Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Author Interview and Giveaway: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A Potting Shed Mystery
(Potting Shed Mystery series Book 3)

Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Alibi (August 4, 2015)
Random House LLC
ASIN: B00PEPR70M
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Synopsis
Perfect for fans of Laura Childs, Ellery Adams, and Jenn McKinlay, Marty Wingate’s enchanting Potting Shed Mystery series heads to Scotland as Pru Parke plans her wedding . . . all while a vengeful murderer is poised to strike again.

After her romantic idyll with the debonair Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse culminates in a marriage proposal, Pru Parke sets about arranging their nuptials while diving into a short-term gig at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. At hand is the authentication of a journal purportedly penned by eighteenth-century botanist and explorer Archibald Menzies. Compared to the chaos of wedding planning, studying the journal is an agreeable task . . . that is, until a search for a missing cat leads to the discovery of a dead body: One of Pru’s colleagues has been conked on the head with a rock and dumped from a bridge into the Water of Leith.

Pru can’t help wondering if the murder has something to do with the Menzies diary. Is the killer covering up a forgery? Among the police’s many suspects are a fallen aristocrat turned furniture maker, Pru’s overly solicitous assistant, even Pru herself. Now, in the midst of sheer torture by the likes of flamboyant wedding dress designers and eccentric church organists, Pru must also uncover the work of a sly murderer—unless this bride wants to walk down the aisle in handcuffs.
MARTY

Birdhouse Books Interviews Marty Wingate 

Birdhouse: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Marty: It might’ve been somewhere around third grade – when our teacher read Charlotte’s Web to us. I was lost in the storytelling!

Birdhouse: What was your favorite book as a child?

Marty: See above! But also, I remember reading a series of chapter books for third and fourth graders that had something to do with a cat and a space ship. I was quite taken at the time, but can’t remember anything else now. If this sounds familiar to any of your readers, please let me know.

Birdhouse: What is your writing day like?  Do you have any interesting writing quirks?

Marty: I get at least two hours of new writing done every day. Well, that’s the goal. Every writer has her own style, and I prefer to write something new, and then go back to edit – comb through, clean it up, add detail. I find a twenty-minute walk invaluable to adding layers to my writing.

Birdhouse: What was the most surprising thing you learned while creating this book?

Marty: The story has to do with the journal Archibald Menzies kept when he sailed with Captain George Vancouver on the Discovery in the late 18th century. I was amazed to find out that not only was the last year of Menzies’ journal missing, but also the last year of everyone’s on that ship.  Conspiracy, you say?

Birdhouse: Who are your favorite authors?

Marty: I’m all over the map on this one. I love Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke) and think J.K. Rowling’s new PI series is great. I’m a big fan of Sophie Kinsella and the Shopaholic series. But for all time, the author who most influenced me will be Ray Bradbury.

Birdhouse: What is your next writing project?

Marty: I’m just finishing up edits for the second book in my other mystery series (Birds of a Feather) – Empty Next. And then, it’s back to Pru: I’m working on Potting Shed #5 right now.

About the Author
Marty Wingate is the author of two previous Potting Shed mysteries, The Garden Plot and The Red Book of Primrose House. Her new Birds of a Feather Mystery series debuted with The Rhyme of the Magpie. Wingate is a regular contributor toCountry Gardens and other magazines. She also leads gardening tours throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, France, and North America. More Potting Shed and Birds of a Feather mysteries are planned.

Author Links
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Giveaway
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2 comments:

Unknown said...

love the cozy mystery giveaways ...hoping to win your great mystery

Peggy Hyndman said...

Sounds like this is a good read. This is a new author to me. Thank you for this opportunity.