Who doesn’t love a good cocktail? Well . . . perhaps not Mark, the victim in A Dash of Death, the first installment in the Cocktails and Catering Mystery series by Michelle Hillen Klump. Mark’s cocktail was spiked with deadly oleander, and since reporter-turned-mixologist Samantha Warren mixed the drink, all eyes are on her. Cue the sleuthing!
Michelle joined the February 8 edition of the Cluesletter to chat about her new release, journalism versus fiction writing, and, of course, cocktails.
Connect with Michelle on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and her website (and don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for a free cocktail guide!). A Dash of Death is available to purchase from IndieBound, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
Hi, Michelle! Thanks for joining me. First, congratulations on A Dash of Death, which is out today! The first book in your new Cocktails and Catering Mystery series, it stars reporter-turned-cocktail mixologist Samantha Warren. In your opinion, what makes a great cozy sleuth?
Thank you so much for the invitation! For me, a great cozy sleuth has similar characteristics to a reporter—they are innately curious and willing to dig for answers until they are satisfied they’ve uncovered the truth. Sometimes they are driven by sheer nosiness, while other times, they reluctantly insert themselves into a case to help right a wrong or protect themselves or a loved one.
The best cozy sleuths have interesting careers or hobbies that put them in position to encounter multiple murders, but also introduce readers to activities they might want to learn more about. I doubt I’m alone as a cozy mystery fan in wanting to live vicariously through my favorite cozy sleuths, learning about everything from winemaking to home renovation.
Lastly, for me, the best cozy sleuths have room to grow. They aren’t perfect, they sometimes make rash decisions or poor judgements, but they learn from their mistakes and try to do better.
Since this is your debut cozy, do you have any thoughts on writing mystery? Are you an outliner, or do you like to write and see how the mystery unfolds? What does your writing process look like?
I wish I was more of an outliner, but I am really more of a pantser than a plotter. I start out with a basic idea and write a very rough, bare-bones outline. Usually I know the victim and their manner of death, but I may not even know the killer’s identity when I start writing. I tend to write in short bursts—I try to write a minimum of 500 words a day—so I’m usually only thinking about what needs to happen in those 500–1000 words, or, if I’m really on a roll, maybe the next 500–1000 words. I piece together a really messy first draft, letting the story unfold as I go along.
During the second draft, I go in and add the finer points of the plot and add more clues or red herrings. That’s when I get a beta reader involved to make sure the story makes sense. Once I’ve received their input, I make changes and do the final polishing before turning it over to my editor.
I know you started your writing career as a newspaper reporter, just like Sam, your protagonist. How does writing fiction compare to journalism?
Journalism is all about the facts. There is definitely still room for creativity, but facts must take priority over everything else. In fiction writing, if some piece of information isn’t working with the flow of the story, I can just change it and make up something entirely new. That’s very freeing!
That said, some skills are very applicable. As a newspaper reporter, I wrote nearly every day, usually on deadline. That kind of daily exercise helps to develop muscle memory, which can carry you through the hard parts of fiction writing, like writer’s block.
I’ve also carried over some of the writing strategies I developed as a reporter. Long, in-depth feature stories were always my favorite to write, because they provided the best outlet for my creativity. But they also provided the greatest opportunity to blow my deadline. I used to agonize so much over the finer details of the writing, sometimes spending an hour or more on the first paragraph, trying to make it perfect. That became problematic on deadline, so I had to adjust my method.
I learned to write in chunks, skipping parts I hadn’t quite figured out yet. By the time I wrote all of my chunks, I had the bulk of the story written, and I had the time left to finesse the finer points and massage the language. I use that same process today in writing my mysteries. If I come to a sticking point, I skip it and come back to it when I’m ready.
Also, more than just the writing, I’ve found the reporting skills have come in useful. As a journalist, you strive to tell a complete story with all the facts covered. In mystery writing, you are piecing together clues in a similar way to provide readers with all the information necessary to solve the mystery. The reporter’s eye trains you to pick out what is missing in a story, whether it is an alternate point of view, or an explanation for a confusing topic. I think that training has helped me spot plot holes or logic problems that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.
Considering the theme of your book, I have to ask: What are your favorite cocktails? Are there any you recommend to pair with a good cozy mystery, like A Dash of Death?
I have different favorites, depending on the season. In the fall and winter, I love anything with apple brandy, or allspice dram. One of my favorite winter drinks is called the Lion and the Lamb. It’s made with bourbon, lime juice, orgeat, allspice dram and bitters. It has a warm, spicy sweetness to it that makes it a perfect pairing for a cozy mystery. In the summer, I’m all about tiki drinks. It’s hard to go wrong with a good, homemade piña colada, or a flavorful rum punch.
There are definitely a few cocktail recipes in A Dash of Death, and you can find more on my website or in my newsletter.
I’d love to hear about where Sam’s adventures in cocktails and catering will take her. Can you tell us anything about future books (plot, themes, anticipated release date)?
Yes! I am hard at work on book two right now. In it, Samantha is roped into catering cocktails for a Fourth of July festival, and gets sucked into a bit of controversy surrounding the construction of a new tennis club. There are definitely some fireworks… and some murder. The title was just approved a few months ago. It will be called Murder Served Neat. There’s no release date yet, but it should come sometime in 2023.
Thanks so much to Michelle 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.