The Story Behind Slay Bells by T.C. Wescott

My inspiration for the Christmas Village Mysteries came largely from drawing upon what I enjoy seeing and what I enjoy reading. When I decided I’d try my hand at writing a cozy mystery series, I wanted to go super-cozy, and the coziest thing I could think of were those little Christmas villages Slay Bells like a classic mystery but with the trappings of a modern cozy.

sets you see every December, with the quaint old-fashioned buildings and shops. I needed a sleuth and Mrs. Claus just clicked into place in my brain when I thought of her. It had to be her! As a reader I’ve always enjoyed the intricacy and ingenuity of the classic mysteries. I don’t like to figure out who the killer is on page 18 and be proved right at the end. I like to think I know who the killer is and be proved wrong. So, I knew I wanted to write

I also enjoy a little extra mystery in my books. Being a fan of Golden Age maestro, John Dickson Carr, I’ve always been fascinated by locked room or impossible mysteries. I wanted to work that into at least some of my Christmas Village Mysteries to give my readers an extra layer of fun and suspense. And to present myself with a bigger challenge than just dropping some hints and unmasking a fiend at the end.

Although Slay Bells, the first book in the series, takes place during the week of Christmas, I plan to explore the village in different times of year in subsequent books. If readers are interested in reading a Halloween Christmas Village book, or ones that take place in the summer, or Valentine’s Day, etc., I will have them. I absolutely loved learning about the village as I wrote it for Slay Bells and am excited about exploring the furthest corners of it. Turning over rocks and seeing what magic emerges. I’m outlining the next book now and intend to explore the village library and historical museum in it, getting to know some characters only referenced in Slay Bells. I’m learning that one of the beautiful things about writing a series is that you can create a world you love and continue to visit it whenever you want, and it’s a shared experience between writer and reader. 

About the Author:

T.C. Wescott was born in Missouri but has lived in Oklahoma most of his life. Like pretty much every author who has ever breathed, he is an avid reader. His favorites are classic mysteries from the Golden Age, as well as just before or just after that period (which is widely considered the period between the two World Wars). His first mystery novel, Running from Scissors, was published in July 2018 and will be the first of at least three books in the Running Store Mystery series.

The Christmas Village Mystery series launched in November of the same year with the debut title Slay Bells. The formula for his books is simple – mixing the classic, traditional detective fiction standards with all the trappings of the modern cozy mystery.

Wescott is also (under another name) the author of two award-winning non-fiction books as well as many essays and articles.

His latest book is the cozy mystery, Slay Bells (A Christmas Village Mystery).

Website Address: www.tcwescott.com
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