The Corpse Who Knew Too Much

Debra Sennefelder on how she wrote the book The Corpse Who Knew Too Much.

I’m delighted to share my new release with you today, The Corpse Who Knew Too Much. Seeing this book release amazes me. I can’t believe it’s the fourth book in the Food Blogger Mystery series. It seems it was only yesterday when I sat down at the computer to write the series’s first book. I had an idea, the main character, and the support of my critique partner.

Little did I know the idea I had for a mystery series revolving around a food blogger would lead me to fulfill my dream of becoming a published author. Born and raised in New York City, I fell in love with writing while in elementary school. I continued to write stories as a hobby.

After I married and moved to Connecticut, I decided to try and write a book. The mystery I wrote was promptly rejected by agents, and I tucked the manuscript away for a few years. We made another move to a town where we still live today, and I found a writing community.

I took writing classes, became involved in critique groups, and wrote several romantic suspense manuscripts. About this time, I also discovered blogging and started a food blog. I immediately fell in love with the medium. I loved cooking and baking and writing. It was a perfect combination for me. Soon, I was finding far more satisfaction in blogging than fiction writing. But after a few years, I missed writing stories. I missed creating characters, and I missed the writing community.

I decided to ease back into fiction writing, and I found a critique partner. We worked through several manuscripts. We both were writing romantic suspense. Then one day, I realized that I needed to decide whether I was a blogger or a writer.

Juggling working, blogging, writing, and life, in general, was becoming too overwhelming. After some careful consideration, I closed my food blog and went all-in with writing. I also decided to dust off that old mystery manuscript I had in the drawer.

I loved the main character, Hope Early, so I decided to keep her and several of the original characters for the new book, The Uninvited Corpse. Hope was now a food blogger living back in her hometown. Writing the book felt right to me. It felt like where I should have been all along.

In 2016, I signed with an agent. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving that year, I was offered a three-book contract by Kensington Publishers. Since then, I’ve gone on to sell a second series, The Resale Boutique Mystery series.

The fourth book in the Food Blogger Mystery series is The Corpse Who Knew Too Much, and it was inspired by my interest in podcasts.

For the past year, I have really gotten into listening to them during the day. I usually have them playing when I’m doing chores around the house, such as laundry cleaning gardening. I’ll also listen to podcasts while I’m out walking.

There are a whole bunch of podcasts on my phone, from writing to marketing to true crime.

True crime podcasts are very intriguing. My favorite ones draw me in from the music to the tone of the host’s voice to the editing to create an atmosphere that pulls you in and keeps you listening.

When I was thinking of story ideas for The Corpse Who Knew Too Much, I knew I wanted the book to revolve around a cold case and a podcast. It took a little time, but I came up with a twenty-year-old missing person’s case. I also came up with the idea of a podcast that was hosted by the missing woman’s daughter.

Some of my favorite scenes in the book include snippets from the podcast. Weaving those snippets into the book was a lot of fun, and I feel it adds a layer of foreboding to the story.

About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companion is her slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Connie.

About the Book

The Corpse Who Knew Too Much A Food Blogger Mystery Book 4 by Debra Sennefelder
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Synopsis

Food blogger Hope Early takes on a cold case that’s heating up fast . . .

Building on her recipe for success with her food blog, Hope at Home, Hope is teaching her first blogging class at the local library in Jefferson, Connecticut. She’s also learning about podcasts, including a true-crime one called Search for the Missing, hosted by Hope’s childhood friend, Devon Markham. Twenty years ago on Valentine’s Day, right here in Jefferson, Devon’s mom disappeared and was never found. Finally, Devon has returned to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother—and she asks Hope to help.

The next day Hope discovers Devon’s apartment has been ransacked. Her laptop with the research on her mother’s cold case is missing, and Devon is nowhere to be found. When her friend’s body is later discovered in a car wreck, Hope is convinced it’s no accident. Clearly, Devon was too close to the truth, and the cold-blooded killer is still at large in Jefferson. Now it’s up to Hope to find the guilty party—before the food blogger herself becomes the next subject of another true-crime podcast . . .

Includes Recipes from Hope’s Kitchen!

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