Showing posts with label Vancouver Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vancouver Island. Show all posts

Monday, July 20, 2015

Tea Party Launch of "Murder at the Empress Hotel"



O Happy Day! Book 10 is out this summer! Thanks for joining me today. Please have some treats - zero calories online. We'll also need a nice cup of tea. 

I'd like to share with you a few notes on why I wrote the story of "Murder at the Empress Hotel." 

The main reason I used Victoria, British Columbia for the setting was in remembrance of a family trip in 1986.  That was when my husband and I started our second family together, unbeknownst to us. We were on a road trip up the Pacific Coast with our two older children at the time and both sets of grandparents. What a wonderful vacation we had visiting many attractions along the way. In Victoria, we strolled the docks of  the inner harbor and fisherman's wharf, and took a day to see the Butchart Gardens. 

Some things have changed since our visit, like moving the Ann Hathaway Cottage as it was called to a nearby island, and the addition of Blue Heron House at Royal Roads University. But one thing remains the same. Afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel still serves their famed spread every afternoon. 


In doing research for "Murder at the Empress Hotel," I learned about the First Nations people who were the first inhabitants of Vancouver Island. It wouldn't be an authentic setting without a few of their stories, even though they're from my imagination. The book is dedicated to them.


"Set in the beautiful city of Victoria on Vancouver Island, a bitter conflict over fishing rights and the love of one woman turns deadly with the murder of a young attorney, drawing Jillian and Teddy into yet another intriguing adventure."

Well, that sums up the story all right, but there's a little more to it. Like the characters for instance: 


Jillian Bradley, garden columnist and amateur sleuth

Teddy, Jillian's Yorkie companion and fellow sleuth
Arthur Wingate, fellow collaborator and good friend
Diana Wingate, wife of Arthur and newly appointed hotel reviewer
Father Goodman, priest and university professor of aboriginal relationships 
Rainbow Knight, sister of Badger and grad assistant to Father Goodman
Gerald Dawson, associate professor of aboriginal studies
Leo Hunter, Director of Canadian Oceans and Fisheries
David Blackwolf, lawyer for Canadian Oceans and Fisheries
Badger Knight, opposing lawyer for First Nations
Kelly Morrison, administrative assistant to David Blackwolf and Leo Hunter
Sergeant Nick Stone, head of Victoria homicide division

Mix all together and somewhere you'll discover a victim and a motive for murder! 


To order copies of "Murder at the Empress Hotel" and Books 1-9, please follow the links:


Enjoy!


~Nancy Jill 

NANCY JILL THAMES

Nancy Jill Thames was born to write mysteries. From her early days as the neighborhood story-teller to the Amazon Author Watch Bestseller List, she has always had a vivid imagination and loves to solve problems – perfect for plotting whodunits. In 2010, Nancy Jill published her first mystery Murder in Half Moon Bay, introducing her well-loved protagonist Jillian Bradley, and clue-sniffing Yorkie, “Teddy.”

When she isn’t plotting Jillian’s next perilous adventure, Nancy Jill travels between Texas and California finding new ways to spoil her grandchildren, playing classical favorites on her baby grand or having afternoon tea with friends.

She is a member of Leander Writers’ Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW CenTex Chapter), and Central Texas Authors.

To learn more about Nancy Jill, visit:

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Tea Party Tuesday ~ Tea at the Empress Hotel

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday, everyone! This photo on Pinterest made me stop in my tracks -- isn't it wonderful?

Let me pour you a nice cup of tea. Milk? Sugars?

When I went to the photo site, I found it was taken by a lovely Russian travel agent who lives in Victoria, Canada -- setting for Book 10 "Murder at the Empress Hotel" coming 2015, so I simply had to post.

From the shiny silverware to the garnishes, I believe I've chosen well. My early family (we had two sets of children thirteen years apart) and both sets of grandparents made the trip to Vancouver Island from Sacramento, California, up the Pacific Coast. We took the ferry across to reach the island, and that afternoon we enjoyed famed afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel. It was a wonderful experience.

I read they serve on average 500 teas everyday. Amazing!

The hotel is so renown that recently a man bought it without even seeing it, on reputation alone. It will certainly be fun to use as a setting. 

Let's try the finger sandwiches - they look delicious! And I think I'll take a scone, too. Please help yourself.

I pray as fall ushers in, we all stay healthy and safe. 


Cheers! 


~Nancy Jill

The photo is from the setting in 
Book 9 "Murder at Mirror Lake." 
Watch for it soon!
(Don't you love the shoe bomb?)