Wednesday Writers—Murder on Blake Hill by Janis Lane

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cozy Mysteries, Detective Kevin Fowler Mystery series, Emma Lane, Murder on Blake Hill, Wednesday Writers

Today Janis Lane, author of the Detective Kevin Fowler Mysteries series, visits Wednesday Writers talking about how puzzles and cozy mysteries are alike. Welcome, Janis!

Thanks, Catherine.
For me, pulling together the pieces of a cozy mystery dictates the same patience as a family working a picture puzzle. The other day I listened to my daughter teach her young son a technique.

“First,” she said, “we look for the straight edges. That tells us how far the picture (or story) can go. See? The waterfall ends right here. Next we look for colors that tell us something about the center of the puzzle. Isn’t this dark blue part of someone’s skirt? And here is another piece the same color. Now we have half a person. There’s a lot of red. Perhaps it’s a different person. (Our characters.) Perhaps that light blue is the sky (setting). Are there green trees? (Summer) Is that grass? Is there a storm in the sky?” (Trouble looms.)

Step by step an author pieces together clues to make a whole. Especially important for a mystery is the process that leads us finally to the answer of the ultimate puzzle. Who did it? How do we catch them? How can we keep innocent people from harm?
Especially important for a mystery is the process that leads us finally to the answer of the ultimate puzzle. Who did it? How do we catch them? How can we keep innocent people from harm?

Murder on Blake Hill is the third in the series of Detective Kevin Fowler Mysteries. In this story we join a group of neighbors and friends who all live in a small town in typical American fashion. When certain events go awry, the detective starts to systematically pair clues and events with a time line to solve the puzzle. On the way we can enjoy the interaction of our favorite characters as they live and love in this particular setting (the edge pieces). With the richness of an exquisitely woven tapestry, we join in sharing their emotions: happy, exciting, and sad. Sometimes they are frightened and other times filled with astonishment.

The detective has gained the trust of the townspeople and feels the pressure to find the answer to the puzzle. Who is the disruptive visitor at the church barbecue? How do we catch a stalker? Are we finally going to enjoy a wedding celebration? Who killed two old men up on Blake Hill Cemetery and why?

Detective Kevin Fowler is baffled by the wall of silence that greets him from the relatives of two septuagenarians whose bodies are discovered in a country cemetery called Blake Hill. Even more upsetting is the unusual rash of vandalism reported nightly by the citizens in his peaceful community. Have the teenagers declared an uprising? Night patrols reveal a totally unexpected and shocking situation. When a poignant secret is revealed, Beverly Hampton weeps over the sadness of a long ago tragedy, but soon wedding bells are heard for the home town princess and the popular detective. At the local diner the alluring fragrance of fresh-baked, cinnamon sticky buns continues to reign over the peaceful citizens of Hubbard, New York.

Amazon Buy Link

Read more of the cozy mysteries by Janis Lane on Amazon

About the Author:

Janis Lane is the pen-name for gifted author Emma Lane who writes cozy mysteries as Janis, Regency as Emma, and spice as Sunny Lane.

She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.

Look for information about writing and plants on Emma’s new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma’s face.

Stay connected to Emma on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out the things that make Emma smile on Pinterest.

Murder on Blake Hill, Detective Kevin Fowler Mystery series, Emma Lane, Wednesday Writers, cozy mysteries,

Through A Writer’s Garden with Emma Janis Lane

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, cozy mystery, Emma Janis Lane, Murder on Blake Hill, Rabbit resistance plants

Your Neighborhood Matters

My work in the nursery brings me in contact with different gardeners. One anecdote I have will prove to you that your neighborhood matters.

A pleasant lady requested perennials which were ‘rabbit resistant.’ No problem, we said. The very next week she was back. We tried again. This went on for three weeks, each time she observed the wild bunny munching on the new perennial. (I’ll list some examples later.) Finally we gave up and refunded her money. We researched and yes, those plants were listed, but, of course, resistant does not mean fail safe.

Time marched on. Later, as we drove down her street, a light bulb sparked over my head. Did you guess it? The poor wild bunnies had no other food than to eat what they could find, even if they didn’t prefer the taste. No wild plants in the gardens; no clover or other wild plants mingled in the lawns.

 

Every single lawn in the entire neighborhood had been chemically treated. It must have been a source of community pride to have grass so green and pure.

It’s a personal preference. I’ve never been a fan of chemical solutions. Our lawn is a mixture of grass, clover, broad weeds and dandelions. In the spring, it blooms yellow. We love it. The bunnies love it. Weeds are kept under control by mowing. A mixture like this will survive drought much better. Neighbors needn’t be informed you are spraying something noxious on your property, and you don’t have chemicals where you and your children walk and play. For me, that’s the biggest advantage of all, plus we love watching the wild life hopping around on the lawn. They love the clover and dandelions. Rabbit Resistant Perennials: Veronica, Siberian iris, Salvia, Peony, Allium, Astilbe, Baptisia, Bee Balm, Lavender, Yarrow, Foxglove, Daffodil, Catmint. (and many more!)

 

About the Author:

Emma Janis Lane lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous color. She writes Regency Romance as Emma Lane, but also delights in dipping into a Cozy Romantic Mystery, pen name Janis Lane.

 

Her most recent foray into Cozy Mystery is Murder on Blake Hill, where disconcerting events disturb the peaceful town of Hubbard, New York, but Detective Kevin Fowler and his staff are on the job, even as shocking secrets are revealed.

Part owner of a plant nursery, she will answer gardening questions at her website emmajlane.com

You can also connect with her on Twitter