Interviews
An Interview with Laura Childs
Trouble is brewing along with the tea in Laura Childs's fourth Tea Shop Mystery, The English Breakfast Murder, and Ransom Notes asked the author of this charmingly cozy southern mystery series to chat about her taste for tea -- and her appetite for intrigue.
Laura Childs: I've always loved mysteries and thrillers. I was the kid who adored old Charlie Chan movies, snuck into the cemetery at night, and hunkered down with a flashlight under the quilt to read Nancy Drew. Now, as a writer, I get to answer pesky questions like: What's really in that locked trunk? Did that fellow fall overboard or was he pushed?
Ransom Notes: What made you choose Charleston as the setting for these books?
LC: Charleston is home to the last tea plantation in the U.S. The tea grown there is a rich black tea that's served at official White House functions. Also, Charleston is an old city. Highly atmospheric, it abounds with magnificent architecture, proud southern families with skeletons in the closet, priceless art and antiques, and lots of quirky characters.
RN: Is there a "motive" behind including recipes in your books?
LC: Recipes just seemed to be in keeping with my main character, Theodosia Browning. She's an amateur sleuth, but she's also a warm, caring southern hostess -- the sort of woman who'd share her recipes with you. Plus, readers tell me there's something very satisfying about reading the story, then baking the scones or muffins. There's a kind of "interactivity" at work.
RN: How does Theodosia feel about tea, and the events she has at her Indigo Tea Shop?
LC: Theodosia is passionate about tea -- she sees the simple act of sipping tea as an important respite in a crazy world (remember, she used to be in advertising!) But she's a realist, too, which is why she offers special events like a mystery tea, chocolate tea, lavender tea, or garden tea. She know she's got to promote, to give customers a reason for coming back. (Can you guess? I was in advertising, too!)
RN: Tell us about the two animal-related elements you included -- the environmental issue of protecting endangered turtle hatchlings, and the important role played by service dogs.
LC: Charleston is an Atlantic port city that's set between two major rivers. The surrounding low country is honeycombed with rivers, streams, and marshes. There is a deep and abiding love for things oceanic here -- and a keen realization that these resources must be protected. The service dog issue is something I put in to keep my main character grounded. By training a therapy dog and taking him to visit seniors, Theodosia's doing something that's very real and caring -- she's not just flitting about, serving tea and solving mysteries.
RN: What inspired you to use collecting historical memorabilia, and undersea treasure hunting in The English Breakfast Murder?
LC: Charleston's harbor, and the waters around it, are littered with historic shipwrecks from the Revolutionary War and Civil War. Pirates also plied these waters, and treasure hunters are forever turning up doubloons!
RN: Please tell us what you're working on now.
LC: The fifth Tea Shop Mystery, Jasmine Moon Murder, and the second Scrapbook Mystery, Photo Finished both scheduled for 2004. Meanwhile, I love to hear from readers and make it a point to answer every email. I can be reached via my web site at www.laurachilds.com.
