I’m excited to introduce today’s featured author: Ellie Alexander! Ellie is the author of the popular Bakeshop Mystery series, the sixteenth(!!) book of which, Muffin But the Truth, came out at the end of December. Read on for my interview with Ellie where we chat about her new release, writing mysteries, marketing, and more.
Connect with Ellie on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, BookBub, and her website. Grab Muffin But the Truth from all retailers here.
Muffin But the Truth is book 16 in your Bakeshop Mystery series. This series, like all of your books, is set in the Pacific Northwest. What do you love about the Pacific Northwest as a book setting? Is there anything unique about this region that makes it a great setting for a mystery?
I know I’m biased, but I think the Pacific Northwest is the perfect setting for mysteries. There’s so much wild space—deep deciduous forests that stretch out forever, remote mountain peaks, cliffside beach trails. As I’m writing this now, I’m thinking of all the places to hide bodies. Is that a problem? That might be a problem. Come to think of it, don’t ask me about my Google search history either.
But in all seriousness, I want the Pacific Northwest to feel like another character in my books. Sense of place is so important to me. I want readers to feel like they’re walking through Ashland’s charming plaza visiting the family-owned shops and restaurants or meandering through Lithia Park stopping to snap pictures of white-tailed deer or taking in a production of Romeo and Juliet under a star-filled sky in the Elizabethan theater. I write about real places and hope that readers will have a touch of wanderlust and want to come explore the region after reading one of my books.
There’s also something unique about Ashland because it’s home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It attracts actors, playwrights, and creative types of all kinds. It’s not unusual to see someone parading down the street in a cape or to pass by a group of college students putting on an impromptu concert. That might seem outlandish if the series was set in Texas or New York, but it’s authentic to Ashland, which I love.
In addition to the Bakeshop series, you also write the Sloan Krause series, as well as the Pacific Northwest Mystery and Rose City series (both as Kate Dyer-Seeley). With so much mystery experience under your belt, how do you approach writing a mystery? What have you learned over the course of your writing career? Does your writing strategy change depending on the series?
It is a lot of mysteries. Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I think about how many books I’ve written. I think one of the things I’ve learned over the years is to trust the process. I’m pretty regimented in my writing routine. When I’m working on a new book, I write 2,000 words every day (Monday–Friday) and I don’t let myself leave my office until I hit my word count. That gives me a very rough, like horrendously rough, draft in about six weeks. I don’t do any editing as I go. In the drafting stage I’m just trying to get the story out. Once I have a completed first draft, I put it away for a while to give myself some distance from it and then I come back and start the editing process.
When I was first writing I would read through my drafts and feel sick to my stomach because they were so bad. They still are bad, but now I know that’s my process. Editing has become more like layering. The magic happens every time I begin to layer in sensory details like baking or describing a sepia tone sunset.
My writing process doesn’t change. It’s like muscle memory at this point, but what does change when I’m working on different series is my physical space. If I’m writing a Bakeshop Mystery my office is filled with magazine cutouts of delectable pastries and coffee, Shakespeare quotes, and pictures of Ashland. If I’m writing a Sloan Krause Mystery, my office becomes a shrine to Leavenworth with pictures of German chocolate cake and frothy beers. I have Spotify playlists for each of my characters and even candles that help center me in their worlds.
I’d love to get some insight into your marketing strategy. How do you plan your social media, mailing list, events, and other outreach? You’ve published both traditionally and independently—does your marketing strategy vary depending on whether the book is indie versus traditionally published?
Social media has become an extension of my writing and such a big point of connection, which I was expecting. There’s so much negativity about social media and much of it is deserved, but I’ve been completely humbled by the ability to make real connections with readers who end up feeling like family and friends. Maybe we’re lucky because we’re in the bookish world and I’m convinced that book people are the best people, but I also think some of it is showing up from a place of authenticity.
I definitely plan my social outreach around book releases, launch parties, and events. I love to create unique experiences for readers, like writing short spinoff mysteries together during the height of Covid shutdowns or giving people a look at the places that inspire my writing. Sharing recipes is another favorite, but I’m certainly not a professional chef so my finished bake might not be perfect, but hopefully it tastes delicious.
In terms of traditional versus independent publishing I love the freedom that comes with indie releases. For example, getting to share cover art in all of its stages. In my traditionally published books, there are different copyright issues which means I can’t share the initial pencil sketches or illustrations. It’s fun to give readers a true behind the scenes look at every stage of publishing.
You also offer courses, coaching, and webinars to help writers craft their own stories. What do you love about these offerings? If you’d like, can you offer any quick writing tips to Cluesletter subscribers?
Teaching and coaching are my passion! It’s been such a delight to see my students finish their first mystery, submit to short story contests, sign with agents, land traditional publishing contracts, and publish independently. I feel like a proud parent. I can’t stop gushing. I feel like I had to carve out my own path on my publishing journey and I so wish that I had had a mentor or teacher to be able to guide me, offer support, or even just tell me that writing a crappy first draft was totally okay, so getting to be in that role for new writers is one of the highlights of my career.
Ohhhh, one of my best pieces of advice is to flip the switch when you feel stuck. I’m not a fan of the term “writer’s block” because I think semantics are important and if we’re telling ourselves that we’re “blocked” it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I encourage writers to do other things and try other exercises when they’re feeling stuck. Like ask yourself everything that would NOT happen next. You might be surprised at the ideas that open up while you’re thinking through every scenario that wouldn’t happen.
Lastly, what are you currently working on? Do you have any releases on the horizon?
The 17th book in the Bakeshop Mysteries, Catch Me If You Candy, releases in August. The 6th book in the Sloan Krause Mysteries Beer and Loathing releases in March and I’m working on a sequel to Lost Coast Literary, a holiday romcom, and cozy sci-fi serial. So many new books to come this year!
Thanks so much to Ellie 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.