Happy Christmas Eve to those who celebrate! I’ve got a holiday-themed mystery for you today!

Getting to moderate a panel is one of the unsung joys of conferences. Sure, you don’t get to tout your own books quite as much. But you get to lead the discussion, hear what your peers (and the audience) has to say. Plus, you get books to read! I confess, I hadn’t read Marilyn’s work when I was given her as a panelist. Her publisher sent me her DEATH OVERDUE, which features a haunted library – with (of course) a most helpful ghost librarian – and I was hooked. Now she’s got READ AND GONE out, just in time for the holidays, and I cannot wait. Grab a copy for the holiday – or give one for Boxing Day! It is a pleasure to introduce her to you now:

How do you start a book?

It varies. Sometimes I open with a short narrative reflecting my sleuth’s state of mind or I begin with a conversation between my sleuth and another character. I always include the locale, the situation, a quick sketch of the world of my story so that the reader knows exactly where he/she is, and then I move onto an event or conflict that leads to an argument or an explosion and . . . murder.

Who in your latest book has surprised you the most—and why?

Carrie, my sleuth. I love seeing how she’s matured as a professional and as a caring person. When Carrie first gets a job in the Clover Ridge Library, she considers it  temporary like all the jobs she’s had since leaving college. She dresses Goth—hair dyed purple, black tights, short skirts and Doc Martens. She cleans up her act when she becomes Head of Programs and Events and proves to be excellent at her job. In the third book in the series which I’ve just completed, Carrie becomes involved in a project to help the homeless in Clover Ridge. She is also involved in a serious romance for the first time in her life. She has made a life for herself in Clover Ridge, where she is surrounded by people who care about her as she continues to solve mysteries.

When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?

This book like all the books in the Haunted Library mystery series is set in Clover Ridge, CT. It is a town I made up loosely based on a real Connecticut town I once visited.

What are you working on now?

I just finished the third book in the series. I will soon begin the fourth. Carrie’s mother and Tom, her actor husband, come to Clover Ridge because he’s in a movie that’s being filmed in Clover Ridge. I look forward to starting work on it very soon.

Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?

Why did I pick the setting/my sleuth’s profession that I did?

Carrie Singleton, the sleuth in my Haunted Library series, is Head of Programs and Events. I decided on her profession while sitting in my library’s lovely park listening to a fantastic drumming program. Hearing the person in my library in charge of adult events thank the drummer for appearing, I thought, “Wouldn’t that make a wonderful job for a sleuth!” And I’m so glad that I did. These days libraries aren’t just about books. Libraries offer classes and programs, concerts and fairs. Many of the Clover Ridge Library’s events and programs—like the food presentations—are activities I enjoy in my own library. I decided to include a library ghost and a library cat in the series as both Evelyn and Smoky Joe add so much to the series.

Thank you, Marilyn!