Kathy Cretsinger: Bogged Down by Murder

I’m thrilled to have my friend and former publisher Kathy Cretsinger here to celebrate the release of Nothing Shady Every Happens in Shady Valley: Bogged Down by Murder. Such a fun title!

Welcome Kathy! Tell us more.

When I started this novel two years ago, I had no idea where it was going. I am a seat-of-the-pants writer. I usually start with an idea, and I let the characters lead the way. That is what happened with this book.

I have known Shady Valley since my late teens. My brother-in-law was a preacher, and he and my sister worked with the congregation there. It happens my now husband and his family were members of the church. Jerry and I met in a Sunday School class.

Shady Valley is a unique place in the eastern part of Tennessee. Tennessee juts out into North Carolina, and that is where Shady Valley is located. Almost as far as you can go and still be in Tennessee.

I’ve always loved the area, but you are not close to a town. In other words, you don’t go to town to get anything you forgot for lunch or dinner. You plan ahead. When we lived there, you cooked Sunday dinner at home, you never ate out. There was not a restaurant in the area.

How did I prepare for writing this book set in Shady Valley? First, I drew back to my memory of the place. The beauty of waking up in the mornings with a chill in the air, and the sound of birds. I wondered what it would be like to be transported to the area, especially if you lived in a large city. Miami, Florida came to mind. The difference in Miami and Shady Valley made me chuckle.

I thought about someone who did not eat like country folk being transported to a place where they all ate what they grew. Someone who did not eat very much meat, no bread, not potatoes, only fresh vegetables, and foods that were not known to some folk in the area. Like tofu. I remember Harry asking Daisy, “Do you eat it or wear it?” If this woman owned a company that taught you to eat and live well, would she be able to even eat in Shady Valley? She did not eat any fried food, no milk and dairy, and very little meat. Could she survive? What would people in the valley think of her? She would seem a little crazy.

The Raceway Restaurant is the only place to eat “out” in Shady Valley. Shady Valley is across the mountain from Bristol, Tennessee and NASCAR racing. One of my favorite parts of the book is in the beginning when Daisy and Harry go to Raceway Restaurant for lunch. They have found a murdered man in Daisy’s cranberry bog, and they see the truck Harry saw go up the driveway with the dead man’s body. Anyway, Daisy enters the restaurant and Harry follows her. Harry is a gentleman and a little headstrong. He tries to order lunch for Daisy. Here is the scene.

At that moment, Harry walked in the door, and the waiter looked at him with a smile until Harry sat down with me. The smile faded when Harry smiled and nodded at me.

“What can I get you, Harry?” he asked as he beat a rhythm with his pencil on the order pad.

“We’ll take the special with sweet tea.” Harry smiled at me.

I held up my hand. “Oh, I’m sorry, Harry, but I don’t eat anything fried. I never touch sugar, like sweet tea.”

The waiter switched his head from Harry to me like a train switching rails. “We do have unsweet tea, ma’am,” he told me.

“I can take unsweet tea. What kind of sweetener do you have?” I asked.

“Just the pink and blue packets. I may be able to find a yellow packet.”

“Do you have a liquid green packet? I don’t use the others. They aren’t good for you.”

By this time, everyone in the restaurant, even the cook, was in the dining room. “Daisy, what do you eat?” Harry asked.

“Grilled and steamed fresh vegetables, no fried, no canned. No sugar and no grains or bread, and definitely no potatoes or rice.” I glanced at the menu.

“Dave, do you think you can help this new citizen of our community?” He lifted one eyebrow.

 

I hope you enjoy the book. Thanks, Candace for having me or us. It’s been a pleasure.

About Kathy:

Kathy Cretsinger and her husband migrated from the hills of East Tennessee to the flatlands of Kentucky several years ago to be close to their children and grandchildren. This brought another change in their lives. Kathy began publishing her books, and a few years later, she decided to help other authors who are having a hard time in the publishing industry by starting Mantle Rock Publishing LLC. Recently, Kathy sold most of her publishing company to Scriverings Press.

Kathy loves being close to her family and enjoys growing orchids, which continue to multiply. She is now finding more time to write the books that have lived in her head for the last few years. Visit her at kathycretsinger.com where she has a weekly blog.

 

 

Connect with Kathy:

Website: https://kathycretsinger.com

https://www.facebook.com/kathycretsinger/

https://www.instagram.com/kathycretsinger4441/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/Kathy-Cretsinger-Author-108003947615643

Blurb for Bogged Down by Murder

City girl, Daisy McQueen, inherits her grandmother’s farm in the mountains of East Tennessee, Shady Valley to be exact. Daisy owns a company, Smart Living, that teaches people how to live healthy, and she is used to city life. Shady Valley only has one small store and one restaurant.
Daisy finds a dead body in her cranberry bog, and she is the number one murder suspect. Harry Greer helps her with her investigation without realizing Daisy is one of the richest women in the world with her company, Smart Living.
Hunters are secretly entering her property from the Appalachian Trail at night. Harry wants to protect her, but Daisy wants to teach the people in Shady Valley how to eat and live healthy.
Someone wants her dead.