Emmeline Duncan and her GROUND RULES to Portland, Oregon #bookgiveaway

 

HALLIE EPHRON: Today we're delighted to welcome Emmeline Duncan, author of the Ground Rules series set in one of my favorite cities, Portland, Oregon. (She also writes young adult novels as Kelly Garrett -- her debut YA (THE LAST TO DIE), was an Oregon Book Awards finalist.)

Emmeline is here to talk about her third Ground Rules mystery novel: FLAT WHITE FATALITY. (The series began with in 2021 with FRESH BREWED MURDER and 2022's DOUBLE SHOT DEATH.)

Coffee. Portland. "Tips on coffee and a touch of romance combine in a mystery with a strong West Coast vibe." (Kirkus Review) What's not to like?!

EMMELINE DUNCAN: When I started writing my Ground Rules mystery series, I wanted to do was showcase the Portland I know and love. My series is set around a coffee cart and food cart pod, which you can find all over the city.

Even Portland dogs, like Emmeline's Waylon, have opinions about coffee.

But I wanted more Portland.
More quirkiness.
More local flavor.

Luckily, I just had to look around me for inspiration.

For example, while writing Flat White Fatality, I was inspired by the time I walked into a bar and found myself surrounded by pirates singing sea shanties. It turned out they had negotiated an agreement with the owner: they'd only sign two songs per night. Which made me wonder: what was the bar like before this arrangement when they'd sung all night? Clearly, the pirates needed to make an appearance in a book.

Another time, a writer friend and I walked into a patisserie and found ourselves amongst about thirty women all dressed up as dolls. Their costumes and makeup were impressive—any self-respecting cosplayer would've asked them for tips. 

So clearly, this group needed to make a pivotal appearance in one of the books!

Portland from Burnside Bridge. Cherry blossom season is a beautiful time to go for a walk on the Portland waterfront. Fun fact: once upon a time, this park was a highway!]

In Double Shot Death, Pickathon, a real-life eco-music festival on a tree farm on the outskirts of Portland, inspired my setting. Although I took the concept and changed it to work within the confines of my novel.

While writing the rough draft, my agent sent me an email after Caesar the No Drama Llama, a local celebrity of sorts, made the national news and said he hoped Caesar would make an appearance. I replied immediately to let him know I'd already worked a fictionalized version of the llama into the story! 

Although in my novel, the llama wears a top hat, and he’s not named Caesar. In Caesar’s real life, with volunteer visits to schools, nursing homes, and similar events, he doesn’t wear clothing. And in case you're wondering, Caesar was not trained to be a therapy llama—he's just a naturally chill dude who doesn't react to loud stimuli, lets kids hug him, and naturally poses for cameras. In short, he's a natural no-drama llama. Double Shot Death has a few other local references, but the llama is my favorite.

These moments of levity add depth of setting to the book and also provide a counterbalance for the times I mention grittier issues, like homelessness and gentrification. 

Because while my book is cozy, it acknowledges the realities of living in a city, even if the camera angle doesn't spend time dwelling in darkness. And some of the series' inspiration, like the Suspended Coffee board at the coffee cart, is based on an actual program that encourages customers to pre-buy coffee or food items for someone down on their luck to claim later. 

So if you visit Portland, there’s a decent chance you’ll drop by Powell’s (and please be aware the downtown location’s coffee shop is now run by Guilder, a local coffee roaster and café with a Princess Bride theme). If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll see a group of witches stand-up paddle boarding in the Willamette River (after all, everyone needs exercise!) Or catch a glimpse of the Unipiper as he glides by. (The Unipiper is a man who rides a unicycle while playing the bagpipes . . . in costume. Darth Vader is one of his favorites.)

If you could walk into a bar or coffee shop and find a group of enthusiasts, whom would you like to come across?

HALLIE: We are such big fans of Powell's here on Jungle Red! Great bookstore. Surrounded by a great city.

Emmeline will be giving away a copy of FLAT WHITE FATALITY to one of today's lucky commenters... so pile on, let us know whom you'd like to come across if you walked into a bar of coffee shop to find a grup of enthusiasts...

About Emmeline Duncan: Like her Ground Rules Mystery series, Emmeline Duncan is based in Portland, Oregon. Her series includes Fresh Brewed Murder, Double Shot Death, and Flat White Fatality, which came out on May 23rd. You can track her online at emmelineduncan.com.

About Flat White Fatality
To top off her coffee business, Sage is now helping out with her boyfriend Bax’s gaming company. Conveniently for Sage, it’s located next door to her Ground Rules Roastery. That makes it easy for her to pitch in with Bax’s employee team-building event. The plan is to boost morale with a scavenger hunt. And it seems to be going well—until Robbie, a programmer known for being a prankster, turns up dead in Sage’s roastery . . .

There are two suspects so far: Sage, who has no idea how the victim ended up in her space; and Bax, who was allegedly spotted arguing with Robbie the day before. But could it be a disgruntled employee? After all, Robbie’s sense of humor was known to have rubbed some coworkers the wrong way. Now, it’s up to Sage to find the culprit—before another life grinds to a halt.

What We're Reading

DEBORAH CROMBIE: We had so much fun with our "recommends" yesterday I thought we'd extend our chat to WHAT WE'RE READING–always a big fave here on Jungle Red. We love nothing more than talking about our latest finds.

I'll start with BLOOMSBURY GIRLS by Natalie Jenner. Set in 1949 London in a bookshop in Lamb's Conduit Street (the location of Duncan's police station in the present day–how could I not want to read this book?) three very different women navigate a changing world.

The male characters are very well done, too, and lots of famous literary figures are woven into the plot. I loved this book so much that I read Jenner's previous (and debut) novel,  THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY, as there is some character and plot crossover. I enjoyed it, too, although I didn't adore it as much as BLOOMSBURY GIRLS.

Another big thrill for me was a new book by Ella Risbridger–you may remember me raving about MIDNIGHT CHICKEN last year. This one is called THE YEAR OF MIRACLES and is ostensibly a cookbook, but it is so much more. The subtitle is "recipes about love + grief + growing things) and is a journal of Risbridger's year following the death of her partner. It's also an accounting of the first year of the pandemic, as it begins in January, 2020. Risbridger's writing is absolutely gorgeous and it's a very inspiring and affirming book. The book is beautiful, too, so I'd highly recommend the hardcover. It will be a keeper even if you never cook a single recipe. (NOTE: It won't be released in the US until July 26th but it is out in the UK and you can order from Book Depository. It's fast and no more expensive.)

And one more! I somehow ran across a book called THE NOTHING GIRL by Jodi Taylor. We've mentioned her CHRONICLES OF ST. MARY'S series before, as Julia and I are big fans. Do not be put off by the invisible talking golden horse!! This is a gem of a novel about an isolated young woman who agrees to marriage as a business proposition and gets much more than she bargained for. It's laugh-out-load funny, touching, suspenseful, AND it's on Kindle Unlimited at the moment!

I also thoroughly enjoyed Connie Berry's latest Kate Hamilton mystery, THE SHADOW OF MEMORY. This series just gets better and better. Connie will be here Thursday to tell us more!

LUCY BURDETTE: I’m betwixt and between. I have just finished Alicia Bessette’s SMILE BEACH MURDER and I hate to leave the Outer Banks! Last week I hated leaving Julia Child’s Paris. I have a lot of books ordered, including Krista Davis’s newest and Sarah Stewart Taylor’s newest and Paula Munier and Kristan Higgins, and I have a million books on my nightstand. But still, sometimes it’s hard to dive into something brand new. Any recommendations for THE PARIS LIBRARY or THE TASTE OF GINGER or FENCING WITH THE KING?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Absolutely do not miss Sulari Gentill’s THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY.  It’s a meta-literary mystery and I cannot say anything more, but just–read it.

Along those same lines, ish, THE APPEAL by Janice Hallett. Those books both delve into the workings of a writer’s mind, and a reader’s too, and they’re marvelous and hilarious and brilliant, both of them.  And I am getting ready for THE MURDER RULE by Dervla McTiernan.   Also LOOK CLOSER, by David Ellis, one of my favorite authors ever. And I am reading JAMES PATTERSON by James Patterson–in preparation for interviewing him in June!  Reds and readers, this autobiography is AWESOME and wonderful and charming and unique.

DEBS: Hank, what fun! I sat next to James Patterson at the Bouchercon Dallas GOH dinner, and he was so nice. A very charming and interesting man.

JENN McKINLAY: I’ve been enjoying a wild variety lately. ALLOW ME TO RETORT: A Black Guys Guide to the Constitution by Ellie Mystal. Fascinating book mostly about the amendments and why they need to be revisited. DOUBLE SHOT DEATH by Emmeline Duncan.

A terrific cozy mystery set in Portland about a coffee cart owning amateur that really captures the PNW vibe. THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS by Lisa Jewell. Delicious suspense novel about three families and deep dark secrets. So good! 

RHYS BOWEN:   Rhys, the blurb queen here. It seems like a never-ending stream. They are mostly good reading but sometimes I’d like to choose.

I’ve just finished another upcoming book to blurb called The Spying Eye by Michelle Cox.

Quite good

And now I’m embarking on a non fiction about women’s lives around the world called Women’s  Work by Megan K Slack. Fascinating so far.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: The heat has been climbing into the 70s and even 80s here in southern Maine, I've been mowing daily for the past five days (yes, I have that much lawn) so for me, it's beach read time! First up, THE HOMEWRECKERS by Mary Kay Andrews. If you've ever read her, you know she describes home renovation and decorating like a dream, and when I saw she had come up with that's basically about a young widow getting her own HGTV-like show, you know I had to have it. 

Next on my TBR pile, NEVER COMING HOME, a delicious domestic thriller from Hank's First Chapter Fun buddy, Hannah Mary McKinnon. Here's the start of the jacket copy:

Lucas Forester didn't hate his wife. Michelle was brilliant, sophisticated and beautiful. Sure, she had extravagant spending habits, that petty attitude, a total disregard for anyone below her status. But she also had a lot to offer. Most notably: wealth that only the one percent could comprehend.

For years, Lucas has been honing a flawless plan to inherit Michelle's fortune. Unfortunately, it involves taking a hit out on her.

Sounds awesome! I love rich people behaving badly.

Finally, this summer's book from my friend Nancy Thayer, SUMMER LOVE. It doesn't feel like summer until I've read one of Nancy's tales of heartache and hope, set on the idyllic island of Nantucket. SUMMER LOVE is about a reunion of people in my age bracket, which I love, accompanied by their twenty-something kids, which my daughters love. Something for everyone.

HALLIE EPHRON: I’ve just started reading Susan Orlean’s ON ANIMALS. She’s a wonderful essayist, musing on everything from household pets (hers) to the animals we eat to her experiences keeping chickens and critters further afield (Moroccan donkeys)… and on and on. It’s a book for animal lovers and perfect for the summer because you can savor it in chunks.

 

READERS, what books have tickled your fancy lately?