I’m excited to have Terrie Farley Moran here today to discuss her new book, Well Read, Then Dead. This is the first book in a new series and I loved the idea of a bookstore cafe’ and I would definitely be living here if one of these were near me. 🙂
1. Tell me about your new release.
The title is Well Read, Then Dead. Two Brooklyn girls, Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield find themselves at loose ends after Sassy’s company moves out of state taking her job with it and Bridgy catches her husband fulfilling his Mrs. Robinson fantasy with one of his mother’s friends. Sassy and Bridgy decide to move to the resort town of Fort Myers Beach, Florida. (Yes it is a real place, right on the Gulf of Mexico. Visit—you will love it.) The two friends open the Read ’Em and Eat Café serving breakfast, lunch and all the books you can read. When one of their favorite regular customers is found murdered, well, Sassy and Bridgy can’t rest until the crime is solved.
2. What inspired you to write mysteries?
I have always loved mysteries in books, movies and television shows. As a child I wrote stories like “Susie’s Missing Pencil” or “The Case of the Missing Library Book”. It was inevitable that anything I wrote as an adult would have a crime or mystery component.
3. How much input do you have on the covers of your books?
Berkley Prime Crime has an extraordinary art department. My editor asked for my ideas about the cover before the art department started to design it. Then she sent a copy of the cover to me and to my agent for approval. I was thrilled to see my name in big letters (name up in lights syndrome!) so I was not really capable of intelligent comment. My agent and editor, professionals both, made some suggestions that resulted in refining an already great cover into the “come in have a cup of tea and read a book” cover that you see here.
4. What is the most interesting/strange thing you had to research for your book?
I spent way too much time studying Mollusks, you know the teeny beings who make their homes inside those gorgeous sea shells we all collect at the beach. In Florida it is illegal to collect shells that still have a resident inside, so if you pick up shell that is somewhat closed, you have to shake it. If it isn’t empty, you must put it down and step away from the shell. I also enjoyed kayaking on the nearby Caloosahatchee River to get the feel of Sassy and Bridgy’s kayak trip on Estero Bay. And then there was the Everglades and sunken treasure ships—wonderful research that often took over my life for weeks at a time.
5. What are you working on now?
Well I recently sent the second Read ’Em and Eat novel, Death Branches Out to my editor, so I am working on the third, untitled book in the series. I also really enjoy reading and writing short stories so I expect to get a short story written over the summer.
6. Are there any authors or books that have influenced you to become a writer?
The Golden Age writers. You know, G.K. Chesterton, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ellery Queen, Ngaio Marsh, etc. I devoured their books when I was a teenager and still re-read them frequently.
7. What was the first book you ever wrote and was it published?
My first novel is called Driven to Death. It remains unpublished.
8. Favorite TV show guilty pleasure? The Last Book You Read? Favorite Food/Drink While Writing?
My TV Guilty Pleasure? Without a doubt Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens and Walter Goggins as Boyd Crowder. Considering my adoration of cozy mysteries and my addiction to reruns of Murder, She Wrote and Matlock, I’m sure Justified seems like an odd choice for me. Every episode is fraught with violence and visible bloodshed. It is sooooooooo unlike my usual fare. What draws me to Justified? It is the relationships between and among the characters, and especially the relationship between Raylan and Boyd. Season six, expected this winter, will be the final season. I am waiting impatiently to see how the Raylan and Boyd tango will end.
The Last Book I Read: It happens that I also love non-fiction particularly anything to do with American history. I am just finishing a re-read of Adams vs. Jefferson, the tumultuous election of 1800 by John Ferling. Bitter as that election was, I always think of it as exhibiting the strengths and weaknesses of two men who fought side by side and then on opposite sides of governmental issues. Late in life they became friends once again only to die hundreds of miles and several hours apart on the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. These two men help me to understand the foibles of human beings, no matter how great others think them to be.
Favorite Food/Drink While Writing: Green tea or decaf coffee, either one, hot or iced.
About the Author:
Twice short-listed for Best American Mystery Stories, Terrie Farley Moran’s cozy mystery novel, Well Read, Then Dead is the first book in the Read ’Em and Eat Café and Bookstore series. You can find Terrie blogging amid the grand banter of New York writers known as the Women of Mystery. www.womenofmystery.net Terrie tells anyone willing to listen that hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren provides life’s grand and joyful moments.
Website/Facebook
Nestled in the barrier islands of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Myers Beach is home to Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ‘Em and Eat. But when they’re not dishing about books or serving up scones, Sassy and Bridgy are keeping tabs on hard-boiled murder.
Read ‘Em and Eat is known for its delicious breakfast and lunch treats, along with quite a colorful clientele. If it’s not Rowena Gustavson loudly debating the merits of the current book club selection, it’s Miss Augusta Maddox lecturing tourists on rumors of sunken treasure among the islands. It’s no wonder Sassy’s favorite is Delia Batson, a regular at the Emily Dickinson table. Augusta’s cousin and best friend Delia is painfully shy—which makes the news of her murder all the more shocking.
No one is more distraught than Augusta, and Sassy wants to help any way she can. But Augusta doesn’t have time for sympathy. She wants Delia’s killer found—and she’s not taking no for an answer. Now Sassy is on the case, and she’d better act fast before there’s any more trouble in paradise.
Amazon/B&N
Jennifer’s Review of Well Read, Then Dead
Review (4.0 Stars): Once I heard the premise of this book, I was beyond excited to read about a bookstore cafe’ and Well Read, Then Dead is bound to entertain readers. Sassy and Bridgy own the Read ‘Em and Eat, which caters to the book buying needs of both locales and tourists in Fort Myers Beach. Things start to go wrong for these lovely ladies when their cook breaks his leg and a beloved patron of Read ‘Em and Eat is found in her home dead. Sassy soon finds herself involved in the murder investigation of Miss Delia, where everyone believes that the killer is a treasure hunter wanting the sunken treasure that is rumored to be on property that has been owned by Delia’s family for years. Hopefully, Sassy can find the killer before more residents of Fort Myers Beach turn up dead.
I loved the idea of a bookstore cafe’ and I enjoyed spending time with the colorful characters of Fort Myers Beach. Sassy and Bridgy were downright delightful and I loved how they created their cafe’ with tables that each featured beloved authors for their customers. Aunt Ophie was hilarious and brought a lot of humor to this engaging mystery even though she was a huge headache for the girls. Well Read, Then Dead is an entertaining mystery in the perfect literary setting that will definitely charm its readers. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and I wish Read ‘Em and Eat was located near by because I would be there reading all the time.
Giveaway
I’m excited to give away a copy of Well Read, Then Dead. This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by August 14th, please leave a comment (and email address) below:
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