Welcome to the Campfire with Today's Guest Wendy Kendall.

Today I’m welcoming Wendy Kendall  to the Around the Campfire. What’s your preference, coffee, tea, cocoa, or wine? My go-to drink is chai tea, the more caffeine the better. A steaming mug, that spicy scent, oh yes that suits me to a T.

Tell us have you ever camped, or as I call what I do, Glamp. 
It's been awhile since my last camping, which is why I'm so happy to be invited to your campfire today. I've enjoyed tent camping in the past, especially at the beach but also in the mountains. After moving to the Seattle area where rain even in the summer is common, we finally got tired of coming home soaked to the skin and bought a used camper. That was fun too. Nowadays my idea of roughing it is a cabin with no wifi.

Tell us about your latest project. What’s the title and genre? 
I write cozy mysteries and the first of my In Purse-Suit Mysteries series is Kat Out of the Bag. That's Kat with a K for Katherine Watson, international purse designer and amateur sleuth. 
And I’m so excited to break the news here - the prequel is available beginning September 2nd. Purse-Stachio Makes A Splash is the title and it’s part of The Wild Rose Press’ One Scoop Or Two series. In this prequel Katherine Watson makes a chilling discovery about a cold case involving a missing girl.

Congratulations! I'm a recent fan of the Cozy Mystery  and the One Scoop or Two series is amazing. Do you have a tagline?
From designer bags to body bags

How long did it take you from conception to publication?
Kat Out of the Bag took me a very exciting 5 years. I have a passion for mysteries, books, and purses so the writing and the research was all a lot of fun. I immersed myself in the writing community in the Pacific Northwest and have made so many wonderful friends. I’ve learned so much that has improved my writing.
As part of my research I interviewed local police, especially those with K-9 partners because Jason Holmes is a character who is a local cop in my series, with his four-pawed partner Hobbs. I also did a ride along with a K-9 patrol in the Seattle area and got to see them in action. What an exciting research assignment I gave myself there. I’ve used this experience in the book, and plan on continuing to include more throughout the series. I’m writing the sequel now.
Another highlight of my research was a visit to the Esse Purse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. What a fabulous visit for someone like me who has a passion for purses, and for history. This wonderful place tells women’s history and uses women’s purses as accessories to tell the stories of the decades. So inspiring! The tales of extraordinary efforts and accomplishments by everyday women are so beautiful. And seeing all the purses is a delight. It’s created and run by Anita Davis, who is an incredible woman herself, and her fabulous staff.
I was thrilled when The Wild Rose Press decided in August 2019 they would publish Kat Out of the Bag. They’ve been fantastic to work with. My book has been available since April of this year.

I have to admit my purse is a phone case and my "bag" is a backpack. Are there any mentors, authors, or books, you would like to give a shout-out to? 
If you’re a cozy mystery fan, my absolute favorite author, queen of the genre in my eyes, is Laura Childs. She has several series, but my favorite is her Tea Shop mysteries.
For other book recommendations, I have a Recommended Reads column you can visit whenever your to-be-read pile gets low - https://myedmondsnews.com/category/columns/recommended-reads/
 
Tell us, what does literary success look like to you?
So many readers have contacted me and said how very much they’ve enjoyed reading Kat Out of the Bag. That warms my heart. I want to continue to increase the visibility of my books in order to entertain more readers as a best seller, to provide delightful characters and puzzling mysteries to all amateur sleuths.
As I looked at the prequel Purse-Stachio Makes A Splash, a thrill ran through me as I saw the page - Other books by Wendy Kendall. That’s literary success for me, telling more and more stories for readers to savor.

Life Hacks 
Store your handbags on a shelf & stuff them when not in use in order to maintain their shape. When you carry, let your purse-onality shine bright.
Love that.
Now the fun questions pick 5 or if you like more but no more than 7. 

• If they made a movie about your life, what would the title be and who would play you?

Clutching a Bag of Dreams starring Anne Hathaway

• Do you have a special object like a piece of jewelry or keepsake of some sort? 

I’m a very sentimental person, so I keep way too many things because of sentimental attachments. One in particular is a pretty little clutch purse that’s a beige material with a sparkly gold embroidery on a metal frame with a short chain.

• Can you tell us what makes it special to you?

It’s special because it was given to me by my great uncle and great aunt when I visited them on a trip from Los Angeles to Devon, England. I was a teenager and Uncle Bun and Aunt Liz gave me this as a gift. That’s many years ago. I loved it. Despite the geographic distance, we were very close and wrote letters to each other every week for years. I dedicated my prequel Purse-Stachio Makes A Splash to them. That was a natural - like me they both loved sweets and the beach. 

• Favorite childhood book? Or writing that inspired you to become an author.

My father used to read to me Rudyard Kipling Just So Stories, and I wanted to hear them over and over.
When I got older, the whole Anne of Green Gables series, and of course all the Nancy Drew books.

• If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be?

What a great question! I often think it would be so wonderful if everyone’s life had a soundtrack like in the movies, so when something scary is about to happen the music gets suspenseful, then playful when it’s happy times and so on. My one song when entering a room is an old one and, in my opinion the title is misspelled - By The Association the song Windy . . . . (I’d prefer it spelled Wendy) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ky_Y9Ez5Ao

• If you could eat anything in the world right now, what would it be?

Chocolate

• Worst household chore?

Is there a best household chore? Or even a tolerable one?

• Did you ever win something? What?

When I was ten, I was called up on stage to assist a magician. He pulled a rabbit out of his hat and gave it to me as a prize to keep. My parents were very surprised!

Wendy, thanks for being part of the Campfire. Please tell us a bit about your books and where we can find more information.
Donna 

Kat Out of the Bag (excerpt)
by Wendy Kendall
    “There's an officer nearby. We'll alert him. Hold the line.”
    Katherine was worried by the operator's monotone. Did she understand the urgency? Katherine watched in disbelief as the shadow figure moved toward the shed attached to the waterwheel. Too late, she thought to get a picture after the person disappeared inside the shed.
    “Oh no,” Katherine muttered. She spoke into the phone, “Hurry, I think it's the killer, maybe looking for something left behind? Hello?” Had the operator hung up?
    “Yes, the officer is on the way. Please stay on the line.” The operator's voice now sounded bored.
    A sharp ray of light from inside the shed cut through the darkness. The light jumped around. Sweat collected on Katherine's upper lip as she imagined the killer looking through her things for something, maybe critical evidence. Fear gave way to irritation at the invations. Irritation gave way to anger. Someone had to stop that killer from removing whatever incriminating thing was so critical it had driven a return to the scene of the crime. Katherine wanted to scream. Where were the police? Maybe MJ was right about them. She pressed against the French doors. The light in the shed went out. Her breath caught in her throat. The silhouette walked out of the shed toward the alley leading to the maze that burrowed throughout Bayside and beyond.
    Katherine spoke gruffly and fast, “Hello. Where's your officer? The suspect is getting away.”
    “Ma'am, please stay calm and hang on the line. They're on the way.”
    Katherine unlocked the door to the yard and whispered to the 911 operator, “I'm in pursuit.”


My links:
Website - https://sites.google.com/site/wendywriteshere/
Kat Out of the Bag
BuyLink- https://www.amazon.com/Kat-Out-Bag-Purse-Suit-Mystery/dp/1509230718/ref=sr_1_2?crid=16TZOJIL09TC7&dchild=1&keywords=kat+out+of+the+bag+by+wendy+kendall&qid=1596829878&sprefix=kat+out+of%2Caps%2C242&sr=8-2
A Passion For Purses Blogspot -  https://apassionforpurses.blogspot.com/
Email - [email protected]
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pg/WendyKendallMysteries/about/?ref=page_internal
Twitter - https://twitter.com/WendyWrites1
Instagram - wendyekendall​My links:
Website - https://sites.google.com/site/wendywriteshere/