Murder in Myrtle Bay - Isobel Blackthorn

When feature writer Ruth Finlay and her elderly neighbour Doris Cleaver visit an antique and collectibles market in the small town of Myrtle Bay, they get a lot more than they bargained for.

After Ruth's old tennis coach is found dead, they discover that there's no lack of people who harbour a grudge against the victim, and a tangled web of family ties and lies begins to unravel. But can Ruth and Doris find the killer in time to avert a second murder?

A quirky feel-good mystery laced with intrigue, Murder in Myrtle Bay is the first book in Isobel Blackthorn's 'Ruth Finlay Mysteries' series. Set in small town Australia, it is a sure pick for any fan of classic whodunits and cozy mysteries!

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Myrtle-Ruth-Finlay-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0B5VRZX2Q/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Myrtle-Ruth-Finlay-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0B5VRZX2Q/

My Review:

I thoroughly enjoy a cosy mystery (even ones full of recipes) and this definitely entertained me, although it took me a few chapters to settle into it, especially with so many characters to get my head around. Set in Australia, we meet Ruth and Doris who suddenly find themselves in the middle of a 'situation' and get stuck in solving this murder mystery. Amateur sleuths at their best!

A pair of fab leading characters, mouthwatering recipes and descriptions of food, you better have a snack or two handy! A good plot with fun characters led to this keeping me invested all the way, I was desperate to know everything and almost wanted to race through to find out. I love to see if I can figure it all out, but I didn’t quite manage it this time.

I have never read anything from this author but I am now a fan and will look to be reading more. The first in a series, I shall look forward to more sleuthing, A must read for mystery fans!

Author Bio:

Isobel Blackthorn is a prolific novelist of unique and engaging fiction. She writes across a range of genres, including gripping mysteries and dark psychological thrillers.

The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Reader's Favorite book awards. A Prison in the Sun was shortlisted in the LGBTQ category of the 2021 International Book Awards and the 2020 Readers' Favorite Book Awards. Her short story 'Nothing to Declare' was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019. Her dark thriller A Legacy of Old Gran Parks won a Raven Award in 2019. The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018.

Isobel holds a PhD in Western Esotericism from the University of Western Sydney for her ground-breaking study of the texts of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Her engagement with Alice Bailey’s life and works has culminated in the biographical novel The Unlikely Occultist and the full biography Alice A. Bailey: Life and Legacy.

Isobel carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain, her former home. Five of her novels are set on the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. These standalone mystery novels are setting rich and fall into the broad genre of travel fiction.

Isobel has led a rich and interesting life and her stories are as diverse as her experiences, the highs and lows, and the dramas. A life-long campaigner for social justice, Isobel has written, protested and leant her weight to a range of issues including asylum seekers and family violence. A Londoner originally, Isobel currently lives in rural Victoria, Australia.

Social Media Links –

https://twitter.com/IBlackthorn

https://www.facebook.com/Lovesick.Isobel.Blackthorn/

www.isobelblackthorn.com

https://twitter.com/IBlackthorn

Q&A with Leonie Mack

Welcome to The Comfy Chair Blog.... Leonie Mack, author of 'My Christmas Number One.'

About Leonie:

Leonie Mack is an author of fun contemporary romance with engaging characters, sparky dialogue and settings that will whisk you away to new places. She loves a happy ending and shares that love in every book she writes!

Leonie is a journalism graduate, a language nut and loves to travel, particularly on foot, by bike and by train. After growing up in Australia and living most of her adult life in London, she now lives in Germany, among the vineyards along the Main river.

1.    What was your favourite childhood book/author? 
The book I read the most times as a child was The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. I loved all the characters and the endless adventures at the top of a magical tree.

2.    What inspired you to start writing and how long has it taken you to get to this point?
I have always written stories—as soon as I learned to write, I started writing stories. I wrote for myself, as a hobby, for years before I got serious about learning to plot a novel, about three years ago. I wrote My Christmas Number One last year. It was the third book I’ve tried to get published and the first one that’s made it!

3.    Describe your writing space - neat and ordered or creative chaos? 
My writing space has typically been wherever I manage to set up. I have small children, so no space for a dedicated office. I wrote most of My Christmas Number One at the dining table! But now I have a desk in the living room

4.    What is the easiest and hardest part of the writing process?
I love writing romances. Crafting the story is the best job in the world. I love getting deep inside the characters and winding up the emotional (and sexual!) tension. The most difficult part is the hard slog of endlessly proofreading! That, and waiting for Christmas, in the case of this book!

5.    Which other authors are you influenced by?
 I am a romance nut and my early writing influences were the American authors Nora Roberts and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Now I enjoy reading romcoms by lots of fabulous British authors like Portia Macintosh and Lucy Keeling.

6.      What does literary success “look” like to you?
My goal is to keep writing. My books need to do well enough that I can keep bringing out books! I was fortunate to get a contract for two books, so my second will be out next year and hopefully by then I’ll be on a path to more books!

7.    How do you select the names of your characters?

           Some characters are really easy to name. In My Christmas Number One, Cara’s name was just hers, right from the beginning. It just worked well for her. Other times, I’ve had to change a character’s name partway through (which is a nightmare of Find and Replace). I use lists and naming statistics and name origin websites to make sure the name is appropriate. For secondary characters, I often look for similar people in real life. For example, the character of Susana in My Christmas Number One has the middle name of famous Mexican singer Paulina Rubio.

8.    Do you hide any secret ‘messages’ in your book that only a few people will understand?
There aren’t any secret messages per se, but there are a lot of song lyrics that made their way into the book—not quotes or exact wording, but paraphrased. There are several songs in Spanish I was listening to while writing that have references to cupid’s arrow and bullets of love, ‘getting lost’ together, being addicted to someone and even the Colombian saying that is part of Javi’s character arc (‘You don’t have to drink the water; let it run’) is actually in a song. The character of Javi came directly out of these love songs in Spanish, although he becomes a lot more than that as the story goes on.

9.    If your book was to be made into a film/TV programme, which actors would play which role?
I would love to see this story come alive on screen with all the music and drama! I didn’t have any celebrities in mind when I was writing, but one reader suggested Emily Blunt for Cara and I love that. That reader suggested the American actor Benjamin Bratt for Javi, which I also quite like. Another suggestion I’ve had from a reviewer was Gael Garcia Bernal for Javi and I like that idea, too. He would bring the appropriate brooding under the surface.

10.  What do you hope your readers take away from your book?
I want the readers to have a complete escape. I want readers to feel the heart-pounding chemistry of falling in love. With this book, I also want readers to see that everyone, no matter what haunts them from the past or what struggles they have in the present, can fall in love and learn to enjoy Christmas again.

Lastly, Jenn (The Comfy Chair) likes to enjoy a good read snuggled up with a cup of tea and piece of cake... what cake or sweet treat would you suggest to accompany your book? 

My Christmas Number One is best enjoyed with a mojito and some Christmas pudding! 

My Christmas Number One
Available HERE

There’s nothing quite like a Christmas love story, to get you in the mood for celebrating…

Cara doesn’t do sexy and she only does ‘Happy Christmas’ under duress. She is, after all, a serious musician, and her stubborn streak is born from her struggle to recover from a serious injury.

Javi lives for escapist fun - in his music, and in his life - especially since he’s always failed at life’s more serious challenges, including marriage and fatherhood.

Javi and Cara are forced to record a Christmas single together, but neither of them have plans to spend any more time with each other than they absolutely have to. With Christmas traditions that couldn’t be more different, and outlooks on life that are worlds apart, the chemistry just shouldn’t work. But the magic of Christmas can bring even opposites together…

From the snowy beauty of London at Christmas, to the candle-lit magic of Javi’s traditional family celebrations, let Leonie Mack whisk you away on a memorable festive adventure. Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Mandy Baggot and Holly Martin.