Virginia is for...what? Below. But first:
Breaking news! The winner of Gabriel Valjan’s HUSH HUSH is Kathy Boone Reel.
The winner of Heather Webb’s THE LAST SHIP HOME is Joan Emerson.
And the three winners of THE MIRROR MAN are Coralee Hicks, Karen in Ohio, and Andrew Ball. Message or email me your addresses!
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: What a great idea for a short story anthology—to have authors choose a famous landmark (is that redundant?) and set a mystery there.
The fab Teresa Inge set that question to fifteen authors in Virginia—and the result it a wow. In historic hotels, oceanfront estates and boozy bars, you’ll discover blackmail, revenge, sinister conspiracies--and landmarks made for murder.
But hey—why let me tell you? Here’s the editor herself to give you the scoop.
Virginia is For….
by Teresa Inge
Thanks for inviting me to be a guest on the Jungle Red blog! I am excited to be here.
My latest book, Virginia is for Mysteries III will be released in February. Virginia may be for lovers, but to fifteen authors, Virginia is for Mysteries. Each short story transports readers across a diverse backdrop to a unique and deadly landscape, filled with Virginia landmarks, crime, and murder.
I have two stories in the book. “Kiss, Makeup & Murder” is set at the Cavalier on the Hill in Virginia Beach. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and built-in 1927, the hotel hosted 9 U.S. Presidents, icons Jean Harlow, Judy Garland, Pharrell Williams, and Kim Kardashian to name a few. I love the hotel’s grandeur. From the chandelier suspended above the vintage lobby and original checkerboard floor to the grand salon, and ocean view backdrop. It was fun creating a third-generation owner, an aging cosmetics queen, a kiss with a wealthy playboy, a suspicious family member, and murder. My own family and I have celebrated birthdays and anniversaries at the hotel and lodged there to research my books.
My second story, “Chalk it Up to Murder” is based on The Raven, a once-notorious, 50-year-old boozy bar and restaurant in Virginia Beach. I have also celebrated special occasions there. The story features a chalkboard artist who creates daily specials on a large, standing board in the restaurant. The artist becomes a prime suspect when a customer is murdered.
Some of the other landmarks in the book include:
· Virginia’s oldest church. St. Luke’s Church and Museum, established in the 17th century in Smithfield
· Chincoteague Island. Home to the Chincoteague Island Pony Swim attended by thousands of spectators each year and the setting of Marguerite Henry’s 1947 classic children’s book Misty of Chincoteague
· The Francis Land House, circa 1805, one of Virginia Beach’s plantations
· Fort Monroe National Monument in Hampton. A key defense site at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay
· Historic Fairview Cemetery in Culpeper
Using Real Names of Places in Fiction
Virginia is for Mysteries series allows the writers to showcase real locations in their crime fiction. Virginia is such a diverse part of the country this collection affords readers the opportunity to travel across the Commonwealth from the comfort of their homes.
By adding fictional characters to real places, authors create a fun element. Even with crime-ridden stories, we make the charm of each location favorable and apparent to readers. And we had the fantastic opportunity to sign books for a Poe descendant at The Poe Museum in Richmond.
The series is inspired by the state motto, Virginia is for Lovers. Before the first book’s publication, I received approval from Virginia Tourism to use Virginia is for Mysteries since “Virginia is for” is trademarked.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: What a great idea for a short story anthology—to have authors choose a famous landmark (is that redundant?) and set a mystery there.
The fab Teresa Inge set that question to fifteen authors in Virginia—and the result it a wow. In historic hotels, oceanfront estates and boozy bars, you’ll discover blackmail, revenge, sinister conspiracies--and landmarks made for murder.
But hey—why let me tell you? Here’s the editor herself to give you the scoop.
Virginia is For….
by Teresa Inge
Thanks for inviting me to be a guest on the Jungle Red blog! I am excited to be here.
My latest book, Virginia is for Mysteries III will be released in February. Virginia may be for lovers, but to fifteen authors, Virginia is for Mysteries. Each short story transports readers across a diverse backdrop to a unique and deadly landscape, filled with Virginia landmarks, crime, and murder.
I have two stories in the book. “Kiss, Makeup & Murder” is set at the Cavalier on the Hill in Virginia Beach. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and built-in 1927, the hotel hosted 9 U.S. Presidents, icons Jean Harlow, Judy Garland, Pharrell Williams, and Kim Kardashian to name a few. I love the hotel’s grandeur. From the chandelier suspended above the vintage lobby and original checkerboard floor to the grand salon, and ocean view backdrop. It was fun creating a third-generation owner, an aging cosmetics queen, a kiss with a wealthy playboy, a suspicious family member, and murder. My own family and I have celebrated birthdays and anniversaries at the hotel and lodged there to research my books.
My second story, “Chalk it Up to Murder” is based on The Raven, a once-notorious, 50-year-old boozy bar and restaurant in Virginia Beach. I have also celebrated special occasions there. The story features a chalkboard artist who creates daily specials on a large, standing board in the restaurant. The artist becomes a prime suspect when a customer is murdered.
Some of the other landmarks in the book include:
· Virginia’s oldest church. St. Luke’s Church and Museum, established in the 17th century in Smithfield
· Chincoteague Island. Home to the Chincoteague Island Pony Swim attended by thousands of spectators each year and the setting of Marguerite Henry’s 1947 classic children’s book Misty of Chincoteague
· The Francis Land House, circa 1805, one of Virginia Beach’s plantations
· Fort Monroe National Monument in Hampton. A key defense site at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay
· Historic Fairview Cemetery in Culpeper
Using Real Names of Places in Fiction
Virginia is for Mysteries series allows the writers to showcase real locations in their crime fiction. Virginia is such a diverse part of the country this collection affords readers the opportunity to travel across the Commonwealth from the comfort of their homes.
By adding fictional characters to real places, authors create a fun element. Even with crime-ridden stories, we make the charm of each location favorable and apparent to readers. And we had the fantastic opportunity to sign books for a Poe descendant at The Poe Museum in Richmond.
The series is inspired by the state motto, Virginia is for Lovers. Before the first book’s publication, I received approval from Virginia Tourism to use Virginia is for Mysteries since “Virginia is for” is trademarked.
T his collection provides readers a chance to combine mystery fiction with real places. Check out the maps in the front of each anthology to see the variety of sites highlighted!
Thanks for letting me visit with Jungle Red readers!
HANK: You are so welcome—as always! And congratulations to you and your contributors for a terrific anthology.
So how about you, reds and readers? If you were going to write a short story, what landmark in your state or province would you choose?
About Virginia is for Mysteries
Virginia is for Mysteries: Volume III is an anthology of diverse short stories for mystery lovers, and it appeals to visitors to the Commonwealth who want to read tales about interesting locations and historical sites.
Contributing Authors:
Teresa Inge, Heather Weidner, Kristin Kisska, Yvonne Saxon, Frances Aylor, Jayne Ormerod, Michael Rigg, Maggie King, Smita Harish Jain, Sheryl Jordan, Vivian Lawry, Maria Hudgins, Rosemary Shomaker, Max Jason Peterson, Judith Fowler
Teresa Inge is an author in the Mutt Mysteries series, Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Coastal Crimes: Mysteries by the Sea, and Murder by the Glass.
She is president of the Sisters in Crime, Mystery by the Sea chapter, a member of the Guppies chapter, and Short Mystery Fiction Society.
For more information about her and my books, check out www.teresainge.com
