Murder On Wheels by Lynn Cahoon

Lynn is one of the most delightful authors you could ever talk to virtually. I have never met her in person, but her personality shines through in her correspondence.  This is a big deal for me as a reader.  I love, love, LOVE authors who are real people with their readers and that is Lynn through and through.

Before we get to the review of her newest book, Murder on Wheels, let’s get to know a little about Lynn.  I for one, wanted to know what got her up and going, full of inspiration every morning.

“I owe, I owe… the whole American Dream catch 22. I’m currently working a day job and writing so any time I have, I try to squeak out a few words or a blog post.  When I’m writing, it’s a matter of keeping myself in the story so I stay involved. I’m writing the beginnings of a different series now, and last night, a new character just drove onto the set, introducing himself. Not sure what’s going on with him yet, but he feels a little

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creepy.”

 

Writers become writers…when?  Lynn considered herself a writer from the beginning.

“I’ve always considered myself a writer. I started writing essays and getting paid for them in 2007, the year of cancer. I had several stories in my head, knew where I wanted to send them, and once I sent them off, I sold all three ideas. I want to be able to do the same thing with my fiction writing sooner, than later. I have a plan to be a full time writer/author in 2017. I’m hoping I’ll be able to reach that goal date.”

Okay, now, let’s talk about “Murder on Wheels.”  This book is a one in a series of many.  I was in love with the cover and the premise of it. A murder, a squabble over a food truck, geocaching and a cafe.  How in the world can all that work in one book?  Honestly, I was skeptical at first.  I thought it would be flying all over the place with too many themes and too many settings.  Thank goodness she did.  This made for well-rounded characters with not only jobs but hobbies, friends and acquaintances.  Yes, they actually had believable lives.  They could have been my group of friends I hung out with.  So, what was her inspiration for this group of people in South Cove?

“Murder on Wheels” is the sixth book in the Tourist Trap Mysteries. I always leave a hanging thread or a clue at the end of the book before, reminding me what I want the next book to be about. My first idea was something to do with the food truck. I think Jill was actually kind of glad they didn’t get to purchase it at the end of Killer Run. Running a food truck and a business is a lot of work. And Jill’s figuring out she needs a little more background into the business side of her coffee shop/book store. So she’s on a mission to go back to school and get that MBA. Which I think will be fun to play with in book #8 and onward.”

And I guess we aren’t the only ones who think these people in the books are real.  Lynn writes the books as a form of visiting them.  I love that!

“Mostly, I write the Tourist Trap series because I want to find out what’s going on in my imaginary friends lives. And as I’m sitting here thinking about #8, I can see the opening scene…”

Not only does she visit the characters by writing about them, but apparently, she went geocaching with Jill and the gang in the latest book as she was writing it.

“Murder on Wheels”actually had a lot of hands on research, not travel exactly, but we did a little geocaching before I wrote the book. Let’s just say I was the one to find the first cache and the first snake in real life. I did research local parks in the South Cove area that the Coastal California Geocache club would use. That was computer based research.”

One of the biggest elements (besides the dead beauty) in the book is the exploration of Jill bringing gluten-free products into the shop. This was a real-life situation she brought into the story because of a chance meeting that turned to friendship.

“I met one of my best friends during the writing. She’s gluten free, so I was able to use her expertise in the diet restrictions to learn more about Kacey and why she would make those changes in her meal plans.”

Questions surround weather Kacey was murdered for recipes, the food truck she was fixing up or because she found out about a dark secret about someone close to her or something completely different.  Let us know, however, that Jill is keeping it all writing down.  I love her.  She kept cracking me up at her cheekiness.  I honestly had no idea until the end.  And oh boy, is the ending good.  It comes to show that sometimes you just don’t know what crazy things people will do.  When you read it, look at everything as a clue. Lynn is a sneaky writer.

Surprising, it only took Lynn three months to write “Murder on Wheels” which is mind-blowing due to the detail.  I wondered if this was a normal time span.

“Yes, I’d say two to three months. It depends on what else is going on in my life that keeps me from getting my daily words in. But I love writing and returning to South Cove, so it’s not hard to get me involved in the stories.”

I would like to thank Lynn for taking the time to talk with Booth Talks Books and talking about Murder on Wheels.  What an amazing book!  What else has Ms. Cahoon got coming up you ask?

“Thank you so much for having me over and enjoying the Tourist Trap series. I’m launching a new series in September, The Cat Latimer series. Set in Aspen Hills, CO, a small college town, my heroine runs a writer’s retreat in an old house her ex husband left her when he died unexpectedly.  A STORY TO KILL starts Cat out, back in her home town and the house she never thought she’d step foot in again. Cat and crew are up next in my writing schedule and I’m loving being able to write winter in Colorado.”

 

 Oh look….a giveaway link is below!  How fun.  You should click it.

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 Recieved book in return for a fair review..