Ask the Author: Beth Groundwater
Answered Questions (13)
Beth Groundwater
It's 2050, and we did almost nothing to combat the human-caused climate change crisis in the past. Miami, New Orleans, San Diego, New York City and so many other USA coastal cities drowned from the rising oceans filled by melting glaciers, creating millions of climate refugees.
Beth Groundwater
I was a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy books in high school and college, so I would love to visit the mythical worlds described in Tolkien's books (except maybe Mordor!).
Beth Groundwater
I'm in a book club, and my club is reading the following during the summer: Tomboy Bride by Harriet Bacus, The Rocks by Peter Nichols and Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf. I also hope to catch up on some of my favorite mystery writers' series and some other books on my Goodreads to-read list, such as A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, and The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko.
Beth Groundwater
I'm very active right now in leading a campaign to convince the Breckenridge Town Council to commit to being a 100% renewable energy city. Any time there are competing priorities for a government's limited resources (Breckenridge is also busy building a new water plant, fixing parking and transportation issues, and building workforce housing, among other projects), then tensions can arise between people who have different goals and want their government to spend money on different things. I can envision (in a fictional world only, hopefully) those tensions rising to the level of violence...and murder.
Beth Groundwater
Claire and Roger Hanover, the gift basket designer in one of my two mystery series, and her husband. Of course, I like these two, since I created them and have lived with them in my head while writing three books about them. But, I also admire their deep and abiding love for each other that, while not overly demonstrative, gets them through all sorts of difficulties and doubts in their relationship and relationships with others who are close to them. They're also not very glamorous, down-to-earth, middle-aged people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and manage to find deep strengths in themselves that get them through those difficulties.
Beth Groundwater
Thanks for the question, Charlene. I recommend you start with the http://stopyourekillingme.com/ site, to find mystery series featuring protagonists in outdoor occupations, then send Goodreads friend requests to the authors who write those series. As far as I know, there isn't an environmental mystery group on Goodreads, but you could always start one, then encourage those other authors to join and invite readers from general mystery reading groups. Also, once you befriend those other authors, ask them if they know of other environmentally-oriented mystery authors. For example, William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor series isn't blatantly environmental, but you can tell from reading his books that he loves the Minnesota outdoors. A way to connect in-person is at mystery cons, such as Left Coast Crime and Malice Domestic. You can always propose to the program organizers that they include a panel on environmental mysteries. Good luck with making your connections!
Beth Groundwater
Hi William,
I hope you are enjoying reading Deadly Currents! It is a good book to start with, since it is the first in my 3-book RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. It was also an Amazon bestseller soon after its release and is still the most popular of my books. I hope you like it well enough to read the next two books in the series, Wicked Eddies (#2) and Fatal Descent (#3). Then, you can move on to my Gift Basket Designer series! :)
I hope you are enjoying reading Deadly Currents! It is a good book to start with, since it is the first in my 3-book RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. It was also an Amazon bestseller soon after its release and is still the most popular of my books. I hope you like it well enough to read the next two books in the series, Wicked Eddies (#2) and Fatal Descent (#3). Then, you can move on to my Gift Basket Designer series! :)
Beth Groundwater
Hi Jessica,
Thanks so much for your interest in my books and for for not-so-patiently waiting for the next one, but I'm sorry to say your waiting likely will be in vain. For a variety of reasons, I have decided to lay down my writing pen (or keyboard) and become fully immersed in the retirement lifestyle of Summit County, Colorado (which is why we moved here, after all). I'm busy with outdoor sports (skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and hiking and biking in the summer), socializing, volunteering and travel, mostly in the spring and fall. I worked so hard the last few years, with two book releases each in 2011-2013, that I burned out a little. So, I'm "refilling the creative well," as we writers like to express it. I've told my agent that if we get a TV/movie offer for either series, I'm ready and willing to jump back in to either one. And, if an idea for a new project nags at me, I'm willing to listen. For now, though, I'm happy where I am and am not missing the writing--yet.
Thanks so much for your interest in my books and for for not-so-patiently waiting for the next one, but I'm sorry to say your waiting likely will be in vain. For a variety of reasons, I have decided to lay down my writing pen (or keyboard) and become fully immersed in the retirement lifestyle of Summit County, Colorado (which is why we moved here, after all). I'm busy with outdoor sports (skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and hiking and biking in the summer), socializing, volunteering and travel, mostly in the spring and fall. I worked so hard the last few years, with two book releases each in 2011-2013, that I burned out a little. So, I'm "refilling the creative well," as we writers like to express it. I've told my agent that if we get a TV/movie offer for either series, I'm ready and willing to jump back in to either one. And, if an idea for a new project nags at me, I'm willing to listen. For now, though, I'm happy where I am and am not missing the writing--yet.
Beth Groundwater
Yes, Nancy, I do tend to read similar books around the same time. In between the "heavy" books by Shreve and Picoult, though, I'm also reading light mysteries by Tim Cockey, Donna Andrews, and Alan Bradley. Robert Crais is a great author. Thanks for the reminder that I need to get back to him, too!
Beth Groundwater
Hi Barb,
Thank you so much for patiently waiting, but I'm sorry to say your waiting likely will be in vain. For a variety of reasons, I have decided to lay down my writing pen (or keyboard) and become fully immersed in the retirement lifestyle of Summit County, Colorado (which is why we moved here, after all). I'm busy with outdoor sports (skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and hiking and biking in the summer), socializing, volunteering and travel, mostly in the spring and fall. I worked so hard the last few years, with two book releases each in 2011-2013, that I burned out a little. So, I'm "refilling the creative well," as we writers like to express it. I've told my agent that if we get a TV/movie offer for either series, I'm ready and willing to jump back in to either one. And, if an idea for a new project nags at me, I'm willing to listen. For now, though, I'm happy where I am and am not missing the writing--yet.
Thank you so much for patiently waiting, but I'm sorry to say your waiting likely will be in vain. For a variety of reasons, I have decided to lay down my writing pen (or keyboard) and become fully immersed in the retirement lifestyle of Summit County, Colorado (which is why we moved here, after all). I'm busy with outdoor sports (skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and hiking and biking in the summer), socializing, volunteering and travel, mostly in the spring and fall. I worked so hard the last few years, with two book releases each in 2011-2013, that I burned out a little. So, I'm "refilling the creative well," as we writers like to express it. I've told my agent that if we get a TV/movie offer for either series, I'm ready and willing to jump back in to either one. And, if an idea for a new project nags at me, I'm willing to listen. For now, though, I'm happy where I am and am not missing the writing--yet.
Beth Groundwater
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Beth Groundwater
Talking to avid readers! I especially like to be invited to talk to book clubs who have chosen one of my books to discuss. I will come in person to those who meet within a 45 minute drive from where I live, and for others, I will Skype or speakerphone into the meeting. If you prefer using another kind of technology, I'm sure we can work that out, too. I don't charge anything for visiting with book clubs. I'm happy if the members buy copies of my books!
Beth Groundwater
My most recently published book is A Basket of Trouble, the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer series. I love participating in outdoor activities in my home state of Colorado, and I love learning more about them and writing about them. For Claire's third book, I wanted to take her back to her hometown of Colorado Springs, and horseback riding, especially in the Garden of the Gods park on the west side, is a popular activity there. So, I wanted to include horseback riding in the book. And, since Claire needs a personal reason to snoop around a murder scene, such as a family member being in danger, I decided to involve her brother Charley, by having him move his trail riding business to Colorado Springs. That business, and Charley's livelihood, is threatened by the discovery of the body of a dead wrangler in the stall of Charley's favorite horse. So, of course, Claire has to stick her nose in!
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