Autumn Embers a Batavia-on-Hudson mystery by Tina deBellegarde 
Guest Post + An Excerpt + Book & Author Info + a Giveaway!
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Autumn Embers
A Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery
Bianca St. Denis travels to Kyoto to return a priceless artifact recovered in Batavia-on-Hudson during last summer’s flood. It’s late October and the city of 2,000 shrines is in full autumn splendor. While she’s in Japan’s ancient capital, Bianca visits with her son, a student at Kyoto University. Ian shows her the sights and introduces her to his circle of friends—his chosen family.
On the night of her welcome party, Bianca thinks she witnesses a struggle in the garden, perhaps even a murder. When the police investigate and find no body, she is stumped yet alarm bells won’t stop ringing. She knows she’s witnessed something.
When a dead body surfaces and suspicion falls on her son, Bianca’s maternal instincts spring to action to protect Ian and clear his name. Meanwhile, things in Batavia-on-Hudson are tense. Sheriff Mike Riley is losing his re-election while tackling devastating news about his dead partner, and wavering about his troubled marriage.
Autumn Embers explores the malleable nature of our identities and reminds us that chosen families can be stronger than we think, and that true friendship can bridge any distance.
Praise for Autumn Embers
“A beautiful novel that seamlessly embraces past and present, east and west, mystery and resolution, all the contradictions that make us human. This is the rare book that leaves its reader feeling balanced and whole.”
~ Carol Goodman, two-time winner of the Mary Higgins Clark prize and author of Return to Wyldecliff Heights
“Tina deBellegarde expertly captures the details of two very disparate worlds, reminding us that at the heart of these experiences is our shared humanity. I’ve become a new fan!”
~ Naomi Hirahara, Edgar Award-winning author of the Mas Arai mystery series and the Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning Clark and Division
“Get ready for another thrilling ride with Tina deBellegarde’s mystery series, this time in our own Kyoto backyard.”
~ Amy Chavez, Author of The Widow, the Priest and the Octopus Hunter
“Fans of Louise Penny and Crazy Rich Asians will adore Autumn Embers…Heartful and human, an intriguing mystery, and filled to the brim with rich descriptions, this love letter to Japan is Tina de Bellegarde at her finest.”
~ Jen Collin Moore, Author of the captivating Roman Holiday Mysteries
‘This is a scrumptious book…Autumn Embers will have you reaching for your passport and booking a ticket to “the land of the rising sun.”‘
~ Carol Pouliot, Author of the Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel Mysteries
“Like a richly woven tapestry, this immersive tale has it all…With vivid descriptions and an unhurried writing style, Autumn Embers is thoroughly engrossing!”
~ Lida Sideris, Author of the Southern California Mysteries
Book Details:
Genre: Female Amateur Sleuth
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
Number of Pages: 321
Series: A Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery, 3
To purchase your copy of Autumn Embers, click any of the following links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop | Goodreads
Guest Post from Autumn Embers Author Tina deBellegarde
Café Hopping to Capture the Essence of a City
There is a feeling I get when I am in Kyoto, Japan. It is unique and it was this precise feeling I wanted to convey when I wrote Autumn Embers, the third book in my Batavia-on-Hudson mystery series. My books generally take place in a small village in the Catskill Mountains, but book 3 has Bianca traveling to Japan. She is returning a priceless artifact recovered in Batavia-on-Hudson during the previous summer storm, and visiting her son studying at Kyoto University. Needless to say, Bianca and her son Ian get embroiled in a murder mystery while she is there, but today I want to talk about the city, rather than the mystery.
Matsuo Bashō, the 17th century poet wrote this about Kyoto:
Even in Kyoto—
hearing the cuckoo’s cry—
I long for Kyoto.
If I had never spent time in that city, I don’t think I could understand this verse, but in my personal experience, when I am in Kyoto, it wraps me up in a peaceful nostalgia. This is so interesting to me since I do not have the right to be nostalgic: I have no childhood memories or lost love in Kyoto. But from the first time I set foot there, I felt nostalgic and connected to its serenity.
The essence of Kyoto was more important for me to impart than the sights. Every reader has access to photos, to the internet, to YouTube. Yes, I wanted my readers to visualize it easily, be awed by the beauty, the simple lines, the colors, and textures. But I also wanted to share the careful presentation of everything, the intentionality, the Zen. Japan is so foreign from our culture and, Kyoto in particular, is unique. It is the cultural capital of the country for a reason.
When I first traveled to the city, I thought it was necessary to visit all the important attractions—the famous Kyoto gardens, the castles, the shrines and temples, in order to understand the city. But what I learned is that what I feel in Kyoto is something deep-rooted and can be experienced anywhere throughout the city. Every home or business has a garden of some type out front—even the most modest places with no room at all will put at least one potted plant outside. The streets are quiet—cars don’t honk and residents don’t raise their voices. Buses are hushed places to relax after a long day. The tone of the city is serenity and respect for others. Kyoto is a perfect place to think, to read and to write.
But writing at any length requires a few extra comforts like a place to lean your notebook or laptop. So, I discovered cafés. Tea was, and in many ways still remains, the beverage of choice in Japan, but the coffee culture has a longer history there than I realized. As a coffee fanatic, I started café hopping. My favorites were the coffee houses that had been operating since the Showa Era—basically mid-20th century. The atmosphere and décor were like stepping back in time.
Cafés in Kyoto are quiet places with gentle jazz music playing. They are often packed with students whispering over their books. Older women out with their friends, men reading newspapers. What struck me about these cafés is that they are a microcosm of the greater city. The pastries are presented on beautiful plates with seasonal accents. The coffee is freshly brewed by the cup and served in porcelain not paper. The music is relaxing, there is usually a view or an internal garden. Best of all, no one ever asks you to leave. I can find a seat, get to work and enjoy the atmosphere for hours.
My love of café hopping started in Kyoto. In fact, my favorite Kyoto cafés made their way into my book. The Bench & Mug Café, and Jazz Spot Yamatoya are real places that I transplanted into Autumn Embers. What they taught me is that I could sustain the serenity of the city at one of these tables with no one yelling on speaker phone or employees banging plates behind the counter. These cafes are an extension of all that is beautiful about Kyoto, all that is nostalgic.
Being able to work in these spaces allowed me to remain in the Kyoto headspace while I wrote this book. The cafés allowed me to channel the peacefulness, the Zen, onto the page and hopefully give the reader a tour of Kyoto that goes beyond the usual.
Cafés at home continue to offer me a sanctuary to write because they separate me from my other responsibilities and allow me to focus on my work. In many ways, cafés are more productive for me than even my writing cottage, because my cottage is close enough for me to throw a load of laundry in or check on a simmering dinner. But bustling American cafés don’t compare to the exquisite peace I can find in a Kyoto café, where I am embraced by a nostalgia that I hope makes its way to the page.
Read an excerpt of Autumn Embers:
CHAPTER SEVEN
Bianca removed her shoes and found a pair of slippers approximately her size. She tucked her shoes in a cubby and followed Ian up the stairs of the ramen house. They settled into a spot at the counter in the far corner. She looked at the menu out of habit, but knew she couldn’t read it, nor did she need to. This was her favorite ramen place, and she knew exactly what she wanted. In fact, tired or not, this place had been on her mind all day. If she couldn’t sleep, she could at least have her black sesame ramen.
Across the counter, the server brought them each a small beer and took their orders. Bianca looked around and realized that nothing had changed at all. It was as if she had never left. She wondered what it must be like to live in a world where the movement of change could be at once imperceptible and monumental. Kyoto was remarkable in its ability to modernize dramatically while remaining steadfastly traditional.
Bianca’s mouth watered as a steaming bowl was placed before her. The handmade noodles beckoned, submerged in a rich dark broth of spicy black sesame.
“Itadakimasu,” they said before they started their meal.
She took a slurp of broth first, the spice clearing her sinuses immediately, then with her chopsticks she gathered up some long strands of ramen and did her best not to make a mess.
They barely spoke as they ate. The food was too delicious and demanding of their attention, and they had talked for hours already. They were content in the sounds of their eating and the sounds of the fellow diners having a fun night out.
When Ian excused himself to find the men’s room, Bianca continued spooning the last of her broth then was surprised by a nudge. She opened her eyes and slowly realized that she had nodded off to sleep at the counter with her spoon still resting in her hands. The last strands of noodles had never made it to her mouth.
“Time to go, Mom.”
Bianca used all her energy to stand up with some dignity and followed him back to the shoe cubby and then out the door, but not before they called out to the ramen chefs to thank them for the meal.
“Gochisousamadeshita!”
Once outside, they lingered briefly at the window watching as the chefs rolled and cut the fresh noodles. Bianca was mesmerized by their actions. They worked so effortlessly as if they had no need to think about these motions.
Bianca leaned on Ian as they made their way through the alley known as Ponto-chō, the traditional bar district. Too small for cars, the cobble- stone walkways were lined with tiny restaurants and clubs, their entrances illuminated by glowing paper lanterns. A different aroma escaped each establishment. Some scents Bianca could identify—ginger, garlic, grilling meats. Other delectable fragrances she couldn’t. Despite having eaten enough, her appetite was reawakened.
They walked slowly, enjoying the cool autumn night. Just as they were leaving the quiet street, they saw a geisha walking beside a businessman. The rich fabric of her amber kimono shimmered in the light of the lanterns and her hair was perfectly coiffed with a burgundy hairpin. As the lovely girl passed them, Bianca turned to catch a better look. She admired the elaborate knot of the brocade obi belt and the delicate end points of the white makeup on the young woman’s neck.
Bianca considered it a good omen to spot a geisha on her first day in Kyoto. They were a rare sight. Some tourists could spend their entire vacation in Kyoto and never see one.
Arriving at the apartment close to 9:30, Ian unlocked the gate and led her to the front door of the guest house. As he opened the door to the darkened room he whispered, “Tadaima.” I’m home.
He showed Bianca to her room where Jiro had already deposited her bags. She hugged Ian, turned to her futon, and crawled into it without changing into pajamas. Ian turned to close the door.
“Ian, wait.”
He turned back.
“You’re happy here.”
He nodded.
“You feel at home, don’t you?”
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. He nodded again.
She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
***
Excerpt from Autumn Embers by Tina deBellegarde. Copyright 2024 by Tina deBellegarde. Reproduced with permission from Tina deBellegarde. All rights reserved.
Author of Autumn Embers Tina deBellegarde
Tina deBellegarde’s debut novel, Winter Witness, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Dead Man’s Leap, her second book in the Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery series, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. Reviewers have called Tina “the Louise Penny of the Catskills.” Tina also writes short stories and flash fiction.
Her story “Tokyo Stranger,” nominated for a Derringer Award, appears in the Mystery Writers of America anthology When a Stranger Comes to Town edited by Michael Koryta. Tina co-chairs the Murderous March Conference and is a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks, where she blogs, tours virtually, and teaches writing workshops.
She is a member of Writers in Kyoto and reviews books for BooksOnAsia.net. She lives in Catskill, New York with her husband Denis and their cat Shelby. She travels frequently to Japan to visit her son and daughter-in-law and to do research. Tina is currently working on a collection of interconnected short stories based in Japan.
To learn more about Tina, click any of the following links: www.TinadeBellegarde.com, www.SleuthsAndSidekicks.com, Goodreads, BookBub – @tinadebellegarde, Instagram – @tdb_writes, Threads – @tdb_writes, Twitter/X – @tdbwrites
& Facebook – @tinadebellegardeauthor
Visit all the Stops on the Tour!
10/14 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
10/15 Review @ Its All About the Book
10/16 Guest post @ Binge Reading Books
10/16 Showcase @ Silvers Reviews
10/17 Review @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
10/18 Review @ FullyBookedInKentucky
10/18 Showcase @ Books, Ramblings, and Tea
10/19 Interview @ Literary Gold
10/21 Review @ Country Mamas With Kids
10/23 Interview @ darciahelle
10/24 Review @ Dogs, Mysteries, & More
10/29 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews
10/30 Showcase @ 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS
11/01 Interview @ Catreader18
11/04 Showcase @ fuonlyknew
11/07 Guest post @ The Mystery of Writing
Elena Hartwell/Elena Taylor
Wow, what a beautiful guest post! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Thank you so much for showcasing Autumn Embers and for hosting my guest essay on your wonderful site! Still here in Kyoto this year and I am enjoying revisiting all the places Bianca visited.