FEATURED AUTHOR: CHARLOTTE STUART

ABOUT THE BOOK

When single mom and recent widow Cameron Chandler takes a much-needed job at Penny-wise Investigations, a detective agency conveniently located in a suburban shopping mall, she grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Her first case is to locate a runaway girl, something her predecessor had been pursuing before he disappeared. Following in his footsteps, the trail leads to a survivalist camp on a remote island in northern Puget Sound. Armed with only a Swiss Army Knife and her quirky on-the-job training as a suburban sleuth, Cameron uncovers more than she bargained for. She soon finds herself in a fight for her own survival in this lighthearted mystery set in Seattle and the San Juan Islands to the north.

Book Details:

Title: Survival Can Be Deadly

Author: Charlotte Stuart

Genre: amateur sleuth

Series: Discount Detective Mysteries, book 1
Publisher: Walrus Publishing, an imprint of Amphorae Publishing Group, 9/10/19

Print length: 308 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours


IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH CHARLOTTE STUART

IFs


If you could live in any time period which would it be?
It would all depend on my circumstances. I wouldn’t want to be a servant in Downton Abby for example. In fact, looking back, I can think of too many drawbacks for each era. So, I choose 50 years in the future with a secure income and a home on a lovely lake. And, did I mention that the neighbors are part of a community of mystery writers? Except for one neighbor who raises fresh fruits and vegetables for the rest of us. Oh, and the air is fresh and clean, the water pure, and the deer only eat grass and leave our vegetables alone.

If you could be anything besides a writer, what would it be?
My fantasy is to be a research scientist with a specialty in allergies. I, of course, would discover cures and eliminate allergy symptoms. No more runny noses and itchy eyes. No more foods you have to avoid, pets you can’t tolerate, or plants that make you sneeze and wheeze. I suppose I could have aimed higher on the disease food chain, but you have to start somewhere.

If you had to do community service, what would you choose?
I love the pro bono work I do with strategic planning for boards of small nonprofits. It’s inspirational to engage with people dedicated to solving problems on a local level, everything from environmental issues to helping immigrants to providing quality cellos to talented musicians. Nonprofit employees do so much good for low pay and long hours. Kudos to them.

If you were on the Amazon bestseller list, who would you choose to be one before and one below you?
Look out, Tana French, you were just surpassed! Okay, Michael Connolly, you can outsell me.

If you could choose a fictional town to live in what would it be and from what book?
Instead of a town, I choose a fictional utopian country created by Austin Tappan Wright in his book Islandia. There are days when escaping from technology and sailing on quiet waters is very appealing. That’s what I remember best from Islandia, the feeling of being one with nature in a place and time that encouraged reflection. Although some of the political and cultural themes in the book aren’t necessarily appealing…but in my town in Wright’s country, things are run my way . . .


ANDs


5 things you love about where you live:
There are so many things about the island that I love. My top five include:
•    my view of the water from my office. I enjoy the sunsets, birds and seals in particular. But seeing kayakers and boats pass by is also fun.
•    I’m grateful for all of the hiking trails and beach walks within minutes of my home.
•    For the most part, the vehicle traffic is light to non-existent. Moving here from the chaos that is Seattle traffic was both a relief and a joy.
•    Great neighbors who enjoy the island for the same reasons I do.
and
•    So many trees . . . lovely, tall, abundant.

5 things you never want to run out of:
    •    popcorn
    •    toilet paper
    •    time
    •    love of life
and
    •    laughter

5 favorite foods:  
    •    wild blackberry pie
    •    prawns
    •    homemade bread
    •    tomatoes
and
    •    cucumbers

5 favorite books:
    •    A Gentleman from Moscow by Amor Towles
    •    The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
    •    The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
    •    The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
and
    •    The Water Will Come by Jeff Goodell

5 things that drive you crazy: 
    •    going to the movies and ending up seated behind a tall person with broad shoulders and big hair
    •    trying to drive through downtown Seattle
    •    unfounded conspiracy theories
    •    deer eating my roses
and
    •    too many dreary gray days in a row

WHATs

What’s your all-time favorite picture of yourself?
It’s 2010, and I’m in the cockpit of a hydroplane with Wil Muncey sitting on the side deck. I felt so cool!

What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
It’s a view of our dock at our lake cabin, surrounded by trees and wetland reeds. Just a few steps to a refreshing swim in a lovely lake.


What smells remind you of your childhood?
Polish sausage straight from the smokehouse, pine needles in the woods on a warm day, and fresh sheets dried outside in the sun.


What’s your all-time favorite place you’ve visited?
The Corycian Cave in central Greece, a place of worship for Pan. It doesn’t look like much in this picture, but the entire day was an adventure. The cave wasn’t on any of the maps we had, but we knew where it should be given the history of the area. The occasional signs were in Greek and the handful of people we met along the way didn’t speak English. When we came to a dirt road that seemed like a possibility, it became so narrow that we were forced to get out and walk. The good news - we made it!


What’s your all-time favorite place in your town?
I like all of the many trails in the woods. This is a path on one of my favorite walks just minutes from where I live.

What book are you currently working on?
I’m working on the third in my discount detective series because I came up with what I think is a gripping opening scene. Hopefully the rest of the story will flow from there.

What’s your latest recommendation for:
Food: no-knead whole wheat bread – I can almost smell it baking.
Music: Paul Simon – like him, I’m still crazy after all these years.
Movie: Backstabbing for Beginners with Ben Kingsley and two documentaries: The Biggest Little Farm and Finding Home in Boomtown.
Book: The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish; The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson.
TV: Madame Secretary (almost too real); All Rise (great characters).
Netflix: The Detectorists on Netflix.
Miscellaneous: Do one thing for yourself each day, even if it’s only taking time to read while having a cuppa.

OTHER BOOKS BY CHARLOTTE STUART

Survival Can Be Deadly
Disastrous Interviews: the Comic, Tragic and Just Plain Ugly 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 In a world filled with uncertainty and too little chocolate, Charlotte Stuart, PhD, has taught college courses in communication, gone commercial fishing in Alaska, and survived being the VP of HR and Training for a large credit union. Her current passion is for writing lighthearted mysteries with a pinch of adventure and a dollop of humor. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys watching herons, eagles, seals and other sea life from her Vashon Island home office.


Connect with Charlotte:Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  IndieBound  |  Kobo




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