When I need a good, relaxing evening, I love to curl up with a warm drink and a cozy mystery—especially if it’s one of a series. I’ve read all of Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Schultz mysteries, a lot of the Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman and many of the Cat Who… series by Lillian Jackson Braun. There’s nothing quite like revisiting favorite characters in each new book and trying to guess the ‘whodunit.’
This week, I spent my evenings with a hot caramel macchiato and a book about Harvey Beckett, a bookstore owner turned sleuth when she discovers a dead body in her storage room. What a way to start a series! I was hooked from the first page. I am thrilled to know there are more books in the St. Marin’s cozy mystery series, and even more thrilled that I (virtually) know the author! ACF Bookens and I met through the online Indie Book Festival and I am so glad I got the chance to talk more with her on the blog today!
Ellen Smith: Welcome, Andi! I am completely hooked on your cozy mystery series! Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the stories?
ACF Bookens: Oh, I’m honored, Ellen. Yeah, I’ve always been a mystery fan – TV mysteries, book mysteries, the game Clue . . . probably because my mom was a huge mystery reader. So when I decided I wanted to write something really fun, I decided to try cozy mysteries. And I love it because I really like the characters and the place I’ve created. But it’s also a way to connect again with my mom, who died almost 10 years ago. Every time I write a new book, I think of how she might have enjoyed reading it. I think she would have enjoyed the read . . . and also that I don’t write fast enough to have kept her in books.
ES: I love the setting of your books! Having lived in Maryland myself, I felt right at home in the fictional town of St. Marin’s. Do you have any tips to share on giving such a realistic touch to a fictional setting?
ACF: Well, St. Marin’s is loosely based on the real-life town St. Michael’s, so I do often rely on maps of St. Michael’s and some of the local history – like there’s a Maritime Museum in my books and in the real town, and Harriet Tubman features into the first book in the series because she was enslaved at a plantation near St. Michael’s. So I find that having a real place to use as a jumping off point can be helpful in letting me put my creativity into the characters and story because setting is sometimes hard for me.
My best tip if anyone wants to try this is to use the real-life town layout as a guide for where things are in the town. That way, you don’t have to decide if the lake is north or south of Main Street – you can look at an actual map and just know.
ES: Your series opens with main character Harvey Beckett fulfilling her dream of owning her own bookstore. Sounds like a career I would enjoy! Is this a dream of yours, too?
ACF: 100% My husband and I have even talked about opening a bookstore in St. Michael’s after we retire. I worked in bookstores a lot in my 20s, and I loved them. I hope one day to have my own full of all the books I love and want to recommend.
ES: I love the dynamic between Harvey and her best friend, Mart. I also love that they work at a bookstore and a winery—clearly, they’re my kind of people! Will Mart play a big role in solving the mysteries, too?
ACF: Oh, thanks. I love Harvey and Mart’s friendship, too. Mart will play a role in keeping Harvey alive when her sleuthing gets a bit wild in most of the books. But in book 4, Plotted For Murder, Mart actually finds the victim, and she can’t help but be bitten by Harvey’s curiosity bug and want to get in on the investigative action.
ES: I adore Harvey’s dog, Mayhem. Is Mayhem based on a real-life canine companion?
ACF: Oh yes, totally. Mayhem is based on my rescue dog, Meander, who I’ve owned for almost 8 years now. She’s my gal, and when she was younger, I took her with me everything. She still loves a good car ride.
ES: In addition to writing, what other creative pursuits do you enjoy?
ACF: Well, before my toddler began walking, I was a huge fan of jigsaw puzzles. I love how they let me think, but also give my eyes something to study. I like coloring for the same reason.
But my favorite creative thing to do is counted cross-stitch. Even though I don’t have to make up the patterns, I find the attention necessary to create something from such tiny actions to be so fulfilling.
Oh, and I garden. We moved last summer, so this spring, I’m spending time figuring out what to plant where – anyone else love red-twig dogwood as much as I do? – while I also tend my veggie garden in the planter boxes my husband made me for Christmas.
ES: It was so much fun talking with you today, Andi! Thanks for stopping by the blog! How can we stay in touch with you?
ACF: Thank you so much for having me, Ellen. What an honor!!!
Folks can find me at my website:
And I’m also over on Facebook:
And then I’m Goodreads here:
And on Bookbub here:
Are you as hooked on the premise as I am? Start here—Publishable By Death is the first book in the St. Marin’s Cozy Mystery Series!
The last thing Harvey Beckett needs on opening day of her bookstore is a dead body.
All Harvey Beckett wants to do is help the residents of St. Marin's find the perfect book for that moment and snuggle with her hound dog Mayhem.But when the small, waterside town's newest resident discovers the body of the community's persnickety reporter in her bookshop storeroom just before her grand opening, Harvey can't help trying to solve the crime, even when her curiosity puts her in danger.
The more Harvey learns about the town’s history – and the history of the gas station that’s become her bookstore – the more she understands that forgiveness is a hard thing to give . . . and receive.
Will Harvey and her friends be able to solve the murder of the town reporter without her becoming a victim herself?
