Death in the Aegean by M.A. Monnin
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner
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Death in the Aegean
When private banker Stefanie Adams takes a much-needed vacation to the Greek isles, vowing to embrace opportunities as they come, instead of finding romance and adventure she is suspected of murdering a bride who accused her deceased father of artifact theft. Unfortunately, the newlywed’s accusation also ties Stefanie, a former archaeology student, to the robbery of a newly discovered Minoan statue, the golden Akrotiri Snake Goddess.
With two high-profile crimes to solve, Greek police are under pressure, and both crimes lead straight to Stefanie. To avoid Greek prison and maintain her career, Stefanie must identify which of her fellow travelers is the real killer.
Between the light-fingered backpacker with an eye on the bride’s jewelry, the travel blogger whose career the dead woman ruined, a flirtatious German tourist who is after more than romance, and the long-suffering bridegroom, Stefanie’s task won’t be easy. Everyone, it seems, had a motive for wanting to see the last of Emma Keller.
Stefanie’s investigation entangles her in a web of danger and intrigue, international crime and long-buried secrets. When she herself becomes a target, Stefanie doesn’t know who to trust. As charming Thomas Burkhardt warns, Where Greed Leads, Murder Follows…
To purchase Death in the Aegean, click on the link: Amazon
Death in the Aegean by M.A. Monnin — The Interview
Death in the Aegean takes place in the Greek Isles. What drew you to setting your debut novel in such an exotic location, very different from Kansas City MO, where you live?
I first fell in love with Crete when I was a teenager in Germany. My father, who was in the Army, went to Crete every summer for military exercises, and he’d come back with Greek vases, leather sandals and beautiful flokati rugs.
Then, when I was in the Air force, I met my husband, who’d been stationed in Crete before we met. I’m sure the fact that he also had those Greek vases and a flokati rug was part of my attraction to him.
A few years ago, I finally talked him into going back, and we had a magical vacation with a few days on Santorini, and a week on Crete. Between the sun, the sea and the archaeological sites, it was heaven. And the food and wine. Can’t forget them!
What would you like readers to know about Stefanie Adams, the central character in Death in the Aegean?
Stefanie had always been the type of person who planned seven steps ahead.
After learning the hard way that sticking to plans doesn’t guarantee results, it merely limits choices along the way, she vows to be more spontaneous and embrace opportunities as they come. But that attitude leads to its own problems, doesn’t it?
What intrigues you about archaeology? How does it play a role in your novel?
I’m fascinated by how advanced some civilizations were in the past. For example, the Minoans on Thera (Santorini) had indoor plumbing that led to sewers buried under their streets. To me, that is incredible. Their gold work was exquisite, too.
In Death in the Aegean, a gold snake goddess is discovered in the Bronze Age town of Akrotiri, and wealthy tourists and the curious gather on Santorini to be the first to see it exhibited at an exclusive fund-raiser. The black market for artifacts is thriving, and it doesn’t take long for greed to enter the picture.
Tell us about your road to publication with Death in the Aegean:
Rocky.
I’ve told my writer’s group that I’m the queen of rejections. I first wrote it as a thriller, but couldn’t get an agent interested. I believed in the story, so rewrote it as a mystery with the help of a developmental editor.
I still couldn’t get any agents interested, although several were kind enough to share their thoughts on why it wasn’t working. I know how valuable that advice was, but I didn’t take it blindly. Instead, keeping their advice in mind, I analyzed 5 or 6 first-in-a-series mysteries, and compared them with what I’d written. I ended up tweaking my manuscript just slightly, and submitted it to small presses.
After getting several offers, I sold it to Level Best Books. I still don’t have an agent, so will be looking for one at ThrillerFest this year.
What might we find you doing when you aren’t writing?
Hiking with Bob and the dogs, gardening, or watching classic movies when we aren’t traveling.
What are you working on now?
A couple of things: the second in the Intrepid Traveler Mysteries, which takes place in Milan and Venice. All of the books in this series will be in places that I’ve actually traveled to. I’m also trying my hand at a modern Gothic murder mystery, which is a lot of fun.
Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers:
Submit your work, and if you keep getting rejected, be willing to analyze your manuscript to see how you can make it more marketable.
Author Pet Corner!
Anubis and Nikita are our Siberian huskies, who we take for daily walks.
We got them as puppies together, and we love them to bits, but I have to admit, we’re happy they are finally settling down now that they’re three years old.
M.A. Monnin — Author of Death in the Aegean
M. A. Monnin’s debut mystery novel Death In The Aegean comes out in May from Level Best Books.
Like her heroine Stefanie Adams, Mary loves the excitement and adventure of foreign travel. If there’s the chance to check out an archaeological site, so much the better for this avocational archaeologist.
Her short stories have appeared in Malice Domestic and pulp anthologies as well as Black Cat Mystery Magazine. Her non-fiction endeavors include articles on gardening, Victorian reception of Ancient Egypt, and Victorian detective fiction.
An Air Force veteran, Mary divides her time between writing, traveling, and hiking. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri with her husband and two Siberian huskies.
To learn more about M.A. click her name, photo, or any of the following links: Twitter, Facebook & Instagram
Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite bookstores and on-line retailers.
For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator 2020
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery 2020
Header photo by Sophia Papageorge on Pixabay
