We love armchair traveling with M.A. Monnin and her irresistible Intrepid Traveler Mystery series. She’s back to talk about Murder in St. George’s and she’s gifting one lucky reader with a copy of the book!
FRESH WATER
Thanks for having me back, Chicks. It’s always nice to chat with you, and this time I’ve got a giveaway to celebrate the release of Death in St. George’s!
Sometimes liking a story costs more than the cover price. Have you ever just had to try a product that you read about in a book? My acquiring editor did after reading the first Intrepid Traveler Mystery. She ordered a sampler of Lili Bermuda colognes because my main character Stefanie Adams wears Lili Bermuda’s Fresh Water.
Scent is so important to me. I’m one of those people who smells all the candles at Bath & Body Works, and I also run my fingers through all the strings of beads at Michaels and skim all the sheets at Macy’s to determine which brands will never make it to the Monnin house.
So I knew if I was going to describe Stefanie’s perfume in any kind of detail, it had to be one I liked. At first I wanted her to wear something classic and gave her Chanel #5. (My own preferred Chanel is #19.) But #5 sounded a little too classic.
The scent had to evoke her personality, and her new attitude—reliable, yet bright and eager to embrace new opportunities. I sampled a lot of perfumes at the Nordstrom counters, including a few Tom Fords that I loved. Sadly, those were over my budget, and anyway I just didn’t hit on the right one for Stefanie. Then we went to Bermuda, where I stopped at the Lili Bermuda store on Front Street and found Stefanie’s perfect signature scent.
Fresh Water has top notes of bright, fresh, citrus, and heart notes that are clean, green, and herbaceous, ‘a celebration of refreshing and sparkling citruses.’ Perfect for my intrepid heroine. Need I add that Fresh Water is perfect for me, too? Thomas is quite pleased with himself when he can take Stefanie to the Lili Bermuda perfumery itself and buy her signature scent–that is, until he learns how she came to use it in the first place.
Readers, have you ever bought a product that you read about in a mystery? Writers, have you used any of your favorite products for your main characters? I have one copy of Death in St. George’s to give away to a lucky reader who responds below. Winner’s choice of ebook or paperback. I’ll announce the winner here on May 16th.
SYNOPSIS: In Death in St. George’s, the 3rd Intrepid Traveler Mystery, Stefanie and Thomas go to Bermuda for some time alone, but their romantic rendezvous is waylaid after they are asked to help recover Spanish emeralds missing from an archaeological site. When one of the dig team gets murdered, Stefanie and Thomas plunge from investigators to suspects.
Praise for Death in St. George’s: “What a treat! Memorable characters, a subtropical setting, and intricate plotting. A binge-worthy read! — Joan Long, Agatha Award-nominated author of THE FINALIST
BIO: AUTHOR BIO: M. A. Monnin is the author of the Intrepid Traveler Mystery series, including Agatha Best First Novel nominee DEATH IN THE AEGEAN. Her short stories have appeared in Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and numerous anthologies. A member of ITW, MWA, SinC, and SMFS, an avocational archaeologist and USAF veteran, Mary lives in Kansas City, MO. Find her at www.mamonnin.com or www.curatorsofcrime.com
Chicks on the Case 
Unless I can get a sample of the product no. I have so many allergies I have to try a sample to see if i can use it or not.
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I totally understand that. My daughter won’t go inside Bath & Body Works with me because the scents set off her allergies.
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I totally understand that. My daughter won’t go in Bath & Body Works with me because the scents set off her allergies.
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And nothing worse than accidentally spraying a little too much of the “sample”–the bad ones never seem to go away, no matter how much scrubbing!
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I have a hard time with overpowering scents, too! But I remember adoring that my mom had cute sample vials of perfume on her bureau.
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I understand completely! My daughter always waits outside when I go in Bath & Body Works because the scents set off her allergies.
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I understand completely! My daughter has to wait outside Bath & Body Works when I go in because the scents set off her allergies.
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I understand completely! My daughter has to wait outside when I go in Bath & Body Works because the scents set of her allergies.
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Congratulations on winning the copy of Death in St. George’s! Please contact me at monninma@gmail.com to let me know if you’d prefer an ebook or paperback!
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Congratulations on the release of Death in St. George’s, Mary! I can’t wait to start reading my copy. I’m a tea drinker, so my protagonists are all tea rather than coffee drinkers. I’m also a fan of Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey, so in my upcoming Elmo Simpson Mysteries, that’s what Elmo enjoys. Cheers!
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My characters and your characters need to hang out, JC!
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Sláinte, Lisa!
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Thanks J.C.! I replied down below also, but I’ll just say Tullamore, Tullamore, Tullamore Dew! Now it’s in my head.
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Welcome, Mary! We’re so happy to have you back on Chicks today. Congrats on DEATH IN ST. GEORGE’S!!! For everyone new to Mary’s Intrepid Traveler Mysteries, I’d like to give my highest rec to the adventures of Stefanie and Thomas. And that’s not just because Mary and I are friends and I was honored to have a sneak peek at her latest. Adventure, smart intrigue, history, a little romance, and the lure of armchair travel–the series has it all. Oh, and Stefanie has great taste in fashion and jewelry (and perfume). I happen to have my very own tiny vial of Fresh Water perfume (thanks to Mary’s kindness), and I am basically hoarding it.
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Thank you Lisa!
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Thank you, Mary, for being back on the Chicks! I don’t spend as much time sprinkling fave products in my books–but rest assured that I have a lot of favorite food & a few local eateries in them!
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I’ll bet your readers love to recognize real places in your books. That helps make them special.
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Sally Solari loves Makers Mark bourbon, which I admit I am also quite fond of….
Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, Mary, and congrats on the new book!
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Thanks, Leslie. Maker’s Mark is my husband Bob’s favorite, particularly if it’s in an Old Fashioned.
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Can’t argue with that–love me an Old Fashioned!
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I don’t think I’ve given any of my characters a fondness for anything I like. In fact I’ve gone the other way. Jim Duncan likes coffee and dark beer, Sally Castle loves red wine, and Betty Ahern likes a real cup of coffee when she can get it. I don’t really like any of those things!
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Liz, I love the idea of your characters preferring things that you don’t. You can experience coffee, dark beer and red wine without actually having to taste them. I’ll bet as a writer that helps keep them distinct. My hero Thomas likes to sample local beers, but I prefer a simple lager or pilsner when I drink beer.
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Mary, love the cover and the series! Looking forward to reading this.
I have gifted some of my favorite products to my characters. In my new series, the Golden Motel Mysteries, Dee is a devoted tea drinker just like me!
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Thanks Ellen! And yay, I can now reply!
I’m looking forward to reading your new book too, and I’ll have to keep an eye out for what things your characters like.
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Great to have you back, Mary, and that signature fragrance sounds divine. (I’ve become a perfume fan lately!)
My protagonist’s go-to cocktail happens to be mine: a nice, simple (boring?) vodka collins. Cheers!
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Thanks Kathleen! I’m a cocktail person, too, and one side character prefers gin and tonics, which I love, and another drinks tonic and lime, which is my favorite mocktail.
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I’ve been trying to reply to everyone’s comments, but that hasn’t worked, so I’ll see if I can do that here. I love hearing everyone’s stories.
Anxious1959, I totally understand! My daughter has to wait outside Bath & Body Works when I go inside because the scents set off her allergies.
J.C., thanks! My husband Bob also likes Tullamore Dew,. The power of advertising–I’m sure it was the singing in the ads that drew him to it.
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Thanks for the warm welcome, Chicks! It’s always so nice to visit here with you.
Jen, I’ll bet your readers love recognizing real restaurants in your books. That helps make them special.
Leslie, my husband Bob’s drink of choice is Maker’s Mark. Particularly if it’s in an Old Fashioned.
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Liz, I love the idea of your characters preferring things that you don’t. You can experience coffee, dark beer and red wine without actually having to taste them. I’ll bet as a writer that helps keep them distinct. My hero Thomas likes to sample local beers, but I prefer a simple lager or pilsner when I drink beer.
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I’ve tried things I’ve read about in books before. A few recipes. And I’ve gone to places I’ve read about when I was in the area. (Please do enter me in the giveaway.)
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I hope the recipes turned out well! I like to visit places I’ve read about in books, too. I really enjoyed walking around the Garden District of New Orleans, and being able to picture Ellen Byron’s Vintage Cookbook characters there.
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And I had SO much fun walking with you and Bob before Hurricane Ida shut us down!
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Interesting post. No I never have gotten anything mentioned in a book.
Congratulations on your book!
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Thanks Linda! It’s always exciting to launch a new book, and I loved writing about Bermuda.
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AND THE WINNER IS: ANXIOUS1959!
Congratulations, and thank you everyone for sharing in my book launch!
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I like chanel no. 5 or cody wild musk I used to wear Patchouli
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Chanel #5 is nice . I haven’t tried the Cindy Wild Musk
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I might try something food related, such as tea, but otherwise no. I wouldn’t buy personal products such as perfume because I have to be sure they work with my body chemistry.
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Congratulations on your new book and thank you for visiting us, Mary!!
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