Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work.
Today: History. Mystery. Heroines worth falling for.
From windswept battlefields to candlelit conspiracies, Edale Lane crafts sapphic historical fiction, mysteries, and fantasy brimming with action, romance, and intrigue. An award-winning author with an MA in history, she brings every era to life with rich detail, unforgettable women, and stories where love and danger walk hand in hand.
Edale Lane lives in beautiful British Columbia with her long-time partner and adorable dog, Piper. When she isn’t writing, you might find her cooking, playing a video game, or enjoying the outdoors.
Thanks so much, Edale, for joining me!
J. Scott Coatsworth: What was your first published work? Tell me a little about it.
Edale Lane: Edale Lane’s first published novel was Heart of Sherwood, which won the Rainbow Award for best historical lesbian romance 2018-2019. It places the Robin Hood story directly at the center of English history, with the twist that Robyn is a woman who disguises herself as a boy to hide from the Sheriff of Nottingham. You might recognize elements of all the Robin Hood movies, along with some original characters and plot details. One of these is Eleanor of Aquitaine’s prominent supporting role.
JSC: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
EL: Don’t worry; everything will work out. It doesn’t matter what other people think, say or do. You are completely in charge of your own destiny and can do and be whatever you want. All those things you dream about? They are already yours, just waiting for the right year, decade, or stage in life to manifest. So just chill out! All is well.
JSC: Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?
EL: I write in two primary genres, often delightfully mixing them. Historical fiction (with a fantasy flair) and mysteries have both captured my attention and constantly inspired me with new stories. I try to balance by writing a few of each every year. In doing so, I’ve developed three followings: one for contemporary mystery/suspense, one for historical fiction/fantasy/mystery, and—my favorite group—those who enjoy reading everything I write.
JSC: How did you choose the topic for Snowbound with Murder?
EL: Snowbound with Murder is book 13 in the Lessons in Murder series that follows Detective Jenna Ferrari and Professor Randi McLeod (now her pregnant wife). Coming up with unique plots is getting trickier by the book. So, I ran searches for lists of mystery novel tropes, themes, crimes, and plot devices, and spotted one I haven’t used yet—the secluded-location murder, ala Agatha Christie. In all the other books, Jenna has her team, the medical examiner, the lab, and a host of resources at her disposal. This time, she doesn’t. Add the tension of knowing Randi is in danger with a killer trapped at the rest area with the innocent travelers, and the stakes couldn’t get higher.
EL: I hire an artist for my historical fiction/fantasy covers because I want that human-hand touch, the sweeping, epic scene, the one-of-a-kind feel. But when I look at comps for contemporary mystery and suspense, such covers don’t abound as they do in the historical and fantasy genres. I’m able to save a considerable amount of money (though it’s totally earned) by creating those covers myself. I use BookBrush and Deposit Photos to merge licensed images, backgrounds, and fonts into my own original designs. For this one, I scoured hundreds of wintry scenes and lodge-style buildings until deciding on these. Then, through the magic of BookBrush, I blended the snowy pine tree border with the rest area building and added the established series fonts for a cover depicting the novel’s setting.
JSC: What character gave you fits and fought against you? Did that character cause trouble because you weren’t listening and missed something important about them?
EL: Renita, Jenna’s mother, sometimes causes me distress—not because I’m not listening to her, but because I am. Growing up in conservative, Bible Belt country, I know her well. Women like her have surrounded me for much of my life, trying their best to shape and influence me into their ideal. Every time I start to write a Lessons in Murder volume, I think, “Maybe this time I can win her over, and she’ll come around,” and each time I realize that it won’t happen. You see, Renita is a product of her upbringing, the time and prevailing attitudes of her formative years, and her staunch religious beliefs. Obedience to her husband and church was driven into her like nails into a plank, and she carries a load of unresolved guilt. She loves Jenna, but being alright with having a daughter married to a woman who’s bringing a baby into their family is several bridges too far for her to travel.
JSC: What secondary character would you like to explore more? Tell me about them.
EL: Caleb Brewer is a neurodiverse young man who gets stranded at the rest area with Jenna, Randi, and the others. He’s odd, nervous, anxious to get out, uncomfortable around even small crowds—and he’s a suspect. A skinny fellow with a too-big coat, he clings to his electronic tablet like a life preserver. It turns out that Caleb works a remote-from-home job to earn money but is really a visionary artist. We never hear his story, why he’s the way he is. Was it childhood trauma, or is he on the autism spectrum? Does he have an anxiety disorder or mental illness? He has a driver’s license and graduated from high school, yet he doesn’t behave like other young men his age. Caleb said his mother insisted he was “average.” Randi thinks he’s extraordinary. Jenna worries he might be the murderer.
JSC: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
EL: So many things! A soldier, a farmer, a veterinarian, a musician. I even entertained the idea of truck driving—thought it was something I could do. While I always wrote stories, I didn’t consider writing as a serious career choice until later in life, partly because my creative writing teacher didn’t find me particularly creative. But in high school, I zeroed in on band director. Sadly, it didn’t happen. Instead, I wound up teaching history for many years … did have a farm, still play the French horn, operated a profitable LLC trucking sole proprietorship, and both of my children served in the US Army. Now, as a successful full-time author, I can look back and smile. No, I didn’t go to vet school, but I’ve always enjoyed animals as a part of my life.
JSC: What are some day jobs that you have held? If any of them impacted your writing, share an example.
EL: I have held jobs as a private music teacher, a choir director, an instrumentalist, a private school teacher, a public school teacher, an after-school tutor, a Graduate Assistant, a Home Depot associate, a Kaplan Test Prep teacher/director, and an over-the-road truck driver. From this plethora of employment, the one that has impacted my writing most was that of an over-the-road truck driver. It was the only job on this list that allowed me to make money and afforded me ample time to write. Now I’m twice retired and a full-time author, doing what I love.
JSC: What action would your name be if it were a verb?
EL: FLY!
JSC: What are you working on now, and what’s coming out next? Tell us about it!
EL: I’m currently working on a sapphic sports romance set in the 2026 Olympics. What sport, you ask? Curling! No balls, skis, skates, or pucks—this is chess on ice! Skip Brielle Mackenzie, Canada’s darling ice queen, is gunning for gold when, three days before their first match, her lead gets knocked out with an injury. Now everything hinges on Shay Everhart, the alternate nobody from the middle-of-nowhere British Columbia. If Brie can overcome her anxiety over having a trusted teammate replaced by a virtual stranger, she might discover that Shay is just the draw she needs to win true gold.
And now for Edale’s new book: Snowbound with Murder:
Outside, a storm. Inside, a killer. Book 13 in the Lessons in Murder series, by award-winning, best-selling author Edale Lane.
When a deadly blizzard strands motorists at a highway rest area, Detective Jenna Ferrari and her wife, Dr. Randi McLeod, find themselves in the middle of a double homicide. With power lines down and roads impassable, the travelers and the unknown murderer are trapped together.
Tensions rise, and suspicions mount as Jenna teams up with Trooper Bonnie Rourke to separate truth from panic. Closed off from the outside world, they must rely on experience and intuition to solve the crimes before the killer gets away—or strikes again.
A chilling holiday whodunit filled with twists, wit, and heartwarming chemistry, Snowbound with Murder blends suspense, romance, and small-town charm in the series’ most atmospheric case yet. Settle in with a mystery you won’t put down.
Amazon
Excerpt
Excerpt from Snowbound with Murder
Finding the body
“Ms. McKinnon!” Nothing.
Jenna doubled back toward the parking lot, checking closer to the lodge this time. Another frosty blast whipped across the yard, stirring up dancing flakes to mingle with those still falling. Visibility was lousy, and, if the woman had fallen half an hour ago, she could be buried by now. Jenna’s pulse kicked up, and she quickened her search.
All at once, she spotted something sticking out of the snow. Jenna raced ahead to an area she was sure she’d already checked between the parking lot and the building. Then she froze. Lara McKinnon lay on her back beneath a thin dusting, powder-blue coat, black leggings, and pink boots, brunette tresses fanning over the snow, a shocked expression on her ice-cold face—and a wicked crimson spray from the slash gaping open in her neck, staining the white ground.
Jenna stood, studying the body for an instant. No footsteps, just a few divots in the snow that could’ve come from anyone. “Bonnie, over here!” she yelled, then began to capture evidence pictures with her phone.
A few moments later, Bonnie rounded the building at a jog. Jenna shot her a grim look. “She didn’t freeze to death,” she reported.
“Someone slit her throat,” Bonnie concluded. She wiped a frosty glove over her reddened face. “You know what that means.”
Jenna understood exactly. “Someone trapped at this rest area with us killed her.”
“What department are you?” Bonnie looked like she might become ill and took a step back.
“Homicide, major crimes. Yes, I’ve seen worse, but it never gets any better,” Jenna confessed.
“I’m going to call this in.”
When Bonnie retreated another few steps, trying to raise law enforcement on her cell phone, Jenna worked the scene. “Between the lot and the building,” she mused aloud. “But which way had she been headed?” Noticing a hole in the snow near the victim’s feet, she investigated, took a photo, then lifted out a bloody boxcutter. “My kit’s …” Out of habit, she glanced around for Jamison, then remembered her team wasn’t there. Neither was her kit.
“Hey, Rourke, I found the murder weapon. Did you get ahold of somebody?”
“Yeah, but the calls keep dropping before I can explain.” Her voice sounded rough with irritation.
“I need some plastic bags from the kitchen for evidence collection,” Jenna said, trying not to make it sound like an order. “I’ve taken crime scene photos, but we need to bag up this box cutter and every inch of snow with blood on it. The killer might have cut himself or herself. Then, if you can’t get through to the coroner, we need somewhere to put her. I know Dr. Valentine wouldn’t be happy with a frozen solid body. Besides, wild animals could be attracted, and we don’t need bite marks obscuring the wound site. Find out if there’s a big refrigerator or freezer in the café kitchen. As soon as we bring this body inside, all those folks are going to freak out, so see if there’s a back entrance.”
Bonnie nodded, eyes morbidly glued to the corpse. “I can do that. But even if I get through on the phone, the coroner wouldn’t get through this storm.”
“One more thing.” Jenna stepped between Bonnie and the victim, catching her attention. “Don’t tell anyone but that employee, Becky. Then see if you can find a tarp or giant trash bag—something to wrap the body in and drag her through the snow. She doesn’t look heavy, but we don’t need to leave a blood trail out here. If you can’t find anything in the rest area, ask my wife, Randi. She has everything imaginable in the toolbox on her truck.”
“OK. Sorry. I get plenty of traffic fatalities, but this is my first murder victim.”
Jenna allowed her expression to soften. “I wish I could say the same.”
Bonnie bustled back inside while Jenna stood vigil over the gifted nature photographer Lara McKinnon, snow falling silently on them both.