Shannon here: Kathy Cretsinger shares insight into her characters’ romance in her latest Cozy Mystery, Bogged Down by Murder. Leave a comment or answer the question in any post dated Aug 11th – 14th to enter the drawing for a copy. Deadline: Aug. 22nd, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Kathy:
Hi, Readers. Kathy Cretsinger here. My newest book to release on August 31, 2020 is a Cozy Mystery, Bogged Down by Murder. This is the first book in the series, Nothing Shady Ever Happens in Shady Valley.
Shady Valley, Tennessee is a real place. My husband was born and raised there, and we’ve lived there twice. We still have family in Shady Valley referred to as Shady. This is a beautiful valley between three mountains, Holston, Cross, and Iron. The only way out of the valley, without going over a mountain, is through The Gorge. The Gorge is the road through Jefferson National Forrest and has Beaver Dam Creek and beautiful laurel on the sides of the road. It is breathtaking!
The main character of the book is Daisy McQueen. I thought you might like to read the interview I did with Daisy.
Kathy: Daisy, it is nice to finally meet you. Can you tell me a little about yourself?
Daisy: Thank you, it is nice to talk to you for a change. I am Daisy McQueen, the owner of Smart Living. I was raised in Miami, Florida. My parents were originally from Shady Valley, and my mother’s mother, Mildred Blevins, gave me her farm when she passed away.
Kathy: Tell me a little about Smart Living.
Daisy: Smart Living helps people eat and live healthy, both mentally and physically. We have stores all over the world, and we’ve taught people how to give up the foods that are not good for them.
Kathy: Are you a vegetarian, Daisy?
Daisy: I’m a border-line vegetarian. I occasionally eat chicken, turkey, and fish. I do not eat red meat, and I do not eat vegetable or grain that is white, wheat, fried, pasta, bread of any kind, or sugar. They are not good for you. We will live longer if we eat well and exercise.
Kathy: How did you meet Harry Greer?
Daisy: He came to my house after I found the dead man in the cranberry bog. I had Granny Blevins’ gun and accidentally shot it off toward the ceiling. He came in the house to see if I was okay. He gently took the gun from my hands. It was a double-barreled shotgun. I had never shot a gun before in my life.
Kathy: Is that when you fell in love with him?
Daisy: Yes, it was. He is handsome and kind. He doesn’t care that I am wealthy. He loves me for me.
Kathy: Did you know the murdered man you found in the cranberry bog?
Daisy: No, I’d never seen him before, but he was from Miami. Deputy Ralph Randolph thought I should know him. Do you know how large Miami is? It’s a lot bigger than Shady Valley. I don’t even know my next-door neighbors.
Kathy: Did they find the murderer?
Daisy: A certain man told me he had something to do with it. He held me captive, which is a crime you know. He spilled the beans to me thinking he was going to kill me. I escaped, and Harry found me on the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail runs behind my house.
Kathy: Were you scared when he captured you?
Daisy: Yes, I was. Harry, his friend Bob, and I had to run for our lives. We hid out in North Carolina, and you know I can’t tell you the rest.
Kathy: I know the ending is a secret. Let me ask you one more thing. Do you like Shady Valley?
Daisy: I love Shady. The people are wonderful. They care about each other. The valley is beautiful. I can see mountains from all sides of my house. No need for an air conditioner in the valley. It is cool, in fact, it’s cold in the mountains in the mornings. I am so glad Granny gave me her farm. I want to raise my children here.
Kathy: You had an experience with Raceway Restaurant, didn’t you?
Daisy: I’ll say I did! Harry took me there the day I arrived in Shady. He didn’t know I didn’t eat fried anything. That day they had fried fish, French fries, coleslaw, and deep-fried hushpuppies. They now cook with Smart Living recipes. I eat there often.
Kathy: Thank you, Daisy, for answering my questions.
Daisy: Thank you, Kathy, for writing a book about me and Shady Valley. One more thing, there are real cranberry bogs in Shady Valley, and the Cranberry Festival is the second Saturday in October at Shady Valley Elementary School.
About Kathy: Kathy Cretsinger and her husband migrated from the hills of East Tennessee to the flatlands of Kentucky several years ago to be close to their children and grandchildren. This brought another change in their lives. Kathy began publishing her books, and a few years later, she decided to help other authors who are having a hard time in the publishing industry by starting Mantle Rock Publishing LLC. Recently, Kathy sold most of her publishing company to Scrivenings Press.
Kathy loves being close to her family and enjoys growing orchids, which continue to multiply. She is now finding more time to write the books that have lived in her head for the last few years. Visit her at kathycretsinger.com where she has a weekly blog.
About the book – Bogged Down by Murder:
City girl, Daisy McQueen, inherits her grandmother’s farm in the mountains of East Tennessee, Shady Valley to be exact. Daisy owns a company, Smart Living, that teaches people how to live healthy, and she is used to city life. Shady Valley only has one small store and one restaurant.
Daisy finds a dead body in her cranberry bog, and she is the number one murder suspect. Harry Greer helps her with her investigation without realizing Daisy is one of the richest women in the world with her company, Smart Living.
Hunters are secretly entering her property from the Appalachian Trail at night. Harry wants to protect her, but Daisy wants to teach the people in Shady Valley how to eat and live healthy.
Someone wants her dead.
Question for Readers: Does your town or a town near you have an annual festival? Do you go? What draws people there?
Come back Aug 18th for Leeann Betts!
Shelia Hall says
Our town has the Railroad festival each year which i do sometime attend
Regina Merrick says
Great interview with Daisy! I can’t wait to see the finished product – and the NEXT book in the series? 🙂
Natalya Lakhno says
Yes. We have “Apple Hills” nearby- numerous orchards – that do festival annually! It’s fun and all the delicious food!!!
Candace West Posey says
Love the interview, Kathy! This book sounds like so much fun. I would love to visit Shady Valley.
Our town used to have an annual catfish festival. About 40 miles west of here a town still has its annual armadillo festival. Great fun!
Ane Mulligan says
Yes, our town, Sugar Hill, has a festival in the Fall. It’s called Sugar Rush. I have an author table and the theatre troupe I lead has done cemetery tours and street drama.
Wendy Newcomb says
We have the County Fair which we used to go to every year but when we lived in Florida we loved going the The Strawberry Festival about an hour from our home.
wfnren at aol dot com
Shannon Vannatter says
I have a winner! Connie Porter Saunders won the drawing. I appreciate Kathy for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.