Home Sweet Homicide - but please don't try this in your own home

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In August, at Calgary's annual When Words Collide Festival for writers and readers I sat on a panel titled Home Sweet Homicide: the multitude of ways victims die at or near their homes. The moderator asked us panelists to describe the various methods we'd used in our mystery novels and why we'd chosen those approaches. 

I talked about my Paula Savard Mystery Series set in Calgary. Paula, my sleuth, is an insurance adjuster whose work gets her involved in crimes. In books # 2 and 3 of the series, Paula investigates a building fire and a hit-and-run collision near a victim's home. She comes to suspect both apparent accidents were coverups for murder. Book # 4 begins with Paula investigating a theft from a bicycle store during the COVID-19 pandemic. A murder takes place in the adjacent furniture store, which has closed for the pandemic and become the home of a squatter. The victim is bashed on the head with a weapon of opportunity: a candlestick from the store's dining room display. 

Home Sweet Homicide panel at WWC 2025

The panel's most engaging questions related to the allure of poisons and medications thanks to our expert panelist, Lee-Anne Hancock, a retired nurse who worked at the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre. Lee-Anne told us about ordinary plants and medicines that can kill if used incorrectly -- or correctly from a killer's perspective. She noted that poisoning has been called the female murderer's method of choice, perhaps because it is less messy and violent and doesn't require physical strength.

As a mystery writer, I'm intrigued by the medicinal method that can easily be disguised as an accident. In two of my short stories, someone kills a relative by administering an overdose of their prescribed medicine. Even if suspicions arise and victims are autopsied, it would be normal for traces of their own medicines to show up in their bloodstreams. 

In my novel, A Killer Whisky, set in 1918 Calgary, a man dies in his living room after drinking a glass of whisky. His symptoms are consistent with the "Spanish Flu" that has struck the city and the attending doctor diagnoses the flu as the cause of death. But the man's neighbour, who is the doctor's receptionist, suspects someone laced the whisky with a poison or a medicine that reacted with the alcohol to produce a toxic brew. She convinces a sympathetic police detective to investigate.       

The Home Sweet Homicide panel took a light hearted approach that entertained the audience at the end of a busy festival day. Afterward, I pondered why I've tended to kill off my novel victims in their homes or on nearby streets rather than farther away. I came up with three thoughts. 

1. My killers and victims always know each other, which is most common with real life murders, and relatives and friends often hang out together at or near their homes.  

2. Homes are, by definition, private rather than public. There will likely be fewer potential witnesses to a crime and perhaps no witnesses. Any friends or relatives present might lie or conceal information to protect themselves, someone else, or the victim.  

3. Home is supposed to be our safe place. A home break-in feels like a violation, and a killing in our home or neighbourhood threatens our sense of security.  

Me on the Home Sweet Homicide panel, perhaps contemplating a question 

 

     

My Book Launch is Planned

 

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I've picked the date and venue for the official launch of my new novel, A Killer Whisky. Tuesday, March 25th, in the RGO Treehouse at cSPACE, Marda Loop. The Treehouse is a whimsical name for the 4th-floor meeting room in Calgary's creative arts incubator. I held my last book launch in the Treehouse and the views are beautiful, especially at sunset. Thanks to the spring forward to daylight savings time, we'll be there again for sunset and twilight for A Killer Whisky's launch. 

City view from the Treehouse at twilight

Signing a copy of my book for a friend at my last launch

I'm planning a launch program similar to the ones at my last few book launches, with a twist. I'll do a PowerPoint presentation showing photographs related to A Killer Whisky's time frame and setting locations, interspersed with readings from the novel. Some photos will be images of Calgary circa 1918; others will be photos I've recently taken of 100-plus-year-old buildings featured in the story.    

A character in my novel moves into an apartment in the Hicks Block, Tuxedo Park. In the 1970s, the building was renamed the Kelly Block. My friend, writer and literary historian Shaun Hunter (crossing the street in the photo) will introduce me at the launch. 

It's customary at book launches to serve wine and light refreshments. Since "whisky" is in my novel's title and plays a large role in the story, a twist to the beverage service will be whisky instead of wine. Attendees can try a "wee dram" of whisky or a signature whisky cocktail. One of my tasks for the next month will be to develop cocktails named for my novel's characters. It's a tough job, but I'm up for the challenge. 
   

 

Another task will be to continue to work on online promotion to promote the book launch. If you missed Shaun's interview with me, check out her blog post.   

On Feb 22, 10 am PT, everyone's invited to my online reading and conversation with two other authors from Sisters in Crime Canada West. It's a free event, but you need to register here.

The week before my Calgary book launch, I'll get to practice my PowerPoint presentation at the Pincher Creek Library in Southern Alberta. I've titled this talk "War, Pandemic, & Prohibition: how historic events inspired my novel." Unfortunately, the library doesn't allow liquor service, so this event will reflect the novel's Prohibition theme.  

Cheers! I hope to raise a glass with some of you at these events. 

 

 

Planning a Book Launch

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My new novel, A Killer Whisky, was published in December. For my previous books, I've held book launches close to the release date, but December isn't generally a good month for these events. Booksellers who host launches are busy with Christmas sales and everyone is shopping and attending parties. They find it hard to fit an additional activity into their hectic schedules. 

So, I postponed my book launch event to the new year. Due to other commitments from January through mid-March, I'm looking at late March for the party. The period between now and then will be my soft launch and planning time. 

The first step is to settle on a venue and date. My local bookstore, Owl's Nest Books, doesn't have space in their premises for our hoped-for number of attendees. I'm considering a couple of options and waiting for more information and confirmation of the date.  

Next, I'll plan the launch program. The last few times, I've prepared PowerPoint presentations. I enjoy doing them and the 1918 setting of A Killer Whisky provides more scope than my contemporary novels. I'll discuss Calgary history in relation to the book and show archival photographs as well as photos I've taken on my visits to story locations. In the past, I've liked inserting readings from the novel along with an image of the scene's setting.  

I imagined one of these preserved 1912-13 Calgary workers' cottages as my novel protagonist's home 

It's customary at launches to serve wine and light refreshments. I had the idea to shake this up by serving whisky, which is in the novel's title and plays a large role in the story. But one venue I'm considering makes providing alcohol problematic. So, how about a Prohibition theme with virgin cocktails? Prohibition features prominently in the novel.  

Theme is key to a successful launch I learned from a speaker at a writers' festival last summer. The best launches create a vibe and atmosphere that brings the world of the story alive. Venue, decorations, activities, food, drink, and music chosen to fit the theme. I'll probably stop short of appearing in period dress. 

Unfortunately, my Roaring Twenties costume is a few years after A Killer Whisky's era

During this soft launch time, I've lined up some online happenings that build to the actual launch. First up is an interview by my friend Shaun Hunter, a Calgary writer and literary historian. You can read the interview, which includes historical photographs, on Shaun's website. 

In February, I'm scheduled to appear on BWL author J.Q. Rose's blog.  I'll also participate in an online discussion with two fellow Sisters in Crime writers in an event called Between the Covers.    

I'll keep my eyes open for other soft launch opportunities during these next two months of planning and preparation that are turning out to be less relaxing than I'd expected. 

Happy New Year