Interview: Leslie Wheeler, author of Wolf Bog

An award-winning author of books about American history and biographies, Leslie Wheeler has written two mystery series. Her Berkshire Hilltown Mysteries launched with Rattlesnake Hill and continue with Shuntoll Road and Wolf Bog. Her Miranda Lewis Living History Mysteries debuted with Murder at Plimoth Plantation and continue with Murder at Gettysburg and Murder at Spouters Point. Her mystery short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. Leslie is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and a founding member of the New England Crime Bake Committee. She divides her time between Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Berkshires, where she writes in a house overlooking a pond.

 

When did you know you wanted to be an author? 

I knew I wanted to be an author when I was in elementary school after a brief flirtation with the idea of becoming a ballerina. I gave up that idea because I wasn’t coordinated enough. Writing, on the other hand, was something that I enjoyed and that I was good at. I loved telling stories and listening to others tell them. I either wrote the stories down or sang them while swinging on a swing—a favorite outdoor activity—or riding in the car. I sang made-up songs to keep my spirits up when my mother drove me to appointments with an orthodontist, who was not a nice person. 

Which part of the research did you enjoy the most? 

The part of the research I enjoyed the most was visiting a site that figures in the novel. As the title, Wolf Bog, suggests, important action takes place at a bog. Although there’s a large area of wetlands with lakes and a swamp in my Berkshire town of New Marlborough, Massachusetts upon which my fictional town is based, there are no bogs. Fortunately, I found one, the Hawley Bog, which is located just across the border in Franklin County. Hawley bog consists of a large expanse of floating plant matter, mostly sphagnum moss, that’s apparently 30-feet deep. It’s called a quaking bog, because it actually moves, though thankfully I felt no earthquake-strength tremors as I strolled along the boardwalk that extends into it. Interspersed with the plant matter, I saw patches of black water—black because that’s the color of bog soil, or peat. Carnivorous plants like the dark purple pitcher plant that lures its insect prey with its brilliant color only to trap and devour it also caught my attention. These plants rely on insects for nourishment that the highly acidic peat doesn’t provide. All in all, it was fascinating to view such a distinctive landscape. 

What inspired you to create your “hero”?

I had to create a new hero for what became my Berkshire Hilltown Mystery series when the hero of my previous series turned down the job. This happened in a scene where she was supposed to kiss a certain man, and flat-out refused. When I got over my shock—after all, I was supposed to be in charge here—I realized it was her way of telling me she didn’t belong in the book, and I needed to create another character for my hero. Thus, was born Kathryn Stinson, a woman in her early thirties with a somewhat troubled past, who works as a curator of prints and photographs at a small private library in Boston, a position a neighbor of mine held. In the first book in the series, Rattlesnake Hill, she comes to the Berkshires on a deeply personal quest, involving an old family photo, only to fall for a possible murderer. And that possible murderer is the man she kisses! 

What would you define as literary success? 

I would definite literary success as gaining recognition from authors I admire, having a large following among the reading public, and of course, selling lots of books. 

So, you're an author. Which authors do you enjoy reading? 

As a mystery author, I tend to read lots of books in the genre. Favorite authors include Daphne du Maurier, Sharyn McCrumb, Ann Cleeves (especially her Shetland series), Hallie Ephron, Barbara Ross, Edwin Hill, Sarah Smith, and William Martin. Non-mystery authors I enjoy are Jane Austen, Edith Wharton (especially her two Berkshire novels, Summer and Ethan Frome) and Ann Patchett (for her essays as well as novels).

Thanks for visiting with us!

Wolf Bog

by Leslie Wheeler

July 1-31, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

It’s August in the Berkshires, and the area is suffering from a terrible drought. As wetlands dry up, the perfectly preserved body of a local man, missing for forty years, is discovered in Wolf Bog by a group of hikers that includes Kathryn Stinson. Who was he and what was his relationship with close friend Charlotte Hinckley, also on the hike, that would make Charlotte become distraught and blame herself for his death? Kathryn’s search for answers leads her to the discovery of fabulous parties held at the mansion up the hill from her rental house, where local teenagers like the deceased mingled with the offspring of the wealthy. Other questions dog the arrival of a woman claiming to be the daughter Charlotte gave up for adoption long ago. But is she really Charlotte’s daughter, and if not, what’s her game? Once again, Kathryn’s quest for the truth puts her in grave danger.

Praise for Wolf Bog:

“Wheeler’s deep sense of place—the Berkshires—illuminates a deftly woven plot and a quirky cast of characters that will keep you glued to the pages until the last stunning revelation. It’s always a pleasure to be in the hands of a pro.”

Kate Flora, Edgar and Anthony nominated author

“When a long-lost teenager turns up dead, a cold case turns into hot murder. A deliciously intriguing Berkshire mystery.”

Sarah Smith, Agatha Award-winning author
of The Vanished Child and Crimes and Survivors

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery/Amateur Sleuth/Suspense
Published by: Encircle Publishing
Publication Date: July 6, 2022
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 164599385X (ISBN-13: 978-1645993858)
Series: A Berkshire Hilltown Mystery, #3
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Read an excerpt:

Charlotte’s brow furrowed as she stared at the bog. “There’s something down there. A dead animal or…?” She raised her binoculars to get a better look.

“Where?” Wally asked. She pointed to a spot on the peat at the edge of the water. Wally had barely lifted his binoculars when Charlotte cried, “Oh, my God, it’s a body!” And took off toward it.

“No, don’t go there!” Wally grabbed at her, but she eluded him. When Charlotte was almost to the body−−if that’s what it was−−she began to sink into the bog. She waved her arms and twisted her legs, trying desperately to get out, but her struggles only made her sink deeper.

Kathryn’s heart seized. They had to rescue Charlotte, but how without getting stuck themselves? Brushing past Wally, Steve started down the slope. Wally caught him, pulled him back, and handed him over to Hal Phelps. “You stay put. Everyone else, too. I’ve had experience hiking around this bog, and I think I can get her out. Stop struggling and try to keep calm,” he called down to Charlotte. “Help is on the way.”

Wally made his way carefully to where Charlotte stood, caught in the mire. He tested each step before putting his full weight on it, backtracking when he deemed the ground too soft. When he was a few yards away, he stopped.

“This is as far as I can safely come,” he told Charlotte. He extended his hiking pole and she grabbed it. Then, on his instructions, she slowly and with great effort lifted first one leg, then the other out of the muck and onto the ground behind her. Wally guided her back to the others, following the same zigzag pattern he’d made when descending. Charlotte went with him reluctantly. She kept glancing back over her shoulder at what she’d seen at the water’s edge.

Kathryn trained her binoculars on that spot. Gradually an image came into focus. A body was embedded in the peat. The skin was a dark, reddish brown, but otherwise, it was perfectly preserved. Bile rose in her throat.

Charlotte moved close to Kathryn. “You see him, don’t you?” Her face was white, her eyes wide and staring.

“See who?” Wally demanded.

“Denny,” Charlotte said. “You must’ve seen him, too.”

“I saw something that appears to be a body, but--” Wally said.

“So there really is a dead person down there?” Betty asked.

“It looks that way,” Wally said grimly. “But let’s not panic. I’m going to try to reach Chief Lapsley, though I doubt I’ll get reception here. We’ll probably have to leave the area before I can.”

“We can’t just leave Denny here to die,” Charlotte wailed.

“Charlotte,” Wally said with a pained expression, “whoever is down there is already dead.”

She flinched, as if he’d slapped her across the face. “No! I’m telling you Denny’s alive.” She glared at him, then her defiant expression changed to one of uncertainty. “Dead or alive, I’m to blame. I’m staying here with him.”

***

Excerpt from Wolf Bog by Leslie Wheeler. Copyright 2022 by Leslie Wheeler. Reproduced with permission from Leslie Wheeler. All rights reserved.

 

 

Catch Up With Leslie:

www.LeslieWheeler.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @lesliewheeler1
Twitter - @Leslie_Wheeler
Facebook - @LeslieWheelerAuthor

 

 

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