Interview with Ellen Crosby

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published?

Ellen Crosby photo by
Jackie Briggs

My most recent book, which was released in November 2018, is called Harvest of Secrets—the 9th book in the Virginia wine country mystery series. The tenth book, The Angels’ Share, will be out this November. In all, I have published 13 books—two series and a standalone.


How did you develop your character and choose your location?
Lucie Montgomery, who is the main character in the Virginia wine country mystery series, was only supposed to be around for one book: The Merlot Murders. I wanted a character with a strong personality; someone young and spunky. Now nearly twenty years and ten books later, I rely on the advice of my daughters-in-law, who are (much) nearer Lucie’s age than I am!

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As for choosing the location—Virginia wine country—that story starts in London where we lived for five years in the mid-1990s. One summer when we returned to the US for a visit, a colleague of my husband’s decided we needed to see the Virginia vineyards after years of living in Europe and traveling through the wine regions of France, Switzerland, and Italy.

We spent a glorious summer day visiting several vineyards, which was when I fell in love with the scenery and beauty of Virginia. Back in London, I mentioned the trip to my British literary agent who thought it was a fabulous setting for a book, specifically a book that I needed to write. I finally let her talk me into writing it—I knew nothing about growing grapes or making wine—though I told her, “Okay, but I’m only writing one book.”

For a review of Harvest of Secrets, click here.

What is a day in the life of an author like? Do you write a certain number of words, do you write in the morning or evening?
As any serious author will tell you, if you’re a writer you write. It’s not about waiting for the muse to strike or the fairy dust to settle on your shoulders and inspire you. The longer I am in this business, the more I try to guard my writing time like it is a precious jewel so I make sure I get my books written and turned in on time to my editor. It’s too easy to get lost in social networking, marketing, or even to accept every invitation you receive to give a book talk—all of which are also necessary components of a writing career.

These days—and now that my husband has retired—I spend my mornings taking care of personal and family matters, writing business obligations, a trip to the gym, and anything else that is on my calendar. I write in the afternoons—closer to the book deadline I’ll write 7 days a week—and don’t quit until I’ve written at least 1,000 words.

Do you model your character after yourself or any one you know?
Since I thought Lucie was only going to be around for one book, I didn’t really create her based on anyone I knew. I knew I wanted The Merlot Murders to begin in France and have an international “hook” so I made Lucie half-French and introduced her when she was living in the south of France and recovering from an automobile accident that left her with a limp and requiring a cane to get around.

If your books were made into a movie, who would you want to play the lead character?
Someone young and spunky like Emma Watson or Lily James.

Who is your favorite author?
Not a fair question! Too many to name.

If you could invite five people – living or dead – to a dinner party, who would they be?
Actually, I’d want to invite 6 people: my husband, three sons, and two daughters-in-law. (Soon there will be a seventh, a new grandchild!) With one son and daughter-in-law living in Germany and another living in Utah (thank goodness our youngest son lives nearby), getting together—all of us—is so rare. We stay in touch regularly and are a close-knit family but nothing beats having everyone at home together, especially around the dinner table. Besides, we are also a family of cooks, so the meal would be special, too.

If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?
Being an author came late in life for me, after my older sons left for college. Previously I worked as a journalist in the US and the former Soviet Union, which I loved, and before that I was the economic advisor to a United States Senator for five years until my husband’s job took us to Switzerland in the 1980s. I loved both my pre-author careers—they were fascinating and fast-paced.

Have you had your own DNA tested?
As a former journalist, I always do my homework! So, since DNA testing was part of the story in Harvest of Secrets, of course I had my DNA tested. Unlike Lucie, though, there were no surprises