A Mysterious Interview with Edward Lodi

The Third Black Beacon Book of Mystery will be released on the 18th of April (but the Kindle version is available for pre-order today at just $0.99 instead of $3.99) and to celebrate this new volume of detective mysteries guaranteed to put your little grey cells to work, we’re interviewing the contributing authors. Do you dare peer into their devious minds, where criminal masterminds battle brilliant sleuths, private eyes, and police detectives? Settle down in your favourite armchair and get ready to pit your wits against the finest voices penning mystery puzzles today!

Hi Edward,

It’s always tricky interviewing a mystery writer about a particular story because we don’t want to give anything away, but can you tell us (carefully) where the idea for your story came from? 

Oddly enough, I stumbled upon the idea for “Death Goes Gourmet” while researching for another story: “Lurking in the Shadows” (included in The Second Black Beacon Book of Mystery). The information garnered augmented what I already knew about the flora and fauna of southeastern Massachusetts, the setting for my story.

There are several sub-genres of mystery fiction, but the stories in this anthology are traditional fair-play mysteries in which the reader can try to solve the puzzle before all is revealed. What makes this kind of mystery so timeless? 

Readers of mystery fiction have curious minds. We enjoy being presented with a difficult problem and attempting to work out the solution for ourselves (the reason why mysteries with obvious solutions are no fun to read). We also enjoy the challenge of discovering the truth before the fictional detective does.

Do you have a favourite fictional detective?

I’ll go with the obvious: Sherlock Holmes. I never tire of re-reading the novels and short stories. Believing that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I’ve written a half dozen Holmes pastiches.

Is this the first mystery your protagonist has solved? 

No. Lena Lombardi has already appeared in six Cranberry Country Mystery novels (beginning with Marmalade and Murder) and one short story (the aforementioned “Lurking in the Shadows”).

If you were a detective, private investigator, or amateur sleuth, what would be your trademark quirk?

Well, I guess I’d be a little like Lena, poking my nose into other people’s crimes, while in my spare time indulging in fine wines.

Do you have a writing routine or particular requirements for a writing session?

Being inherently lazy, I have to prod myself into actually sitting down and getting to work. So, no routine.

What are you working on now?

I’m toying with ideas for a horror story and a “locked room” mystery.

Where can we find you online?

You can find me at https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BH4VZ6MB/about

Thanks for playing along!

Pirate Anthology: Edward Lodi

The Black Beacon Book of Pirates is sure to shiver your timbers when it's published on Friday the 21st of June. The Kindle version is already available for pre-order at just $1.99 instead of $3.99 and you can add the anthology to your Goodreads "want to read" list today. In the meantime, to get you in the mood for a spot of swashbuckling, we’re interviewing the contributing authors.

Hi Edward,

Why pirates?

Why not pirates? I was born, grew up, and live in Massachusetts, along the coast of which, beginning in the early 17th century, any number of pirates practiced their profession (sorry for the alliteration). Dixie Bull was the first, and many followed. My story, “Dungeon Rock,” was inspired by the historical Thomas Veale, although I had my pick of a least a dozen other notorious buccaneers.

Are there any pirate legends set where you live?

The story of the Wydah is probably the best known. The pirate flag ship was wrecked off the coast of Wellfleet on Cape Cod in 1717. Its wreckage was discovered in 1984. Since then more than 180,000 artifacts have been recovered.

If you were a pirate, what's the first thing you'd do?

If I was a pirate, the first thing I’d do is try to escape. Many crew members of pirate ships were innocent men captured by pirates and forced to choose between piracy and death. Philip Ashton was a young fisherman from Marblehead, Massachusetts. In 1722 he was captured off the coast of Nova Scotia by pirates led by Edward Low but refused to join them. He was beaten, threatened, and otherwise ill treated for nearly a year before he was able to escape onto a desert island off the coast of Honduras. He remained a castaway for 16 months before being rescued.

Have you ever found treasure?

Alas, I’ve never found treasure, though not for lack of trying when I was green and tender.

What do you do when you're not dreaming up tall tales?

Not much of anything. I lead a dull life compared to when I rove the seven seas in my imagination. Oops. My wife just reminded me that I’m happily married. Yes dear, I’ll put it in writing.

Where can readers contact you to tell you their timbers have been suitably shivered?

I can be found at edwardlodi@hotmail.com.

Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/275844.Edward_Lodi

Horror Anthology: An Interview with Edward Lodi

The Black Beacon Book of Horror will be released on Friday the 13th of October; the Kindle version is available for pre-order at just $1.99 instead of $3.99 and you can add the anthology to your Goodreads list today. To get you in the mood for a particularly spooky Halloween this year, we’re interviewing the contributing authors. The first Black Beacon Book of Horror is bound to give you the creeps!

Hi Edward,

Why do you write horror?

Human beings feel pain—often agonizing pain. They fear death and the loss of loved ones. Knowing their vulnerability to pain, and knowing the certainty of death in an uncaring universe, they seek solace—some in religion, others in philosophy. Others choose to confront their fears, to somehow allay them, by reading horror, and a few by writing it.

Is there a story behind your story in The Black Beacon Book of Horror?

At the age of twenty-one (many decades ago) I found myself in Puerto Rico participating in a program based on British Outward Bound training, the purpose of which is to teach survival techniques. One day a group of us rather foolishly decided to explore a recently discovered cave that had been uncovered by a small landslide. On the side of a mountain, the cave was accessed by lowering oneself down a narrow passage. Once inside the cave, we found ourselves ankle-deep in bat guano. But what I most vividly remember are the cave spiders, huge, the size of baseballs (or so it seemed). In all the years since, I have never encountered spiders that even came close to those suckers. As for setting: For many years my wife and I were frequent visitors to Maine. Friends of ours bought an old sea-captain’s house in Belfast and invited us to stay for a few days. The house, though not as isolated, is the inspiration for the house in my story.

Do you have a favourite horror story?

Childhood impressions last a lifetime. I would have to say Dracula.

What books did you grow up reading?

A voracious reader, I devoured hundreds of books. My fondest memories are of the science fiction magazines readily available in my youth.

Do you have any writing rituals?

No. I wish I did. I might then write more.

Tell us something we don't know about yourself.

I quit my job teaching English at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and for a brief period lived the life of a hippie in San Francisco. I loved San Francisco, and wearing shoulder-length hair, but had no interest in other aspects of the hippie “scene,” so I returned to Massachusetts, taught part-time for a couple of years at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, then (having only a Masters degree) became a social worker.

Thanks for answering our questions!

An Interview with Edward Lodi

The Second Black Beacon Book of Mystery will be released on the 8th of July (but the Kindle version is available for pre-order at just $1.99 instead of $3.99, and you can add it to your Goodreads list today) and to celebrate this new volume of short mysteries bound to get armchair detectives the world over donning their deerstalkers, we’re interviewing the contributing authors. Are you ready to glimpse the inner workings of these criminally clever minds? Sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the following interview—on second thoughts, don’t drink that!

Hi Edward,

It’s always tricky interviewing a mystery writer about a particular story because we don’t want to give anything away, but can you tell us (carefully) where the idea for your story came from?

I got the idea from a passing reference, in a book of nonfiction, on a tried-and-true but now forgotten (unless my story sparks new interest) way to commit murder.

There are several sub-genres of mystery fiction, but the stories in this anthology are traditional fair-play mysteries in which the reader can try to solve the puzzle before all is revealed. What makes this kind of mystery so timeless?

Who doesn’t enjoy a puzzle along with a challenge?

Give us one classic mystery writer you admire and one new talent (not from this anthology) readers ought to discover.

E. C. R. Lorac (Edith Caroline Rivett, 1894-1958). As for new talent, there are too many I could mention, so I’ll play it safe and give this one a pass.

Is this the first mystery your protagonist has solved?

No. Lena has appeared in a series of six Cranberry Country Mystery novels, beginning with Marmalade and Murder. ‘Lurking in the Shadows’ is her first short story.

If you were a detective, private investigator, investigative journalist, or amateur sleuth, what would be your trademark quirk?

A fondness for, and over indulgence in, fine wines.

Have you ever solved a real-life mystery?

No. I still can’t locate my keys.

How important is setting to you in your writing? Have you lived or visited where your story is set?

Setting is very important. I try to include as much local color in my mystery and horror fiction as is possible. I grew up on the cranberry bogs of Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts. From the age of thirteen until thirty I worked on weekends, and during school vacations, including summers, from high school through grad school, and afterwards when I was teaching. I’ve got cranberry juice in my veins. Or is it ditch water?

What do you aim to give your readers?

Entertainment, and information if I can work it in.

What are you working on now?

A short mystery story set in 17-century New England.

Where can we find you online? 

Hiding.

Thanks for playing along. Enjoy the tea!

This tea tastes funny. 

Poppycock...there's nothing wrong with it. Drink up!