A Conversation with Joyce and Jim Lavene

with Joyce and Jim Lavene

We are delighted to welcome mystery authors Joyce and Jim Lavene to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of Cozy Mystery Book Tours, which is coordinating their current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find their schedule here. Cozy Mystery Book Tours is also giving our readers a chance to win a $25 Amazon.com gift card or PayPal cash; use this link to enter.

The authors' sixth book in their "Peggy Lee Garden" mystery series is A Thyme To Die (J. Lavene, ebook format).

We recently had a chance to talk to the Joyce and Jim about their books.

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Omnimystery News: You're the authors of several mystery series. Why did you choose to create recurring characters for your books?

Photo provided courtesy of
Joyce and Jim Lavene

Joyce and Jim Lavene: We write series mysteries because we love reading series — mystery, science fiction and fantasy. We like the continuance of the characters and the places. It's like going back to visit old friends when you pick up a new book.

We never encourage our characters to remain the same. People change and we think characters should too. We change their beliefs, when necessary, have them question their values. we change the way they wear their hair, have them try new styles and look for themselves as people do. In some of our books, a character may question what they're doing and not like the answers. We want people to relate to our characters as people they could know — whether they like them or not.

Not all readers like this. We have a few readers who write and want to know why we can't leave things alone. Who would want their lives to always be the same?

OMN: How would you describe your books, genre-wise?

JJL: Most are hardcore cozies. We have written a series about a small town sheriff — the Sharyn Howard Mysteries. That was our first mystery series. Our newest series, Sweet Pepper Fire brigade Mysteries, is about a firefighter from Chicago who goes to a small town in Tennessee to help set up a volunteer firefighter group. These two are verging on being procedurals mixed with a cozy atmosphere.

Really, we can't imagine any difference between marketing any mystery series. You have to get the word out there before and after the book comes out. You have to engage with readers at book clubs, on social media, and at book stores and libraries. We've found that most categories mean more to writers, publishers and booksellers than to readers.

OMN: Your most recently published mystery is A Thyme To Die. Tell us something about the book that isn't in the synopsis.

JJL: This is the first Peggy Lee Garden Mystery where the victims aren't killed by botanical poisons. Peggy Lee uses her knowledge of plants and gardening to solve the mystery anyway.

OMN: Describe your writing process.

JJL: It all depends on the book. Our basic process includes writing down an extensive synopsis so we both know what the other person is thinking and we iron out any possible pitfalls. Some books seem to write themselves after that. others we write biographies and outline. We don't feel there is any right or wrong way to write a book, so long as you tell the story.

OMN: Did you draw on any of your own experience in writing A Thyme To Die?

JJL: Well we're both gardeners and we live in a small town. We love to do research and enjoy finding out about things we don't know. We both have done newspaper work in the past and are insanely curious.

OMN: How do you go about researching the facts you don't have first-hand knowledge of? For example, what was your most challenging or exciting topic to research?

JJL: We do some Internet research but never write about an area we haven't visited. We talk to experts, when needed. We also use books! Probably the most challenging thing we've ever researched has been plant information. Our heroine is a botanist so she has to know what she's talking about. We have a good friend who is a botanist at the NC zoo. He also works as a contract forensic botanist so he has been invaluable. Exciting? Probably writing our Renaissance Faire Mysteries because it means you have to go and do research at festivals and fairs. We love history, and the craziness of the atmosphere.

OMN: Tell us about the settings of your books.

JJL: In some cases, we are very true to setting — exact names of restaurants, roads, buildings. Peggy Lee is like that. Other series, we have created the setting. In some cases, you have to ad lib a little. This is fiction, not a road map.

OMN: What is the best advice — or criticism — you've been given?

JJL: Best advice — from author Janet Daily: Write every day. Get up early. Stay up late. If you really want this, you have to work for it.

Our favorite criticism — from author Marion Zimmer Bradley: This story is good. In fact, this and a token would get you a ride on any subway of your choice.

What you can learn from this — everything is subjective.

OMN: If the Peggy Lee mysteries were the basis for a theatrical film or television series, who do you see playing the key parts?

JJL: People have likened Peggy Lee to Peggy Hill in King of the Hill. She'd probably be a good fit. We'd like to see her husband, Steve, played by actor Mark Valley (he'd have to dye his hair). And for Sam Ollson who works with Peggy at the garden shop, we'd like to have Chris Hemsworth!

OMN: What kinds of books did you read when you were young?

JJL: We both loved Sherlock Holmes, The Thinking Machine and Edgar Allen poe as children. That said, we also loved Jules Verne, E.E. Doc Smith, and many other authors in many different genres. we're still that way. It influenced us to become writers, not necessarily mystery writers. Of course, we've also written romance, science fiction and fantasy — even a western.

OMN: What do you do when you're not writing?

JJL: Gardening — obviously. We also enjoy photography, visiting historic places, and spending a lot of time with our family.

OMN: What are the questions you most enjoy receiving from readers?

JJL: We like the questions from readers when you can tell that they've really read and enjoyed the book. They sometimes seem to know the characters better than we do and are always eager to know where we're going with the story.

OMN: What's next for you?

JJL: Next, we have three new series out in the next year — from Simon and Schuster: "Pie in the Kky Mysteries" set in Durham, NC under the pseudonym Ellie Grant. From Berkley (written under our names) will be "Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mysteries", and "The Retired Witches Spellbook".

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Joyce Lavene and Jim Lavene are a wife and husband team who have written and published more than 60 books since 1999. They live in North Carolina with their family and enjoy cooking, photography and ghost hunting.

Learn more about the authors and their books on their website JoyceAndJimLavene.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter.

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A Thyme To Die
Joyce and Jim Lavene
A Peggy Lee Garden Mystery

Peggy Lee and her gardening friends have managed to persuade the International Flower Show to move to Charlotte from Atlanta this year. Excited and enthusiastic, Peggy agrees to step into the role as director of the event, but on opening day, a good friend of hers is found dead in the middle of the show.

Dr. Aris Abutto, an orchid grower from South Africa, has been shot and buried in a makeshift grave covered with pink thyme. Peggy is especially devastated since he came at her personal invitation. The presence of the pink thyme, a plant once used for ancient burial rites, tells her it's possible one of the show's growers may be involved in his death.

She plans to work with the Charlotte Police on this one, in her position of contract forensic botanist, and is surprised to learn of the Charlotte FBI's interest in the case — which means her husband, Steve is involved too.

Peggy is focused on finding her friend's killer and running the flower show with hundreds of sometimes disgruntled vendors. Her questions will find a devious plot with her friend and his young daughter, unwittingly, at the heart of it.

Asking the wrong questions can be dangerous, however, as Peggy knows so well. If she isn't careful, finding her friend's killer might also lead to a flower-covered grave for her.