Peach Tea Smash (A Tea Shop Mystery) by Laura Childs

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Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Peach Tea Smash (A Tea Shop Mystery) by Laura Childs. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

Peach Tea Smash (A Tea Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
28th in Series
Setting – South Carolina
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (August 6, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages

Murder at an Alice in Wonderland–themed event threatens to send Theodosia Browning through the looking glass in the latest entry in this New York Times bestselling series.

During the Mad Hatter Masquerade, a fundraiser hosted by the Friends of the Opera on the grounds of the old Pendleton Grist Mill, Harlan Sadler, husband of Cricket Sadler, the chairwoman, is killed. He’s been hit in the head with a croquet mallet, and his body hung on the chains and paddles of the grist mill. Nobody can figure out why since Harlan was much beloved by everyone. It’s only after Cricket and Delaine beg Theodosia to investigate that she realizes the killer might have mistaken Harlan for his crazy son, Duke. After all, Duke is a slum landlord and recently injured a woman in a boating accident.

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

My interview with Author Laura Childs

How long have you been writing?

All my life. I started out writing ghost stories as a kid, won middle school poetry contests, worked on high school and college newspapers, was a writer/producer in several multi-national ad agencies, and ran my own ad agency for 15 years. Then I sold the agency and switched careers to write mysteries – now I’ve written 58 of them.

Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?

Ever since I wrote George the Ghost at age 6 I aspired to be an author. I was in the middle of writing a thriller when my agent pitched me on the idea of writing a cozy. At first I said no way, then I did a little research and decided to give it a shot. Now I’ve written 3 cozy series – the Tea Shop Mysteries, New Orleans Scrapbook Mysteries, and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Go figure.

Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?

I read all genres – cozies, thrillers, classic mysteries, history, business books, etc. Right now I’m kind of into domestic thrillers – in fact, I got so inspired that I started writing one myself.

What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?

My computer’s on my desk with stacks of papers and books spread out all around me. Yeah, it’s a little messy.

What is the first book you remember reading as a child? And what was one of your favorite books as a child?

The first book I read as a child was Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer. No, just kidding. I think it was the Bobbsey Twins or something like that. But the books I really loved as a kid were Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and the Black Stallion books. I not only adored these books, they made me want to be an author!

Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?

Gotta have that physical book in my hand. Then I can tumble down the rabbit hole and get lost in the story. The audio and e-books? I think I’m too ADD for those. Just can’t pay attention.

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’ve traveled through China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, so that might be fun for a one-year writing sabbatical. Maybe Kyoto, Japan because of their gorgeous temples and gardens, or Bali, Indonesia – though the beaches are so spectacular I’d probably never get any work done.

What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?

Owning my own ad agency meant I had to live by my wits and earn my own salary, as well as pay for overhead and staff. Shouldering that much responsibility taught me how to believe in myself, never take no for an answer, and always push forward. Really, running my own business pretty much laid the groundwork for being a novelist.

Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing? Do you belong to any writing groups?

I have lots of author friends and even an author cousin (Leslie Budewitz), but we mostly just support each other when a new book comes out. I think writing groups are probably super helpful when you’re just starting out, but I’ve never belonged to one.

Tell us about your new book, Peach Tea Smash.

Amid crumbling walls, shadowy paths, neon Cheshire cats, and a host of masked revelers, a prominent Charleston, SC banker is murdered. Theodosia Browning, tea maven and amateur sleuth, discovers the body and, at the urging the man’s widow begins a shadow investigation. It’s then that she uncovers bitter rivals, strange coincidences, and a raft of suspects. But circumstances turn even more dramatic at a night time Opera in the Park where a killer lurks in the wings.

Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?

I just completed a 60 page outline for Death at a Firefly Tea, my next Tea Shop Mystery and number 29 in that series. It begins, as all my books do, with a nasty murder in the very first chapter, then I slingshot into a chase scene, some weird clues, divisive suspects, another murder, and a cataclysmic final scene where all is revealed. Do I know exactly how it ends? No, but I’ll eventually figure it out.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!

Thank you for inviting me, it was a lot of fun!

About Laura Childs

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that takes place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.