Murder To My Ears (An Octavia Fields Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Independently Published (June 30, 2023)
Print Length 260 pages

Synopsis

Octavia Fields should know better than to judge things by their appearance. After all, most people don’t expect a nomadic hippie to be a classical violist—let alone one who runs a seasonal music shop at Aerie Pines, the summer home of the Aerie Peaks Symphony.

But when her business season starts off on the wrong note, it’s obviously the persnickety concertmaster’s fault. If he hadn’t turned up dead—leaving Octavia to find his body— she wouldn’t have to deal with the handsome detective who isn’t sure what to think of her impressive arrest record.

With symphony members cornering Octavia to pass on “evidence” by way of sotto-voce rumors, it shouldn’t surprise her to learn the helpful musicians aren’t the only ones who believe Octavia’s helping with the investigation. When a threatening letter arrives, it’s clear the killer thinks she’s playing harmony to the detective, too.

When the detective doesn’t appear to be making progress on the case, Octavia decides it’s up to her to solve the mystery—before the killer hears their cue to silence her!

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Guest Post

What’s In a Name?

Naming characters is one of the most fun—but hardest—parts of being an author. You have to choose a name that fits the personality of the character, then maybe think through everyone you know to figure out if anyone will think they lent you their name (which may or may not be a good thing, depending).

Writing cozy mysteries throws an extra layer of thought into the mix. Because cozies are special! It’s the kind of book that lets you bring in puns or hint at more. You’re almost expected to have a name that ties into the character’s hobby, or a holiday if the series is set around one, or any number of related things.

When I was choosing names for the characters in Murder To My Ears, I knew I wanted to tie the music theme into the main character’s name. She’s a classical violist who happens to be a hippie, which made things a little tricky. I chose a music-related first name, and a more living-outdoors kind of last name: Octavia Fields. As a bonus, when Octavia signs her name, she writes 8via. (If you read music, you’ll be aware that 8va marks sections to be played an octave above what’s written.)

I wanted to carry the music theme over to Octavia’s best friend as well. When the concertmaster turns up murdered, this best friend becomes the new concertmaster, with responsibilities to help lead the rest of the symphony. It took a little work, but I came up with the perfect name for her: Piper.

Then we have the detectives. We spend a fair amount of time with two of the three detectives in this book, so we’ll talk about those two.

The first is the lead detective, who I wanted to come across as more of an “everyone” character. I knew I wanted his name to be short and to the point, because that plays into his personality. I also wanted him to be easy to relate to, so I chose a more common name: Jack Price.

For the other detective, I wanted to play a bit with the detective theme. Her name ties together two characters from Sherlock Holmes: Irene Watson.

Choosing the right name for a character can be tricky, but when you get it right, it feels like striking gold. So, next time you’re reading, it might be fun to think about why the author chose the names they did for their characters! It can add new depth to the story.

About the Author

Rebecca McKinnon enjoys playing with her imaginary friends and introducing them to others through her writing. She dreams of living in the middle of nowhere but has been unable to find an acceptable location that wouldn’t require crossing an ocean.

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