No Gravestone Unturned: A Cobble Cove Mystery
by Debbie De Louise
About No Gravestone Unturned
No Gravestone Unturned: A Cobble Cove Mystery
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Solstice Publishing
Paperback: 262 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8694361101
Digital ASIN: B08KS5BYHM
It’s October in Cobble Cove, and Alicia is busy preparing for the library’s Halloween party when she learns that John’s aunt from Florida has died and that John’s cousins and their spouses are coming to town to bury their mother. The day after the funeral, the caretaker’s son is found dead by John’s grandfather’s gravestone, from a blow on the head. The only witness seems to be Sneaky the library cat, who, having left the library, turned up at Alicia’s door with blood and dirt on him.
As Alicia, Gilly, and Sheriff Ramsay investigate, a generation of family secrets is uncovered. Are one of the guests staying at the inn a killer? Will the humans solve the crime, and can Sneaky, Kittykai, and Salem, the inn’s guest cat, team up to help?
Welcome, Debbie!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a librarian at a public library on Long Island. I have a teenage daughter, husband, and 3 cats. I have published 8 novels including the five books of my Cobble Cove cozy mystery series. I’ve also published short stories of various genres. In addition, I write articles for pet magazines and am a reviewer for Booklist.
What is the first book you remember reading?
I’ve been a lifelong reader, but the first book that made an impression on me was The Winter People by Phyllis Whitney. I was around 12 or 13 when I received this book as a gift. It was my first introduction to gothic mysteries, and I read everything by this author afterward. I learned she was a local author and even wrote a letter to her expressing my interest in writing that I had even then. She replied but, unfortunately, the letter was lost after I got married and moved. I’m still hoping it will turn up one day. The author is now deceased, but she lived a long life and was writing into her 90’s.
What are you reading now?
I’m reviewing a cozy mystery for Booklist. It’s the debut book of a series called Meet Isabel Puddles by M.V. Byrne. I’m not given a choice of books to review, but I’m happy to learn of new authors. Occasionally, I am asked to review a book by an author with whom I’m familiar. For instance, I recently reviewed Joanne Fluke’s Christmas Cupcake Murder and that was an honor for me because she’s one of my favorite cozy authors.
What books have most inspired you?
As I said earlier, Phyllis Whitney’s romantic suspense novels inspired me as a teen, as did Victoria Holt’s writings. Later, I enjoyed cozy mysteries featuring cat characters that were written by Carole Nelson Douglas (Midnight Louise series); Shirley Murphy (Joe Grey series); Lillian Jackson Braun (The Cat Who series) and others. I also had the pleasure of meeting some of these authors when I attended the Cat Writers’ Association conference years ago. Today, I’m inspired by a variety of authors. I mostly enjoy reading mystery and suspense novels, but I also like books of other genres from historical fiction to science fiction/paranormal titles. Some of my favorite authors include Nora Roberts (and her futuristic mystery series written under J.D. Robb), Mary Higgins Clark, and Sandra Brown. My current new favorite authors are Fiona Davis, JoJo Moyes, Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, and Kimberly McCreight.
What made you decide you wanted to write mysteries?
I’ve always enjoyed reading them. I like to create puzzles and figure out solutions to them. I sometimes surprise myself by the twists I feature in my books and the endings.
Where do the ideas for your books come from?
Everywhere – other books, TV shows, my past life experiences, my dreams, current events, my imagination.
Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?
Finding the time to write and also promote my writing. I work full-time as a librarian and have a family, so I need to juggle and balance my responsibilities. It can be stressful, especially the promotional part which seems to take up more time the more books I publish. I enjoy writing but wish I could devote more time to it.
What do you think makes a good story?
Interesting characters and a plot that inspires you to keep reading. I like stories that feature twists or unexpected events, vivid descriptions of settings and places, and subplots that help illustrate the inner feelings and personalities of the characters involved.
Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?
Alicia, the main character of my Cobble Cove cozy mystery series. She’s a librarian and also a mystery author. She’s also very cautious despite the fact she enjoys solving mysteries.
What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?
I don’t believe many cozies feature married couples with children. I also include characters of various ages from kids to seniors and, in each book, new characters are introduced who may or may not remain in the series. The main characters develop and grow from book to book. I’ve also made a change in the cats. In the first four books, readers are not privy to Sneaky, the main character cat’s thoughts. But when I wrote the two short eBooks that followed, Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery (that won an award from the Cat Writers’ Association) and Sneaky’s Summer Mystery, I included Sneaky’s thoughts as well as those of Kittykai (the female cat that joined the series in Love on the Rocks).
What’s next on the horizon for you?
I’ll be publishing my first non-fiction book, Pet Posts: The Cat Chats. The idea came to me when I was home during the pandemic and cleaning out my files. I found a bunch of old cat articles “written” by two of my past cats. Since I already publish blog posts written in the points-of-view of my current cats, I decided to compile this into a book with photos. With the help of a fellow Cat Writers’ Association member who is an editor and publisher, the book should be released this fall. It’s possible it may even be out by the time this interview is printed.
As for my fiction, I like to alternate my cozy mystery series with my standalone mysteries, so I’m considering returning to a book that I started a while back and completing it. That book has a gothic mystery theme. I also want to write more Cobble Cove books. However, I’m also querying the first of a new cozy mystery to agents in the hope that I can publish with a large publisher one day, so my books can reach a bigger audience. For now, I’m happy that I have two wonderful Indie publishers, Solstice Publishing and Next Chapter Publishing.
More About Debbie De Louise
Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island. She is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Long Island Authors Group, and the Cat Writers’ Association. She has a BA in English and an MLS in Library Science from Long Island University. Her novels include the four books of the Cobble Cove cozy mystery series: A Stone’s Throw, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Written in Stone, and Love on the Rocks. Debbie has also written a romantic comedy novella, When Jack Trumps Ace, a paranormal romance, Cloudy Rainbow, and the standalone mysteries Reason to Die and Sea Scope. Her latest book, Memory Makers, is a medical thriller. She lives on Long Island with her husband, Anthony; daughter, Holly; and three cats, Stripey, Harry, and Hermione.
Author Links
Facebook –Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Author Page – All Author – Instagram – Linkedin – Bookbub – Pinterest – Debbie’s Character’s Chat Group – Website/Blog/Newsletter Sign-Up – Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog
Purchase Link – Amazon –
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
October 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book -AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 29 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
October 30 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
October 31 – Christy’s Cozy Corners– REVIEW, GUEST POST
November 1 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST
November 2 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
November 3 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST
November 3 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 4 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
November 5 – This Is My Truth Now – REVIEW
November 6 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
November 7 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
November 8 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews– REVIEW
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Thanks so much for the great interview and the kickoff of my blog tour, Lori.