Today’s featured author is Nicole Gardner, whose Rosemary Mountain Mystery series blends mystery, family secrets, the paranormal, and a hint of romance into an atmospheric rural setting. I enjoyed book one, Secrets in the Cottage, for the cozy characters and Twin Peaks vibes.
In the interview below, Nicole and I talk about the inspiration for her books, her new romantic suspense series, her experience as a new self-publisher, and plenty more. Settle in with a cup of tea and enjoy!
Connect with Nicole on Instagram, Facebook, and her website. Sign up for her newsletter here. Grab a copy of Danger in the Darkness, book three in the Rosemary Mountain Mystery series, here.
Hi Nicole, thanks so much for joining! Your Rosemary Mountain Mystery series follows Daphne Sullivan as she returns to her childhood hometown and seeks justice for her mother’s murder. There is also a paranormal element to the series, with Daphne inheriting her mother’s gift of second sight. What inspired you to write this story, including Daphne’s character, and the small town setting of Rosemary Mountain?
Thank you so much for having me, Manon! I love your Cluesletter!
The idea for this series really started with what I consider to be one of the main “characters” of the story: the cottage. A few years ago, my husband and I moved across the country for a job opportunity. It was a very last minute, chaotic move and we ended up renting a small cottage to live in for a few months while we searched for a permanent home. The cottage was older, and frankly, felt haunted—in the very best way. My imagination went crazy there, dreaming up stories about the people who had lived in the cottage before us.
The town of Rosemary Mountain was inspired by a town where my husband and I have been camping and hiking ever since we were kids. It’s a touristy mountain town in Arkansas, full of local flavor and real life quirky characters. We both adore it, and have always wanted to move there someday. So when I decided to write my cottage story, I wanted to put it in a town very much like that one.
Daphne’s story came once the town of Rosemary Mountain lived inside my head. I wanted a character who had a strong connection she wasn’t even aware of with the cottage specifically, and I wanted a paranormal element because of my own experiences in our rental. So the storyline was born from that.
Your latest release, Mountain Shadows, kicks off your Rosemary Mountain Romantic Suspense series. What elements do you love about the romantic suspense genre? Did you approach writing this book any differently than you did your mysteries?
Mountain Shadows is actually a mystery as well, with all the clues, plot twists, and red herrings I love to write. Genre wise, the series as a whole fits better in romantic suspense, because each book is a standalone romance and not every book in the series will be a mystery. But Mountain Shadows definitely is, so the writing approach was actually very similar! The biggest difference in writing it was that the primary investigator is the town sheriff instead of an amateur sleuth, so I had to rely heavily on interviewing my law enforcement contacts in order to plot that aspect of the story. The other difference, obviously, is a stronger emphasis on the development of the romantic relationship. But I was already writing a strong romance subplot into the mystery series, so that was simply a difference of degree rather than a complete change.
Romantic suspense has always been one of my favorite genres, because I’m a total romantic at heart and love watching two characters fall in love. It was a lot of fun to dive fully into that in Mountain Shadows!
I love that you have a background in psychology—how do you use your knowledge of psychology while writing your characters and stories?
That’s a great question! I think my background in psychology helps me create characters with depth, and has allowed me to explore themes that are important to me. For example, as we went further into Daphne’s story in the mystery series, I dove into the wound and subsequent abandonment issues she struggled with as a result of having been separated from her mother (and also, eventually, her stepmother). That’s an issue that resonates deeply with me both as an adoptive parent, and because of the work I did with children in the foster care system. So while my books aren’t particularly heavy—they are written to be a fun ride!—I still explore some of those deeper layers of our humanity. As a reader, I like knowing what makes my characters feel and act the way they do. I bring that to my writing as well.
One thing I really enjoyed while writing my newest, Mountain Shadows, was showing that sometimes the “villain” in our own lives is really just another wounded human with their own side of the story. In the original series, Daphne struggles quite a bit with her stepmother Janet, an overly critical person who seemingly abandoned her. Daphne’s wounds in that relationship are legitimate and genuine, and readers understandably disliked Janet because of it.
But in Mountain Shadows, we get to read Janet’s point of view and learn what was going on in her world during that same time period. It completely changes the story.
People are rarely all good or all bad. We’re simply way too complicated for that. I enjoy exploring that complexity in my writing.
As a self-published author, what have you learned during your publishing career? What advice would you offer writers hoping to self-publish?
Honestly, I don’t even feel qualified to answer this question yet! I’m only one year into this, so I’m still very much learning this industry.
But from my current perspective, my biggest advice is to learn early to prioritize your writing, and to stay focused on why you love it in the first place. Deciding to self-publish means you’re starting a business and wearing all the hats associated with it. The business side of this can easily become all-consuming, but if you don’t have time to write, what’s the point? For me, writing is the main thing, so I prioritize that and set strict boundaries for myself as far as how much time I will spend marketing, creating content for social media, or handling other business tasks. I don’t take shortcuts on the writing. It’s the focus and will always get the vast majority of my time.
I went into this believing that if I focused on honing my craft and delivering books that readers genuinely enjoyed, most of the marketing would take care of itself. A year in, I feel good about where that mindset has gotten me, and I hope it continues proving true.
Lastly, what are you currently working on? Are you staying in the mystery space, or can we expect more books in the Rosemary Mountain Romantic Suspense series?
I’m currently working on two projects. The first is the next Rosemary Mountain Romantic Suspense novel. It’s the first non-mystery I’ve written. The bad guy is named and known on page one, which is very different from what I’ve done in the past! It’s been so much fun to write though. I’m finishing up the last few chapters of that one, and will be moving into edits soon, with plans to publish it in 2024. After that, there will be at least one more book in that series. There’s another beloved character that deserves a happy ending, so there has to be at least one more!
The other story I’ve been working on has been a side project for the last year. It’s a twisty standalone mystery that takes place at a mountain resort. My lips are sealed beyond that, but I’m hoping to have it wrapped up and out by spooky season 2024.
Beyond that, I still have about a million other books I’d like to write, including a cozy mystery featuring Fiona, the elderly herbalist in Rosemary Mountain. She’s always been my favorite character and I’m not ready to let go of her!
Thanks so much to Nicole 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.