Rachel Thompson

@TracyWeberTypes Shares Her Thoughts on Setting a Mystery in Seattle #AmReading #Mystery


Cozy mysteries like Murder Strikes a Pose are generally set in small towns, but I couldn’t imagine setting my series any place other than Seattle. With its city-meets-nature ambience and diverse community vibe, Seattle is simultaneously laid back, yet socially active; granola-y, yet cosmopolitan. What other city would encourage hundreds of naked bicyclists to lead a major parade every solstice?
Over the course of the Downward Dog Mysteries, Kate and Bella will have adventures in many of my favorite Seattle locations. Below are five don’t-miss spots for Seattle tourists. Be sure to check them out the next time you visit!

Greenlake:
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No visit to Seattle would be complete without a walk around the three-mile Greenlake loop. You’ll find dogs and their humans, a variety of wildlife, a few ice cream vendors, and more rollerbladers than you can shake a stick at. Greenlake is my dog Tasha’s favorite squirrel-hunting destination. It will be an important location in my third book, tentatively titled Karma Can Be Killer.

The Burke Gilman Trail:
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If you’ve read Murder Strikes a Pose, you might remember a duck-chasing scene in which Kate gets dragged head-first down a steep embankment toward a river. In real life, Tasha dragged me down that very embankment on the Burke Gilman Trail. The actual trail is a hiking and biking Mecca that extends over eighteen miles, but Tasha’s and my favorite spot is right behind this dinosaur in Fremont.

The Seattle Waterfront:

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Kate and Bella won’t visit the Seattle waterfront until the third book, when they follow a suspect onto a ferry. The waterfront has amazing restaurants, a peer that encourages you to feed French fries to seagulls, and a curiosity shop with an over 100-year-old mummy. While you’re there, visit Pike Place Market and ride The Great Wheel.

Seattle Center:
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Seattle Center is famous for the Space Needle, but that’s not why Tasha and I like it. The center has seventy-four acres of green space with amazing art including Chihuly glass sculptures, singing flowers, and an amazing water fountain timed to music. No trip to Seattle would be complete without visiting this city icon.

Whole Life Yoga:
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This final stop may not make the tourist maps, but it is arguably the most important location in the Downward Dog Mysteries. Serenity Yoga, Kate’s yoga studio, is loosely based on my own yoga studio, Whole Life Yoga. This one-room yoga studio rests in the heart of Greenwood, an eclectic neighborhood of shops, antique stores, bars, and restaurants. At first glance, the studio seems oddly located; a haven designed to promote inner peace—smack dab in the middle of a block with four bars and a medical marijuana dispensary. But that’s Greenwood—a study in contradictions.

Whether you read Murder Strikes a Pose or not, I truly hope you come visit this one-of-a-kind city. Seattle has been my home for over thirty years, and I can’t imagine a more special place.

What’s your favorite city and why? I’d love to hear from you.

Tracy Weber is a certified yoga teacher and the founder of Whole Life Yoga, an award-winning yoga studio in Seattle, where she current­ly lives with her husband, Marc, and German shepherd, Tasha. She loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any form possible. When she’s not writing, she spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sip­ping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house. Tracy loves connecting with fans.  Find her on her author web page or on Facebook.

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When George and Bella—a homeless alcoholic and his intimidating German shepherd—disturb the peace outside her studio, yoga instructor Kate Davidson’s Zen-like calm is stretched to the breaking point. Kate tries to get rid of them before Bella scares the yoga pants off her students. Instead, the three form an unlikely friendship.

One night Kate finds George’s body behind her studio. The police dismiss his murder as a drug-related street crime, but she knows George wasn’t a dealer. So Kate starts digging into George’s past while also looking for someone to adopt Bella before she’s sent to the big dog park in the sky. With the murderer nipping at her heels, Kate has to work fast or her next Corpse Pose may be for real.

Praise:
"Cozy fans will eagerly await the next installment." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Murder Strikes a Pose, by Tracy Weber, is a delightful debut novel featuring Kate Davidson, a caring but feist yoga teacher . . . Namaste to Weber and her fresh, new heroine!" PENNY WARNER,AUTHOR OFHOW TO DINE ON KILLER WINE

"[T]his charming debut mystery . . . pieces together a skillful collage of mystery, yoga, and plenty of dog stories against the unique backdrop of Seattle characters and neighborhoods. The delightful start of a promising new series. I couldn't put it down!" WAVERLY FITZGERALD, AUTHOR OF DIAL C FOR CHIHUAHUA

"Three woofs for Tracy Weber's first Downward Dog Mystery, Murder STrikes a Pose. Great characters, keep-you-guessing plot, plenty of laughs, and dogswhat more could we want? Ah, yesthe next book!" SHEILA WEBSTER BONEHAM, AUTHOR OF DROP DEAD ON RECALL

Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre – Cozy Mystery
Rating – PG
More details about the author
Connect with Tracy Weber on Facebook & Twitter

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