OUR INTERVIEW WITH SHAEN LAYLE

 

Shaen is a USA Today Bestselling author and a Carol Award semi-finalist who writes inspirational cozy mystery from her home in the Midwest, where she lives with her artist husband, Danny, their two rambunctious but adorable boys, and their shelter pup, Violet. Trained as a literary novelist and with a decade of librarianship under her belt, Shaen loves discussing all things bookish with her readers on her website and on social media.

INTERVIEW

Tell us about your recent release.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK is book #8 in Guideposts’ new cozy mystery series, Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm. The series as a whole pays homage to Yorkshire veterinarian James Herriot, as well as the television show based on his life experiences, All Creatures Great and Small. The series begins when newly single thirty something, Harriet Bailey, leaves her home in Connecticut to take over her late grandfather's estate and veterinary practice in White Church Bay, a small seaside village in England.

In my book, Harriet stumbles across a mystery when she discovers an abandoned manuscript in her aunt Jinny’s dower cottage. The manuscript is written by famed historical author, Adelaide Evergreen and purports to tell the truth about a mysterious train crash that happened years before... a crash for which Harriet’s relative took the blame. Luckily, Harriet’s good friend from the states, Ashley Fiske, and her ten-year-old son, Trevor, are there to help her with sleuthing. Will Harriet and her friends find the truth at the end of the line?

What was your inspiration for this book?

When my oldest son, Aidan, was little, he loved trains. We watched Thomas and Friends shows on repeat, read about railways, and even visited the Kirkwood Museum of Transportation to see trains up close. I’ve always known I wanted to write a mystery that featured trains because of my son’s interest in them. When I began researching Robin Hood's Bay, which is the real town that the fictional White Church Bay is based on, I was delighted to discover all the interesting history behind the now defunct Scarborough & Whitby Railway. The line was very important to the town and is now reserved as a walking and biking trail called the Cinder Track. When I began imagining what stories that track had to tell, this story began!

What is your favorite part of the writing process? Your least favorite?

My favorite part of the writing process is researching and brainstorming. The creative process is fresh and full of possibilities at this point. It's so exciting! Once you get a few chapters on paper, the possibilities start to be a bit more limited, but this is necessary for a tight story. My least favorite part of the writing process is the final push to complete the first draft. I'm usually tired by that point and ready to move on to a new idea. Good things come to those who press ahead, though! Knowing I have readers waiting for a new story keeps me focused.

Tell us three things about yourself that might surprise your readers?

1) I used to play the flute and piccolo in my high school’s band.

2) I have ichthyophobia, which is the fear of fish! I feel about fish the way most people feel about snakes.

3) I have an adventurous spirit on occasion. I’ve white water rafted the Ocoee River in the Great Smoky Mountains and hiked Hezekiah’s Aqueduct, a functional Biblical aqueduct in Israel.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to spend time with my family and friends. I also enjoy reading, running, cooking, and antiquing.

What are you working on now?

I recently signed on as series lead for a new Guideposts’ series, The Gift Shop Mysteries! The series follows gift shop owner, Sarah Morgan, as she navigates life in her hometown of Port Huron, Michigan and solves mysteries alongside her family and friends. My story has a nod to inventor Thomas Edison, who spent his boyhood and early teenage years in Port Huron.

I’m also working on a proposal for a women’s fiction novel, which features a multi-generational storyline and a butterfly farm.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I’d like to say a huge thank you to the Suspense Sisters for hosting me and my readers for continuing to seek out my stories. I appreciate you!

Where can your readers learn more about you?

Readers can find me at the following locations:

· Website 
· Newsletter Signup 
· Facebook 
· Twitter 
· Instagram 
· Pinterest 
· Goodreads 

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Harriet Bailey gets a wonderful surprise when Ashley Fiske, her friend from the States, brings her young son, Trevor, to White Church Bay for a visit. Harriet cannot wait to share the village’s charms with her friend, but she never predicted they would end up solving a mystery together! An unpublished manuscript by a famous British children’s author named Adelaide Evergreen has turned up in Harriet’s aunt Jinny’s cottage. The book claims to tell the truth behind an infamous and mysterious railway crash that happened in White Church Bay in 1917, on the fringes of the Great War.

As Harriet delves deeper into the mystery, it’s difficult to tell where literary license ends, and reality begins. And when it is revealed that Harriet’s relative may have had a hand in causing the train tragedy, the stakes become personal. Will she find the truth at the end of the line?

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