Welcome back to Canadian mystery author Joan Havelange!
Joan
Havelange is a Canadian author of three cozy mysteries and lives in a beautiful
little town in the prairies, surrounded by hills, valleys, and many lakes.
I’m
an avid traveller. Before this pandemic broke out, I was able to travel to over
45 countries. This has helped my writing as I take my protagonists to places I
have visited. I follow that old adage, write what you know. I directed little theatre
for 15 years. And I find writing is a lot like directing. The difference is my characters
show up on time and always know their lines. Although sometimes, they do go off
in a direction that surprises me. I began writing romances, but I soon realized
I was not the romantic type; murder is my line. My change of genre was the
right choice, as my first whodunnit mystery, ‘Wayward Shot,’ was published in
2019.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mabelmysteries
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoanJhave
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanhave/
What
would you say are your strengths as an author?
I
write good dialogue. My mysteries are fast-paced and fill with humour and
twists.
How
often do you write, and do you write using a strict routine?
I try
to write every day. In the winter, I write for three to four hours in the
morning. In the summer, I golf every morning, so my writing takes place in the
afternoon.
Five
years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?
Still
writing, I don’t expect to get rich; that’s not why I write. I have stories to
tell, and I hope the readers will still be enjoying them.
If
you could offer one piece of advice to a novice writer, what would it be?
Write
a story you want to read.
What
would you consider to be the best compliment a reader could give your book?
I
can’t wait for your next book. And I didn’t figure it out who dun it
What
are you working on now?
I
have a new release coming out on October 1st, 2021.
‘The
Suspects’
Mable Havelock and Violet Ficher are on a scenic bus tour of the
Nordic capital cities of Europe and Russia. The tour culminates in Moscow.
Where The tour director is murdered. There is a busload of suspects to choose
from. A flirtatious woman and her jealous husband. A professor of Nordic
History who is ill-informed. Two world travellers who describe themselves as
gypsies, a mysterious man who is hiding something. And the tour director’s
assistant and bus driver; both have an axe to grind against the tour director
Hilda Karlson. Add to the mix smugglers and thieves. And a case of mistaken
identity. But unfortunately, the prime suspect is Mabel. Mabel and Violet will
have to use all their skills and ingenuity to solve the murder in Moscow. And
prove to the Russian police Mabel’s innocence.
And I’m working on my next whodunit. ‘Murder Exit Stage Right’
WAYWARD SHOT
When Mabel slices her
golf ball into the town cemetery. She and her best friend Violet think the
worst that could happen would be a lost ball. That is until they discover a
dead body, and it isn’t six feet under. Mabel’s golf ball lays in the middle of
his forehead; it’s murder. The ladies take it upon themselves to solve the
mystery of the dead body in the graveyard. Using the information gleaned from
Coffee Row, a collection of eccentric townspeople. Leads them to investigate
golfers and relatives of the deceased. Their investigation frustrates a newly
appointed RCMP officer, who does his best to put a stop to their interference. But
nothing stops the intrepid detectives. Not the RCMP, a stampede of cattle or
even shots fired at them in the dark. They have an uncanny ability to find
trouble and dead bodies. Almost getting themselves killed before solving the
murders.
https://books2read.com/Wayward-Shot
DEATH AND DENIAL
My next Cozy Mystery
took my ladies to Egypt.
On her way to visit
Egypt and its ancient past, Mabel Havelock stumbles upon a murder plot. Mabel
is trapped on
board a boat with a dead body and a boatload of suspects. And in the middle of
the Nile River, a passenger disappears. Although language difficulties put her
at odds with the lone police officer on board the boat. Mabel is
determined to
untangle the web of lies and deceit. She will have to use all her wits and
ingenuity to solve the murder in the locked cabin.
https://books2read.com/Death-and-Denial
THE TROUBLE
WITH FUNERALS
My latest mystery was
published in 2020
The trouble with funerals is there are too many of them. Mabel's mother is convinced there is something nefarious going on at the senior's condo 'Gravenhurst Manor.' She convinces her daughter to look into the death of her best friend, Mini, who died in suspicious circumstances. If there is a cold, calculating murderer at work. Mabel needs to find the killer before it's too late. Her mother could be next. But what is the motive? Why would anyone want to kill a senior? And Her main suspect has a perfect alibi, namely Mabel.
Her reliable sidekick Violet is no longer reliable. Violet may have gotten herself involved with a con-man. Against the backdrop of the peaceful little town of Glenhaven, Mabel's challenge is to solve the motiveless murders; and save Violet from herself.
https://books2read.com/The-Trouble-With-Funerals
