Like her characters, Elizabeth Spann Craig’s roots are in a small, Southern town.  She grew up in Anderson, South Carolina, where she spent most of her childhood in the county library, staggering out with books by the armful.

 Her magazine articles have appeared in both England and the United States.

 She’s the mother of two and currently lives in Matthews, North Carolina.  Between juggling room mom duties, refereeing play dates, and being dragged along as chaperone/hostage on field trips, she dreams of dark and stormy nights beside stacks of intriguing mysteries with excellent opening lines. 

Elizabeth Spann Craig Review

(2009) Pretty Is As Pretty Dies

Myrtle Clover, an 80-something retired English teacher, is unhappy with her son Red, the police chief in Bradley NC, when he signs her up as a church volunteer. He’s trying to keep her occupied and out of his hair. But if he thinks volunteering is going to keep his mother out of his police investigations, he’s got another think coming. In fact, on her first venture into the church, she discovers the body of Parke Stockard, beaned with a collection plate. This is just what Myrtle has been waiting for: an opportunity to show Red and everyone else in Bradley that she’s not ready to be put on the shelf just because she’s old.

One of the hallmarks of classic cozy mysteries is a victim who is little known or especially obnoxious … and in Parke Stockard, Ms. Craig has created a truly splendid victim. Absolutely no one liked her. That means Myrtle has a lot of suspects to choose from … so many that she decides she must enlist her very own Dr. Watson to do some of the grunt work of investigation. She opts for a new neighbor, a handsome older gentleman (although at least a decade younger than Myrtle) whom all the ladies in town are openly flirting with.

Although I love older women as protagonists, I hate stereotypes. Myrtle is certainly NOT a stereotypical little, old lady. She’s more Agatha Raisin than Jane Marple … a curmudgeon who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. And she recognizes the benefits of being an older woman and is not above playing the “old lady card” to get her way. She’s oblivious to the rolling eyes she leaves in her wake. What a great leading lady!

Pretty Is As Pretty Dies is a wonderful cozy mystery: solidly written, well plotted and funny. Long live Myrtle Clover!

Tell us a little about Delicious and Suspicious.  Delicious and Suspicious is the first book in the Memphis Barbeque series from Berkley Prime Crime and it releases July 6^th.  It’s written under my pen name, Riley Adams. My idea was to have a funny, fast read with an engaging whodunit puzzle and characters you want to spend some time with. When a food scout from a cable cooking channel is murdered, barbeque restaurant owner Lulu Taylor takes it personally: she served the scout's last meal. Danger lurks as Lulu investigates the crime. Will she clear the restaurant's name, or is she the next to be skewered?

What part does the city of Memphis play in your mystery?  Memphis is a fantastic town and I had a lot of fun researching the book by hanging out on Beale Street, eating barbeque and listening to blues music. I worked in the delicious aromas, sounds, and excitement that I felt there into the book.  And, of course, writing in the beautiful Peabody Hotel and the famous Peabody Hotel ducks was also a treat.

This is billed as a culinary mystery.  How does food figure into the book?  It’s hard to have a book based in Memphis, Tennessee, and not try not to include it!  Lulu is a fantastic cook and she’s not above using her culinary skills to lull a suspect into giving her a little information. Oh, and of course the book includes some lip-smacking recipes for some Southern-style cooking. have food featured. I didn’t even

 I’m part of a food blog with five other food-loving mystery authors at http://mysteryloverskitchen.com. There’s an amazing connection between cozy mysteries and food and we’re having a great time exploring it and sharing recipes with each other and our readers.  The blog will be a year old this summer.

What turns a mild-mannered, barbeque-restaurant-owning grandma into an amateur sleuth?  Lulu Taylor may seem mild-mannered, but if you mess with her restaurant or her family, you’d better look out.  She’s determined to protect her family from suspicion in the murder investigation by finding out who the killer is, herself. And, preferably, before he strikes again.

What drew you to write mysteries and what’s a typical writing day like for you?  I’ve always been a huge mystery fan.  I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden before graduating to Agatha Christie’s books.  To this day my favorite way to relax is to snuggle down with a good mystery at the end of the day.

My writing days are anything but typical. As a busy mom with an ever-changing, child-centered schedule, I write on the go and whenever I can grab a few minutes.  I plan ahead the night before by briefly sketching out what I want to cover the next day and where I left off with the story.  That mini-outline helps me to write wherever I am the next day—sitting in the carpool line outside the school, sitting in a doctor’s office, or waiting to pick up my child from an after-school activity.

What are you working on now? The second book of the Memphis Barbeque series is now in production and I’m currently writing the third.  Between exploring these characters and exploring new recipes, life just doesn’t get any better.