Tag: South Yorkshire

Moved to Murder: A Vivien Brandt Mystery
by Gianetta Murray

It is my pleasure to welcome Gianetta Murray
to Escape With Dollycas today!

Hi Gianetta,

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Just like my protagonist in Moved to Murder, I’m a California native who worked as a librarian and tech writer, and I moved to the UK after marrying a Brit. (Write what you know, they say!) I now live in South Yorkshire with my husband and two cats, and my UK career included stints as a Library Operations Manager for a York university as well as working in knowledge management for the National Health Service and a medical insurance company. My first job in the UK was managing a small branch library, and I learned most of my British swear words from the kids who hung out there. I enjoy Hollywood Musicals, interior design, and rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My husband and I bought each other ukeleles, with which we plan to terrorize my relatives during Zoom calls.

What is the first book you remember reading?

I have fond memories of the Dick and Jane books we read in school as well as my Nancy Drew mysteries collection, but a book that had a huge effect on me as a youngster was The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. I still go back and read it on occasion as I love the main character, a free-spirited young woman who has trouble adapting to Puritan New England.

What are you reading now?

I’ve just finished Holly Trinity and the Ghosts of York, a wonderful urban fantasy novel by Ben Sawyer, whom I met at a local book fair. I’ve also just discovered Becky Clark, a cozy mystery writer from Colorado, whose books make me laugh out loud.

What books have most inspired you?

In addition to the above, I love reading Golden Age mystery writers, particularly Josephine Tey and Ngaio Marsh. Their prose is just so beautiful. I also keep a copy of T.H. White’s Once and Future King close by, one of my favorite retellings of the King Arthur legend. I earned an archeology degree so I could go out and find Camelot, but that goal may have to be achieved in another life now.

What made you decide you wanted to write mysteries?

Reading tons of them. 😊 I enjoy the process of logically working through the clues, solving puzzles, particularly when they are accompanied by colorful characters and fascinating locations. We all know the world contains bad things, but mysteries—particularly cozy mysteries—allow us to vicariously resolve them and be comforted, at least for a little while.

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

We have a small office in our house which I have decorated with all my Buffy paraphernalia. Unfortunately, my husband has claimed it since Covid allowed him to work from home, because he’s the one still making money. So I write at the dining room table, although I still have a view of the garden from there.

Where do the ideas for your books come from?

Moved to Murder is full of my own experiences from trying to adapt to England. Well, minus the part about finding dead bodies, of course. My book of humorous paranormal stories, A Supernatural Shindig, as well as stories in various other collections, were partly inspired by writing exercises we did in my writing group, suggestions from my husband, ideas spurred by my favorite television shows (Castle in particular is full of inspiration), and my own imagination, which has proved very fruitful once I started exercising it more!

Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?

It has actually flowed better than I thought it would, with twists and turns suggesting themselves as I went along (although I do always start with an outline). But letting go is hard. I think most writers want to keep editing and rewriting until perfection is reached, and that way madness lies.

What do you think makes a good story?

There has to be some kind of conflict as well as entertaining and empathetic characters who grow as the conflict is resolved. Personally, I also enjoy a good dollop of humor and a clever turn of phrase.

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

Oh, that’s definitely Vivien Brandt, the protagonist of Moved to Murder. Except she’s younger, thinner, and more optimistic than I am. But we do have similar hairdos at the moment.

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

In the case of Moved to Murder, it’s set in a South Yorkshire city called Doncaster, and I can’t find any other mysteries with that backdrop. It’s definitely a place of contrasts, with a history of train and plane building as well as home to a famous annual horse race. But it also has a reputation for wild drunkenness on the weekends.

Second, my protagonist is an American expat who moves to England thinking she knows everything about her new country and doesn’t have to worry about the language. She’s wrong on both counts.

I think in general my stories tend to have quite a bit of humor in them, even the scary ones, to counter the conflict and leave the reader with a sense of well-being.

What’s next on the horizon for you?

I’ve just finished editing the next edition of the Paths short story collection, which I do with a group of Canadian and British writers, and I’m working on the second Vivien Brandt mystery, Dug to Death. Of course, there’s always providing my cats Cordelia and Winifred with their next meal, as they are staring at me expectantly at this moment! They keep me grounded and humble with their need for sustenance and worship, while ignoring me the rest of the time, thereby giving me space to work. They are the perfect writer’s companions.

Thank you, Gianetta for visiting today!

Keep reading for more info about Gianetta and Moved to Murder!

About Moved to Murder

Moved to Murder: A Vivien Brandt Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – South Yorkshire, England
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Troubador Publishing Ltd (June 5, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CXJB9KVH

Vivien Brandt (forty-something editor, librarian, and future interior designer extraordinaire) has spent decades dreaming about a life in England, and thanks to her marriage to second husband Geoffrey, her dreams are finally coming true. She and her cat Sydney (who is considerably less excited about leaving the warmth of California) are the newest inhabitants of a cosy South Yorkshire village.

But as Vivien meets the locals – including the vicar, a charismatic politician, and a pair of troubled teenagers – she finds she still has a lot to learn about her new home. Especially after she discovers a body in it.

Now she must work with her neighbor Hayley and a somewhat mistrustful police inspector to uncover the village’s secrets and find a killer. Preferably, before the killer finds her.

Because it seems when the chips (crisps?) are down, the only common language between America and Britain… is murder.

Praise for Moved to Murder: A Vivien Brandt Mystery
by Gianetta Murray

I do love getting in on the ground floor of a new mystery series, and book one in Gianetta Murray’s Vivien Brandt Mystery was a treat!
~Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books

I recommend MOVED TO MURDER to cozy mystery readers who enjoy an English setting, an American fish-out-water protagonist and are looking for a new author and series to enjoy.
~ Boys’ Mom Reads!

About Gianetta Murray

Like her protagonist, Gianetta is California-raised and moved to England twenty years ago after marrying her British husband. She has worked as a technical writer, knowledge manager, and librarian in both countries and is currently owned by two cats who are unimpressed by her accomplishments but willing to tolerate her in return for food.

Author Links: Website – https://gianettamurray.com, gianettamurray | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops. 
July 16 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
July 16 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
July 17 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
July 18 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
July 18 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
July 19 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
July 19 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
July 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 21 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 22 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
July 22 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 24 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 24 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
July 25 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
July 25 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

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