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But not just any business. It’s the Golden Girls meet the Ghostbusters when four women find themselves in an unlikely career: Southeastern Paranormal Investigations. Ree Lane, a stylish widow, is more cynic than true believer, while her childhood chum Elle Harper has a knack for getting sensitive info with the help of her homemade pies. The preacher’s wife, Betsy Jones, can’t be seen with SPI unless she’s in her disguise as Nora, a psychic-in-training with a gift for Tarot. And the recently-returned-home Gillian Buchanan is a whiz at technology, especially of the supernatural sort.
Their first case lands on the doorstep when neighbor Doris Tucker is sure her prized vintage dolls are haunted. But there’s hardly time for ghost-hunting when the bank director’s wife mistakes SPI for a private eye venture. Now they’re also hot on the trail of a misbehaving husband. It’s a wild ride as the sixty-something sleuths start digging into the past. But have the Ladies of SPI gone too far? And how far will Sutter go to keep its secrets dead and buried?
ISBN-13: 979-8987214206
ASIN: B0CJLKZ7JQ
Print Length: 276 pages Purchase a copy of Secrets Laid to Rest on Amazon. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
WOW: Congratulations on your book, Secrets Laid to Rest! I am so intrigued about what inspired you to write this novel, based on the little I’ve heard. Can you tell me more about that inspiration?
Catherine: Thanks so much, Nicole, it’s truly been a lot of fun writing it. As for inspiration, I’ll give you the shorter version or we’ll be here all day!
I do have a somewhat dark sense of humor when it comes to Mister Man up and dying on me, but the truth is, I wouldn’t have written this book if he were still here. Becoming a widow (Lord, it took a long time for me to speak that word out loud!) stole my joy. I wrote—or tried to work on my children’s novels—but I just couldn’t get my groove back. And then I started writing a novel about a woman whose husband had died; I filled up page after page in my marbled composition book and boy, it was intense and dark! It wasn’t a book I wanted to continue writing but it was cathartic. And funnily enough, I eventually had a character that I loved. Then the world shut down and I watched A LOT of sitcoms to keep up my spirits.
By the time the world opened up again, I had an idea about a widow (who became Ree Lane) and her Golden Girl friends. As for plopping them down in a small Southern town, that’s pretty much my backyard, and the paranormal element? I’ve been researching and writing spooky stuff for years. Secrets Laid to Rest practically wrote itself!
WOW: What an experience you had, and I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s incredible the transformation that occurred afterward. What kind of challenges did you overcome, if any, when transitioning from writing children’s books to cozy mysteries?
Catherine:The biggest challenge I faced switching from middle grade writing to adult mystery wasn’t so bad, as challenges go. Mostly, I needed to reacquaint myself with the target audience; I had to start reading adult fiction! I So I went back to my roots—adult mysteries—to see what was going on in that genre now. I didn’t intend to write a cozy mystery but the more I read, the more I could see where my style and voice fell.
WOW: Good idea on re-reading adult fiction again! So, I love the cover. It evokes the whole ambiance of the book. Were you involved in its design?
Catherine:Oh, thank you, Nicole, but that cover! I’m sure my hairdresser had to add extra color to cover all the new gray that came with that part of the project! But I can’t stress enough that all the time and energy that went into a.) finding who I wanted to make the cover and b.) working with the designer to make the cover (mostly) match the vision I had, were totally worth the madness. So yes, I knew I wanted elements that were representational of each of The Ladies of SPI as well as of the story. (I wanted boots for Ree but I could not get that element to work the way I wanted so finally tossed it). I knew the style I liked—I spent so much time looking at cozy mystery book covers!—and what I didn’t like. I also had to think about the book being the first in a series and how I’d go forward. There was a lot of back and forth with the cover and I’m sure the designer wished I hadn’t been so involved!
WOW: What a process! You decided to go the route of self-publishing. Why is that?
Catherine:I knew from day one that I’d self-publish. I’d done children’s books on contract so I was very familiar with the demands of deadlines and timelines; I wanted to work on my schedule. And I also knew the process of finding an agent and/or submitting to publishers who are open could be time-consuming. In the last couple years, I’ve felt time passing so quickly! So basically it boiled down to this: Life is short, I wanted this book out in the world—and I didn’t want to wait on anybody but me! (Well, there was the book cover designer…ha!)
WOW: How amazing! What does your writing space look like?
Catherine:Not only would I not have a book if Mister Man were still around, I wouldn’t have a great office, either! It took a minute for me to get used to writing at his desk, sitting in his chair…but little by little, I re-created the space to make it my own. I filled the bookshelves with my collection of writing craft books and the books I’m published in as well as my children’s books and now, Secrets Laid to Rest. But I also have Dave’s shelf, with all his “favorite things.” All of his music shares space with my music, and goodness, I’m still using up his office supplies (that man loved his office supplies)! And call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure he hangs out in here sometimes, keeping an eye on things. But mostly, keeping an eye on me—and I’m happy to have him!
WOW: That’s so awesome you have a space of your own! What are you working on now that you can tell us about?
Catherine:Happy to tell you that I’m working on the second book in The Ladies of SPI Mysteries!
Our Sutter sleuths are ready to enjoy the holidays but a young neighbor has a noisy ghost taking all the joy out of her inheritance. In Secrets of Cole House, the Ladies of SPI are hard at work, trying to oust a stubborn spirit. But is there more to this haunting than meets the eye? (Pssst! I can guarantee they’ll be Spirits, Secrets, and of course, Pie! And if you sign up for the Spirited Newsletter at my website, you’ll be the first to know when the second book releases, not to mention the secret giveaways. Sign up today so you don’t miss any of the fun!)
WOW: How fun! I hope everyone signs up. Congrats again on your book and best of luck on the tour!
—above copyright – Women on Writing
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CATHERINE C. HALL
There’s a great song, “I’ve Been Everywhere,” made popular by Johnny Cash (and a couple commercials). If you put the song in Georgia, it would be about Catherine C. Hall, starting when she moved to the Peach State at eight-years-old.
She grew up in Savannah, Georgia, where you can’t throw a stick without hitting a ghost. Even when she was a little girl, Savannah was known for its haunted history and she was hooked!
Broadcast Journalism hooked her as well, so she studied at Valdosta State University way down in South Georgia where it is the heat and the humidity. She worked in a few radio stations but it was WNEX Radio in Macon that turned out to be life-changing. She met a cute deejay from Sandersville, Georgia, and married him a year later.
They moved above the Gnat Line (Oh, it’s real) to the Atlanta area, where they grew their family to two boys and a girl, and she took a turn in the teaching world. And then whoosh! She met the half-century mark wondering what to do? Maybe it was the merlot talking but after years of reading mysteries, Catherine thought it was high time she write one. And she did; it was awful. (And way too short. Who knew readers expected 70, 000 words?)
So she learned her craft, starting with flash fiction, then moving on to short fiction, where she won a few awards. She wrote essays that ended up in books like Chicken Soup for the Soul. She penned assorted humor columns and continued to freelance. And then one day, she wrote another story that wasn’t exactly novel-length but it wasn’t a short story, either. It was a children’s book.
She joined SCBWI, the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and had a wonderful career in children’s writing, including publishing six books. But in the midst of her last two book contracts, life changed unexpectedly when Catherine’s favorite deejay up and died.
When at last she wanted to write again, she heard four women of a certain age, each seeking purpose and joy in where they found themselves. Which for them was a small town in Georgia called Sutter. For Catherine, it was at home, still in the Atlanta suburbs, revisiting the ghost stories of her youth, and finally getting that mystery written. All 70,000 words of it!
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