Slaughter Before Samhain Interview

 Here's a little interview role play about my current novel. The working title is Slaughter Before Samhain, and it is currently out to beta readers. In this role play, I answer a fictitious interviewer's questions about the final product. I'm thinking of using the pen name Cassandra Slaughter, a family name from generations back.

What drew you to the cozy mystery genre?

Ever since a friend brought a copy of Death by Darjeeling to our annual camping retreat, I have loved cozy mysteries. I love stories by and about women, and the female amateur sleuth being a common fixture has been so fun to read and now write. I have enjoyed creating my own little world - the world of Silverbrook Falls, Ohio. Writing paranormal cozies was a natural fit due to my long-time interest in the occult. Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind the town of Silverbrook Falls and what makes it the perfect backdrop for your stories? In 2019 I drove from Omaha, Nebraska, to Salem, Massachusetts, and gave myself two weeks. No agenda, just stop whenever and wherever I wanted. I ended up getting a tour of an Amish coffin maker’s shop, going on the Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls, and all kinds of stuff. I met a guy when I stopped in Cleveland, and now we’re married. I live with him in Mentor, Ohio, these days. I fell in love with the shops and restaurants of downtown Willoughby, the beach at Fairport Harbor, and the wooded charm of Chagrin Falls, all towns to the east of Cleveland. Silverbrook Falls is as if you uprooted downtown Willoughby and the waterfall of Chagrin Falls and dropped them in Fairport Harbor. Can you tell us a bit about your main character, the amateur sleuth who will be at the heart of your cozy mystery series, and what makes her a compelling character for readers to follow throughout the series? Amethyst Knight is a recently divorced former high school history teacher who left her life in Omaha, Nebraska to open a metaphysical store called Widdershins Witchery in Silverbrook Falls. She is lovably complex - a bit quirky. Some people underestimate her because she's a petite blond in pastels - not your visibly goth witch stereotype. Despite not being able to see or hear ghosts, the spirits of Silverbrook Falls come to her for help solving murders. It's a fun journey to watch her go from trying to escape her old life - marriage, job, and a toxic coven - to growing fully in her power. It's a reinvention tale with a dose of shadow work. Plus, she's funny. At least, I like to think so. Now, in the cozy mystery genre, supporting characters often play pivotal roles in the protagonist's life. Can you share a bit about some of the memorable characters Amethyst will interact with in Silverbrook Falls, and how they contribute to the series' charm and intrigue? My two main side characters in Silverbrook Falls from the first novel are Isabel Escobar, the psychic barista who owns the coffee shop next door, and Quinn Bradley, a college student who learns witchcraft from Amethyst while working at her shop to pay for his drag queen hobby. My favorite character is probably Sloan, Amethyst's friend who left the toxic Omaha coven. She's a composite of a lot of people I know, but she is most inspired by my friend Diana. Sloan is wryly funny, loyal, and a straight shooter. Now, when it comes to crafting mysteries, readers often enjoy intricate puzzles and surprises. Can you give us a sneak peek into the central mystery that Amethyst and her friends will tackle in the first book of the series, Slaughter Before Samhain. and what readers can look forward to as they try to unravel it alongside your characters? Without giving too much away, an angry councilman shows up to the grand opening of Widdershins Witchery to denounce the business and is found dead in the alley behind the store a few hours later. Amethyst finds herself attempting to solve the murder when a ghost whispering greyhound shows up and insists that the apparent heart attack is actually a magical murder. Clearing her name is also a big motivation! As readers dive into the story, they'll likely be eager to know more about the ghostly greyhound and how Amethyst will navigate her way through this unexpected investigation. What can you tell us about the dynamics between Amethyst and her spectral canine partner, and how their relationship evolves throughout the book? It remains a bit mysterious. The dog, who she jokingly names Damien, appears at the scene of the crime. Over the course of the novels, he helps her communicate with spirits. He never talks, just uses a spirit board (like a Ouija board.) His true origin is revealed later in the series. He is a bit of a "cozy companion," adding some warmth and humor to the stories.