1. If your book were a Halloween movie, what would it be called?

The Accidental Detective is a humorous series about a former war correspondent reinventing herself as she faces fifty, so how about The Curse of Starting Over.

For A Stone Cold Murder (The Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mysteries), maybe Little Museum of Horrors, since it’s set at a quirky small town Museum in New Mexico.

2. What’s your go-to fall treat or spooky-season snack?

As the weather gets cooler, I enjoy baking more. I once tried making chocolate chip cookies where you pull them out of the oven and use a toothpick to drag melted chocolate out of the chips to make “legs” so they look like spiders, but getting the legs thin turned out to be way harder than the online photos made it look. Now I see most of the recipes suggest using melted chocolate in a pastry tip or Ziploc bag.

I can’t find photos of my cookies where the spiders all had really fat legs, but here are some decorated mini cheesecakes I made for a different spooky party. Another favorite fall recipe that isn’t particularly spooky but is very tasty and season is Chai Tea Shortbread. Yum!

3. What are you currently working on? What inspired you to write this series/book?

The next book I have coming out is Buried in Betrayal (Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery Book 3) in early January. It continues the adventures of Petra as she enjoys her new “found family” and job at the Banditt Museum in small-town New Mexico and, of course, gets involved with another murder investigation. I believe the seventh Accidental Detective book will be out sometime next year as well. I’m doing some research and story development for a possible new mystery series, but it’s too early to talk about that! I’ll simply say that my ferrets are helping with the plotting.

4. Which character in your series would survive a haunted house—and who wouldn’t make
it out?

My main characters and sidekicks are pretty good at working together, so I think they’d all make it out. In the Accidental Detective series, Kate would have to wrangle her father’s “challenging” friends, who would probably want to run toward danger rather than away from it. But with her sister by her side, I think they’d get everybody out safely.

In Reluctantly Psychic, Petra might find a way to communicate with any ghosts, since they are presumably psychic energy left behind after death. So she could try to help them resolve their issues. And if that didn’t work, her new friends have some surprising skills that might help everyone escape.

5. What’s one fall tradition you or your main character never skip?

In New Mexico, autumn is announced by a chill in the morning air and the scent of roasting green chile. We eat green chile (the local pepper, not chili the stew) year-round on almost everything, but autumn is a great time for green chile stew, enchilada casserole, and other tasty local dishes. Check out some Southwestern recipes and baked good recipes on my blog!

About the author

Kris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with smart, snarky heroines finding adventure
(sometimes against their will) in the Southwest. She lives in New Mexico where she enjoys hiking with her
husband and playing with their ferrets.

When Kate Tessler left her celebrated career as an international war correspondent after an injury, she didn’t expect to dabble in detective work in her Arizona hometown alongside her sister, Jen. The duo is all in, but earning their PI license proves tricky. They need all the practice they can get, so when Jen’s college friend asks them to investigate suspicious activity at a motel he inherited, they take the job.

It sounds easy enough, with Kate and Jen planning to relax while they surveil the motel. But when Kate’s hot flashes wake her in the middle of the night, she wanders outside to cool off and stumbles over a dead body. Soon they’re caught up in their toughest—and most dangerous—case yet. Kate and Jen have no clue who they’re dealing with, and can’t trust anyone at the motel or the local police force they suspect of corruption.

Good thing they have their eclectic senior sidekicks to share the undercover work. But when they finally break the case, Kate needs to ensure she and Jen can survive the damage.

“I LOVE this series. It’s so funny but…murderous & the mystery is not messing around.” – author Sinclair Jayne

Learn more about the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series and get the links to all retailers or buy directly from Tule.

I started writing this series when I was 48. Kate is “facing fifty” (actually by this book she is fifty) which means dealing with midlife challenges. Like me, Kate has aging parents and worries about saving for retirement. Our bodies don’t heal as well as they once did. In fact, they may develop sudden pains from basic activities like opening a jar or getting out of bed.

And then there’s perimenopause. I was awake at 4 AM one night, wandering the house, trying to cool my body and quiet my mind. And then I started thinking … 

What if you were at an English country house party and got up in the night to wander after a hot flash and found something wrong? (Can you guess the kind of books I’d been reading?) Or for a more modern version, maybe a resort with common areas or a hotel with an internal courtyard. Say you had to explain that you stumbled on the scene of a crime because of insomnia due to hot flashes. That would be unpleasant in real life – but a great mystery premise.

So I sent Kate and her sister Jen to a hotel on a case that seemed simple and quickly raised the stakes as Kate stepped into the courtyard to cool down and discovered … Well, no spoilers here. Let’s just say I originally suggested the tagline “No one warned her hot flashes could lead to death… “

I hope you’ll join Kate and Jen on their adventures and maybe find some laughter along the way. Because we are never too old to find humor in life’s challenges.

About the Author.

Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. In the Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. This humorous series starts with Something Shady at Sunshine Haven. Find The Accidental Detective Series in ebook or print. You can buy the books directly from Tule Publishing and also find links to other retailers. 

Kris’s Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series follows a Texas ranching family that wins a billion-dollar lottery. Who wouldn’t want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves. The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Learn more at Kris’s website. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter to get a free Accidental Detective mystery story, a free cat café novella, and more. 

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