Lastly, today’s featured author is Ellen Byron. Ellen is the author of the Cajun Country Mysteries series, the last (and final) book of which recently won the 2021 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. She also writes the Catering Hall Mysteries as Maria DeRico. Her newest release, Bayou Book Thief, kicks off a new series, the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries. In the interview below, Ellen talks about her past and present series, writing humor (both in mystery and for TV and stage), and author newsletters.
Connect with Ellen on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, and her website (where you can sign up for her mailing list!). Grab a copy of Bayou Book Thief here.
Hi Ellen, thanks so much for joining! Bayou Book Thief kicks off your new Vintage Cookbook Mystery series. Just like your previous popular series, the Cajun Country Mysteries, this mystery is set in New Orleans. What makes this city a great backdrop for mysteries?
Actually, the Cajun Country Mysteries are set in Cajun Country, both north and west of the city. But I do make sure my characters get to visit New Orleans a couple of times. 😉
I think New Orleans is a great backdrop for mysteries because it’s an incredibly unique, stunning city populated by resilient and often quirky citizens. The favorite local expression, laissez les bons temps rouler—“Let the good times roll”—really sums up the Big Easy’s general attitude. But it’s not all food, drink, and music. The challenges of living in New Orleans are immense: a scary increase in crime, a shaky infrastructure, the dangers of climate change as witnessed by the increasing threats of direct hits from hurricanes. I happened to be visiting my daughter as Hurricane Ida bore down on the city and we had to evacuate. The power grid was knocked out and the city was a mess for weeks. Even the most stalwart New Orleanians began to question whether they could continue to live there, which broke my heart. It’s slowly returned to almost-normal, but we who love the city so dearly worry about the future.
Humor is a big component of your books (you even teach a workshop on the subject!). Why do you like to prioritize humor in your writing, especially with cozy mysteries? Do you have some quick tips for adding humor to a story?
Humor is a survival tool. It can lift us from the darkest of dark depths. I believe it’s undervalued in our society and culture, which frustrates me, especially since writing funny is hard. But laughter feels so good, and my goal is to give readers a chance to experience that in my books. I love when I manage to move people to both laughter and tears in a book, but laughter—or a least a smile—is always my priority. As to tips, here are two: put the funniest word at the end of the sentence so you’re landing on the joke. And avoid reference jokes because they date. Hopefully your books will have a long shelf life. Twenty years from now, no one may remember who Justin Bieber was.
You have a background as a playwright and writer for TV comedies. How would you compare writing for these different mediums to writing books? How do you approach writing for the stage or screen versus a cozy mystery?
Plays and TV are dialogue-driven. Actors HATE it when you give them too many internal emotional directions. They consider it their job to find those moments. In a way, I get to “direct” my books, using prose to share a character’s emotional life in a way I can’t in the other mediums. I also get to wax poetic about setting, which I can’t do in plays or TV. In both those cases, stage directions and setting description are there for the director and set designer to translate into visuals.
In terms of how I approach my mysteries, I do apply what I learned writing for TV in that I’m an outliner. I’ll beat out my plot through a 25- to 35-page “fluid outline,” the fluid being that I allow for unexpected inspiration while I’m translating the outline into a draft. But I have to say, my drafts are pretty tight thanks to my detailed outlines, even given discoveries I make during the draft process.
I’m a big fan of author newsletters, and yours is great. Could you share your newsletter writing process? Why do you think it’s important to write a consistent author newsletter, and how do you use your newsletter to connect with your readers?
I’m so glad you like my newsletter! I put a lot of work into it. My newsletter comes out monthly and I make notes ahead of time for what I’d like to include. My newsletters are loaded with links and visuals. Early on, I was told both of those cut down on your open rate and warned away from including them, but I decided I’d rather create the newsletter I wanted to share with my readers and take my chances. I’ve come to think of my newsletter as a craft. I enjoy a variety of crafts and I’ve found approaching the monthly creation of it from this angle makes it fun and not a chore.
One regular feature is particularly important to me. Ever since my daughter went to college and I posted a picture of her dorm room and shared my emotions about our impending empty nest, I’ve included a section I call “On a Personal Note,” where I share something from my life. Not TMI or anything! But I love giving my readers a personal connection to me.
Book two in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, Wined and Died in New Orleans, is scheduled for February 2023. What can you tell us about this next installment? Any plans for future books or series?
I had a blast writing it! In Wined and Died, they discover a cache of 150-year-old Madeira wine hidden under Bon Vee and decide to auction it off to raise funds for the culinary house museum. Ricki has been struggling with social media, so she’s proud of herself when her post about the discovery goes viral—until Charbonnet cousins from all over suddenly show up demanding a cut of the auction proceeds. This of course leads to murder. And it all happens under the threat of an impending hurricane.
As to future books in the series, that will depend on sales, especially for Bayou Book Thief. So, buy yourself a copy and while you’re there, pick up one for a friend! 😉
Thanks so much to Ellen for the interview. Sleuths, I hope you enjoyed it! If you aren’t already subscribed, please be sure to sign up for the Cluesletter and get author features like this alongside other mystery goodies, delivered to your inbox every other Tuesday.