In The Crown for Castlewood Manor, a woman recovering from a breakup travels to England to help her cousin with a television competition and finds an unexpected new beginning. What inspired this story?

Believe it or not, but the final show of Season 6 of Downton Abbey inspired me to start writing! I decided to create my own stately world in my favorite genre. My cozy mystery little gray cells went into action with the looming question ‘Would you let a hit period drama series be filmed at your estate?’ What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, quite a lot at times.

My American protagonist wants a fresh start and a connection with her British relatives and the set location contest provides a perfect backdrop for mystery and mayhem to occur. Throw in stately manors, competing aristocrats, jealousy, revenge, high stakes payouts, and you have a perfect mix of ingredients for a cozy mystery tale. American grit meets British tradition–with loads of cocktails and glamor. And, ahem, the occasional body. Or two.

Cherrywood Hall quickly becomes much more than a setting—it feels like a character in its own right. What inspired the manor, and how did you go about bringing it to life?

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to tour manor houses and palaces. They provide the inspiration for settings in so many books I’ve read. I love walking through the rooms and halls that have been around for hundreds of years, wondering about the stories told and events witnessed. You can almost hear the whispers of days gone by.

Cherrywood Hall certainly has a star role in the story. The rooms and grounds not only provide the backdrop for the family history and mayhem, but also have to be seen as settings for its potential dual role in the Castlewood Manor scenes.

I read up on British manors, took to Pinterest like a fiend (pssst, check out my Behind the Scenes folder), and watched loads of movies and period drama series. I took the best of all worlds, and created the rooms of my beloved Cherrywood Hall. I wanted to be as descriptive as possible so that readers can enjoy not only the story, but feel like they’re right in the room or roaming the grounds along with the characters. Welcome to Cherrywood Hall!

The Castlewood Manor competition provides such a unique backdrop for the mystery. How did the idea of rival historic estates competing for a television production come about?

Thank you! I absolutely loved Downton Abbey and had read up on the ‘behind the scenes’ production of the series at Highclere Castle. The real life Earl and Countess Carnarvon have been quite open about the series being filmed at the manor and what the production meant to the estate and surrounding community. 

Turns out estates are competing quite often for selection in a TV series or movie. The fees can be quite lucrative and help maintain the costly upkeep of a manor and surrounding grounds. My little gray cells went into overdrive thinking about what would happen when a mix of actors, producers, villagers, rival aristocrats, and family members were thrown into a high-stakes, at times glamorous, production situation. With danger lurking– watching, waiting for murder to take a bow… And fashion to die for, of course.

I’m an avid cozy mystery reader and had never seen a book or series set with this backdrop. Mine is the first, and only cozy mystery series in this highbrow, television production world. If you’re a fan of actors, film, stately manor houses, mystery and mayhem, I have a story to tell you!

Can you give us a glimpse inside the second book in this series? Where will it take readers?

Spoiler alert, guess which manor was selected as the set location for Castlewood Manor? In Book 2, Cast, Crew, & Carnage: The Filming of Castlewood Manor, Gemma and her family and friends deal with the realities of what happens when the film crew, actors, and yes, some of the aristocratic rivals arrive at Cherrywood Hall. The film production and PR efforts are in full swing with glamorous events with a not-so-healthy dose of jealousy and revenge lurking in the halls. Turns out not all is glitz and glam on the set! Lights, camera, murder!

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