Murder at the Wedding by debut author Christine Knapp
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner!
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Murder at the Wedding
Birth, death, mayhem, and murder…..
Maeve O’Reilly Kensington loves her job as a nurse-midwife at Creighton Memorial Hospital in the quintessential New England seaside town of Langford. Nothing could bring her more pleasure than helping women usher new life into the world… except possibly having a child of her own with her husband, Will. In the meantime, she’s happy to celebrate the families of those she treats, and content to support her husband in his newly formed catering business.
However when Creighton Memorial’s Chief Obstetrician suddenly drops dead at his daughter’s extravagant wedding reception, catered by Will, Maeve’s two worlds collide in the worst possible way. Suddenly murder is on the menu, and Maeve is desperate to help her husband and find out who killed the doctor.
With the help of her wealthy, acerbic sister Meg and quick-witted Boston Irish mother, Maeve sets out to solve a murder and clear her husband’s name. Can she stay one step ahead of the killer? Or will they strike again… this time closer to home?
“A fun mystery set against a delightful New England backdrop! You won’t want it to end!”
~ Gemma Halliday, New York Times bestselling author
To purchase Murder at the Wedding, click on any of the following links: Amazon, Goodreads & Barnes & Noble
Interview with Christine Knapp — Author of Murder at the Wedding
Murder at the Wedding is set in the New England seaside town of Langford. How would you describe that community to readers?
Langford is the quintessential New England coastal town. It has a beautiful shoreline and a working harbor. The community is a mix of some very wealthy families, including some that go back generations, and working-class people that make up the bulk of the citizenry.
Amateur sleuth Maeve O’Reilly Kensington is a nurse-midwife, your own career in real life. What made that the perfect career for your protagonist?
Nurse-midwives are highly skilled observers who possess unique problem-solving abilities.
They also have the patience to allow things to sort themselves out combined with the skill to intervene when the need arises. And as Jennifer Worth, the author of, ‘The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times’ said, “Whoever heard of a midwife as a literary heroine? Yet midwifery is the very stuff of drama.”
Murder at the Wedding features a woman who teams up with her mother and sister to solve a murder. What drew you to creating that family dynamic for your debut?
I wanted to tell the story of three intelligent women with diverse personalities who use their combined skills to solve the crime.
A close-knit family, two sisters and their mother, seemed a perfect fit to do this. It also helped that the relationships between the two sisters and between the mother and the sisters made good stories in themselves.
Tell us about your path to publication:
I have been writing off and on for years, but I really became serious about a modern midwife mystery series a few years ago.
After numerous revisions, I started querying agents and living through many rejections. I was very fortunate when Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency looked at the manuscript and connected with the idea of a modern midwife series. She is a phenomenal agent and kept me informed throughout the process.
Then, a few months later, she called and told me that Gemma Halliday Publishing wanted to publish the series. It was thrilling and truly a dream come true.
What do you love most about cozy mysteries?
I love getting to know every aspect of the town and the characters.
Sometimes an author will make these amazingly believable and compelling. When that happens, I can get so caught up in the character’s lives that I forget to keep track of the mystery.
What are you working on now?
I’m just finishing the next book in the Modern Midwife Mystery series, Murder on the Widow’s Walk.
Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers:
Well, as the great Walter Mosely said, “Write every day.”
I found that advice incredibly helpful. Also, don’t give up. Don’t let rejection crush you or cause you to lose faith in yourself. Sometimes writing can get a little isolating, and when that happens, it can help to get some outside perspectives on how others have gone about the craft.
A great book I read from time to time was, Swallowed by a Whale, How to survive the Writing Life, edited by Huw Lewis-Jones. And finally…read, read, and read.
Author Pet Corner!
Christine’s rescue pup, Dixie.
She found her when Dixie was 4 months old and she lived until age 12.
She was the best dog in the known universe.
Christine Knapp — Author of Murder at the Wedding
Christine Knapp practiced as a nurse-midwife for many years.
A writer of texts and journal articles, she is now thrilled to combine her love of midwifery and mysteries as a debut author.
Christine currently narrates books for the visually impaired. A dog lover, she lives near Boston.
To learn more about Christine, click on any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Thoughtfulmidwife (Blog)
Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell
All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio.
Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator 2020
Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery 2020
The Foundation of Plot, a Wait, Wait, Don’t Query (Yet!) guidebook. Out July 19.
Header photo from Pixabay
