Caught on Camera
Series: Camera Club Mystery #1
Author: Kara Lacey
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Setting: Vermont
Release Date: September 24, 2024, by Level Best Books
Pages: 307
Summary:
Blue skies and wildflowers signal the start of summer in southern Vermont, and the Stonebridge Keep it Snappy Camera Club lenses are zoomed in on…murder.
It’s been more than a year since the sudden death of her husband, and photographer Bobbie Brooks wants nothing more than to escape her grief. Fleeing her life in the city, she seeks a fresh start in the serenity of the Green Mountains. But Bobbie’s new beginning comes to a halt when she finds a member of her camera club dead beneath the village’s idyllic covered bridge. Tragic accident or something sinister? With a keen photographer’s eye, Bobbie suspects murder.
As if transitioning to small-town life wasn’t challenging enough, Bobbie’s missing scarf is found at the murder scene, making her the primary focus. Scorned by local gossips, she enlists the help of her camera club and shifts her lens from photographer to amateur sleuth. Using photos found on the victim’s camera, they waste no time setting out to catch the killer-and discover no shortage of suspects. Secrets, lies, and blackmail…Danger abounds as they close in on the killer.
Her camera holds the answers… But can she develop the clues in time to stop the killer?
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Interview with Kara Lacey
Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
Confession time. I’m not a Nancy Drew fan. This may not seem like much of a confession, but when nearly every mystery writer I know talks about growing up with Nancy Drew, I usually blink and nod, trying to pretend I know what they’re talking about. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t dislike Nancy Drew. In fact, I suspect I’d like her stories a lot – if I ever read any. The truth is, I’m a big wimp. When I was young, mysteries looked scary to me. It wasn’t until I hit my thirties that I discovered the joy of reading mysteries. Still a wimp, though, I lean toward cozies more than thrillers-and never horror.
What made you want to become a writer?
Writing is something I’ve always enjoyed, but I never expected to be a writer. I’ve kept journals off and on since I was young. Then, about ten years ago, I started practicing Julia Cameron’s “morning pages” (three pages first thing in the morning – stream of consciousness). Still, being a writer wasn’t something I gave much thought to. But – somewhere in the back of my mind, a story started forming. It sprang from my Vermont surroundings and my photography hobby. A character entered this story. The next thing I knew, my mom and I were chatting over a cup of tea, and I told I planned to write a mystery. I’m not sure where that came from, and I certainly didn’t know how to go about doing it. I learned and worked and worked and worked-and had so much fun doing it. Putting the story on the page felt natural to me. One thing led to another and, by writing, I became a writer.
What book that you have read has most influenced your life?
When I was young, I discovered boxes of my mom’s books stashed in the basement. My favorites were Betsy-Tacy books writing by Maud Hart Lovelace. The protagonist, Besty Ray, always dreamed of being a writer. I often think my early love of writing came from this character. Then, as an adult, Louise Penny’s Still Life struck a chord. She brought Three Pines to life in a way that will always be an inspiration to me.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I always thought I’d like my superpower to be invisibility. As I got older, invisibility is beginning to feel like a reality-which, for a writer, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The things I see and hear while invisible are fodder for future stories.
What do you love most about the writing process?
I love revising. Once my story is on the page, I love taking a critical eye to it. With the help of critique partners, I’ll figure out what works and what needs to be better. Nothing I’ve written in my messy first draft is immune to being cut, moved, or changed. With all the pieces in place, I’ll add the details that bring my story to life. It isn’t enough for me to describe what something looks like. I want the reader to see it and feel it. I strive to make my characters real in a way that makes me readers want to know them (or not). I’ll read, reread, and listen to my book several times throughout this process until I get it to a point where it’s ready for beta readers.
Do you like music or silence while writing? If you listen to music what type of music do you listen to?
I wish I could, but I can’t listen to music while writing. Background noises are okay. Where I live, I’ll hear birds chirping and my husband puttering around the house. There are certain songs that I associate with whatever story I’m writing, and I make up playlists I listen to in the car-just not while writing.
Is anything in your book(s) based on real-life experiences or purely all imagination?
Much of what I write is a fictionalized version of real-life experiences. In my first book, I wrote a scene where my main character, Bobbie, goes for a hike and watches a mama bear and two cubs playing in the woods. This was based on a hike I took with my husband. In my book, my MC was carrying her camera and caught the action in photos. Unfortunately, I only had my phone with me. But the mama bear and her cub’s antics were very real, and I still carry the “pictures” in my mind.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
There are a couple of favorites that readily come to mind. Of the two, I think Chapter Fifteen might have been fun for me to write. In it, Bobbie and her camera club crew break into a house looking for clues. The chapter brings together all my favorite story elements-setting, tension, and humor. Each character in the scene (including the moody nighttime setting) gets a chance to shine, and to show the reader who they are.
How did you come up with the title?
I am title-challenged. I went through a series of working titles before settling on Caught on Camera. Before choosing it, I asked my newsletter readers for their input. They were vocal in their dislike for my working title at the time-Body Beneath the Covered Bridge. They wanted my series titles to have a photography theme. I’m fortunate to have a group of engaged newsletter subscribers, and I respect their opinion. After playing with several titles, I settled on Caught on Camera. I’m still not sure it’s the best one, but it fits the story and I’m happy with that.
What project are you working on now?
I am revising the second Camera Club Mystery and am having so much fun with it! It takes place in autumn, during Stonebridge, Vermont’s annual Harvest Festival. There’s gorgeous scenery, a masquerade party, and all the cozy fall sweater weather feels-as well as a murder, of course. I am also plotting the third book in my series. It will take place during a winter wedding, which will go terribly wrong.
Do you have any other books coming out this year?
My next book is scheduled to publish in the fall of 2025. Before that, I’m hoping to write a short story that I will share with my readers. I’m thinking small-town Vermont (where else?), a caterer, and all the warm but twisty, cozy mystery vibes.
About the Author
Kara Lacey is the author of the Camera Club Mysteries. Along with her husband, she lives in a tiny village nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont—the inspiration for her novels. Kara is a photography enthusiast who also enjoys hiking, skiing, and getting cozy with a good book. When she’s not at her laptop creating havoc for her characters, you can find her rambling through the forest with her husband and spirited Labrador retriever, camera in hand.
Kara is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime-New England, and Mystery Writers of America. She is also a co-Member at Large for Vermont SinC NE writers.
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Thank you for introducing me to your readers!
The book sounds great.