Julia Henry - known to many as Julie Hennrikus - released her second book in the Garden Squad Mystery series - on August 27th. She stopped by to answer our questions on the book and she added a shout out to Sisters in Crime. Julie is a past president of the New England chapter and board member of National.
Writers usually hate writing book summaries. Will you share with us your real book blurb or one you wish you could have used?
I am teaching a Guppy class this week and includes writing a blurb, a logline, and a synopsis. They are tough to write, but great skills to work on. That said, I’m grateful that the folks at Kensington do such a great job. Here’s the blurb for Tilling the Truth:
It’s August in Goosebush, Massachusetts, and go-getter retiree Lilly Jayne and her youthful senior pals show no sign of slowing down during the lazy days of summer. But when murder mows over a pesky local, could a Garden Squad member be nurturing a deadly second act?
While Lilly digs into a town beautification project, her friend Tamara O’Connor has greater concerns than well-pruned geraniums. The real-estate firm owner hasn’t been shy about blaming perennial grouch Gladys Preston for thwarting her many attempts to sell off a beautiful beachside property. But accusations fly when Gladys is suddenly found dead—and Tamara is caught standing over the body with a bloody weapon in her hand . . .
As Tamara becomes the prime murder suspect, Lilly and the Garden Squad ladies set out to prove that someone planted the evidence. With a potpourri of alarming clues scattered around Goosebush, cracking this case means confronting a calculating culprit with a penchant for cutting down anyone who gets in the way . . .
What was the a-ha moment that made you write this story?
This series is centered around the Garden Squad, a group of friends who are guerilla gardeners in Goosebush, MA. They go around town in the dead of night and solve gardening problems. Then they start solving crimes. Lilly Jayne, a 65-year old widow, is the center of the series, but the rest of the Garden Squad play important roles. Delia Greenway is a graduate student who lives with Lilly. Delia is a researcher, and focuses on the facts and only the facts. She and Lilly butt heads a bit, because Lilly understands that facts are indisputable but people’s truths are told through their lens. Lilly is able to take the truth lens of different people into consideration. That idea of truth and facts was my a-ha for writing this book. Of course, getting readers to believe a false story and ignore facts is part of the job of a mystery writer, and is a lot of fun.
Is there a setting in your book that you would like to visit?
I lived in Duxbury, Massachusetts from 1st grade to 8th grade, and have fond memories of the town. Goosebush is inspired by Duxbury. I’ve changed the coastline a bit, and I’m moving streets around, but the feeling is the same. I always use a real place to inspire me when I’m creating a setting. So far all of my series have been based in Massachusetts, so I can visit them often to be reinspired when needed.
What is the hardest part of writing a book?
Writing is a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly. For me, making the time to write every day is the challenge. I’ve gotten better at it, and contract deadlines help. Slogging through that first draft never gets easier. But this is my 7th published novel, and I understand that getting that first draft done early is essential so that I can give it time to rest before I edit it. Plotting, using Scrivener, moving forward until the draft is done is the hard work. That said, every time I sit down I am reminded of the joy of writing.
Were there indispensable people without whom you couldn’t have written the book?
Sisters in Crime, and especially this wonderful New England chapter have a lot to do with folks being able to hold this book in their hands. I became a member when writing a book was a dream, and the folks I met encouraged me, taught me, mentored me. I’m also blessed to blog with five fabulous women who are my support system in a million different ways. Sherry Harris, Barbara Ross, Edith Maxwell, Liz Mugavero and Jessie Crockett are who you want on your team as you set forth on this journey.
Julie is one woman with three names and many books. Tilling the Truth, is the second in the Garden Squad series, which she writes as Julia Henry. As J.A. Hennrikus she writes the Theater Cop series. As Julianne Holmes she wrote the Clock Shop series. Julie has created Your Ladders, an online service to support artists by teaching them business skills. Julie blogs with the Wicked Authors (www.WickedAuthors.com) and Killer Characters (www.KillerCharacters.com). You can find her on social media as @JHAuthors. JHAuthors.com