Dawn Eastman, bestselling author of the cozy series Family Fortune, talks about her newly released traditional mystery.

Dawn Eastman

CQ: Congratulations on the December 12 release of your new mystery novel, Unnatural Causes. This is the first in an anticipated series. Tell us about your protagonist.

DE: Thank you! My protagonist, Katie LeClair is a new doctor, fresh out of residency. She takes a position in a father-son family practice in a small town. She has led an itinerant lifestyle and now wants to settle in one place and make a home for herself.

CQ: This new novel is a change of pace from your previous cozy mystery series, Family Fortune.

Would you agree that Unnatural Causes could be characterized a suspense novel? If you do, why the change of pace in your writing career? And what do you think are the expectations of readers of suspense versus cozy mysteries?

DE: I wouldn't characterize it as a thriller. It is more of a traditional mystery. My cozy mystery series is quirky with quite a few unusual characters. There is often mayhem. In the new series, with a doctor as the main character, the quirkiness is toned down, and there is not as much mayhem.

CQ: What are you currently working on? The second novel in the Dr. Katie LeClair series? A fifth novel in the Family Fortune series? Can you discuss what your next novel is about?

DE: I just turned the second Katie book into the editor. It focuses on a patient released from prison. He was convicted of murder/manslaughter but tells Katie he was innocent. She, of course, wants to investigate. I have also started work on the fifth Family Fortune mystery, which I hope to finish early in the new year.

CQ: Who and what have most influenced your writing?

DE: I have always been a reader, and that first pushed me to want to write. Once I realized at about age seven that writers were real people, I wanted to be one of them. Mysteries are my favorite, and I love a good puzzle, so I was drawn to the cozy and traditional sub-genre. Janet Evanovich is one of my favorite authors of comedic mystery. I love the humor mixed with the more serious criminal element. I also read Margaret Maron, Laurie King, Rhys Bowen, Susan Wittig Albert, Deborah Crombie, Elly Griffiths, and many more. My writing group has been a huge influence on my writing in the sense that they were so encouraging pre-publication and kept me accountable so that I actually finished a book!

CQ: What books and authors are you currently reading?

DE: Currently, I am reading everything Elly Griffiths has written. She has a great mix of humor with serious issues. Her cast of characters is just quirky enough to believe that they are real. Also, I am catching up with the Deborah Crombie series. I just started reading her books, and I have many hours of enjoyment to look forward to – I think she is on book fifteen or so! And I have Louise Penny’s latest on my desk. I’m waiting until I have a couple of days to focus. I usually can’t put her books down for long.

CQ: Have any of the books you’ve read over the years inspired your own writing? How?

DE: The Harry Potter series inspired me in the sense that the world is so real, so well thought out, and it was a world that readers wanted to live in. I often thought of how wonderful it must be to spend even more time in that world while working on the novels. I set my books in places where I would like to spend a lot of time. And as I mentioned, any books that combine humor with mystery have inspired me to try my hand at creating my own. Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness series is wonderful that way. I also enjoy MC Beaton's Agatha Raisin. Elly Griffiths has inspired me to try to add depth and a more fully realized group of characters to the humorous elements. She uses humorous points of view and less situational comedy to great effect.

CQ: What do you do when you’re not writing?

DE: I have two kids who are fairly independent and one dog who is very needy. I also knit a lot and watch British television. Currently, I'm hooked on The Crown (which is maybe not technically British TV but is about the monarchy). And I read, all the time.

CQ: Thank you for a great interview. And best of success with your new novel.