bit of a foodie, so she cannot resist the chance to attend an exclusive, invitation only, event she’s heard about, in Kelowna, BC – the heart of BC’s biggest wine region. The fact that there’s a possible murder to investigate doesn’t worry her – she’s used to dealing with “academic” cases, because she’s a professor of criminology. The titular corpse is that of a vintner whose “nose” has won many gold awards, and Cait finds out she needs to apply her skills to a greater level than she’d thought to solve the mystery surrounding the woman’s death. A closed circle of suspects, some of them with slightly whacky lifestyles, plenty of delectable food, and a fair few glasses of local wines to wash it all down – Cait’s in heaven…until there’s a hellish turn of events. This book is very much in the traditional vein – as all Cait’s mysteries will be. We also meet the corpse in question on the first page – something I’ll be doing in every one of Cait’s books…I like my corpses to be up front!

2. Where did you come up with the idea for this book and how did this series come about?

Cait appeared in three short stories and a novella before her debut novel appeared, and, by then, her trademark eidetic memory, her ability to read people, and her background in criminal psychology had all been put to the test. In general terms the series (always THE CORPSE WITH THE….something precious and some body part) will see Cait solve closed-circle mysteries using her Mensan brain, and her determination. She has a deeply engrained sense of justice – even if that ends up being delivered in unusual ways. Cait’s always on the move: I decided to have her travel to some of my favorite destinations, so I could, more reasonably, introduce new characters in each book. Having read my earlier two volumes (of short stories and novella) my publisher asked for a novel-length manuscript featuring Cait, as well as a proposal for a series. That proposal was for nine books in total – the third will be published in spring 2014, the fourth in the fall of the same year, and two more are planned for 2015…of course I’m hoping that Cait proves popular enough for her to continue to her ninth mystery – and maybe beyond!

3. This is the second book in the series and has there been any challenges that you’ve had to overcome when writing this series?

Because I’d planned the series before I started the first novel, THE CORPSE WITH THE SILVER TONGUE, I had already plotted Cait’s “arc”. The first four books take place over about eighteen months in Cait’s life, so she won’t be changing a great deal within that time…but she’s already facing a challenge she didn’t expect – a relationship that’s grown from respect to love…and responsibility. She might be middle-aged, but she’s had a previous relationship go bad on her, so she’s buried herself in her work. She’ll be developing, aging, dieting, and gaining it all back again, as the books come out, but she’ll still remain the feisty, bossy little Welsh Canadian that she is!

4. What are you working on right now?

I’m currently working with the copy editor at my publishing house on the final copy edits for Cait’s third adventure, THE CORPSE WITH THE EMERALD THUMB, which sees her on holiday, with her significant other, at a tequila-making resort on the Pacific coast of Mexico – it’s being published next spring, in 2014. I’m also writing Cait’s fourth mystery, the title of which is a bit of a secret for now, though, if people check out my Cathy Ace – Author page on Facebook, they’ll find some clues to its location. The manuscript needs to be finished by mid-August to be sent off to my publisher, and will see the light of day in the fall of 2014. Then she’s off to two other, very different parts of the world, for her fifth and sixth mysteries.

 5. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Read the genre you want to write, and write! Seriously. I know it’s tempting to read about writing, and to talk about writing, but reading what you’ll be up against in the marketplace (because that’s what it is) will help you hear the voices of others, and writing will help you find your own. If you’re taking the self-publishing route, or if you’re sending your work for consideration, if there’s any way you can afford to have your work professionally edited, by someone who has a wealth of experience that you can check out in your genre, then it will be the best investment you can make.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and it has been a pleasure having you on Books-n-Kisses.

You’re very welcome – thank you so much for having me.

About the Author:

Welsh Canadian mystery author Cathy Ace is the creator of the Cait Morgan Mysteries, which include The Corpse with the Silver Tongue and The Corpse with the Golden Nose. Born, raised, and educated in Wales, Cathy enjoyed a successful career in marketing and training across Europe, before immigrating to Vancouver, Canada, where she taught on MBA and undergraduate marketing programs at various universities. Her eclectic tastes in art, music, food, and drink have been developed during her decades of extensive travel, which she continues whenever possible. Now a full-time author, Cathy’s short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, as well as on BBC Radio 4. She and her husband are keen gardeners, who enjoy being helped out around their acreage by their green-pawed Labradors.

Website: cathyace.com

Cathy Reads From Corpse With The Golden Nose.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cathy.ace.author?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AceCathy

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3913679.Cathy_Ace

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Jennifer’s Review of The Corpse With The Golden Nose

TITLE: The Corpse With The Golden Nose

SERIES #: Cait Morgan Series #2

CHARACTERS: Cait Morgan and Bud Anderson

AUTHOR:  Cathy Ace

PUBLICATION DATE:  03/12/13

ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: A heartfelt plea to look into the death of a world-famous vintner goes hand in hand with the opportunity to attend an exclusive gourmet event in British Columbia’s stunning wine country.  How can overindulgent foodie and criminologist Cait Morgan resist?

Sure that the award-winning owner of a family-run vineyard was murdered, Cait shares her findings with Bud Anderson, a retired homicide cop. But he is convinced that the woman took her own life, whatever her grief-stricken sister might say. That is, until death strikes once again, in the neat rows of grapevines that clamber up the banks of magnificent Lake Okanagan. Uncovering obsessions that might have fueled murderous thoughts among the victim’s wacky neighbors is a start, but as Cait unravels the clues. She realizes that more lives are at stake.  Can she think, and act, quickly enough to thwart the killer?

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Jennifer             NUMBER OF STARS: Four Stars

REVIEW: This was my first mystery from Cathy Ace and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Cait Morgan is a criminal psychologist that is invited to spend the weekend with her boyfriend, Bud Anderson, at a prestigious culinary event in British Columbia. Besides enjoying the wonderful food and atmosphere, they are on a mission to determine if a vintner’s untimely death is the result of suicide or murder.  What she finds there is not what she expected and each one of the invited guests are capable of murder.

I liked this book with its quirky characters and great descriptions of food and wine at the Moveable Feast that Cait was invited to.  Cait Morgan was a very interesting character and I’m looking forward to learning more about her in future books.  The murder mystery was intriguing and I had a difficult time putting together all the pieces of the murder before the great reveal of the true killer. I can’t wait to read the first book in the series, The Corpse With The Silver Tongue, because I have a difficult time reading books out of order and I want to experience another great mystery with Cait Morgan.