One of this month’s featured authors is Rebecca Barrett
I was introduced to Rebecca Barrett’s books through the Familiar Legacy Series. The combination of mystery, romance and the point of view of the cat Trouble make these books, so fun to read.
Rebecca Barrett has written two full-length Trouble books and a short story or two. But before we get into the books take a look at my interview with Ms. Barrett.
Personal
Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
I was the only girl in the rural community where I grew up. I had three brothers, and the community had a total of nine boys.
What inspired you to start writing?
I’d always created tall tales for my younger brothers, but when the bookmobile started coming to the farm when I was about eight or nine, it was the greatest gift of my life. I often got into trouble because I had my nose in a book rather than doing my chores.
Who is your favorite author?
That’s a tough one. I’ve always read subjects far beyond my years and Oscar Wilde, F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner formed the voice in my head. I like authors who write character driven books, but I also want the thrill of unraveling the knot, be it a mystery or a crisis of the soul.
What is the first book that made you cry?
Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The bookmobile had a short supply of Nancy Drew and The Bobbsey Twins, so my choices transitioned quickly.
What book are you currently reading?
Life after Life by Kate Atchison. I loved her mysteries, very cerebral. This is very different. I’m enjoying it.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I’d be the Super Swiffer of the world. Dust is my nemesis. As I get older, I find my tolerance for dust bunnies greatly diminished. Plus all that dusting greatly impedes on my writing time.
Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before (real or imaginary)?
I’ve traveled quite extensively in my lifetime and have seen many wonderful and crazy things. I think now, my desire would be to go back to a time that was simpler, kinder.
If you looked in your refrigerator right now, what would you find?
Heavy whipping cream (for my coffee), Wickles, and very old cream cheese. I don’t cook much anymore.
My stepdad loves those Wickles, they are a little hot for me.
Are you a better baker or cook or take out connoisseur of takeout?
At one time I was a pretty good cook. Now that it’s only me, I have takeout more often than I should. Cereal and soups form a big part of my diet.
Which do you prefer?
Tea or coffee: Definitely coffee
Hot or cold: Hot
Movie or book: Book, always.
Coke or Pepsi: Is there anything other than Coke?
Writing/Books
What do you love most about your writing process?
I love it when the idea presents itself. It just takes over my thoughts, and I find myself in another world that needs to be set down on the page.
Do you like music or silence?
Silence. My grandchildren are amazed that I can live without the radio blaring or the TV.
Do you have goals of certain # of words a week or when inspiration strikes?
I would love to be disciplined enough to have a weekly word count, but the truth is that I can only work when the words come. Often they are very stubborn about when they want to make an appearance.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
When an idea sparks my creativity, I try to project how to form the twists and turns to keep the reader engaged but mainly the characters do pretty much what they want to do. I have to do a lot of editing at the end of the process to make the story work.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Isolation and coffee. I need to be free of distractions for my characters to reveal themselves. If I have other things going on, I don’t accomplish much with my writing.
Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences or purely all imagination?
It’s a combination of both. I often remember incidents or people who have certain characteristics that make a perfect character in the story I’m writing. I don’t write about that person, only use that unique aspect of them to make my creation more realistic and memorable.
If you could spend time a character from your books whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
The female protagonist in Trouble in Paradise runs a B&B in Key West, Florida. And she has red hair. I’ve always wanted to be a redhead. And who wouldn’t want to spend their days in paradise, even if they had to work?
What genres do you write?
The Familiar Legacy series is romantic mystery. I also write historical fiction set in the early 20th century (Road’s End). In the past I’ve written apocalyptic fiction under the pen name Campbell O’Neal. On my website (www.rebeccabarrett.com) you can find examples of my short fiction which includes stories of the South and children’s stories.
What project are you working on now?
I have another historical in the works (The Club) set in the South in the aftermath of WWII. I’m also working on my third contribution to the Familiar Legacy series. Trouble, the Sherlock of cat detectives, finds himself in Warm Springs, GA at FDR’s Little White House. The game is afoot! And I have the broad strokes of a new detective series set in the late sixties. All of which vie for time in my head.
Do you have any other books coming out this year?
The next Trouble book will be out late summer or early fall. The historical will (hopefully) be available before the end of the year. I try to keep my calendar on my website updated so feel free to check in at www.rebeccabarrett.com to see how things are progressing.
Thank you, Baroness, for the opportunity to chat about the writing life. Now you know all my secrets!
Rebecca
To learn more about Rebecca and her books:
Familiar Legacy books by Rebecca Barrett
Trouble in Dixie by Rebecca Barrett
Familiar Legacy #2
Publication Date: August 14, 2017
Genre: Mystery and Romance
OLD MONEY AND FRESH MURDER — Trouble, a savvy black cat with a penchant for sleuthing, has landed in the cream of Savannah society. So has a murderer and an art thief. Julia Hampton comes from old family, old money, and old society, but her job as an art insurance investigator puts her at odds with her background–and with the killer. Julia is determined to stop him. U. S. Deputy Marshal Mitch Lawson knows more than he’s willing to let on. One thing is clear: Julia is in danger–because of secrets he won’t share.
But have no fear, Trouble the black cat detective is on the job and while Julia and Mitch are distracted by their attraction to each other, he is about to get his man.
Trouble in Paradise by Rebecca Barrett
Familiar Legacy #6
Publication Date: May 7, 2018
Genre: Mystery and Romance
DEAD IN PARADISE… Key West is paradise–unless you’re the dead woman in the Toucan Suite. The Hemingway cats, Megs and Bartholomew, who wander the grounds of the B&B, think Liberty Anderson was a spy. But spying on whom? And why? Trouble, the black cat detective, must decipher their cryptic communications and piece together a motive for murder.
Ginger Browne runs the B&B on a shoestring. The Paradise is her home, her history, and her refuge. An unsolved murder could be the kiss of death for this native Conch’s struggle for financial and emotional security.
Trout Richardson is one of the many recluses who came to Key West to escape his past and work as a charter boat captain. Was Liberty merely a charter to him? Or is there more to their relationship?
Both Trout and Ginger resist their mutual attraction, but Trouble knows they’re on an irreversible course toward love and redemption. Trouble must help them resolve the mystery of Liberty’s murder and steer them down the path toward each other.
All while a killer roams the island paradise of the Conch Republic and a lost treasure is up for grabs.
Trouble Under the Mistletoe by Rebecca Barrett
Familiar Legacy Short Story
Publication Date: November 24, 2017
Genre: Mystery and Romance
MAYHEM MEETS MISTLETOE– Trouble, the Sherlock of black cat detectives, finds himself in Turnout, MS on Christmas Eve. Teddy Adamson, that heart breaker, has just walked back into Billie Dean Bailey’s life. But more dire happenings are going on under the mistletoe. Who ends up dead and why? Was it the maraschino cherries in the Tizzington sisters’ fruit compote? Or was it something more sinister?
No clue will go unturned by the suave, savvy, and sleuthing black cat! Find out all the answers in this short story of Trouble’s latest escapade in the Familiar Legacy Mystery Series.
Another book by Rebecca Barrett
Road’s End by Rebecca Barrett
Publication Date: July 23, 2017
Genre: Historical Romance
Road’s End is a historical novel set in the deep South between 1900 and WWII. It is the family saga of three generations of women ruled by passion. Helen Fitzgerald has a chance encounter with a dark and exciting man on a hot August night in 1898. He has come to Charleston in search of guns and money for the Fenian cause. When he sails back to Ireland with his pockets filled with her father’s gold, Helen is left with an unborn child. She accepts a marriage proposal from a quiet, gentle man who has loved her from afar but she is unable to accept his love and life in rural Alabama. Her husband’s inability to win her love and his jealousy over the love she has for her child changes him. Their life together shapes their daughter, Anna. She sees what her mother’s indifference does to her father, how this unrequited love twists him into something dark and unkind. As she grows into a young woman, Anna, in her turn, is torn between the good man who loves her and the stranger in their midst who tempts her with the unknown. While her choices are different from her mother, they are nonetheless as painful to those who love her. It is the happy occasion of Anna’s daughter’s wedding that brings all the secrets of the Carroll women to the surface. As a strange, wealthy, and exciting man enters Rose’s life, will she follow in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother? Will her future be one of heartache and loss? Road’s End is a story of love, betrayal, and dark secrets.
Enter here to Win:
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoy learning more about Rebecca Barrett and her books.
Don’t forget to enter both the above giveaway for (3) Trouble in Paradise by Rebecca Barrett. Reader’s Choice of ebooks or Paperback (PB in US Only) and (3) Kindle Editions of A Box of Trouble.
And look for my reviews of the Familiar Legacy Series throughout the month.
#MarchOfTrouble
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
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