Welcome to the Tule Blog. How have you been? What have you been up to?
Thank you for having me. Since A Chain of Pearls released in April, I’ve been kept very busy
working on marketing, and the release of book two, The Wraith’s Return and book three later this year. It’s been a rollercoaster in the best way.
That’s right, Book Two in your first series the Martha’s Vineyard Murders is releasing today, August 22! What’s this one about?
It’s another whodunnit. Kyra returns to the island from London and has to solve two mysteries: what happened to a centuries old lost pirate treasure ship, and the suspicious deaths of the people trying to find the treasure.
Oh, so the same characters are featured in Book Two, The Wraith’s Return. Do you have a favorite one you like to write? Why?
Yes, the same main characters all make appearances: Kyra Gibson our protagonist, her detective Tarek Collins and of course the cat, Cronkite return. The series is really about them – a sort of modern-day Nick and Nora Charles. Side characters you may recognize pop in and out, as well as some new faces. My favorite to write? Honestly, it’s probably Cronkite. He’s a quintessential cat. He’s not bound by morality or social mores. He’s hardly even bound by the laws of physics (as people who live with cats know). He can be an unrepentant little terror and still be lovable. Originally, he was intended as a plot device so Kyra wouldn’t have long internal monologues weighing down the narrative, but along the way he developed a devious personality and now he’s an integral part of the story.
It’s a bit of a spoiler, but I love how his primary human isn’t Kyra. She’s been relegated to spare and it irritates her to no end, as I’m sure anyone in similar shoes could relate.
But you didn’t write a book about fictional cats. You wrote a mystery series. There must be a reason you find the genre compelling?
I do. I like that mysteries in many cases invite the reader to participate. Often in books, and all consumptive media really, the audience is a spectator. Their role is one of passive observer. But in mysteries, the reader can be asked to solve the mystery alongside the main character. I try to craft my narratives, so the main characters learn with the reader. In some cases, the reader might be able to figure out the killer even before Kyra. The clues are all there. The reader can play the game as well.
That’s interesting. Do you have some past experience that makes you good at solving
mysteries? Are you able to incorporate that previous experience in your jobs/education in your writing?
Oh no. I’ve zero qualifications that would make me suited for actual detective or crime fighting work. I do occasionally use my own experiences as a quick and lazy fix. I gave Kyra my day job so I wouldn’t have to research a profession for her. Cronkite is a cat because I’ve always had cats and know their behaviors. The characters all drive cars that me or my family have owned over the years, so I didn’t need to research those either. My real life plays a very dull role in my books.
But you do research?
Oh yes, extensively. Especially because so much of my plots derive from real life events. In The Wraith’s Return the pirate ship Keres is based on the real-life shipwreck discovered off the coast of Wellfleet, MA, the Whydah Gally and its captain Black Sam Bellamy. I’ve also had to research lots of creative and complex ways to kill people and how one would cover it up. My Google search history is terrifying. I’m positive I’m on an FBI watch list at this point.
Really? What’s the strangest thing you’ve had to research for the Martha’s Vineyard Murders?
Strangest? When you deal in death, it’s all a little strange, I suppose. But the most obscure? Probably the deep dive I did on the Welsh whisky trade. It’s not particularly interesting, and there are few distilleries in Wales, less than ten, but I now know a lot about all of them. It was for a two-sentence anecdote in Book Three. It’s possible I went overboard there.
It sounds like it. Is that what you enjoy doing when you’re not writing, or do you have other pastimes?
I have a bad rabbit hole habit, but it’s not an intentional hobby. I don’t consider working my other job a ‘pastime’ and I suspect they wouldn’t either, but that does take up a fair amount of each week. I read a lot, too. But if I’m taking time off, I’m getting on a plane. I want to see the world. I’m always preparing or planning my next trip. I’ve been to some amazing and wild places, but there’s so much more to see.
Are you heading anywhere spectacular soon? Does it influence your stories?
I’ve a few trips planned in the near future and if you follow me on social media you’ll probably see photos. Traveling influences my stories in subtle ways. It gives me perspective, mostly.
That’s exciting and thank you for stopping by. It’s been nice chatting with you. We have one more bonus question. What is the one book that you consider to be your comfort read that you will always reach for?
Oh. It’s hard to pick just one since I’m a serial re-reader, but perhaps Jane Eyre. I read it every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas and have since I was a kid.
Thank you for having me Tule Mystery.
Congrats on your release of The Wraith’s Return, Raemi!
About the Author
Raemi A. Ray is the author of the Martha’s Vineyard Murders series. Her travels to the island and around the world inspire her stories. She lives with her family in Boston.
Congratulations on your latest book!