As the director of Barton Farm, a living
history museum in Ohio, Kelsey Cambridge is underpaid and
underappreciated, but she loves every minute of it. Determined to keep
the struggling farm open, she plans to impress the museum’s wealthy
benefactress, Cynthia Cherry, with a Civil War reenactment on the farm’s
grounds.
Unfortunately, the first shot in the
battle isn’t from a period soldier. It’s from Cynthia’s greedy nephew,
Maxwell, who fires a threat at Kelsey to cut the museum’s funding. The
next morning, things go from bad to worse when Kelsey discovers Maxwell
dead. Now Kelsey is the police’s number one suspect, and she must start
her own investigation to save Barton Farm . . . and herself.
Interview With Amanda Flower
I enjoyed interviewing Amanda Flower for this book tour stop!
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I knew I wanted to be a writer when I read a story I wrote to
my sixth grade English class, and the class and my teacher laughed at my
description of being stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel. I knew in that moment
I had found my calling to make people laugh with my words.
What was your favorite book as a child?
Charlotte’s Web
What is your writing day like? Do you have any
interesting writing quirks?
In addition to being a writer, I’m a fulltime college
librarian, so every day of my life looks a little bit different because I write
about my work schedule that varies from week to week. However, I do most of my
writing on Saturdays and Sundays I’m not working. On a those days, I can write
up to seven thousand words in a day. I usually write better when I have a large
chuck of time to really get into the story. One of my writer quirks would be I
like to wear a hoodie with the hood up when I write. I suppose it gives me
tunnel vision.
What was the most surprising thing you learned while creating
this book?
I feel like I have a good grasp on American history, but I
was surprised to learn that Walt Whitman served as a nurse to wounded soldiers
during the Civil War in Washington DC. He would read his poems to the men to comfort them. I
loved that fact and had to put a Whitman reenactor in the book because of it.
Who are your favorite authors?
That’s such a tough question. There are so many. Some of my
favorite mystery authors are Heather Blake, Kylie Logan, and Rhys Bowen. There
are many more than that!
What is your next writing project?
Currently, I am in the middle of a very busy writing year. I
am under contract to write five mysteries this year for Midnight Ink and
Penguin/NAL. I write mysteries under my name and the name Isabella Alan. I’m
currently working on the sequel to The
Final Reveille called The Final Tap
about maple sugaring on Barton Farm. My next cozy to release after The Final Reveille is Murder, Plainly Read, which is the 4th
novel in The Amish Quilt Shop Mystery Series I write as Isabella Alan.
Social Media Links
About This Author
Amanda Flower, a two-time Agatha
Award-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary
school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had
the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of
a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of
making people laugh with her words. She also writes mysteries as
national bestselling author Isabella Alan. In addition to being an author, Amanda is an academic librarian for a small college near Cleveland.
Purchase Links:
Amazon
B&N
Giveaway:
There is a Rafflecopter Giveaway for copy of the Final
Reveille, one pb copy of Maid of Murder, one copy of one of my Isabella
Alan mysteries, and a Ohio country gift.
