It's always a pleasure to welcome back author Linda O. Johnston to Omnimystery News, who visits with us today to talk about the first in a new series of cozy mysteries, Bite the Biscuit (Midnight Ink, May 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats), which introduces veterinary technician and amateur sleuth Carrie Kennersly.
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Omnimystery News: Tell us a little more about Carrie Kennersly.
Photo provided courtesy of
Linda O. Johnston; Photo credit
Dan Irvin Photography
Linda O. Johnston: My protagonist in the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries is Carrie Kennersly, a veterinary technician who also had aspirations of being her own boss. She succeeds by buying the bakery of a friend who has to sell it to move away and turns half of it into a Barkery, where she sells healthy dog treats she developed as a vet tech.
As a former attorney and now full-time writer, I like the idea of someone with multiple aspirations who tries to make a go at both of them.
OMN: How do you see her changing as you write new books in the series?
LOJ: My preference is to have the characters change over time, especially in their relationships. I enjoy giving them romantic interests and having them develop as the series continues. Most often, things progress well, but not always.
OMN: We called Bite the Biscuit a cozy. Would you agree?
LOJ: Yes, the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries are cozy mysteries. I've been writing cozies for a while now and really love both reading and writing the genre. You really get to know the characters over time, especially, and although I wouldn't want to be in their position and have to solve murders all the time, it's fun coming up with new people and plots. I don't mind keeping the violence and sex off the page. Plus, it's always fun for me to include animals, especially dogs!
OMN: Tell us something about the book that isn't mentioned in the publisher's synopsis.
LOJ: Carrie loves dogs and people. Her own dog, Biscuit, is a toy poodle-terrier mix and is able to hang out at the Barkery half of the two shops while Carrie's working there. Carrie also develops a few romantic interests in Bite the Biscuit — one stronger than the others. She's proud of both her own Barkery treats and the people treats she sells at Icing on the Cake. And, yes, she's willing to do anything to prove she didn't commit murder.
OMN: Have you included any of your own personal or professional experience in the book?
LOJ: I'm not much of a cook these days, so Carrie's baking experiences aren't mine. And though I once wanted to become a veterinarian, that didn't happen, nor did I become a veterinary technician. As a result, Carrie's character in the Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries is pretty much based on imagination and admiration.
OMN: You've written several series now. How do you go about starting and writing a new book?
LOJ: I start with ideas, then flesh them out into a fairly detailed synopsis that I tend to follow, at least somewhat — but, yes, the story still develops as I write. Sometimes potential new characters introduce themselves to me as I write. Even my main characters sometimes surprise me with things they do. I'm always willing to listen to them, although I may tell them to get back into the storyline as I planned it.
OMN: Where do you most often find yourself writing?
LOJ: I write in a messy computer room in my home and am at the bark and call of my two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels who tell me often they want to go outside for a romp and get treats.
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Linda O. Johnston's first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the year. Since then, Linda, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, has published more short stories, novellas, and 39 romance and mystery novels.
For more information about the author, please visit her website at LindaOJohnston.com and her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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Bite the Biscuit by Linda O. Johnston
A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Carrie Kennersly, a veterinary technician, has become known for offering healthy and popular dog treats at the clinic where she works. When the local bakery's owner moves away, Carrie jumps at the chance to convert it into the Barkery, a shop to make and sell her canine delights.
But Myra Ethman, co-owner of another pet product store, hates the new competition. At the Barkery's opening party, she badmouths Carrie's homemade dog biscuits, insisting she'll find a way to shut the place down. So when Myra is found dead with a Barkery biscuit beside her, Carrie must prove she didn't do it before she's collared for murder.
— Bite the Biscuit by Linda O. Johnston
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