Interview with the author of Fresh Brewed Murder, Emmeline Duncan!!
Afternoon BookWyrms,
I hope everyone is staying safe and well during the dystopian nightmare that is life right now.
If you follow me then you know I am a fan of Kelly Garrett author of The Last To Die.
Well, she has a new series coming out!
Writing under the pen name Emmeline Duncan book one, Fresh Brewed Murder, is a cosy, murder mystery featuring an amateur sleuth and master barista Sage Caplin and I've been lucky enough to interview Kelly about her new series. We also got to catch up and discuss the last year and what she has been up to.
I will be posting my review of Fresh Brewed Murder soon, as Kelly kindly sent me an ARC to read, but for now enjoy the interview below:
Questions about Fresh Brewed Murder:
1. What was your inspiration for Fresh Brewed Murder?
I really wanted to write a book that said “Portland” to me, and everything snowballed from there.
2. How many books can we expect in the series?
Expect to see at least three in the "A Ground Rules Mystery" series, although hopefully, I’ll be able to write more. The second book will come out in April 2022, with the third scheduled for 2023.
3. Describe Fresh Brewed Murder in five words.
Barista solves murder; serves justice.
or
Hipster Portland barista solves murder.
or
Coffee, Portland, hipsters, murder, and bicycles.
This is harder than it sounds!
4. Sage Caplin is such an interesting character, where did she come from?
When I first thought of Sage, I saw her as a fixer in Portland, based in a coffee cart. Have a problem? Drop by, order a latte, and see if she could solve your problem. Which she’d do while riding her bicycle around town. The idea morphed over the first draft, which I scrapped, and fully rewrote with Sage as an amateur sleuth faced with her first murder.
From the very beginning, Sage has been the daughter of a well-known grifter. As a child, her mother used Sage in multiple cons. Which has left Sage with a sense that she needs to atone, even if she was an unwitting pawn. It's also left her with some unique skills, like the ability to cold-read people. Because Sage, if she wanted, could also be a world-class grifter. But she’s too honest, which has always been a key part of her character. Physically, I made Sage petite (like her mother) and easy to underestimate (also like her grifter mom). I like the idea of someone who has to defuse situations with her wits.
5. Coffee obviously plays a huge role in Fresh Brewed Murder, are you a master barista or did you research for the story?
I’ve always been a coffee fan. I bought my first espresso machine at age 14, and now own at least eight different ways to make coffee.
While I worked in a coffee shop in my university days and pulled a decent number of espresso shots, most of my knowledge comes from research and home experimentation. I'm lucky to live in an area with multiple micro-roasters and coffee shops dedicated to the craft of brewing coffee, so I've learned a lot by chatting with baristas and roasters.
6. What made you choose Portland as the backdrop for Fresh Brewed Murder?
I live in Portland, Oregon, and love the city’s unique vibe. I’m a bit of a unicorn: I was born in Oregon, which is almost unusual these days since we’ve had a large inflow of people moving here. Which means the city is evolving, for good and bad. While we’re still the cheapest west coast city of North America (think San Diego, California, USA to Vancouver, Canada), we’re struggling with issues relating to gentrification, homelessness, and drug use.
Portland is known for having a creative, DIY sensibility with a lot of artists. The city is also known for an excellent restaurant scene, with many farm-to-table restaurants and, basically, an obsession with quality. At least pre-pandemic, we also had the highest per capita ratio of breweries to people in the USA. The vineyards and wineries of the Willamette Valley are basically on our doorstep. We have a healthy food cart scene with multiple "pods" of food carts around town. The pods are basically small communities, which seemed like an ideal setting for a mystery.
Portland is also at the forefront of the "third wave coffee" movement in the USA, with many local roasters. Adding a coffee roaster to a food cart pod seemed like a very Portland-setting yet welcoming to people who have only visited Portland in the pages of Fresh Brewed Murder.
Side note, there's a sketch TV show, Portlandia, that aired from 2011 to 2018. It skews some of Portland's hilarious elements. One of the lasting skits includes the iconic phrase "put a bird on it."
7. Who is your favourite character and why?
Sage will always be my favorite since she's the entire reason I wrote the novel. But I also love the characters around her and tried to make sure they felt like they have a life away from Sage. I enjoy writing her slightly grumpy older brother, Jackson, who always has her back. And her business partner, Harley, who excels at roasting coffee beans and metaphorically putting her foot in her mouth.
8. What was your favourite scene to write and why?
The climax of the novel, when Sage figures everything out, including the why, was incredibly fun for me to write. But it’s hard for me to get into the why without spoiling the ending.
In the first few chapters, I had a lot of fun introducing the characters, especially Detective Will, who is appropriately antagonist towards Sage the whole novel. I tried to work small insights into Sage was I introduced everyone else since her filter and descriptions reflect on her as much as the people she interacts with.
9. If you were going to go for lunch at The Rail Yard - what drink would you order from Ground Rules, and which food cart would you choose, and what would you order?
I'd have to look at Cartography's offering for the day and Taco Cat's offering. I'm a huge fan of falafel and zhug sauce, so I’d probably buy lunch from Fala-Awesome.
When I stopped by the Ground Rules cart, I'd most likely order a single-origin pour-over from Central America or a straight shot of espresso. I'm pretty much a coffee purist, although I do enjoy an Oatly latte or mocha once in a while.
10. Are you team Zarek or team Bax?
I’m declining to answer this question ‘cause you’ll find out the answer in book 2 of the series!
Questions about you:
1. What are you currently reading?
I just started Fortune Favors The Dead by Stephen Spotswood. It’s about female PIs in New York in 1945. I’m only a few chapters in, but it’s great so far.
2. As a career writer, how do you stay focused?
If you want to turn writing into a career, you have to show up and put in the work. Which, for me, means writing steadily, even if it would way more fun to play Hollow Knight or read a book. I think of writing like weightlifting (note you can also use running as a metaphor). You’re not going to see any results if you pick up a weight once every few months. But if you figure out a schedule that works for you and stick to it, you’ll see results. Your results might be different than someone else’s, maybe slower, maybe not, and that's fine. Everyone's different. Somedays, you're going to be raring to go. Other days, you'll put the work in and be happy. Somedays, you'll have to bribe yourself to meet your goal. And other times, ideally once in a blue moon, you'll need to walk away for a mental break. Which is fine as long as it doesn't happen to you every writing session. If it does, you'll need to unpack why, which is a whole different but essential conversation.
3. How have you found writing during the global pandemic?
It’s been a tough year to write. I hadn’t realized how much I relied on leaving my house and working in coffee shops until everything closed down.
In addition to the pandemic, we also had wildfires in Oregon last year (multiple towns tragically burned down, including part of my hometown). I'd look out my window, and the air was an apocalyptic yellow with air quality in the 400s, which is the "hazardous" zone. It reminded me of a novel I once read that was set in Victorian London and compared the air to living in soup. And then, in February 2021, we had an epic ‘100 year ice storm’ that knocked out power around the region for multiple days. It’s been a strange, strange 12 months.
4. What have you learned about yourself during this pandemic?
I think the pandemic has shown a lot of us what we truly value. There are things I used to do that I don’t miss, like large, noisy social gatherings, but I do miss getting dinner with friends. The lack of meaningful social interactions is challenging. When everything opens back up, I definitely won’t take being able to walk to a nearby café for a meal on the spur of the moment with a friend for granted.
5. Top five reads from 2020?
Jane Casey’s The Cutting Place
Simon R. Green’s The Dark Side Of The Road
David R. Slayton’s White Trash Warlock
Stephen Blackmoore’s Dead Things
Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim
6. TV/film you think everyone should watch?
I watched Lupin a few weeks ago, and everyone needs to watch it.
I’m also excited that the tv show Leverage filmed a revival with most of the original cast and the original show-runner (it sounds like it should air sometime in 2021). Leverage is about a group of criminals—a hacker, thief, grifter, hitter (or retrieval specialist), and mastermind— who now help people. They use their skills to run heists to get justice for people without anyone else to turn to. The show is fun and smart, with perfectly timed twists and turns, along with quirky characters.
The original series ran from 2008 to 2012, and seasons 2 through 5 were filmed in Portland. Watching the show has an added 'identify Portland' game to it when I'll see local spots fill in for destinations all over the world. (Washington DC? That's the MAX light rail stop at the Zoo? Budapest? That's the park blocks!)
I’ve also been telling everyone to watch Resident Alien, currently airing in the USA on SyFy. Since it was reviewed in the Guardian, it might be available in the UK. It's part science fiction, part mystery, and part humor, including some dark elements. It's basically about an alien who crash-landed in Colorado, learns how to speak English by watching Law & Order, and ends up working as the town doctor.
7. What is your comfort meal?
I don't have a specific comfort meal, but I have a comfort side that is a must for a comfort meal: potatoes. Usually mashed, but French fries are also acceptable. Or hashbrowns. Or scalloped. Really, potatoes in any form.
8. What is your must-do recommendation for people coming to Portland?
Your first absolute must-do: visit the flagship store of Powell's Books, a multi-story bookstore that takes up an entire city block. Be sure to grab a map when you walk inside to help you navigate the different sections.
But your bookstore trek isn't over, as you should visit the absolutely amazing Annie Bloom's Books. ABB is in Multnomah Village, a charming SW Portland neighborhood with its own cozy downtown vibe that's perfect for walking around. They have a collection of food carts with indoor seating called The French Quarter. One of the carts, Yoshi’s, offers phenomenal sushi.
Grab a coffee at either Heart or Coava, both of whom are award-winning local coffee roasters with a couple outposts around the city. Consider an afternoon stop for an espresso at St Simon's, which is one of my favorites.
Get dinner and a beer at the Barley Pod, a collection of food carts outside of Baerlic Brewing's taproom. Alternatively, Rose City Food Carts is a fantastic food cart destination, as is Cartopia. If beer is your tipple of choice, Upright Brewing a unique stop with excellent brews. I also adore Belmont Station, a taproom and bottle shop with a large selection of regional craft beers. Their tap list is always an education in beer drinking. While they don't offer food, they have a fantastic cart on site that will bring food to your table.
Dropping by Salt & Straw for ice cream is a must. They even have phenomenal vegan options in addition to a quirky mix of fantastic flavors, like pear and blue cheese. (Note: the ice cream flavors rotate monthly.) Ask for samples or consider ordering a sampler tray. The local Salt & Straws are all in fun, walkable neighborhoods with local restaurants, so you can get dinner before grabbing ice cream. Feel free to start with dessert first. You're on vacation, after all.
You’ll notice most of my recommendations involve food. Walk off the food by visiting Washington or Forest Park. Washington Park holds the Oregon Zoo, the Japanese Gardens, and more, including Hoyt Arboretum with miles of walking trails. You can start the Wildwood Trail by the Zoo and follow it for over 30 miles as it winds through the urban forest nestled in the middle of Portland.
My personal favorite Forest Park hike is from Lower Macleay Park up to the Stone Hut, which is commonly called “The Witch’s House.” You can continue past the Witch's House up to Pittock Mansion or make your way back downhill and walk to Northwest Twenty Third for a scoop of Salt & Straw.
If you're here for a few days, driving into the Columbia River Gorge for a waterfall hike is also a fantastic way to spend a day. Especially if you stop by Hood River (and Pfriem Family Brewing) for dinner afterward. Stoked Coffee in Hood River is also on my list of regular stops, and if you're lucky, you'll catch them while they're roasting coffee beans. Or head to the coast, which is about an hour from Portland if you head west. You can stop by fantastic bookstores like Bob's Beach Books and go for a lovely hike or stroll on the beach.
9. Song of the moment?
Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” feels appropriate right about now. Also, I really need to mix up my music game 'cause I've been listening to the same tunes for months. Since I’m at home 99% of the time, I haven’t listened to the radio in ages.
10. Can you share one positive thing that happened during 2020?
January 2020 started off fantastic for me. I found out that I received an Oregon Literary Fellowship in mid-January, and my book deal for Fresh Brewed Murder was announced a week later. I was able to join some fellow writers for a retreat in early February before we knew the world would shut down.There have been plenty of bright spots, even with the pandemic. I’ve been impressed with the creativity I’ve seen from local Portland businesses, who’ve pivoted when needed to keep up with the changing world.
I've also upped my baguette baking skills and perfected a few small-batch cookie recipes. And there are other small, joyous moments. Like when my rescue dog let the cat shove her nose into his ear and then stand on top of his head. And I leveled up my home workout routines and, in many ways, feel physically better than I have in years.
Writers Advice:
Top tip for writing during a pandemic?
It’s okay to not feel productive or at your best, so don’t feel guilty. But do make yourself sit down and write. Maybe use the Pomodoro technique and start with twenty to thirty-minute sessions. See how a few short bursts of time feel. Sometimes, that's enough to get your creative juices flowing, and you can turn off the timer. And if you don't go beyond thirty minutes, that's okay, because you just wrote for thirty minutes!
*****
I’d like to thank Kelly for taking the time to answer my questions and for sharing her insight with us all.
Fresh Brewed Murder publishes on the 30th March 2021 and can be picked up at all the normal places and I have included some links below:
Fresh Brewed Murder - BookShop.org
Fresh Brewed Murder - Waterstones
To learn more about Kelly visit:
You can also follow Kelly at the follow:
Hope you have enjoyed this interview and until next time,
Keep on reading,
Lottie
Really enjoyed reading this interview
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