It Wasn't Exactly Murder At A Scottish Wedding!

About Traci Hall

From cozy mysteries to seaside romance, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall writes stories that captivate her readers. As a hybrid author with over sixty published works, Ms. Hall has a favorite tale for everyone.

Mystery lovers, check out her Scottish Shire series, set in the seaside town of Nairn, or the Salem B&B Mystery series, co-written as Traci Wilton. Her latest project is an Irish Castle cozy as Ellie Brannigan. Whether it's her ever-popular By the Sea romances, an Appletree Cove sweet romance, or a fun who-done-it, Traci finds her inspiration in sunny South Florida, living right near the ocean.

Traci wants to hear from you!

Traci@TraciHall.com 

Married instead of murdered is how my own May nuptials played out in 2022. While planning in January, I was writing Murder at a Scottish Wedding…at the same time I was in edit mode for Murder at an Irish Castle (written as Ellie Brannigan) a mystery about a bridalwear designer on Rodeo Drive. It was fun and the many episodes I watched of Say Yes to the Dress were research. Really. 😉

I discovered that the average price in the US for a wedding dress was around the five grand mark, but that wasn’t my experience—I even bought four before deciding that the most casual boho style was The One. And less than a hundred bucks.

Because of Covid we had put the wedding off a year. We kept our beach wedding very low-key, with less than forty guests. Spring storms had been predicted, but that day dawned with blue skies. The airshow didn’t start until around one and we said our vows at noon. All good! We were vaccinated and boosted yet still ended up with Covid. We spent our honeymoon in different rooms of our apartment—not exactly romantic, lol, but the day of the wedding was lovely and all I could ever want.

You know someone really loves you, and you love them, when you are both sick at the same time and don’t kill each other lol. We will be together ten years this May and just might take that honeymoon.

So, tell me what's your favorite style of wedding gown?  

Comment and you just might win an autographed copy of one of my books,

Murder at a Scottish Wedding

Buy link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W8X5K6V

Buy link to Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-at-a-scottish-wedding-traci-hall/1141407207

Buy link to Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/murder-at-a-scottish-wedding

Info (And Fun) You Won’t Find On the Internet

By Linda Lovely

I recently was invited to talk with students in Creative Writing and English classes at a local high school. Part of my advice to those students interested in writing fiction was to go beyond the Internet to do research. A writer’s best resources are people who have actual hands-on experience, and, almost always, they’re more than willing to talk about their work and themselves.

My intent wasn’t to downplay the Internet’s value. I can and do Google topics to find a wealth of materials and information, though I also try to vet these sources to make sure they’re reliable. I also tap into YouTube to open visual/audio windows into experiences. For instance, I watched clips of Billy goats in rut and how-to drone-flying demos to help craft scenes in PICKED OFF, my second Brie Hooker Mystery.

Yet, there’s no substitute for speaking directly with experts. I realize some aspiring authors are shy and feel they may be imposing if they ask strangers to spend time answering their questions. Yet most people are flattered rather than annoyed and enjoy the opportunity to share information. I can’t ever recall being rebuffed by an information “source.” Of course, it’s important to make clear why you want the information and how you plan to use it. Now that I’m writing fiction, that simply means I’ll use their experiences and insights to help build more interesting, well-rounded characters and more credible plots.

For BONES TO PICK, my first Brie Hooker Mystery, I made in-person visits to goat farms and breweries (what a hardship) and quizzed the owners about the care and feeding of dairy goats and what’s involved in brewing moonshine. I also tasted goat fudge, and, of course, sampled moonshine. Visiting locations helped me visualize potential scenes and also triggered ideas about situations and activities for my characters.  Joining a goat yoga class was a true adventure, and provided the idea for the opening scene in my third Brie book, BAD PICK, due out April, 2019!

So how do you find experts if you’re writing a crime novel? Even authors of mysteries featuring amateur sleuths should try to be as accurate as possible in describing law enforcement and legal procedures, forensics, investigative techniques, etc.

I’ve discovered my best resources through my local Sisters in Crime chapter and the phenomenal annual Writers’ Police Academy (WPA). This August I’ll be attending my seventh WPA event, a special MurderCon edition that will focus on using forensic tools to solve homicides. Over the years, these two sources—Sisters in Crime and the WPA—have been treasure troves of information and contacts. Through these organizations I’ve met everyone from FBI, ATF and Treasury agents to paramedics, coroners, detectives and defense attorneys. What’s more, since I’ve met them, I’m not a stranger calling them out of the blue. We have a prior connection and they know my request is legitimate.

So if you don’t know an answer, ask! Not only may you be surprised by the answer, you may find answers to questions you didn’t even know you should ask. Conversations can be a wonderful adventure. And what a fun way to start a New Year!

Tricky Treats-A Test Kitchen for Murder

By Linda Lovely

Our blog’s October theme is “tricky treats.” So it’s lucky for me that my neighborhood gardening group paid a visit to the North Carolina Arboretum last week.  Had I known about the Arboretum’s Wicked Plants exhibit I’d have hustled up to Asheville even sooner. What mystery author can resist a creepy Victorian-era mansion where room after room is devoted to how plants—or some portion of them—have the power to sicken, paralyze, or even murder?

A book by Amy Stewart, Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, provided the inspiration and much of the historical and factual information incorporated in the exhibit, which will be at the Arboretum until Januray 7. Stewart’s book is definitely coming to my bedside table soon.

My favorite display was the Last Supper room. Each place setting featured a plate that asked you to guess what plant was responsible for the death or disability of the person who’d occupied that seat at the table. Many of the answers were quite surprising. Who knew that foods commonplace on our dinner tables—like corn, potatoes, and celery—had such destructive powers? Of course, in several instances, one either had to totally pig out on the food, ingest portions of the plant that aren’t normally consumed, or eat the vegetable when it had already entered into an uncommon state of decay. 

While I don’t want to spoil the guessing games for anyone who plans to attend, I’ll provide one historical example. As an Iowa native, who has eaten more than her share of corn, I was astounded to learn this tasty treat might be responsible for vampire legends. 

In the 1500s, corn was among the treasures that European explorers brought back from the new world. Because it was easy to grow and cheap, corn became the main nutritional source for a lot of poor people, who ate it raw. As a result, these people didn’t get enough niacin, an essential vitamin, and became victims of a condition called pellagra. While corn does contain niacin, our bodies aren’t able to access the vitamin if the corn’s eaten raw. 

So what are the pellagra symptoms? They can include hypersensitivity to sunlight, insomnia, aggressiveness, and an inability to digest much beyond animal blood. However, in the New World, pellagra wasn’t a problem because people cooked the corn and often used lime in making their corn tortillas. Lime works to chemically release the niacin locked in raw corn.

While I’m not planning to make any of my future characters eat a steady diet of raw corn, I'm almost certain some future character will succumb to a wicked plant. Thanks, North Carolina Arboretum!

Incidentally, Henery Press released my new humorous mystery, BONES TO PICK, this week! And my heroine's father, a horticultural professor, grows a poisonous garden--for research, of course. Click HERE to learn more. 

Spotlight on Florida Writers by Kristin Wallace

This month on RTG, we’re promoting other authors. We were told we could pick a theme or simply authors we love. I decided to go with a sort-of theme and feature Florida authors. Now, they might not all write stories that take place in Florida (although some do), but they all reside in my home state. They are fellow members of my local writers chapter Florida Romance Writers (FRW), a chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA) in southeast Florida (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and the Keys).

Most write in a variety of romance genres, but others are published in genres outside of romance, including historical fiction and mysteries. 

So, here they are….

Heather Graham – Heather is an international NYT and USA Today best selling author of over 100 romantic suspense and paranormal romance novels. She is also one of the Founding Mothers of FRW. She has written too many books to mention.

Tara L. Ames - Tara writes sexy contemporary romances with alpha heroes and strong-willed heroines. The Risk Taker is the first book in the Alpha Aviators series and will be released this July.

Debra Andrews – Debra writes glitzy, sexy, romances with a dangerous twist, including romantic suspense, action-adventure, romantic comedy, and mystery/thrillers.

Lynette Austin – Award-winning contemporary romance author. Check out her latest series, Maverick Junction.

Nancy Cohen – Nancy writes cozy mysteries and paranormal/fantasy romance set in Florida. Her latest release, Facials Can Be Fatal, is part of her Bad Hair Day Mysteries series.

A.E. Easterlin – Author of contemporary and historical romance. Her latest release is Never Say Never Again.

Jane Ederlyn – Jane Ederlyn is actually the alter ego of a writing duo. They write steamy paranormal romance with sexy vampires and werewolves. Their debut novel, Reborn, is the first book in their Princess of Blood Series.

Susannah Gautier – Susannah writes YA & adult romance, including paranormal, suspense as well as cyber-punk/dystopian. She pens the Black Dragon Elite & Dark Legends Series.

Traci Hall - Traci is a prolific author of contemporary, historical and YA/paranormal romance. Her By the Sea Series features fun and sexy romances set in South Florida.  

Sharon Hartley – Author of contemporary romantic suspense.

Rebecca Heflin – Award-winning writer of women's fiction and contemporary romance, where ordinary people find extraordinary romance.

Marcia King-Gamble – Marcia has written over 30 romance novels, including steamy contemporary romances set in exotic locales.

Sophia Knightly – Sophia is a USA Today & NYT bestselling author of sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance.

Jessica Rachel Kreger – Jessica pens sweet contemporary romances that bring modern fairy tales to life. Her debut novel, Fit To Love, launched earlier this year.    

Virginia Martin – Virginia is the author of Christian fiction, young adult, and non-fiction devotionals.

Alyssa Maxwell – Alyssa is a best selling author of historical mysteries. Her series include Gilded Newport Mysteries, and The Lady and Lady’s Maids Mysteries.

Alison McMahan - Alison writes adult and YA historical romantic mysteries. She is also an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker. 

Michael Meeske (V.S. Alexander) – Michael writes across genres, including romance, mystery, suspense, gothic and historical fiction. His historical novel, The Magdalen Girls written under the name V.S. Alexander, launched in January.

Aleka Nakis – Aleka writes steamy contemporary romances that blend her passions for story telling, travel, exotic locations and sexy heroes.

Victoria Pinder – Victoria is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, YA and Sci-fi/fantasy romance. She just published her 25^th novel, Favorite Coffee, Favorite Mistake.

Mona Risk – Mona is a USA Today & NYT best selling author of sweet and sexy contemporary romances set in exotic locations around the world.

Sheena Snow – Sheena is an author of YA fantasy/sci-fi romance. Her debut novel is Sparked.

Cynthia Thomason – Cynthia is a multi-award winning author of over two-dozen novels, including sweet contemporary/small town and historical romance.

Bonnie Vanak – Bonnie is a USA Today and NYT bestselling author of over 40 novels, including paranormal, historical, and romantic suspense, including the Werewolves of Montana Series.

And now for me...

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. She is the author of two best selling series, Shellwater Key Tales (sweet contemporary romance) and Covington Falls Chronicles (inspirational romance). Her tenth published novel released April 24^th - Last Stop At Paradise, Book 3 in the Shellwater Key Tales.

For info on all of her books, visit Kristin Wallace Author

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Heavy on the Scary, Light on the Gore

By Linda Lovely

I walked out on this "classic" due
to its graphic violence.

I love mysteries and thrillers—books and movies.  However, I try to avoid any entertainment medium that dishes up excessive violence and gore. While many people consider Clockwork Orange a movie classic, I walked out on that film when it premiered. I don’t need horrific, violent images polluting my mind and invading my nightmares. I’m not a fan of horror movies—even on Halloween.

I’m delighted when mystery/suspense/thrillers give me chills and goosebumps. I read/watch because, at least in my favorite books/films, the hero/heroine ultimately wins out over evil. For those of us who love these genres, the promise that right/justice can prevail (at least occasionally) is both comforting and inspiring.

I love books that make me eager to turn the page to find out what will happen next, to discover how the protagonists will escape what seems like inevitable doom. Dire situations are just dandy. But severed body parts, gallons of blood, and extended torture scenes are unnecessary and unwelcome for this reader/viewer. Spare me the chainsaw and slasher flicks. My imagination is quite adequate to feel the intense cruelty of a serial killer or psychopath without pages of gory description. 

Marathon Man is one of my favorite films
even though the torture scene made me squirm.

However, I have to admit one of my favorite movies, Marathon Man, includes an extended torture scene—though the instruments of torture can be found in most dentists’ offices. That seems to suggest my tolerance for violence extends well beyond PG.

The the people who die in my mystery/suspense/thrillers don’t exactly pass away in their sleep either. Since my killers tend to be smart, I figure they’re entitled to come up with ingenious methods to engineer their victims’ deaths. Their weapons have included everything from fire ants and dog collars to eye drops. If you haven’t read my novels, I don’t want to give details that could be spoilers.

So how do you feel about scary books/movies? Do you choose to pass on the gore? Where do you draw the line on violence?