Today, we are pleased to present Rachele Baker, author of the Rylie Sunderland cozy mystery series. Today, she talks about unexpected friendships. And there’s a giveaway of her new book, Vengeance in the Vines to one lucky commenter! Take it away, Rachele:
Unexpected Friendships and the Places We Find Them
I think we all enjoy spending time in places that feel familiar and comfortable. That’s why we return to our favorite coffee shops, restaurants, and other gathering places. In addition to feeling comfortable and familiar, they give us a sense of belonging. They’re also places where unexpected friendships can be formed.
My favorite gathering spots to make new friends tend to be book related such as the upcoming Left Coast Crime Convention for mystery authors and readers that I’ll be attending in San Francisco later this month. I also love to spend time in our beautiful local arboretum where I volunteer once a week planting, weeding, and pruning with a group of people who share my love of the arboretum.
I explored the theme of forming unexpected friendships in local gathering places when I wrote Book 2 of my Rylie Sunderland cozy mystery series, Vengeance in the Vines.
Since Vengeance in the Vines is set in the real-life small town of St. Helena, California, in Napa Valley wine country, I took a number of research trips there while I was writing that book. Many of the places featured in Vengeance in the Vines are real-life places while some are fictional. I enjoyed exploring the wonderful restaurants, wineries, and shops in the area on those trips. All in the name of research, of course.
I also checked out the local dog park, Wappo Dog Park, as a place where the main character in my series, 32-year-old veterinarian Rylie Sunderland, could take her golden retriever Bella. It’s a very nice dog park with a large grassy area surrounded by trees. There are benches and lawn chairs set up so people can hang out and chat while their dogs play.
In Vengeance in the Vines, Rylie moves to St. Helena for a temporary veterinarian job filling in for a veterinarian that needs time off to recuperate from a surgery. The only people she knows in the area are her best friend Sophie and Sophie’s husband, Lucien. Wappo Dog Park seemed like it would be a great place for Rylie to meet people and make new friends.
In one scene in Vengeance in the Vines, Rylie takes Bella to Wappo Dog Park and runs into a couple she’d met earlier that week at the Chamber of Commerce Awards dinner, Patricia and Jonathan Davenport. Rylie and Patricia chat while Jonathan throws the frisbee for their dogs. Patricia invites Rylie to join her and her group of friends for lunch the following week on the Napa Valley Wine Train. That chance meeting with Patricia at the dog park results in Rylie making a number of unexpected friendships with the women in Patricia’s group.
Readers: Do you have a local gathering spot like a coffee shop, park, knitting circle, or other place where you like to spend time? If so, where do you go? Have you ever formed unexpected friendships in one of those places?
One lucky person who replies in the Comments section below will win a paperback of Vengeance in the Vines: Rylie Sunderland Mysteries Book 2. I’ll select a winner tomorrow, on Thursday, February 12.
Rachele Baker is a veterinarian and mystery author in northern California close to Lake Tahoe and the Napa Valley wine country where the books in her Rylie Sunderland cozy mystery series take place. She drew on her many years of experience as a practicing veterinarian to develop the main character for this series, Rylie, who is also a veterinarian. Rachele’s golden retriever Savanna, who passed away some time ago, was the inspiration for Rylie’s golden retriever Bella.
In her free time, Rachele enjoys exploring northern California wine country, Lake Tahoe, and areas along the California coast such as Mendocino, Monterey, and Big Sur. Some of her favorite things include freshly brewed coffee in the morning, walks in nature, and, of course, golden retrievers.
You can visit her website and connect with her online on Facebook, Instagram, X, BookBub, and Goodreads. Or check out Rachele’s Get Cozy with a Cozy Mystery Substack.
About Vengeance in the Vines:
Secrets can be deadly. When the owner of a local bar is found dead in his home after eating at her best friend’s husband’s restaurant, veterinarian Rylie Sunderland is determined to uncover the truth to save her friend in this intriguing small town cozy mystery.
Rylie’s thrilled when she gets a long-term locum veterinarian job in the beautiful Napa Valley wine country where her best friend Sophie lives, and she’s looking forward to enjoying the area and spending time with Sophie and Sophie’s husband, Lucien. That is until the owner of a local bar is found dead in his home after having eaten at Lucien’s restaurant during the Chamber of Commerce awards dinner. Evidence piles up against Lucien, but Rylie is certain he’s innocent. She feels compelled to do whatever she can to help clear Lucien of suspicion.
When Rylie meets Alex, the handsome son of the man who died after eating in Lucien’s restaurant, they can’t deny their attraction to each other. And they’re both motivated to find out who killed Alex’s father. Alex believes Lucien’s innocent. And he has some ideas of his own as to who may have had motive to kill his father.
Rylie goes to the detective in charge of the case with each new piece of information she finds that she thinks could be relevant to the murder investigation. But the detective seems laser focused on the mounting evidence against Lucien and doesn’t seem swayed by any of the information Rylie brings him. The pressure increases as Rylie’s best friend Sophie struggles to deal with the stress of the investigation involving her husband. Will the secrets of the past prevent the truth from being revealed?
Chicks on the Case 