Today we have Terrie Moran, author of the Read 'Em and Eat Cafe Mysteries, with us to chat about her books!
We love the idea of a Read 'Em and Eat Cafe, where did the inspiration for a bookstore and cafe all rolled into one come from?
Actually, the idea for a combination café and bookstore resulted from a number of conversations I had with my agent, the fabulous Kim Lionetti of Bookends Literary. I liked the idea of a breakfast/lunch café because the characters could naturally sit and talk and since they don’t serve dinner the owners would have the late afternoon and evenings free to solve crimes. I freely admit I am far from an expert in the kitchen, so the shop needed something more, an area where I would always be comfortable. The bookshop side of the Read ‘Em and Eat suits me to a T.
The Read 'Em and Eat Mysteries are set in the gulf of Florida, in such a picturesque setting. What was your inspiration for setting the books there?
Years ago a friend recommended a novel called Shadow Country written by naturalist and novelist Peter Matthiessen. It is a fictionalized version of the settling of the Ten Thousand Islands along the Gulf coast near the Florida Everglades more than a hundred years ago. After reading the book, I was enchanted and decided to write about the area. At first I intended to write a short story set in the Ten Thousand Islands in the early 1900s but the more I read about the people and the place (which is now part of State and Federal protected lands) I decided to use it as backstory for a subplot in a contemporary cozy. You will recognize it in Delia’s life story in Well Read, Then Dead. I decided to use Fort Myers Beach as a setting because it physically (if you take away the roads and buildings) reminds me of the Ten Thousand Islands, and is about an hour north of the northernmost protected island.
There are so many "big" personalities in Well Read, Then Dead, like Aunt Opie, and Augusta. Do you draw inspiration for your characters from any of your family and friends?
I do not. I am certain that path leads to relationship ruin. In fact I have had folks tell me they recognize themselves in my work but that is entirely in their imagination. I never “borrow” the personality traits of anyone I know for my books or stories. I did participate in an auction last year to raise money for the public library in
Wetumpka, Alabama. The winner has a character named after her in Read to Death. Once I picked the character I wanted her to be, I emailed all the pertinent data to her in order to be sure that the character’s life did not resemble her life in any way. I also named the veterinarian Cynthia Mays after my best friend. With her permission I used her maiden name, and the only thing that the real Cynthia and Doctor Mays have in common is that they both love animals and are attractive African-American women. So where do the “big” personalities come from? They rattle around in my brain and argue with me until I write them as they wish to be written.
What is your favourite thing about writing the Read 'Em and Eat Mysteries?
As a writer I love the freshness of a new story in a familiar setting with familiar characters. I really enjoy the book club meetings that bring so many books, both fiction and non-fiction, to our attention. And of course I have to read the books so that I can write about the book club meetings. Bonus!
We have a Read to Death t-shirt to giveaway to one lucky winner.
1. Leave a comment with your email address.
2. Giveaway ends on July 14, 2016 and the winners will be contacted by email.
3. Giveaway is open USA.
