Julie Titterington - Hilarious, Heartwarming and Whimsical Mysteries

Julie Titterington is an author, freelance writer, and editor. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three children. When she's not writing mystery novels and essays, Julie spends her time eating, baking, and reading mysteries from the Golden Age, in that order.  As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Trouble Afoot.

Please give us a short introduction to what Trouble Afoot is about.

Trouble Afoot is centered on a mystery writer, Willa Lattner, who unexpectedly inherits her great-aunt's house, business, and dogs, and has to deal with the fallout of her inheritance.

When Willa inherits her great-aunt Mina’s bakery, she finds more than she bargained for. What inspired you to put your protagonist in such an unexpected and charming scenario?

Cozy mysteries thrive on the juxtaposition of charm/light and fear/darkness. The more enchanting the setting, the better the play between light and dark works, and the more entertaining the book becomes. This particular book is set in a fictional town, but it's based on a favorite place of mine, Trinidad, California. It's a tiny coastal town in the redwoods, and it's got charm out the wazoo.

The trio of dachshunds plays a significant role in the mystery. Can you tell us more about their characters and how you see them influencing Willa’s journey?

I grew up with dachshunds, and I've seen the whole gamut of the doxie personality, from stubborn/irritable to dumb/cute to clever/canny. Willa gets a crash course in dog psychology, and something about the dogs ends up helping her work through her own emotional baggage. Dogs are good like that.

Willa uncovers that Mina’s life held more mystery than anyone suspected. What was the most fun or challenging aspect of writing Mina’s backstory and her connection to Willa?

There are unique challenges when you write a character that can't actually appear in the book. How do you convey someone's personality if they can never speak for themselves? I had fun figuring out ways to allow Mina's personality to shine through in letters and in the memories of her various friends, all of whom took away different impressions of her and provide Willa with a different piece of her personality.

How did you balance the lighthearted moments in the story with the darker mystery of Mina’s murder?

That's the cozy mystery special, right? Melding the light and fun with the darker and more sinister. People like to feel scared when they're curled up by the fire, safe, warm, and dry. That's what I try to provide in my mysteries, that feeling of fun, first of all --- because mysteries should be fun above all else -- and also that hint of danger. It's like adding a little pinch of chili flakes to a dish. You don't want to burn your mouth, but it's nice to have that tiny bit of heat and discomfort.

Cozy mysteries have a unique tone and pace. What inspired you to write within this genre, and what do you enjoy most about crafting cozy mysteries?

I fell in love with cozies when I was about eleven, and picked up my mom's dog-eared copy of Agatha Christie's N or M. What's not to like? A puzzle to figure out, a little low-stakes danger, antics, humor, a hint of darkness. Mysteries have been called the purest form of literature, because in mysteries the good guys always win, and the bad guys always get their comeuppance. I'm attracted to that framework because it's so unlike real life, and so like what life should be!

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Unlike my heroine, I am a pretty good baker.

This is the first book in The Doxies & Donuts Mystery Series. How do you approach writing a series, and do you have plans you can share about Willa’s next adventures?

When crafting a series, it's important to me to keep a cast of consistent characters while rotating in new people with new backgrounds in every new book. I usually start by deciding who the core characters will be across the series, but sometimes a bit player turns into a co-star without me realizing it! Willa, the dogs, and friends new and old will be back with their next adventure on January 31st, 2025, with Death Pays A Call To The Three Hounds Bakery.

With your interests in eating, baking, and reading mysteries, did you bring any personal experiences from the kitchen or mystery novels into the story?

All the recipes in this book are tried, tested, and perfected by me, some of them for years!

How do you balance your family life and writing career? Does your family inspire or influence your stories in any way?

Balancing family life with any career can be tricky, and the the writing profession is no exception. My kids are very supportive of my books, however, and especially like to help me name characters. My husband is my number one plotting partner and helps a lot with story development, so each book is a family project, in its own way.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

Readers can reach out to me personally and learn more about me and my work at authorjulietitterington.com. If they like Trouble Afoot, they may also like my previous books in the Desert Pines Mystery Series, beginning with number one, Death By Association, which is about an HOA meeting gone horribly awry.