ABOUT THE BOOK
A shocking murder strikes a sour note during Jazz Fest in the latest New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.
It’s Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and the giant puppets from the Beastmaster Puppet Theatre are parading through the French Quarter. Some are very spooky and veiled, others are tall and gangly, like strange aliens.
As the parade proceeds, Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava, follow behind, down Royal Street and past the food booths. Suddenly, they hear a terrible crash from Devon Dowling’s antiques shop. They rush inside to find Devon collapsed with blood streaming down the side of his face. Has he been shot? Stabbed? 911 is hastily called, and the police and EMTs show up. After the police examine Devon’s body, they tell Carmela and Ava that their friend was murdered with an icepick. They’re shocked beyond belief—and now Mimi, Devon’s little pug, is left homeless.
Carmela and Ava are determined to catch the murderer, but the list of suspects is long. How long do they have before they find themselves on the killer’s list?
Book Details:
Title: Mumbo Gumbo Murder
Authors: Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran
Genre: cozy mystery
Series: New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery, book 16
Publisher: Berkley Publishing (October 1, 2019)
Print length: 320 pages
On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours
IFs ANDs or WHATs INTERVIEW WITH LAURA CHILDS
Ifs
Q: If you could talk to someone living, who would it be and what would you ask them?
A: I’d talk to Thomas Harris and ask him how on earth he was able to create Hannibal Lecter. I’ve never encountered a book character so compelling and chilling.
Q: If you could step back into a moment or day in time, where would you go?
A: I’d go back to the Four Seasons Resort in Bali, Indonesia. Soaking in my private pool, smelling the frangipani, and looking out over the South China Sea was pure heaven.
Q: If you could be anything besides a writer, what would it be?
A: I’d be an abstract expressionist painter who could hopefully sell a few paintings now and then.
Q: If you have done volunteer work, what did you do?
A: I served on the board of directors for a service dog organization and wrote grant requests that netted $200,000 in funding.
Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
A: I wouldn’t mind an apartment in New York in the east eighties—very close to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Ands
Five favorite possessions:
• my dad’s Merchant Marine jacket from World War I
• my Mom’s wedding ring
• my wedding ring
• a 17th century European painting my husband gave me
and
• the portrait of my great-great grandfather who fought with Napoleon.
Five things I need in order to write:
• an outline of at least 50 pages
• absolute quiet
• no interruptions
• Diet Coke
and
• my dog lying next to me.
Five things I love about writing:
• it’s a great creative outlet
• allows me to be my own boss and master of my fate
• has provided a good living
• is actually fun to do
and
• keeps me from becoming a useless shopaholic.
Five words to describe me:
• hard working
• marketing guru
• fun loving
• curious
and
• creative.
Five favorite places I’ve been:
• Kyoto
• New York City
• Shanghai
• Paris
and
• Bali.
Whats
Q: What’s your all-time favorite movie?
A: Blade Runner – futuristic sci-fi with a love story.
Q: What’s the loveliest sight you’ve ever seen?
A: Sitting around a campfire on the rim of the Grand Canyon, watching twilight come on.
Q: What’s your favorite song?
A: Anything by the Rolling Stones.
Q: What’s your favorite snack?
A: Sushi – but I prefer the weird stuff like uni and octopus.
Q: What’s your favorite beverage?
A: Very fine French red wine.
Q: What drives you crazy?
A: People who bully others. Makes me furious—and triggers my aggression toward the bully.
Q: What’s your latest recommendation for:
Music: Try to catch a Beach Boys, Eagles, or The Who concert. These heritage bands still sound great and are playing fantastic music!
Movie: Well, Downton Abbey just came out, and I imagine it’s a hoot.
Book: The Institute by Stephen King. The day I got the book I stayed up until 1:00 A.M. reading the first 200 pages.
TV: I’m a junkie for The Real Housewives of New York and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. (Ooh, the jewelry and handbags!)
Q: What books do you currently have published?
A: I have 46 books in 4 different series that have been published. Currently publications include Broken Bone China, Plum Tea Crazy, Glitter Bomb, and Mumbo Gumbo Murder.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:
The Tea Shop Mysteries—set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.
The Scrapbooking Mysteries—a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!
The Cackleberry Club Mysteries—set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.
Connect with Laura:
Webpage | Facebook
Recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer awards, Terrie Farley Moran is the author of the beachside Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series; co-author of Laura Childs’ New Orleans scrapbooking mystery series; and has published numerous short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly Magazine and numerous anthologies.The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren who reside in New York and Florida.
Connect with Terrie:
Blog | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy the book:
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google Play | IndieBound
Thanks for a fabulous interview. Laura and Terrie
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