Emmeline Duncan and her GROUND RULES to Portland, Oregon #bookgiveaway

 

HALLIE EPHRON: Today we're delighted to welcome Emmeline Duncan, author of the Ground Rules series set in one of my favorite cities, Portland, Oregon. (She also writes young adult novels as Kelly Garrett -- her debut YA (THE LAST TO DIE), was an Oregon Book Awards finalist.)

Emmeline is here to talk about her third Ground Rules mystery novel: FLAT WHITE FATALITY. (The series began with in 2021 with FRESH BREWED MURDER and 2022's DOUBLE SHOT DEATH.)

Coffee. Portland. "Tips on coffee and a touch of romance combine in a mystery with a strong West Coast vibe." (Kirkus Review) What's not to like?!

EMMELINE DUNCAN: When I started writing my Ground Rules mystery series, I wanted to do was showcase the Portland I know and love. My series is set around a coffee cart and food cart pod, which you can find all over the city.

Even Portland dogs, like Emmeline's Waylon, have opinions about coffee.

But I wanted more Portland.
More quirkiness.
More local flavor.

Luckily, I just had to look around me for inspiration.

For example, while writing Flat White Fatality, I was inspired by the time I walked into a bar and found myself surrounded by pirates singing sea shanties. It turned out they had negotiated an agreement with the owner: they'd only sign two songs per night. Which made me wonder: what was the bar like before this arrangement when they'd sung all night? Clearly, the pirates needed to make an appearance in a book.

Another time, a writer friend and I walked into a patisserie and found ourselves amongst about thirty women all dressed up as dolls. Their costumes and makeup were impressive—any self-respecting cosplayer would've asked them for tips. 

So clearly, this group needed to make a pivotal appearance in one of the books!

Portland from Burnside Bridge. Cherry blossom season is a beautiful time to go for a walk on the Portland waterfront. Fun fact: once upon a time, this park was a highway!]

In Double Shot Death, Pickathon, a real-life eco-music festival on a tree farm on the outskirts of Portland, inspired my setting. Although I took the concept and changed it to work within the confines of my novel.

While writing the rough draft, my agent sent me an email after Caesar the No Drama Llama, a local celebrity of sorts, made the national news and said he hoped Caesar would make an appearance. I replied immediately to let him know I'd already worked a fictionalized version of the llama into the story! 

Although in my novel, the llama wears a top hat, and he’s not named Caesar. In Caesar’s real life, with volunteer visits to schools, nursing homes, and similar events, he doesn’t wear clothing. And in case you're wondering, Caesar was not trained to be a therapy llama—he's just a naturally chill dude who doesn't react to loud stimuli, lets kids hug him, and naturally poses for cameras. In short, he's a natural no-drama llama. Double Shot Death has a few other local references, but the llama is my favorite.

These moments of levity add depth of setting to the book and also provide a counterbalance for the times I mention grittier issues, like homelessness and gentrification. 

Because while my book is cozy, it acknowledges the realities of living in a city, even if the camera angle doesn't spend time dwelling in darkness. And some of the series' inspiration, like the Suspended Coffee board at the coffee cart, is based on an actual program that encourages customers to pre-buy coffee or food items for someone down on their luck to claim later. 

So if you visit Portland, there’s a decent chance you’ll drop by Powell’s (and please be aware the downtown location’s coffee shop is now run by Guilder, a local coffee roaster and café with a Princess Bride theme). If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll see a group of witches stand-up paddle boarding in the Willamette River (after all, everyone needs exercise!) Or catch a glimpse of the Unipiper as he glides by. (The Unipiper is a man who rides a unicycle while playing the bagpipes . . . in costume. Darth Vader is one of his favorites.)

If you could walk into a bar or coffee shop and find a group of enthusiasts, whom would you like to come across?

HALLIE: We are such big fans of Powell's here on Jungle Red! Great bookstore. Surrounded by a great city.

Emmeline will be giving away a copy of FLAT WHITE FATALITY to one of today's lucky commenters... so pile on, let us know whom you'd like to come across if you walked into a bar of coffee shop to find a grup of enthusiasts...

About Emmeline Duncan: Like her Ground Rules Mystery series, Emmeline Duncan is based in Portland, Oregon. Her series includes Fresh Brewed Murder, Double Shot Death, and Flat White Fatality, which came out on May 23rd. You can track her online at emmelineduncan.com.

About Flat White Fatality
To top off her coffee business, Sage is now helping out with her boyfriend Bax’s gaming company. Conveniently for Sage, it’s located next door to her Ground Rules Roastery. That makes it easy for her to pitch in with Bax’s employee team-building event. The plan is to boost morale with a scavenger hunt. And it seems to be going well—until Robbie, a programmer known for being a prankster, turns up dead in Sage’s roastery . . .

There are two suspects so far: Sage, who has no idea how the victim ended up in her space; and Bax, who was allegedly spotted arguing with Robbie the day before. But could it be a disgruntled employee? After all, Robbie’s sense of humor was known to have rubbed some coworkers the wrong way. Now, it’s up to Sage to find the culprit—before another life grinds to a halt.