Death at Francis Court Now Confirmed as Murder!
Speculation is rife that the victim, estate manager Alex Sterling (44), was found by Lady Beatrice (35), the Countess of Rossex, niece of King James. Lady Beatrice, who has finally come out of hiding following her son’s departure to boarding school, has been managing the project to refurbish and redesign the Events Suite at Francis Court, alongside Perry Juke.
Heading up the murder investigation is Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam. Rumour has it that he and Lady Beatrice have a fractious history…
Awful man! How dare Fitzwilliam suggest Lady Beatrice’s sister is the number one suspect for Alex’s murder. It could be any one of the staff who were on-site that morning. Well, she’ll show Mr High and Mighty Fitzwilliam! With her attention to detail, her clever dog Daisy, Perry’s imagination, and his partner’s contacts at Fenshire CID, they’ll find the murderer before him.
Unless the murderer finds her first…
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Q&A
– When and where do you prefer to write?
For me, one of the best things about being an author is the flexibility you have around when and where you write. I have written in trains, planes and around a pool when I’ve been up against a deadline. I can fit in morning coffee with friends in the village and the occasional mid-week lunch and then work on a Sunday morning (when everyone else in my house is still asleep) to make up for it. I work about 50 hours a week, but love being able to fit it around my social life!
Up until recently I was using our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) parked on the drive to work in. When I had a deadline looming, I’d take it to a lovely country park site about fifteen minutes away and stay there until my family ran out of food or clean clothes. But recently I’ve been working in the house in a spare room that I have now set up and it’s nice to be somewhere where it doesn’t sound like you’re being pelted with golf balls every time it rains!
– Do you have a certain ritual?
I like peace and quiet to write. So I turn off all distractions and only let the dogs into the room with me if they settle down and go to sleep. The minute they make a noise, they’re out!
– Is there a drink of some food that keeps you company while you write?
I need a large thermos of tea and a bottle of water and I’m good to go. I try not to eat when I’m working as I make such a mess of my keyboard!
– What is your favourite book?
That’s like asking someone who their favourite child is! But if I really had to choose, I’d say A Daughter of Time by Jospehine Tey. It’s a great historical mystery that is well written and really gripping.
– Do you consider writing a different genre in the future?
I love cozy mysteries, both to write and read, but if I did move to another genre, I think it would be historical rom-coms.
– Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
Not consciously. Although I imagine they must come from somewhere…
– Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
No, strangely not. I tend to mull ideas over in my head for quite a while before I commit them to paper. I find my best ideas come to me as I’m waking up and getting ready to start the day.
– Which genre do you not like at all?
I’m in a book club and I try to approach every book with an open mind. But any sort of gruesome details or people being tortured will turn me off and I’ll probably not finish the book.
– If you had the chance to co-write a book. Whom would it be with?
Can I have three? Richard Osman because I think I could learn so much from him about crafting a story. SJ Bennet because I love her books about The Queen investigating murders. And Simon Brett because even if he made me laugh half as much as his books do (especially the Charles Paris series and the Mrs Pargeter series) then it would be so much fun.
– If you should travel to a foreign country to do research, which one would you chose and why?
Are you paying? If so, then I’ve always wanted to go to a super expensive, super exclusive villa on one of those islands where you have to know the owner to be invited. And, of course, it would be the perfect setting for a cozy murder mystery…
Thank you
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About the author
Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.
I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.
It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes
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Author Links
insta – https://www.instagram.com/helengolden_author/
Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@helengoldenauthor
Website – https://helengoldenauthor.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/helengoldenauthor
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Book Links
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spruced-Murder-Right-Royal-Investigation-ebook/dp/B0BDGN7PSB
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Spruced-Murder-Right-Royal-Investigation-ebook/dp/B0BDGN7PSB
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B for Bookreview 