The Sign of the Calico Quartz audiobook by Jan Drexler | Author Interview

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Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Sign of the Calico Quartz audiobook by Jan Drexler, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Sign of the Calico Quartz
Series: The Sweetbrier Inn Mysteries
Author: Jan Drexler
Narrator: Gillian Wiggin
Publisher: Swift Wings Press
Audiobook Release Date: July 24, 2024
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Solving a murder is easy, right? All you need to do is follow the clues, and they will lead you to the culprit.

At least that’s what Emma Blackwood thought before she and her cat, Tim, came to the Black Hills to work in Aunt Rose’s Sweetbrier Inn. Before she found a dead body in her living room. Before the hunky Deputy Sheriff accused her of murdering the poor guy. And before the real killer put her name on their list of victims.

For this fan of Agatha Christie and a plethora of television crime dramas, it’s an intriguing situation that demands her skills. Investigating might not be as simple as it looks in fictional mysteries, but Emma’s organized mind and OCD tendencies start making sense of the clues…until she finds a second body with no apparent connection to the first.

Sifting through evidence is easier with the help of her new friend, Becky, who provides baked goods for the inn, and Aunt Rose is always willing to take time from writing her mysterious memoirs to give support and advice. Wil, the inn’s chef, moves things along with a barbed comment or two, and Tim the cat and Rose’s corgi, Thatcher, make themselves available for fuzz therapy and to point the way to another clue.

The list of suspects grows as Emma learns more about the inn’s guests and their reasons for visiting the Black Hills. From the honeymoon couple to Mysterious Montgomery, to the famous reality show ghost hunter, to the gold seekers, no one is the person they appear to be. Even Rose’s good friend Clara is hiding secrets in her pink chenille bathrobe.

But as Emma pursues the investigation, things start to get personal. Can she identify the murderer before disaster strikes?

Interview with Jan Drexler

Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I live in the Black Hills of South Dakota with my husband where we have beautiful views from our deck. I enjoy hiking, gardening, needlework, and reading (of course!) We have two dogs that keep us busy – Jack is a corgi, and Sam is a Border Collie. We have four grown children, three of whom are married.

How long have you been writing?

I started writing fourteen years ago when our youngest boys were in high school, and I was getting close to retiring from my homeschool-mom career.

Did you always want to be an author?

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love reading and telling stories. I studied creative writing in college, but then put aside the dream to raise and educate our children. Once the children got older, the writing bug bit again.

What genre of books do you prefer reading? What are you reading now?

There are very few genres that I don’t like to read, and I usually have several books going at once. Right now, I’m reading Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigurd Undset, Gods and Kings by Lynn Austin, Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose, and an ARC copy of Home for the Homicides by Rosalie Spielman.

Do you have a favorite place to write?

I call it “my office with a view!” My desk faces the window in my office, and I look out on Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills.

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

Always something to drink – tea in the morning and water in the afternoon. I have pens (my husband laughs at my collection of markers and highlighters!) my bullet journal, and my writing planner. And my computer, of course.

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

It depends on where I am and what I’m doing. I like physical books for my evening reading, audiobooks while I’m working on a cross-stitch project, and e-books for those times when I’m away from home and must wait at the doctor’s office or someplace similar.

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 would choose the little village of Sumiswald in the Emmental Region of Switzerland. That’s pretty specific, isn’t it? It’s where my Amish ancestors lived in the 1600’s and I would love to write the story of their lives there and the reasons why they emigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 1700’s.

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

I was a voracious reader as a child and every author I read had an influence on how I tell stories. I’m sure you had a lot of the same favorites: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Maud Hart Lovelace, Beverly Cleary, Marguerite Henry, Mary O’Hara (I just noticed how many of those authors wrote horse stories!) As I got older, I branched out to J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
But what influenced me the most, I think, was a paragraph in the book Rascal by Sterling North where young Sterling’s aunt was talking with him about what he would do with his life as a writer: “And then you could put it all down,” Aunt Lillie said, “the way it is now…case weather, the fog, the lantern light…and the voices of the men – hear them – coming in for breakfast. You could keep it just like this forever.”

It’s that preservation of the way life is/was that inspires me. The memories. The stories. Starting with the most important story, the Bible, writers have preserved the memories and life stories worth repeating for generations.

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

I belong to a couple professional organizations and am on an email loop with several writing friends. I am also part of several Facebook groups. The fun thing about Christian authors is that we support and encourage each other on our journeys.

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

I’m working on the third installment in the Sweetbrier Inn Mysteries, Murder is Coordinated. Here’s a quick teaser:

Emma is dismayed – no, horrified – when her ex-boyfriend shows up at the Sweetbrier Inn one day. He is supposed to be in prison…
When a rash of burglaries plagues the area around Paragon, Emma wonders if Bruce could be involved.

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!

More Books In This Series

About the Author

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband where she enjoys hiking and spending time with her family. She spins stories of History, Mystery, and Sweet Romance. Her works include several historical romance novels, including the award-winning Mattie’s Pledge, and The Sweetbrier Inn Mysteries cozy mystery series.

Connect with Jan by visiting jandrexler.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates. Those who sign up for her newsletter will receive a free e-book copy of The Sign of the Calico Quartz!

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 8, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 15, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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