#Interview with @VGilbertauthor, #Author of Bound for Murder

About the Author:

Check the Author's Amazon Page

Raised in a historic small town near the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian.

Victoria’s Blue Ridge Library Mystery series is published by Crooked Lane Books. Four books – A MURDER FOR THE BOOKS, SHELVED UNDER MURDER, PAST DUE FOR MURDER, and BOUND FOR MURDER – are out now. Book five, A DEADLY EDITION, will be published on Dec. 8, 2020. The first two books in the series are currently under option with Sony Pictures Television.

Victoria is also writing a new cozy series, the Booklovers B&B series, for Crooked Lane. Set in historic Beaufort, NC, the first book in the series, BOOKED FOR DEATH, will be published on June 9, 2020 with book two releasing in 2021.

A member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime, Victoria is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel. She lives near Winston-Salem, NC with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

Victoria Gilbert on the Web:

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Pinterest * Goodreads * YouTube

Interview with Victoria Gilbert

How did you come up with the idea for your current story?

My most release is BOUND FOR MURDER, book four in my Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. The series is published by Crooked Lane Books, and all four books are available in eBook, hardback, and audio wherever books are sold.
The idea for this series came from my own experiences as a librarian as well as growing up in a small town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia.  This is a traditional/cozy mystery series set in contemporary times, but with a historical mystery (or two) included in each book. I weave some of the history and folklore of the area into the stories, as well as my library knowledge, experience with living in historic small towns, and background in the visual and performing arts.

Are there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?

Yes, I have two completed adult scifi books – the first two books in a trilogy – that were the first two novels I ever completed.  I doubt they will ever be published at this point, although I may revise them and self-publish when I have more time and money for “hobby” books.

Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?

Not necessarily a quirk, but my protagonist, Amy Webber, is a library director – a job which was a major part of my thirty-year library career. So I do weave in a lot of my own knowledge and experience with library work into the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series.
Amy is also very curious and enjoys doing research, which I also love!

Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?

I’ve always been a voracious reader and, honestly, everything I know about writing I learned from reading.
One of my favorite authors, who I also believe influenced my style, is Mary Stewart, especially in her romantic suspense/mystery novels.
Many of my other favorite authors don’t write in my genre, so I’m not sure how much influence they’ve had on my writing, other than showing me what great writing can be. (Not that I’ve reached that level yet, but I do study their work to try to understand how they achieve greatness). Although this isn’t everyone, I must mention the following: Anne Tyler, John Crowley, Dorothy Dunnett, P.D. James, Dorothy Sayers, all the Brontes, John le Carre, and Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different genres, books for various age groups, or other things. Sometimes I think we aren’t the best judges of our own abilities, and we get stuck trying to write one specific type of book when perhaps our experiences, knowledge, and skills are better suited to another type. I certainly discovered this. I started out writing SF/F (which I do enjoy) but have found that my writing “voice” works better for traditional or cozy mysteries. I wouldn’t have known this if I hadn’t experimented with writing in a different genre.

What would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?

I really don’t have specific choices for most of the characters in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, although my protagonist’s significant other, Richard Muir, would need to be an actor who can dance, or at least move like a professional dancer. I also think that Ted Danson would make a perfect Kurt Kendrick. (One of the major characters who appears throughout the series).

How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?

I like to read, of course! But I also enjoy traveling; gardening; attending music, dance, or theatre performances; and watching TV and films.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?

I have traveled across the U.S. and through parts of Europe, but I haven’t yet visited England, Scotland, and Ireland. I would definitely like to do so – sooner rather than later!

Tell us three fun facts about yourself.

1. I used to sing in chamber choirs and choruses and even privately studied voice. I was a soprano, and could hit some seriously high notes! (Sadly, I can’t quite reach those anymore).
2. I majored in theatre as an undergrad, but focused on costume design and construction rather than acting or directing. After college, before I decided to get my Masters in Library Science, I did some work as a freelance costume designer.
3. I grew up in a very rural area, next to my grandparents’ small family farm, but have lived in many different types of locations in my life, including New York City.

What do you have in store next for your readers?

I have a new series coming out from Crooked Lane Books, called the Booklover’s B&B series. It is set in the historic harbor town of Beaufort, NC. Book one – BOOKED FOR DEATH – releases on June 9th.  Preorders are already available at online retailers.
Book two of the Booklover’s B&B series (as yet untitled) will be released in 2021.
Also, book five in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series – A DEADLY EDITION – will be published by Crooked Lane Books this year (Dec. 8, 2020).


About the Book:

Check out the Book on Amazon

Blue Ridge library director Amy Webber learns it wasn’t all peace and love among the “flower children” when a corpse is unearthed on the grounds of a 1960s commune.

Taylorsford Public Library director Amy Webber’s friend “Sunny” Fields is running for mayor. But nothing puts a damper on a campaign like an actual skeleton in a candidate’s closet. Sunny’s grandparents ran a commune back in the 1960s on their organic farm. But these former hippies face criminal charges when human remains are found in their fields–and a forensic examination reveals that the death was neither natural nor accidental.

With Sunny’s mayoral hopes fading, Amy sets her wedding plans aside, says “not yet” to the dress, and uses her research skills to clear her best friend’s family. Any of the now-elderly commune members could have been the culprit. As former hippies perish one by one, Amy and her friends Richard, Aunt Lydia, and Hugh Chen pursue every lead. But if Amy can’t find whoever killed these “flower children,” someone may soon be placing flowers on her grave.


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