Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery) by Dianne Freeman. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery)
by Dianne Freeman
A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery)
Historical Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Victorian England
Kensington (June 28, 2022)
Hardcover : 304 pages
Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, returns in Dianne Freeman’s charming, lighthearted mystery series set in Victorian England, and finds her wedding day overshadowed by murder . . .
On the eve of her marriage to George Hazelton, Frances has a great deal more on her mind than flowers and seating arrangements. The Connors and the Bainbridges, two families of American robber barons, have taken up residence in London, and their bitter rivalry is spilling over into the highest social circles. At the request of her brother, Alonzo, who is quite taken with Miss Madeline Connor, Frances has invited the Connor family to her wedding. Meanwhile, Frances’s mother has invited Mr. Bainbridge, and Frances fears the wedding may end up being newspaper-worthy for all the wrong reasons.
On the day itself, Frances is relieved to note that Madeline’s father is not among the guests assembled at the church. The reason for his absence, however, turns out to be most unfortunate: Mr. Connor is found murdered in his home. More shocking still, Alonzo is caught at the scene, holding the murder weapon.
Powerful and ruthless, Connor appears to have amassed a wealth of enemies alongside his fortune. Frances and George agree to put their wedding trip on hold to try and clear Alonzo’s name. But there are secrets to sift through, not just in the Bainbridge and Connor families, but also in their own. And with a killer determined to evade discovery at any cost—even if it means taking another life—Frances’s first days as a newlywed will be perilous indeed . . .
Author Interview
Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!
Tell us a little about yourself.
Thanks for hosting me, Christy. I was born and raised in Michigan where I worked in finance for 30 years. I’m a bit of a late bloomer. Not sure what I wanted to study, I didn’t start college until I was 21. I met my first (and only) husband when I was 40. We didn’t get married until I was 48. (We didn’t want to rush into anything!) And I sold my first novel when I turned 58.
(Side note from Christy: as an Ohioan…boo Michigan! Haha!)
How long have you been writing?
Most of my adult life, so a long time. You can only be so creative in the world of finance before you find yourself behind bars. Most of us chose to have a creative hobby instead. For me, that was writing.
Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?
Maybe? I always wrote for an audience of 1—me. I just enjoyed it. I still do. However, I did take a lot of writing classes and attend writers’ conferences to learn the craft, so maybe in the back of my mind I wanted to be an author. Once I retired, it definitely came to the forefront of my mind. I set out to write historical fiction, but when the mystery started working its way in, I embraced it.
Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?
Historical mystery is my favorite. They don’t have to be cozy, but they can’t scare me either. I enjoy contemporary mystery, including cozies, historical romance, romcoms, and non-fiction. I just finished an ARC of A Socialite’s Guide to Murder by SK Golden. It comes out in October. Now I’m enjoying Deceived by Mary Keliikoa.
Do you have a favorite place to write?
Generally, at my desk in our spare room, but I’ve come up with some of my best scenes while taking a walk.
What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?
My amazing lightning in the desert photograph that I personally took, pens, notebooks, a calendar, a Fedex envelope with line edits from my editor that I’m afraid to open, a fan, and for some reason, a pincushion.
What is the first book you remember reading as a child? What was one of your favorite books you read as a child?
I read quite a bit as a child, but the first book I remember is also a favorite; Half Magic by Edward Eager. Average kids on a magical adventure. It was amazing!
Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?
I like physical books. I work at my laptop so much that when I read, I don’t want to look at another screen.
If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?
I’d choose Paris, France. My series is set in late Victorian London and they are just entering 1900. That spring and summer everyone who could do so, visited Paris, where the Exposition Universelle took place along with the first Olympic games that allowed women to participate! It was a wonderful time and place for art, music, and theater. Obviously, it won’t be 1900, but I’ve got a pretty good imagination.
What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?
Edith Wharton, who wrote about the Gilded Age and showed me the lives of the American heiresses, definitely influenced the historical era and social class I chose, but I think Jane Austen had the larger influence in helping me focus on the absurdity of humans and our society. So much of Victorian mystery is dark and I like to keep it on the lighter side.
Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing? Do you belong to any writing groups?
There’s something about the mystery writing community that makes everyone very welcoming. I have several close author friends, many of whom I met through author groups. I belong to Sisters in Crime, both national and the Michigan and Arizona chapters, and Mystery Writers of America.
Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?
I’m working on the next Countess of Harleigh mystery. Frances has agreed to sponsor the niece of an elderly friend for a presentation to Queen Victoria. The friend, Lady Wingate has been so lethargic since her husband’s death, she hasn’t left the house for months. Her friend, Lady Esther, is convinced one of the woman’s step-children is drugging her and tapping into her fortune. The niece isn’t above suspicion either. She’s about to enter high society and stands to gain an inheritance upon her aunt’s death. Hundreds of young ladies would kill to be in her shoes. Frances fears that’s exactly what happened. If she wants to keep Lady Wingate from following in her husband’s footsteps, she needs to flush out the killer quickly.
(That sounds exciting!!)
Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!
About Dianne Freeman
Dianne Freeman is the acclaimed author of the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. She is an Agatha Award and Lefty Award winner, as well as a finalist for the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award from Mystery Writers of America. After thirty years of working in corporate accounting and finance, she now writes full-time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband split their time between Michigan and Arizona. Visit her at www.DiFreeman.com.
Author Links
GoodReads Link A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder by Dianne Freeman | Goodreads
Website: Dianne Freeman | Historical Mystery Writer (difreeman.com)
Facebook: (2) Dianne Freeman Author | Facebook
Twitter: (1) Dianne Freeman (@Difreeman001) / Twitter
Instagram: Dianne Freeman (@diannefreemanwrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Purchase Links
A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder a book by Dianne Freeman (bookshop.org)
A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery #5) | IndieBound.org
Enter the giveaway
A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 5 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
July 6 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 6 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
July 7 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
July 7 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
July 8 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST
July 8 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 8 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – Just Another Teen Reading Books – REVIEW
July 9 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
July 10 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
July 10 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
July 11 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
July 11 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
July 11 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW
July 12 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
July 13 – The Mystery of Writing – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 13 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – REVIEW
July 13 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
July 14 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
July 14 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW
July 14 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Great interview! I remember Half Magic! I liked it too.
I enjoy discovering series and authors who are new to me! This sounds like a fascinating book.
Your book looks fun and exciting. Thank you for the giveaway!