Questions readers asked Beverly Allen about the Bridal Bouquet Shop Series
How did you come up with the characters? Are they based loosely on some folks you know?
Perhaps I had a little inspiration. Audrey Bloom’s Grandma Mae is patterned loosely after my own wonderful grandmother. But that’s probably the closest parallel. Much of the character development starts with Audrey. She’s really the girl next door, or at least that’s what I was aiming for. She doesn’t have it all figured out, but she’s getting there. She has a bit of a romantic streak, especially shown in her love of flowers and for the language of flowers, but it’s balanced with an inherent practicality, normal insecurities, and just a tinge of residual angst, so she’s not so idealistic and sentimental that her feet ever leave the ground.
Where the other people come from is a little more complicated. It’s hard to create a person out of thin air. Some characters, like her cousin Liv, have helped Audrey become the person she is. Others might be antagonistic. Just like real life. A few might have been inspired by real people I knew or people I wish I knew, mixing and matching traits and details, kind of like playing Mr. Potato Head with your friends and family.
The cats, however, are definitely patterned after my cats.
Did you always know a lot about flowers? Or did you learn it for the series?
True confession: Because of some pretty severe allergies, flowers were never really my thing. I had a crash course when I first started writing the series. Since part of Audrey’s charm is that she likes to create bouquets based on the language of flowers, I started a Pinterest page to keep track of the meanings. That helped me learn to recognize a number of unfamiliar flower varieties.
A couple of very nice florists allowed me to hang around their shops for a while and answered a lot of my newbie questions, and there’s a lovely lady at my church who used to run her own flower shop. She reads over the novels before I turn them in. She says I made the flower shop pretty realistic, except maybe a little more pleasant than the norm. She’d love to work with Audrey and Liv!
Besides all the online references and books, I also was able to sign up for a floral design course offered by a local florist to get some hands-on practice. Considering the allergies, that was fun. I was wearing gloves, since sap of some flowers will give me welts, and by the time the class was over, my eyes were burning and I could barely see to drive home. It did, however, give me the inspiration for a character, a police chief with intense allergies to flowers. And for some reason (wink), all the murders in Ramble, Virginia, now take place in the presence of lots of flowers.
What is a day in your writing life like? What is your process?
Well, this is a little embarrassing. Let me first say that a couple of years ago, after my daughter vacated her bedroom, I took the opportunity to repurpose the room into a proper office: floor to ceiling bookshelves (jam-packed with mysteries and my writing and reference books), a daybed (perfect for reading), a sleek glass desk, laser printer, and a display board where I can pin up maps or plots or things I want to keep handy. I imagined long hours in my comfy desk chair, typing away.
Well, that room sits unused, for the most part. Because here’s what really happens:
I wake up half comatose and use the wall to guide myself down the stairs and to the Keurig. I watch a few minutes of the morning news and check email and Facebook. Generally, there’s something waiting on my DVR, so I catch up on that while the caffeine is kicking in. After breakfast and a little more procrastination, I’ll sink into an overstuffed leather chair in my family room, put my feet up, and get to pounding the keys of my laptop.
I tend to plot ahead of time, but my characters don’t always obey my outlines. I write in segments, and I aim for about 500 words in a segment. On busy days, or when I’m struggling with a section, I might only get 500 words in. Most days, however, I try for at least 1,000. But when the words are coming easily and quickly, or if a deadline is looming, I try to capitalize on this by adding segments. I think my record high was about 7,000.
In between segments are usually breaks for coffee, food, maybe a little housework, sometimes a mental break with a game or a program on television. (I’m watching through the Gilmore Girls at the moment.)
For those interested in the details, I generally do not have music on while I write, but when I do, it tends to be instrumental because lyrics distract me. My beverages of choice are decaf coffee, sweetened and with chocolate soymilk, and water with a splash of cranberry juice. And I’m definitely a pajama writer. Only after I’ve finished my writing for the day will I shower and dress. Personally, I think that is one of the biggest perks of the writing life.
About the Author:
Barbara Early (A.K.A. Beverly Allen) grew up buried in the snowy suburbs of Buffalo, NY, where she developed a love for all things sedentary: reading, writing, classic movies, and Facebook Scrabble. She holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, but her penchant for the creative caused her to run away screaming from the pocket-protector set.
She taught secondary English and science for several years before home schooling her daughter successfully through high school. Barbara cooks up cozy mysteries with a healthy dose of comedy and sometimes a splash of romance.
When not reading or writing, she enjoys cooking, crafts, home-improvement projects, and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Florist Audrey Bloom, co-owner of the Rose in Bloom, creates fragrant bouquets for brides. But when a wedding goes fatally wrong, it’s up to Audrey to sniff out a killer . . .
Everything is coming up roses for Audrey when her dazzling creations are picked to be featured on a wedding reality show. The hot series is filming an episode about a bride who’s bonkers for bells, and Audrey’s bouquets of campanulas, calla lilies, and Bells-of-Ireland are perfect for the bridal theme.
But Audrey’s debut quickly becomes a hothouse of trouble. Her ex, Brad, shows up as a crew member on the show, threatening her blossoming relationship with Nick the baker. To make matters worse, when one of the show’s hosts is found dead in the bell tower of a historic church, all the evidence points toward Brad.
Now Audrey needs to weed out the real killer before someone else’s chance at stardom is permanently nipped in the bud . . .
Jennifer’s Review of For Whom The Bluebell Tolls
Review (4.5 Stars): Audrey Bloom has the amazing ability to create beautiful bouquets while understanding the meaning of each flower that will be the perfect addition to the bridal theme. Audrey soon discovers that her shop is chosen to appear on the reality show, Fix My Wedding and Audrey is excited to be a part of her favorite television guilty pleasure. But when one of the hosts is found dead and her ex-boyfriend is blamed for the murder, she must find a killer before her screen debut is permanently cancelled.
This is the second book in the Bridal Bouquet Shop mystery series and I was captivated by the characters in this well-written cozy mystery. I loved the reality show aspect in this mystery because it made the story exciting and fun and kept things moving right along. The mystery itself had several plot twists and turns, which made For Whom The Bluebell Tolls a delightful addition to this enchanting series. Looking forward to reading more about Audrey Bloom and her dazzling flower shop in the future.
Giveaway
I’m excited to give away a copy of For Whom The Bluebell Tolls. This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by January 21st, please leave me a comment below:
Thank you for the chance to win, looks like a fun read.
jslbrown2009(at)aol(dot)com
I would love to read this book—thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!
I’m a sucker for flower shop mysteries.. Lets face it flower shops seem to be such innocuous places where you don’t expect to get involved in murder or mayhem.
Thank you for the chance to win a copy of this book for my home library.
My craving for flowers is as strong as food cravings so I really look forward to reading this one. Thank you for the chance.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks for a chance to win.
The book sounds delightful. Thank you for the giveaway. 🙂
myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you for a chance to win your book….it sounds like a fun read !
I loved the first book in this series and have been looking forward to reading For Whom the Bluebell Tolls. Thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks so much, Jennifer, for the great review!
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and look forward to reading this one. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
I sure do love a good cozy mystery. Thanks for a chance to win this one!
sxygrndma48{at}yahoo{dot}com
I would love to read this book. Thanks for the chance to win.
Thank you so much for the chance to win~it sounds like a great book!
Sounds like a great book. sclickner@juno.com
Very nice interview with Beverly! It made me laugh to read that the office is seldom used and that she prefers to sit in a comfy chair with her laptop. I haven’t had a chance to read the first book in this series but I’ll be adding it to my list Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the 2nd book.
forgot to add my email: maria63303 at gmail dot com
Jennifer’s review makes this sound like my kind of mystery! Thanks!
Loved the first book in series and look forward to reading this one
I loved the review on this and can’t wait to read it, thanks for the chance to win.
Penney
luvhistoricalromance(AT)gmail(DOT)com
This sounds really good! Thank you for the chance to win a copy!
mittens0831 at aol dot com
I am really looking forward to this one…. 🙂
afarage(at)earthlink.net
I read another series about a florist and really enjoyed it. This sounds like one I will like too. Thanks for the giveaway.
Happy New year!! thanks for the chance to win
I really enjoyed the first in this series. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Sounds like a great cozy mystery. Love the cover on the book.
xzjh04@ Gmail.com
I would love to read this – want to find out more about Bells of Ireland as they sound interesting! The whole novel does, including the historic church. Haven’t started reading this series yet. Always loved flowers when I lived in the Midwest but have a brown thumb! Thanks for the opportunity to win! jeaniedannheim at ymail dot com
Looks like another fun cozy. I love the cover and all the flowers. Thanks for the chance to win!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
Looking forword to reading this new one. Congrats
gibsonbk at hiwaay dot net
Another fun cozy to add to the list.
gibsonbk at hiwaay dot net
Love Cozy mysteries. Thanks for the chance to win.
what a nice giveaway, I love to read!
I love a florist shop—the smells are just so nice. I think I could enjoy this book a lot.
Thanks for the contest.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
I loved Bloom and Doom and have been waiting eagerly for For Whom the Bluebell Tolls to come out. So glad it’s here, I’m sure it’ll be as good as the first. Thanks for the chance to win.
I think the first flowers I came across as a child were the violets in my backyard.
nice interview
I enjoyed Bloom and Doom, so I am eager to read the latest in this series.
would love to read and review.
What a great sounding book! I hope I win it!
Thanks for the opportunity!
I would love to read this series.