From Across State Lines with Michelle Bennington!

PA Cozy Mystery Writers
6 days ago
3 min read

From Across State Lines Blog Promo Image - Michelle Bennington

Please give a warm welcome to Michelle from Kentucky…

Born with bluegrass underfoot and wide Kentucky skies overhead, Michelle Bennington developed a passion for books early on that has progressed into a mild hoarding situation and an ever-growing to-read pile. She delights in spinning contemporary mysteries, historical mysteries, and historical fiction. Find out more on her website: https://www.michellebennington.com/ and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and GoodReads.

Favorite Book Format: Paperback

Why did you decide to become an author?

As a lifelong bookworm, reading has always brought me joy. I wanted to do that for others.

Is your book set in the same state that you live in? (please describe the setting)

Yes. It’s set in rural / small town Kentucky, which is where I grew up. Very different than the city environment I now live in. I don't like city life and would love to get back to my country roots where there are lots of trees, wide open spaces, rolling hills, creeks, livestock, and wildlife. When I was a kid, I spent a lot of evenings watching the sunset across a field or staring up at the stars and full moon. I really miss it. So Henny lives in an area similar to where I grew up. She lives in a little rural-suburban neighborhood, where she has neighbors, but the houses aren’t built close together; there are fields, trees, and plenty of country roads. Within a mile or two, is Plumridge (a fictional town) with a town square full of older buildings, boutiques, and shops. Past the square, on one side is a shopping district and on the other side is an industrial / warehouse district as well as some poorer neighborhoods. In the other direction from Henny’s home is wide open country full of farmland, hills, and hollows.

Introduce us to one of the animals in your story.

The only animal in my story is Khan, the neighbor’s German Shepherd mix who barks all the time. That’s all we know about him. He doesn’t have a feature role in this story. But as I’m answering this question, I wonder if I should include him in the third hoarding book in the series. Maybe I can find a larger role for him in the third and final book because I’m sure he’s a big baby and a good boy.

Dream Vacation: Scotland

Dumpster Dying: The Hazardous Hoarding Mysteries #1

A Little Bit About the Book:

Henny Wiley has a problem...she's a bit of a collector. Well, collector might be an understatement. She's a full-blown hoarder!

Henny doesn't see it that way though. She considers herself a finder of lost treasures and the only thing Henny loves more than a great deal at a yard sale is to head to the parking lot of her favorite hobby store and search through their dumpster for bright new shiny things.

During one such dumpster dive, Henny makes a horrific discovery...the dead body of a young woman she had a soft spot for. Determined to find out who murdered her friend Henny drags along her recently deceased husband Walter (who obviously has problems of his own!) and her long-suffering sister Ida Mae as back-up.

But the murderer is paying attention and if Henny's not careful, the next body dying in a dumpster will be her own!