I'm so excited to have mystery author Victoria Hamilton visiting the blog today! Victoria is the author of the Vintage Kitchen and Merry Muffins mystery series. (I read and reviewed the first Merry Muffins mystery, Bran New Death, in October.) Freezer I'll Shoot is the third Vintage Kitchen mystery. Don't miss the giveaway near the bottom of the page to win a copy of both these delightful mysteries!
Lark (Bookwyrm's Hoard): Hi, Victoria! Welcome to The Bookwyrm’s Hoard. Thanks for stopping by! I have to ask -- You write cozy mysteries as Victoria
Hamilton and historical mysteries and romances under your real name, Donna Lea
Simpson. How difficult is it to keep
your two writing personas separate?
Victoria Hamilton: Not difficult at all, really. My romances are Regency, historical and paranormal, and so far removed from what I write now, that it’s like I’ve split into two! Victoria is who I am every day now, but I am still Donna in real life, and when I promote my romance novels.
Lark: With a successful career in writing historical romances and mysteries, what drew you to the contemporary cozy genre?
Victoria: Many moons ago my sole ambition was
to be a mystery author. However, after writing a few mysteries and having them turned
down, I decided I wanted to be published one way or another, and I also loved
Regency romance so… it wasn’t hard to make the decision that I would try my
hand at romance and see what happened. What happened was publication with my
very first book and breaking into a major publisher with my second!
So now, many years later, I’ve ended up where I intended to go all along.
Lark: Your biography mentions Jane Austen and Agatha Christie as early influences. Who besides Christie has influenced you as a cozy mystery writer?
Victoria: I always credit Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky with being my inspirations, though neither of them are cozy writers. I didn’t even know what a ‘cozy’ or ‘traditional’ was until I started to try specifically to write one, and then I figured out that it was a natural fit for my likes and dislikes and my personality. I really love all the stuff I write about: collecting vintage kitchenalia, cooking, tea and teapots… it’s all me!
Lark: Take us through a typical writing day. Where and when do you write? Do you use a computer, typewriter, or write by hand?
Victoria: My typical day? Get up, get coffee, sit down at my desk, turn on computer, write. Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that, but not much. I often have to do a little business first, write some emails, or check out Facebook, (my second home). I might drop in on a blog where I’m featured, if I have a release that month, or write a blog. But generally speaking it is get up, get coffee… go to computer! Sit! Write my quota or more!
Lark: How do you research your books? Do you visit the settings you hope to use?
Victoria: I’ll let you in on a little secret… I don’t travel, at all. And I live in Canada. However, for book setting ease, I set my series in the US. My settings are fictional, though, not specific to the state or area I set them in, so I do research, and only use a setting that through my research look familiar to me. Michigan, upstate New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania… many areas in these northern states look much like my Southwestern Ontario home! I would never try to set a novel in Florida, or Texas; I have never been there and can’t imagine what day to day life is like there, so it just wouldn’t work.
Lark: I love the title, Freezer I’ll Shoot. Did you have to go through a lot of other titles before you came up with such a clever, perfect one?
Victoria: Ah, well, thank the good folks at Berkley Prime Crime for this title! I usually come up with my own, but no one was over fond of my ideas this time around, so they pitched this one at me and I agreed. The book I’m writing right now, they weren’t crazy about the title I had chosen either, so I brainstormed a bunch of new ones and they chose one from the list. I’m working out my own method for coming up with the ideal title, and it is a lot of fun!
Lark: You collect vintage cookware, like your sleuth Jaymie Leighton. What’s the most exciting find you ever made?
Victoria: Every find is exciting! I genuinely love the stuff, but if I had to pin it down, it would be a small green depression glass bowl I found in a thrift shop for $3.99. Amazing! It’s fairly rare and worth a lot more than that.
Lark: That's fantastic - one of those Antiques Roadshow moments! Can you tell us what you’re working on now? What’s next for Jaymie, Merry, or any of your other heroines?
Victoria: I’m actually working on Book 4 of the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series, and Jaymie is having the time of her life helping restore the kitchen of the historic home Queensville is transforming into a living museum. Because of the fabulous find she made in Book 1 – A Deadly Grind – which was subsequently donated to the Queensville heritage society and then auctioned off, they were able to buy the Dumpe estate, soon to be renamed Queensville Historic Manor.
Her personal life is in a bit of a turmoil, though, as she tries to figure out exactly what she wants.
Lark: Finally, a few quick questions:
Victoria Hamilton: Not difficult at all, really. My romances are Regency, historical and paranormal, and so far removed from what I write now, that it’s like I’ve split into two! Victoria is who I am every day now, but I am still Donna in real life, and when I promote my romance novels.
Lark: With a successful career in writing historical romances and mysteries, what drew you to the contemporary cozy genre?
Victoria: Many moons ago my sole ambition was
to be a mystery author. However, after writing a few mysteries and having them turned
down, I decided I wanted to be published one way or another, and I also loved
Regency romance so… it wasn’t hard to make the decision that I would try my
hand at romance and see what happened. What happened was publication with my
very first book and breaking into a major publisher with my second!So now, many years later, I’ve ended up where I intended to go all along.
Lark: Your biography mentions Jane Austen and Agatha Christie as early influences. Who besides Christie has influenced you as a cozy mystery writer?
Victoria: I always credit Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky with being my inspirations, though neither of them are cozy writers. I didn’t even know what a ‘cozy’ or ‘traditional’ was until I started to try specifically to write one, and then I figured out that it was a natural fit for my likes and dislikes and my personality. I really love all the stuff I write about: collecting vintage kitchenalia, cooking, tea and teapots… it’s all me!
Lark: Take us through a typical writing day. Where and when do you write? Do you use a computer, typewriter, or write by hand?
Victoria: My typical day? Get up, get coffee, sit down at my desk, turn on computer, write. Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that, but not much. I often have to do a little business first, write some emails, or check out Facebook, (my second home). I might drop in on a blog where I’m featured, if I have a release that month, or write a blog. But generally speaking it is get up, get coffee… go to computer! Sit! Write my quota or more!
Lark: How do you research your books? Do you visit the settings you hope to use?
Victoria: I’ll let you in on a little secret… I don’t travel, at all. And I live in Canada. However, for book setting ease, I set my series in the US. My settings are fictional, though, not specific to the state or area I set them in, so I do research, and only use a setting that through my research look familiar to me. Michigan, upstate New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania… many areas in these northern states look much like my Southwestern Ontario home! I would never try to set a novel in Florida, or Texas; I have never been there and can’t imagine what day to day life is like there, so it just wouldn’t work.
Lark: I love the title, Freezer I’ll Shoot. Did you have to go through a lot of other titles before you came up with such a clever, perfect one?
Victoria: Ah, well, thank the good folks at Berkley Prime Crime for this title! I usually come up with my own, but no one was over fond of my ideas this time around, so they pitched this one at me and I agreed. The book I’m writing right now, they weren’t crazy about the title I had chosen either, so I brainstormed a bunch of new ones and they chose one from the list. I’m working out my own method for coming up with the ideal title, and it is a lot of fun!
Lark: You collect vintage cookware, like your sleuth Jaymie Leighton. What’s the most exciting find you ever made?
Victoria: Every find is exciting! I genuinely love the stuff, but if I had to pin it down, it would be a small green depression glass bowl I found in a thrift shop for $3.99. Amazing! It’s fairly rare and worth a lot more than that.
Lark: That's fantastic - one of those Antiques Roadshow moments! Can you tell us what you’re working on now? What’s next for Jaymie, Merry, or any of your other heroines?
Victoria: I’m actually working on Book 4 of the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series, and Jaymie is having the time of her life helping restore the kitchen of the historic home Queensville is transforming into a living museum. Because of the fabulous find she made in Book 1 – A Deadly Grind – which was subsequently donated to the Queensville heritage society and then auctioned off, they were able to buy the Dumpe estate, soon to be renamed Queensville Historic Manor.
Her personal life is in a bit of a turmoil, though, as she tries to figure out exactly what she wants.
Lark: Finally, a few quick questions:
- Favorite color? I’ll admit it… pink.
- Favorite season? Autumn.
- Favorite dessert or sweet thing? Brownies. (Oh, me too! The fudgier, the better.)
- Dogs or cats? Cats, if I had to choose.
- City or country? Well, I live in the city, but I love going out to a friend’s home in the country. Bit of both.
- Print, e-reader, or audiobook? Print.
Lark: I’ve really enjoyed chatting with
you, Victoria! Thank you so much for
coming by. I wish you great success with
Freezer I’ll Shoot – and all your
other books!
Victoria: Thank you so much, Lark! I’ve had a great time, and enjoyed answering the questions!
Victoria: Thank you so much, Lark! I’ve had a great time, and enjoyed answering the questions!
* * *
DESCRIPTION: Trying to escape her overbearing mother, vintage kitchenware enthusiast and soon-to-be columnist Jaymie Leighton retreats to her family’s cottage on Heartbreak Island. While there she hopes to write an article about the Ice House restaurant, owned by good friends and neighbors, siblings Ruby and Garnet Redmond. Once an actual icehouse, the restaurant is charmingly decorated with antique tools of the trade, including a collection of ice picks.
One night, while working on her article, Jaymie overhears an argument and, ever the sleuth, sets out to explore. But when she stumbles upon a dead body her blood runs cold. It’s Urban Dobrinskie, whose feud with the Redmonds is no secret, and he’s got an ice pick through his heart. Now Jaymie’s got to sharpen her sleuthing skills to chip away at the mystery and prove her neighbors’ innocence—before someone else gets picked off….
REVIEW:
Victoria Hamilton serves up a tasty blend of mystery, murder, and a touch of romance in her third Vintage Kitchen mystery. When mean-spirited Urban Dobrinskie turns up dead in the back yard of her family's cottage, Jaymie can't stop trying to figure out whodunit. With plenty of suspects, a smorgasbord of motives, and more than a few well-disguised clues, the mystery is complex enough to be challenging. I'm usually fairly good at solving cozies, but in this case, although I got several things right, I was still waffling between a few suspects until the denouement -- and I had the real murderer's motive half-wrong. That's good plotting, and excellent execution.
Hamilton throws in several interesting subplots, including a septic drain field in various stages of repair, a feud between mothers, Jaymie's take-it-slow relationship with her tech-millionaire boyfriend Daniel and her unwilling attraction to a sexy cop, and her angst over the vintage cooking column she's trying to start. I had no trouble jumping into the series with book three, but it's clearly a series; some of the subplots aren't entirely resolved by the end, and there are several recurring characters. Hamilton doesn't fall into the twin traps of cardboard-cutout characters or overly-eccentric ones; almost all her characters are nuanced and believable.
Clever, fun, and entertaining, Freezer I'll Shoot held my attention from beginning to end. I'll definitely be back for more!
* * *
Rating: 4 stars
Category: Cozy Mystery
Series: Vintage Kitchen #3
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: November 5, 2013
Book source: I received a digital review copy via NetGalley and Great Escapes Book Tours, in exchange for an honest review.
Book links:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo
About the author:
Victoria Hamilton,
nationally bestselling author of the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series, is the
pseudonym of Donna Lea Simpson, bestselling author of romance and historical
mystery novels.
Victoria starting
reading mystery novels at the age of 12 and devoured Agatha Christie mysteries,
as well as those of Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. She still adores
mysteries, especially the cozy mysteries of Janet Bolin, Krista Davis, and
others.
GIVEAWAY!
Victoria Hamilton is giving away autographed copies of Freezer I'll Shoot and Bran New Death, along with a mystery tote bag and a pen.
Blog tour participants:
November 2 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Review, Interview, Giveaway
November 3 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Spotlight, Interview
November 4 – My Recent Favorite Books – Spotlight
November 5 – According to Squenn – Interview
November 6 - Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review, Guest Post
November 7 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – Review, Interview, Giveaway
November 8 – Queen of All She Reads – Review, Giveaway
November 9 – A Chick Who Reads – Review, Interview
November 10 – Kaisy Daisy’s Corner – Review
November 11 – A Date with a Book – Spotlight
November 12 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – Review
November 13 – Community Bookstop – Review
November 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review, Giveaway
November 15 – Mochas, Mysteries and More – Review
I love the titles of her cozy mysteries, and of course love Regency romances. The authors who influenced her are among some of my favorites. Wonderful interview!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kimba! Having now read two of her mysteries in two different series, I'm hooked. At some point, I'll probably check out her Regencies, too, since I enjoy those as well.
DeleteGreat interview! The book sounds fun. I haven't read anything like it in a long time. I used to read the books from The Cat Who series which sounds a bit similar to this one.
ReplyDeleteCozy mysteries are fun, and this author writes some delightful ones. But I have to admit that I never read The Cat Who books. I should probably do something about that...
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
I also joined this Tour, its a great series! =)
ReplyDeleteI certainly enjoyed this one, so I'll be going back for books 1 and 2! Can't wait to read your post.
DeleteI enjoy a good cozy every now and then because they are light and fun. My favorites are always the ones with recipes and food. This one has such a clever title. I am curious! Thanks for introducing me to it!
ReplyDeleteYou'd probably enjoy this one, Heidi. There's food, a recipe, and the mystery is pretty clever, too. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteDratted twitter! Rafflecopter is SO fixated on it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry; that used to annoy me a lot, before I was on Twitter. In this case, it's a multiblog giveaway, so we pretty much did the same thing. I hope you were able to do the comment and Facebook entries, at least?
DeleteEnjoyed your great interview. Book sounds great and fun. Looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance of this giveaway.
Barbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thank you, Barbara! I know you'll enjoy the book.
DeleteWhat a great interview - I always love hearing about the thought process behind author's decisions. And I love Regency romance, so I need to check her out (I haven't read many cozy mysteries, but I'll check them out too - I did enjoy the book review) Oh and congrats on your #COYER review :-)
ReplyDeleteI love chatting with authors and reading interviews, for much the same reason! I haven't read any of Victoria/Donna's romances, but they're now on my list. Thanks for stopping by!
Delete