Fancy Meets Cozy

Hi there,

With A Macaron to Die For out in the world, I thought I’d share a little more about one of the things I enjoyed while writing it.

Willowby has always been a fairly down-to-earth sort of place. The Velvet Scone is welcoming rather than fancy, people know what they like, and there are plenty of regulars who would probably notice immediately if Iris changed so much as the brand of tea she served.

Macarons felt quite different from a lot of the treats I’ve written about in the series so far. They’re colourful and delicate, they have a bit of a reputation for being difficult to make, and there is something undeniably fancy about a beautiful box of them.

I loved bringing a little of that into Willowby and seeing how it fitted alongside the more familiar rhythms of the town.

Because the funny thing about small towns is that even the smallest change can get people talking. Something new opens, somebody tries doing things differently, or a new face appears, and suddenly everyone has an opinion. Most of those opinions will probably be shared over coffee at The Velvet Scone.

That makes it great fun for me as a mystery writer, because change also gives Tamsin a reason to pay attention. She is naturally curious anyway, but when people start behaving differently or conversations stop when she walks into the room, she is never going to simply shrug and get on with her day.

I think that is part of what keeps Willowby interesting for me after so many books. It is familiar enough to feel like somewhere I know, but there are always new people to meet, new stories to uncover, and new ways for Tamsin to find herself involved in something that really should be Cal’s problem.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this slightly fancier visit to Willowby.

And now I’m curious. If you walked into The Velvet Scone and there was a plate of macarons beside a plate of freshly baked scones, which one would you reach for first?

With tea and curiosity,

Andie 🫖