Special Guest – Teresa Trent – Author of Crying in the Chapel: A Swinging Sixties Mystery #AuthorInterview #Giveaway #GreatEscapesBookTour @teresatrent_cozymys

Crying in the Chapel: A Swinging Sixties Mystery
by Teresa Trent

I am thrilled to welcome Teresa Trent back to Escape With Dollycas!

Hi Teresa,

What are three things most people don’t know about you? 

I’ve had over twenty books published.

I am the voice of the Books to the Ceiling Podcast, which you can find at my blog, https://teresatrent.blog.

I listen to most of the books I read. I have old eyes and I’m always doing something else while I’m listening, like cooking dinner or driving somewhere.

What is the first book you remember reading? 

That would probably be Little House on the Prairie.

What are you reading now?

I am reading Felicia’s Favorites by Danielle Steele. I read mysteries, but I also love women’s fiction, some romance, the bestsellers, and certain historical fiction.

What made you decide you wanted to write mysteries? 

I think at first I was in love with the idea of being a mystery writer, more than doing the work itself. Then, once I really started writing and turning out books, I found great joy in the worlds and the characters I created to live in them. I’ve never been a puzzle person, which I shouldn’t admit, but I do love a good villain who slows down the main character at every turn.

Do you have a special place where you like to write? 

I do almost all my writing in my office. There are two doors where I have put on door-length stickers that make the doors look like I’m writing in a beach cottage that open up to the sand and surf!

Where do the ideas for your books come from? 

With the Swinging Sixties Series, I chose a top hit song from the year the book takes place. That will be my title. From there, I build the story. I often have a rough idea of what kind of crime I want in the book, so I work it around the title. Crying in the Chapel came up on the song list and Dot was getting married, so that worked instantly. I Can’t Get No Satisfaction dealt with people who were not happy with their lives, Listen Do You Want to Know a Secret had a secret for every character, If I Had a Hammer was written around a construction company, and so on. The next novel in the series, Paperback Writer, is in production right now and has to do with the love of writing.

Is there anything about writing you find most challenging? 

Drafting over and over again. My story doesn’t start gelling until the third or fourth draft. That means I write the entire novel, then go through each line and paragraph multiple times.

What do you think makes a good story?

A main character with a desire or goal, a diabolical villain, a character that makes you laugh, and a moment that makes you cry.

Which of all your characters do you think is the most like you?

That’s tough. My daughter would say I’m a lot like Dot’s mother, Opal. I always have a manuscript half-finished in my office, but I’m not always ready to talk about it.

What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?

I write historical mysteries that are structured as cozies. Writing about the 1960s, there are a lot of negative things that can fill up the story. I don’t ignore them, but my characters are viewing these things from a small town in Texas. That means there will be small-town events like holidays, parades, and weddings. There are quirky characters who are making their way through an ever-changing decade.

What’s next on the horizon for you?

Crying in the Chapel is the fifth book in the series, but I am working on the seventh book this summer. Right now, the working title is A Whiter Shade of Pale.

Thank you, Teresa, for visiting today!

Keep reading for more information about Teresa and her new book.

About Crying in the Chapel

Crying in the Chapel: A Swinging Sixties Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Texas
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Level Best Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 10, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 184 pages
Paperback
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8898201678
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GS478JPF
Digital
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GRJQY14G

It’s August 1965, and Dot Morgan is finally getting married to the dashing reporter Ben Dalton. Her wedding day, August 14th, promises to be perfect—if only it didn’t follow Friday the 13th. What could go wrong? Planning a wedding with the members of the Camden Chapel, Dot thinks she’s overwhelmed, but then it gets worse when a body is found on the church lawn. Dot decides to focus on her wedding to Ben, but when police reveal the victim didn’t jump from the belfry—he was pushed—she can no longer look away. Her suspects aren’t hardened criminals; they’re the same church members who bring casseroles and ask about her family. With her wedding day fast approaching, Dot must unmask a killer hiding in plain sight, or the secrets of Camden Chapel will remain buried in the summer heat.

Great Escapes Praise for Crying in the Chapel: A Swinging Sixties Mystery
by Teresa Trent

💒 This was such a fun summer read! If you’re new to the series, you can certainly read this as a standalone. I am anxious, though, to read the first four books in the series as I enjoyed this fifth one so much.
~Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books

More About Teresa Trent

Teresa Trent has been writing and publishing mysteries since 2011, starting with the Pecan Bayou Mystery Series and followed by the Piney Woods Mystery Series. She presently writes the Swinging Sixties Mystery Series and the Henry Park Paranormal Series. When Teresa isn’t writing novels and short stories, she spends her time creating narrated excerpts on her podcast, Books to the Ceiling, where she gets to use all that community theater experience from her teens and twenties along with a little audio editing she learned from her daughter. Teresa is a former English teacher, but also spent many years teaching music to preschoolers, working with children of all abilities. Teresa makes her home in Texas with her husband and son.

Author Links
Website    Blog/Podcast: Books to the Ceiling  
Facebook    X    GoodReads    Instagram      BookBub    Threads 

Purchase Links

Find all of Teresa’s Books HERE.

TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 15 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT 
July 15 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 16 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
July 17 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
July 17 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – REVIEW
July 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 19 – Romance Novel Giveaways – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT
July 20 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 21 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT 
July 21 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 22 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
July 22 – Book Hookup – REVIEW
July 23 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST  
July 23 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 24 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – CHARACTER GUEST POST

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here