Murder Exit Stage Right by Joan Havelange

Murder is a hard act to follow. The small town of Glenhaven is hosting a drama festival. Sherman, an actor from the Glenhaven Players, dies in a questionable fashion. Was he the target, or is someone out to stop the drama festival? Egos get in the way of Mabel’s investigation.

Joan Havelange recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing her latest thriller, MURDER EXIT STAGE RIGHT:

Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?

The plot came first. I directed little theater for many years. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. This experience gave me the idea for my mystery.

Joan Havelange

What attracts you to this book’s genre?

Cozy mysteries have humor and puzzles. I like trying to figure out whodunit.

What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?

The biggest challenge was that I had five drama clubs, each performing a play. So I had to create five stories within the main mystery. And each club had actors. I needed to keep the actors interesting without getting the reader lost, trying to figure out who was who.

If your book is an anthology, what was the most important criteria in your selection process?

My cozy mystery is the fifth book in a series. But each book can stand alone. I have taken my protagonist to Egypt and northern Europe, where they have adventures with other cultures solving murders.

*****

Joan Havelange is a published author of four cozy mysteries. She has been writing fiction since her early twenties, beginning with romance stories, but found murder and mystery were a better fit. She is an accomplished actor and director of community theater, which contributes to her writing. Joan is a world traveler and enthusiastic golfer. She lives on the prairies and has three grown children.

To learn more about the author and her work, please visit her website.