Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Shudder Pulp: A Charley Scott Mystery by Vanessa Westermann. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Shudder Pulp: A Charley Scott Mystery
by Vanessa Westermann
Shudder Pulp: A Charley Scott Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Canada’s Cottage Country
Publisher : Cormorant Books (May 3, 2025)
Paperback : 368 pages
Leaves are turning red in cottage country, and Charley Scott is putting on an immersive Halloween pulp art installation based on a local lake monster legend. But life imitates art when Laura, a mercenary newcomer with a controversial agenda for the dam, claims she was attacked by a lake monster she accuses Charley of raising.
Hours later, Laura is found dead by dry drowning.
Accident, murder, or a lethal encounter with a mythical beast? Tension mounts as snaking tracks, an animal carcass, and a witch’s ladder are found near the lake, but could there truly be supernatural forces at work?
Charley teams up with chocolatier Matt Thorn to investigate, but it’ll take more than seafoam toffee to bait this trap. To find the truth, Charley will have to risk it all to look the monster in the eye.
Interview with Author Vanessa Westermann
Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with my readers and me!
- Tell us a little about yourself.
I write mysteries that combine the heartbreak of murder with the joy of feel-good romance. I grew up spending summers in Canada’s cottage country, which is why my Charley Scott mysteries are set in a lakeside village.
- How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing since the age of seven when I got a Disney Princess diary with a lock on it. It amazed me that words could be so valuable that you kept them under lock and key. My first published book, An Excuse For Murder, came out in 2019.
- Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?
I have always wanted to be an author. I chose the cozy mystery genre because I enjoy reading stories in which the focus is as much on the sleuth’s world, her setting and personal life, as on the murder. I hope the Charley Scott mysteries allow readers to escape to the lake and enjoy cottage life. The air is fresh and so is the crime scene.
- Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?
I’m an avid reader of mysteries, but I also love rom-coms. I normally have a couple of books on the go. I’m currently reading Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss and Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry.
- Do you have a favorite place to write?
I love writing in cafes. There’s something about the energy of being surrounded by people — and the ready access to caffeine!
- What’s on your desk (if you write at one!)?
A bright tile coaster, a leather traveler’s notebook, a Stalogy notebook, and a Sailor fountain pen filled with shimmer ink.
- What is the first book you remember reading as a child? What was one of your favorite books you read as a child?
The first book I remember reading was The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley: The Case of the SeaWorld Adventure. One of my favourite books was Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase. In the summers, I’d hunt for 25 cent Nancy Drew mysteries at flea markets and then read them on the dock at the cottage.
- Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?
I like the ease of e-books but there’s something about reading a physical book that feels like a literary escape.
- 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 love to live in a cottage on a lake in the Muskokas. Possibly close to Huntsville, because then I could stock up on books from indie bookstore, Cedar Canoe Books.
- What or who has influenced you the most as a writer?
Louise Penny has probably influenced me most as a writer. I love how she focuses on the emotion motivating the crime and reveals that kindness is more powerful than cruelty. She successfully combines the darkness of murder with light to show that goodness exists.
- Do you have any author friends who support you while you’re writing? Do you belong to any writing groups?
I don’t belong to any writing groups, but I do have a friend who writes YA horror novels. It’s a treat to be able to share writing goals with someone who understands the creative process – the highs and the lows.
- Finally, what are you working on now? Can you tell us a bit about it?
I’m currently working on the third Charley Scott mystery, which is set in winter. The murder is a death by polar plunge. Charley gets drawn into a series of cottage country winter adventures that become increasingly dangerous. She has to brave the elements to figure out whodunnit.
Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions!
About Vanessa Westermann
An avid reader of mysteries, Vanessa Westermann is a former Arthur Ellis Awards judge, holds an M.A. in English Literature and a Bachelor of Education, and has taught creative writing. Cover Art, first of the Charley Scott Mysteries, was published to great acclaim in 2022. At the heart of all of Westermann’s stories are strong female protagonists inspired by the heroines in her own life. She currently lives in Ontario.
Author Links
Website: www.vanessa-westermann.info
Facebook: @VanessaWestermannAuthor
Instagram: @vanessawestermann_
GoodReads: Vanessa_Westermann
Purchase Links:
Enter the giveaway
Shudder Pulp TOUR PARTICIPANTS
May 19 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
May 19 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
May 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 20 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
May 21 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
May 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
May 22 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 22 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT
May 22 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
May 23 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
May 23 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
May 24 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 24 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 25 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
May 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
May 25 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here
Shudder Pulp is a book that interests me. I’d like to read it.
Fantastic coverart